𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 | Harry James Potter x Reader

YR 5 ☆•°~'* 13

❈🌠➵9¾♌ ⚯ 🗲━━━━━★. *･｡ﾟ✧⁺

December arrived, bringing with it more snow and an avalanche of homework for the fifth-years. With the holidays looming closer, Ron and Hermione found themselves busier than ever with their prefect duties, usually being called upon to supervise the castle decorations.

On the last week before the Christmas holidays, Y/N was sitting hunched over his History of Magic essay beside the fire in the common, wanting to finish it before winter break. 

'Hey, Y/N.'

Y/N lifted his head up from his parchment. It was Angelina Johnson, who had an expectant look on her face and a broomstick over her shoulder.

'Oh, hi, Ange,' he said.

'Listen, I was wondering if I could ask you a favour,' said Angelina slowly.

'Ask away,' said Y/N, putting down his quill and stretching in his armchair.

'Would you be game for trying out as Seeker?' Angelina asked. 

Y/N raised his eyebrows, taken aback. 'Why me?'

'Well, Fred told me you have a Nimbus 2004,' Angelina explained. 'And it's a pretty fast broom, so...'

'I don't know...' said Y/N sceptically.

'Please?' said Angelina. 'George swears you're a good flier and so does Ron.'

'I don't know,' Y/N repeated. 'I mean, I haven't practised in a long while.'

'Doesn't matter. Anyway, the people who put their names down for tryouts are mostly second-years who have never touched a broom besides their first flying lessons.'

'Hmm...'

'Look,' said Angelina, now looking really desperate. 'Just- just give it a try, all right? Tryouts are in half an hour and I expect to see you there, OK?'

'But-'

'No buts,' Angelina said firmly. She hoisted up her broom and started walking to the portrait hole of the common room. 'I'll see you down at the Quidditch pitch!'

And she left.

Y/N sat there, staring at the portrait hole in deep thought. It would be a waste not to give his Nimbus some use. After all, Quidditch was the reason he bought the broom in the first place.

'Well, there's nothing to lose,' he muttered to himself, stowing his History of Magic homework away.

❈🌠➵9¾♌ ⚯ 🗲━━━━━★. *･｡ﾟ✧⁺

'All right, listen up!' Angelina called. Everyone who had turned up for the Seeker trials stopped talking and looked up at the Gryffindor captain. Y/N, who was wearing Harry's Gryffindor jumper and grasping his barely-used broomstick, listened intently to Angelina. 'I'll be throwing these practice Snitches and you'll have to catch them. If you catch at least four of the balls, you pass!'

As expected, most of the people who turned up were terrible at flying. Only a few managed to catch one or two of the six balls Angelina threw. She seemed highly exasperated when a second-year toppled off his broom after hovering in the air for barely a minute.

'Next!' shouted Angelina.

Y/N, who was last in line, mounted his Nimbus 2004 and kicked off hard from the ground. He did a few loop-the-loops to warm up before facing Angelina and waiting for the throw. 

The captain tapped one of the fake Snitches with her wand so that it hovered in the air. 

'Ready?'

Y/N nodded firmly and gripped the shiny handle of his broomstick with his gloved hands. The first ball Angelina threw high up in the sky. Y/N tilted his broom up and zoomed up fast, the cold wind beating against his face.