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(Aleydis) No Luck
Author: Griet
Date: 12-19-10 12:24
Not once since the match begun had Aleydis spotted the snitch. It had gotten to the point where she started wondering if she would get replaced by one of the other seekers to see if they would have any better luck in finding the golden ball. She periodically looked to see what the other seeker, Herminia de Vielmond, did, but if Herminia had spotted it yet, Aleydis hadn't noticed.
She supposed part of it stemmed to the many distractions both on and off the field. It was hard not to ignore what the chasers were doing, especially since the match was currently tied at 20 points apiece. If things continued the way they were, the match would be a very close one indeed. The crowd roared each time someone tried to score, and then groaned or cheered, depending on the school, when the goal attempt failed.
It was also hard not paying attention to what was going on outside the Pitch. Aleydis had very much enjoyed the jungle tour she'd gone on yesterday, and though right now it was trees she mostly saw beyond the Pitch, she could well imagine what sorts of creatures occupied the lush greens. She'd seen a wide variety of both magical and muggle beasts yesterday, and most she'd never seen before beyond photographs and drawings.
Aleydis knew she had to concentrate at the task at hand, though, and tried desperately to catch a glint of gold. Then, as if she willed it to happen, she spotted the snitch a fair distance away. It hovered in place, its feathery wings flapping as quick as a hummingbird's. The snitch was in an area where no one else was––for the moment anyway.
Like a shot, Aleydis darted after it, hoping to reach it before it moved or before Herminia noticed it too. She focused only on the winged orb and failed to see that her actions had taken the notice of some of the other players. Still, the snitch didn't move from its place.
Aleydis stretched out her arm, ready to snatch it out of the sky, when a bludger came out of nowhere and struck her arm. At that exact moment, the snitch darted away and disappeared from her line of sight. All Aleydis could see, however, was stars as an intense pain shot up and down her arm. In the distance, she heard the shrill tone of a whistle.
One of the refs, she couldn't recall which, was at her side in an instant and asking if she was all right to play. Aleydis cradled her arm to her chest and realized that just like that, her turn in the match was over. Now it would be up to someone else to catch the snitch for Hogwarts.
Match Time!
Author: Charisma Stone
Date: 12-19-10 17:11
Brazil was wonderful, the jungle cruise was fantastic and now they were finally at the reason they were here. The IQT match. The game had started off well enough, and soon enough, after a couple of substitutions the game was continuing with a tied score of 20 each.
Isma and Blake had watched Gus' behavior and agreed with Coach Batuti when she had said that she didn't believe he could do better than Daniel at this point in time. Glori was now in the match as Keeper, and Blake was just as itching to go in as Beater as Isma was for her chance at being Seeker in this match.
The Brazillian team is very, very good, and giving the Hogwarts team a run for their money. Isma flicked her gaze to the stands and caught sight of Eric and waved to him, before she settled back in her seat once more. However, it would be time for another substitution as Aleydis Vanderbilt was hit by a bludger and soon pulled from the game. However, it was not Charisma's turn to be a part of the line up this time, instead Coach Batuti called Christopher Chant.
Christopher headed into the air and Aleydis went to go get checked out by a member of the medical staff that was here for just such occasions. Isma curled her legs beneath her on the bleacher, leaning against Blake, and resting her head on his shoulder. He slid an arm around her and the pair of them watching the match for the time being. They'd discussed Secret Santa gifts and had done some shopping while they'd been sightseeing.
Isma watched the match and winced as Heitor Rabaça
took a bludger to the shoulder and signaled that he was done. He was cute, but she had Blake, and she was quite content with him. "That's going to leave a bruise, a really bad one if he didn't shatter the shoulder entirely. Stray bludger from Mark that had gone off target."
Blake nodded. "Yeah, I know. Hopefully this match won't come with as many injuries as the last one." He said, but already it was starting off with two. One for each team at this rate.
"I think, seriously that I'm coming down with something. I am going to go talk to Coach Batuti for a minute." She pushed herself up and headed over to Coach Batuti, and spoke briefly with her. She returned after a few minutes, and settled near Blake.
Aggressive (Basil)
Author: Jared
Date: 12-20-10 00:13
Basil has decided he wants to come live in Brazil. He'll come play for a professional team here, maybe even make the Brazilian national team. He can't believe the weather is like this much of the year. Sure, there can be afternoon rain storms but he's been told they never last long.
Basil hauls back his bat to connect with the bludger he was after while thinking about not having to deal with cold weather a good part of the year and lots of snow and icy weather, the persistent rain and overcast days. How nice it would be to have sun and warmth year around and being able to use cooling spells on days that the heat and humidity were a bit much.
The bludger soars straight on the path he's sent it on, looking to be in front of Brazil's Xuxu Quiaios. If she continues flying as she is, the bludger and Xuxu will reach the same spot at the same time. Basil follows along behind the bluder with the intention of going after it once it's hit Xuxu. And if it doesn't hit Xuxu, Basil can only hope that it clips Etta who's on Xuxu's tail seconds after entering the match in place of Marjani. Basil knows he shouldn't wish one of his own teammates to be smacked by a bludger he's hit but it's Etta so it's not like it really counts.
If Basil's dad had come as a chaperone as Uncle Gawain had done, Basil would be mortified but Etta not only seemed fine with it, she seemed really happy about it. Basil has reached the conclusion that he's adopted and his parents don't want to tell him. Or maybe he was switched at birth by mistake. Though his parents are not nearly as ick at Uncle Gawain and Aunt Abigail, Basil still can't believe he's related by blood to Edward and Faye. So what if he looks a little like Edward? Or that everyone says he's got Faye's nose and chin dimple?
The bludger hits Xuxu as planned, smashing her in the side with much of the impact at her hip. It's not a bone breaking hit but as often happens when hit by a bludger, the spot will be tender and may even bruise. Xuxu had gotten the quaffle by interception. From the way she flinches and nearly loses the ball, she probably never registered that a bludger was on an intercept course.
When he'd been in the process of hitting that bludger, one of the Brazilian beaters was pulled from the match though whether it's just a regular substitution or because Conceicao was injured and Basil just never saw it, he doesn't know. Vidonia Vilas Boas, a girl Basil actually thinks is fairly keen and cool, has come into the match. Vidonia is now after Basil's bludger. He picks up speed to get there before she does. Vidonia accelerates too, aggressively pursuing the black ball.
Basil zips around behind Vidonia right up beside her, making it impossible for her to hit the bludger without hitting him as well unless she wants to incur a penalty. Vidonia attempts to pull away but Basil stays even with her. Finally, Vidonia slows slightly and Basil shoots ahead. Unfortunately, they are extremely near a portion of one of the stands. Basil ends up crunching into it with Vidonia brushing past hard enough there's a scraping sound.
Basil knows his broom is damaged and has to fight to keep it steady as he heads down to the ground. He swears aloud though with the noise filling the pitch no one hears him, which is probably for the better. He just barely resists kicking something as he stomps around to where the Hogwarts team is on the sidelines. Only when he's climbed up to the team's bench area does Basil search the air to see who's replaced him and spots Caerwyn Valentine. Or is Mark also out of the match and Basil didn't see him leaving? Thinking it easier to spot the other Hogwarts beater over the pitch than scanning all the faces here on the team stand, Basil continues searching to see if Mark is still in the match as well.
King and Queen of the Castle
Author: Nathaniel Ross
Date: 12-20-10 10:25
They were sat together, by the fireplace once again at the Common Commons. The place was empty but that didn’t seem to bother Nate and Lilac.
“We are the Queen and King of the castle.” She joked.
They had been caught that night by Filch and after losing 15 points to their respective houses, Professor Flitwick and Professor Miller thought that not going to Brazil was enough as a detention.
And so while as everyone was away in order to watch the match, they stayed in the castle together.
Nate laughed at Lilac’s joke and then he asked if she wanted to hear the match on the radio.
“That won’t be necessary. I bet my cousins will tell me about it once they arrive.”
“But aren’t you curious to know who will win?” She shrugged her shoulders and then kissed his cheek.
Nate forgot all about the match then. He wondered what was exactly this that Lilac and he were doing. Did she like him? Or this was just way she had to prove they were best friends again?
“Trust me, once everyone start to arrive back to the castle we will know right away how the game went.” He nodded in comprehension, realizing Lilac did not want to hear about quidditch. Maybe it was less painful this way, ignoring the fact they could be together in the heat having fun with the others, then being stuck at the castle in the cold.
Suddenly Nate had an idea.
“Why don’t you show me what have you been working at Herbology?” Lilac stood up lazily, but her eyes glowed with the perspective of showing Nate what she had been up too.
He had no doubt she would receive an Outstanding as soon as she took her Herbology O.W.Ls. He remembered when they were young she would always run to the greenhouses and was the last one to arrive for dinner, her robes and cheek filled with dirt. She seemed not to mind with that, even when some Slytherin students teased her.
Lilac was bright and very dedicated when it came to magical plants. Nate used to sit at a corner of the greenhouse and watch her work. He wondered if they could do that again, or if she still didn’t trust him well enough to let him stay with her at the greenhouse.
“Better put some gloves and a scarf. “ Lilac advised as they left the Common Commons. “It’s freezing outside.”
“Accio gloves and scarf!” Nate said with a flick of his wand. He did not felt like going to the basement and fetch the objects from his dorm. Lilac smiled watching him putting on his yellow Hufflepuff scarf.
“That’s better.” She told, in a motherly tone as they walk into the grounds.
Going For The Block (Glori)
Author: Phinfilius
Date: 12-20-10 12:27
Glori winces in empathy when Wiggy takes a bludger to the back of the head. It wasn't a direct hit, but more like a glancing blow, plus she knows for a fact that her brother has a hard head. Still, getting knocked about by bludgers is never any fun. It's the least attractive thing about Quidditch in Glori's opinion and definitely makes the sport not for the faint hearted.
In the time since Basil damaged his broom and had to leave the match, play has gone back and forth, back and forth, with little real progress made by either team. In fact, neither Hogwarts nor Escola Mágica de Brasil has gotten near the end zones in awhile. All that changes in a blink though when Amarante San Girard, the chaser who'd came in when Heitor Rabaça left the match, intercepts a pass between Jill and Etta then manages to break away rapidly.
Alfred Jensen and Xuxu Quiaios are able to flank her, helping keep Wiggy, Etta, and Jill from getting in close enough to steal the quaffle from him. Caerwyn sends a bludger but it hits Alfred instead of Amarante. Amarante doesn't pass off to her teammates, keeps the quaffle close in, and continues accelerating. When Alfred was hit by the bludger, Jill used that as an opening to get in near to Amarante. She keeps pace with her, one arm reaching out to see if she can get fingers on the quaffle. Even if she couldn't get it, that might make Amarante shift the quaffle or drop it or something but before Jill can reach very far a bludger from Ezperanza Lima smacks her. The force of it shoves Jill's arm out of the way long enough for Amarante to change the quaffle's position.
By that time they are nearly upon Glori. She readies herself to block the goal shot. Amarante slows long enough to aim and lets the ball go. Glori's got the block only to get hit by a bludger sent by the other Brazilian beater, Vidonia Vilas Boas. It's not an overly hard hit in the grand scheme of things but it's enough to throw Glori's block off. The quaffle makes it through the hoop, adding 10 points to Escola Mágica de Brasil's score. Brazil pulls ahead for a score of 30 with Hogwarts at 20.
Gusto (Caerwyn)
Author: Julian Valentine
Date: 12-20-10 15:45
Caerwyn entered the match with great gusto. He was disappointed at not getting to play in the Sydney match but when you do something so stupid that it results in a severely twisted knee, all from just standing around on the sidelines, then it serves him right for not having gotten to play. Caerwyn was disappointed but knowing that there was a chance he wouldn't have gotten to play anyway, it's not a crushing sort of disappointment and he certainly didn't let it affect his outlook coming into this match against Escola Mágica de Brasil.
Caerwyn had had a good time in Sydney, made all the more special by having his dad along as a chaperone. Coming later in life to know his father, he's missed out on many an opportunity to do stuff like the Sydney sight seeing tour with his dad. As cool and as fun as that was though, getting to come see a school of magic set on the Amazon River and surrounded by tropical forests has been absolutely brilliant. Whether he got to play this match or not, Caerwyn was not going to have any negative memories of being here, not even if Hogwarts loses! The river tour and jungle trek was amazing and the trip into Manaus was fun. Caerwyn was able to pick up a birthday present for Briar there, her birthday being in just a couple of days, and he got Christmas gifts for most everyone on his list. The only hard part was getting his best friend's gift because his best friend was right there the entire time.
Caerwyn reaches the bludger he'd been after and bats it with a mighty crack. He aimed it at Xuxu Quiaios, whose name Caerwyn thinks is fun to say though he figures that most of the time he's not got the pronunciation quite right. Xuxu dodges the bludger but it scrapes by Alfred Jensen. Not what Caerwyn had intented but better than accidently getting one of his own people.
Steering his broom around to go after the other bludger, as it's now closer to him, Caerwyn catches sight of the scoreboard and can't help but frown. No negative memories of his time in Brazil but that doesn't mean that at present he has to like the fact that Hogwarts is down 10 points.
Caerwyn's frown deepens as Xuxu gets nearer to Glori Hodfuffer, ready to shoot the ball. Vidonia Vilas Boas took the bludger that had just hit Alfred Jensen and smacked Glori a good one to the shoulder. Glori doggedly does her best to block Xuxu's shot anyway, effectively stopping the quaffle by using her legs to literally kick it away, which is a perfectly legal move. It's Etta for the rebound but before she gets very far, the other beater for Brazil, Ezperanza Lima, gets in Etta's path. Etta hurls the ball at Jill, who catches it and keeps going with Alfred Jensen hot on her trail. Caerwyn wishes now that the bludger he just hit seconds ago had been at Alfred and not at the third opposing chaser Heitor Rabaça.
There is a startlingly loud crashing sound given the rest of the noise in the Quidditch stadium. Caerwyn, along with many others turn to the source to see what caused it. At first he sees nothing but then looks down. Beater Ezperanza Lima and seeker Herminia de Vielmond are both on the ground near one of the goal posts where Glori Hodfuffer is. Caerwyn wishes he'd been looking that direction to know exactly what happened. In a flash the rest of the match is going on as if nothing just happened. Caerwyn watches long enough to see both girls are up and walking and don't appear injured. In their places are beater Klaas Van der Ley and seeker Sebastiao Cavalcante.
Caerwyn reaches one of the bludgers just moments before Klaas Van der Ley does. He sends it to where Alfred Jensen is still trying to get the quaffle from Jill. Klaas shoots away and intercepts the bludger, redirecting it to Jill instead. She dives below it but somehow loses her hold on the quaffle, allowing Alfred to get it. He whirls around and shoots back the other direction. Caerwyn races Klaas to get to that same bludger with Klaas beating him this time but Caerwyn simply does what Klaas had done to him, he intercepts and redirects. The angle's all wrong though so it misses by a wide margin.
Alfred's closing in on Glori, who looks ready to take him on. Caerwyn hurries to get to a bludger to give her assistance if he's able to help keep the other team from scoring yet again. Caerwyn gets to the bludger and with a crack of the bat, sends it in Alfred's direction.
Faces in the Crowd
Author: Ella
Date: 12-20-10 18:15
Ella held her breath as she watched Caerwyn's bludger sail towards Alfred Jensen, who currently had possession of the quaffle for Escola Mágica de Brasil. As if the chaser had eyes at the back of his head, he dodged the black ball so that the only damage it did was ruffle the hair over his left ear. The bludger, in turn, came dangerously close to where Glori awaited the chaser's arrival, but she had no problem avoiding it either.
Alfred threw back his arm and then propelled it forward, launching the quaffle at the center hoop with such force, that when Glori blocked it with her chest, it knocked the wind from her body. She put it back into play with a grimace, only to have Alfred intercept it before Etta could even get her hands on the quaffle. Quickly, Alfred launched the ball again, and this time his goal attempt was good.
Ella groaned aloud as she watched the scoreboard change from 20-30 to 20-40.
The beginning of the match had been exciting as each team took turns scoring, but now it looked like Brazil was on a roll. If things continued in that way, Hogwarts would be left behind in the dust.
Ella's eyes dropped from the scoreboard to the stands. She had a better view of everything this time, since all the players stood on a raised platform, unlike last time when they'd been on the ground. She saw both of her parents in the stands. They were actually sitting next to each other, which was a sight to see, although the space between them was significant to that of Dunstan and his ever-present girlfriend Delilah. She was practically in his lap.
Ella couldn't make out their facial expressions too well, but she could picture the scowl on her mother's face. Rosemary Harville didn't like her ex-husband's girlfriend one bit, not that Ella could blame her. There wasn't much to like about Delilah.
Ella scanned the stands some more and then spotted Francis sandwiched between a bunch of Gryffindors. He had a giant foam finger on his hand that was black and had the Hogwarts crest on the front.
One person she hadn't seen was Zane. Since arriving at the Pitch, she'd looked around her immediate area to see if he would have a way of getting to her, as he'd had in Sydney, but she didn't see any obvious way for him to do so. And even if he tried, she knew that some of the professors were keeping an eye on things.
Her gaze found the staff box. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape were there. Dumbledore engaged in conversation with one of the Brazilian professors. Professor McGonagall was on her feet, yelling loudly about a play Ella had missed while watching the crowd instead of the game. Snape, meanwhile, was scanning the crowd.
All of a sudden, she saw him turn to Dumbledore and tell him something. Dumbledore looked in the direction Snape pointed, and as Ella turned her head to see what they were both looking at, she heard Professor Batuti call her name.
Ella felt torn between looking into the stands and taking her place in the game, but she didn't hesitate for longer than a second. She mounted her broom and entered the game in place of Mark Farnon.
So Close
Author: Christopher Chant
Date: 12-21-10 10:07
Since entering the match, Christopher has made a number of passes over the vast expanse of the pitch and all without catching a single sight of the golden snitch. He's seen plenty of other colors, both in the crowd and in glimpses of movement from the surrounding jungle. Christopher supposes most of the color he sees moving around in the trees are various types of the brightly plumed tropical birds though he supposes there could be other things, including flowering plants swaying in the breeze that occassional blows. So far though, the only gold he's seen has been glints of jewelry, the purse of some woman in the stands, and some guy's overly loud shirt. At least none of it has made him think SNITCH and had him chasing after. The other seeker currently in the game did just that. Sebastiao Cavalcante made a dive towards the ground when the lady with the shiny gold purse had gone down to concessessions. Even if Christopher had thought it was the snitch, he wouldn't have zoomed in like that because the location was clearly out of bounds. He would have zipped over to the imaginary boundary line and watched for the snitch to cross back over, all the while wondering why the charm that keeps it within bounds during a match wasn't working properly. Christopher guesses that in the excitement of the moment, thinking he'd spotted the snitch, whether what he saw was in bounds or not may never have crossed Sebastiao's mind.
A bludget comes screaming perilously close to Christopher's head. Although it's too late to have avoided it if it had been on target to hit him there, Christopher instinctively ducks. When he does, his eyes go down to just below his broom. His breath suddenly catches because THERE! By this right foot! The snitch!
The winged ball is just hovering there. If Christopher had been barefoot, he would have felt a slight movement of air across his toes, maybe even experienced a fluttering sensation on the outside edge of his foot.
Christopher leans, putting his broom into a very slow barrel roll, his eyes never leaving the snitch. Christopher stretches... stretches... stretches. Almost. He can feel that air movement the those fast moving wings create. Christpher has a fleeting thought, wondering if this is what it would be like to reach out to grab a hovering hummingbird.
As Christopher's fingers start to curl around the snitch, an accented voice yells, "Get out of the way!" The snitch darts away, almost as if startled. Christopher turns to glare as one of the Brazlian chasers races by, quaffle firmly in hand. If it weren't a deliberate foul that he'd definitely get called on, he'd have been tempted to reach out and flip the quaffle out Amarante San Girard's grasp. Christopher has no idea if Amarante was even aware that Christopher had literally had his fingers on the snitch. From the looks of it, she didn't but who knows? If she had, it could have gone either way, with Christopher just as likely to still grab up the snitch. If Amarante had and she had yelled in hopes of causing Christopher to miss grabbing the winged ball, then it worked.
Sending a final dagger filled glare at Amarante's receding figure, Christopher starts his broom slowly moving again, his eyes scanning all around for signs of that annoyingly elusive ball.