The crowd that came out for the Quidditch try-outs glanced up at
Artemis as he entered the pitch and then turned to one another, snickering.
"What are you trying out for?" Ravenclaw captain Roger Davies asked. "The
Snitch?"
Hermione, who had been standing behind him, winced, but Artemis merely turned the corners of his mouth up in what could have been a smile and replied, "Beater."
Roger Davies, who was quite intrigued by Artemis, leaned in close to him. "You don't want to do that." He said.
"Yes I do." Artemis said blandly and Davies' nose twitched.
"Listen to me Art," he clapped a hand on Artemis' back and the smaller boy almost fell over, because Davies' hand was the size of a ham hock, and because no one had ever really shortened his name before. "You need to have..size, to be able to be a Beater. You don't have the strength for it. You'd be a perfect Seeker, but that position has been filled. I'm sure we could find a place for you as-"
"I'm not interested in being the team water boy, Roger." Artemis cut in. "I will try out for Beater and if I am humiliated I won't say you didn't warn me."
Davies sighed. "Alright Art, you can try out. I hope you won't be humiliated.."
~*~
So the balls went up and Artemis, head filled with calculations about wind density and heat expansion, went up with them. By the time his twenty minute try-out was done everyone had laid down their own brooms and were watching him hit bludger after bludger away from the targets, getting there, it seemed, before the balls did. Even Fred and George Weasley came over to compliment him (somewhat grudgingly.)
Artemis grinned as he landed, the first real grin in his life. "How'd it go?"
Davies grinned back. "Welcome to the team."
~*~
Hermione walked back to the castle alone. Artemis had insisted that he had homework to catch up on but Roger had made him stay to "meet the rest of the team." Though the thought chilled her, Hermione knew that deep inside she wished he had not made it.
She sighed as she entered the common room, where there were streamers and Filibusters fireworks in every coner. "What's with the celebration?" She asked Harry.
"Ron finally made the Quidditch team." He said, grinning and offering her a chocolate frog.
She took it and watched it hop out of her hand onto the floor. "Artemis made the Ravenclaw team."
"Did he?" Harry asked. "That's fantastic."
"Yeah, what position does he play? Snitch?" Ron said, coming up behind them. He and Harry both roared with laughter and Hermione didn't bother to tell them that the joke was old. She got up slowly and went to her dormitories.
"Hey 'Mione, wait up!" Harry called after her, but she didn't slow down and he didn't come after her.
~*~
"I haven't seen you outside of class in ages." Hermione said, setting her books down beside Artemis in the library.
"I've been quite busy, what with Quidditch practises." He said mildly.
"You practise more than Harry. You're ditching me."
Artemis blinked at her. He had never had friends before and likewise her had never ditched them. He sighed. "I'm not ditching you Hermione. I am studying hard and going to Quidditch practise-" He was cut off by the arrival of Roger Davies and the rest of the Ravenclaw team who were making a big racket and congratulating each other on beating Slytherin in the morning's game.
"We're going to sneak out to Hogsmeade." Roger said quietly. "You're coming with us right?"
Artemis grinned and agreed, and the group of them left the library. Artemis glanced back at Hermione, but she had already taken her books and walked slowly back to the common room.
Hermione, who had been standing behind him, winced, but Artemis merely turned the corners of his mouth up in what could have been a smile and replied, "Beater."
Roger Davies, who was quite intrigued by Artemis, leaned in close to him. "You don't want to do that." He said.
"Yes I do." Artemis said blandly and Davies' nose twitched.
"Listen to me Art," he clapped a hand on Artemis' back and the smaller boy almost fell over, because Davies' hand was the size of a ham hock, and because no one had ever really shortened his name before. "You need to have..size, to be able to be a Beater. You don't have the strength for it. You'd be a perfect Seeker, but that position has been filled. I'm sure we could find a place for you as-"
"I'm not interested in being the team water boy, Roger." Artemis cut in. "I will try out for Beater and if I am humiliated I won't say you didn't warn me."
Davies sighed. "Alright Art, you can try out. I hope you won't be humiliated.."
~*~
So the balls went up and Artemis, head filled with calculations about wind density and heat expansion, went up with them. By the time his twenty minute try-out was done everyone had laid down their own brooms and were watching him hit bludger after bludger away from the targets, getting there, it seemed, before the balls did. Even Fred and George Weasley came over to compliment him (somewhat grudgingly.)
Artemis grinned as he landed, the first real grin in his life. "How'd it go?"
Davies grinned back. "Welcome to the team."
~*~
Hermione walked back to the castle alone. Artemis had insisted that he had homework to catch up on but Roger had made him stay to "meet the rest of the team." Though the thought chilled her, Hermione knew that deep inside she wished he had not made it.
She sighed as she entered the common room, where there were streamers and Filibusters fireworks in every coner. "What's with the celebration?" She asked Harry.
"Ron finally made the Quidditch team." He said, grinning and offering her a chocolate frog.
She took it and watched it hop out of her hand onto the floor. "Artemis made the Ravenclaw team."
"Did he?" Harry asked. "That's fantastic."
"Yeah, what position does he play? Snitch?" Ron said, coming up behind them. He and Harry both roared with laughter and Hermione didn't bother to tell them that the joke was old. She got up slowly and went to her dormitories.
"Hey 'Mione, wait up!" Harry called after her, but she didn't slow down and he didn't come after her.
~*~
"I haven't seen you outside of class in ages." Hermione said, setting her books down beside Artemis in the library.
"I've been quite busy, what with Quidditch practises." He said mildly.
"You practise more than Harry. You're ditching me."
Artemis blinked at her. He had never had friends before and likewise her had never ditched them. He sighed. "I'm not ditching you Hermione. I am studying hard and going to Quidditch practise-" He was cut off by the arrival of Roger Davies and the rest of the Ravenclaw team who were making a big racket and congratulating each other on beating Slytherin in the morning's game.
"We're going to sneak out to Hogsmeade." Roger said quietly. "You're coming with us right?"
Artemis grinned and agreed, and the group of them left the library. Artemis glanced back at Hermione, but she had already taken her books and walked slowly back to the common room.