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Strange, how Quidditch gets people closer
Author: Johanna Steele
Date: 04-13-08 13:35
Thanks to Alexa, Alanna didn’t score.
Johanna and the other Slytherins rejoiced.
“I think Cornelia should me calmer. Hufflepuff almost scored because of her!”
“Oh, I’m sure she had a good reason for doing what she did to Hall!” replied Johanna to Felicia.
Seated on the other side of her, Gus shouted:
“Go Slytherin, go !!!”
Mark Farnon shouted too.
Other Slytherins joined Gus and Mark’s chants. Johanna did the same.
Near them, Bianca waved a green flag. Johanna and she exchanged a look. Bianca smiled to her.
“Strange, how quidditch gets people closed...”
Suddenly they stopped. Timothy Gabble was approaching Alexa’s hoops.
The Hufflepuffs started begging Gabble for another goal for their team.
In the Air (Alexa)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 04-13-08 14:12
Timothy throws the quaffle toward the hoop on his left, which meant that to block, Alexa goes right. It was a poor throw, one she easily blocked by batting the quaffle with the tail of her broom. She'd tried to aim for Griet but it went to Mortimer instead. As long as it's one of her teammates, that's fine with Alexa.
Mortimer only gets about two feet when he's hit by a bludger. He drops the quaffle and as bad luck would have it, drops it straight into Katharina's arms. Katharina instantly goes for another goal attempt but her timing is off as is her throw. The quaffle goes wide with Berengaria retrieving it. She grabs it and takes off so quickly that it takes Alexa a couple of seconds to realize just where the quaffle has gone.
As the action moves away from her, Alexa is sorry not to have it right there where she is. Hovering in front of the goal posts or flying a short back and forth pattern in front of them while everyone else is going the other direction leaves Alexa a great deal of time to think. Not only are certain adult family members missing but by now Alexa knows about younger family members, ones too young to be here at school, who've been ripped from their homes. Friends like Olive Green also have missing family.
With everything so depressing sometimes it can be hard to be upbeat about participating in Quidditch. At the same time, having to attend practices and play in matches also offers a distraction. Being up here in the air, adrenaline building each time the action goes the other way down the pitch then comes back again, trying to second guess where the quaffle will be aimed when thrown, being on the lookout for bludgers, watching the seekers searching for the snitch, listening to the crowd... definately a distraction. It would just be more of one if Alexa could keep her mind from wandering during those times she's pretty much alone down here at her end of the pitch.
One of the Hufflepuff chasers steals the quaffle from the Slytherin who'd had it, Mortimer. The pack is coming back Alexa's way, and extremely quickly at that. Giving her full attention once more to the game, Alexa readies herself to block anything Hufflepuff throws at her.
Doing Her Part
Author: Ariella Beck
Date: 04-13-08 14:45
Ducking beneath the pack of chasers traveling towards the Slytherin goal hoops, Ariella craned her neck to watch for the bludger Basil had just hit with every intention of slowing Katharina down. It spiraled dangerously close to the tight-knit group of Quidditch players, threatening to hit any of them and not just Katharina, for whom it was intended. Not taking the risk that it might not hit the Hufflepuff chaser currently in possession of the quaffle, Ariella darted up in time to hit the bludger out of the ballpark.
Feeling the pressure all the same, Katharina moved to pass to Alanna. A sudden gust of wind changed the ball's projected path, and before Alanna could compensate for it, it began falling, arcing downward and picking up speed in the process. Before any of the Hufflepuffs could recover the quaffle, Griet yanked it from the air with both hands. Ariella, finding an opening, thumped the other bludger straight at Griet. It happened before Griet could even tuck the ball under one arm, so that she was still holding it before her when the bludger, aimed for her chest, struck the quaffle instead. The red ball went flying again, and this time Timothy caught it and flew across the Pitch where Alexa waited.
He drove past the Slytherin players by dodging them and the bludgers intent on stopping him from getting any closer to the hoops. Ariella, with Jet, did her part in protecting him. He reached the goals quickly and wound back his arm, throwing the quaffle at the middle hoop. Alexa dove for it, but the intensity of Timothy's throw propelled it through the hoop before Alexa could stop it from entering.
"Hufflepuff scores again!" Freya announced. Now the scoreboard read Hufflepuff 40, Slytherin 10.
Ariella, grinning happily, darted after the nearest bludger.
That Should Be Me
Author: Georgia Copperpot
Date: 04-13-08 15:01
Watching the Quidditch match, my eyes lingering the most on my sex god boyfriend Sage Porter, I grouse aloud, "I should be playing. That should be me up there."
"Really, Georgia. I continue to be astounded that you were sorted into Ravenclaw."
"Why is that, Izzy belly?"
"Don't call me that."
"I"m sorry, Izzy wizzy."
"As if that's so much better."
"What's got your knickers in a twist? Is it because I have a sex god boyfriend and you don't?"
"For Merlin's sake, Georgie, he is NOT your boyfriend! That's another thing that has me constantly questioning how you managed to get into Ravenclaw."
"Which brings me back to your first comment. Why did you say that?"
"Think about what you said."
"You're being vair, vair vague, my wizzy belly friend. What I said when?"
"What you said about playing Quidditch."
"That I should be up there playing?"
"Exactly!"
"Exactly what?"
"Who's playing today?"
"You ask me that yet question my intelligence? It's vair obvious even if the teams hadn't been introduce that it's Hufflepuff and Slytherin up there right now."
Isabella glares me at. I glare back. She might be my bestest ever friend but I swear sometimes Izzy just makes no sense at all.
Through gritted teeth Izzy says, "If you are in Ravenclaw and the teams playing are Hufflepuff and Slytherin, then how is it you should be up there in the match right now?"
"Because I am tres vair excellente and my boyfriend is playing and needs me."
Izzy makes a snarly, growly sort of sound and that's when Edith grabs her, yanks her up physically and says, "We're going for drinks."
I shrug and watch them walk away, or rather, Edith pulling Izzy wizzy away, then ask Catherine, "Did you get the feeling that Izzy wanted to give me a duffing up? I can't imagine why she's being so stroppy."
Catherine shakes her head sadly and says, with a touch of sarcasm though I cannot fathom why, "No, Georgia, I wouldn't know why. Let's just watch the game, all right?"
That suits me since it means I can go back to imagining my sex god of a boyfriend playing without a shirt on. By the time Izzy and Edith get back with drinks, I can really use the icy coldness of the lemonade.
Translations:
sex god boyfriend = Sage Porter; that is all the explanation that should be necessary
knickers = underthings
knickers in a twist = upset, peeved, angry; historically, when someone's knickers got all twisted up, it made the person angry; hence the modern day usage of knickers in a twist to mean someone's angry
vair = very
tres vair excellente = French for very excellent
duffing up = beating up
stroppy = snitty, snarky, just past having a nervy b but not quite at the throwing a tantrum stage
Competitiveness
Author: Griet
Date: 04-14-08 07:41
Griet felt a tad frustrated when Timothy scored another goal for Hufflepuff, bringing the scorecard to 40-10, Hufflepuff's favor. Focusing on the fact that Slytherin was losing would only distract her from helping her team pull ahead. She accepted the quaffle from Alexa and zoomed away from the goals as quickly as possible. The Hufflepuff chasers closed in on her almost immediately. Griet sensed Alanna moving in for the steal and immediately threw the bal in an overhand arc to Mortimer. A bludger made contact with the shaft of his broomstick nearly simultaneously with his catch. It pivoted his broom sharply, nearly causing him to lose his balance and unabling him to get a solid grip on the quaffle. Timothy reached out to yank the ball into his own arms, but Mortimer didn't give it up easily despite his uncertain grip on it. He clamped his knees around the broom to keep his balance and played tug-o'-war with Timothy with the quaffle. Suddenly, a bludger careened in between the two. Both were startled, but Timothy more than Mortimer. Mortimer secured the quaffle in his arm and leaned over his broomstick, shooting ahead to the Hufflepuff goals.
Alanna wasn't far behind. Griet made a wide arc around the both of them, anticipating a pass from Mortimer if necessary. Berengaria mirrored Griet on the other side of Mortimer, with Alanna between them. Alanna suddenly swooped in to snatch the quaffle away from Mortimer, and he reacted by shooting it away from his body towards Griet. The wind buffeted it so that Griet had to compensate for the change in trajectory. The ball fell and she dove for it, along with Katharina. Griet almost saw the Hufflepuff girl before it was too late and dodged at the very last minute to avoid a head-on collision. Katharina didn't flinch and retrieved the ball from its freefall.
Griet arced around during Katharina's incline and searched for the perfect opportunity to reclaim the quaffle for Slytherin. Mortimer dove down suddenly to meet Katharina, but with no intention of colliding into her as Cornelia had done to Sophia earlier in the game. He flitted past her with only an inch of air between their bodies, with the exception of the fist he used to pop the quaffle from the crook in her arm. He used an extra burst of speed to collect the falling quaffle and then inclined sharply himself. Griet, flying parallel to the ground above him, looked down at Mortimer. Their gazes met, and he batted the ball upwards with the back of his hand. Griet pressed it protectively to her body and took off for the Hufflepuff goals.
Timing
Author: Jet
Date: 04-14-08 16:06
With fast moving flyers, timing is crucial when hitting a bludger to intercept one of those targets. There are far more misses than hits, not to mention how often another beater gets to the bludger and knocks it onto another trajectory.
When Griet takes off with the quaffle, Jet smashes his bat into a bludger with the intention of sending the bludger to a spot Griet should be by the time the bludger actually gets there. Should be because she could change course at any moment, including diving or climbing.
Jet's lucky this time and the bludger hits Griet solidly on her hip. She doesn't drop the quaffle but the jar is enough to slow her, allowing Alanna to catch up and move in for a steal. Griet's having none of that though and starts leaning away from Alanna, guiding her broom into a half-roll.
The other bludger, courtesy of Ariella, whistles right at Griet's head and shoulder. The Slytherin chaser pops back upright, avoiding being hit but also putting her right back where Alanna needs Griet to be.
By this time Jet's caught up with the bludger he'd just hit Griet with. This time he sends it at Mortimer but Basil blocks it. The bludger now is on course to hit Timothy who's gotten close enough to Alanna to take a hand off of the quaffle should Alanna decide to pass the stolen prizen.
Jet shoots forward, extending his bat and arm as far as he can to stop the bludger from reaching Timothy. Jet promptly chases after the bludger to hit it properly, now aiming for Berengaria who's intent on stopping Hufflepuff getting any further down the pitch with the quaffle.
The bludger misses, Berengaria intercepts a pass from Alanna to Timothy, and Jet is off once again to get to a bludger to prevent Slytherin from getting very far with the quaffle.
Goal Tending (Alexa)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 04-14-08 18:46
Alexa cheers for Berengaria as the chaser draws near enough to Sage and the hoops he guards to make a goal attempt. Berengaria surprises everyone though by throwing the quaffle back to Griet who lofts it up to Mortimer.
Mortimer snatches the quaffle from the air then immediately snaps back his arm and lets the ball fly. Sage uses his head to block the shot, sort of like those football goalies do that Aaron showed them on one of those telly vision boxes.
Berengaria catches the quaffle from the bounce off Sage's head, tossing it right back at one of the hoops. There's just enough speed on the quaffle that Sage can't do anything more than tap it with his fingertips. It's not enough to deflect the ball and the quaffle goes through the hoop, scudding across the rim as it flies past.
The score's forty to twenty now but Alexa is confident Slytherin can score more goals and keep Gryffindor from pulling so far ahead that it won't matter if Slytherin gets the snitch or not. Determined to do her part to keep the other team from expanding their lead again, Alexa watches intently as the quaffle is passed from Sage to Timothy to Alanna to Katharina then back to Timothy.
The Hufflepuff chasers work well together, moving the quaffle down the pitch and keeping Slytherin from taking possession. At times it's hard to follow where the quaffle is, often just streak of red as it's passed from Hufflepuff chaser to Hufflepuff chaser.
Katharina is the one who has the quaffle when they reach good scoring distance. She hurls the ball but her body language is clear without any fake out. Alexa easily catches the quaffle outright, sending it back into play with a hand off to Griet.
Upclose View Of The Snitch (Basil)
Author: Jared
Date: 04-15-08 08:58
Basil dives under Mortimer, Berengaria, and Alanna to reach a bludger. Seeing Phillipa is closer, Basil rolls to his left, pulling his broom around to go after the other bludger. Phillipa hits the one he'd started for, hitting Timothy before the Hufflepuff can reach over and pluck the quaffle from Griet.
Ariella is going for the same bludger as Basil so he puts on the speed, determined to get to the ball before his opponent. He reaches it first, but just barely, whopping the bludger into Katharina's path. The other Hufflepuff beater, Jet, counters by intercepting and hitting the bludger at quaffle possessing Griet.
The bludger most recently hit by Philippa isn't that far from Basil's position. In another race with Ariella he scowls when this time she gets there first. Basil does the next best thing, zipping forward to follow the just hit bludger, passing it up, then hitting it, this time aiming for Timothy.
Basil starts to climb in pursuit of one of the bludgers when he stops because the snitch is hovering right in front of his face. He looks around for Cornelia but only sees Sophia. The snitch darts closer to his face, causing Basil to recoil backwards. If any part of him touches the snitch and one of the referees sees it, even if it's an unintentional touch, the foul of snitchnip will be called. Once the match starts, only seekers may touch the coveted golden snitch and Basil doesn't want to be the cause of Hufflepuff getting a free goal attempt with the quaffle.
Basil keeps backing up, the snitch not wanting to go away. It's only when Sophia nearly careens into Basil in an effort to grab the small, winged ball that the snitch flies off so quickly Basil nearly missed actually seeing it go. That little problem gone, Basil hovers a moment to locate both the bludgers again then shoots forward towards the nearest one.
Missed The Block
Author: Sage Porter
Date: 04-15-08 15:17
Over the course of the next half hour, the quaffle changes possessions so many times that from his position as keeper, Sage can't see everything and loses count of what he can. During that time, neither team gets close enough with the quaffle to either set of hoops to make attempts at scoring. Also during the thirty minutes, neither Sophia nor Cornelia give any appearance to those watching that the snitch has been spotted.
The next half hour is different for Alexa and Sage. Alexa block six Hufflepuff goal attempts and Sage blocks no less than seven by Slytherin. Katharina has the quaffle and is moving in to make another attempt for Hufflepuff but she's far enough away from the hoops and Alexa that Mortimer flies between Katharina and Alexa and catches the quaffle mid-sail towards the hoops.
Mortimer dodges around Alanna, climbs over Timothy, ducks a bludger from Ariella, and just as the other bludger reaches him via Jet, Mortimer passes off to Griet. Griet zig zags down the pitch, passing to Berengaria. Mortimer comes around to take the quaffle from Berengaria, preventing Timothy from grabbing it from her.
Mortimer moves in for the shot, throwing to his right. Sage goes left but Phillipa has come up behind the hoops and gets him square in the back with a bludger. Sage ooophs over his broom handle, the breath knocked out of him, helplessly watching the quaffle pass through the dead center of the hoop.
The score now stands at Gryffindor 40, Slytherin 30.
Back and Forth
Author: Alanna Beck
Date: 04-15-08 17:45
Sage retrieved the quaffle and passed it to Alanna. She made a beeline away from the Hufflepuff goals, hoping to put as much distance between them and the quaffle as possible. She tossed the ball to Katharina when she sensed Mortimer getting a little too close and then leaned over the shaft of her broom to reduce the amount of wind resistance. Alanna darted under Berengaria and rolled to avoid a bludger targeting Katharina. She swung around behind Katharina and propelled herself forward, falling into place beside her.
Katharina pretended to pass the ball to Alanna, who shot off like a rocket and pretended as if she carried the quaffle. The opposing team was fooled long enough for Katharina to reach the Slytherin goals. She tossed the ball from a distance, and though Alexa was able to get her fingers on the ball, she didn't make a solid catch and it somehow tipped into one of the other hoops.
Alanna grinned. Now Hufflepuff led Slytherin, 50-30.
Alexa, frowning, put the ball back into play. The Slytherins passed the quaffle to one another quickly, overhand, underhand, sideways, up and down, making it difficult for Hufflepuff to make an interception. It was only when Griet fumbled the pass from Mortimer, that Timothy snatched it from the air and turned around for the Slytherin hoops. He passed the quaffle to Alanna. She passed it to Katharina. They passed the ball quickly, as the Slytherins had, but not quite as tightly since Berengaria managed to get in front of Alanna and intercept Katharina's lightning-quick pass.
The pack moved in the other direction. Alanna did her best to either steal or intercept the quaffle and did manage to get her hands back on the ball after some time, but Slytherin always seemed to get it back into their possession again. For a good while, neither team seemed to get any nearer to either hoop, until Alanna at last broke free of the pack with the quaffle in hand. She sprinted for the hoops Alexa guarded and lobbed the quaffle towards the left-most one. Alexa lunged for it and blocked it with her fingertips. Alanna frowned but didn't let her disappointment linger. She had to stop Slytherin from attempting another goal.
Splinters
Author: Ariella Beck
Date: 04-15-08 18:03
In the brief time between Katharina's score and Alexa putting the quaffle into play, Ariella chanced a glance into the staff box, where she hoped to see Lawrence watching the match. She didn't have to worry about him not being there. She knew he wouldn't miss one of her games, if he couldn't help it. Ariella put a smile on her face, knowing that it wouldn't be very much longer before they could bring their relationship into the open again. It had been a very difficult school year.
She put her mind back on task and took off after the nearest bludger, reaching it slightly before Basil, who scowled angrily at her. Ariella connected her bat to the black ball with a solid thump, sending it at Berengaria who currently possessed the quaffle. It made contact with her elbow, causing her to lose her grip on the ball. Unfortunately, Mortimer recovered the quaffle before Hufflepuff could make a grab for it.
Ariella dodged a bludger agiley and then used the very same one to target Mortimer, as he zig zagged through all the obstacles placed in his path. Ariella's timing was regrettably a little off, and it missed him by a small margin. She found herself needing to protect Alanna, and quickly swooped in to defend her sister from Philippa's bludger. Ariella's block was good and enabled Alanna to lift the quaffle effortlessly from Mortimer's arms.
Suddenly, she heard a loud crack and found herself spinning in rapid circles. Ariella attempted to put the brakes on the revolutions before she got too dizzy. When she stopped, she noticed two things. First, all the other players except for the seekers were way across the Pitch. Second, the end of her broomstick was terribly splintered and bent at an odd angle. Ariella knew she wouldn't be able to fly well with her broom in the state it was in and hoped that Sophia would catch the snitch soon, so that Ariella wouldn't feel so bad about her new handicap.
Just then she heard Freya announce, "The seekers have spotted the snitch!"
(Cornelia) Willpower
Author: Griet
Date: 04-15-08 18:22
It had taken all of Cornelia's willpower to concentrate on finding the snitch instead of thinking of ways to get even with certain members of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. She hadn't felt the need for violence and revenge since before her accident, when she'd nearly lost her life thanks to Griet's ex-best friend who, for all Cornelia hoped, rotted in Azkaban prison now. Ever since then, Cornelia had mellowed out some, even developing a true friendship with her older sister––something she hadn't had until then. Why the old Cornelia had emerged today was a mystery even to herself.
It seemed as if one of the Hufflepuff players was out of commission now. Ariella Beck tried to rejoin the match but her broomstick didn't want to go in the direction she wanted. It always listed to the right and rocked unsteadily in the wind. Cornelia smirked but wished the accident had happened to Sophia instead. She glanced at the Hufflepuff seeker and saw her react to something. Sophia suddenly shot forward, one arm extended in front of her.
I don't think so! Cornelia thought to herself. She pressed herself along the shaft of her broomstick and raced towards Sophia, who angled off in pursuit of the elusive golden snitch. Cornelia tried hard to catch up, and thanked her lucky stars when a bludger bounded into Sophia's path, causing her to pull the front of her broomstick upwards in an effort to slow herself down and not crash into the black ball. Cornelia bounded past Sophia and stretched out her arm. She opened her hand and willed her fingers to seize the winged orb, which danced away in front of her, always a step ahead.
Sophia recovered from her near-hit and coursed ahead, attempting to overtake Cornelia. Cornelia flung herself into Sophia's path, hoping to cut the Hufflepuff seeker off. Sophia swerved over and flitted forward, finding herself flying alongside Cornelia. It took great effort not to intentionally ram herself into Sophia's side. Instead, Cornelia urged herself to hasten. She lifted her bottom off the broom and leaned over the one hand she had clamped over its shaft. The other hand's fingers brushed the wings of the snitch.
Just a little bit further! Cornelia silently told herself. She decided to take a risk and launched herself forward, though she still gripped onto her broom. Her other hand clamped around the snitch, though the force of her body moving forward caused her to flip, head over the bristles of her broomstick. The crowd gasped as they watched her tumble, though she managed to hold onto the broom. She hung there, up-side-down, while Freya announced the words Cornelia had longed to hear since the very start of the match.
"Slytherin wins! 180-50!"