Quidditch tryouts...

The mid day meal proved to be much like breakfast, only Zeke sat with you aside from Oakley as his roommates. Not that it bothered you much, even when you noticed Ernie whispering with some of the other Hufflepuffs down the table. You couldn't know if it was about you or not... however they kept glancing down towards where you sat as they talked. You were kind of use to this kind of thing, back home it happened all the time because you were a bastard. Your mother never married your father, because he was already married to someone else. He had been against your mother keeping you... just because he knew people would talk... And he feared word would get back to his wife... which it did eventually however the way you mother had handle it was admirable. So much so that even your fathers wife respected her for that, and began to discretely funnel money to your mom through relatives.

Afternoon class's went well, once again Heddy didn't bother nor tease you. Altho' he did smile and wave at you in the hall's, making sure you saw him leading Rory into the restroom. Not that such things shocked you that much anymore, even Oakley holding your hand in class later really wasn't that upsetting. Still the last class's of the day just seemed to drag by, and it was hard to concentrate on class work with the anticipation of tryouts. Still with a little help from your friends old and new you manage to muddle through, Gilious it seemed always took copious notes... even going so far as to sketch wand moments. So while you were distracted you didn't really miss anything, even with the added distraction of Oakley's soft body pressing against your side at times. Finally the days class's were over, and so you headed out onto the pitch for tryouts.

It really was surprising the number of people who turned out, although a great many of them were not Hufflepuff's at all. It seemed the other houses were looking to see who might make the team... hoping to gauge how strong a team the house would be fielding that year. And of course Rory was at the center of things, barking out orders and getting the tryouts for various positions set up. “Oi John... Good to see you made it.” He called upon spotting you in the crowd, flashing a friendly grin that was almost as big as one of Oakley's. It seemed that trip to the restroom with Heddy had truly lightened his mood, and lifted his spirits in away you had not expected. Tryouts started out with chasers, flying, maneuvering, passing the Quaffle, Bludger dodging and lastly trying to score a goal against the keeper.

You were happy to see Zeke managed to keep his position on the team, as his was one of the best performance of the day. Everyone noted that it was plain he had been practicing a lot between terms, and it showed in his game play. Since there weren't going to be any keeper tryouts that just left seeker and beaters. You were surprised when one of your new friends... Jamie won the day on the seeker tryouts hands down proving better than anyone else. The slender mousy haired lad was fantastic on a broom, everyone noted now that he had gotten over being so timid. Finally it was time for beater tryouts... here first a single beater was tasked with defending a single Chaser from both Bludgers. Five times up and down the length of the pitch, a tasked that prove very difficult indeed since the Bludgers had only two targets to focus on. You manage to defend Zeke the whole way, but it takes your very best flying and taking a few hits yourself to do it.

“Well done John... well done indeed a good beater has to take a few hits to keep the other players safe.” Rory congratulates you, from the ground making a couple of lads step out of the tryout line at once. “The next test will be a bit harder...” He called making even more lads step out, the next test was Bludger aiming accuracy. That is hitting Bludgers at targets meant to represent apposing players, hitting the stationary targets was easy enough. Getting the Bludger to hit moving targets or at least go after them proved more difficult. Still Rory was clapping for you by the end of the test, and the rather rotund lad who won the second beater position. Noddives Galbraith as you later learned, he was a bit younger than the rest of you but proved very good. That making for a full team... three chasers Rory, Zeke, Felicity Morgan... Two beaters you and Nodds... the Keeper Terry Ollerton and of course Jamie the new Seeker.