invisible string! → ron weasley

xi. the trials

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KATES TOOK IT PERSONALLY when it was revealed Snape was to be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts that year. She really, genuinely thought she'd never have to be in his class again, yet there they were. Honestly, she was shocked to have gotten an Outstanding in the class, but as many people had told her, her skill with spells did in fact extend beyond Charms. Her quick reflexes and advance skill with magic made her far better at Defense than she had originally thought.

To her relief, their first lesson was to practice producing a nonverbal shield charm—something Kates had done several times at the end of last year. She performed one with ease, earning a playful "show off" from Dean and what could possibly have been a hum of approval from Snape. The class period, which had ended in a rather humorous manner thanks to Harry's witty remarks, reassured Kates significantly in terms of spending yet another year in Snape's classroom. At least it was a class where she knew what she was doing.

Kates was elated when the morning of the Gryffindor Quidditch trials arrived. Not only would it give her a chance to watch some Quidditch for the first time in months, but from what she had been hearing all week, it was going to be quite the spectacle. A great many people had applied for the team, surely because of Harry's celebrity status. He was, after all, the "Chosen One", and apparently that title made him the most interesting student at Hogwarts. Kates, like everyone else who truly knew him, found the whole thing rather amusing.

She walked down to the grounds that morning with Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Ron, Seamus, and Dean. The latter four were all going to be trying out, and all but Ginny were quite nervous.

"You'll all do brilliantly," Kates told them, and her optimism and good spirit that morning were enough to make the three of them groan.

"Ron and Ginny, maybe," muttered Seamus, "they were on the team last year. But Dean and I? We're goners."

"Speak for yourself," said Dean, who threw his shoulders back in a sudden burst of confidence. "Now, with everyone trying out, who knows, but I think we've got a fair shot." It was clear he was trying to convince himself as much as—if not more than—the others.

"I'm certain most of the people who signed up won't exactly be competition," said Hermione, speaking in a hushed tone. They weren't the only ones heading down to the Quidditch Pitch that morning; observers and candidates alike were making their way.

"Most of them are there for Harry," said Neville with a shrug, not caring if anyone overheard him. His self confidence has skyrocketed within the last year, and Kates was incredibly proud of him. "I'm sure you lot will do just fine."

The group split up at the Pitch, and Kates went up to the stands with Hermione and Neville to enjoy the show. The stands were mostly empty, but that wasn't saying much given how they could hold the whole school. Kates had attended the trials each year since she started at Hogwarts and never had she seen so many people. About three fourths of them were fellow Gryffindors—most of whom she knew had no interest whatsoever in the trials themselves—and the rest were students from other houses, surely with the same motivations. They, she knew, were only there to watch Harry in his natural habitat as if he were an animal in a muggle zoo. That part irked her; she would happily watch people fumble about the Pitch in an effort to spend time with him, but having them sit in the stands just to examine him was a different matter entirely.

"They're watching us too, you know," Hermione said into her ear, and as Kates took another look around she could confirm her friend's words to be true. People would occasionally divert their attention from the field and turn it on the trio in the stands. They would whisper to their friends, then look away.