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At The Pitch For A Match (Theodosia Batuti)
Author: Viktor Krum
Date: 02-03-08 07:55
Theodosia flies around the pitch, making sure all the line markings are still clearly visible. This is something she should have done yesterday or even earlier in the week, but the truth is she forgot. Theodosia doubts it's something Viktor Krum's ever forgotten to do and she certain he knows she hadn't done it and she certainly hadn't asked him to do it. She wouldn't be at all surprised if Viktor knew she hadn't done it and has been sitting back in silent amusement of her falling down on her duties.
Landing not all that far from the locker rooms and office, Theodosia swallows a sigh. She shouldn't care what Viktor thinks of her; shouldn't care that he's still so standoffish after all these months. Who would have thought that someone who attended Durmstrang, with the reputation that school has, would be so against pureblood superiority?
Theodosia has always been all for pureblood superiority in theory. Seeing it in practice has given her pause. She supposes she was a little naive when it came to theory versus practice. A lot naive. In her mind in practice pureblood superiority would mean things like if a job came down to hiring a pureblood or someone who wasn't a pureblood, but who in all other respects were exactly the same, equally qualified for the job, the pureblood would get the job offer. It would mean that if there were only one slot left at a school and a waiting list for that slot, it would first be offered to a pureblood. Only after all the purebloods had been offered the slot and none accepted would anyone else be considered.
Theodosia looks around the office thinking Viktor would be there to carry the box of balls out. He's not so she points her wand and floats the box ahead of her back out to the pitch. There she stands, watching students trickling down from the school, some carrying the more portable items from their breakfasts. There are so many who are considered Nons. Theodosia had never in her purebloodsuperioty ideas thought that in practice it would mean wearing a visible means of telling who's a pureblood and who's not. She'd never thought about how it might be Nons would be treated so shabbily, even forced to sleep on thin, scratchy mattresses with equally thin, scratchy blankets. She never thought it would mean purebloods get treated so lavishly while the rest get treated as though they are, Theodosia does sigh now at the word that comes to mind: abominations.
Theodosia sits down on the trunk of balls and takes in the stands encircling the pitch. Will there come a day when the Nons aren't allowed to sit in the same stands? Will the Pures have a special set of stands with thick, comfortable cushions, hot or cold air flowing through depending on whether the stands need to be heated or cooled, a lavish spread of food and drink available in the stands so that the Pures don't have to tire themselves out climbing stairs back and fort to the refreshment stand? Would there also be built in lavatories to save them the effort of those sames stairs when nature calls?
Theodosia closes her eyes and wishes she could shut out the slowly building noise. She had been looking forward to the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match, even if she did forget to check the pitch this week, but now, all of a sudden, Theodosia would like nothing more than to crawl back into her snug beg and pull the blanket up over her head. She'd go back to sleep and block out all thoughts of her theories of what pureblood superiority means versus what taking place for real.
Game Start
Author: Alanna Beck
Date: 02-03-08 08:42
The doors to the locker room blew open, and all seven Hufflepuff Quidditch players emerged. Ariella, as captain, marched to the center of the field where Professor Batuti waited, while Alanna and her fellow teammates mounted their brooms and took to the sky. Gabrielle made the opening announcements, welcoming everyone to the match between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor and introducing all the players. Ariella and Gryffindor captain Jared shook hands and then mounted their own brooms to join their comrades in the air. Batuti released the balls, and the game began.
Alanna was the first to get her hands on the red quaffle. She pulled it close to her body and found an opening with in the pack of players. She darted through it, feeling a tug on the ball in her arm but hanging on to it for dear life. She urged her Firebolt II forwards, leaving the other players behind, but only for a moment. Her fellow chasers, Eithne and Katharina caught up quickly to assist Alanna, and the Gryffindor chasers were hot on her tail too.
When Wiggy got too close, Alanna released the ball. Eithne caught it effortlessly, and ducked suddenly to avoid colliding into Bailey. A bludger clipped the tail of her broomstick, causing her to wobble a little bit and making it possible for Julietta to pluck the quaffle from her arms. Julietta turned abruptly and attempted to break from the pack, but found her path mostly blocked. She tossed the ball to Francis who threw it to Wiggy and so on, until the quaffle was nothing more than a blur of red. Alanna intercepted it and 180ed in the opposite direction.
She felt a bludger whoosh by her ear but it didn't slow her journey. Alanna dipped to fly beneath Francis and then rose suddenly to avoid colliding with Wiggy. She felt the Gryffindor chasers closing in, despite her efforts to lose them and looked around for either Eithne or Katharina to help. In that moment of losing focus, a bludger made contact with her right shoulder. Unavoidably, she dropped the ball as shooting pain went up and down her arm. Francis managed to gain from the fumble and headed towards the Hufflepuff hoops with the quaffle in hand.
Alanna turned her broom around, not wanting to stop and assess the damage done to her arm. As far as she could tell, nothing was broken or dislocated. She was just severely bruised. She went after the other chasers, but at a slower pace, massaging her shoulder a little bit until the pain subsided enough for her to fully get back into the spirit of things.
Disconnected Feeling
Author: Jared
Date: 02-03-08 12:01
Jared swings his bat back to hit a bludger, his intention to help Francis get closer to the hoops tended by Sage. In the act of hitting the ball, Jared feels off somehow. He's felt this way since one of the times he splinched himself during this morning's apparition lesson. He'd asked his head of house Professor Flume about it. She told Jared that such feelings can sometimes result from a splinching; that if the sensation persists over the next day or two, visit the hospital wing.
The tone Professor Flume took had Jared thinking that she wasn't overly sympathetic that he'd splinched. He'd sort of liked the woman until then. His thoughts about her changed because he is, afterall, taking lessons to apparate. Professor Flume shouldn't come off as so judgemental, as if he's had a license already and should know better than to splinch. Maybe she was having an off day. Jared shouldn't be so quick to judge when he's sitting here on his broom thinking negatively about her for being so quick to judge.
An exasperated noise leaves Jared as he watches the bludger veer off the course he'd put it on. He doesn't know if it's the bludger's own doing or if it has something to do with his batting arm feeling a little disconnected from the rest of his body.
Jared makes another exasperated sound when he sees that it wouldn't have mattered if the bludger had stayed its course. Katharina just plucked the quaffle out of Francis's hand and is zipping back down the pitch. The bludger Jared had sent, if it had gone where he wanted it to go, would have gone right past Katharina when she did a quarter spin to the right to take the quaffle.
Flexing his arm, twisting it around and then moving it up and down at the shoulder, Jared hopes this weird feeling goes away, and soon! Only one way to find out if his hitting is off and that's to keep intercepting bludgers and sending them at Hufflepuff players.
Distraction
Author: Ronan Eastwick
Date: 02-03-08 16:43
Katharina flew with the quaffle under her arm. Wiggy grabbed for it, but Katharina was just fast enough to avoid losing the ball to the Gryffindor chaser. She pushed herself ever closer to the opposing goal hoops, where Ronan waited. He hovered in front of the center hoop, occasionally shifting to the left or to the right, depending on where he thought Katharina might throw. She arrived within scoring range, threw back her arm and BAM!, a bludger struck Ronan and nearly knocked him from his broomstick. The distraction was perfectly timed, because Katharina managed to make the very first points of the match.
Ronan regained his balance and recovered the ball, tossing it to Francis. Oddly enough, the bludger's impact hadn't hurt too much. It had just taken him by surprise. He gently rubbed his side, which stung just a tiny bit but would probably be forgotten soon.
Francis swerved across the Pitch, angling his broom this way and that to avoid all the obstacles placed into his path. When he couldn't hold onto the quaffle any longer, he tossed it to Wiggy, who quickly passed it on to Julietta. The red ball flew from hand to hand in rapid succession, even winding up in Hufflepuff hands again before Gryffindor reclaimed it. Julietta narrowly missed a bludger aimed her way but avoided it all the same.
From his vantage point across the Pitch, Ronan could see Julietta nearing the Hufflepuff goal hoops. He crossed the fingers on both of his hands, hoping that she would make her goal attempt and even up the score.
I Will Not Be Distracted!
Author: Oreileah McCoi
Date: 02-04-08 04:01
Orei took off the minute that the match started, hovering above the masses. She caught sight of Brett, Aussie and Yuri, a bright smile and a wave was sent to them, happy that the three of them were here. Now, it was time to focus. She remembered what Aidan had said during their training over winter break, teeth caught her bottom lip as she scanned the entirety of the pitch. That golden orb was about somewhere and -she- would be the one that caught it, not Sophia Hall.
The weather was not going to be helpful in finding the snitch, not in the slightest! However, the sun might, at some point aid her, but the fact that it was chilly, and windy would not be helpful. Though, she would use it to her advantage. Fingertips of one hand curled about the handle of her broom, she scanned the pitch.
Muttering a curse as Hufflepuff managed to score the first ten points of the game because Ronan got hit with a well placed bluddger. She cast her gaze over the pitch, watching the teams move back and forth. There was a brief glimmer of gold...that was all it took. No, the match couldn't be over this quickly? It couldn't be -this- easy could it?
Darting down, nearly missing getting a bluddger to the head, she nabbed at the gold thing in the air. Looking at it she cursed silently...WHY! Must it be a candy wrapper?! Seriously...she cast a glare up at the stands...keep your candy wrappers in your pocket! Oh well. Zipping back up, she would again, hover over the pitch, watching.
Sophia hovered not too far from her, taking a similar strategy to the sixth year. Orei flashed her a soft smile, before turning her focus to the game. Orei was thankful that she had a pair of gloves on and shifted faintly on her broom. She was half paying attention to what was going on below her with the rest of the pitch below her and looking for the snitch. She -had- to pay attention to both, absolutely had to, because it would be most prudent to know what was going on below her so she could dart down and avoid most of it when she finally caught sight of the snitch.
Back and Forth
Author: Ariella Beck
Date: 02-04-08 06:50
Just as Julietta threw back her arm and let the quaffle loose, Ariella sent a well-timed bludger careening into the red ball. It knocked the quaffle off its intended path, straight into the arms of Katharina, who quickly turned around and sped away from the Hufflepuff goal hoops, eager to put as much distance as possible between her and them. She threw the ball to Eithne, who quickly passed it to Alanna. The quaffle flew between the yellow-clad chasers until Gryffindor managed to intercept. For a while, the pack of chasers stayed in center field, sometimes moving towards the Gryffindor or Hufflepuff goal hoops, but never get very far at all. Interception after interception occurred, until Ariella's bludger struck Francis hard in the arm, causing the quaffle to fall. Eithne swooped down to collect it and took off like a shot for the Gryffindor goals.
Ariella searched the Pitch for the nearest bludger while at the same time keeping an eye on her teammates. She didn't want Eithne or any of the other Hufflepuffs getting hit. When Jared tried to strike Eithne, Ariella hurriedly swooped in and deflected the bludger. It soared away for a moment before coming back like a boomerang. The Gryffindor chasers reached both bludgers before Ariella and Jet could. They targeted Eithne, who still had the quaffle. Ariella and Jet both tried to protect her, but nearly collided into each other in the attempt. One of the bludgers grazed Eithne's thigh, nudging her broom into another direction. Wiggy lifted the quaffle easily from Eithne's arms and went off in the opposite direction.
Spotting a bludger at the same time Bailey did, Ariella sped towards him and reached it just moments before the Gryffindor beater could. She whacked it hard with her bat, sending it past Jet, who reached out and hit it himself to ensure that it hit its moving target. The ball managed to clip Wiggy's broom but somehow Wiggy managed to keep control and continue for the Hufflepuff hoops.
Block, Goal, Block
Author: Sage Porter
Date: 02-04-08 08:07
Wiggy closes in, passing to Etta at the last possible moment. Etta immediately throws for the goal. Wiggy had come to the hoops more centrally so Sage had been lined up more to the middle. Etta's off to Sage's right so now he's doing a massive dive that direction, making sure he doesn't lose contact with his broom. His fingers graze the Quaffle, wobbling it just enough to push it off course from the hoop.
Wiggy swoops in to grab the Quaffle. Katharina gets her hands on it too but Wiggy forcefully jerks it away then shoots. By then three of the other Chasers are practically on top of Katharina and Wiggy. Sage has trouble seeing where the Quaffle is until it's too late.
The Quaffle is already going through the very hoop that Sage had just successfully blocked it from entering seconds before. Sage tosses the Quaffle to Alanna to put it back into play, the score now tied at 10-10.
The Chasers are bunched up as they move away, the Quaffle changing hands a number of times, as it's done too many times this game for Sage to count. He watches as both Bludgers enter the fray, only to end up dodging one himself when a strong gust of wind buffets the hard ball off course. At that same instant Etta emerges from the Chaser cluster with the Quaffle and sends it to the hoop on Sage's left.
When Sage went to dodge the Bludger, he'd gone to his left. If Etta had had time to really set up her shot she wouldn't have sent that Quaffle that way. Sage easily blocks and this time Alanna grabs the Quaffle and darts off, leading the Chasers away from Sage and the Hufflepuff hoops for the time being.
Anger Therapy
Author: Bailey
Date: 02-04-08 17:45
Bailey's glad for the match today. His parents have been bombarding him with letters this past week. Each letter has been nothing but negative remarks about Jewel and urging Bailey to break off the relationship. Bailey can't figure out why Ian and Lisbeth have suddenly decided to undertake this letter writing campaign. So far all their efforts have done is made Bailey angry. Flying around the pitch, batting bludgers is an excellent way to work off some of that anger.
Bailey reaches one of the bludgers, well before Hufflepuff beater Jet, and giving it a solid, hard hit, sends it on a course to hit Alanna. Her sister Ariella is near enough though that she reaches the bludger before it reaches Alanna, vollying the bludger at Wiggy as he moves in to try and steal the quaffle. Bailey was already in motion before Ariella got to the bludger and happens to be in a good position to intercept before that same bludger hits Wiggy.
Bailey gives the bludger another really hard smack. This time it's aimed at Katharina to whom Alanna has passed the quaffle. This time Ariella doesn't make it in time and Jet is off in pursuit of the other bludger. The one Bailey's hit connects with Katharina's left arm; the arm under which she's got the quaffle tucked. Katharina doesn't lose the quaffle from the hit but it does jostle her enough that Etta easily taps the quaffle out from under Katharina's arm.
Grabbing the quaffle and holding it tightly, Etta does a 180 back towards the Hufflepuff end of the pitch. Bailey is right behind, ready to take care of any bludgers sent Etta's way. The three Hufflepuff chasers get as close to Etta as Bailey, Wiggy, and Francis will allow. When Etta is within scoring range, Bailey couldn't have timed the bludger sent by Jet any better if he'd tried. The bludger meant for Etta is intercepted just as she's ready to throw the quaffle. Bailey smashes his bat against the bludger, sending it on a fast course right at Sage's chest.
As Bailey hoped, Sage moves out of the bludger's way using a combination of a duck and roll. The quaffle thrown by Etta soars through one of the hoops, a successful goal. Gryffindor now leads 20 to 10.
Helping Hufflepuff
Author: Jet
Date: 02-05-08 16:34
Jet flies in pursuit of one of the bludgers, wondering for a second why no one's ever thought to make the bludgers in a match two different colors. It would be interesting to be able to have an idea of how often one hits the same bludger over the course of a game. Jet catches up to the bludger, his eyes darting around to see where the quaffle is and who has it.
After Gryffindor made its second goal Alanna had ended up with the quaffle. She still has it though Wiggy and Etta are on either side of her, working together to steal the red ball. Jet bats the bludger at Wiggy only to have Jared intercept, knocking the bludger into Katharina's path.
Katharina wobbles slightly but steers entirely clear of the bludger by diving. Jet starts to go after that same bludger but the other is nearer. He reaches it ahead of Bailey, who looks disappointed at being cheated of an opportunity to smash something. With Jet being really good friends with Jewel and so by extension with Bailey as well, Jet knows about the letters Bailey's parents have flooded him with. Jet almost feels sorry for cutting Bailey off from being able to channel anger into hitting a bludger. Almost.
Jet hits the bludger, aiming for Wiggy once again then is immediately sprinting off to catch up with a ball to once more hit it at someone in hopes of helping Hufflepuff to Quidditch victory.
Tie
Author: Alanna Beck
Date: 02-05-08 17:09
Alanna dashed forward, desperate to put another ten points on the board for Hufflepuff House. Currently, Gryffindor led the match, but hopefully Hufflepuff would prevail in the end. While she moved in the direction of the Gryffindor goals, Alanna tracked the movement of everyone and everything going on around her. The Gryffindor chasers were still trying to get their hands on the quaffle. The Gryffindor beaters wanted to get the quaffle into Gryffindor possession, while the Hufflepuff beaters wanted the exact opposite.
In an attempt to break away from the fray, Alanna tilted her broom slightly downwards and made herself as small as possible for the least wind resistance. She shot ahead of the pack, and immediately felt a bludger sail over her head. The near-impact caused her hair to stand on end.
Luckily, Alanna was near enough to Ronan at that point that the black ball came right at him, forcing him to instinctively move. One of the goals was left vulnerable for half a second, but it was all Alanna needed to put the quaffle through it.
Now things were even, 20-20.
Ronan threw the quaffle back into play without delay. Francis accepted it and sprinted away, hoping to move as far from Ronan as possible. Alanna fell into flight directly behind Francis, urging her broomstick closer to the tail of his. Ariella suddenly appeared in the distant before them and slammed her bat into a bludger. She sent it straight for Francis, who shot high while Alanna ducked, barely missing the bludger herself. Alanna didn't miss a beat, however, and climbed quickly to intercept Francis' pass to Julietta. Alanna changed course immediately, hoping that in a few minutes time Hufflepuff would be leading the match.
Pulling Ahead Again
Author: Phinfilius
Date: 02-05-08 17:36
Wiggy goes in pursuit of Alanna. As he does, he gets a fleeting glimpse of Hairy the Snide, sitting imperiously in the stand where most of the faculty tend to sit for games. Or where most of the new faculty sit. It had once been a regular stand but then Hairy the Snide had it made more comfortable. There's even a canopy that extends out to provide cover in inclement weather.
Seeing Hairy sitting there like she's a queen, Wiggy very much has an urge to fly up and shout at her about how the Wizarding World doesn't have acknowledge royalty and even if it did, Hairy the Snide would be a lowly lackey compared to people like Minister Smythe-Jones. Wiggy has a hard to restraining himself from telling her off. It's only the thought of letting Gryffindor down that stops him. She'd have him off his broom quicker than he could blink and off the team by the time he did blink, leaving Gryffindor down one chaser for the rest of the match.
Wiggy moves in on Alanna, reaching out a long arm to pluck the quaffle from where she thought she had it snuggly tucked. Alanna's eyes flash angrily at Wiggy as she turns to try and keep him from flying away with the quaffle. Wiggy eggs on her game angry by taunting Alanna with a smile before turning on the speed and pulling away, making sure not to smack her in the head with his broom as he turns in the direction of the Hufflepuff goals.
Francis and Etta converge on Wiggy, the three of them ducking and weaving as they pass the quaffle, working it closer to where Sage waits for them to try and get the quaffle past him. Wiggy has the quaffle again, passed to him by Etta, with Katharina, Eithne, and Alanna doing their best to interfere with the passes and steal the quaffle back. The four beaters are also very busy, if the number of times bludgers go whizzing near Wiggy is anything to judge by.
Within range now for a goal attempt, Wiggy fakes a pass to Francis, at the last moment sending it instead at one of the hoops. Sage dives for it, knocks the quaffle off course but all that does is send it through a different hoop. Wiggy grins broadly hearing the announcement, "Weegy Hodfuffer scores for Gryffeendore! Ze score eez now thirty Gryffeendore, twenty Hufflepuff!"
Tight Match (Etta)
Author: Jared
Date: 02-05-08 21:01
Sage takes the quaffle tosses it to Katharina but she must have thought he was going to throw it to either Alanna or Eithne because she isn't ready for it. Katharina almost doesn't catch it, then does, only she's fumbling with it badly. Etta seizes the opportunity and grabs the quaffle while Katharina is still trying to get a good grip on it. It's an unexpected move and while she's still go the element of surprise going for her, Etta hurls the quaffle back towards the Hufflepuff hoops. A jubilant surge goes through Etta when the quaffle sails cleanly through one of the goal posts.
Scowling, Sage retrieves the quaffle and hands it off to one of his teammates only seconds after he'd just done that very same thing. This time the quaffle goes to Alanna. Taking no chances, Alanna holds the quaffle close to her midriff, bending over it slightly. A bludger from Bailey hits Alanna, a glancing blow to the leg. Nothing that's going to make her loosen her grip or switch how she's holding the ball.
Etta is giving Alanna grieve by staying close and constantly reaching over, ready to grab the quaffle the moment it's visible. It's not easy flying so closely down most the length of the pitch and not foul. Etta's not all that surprised that she does foul. She is surprised that it's not Alanna. It's Katharina.
In paying such close attention to Alanna and Alanna's hold on the quaffle while trying not to foul by doing something like blurting (intentionally locking broom handles though Etta woudln't have done it intentionally), Etta ended up flying right into Katharina. She hadn't meant to do it but because Etta could have avoided it if she'd been paying better attention to what was going on around her, the collision is deemed blatching.
Alanna relinquishes the quaffle to Professor Batuti who then gives it to Katharina for the foul shot. Etta is kicking herself mentally and mumbling under her breath, "Miss it. Miss it. Come on, Ronan, block the shot." Katharina lets the quaffle fly and Ronan looks to have it easily blocked until an extremely strong gust of wind knocks into the players. Everyone is buffetted badly and the quaffle goes out of Ronan's reach but somehow still manages to get through one of the hoops, just not the hoop Katharina had intended. It's a goal though so that's all that counts.
Ronan tosses the quaffle to Wiggy as the score of Gryffindor 40, Hufflepuff 30 is announced. Etta flies to within throwing range of Wiggy but has to move off when both bludgers come at her, one from the side and one from in front of her. Unfortunately this happens when Wiggy had decided to pass. The quaffle goes into a free fall only to be quickly scooped up by Alanna. Etta executes a tight turn and goes in pursuit, this time intent on stealing the quaffle and watching to what's going on with everyone else so she doesn't get called for another foul.