After dinner, Dana went to see Professor Flitwick—his manuscript payment had finally arrived. It was a full thirty Galleons. Perfect timing: with this windfall, he could pick up some trinkets and send belated Christmas gifts—to Hannah Abbott, Hermione Granger, and Professor McGonagall (all books, of course).
Professor Flitwick invited him for tea—tea bags brewed from dust, to be precise. Dana happily accepted and then made his way back to the Gryffindor Common Room.
Inside, Hermione and Ron played chess while Harry looked on. Hermione only ever lost at chess; both Ron and Harry agreed this was a good exercise for her. With the term underway, everybody was busy—especially the Quidditch team. Wood, their captain, was relentless: even in cold rain and wind, he pushed his players to train. He craved victory too fiercely to relent.
Entering the Great Hall, Harry felt dozens of gazes on him. Part of him loved it, especially when he caught Dana's encouraging smile. Harry beamed back—Quidditch had given him newfound confidence around Dana. He knew Dana was extraordinary: his desk was cluttered with notes—stacks of them—and they'd only been at Hogwarts for half a year. Harry suspected he'd never catch up, even after seven years.
As they took their seats (Harry between Ron and Hermione; Neville, Seamus, and Dean opposite; Dana sitting a few seats away), Harry felt content. If someone had told him last July that he'd be here with friends, he wouldn't have believed it.
Suddenly, Madam Hooch burst into the Great Hall and strode toward Dana. "Mr. Emrys, come with me." Dana looked puzzled but followed her out.
Outside the castle gate, rain poured down. A gentleman in an orange wizarding robe waited there. "Emrys, this is Mr. Ramsey, Coach of the Chudley Cannons."
"Hello, Dana Emrys. I'm Sloan Ramsey—your Flying Class professor and an old friend of Madam Hooch's." "Hello…" Dana's voice trailed off, his eyes shifting between Madam Hooch and Coach Ramsey.
"I recommended you, Dana. A flying genius like you shouldn't hide away. Since Minerva couldn't get you onto the house team," Madam Hooch said, "I went to a professional coach." (Readers will recall her reasoning back in Chapter 30.)
Coach Ramsey tried to smile. He didn't really believe an eleven-year-old could be that good. "If it wasn't for my friendship with Rolanda, I doubt anyone would let a first-year try out."
"A tryout?"
Madam Hooch nodded. "Yes, but it's just a few demonstration laps. Nothing to stress over."
Dana blinked but then smiled—he loved flying and the idea of becoming a player sounded great.
"When does it start?" he asked.
"Now."
"Now? But I haven't finished my dinner…"
Madam Hooch briskly turned toward the Great Hall. "Don't worry, I'll save some for you. You can eat later in the Common Room."
Dana was left speechless. Soon, he mounted his old, battered broomstick—barely fit for Hogwarts training—and braved the wind and rain above the Quidditch Pitch. Wind lashed at him, rain blurred his vision, but he performed flawlessly: cobra maneuvers, sudden dives, and spirals through the goalposts—all executed smoothly. Coach Ramsey's eyes glowed. He saw potential—real, professional potential.
Ramsey tossed a training Golden Snitch into the gale. Dana, unfazed, plunged into a sudden dive and hovered mid-air, hand outstretched, wings blossoming from his fingers. He caught the Snitch's wing and held it aloft.
On the ground, Coach Ramsey cheered—proof enough that this child could outmatch his current seeker, who hadn't caught a Snitch in seventy-eight games.
Back in the Common Room, Ron asked Harry, "What do you think Madam Hooch called Dana out for?"
Hermione, pouting with crossed arms, was nearby. Ron prevented her from taking his notes: "Don't be stingy, Hermione! What if I fail the homework and lose points?"
She hesitated, then pulled back her hand. "You can't learn that way!"
Ron shrugged. "As long as I pass, I don't care. I don't want to be Minister of Magic."
Then the twins burst in: "Big news, big news!"
Everyone looked up. Fred grinned. "Guess why Madam Hooch called out Dana?"
Before they'd finished guessing, George announced, "Chudley Cannons coach was giving Dana a tryout!"
"Impossible!" Ron jumped. "The Chudley Cannons?"
"They're your favorite team!" Fred teased Ron. "Wait until you hear the rest…"
Ron stared at them, forgetting Hermione's homework hissed under his desk. Fred continued, "Dana's tryout is done—and he passed!"
Ron slumped into his chair. His world crumbled. Dana Emrys—from Azkaban!—was now a reserve Seeker for the Chudley Cannons!
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