Saturday comes fast and I find myself on the pitch hovering on my broom with the rest of the teammates, wearing my beaters gear over James's extra Quidditch sweater since he bled all over mine. He's up first with Sirius next, then me. My foot is wiggling spastically as we watch James go through the obstacles with the Captain and her second hand floating around the most difficult places.

There are three parts. First the obstacle course, back and forth between poles doing one's best not to touch them, straight up and down like a roller coaster through floating hoops, and finally speeding towards the ground before pulling up as close as possible to the green. Second, the whole of the group of people gathered lines up in a zig-zag and you've got to fly through a torrent of them chucking quaffles at us like bludgers. Third, and finally, is working with and against the member of the team you want to be. In my case, that means Sirius and I will be going head to head.

I clap along with everyone else when he floats back up from the first trial and smile when he shoots me a wink. My turn. I make sure to lock eyes with both Sirius and James before shooting forward. A deep breath goes in through my nose and out through my mouth before I grin, easily diving and going back and forth between the poles without touching a single one. There's no stopping me or the smile on my face as I snap up and down through each hoop perfectly, then all that's left is the final dive. I flatten out a moment before plunging towards the ground.

At the last second, I pull up and feel my knuckles skim the grass before I stop. I float back up to the end of the line and beam at the sight of both boys with their mouths open, then to the stands behind us where Lily is sitting. Remus and Peter sit on her left too. She waves back when I do, but right now her hand is over her mouth to keep from laughing. My smile widens when I see someone familiar to her right in grey and green. Garrett whoops for me and I blush, looking away. After a few pats on the back from the other teammates, I move over to the boys.

"You're going to catch flies like that," I tell them with a smirk.

"You...you just-"

"She pranked us. Fucking hell, she pranked us damn well." Sirius rubs a hand over his wavy hair with an awed grin. He looks very nice with windblown hair.

"Who? Me? Just beginner's luck." I shrug with a teasing grin. They move to either side of me as they shake their heads.

"If Evans wasn't sitting right there, I'd ask you to marry me here and now, Mane. You beauty." James says and I laugh at his wide eyes and wider smile.

"I'm unencumbered. Marry me, love, we'd make the most beautiful, Quidditch pro babies." Sirius offers and I shove his shoulder as I continue to laugh until my stomach hurts.

"Guys, stop, this is supposed to be serious."

"Uh, I'm always Sirius." He combats and god, I think I'm going to burst.

"If I piss right now from laughing, I will hex you both until I'm no doubt expelled from this school." I threaten and they're both silent for a moment.

"Well bloody hell that sounds like a challenge, Mane," James says and my head shakes.

"Oi! New girl!" We all quiet when the Captain calls me over. She pretty, dark hair, blue eyes, high cheekbones under dark skin, although right now she looks rather firm. "Since you find it so funny, you're first. Line up!" She shouts and I flinch at the volume before flying over to the start as the rest make a sort of wide tunnel with quaffles at the ready. They're charmed to follow where a wand points, so they won't just fall to the ground after being thrown, they'll be coming back. Since I want to be a beater, I'm allowed a bat. After a deep breath, I head in.

Right from the start, the Captain aims for my head. I deflect it with my bat and fight forward. Luckily, most of the team either graduated or isn't trying out again, so no one really has the greatest aim. The first half I fight through with dodging and speed. Once I'm halfway through I demonstrate how good I am. Batting them away left and right, spinning upside down when two come my way, even standing on my broom at one point before I'm through the line. I'm breathing hard, but I made it through the line without getting hit once. My eyes go to the group cheering in the stands, now made even bigger by the inclusion of Marlene, Emmaline, Alice, and Frank. What gems.

"Alright. Not bad. Circle around. Black!" The Captain shouts and I'm quick to take Sirius's place. One by one the rest go through, but only three others make it through without a hit. Including Sirius and James. Finally, its time for the last trial and thank god because I'm disgusting. Sirius and I immediately pair up and once again we go first. The times from all the players will be tallied for who's the best, but you also have to be able to work within the team. Sirius nods to me and I nod back to him as we take our places a couple of meters apart. We're the only ones in the air now and our eyes are sharp as the Captain opens the case. A bludger bursts out of its chains and then we're off.

It comes for me first and I hit it hard towards Sirius. "Low!" I shout and he dips slightly to hit it back.

"Front!" He tells me and I shoot forward before hitting it back. We continue this for a few minutes until we don't even have to speak anymore. I can see where he's hitting it by how he leans and he'll tilt his head for me too. It's over before I even realize and I must say it's a little funny when the bludger makes a beeline for the Captain and she has to catch it just to start the process over again. Still, this means Sirius and I are done. We can stick around to watch the rest or head back to the castle to await our results late tomorrow. "Bloody hell, that was amazing!" Sirius says and embraces me despite our mutual sweatiness. I laugh and hug him just as tightly back. "You really held out on us, love. With you, we might actually have a chance at the cup!" He exclaims as we pull back.

"Sirius, I'm just one beater," I tell him even though his words are sweet.

"One brilliant player is all we need! Haven't you heard me say so, Mane?" James asks as he slips from the back of the group to give me a hug, then frames my face with his hands. "You are brilliant. You're absolutely going to make the team, no doubt, and I've got a surprise for you when you do." He presses a shocking kiss to my sweaty forehead as I chuckle.

"You both are darling, but James you're about to go up," I tell him and he instantly glances back to his partner waving him forward.

"Ah, wish me luck then!" He shouts and mounts his broom to fly away.

"You don't need it, mate!" Sirius shouts after him, then sweetly waves to the stairs. We set our brooms against the pitch wall and head up the many stairs to the stands. We emerge to shouts and whistles from our little group, but I hold up my hands as they come close.

"Sweaty! Very sweaty!" I warn and they pause.

"You still smell great to me, love, and you know my sense of smell." Sirius murmurs and winks at me as I roll my eyes.

"You both were brilliant! Sirius, I don't think I've ever seen you play so well." Lily says after giving us both quick hugs.

"Thanks, red." He says and seems to genuinely derive pleasure from her approval. Who knew? His eyes suddenly narrow at the sight of Garrett. "Scoping out the competition, Fenway?" He asks and has a sharper edge to his voice now. Garrett smirks and shrugs.

"Happy coincidence, but not my reason for being here. Wanted to see Arell play." Those green eyes focus on mine and I fight my wide smile. "You were amazing. Knew you would be." My cheeks heat a bit, especially when Marlene waggles her eyebrows and Lily winks at me. My eyes snap to Sirius however, when his hand snakes around my waist and tugs me tight to him.

"Sweet, but don't try to distract my girl from her sport." I snort as the two young men stare off.

"Think I can focus just fine despite anyone else trying otherwise. And your girl?" I question and push him away a bit. His silver eyes look over at me as he smiles and loosens his grip.

"Yeah. Ours. The teams, our groups." He gestures to Remus and Peter watching the scene a bit nervously.

"Right. I think I can handle myself, thanks. And I'm my own person. Why don't you go talk with Remus and Peter, no doubt James will be up in a minute." Now I shove him completely off and descend the stairs with the girls and Garrett. We stop at the bottom of the stairs and Garrett and I lag.

"We'll wait up for you in the common room!" Lily says and gathers the girls to walk towards the castle. I smile at her and grab my broom, following them at a distance with Garrett.

"Sorry about that with Sirius," I tell him and he shrugs.

"No problem. It speaks to how good a person you are that you have loyal friends." He dismisses it without another thought and that just makes me like him more. He looks good too; in dark green jeans, black Henley with the sleeves pulled just behind his elbow, and his Slytherin scarf lying lazily over his broad shoulders. Then there's me, in a borrowed sweater, black pants, and covered in sweat. Still, he looks at me as if I'm in a ballgown.

"It was really sweet of you to come to watch me practice," I tell him and he shrugs.

"I had to after hearing you talk about it. You were art out there on the pitch." Warmth fills my heart. That's probably the best compliment I've ever gotten. "Have you ever thought of going pro?" He asks and I laugh.

"Well, sure. When I was thirteen and was reading about the Holyhead Harpies for the first time. Think I also wanted a unicorn for a pet." He chuckles and nods.

"You should consider it again. You're good and I don't bestow compliments often."

"You compliment me multiple times every time we talk," I call him out on it and his smile widens.

"Ah, well that's because you're the exception." He explains and it's very hard not to laugh.

"So your previous comment has no traction at all." I point out and laugh again when his brain seems to stall. "That's okay, it's not so bad just being sweet." My hand slides over his arm as we enter the castle. A well-defined arm it is too. We pause at the grand staircase since he goes down while I go up.

"I look forward to hearing you made the team and then playing against you." He tells me with a charming grin.

"Same to you. See you at dinner?" I ask and his eyes get a bit brighter when he nods.

"See you then." Garrett bids and we both walk away at the same time. My cheeks hurt from grinning and I try to tamp it down as I enter the common room. Lily, Marlene, Alice, and Em immediately look up from the floor in front of the fire.

"We love you and need the scoop on what just happened, but please take a shower first. I can't stand to see sweaty people." Marlene insists and I almost laugh but nod before bounding up the stairs. A cool shower alone is just what I needed. After changing into my usual tank-top, jeans, and a lightweight, pastel green, off the shoulder sweater, I feel much better. I'm not sure where the sweater came from since I don't have a green sweater. I'm almost positive Lily duplicated it from her own and slipped it into my case when she realized I don't have much. It's terribly kind and thoughtful of her.

I head down to the common room and find the boys still missing. No doubt causing trouble. I head over to the group of ladies instead and lean back on the red couch. When I settle down next to Lily, she shoots me a smile and I can see the further happiness in her eyes that I seemingly haven't caught onto her. "So, have you tasted a slice of that Slytherin yet?" Marlene asks and Alice shoves her lightly while the rest of us laugh.

"You have no concept of boundaries, do you?" Lily asks with a sigh and a smile while Em hands me a hot chocolate. Briefly, I wonder if she put something in it before Alice shakes her head at me. Good to know I'm not the only one who thought about it.

"We're just friends," I tell Marlene and she groans.

"But he came to watch you try out, then walked you back, and the way he looks at you, Arell. He definitely likes you more than just a friend." Alice says and the other three nod.

"The best part of dating a Slytherin is that they are all about you. And that boy's ambition is all on you, Arell. Mm." Marlene hums appreciatively and my body gets hot from embarrassment.

"Look, we're still getting to know one another. I'm not saying no, or yes, or anything. Can we drop this for now? This is way too personal for the common room." I say as two random people I don't know wave at me. My friends either nod or sigh.

"Fine, what about that little tiff with Sirius? It seems like he's getting a bit territorial, Arell." Lily says with a curious sparkling in her eyes.

"Well, he can get over it. I'm not his territory." I say firmly and everyone takes it by my tone that this topic is over.

"Do you have any homework leftover from this week?" Lily changes the subject and my nose scrunches up as I think about it. Astronomy comes to mind, then the moon, then Firenze's words.

"Uh, actually I had a few questions for Professor Grubblyplank. Mind walking with me?" I ask and stand after setting down my mug. She shrugs and stands. We've got time before dinner and I'd like to ask her what her thoughts are on the things.

"Sure." We walk out and are outside before I tell her what's really on my mind. I tell her what happened that night in the woods, but leave out everything to do with Remus, the others, or my animagi. "You went into the Forbidden Forest, saw a centaur, and now he wants to meet with you? Why didn't you mention this before?" Her voice raises in pitch as we head down the rolling hills towards Care of Magical Creatures class and draws quite a few wandering eyes.

"Not so loud!" I scold and she huffs. "You were mad at me that day anyways for coming back so late! Didn't want to risk Lily Evans' wrath over tip-toeing around the forest." Her head shakes, but she has a small smile on her face.

"So, you want to know if you should meet Firenze again and want to ask the professor about centaurs?" She asks and I nod. Lily thinks on it a moment before grabbing my arm and turning. "If you want answers about centaurs there's someone else you should talk to. As much as I like Grubblyplank, he tends to get easily distracted. The moon you're talking about is tonight, so you need fast answers. He lives over here in this hut. He's a kind guy. Really into creatures." She adds as something comes into view. The little building is charming, but small and surrounded by huge pumpkins. I walk up the few steps and nervously knock hard on the big, wooden door. It swings open and I jump back next to Lily when I see the hulking frame and bushy beard of the tall man.

A/N

YES, IT'S HAGRID, YAY. Hope you all are as excited to see him as I was to write him!