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(Edgar) Gryffindor's Year
Author: Johanna Steele
Date: 07-22-15 13:59
Edgar watched the quaffle falling down, but it didn't last long since Marlow went to fetch it. She was dangerously close to the hoops and Jasper was nearby ready to assist her. Edgar looked around desperately trying to find a bludger to stop another Hufflepuff attack. If Hufflepuff scored, they would finally be ahead of Gryffindor in terms of scoring and Edgar felt his team didn't deserve that.
He found a bludger but it was going on Finley's direction. She had her back turned to it, as she was trying to steal the quaffle from Duncan, who now had the quaffle. Edgar managed to reach to the bludger and redirected it to Jasper. He dodged it, and by doing so he wasn't able to grab the quaffle that Duncan had tried to pass him. This allowed Gerry to catch it and the three Gryffindor chasers flew away from Hunter's hoops with the Hufflepuffs on their tail.
Edgar and Madoc covered them, doing the best they could to deviate the bludgers sent by Gus and Caerwyn. Mildred, Gerry and Finley exchanged the quaffle between the three of them in a very effective way. Jasper, Marlow and Duncan were not able to stop them despite their best efforts. The attack paid off and Gerry was the one who scored, putting Gryffindor once again on the lead.
"Martini- Blackwell scores again!" Willow exclaimed.
Edgar couldn't help to smile. He had the feeling that this was Gryffindor's year and that the Quidditch cup would be theirs. Gerry's goal gave him a boost of energy. While Glori passed the quaffle to Duncan, Edgar took a glance at Leonine. There hasn't been any sign of the snitch yet and he couldn't tell if that was good or bad.
His attention went back to the chasers. It was Marlow who had the quaffle. Edgar went after a bludger but Gus was after it too. He tried to reach for it first but he couldn't. Instead of using it to try to harm any of the Gryffindor chasers, Gus aimed the bludger at Leonine. Edgar flew as fast as he could to try and prevent the Gryffindor seeker to be hit or distracted by a bludger. This was Gryffindor's year and he was not going to let anything happen to its seeker!
Another Goal Made (Gus, Glori, Leo)
Author: Phinfilius
Date: 07-22-15 14:48
A little earlier in the match Gus had gotten a bludger off at just the right moment to prevent Finley from scooping up a pass Mildred had dropped. Duncan was able to grab the ball but, unfortunately, he lost the quaffle half a minute later because of a bludger from Edgar, with Gerry able to get it that time.
Now, in a similar situation but with the teams reversed, Marlow struggles to catch a pass from Jasper. As it drops from her hands a bludger from Madoc keeps Duncan from being able to take possession with Gerry snatching it instead. Less than a minute later a bludger from Caerwyn has Gerry losing the quaffle. Jasper gets his hands on it, Gus sending a bludger at Marlow to help his teammate complete a turn to start back in Hunter's direction.
Jasper, Duncan, and Marlow make short work of getting the quaffle down to Hunter. Duncan flies in fast, quaffle at the ready to throw. Gus tries to stop a bludger sent by Edgar but can't get there in time. It does hit Duncan but he's in mid-throw and the hit only causes a slight bobble in the quaffle's release and flight. Hunter fully halts the ball with a catch, lightly tossing it to Mildred, who puts on a spurt of speed, intent on Gryffindor getting the quaffle down the length of the pitch to where Glori is on guard.
It's Gerry with the quaffle when the action reaches Glori again. She's able to stop the ball from reaching and going through a hoop with a swat of her broom tail. In the process, she's clipped on the shoulder by a bludger though she doesn't know if it's from Edgar or Madoc, not that it really matters. Mildred almost has the rebound only to have Marlow seize it practically out from under Mildred's nose.
Marlow throws to Duncan who's further out from the hoops. He whirls, quaffle tucked under one arm, rocketing away. Around the midpitch point Duncan goes to pass to Jasper only to have Gerry fly right between them to pluck the quaffle from its flight.
Gerry quickly passes to Mildred who takes the quaffle part of the way before handing off to Finley. When Finley reaches her, Glori starts to raise on arm in the process of leaning for the block only to have the muscles in her shoulder grab. It's the same shoulder that was so recently smacked with a bludger. Quickly shifting to better make the reach, she's not quite quick enough. The quaffle slides by Glori increasing Gryffindors lead, the score now 50 to 30.
Hearing the goal announced by his teammate Finley, a light smile plays on Leo's lips. If the Gryffindor chasers can keep racking up goals and if he can catch the snitch, his house may be assured of taking the House Cup this year. Even without the snitch, if they have a decent number of goals then those points added to what Gryffindor accrued in the regular matches might be enough to make a large difference in the house point standings.
A bug of some sort keeps flying in front of Leo's face. He's found it doesn't matter if he goes low or high, fast or slow. The annoying bug has stuck with him. He's waving a hand at it for about the millionth time, even trying to swat at it, when something else flutters near his face. He feels like he's gone crossed eyed in looking to see, giving a start as the snitch comes into the weird focus one experiences when something is so close up to the face.
Leo makes a grab for it only to have the snitch dart away much like the bug keeps doing. He follows behind, the bug flitting in front of his eyes, causing him to bat and swat and wave even more. This erratic, almost manic activity draws Sophie's attention. To Leo's chagrin, because of the bug, now both seekers are on the snitch's trail.
The bug lands on Leo's cheek and in his hurry to finally squash it, he loses sight of the snitch. Sophie must have as well, though why he doesn't know, because she slows, makes a face, then flies away, not visibly in any particular hurry.
Making a face of his own, but at least bug free for the moment, Leo resumes searching for any sign of the ever elusive snitch.
Coming Apart At The Seams (Caerwyn)
Author: Julian Valentine
Date: 07-22-15 19:34
Caerwyn swings his bat back then forcefully forward, striking one of the bludgers. To his shock, the bludger starts coming apart as it hurdles away. Referee Glen Jamiseson notices as soon as it happens. He blows his whistle to signal a halt to the match. The Gryffindor chasers look disgruntled with the stoppage. They've got possession of the quaffle and were nearing the hoops where Glori is. They're probably not happy with having their rhythm and stride interrupted.
In the lull waiting for a replacement bludger, Caerwyn locates family members in the stands and waves. So hard to believe Grace will be a student here before long. Sometimes he wishes they had at least one year overlap.
The new bludger is released and the match resumes quickly after. Gerry with the quaffle attempts to regain his momentum in driving forward to throw for a goal. Glori makes short work of rebuffing the attempt with Duncan retrieving the quaffle. Duncan, who is Grace's cousin so Caerwyn considers him his cousin as well, rapidly flies away from Glori, eyes fixed so firmly ahead of him that Duncan probably never sees the bludger that Gus diverts from his direction.
Mildred matches Duncan's speed and gets close enough to try and steal the ball. Duncan suddenly slows, throwing off Mildred's timing. He then passes to Jasper, who finds himself having to swerve to avoid Caerwyn. Caerwyn is coming up on one of the bludgers, only belatedly realizing he'd put himself right in Jasper's path.
Jasper still has the quaffle when he reaches the end of the pitch where Hunter is looking fiercely determined. Jasper fakes a throw to a hoop but passes to Marlow instead. She catches the quaffle then almost instantly throws; however, Hunter wasn't fooled and is easily able to get to the quaffle in time to block the shot.
Caerwyn would have tried to get a bludger in to assist but the one he last hit was intercepted by Edgar. It was nearing several of the players bunched up around the hoops and getting it in and hitting it as needed would mean risking smacking his bat into someone. Bludger hits are part of the game. Bat hits to anything other than a bludger are not.
Duncan got the rebound and by that time that bludger is where he could hit it. The hit is good and it clips Hunter but the Gryffindor keeper is able to get enough of a hand on it to mess up the quaffle's flight path. The quaffle bobbles, hits the hoop rim, then bounces back instead of in. Finley gets to it first, the action again moving away from Hunter.
Determining the best course of action to take, Caerwyn waits while Madoc hits one of the bludgers before hurrying to divert it from its target.
Swollen Knee (Duncan)
Author: Briar Rose
Date: 07-23-15 11:06
Fingertips flutter across one knee evincing a wince. Early in the match Duncan took a bludger to that knee. It's throbbed ever since and has become swollen. He's starting to wonder if his kneecap is broken or cracked or something.
Duncan has done his best not to let the pain interfere with his performance in this all important match but as the game has continued over the course of a few hours now, it's becoming harder and harder. A few seconds ago when staving off a steal of the quaffle Finley had brushed against him on that side. The pain in his knee flared to the point he thought he might start crying. Duncan had hastily passed off the quaffle to give himself a moment, the urge to cry thankfully passing.
Jasper had caught the pass from Duncan and now he's throwing to Marlow. She's close enough to the hoops that as soon as she's got a solid grip on the quaffle, she throws for goal. Hunter's position has him swatting the ball away with the flat of his broom. Duncan, teeth gritted, hustles to get in for the rebound but Gerry is quicker, grabbing the quaffle and pulling it in close to his body.
Though Duncan has a rest on each side of his broom for his feet, he doesn't always use it. He has much of this match and is glad for it. As he rockets after Gerry he feels certain that if his broom didn't have those rests, his knee would be worse. Worse enough maybe that one of the referees would notice something wrong and say something, possibly even make him leave the match. Duncan knows there are some injuries that can take a person out immediately but like many players if he can push through the pain, he'd prefer to continue in the match. Doing otherwise would let the team down. It's not impossible to play two chasers against three, but it has the potential to make a huge difference.
Gerry passes to Mildred. A bludger from Gus forces her to roll, flying sideways for a short distance before righting herself. Duncan and Jasper get her hemmed in on the sides but she throws back to Gerry. Two seconds later he's handed off to Finley. She's still got the quaffle when they reach the hoops. Glori hits the quaffle away while also deftly dodging a bludger.
Marlow gets the rebound and in a blink the action once more begins moving the other way down the pitch.
Victory
Author: Sophie McCourt
Date: 07-23-15 14:37
Sophie watched Marlow with the quaffle; she passed it to Jasper. The Hufflepuff chasers were attacking again, and she hoped they would be able to score and reduce the advantage of two goals that Gryffindor possessed. She allowed herself to look down to the other players for another second and then she started looking out for the snitch one more time.
There had been a moment where she had gotten close to catch it. Leonine had spotted it first, and then both of them went after it. Leonine, for some reason, slowed down the speed on his broom. Sophie continued in the pursuit of the snitch, but in a blink it was gone, completely out of sight. Since that time she hasn't been able to find the snitch again. Sophie had confused its glint twice, thanks to the glimmer of some objects used by the spectators at the stands, which she wasn't able to identify. Most likely it was a watch.
The first time that happened she had felt quite stupid for flying so fiercely after a fake trail. Leonine had been able to tell the difference between such reflection and the one produced by the snitch, and he didn't follow her. Sophie's cheeks turned red, not because of the heat or the effort, but of embarrassing, as Willow described what had happened. The second time Sophie was more cautious and before she started flying towards that glint as if her life depended on it, she made sure it was not the snitch. Her nerves were thousand times more intense in this match than at her very first one, because today the Quidditch Cup was at stake.
She kept looking for the snitch, avoiding an occasional bludger that got in her way. Leonine wasn't far from her. They had kept a safe distant from each other during the entire match. Sophie knew the seekers could be glued to each other, frustrating the opponent but neither of them adopted such strategy.
Like it happened the other time, Leonine was the first to spot the snitch. Sophie quickly followed his route, locating the minuscule ball with her eyes. The snitch was flying at a downward spiral, and it took some flying skill for the two seekers to keep on its pursuit. None of them wavered and they continued their flight.
Sophie felt all eyes of the pitch were on her and Leonine. But there wasn't time to think about that, as she went after the snitch. The snitch seemed to stabilize its course, stopping its spiral movement and flying on a straight line. Both Sophie and Leonine were side by side and reached out their arms as fast as they could ready to grab it. Sophie was a little bit faster, and she felt the tip of her fingers brushing the metal. She pushed her body forward, so her entire hand could hold the snitch. Leonine's hand touched hers, but it was too late: she caught the snitch first.
"McCourt gets the snitch! Hufflepuff wins the match and the Quidditch cup!"
She barely listened to Willow's words. Sophie felt euphoric, as she looked at the golden snitch she had just caught. Her name was written on it, right under the words Quidditch Championship 2008-2009. She couldn't stop smiling. This was a day she would never forget.
(Adriana) Punishment
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 07-23-15 18:07
Gibbon stood opposite the desk at which Adriana sat and waited for her reaction to his news. Although she had never punished him––for thus far he had never given her a reason––he had seen how she responded to bad news and wouldn't put it past her to kill the messenger. He only hoped his position in the Minister's office would be his saving grace.
"How were you privy to the information?" Adriana asked at long last.
"I initially only heard rumblings about a serious matter. That, coupled with the frenetic behavior of some, stimulated my interest. No one ever said anything outright in my presence, but I've worked in the office long enough to know where to look when an issue is ongoing. I've found it especially useful to go into the office on Saturdays when few are present."
"So in your snooping, you found out that someone leaked what I planned on doing for my summer vacation." Adriana frowned deeply.
Gibbon bowed his head. "It appears they don't know what to expect or when exactly, only that something is set to occur."
Adriana felt like throwing a temper tantrum. She really wanted to do something incredible to mark the ten year anniversary of the attack on Diagon Alley. She knew it completely possible that law enforcement would have been out and about on that day in anticipation of any celebratory shenanigans anyway, but now they really would be on alert.
"Who leaked the information?" Adriana asked.
Gibbon raised his eyes and said, "Buchanan."
"Is that a fact?"
Gibbon told her what he knew and then fell silent.
Adriana stared at him very hard, and then she climbed to her feet and removed her wand from the pocket of her robes. Gibbon had the fleeting thought that his end was near, but then Adriana instructed, "Bring her to me."
Gibbon stepped out of the office double-time and found Leigh in the cloister, sitting on the lip of the fountain. She had a book open in her lap.
"You need to come with me," he stated, stopping in front of her and creating shadow over the pages of the book.
She looked up and asked, "Why?"
"Our leader wishes to see you."
Leigh closed the book and set it on the edge of the fountain. She got up and asked, "Do you know why?"
When Gibbon didn't immediately reply, she asked, "Does she have a new assignment for me? Am I to send another postcard to that teacher at Hogwarts?"
She followed him into the abbey and asked, "She's not cross with me, is she?"
He gripped her by the arm and pulled her into the study, where Adriana still stood with her wand in hand. Leigh's eyes widened in surprised.
"What. Did. You. Do?" Adriana asked, slowly, loudly, and sharply.
"I-I don't k-know what y-you mean," Leigh replied.
"Somehow, the Ministry of Magic is aware that I want to do something newsworthy this summer, and they know that because YOU WROTE YOUR BROTHER A LETTER! Do you deny it?"
Leigh hesitated and then shook her head slowly. "N-no," she finally said.
"WHY would you tell anyone working against us anything that can jeopardize not only yourself, but the rest of us?"
Leigh shook her head again. "I d-didn't think," she stuttered.
"And that," Adriana said, "is your downfall. You don't think, and because of that, you're a liability. Your cousin would be very disappointed in you, Leigh. How's that for a last thought?" A wicked smile spread over her face and then she shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"
It was all Gibbon could do to dive out of the way of the curse. He hit the ground the same time Leigh crumpled to the floor beneath her feet.
Adriana shook her head and stowed her wand again. "Good help is so hard to find."
The Truth Comes Out
Author: Capri Brycin
Date: 07-23-15 18:28
Capri sat in the living room of her parent's house, her hands resting on her ever growing belly. Her parents were still not happy but they were coming around. She could tell that they liked the idea of being grandparents but it was just not how they wanted it to come about; not that Capri thought it the most ideal situation either.
"Do you have any names picked out yet?" Amyas asked his sister.
"Not really. I am waiting to find out what the baby is. I go to the healer tomorrow and I am supposed to be able to find out."
"Are you getting excited for the baby's arrival?"
"Yeah." Capri said with a small smile and then she looked down and away from her brother.
"What's wrong?"
"Can you keep a secret?" Amyas nodded his head. "I don't know if this baby is Mark's. There is a chance that it is someone else's."
"You cheated on Mark?"
"No!" She said quickly. "It wasn't like that at all." Her brother had a questioning look on his face. "It was kind of forced upon me." She said with a sadness to her voice.
"Someone forced you to have sex with them?" Amyas growled. Capri nodded. "Do mom and dad know?"
"No. You are the only one besides Mark who know that it happened."
Amyas leaned back in his chair and sighed, "I am sorry, Sis. This puts a whole new light on things. Are you going to keep the baby even if it turns out that it was not Mark's?"
"Yes." She said and as soon as the word was out of her mouth her parents came back into the room and effectually ended their conversation.