Too Honest ~ James Potter

Chapter 6

*3rd Year*

In her third year, Mariya decided that she should take a risk and try out for the Slytherin Quidditch team. She had always loved the sport and her father had always told her when she was young that she was good enough to be on a house team. He had been disappointed therefore to find out when she entered first year that Slytherin didn't even let girls try out for the team, never mind letting them compete in matches. Mariya was irritated at this rule as she knew that the boys they always chose preferred to win by violence than skill and that they got fouled for trying to cheat more than the rest of the houses combined.

As such, when she showed up at six in the morning dressed ready to play, the captain scoffed and tried to send her off the pitch, he was not expecting her to be so stubborn though.

"If you don't think I can get onto the team, then there should be no problem letting me try out should there. However, if you do think I pose a threat to the boys that are trying out and you are just being sexist in not letting me try out because I am a girl, then I will have no problem bringing this problem to Professor Slughorn and having him resolve the matter."

The captain swallowed nervously, this was his last year in Hogwarts and he finally stood a good chance of being part of the Slug Club now that he was Quidditch Captain. A problem like this could stop Professor Slughorn from letting him in and he needed the best connections he could get before he left Hogwarts. Besides, this girl was never going to outfly the boys, there was no way she could.

So he let her try out in the belief that she didn't stand a chance. Unfortunately for him she was a perfect seeker - she was small and light and so could dart in and out of spaces that the other people trying out for the position (all of whom were at least twice her size) could never dream of getting into. She was a good flyer, despite her relatively old broom, and could coax the best results out of the enchanted wood. Even worse, she clearly had good stamina as, when he had them run ten complete laps of the course as a cool down, she finished first and was barely even sweating whereas a lot of the flyers had collapsed halfway through and the ones that had made it were almost all lying on the ground groaning or throwing up.

Almost all the players from the previous years team had left school now and so he couldn't even choose the seeker from last year in the hopes of arguing that he wanted to continue the team dynamic. Much to his chagrin therefore, he had to post the team list with a girl flying for seeker and his friends all made fun of him, saying that he was a disgrace for choosing the only female player on the Slytherin team for over one hundred years.

Mariya however, was thrilled to see that she had got her way, and sat down to write to her father straight away, knowing that he would be just as pleased as she was to hear the news. Having done so she headed to the owlery where her Eurasian Eagle Owl Artemis was sitting on her perch. Attaching the letter to her leg and offering a mouse as consolation for having to move, Mariya took the owl over the window and sent her flying off. Walking back to the owlery door, Mariya was just about to leave when another person came striding up the stairs. James Potter tensed slightly when he saw her and frowned as saw the joyful look covering her face.

"What are you so happy about?" He was surprised to see that her pleased expression did not falter at his surliness and went over to his own owl to attach his letter.

"I am sure you will be thrilled to know, Potter, that we are proper adversaries now." With this Mariya left, bouncing down the steps happily.

James Potter was very confused as to what she meant and couldn't believe it when Remus told him the next morning that Seratova had made it onto the Slytherin team as their Seeker. He now had a real reason to dislike her as he played Seeker for the Gryffindor team. This dislike towards the girl only increased as she made it to the snitch before him in the Slytherin-Gryffindor match later that year. Not only did the Slytherin team win that game thanks to her, but they ended up winning the house cup because of her incredible reactions and watchful eyes. Having thought that Gryffindor would win the cup, James Potter became determined that he would lead his house to victory the next year, whatever it took. Even better, he would show her who was best when he became Quidditch captain in their 5th year and she wasn't chosen.