Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures
Chapter 1307: Tryouts

Harry had great confidence in Ron. First of all, Ron had performed very well in the matches in the latter part of last term.

When he was in perfect condition, he was the strongest Keeper in Gryffindor and even in the whole Hogwarts.

In preparation for the tryouts, Harry had trained with Ron many times in the past week. Ron’s performance in training was remarkable and he was always able to save the ball. As long as he performed normally, there was nothing to worry about.

But the fact was that this seemed to be the most worrying thing.

Ron’s performance had always been inconsistent, and his ability seemed to decline in direct proportion to the number of spectators present.

Harry glanced up at the nearly full stands. There were too many people here today!

He hoped Ron could hold on. He thought for a moment and decided to start with a basic test.

Harry asked all applicants for the team to divide into groups of ten and fly once around the pitch.

This was how Angelina had organized the tryouts the previous year.

Flying around the pitch might seem like a simple task, but it gave a clear idea of each person’s flying skills and their control over a broom.

This was a wise decision, and Harry was soon glad he had made it.

He intentionally had the younger and less familiar students go first. Therefore the first ten was made up of first years and it could not have been plainer that they had hardly ever flown before.

Only one boy managed to remain airborne for more than a few seconds, and he was so surprised he promptly crashed into one of the goal posts.

The second group was comprised of ten of the silliest girls Harry had ever encountered, who, when he blew his whistle, merely fell about giggling and clutching one another.

When Harry told them to leave the pitch, they did so quite cheerfully and went to sit in the stands to heckle everyone else.

“They’re not here to try out,” said Hermione knowingly. “They came for Harry. I know exactly what they were planning — they were hoping to get his attention, and maybe even date him.”

“It would be nice if Harry could find a girlfriend in there,” said Evan.

When it came to matters of the heart, Harry was even weaker than him, always saying the wrong words or doing the wrong things in the wrong situations.

“Do you think it’s possible? They don’t really like Harry at all, but they want to become famous this way. Some of them have written love letters to you before…”

“Really? I didn’t know anything about this!” said Evan truthfully. “You know, Dobby took all those love letters and burned them in the fire!”

He really didn’t know, and he had never read any of those love letters.

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, Hermione did not dwell on the topic.

On the field below, the tryouts continued, with the third group having a pileup halfway around the pitch.

Most of the fourth group had come without broomsticks. The fifth group were Hufflepuffs.

“If there’s anyone else here who’s not from Gryffindor,” roared Harry, who was starting to get seriously annoyed, “leave now, please!”

There was a pause, then a couple of little Ravenclaws went sprinting off the pitch, snorting with laughter.

Although Harry sped things up, there were so many people taking part in the tryouts that it took more than three hours to finally select three Chasers, but not without numerous mishaps along the way. Harry’s voice was hoarse from shouting instructions nonstop.

There were several tantrums, one involving a crashed Comet Two Sixty and several broken teeth.

This showed how difficult it was to select three Chasers who met the requirements from so many contestants.

The three Chasers were Katie Bell, who returned to the team after an excellent trial, and Demelza Robins, who was a substitute in the Gryffindor team last term and finally got her wish to return to the team as a regular player.

Demelza was also the only substitute player on the team last term who did not have many opportunities to play, as Angelina, Alicia and Katie had been very stable.

Unlike Harry, Fred and George, they hadn’t been banned from playing. However, Demelza never missed any training and accumulated a lot of experience.

The last Chaser was Ritchie Coote.

Actually, he was initially trying out as a Beater. His flying skills and reflexes were excellent, but his physical strength left much to be desired. Harry felt Richie’s hits lacked the power and intimidation required of a Beater. Consequently, Ritchie was redirected to a Chaser role, where his agility and quick reactions could shine.

Two other candidates, Elaine and Ginny, also had their positions reassigned. Both had initially aimed to become Chasers and were among the fastest and most skilled fliers in the tryouts. However, finding top-tier Beaters to replace Fred and George was proving nearly impossible. After much deliberation, Harry realized that Elaine and Ginny were the best fit for the Beater roles.

Despite their smaller stature and the fact they were girls — an unusual choice for Beaters — both had shown remarkable potential. Ginny’s performance as a Beater in last season’s final match was particularly memorable. Filling in after Fred and George left Hogwarts, and with Harry’s return, she had switched from Seeker to Beater and demonstrated precision, power, and the ability to hold her own, helping Gryffindor clinch the Quidditch Cup. Harry had no doubt she would excel in this role.

As for Elaine, her very presence was intimidating to opponents.

Not to mention, she was also very strong. Vampires were superior to wizards in terms of physical fitness and basic conditions.

Let her be a Beater, and she was better than the remaining guys.

The team members were basically the same as Evan had predicted. Except for the Frobisher siblings, all the members from last term returned. The only unexpected change was that Elaine and Ginny became Beaters, which was probably a feature of the Gryffindor team.

It was the first time in Hogwarts that two girls were Beaters.

It had to be said that, from an outsider’s perspective, Harry’s decision to appoint Elaine and Ginny as Beaters seemed audacious, if not outright foolish.

But Evan and Hermione, who knew the actual situation, both thought that Harry’s decision was great.

On the other hand, Harry’s decision to allow Colin Creevey to join the team as a substitute, an idea originally suggested by Evan last year, had also become a feature of the Gryffindor team.

Also on the bench were Jimmy Peakes, a short but broad-chested third-year boy who had managed to raise a lump the size of an egg on the back of Harry’s head with a ferociously hit Bludger; and the Frobisher siblings, who had not joined for the tryouts but Harry had retained them as substitutes.

With these arrangements finalized, the tryouts were entering their final stages.

Harry had deliberately left the trial of the Keepers until last, hoping for an emptier stadium and less pressure on all concerned.

Unfortunately, not only did no one leave, but all the rejected players and a number of people who had come down to watch after a lengthy breakfast had joined the crowd by now, so that it was larger than ever. Now, almost half of the school was watching the Gryffindor team’s tryouts.

As each Keeper flew up to the goal hoops, the crowd roared and jeered in equal measure.

Harry glanced over at Ron, who was a delicate shade of green and his hand holding the broom was shaking slightly.

This was exactly what he was worried about. Ron had started to get stage fright again!

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