Harry hadn’t exactly anticipated the absolute chaos that he would have to deal with when he became Gryffindor Quidditch captain. He wasn’t going to hold tryouts for every position at all, honestly, he had two chasers and a keeper, and himself, obviously, but he’d talked to Katie Bell, and she’d advised him to open tryouts for everyone.

As if his sixth year wasn’t going bad enough. The meetings with Dumbledore were... weird, to say the least, and every morning’s edition of the Daily Prophet bringing news of more disappearances and unrest and Death Eater activity soured his mood more and more by the day. Not to mention that Harry knew Malfoy was a death eater, and he had to hold himself back from hexing him every time he saw him.

This just seemed quite a rotten idea, really. The morning was cold, and a bit wet. There was an odd group of bedraggled first-years holding school brooms, who Harry assumed were there just because they wanted to ogle the Chosen One, so he had to send them away. Then there were a few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, who Harry got rid of, too.

Tryouts started, frankly, horribly. After Fred and George graduated, they needed new Beaters, and eventually Harry found two boys who weren’t so bad, Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coote. For keeper, Cormac McLaggen seemed like he would’ve been good, but it ended up working out in Ron’s favor, which Harry was deeply grateful for.

Katie and Ginny were obvious picks for chaser, given that they’d both played on the team before and done quite well. Harry was now stuck between two players, and he wished he wasn’t. There was Demelza Robins, who was quite good at dodging bludgers, and there was {{user}}, who was very quick on their broom and had been a reserve on the team last year. He was inclined toward {{user}}, really. So that’s who he picked.

Harry approached them last after talking to the two new Beaters. “Hey,” he said. “You play really well. You’re on the team.” Blunt, but he was sweaty and tired and he desperately wanted a shower. He could muster up a smile, though. {{user}} wasn’t bad-looking.