Finder's Keeper || Oliver Wood [1]

Chapter 16: Trials and Triumphs

A/N: The Quidditch tryouts part barely has any dialogue lmao please bear with me 🤧

"I can't believe you said yes to Higgs."

"It's a date, not a wedding, Wood."

"I know, but still."

"Give it a rest."

A week had gone by and the day of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team tryouts arrived. During all those seven days that passed, Oliver couldn't help but express his utter disbelief that Jessica was going on a date with Terence Higgs.

"But —"

"Look, believe it or not, Higgs and I actually became friends," Jessica explained. "He isn't like Flint or Bletchley like you keep on insisting, so shut your mouth and focus on handling tryouts today."

Oliver couldn't get another word out because Jessica began forcefully pushing him into the Quidditch Pitch, catching him off guard at her strength.

"Hey — hey, alright. I get it."

Oliver let out a loud breath. She was right, though; he had to focus on his team's tryouts. So, for now, he pushed away the thought of Higgs and Jessica going out on a date, which had been bothering him nonstop recently.

Jessica and Oliver were the firsts to arrive at the pitch. Of course, Oliver was captain, so he needed to be there early. Eventually, a number of other Gryffindors began arriving. It was a mix of tiny first and second years to the more built third year and above students. The tryouts were only being held for the positions of Chasers, so both the past and aspiring Chasers were set to compete against one another. Oliver had asked for Fred and George's help to facilitate the trials, and while he always complained that they were troublemakers, he couldn't deny that they were very gifted Quidditch players and would be of great help at a time like this.

"Well, well, well," Fred started when he and his twin brother approached Oliver and Jessica.

"Am I imagining or is Jessica Hawthorne actually trying out for the team?" George finished.

"That or she's just here to support Ollie."

"That's more likely. I've never seen her even hold a broom since she's always holding a book."

The two of them snickered, causing both Oliver and Jessica to roll their eyes tiredly.

"Believe it or not, but I can have a brain and know how to play Quidditch," Jessica huffed.

"Alright, alright, we won't question it," said Fred, but he still looked like he was just joking around.

"We'll just have to wait and see if she's telling the truth, right, Ollie?" George teased. But Oliver only shrugged, confusing the twins.

"I think it's just the two of you who will have to wait and see," he said knowingly, patting both their shoulders before walking away.

Fred and George shared puzzled glances.

"Why does it sound like he knows something that we don't?" Fred said.

"Get to your posts, lads!" Oliver shouted, now at the center of the field. "I'm going to start the tryouts soon."

And so, the tryouts began. Jessica found herself standing alongside familiar faces, like Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell who were both on the team last year. She knew they were very skilled players, so it both intimidated and motivated her.

They started off with some warm-ups: jogging, flying around the pitch for a few rounds, and the like to get them pumped. As expected, the first official task was to see how many goals the applicants could individually get past Oliver Wood. Jessica saw many of the younger students visibly cower, undoubtedly scared of having to go up against the Quidditch captain himself. Some even decided to leave in order to avoid having to do exactly that, and Jessica couldn't blame them.