The Other Side of Midnight

A/N- I am dedicating this chapter to Lori and Barb for the sheer thrill they gave me while I read their last posted up chapters. Please post again soon you two.

Ch 5

Quidditch Tryouts

Harry arrived on the Quidditch pitch with Ron to find the other Gryffindor team members waiting for him, along with what seemed nearly all of Gryffindor house.

Ron looked around with popping eyes at the number of people that had turned up for the tryouts. He turned to Harry questioningly.

"How are you going to try them all out?"

"We don't have to, you just wait and watch," Harry replied.

He walked forward towards the crowd and raising his wand to his mouth whispered Sonorous.

"All right listen up everyone," Harry's voice boomed out. "We are going to do this neatly and cleanly so just do what I tell you to do no questions asked. We have no time to lose."

There was a shout of -

"Sure Harry."

"Whatever you say Cap'n."

"You're the boss."

"Ok here's what we are going to do, all the first years move to the side and wait till I get to you, as for the rest of you, grab your brooms and get in a line and be ready to fly when I call you."

There was commotion everywhere as everybody rushed to do as he asked and in two minutes flat there was a separate group of first years standing away from the others and the rest were standing in a neat line clutching their brooms waiting further instructions from Harry.

"Ok now when I say 'go' the one standing in front get on your broom and fly around the stadium twice. And no shenanigans please, just two simple laps."

Fred and George and the other Gryffindors gave Harry strange looks at this unusual way to pick new players, but they kept quiet, waiting to see what Harry was up to.

"Go," Harry said.

The small third year right at the front of the line got on his broom and took off into the air. He flew around the pitch unsteadily clearly looking unsure of himself and after he finished his two laps, landed on the ground.

"Go," Harry said as he landed.

At his words another one took to the air.

Slowly all the people in the line flew around the stadium and Harry quickly divided them in three groups, the hopeless fliers - The Neville variety as Ron jokingly called them, the one's that were a little better, and one's that looked absolutely natural and confident on a broom.

Ron, Dean, Sally-Anne Perks, Seamus and a few others fell in this last category, and Lee Jordan, Colin Creevey and Parvati Patil fell in the second category. The rest were just average on their brooms and had little or no experience in flying, they looked nervous and a little scared and Harry told these few to head back to the castle, as they were no longer in contention.

Harry grinned as he walked over to his Gryffindor teammates.

"You see in this way I was able to find out whether they were any good at flying, which is a must for a good Quidditch player."

"But what about the first years?" Angelina asked.

"I'll get to them now," Harry replied walking over to Madam Hooch who had just arrived. They had a hurried conversation together and then he and her walked over to the group of first years.

"Ok you saw what the others were told to do, well you're going to have to do the same. Only this time Madam Hooch and I will accompany you so you will be in no danger."

The first years nodded.

"Ok let's go, first you Clark." Harry said to the youngster who he had given detention to yesterday.

"Ok Harry, and I just want to say I'm sorry about yesterday." The youngster replied shamefacedly.

"That's ok, but you should apologize to Curly not me," Harry said patting Clark's back gently.

Clark grabbed the broomstick that Madam Hooch was holding out to him and got on it. He waited until Madam Hooch and Harry were seated on their brooms until taking off.

The kid fell into the above average group and would probably improve with age but he didn't have the brilliance that Harry was looking for. Harry watched Clark closely as he flew around the pitch and when he had completed the lap Harry nodded at him and both of them flew down.

"Good show, now you Jeremy."

The routine went on until all of them had had their chance. Some of them were not good enough to even take off the ground and they forfeited their chance, as Harry didn't want to risk them getting hurt.

Finally only Curly was left and as Harry saw him get on his broom he smiled at him encouragingly. The boy seemed confident and sure of himself as he sat lightly on the broom.

Harry saw him take off into the air where Madam Hooch was already hovering incase there was any problem, and was soon left amazed by the flying abilities of the young Negro. He was a natural! Nearly as good a flier as Angelina Johnson who was one of the best fliers on the team after Harry himself.

He was getting the best performance that the old and obsolete broom could give him and he flew confidently and seemingly without effort, which was good, as one needed to fly without effort during the game so that the players could pull off any move that they wanted to with utmost confidence.

Harry took into the air and flew by him watching him carefully as he completed the lap of the pitch. He noticed that he had the correct poise and sat light on his broom and guessed that if he were given a good broom he would make an excellent player. Harry nodded at him at the end of two laps and they both flew down amongst the cheers of the crowd watching below.

"Good job Curly. Just wait here for a while as I take a look at the probables for the keeper position and then I'll get back to you."

He turned towards the other first years. "Ok, some of you have great potential, but I don't think that any one of you is good enough yet to play for this year, but the next year there are going to be a lot of openings as our senior players will be graduating, so keep practicing and work on your flying."

The first years reluctantly left.

"What now Harry?" Alicia asked, impressed by the way Harry had conducted the trials so far.

"Well as I said back on the train Ron, Dean and Sally are good probables. Lets try them out shall we?" Harry said.

Fred and George nodded and Harry turned to Dean "Go and show us your stuff."

"What do I do?" Dean asked nervously

"Well first you just try to block what Angelina, Katie and Alicia throw at you," Harry said.

Dean flew off towards the goal and Harry turned to the three chasers, "Give him hell."

Angelina, Alicia and Katie mounted their brooms and flew off, the Quaffle between them.

They flew at the goals where Dean was concentrating on the ball, which was being passed rapidly between the three chasers who were approaching the goal speedily all at once.

At the last moment Angelina passed the Quaffle to Katie and she and Alicia swerved off. Katie threw the Quaffle towards the left hoop.

Dean who had wisely kept his eyes on the Quaffle instead of the Chasers who had meant to distract him by their number saw it and intercepted it easily.

Harry nodded and smiled. "He looks good."

Fred and George nodded. "Sure does."

The three chasers gave him everything in the book and Dean was able to block most of it and had a sixty percent saving rate at the end, which was very decent. Harry nodded at him and Dean flew down to where he was standing.

"Good job, up you go Ron," Harry said.

It was Ron's turn next and he was good at the job, but not as good as Dean and missed saving quite a lot of the goals.

Ron came down a bit subdued as he realized that he had most probably lost out to Dean.

Sally went up next and Harry realized that she was not as good as Dean or even Ron at keeping and she conceded quite a number of goals against the excellent Gryffindor Chasers, but Harry who was watching her fly around carefully saw potential of another kind.

She flew down disappointed and was joined by the three Gryffindor chasers who were trying to cheer her up well knowing her passion for Quidditch.

Harry turned to Dean "Go up and keep."

Dean nodded and flew off to guard the goals. Harry turned to Sally and threw her the Quaffle "I want you to get that past Dean."

Sally stared at Harry, "But Harry, I'm a Keeper not a Chaser."

"Do as you're told Sally," Harry said.

Sally shrugged, and mounting her broom flew up again.

Angelina, Katie and Alicia were giving him strange looks, and seeing them he said, "Look and see for yourselves."

Sally was flying rapidly towards the goal and it was obvious that she was trying for the middle loop. Dean was already hovering near it to block the goal. At the last moment she threw it towards the left hoop. It was a long shot and had a one in a hundred chance of going in, but it hit the edge of the hoop and twirled on it for a moment before sliding through.

There was a cheer from the Gryffindor chasers as they saw this feat "Reckon that we made a good choice as a captain Harry, you certainly have the eye," Alicia said grinning.

"Yeah she'll be very useful next year when I lose my three best chasers," Harry said warmly.

"That's good to hear, I thought that my place was going to go to her," Angelina said.

"No, she's still too raw for that," Harry said. "She doesn't know any of the techniques, as she has been concentrating on keeping so far, but she'll be a very good Chaser by next year."

Sally came down grinning and Harry turned to her "Start practicing as a Chaser, Angelina, Katie and Alicia will help you. You'll only be reserve this year but you have a permanent place from next year for sure."

Sally nodded and leaping forward impulsively, hugged Harry fiercely. "Thanks Harry! I thought for sure that I would never get to play Quidditch after that bad job of keeping."

Harry patted her back and grinned. "Just doing my job."

He turned to Dean "Ok up you go again."

"Again! But why?" Dean asked puzzled.

"This time you will have to contend with Bludgers as well that's why," Harry replied nodding at Fred and George's direction.

Dean flew up again, a little fearfully though, as he had more than a healthy respect for Fred and George's beater abilities. He tried to defend the goals as best as he could as Fred and George took great pleasure in pelting him with Bludgers. This time the percentage of saves came down to twenty percent, but that was still very good considering that he had to deal with two excellent beaters as well as the excellent Gryffindor chasers, the percentage of saves would most probably go up drastically in a real match. A satisfied Harry called down the tired keeper after a long hard and bruising session.

"Good show Dean, You are now the official Gryffindor keeper." Harry turned to his teammates. "How about it?"

"I like him," Angelina said.

"He's good, maybe not as good as Oliver but good enough," Katie said.

"Great choice," Fred said patting Dean on his back.

Dean immediately looked behind him as he still remembered the post-it that the twins had put behind Ron.

Harry turned to Ron and Seamus. "Look, you two are good fliers but you aren't that great keepers. I suggest that the both of you practice being beaters and if you're good enough we can most probably use you next year."

Ron's disappointed face burst into a small smile as a new ray of hope was presented to him.

Harry finally turned to Curly. "Curly, I think in you Gryffindor has got our next Seeker. I want to offer you the position of reserve seeker. I can't test you now as I will have to tell Prof. McGonagall about this, but if she agrees I want you to owl home for your broom. I'm assuming you have one?"

Curly nodded his face breaking into a huge smile, showing his sparkling white teeth.

"Thanks Harry," he said shyly. "Yes I have a Nimbus at home."

"Hey don't thank me. You have the ability and that's why you're getting the position, make no mistake about that."

A happy and slightly enlarged Gryffindor team made their way up to the castle after a long satisfying session where they were confident that they had chosen the right people for the team.

~*~~*~~*~

Harry and Hermione stood by the northern wall of the astronomy tower looking at the sunset.

"Beautiful isn't it?" she breathed dreamily.

"Yes very," Harry agreed not looking at the sunset at all.

Hermione caught his tone and turned around "How beautiful?" she asked impishly.

Harry grinned at her "Like a beautiful scarlet rose, delicate, fragrant and... blossoming," said Harry his eyes trailing down.

"My! Aren't we romantic today? But might I remind you that a rose has thorns too."

"Yes, as have you honey, but I'll risk it." Harry replied dryly.

"Oh ye brave knight who knows no fear," Hermione said softly.

"Oh yes I do, I fear that one of these days you'll drive me out of my mind with your sexy moves," Harry retorted.

"Hmph! I think that sometimes you just say things without meaning them," Hermione said making a face at him.

Harry grabbed her and pulling her to him crushed her against his body, his hand reached up to tilt her face up to his and softly caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.

She looked into his green eyes and waited to see what he would do next.

He looked back into her eyes for a brief second and then brought his lips down to hers gently caressing them like an artist with a brush, not letting his lips linger for more than a second. His slow and soft caresses made Hermione wild and she opened her mouth slowly, granting him entrance. Harry gave a small smile before he bent his head down to hers and claimed her mouth.

Her hands went to the back of his head and buried them into his hair, desperately trying to pull him closer to her.

They lost themselves in their desire for each other as they both drank each other in, their bodies fused together as closely as one.

Hermione looked up, her face flushed with desire and gasping for air as Harry ended the kiss, she was looking more beautiful than ever to him.

"I always say what I mean and that should have convinced you," He said, and then looking at her beautiful face groaned, and brought his lips down to hers, and kissed her again.

"And that's for your antics at breakfast today," Harry gasped when he finally pulled off reluctantly, feeling like he was tearing a part of himself as he ended the kiss.

Hermione not to be outdone pulled his lips back down to hers and kissed him back just as thoroughly.

"What was that for?" Harry said weakly, desire raging like a bush fire through him.

"That's for doing the same to me at Transfigurations today," she said grinning.

Harry grinned back and pulled her to him again and this time they gave no reasons for their passion to each other.

"So how do you like your animagus form?" Harry asked her gently afterwards, stroking her hair out of her flushed face.

"It was just great, Imagine, me a panther! I was expecting something much smaller," she said smiling happily.

"You know somehow I was not very surprised," Harry said.

"Really?"

"Yeah it didn't look very surprising and it suited you, I always saw you as some sort of a cat."

Hermione punched him lightly "That's because you saw me fur covered back in our second year."

"Yeah maybe, but most probably not," said Harry evasively.

"Anyway you didn't surprise me at all, I always thought of you as a Lion animagus."

"How's that?" Harry asked his eyebrow raised.

"Well it's like this, the animal chooses you according to how you are as a person and according to your personality. And you are very brave, a born leader, strong..." she said lightly touching his arm.

"Oh a load of crap, You wouldn't think I was so brave if you would have seen me face Voldemort and run away last year," Harry said bitterly.

"Oh knock it off Harry! There's a clear distinction between brave and stupid," Hermione said crossly. "Honestly the way you talk! Name one other wizard that has fought him and got away with it. And what could you have done? Take on You-know-who and the Death eaters at once?"

"Yeah I guess you're right," Harry said sighing.

"By the way why did it take you so long to transform today?" Hermione asked curiously suddenly remembering the long period it had taken him to transform.

Harry looked at her thoughtfully and instead of answering her asked a question of his own "What did you see when you drank the potion?"

Hermione gave him a searching look and then replied, "Well I saw a golden sort of bright shining light, almost like a door or portal and then I walked towards it and it sort of enclosed all around me..."

"You mean to say you didn't see any red light?" Harry interrupted

Hermione looked at him surprised "No I didn't, you mean to say you saw two lights?"

"Yes, one Red and one Golden."

Hermione looked at him shocked "Why didn't you tell McGonagall?"

"Well I thought it must be normal, how in the blazes could I know it isn't?" Harry replied irritatedly.

"Well we had better go to Prof. McGonagall hadn't we?"

"No just leave it for now we'll tell her later."

"But why?" Hermione asked surprised.

"Look Hermione there's a lot of curious things about me and I don't want to add to it, I already have the scar which gives me the nightmares and that's enough. What happens if it is a part of Voldemort? You know Dumbledore told me that he had put some of his power into me, if I access it and it takes control of me what then?"

"But Harry it could be important, and besides it has to be related somehow with animagus abilities," Hermione persisted.

"So we'll find out more about it first before we tell anyone," Harry said firmly.

Hermione looked at Harry and saw his firm rigid jaw and realized that further arguing would be of no use. Harry could make a mule look complaint when he was in such a mood.

"Ok tomorrow we'll head for the library," she sighed accepting defeat.

~*~~*~~*~

Severus Snape was sitting in his office brooding. A large bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky was before him and he sloshed a generous helping in a glass and threw back half of it in one sip. He felt the fiery liquid burn its way down his throat but it didn't bother an old and seasoned drinker like him.

He wondered for the umpteenth time about what Harry Potter was up to, it wasn't like him to behave so nicely in Potions and to read up on his lessons. He pondered this for a moment and sighed, he was a little like his father and had the same regard for rules as him. He remembered the time during Harry's second year when he had lobbed the Filibuster firework into Goyle's cauldron and disrupted the whole class. He had never been caught red handed at it, but somehow Snape had a gut feeling that it had been him all along.

Then there was Harry's third year where he had stopped him from capturing Sirius Black and had disarmed him. His head had been sore for a month due to the large bump he had received when he had hit the Shrieking shack's wall. On top of that Cornelius Fudge now thought that he was insane.

Snape admitted to himself that he had not been Mr. Niceness himself with Harry either, and sometimes he regretted taking the anger that he felt for James Potter and his friends on Harry, who had nothing to do with it.

He had tried to make amends about it during the first year when he had been trying to save Harry's skin, but Harry had instead taken it into his thick skull that he (Snape) was in fact trying to kill him.

After that he (Snape) had been very unwilling to be nice to him and by that time Harry had also developed a healthy hating for him. And soon all out war had been declared.

Snape thought about the times to come, Voldemort would most probably try to regain the power he had lost and he was sure to be after Harry's blood. Harry would have trouble enough already without him adding to them.

Snape raised the glass to his lips again and drained the rest of the whisky.

~*~~*~~*~