Harry Potter and the Return to Godric's Hollow

CHAPTER FIVE

Quidditch Captains

Harry and Ron arrived to class and slipped into armchairs unseen just as Professor Trelawny was welcoming everyone back.

"Ah, I knew you would all be returning to me this year. My orb informed me of your eager anticipation to come back to Divination and learn as much as you could. We'll be starting off this year with a review of palmistry. Everyone take out your copy of Unfogging the Future and open it to page 109," said Professor Trelawny in her misty voice. The perfumes and fire were already making Harry's eyelids droop as he pulled out his book and he and Ron got to work.

Harry flopped his hand, palm-up, onto the creviced wooden table and towards Ron, who studied it closely with squinted eyes.

"I can't believe we have to do this again! Last year was enough, and it's not like we actually do it right... We just guess and make everything up!" Harry complained, frustrated.

"Yeah, I know. At least we get good marks from it. I mean, with your life and mine being so treacherous and all..." Ron replied with a hint of amusement and a muffled voice; his face was very close to Harry's hand.

"Then let's see how much of our old creativeness is still in us, shall we?"

"Okay!" Ron grinned. "From what I can see, you've had a restricted childhood--" Harry scoffed. That was the first true thing that had ever come from a Divination lesson. That is, if you didn't count exams...

"--And you're the type of person who thinks things through very carefully." Ron cocked one eyebrow. "Wait, it gets better. You suffer from," he cleared his throat, "chronic fatigue syndrome?" Ron started snickering loudly, receiving curious looks from the other students. "Now, if that isn't the biggest load of cra--"

"Er, Ron--" Harry interrupted, trying to hold a straight face; Professor Trelawny was looking their way with a patronizing gaze.

"Oooh!" Parvati squealed through the thickly scented fog in the classroom. "Professor Trelawny! Look, Lavender has a Cross Mystique in the center of the Quadrangle!"

"Very, very good! You have a strong psychic sense, Lavender," Professor Trelawny replied with pride as she patted the young girl's shoulder pompously. "When I was about your age, I remember noticing my own..."

"She has a crossed what?" Ron asked Harry quietly.

"I don't know. We must've missed something when we... We didn't read this chapter last year, did we?"

"Nope, don't think we did."

"Right, well, think Professor Trelawny would be happy to hear about the palm reading I've got?" Harry said.

"I think she'll enjoy the chronic fatigue syndrome, if that's what you mean," Ron answered as he raised his hand so the professor would come to their table.

~*~

Ron and Harry, still in high spirits about their praise from Professor Trelawney (apparently she thought chronic fatigue syndrome could be fatal), sat next to Hermione at lunch that day. They'd even gotten out of class early when Harry said he was feeling a bit tired and was excused with Ron, who was "helping Harry get back to the Common Room upright."

"Really, I can't believe you two!" Hermione exclaimed as they finished telling her about their first Divination class. "You're already up to your old tricks again, making up stories for class work, lying to the Professors!"

"Hermione, it's not as if we actually get taught how to do Divination or anything, you said it yourself before - it's all a load of rubbish! So why not make some up to go along with it?" Harry defended himself and Ron.

"I really don't understand why," Hermione managed to say through mouthfuls of sandwich, "you two don't get into Arithmancy. It's one of the most interesting classes I've got and I could help you two out if you really needed it badly. It's not that hard either, you just--"

"Sorry, thanks, but we're happy with our ruddy class," Ron snapped.

"Fine," she said simply, "I was just trying to help."

"We don't always need your help, do we?" Ron asked.

"Whatever you say, Ron. I won't ever help you two with your work again. Look, we've got to get going. We have to get back up to the common room to pick up our things and then go to Transfiguration." Hermione stomped away from the table. Shooting Ron a glare, Harry realized that this could turn out to be a very long year if Ron and Hermione continued arguing like they were.

~*~

Twenty minutes later, Ron, Hermione, and Harry sat happily again in the back of the Transfiguration classroom. It hadn't changed in the five years they'd been coming to it, although Professor McGonagall herself seemed to have changed some over the summer. She looked more tired - exhausted, in fact.

"This year's Transfiguration class is going to be your most stressed course. It's essential that you pay attention and work hard all year because not only do you have the O.W.L.s to be worrying about, but you're also going to start on Apparation. Starting Apparation is a big step in your life, and if you don't take it seriously enough then there will be serious consequences to face," Professor McGonagall said firmly. Ron and Harry exchanged brief glances at Hermione, who was wriggling on the edge of her seat with excitement.

"Since there is so much to cover this year and so little time to do it, we'll be starting immediately on assignments. Your first one, which you may start on today in class, is to read up on the consequences of Apparating wrongly. After you've done this, you're to write a five-page essay on what you've read, chiefly about Splinching. Turn these in by the end of the week."

Ron stared at the musty book in front of him, which hadn't been opened since last year's Transfiguration class. "I can't believe she's already starting us on a five-page essay!" Ron moaned. "It's the first day!"

"It's for you own good, you know. She's right, there is a lot to get done and we need to start right away," Hermione said. Then she added grimly, "I expect all the classes this year will be piling homework on us like this before we take our O.W.L.s."

Ron gave Harry a look that said, "She's got a good point." Deciding to keep their mouths shut, both boys set off to work and began reading.

By the end of class, Harry realized that if he actually kept to task and worked like Hermione, he'd be fine all year. He was three-quarters of the way done writing his second page when the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

~*~

"Harry, did you hear?"

Harry turned around in his seat in the Great Hall during dinner to see two flushed, identical faces with red hair.

"What is it?" Harry asked Fred and George, who were approaching rapidly.

"It's Professor McGonagall - we've just been to talk to her and she said we could have a Quidditch meeting as soon as we like. We're going to get the old team together tomorrow night in the Common Room after dinner to talk about things, alright?" asked Fred breathlessly.

Harry's face lit up with excitement. "Great! I'll be there."

"You better be!" George called as he and Fred went to find seats at the dinner table.

"What can you possibly need a Quidditch meeting for so early in the term?" Hermione asked Harry.

"Tons of stuff - we need to hold try-outs for new players and get everything situated. Usually, we don't need to do this so we can start later on, but this year's going to be a little different," Harry responded with enthusiasm.

"Well, I know that," Hermione waved her and dismissively, "but it's going to take that much time?"

"You never know..." Harry grinned ear to ear. "Actually, I think we all just want to start."

"I have to admit, I can't wait until you begin the matches. I know I'm not a big Quidditch buff, but--"

"Yes, I think we all know that," Ron joked.

"Oh, very funny," Hermione replied sarcastically, but she smiled. "It's just going to be so different this year, with both of you flying around up there..."

"Hey, I haven't even tried out yet, Hermione, so don't jinx me!" Ron cried quickly, though grinning ear to ear.

"The only way I could jinx you into not making it is if I took out my wand and transfigured your arms and legs into pumpkins, and you know I won't do that. Well, at least, not if you're being nice to me."

"I'll make an effort to be a little nicer, then, and not take any chances," Ron said as Hermione and Harry laughed.

"What's so funny?" Neville Longbottom, another fifth-year Gryffindor boy, asked from a few seats down.

"Nothing, just talking 'bout Quidditch!" Ron replied happily.

"Quidditch? I was thinking about trying out for Keeper this year!" Neville said avidly.

Ron's face fell slightly as Ginny called out, "Oy, Ron! Better remember what George said before!" Ginny giggled.

"Good one, Ginny!" Harry called out to her, remembering the conversation at the Burrow over the summer about Ron's so-called competition against Neville, who hadn't improved much since his first year of training. Before she whipped her head around to talk to Veronica, Harry saw her cheeks flush and her mouth curve into a smile.

"I don't get it, what're they laughing at now?" Harry heard Neville mutter. That, and the perturbed look on Ron's face, was enough to make Harry start laughing uncontrollably all over again.

~*~

After dinner the next night, Harry and the old members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team sat around a table secluded in the corner of the common room. The firelight danced across the round surface as Harry, Angelina, Fred, George, Katie and Alicia wrote their votes for Quidditch captain on scrap pieces of parchment. Harry finished scrawling his choice onto the paper, folded it in half, and placed it in Katie's upside-down witch hat. Soon, everyone else was finished and the votes were put into the hat also.

"Alright," George announced to the buzzing common room behind him in a quivery voice, "the votes have all been cast." The room went quiet as everyone turned around to watch. It turned out that the announcing of the new Quidditch captain was a tradition that the whole of Gryffindor observed. The common room was packed and Harry noticed that Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Veronica were all crammed onto one couch and hanging over the back. Even Professor McGonagall was standing in the midst of people to see who of her house would be the captain.

"The first vote is for..." George unfolded the parchment with trembling fingers and smiled. "Fred Weasley!"

Everyone clapped and Ron whooped, while Fred sat in his seat looking astounded. He took the hat, which George was handing to him, and said,

"The second vote is for... George Weasley!" George laughed, looking a bit relieved, as the whooping and cheering went on. Fred handed the hat to Angelina, who announced,

"And the third vote, again, goes to George Weasley!" The tension was growing now; there were only three votes left.

"Fred Weasley!"

"George Weasley!"

Now Harry took the hat from Katie; he was going to read aloud the final vote. He reached into the hat and could tell by the way the parchment was folded that he would be reading his own ballot. That meant that...

"Fred Weasley!" he proclaimed happily.

The roars of the Gryffindor Lions were deafening as their two new Quidditch captains, Fred and George, piled onto each other in a big hug. Soon Harry, Alicia, Katie, and Angelina were engulfing their captains also.

"Thanks, guys, thanks!" Fred's and George's muffled voices came from somewhere beneath Harry.

When they finally got off of Fred and George, the two stood on the round table, still in the corner, and muttered "Sonorus!" into their wands. It took a few minutes for the applauding and cheering to cease, and when it did, the twins enthusiastically started their speech.

"First of all, we want you to know that you can expect a great season with us and the rest of the team. But, the rest of the team isn't quite here yet," George said.

"And so we can get the rest of the team here, Quidditch try-outs for the Keeper position will be held Thursday afternoon at 3:30. All second-years and above are welcome to come. That gives you tomorrow night to cram some extra practice in, in case you haven't gotten much over the summer - though you should have," Fred stated. "We hope to see many of you there!"

"As the new captains of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, we want to officially assure you that Gryffindor will win the Quidditch cup this year!" Fred and George's voices echoed around the room. Bellows went up all over again, even from the quietest first years.

"Quietus!" the captains whispered into their wands, taking away the microphone effect they'd had. They jumped off the table and came over to their Quidditch team again.

"Well, that's it. Thursday afternoon at 3:30 is the try-out. You'll all have to be there to help make the final decision. Then we'll start practice soon after," George said merrily.

"Now Fred, George, don't go all Oliver Wood on us..." Katie joked.

"Oh, don't worry, we've got plenty of things in mind," Fred retorted with a broad grin on his face.

"Oh, Fred! George! I can't believe it!" Ginny screeched as she hurled into the two boys, making them stumble back a bit as she hugged them fiercely. "Mum will be so proud!"

"Yeah, I reckon there's one good thing she can't yell at us about!" George said thankfully.

"And you're the first dual captains Gryffindor's had for a long time!" Ron said as he shook his brothers' hands proudly.

"Ron, we're your brothers - you don't have to shake our hands!"

"Er, well, I was excited, ok?" Ron explained.

Harry stood out of the way as groups of people came over to congratulate George and Fred.

"Congratulations, boys. I have faith that you'll do a good job this year," Professor McGonagall said to them with a scarce smile.

"Don't worry, Professor, we're already planning!"

"Say, Professor, why don't you try one of these new cakes from Honeydukes? I've heard they're quite good!" George politely pulled a packaged cake from a near-by tray of food, brought in order of the celebration, and began to hand it to McGonagall, who eyed him suspiciously.

"From Honeydukes, are they?" Professor McGonagall repeated guardedly, reaching slowly for the pastry as Fred and George held back snickers.

"Professor!" Hermione squeaked from a few feet away. "I have an extremely important question about my essay for you!" She rushed over, grabbed Professor McGonagall's outstretched hand and led her away from the twins. She shot a glare over her shoulder to George as she stalked off.

"Bugger, we would've gotten McGonagall if Hermione hadn't ruined that!" Fred moaned.

"No, she probably wouldn't have eaten it, you know," Ginny said thoughtfully. "She probably would have inspected it, then thrown it back at you and assigned you to clean the toilets or something."

"That wasn't from Honeydukes?" Harry asked, confused.

"No, it was one of our own products - you guys haven't seen the full line yet," George answered.

"Well, it's a good thing Hermione did that - McGonagall would've killed you if she'd eaten one of those," Ron reasoned.

"Alright, Mr. Perfect Prefect Percy Junior, that's enough out of you."

"Ron's right," Ginny put in as Ron glared at George in response to his nickname. "She probably would have transfigured you into cauldrons and given you as gifts to Snape."

"That could've been ugly - remind me to thank Hermione later," Fred responded.

"C'mon, Harry, she left," Ron gestured towards the portrait, which was just closing behind Professor McGonagall. "Hermione's free again."

They made their way through the throng of students to Hermione, who was seated at a table with her books spread out all over. She looked very bored, and definitely annoyed.

"Maybe we should just leave her alone for a bit," Harry began.

"Nah, she'll be fine. We'll cheer her up," Ron said, determined.

"Alright, then..."

It took a while to get Hermione out of her aggravated state of mind, but soon she was enjoying the boisterous party going on with the rest of the Gryffindors.

At around midnight, Hermione took to her Prefect duties and told everyone to go to their dorms and get to bed. Groaning and complaining, Gryffindor students slowly emptied the common room and disappeared into their respective dorms.

Flopping down on the couch next to Ron, Hermione let out a pleased sigh and smiled.

"Well, that worked out well," she said. "Everyone's in bed."

"Yeah, good way to, er, take charge," Ron tried to compliment Hermione, who smiled in return. Ron turned a pale pink, and Hermione, noticing this, looked at her shoes but couldn't stop smiling herself. Harry, who was seated across from the pair in a scarlet armchair, realized what was going on and let out a snort of laughter.

"What?" Ron asked, his head snapping up, irritated.

"Nothing, I'm, uh, going to bed. G'night!"

Harry lay in bed, thinking and waiting for Ron to come up to the dorm. It seemed to him that for some time Ron had liked Hermione, but he didn't exactly know how Hermione felt. At times, it seemed funny to him, and at times just strange; it was slightly amusing to see the way Ron blushed so easily now, but weird to hear the way his friend's voice squeaked every so often when he was talking to Hermione. Wondering how much things could possibly change between them, and him, in the unfolding year, Harry sighed and rolled over. At last, after about fifteen minutes, he heard the door softly click shut and Ron pull the hangings around his own bed open.

"Thanks, Harry," he heard Ron whisper extremely quietly as he rustled in his sheets trying to get comfortable.

But Harry was already asleep.

~*~

"Harry, I think my stomach is about to crawl up my throat and out of my mouth."

"Ron, just relax! You've worked all summer and I've seen you play Keeper. You're just as good as Oliver was, and by the time the season gets going, you'll be better. Just - breathe, will you?"

It was 3:15, Thursday afternoon, and Harry and Ron were making their way up to the Quidditch Field for Keeper try-outs. Ron was turning an ugly shade of green and gray and looked as if he was about to hurl.

The sun was bright orange in the sky and as Harry watched it he started to feel the excitement he always got when he was heading to the field with his Firebolt in hand. In a few minutes, the try-outs would start, and then the Keeper would be chosen afterwards. The Gryffindor Quidditch team would be complete. Harry would have his old friends back on the field and would be playing the sport he most enjoyed over everything else.

They were outside the walls of the bleachers now. Harry and Ron entered the locker room without a word. That was probably best for Ron; Harry wasn't sure if he should be opening his mouth until his proper color returned to him.

After a quick change into some lighter robes, they made their way onto the field. Fred and George stood in the middle with clipboards in hand.

"Harry! Glad you finally turned up! Get over here!" Fred called out happily.

Harry clapped Ron on the back, who stumbled forward and clutched his stomach. Wishing him luck and leaving him with Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, Harry jogged past the bleachers where everyone trying out was seated and past a wooden crate on the bottom row of seats.

"Here's what the plan is," George explained when Harry reached him and Fred. "Katie is going to be at this end of the goal posts, and Angelina at the other. Alicia will be chasing all over to get the stray quaffles. I'll be at one post keeping stats, and Fred'll be at the other. Each Keeper has ten attempts to block the quaffles Katie and Angelina throw. After their ten, the next person will come up. Got it?"

"Yeah, but what am I supposed to do?" Harry asked, looking around.

"Ah, young Harry. You have the most important job," Fred commented with an air while waving one hand. "You get to organize who comes up next."

"So basically, I just have to stand on the ground and watch?"

"Mmhmm, I guess you could say that, if you look at it from the entirely wrong point of view."

"I must be," Harry replied dryly. He walked towards the line of Keepers waiting to try out and stood there, waiting begin. He scanned the line and saw that Neville had joined Ron, Seamus, and Dean. There was a sixth-year that Harry recognized as Margaret Heddle, and a few younger kids as well. Colin Creevey waved enthusiastically at Harry, and Harry waved back, though not as excited.

"Alright, we're going to start now. If you'd all line up in a single-file line and get behind Harry, that's it. Let us explain what you'll be doing," Fred started. He told them the procedures they'd be going through and the task they'd have to complete. Harry was glad to see that Ron's color was starting to come back into his face and the nervous sickly expression that he'd had was now replaced with determination.

Fred and George took their positions in the air on their brooms next to opposite goals, Fred with Angelina and George with Katie. Harry allowed the first two students to kick off the ground and into the air. They were young, and their inexperience showed against Katie and Angelina, who were both superb Chasers.

After a few other pairs, Ron and Neville came up to Harry, waiting to go next.

"Hullo, Harry," Neville greeted him.

"Hey, Neville," he replied, but Neville was already busy watching the other candidates against Katie and Angelina, as was Ron.

"Ron," Harry said, gaining Ron's attention.

"Yeah?"

"I think you've got a good chance, although Neville's trying out," Harry said quietly with a grin, trying to ease his friend's nerves by reminding him of the on-going joke.

"Harry! Shut up, Neville's not that far away; he might hear you!"

"Please, Ron, he's too absorbed."

Ron smiled and was about to say something else when George blew his whistle and called out, "Next!" Ron's swallowed hard with resolve as he and Neville pushed firmly off the ground.

Harry watched intently this time. Ron was against Katie, who was the better Chaser on the team. She'd managed to get at least half of her quaffles past everyone else who'd been up against her. C'mon Ron, Harry urged his friend silently.

Ron was just now to the goal posts and swung around in mid-air to face Katie. He seemed to have no other focus than the Quaffle that was just then being thrown in his direction. It was a few feet off to the right - Ron dove for it - and he missed. By the movement of his lips, Harry could tell that he'd cursed under his breath. Now Ron watched Katie as she brought her arm back to throw the next Quaffle.

Blocked! Ron smiled triumphantly as he went back to position himself between the goal posts and threw the Quaffle back at Angelina. It went on like this for the next few minutes. Katie would throw Quaffle after Quaffle, and Ron would catch all of them. By the time he was done, he'd only missed his first one and one other: two.

"Great job, Ron!" Katie yelled to him as he smiled and came back to the ground. George, obviously trying to be fair, didn't show too much excitement in his words, but his eyes radiated it.

As Ron landed on the ground beside Harry and the last pair of Keeper wannabes took off, he punched his fist in the air and yelled, "Yes!"

"Ron, you were great! That was the best anyone's done so far - Oliver couldn't have even pulled some of those saves off!" Harry blurted energetically.

"Yeah, well, I did my best!" Ron replied, his voice full of anticipation.

Five minutes later, George, Fred, Angelina, Katie, Alicia, and Harry were all congregated in the center of the field. The ten or so people who had tried out sat on the bleachers and waited eagerly for the announcement that would tell them who the Keeper was.

"Here's the stat sheet from my group," Fred said. He held them beside George's sheet, comparing them. Ron had done the best from George's group, and Margaret, the sixth-year, had done the best from Fred's group. She'd only blocked seven, though.

"I think we know who we want," Katie said. They all looked around at each other and silently and unanimously agreed.

They made their way back to the bleachers and stood in front of the chatty group. As soon and Fred and George stepped forward, however, they went silent.

"First of all, we want to thank everyone for coming to try-outs. We didn't expect this many people to come, and such support shows a lot about our house. Secondly, you all did a great job," George said.

"Unfortunately, we can only keep one of you," Fred added.

"There was a tough battle between two Keepers in particular, but in the end it came down to numbers. One had one more block that the other," George said regretfully, but not sadly.

"So, without further ado, we'd like to welcome our new Keeper to the team," Fred announced as he pulled a scarlet and gold Gryffindor Quidditch robe out of the crate sitting at the bottom of the bleachers. "Ron Weasley, welcome to the team."

The other candidates cheered and clapped politely, but looked forlorn as Ron jumped down to where Fred was holding out the robe. He willingly snatched it up and eagerly shook Fred and George's hands, then hugged them. Katie, Angelina, and Alicia all congratulated him with a kiss on the cheek, while Harry went to his best friend and flung his arm around him in a brotherly fashion.

Dean, Seamus, and Neville called out congratulations to Ron as they exited the stadium with the rest of the crowd who wasn't on the team.

"I told you not to be worried!" Harry exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, but I didn't want to be jinxed!" he replied thankfully. "But... I think I'm feeling a little sick again..."

Ron turned green for the second time and bolted towards the locker room. Harry laughed with the rest of the team and then went after his best friend.

~*~

"Oh, Ron! I'm so happy for you!" Hermione exclaimed as she ran to Ron as he stepped through the portrait hole to Gryffindor Tower. She embraced him tightly in her arms. "I just knew you would make it," she said when she finally let go.

"Yeah, I still can't believe it, though!" Ron said.

"Ron! As soon they all got back, Dean told us you'd made it. I'm so proud!" Ginny cried as she ran over to her older brother.

"Thanks, Gin!"

"I think I'm going to go owl mum and dad and tell them--"

"Already done, Ron," George said from behind Ron.

"Yep, George and I just sent them an owl telling them the good news... along with a few new products that need tested," Fred said with a sly smile.

"They aren't going to like that," Ginny commented.

"Do they ever?"

"What time is it?" Ron asked Harry.

Harry looked at the clock above the fireplace. He still hadn't gotten a new watch after ruining his own during the Tournament last year. "Almost dinner time, why?"

"No reason, I'm just really hungry. I think my stomach got a little, er, emptied after try-outs, and now I'm starved."

Fred reached into the book bag he'd been carrying. "Here's one of those new tarts off that cart from the Hogwarts Express," he offered.

"They had new food? We must've missed it - thanks," Ron replied as he unwrapped the tart and shoved it into his mouth. There was something very familiar about that pastry...

"Argh!" Ron yelped out. His ears began to leak a white, raunchy fog, and Harry remembered exactly what Ron had eaten: a Teapot Tart. Soon, as expected, Ron's head was a bright red teapot pouring the nasty-smelling vapor across the common room. Fred, George, and Harry laughed as Ron's head returned to normal size.

"Ugh! I can't believe I ate that!" Ron yelled indignantly.

"Me either!" Fred choked out through laughter. "Think of it as a 'welcome to the team' treat!"

Everyone seemed to want to get to supper early that night, and soon the common room was empty. Resigning with everyone else, the large group made their way through the Fat Lady's portrait hole and down to the Great Hall.