When Myths Meet Magic || 2

19|| Hazel

A weak feeling of acid still lingered over my bones. Darkness covered my vision, though the large pair of poisonous yellow eyes were frozen in my mind. Where was I?

>>>•O•<<<

Despite the attacks, Wood still held the Chaser tryouts as enthusiastically as ever.

"Alright!" He tossed the Quaffle upwards before catching it and sending it back up habitually. "You're all here for Chaser tryouts. Now remember, Alicia was a bloody excellent player, so each one of you has high standards to reach, got it?"

They all nodded.

"Now, I'm going to go through a few drills we do in practice sometimes, and we'll see how you handle. Everyone on your brooms!"

Jason, Annabeth, and the eight other people mounted their brooms before hovering to Wood's level.

"First drill!" Wood began to fly slowly towards the goals when he spun around, launching the Quaffle at them. "Think fast!"

Caught off guard, the person closest to it, a fourth year, flinched and scrambled to catch it. The ball slipped from between his arms, and he fetched it, blushing madly.

"I want every one of you to be alert!" Wood barked as he caught the Quaffle. "If this happens to you and you're caught snoozing on your broom, let me warn you, it will drastically decrease your chances of making the team. Don't worry," he added kindly to the fourth year who looked mortified. "You get a pass, just this once."

The fourth year nodded gratefully.

"Okay, first drill for real." Wood grinned. "This is a game Charlie Weasley taught me. Phoenix Sage taught him, and she played this in her muggle school."

Wood split them up in teams of two and numbered them off. Then he flew in the middle of the groups.

"Now, when I call a number, the person with that number will go out into the middle of the pitch. The two players in the middle will play the Quaffle out, until someone scores. Then they go back and I'll call a different number, got it?"

Annabeth went on one side, Jason on the other.

"One. Two—" Wood tapped Annabeth's broom. "—Three. Four. Five."

He sailed into the center, holding the Quaffle. Then suddenly he chucked it up into the air, yelled out, "Three!" And zipped out of the way to view it.

They played a fast round, in which Jason's team won. Then he called one. Then five. Then— "two!"

Annabeth flew at lightning speed towards the Quaffle, which was just reaching the peak of the toss. She reached out to grab it, but suddenly the Quaffle was blown away from her fingertips, arcing away into Jason's arms. He looped around Annabeth and zoomed in a squiggly motion towards the goals.

Leaning forward on her broom, Annabeth didn't tail Jason, instead following a path straight towards the goals where she knew he was headed. As Jason did another curve above Annabeth, drawing closer to the center hoops, Annabeth suddenly made a sharp turn upwards, intercepting Jason and making him stop abruptly lest they collide. As he rested his broom back, Annabeth swung her broom around so that she was hanging upside down with her legs crossed tightly. "No cheating!" She yelled as she snatched the ball from Jason's arms before finishing the loop and curving around again, rocketing away.

After a few more drills, to the surprise of no one, Annabeth was accepted to the team, with Jason as a reserve Chaser.