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First Game
Author: Jet
Date: 11-03-07 08:14
Jet hovers a moment to shift the bat so he can move his fingers up and down to increase the blood flow. He's constantly been working the fingers of his other hand but those of his bat hand have become so stiff they hurt when unwrapped them from around the bat. Keeping his eyes on the game, Jet flexes his bat hand fingers up and down while wondering what possessed him to try out for the team knowing at least one of his matches would be in freezing weather.
Initially Jet hadn't even been sure he'd be eligible because of his chronological age. Coach Krum had said that if Hogwarts played other schools or was in some sort of league, Jet's special circumstance might be an eligibility issue but he didn't see a problem with Jet trying out since Hogwarts teams only play other Hogwarts teams. Coach Batuti had shrugged and said that Jet is a Pure and if he had what it took to make the team, that's all that mattered.
A bludger comes right at Jet so he rapidly returns his bat to his other hand while at the same time looking to see where he should aim the bludger. He cocks back his arm and makes a solid connection with the hard ball, sending it straight at Deak Bennett who's just had the quaffle passed to him. Deak takes the hit to his shin, the quaffle still held tightly in one hand.
Jet put his broom back into motion, going after the bludger he's just hit. He has to weave around two chasers and dip below the other Hufflepuff beater Ariella who, from the expression on her face, is still smarting from a hit she took to her knee several minutes ago. Jet reaches the bludger, flies past it then turns so that he's facing the bulk of the Quaffle centered action. The bat hits the bludger with a satisfing crack and goes hurling straight into Phin's path, causing the Ravenclaw to miss grabbing the quaffle as it's passed to him. Hufflepuff chaser Katherina swoops in to snatch up the quaffle.
Jet goes after the bludger again, this time to help protect Katherina in her flight to reach the goal posts.
Blocking Shots
Author: Sage Porter
Date: 11-03-07 15:02
Katharina made an attempt to score but Megara blocked and Phin took off back down the pitch with the Quaffle. Jack and Deak work well with Phin to bring the Quaffle down to where Sage has been hovering just off center of the middle ring, wishing the strong breeze would stop buffeting him around. He'd tried patrolling back and forth but found that to be worse than huddling on his broom in one spot.
Phin sets up as though to shoot but at the last second passes it off to Jack. The third year Ravenclaw lets the Quaffle go, aiming at the hoop on Sage's left. Sage blocks, the Quaffle bouncing off his outstretched arms. Deak snatches it up a millisecond before either Alanna or Eithne can grab it.
Fritz sends a Bludger at Sage to keep him from blocking Deak's shot but Jet intercepts and sends it straight at Deak. It hits after Deak's let the Quaffle fly, this shot like Jack's going to Sage's left. Sage is ready for it and easily blocks, catching the Quaffle firmly in one hand.
The three Ravenclaw Chasers jockey into positions that have them trying to keep Sage from successfully passing to a Hufflepuff Chaser. Katharina manages to get around Jack to take the pass. As the Chasers and Beaters start for the other end of the pitch, Sage is sort of sad to see them go since having other bodies around blocked some of the wind and since the actions of stopping the Quaffle helped warm him up a tiny bit.
Watching the Game - Cheering for Hufflepuff
Author: Lawrence Masterson
Date: 11-03-07 17:23
Lawrence had taken time out from grading papers and working on getting things finalized for the last week of term for his classes to watch the Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw Quidditch game (Okay, so he was using it as an excuse to see Ariella). The game became heated from the very beginning, and it seemed that it would indeed remain in such a heated state until either the Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw seeker laid claim to that glittering winged ball. The ever elusive snitch.
He was wearing his old Hufflepuff scarf from when he'd been a student at Hogwarts, and also as a way to show support for the Hufflepuff team. He'd cheered loudly when Alanna had scored the first ten points of the game, putting Hufflepuff in the lead by a mere goal. The game had just begun and there was already quite a bit of action. He knew Phin for the most part was going bordering on having to use a school broom if his broom took one more hit.
He winced slightly as Ariella took a bludger to the knee, that had to hurt. He'd been hit with several of them, and knew well enough that those heavy balls hurt like hell when they struck tender flesh. He caught the look from Ariella, knowing well that she was in pain, but at least the icy air would help numb it and keep it to a dull roar instead of blaring, unbearable pain. She'd most likely end up going to see the nurse when the game was done, and would no doubt need help getting there. He'd make certain to ask her about it either at dinner or when he saw her in class on Monday.
Goal (Jack)
Author: Kody
Date: 11-03-07 17:50
Jack moves in on Katherina, snatching the quaffle right out of her hand. He's barely into a turn to go back the other direction when Alanna or Eithne, or possibly even Katherina, steals it right back. He doesn't know which because the hand comes from behind. Jack pivots back around as quickly as he can on a broom, made more difficult by turning into a strong headwind that's been steadily gaining strength over the last minute or so.
Fully around, Jack sees that Deak has stolen the quaffle and the Hufflepuff chasers don't look at all pleased that in the span of about fifteen seconds or so, the quaffle's been taken from them twice. Phin comes up on Deak's left, taking the quaffle in a rapid hand off. Jack climbs to dodge a bludger then dips back down to draw even with Phin.
Alanna tries to wedge herself between Phin and Deak but the guys are flying too closely together for her to be successful. With a backward glance back at Alanna, a grin on his face, Phin passes the quaffle to Jack. Jack increases his speed, at the same time bringing the ball closer to his body to make it harder to steal.
Jet sends a bludger towards Jack but Alastor gets between it and Jack. Ariella tries next to get Jack with a bludger but Fritz is just as Johnny on the spot as Alastor had been, quickly getting between Ariella's bludger and Jack. Phin and Deak are both working to get into positions to take possession of the quaffle should Jack need to pass the red ball.
Sage is ready for Jack, eyes focused well even with the stinging quality of the wind at this height. Jack's just as focused though and with a flick of his wrist he sends the quaffle through the ring on his right. Jack can't help grinning broadly as the score of Hufflepuff 20, Ravenclaw 10 is announced. It might be Ravenclaw's first goal but Jack's confident they can pull ahead, and soon.
Having Fun (Alastor)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 11-04-07 06:21
Even though his fingers are numb to the point that at times he's got to look and see if he's actually still holding his bat, Alastor is having a blast. Playing at practice or in pick-up games is fun but this goes well beyond that. Alastor never knew playing Quidditch in an actual match could be such a head rush. Now he fervently wishes that Hogwarts had had Quidditch last term.
The only spot on an otherwise wonderful time is the fact that Ravenclaw is losing. They're only down one goal but they are behind and that's just not acceptable. Hufflepuff has the Quaffle again and Alastor is determined they won't score this time.
Alastor cuts in front of Ariella Beck to get to a bludger before she does. He tightens his grip on the bat and gives the bludger a nice, solid thwack. Annoyingly, Ariella shoots him a grin and darts to intercept the bludger Alastor's just hit. As the saying goes, two can play that game. Alastor shoots off after the bludger, swerving around to face it head on. Another good, solid hit has the ball aiming right at Katherina's flight path.
Alastor's grin grows larger when Ariella is too late to get the bludger this time. It hits Katherina's broom, sending her wobbling and loosens her grip on the quaffle. He tracks the bludger with his eyes then is once again off in pursuit of it.
That Hurt! (Deak)
Author: Kody
Date: 11-04-07 08:41
The Quaffle passes from Chaser to Chaser, back and forth between the teams. Everything has been going so quickly, it feels to Deak like they're still only minutes into the match when it's really probably been at least an hour, maybe longer.
The Quaffle goes past Deak in a blur of red. He lunges for it, grabbing it just before it's out of reach. Alanna shoots him a chagrined look for snatching the Quaffle before it reached her. Deak can't help but laugh at that, afterall it's not his fault it was a bad pass and that it went right by him within arm's reach.
Deak doesn't have time to feel even a little smug though. A Bludger catches him on the hand gripping the Quaffle as he's moving his arm to tuck the Quaffle in close. With his hand on the Quaffle, it's smashed between it and the Bludger. Deak lets go only because he literally can't keep his fingers gripping the red ball.
The Quaffle free falls to just past Deak's feet when it's snatched up by Alanna. She takes off with it, Jack and Phin in hot pursuit. Deak goes after her as well but more slowly. The pain in his hand is enough to make his vision cloudy. If it's this bad when his fingers are numbed by the cold, Deak doesn't want to think about how badly his hand, especially his fingers, would be hurting if he'd had full feeling when the Bludger hit.
Unable to flex the fingers of that hand, which are already dark with bruising and already swelling up like fat sausages, Deak stops flying long enough to do the only thing he can, since leaving the game isn't an option in his opinion. Taking a large hanky out he'd had with him in case his nose began running in the cold, Deak wraps his exposed fingers with it, tucking the ends of the hanky into the fingerless glove he's got on. The hanky won't do anything to ease the pain but at least this way if he has to use that hand - and he will - he inadvertently flex fingers that would not like to be flexed even a little.
The quick work of wrapping his hand done, Deak spurs his broom to top speed to catch up with the others.
This Is My Chance
Author: Eithne ni Domhnaill
Date: 11-04-07 14:26
Alanna is streaking down the pitch with the Quaffle and Eithne, from a small distance back, sees that one of the Ravenclaw Chasers is busy doing some post-bludger repair. She streaks past him, noting Katherine on the other side of Alanna. The remaining Ravenclaw chasers are crowding in on Alanna and it is likely she will pass as she usually does in such a circumstance. Eithne closes the distance but remains offset to the side in a clear zone while Katherine is pressed in next to the chaser on her side next to Alanna.
As anticipated, Alanna passes to Eithne. She hugs the Quaffle close to her and compensating for a sudden updraft that slows her down, starts to head for the goal, determined that no-one will intefere with her scoring. All three Ravenclaw chasers are bearing down on her. She can sense the presence of one very close just back of her peripheral vision. Eithne leans down, practically lying on the broom, pouring on the speed.
One of Eithne's best assets is speed and she intends to use it to good measure. Her head is practically resting in the slight bend of her elbow as her right arm stretched to its full extent steers the broom. Unfortunately, the prone posture means that the Quaffle has to be held in a slightly awkward position just above her left hip - exposed for the plucking. Katherine is shouting something to her from her position below and slightly to the fore of Eithne.
Eithne feels again the presence just outside her peripheral vision and imagines that Katherine is warning her about the proximity of the Ravenclaw player. She bets Katherine wants her to pass to her and Eithne knows she should, but this may be her last chance to score a goal in her own right. The match has been going on for at least an hour and the snitch could be caught at any time. The near grab by the Ravenclaw seeker earlier had not gone unnoticed by her.
Eithne grits her teeth and presses forward, dimly aware that several of her team mates are shouting at her now. Well, never mind, their concerns will be forgotten once the score is made. Pressing forward, Eithne finds herself fighting for stability when another sudden gust lifts the handle of her broom and slows her speed. At that moment, she feels the Quaffle plucked from her. She looks up to see she was mere inches from the goal and that Katherine was perfectly lined up for a straight shot in. Looking around, she registers both the look of disgust from Katherine and the groans from the stands.
Katherine flies up beside her before pushing off back down the pitch in pursuit of the Quaffle, now in Ravenclaw's hands, "Great team work, Eithne!"
"Hey!" Eithne takes off in pursuit of Katherine. "What do you mean by that?"
Katherine pressed down to join Alanna who is worrying Deak. Eithne follows, "Easy for you to say, anyway, considering you already made a goal."
Katherine spares Eithne another disgusted look, "It's not about who make the goal. It's about making the goal."
"Like I said, easy to say for you."
Team Captain Ariella Beck swoops in on the squabbling pair, admonishing them to get their minds back on the game. Katherine flies off and Eithne does likewise, pouting. She didn't even bother to look for Francis - she was afraid what she might see.
He Shoots... (Jack)
Author: Kody
Date: 11-04-07 15:37
Jack's decided that as far as Chasers go, Alanna Beck is pretty darn good. She's seen that Deak has a problem with one hand and is utilizing that in her efforts to steal the quaffle from him. Jack zooms in, wedging himself between Alanna and Deak whether Alanna wants it or not. She frowns at him, knowing that to persist in keeping her spot would most likely mean fouling Jack, or possibly even Deak.
Jack gets in close and takes an easy handoff from Deak, surging forward even before the Quaffle is firmly in his grasp. Ducking a Bludger courtesy of Jet, Jack nears where Sage is on the alert for any Ravenclaw goal attempts. Jack lines up a shot and lets go the Quaffle. Sage blocks using his broom tail, sending the Quaffle straight to Katherina.
Phin surprises her by coming up from the side and underneath, promptly relieving her of the ball. With Jack still in a better position for a goal attempt, Phin passes to Jack. Jack sets up for another shot but Alanna and Eithne are both right there to harass him.
Fritz helps out with a Bludger aimed at Eithne and Alastor sends the other at Alanna. The moment he's got the clear shot, Jack takes it. Groaning with frustration when Sage blocks this shot as easily as the first, Jack tries not to dwell on his lack of scoring as he takes off in pursuit of Alanna who took the Quaffle from Sage.
Unintentional
Author: Fritz Schnackenpfefferhausen
Date: 11-05-07 04:35
Fritz darts after a bludger and reaches it before Jet can. He sends it hurdling in Alanna's direction. It doesn't meet its mark but it's enough to distract her so that Phin easily swoops in and steals the quaffle from her arm. The action on the field immediately shifts gears, with the pack turning abruptly for the other goal hoops. Fritz moves swiftly to intercept another bludger when Hufflepuff suddenly gains possession of the quaffle again.
The red ball continually changes hands, sometimes Hufflepuff, sometimes Ravenclaw, and eventually moves towards the Ravenclaw hoops again. Fritz spots a bludger and tears after it, determined to either distract Sage, the Hufflepuff chasers or even the beaters so that Deak, who now has the quaffle, can score and tie the game.
He finds a bludger easily enough and starts to swing his bat, when the other bludger collides with his swinging arm. It suddenly changes trajectory, and the bludger he intended to hit towards Sage winds up going into the Gryffindor stands. There's a great deal of shrieking while the spectators dodge the incoming bludger, and Coach Krum blows on his whistle.
"Foul! Bumphing!"
Fritz, wincing from the impact of the bludger to his arm, manages to shoot his teammates an apologetic look. He hadn't done it intentionally. Now Hufflepuff would get a chance to score and put Ravenclaw even farther behind.
Katharina is given the quaffle. The other players wait in position as she lines up and prepares to get the quaffle past Megara. A hush falls over the Pitch. Katharina throws back her arm and then pitches the ball forward. It glances off of Megara's fingers and changes course just slightly, but the quaffle still manages to go through the hoop. She smiles broadly.
Fritz frowns and massages his arm. Maybe Daria will catch the snitch so that even if Hufflepuff outscores Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw will still win the match!
Tension at the Pitch
Author: Ariella Beck
Date: 11-05-07 06:56
Hovering on her broomstick with arms folded over her chest, Ariella watched Katharina make the foul shot after Fritz got called out for bumphing. She looked from the one chaser to Eithne and saw a mix of emotions in the younger girl's face. On the one hand, she still looked angry from her argument with Katharina. On the other, she looked pleased that Katharina had brought another ten points to the scoreboard for Hufflepuff. In all their practices, Ariella had not once sensed tension between the two chasers. She wondered if it had always been there and she'd been too blind to see it, or whether it had simply come up during the pressures of playing a real, live game in front of spectators. Whatever the case, she hoped they would get over it immediately and concentrate on the task at hand. Ariella didn't want Ravenclaw winning simply because some of her own teammates couldn't get their heads in the right places.
Megara tossed the quaffle back into play. Deak accepted it and tucked it against his body. He sprinted across the Pitch, eventually letting the red ball fly to one of his teammates. The quaffle moved from player to player. Ariella and Jet did their bests to try and knock it into Hufflepuff hands, but the Ravenclaw beaters were just as determined to keep the ball in the arms of a Ravenclaw chaser.
Ariella's knee still ached, but the tips of her fingers and the tops of her ears burned from the cold and she noticed those things far more. She glanced in Sophia's direction, hoping the Hufflepuff girl had located the snitch already so that the game could end and they could all go inside where it was warm. Ariella spotted Sophia hovering high in the air, systematically scanning the Pitch for any sign of the golden snitch.
Ariella resumed her attention on the more active part of the game, immersing herself back in it by hitting a bludger at Jack, who had the quaffle now. Jack dropped the ball into Phin's arms just in time and avoided losing the ball though he did take a hit in the shoulder. Ariella and Fritz spotted the same bludger at the same time. They raced for it together, but Fritz got to it first and used it to distract Alanna from stealing the quaffle from Phin.
Both beaters darted after it again, this time with Ariella reaching it first. She sent the perfectly-timed bludger careening towards the quaffle as it was thrown from Phin to Deak. The bludger struck the quaffle and send it flying into Alanna's arms. Smiling, Ariella went off in search of another bludger to hit.
Disadvantages
Author: Alanna Beck
Date: 11-05-07 07:08
Alanna made a wide arc with her broom after snatching the quaffle from the air when Ariella's bludger knocked it from its projected path into Alanna's waiting arms. She felt the wind biting against her cheeks and knew that they and her nose were probably as red as apples. Some of her hair fell loose from her ponytail and flapped wildly against her skin, sometimes lashing her in the eye. Alanna didn't feel that these things were necessarily major distractions though she rather wished her hair hadn't come loose and that it wasn't so blasted cold outside right now.
She urged her Firebolt II forwards when she sensed the other chasers closing in on her. Suddenly Phin appeared beside her, so she shifted the ball from her right hand to her left and pressed it close to her body. She felt the jagged part of his broom from when it got damaged early in the game brush against her leg and felt thankful that the material of her pants weren't too thin though she still felt the wind penetrate through the fibers. She supposed it was a good thing she'd gotten him a broomstick servicing kit for Christmas, though she imagined the damage sustained to his broom went beyond what the kit could do. Alanna had drawn Phin's name in the Secret Santa gift exchange and had put the package under the communal tree several days ago.
When she got to the hoops with Phin still at her side, she realized she had no choice but to try and score left-handedly. She felt at a distinct disadvantage but knew she could only try and maybe manage some success. Luckily, as she left the quaffle go, Ariella sent a bludger at Megara. Megara wavered for a fraction of a second as she decided whether to block the goal attempt and get hit by the bludger or do neither. Her instinct to avoid injury won out and she moved away. The quaffle sailed through the hoop.
Now the score was Hufflepuff 40, Ravenclaw 10.