The Cursed Chronicles: Year 5

Chapter 11

Scorpius walked to the Quidditch, still nervous, despite Rose chattering encouragement into his ear. Katrina was on the other side of Rose, also receiving the optimism treatment.

"Rose, clam down. I'm pretty sure you're just making Scorpius more nervous." They reached the edges of the field, where floods of people were standing, waiting for tryouts, anticipating their turn to show their skills. Rose turned to Scorpius and took a deep breath.

"You're going to do amazing. Just go out there and do your best." she smiled warmly to him and he grinned.

"Thanks Rose. See you afterwards." Rose climbed the bleachers to join Albus as one of the many spectators of the double-team tryouts.

Katrina joined the Hufflepuffs and Scorpius the Slytherins. The Slytherins went first. The team captain sent small groups flying around the field. Anyone that fell of their broom, wasn't stable on their broom, or couldn't get off the ground, were immediately disqualified. There weren't many of these. Just from a glance, Katrina felt like there would be more of those when Hufflepuffs got their turn.

Next, they had individual tryouts. This year, they were only trying for three chaser positions, because all of their chasers graduated Hogwarts last year. The current Slytherin keeper stood in front of the post to block the chasers. In the groups that they were sent around the court, they were sent up to try and make goals. Goals made by chasers were counted and compared by the team captain.

Scorpius went up with the last group. One especially nasty kid tried to push him off of his broom. Scorpius swung under his broom and came back up on top. The team captain seemed impressed, and the other kid was disqualified. Scorpius scored quite a few goals, though Katrina was sure that the keeper was confounded during one of them.

Finally, it was Hufflepuff tryouts. Like Katrina had suspected, more than half of the people who had shown up couldn't even get off the ground. Katrina noticed Jessica and her posse join the crowd in the bleachers.

What are they up to?

Katrina waited patiently as groups of students were tested. The current team chasers flew around and the kids trying out had to try and defend them from the bludgers. Each successful defensive blow was tallied.

 Katrina was in one of the middle groups. As she mounted her broom with a club in hand, she saw signs with moving pictures go up in the crowd. A few just read "Katrina Stinks", but most of them showed her fizzling- a play on her last name, and then blowing up.  Katrina ignored them, and gripped the club firmly, determined to prove them wrong.

Just then, a bludger came flying at a chaser next to her. Katrina gripped the club and swung as hard as she could, aiming carefully. With a loud "thunk" the bludger ripped through the air, tearing right through one of the signs- the one Jessica and her friends were holding. She could hear Jessica screaming as the bludger banged around in the bleachers, and it gave her satisfaction.

There was a roar of cheers. The other student who was up there trying out stared dumbfounded. Katrina noticed a bludger about to hit a chaser next to him, and dove in the way, hitting the ball as hard as she could. Soon, everything was just a blur. She was hitting bludgers left and right.

The team captain had just blown the whistle for them to come back down so the next group could go up, when she felt an explosion of pain in her head. The world went fuzzy and she felt weightless. Then she was falling off her broom, and everything went dark.