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More Wenlocks In The Match (Jill & Alastor)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 07-13-11 18:01
Daniel blocks Irma's shot then in the chasers' scramble to get the quaffle Irma somehow collides with him. They in turn smash into part of one of the hoops. All three referees are blowing their whistles and converging on Irma and Daniel, both of whom managed to stay on their brooms. Irma's cradling one elbow, trying hard not to cry aloud even as tears roll down her face. Daniel's got a hand to the back of his head, wincing at the massive headache that's blossomed. Irma's sent to Salem's sideline with John Nelson coming into the match in her place.
Daniel also leaves because he's got a possible concussion. In his headache filled daze he misses hearing who goes in for him.
As long as substitutions are being made, Coach Batuti taps Alastor to go in as beater with Mark coming out and Jill takes Mason's place as chaser. On the Salem side, Henry Fellows comes in and beater Ian Whitfield exits the match.
As the quaffle had not been in anyone's hands when the accident happened there's another tip-off a short distance from the Hogwarts guarded hoops. Jill's so eager to get going she nearly jumps the signal but manages to restrain herself. It's John Nelson, also fresh to the match, who gets the quaffle much to Jill's disappointment.
John doesn't have a great grip for making a goal shot though he's well within range so he passes off to Tucker Standish. Tucker moves forward with the quaffle only to have Etta pluck it away before he get his shot set up. Etta wheels the other way, taking off in the opposite direction. Jill and Jack move up on either side to help work the quaffle down the pitch.
Alastor meanwhile has reached one of the bludgers, sending it with a satisfying crack of the bat at Salem seeker Rhea Flint who was looking as though she'd spotted something. Can't have her finding the snitch when Alastor's barely had a chance to play. For that matter, can't have her finding the snitch period.
The bludger serves as the distraction Alastor was hoping for, even though it barely grazes Rhea's broom. It's enough for her to lose focus on whatever she was seeing, be it the snitch or something else. That matter out of the way, at least until Rhea goes and spots the snitch again, Alastor sprints after that same bludger to hit at chaser John Nelson, not because John's fresh energy to the match is being a problem at the moment but simply because from the few times he's been around John Nelson the past few days Alastor thinks he's more than a bit of a wanker.
As John is busy dodging Alastor's bludger Jill's caught a nicely made pass from Jack. She drives forward only to veer to one side to avoid a bludger hit by Henry Fellows. Then it's quaffle back to Jack who passes it to Etta. They continue working the quaffle this way all the way to where Emily Frost awaits, with the three Salem chasers and two beaters doing their damnedest to put a stop to Hogwarts forward movement.
It's back to Jill with the quaffle thanks to an underhand throw from Etta. Jill narrows her eyes as she picks a hoop, arm going back for the throw. She lets the quaffle fly and with an assist from Alastor with a bludger at Emily, Jill lets out a shout of delight when the red ball soars through that hoop, bringing Hogwarts score to 30 with Salem's still at 10.
(Aleydis) No Show Snitch
Author: Griet
Date: 07-13-11 19:19
When Salem got its first points on the board, the mood in the stadium shifted slightly. The Hogwarts contingent became a little bit nervous, and Salem started to gain confidence. A lot of nothing happened after that, with much back and forth but little to show for the players' efforts. Then the big accident occurred, taking out players on both sides. The newcomers had fresh energy that enlivened a match that had seen little action since that Salem goal.
Everything changed anew when Jill scored. Hogwarts seemed very much in charge again, even though the British school hadn't fallen behind since the match began.
Despite the energy she felt, Aleydis had yet to spot the snitch. She'd looked everywhere and hadn't seen a single glint of gold. No reflection off somebody's watch or the lenses of omnioculars. No sweet wrappers drifting in the breeze. She'd spotted absolutely nothing that could be or be mistaken for the golden snitch.
Not so the American seeker, or so Aleydis thought. Apparently she wasn't the only one to think so, though, because Alastor had aimed a bludger for Rhea earlier. It had definitely distracted her, but unfortunately, Aleydis had caught on too late. She'd never seen whatever Rhea had seen.
Both girls moved around the pitch, scanning this way and that for the snitch that didn't want to show itself. Occasionally, they glanced at each other to see if one or the other had spotted anything, but neither did. Just when Aleydis was beginning to think that she never would catch sight of the snitch before Coach Batuti pulled her from the match, it darted right in front of her face, startling her so much that she jerked back reflexively instead of snatching it from the sky.
Her sudden movement drew not only Rhea's attention but that of all the beaters as well. It didn't help that the commentator announced the snitch's sighting for everybody to hear.
It was, of course, long gone before Aleydis reacted, though she hadn't lost sight of it. She made herself as small as possible and torpedoed through the air, determined to fly as fast as her broomstick could go. Rhea was quick to catch up but couldn't surpass Aleydis. The girls flew shoulder to shoulder, following the snitch on a path that zigged and zagged.
The golden ball taunted them by flying directly into the path of the oncoming pack of chasers, led by John Nelson of Salem, who had the quaffle tucked securely under his arm. Both Aleydis and Rhea had the same thought: they could continue flying and catch the snitch with the certain risk that they would injure themselves quite badly in the process, or forgo the injury for another go at the snitch at another time.
Instinct won. Both girls veered off at the last second, and the snitch dropped below the pack, neatly avoiding contact with everybody. When Aleyis and Rhea both arced around to meet up with the snitch, it had disappeared all over again.
Glori(ous) (Glori, a tiny bit Wiggy)
Author: Phinfilius
Date: 07-14-11 15:31
Glori is the one who'd gone in when Daniel Gelson came out. She'd had fun these last few days getting to sight see, knowing it might be the last time the team gets to go on little side trips like they've taken for each away match. Hogwarts making it into the IQT championship match is strong but not a foregone conclusion. It will greatly depend on how the other IQT matches going on today. For the life of her Glori can't remember if there's another day of play for some of the teams or not before the championship. The location of the championship isn't going to be announced until the two teams playing in it are known so even if Hogwarts is one of those two teams, the match could end up being held Hogwarts. Glori fervently hopes her team is in the championship and also hopes the match is held somewhere else because getting to travel with the team is grand in her opinion, even if it means having make-up work in the classes she's missed because of the travel.
Since coming into the match, Salem has made it to her end of the pitch a few times but so far that team's only goal is one scored on Daniel. As Salem has just intercepted a pass between Alexa and Mason, Glori is prepared again for a Salem onslaught on her position and while it's great to be in the middle of the action, like more who play keeper, Glori also doesn't mind a bit if the other team doesn't make it to her.
Glori doesn't see anyone for Salem indicating a time out but one of them must have because a whistle blows and as the other players halt in their tracks the time out announcement is made. As soon as it is made players from each team converge towards their respective team platforms, though none actually land. Coach Batuti gives her usual encouraging words and also points out a few things to each of them then she pulls Alexa, putting Wiggy into the match.
Glori smiles and high fives with her brother though inside she's frowning and a little sad suddenly. If Wiggy doesn't continue with school after this term as he said and if Hogwarts does not make it to the IQT championship, then this is her last officially school match to play with Wiggy. It would be his last Hogwarts match ever though for him it wouldn't be as big a deal as for some since his whole reason behind possibly leaving off school is to turn professional.
Time out over, Glori hastens to get back into her keeper position. With Salem in possession of the quaffle she doesn't want to dilly dally and not be totally set for when the match resumes. Jill, Etta, and Wiggy are already looking for openings to each steal or to intercept as John Nelson, Tucker Standish, and now Sarah Whitfield in for Antonio Torres, get the quaffle back into play, working it ever closer to where Glori is hovering on her broom.
Etta moves in to try and take the quaffle from John but even from where Glori is she can tell that for Etta to successfully do that she'd have to foul and that would mean the quaffle would go right back to Salem anyway and depending on the call, it could mean a free goal attempt for them. Glori's pretty sure she could block that sort of goal attempt though things do happen and quaffles do get by keepers on what seem like the easiest shots to block so better not to take that chance if it can be avoided.
John gets a pass off to Sarah and even though she's still a little ways out from the hoops, Sarah hurls the quaffle with tremendous force. Glori get in a full body block but that Sarah has a stronger throwing arm than Glori would have thought and even with the further distance the quaffle traveled, taking it in the chest isn't the best feeling in the world.
Glori passes off the quaffle to Wiggy who darts and zig zags, working his way around the other players back into the clear where he can full out sprint back in the direction of Emily Frost, the keeper for Salem. He doesn't get very far though because a beater for the American team, Henry Fellows, lobs a bludger at Wiggy that knocks him in the side. It's not a bad hit but it does allow Tucker to swoop in and grab the quaffle. He makes a long pass to Sarah who in turn throws to John.
John barely touches the quaffle before he's sending it at Glori. It's far to her left and she hustles to get it, diving sideways on her broom, fingers grazing the red ball but she can't fully stop it. The quaffle gets by her and after skimming the rim of the hoop it was aimed for, the quaffle goes through, scoring ten more points for Salem. The score now stands with Hogwarts in the lead with 30 points to Salem's 20.
(Gus) Disgrace
Author: Johanna Steele
Date: 07-15-11 09:40
After John Nelson’s goal the quaffle moves back and forth. Glori makes some pretty good defenses preventing Salem to tie the game. There is still no sign of the snitch and somehow Gus just wishes Aleydis will take a while to get it so he could have a chance to play. He would be happy just to stay in the field for ten minutes, make a defense and then have Hogwarts wining the match.
Suddenly a hand is placed on his shoulder waking him up from his fantasy and Coach Batuti announces him to enter the match. Gus mounts on his broom and goes in for Glori. She did a wonderful the job keeping the Salem’s chasers to score more than once and he just hopes he can do the same.
Immediately he focuses on the quaffle. Sarah Whitefiel, a blond witch from Salem seems determinate not to let it go from her hands. But she eventually does so when a bludger sent by Alastor comes right into her. Losing her concentration Sarah drops the quaffle and quickly Jill grabs it.
Gus watches as she works with Wiggy and Etta trying to break Salem’s defense and raise the advantage of 10 points Hogwarts has. Unfortunately Emily Frost was revealing herself implacable with her defenses and all the attempts of Hogwarts to score were blocked by her.
Soon it was Gus’ turn to block the quaffle when Tucker Standish was in front of him ready to shoot. However he tricked Gus and instead of trying to score he passed the quaffle to John Nelson who taking advantage of the element of surprise made the quaffle pass the left hoop, turning the score into a tie.
Gus wanted to yell in frustration and start calling not very polite names to the Salem’s chasers but instead he just focus on the match again because it seemed that John Nelson was ready to try his luck again and score for the third time in a row. But this time Gus guesses his moves and he prevents John to score.
However he didn’t measure the speed of his move and after blocking the quaffle with his hand he hits the hoop with his head before he could stop.
The pain was very intense and Gus starts feeling a little bit dizzy. Touching his head, he then sees the blood on his glove. Gus makes a sign to Ingrid Schwarz ,the head referee , ready to abandon the pitch in disgrace.
A Little Down
Author: Ella
Date: 07-15-11 10:30
Ingrid Schwarz blew her whistle, halting the match while she and the other referees checked on Gus. Coach Schwarz herself escorted the injured keeper to the platform on the Hogwarts side, forcing Coach Batuti to send Hunter Green into the match in his place. She also pulled Etta, Alastor and Aleydis and sent in Griet, Ella and Cornelia as their replacements.
Ella was the last to mount her broom and take to the sky. She felt pumped up like everybody else, especially since the match had been going so well, but at the same time, she felt a bit down. As far as she knew, she'd been the only one to fail her apparition exam last weekend. She didn't know for sure, since she doubted anyone would admit to having failed, but it sure seemed like only she had been unlucky in her endeavor to become licensed to apparate.
She didn't know what had happened. Ella had successfully apparated during some of the lessons. She'd not been especially nervous about the exam or intimitated by the examiners. All Ella could think was that she'd been distracted. Distracted by thoughts of her dead mother. Distracted by thoughts of her father and his new life with a wife and baby on the way. Distracted by thoughts of Zane.
When Francis had asked her how it went, Ella had lied and said it had gone fine. End of story. Nothing more to say.
And then Ella had felt bad about lying to Francis, since all her lies about Zane had ultimately gotten him into trouble when he'd come to her assistance last fall in Hogsmeade.
But she'd not come clean to him, despite her guilty feelings. She didn't want him to feel sorry for her or to think she was stupid for having failed to earn her apparition license. Ella would just have to go to the Ministry sometime this summer and retake her exam.
Even her father had written to inquire about how she'd done. Ella had politely ignored that part of his letter and answered everything else about which he'd asked.
He was actually in the stadium today, watching her play against Salem. Dunstan was sans Delilah, which was just the way Ella liked him.
She caught his eye and gave him a quick wave before she got down to business after Coach Schwarz blew her whistle again. There was a tip off, and Griet emerged victorious, but she couldn't hold onto the quaffle for very long. Sarah snatched the ball from Griet's precarious grip and immediately turned in the other direction. Unfortunately, she was already quite close to the Hogwarts hoops.
Ella did a quick search for a usable bludger and found it en route to Wiggy, who was desperately jockeying to get in front of Sarah so that he might block or intercept her throw. Ella did a quick sprint in his direction and came between him and the bludger just moments before it would have struck him. Luckily, Blake was nearby, so she tapped it to him, and he struck it full-force at Sarah, just as she let the quaffle fly.
It hit her in the upper arm, but too late to mess up her throw. Not it was up to Hunter to stop the goal attempt, which he did with a solid catch. He tossed the ball to Wiggy, but Sarah dodged in front of him and caught it. She fired the quaffle again at the hoops. Hunter batted it away with his hand. Tucker caught the ball on the rebound and tried his hand at scoring. Unfortunately, Zelda timed a bludger to distract Hunter, and neither Ella nor Blake could block it. Tucker's quaffle went through the hoop without touching any rim.
For the first time since the match began, Salem was on top, 40 to Hogwarts' 30 points.
Going Green (Olive, Jade, Hunter)
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 07-15-11 12:04
Watching her twin in the match Jade is itching more than ever to get in there as well. To her great joy, it's not all that long before Coach Batuti is calling out, "Jade, go in for Blake."
Not two breaths after that Olive hears, "Where's my other Green. There you are. Olive, go in for Jill."
More than happy to oblige, Olive hops on her broom and sprints after her sister as Blake and Jill pass them heading to the platform. Jade's eager to get in there and use all her beater skills to stop Salem from scoring again while Olive is determined to get more points on the board for Hogwarts. She seriously hates being behind!
It's Hogwarts with the quaffle after Salem's last goal. Griet's got the ball, making her way towards where a new keeper guards the hoops. Danny Wignall is alert and as ready as the newcomers to the game for Hogwarts are to prove himself in this match. Olive moves into a good position to accept a pass from Griet, only to have to swerve when a bludger crosses her path. She clings to the quaffle though, not letting Tucker Standish in close to steal, though in truth, Olive wouldn't mind a little close time with Tucker Standish.
Jade works her way to one of the bludgers, having to skirt around a couple of chasers and a seeker to do it but at last she's experiencing the satisfaction of connecting solid wooden bat to the hard black bludger. It reaches Tucker just as he's moving in for another steal attempt. This gives Olive time to readjust her position and then to pass off to Wiggy.
Wiggy makes a push towards the hoops, Danny becoming even more on guard than he already was. Wiggy makes a show of throwing the quaffle only to pass it off to Griet. She manuevers around for an attempt but John Nelson is being a pest so she ends up passing off to Olive.
Olive darts around a bludger then again fakes a goal attempt only to give the quaffle right back to Griet who's momentarily shaken off John. Griet makes the shot, Danny a little confused at this point unsure whether it's another fake out or not. The result is he misses the block and Griet's shot brings the score back to a tie, 40-40.
It's Sarah Whitfield taking posession of the quaffle. She doesn't immediately pass off to a teammate, preferring instead to make a fast paced beeline towards the other end of the pitch. Ella and Jade both send bludgers at her, which do help serve to slow Sarah down. After the second bludger, she not only alters speed but ends up passing to Tucker.
Tucker passes to John, who passes to Sarah. Back and forth the quaffle goes as Salem works the ball to where Hunter and his hoops are. Beater Zelda Piccoli beats Jade to the next bludger she goes after, but that's fine because Jade darts away, readying her bat to intercept Zelda's hit. It looks as though Zelda's aimed it at Wiggy. Jade makes a successful interception then turns the bludger to the current quaffle holder, John.
When the bludger hits John he fumbles and Olive snatches the quaffle away from him but her triumph is shortlived because the other Salem beater Henry Fellows successfully targets her. Olive finds herself fumbling much as John had only with Sarah being the one to grab up the quaffle again.
Hunter watches as the action draws nearer. Every time it looks as though Hogwarts might regain possession of the quaffle he unconsciously holds his breath, wanting his team to get the ball back down the pitch and scoring even more goals.
Sarah still has the ball when she gets within a good range for a goal attempt but a bludger from Ella hampers the shot. She doesn't lose her hold on the quaffle though and resets for another shot before Ella or Jade can do anything. Hunter is able to bat the shot away with one hand though he wishes he'd been able to outright catch it as that would have assured the quaffle going back to Hogwarts.
Wiggy gets the rebound only to have John jerk the quaffle away and go for another shot. Again Hunter blocks. This time he does catch it and hands it off to Griet before settling back on his broom as the three Hogwarts chasers with Ella and Jade providing assistance begin moving the quaffle back the other way once more.