The Keeper

Chapter 1

The atmosphere was electric. Fast whispers could be heard everywhere, a mixture of disbelief, excitement, and awe. Because it was his turn for sorting. The Boy Who Lived.

Harry Potter.

He seemed nervous, as most of us were. As I certainly was. I could only see the back of his head, but his small, shaking frame and twitchy fingers betrayed his unease. All eyes were glued to Harry as he slowly sat down, waiting for Professor McGonagall to place the Sorting Hat upon his head.

The hat crinkled as it thought. "Difficult, very difficult," it mused. "Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh yes, and a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you?"

Harry's eyes shut as he muttered something.

"Not Slytherin, eh?" the hat questioned loudly. Harry winced and I could hear some Slytherin students whispering amongst themselves. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know. It's all here in your head. And Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness! There's no doubt about that. No?" Harry started muttering something else. "Well, if you're sure. Better be..."

The entire Great Hall paused in anticipation. I held my breath.

"Gryffindor!" the hat declared.

Professors, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and especially Gryffindor burst into rapturous applause, while the Slytherin table clapped stiffly. Harry was beaming as he rushed to take his place at the Gryffindor table. Professor McGonagall couldn't keep the pride off her face.

Lots of Gryffindors stood up as he approached them. The Weasley twins were shouting, "We got Potter!" over and over again.

I watched Harry as he sat down next to the youngest Weasley sibling, whose name I didn't know. He was practically bouncing as he shook hands with Percy Weasley and Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team and one of the best keepers Hogwarts has ever seen.

Ever since I joined Hogwarts, I'd dreamed of playing for the Ravenclaw team but never had the courage to try out. Being in the stands cheering on the players was an incomparable experience, yet I always fantasized about being on the receiving end of the excitement.

"Y/N, you're staring."

I blinked and turned to face my best friend, Sasha Preden. She was a very pretty girl, with shoulder-length chestnut hair and stunning hazel eyes. We had met on the train during our first year and had instantly become inseparable. We shared a dorm room, train compartments and most of our classes. Sasha was easily one of the highlights of my school life.

"You were looking at Harry, weren't you?" she said, grinning. Her gaze was fixed on him too, just like most people in the room. "I don't blame you."

"Mm," I agreed. I tore my eyes away from the Boy Who Lived and continued to watch the sorting ceremony. I clapped after every house was announced (especially so when it was Ravenclaw).

"Ooh, she seems like she'd be good for the quidditch team," Sasha remarked, gesturing at a slim girl with thick, black hair. "I'll talk to her about trying out next year. Did you catch her name?"

Sasha was the proud captain of our quidditch team and was determined to be the best, as usual.

"I think it was Amina," I replied.

"You should try out too," she added, as I knew she would. "Please."

"You know I wouldn't be good enough."

"Lies, lies, lies," laughed Sasha. "I've seen you flying, Y/N. You're so good." Her face went sour. "Better than that idiot Louis. He tried out for seeker last year and I wanted to cry. He flew like a penguin."

"Because they don't fly. I can certainly picture that!"

"My point is you shouldn't be afraid of trying out," she insisted, nudging my side. "There are plenty of people who are much worse than you. Trust me. I've seen many bad things."

My mouth reluctantly curled into a smile. "Fine. I'll try out."

"Yay!" Beaming, Sasha wrapped her strong arms around me.

*

Stuffed to bursting, everyone slowly went back to their dorms and unpacked. I let my cat, Rena, claim her - rather large - territory on my bed. It was while folding my clothes away that I noticed something I had previously overlooked. My broom, the beautiful Nimbus 2000 that I received as a gift. I hadn't flown in so long. As I tenderly lifted it, I found its shape was unfamiliar. If I wanted a chance on the team, I needed to practice.

My timetable revealed I had flying first thing tomorrow. Excellent! Apart from having to watch the amazing fliers show off, I was excited to get back in the air. The only downside was this would be the only flying lesson of the year after the subject is dropped in second year.

"Have you got flying tomorrow?" I whispered to Sasha, who I knew was trying to sleep.

She grunted. "Yeah. Now go to sleep."

Leaving her alone, I decided to forget about quidditch for now. At least until tomorrow.

In less than twelve hours, I'd be soaring around the castle, wind whipping my hair and whistling past my ears. I fantasized about taking my hands off my broom, feeling free. The feeling of flying was perfect. I wouldn't let the other students, no matter how experienced, distract me. I wanted to fly. I belonged on that broom.

Quite suddenly, I realised I really ought to push the thought away and get some rest. Slowly, I eased my tired body into bed and drifted into a deep sleep.