Nathaniel kept well out of the way, he'd have only complicated the rescue still further.

Afterwards, Nathaniel watched a little more, perched on the broom still. Even hovering with the ground about two inches from the soles of his boots, the broom still dipped and swayed a little. Although he had caught the golf ball, he had seen the pictures - oddly animated - in the books and knew that catching a snitch was a far cry from catching a golf ball.

The rhythm of the song in his head changed a little, became something else. Seeker wasn't for him. But it had been good to try.

~ Now I've heard there was a secret chord ~

Gently, he encouraged the broom to float closer to Anders.

"Sir? I didn't mean to waste your time, but I don't think I can keep up with the snitch. I'm not good enough on a broom yet. Is it okay if I try for beater instead?"

~ That David played, and it pleased the Lord ~

Anders turned his attention to Nathaniel and smiled shyly. "Hey, you did well," he said. "That was a good catch, and with a bit of practise, I think you'll make a great Seeker. But it IS the most sought after position - I think it'd be brilliant if you had a go at going for Beater. Take yourself down to see Madam Hooch."

~ But you don't really care for music, do you?~

"Thanks." Nathaniel managed a quick grin and, buoyed by the moment, pointed his broomstick down towards Madam Hooch's group.

~ It goes like this ~

That was when things started to go wrong. The broom gave a little hop under him, and seemed to be struggling against something.

~ The fourth, the fifth ~

"Look at the Mudblood flying!" he heard from the sidelines.

~ The minor fall, the major lift ~

Nathaniel was suddenly angry. And that just complicated matters.

~ The baffled king composing Hallelujah ~

The broom shot off down the field at a high velocity - still kangaroo hopping in ungainly hops - with Nathaniel aboard completely unable to control it.

~ Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah ~

Anders rolled his eyes heavenwards. Not another repeat of the other day with Kat and the uncontrollable broom, please...

He pressed himself forward on the Meteor Shower and headed down the field. His superior broomstick easily enabled him to catch up and he drew his broom alongside Nathaniel's. "You having a spot of bother there, kid?"

"Just a little, sir." Nathaniel said gallantly.

Anders grinned and put out a hand to the broom, pulling it closer in to his. "Sometimes these things can have a life of their own. Did you see this thing - " Anders smacked the Meteor Shower smartly - "the other day with Kat? Crazy."

~ Your faith was strong but you needed proof ~

The broom seemed to be steadying a little under his experienced hand.

"I ...er.... " he managed to explain halfway through a vicious arc "... am not entirely sure on the control of these things...."

The broom seemed to steady a little. Nathaniel's concentration for once was entirely on the broom. Nothing else. Everything else was as instinctive as breathing.

"... so I'm sure the broom isn't entirely to blame, sir..."

They started to slow a little, having almost blundered into the group of would-be-beaters. Then someone let the Bludgers out.

"What the..." said Anders, ducking as a Bludger headed straight for him. "Who did that?"

Madam Hooch looked slightly embarrassed as she called out that she had done. Anders shot her a look of annoyance. "Nathaniel," he said. "Get down to the ground - or at the very least, get a beater!" He swooped down to almost ground level and grabbed hold of the beater that Madam Hooch held apologetically out to him.

~ You say I took the name in vain ~

As the Bludger that had homed in on him headed towards him again, he took aim. He'd never played the Beater position terribly well, but for once, his aim was accurate and the ball went flying off towards the other end of the pitch before it turned around and ploughed back towards him.

He was busy concentrating on his own Bludger and did not have a chance to concentrate on Nathaniel at all.

~ I don't even know the name ~

Nathaniel attempted to steer his broom downwards... the broom wanted to go up. There was a brief moment where the boy and the broom argued.

~ But if I did, well really, what's it to you? ~

The broom won. It went up. The Bludger streaked after it.

Nathaniel was, in a way that he had not been for a very long time, rather concerned about the possible outcome of this.

The broom seemed to sense that concern and reluctantly permitted itself to be pointed downwards. The broom was slowing. The Bludger was not.

~ There's a blaze of light ~

Anders, who had just thwacked his own Bludger away for the fourth time caught sight of Nathaniel out the corner of his eye and grimly turned the broom towards him, beater at the ready.

Nathaniel's head turned as his feet hit the ground. The ball was half a metre from him, maybe less.

~ In every word ~

Instincts took over. His hand flew up.

The Bludger slapped into his palm with no more impact than the golf ball had done earlier, and stayed there. Nathaniel just stared at his hand.

Anders, who was still being happily pursued by the other Bludger went to check he was alright, but was distracted as the manic ball whizzed past his ear. He kicked off again and raced after it, finally managing to hit it in the direction of Madam Hooch who grabbed the squirming object and forced it back into the box where it rattled angrily against its chains.

"Um." Nathaniel said, still holding the Bludger. "Er.... Coach?"

~ It doesn't matter which you heard ~

The Bludger seemed to be purring in his hands. He stepped away from the broomstick and gently brought his other hand up to cradle the ball better.

"Er.... is it supposed to purr, sir?"

Anders brought the broom to a stop by Nathaniel and stared at it. "Uh...not to the best of my knowledge, no..." he said. It sounded like those god-awful Tribble things that had invaded the school last year and that he'd shown an allergy to.

He put out a tentative hand towards it.

The Bludger leapt in Nathaniel's hands as Anders' hand came close to it, and it stopped purring long enough to growl at him. Or at least, that was what Nathaniel heard.

"Uh... you hit it with a stick once, sir, it doesn't like you very much." Nathaniel's face was pale. "Uh... this isn't supposed to happen is it?"

Anders shook his head wordlessly. "Take the Bludger back to Madam Hooch," he said, staring at it suspiciously.

Nathaniel walked the Bludger back to Madam Hooch.

The Bludger growled at Madam Hooch. The one in the cage started pushing up against one side, as though it was trying to get closer to Nathaniel.

"Permission not to play Quidditch, Madam Hooch?" Nathaniel asked in a very quiet voice.

"Permission most definitely granted, Nathaniel," agreed the flying mistress fervently.

Nathaniel nodded with some relief and slipped the Bludger back into the cage, pausing to pet the other one briefly.

~ The holy or the broken Hallelujah ~

"Um. Maybe I could...." he started, and then blushed a little. "Never mind. Sorry about the fuss."

Anders landed the Meteor Shower. "Are you OK?" He grinned at Nathaniel. "That was something else," he said, giving the beater back to Madam Hooch. "I take it you're not going to try for Beater, either?"

Nathaniel shook his head.

"I couldn't hit them, sir, even if they tried to knock me off the broom." He paused as though listening. The Bludgers had clustered up against the edge of the cage nearest his hand. "Which I don't think they would. Besides it'd be like cheating, sir."

~ I did my best, it wasn't much ~

"Shame," he said, a little ruefully. "But then it's possible that another school's Bludgers might not take to you *quite* so kindly. You want to try for Chaser or Keeper, or have you had enough excitement for one day?"

~ I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch~

Anders was soaked in sweat from his exertions, first flying after Zidane and Raphael and then from scooting around like a mad thing after the Bludger.

~ I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you ~

"Um...." Nathaniel hesitated. "... neither. Maybe... um...."

Anders grinned. "Up to you, kid. Whatever you decide, let me just say that you fly pretty well."

Nathaniel managed a hesitant grin. "Could I... help with the balls, sir? I mean... there's no need to fight with them to get them put away again. Maybe I could just do that. Um. Yeah. Or something."

~ And even though, It all went wrong ~

"Sure, Nathaniel. Look - I'd better get back down the other end of the field before the rest of the students start trying to pull stunts on me again." He clapped Nathaniel on the back and, smiling shyly, got back onto his own broom and shot away.

Nathaniel looked at Madam Hooch, as if wanting her permission too.

She shrugged. "He's the coach."

Nathaniel managed a rather hesitant grin. "Um. Thanks."

~ I'll stand before the Lord of Song, with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah ~

***********

Kat watched the proceedings with concern. However, she did not rush to get involved, there were enough people helping out. She was quite relieved to see that everyone survived ok.

She waited to see if they would carry on with the trials...

"May I try next?" Nathan asked. "Else we'll stay on the field for the next ten days..." He flashed a smile at Madam Hooch.

He rose higher on his plain-looking "Peregrine", which seemed to be a French brand. At the throw, his eyes targeted the ball and with a simple, but incredibly quick dive, he dove after it - no show, no incident. He sped up the broom, holding it easily with one hand, the other one ready to stretch out for the ball. As he drew closer, he let his broom sink down like a stone, then stopped it in mid-air so that the ball fell down into his outstretched hand. He soared down to the ground and handed the ball back to

Madame Hooch, then flew back to Drake.

After Nathan had performed his move, Kat moved up on her broom. There was only her and Andy left now.

"I'll go next."

She waited for Anders to throw the golf ball and shot after it as it left his hand. She could easily have caught it as it flew up a little before starting it's downwards fall, but that would not show her ability to

track the ball.

As it reached the top of it's arc before heading back to the ground, her broom pulled up to a point where the ball was only an inch in front of the handle. The ball began to slow in the air as it started to feel the pull of gravity. Kat on her broom slowed with it. As it began to fall again it moved faster, Kat matched the speed making sure that the ball stayed a perfect inch away from the handle.

She dived down following the ball until she was about a two feet above the ground. Then she grabbed the ball with one hand and pulled the broom hard up with the other. She had to lift her feet a little to avoid hitting them on the ground.

She flew back up to the gathered group at a more leisurely pace.

Marvo bit his lip. But he couldn't resist... "Oh look! She didn't fall off!" He giggled to himself, inside, quite relived Kat was okay and did well.

Nimue was marvelling at the flying skills of the players and clapped wildly when Kat made her moves.

Andy smiled at Kat.

"I guess I'm next."

After the ball was thrown into the air, Andy kicked off. The ball was extremely noticeable against the baby blue sky. It was very easy to fly. Being weightless had its advantages. He swerved upward. A little too upward. Before he knew it he had passed the golf ball. Being weightless had its disadvantages. He looked down, caught sight of the ball, and speeded towards the ground.

He was going very fast. He just kept getting closer and closer to the ground. Finally he was about one foot away from the ground and he pulled up his broom so that his feet rested lightly on the grassy field. He gave a little smirk.

He had failed! Failed his only chance of ever becoming Seeker. He was ruined. Everyone would point and laugh. This was the worse feeling he ever experienced.

...except for that time he was possessed...

Just then he felt something a little lumpy in his robe. He reached into his pocket and out came the golf ball. Andy was in awe! He stared at the ball for a couple of minutes, brought it up to his face, smiled, and winked at Anders.

He got off of his broom, walked over to Kat and said, "I meant to do that..."

Jian Hupi had wisely decided to stay at the very back of the group of students trying out for Seeker. He was amused when no one had noticed that there was still one more person who was going to make an attempt to capture the golf ball.

He flew forward and towards the Quidditch coach. "Sir, I am also trying out for Seeker. I think I am last."

He could say nothing more but chose to focus his attention on the open air. The light was fair and a breeze was blowing from the east. He could use it to his advantage, to hasten his speed and minimise the effect of the wind on his eyes as he flew, when he would angle his broom to "attack" the golf ball when it would already be falling straight down.

Breezes were always erratic. The wind was one of the strongest elements yet the most temperamental, too. He would let its powers pass, then strike when it had subsided. Circle it he would until the time was right.

Bagua zhang could be in everything.

He felt a tiny yet sharp sting on his face, a "wound" in the air, once the golf ball made a dramatic arc from the place where it was thrown. True enough, it succumbed to the beautifully quiet magnetism of the eastern breeze. Embracing the breeze, the golf ball swerved off the arc and went off at a sharp angle to the Northwest.

Now.

With a familiarity that surprised him, Jian gently pushed the broom's handle. The Cleansweep took off smoothly, obeying his thoughts and agreeing with his every prompting of switching angles in mid-flight.

His fox's eyes never blinked. Never took a second away from watching the golf ball's dance in the almost unobtrusive breeze's embrace. He went straight on forward, his body bent low over the handle, a fox circling the target.

Then he felt it. There was a sudden stillness in the air. It was time. A gentle push with his palm made the broom dive at a graceful angle downward.

He felt the ball coming towards him before his eyes flicked upward. He held out his left arm, palm open.

"You have come to me," he whispered in Mandarin, his half-smile quirking the sides of his stern mouth. The golf ball fell into his waiting hand, as if it had finally found home. Drawn only by his understanding that things work in a circle of fast and slow, upwards and downwards, turbulence and calm, and passion and surrender.