Running With Wolves

Chapter 7: Quidditch Tryouts

Chapter 7: Quidditch Tryouts

The wind whipped Sirius' hair into his eyes. His fingers had begun to go numb around his broom handle. James was up in the air chasing scarlet robes down and pointing them back to the ground so the tryouts could begin. Half a dozen other students waited beside Sirius. Sirius glanced up at the stands. Several people sat there, including Peter, but Remus was not among them.

"I don't think he's coming mate." James said, jumping off his broom and landing beside Sirius gracefully.

"I..." What had he expected? Four days of utter silence and then Remus would show up to the Quidditch tryouts and everything would be fixed? "I thought at least he'd come for you."

"Doesn't look like it, sorry." James patted him on the shoulder and left the stand at the head of the group.

"Alright everyone!" he said. "I need you all to get into two groups. One, over on my left for beaters, another over here for those of you who are trying out to be keeper. Sirius shuffled over to James' left. He was followed by three other people. The girl closest to him was taller than he was. She had muscular arms and broad shoulders. Sirius wiped his palms on his pants.

"Keepers first. I would like you all to first show me a lap around the pitch on your brooms. The three students trying out for keeper mounted their brooms and waited for a nervous second, each glancing around the see if the other two were doing the same, and who was going to kick off into the air first. In the end it was a young girl Sirius had seen a few times in the corridors. She made a clean circle around the pitch and touched back down lightly where she had started. The other two, followed her lead. The first made it around the pitch, hunched over the handle of his broom, clinging to it as though his life depended on it. The other managed to get all the way around, before slipping off the back of his broom onto his butt in the wet grass as he tried to land his broom. Sirius stifled his laughter into his sleeve. James glared at him.

James directed them towards the hoops at the end of the pitch. The next half hour was spent with James throwing the quaffle from various angles at the different hoops while the aspiring keepers tried to block it. Sirius thought it was pretty obvious who was going to become the new keeper, but James said, "Thank you for trying out, the list of the new Gryffindor quidditch team will be posted on the bulletin board Monday morning."

The girl moved into the stands to watch the rest of the try-outs. The two boys walked away, the first was covered in mud, and the second carried his broom, newly cloven in two in both hands.

James ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it off his forehead and exhaling in a puff of breath before calling, "alright, beaters!" Sirius' stomach flipped over. He wiped his hands on his jeans again. "If you would all show me a lap around the pitch please."

The tall girl beside Sirius was the first to take off. She kicked hard against the ground without hesitation and zipped around the pitch, coming back around and landing before anyone else had even mounted their brooms. Determined not to be so easily outmatched, Sirius kicked off.

When he got back, James looked slightly alarmed.

"I'm not sure I've ever seen you fly that fast, well done, Pads." James said, patting Sirius on the shoulder and going to talk to the other two students, and they too, made their way around the pitch.

"Very good, everyone. One by one, I want you all to fly up into the air. I'll have Benjamin," he gestured to one of the Gryffindor players behind him, "hit bludgers at you. Your task will be to knock them away. Try not to hit Ben. Got it?" Everyone nodded. "Right, you." James pointed at the other girl in the group. She swallowed and nodded, stepping forward, mounting her broom and flying into the air. Ben and James both followed.