Diary of a First Year – Part 5
September 7, afternoon
Dear Diary,
Well, I think I’ve made some friends here at Hogwarts! Eloise, the girl who told me my matches looked shinier in our first Transfiguration lesson, is really nice. We’ve spent a lot of breaks together and helped each other with homework. She’s a Hufflepuff. We’ve also made friends with a Slytherin boy named Cameron. He’s cracking at Herbology and has lived in the wizarding world his whole life, so he knows things that I don’t as a Muggle-born or that Eloise doesn’t as what they call a half-blood (her dad is a wizard and her mum is a Muggle).
Today, Eloise, Cameron, and I went down to experience one of those things that Cameron has been telling us about: Quidditch. Apparently, it’s the biggest sport here, and today was Ravenclaw’s team tryouts. We went down to the pitch, which really took me by surprise. The stands are way high up in the air, and we had to climb up flights of stairs to get to the seats. The hopefuls took a lap around the stadium on their brooms, and I don’t know how anyone does that without being terrified. There was a crash halfway around the pitch that sent at least two people to the hospital wing. Cameron didn’t seem worried at all; he said things like that happen all the time. He also explained the basics of the game as each position had its tryout. The Chasers had to show their scoring abilities and get through an obstacle course. Some of them were incredibly fast as they dodged around other players and conjured pillars. The Beaters had to actually hit the Bludgers in the last round, and those are terrifying! Eloise says that wizards don’t have as much fear of broken bones and things because they’re so easy to mend with magic, but I still wouldn’t want to be chased around by flying cannonballs. The Seekers, though, were the most fascinating. Cameron says they need to be fast and able to catch a tiny elusive Golden Snitch. That might be fun; it’s like a “Where’s Wally?” puzzle in some ways.
By the end of the morning, the new Ravenclaw team was chosen; from what little I know, they might be good. Cameron definitely seemed a little worried about Slytherin’s chances after! I’m excited to see a real match when the season opens.
– Maisie
