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Mental Math (Etta)
Author: Jared
Date: 12-21-10 13:19
None of the Hogwarts team are, of course, pleased to be down by twenty points. None are letting that dishearten them to the point they are playing badly. Whether in school matches or pick-up games, they've all been on teams that were behind. Etta doesn't know about the others but she's pretty sure that the only way being behind would truly get them down is if the other team were to score enough goals that Hogwarts getting the snitch still wouldn't matter. Escola Mágica de Brasil has a long way to go before that happens. Unless she's done the quick match in her head wrong, with the currernt score of 20-40 for a tie in which Brazil runs up the goals but Hogwarts gets the snitch, Brazil has to score another 13 goals. That would mean 14 more to win. Unless Hogwarts loses so many players due to injury, Etta just can't see Brazil scoring that many more goals without Hogwarts also scoring a few times.
Amarante San Girard has finally passed the quaffle but she made a really bad throw and Etta was there to catch it instead of Xuxu Quiaios. Etta angles around to accelerate away, flattening herself over her broom when she senses a bludger coming in at her from one side. Staying low over the broom handle cuts back on wind resistance and friction, allowing to increase her speed even more. Jill appears slightly below her so Etta makes a show of passing off the quaffle to her, though really she hasn't. Some of the Hogwarts chasers have gotten fairly good at pulling a fake out during matches and Etta hopes this is one such moment.
A bludger is sent towards Jill but Caerwyn intercepts and sends it on course to hit Alfred Jensen to slow him from getting up on Jill and trying to steal what he thinks is the quaffle. Etta can see ahead of her that Ella is in the process of batting the second bludger and based on the direction she's sent it, Etta takes it that it's for Xuxu.
The Hogwarts chasers keep up the pretense of Jill having the quaffle and once near enough the other team's hoops, Jill positions herself as if for a goal attempt. Brazil's keeper Marta Westphalen has her eyes on Jill. Etta, who actually still has the quaffle, moves in, pulls out the quaffle from where she had it tucked into her uniform robes, and with one deft flick of her wrist lets the quaffle fly.
Eyes still on Jill, Marta never sees Etta shooting the ball. The quaffle easily sails through the middle of the hoop, bringing Hogwarts score to 30 points.
With a score now of 30 Hogwarts, 40 Escola Mágica de Brasil, Etta revises her mental game info to 14 goals need for the other team to tie even if Hogwarts gets the snitch and 15 for a win.
In Attendance
Author: Zabrynna
Date: 12-21-10 18:34
For about the thousandth time since the Hogwarts-Escola Mágica de Brasil Quidditch match began, Anne asks Zabrynna, "You okay? Do you need to go down to the ground for awhile?"
Philippa nudges Anne. "She's told us that it's not so much being up high. It's flying."
At Anne's question Zabrynna had looked up from the book she's sort of been reading while the match has been taking place in front of them. "I'm fine, Anne. Thanks for being so concerned."
"I still can't believe this is really the first match you've ever attended."
"I've still never listened to more than five minutes of one on the WWN."
"That's just so bizarre."
Philippa laughs. "There are probably witches and wizards all over the world who've never listened to a match or attended one. Not everyone is the fan you are, Anne."
"I know, but still, when you consider that Quidditch is THE sport of the Wizarding World, it's hard to imagine there are really that many people who aren't very into it." Anna pats Zabrynna's arm. "We're so happy you came. I just wish we were ahead."
"We aren't?" Zabrynna looks towards the scoreboard.
Philippa rolls her eyes. "I know you hate to watch flying and that the book is helping distract you from it, but are you really not paying much attention to what's going on?"
"Sorry. I didn't come to see the game. I wanted to see what a school set in the Amazon looks like. I would have gone right back after looking around if I could have. I've got loads I could be doing."
"Studying for NEWTs can be put on hold for a few hours," Anne scoffs.
"I have other things besides studying for NEWTs."
Philippa laughs aloud again. "Studying for classes and doing homework can also be put on hold for a little while."
"There's that work I've been doing for Professor Hodfuffer," Zabrynna points out.
"You've never said really why you took on a job when we are in NEWT level classes and need to use lots of our time studying for classes and the NEWTs themselves."
Zabrynna shrugs at Philippa's comment. "My parents haven't been sending me allowance anymore. Mariposa offered to loan me a little so I'd have spending money on Hogsmeade weekends and for Christmas. I do have some money put into savings so it's not as though I'm totally broke but with going to university the popular thing to do these days after graduation, I should save what I have for tuition fees and other costs; and while it's one thing to accept a loan from my sister for Christmas gifts for friends, I wouldn't feel right using her money to buy her something."
Anne does her own one shouldered shrug now. "Makes a certain sense. Still, it's good you came today. If you haven't you would never have met the positively gorgeous Dimas." She waggles her eyebrows at Zabrynna and Philippa, her mouth curving into an impish smile.
"Speaking of that steamy Latin lover, he's looking this way and pointing at the stairs." Philippa raises a hand to wave at Dimas to indicate they've seen.
Philippa and Anne both stand, each with a hand cupping one of Zabrynna's elbows. "You look thirsty. We should help you down to the nearest concession stand to help block all those zooming brooms from view as you go down the stairs." Anne says this while trying to look innocent of having other motives.
Zabrynna puts her book into her purse, knowing with both of her friends encouraging her to go down to see Dimas again, it's best to just go along. Besides, if they stay standing much longer without moving, the people around them are going to get testy. Resigned, she says, "Fine, let's go then." What could it hurt anyway? Maybe Dimas is just what she needs to finally get her mind off Declan Douglass once and for all.
Alert
Author: Minerva McGonagall
Date: 12-21-10 18:57
Up until only a moment ago, Professor McGonagall had been up on her feet, yelling loudly in support of Hogwarts. Her passion for Quidditch made it impossible for her not to stay seated when watching as thrilling a match as the game against Brazil proved thus far.
Now she stepped down the staircase with Professors Snape and Dumbledore leading the way.
"Are you sure it was him, Severus?" Minerva asked him, rather loudly to be heard over the din of the Pitch.
"I recognized him plainly enough," Snape replied, as he strode swiftly to the bottom step and then led the way beneath the stands to another section several places over.
"How near is he to the girl?" Dumbledore questioned.
"Not directly behind, but in an adjacent box," Snape answered.
"He didn't try making contact with her?" Minerva asked, hurrying to catch up. Snape's long strides took him to the the steps leading up to the box in which he'd last seen the wizard in question.
"I did not witness him doing so," he replied.
Minerva had more questions, but she didn't voice them. Instead, she pursed her lips together and tried not to worry about how one of her students appeared to have a stalker.
Snape reached the landing and began moving down a nearby row. Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore followed, but when Snape stopped abruptly, they nearly collided into each other.
"What is it, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, over McGonagall's head.
Severus turned around to look at them both. "He's gone."
Professor McGonagall looked around Snape and saw an empty space in the stands between two spectators. Those behind them grew restless to have their view blocked. The three Hogwarts professors turned and filed back down the row to the stairs.
All three fixed their gaze on the platform where the Quidditch players stood. Ella Harville had long left it for the game itself. They looked for her and saw that she appeared fine.
"Are you sure, Severus?" Dumbledore asked him.
"I know what I saw," Snape answered.
"Then let's keep our eyes open in case he is still here," Dumbledore suggested.
Professor McGonagall offered to stay put while the others moved to different locations around the Pitch. If Minerva saw the wizard in question during the course of the rest of the match, she would not hesitate to stun him if she had to. She was, after all, fiercely protective of all her students, but especially Gryffindors like Miss Harville.
In The Match At Last (Alexa)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 12-21-10 21:54
Even with Brazil leading by 10, Alexa is jazzed. She went into the match a little before Jill scored that last Hogwarts goal, bringing them back within ten points of the other team. As she hadn't gotten to play in the Sydney match, she was so hoping to get to play this one. When Coach Batuti tapped her to go in, Alexa couldn't get into the air fast enough.
At the moment Alexa has the quaffle, hovering halfway between midpitch and where Marta Westphalen guards hoops. She'd pulled up because there was a bludger shooting across her path. Alexa chose to hover rather than dip, climb, or simply slow down because she could see that things were a perfect setup for a particular move. The Hogwarts chasers had practiced a move for something like this. Alexa hovers, quaffle in hand, looking to Jill, aiming the quaffle her way. Jill slows, her body turned, hands into the classic ball catching position. Alexa puts a lot of energy into the throw, which she slightly alters at the last possible moment to go not to Jill where two of the other team's chasers are converging, but to Etta.
Etta easily catches the quaffle, that much closer to that area with the best distances from the hoops for making a goal attempt. Etta zags around one of their own beaters, then has to zig around beater Klaas Van der Ley. Alfred Jensen tries to stop Etta but she breaks left around him and lets the quaffle go. Marta blocks with the quaffle bouncing back towards Etta, she grabs it and throws again but this time Marta catches it. Marta tosses it to Alfred, who executes a sharp turn and takes off back the other way.
Etta and Jill are close behind. Alexa, who'd hung back a little, gets in Alfred's way. He passes off to Amarante San Girard who immediately passes to Xuxu Quiaios. Both Hogwarts beaters, Ella and Caerwyn, are racing against Klaas and the other beater, Vidonia Vilas Boas, to get to the bludgers. Xuxu goes to pass back to Amarante but Alexa intercepts it.
For probably the next fifteen or twenty minutes, the quaffle goes back and forth in this manner. Brazil's coach pulls Alfred out at one point, putting in Dalibora Kovalic. The back and forth ends with Dalibora, assisted by a bludger from Vidonia, steals the quaffle from Etta and shoots towards Glori Hodfuffer. Try as they might, the Hogwarts players can't stop Dalibora. She moves in for the goal, throwing the quaffle just as a bludger smacks Glori at the side of her head. Alexa thinks that Klaas had meant to hit her more in the shoulder but whatever, it's extremely forceful and clearly disorients Glori. The quaffle goes through the hoop, bringing the score to 50-30, Hogwarts trailing again by twenty points.
Glori is slow to retrieve the quaffle and one of the referees is zipping over to her. Alexa surmises she's going to check Glori for concussion, which would put Glori from the match. In the meantime, Etta's gotten the quaffle to put into play. Before anyone can really do much of anything else, another referee blows his whistle, the announcer shouting something first in Portuguese and then in English. Alexa lets out a whoop of joy. Apparently when everyone was watching Escola Mágica de Brasil score its fifth goal and Glori getting a very hard hit to the head, Christopher Chant had caught the snitch!
Hogwarts wins the match 180 to 50!
End of an Evening
Author: Desdemona Diamond
Date: 12-21-10 21:59
“Well, I think that went well.”
“Yeah, actually,” I responded. Xavier’s voice having snapped me back for the moment.
“You have not said three words since we left, and those two were the first!”
“Sorry, having a mental argument,” I told him, “Figuring out the best way to get my sister to go back home.” Sure, I was getting a little tired of my sister living with me, but that wasn’t the only thing on my mind. I just hoped it sounded good enough that he wouldn’t probe deeper.
Instead, he just suddenly grabbed the sides of my head, and looked straight at my face, “Do you,” he started slowly, “Have any idea where we are?”
I blinked a couple times, but couldn’t see anything, “We’re… wherever we are standing.” I answered. He sighed and let go. I glanced around real quick and realized, we were standing in front of my apartment.
“I know something’s been bothering you. Your sister told me you’ve been acting weird ever since you collapsed at the kitchen table. I noticed it too, you’re distracted all the time. I want you to know that you can talk to me about it. Whatever it is.”
“Well,” I started, “I’m not entirely sure what it is. That’s part of the problem.”
”What do you mean?”
“Well… It’s hard to describe it. And how do I talk about something I can’t describe?”
He stood thoughtfully for a few moments before saying, “Yeah, that’s a hard one. If it was something bad, you would try though, right?”
“Yes…” I answered, feigning annoyance, “If it was bad I would mention it…”
“Desi…”
I shrugged, “Look, it’s just confusing as hell, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good. Like I said, I can’t really describe it.”
“I don’t want to push things, but sometimes that wall you have up makes it hard to tell if you’re ok.”
“I think I’ll be fine,” I shrugged again, “I’ll either figure it out or forget it. It’s just going to bug me to no end until then.”
“That it?”
I gave him a smile, “Yeah, that’s it.”
“Ok,” he said, “As for your sister, toss her out the window.” I couldn’t help myself but laugh a little.
“I hadn’t thought of that,” I said, “Thanks for… well, not pushing.”
“I can’t force you to talk about it,” he said before cracking a smile, “Who knows, if I tried you might break my nose.”
I smiled back before saying, “I wouldn’t do that,” I pointed at him, “But I could.”
“Yeah, I know you can.” We stood there a moment before the door swung open. My sister stood there looking between the two of us for a moment.
“I thought I heard voices out here.”
“Sorry, we were just talking,” I told her.
She nodded and turned to Xavier, “You coming in?”
“No, I’ve got things to do in the morning,” he answered. He turned to me with a smile, “Remember what I said about the window.”
“Yeah, I remember.” With a quick kiss goodnight, he turned and walked down the hall and down the stairs. After he was gone, I turned back to my sister, who was still looking down the hall, “Are you going to move so I can get in?”