After dinner, Dana went to Professor Flitwick's office—his fee for the short essay had finally arrived.
A full thirty Galleons.
The money came at the perfect time. It wasn't surprising, then, that Dana suddenly had a few new trinkets and was also able to return some Christmas gifts—this Christmas, Hannah Abbott, Hermione Granger, and Professor McGonagall had all sent him presents: a book, a book, and... another book.
Professor Flitwick cheerfully invited him in for tea—tea bags mostly filled with tea dust.
Dana then returned straight to the Gryffindor common room.
Hermione was playing chess with Ron, while Harry watched.
—Hermione only lost at chess, and Ron and Harry both agreed it was probably good for her.
Term had resumed, and naturally, the students were getting busy—especially the Quidditch team.
Wood was nearly obsessed. Even on days of high winds and heavy rain, he forced the team to train out on the pitch.
It was clear just how badly he wanted a win.
When they arrived at the Great Hall, Harry felt everyone's eyes on him.
—He was starting to enjoy the attention, and unconsciously turned to Dana. Seeing Dana smile and nod at him, Harry beamed back.
Quidditch was great. It gave him confidence—even in front of Dana.
Others might not know, but he was well aware of just how brilliant Dana was! The notes on Dana's desk were already piled high! And they'd only been at Hogwarts for less than half a year!
Harry even suspected he wouldn't match Dana's current writing output even after finishing all seven years.
He sat down. Ron was on his left, Hermione on his right, with Neville, Seamus, and Dean across from them. Dana sat diagonally opposite, with a few empty seats between them—Harry found it all very satisfying.
If this had been him back in July last year, he wouldn't have dared dream of such a day—friends, companionship, and laughter.
Suddenly, Madam Hooch strode into the Great Hall, heading straight toward Dana with a bright smile.
"Mr. Emrys, come with me for a moment."
Dana stood up and followed her out, thoroughly puzzled.
When they reached the castle gates, a man in an orange wizard's robe stood waiting. The gates were wide open, and rain poured outside.
"Emrys, this is Mr. Ramsay, coach of the Chudley Cannons."
"Hello, Dana Emrys. I'm Sloan Ramsay. Your flying instructor and I go way back."
"Hello, Coach Ramsay," Dana said, his expression confused. His eyes shifted between the two adults.
"I'm Dana Emrys. I'm not sure why you're looking for me...?"
Madam Hooch grinned.
"I recommended you to Coach Ramsay. A flying genius like you shouldn't be hidden away. Since Minerva can't get you onto the house team, I figured we'd go straight to a professional team instead." (See Chapter Thirty for context)
Ramsay smiled tightly—he didn't quite believe that an eleven-year-old could be that talented.
"If Rolanda and I weren't old friends, I doubt anyone would agree to give a first-year a tryout. It's unheard of."
"A tryout?"
Madam Hooch nodded.
"Yes, but don't worry—it's just to let you fly a few laps and show your skill. No pressure!"
Dana was speechless. They had arranged a tryout for him without even asking his opinion!
But to be honest, he did like flying. And becoming a player... actually sounded pretty nice.
"Alright. When does it start?"
"Now."
"Now? But I haven't even finished dinner..."
Madam Hooch was already halfway back to the Great Hall.
"It's fine, I'll save you some. You can eat in the common room after the tryout."
Dana: … …
In wind and rain, Dana soared above the Quidditch pitch.
Despite the harsh conditions and the battered school broom beneath him, he executed flawless aerial maneuvers—
Cobra Maneuver, sudden dive-stops, tight ascents through the three goalposts without losing momentum...
Coach Ramsay's eyes sparkled brighter with every move.
He could see it now—the Cannons' infamous slogan "Hoping for the Most Glorious Moment" might finally be realized.
The little wizard in front of him wasn't just good—he was better than the team's current Seeker, who hadn't caught the Golden Snitch in seventy-eight consecutive matches.
Ramsay excitedly pulled out a practice Snitch.
"Emrys! Try to catch this!"
Ramsay felt mildly insane—asking a child to chase a Golden Snitch in this weather... If the Snitch flew off, it'd be nearly impossible to retrieve it. And it still cost a whole Galleon, even if it was just a practice one!
But he was overthinking it.
Ten seconds later, Dana pulled up from a dive and hovered perfectly in mid-air, holding his arm aloft.
A pair of wings flapped helplessly between his fingers.
"Harry, what do you think Madam Hooch wanted with Dana?"
Ron looked up from copying Hermione's homework and asked Harry.
Harry shook his head as he continued writing quickly.
"I dunno, Ron."
Hermione, fuming silently nearby, suddenly reached over to take her homework back. But Ron reacted quickly, clutching it.
"Hermione! Don't be like that! If I hand in something terrible, the professor might take off points!"
Hermione hesitated before pulling her hand back.
"Still, copying won't help you actually learn!"
Ron shrugged.
"Doesn't matter. I just need to pass—I don't plan on becoming Minister for Magic."
Just then, the common room door burst open. Fred and George squeezed through.
"Big news! Big news!"
Every student in the room turned to look at them.
Fred grinned.
"You'll never guess why Madam Hooch called Dana Emrys out!"
George didn't even wait for guesses.
"Turns out Coach Ramsay from the Chudley Cannons was giving Dana a tryout!"
"Impossible!"
Ron leapt up.
"The Chudley Cannons?!"
The Cannons were Ron's favorite Quidditch team. His room back home was plastered with their posters.
Fred nodded.
"That's not all! Listen, Ron, the tryout just finished. Guess what—"
Ron leaned in, eyes locked on Fred's mouth. He didn't even notice Hermione had snatched her homework back.
"Dana passed the tryout! He's now the reserve Seeker for the Chudley Cannons!"
"Merlin's beard..."
Ron slumped into a chair, stunned.
His world had just collapsed—
Dana Emrys, the guy who came out of Azkaban, had actually become a player for the Chudley Cannons?!
End of the Chapter.
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