Harry Potter and the Orb of Power

Chapter 18: The Keeper

    Harry was sitting at the Gryffindor Table, chewing on a piece of toast. He looked up at the ceiling of the Great Hall, and noticed the weather was bright out. He anticipated this good weather to last for the Keeper try-outs. He took another bite of toast, and looked at Hermione, who was reading the Daily Prophet.

    "Fudge's campaign against you hasn't subsided yet," Hermione said in a sigh, as she turned the page.

    "Of course it hasn't," Harry said impatiently. "Why would he stop badmouthing me when there aren't any clear signs that Voldemort is back? You know, like Azkaban being broken into or Diagon Alley being attacked?"

    "But with all of those things happening, I'm sure everyone will start to realize Fudge is just being a wad," Ron said dismissively. "He can't really explain those things away."

    "Still, it would be a lot better if Fudge would just quit it with the mockery. Why still deny it? Voldemort isn't exactly being quiet," Harry said indignant to Ron's reasoning.

    "Well, he has been relatively quiet. Bad things are happening, but no one has seen Voldemort. Until that happens, there will probably be loads of people who don't believe you," Hermione said sagely.

    "Ugh, Fudge is such a blighter. He's hiding in closed quarters while he conducts a vicious campaign against Harry. Coward, he is," Ron muttered. Owls began swooping into the Great Hall, indicating that the mail had arrived. Ron looked up enthusiastically, and saw that Pig had arrived with a notice. Ron eagerly snatched it and opened up the letter.

    "What have you got there?" Harry said absently, looking up for any sign of Hedwig. She still had not returned from getting a message to Sirius. Was she hurt? Was the vampire bat bite still plaguing her? Or was Sirius hurt, or hiding? Harry shook his head and looked back at Ron, determined not to let panic grip him. Harry watched Ron's expression change as he read the letter, from bubbling excitement to extreme disappointment.

    "What's up?" Hermione asked, watching Ron's expression fall.

    "Nothing," Ron grunted, crumpling the letter in his hand. Fred and George sat down next to Ron, and looked at him.

    "What's wrong, you look like you've just eaten a slug," Fred said, referring to the incident in Ron's second year when he continually vomited slugs. Ron's ears turned red at the reference.

    "Nothing, ok?" Ron said annoyed.

    "What's got your knickers in a twist?" George asked surprised, looking at Hermione and Harry for a clue.

    "All right! Mom can't buy me a new broom for me trying out for Quidditch, all right? Just rub it in that we're poor!" Ron said, storming out of the Great Hall. Hermione looked at Harry in a panicked expression. Fred and George looked at each other, and excused themselves.

    "Don't know why Ron's suddenly so upset, we've been poor for awhile," Fred said casually.

    "We'll sort him out," George said as they walked away. As he watched the two of them walk away, Harry heard a flapping noise from above him. He looked up and saw Hedwig returning, having difficulty flying but managing to do so all the same. She landed rather gingerly and Harry untied the letter attached to her leg and gave her a goblet of orange juice.

    "I don't remember you mentioning a letter. I thought you sent her to the Owlery after she was injured," Hermione said, with a confused look on her face.

    "I sent another letter to Sirius," Harry said, looking at the envelope. It was his own handwriting. "Hedwig hasn't been able to reach him," Harry said heavily, fear twisting his insides at the thought. Hedwig hooted apologetically.

    "It's ok, it's not your fault," Hermione said sadly, stroking Hedwig's head as she drank from the goblet.

    "Where can he be? He's been missing since the Diagon Alley attack," Harry said, feeling panic grip him tighter. Why wasn't Sirius answering? Hedwig fluttered off uneasily, and headed towards the Owlery. Harry watched her go nervously.

    "Are you ok, Harry?" Hermione asked. This was the second time Hermione had asked this, and it was starting to concern him.

    "I'll be fine, I'm just a bit worried about Sirius," Harry said, trying to catch Hermione's eye. But she continued to look at her breakfast.

    "You're sure?"

    "Yes, why all the concern over me all the sudden," Harry asked, grinning, not entirely sure why he was asking. Butterflies rose in his stomach, and he thought, even for the tiniest flicker of a moment, that he didn't want Hermione to tell him; he just wanted to savor the fact that Hermione was thinking about him.

    "Just checking. It's getting late, we should probably head to class," Hermione said without looking at him. Harry was sure she was keeping something from him. But what was it? But so what if she was, Harry thought. Harry shook his head. He didn't understand why he was acting weird around Hermione lately. Harry took a look at his watch, and then grabbed his bag, heading for class.

*****

    Classes weren't too bad for Harry yet. The teachers were preparing them for their O.W.L.'s, and giving them course overviews. The weekend fast approached, meaning that the Gryffindor Quidditch team would be having tryouts for the Keeper position. Harry alerted the entire team that they should be present to vote on the new keeper.

    "Good call, Harry. Oliver would have just picked one himself," Angelina said approvingly. "Any idea what you're looking for?"

    "I dunno. I'm hoping that I'll see it at the tryouts," Harry said, not really knowing what he was doing. Friday approached quickly, and Harry decided that Saturday would be devoted to finding a Keeper. Most teachers informed the fifth-years that the homework assault would begin next week, but Professor Trelawney decided that she would begin early. Carefully telling the class that she had pre-ordained that dreams would be important, she assigned the class it's first use of the new somniscribes. Harry took the pink basin reluctantly, not really trusting the pink mist that filled the basin. Harry poked his finger inside of it, but nothing happened.

    "Now remember class, the pink substance in the middle of the basin is not the true dream. It will look like this when not in use. When a dream is in the somniscribe, it will turn a dark scarlet. When class begins, I will make sure that you have all erased your somniscribe's contents and check your diaries to make sure you've been following directions. If you follow these directions, your Inner Eye will see past the mind's jumbled images and interpret what the conscious can only hope to See..."

    "Miserable old bat," Ron hissed, picking up his own pink basin. "I don't fancy reliving my dreams."

    "I'm not either," Harry said, still prodding the contents of the basin. It felt like nothing was there at all, but the pink mist was swirling innocently. Harry wasn't looking forward to examining dreams filled with Voldemort murdering Cedric Diggory...

    The bell rang, interrupting Harry's thoughts on Cedric Diggory. Ever since his near breakdown at the Dursleys' when Uncle Vernon mentioned Cedric's death, Harry was determined not to feel guilty anymore about his death. He'd be respectful, but not wallowing in guilt. And to that he held true, but that gnawing feeling and that sensation of an ice cube slipping down his throat managed to sneak up on him at the randomest of moments. The rest of the day slid away from Harry uneventfully, and he found himself saying goodnight to Ron and Hermione, who were still together in the Gryffindor common room. They were whispering about something that Harry couldn't hear, but he was too tired to listen to it. He also noticed Neville sitting by the fire, staring blankly into the flames. Harry made a mental note to be extra cheerful to Neville as he strode up the stairs to his dormitory. No one else was in the dorm room, which left Harry noticing the silence of the room. He quickly changed into his pajamas, and placed the somniscribe on the bedstand next to him. He didn't know quite how to operate the basin; he tinkered with it for a bit and eventually set it down and forgot about it. He laid down to rest, and saw the pink mist slowly snake out towards his brain. Understanding dawned on Harry, and he let himself slide into sleep...

    ...Harry found himself at the foot of the stairs at Hogwarts. Everywhere, there was a battle all around him, wizards and witches falling to the ground, dying from battle wounds and killing curses. He was walking up the steps as if he was immune to the death. Vultures had started to swoop down and land on the corpses. He entered into the castle, and saw everyone he knew there. The Weasleys were smiling sadly, Dumbledore's blue eyes were looking straight at Harry, Hermione was crying, but not looking at him. Lupin looked at him through his mournful eyes, not making any sound. A great big, black dog was lying down, whining as it looked at Harry. But Harry didn't notice any of them, and walked right through them, and headed upstairs. He seemed to climb forever, and he saw a light at the top. He wanted to get to it, but a figure stepped in his way. The figure was carrying a sword that looked oddly like flames. The figure was immovable, and when Harry tried to get back, he cast him down the stairs. As Harry bounced down the stairs, he heard voices.

    "Wands out, you reckon?" It was Cedric. A few moments later:

    "Kill the spare." That was the icy, cold, malevolent voice of Lord Voldemort. There was a flash of green light, a high-pitch cackle rang in his ears, and Harry's scar burned with such great intensity...

    "Harry, wake up! Quidditch tryouts!" he heard Ron say from above him, and he slowly woke up. He saw Ron putting on some shabby Quidditch robes, and sat up.

    "You're trying out?" Harry asked slowly, rubbing his twinging scar.

    "Of course, mate, you didn't think I would give up this opportunity did you?" Ron responded with a quick laugh.

    "Do you have a broom?" Harry asked, yawning.

    "Erm...no...," Ron said, suddenly very red in the ears and staring pointlessly at the carpet.

    "Yes, you can use the Firebolt," Harry sighed, correctly interpreting Ron's insinuation. Ron punched the air in excitement.

"But you've got to get your own broom!"

    "Of course! Now there's no way that anyone else can get the position, with me using a Firebolt!" Ron ran excitedly into the Common Room. Harry yawned, and hardly noticed that his somniscribe was a deep scarlet. He hadn't remembered his dream, and prodded the contents of the somniscribe. The red contents swirled, and Harry quickly retrieved his dream. He looked into the contents, and saw his dream; the ferocity and the barbaric amounts of death that filled his mind were shocking. Harry looked away when the dream was finished, and he emptied the dream's contents. He took out his dream diary, and wrote down the dream. After a few minutes, he threw the diary on his bed and got dressed. He grabbed his Firebolt and headed with Ron and Hermione to the Quidditch Pitch.

*****

    "All right, listen up team," Harry said to Fred, George, Angelina, Katie, and Alicia as they all arrived at the Quidditch Pitch. The weather was perfect for Quidditch tryouts, which was good for the new players hoping to be a part of the team. "We've got a couple of new players to test out. We're going to test them out one at a time, so we can all give each of the players the attention they deserve."

    "Sounds great,we'll be done in no time," Fred said with an overdramatic eye roll. Everyone laughed, and Harry passed out a list of potential Keepers. Harry looked down at the first name, and saw Dean Thomas.

    "Everyone ready?" Harry asked, and when everyone nodded, they exited the small tent they had set up and saw six people waiting to try out for Gryffindor. Dean, Seamus Finnigan, Ron (whose ears were bright red), two boys he hadn't met before, and to his great surprise, Neville Longbottom. Neville had a blank expression on his face, one that suggested that while he was here, he wasn't quite here mentally. Harry nodded to Angelina, who was giving the speech to the try-outs.

    "Welcome, and listen up. This year Gryffindor is without a Keeper, due to Oliver Wood's departure, so you're all here to try to fill that space. While you are up there, keep in mind that we expect great quality from your performance. While we know you won't be up to Wood's standards just yet, we're expecting you guys to show us your best. Also keep in mind that we're not making any decisions until after you've all given your attempts, as to be fair and reasonable. After your try-out, you can proceed back to school. We'll have results for you as soon as possible, and we will post the new Keeper and his alternate on the Gryffindor message board. Any questions?" The try-outs shook their heads, and Harry nodded.

    "All right, we're going to this in stages. First we'll do some passing exercises, to test your passing skills. Then we'll be taking some shots at you, to see how you manage to defend the hoops. Then we'll be doing some bludger exercises, where you'll be avoiding bludgers as we take shots. We're going to make this hard for you, so we can get a good glimpse of your talent," Harry said. He saw the nervous looks on the try-outs' faces, and grinned. "Don't worry too much, we don't expect you to be perfect." Harry gave his broom to Ron, and then looked at the rest of the team.

    "I'll look from the stands, to see how it looks. You guys run them through the mill," Harry said.

    "Right, let's see how these new bloods are," George said.

    "Can't wait for the bludger exercises. Should be fun," Fred said with a malicious grin towards the try-outs. The Gryffindor team kicked off and started to do some warm-up laps around the field.

    "First up, Dean Thomas," Harry yelled, looking at his clipboard. Dean strode up to him. "Good luck."

    "Thanks, Harry," Dean said, and he kicked off. Harry looked at the broom that Dean was using, and saw that it was a Cleansweep model. Harry took the rest of the tryouts to the stands, and then watched Dean go through the different tests that the team had posed for him. He was quite good, Harry thought, watching Dean pass the Quaffle quickly as he got it. Harry scribbled down some notes, and watched Dean taking shots. Out of ten shots, Dean blocked eight, missing only a clever shot by Angelina and losing control of the broom when Katie faked him out. Fred and George put him through his paces with the bludger work, but Dean managed to come out of it rather unscathed. He set down on ground, and had a wide grin on his face.    

    "Good job," Harry said appraisingly as Dean passed him. Dean wished good luck to the rest of the try-outs, and then headed back up to Hogwarts. Harry looked down at the list.

    "Next up is Seamus Finnigan," Harry said. Seamus gave him a nod and headed onto the field. Harry looked back at Ron, who looked very nervous, but resisted saying something. He didn't want to look impartial, but if Ron didn't calm down, he wasn't going to do very well. Seamus kicked off into the air, and Harry heard a snicker from somewhere near him.

    "Finding a replacement for Wood, Potter?" spat a drawling voice from his side. Draco Malfoy had arrived, arm locked with Pansy Parkinson. Hermione, who had been doing homework while everyone tried for Quidditch, scowled at her and Malfoy and returned to her work.

    "Shove off, Malfoy," Potter said, not even looking at him.

    "Look at the try-outs," Malfoy said, laughing. "Fat-ass Longbottom, poor Weasley, and is the filthy little Mudblood trying out?" Pansy screamed in glee, pointing and laughing at Hermione.

    "Actually I'm not. Since when have you had a pet?" Hermione asked Malfoy scathingly, looking directly at Pansy. Pansy's laughter quickly stopped.

    "Watch your mouth you pathetic little..."

    "Say it and the only thing that will be muddy will be your underpants," Ron snarled, pointing his wand directly at Draco. Harry watched Seamus struggling on the field, and then chanced a glance at the situation behind him.

    "Either shut up or go away, Malfoy," Harry hissed, trying to stop Malfoy from ruining the try-outs. Malfoy scowled, and took Pansy up a couple of rows, away from the Gryffindors. Harry could still hear Malfoy whispering something about Ron and Hermione, but Harry stopped listening. He looked back at the field and saw Seamus get nailed in the stomach with a bludger, and nearly slid off of his broom. One of the twins flew under him just in case he fell, while the other helped him back onto the broom. Seamus landed, and walked quickly away from the field. Harry frowned and called out the next person.    

    "Neville Longbottom," Harry said. As Neville passed by nervously, Harry gave him a quick smile. "You can do it, Neville."

    Neville grinned nervously and kicked off into the air. Neville was surprisingly fast on the broom, much more talented than when he was in his first year. Neville was surprisingly good at passing the Quaffle, but when the Chasers started to take shots, Neville had a difficult time managing to stop the Quaffle. Harry frowned, and scribbled some notes.

    "...just like Longbottom, forgetting the job of the Keeper is to stop the Quaffle," Harry heard Malfoy sneering to Pansy, who was shrieking with laughter.

    "Has anyone told you that you laugh and look like a hyena?" Ron snarled at Pansy, who gave Ron a nasty look.

    "You're very angry, must be because you're dating a beaver," Pansy hissed, looking directly at Hermione. Ron looked very angry, Hermione had dropped her homework and looked wildly at Harry, who turned and looked very confused.

    "You must have been dropped as a baby, because it explains how stupid you are," Harry said to Pansy, and looked back onto the field. Ron and Hermione dating? What a lie. Harry looked back at Neville, who was pretty good at avoiding the bludgers. Ron and Hermione had taken it literally, but Harry didn't understand why. If they were dating, they would have told him, and they hadn't. Harry shook his head, he was taking Pansy too seriously. However, he couldn't explain the knot of tension he felt in his stomach...

    "That was great!" Neville said cheerily.

    "Yeah it was!" Harry said, a little too happily, but Neville didn't notice. He looked absolutely enthused at his performance as he headed back up to the castle.

    "Ron, you're up," Harry said, looking at Ron. Ron didn't catch his eye as he walked by. "Good luck." Ron didn't reply, but Harry watched him kick off the ground on his Firebolt. Ron looked like he was having slight trouble controlling the broom, but he managed to do quite well on it. Ron was doing well, until Harry heard Draco Malfoy's voice again.

    "Hey, how did Weasley get a Firebolt? Did his family sell themselves into slavery in order to get it?" Malfoy said this loud enough for Ron to hear him, and he promptly dropped the Quaffle.

"It figures, I always knew his family was a bunch of house elves." Ron overshot one of his saves, and he dropped the Quaffle once again. Hermione turned around to Draco.

    "You watch your mouth or your face will taste my hand for the second time," Hermione said, her whole body shaking with fury.

    "Just try it, Granger," Malfoy sneered. "You look enough like a boy, I'll give you a round back if you like." The two other Gryffindors that Harry didn't know had snuck away, unable to take the insults being tossed around. Harry heard this last comment by Malfoy and turned, anger raging within him.

    "You so much as lay one finger on her, and I'll make sure your father won't find the pieces," Harry said quietly. Malfoy glared at Harry.

    "I'll keep that in mind, Potter, if I ever feel like getting my hand dirty." Malfoy's eyes seemed to flash with an intensity Harry hadn't seen in him, but it did not unnerve him. Harry turned and watched Ron finish up his try-outs, and he quickly finished up. Ron ran over to where Hermione and Harry were sitting. Malfoy sneered, and indicated to Pansy that they should be leaving. He sent Pansy ahead, and turned to face the three of them.

    "What is it, Draco?" Harry asked impatiently, with mock emphasis on his name, glaring at his rival. Malfoy clenched his fists.    

    "Just know this. You three think you're so smart, opposing the Dark Lord. Just know this. You once sneered at the name of Malfoy, but you'll soon know the power of my name." Draco swept pass and took Pansy by the arm, escorting her back to the castle. Hermione threw a sour look at the two of them while Ron gave Malfoy the middle finger. Harry said good-bye to Ron and Hermione, and went with the rest of the team to the tent, to decide who would be Keeper.

    "I vote Dean Thomas," Angelina said promptly, before they had even begun. "He was the most secure in his position, and he did fairly well in all the events."

    "So did Ron," Harry said pointedly, making sure that everyone got a say before Angelina tried to force a decision.

    "Right, but he did drop the Quaffle a bit," Fred said.

    "That was because of Malfoy," Harry said darkly.

    "True, but the Slytherins will always be taunting us, he can't let them rattle him," Angelina responded.

    "Ok, we're torn between Ron and Dean. Is there anyone else?" Katie said, trying to maintain order.

    "Right. Neville was good, but not good at Keeping. And Seamus lost his head completely," Alicia said.

    "Ok, so shall we vote on Ron and Dean?" Angelina prompted.

    "Before we do, remember that both of them have their merits, and that there is room for improvement," Harry said in a last-ditch effort to allow room for Ron.

    "Ok, let's vote. Red sparks for Ron, Blue for Dean. Got it?" Angelina said. Everyone nodded. George raised his wand, and red sparks emitted. One for Ron, Harry thought. Fred raised his wand, and blue sparks shot out. Alicia sent out blue sparks as well. Katie looked at Angelina, but voted for Ron. Angelina voted for Dean, and then Harry voted for Ron. The vote was tied, three to three.

    "Vote again?" Angelina asked uncertainly.

    "Harry's captain, he should get final say," Alicia said nervously.

    "All right, Ron it is," Angelina said nervously as well.

    "All right good. We'll have Ron as Keeper and Dean as alternate. Since the vote was tied, and in the spirit of keeping things fair, we'll have a few practices with both, and after then we'll see how things are," Harry said. Everyone else nodded in agreement, and Angelina smiled approvingly.

    "Good, let's go back, I'm starving," Fred said.

    "Here, here," George agreed.

    "And remember, don't say anything until we post the results," Angelina reminded. Everyone grumbled, and they headed back to the castle. As Harry walked by, he saw a sentinel walking across the lawn, and then hovering into the air. It was the sentinel Harry had been attacked by, and the one who was plaguing his dream. As Harry's gaze followed the sentinel has it hovered higher and higher, Harry could have sworn he saw a witch on the roof of the Astronomy tower. But when he squinted to get a closer look, there was no sign of any witch.