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(Beatrix) Two Strong Contenders for the Cup
Author: Griet
Date: 04-13-12 08:52
Beatrix Vanderbilt slipped on her gloves and then shouldered her broomstick, while waiting for the doors to the locker room to swing open, signaling that the team should make their grand entrance onto the Pitch. Deak and Jack, captain and co-captain, respectively, spoke words of encouragement to the team. They knew they were up against a contender for the Quidditch Cup. Slytherin had won its match against Gryffindor back in November, but Ravenclaw had beaten Hufflepuff the following month. No doubt today's match would be a very good game.
The announcer's voice rung out loud and clear, and the doors to the locker room flew open. The seven Ravenclaw team members mounted their broomsticks and took off, making several circuits around the Quidditch Pitch to a great deal of cheering, but also a little bit of booing.
Beatrix flew into position in front of the Ravenclaw hoop, and the Slytherin keeper, Gus van Tassel, did the same. The other players, with the exception of the two captains, Deak and Beatrix's sister Cornelia, positioned themselves in a circle above center field.
Coach Krum spoke to the captains and had them shake hands. Even from across the Pitch, Beatrix could see the look of disdain on Cornelia's face. The captains then mounted their broomsticks and found places in the circle overhead. Coach Krum released the balls. The bludgers and snitch flew off on their own accord, the black balls shooting away quite forcefully, and the golden, winged orb darting away to hide. The red quaffle went straight up, thrown by Coach Krum himself.
Olive Green had her hands on it first, but she didn't have a very good grip. Luckily, Alexa managed to save it from Ravenclaw's attempts at stealing it and tucked it very securely against her body. She took off like a shot in Beatrix's direction, putting a great deal of distance between herself and center field, where the other chasers and beaters seemed to momentarily lag behind.
Beatrix readied herself for Alexa's arrival. She hunkered down over her broomstick and watched as the Slytherin chaser wove this way and that. So far, Alexa didn't face any obstruction and basically had a clear path to the Ravenclaw hoops. She quickly reached scoring range and let the quaffle fly with a powerful overhand throw.
Beatrix caught it with both hands and let out a slight gasp because the quaffle had been thrown so hard. She wasn't hurt, though. Only a bit winded.
By now, the rest of the players had caught up. Beatrix met eyes with Deak and tossed the ball to him. He snatched it from the air before Olive, Alexa and Mason could intercept it, and quickly took off in the opposite direction.
First Goal Of The Match (Jack)
Author: Kody
Date: 04-13-12 16:45
Fifteen minutes in all anyone's really managed is that first drive to score made by Slytherin's Alexa Wenlock. After a great deal of back and forth over the pitch Slytherin again has the quaffle. Jack is flying as close to Mason as he can get as the younger boy looks for the opportunity to pass the ball to either Alexa or Olive. When Jade sends a bludger at Mason, Jack flattens himself to avoid being hit as well. Mason had been busy trying to get a sot off to Olive to notice the bludger and ends up getting smacked in the side. The quaffle falls from Mason's grasp and, still flattened over his broom handle, Jack reaches over to pluck it up before it goes into free fall.
Sitting up some, though not fully, Jack brings the quaffle in close, slowing and angling away from Mason at the same time. Completing the turn, Jack sprints the other way with Mason the one now doing the shadowing. He's forced to swerve around Christopher, who must be in his seeker zone to not have realized a bunch of chasers were flying straight for him. Or, could be Christopher was very aware of it and knew they'd all just go around him, allowing him to continue with whatever system he uses to search for the snitch.
Mark gets off a bludger at Jack but as Mark had gotten around in front of him, Jack saw it coming and easily dodges. He still ends up passing off the quaffle to Ramona, who easily catches the quaffle then accelerates down the pitch, swerving around Alastor who's in the process of intercepting the second bludger. Ramona passes back to Deak just as that first bludger grazes the tail of her broom. Neither saw who sent it but as he thinks he sees mark out of the corner of his eye, Jack thinks that shot was from Basil.
Tucking the quaffle in close again, Jack eyes Gus Van Tassel who by now is ready for Ravenclaw to try and get the quaffle through one of the three hoops behind him. You'd think that as large as those three hoops are and with only one person acting as keeper in front of them, getting a shot through one of them would be much easier than it is. Jack lines up a short and throws. Gus doesn't get to it in time to block but the quaffle hits the hoop's ring and bounces off at an angle that takes it to where Olive and Deak are jockeying to get the one to catch it.
With his longer reach and slightly better position in relation to the rebounding quaffle, it's Deak who grabs it. Once in possession, Deak tries to take a shot but Olive is doing too good a job at getting in his way so he passes off to Ramona. Thanks to a combination of Alexa and a bludger from Basil, she has to dive for the quaffle but successfully retrieves it only to swiftly send it to Jack in a backhanded throw.
Jack goes for the goal shot again, finding Mason's position actually helpful in keeping Gus from knowing exactly to which hoop he's sending it. Gus is still able to get a hand on it but not enough to stop the ball's forward momentum. It is enough to cause the quaffle to hit the rim again, and Jack holds his breath, willing it bounce on through the hoop instead of angling back out.
The bounce carries it through the hoop and Jack let's out his breath in a small whoop of happiness. He feels like whooping again at hearing the announcer, "The shot is good! Ravenclaw now leads Slytherin 10 to 0!"
(Gus) Another Goal
Author: Johanna Steele
Date: 04-14-12 04:04
The Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Slyhterin couldn't have started in the worst way for Gus. Jack Emerson had scored and now the nerds, like Gus liked to call all the Ravenclaws, were 10 points ahead.
He watched how Olive, Mason and Alexa worked together with the quaffle trying to reach Beatrix's hoops. But the quaffle was intercepted by Deak who passed it to Ramona. She tried to score but this time Gus was able to defend the goal attempt. He was glad he was wearing his old gloves and not the new ones he got for Christmas otherwise he was sure he wouldn't be able to defend anything today.
He passed the quaffle to Mason and he smiled when the chaser managed to deviate himself from a bludger thrown by Alastor. Mason then passed the quaffle to Alexa and she passed it successfully to Olive. But her sister Jade was paying attention and aimed a bludger at Olive, making her drop the quaffe which ended in Jack's hands. Gus was grateful he did not have a little sister like Jade. The bat in her hands made her look lethal.
The match proceeded with Beatrix making two stunning defenses, blocking both Alexa and Olive's shots. Beatrix then throw the quaffle to her cousin Ramona and she passed it to Deak who initiated a fast fly towards the Slytherin side of the pitch. He was an experienced player and managed to avoid the bludgers Mark and Basil sent in his direction.
Gus was expecting him to score as they were face to face. His eyes were on Deak's hands as he held the quaffle and he was trying to guess which hoop he was directing himself to. But Deak surprised him by passing the quaffle back to Ramona. Alexa tried to block that pass but without success. Gus didn't have luck either as Ramona shot towards the left hoop and scored. He tried to defend but he made a poor performance and soon the Ravenclaws at the stands were clapping their hands and cheering in joy. The score was now 20-0 to Ravenclaw.
Gus cursed the nerds in silence. As the Slytherin chasers moved towards the Ravenclaw hoops in order to try and reduce their opponents' advantage Gus looked up to Cornelia and Christopher as they were trying to find the snitch. He thought now it would be a good time for Cornelia to do so and grab it.
Can't Get Distracted (Mason)
Author: Pyrrhus
Date: 04-14-12 08:47
Like his Slytherin teammates Mason is not at all happy that Ravenclaw has twenty points and they have none. Catching a pass from Alexa, he's glad that the quaffle is red. Even though the chasers are generally well above the pitch, there are times they are closer to the ground and with the snow there, a white ball could easily blend against that backdrop, making it more difficult to track a pass or locate the ball if it were dropped. He can only imagine what it must be like for the seekers having to check the ground periodically for a tiny white ball with gold wings that move in a blur when the ground is white with the crystalline covering glinting and sparkling in the winter sun.
Mason carries the quaffle for about a quarter of the length of the pitch, zig zagging around other players and dodging bludgers. He passes off to Olive with Ramona unsuccessfully trying for an interception. Olive accelerates away with Ramona doggedly in pursuit. Mason steers around Jack, eyes both watching for the bludgers and on Olive, following the quaffle's progress back toward cute Beatrix.
Cute Beatrix? Where the hell did that thought come from? Mason shakes his head. While not immune to girls' looks and charms, he's also never given more than a passing thought to anyone and definitely not while in the midst of playing a Quidditch match against her. If he were to let his thoughts go that direction, all the other girls in the match are cute, from Jade to Cornelia. No time for such distractions, especially when Slytherin is trailing by twenty.
Mason's focus returns in time to observe Olive completing a pass to Alexa, who then drives in towards the Ravenclaw hoops for a goal attempt. He speeds up to close the gap between him and those hoops, but then almost immediately slows again as Beatrix blocks Alexa's shot and the quaffle ends up in Deak's hands.
Basil gets a bludger aimed at Deak, who rolls in time to avoid a bad hit but still takes a blow. Seeing an opening as Deak fumbles to strengthen his hold on the quaffle, Mason darts in close to steal the red ball away. A hard throw to Olive puts the quaffle back in scoring range. Her face scrunched in concentration, Olive lets the quaffle fly. Beatrix, equally focused, makes a dive to block but only just grazes the ball with the fingers of one hand.
The quaffle goes through, finally putting points on the scoreboard for Slytherin. Ravenclaw still leads with the score being 20 to 10 but at least it's a start.
Scowling
Author: Isolde
Date: 04-14-12 09:37
Since Ravenclaw's first goal of the match, Mark had a scowl on his face. He didn't like losing, but there was one person who loathed losing more than anybody: Cornelia. The expression on her face could only be likened to thunderous, and Mark was sure that she would explode if Ravenclaw managed to get even further ahead.
Ravenclaw did, at least for a short while, but then Olive finally rid Slytherin of its dragon egg on the scoreboard. The serpents were still behind, but at least the match wouldn't be a shutout, if Slytherin did end up losing the match. Nothing would be more embarrassing than not getting any points whatsoever during gameplay.
After Olive's goal, Beatrix handed the quaffle off to Jack. He immediately passed the ball to Deak, having noticed that Mark had sent a bludger his way. Jack managed to avoid the bludger, but only barely. It ruffled his hair and grazed the tip of his left ear but left him completely unharmed.
Deak passed the quaffle overhand to Ramona, who zig zagged around Cornelia. Cornelia shot her the dirtiest of looks and said something very unpleasant, which the referees thankfully didn't overhear. Mark wasn't sure if there was a foul for bad sportsmanship or not, but he wouldn't put it past Coach Krum to take points away from Slytherin during the middle of a Quidditch match if he felt it necessary.
As it happened, Slytherin was currently leading in terms of House Points, thanks to the loss of points taken by those Ravenclaws involved in the orgy-that-wasn't. Mark hoped that Slytherin would stay ahead of the other houses and that Slytherin would take the Quidditch Cup too.
He darted after the nearest bludger, which Jade was also targeting. Jade reached it a fraction before Mark and aimed it at Mason, who was harassing Ramona as she attempted to jockey around the other players to reach Gus at the Slytherin goal posts.
Mark changed course and zoomed up and over the pack of chasers. He was too late to stop the bludger from reaching Mason, but Mason had seen it coming at the last second and ducked down low over his broom. It sailed over his head and allowed him to resume attempting to steal the quaffle from Ramona.
Mark chased after the same bludger and managed to catch up to it around the same time Ramona found an opening and tossed the quaffle to Jack. Mark aimed the bludger hard at Jack, but by then, Jack had already let go of the quaffle. He threw it with a forceful spin, sending it through one of the hoops before Gus could change his own position and block it.
"And Emerson scores for Ravenclaw!" the announcer cried out, to great cheering in the crowd. "Ravenclaw leads 30 to Slytherin's 10!"
Mark's scowl deepened. He shot a quick glance at Cornelia, who looked extremely red in the face.
Gus, looking a bit upset himself, tossed the ball to Alexa, who pulled it securely against her body and rocketed away from the goal hoops in a desperate attempt to put as much distance between the quaffle and her own house's hoops as possible.
Belmarsh Prison
Author: Ethan Somerset
Date: 04-14-12 12:08
Belmarsh Prison was located in Thamesmead, London and had been in operation since only 1991. Its inmates were a mix-match of offenders but also included high-profile criminals like terrorists and others concerning national security. But what they all had in common was the fact that they were Muggles.
One of the prisoners was Gerard Harsnip, who had been incarcerated since October 2000 after the attempted murder of his nephew. In the nearly five and a half years since his imprisonment, he'd never received a single visitor. The one person he'd most longed to see had gotten imprisoned herself, but in a much different sort of prison. She was a witch and had gone to Azkaban, all thanks to their do-good nephew.
When the guard came to his cell to announce that he had visitors waiting for him in the visitation room, Gerard felt surprised and wondered who could possibly have come by to visit after all these years. He had other nephews and a niece, as well as inlaws, but he couldn't imagine any of them visiting him now. Not when they hadn't before.
The guard escorted him to a large room with tables and chairs, which were bolted to the floor. Gerard looked around but didn't recognize any of the visitors, of which there were a few. Most were already talking to different inmates so he ruled them out as his visitors. Then his eyes came to rest on a strikingly beautiful young woman and a little boy. The boy had gotten up and had tears in his eyes. Gerard knew that these were his visitors, but he did not know them and could not understand why the boy was crying.
He crossed over to the table but didn't sit down. "Who are you?" he asked, more gruffly than he intended.
The boy burst into tears and came forward, wrapping his arms around Gerard's middle. Gerard flinched but didn't move away from the boy's embrace.
The woman said nothing and merely looked on. The expression on her face seemed odd, as if a cross between boredom and worry.
"Gerard, Gerard," the little boy finally exclaimed, his face still pressed to Gerard's chest. "It's been too long!"
Gerard couldn't take it anymore and clamped his hands gently around the boy's small arms. He nudged the boy away and knelt so that they were more or less at eye level.
"I've always thought this place would drive me mad eventually," he said to the boy. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea who you are and don't have any idea why you seem to know me."
The boy touched Gerard's face. "It's me. It's Hattie."
Gerard flinched now and almost fell backwards. Those words were the absolute last he expected to hear.
"Hattie?" he breathed, when he'd finally recovered himself.
"Yes," she whispered with a small smile. She wanted to kiss him, but she refrained. After all, she didn't want to give the impression that Gerard was a pedifile.
"How?" he asked. "I thought you were in prison!"
"I was," she said, and she told him everything in the softest of whispers. About her unexpected release (and she apologized for not visiting him during that brief time), about the sudden death of her old body, and her soul's subsequent implantation in first one body and then the one she had now. She told him about her plot to destroy Ethan's life and how she had killed the mother of his child.
She started to tell him about her current life on the run when Meadow touched her shoulder.
"We need to go."
Hattie looked around, seeing a guard enter the room and look at them. He crossed to another guard and whispered something into his ear.
"I don't know when we can come back, if we can come back," Hattie said, "but I will do what I can to get you out," she said to him, as she and Meadow made ready to leave.
Meadow reached for the wand she had concealed with a disillusionment charm.
Gerard looked like he wanted to ask them to stay longer but he seemed to know that they needed to leave. He gave Hattie a quick squeeze and then walked straight over to the guards in an effort to distract them.
Hattie and Meadow headed in the opposite direction, where they had to get through a secure door. The guard on the other side opened it for them, and they slipped through, hearing swift footsteps behind them.
They picked up the pace and soon found themselves outside in the blistering cold. The snow was packed hard between their feet and was slippery in places. Meadow seized Hattie's hand and turned on the spot, just moments after a guard shouted at them to stop and a spell whizzed toward them.
It missed them, but just barely. They arrived in the middle of the abandoned forest they'd been calling home for some time now, breathless but safe for the moment.
"I told you that was a bad idea!" Meadow exclaimed, dropping Hattie's hand.
"I am so sorry!" Hattie retorted sarcastically. "I thought that after all this time they wouldn't be watching my husband to see if I might visit. How was I to even know that the Ministry would be clever enough to station one of their own there anyway?"
"You're a wanted criminal, Hattie," Meadow replied angrily. "And an escaped prisoner at that. Of course they are still trying to find you. And I bet you this will wind up in the Prophet tomorrow. I can see the headline now: ESCAPED CONVICT HATTIE HARSNIP SPOTTED IN MUGGLE LONDON."
"So what? They don't know where we are."
"Maybe not yet, but I can tell you they will double their efforts to find you now that you've shown yourself to the world. And all for a boy."
Hattie narrowed her eyes at Meadow. "If you were married as long as I have been," she started, and it looked somewhat comical to Meadow, coming from a 12 year old boy, "then you would understand. But as the only relationships you've ever had have been one night stands…"
Meadow leaned down and slapped Hattie hard across the cheek. "I ought to leave you on your own. You don't deserve my help."
Hattie's cheek burned but she didn't touch it, nor did tears spring to her eyes. "Tell me, Meadow. Does it psych you out to strike me when I look like your dead nephew?"
Meadow turned away and stalked toward the old house, saying nothing.
A small smile touched Hattie's lips. She followed, knowing full well that Meadow wasn't going anywhere because she had no where else to go.
Attempting Change
Author: Rylee
Date: 04-14-12 16:08
Black and green with silver accents is what she wore for this first attempt at a new and improved, less pompous Rylee Marks. Sports, while she detested the idea of getting dirty actually playing them, could at least be a source of decent, decadent eye candy for her enjoyment. There was Slytherin Keeper Gus, there was Deak, Jack, and Kody on the Ravenclaw team, and not to mention the hottie professors in the staff box and the dozens of other hotties milling about.
She had no idea how the game was played, though she really should pay more attention because her Father loved Quidditch and her older two sisters played for their respective schools and throughly enjoyed it themselves. She'd studied a book she'd found in the library yesterday and gotten the basics down or so she thought, because she didn't want to be looked at like some idiot for constantly asking the person next to her what was going on when something happened.
However, it would appear that she could be a source of bad luck for her house team, given that this was the first match she'd come to and they were loosing miserably to the Ravenclaw team. Cornelia looked as though she was about to throw a monumental temper tantrum if the score did not greatly improve in Slytherin's favor, and Mark didn't look all that pleased either.
Rylee had been so focused on watching the constant back and forth of the match that she hadn't realized that Gideon had taken the seat next to her. "Have something to drink, I know it is chilly out." He said, pressing the steaming mug of frothy hot chocolate into one of her gloved hands.
"Thanks."
They sat in silence for a moment, before Gideon broke the silence once more.
"I never in a million years thought you'd bother coming out to a quidditch match. I thought you hated sports of all kinds." He said sipping his own hot chocolate and plucking a gooey, cheese covered chip from the basket on his lap.
A light shrug of her shoulders before she answered him. "I figured things needed to change. I don't like being known by the entire student body as some snobby little bitch just because I've money and I flaunt it," she said sniping a chip from him after a second.
"Good point, besides I'm glad you came out today. Gives me someone to spend the match with that doesn't blow a gasket every time there was a missed goal attempt or anything like that."
He pointed to a group of Slytherin boys who if Rylee read their expressions right were about as livid as Cornelia about the current state of the numbers on the score board.
"Yeah, I can see why that would be a drag," she said, settling into a quiet silence with him as they shared the chips and sipped their hot chocolate while watching the rest of the match curious if Slytherin would come out with another victory this game or if the current score would prevail and Ravenclaw would win the match.