Author's Note: This is a fic slightly based off the movie Bend it Like Beckham. At least, it starts that way. We'll see how it turns out.
Disclaimer: This was not written with any intent to plagiarise or steal ideas or characters from either J. K. Rowling or the movie Bend it Like Beckham.
Ch. 1
Lily Evans shook her head tiredly. She had just graduated from Hogwarts, and to tell the truth, had no idea what to answer her best friend, Katrina Worthington. Kat had just asked her what she was planning on doing after school. Lily, who had always been a rather good student, had secret hopes of becoming an Auror, but knowing they accepted only the better than best, didn't really want to voice that wish aloud.
"Maybe I'll play Quidditch…" she muttered as she packed her trunk.
Kat's eyes widened. "Oh, Lil, you could!" she cried seriously. "I mean, you're awesome at it and you've been on the school team for six years and, what a great idea!!" Lily shook her head wearily.
"Come on, Kat, do you really think my parents would like that? They might be Muggles but they still want me to have a worthwhile career."
"Yeah, but this is not a career, it's just a bit of fun before you go and study some more and become an Auror," she added slyly.
"How the hell did you know about that?" Lily demanded, unable to keep from blushing. Kat rolled her eyes.
* * *
As it turned out, Lily's parents weren't really thrilled with the idea of their bright daughter wasting her time playing sports, but after Lily promised them that it was only until she received the results of her NEWTS and found out whether or not she had made it into Auror training, they agreed.
* * *
Lily immediately set about contacting the local teams, none of which needed an opening for a Seeker. A little frustrated, she next tried the county teams, then the state. Finally, at the state level, there came an offer.
Most of the managers she spoke to weren't interested in signing her on for an uncertain number of months, and without any recommendation other than that of her House Quidditch captain. Where the highest praise that Fisher could bestow on Lily would have counted for something at regionals, at state levels, they were like child's play. The fifth person Lily talked to one Saturday soon after the start of her holidays finally agreed to let her come out and show her skills.
* * *
The day of the tryouts was bright and sunny. Lily, who had memorised the directions, Apparated there at seven in the morning, hoping that she would have some time to get used to the pitch and the conditions. Unfortunately, even though she was two hours early, the team was already there.
She walked down to the field, taking in the calm surroundings and utter silence, broken only by the calls of a dark-haired man, obviously the coach and the shouts of the team members as they flew around, high above the ground.
The dark-haired man frowned as he spotted her, and signaling to the others to continue, flew over to her, falling into a steep dive to land smoothly in front of her. Lily seemed unimpressed by his daring; she probably could have done moves as smooth herself.
Lily looked up at him and smiled nervously. He had dark raven-black hair and piercing eyes that should have been grey, that she expected to be grey, but that had to settle for a warm hazel. The expression in them, consisting of irritation at the interruption and annoyance at her obvious nervousness, didn't match with them at all. He wore a pair of thin glasses, through which he was surveying her a little curiously and more than a little confusedly.
"I'm Lily Evans. I called you Saturday about the position you had open…" The man nodded and she continued, "Sorry I'm a little early, I wanted to come out and see the pitch…" She trailed off, the man was frowning at her.
Abruptly he turned away from her and beckoned a short plump witch with brown hair. She was holding a clipboard, and staring up at the players but when she spotted the man beckoning, she hurried over.
"May, did you ask a-a," he turned to her,
"Lily Evans," she repeated.
"Yeah, did you ask her to come out today to try out for Chaser?" he asked with a soft Irish accent.
"No, not Chaser, Seeker," Lily corrected.
"No, we need a Chaser." At the startled look on Lily's face, he frowned at May. "Damn it, May, can't you even get the positions right? Can you play Chaser at all?"
Lily blushed and shook her head. The man frowned. "Damn," he said again. "That means I'll have to."
"What?"
"What? I'm the seeker, but I can do chaser too." Frowning, he added, "though I PREFER seeker." Lily blushed again.
"D'you have a broom?" Lily nodded and held it up.
"Good then, let's get going."
"Sorry?"
"What now?" he asked, impatient with her hesitation.
"Don't I-do I have to- try out or anything?"
He grinned. "No, I can tell you're good." At her unconvinced expression, he sighed and said impatiently, "Truth is we need another player now, chaser, seeker doesn't matter what. And you look all right to me. So s'far as I'M concerned, you're in. And as I'm captain and coach, it's what I say that matters."
He grinned again, and Lily thought, full of himself. He turned back around and hurried off.
"Ah, Coach?" Lily called after him. He turned around again, thoroughly frustrated. "Your name?"
He flashed her a smile.
"James Potter."
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Short chapters, mates. Hope you all want more.
~ Leslie