It May Be Raining

Chapter Five

The Cat Lady and Quidditch Trails

"Don´t your feet get cold in the wintertime..."

As Harry made his way downstairs and into the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning he was hit with the realization that he was relieved to be back at school. He was relieved to be surrounded by his friends and even more relieved to discover that the school had returned to normal after the events that had turned the place and its inhabitants, upside-down the previous term. Even with all of the added security and the somber mood of students and staff, it was reassuring to return to the comfort of routine.

Entering the Great Hall he saw that only a handful of people were there, apparently eager to start the first day of the term. Hermione was, of course, among the small number of students occupying the four large house tables. She was looking over her class schedule as she absently shoved a piece of toast into her mouth.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked, setting down the half eaten crust, not looking up from the paper she held in front of her nose.

Harry took the seat next to her.

"Huh?" He wondered where the perfunctory "Good Morning" had gone. He scanned the High Table at the front of the hall. Only Professors McGonagall and Sprout occupied the otherwise empty space, heads bent together over, what Harry could only guess were, class schedules.

"I asked if you slept well," repeated Hermione, laying aside her schedule to stare at Harry as he poked at his eggs with his fork. She followed his distracted gaze to the teachers at the High Table. "Who are you looking for?" she asked with mild interest.

"Oh," Harry vaguely heard someone questioning him and started slightly. "New Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor," he answered, recovering enough to realize that it was Hermione speaking.

"She´s left already. You´ve missed her," Hermione informed him and then added a suspicious, "Why?"

"Oh, no reason, really." Harry tried to sound as if it wasn´t significant. "She just reminds me of someone is all."

"Oh really?" Hermione began. "Who do you suppose she reminds you of, then?"

Harry could tell from her tone that she thought he was being ridiculous and suspicious. He felt slightly foolish on top of it all. It wasn´t possible that the new Professor was his former babysitter. For one, she looked way too young. On the other hand, he couldn´t shake the feeling that she was very familiar to him.

"Well," he began weakly. "D´you remember the house that we passed in my neighborhood? The one with all of the cats out front?"

"Sure I do, Ginny talked about them all summer. Her cat obsession is bordering on insanity in my opinion." She raised her eyebrows for effect.

Harry smiled at how off topic she was dragging them.

"I think Professor Figg might be the same Mrs. Figg that used to watch after me when the Dursleys were out," Harry confessed under Hermione´s interested stare.

She looked at him in an appraising sort of manner for a few minutes, completely forgetting her food. Then she ventured, "It´s possible, I guess."

Deflated by her skepticism, he admitted, "Well, she does seem a lot younger than the Mrs. Figg who used to watch me." He turned back to his plate and left it at that. He would just have to wait until he had Defense Against the Dark Arts to find out for sure.

Hermione handed him his schedule. "Well, we´ll see if she´s the Cat Lady after double Care of Magical Creatures." She carried a note of finality on the subject in her tone as she returned to her own schedule. What was she concentrating so hard on, Harry wondered, watching her burry her nose in the parchment. Surely she wasn´t trying to memorize it. Harry wouldn´t put it past her, however.

The two of them met up with Ron shortly after breakfast (who, typically, overslept and blamed it all on Harry) and headed out across the damp grounds surrounding the castle. They headed in the general direction of Hagrid´s cabin and the paddock beyond where his class traditionally met.

As they approached the paddock they were greeted with a most unusually surprising sight: Fawkes. The docile but dazzling bird was perched on an enormous log-like arm of the, likewise, enormous Hagrid. The `Creatures teacher was beaming a radiant smile that suggested he was impatient to get today´s lesson underway. As the vibrant subject sang quietly, Hagrid surveyed the class that was assembling in irregular clumps around him. He took an unofficial roll call of sorts by mentally noting absent faces. Hagrid had gotten to know each of his students well, and would know immediately if anyone was skiving. Pleased, apparently, to have everyone present and accounted for, Hagrid launched into a zealous lecture of the Phoenix and its many fascinating properties.

"Fawkes here´s a Phoenix," Hagrid began, all excitement apparent on his features. "A very rare bird with the ability to regenerate itself. It bursts into flames just as its body begins to weaken with age and rises from the ashes again as a chick, starting its life all over." He looked at the swan sized, humming creature with a child-like awe that was almost comical.

"You´d think it was Norbert the way he´s looking at it," was Ron´s whispered commentary.

Hagrid continued in the same vein, "It´s usually found in countries like Egypt, India and China. It nests on high mountain peaks, lives mostly in isolation." He grinned appreciatively as a group of girls including Parvati and Lavender ooed for effect. "I´ve seen them around, you know," Parvati added proudly, "my family is from Calcutta. They´re native to that part."

Hagrid nodded politely at the well-intended interruption. Harry, Ron and Hermione were exceedingly pleased to see how well the class had taken to Hagrid´s newest subject. Harry suspected that captive audiences hadn´t come Hagrid´s way too often. Then again, he thought, anything was better than Blast-Ended Skrewts and Flobberworms.

As the class ended and they had finished congratulating Hagrid on an interesting and informative lesson, Hermione turned to Harry and smiled, "Okay, Harry. Now we can see if Professor Figg and Cat Lady are one and the same," in her best impersonation of a detective from a cheesy, black and white, `who done it´ film.

Harry wasn´t deterred in the least by her mockery. Even if it wasn´t the Cat Lady, she still had that familiar feeling about her.

The Gryffindors took their seats in a classroom that was, otherwise, empty. Professor Figg was nowhere to be seen, as was pointed out promptly by Ron. Only a large ginger cat with a distinctive, bottlebrush tail sat aristocratically on the instructor´s desk, glaring at the incoming students.

"Crookshanks!" exclaimed a genuinely bewildered Hermione. "How on earth did you get down here?" She made a quick trek to the front of the room to scoop up her cat, rudely perching on a new and unpredictable teacher´s desk.

"You must be Miss Granger, then?" A superior, but no less genial voice sounded from the entrance at the back of the classroom. It was a voice Harry knew well. The accent was unmistakable.

Harry and Ron turned in their seats along with the other students as Professor Figg approached Hermione slowly with a knowing but kind half-smirk.

"Professor Figg, I´m very sorry about him. He always takes to wondering in the oddest places," Hermione began but was silenced with a careless wave from the teacher.

"Crookshanks has told me about you, Miss Granger. A Prefect?" she lifted her eyebrows to convey a sort of surprise, but like everyone else knew, Hermione becoming a Prefect was no surprise at all. She was still, predictably, at the top of her class.

Hermione seemed to find her voice, prompted by the oddity of the woman´s comment, "Sorry, you were talking to my cat?" She looked at Crookshanks questioningly and then to Harry and Ron as if asking them both to back her up on this irrationality. Ron visibly shrugged his shoulders as if to answer, `Sorry, Hermione. You´re on your own with the weirdo.´ Weirdo. That was definitely it. She was a weirdo, talking to cats, keeping photos of them at their own Birthday parties. No question about it, Harry thought, this is the very same Figg. She had the accent and the kind, but indifferent look. The only difference was her age. She had to be at least fifteen years younger than his former babysitter, the Cat Lady. Was that possible?

"You´re cat was one of my brood, dear. He is part Kneazle. I raise this sort of breed for the `Magical Menagerie´," Professor Figg´s smile widened, showing the fine lines around her eyes as she stroked the cat fondly resting in Hermione´s arms.

Hermione, uncharacteristically, nodded her head adding no insight or offering any questions on the peculiar topic. She merely took her seat next to Ron, plopping Crookshanks absently on his opened textbook.

Ron elicited a noise of protest to which Hermione paid no mind.

Professor Figg promptly called for attention and began reading her role sheet, stopping every once in a while at a familiar last name and inquiring after old schoolmates of some relation. When she came to Harry´s name, his suspicions were confirmed as she gave him a fond, all encompassing smile as if she was seeing a dear relative after a period of absence. She ventured a small wink and then proceeded with and inquiry of Dean Thomas about his father´s health.

All were present and no one was skiving the most important, without a doubt, of all subjects. Professor Figg glided flawlessly into a review of last term´s main points: largely the Unforgivable Curses. It proved to be a highly informative and interesting class in which Hermione recovered her groove and, with a great deal of hand raising, added helpful supplements to the Professors first hand experience with the curses as an Auror/Medic.

***

In Gryffindor Tower, Harry and Ron spent that evening in two squashy chairs by the fire playing chess. Ron was giving Harry a severe beating, as usual and Harry was taking it with as much grace and sportsmanship as possible. Hermione sat apart from the two with Arithmancy work spread across her lap. Crookshanks lay asleep in front of the slowly dying flames that provided the main source of light for the common room.

The relative peace that hung over this scene was broken abruptly as the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open admitting two students in a charged conversation.

"Well, McGonagall informed me this afternoon that trials will be held on Friday, in order to get a head start on practice." Angelina´s voice trailed into the serenity of the common room with an authoritative ring. Fred followed her in, all the while adding, "We´ll have to start announcing the trials tomorrow then if we expect any sort of turn out." Angelina nodded her agreement as they headed to the corner of the room to their usual table. They were amusingly oblivious to any and all other inhabitants in the room, so engrossed in their conversation as they were.

The position of Keeper was the only place that wanted filling on the House Team this year. Oliver Wood had filled the position marvelously until he left school at the end of Harry´s third year. He had also been the Captain of the team as well, a position that was now passed on to Angelina.

"Trials are on Friday, Harry," Ron whispered only loud enough for him to hear.

"Are you ready then?" Harry asked with concern seeing the nervous look on his friend´s face.

"I reckon I am," Ron replied with a shrug, "I´ve been practicing all summer." As an afterthought he asked, "D´you know who else is going out for the team?" Before Harry could answer him, Ron added, "Checkmate."

Harry leaned back with a defeated sigh. In all of his five years of friendship with Ron, he never managed to beat him at chess. Harry would find it hard to believe if anyone said they had checkmated Ron.

"I heard Dean and Seamus say that they were going out for the team," Harry replied to Ron´s earlier question.

Ron nodded as if he had expected this much, "Know of anyone else?"

Harry shook his head. "No idea."

***

Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the dungeon and noted with great confusion, tiny Professor Flitwick behind the desk that was usually occupied by their least favorite of all professors at Hogwarts: Professor Snape.

"He´s still gone?" Hermione whispered conspiratorially to Harry and Ron with emphasis on the word "still".

"I wonder where he´s at," Ron added with less drama, "he hasn´t been here all week." They took their usual seats at the back of the room.

"Well, maybe he doesn´t plan to be back for the rest of term," Harry added hopefully.

Ron snorted his disagreement and Hermione quelled them both with one look.

"This is certainly a pleasant way to start the weekend," Ron continued, "Snape-free." They opened their textbooks as Professor Flitwick began a lecture on Transformation Potions.

"Like most, the Polyjuice Potion requires an article of the person you wish to become, such as hair or fingernails." Half of the class groaned at the thought of drinking a potion containing fingernails. Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged knowing glances but sat quietly through the rest of the lecture. Potions was their last class of the day.

Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way back up to the Gryffindor Common Room after Flitwick´s long Polyjuice speech.

"Fresh Pineapple," Ron told the Fat Lady. The portrait swung forward and the three went in. The common room was crowded with people. Harry, Ron and Hermione shoved their way through the crowd. Harry could see Angelina pacing on one of the large tables where they usually did homework or played Exploding Snap.

George was sitting in one of the chairs around the table with his legs thrown carelessly over an arm. Fred was perched on the edge of the table, facing the crowd.

Every time Angelina absentmindedly ventured close to Fred, he reached out a hand behind him and tried to trip her. Only once had Harry actually seen him succeed in his mission. Angelina stumbled over the outstretched hand, but quickly recovered her footing. Fred laughed, but ceased when Angelina whacked him mercilessly on the back of the head with a large textbook that happened to be lying on the table.

"Ow, Angelina," Fred whined.

"You´ve already got something bad coming your way because of that green hair episode, don´t make it worse," Angelina spat back as she resumed her pacing.

"I already told you, Angelina. It wasn´t meant for you." As Fred pleaded his case the portrait hole opened and Katie and Alicia, followed by a few first and second years, appeared.

"Is this everyone?" inquired Angelina.

"Yep," came Katie´s reply.

"Okay, I´m sure you´re all anxious to know why we´ve gathered everyone together," Angelina paused for effect. "This year, as you´ve all heard, Quidditch will resume as normal."

An excited chatter filled the room.

"Oliver Wood, Captain and Keeper for Gryffindor, left two years ago, leaving his position open. This morning, Professor McGonagall appointed me as your team´s new Captain."

Everyone clapped in congratulations. Harry had pretty much expected this. No one deserved this more than Angelina. He only hoped that she would not get as obsessive as Oliver had become in the end.

"As you all know, we still have the position of Keeper to be filled. We will be holding tryouts tomorrow, even though the season doesn´t start until October. This will give us enough time to train the new member of the team. If you are interested please add your name to this list before tomorrow morning. Tryouts will be held on the Quidditch pitch after breakfast."

Angelina nudged Fred with her foot and he jumped off of the table. She placed a piece of parchment and a quill in the place that he had vacated.

Fred took a seat next to George, as Angelina took a seat in front of the parchment. People began to line up and add their names.

Hermione broke away from the crowd and climbed the stairs to her dorm to put her books away.

Harry took a seat at the table next to Katie.

Ron had joined the line assembling in front of Angelina.

"So, how do you hold tryouts for Keeper?" Harry asked, trying not to sound too naïve.

"We call the people going out for the Keeper position up one at a time and..." Katie began.

"And we give them everything we´ve got," Alicia finished a little too energetically.

"Last one still alive gets the spot," Katie added with an angelic smile.

"I feel sorry for anyone going up against you three. You´re brutal!" George said with conviction.

"Actually, it´s not that easy," Angelina interrupted, "The rest of the team will be watching. Then we vote on who we think will be best suited to the Keeper position."

"Oh," came Harry´s noncommittal reply. He wanted Ron to be Keeper for Gryffindor because his best friend wanted this more than anything. He was sure that, with all of the help Fred and George had given him over the summer, Ron was sure to have the position.

Harry glanced up at the line just in time to see Ron adding his name to the list of hopefuls.

"Aw, Ickle Ronnikins!" George teased.

"Hey Angelina, go easy on him okay? My mum will kill me if she finds out I let you slaughter my kid brother," Fred laughed patronizingly.

"We go easy on no one," Katie retorted.

"Besides," Angelina said, placating Ron ever so subtly, "I´m sure he can handle his own." She smiled and gave Ron a wink before he moved away from the line and over to Harry.

As the line died down, Hermione reappeared. "Are you two ready to go to dinner?"

"Yeah let´s go, I´m hungry," Ron answered as Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry as if to convey the message, "when is he not hungry?"

In the Great Hall, the tables of the other three houses were already full. The Gryffindor table was only three-quarters or so full, however.

Harry, Ron and Hermione took their seats.

Dean and Seamus soon followed and sat next to Harry and Ron.

"I saw your name on the list, Ron. Are you going to give me some competition, then?" Dean jokingly asked Ron.

"Of course," shrugged Ron in reply.

Harry, who had been listening to the exchange was interrupted by Hermione. She leaned across the table and spoke to him in hushed tones. "He isn´t here again." Harry followed her stare up to the High Table at the front of the hall. Professor Snape´s seat was still vacant.

"What do you suppose he´s gotten up to?" Harry asked more encouragingly than curiously.

"Well, I´ve been thinking," she started and Harry wished immediately that he hadn´t encouraged her. "He was a spy for Dumbledore before all of this," she made a sweeping gesture with her fork and continued, "so, maybe he´s become one again." She looked up at Snape´s empty seat at the table and shoved a forkful of potatoes into her mouth thoughtfully.

"I don´t think so," Harry began skeptically, "I think Voldemort knows about him, being a traitor and all. I mean, Voldemort seemed to know why all of his absent Death Eaters were," he paused to choose his words carefully and failed, "well, absent." He shrugged finding his argument sufficient enough to counter Hermione´s.

Hermione sat with a silent, brooding look on her face as if her slice of ham would present the logical explanation if she just stared at it long enough.

"I don´t know, maybe..." She trailed off, still staring at her plate.

At that moment Ron broke in, apparently he had been paying much more attention to their conversation than he had let on. "He´d have to have a damn good disguise if he wanted to get by that horrible lot unnoticed," he was interrupted only briefly by Hermione who reminded him to watch his language. "Well, anyone who had eyes would recognize that bloody great nose in an instant." Hermione seemed to either silently agree with him or simply did not hear him. She remained deep in thought.

When dinner was over Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dean and Seamus returned to the common room. Angelina was still sitting at the table with a book open on her lap. Every now and then, someone would add a name to the long list. Fred and George sat in the corner deep in conversation and furiously scribbling on a piece of parchment. Alicia was asleep in a chair opposite Fred and George. Other than that the common room was empty.

"Well, you two, I´m going to sleep," Hermione announced, "You should too, Ron. Tomorrow´s a big day." She knelt down and scooped up a purring Crookshanks and the two of them disappeared up the staircase.

"Yes, mum!" Ron called incredulously behind her.

"I guess I´m going to sleep, too," said Harry. He made his way up the staircase and to their dormitory followed by Ron.

Harry leaned his head back on his pillow. He couldn´t get that conversation he´d had at dinner with Hermione out of his mind. He desperately tried to remember Voldemort´s exact words that night he had been returned to his body and, consequently, his power. It was a hopeless exercise.

He could remember perfectly how terrified he had been, the expression Wormtail wore when he was compelled to cut off his own hand, the sound of his mother´s reassurance. Perhaps the thing he remembered most vividly was the hollow, glassy look in Cedric´s gray eyes that seemed to confirm that he was gone and it was Harry´s fault. He could remember all of these things, but for some reason he couldn´t recall what Voldemort had said specifically to his followers. He could have just misunderstood. Maybe Voldemort didn´t know that Snape was a traitor and that he was there now, among his brood of minions.

He tried to forget about all of it and go to sleep. But sleep was hard to find when his mind was reeling with a thousand other concerns. When he closed his eyes he saw a haunting scene: A circle of Death Eaters and the spaces of those who were missing from among their ranks.

Then a thought occurred to him. He remembered being in Dumbledore´s office and looking into his Pensieve, where he witnessed a memory of Igor Karkaroff´s trial. Karkaroff had named Snape as a Death Eater, among others, in an attempt to save himself.

Barty Crouch, Sr. was the judge presiding, and stated that Snape had already been cleared by Dumbledore. He knew all of the circumstances surrounding Snape´s betrayal of Voldemort . So, others must also be aware of Snape´s true loyalties by now, including other Death Eaters as well as Voldemort himself.

Somewhere along these lines of reasoning Harry fell into a deep sleep that washed all of the theories he had been trying to place, into a sea of unconsciousness.

"Harry, get up. You´re going to be late," a familiar voice defused with excitement had woken Harry up. Ron had pulled open the curtains around Harry´s bed, letting bright light enter.

"Ron, its Saturday!" Harry exclaimed, throwing a pillow over his head.

"I know," Ron persisted, "but today is the Keeper tryouts, remember?"

Harry rolled over and reached for his glasses.

"Hurry up. Dean, Seamus and I will wait for you in the Great Hall," Ron´s voice trailed off as he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Harry entered the Great Hall and saw his friends at a distance animatedly discussing the impending tryouts. Hermione was listening with patience as she ate a piece of toast.

"Good Morning, Harry," Hermione smiled as he approached the group.

"So, are you ready to be impressed?" Seamus boasted as Harry took a seat across from him.

"If your as good at Quidditch as you are at turning Pumpkin juice into rum, then I have nothing at all to worry about," laughed Dean as he ducked a halfhearted punch from his friend.

Neville came into the hall and took the empty seat next to Hermione.

"Hey, Neville, are you going to watch the tryouts?" Ron asked.

"Yeah," Neville replied, all excitement.

"Good," Harry added, "It should be loads of fun." He smiled at the three competitors.

After breakfast, the group of six walked out of the castle and toward the Quidditch pitch. People had been gathering steadily for the last quarter of an hour. Harry, Hermione and Neville wished their friends the best of luck and made their way over to the stands where Harry left Hermione and Neville to join the team on the pitch. The team was waiting on the sideline with Professor McGonagall. She took a seat at the bottom of the stands book-ended on either side by Fred and George. Harry joined them in the stands as the three Chasers came over to give last minute instructions to the judges.

"Alright, Lee will announce the name and you, George and Harry will rate their skill from one to ten, ten being the highest," Angelina eyed Fred suspiciously and then turned to her fellow Chasers, Katie and Alicia. They were all in their practice robes and hoisted brooms over their shoulders.

"But what about you three," George questioned, "Aren´t you going to be rating them as well? How can you do that when you´re flying around on brooms, tossing your little Quaffle around?"

Katie glared at him, visibly unhappy with his lack of respect for the position of Chaser. "Trust me, we´ll remember everyone´s performance," she reassured him.

Angelina handed the three boys parchment and quills as Lee approached and sat beside George.

In a magically amplified voice, Lee announced the first contender, "Mark Chesterfield, sixth year."

A tall, brown haired boy walked over to Angelina, Katie and Alicia and shook their hands. They all took their positions. The boy did not last long. He had obviously tried his hardest, but the three Gryffindor Chasers were tough competition for even the most skilled and experienced Keeper.

Harry watched as a succession of his fellow housemates tried to outwit the three, fast moving girls, but none as of yet stood out as someone capable of replacing Oliver Wood.

"Seamus Finnigan, fifth year," Harry heard Lee call the name and the blond haired boy approached Angelina tentatively. They shook hands and took their respective places. Most Gryffindors were clapping along with a few members of other houses who had come to watch. A few Slytherins had shown up to boo and shake the confidence of the Gryffindors who were trying out for Keeper. As the contingent of Slytherins made more of a racket than ever at the announcement of Seamus, Harry glanced up at the group and notice, without surprise, Draco Malfoy and his goons in the thick of it. He hoped that his friend could ignore them long enough to concentrate on the trials.

Angelina passed the Quaffle to Katie who raced to the scoring area, toward the left hoop, which was blocked by Seamus. Then Katie threw the Quaffle to Alicia who had just arrived in front of the right hoop. She easily put the Quaffle through the hoop and scored.

The three Chasers moved away from the scoring area as Seamus took his place again. Angelina only met a slight challenge before putting the ball through the right hoop again.

Harry could tell that Seamus´ confidence was waning. As he once again took his position in front of the three goal hoops, the three Chasers immediately rushed him. Katie and Angelina had passed the Quaffle back and forth to each other as they entered the scoring area.

"That´s illegal! They´re Stooging!" an adamant Seamus fan yelled from the stands high above Harry´s head. He laughed at the display. Its only a trial, he thought, some one up there is taking this a little too seriously.

Seamus, however, did not take the bait. He stood his ground. Angelina aimed the ball just above his head and shot for the middle hoop. Seamus rushed upward and successfully blocked Angelina´s attempt at scoring. However, the blow from the Quaffle had knocked Seamus off balance. He wavered for a few seconds before losing the battle to gravity.

He hit the ground hard at the base of the goal hoops. The three Chasers landed immediately as Professor McGonagall ran toward Seamus, who, now standing, was cradling his right arm.

"Wow! I give Seamus an eight for that stunning display of bravery, very Oliver-like," Fred announced.

Harry watched as McGonagall helped Seamus exit the field. He´d heard her tell Angelina to proceed without her; but she warned her to exercise more caution.

"Ron Weasley, fifth year," Lee announced.

Harry looked up at the cheering crowds. He saw Hermione beaming and Neville, next to her, applauding wildly. He saw Draco sneer as Crabbe and Goyle whispered to each other. Harry hoped that they were not planning any special humiliation for his best friend. He was worried enough for Ron as he faced three of the most brutal Chasers in the school, without throwing Draco and his lackeys into the mix.

Ron took his place in front of the goal posts. Angelina held the Quaffle, eyeing Ron appraisingly. She tossed the Quaffle to Alicia, who crossed the field to the far left hoop. Ron, however, had beaten her there and successfully blocked her shot.

They took their respective positions again. Alicia threw the ball to Katie who flew upward, until she was level with the middle hoop, but instead passed it to Angelina. As Katie backed swiftly out of the scoring area, Angelina darted to the far right hoop and threw the Quaffle with all of her force.

Ron, flying as fast as he could, had reached the hoop just in time to block the powerful shot.

The crowd cheered.

Ron, smiling, returned to his place guarding the hoops. Angelina had the Quaffle. She passed it deftly to Alicia who rushed to the scoring area. Ron had his eye on her as well as Katie, who was at the other extremity of the field, just outside of the scoring area.

Alicia made a motion indicating that she was intending to throw the Quaffle to Katie, who would then move in for the score. Harry was impressed with how well Ron was doing. The Chasers were pulling every trick, trying to score.

Ron backed off of Alicia slightly and moved toward Katie, betting on her to make the score. Alicia, taking advantage of his moment of caution and uncertainty, threw the Quaffle as hard as she could. Ron raced forward to block the shot, but the distance was too great for him to cover. Alicia had scored, but Ron had put up an impressive fight.

Harry glanced at Fred and George who were beaming and noting their little brother´s performance on their parchment.

Ron walked over to the other contestants who had already taken their shot at the Keeper position.

Harry smiled, as he saw Ron beaming amid the praises of his housemates. Harry turned his attention to his parchment. Ron´s was the best show of skill he had witnessed all morning. He marked a ten next to his name.

"Last, but not least," Lee announced with a flourish, "Dean Thomas, fifth year."

Dean walked up to the Chasers with confidence. Harry remembered Dean mentioning to him that he had played the position of goalie on a football team in Southampton, his hometown.

It was no surprise to Harry that Dean did not give the slightest show of apprehension.

The four players took their places. Immediately after they had ascended, the three Chasers began a ruthless game. Harry imagined that Angelina would be pretty determined not to let another inexperienced hopeful show her up.

She handed the Quaffle off to Katie who circled the field. She then tossed the ball quickly across the pitch to Alicia who was waiting just outside of the scoring area. Alicia lobbed the Quaffle with all of her remaining strength at the hoop. Dean, who was occupied on the other side of the pitch by Angelina, had barely enough time to make it to the far goal hoop. But, to the surprise of everyone, he stopped in front of the ball and knocked it out of the area with the tail end of his broom.

The crowd went uproariously wild.

Angelina, Katie and Alicia looked vexed as they regrouped mid-field.

Alicia held the Quaffle as the other two reached their predetermined positions. She threw the ball to Katie. Katie took the ball and charged at Dean, Quaffle tucked securely under one arm. Angelina was at the opposite reaches of the scoring area. Dean was not distracted by her presence, however. Katie, gaining speed, threatened to crash violently with Dean.

At the last possible moment, she pulled up and hurled the Quaffle toward the middle hoop.

Dean, taking both hands off of his broom and reaching as high as he could manage, caught the Quaffle with the tips of his fingers. He smiled as he tossed the Quaffle back to Angelina, who was clearly incensed.

Harry could tell that she had sized up her opponent and would no longer hold back; she intended to give Dean everything she had.

Angelina tossed the Quaffle to Katie, who hung back, waiting for a signal from either one of her teammates. Alicia moved up to the scoring area. Angelina made a sign to Katie, who threw the ball to her Captain.

Angelina charged Dean. Clearly intending to frighten him into giving up his ground, Angelina rushed headlong at the hoops. He had no intention of complying with her, however. Dean moved to block the approaching Chaser. Angelina quickly circumvented him and threw the Quaffle at the hoop. Dean hardly had a chance to react. Angelina was impossibly fast!

She scored.

The crowd cheered as Dean joined Ron and the others. Angelina, Katie and Alicia descended and walked over to congratulate the contestants for playing an excellent game.

Harry turned to observe the reactions of the rest of his teammates. Fred and George were in rapid discussion. "I don´t know, it looks like it´s going to be a rather hard decision," Fred exclaimed, giving Harry a meaningful glance.

"Yeah, Ron and Dean both played a bloody good game. I mean, it couldn´t have been easy. Those girls are terrifying!" George added. Harry couldn´t help but nod in agreement.

Alicia walked over to Lee. Harry heard her giving him instructions. "Tell this lot that the team will announce their decision in the common room tonight, okay?" Lee nodded his assent. He made the necessary announcement as Alicia, Angelina and Katie joined Harry, Fred and George in the stands. The contenders were joined by the crowd of spectators as they all made their way into the castle from the field.

"Hold on a minute, alright?" Harry beseeched his teammates.

"Sure," Angelina agreed absentmindedly, scribbling notes on a piece of parchment, "but don´t be too long, we have an important decision to make." She glanced up at Harry as he ran over to the crowd.

He found Ron among the throng of students. Hermione was congratulating him warmly as Neville added the occasional praise over the din.

"Ron, that was great!" Harry raised his voice in order to be heard.

"Yeah, Dean was better, though," Ron replied with slight disappointment.

"Meet you at dinner?" Harry offered as Ron, Hermione and Neville alighted the front steps to the castle.

"Yeah, see you," Ron said before disappearing inside.

As Harry rejoined the team, he listened to the debate that had begun in his absence. "Well, he certainly gave us a run for our money," Katie reluctantly added. "But could he do that against the Slytherins?" George remarked with one eyebrow cocked.

"Their Beaters are malicious. They´ll pick off a new Keeper like a lame herd animal," Fred seconded his brother´s opinion.

"Yeah, but remember; Derrick is gone. They´ll be playing with one new Beater," Angelina reminded them all.

"I think Ron´s tough enough to handle even Derrick," George retorted, obviously reaching frustration, "I mean, he´s put up with five older brother´s, hasn´t he?"

"Well, that´s in his favor, no question about that," Katie laughed, settling George by rubbing his shoulders.

"Yeah, the kid must be tough. Think about it; fifteen years with you two alone-," Angelina added with a smirk in Fred´s direction, but was unable to finish as she dodged a casual kick. "You just keep digging that hole, Mr. Weasley." She raised her eyebrows like a mother threatening her misbehaving child. "Don´t be surprised when I bury you in it." She aimed a kick at his shin and hit her mark.

"Ow!" Fred jumped back and ceased his teasing.

"Okay, let´s get serious here. We have a tough decision to make," Angelina explained, all business-like. "We have two obvious choices, Dean and Ron. They both demonstrated skill and daring out there today, but only one can take Oliver´s place. And since we won´t reach that decision by debating the point, we´ll have to put it to a vote. Is everyone in agreement that each individual decision remains in this group and shall not be discussed elsewhere?" Angelina paused to look around at her teammates, all of which nodded their agreement.

"Okay, if there are no more questions then I´ll start," she paused and surveyed the group again, the solemnest of looks on her face. "My vote goes to Dean Thomas."

Katie and Alicia followed suit and voted for Dean.

George followed the girls with and adamant, "I vote Ron!"

He looked to Fred, who spoke next, "Dean," he voted to everyone´s astonishment. His eyes fell automatically to his feet. "Well, he showed more skill out there," Fred defended his vote as George stared at him in disbelief, "I just think he´d be better for the team."

"I guess we don´t need my vote then," Harry added after a moment of glares between Fred and George.

"Sure," Angelina said with an encouraging smile, "we would still like to know your opinion, Harry."

"Ron," Harry said, trying to mask the disappointment he felt on behalf of his friend.

"Well, that´s it settled then," Angelina remarked as the team stood up and turned toward the school, "I´ll announce Dean as our new Keeper tonight."

As Harry walked with the others to Gryffindor Tower, Angelina reminded them all once again to keep the voting confidential. Harry could only imagine how much Angelina´s news was going to upset Ron.

In the common room, Hermione and Ron were waiting for Harry. Hermione was receiving a merciless beating in a game of chess. They both stopped as soon as they saw Harry and the others enter. Harry came over to them and sat to watch their nearly finished game.

Angelina, Katie and Alicia announced that they were going upstairs to clean up for dinner. Fred and George came over to join Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"So?" Ron questioned.

"Uh, uh, little brother. Not until after dinner," Fred shook a finger at him.

Harry pretended to be interested in the game, but was more than distracted by his thoughts. He didn´t even hear Ron call, "checkmate!" or Hermione propose that they all head down to dinner.

"Harry?" Hermione looked concerned.

"Huh?" he said, slowly coming back to the present moment.

"Are you coming?" she repeated.

"Right," he tried to sound cheerier than he felt.

They ate dinner quickly. (Everyone, that its, but Harry. He was dreading the announcement that awaited them when they returned to Gryffindor Tower). Harry, Ron and Hermione were among the first students to return. They took seats at one of the long tables that filled the common room. Fred, George, Angelina, Alicia and Katie followed shortly after.

Angelina climbed on top of the table and began to pace.

Dean came through the portrait hole followed by Seamus.

"How´s your arm, Seamus?" Harry inquired as the two joined them at the table.

"Fine," Seamus answered cheerfully, "although I can´t believe I fell off of my broom in front of everyone." Harry smiled at Seamus, who seemed to find the humor in his mishap and smiled back.

The room had filled up quickly.

Angelina called for silence, "All those who tried out did a wonderful job," she encouraged first off. "It was difficult to narrow down our choices. But, after much deliberation, the team voted and a Keeper for Gryffindor has been chosen."

Harry´s stomach tightened into knots.

He heard Ron suck in a ragged breath of air and hold it in anticipation.

He had a deep sense of foreboding at what was coming next.

"The new Keeper for the Gryffindor House Team is," Angelina continued in the midst of a rapt audience, "Dean Thomas."