Tryouts

Honestly, I had no idea Regulus wanted to talk to me. If the system hadn't suddenly notified me, [Regulus wants to ask me about Sirius...], I would have gone straight back. I only saw him looking this way when I turned around.

I didn't mind sharing gossip about Sirius, but I really didn't want to pick any of the options I was given.

[1. Tell him it costs one Galleon per question, and more questions will cost extra]

[2. "Baby, I'll tell you everything you want to know, as long as you kiss me"]

[3. "Then you've come to the right person. Actually, Sirius has had a crush on me all along"]

[4. Forget it, go to sleep]

After saying goodbye to Regulus, I hummed a song on my way back. It took me a while to notice that Sirius was still beside me.

"It's a miracle," I remarked. "Black is actually standing next to me without James around."

[Sirius's favorability -1]

"I only came to remind you of something." Sirius gave me a chilly look. "Regulus will most likely become the heir to the Black family, and he would never marry a woman who isn't from a Pure-blood family."

With that, he put his hands in his pockets and walked away, leaving me utterly bewildered.

What on earth went through his head every day?

If anyone asked what James was looking forward to most after the start of term, was there any other answer besides the Quidditch tryouts?

"Finally, the day has come."

The captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team was even more moved than James, almost to the point of tears. "I don't have to be chased around by you every day, asking if you can try out early!"

"Rejoice!" James clapped the captain on the shoulder. "The future greatest Quidditch player in the world is about to join your team!"

"Last time, you said you were the future greatest wizard in the world." Merlin was at it again, and he hurriedly waved his hand.

"I'm getting some practice in early. Otherwise, once I'm famous, it'll be too late to get used to it." He mounted his broom and prepared to fly onto the Quidditch pitch, but the captain grabbed him and held on tight.

"Wait until we're at the pitch to fly!"

As for the tryouts, no one expected any other outcome. James had shown extraordinary talent for Quidditch on his very first day at Hogwarts. On the pitch, he darted nimbly through the crowd and between Bludgers on his broom, neatly putting the Quaffle through the hoops. After every goal, he struck a dashing pose for the stands, leaving the captain at a loss for words.

"I admit the kid has a real talent for Quidditch," the captain said. "In a way, it's almost on par with how much he loves himself."

But James had never considered that a bad thing. In fact, he took it as a compliment. By the time he jumped off his broom, Sirius had landed too. Unlike James, he was a Beater.

"I knew you could do it, mate." He grinned and cheered alongside Sirius. "Let's show those Slytherins what we can do."

"A lot of the time, I want to say that Quidditch is about hitting balls, not people, but..." The captain shrugged. "Who can control where a Bludger goes?"

The two celebrated for a while, and James still looked excited. "Come on, Sirius, I'm going to tell Merlin the good news."

Sirius's hands paused for a moment. His smile faded a little, and his voice grew lower. "She can't even use a broom. What's the point of telling her? Besides, shouldn't you tell Evans first?"

"Evans isn't interested in Quidditch."

James had already set off at an excited run toward the stands. In the blink of an eye, he reached the bottom and, amid the startled cries of the people around him, bounded up the empty seats as nimbly as a Bludger. In just a few strides, he was in front of Merlin.

"I made the team!" James held out his hand to Merlin. The tryouts had just ended, and he was still breathing slightly hard, tiny beads of sweat covering his forehead. But his eyes were brighter than usual, and he looked extremely excited.

"If even James couldn't make the team, I can't imagine how boring the Quidditch matches would be this year." Merlin pointed at the seats below. "But you could have taken the stairs at the side. If you look back now, you'll see several students you nearly stepped on glaring at you."

"That's too slow." James saw nothing wrong with what he'd done. He grabbed Merlin's hand and tried to pull her down. "While we have the chance, how about it? Want me to take you for a flight?"

Hearing that, Merlin shook her head repeatedly. She quickly pulled free of James's hand and climbed over the back of the seat.

James was startled. He hadn't expected Merlin to refuse, but before he could ask why, she shouted to the crowd.

"Congratulations to our Mr James Potter!" She cupped her hands around her mouth. "He's officially become a Gryffindor Quidditch Chaser! I'm sure he'll take the crown in the next match!"

"Wait..."

With that, Merlin slipped away. The Gryffindor students around them heard the good news and came over to congratulate him. It looked like he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

Sirius stood beneath the stands with his arms folded, watching James surrounded on all sides. He kept shaking his head, and by then Merlin had come down.

"Congratulations to you too, Mr Black." Merlin whistled at him. "I look forward to seeing you both shine on the pitch." With that, she walked away with her hands behind her back. For some reason, she looked happy. "I'm already looking forward to November."

The Gryffindor match against Slytherin would take place in the first week of November. He suddenly realized something, and his tone turned dangerous.

"Do you think Slytherin will win? That's impossible. Besides, there's no way Snivellus will be playing in the Quidditch Match."

Merlin gave him another look as though he were an idiot-sometimes he firmly believed that Merlin was probably the only person in the world who looked at him that way.

"A lot of the time, I have no idea what you're thinking. Your brain is even harder to study than the stars in the sky." Merlin shook her head. "Even Snape's thoughts are easier to guess than yours."

She was thinking about that disgusting Slytherin after all!

For some reason, Merlin looked at him with even greater astonishment. She shook her head, then turned and left without another glance at him.

"Wow, the fans are really enthusiastic."

James didn't come down from the stands until Merlin had been gone for quite a while. He looked even more disheveled than before. "Merlin too—she ran off so fast. Next time, I'll have to hold on tighter."

He waited a long while without an answer from Sirius. When he looked over in confusion, he found Sirius staring into the distance.

"The next Quidditch Match." Sirius suddenly hooked an arm around his neck, nearly sending him sprawling. He looked up in surprise and saw that Sirius's eyes were full of determination.

"We're definitely beating Slytherin!"

─────

[Author's note]

★Tip★

The outcome of Quidditch matches is not fixed. Whether or not you play Quidditch, you can influence the result through the story.

★Side quest reminder★

*Congratulations, you have started Regulus's romance main storyline-[Halo · 2]

*Congratulations, you have unlocked James's romance main storyline-[Flight · 2]