The day had come. A cloud of nervousness and excitement surrounded a large number of Hufflepuff students. Quidditch tryouts were upon them. Eliot sat with his head down at breakfast, seemingly the only person who wasn't excited. As much as he would've liked to try out, he figured that without a broom, it would be impossible. He'd long outgrown his childhood broomstick, and it was a toy that wasn't fit for a real Quidditch match, anyway. He would never even think to ask Remus for a real broomstick. It was difficult enough to afford necessities, a broom was unthinkable.
Cedric bounded up to Eliot and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up to see the other boy in Quidditch attire, holding a polished, fancy-looking broomstick.
"I'm trying out for Seeker!" Cedric beamed, his perfect teeth practically glistening.
"Oh, wow! Good luck," Eliot replied.
"Are you trying out for anything?" Cedric asked, leaning on his broomstick. "I know you're really into Quidditch, are you any good at it?"
"Me? Oh, no," Eliot muttered, looking down at his hands. "I don't have a broom, actually."
"So? The school has brooms you could borrow," Cedric said. Eliot's face lit up. "Try out for something, it'll be fun if nothing else."
"And what would I even try out for?" Eliot asked, crossing his arms.
Cedric looked the other boy up and down, then shrugged. "Well, what do you think would be most fun?"
Eliot thought for a moment. He'd never make Seeker on a school broom, and he wouldn't want to compete with Cedric, anyway. He thought back to the Quidditch set Lyall had given him for his birthday when he was a child, how fascinated he'd been by the way that the Bludgers moved on their own. How fun it might be to get out some of his aggression by hitting them at people. Fred and George sure seemed to enjoy it.
"Beater," Eliot said decidedly.
They walked out to the pitch together in relative silence. Cedric was kind enough to accompany Eliot to the broom shed to help him choose the least terrible of the bunch, which they decided was an ancient Cleansweep. Eliot was relieved to see that several other students were using the school brooms as well. There were just three other people trying out for Beater — two sixth years and a third year. The sixth year girl had been on the team the year before, but The Captain was still making her try out, as well as holding trials for all the positions to see if anyone could beat their current team. Eliot was much smaller than the others, but he had the arms for the job.
As Eliot joined the group of Beaters, one of the sixth years snorted. "You don't look like much of a beater."
Eliot shrugged. "We can't all be half-troll."
The boy scowled, but the two girls giggled.
"Alright, first I'd like to see whether any of you can even fly." The Captain looked directly at Eliot. "Everyone, if you could do a few laps first."
Eliot was shaking as he mounted his broom. He loved Quidditch, but he had never played a real game. He was well aware of all the rules and in theory he knew what he was supposed to do, but he had never done it. It'd have to be enough.
The whistle blew and Eliot kicked off. It took a moment to get used to the rickety old broom, but once he did, he was nearly keeping up with everyone else. It didn't matter how fast he was, really, as long as he could prove he knew how to use a bat.
Seeker trials were held first. Eliot tried his best to pay attention and be a supportive friend, but it was difficult to keep his mind in one place. It didn't matter much — Cedric quite frankly crushed the competition. It was an easy decision for the Captain: Cedric was the first new member of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team.
Beaters were up next. They lined up, bats in hand, and the whistle blew as the Bludgers were set loose.
"GOOD LUCK!" Cedric shouted.
Eliot flew up after the Bludgers and immediately hit one off into the distance. One of the other Beaters — the sixth year boy — hit the other Bludger straight in Eliot's direction. Eliot cursed at him and hit it back. It went on like that for a while, hitting Bludgers at one another, dodging them, managing to stay on their brooms. Unfortunately, the sixth-year boy showed no mercy and knocked the poor third-year off her broom. Luckily, Professor Sprout slowed her fall and the girl quickly got back up to finish the trial.
At one point, everyone seemed to have disappeared. Eliot glanced around frantically, not seeing the Bludgers nor the other players. He swung his broom around just as a ball slammed into his left shoulder. Through the searing pain, he kept his grip on both his bat and his broom as it spun down. He forced the broom back upwards and quickly rejoined the group. His shoulder ached terribly, but he couldn't stop now.
The next time a Bludger came Eliot's way, he hit it at the sixth year boy. He hit it back, and they volleyed it back and forth until Eliot took both hands off the broom and onto the bat and hit it with all his strength at the other boy. He swerved out of the way, but it hit the tip of his broom, turning the last inch of it into a burst of splinters.
"HEY! WATCH IT!" The boy shouted.
"Watch yourself!" Eliot called back with a laugh. He shook his injured shoulder and placed that hand back on the broom. With his other hand, he threw the bat into the air and caught it. The Bludger came back to him and he hit it at the same boy again. The boy lost his grip on his broom for a moment and slid backwards, but caught himself at the last second. He grunted and hit another Bludger at Eliot, who slammed it back with all his might again. The boy swerved and nearly lost his balance again.
For over an hour, it went on like this: the sixth-year boy antagonizing the younger players, Eliot trying desperately to prove he was decent. As exhausted as he was, he rarely lost his balance, and he made sure to not get hit again.
"I think I've seen enough!" The Captain finally shouted, heading back down to the ground. The potential Beaters followed suit, and as soon as Eliot landed, Cedric suddenly appeared next to him.
"You were brilliant!" Cedric shouted as he pulled Eliot into a hug.
"You think so?" Eliot asked. "I got hit—"
"Doesn't matter. You were great." He smiled. Eliot's heart fluttered in an unfamiliar way.
"Alright, alright, Beaters, line up for me, please," The Captain said. They did as they were told. Eliot felt as if he might throw up, though he couldn't be certain whether it was from nerves or the way his shoulder crunched when it moved. The Captain stood a few feet away, his hand to his face, appearing to be in deep thought. After a few minutes, he pointed to the returning sixth year and said, "You'll stay."
"Yes!" She pumped her fist. "Thanks, man!"
The Captain nodded, then glanced at the three remaining Beaters. He walked up to Eliot. "Black," He said.
The knot in Eliot's stomach tightened. "Yeah?"
"You're in." He held out a hand.
"Really?" Eliot asked.
"Dammit!" The sixth year boy shouted. "Really? The kid?"
"Yes, really," The Captain grinned. "He might be a kid, but he can stay on a broom, and he sure as hell can hit a Bludger. I can work with that." He grabbed Eliot's left hand and shook it, but Eliot winced and quickly pulled it away.
"Um, I think my shoulder's broken," Eliot squeaked. "So, thank you very much, but I should probably go get that fixed."
"Oh, shit!" The Captain looked around frantically. "Er — Diggory, take him to the hospital, would you? I'll see you both at practice."
"Yeah, I can't wait!" Eliot cradled his broken arm as he and Cedric walked off back to the castle. Though the anxious moment of choice had passed, his stomach still felt strange.
"We did it!" Cedric said, practically skipping as they walked. "We're really on the Quidditch team!"
Eliot nodded. "You think we'll be good enough?"
"We've already proven ourselves. We can only get better from here," Cedric insisted. "Especially once you get your own broom."
Eliot ignored the broom comment and quickly changed the subject back to the sport itself. They walked to the hospital, chatting excitedly about who else might make the team and what lay ahead for them.