Evergreen | D.M.

04

Today is the day.

After an excruciatingly long first week of classes, today is the day for Hufflepuff quidditch tryouts. Elara and Ernie have been practicing each night for hours on end to make sure they are prepared. She's been very pleasantly surprised by his skill level. Who would've thought that scrawny Ernie MacMillan would make a killer quidditch chaser?

She sits at her usual seat in the great hall pushing the food on her plate around with her fork. She doesn't think she'll be able to keep anything in her stomach if she tries to eat.

"Mail is here!" Justin shouts as the messenger owls begin flocking into the room. Elara looks up from her plate to see her brown barn owl, Felix, approaching.

"Thanks buddy," she says while patting him on the head. She picks up the two letters that he drops, and wastes no time before opening them.

My princess,

Good luck at your quidditch tryouts!

I know you will do great.

- Dad x

She smiles to herself as she reads the message from her father. Making him proud is her only hope. She folds the note and slides it into her pocket before opening the next letter.

Mini Moony,

Don't mess up.

- Your favourite godfather.

She can't help but chuckle at the stark differences between the two letters. Sirius is like the cool uncle who allows her to break all the rules her father has set in place. She knows his message is a joke. After all, he's the one who encouraged her to practice her seeking all summer long.

After finishing breakfast, the Hufflepuffs head down to the quidditch pitch to prepare for their tryouts. Elara chews on the inside of her lip until she tastes blood. She can't help the feeling of anxiety rising in her chest with each step she takes.

"You feeling alright?" Hannah questions, nudging Elara with her elbow.

"Yeah, just a little nervous," she sighs, forcing a smile across her lips.

"You have nothing to worry about, we'll all collectively murder Zach if he cuts you from the team. That's a promise," Hannah says as they enter into the communal changing rooms. Ellie is unable to hold back her laughter at Hannah's words of encouragement. There is something absolutely hilarious about imagining a bunch of Hufflepuffs committing a murder.

Elara changes into her yellow training uniform. She hasn't worn it since Cedric charmed one of his old uniforms to fit her last year. She shakes the memory of her best friend from her head. She wants to make him proud, and she won't be able to if her mind is clouded with memories of him.

"Seekers over there, chasers over there, and beaters here," Zacharias calls out, pointing to each respective area of the pitch. Elara wishes Hannah and Ernie luck, and trots over to her side of the field. She's surprised to see so many people trying out for seeker this year, but she doesn't let it phase her.

Zacharias spends the next three hours working the students until near death. Elara has never felt closer to death than she does when her feet finally touch the ground. She looks around the pitch, sighing in relief as she sees her friends in a similar zombie-like state.

"Final decisions will be posted tomorrow morning," Zach calls out. Elara watches in disbelief as he walks off the pitch as if he hasn't spent the last three hours working his ass off. What a show-off.

"Holy shit," Hannah chokes as she walks up next to Elara, Ernie following at her side. He clutches his chest as he struggles to intake a sufficient amount of oxygen.