Lupin's True Love

September 29, 1973

Veronica shouldered her Nimbus 1900 and made her way to the Quidditch pitch. She knew that today was the day that she found her replacement for the team. True she could still play but what was the use when all she ever heard from James and Sirius was how dangerous it was. It wasn't like she wasn't already in danger. She was the only witch in the past thousand years that had managed to free a phoenix. She was also the only person in the past five hundred years to be a dream seer, and a dream seer of the past at that. She knew that she needed to focus her time and energy on the fact that she was wanted by Voldemort, had to keep James and Sirius in line, do her studies, and spend time with her boyfriend, Remus. Remus would have understood if she wanted to stay on the team but Veronica felt that it was in her best interest to just give it up and get on with her studies and life, such as it was. She knew that the Potters would understand that she wanted to be good at what she did and her reasons for giving up on Quidditch. She waved at James who was hovering over the pitch as she entered. Sean waved her over as Robert took off into the air.

"Veronica, are you sure that you want to give up the Seeker position?" Sean looked toward the students lining up along the foot of the stands.

"Positive. I've got too much to do and not enough hours in the day to do it in. Besides, you'll still have James and he's semi-good at being a Chaser." She smiled as James zipped by them.

"I heard that, Vee!" James took off toward the sky again.

Veronica laughed as she swung her leg over her broom and shot into the air. Once she had reached the top of the staff's seats, she hovered slightly and watched as Sean started to try and organize the crowd into the groups that wanted to try out for Seeker and who wanted to try out for the reserve positions. She smiled as she thought back on Professor McGonagall trying to give her the Captaincy earlier in the year. She had refused saying that she didn't want it. She told McGonagall that Sean or Jason would be the logical choices for the position. When Sean had heard that, he had hugged Veronica and told her that he was glad that they were friends and that she thought so highly of him. Veronica had just smiled and told him to remember the promise that Olivia had made the year before.

"All right, folks. We've got nine positions to fill before the first game." Sean held the clipboard in his hand and rolled his eyes as one of the second years raised his hand. "What is it, Anderson?"

"Why do we have nine positions? Don't we already have a full team?" Jeremy Anderson held his broom tightly.

"Our Seeker wants us to have a reserve and her replacement so that she can train them. We need a new chaser and a whole reserve team just in case something happens to any member of the team." Sean turned on his heel. "Now I want all those that are trying out for the reserve team to line up over under the Ravenclaw stands and sort as to how you want to try out. Any Chasers stay here. And Seekers over under the Gryffindor stands." He watched the teens scatter across the field. He also saw Mason Quigley standing off to one side as Jason Troy was milling around with the ones that were trying out for Chaser. "What are you doing, Mason? Don't you want to be Keeper this year? And you, Jason? Don't you want to be Beater?"

"Not this year." Jason shouldered his broom and stepped forward. "I think I'd be better at being a Chaser instead."

"And since he wants to be a Chaser that means the position of Beater is open and I'd like to try out for that." Mason leaned back against the stands.

Sean threw his hands into the air. "Fine. Whatever. Just destroy the dynamics of this team."

Veronica landed beside Sean and placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "If we change the team's dynamics then the Slytherins won't suspect a thing. Besides, we can't get too comfortable."

Sean looked down at her. "You're right and when you're right I hear about it from James."

"Besides, once we have the reserve team we can always switch people around. That'll really screw up the Slytherins." Veronica smirked slightly.

Sean threw an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "I like the maniacal way you think."

"I have to think this way to keep James and Sirius in line." Veronica laughed as Sean handed her the clipboard.

"We may as well have a full tryout." Sean climbed into his broom and fly over to the ones waiting to try for the reserve team.

Veronica started toward the group of would be Chasers. "I want you all to sign this piece of parchment. This is so that we can keep track of who tried out and who's on which team. We've decided to make it one big tryout and make our choices from the best." She handed the clipboard to Jason just as Sean landed beside her again. "Make sure you put down the position you would like to tryout for."

Sean shouldered his broom as he looked over at the teens signing the parchment. "You'll make a great manager some day, Veronica."

"From your mouth to Merlin's ear." Veronica laughed as she watched the teens sign the parchment. "Besides, it looked like you needed some help over here."

"I did. I can't believe Jason wants to give up being a beater." Sean frowned for a minute.

Veronica slapped his arm slightly. "He was good but you're better."

"You're good for anyone, you know that?" Sean grinned as he looked down at Veronica's smiling face.

"You're just saying that."

"No I'm not. Remember after the last match you told the Slytherin Seeker that he had done a good job. I know that had to make him feel a bit better."

"Yeah, that's why his captain yelled at me like he did." Veronica took the clipboard from a third year and turned back to the teens trying out. "We've got the list so let's see them fly."

The first group of ten that took to the air was pathetic and that was putting it nicely. Most of the group was first years and they fell off their brooms the second they were in the air. The next group contained a bunch of third years that could tell which end was up except for two people. They zipped around the pitch and weaved in and out of the goalposts without hitting one. Veronica noticed that their names were Adrian Lynch and Jeremy Anderson.

She leaned over slightly so that no one else could hear her comments. "He looks like good Seeker material. And the other might make a good Keeper."

"You might be right." Sean scribbled a note next to both names. "Let's see how the next group does."

The third group contained Mason and Jason. They out flew everyone except one girl. She managed to out fly them. Sean started to scribble beside the name Valma Morgan. The fourth group had several second years that knew what they were doing. As each group flew, they slowly weeded out the good flyers from the bad. Finally they had a group of about twenty excellent flyers.

"Now, we'll see how well you play in the positions that you want. Seekers first, Sean?" Veronica glanced over at Sean still making notes on the clipboard.

"Huh?" His head jerked up and he looked at Veronica. "Yeah, Seekers are first. Let's see who can get the Snitch first."

The four students that wanted the position shot into the air with Veronica hot on their heels. She hovered in front of them and held up the tiny golden ball. "My record is less than five seconds. Let's see if any of you can do better." She let the ball go and watched as the four scattered.

Adrian and a girl flew along after the Snitch while the other two went looking in the opposite direction. Sean watched in wonder as Adrian and the girl followed the Snitch into a deep dive. Adrian's fingers closed around the golden ball a second before the girl.

Sean waved them all back to the ground. "We have our Seeker and our reserve. Adrian, congratulations on becoming Seeker." He shook Adrian's hand before turning to the girl. "Eunice Murray, you're our reserve."

"Sounds good." Eunice shouldered her broom before taking Adrian's hand. It looks like the best person won."

"Thanks." Adrian blushed slightly knowing that he was going to get ribbed about making the team from his friends.

"Beaters! You're next!" Sean handed Veronica the clipboard. "I'll take them from here."

"Sounds like a plan, Sean." Veronica watched him shoot through the air.

She drops her broom only to have it hover beside her as if asking her to sit. Veronica perches herself on the broom and watches the beaters hitting the Bludgers back and forth. Several of the flyers drop out as they miss the Bludgers and Veronica makes the notes on the clipboard. James ducked as a Bludger flew past his head.

"Watch where you're aiming those things!" James turned slightly as Veronica laughed at him. "It's not funny, Vee."

"Yes it is, Jamey-pooh." Veronica giggled as she finished taking the notes for the Beaters.

Sean landed beside Veronica on her broom. "Let's see what we've got." Sean looked over the notes and glanced at Veronica. "What did you think?"

"You and Mason work well together. Sirius and Finbar also work well together but the rest of them need to learn how to aim." Veronica climbed from her broom.

"Okay." Sean turned to the gathering students. "Mason and I are on the team with Sirius Black and Finbar Quigley on the reserve team." Sean turned to the remaining students waiting to tryout for the team. "Chasers and Keepers are up next."

James jumped onto his broom and took off into the air. Several people followed him. Veronica tossed the Quaffle up into the air and watched as Jessica caught it and raced toward the rings at the opposite end of the Pitch. James weaved through the three opposite players and caught the pass and got it past the Keeper. Jeremy shook his head as he flew under the goal to retrieve the Quaffle. He threw it to one of the girls that were supposed to be his Chasers. They weaved through the air and didn't score on Barry Ryan. He threw the Quaffle back to Robert Mullet. Veronica stood beside Sean and pointed out flaws and highlights in each of the players. Sean pulled out a whistle and blew on it hard. The players landed in front of him and Veronica.

"Sean's made his decision." Veronica looked at Sean while the players shifted from foot to foot.

"The lot of you are good but we can only have three main players and three reserve for the Chasers. The main team's Chasers are..." He looked down at the clipboard. "...James Potter, Jason Troy, and Robert Mullet. The Reserve Chasers are Jessica Stone, Valma Morgan, and Shayla Moran." Sean looked up from the clipboard. "Our Keeper is Barry Ryan and Jeremy Anderson is our reserve. Just because you were put on the reserve list doesn't mean that you won't be pulled up to play with the main team. Like Veronica said, if we keep changing our dynamics the Slytherins won't have a chance."

Veronica shouldered her broom and made her way toward the castle with most of the team following behind her.