Bagsy Beetlehorn and the Corvid Trials (The Bagsy Chronicles 2)

A Broken Broom

Bagsy didn't know how, but she'd convinced herself to try-out for the quidditch team. She'd also managed to convince Mezrielda to come and watch. She suddenly understood why Greenda had wanted Bagsy there last year – seeing Mezrielda sitting in the stands, giving her the most unenthusiastic thumbs up she had ever seen, made her feel more certain she could do this than before. Bagsy had been so nervous that she'd brought a third flight modulator for her broom but realised that the back-up modulator was more than enough safety wise, and the bulky component in her hand would hinder her flying. She stood in the middle of the quidditch pitch, the try-out about to begin, knowing she didn't have time to return it to the stands herself. She looked at the flight modulator, then at the stands, and back again, frozen by her inability to find a solution besides simply dropping it on the ground. Thankfully, Mezrielda easily vanished the modulator from Bagsy's hand with a spell, making it appear in her own. At first Bagsy had looked at her empty palm in confusion, before her eyes had moved onto Mezrielda, who waved the modulator at her, put it away in her pocket, and then nodded towards the captain to indicate Bagsy pay attention.

The quidditch pitch was large and green, and the sun shone happily on the students. Crows fluttered from perch to perch, watching the events as curiously as the students in the stands.

Bagsy noticed that herself and Mezrielda had set a trend – more people had turned up to watch the try-outs. Neve was sitting in the stands, folding a long string of paper in impossible ways and occasionally looking up to smile encouragingly at Teresa, who was also trying out. Itsuki was sitting next to Neve, waving at Jon Krinkle, who was walking about, puffing out his chest and boasting how he was a shoe in for the team.

Bagsy gripped her Fleet Footed Fox, suddenly wishing she had bought the Dragon Wing – Obsidian Edition instead. Ford, excited to get training going so they'd have a better shot of winning the cup this year, had moved try-outs to Tuesday lunch time, the day after lessons had started. As such, Bagsy's broom had no extra real modifications yet, and she wasn't looking forward to flying it.

'On your brooms,' Ford announced. 'And, fly!'

The Hufflepuffs ascended into the air. Emmeline, Kat, Greenda and Ford were already on the team. Emmeline was the keeper, Kat and Ford the chasers, and Greenda the seeker. Two players had left Hogwarts, and a third had dropped out this year due to 'focussing on their studies' as Ford had said mockingly at the start of the try-outs.

There weren't many people trying out for the team, and there were three positions open: a chaser and two beaters. Bagsy still had a feeling she'd fail to place in any of them.

Ford had them flying around hitting bludgers and tossing quaffles to each other. Bagsy found that, even if her flying was slow and unresponsive, her hand eye co-ordination was surprisingly good. She supposed she spent so long working with her hands she already had a lot of practise. When she was holding a bat it felt natural to work out where the bludger was going to be by the time she finished her swing, and where she had to hit it to send it where she wanted. With satisfying thwacks she sent bludger after bludger at the other players, finding it oddly cathartic.

At one point Bagsy, flying over the stand where Mezrielda was, shot a smirk in her friend's direction before smacking a bludger at her. Mezrielda yelped in indignation and ducked down as the bludger soared past her and back onto the pitch.

'Preposterous!' Mezrielda yelled at Bagsy, shaking her fist angrily. Bagsy held back giggles and returned to practise.

'Aren't you a Slytherin?' Bagsy heard Itsuki mutter in Mezrielda's direction.

'Of course not, look at my robes,' Mezrielda lied, having bewitched them to be yellow and black. 'Am I a Slytherin. I mean, really.' Bagsy held back more giggles.