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Home Match Nearly Underway (Theodosia)
Author: Viktor Krum
Date: 05-31-11 13:58
The team platforms had gone up last week and temporary stands were squeezed in to help accomadote the larger than usual throng of spectators for the Interscholastic Quidditch Tournament match between France's Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and the UK's Hogwarts. At the moment, Hogwarts graduate and former Beauxbatons students Gabrielle Delacour is making welcoming announcements. She'd contacted Theodosia a few weeks ago asking if she could announce the game, pointing to being bilingual in French and English as a selling point along with having experience announcing matches while still a student at Hogwarts.
Theodosia's just come from the Hogwarts locker room where she said a few words but mainly let Deak, as co-captain, give the pep talk. Team captain Griet isn't able to play in today's match. With the full moon on Monday, she isn't at full strength to play today so much as she hated to, she opted not to be on today's roster. Theodosia had told Griet she's still welcome to come sit on the platform, watching the game while rooting on her team. So far though Griet hasn't made an appearance at the pitch so Theodosia doesn'tk now if she will.
The officials this match are head referee Hiroyuki Sasaki from Okinawa, Mahmood al Atrash from Egypt, and Paolina Mondriani from Italy. All three have officiated other IQT matches that Hogwarts has played and Theodosia knows two of them have officiated Beauxbatons matches as well. She's not sure if Al Atrash has refereed for one of the matches Beauxbatons has played so far in the tournament, not that it really matters. The three are standing on the pitch waiting for the teams to be announced. Then two will take to the air while the third oversees the teams' handshake, releases the balls, and gets the match officially begun before also taking to the air.
There's not much time left to wait as Gabrielle begins introducing the Beauxbaton's starting line-up.
One Of The Starting Chasers (Mason)
Author: Pyrrhus
Date: 05-31-11 16:23
The starters announced, both teams flown from respective lockers rooms to make a circuit around the pitch before those not playing yet went to the sidelines and the starters met the officials at center field. The balls are released except for the quaffle and keepers, seekers, beaters, and four of the six chasers take to the air getting into positions. Deak, as co-captain has remained on the ground along with head referee Sasaki and Gaston Després, a Beauxbaton's chaser.
Sasaki speaks to Deak and Gaston and because he's got his voice amplified, Mason can hear him say in English, "Let's play a clean game. Shake hands."
Mason has spoken a little with Gaston since the Beauxbatons team arrived at Hogwarts so knows that the French chaser has enough command of English to understand what Sasaki has said without Gabriella Delcour's translation that's currently echoing across Quidditch stadium.
What happens next takes place quickly enough it's almost hard to tell in what order things occur. The quaffle is put into play with Deak, Gaston, and Sasaki all shooting upwards on their brooms. Mason doesn't really care in what order these things happen. All that matters now is that the quaffle is in play and the match has officially begun.
Mason darts forward, leaning across his broom for speed, trying to get to the quaffle first. Beater Yannick Garand is even quicker, not only getting to a bludger in a blink but has the black ball screaming straight at Mason. He flinches and ducks and in the process overshoots the quaffle.
Olive is the lucky one. Grabbing the quaffle just as as the fingers of Caresse Renard are grazing the red cover. Olive rolls, quaffle tucked closely to her side and curves to get about Caresse. Caresse makes a grab to steal but Olive has too tight a hold and is accelerating fast enough that the French girl couldn't have gotten a good enough grip even if Olive hadn't had the ball firmly against her body.
Bludger avoided for the moment, Mason shoots over Gaston's head and cuts off the third Beauxbatons chaser, Soleil Honoré, from getting in to close to Olive. Olive throws to Deak as Caerwyn uses a bludger to stop Caresse from intercepting. The other French beater, Thierry Bessette, though has gotten a solid hit on Deak. Deak's grip loses on the quaffle and he can't seem to renew his hold so he ends up throwing to Mason. The throw is a bit off though and Mason has to dive to get it, just missing it by a hair when Soleil plucks it from its path, arcing around heading back the other direction.
That Stings (Glori)
Author: Phinfilius
Date: 05-31-11 17:15
Soleil Honoré is charging Glori's direction but at this point is still just over half the length of the pitch away. Alastor hits a bludger on an intercept course but Soleil veers then almost immediately passes to Gaston. Gaston, in turn, goes for the long throw to Caresse, who's about halfway between him and where Glori awaits.
Deak's caught up to Caresse though so even as Caresse sprints towards Glori, Deak is harassing her, attempting to steal. Beauxbatons beater Theirry gets a bludger off at Deak but Caerwyn gets in between it and Deak and first gives it a tap to change its direction then darting after it and coming around at a better angle, slams his bat into. To Glori it looks as though he's aiming for Gaston who's rapidly closing the distance and is open for Caresse to get a pass of to.
The bludger hits Gaston right about the same time Deak nearly gets the quaffle from Caresse. She ends up throwing to Soleil who charges straight at Glori. She throws well before she should so Glori has no trouble catching the quaffle for the block. She puts it back into play with a throw to Mason only to have him miss it when a bludger smacks his hand.
Soleil snatches the ball back up and fires off another shot at Glori. Again Glori blocks but this time with her broom instead of her hands. Gaston grabs the rebound and prepares to throw for another Beauxbatons' goal attempt. Glori's sure she's got the third block when something smacks hard into her side. She never saw the bludger coming and the hit is hard enough it shoves knocks her partway over. The quaffle soars past and cleanly through the hoops where Gaston had aimed it.
Side smarting something fierce, Glori blinks her now moist eyes and grits her teeth as the pitch fills with cheers from the French supporters and Gabrielle Delacour announces that Beauxbatons has scored the first ten points of the match.
Bad Luck
Author: Griet
Date: 05-31-11 17:55
Sometimes Griet wasn't sure which she disliked more: the days leading up to the full moon, when she felt ill more often the not, or the transformation itself, which was never a pleasant process. Since becoming a werewolf, Griet's transformations had rarely taken place on or around significant events. She'd missed classes on many occasions but had missed out on little else.
Statistically she shouldn't have been that fortunate. She should have missed the occasional trip to Hogsmeade or one of the Drama Club's plays. Why the full moon hadn't fallen on or around one such event appeared to be one of the many mysteries of the universe.
Now it would seem that Griet's luck had finally run out. She'd started out the day in her own bed, but, at Oberon's insistence, had later moved to the Hospital Wing. He'd sat with her, listening to the growing crowd through the open window and looking out towards the Pitch with longing, until Griet had finally told him to go. She would be fine. He didn't need to keep her company. She wasn't sure if he'd made it to the Pitch in time for the tip-off, but he was probably there by now.
Griet was very sorry that she didn't feel up to playing in the match against Beauxbatons. It could have been her only opportunity to play against the French school of magic––unless Hogwarts and Beauxbatons both make it to the championships. If only the full moon were several days away... then, she would have played, assuming Coach Batuti would have even put her into the game. The full moon was tomorrow night, though.
If there was any consolation to Griet's situation, it was that she wasn't missing out on a match in another country. She hadn't missed any sightseeing trips or exotic meals.
She shifted to her side and shut her eyes, though she didn't go to sleep. The Pitch was far enough away from the Hospital Wing windows that Griet couldn't make out every word the announcer said, but she could hear the rise and fall of the crowd's cheers.
She saw shadow behind her eyelids and realized Madam Pomfrey had come to her side. The nurse set a handheld WWN listening device on Griet's bedside table and tapped it with her wand. Immediately, commentary on the Hogwarts-Beauxbatons match filled Griet's ears. She opened her eyes and whispered her thanks to Madam Pomfrey.
"You're quite welcome, dear," Madam Pomfrey said. She went off to do something else, leaving Griet to listen to the match and wish she were there in the thick of it.
Beaters Chase Bludgers (Caerwyn)
Author: Julian Valentine
Date: 06-01-11 07:12
Roughly ten minutes have passed since Beauxbatons scored the first goal. Caerwyn has spent that time racing the French team's two beaters Thierry Bessette and Yannick Garand to bludgers. So far he's gotten to one first about half the time, maybe a little more. Sometimes he doesn't even bother going for a bludger when he knows Theirry or Yannick is closer. Instead, Caerwyn waits until the black ball has been hit then intercepts to send it on a differnt course.
At the moment Caerwyn's just backed off one bludger he'd stared twoards, but not because of Theirry or Yannick. Alastor Jenkins was closing rapidly in on it do rather than vying with his own teammate for it, he spun his broom around, eyes searching for the other black ball.
Spotting it on a path to hit current quaffle holder Olive Green, Caerwyn accelerates, bending far over his broom to cut down wind resistance, holding his bat in close so that it also doesn't create a drag. He slows his broom and readies his bat as he draws near, giving the bludger a hearty smack to send it only a short distance to hit Beauxbatons' Soleil Honoré who has successfully been preventing Olive from getting a pass off to Deak Bennett. Third Hogwarts chaser Mason is behind Olive in a position that isn't currently a good one for Olive to try to pass the quaffle to.
The bludger hits Soleil, causing just enough of a distracting slow down for her that Olive's able to get the quaffle off to Deak. Deak, who is further ahead, pulls away even more, bringing him into the area around the three hoops at this end of the pitch that's considered prime goal attempt range. Caerwyn hurries after the bludger he'd recently hit into Soleil so he can better assist Deak whether the Hogwarts chaser goes for the goal attempt or passes off to Mason or Olive.
That's Unexpected (Deak)
Author: Kody
Date: 06-01-11 15:36
Deak drives in towards the hoops where Beauxbatons keeper Manon Leveque is watching him like a hawk. At the last possible second Deak throws to Mason who immediately passes to Olive. She hurls the quaffle at the hoop nearest her, which is the left if facing them. Manon had thought Deak was going for the goal and was more at Manon's left, or right if facing it. She'd begun shifting the other way when Deak passed to Mason but she's still unable to get all the way over in time to block Olive's shot.
A roar fills the pitch and Gabby Delacour announces that Hogwarts ahs tied the score. There's a somewhat angry exchange between Beauxbatons chaser Gaston Després and beater Thierry Bessette but even if Deak spoke fluent French with the way the crowd is cheering he wouldn't have been able to make out exactly what was said. All he knows is that Thierry rockets away in a huff, his bat coming dangerously close to whacking both Olive and Caresse Renard in the head.
Manon gives the quaffle over to Gaston and while everyone else has flown a little further on, Deak sticks with Gaston in hopes the other boy will have an opening allowing Deak to regain possession of the quaffle. A black streak is heading his way so he instinctively ducks only to realize the bludger was not aimed at him but at Gaston. Thinking it was sent either by Alastor or Caerwyn, Deak is surprised to hear a whistle blow and a foul called on Thierry. Against Gaston!
Thierry's given a warning but the Beauxbaton's coach Donatain Boulanger, whom Deak learned is also a Fine Arts professor, decides to pull the boy from the game. While this is going on the other players are pretty much hovering in one place, waiting to be told what's what. Even though there are 700 or so possible fouls in Quidditch, with some of them pertaining to a person fouling a teammate, this is the first time Deak's ever seen it happen.
Gaston is near enough to where Deak is hovering that they are able to talk briefly with Gaston saying in his heavy French accent, "Zo stupeed. E thinks I am stealing heez girlfriend."
"Are you?"
"She eez veree pretty but no, I ave my own."
They don't get to say too much more because the referees are ready to get the game going again. During the short break Coach Batuti also chose to pull Glori, who's apparantly more hurt from the early bludger she took than anyone first realized, making Deka wonder if maybe she's got broken ribs or something.
A fresh beater comes in for Beauxbatons and a new keeper for Hogwarts. Beauxbatons retains possession of the quaffle, so it's Gaston with it still as play resumes.
Hunter Goes In (Hunter & Olive)
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 06-01-11 17:54
Hunter is the one sent in for Glori. Her face is pale and she's sitting stiffly on her broom as she passes him on her way to the platform. He doesn't know it then but he's having the same thought as Deak, wondering if that bludger to Glori's side broke some ribs.
Over on the Beauxbatons' team, Collette Leveque is coming in as beater for Thierry Besette. Even from this distance, Hunter can tell that Thierry is spitting mad and doesn't appear at all to be the least bit embarassed at having been pulled for unsportsmanlike conduct against a teammate. Boy, would Hunter like to know what that's all about. As for Collette, from that first day the Beauxbatons team was at Hogwarts, he knows that she's a cousin to Manon Leveque who's currently in the French keeper position.
Hunter reaches his spot and turns his full attention to the match that's now resuming. With Beauxbatons Gaston Després retaining the quaffle when play starts back up, Hunter doesn't want to let his mind wander. Not that he should let his mind wander even when Hogwarts has possession.
Gaston has Deak shadowing him but tries to zoom by the Hogwarts chaser. He goes to pass the quaffle but Deak's able to get in close enough to tip the ball out of Gaston's hand. Deak fumbles for it but ends up dropping it. Mason darts in to snatch it with Soleil Honoré, who's just about the prettiest girl Hunter's ever seen, nearly running into Mason while she too goes for the quaffle.
It's Mason with it though and he jerks back the other direction, sprinting back to where Manon is on guard. Olive cuts in front of Caresse Renard, narrowling missing a bludger from game newbie Collette. Alastor hurdles at top speed around Olive in pursuit of that very same bludger, quickly reaching it and giving it a massive thwack towards Soleil who's hot on Mason's heels.
Caerwyn's just sent the other bludger at Gaston only to have Yannick Garand get between the ball and the Beauxbatons chaser. Yannick sends the bludger right at Mason, getting him square in the back. He drops the quaffle with Soleil there to grab it. She's also rubbing her thigh where Alastor's bludger got her but she's not letting that slow her down. Soleil is in a tight arc to go back toward Hunter when she takes another bludger hit, this one from Caerwyn. It's enough to let Olive in to grab the quaffle. Seeing Deak open she hurls the red ball at him but at the last possible second Gaston is there and intercept. Olive makes a face at having turned the quaffle over so quickly.
Gaston actually slows, allowing Caresse and Soleil to reach his sides. Together the three French chasers work the quaffle every closer to Hunter. When they get within goal range it's Caresee with the quaffle, or so Hunter thinks. He's prepared to block her only she's not the one with the quaffle. It's Soleil and she's throwing the ball from another trajectory. Hunter makes a dive for it and though it scrapes his fingers he can't deflect it. Beauxbatons scores its second goal.
(Mark) Down But Not Out
Author: Isolde
Date: 06-01-11 18:32
After the second goal made by Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Professor Batuti quickly flagged down Mason and Caerwyn, who flew to the platform with some reluctance. As soon as they touched down, she sent in Julietta and Mark as their replacements. The Beauxbatons contingent also made changes to their roster. Out went Gaston Després and Manon Leveque, and in went Marcel Gravois and Darcia Desmarais.
The head referee blew his whistle, signalling the resumption of the match. The quaffle went into play via Deak, who tucked it securely against his body and took off like a shot, leaving everyone in a figurative cloud of dust for a brief moment in time. Mark immediately went after the closest bludger, which was actually a hair closer to one of the French beaters, Yannick Garand.
Yannick whacked it in Deak's direction before Mark could reach it himself. He'd been flying so swiftly that he had to swerve to avoid crashing into Yannick. Yannick hardly even noticed, so focused was he on hitting the next bludger.
The efforts of the beaters from Beauxbatons slowed Deak down enough that the other chasers caught up to him. Caresse Renard tried to lift the quaffle from Deak's hold, but Mark hit a bludger in her direction, forcing her to jerk back her arm or risk injury. Marcel tried another tactic, and cut in front of Deak to force him to abandon his currently flight path. Deak nearly crashed into Soleil, who swiped at the quaffle and managed to loosen it from Deak's hold, but not enough for him to let go. Aware of the bind he'd found himself in, Deak found a small opening and passed the ball to Julietta.
Collette Leveque aimed a bludger at Etta as soon as she caught the quaffle. Mark noticed the action straight off and put himself between Etta and the black ball. He pivoted it around so that it struck Soleil in the back, just as she was extending her arm towards Etta. Unfortunately, Yannick had the other bludger and slammed it at Etta. She rolled to avoid what could have been a broken collar bone but lost her hold on the quaffle. It fell in freefall, and before Hogwarts could recover it, Beauxbatons had it in their possession.
Mark spun around to follow the pack in the other direction, hoping to stop Beauxbatons from scoring again and to get the quaffle back into the hands of a Hogwarts chaser.
Snitchless and Concussed
Author: Charisma Stone
Date: 06-02-11 15:04
The match raced on beneath her as Isma, the starting Seeker for the Hogwarts team, scanned the pitch for signs of the winged, glimmering, ellusive little ball that was the snitch, and worth one hundred and fifty points and usually brought about the end of the game. She was doing a grid pattern that more often than not had worked for her advantage in past games where she'd been seeker - at least for the time she'd been in the game. It wasn't always her that was the one that caught the snitch in the game.
Every so often she flicked her gaze toward Sinclair who was scanning the pitch as well for the glimmering golden ball. They both wanted to catch the ball, they both wanted to be the one to bring victory to their team, however, neither were being very successful. There had been a brief conversation between the seekers while Thierry Bessette had been fouled for sending a bludger at his teammate, Gaston, and subsequently removed from the game. Sinclair's thoughts were that it had something to do with a girl or something else just as trivial.
Fingertips slipped through her hair as the match was again called into fast paced action. She listened to the lilting French accent of Gabrielle Delacour as she called the shots of the game, while also looking for the snitch at the same time. She and Sinclair had gone off in separate directions and were hunting for the snitch. Suddenly there was a movement off to Isma's right, and just as she turned her head she saw the snitch take a dive toward the ground.
Isma went for it, racing down after the snitch, thankful that the mob of chasers and beaters were at the opposite end of the pitch for the time being or that would have made this action all the more difficult and require more concentration that it currently did. She kept her eyes on the snitch and the ground, trying to make certain that she would have enough time to pull up if it came too close, however, that would be a moot point.
Her eyes had been fastened to the glimmering golden ball, that she'd not seen the rogue bludger that had been hit to try and dislodge the quaffle from French Chaser Caresse Renard. Had she seen the bludger, she would have been able to swerve, however at the angle she was flying and the fact that her focus had been on the snitch she didn't know the bludger was there until it connected with her right ear.
A cry of pain slipped from her lips before unconsciousness took over and Isma began to plummet the remainder of the way toward the ground. If she hit the ground she had no idea, but, by the time she woke she was in the hospital wing hearing the commentary coming from the handheld broadcasting device near Griet's bedside.
"Wh..what happened?" Isma managed, and Griet filled her in, and soon enough Madame Pomfrey returned with a potion that would help ease the pain of any headache that Isma might have from her run in with the bludger. It was already determined that she had a concussion and would spend the rest of the day and probably the night in the Hosptial Wing.
Isma soon learned that after the game had resumed and Griet's sister, Aleydis, went in as Seeker for Hogwarts, that Hogwarts had again tied the score at 20-20. The tying goal had been scored by Deak Bennett who was currently in possesion of the quaffle again and racing toward the Beauxbaton's goal hoops.
(Blake) Some Play Time
Author: Charisma Stone
Date: 06-02-11 15:22
Blake sat on the sidelines with the rest of the Hogwarts Quidditch team, minus one, it was unfortunate that Griet had to miss this game but things happen that we can not control. It was a good game, really, really good game so far. However, Blake couldn't keep his heart from stopping as Isma soon enough was carted off to the hospital wing on a stretcher because she was unconscious after a rogue bludger that had been hit by Mark to dislodge the quaffle from the hands of one of the Beauxbaton's chasers hit her. When the announcement came that she would indeed be alright, but only had a concussion Blake finally let himself relax.
Blake would only have a few moments to make plans on seeing Isma after the match, because soon enough Alastor Jenkins was taken out of the game and Blake was sent in for him. Grabbing his bat and taking to the air he waited for the Quaffle to come back into play before taking off and heading straight for the nearest bludger to try and interrupt the pass from Soleil to Marcel Gravois who had come in for Gaston at the same time Mark had entered the game earlier.
Blake was successful and Julietta soon had possession of the quaffle and was rocketing toward the Beauxbaton's goals currently being guarded by Darcia Desmarais who had come in at the same time Marcel had entered. Deak had come out after scoring the tying goal and had been replaced with Marjani Batuti who quickly snapped up the pass from Etta and continued to sail toward the Beauxbaton's goal hoops. Blake managed to divert Marcel's attempt to intercept a pass between Marjani and Olive.
Olive was within perfect scoring distance of the hoops, however, quickly passed the quaffle to Etta who launched it at the hoops and it was deflected easily by Darcia who passed the quaffle back into play in a quick motion to Marcel who began leading the pack back toward the Hogwarts goals now manned by Hunter.