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(Sagitta) Writing Letters
Author: Orion Howell
Date: 04-28-14 14:01
Sagitta tapped the feather of her quill against her parchment. She was caught up on her homework and not really interested in the Quidditch game. Which she was sure Crew would properly tell her off for later. But it wasn't like she really knew anyone that was playing, since it was Hufflepuff and Gryffindor playing.
She re-read what she'd written so far, taking her uncle's suggestion that perhaps it would be nice of her to send Bronwyn an owl now that she was safe and thank her again for all of her help over the summer.
I'm really glad you're safe now. Uncle Orion said they got the mean lady who kept you away and that she can't hurt anyone anymore. Which is good. Maybe when school lets out, we could have another shopping trip? Uncle Orion and Desi aren't as much fun to shop with as you are. I'm glad you're okay.
Sagitta Howell
She folded it quickly and sealed it before finishing a quick letter to Crew that she'd been working on during History of Magic through the week. She tried to take notes, at least until she couldn't focus anymore. Then she sent letters to Crew. Catching sight of Remedy, she waved the blonde Ravenclaw over.
"Hey Rem, you want to add anything to a letter for Crew?" she asked.
"Sure! Saves me writing another one," Remedy agreed, adding her own notes before they sealed that one up too.
"Great, I'll take them to the Owlry here in a bit. Not in the mood for the match either?"
"Nah, I had homework to finish and it's not as much fun as it is to play pick up at home," Remedy said.
Sagitta looked at her. "You okay? You've been kinda out of things since your dad came with Uncle Orion..."
Remedy shrugged. "I don't know. I don't really think I want to go home at the end of term," she said.
"Why?" Sagitta asked, tilting her head.
"I don't really want to talk about it," Remedy said and Sagitta nodded.
"Then we won't. Let's go take a walk instead," the redhead suggested. "Meet you in the Entrance Hall in a bit?"
The Job
Author: Lee Sickleby
Date: 04-28-14 17:14
Lee Sickleby turned up the collar of his coat and stepped onto the cobblestone road behind a figured dressed in black. The figure, a wizard, was tall and broad-shouldered and walked purposefully down the alley. His cloak, which looked not unlike the standard issue cloak Hogwarts students wore, trailed over the ground and was dirty at the hem.
His tail followed at a distance because he did not want to be noticed. Lee had tracked plenty of witches and wizards over the past few years and had gotten very good at knowing how to avoid detection. It had a lot to do with being aware of one's surroundings and using whatever was at hand to remain inconspicuous.
It being the dead of winter, there weren't many stalls lined up in front of the various storefronts, but there were some. Given the option, Lee would rather wait for warmer weather if he were one of the peddlers on the street, but he understood that this was their livelihood. He turned toward a hook-nosed crone selling scarves when the wizard in front of him stopped to pick up what appeared to be a lost coin in the road.
"See something you like, dearie? For your wife? Your mother?" asked the old witch in a raspy voice.
Lee flicked his gaze over his shoulder and saw that the wizard was on the move again.
"This one's fine," Lee said, reaching for a scarf at random and producing a handful of coins. He tossed them onto the table. "Thanks."
The woman reached greedily for the coins with gnarled hands, but Lee was already in pursuit of the wizard. The figure in black walked nearly the length of Diagon Alley before entering a sweetshop. Lee took his time approaching the shoppe and paused outside the window, pretending to admire the window display. With Easter the next major holiday in the calendar, chocolate bunnies, filled eggs, and braided bread loaves teased anyone passing the shoppe window.
Lee waited a beat and then stepped inside the store to the merry tingle of an overhead bell. The interior of the shoppe smelled mouth-wateringly good, but Lee didn't let the sights and smells distract him from his job.
The darkly dressed wizard was at the bins of hard candy. He filled up sacks with peppermint balls and cylinders, fruity bonbons, and butterscotch candies. To the untrained eye, the wizard had something of a sweet tooth, but Lee knew better. It was why he had been assigned to trail the wizard in the first place.
Lee pretended to admire a display of chocolate truffles, with every intention of following the wizard out of the shoppe after he'd made his purchase, but a pretty witch materialized out of nowhere and asked, "Can I help you find something?"
"No, thanks," Lee said, giving her a kind look before resuming his thoughtful study of the truffles. "I'm just looking."
The witch cocked her head to the side and asked, "Lee? Lee Sickleby?"
Lee turned to her fully now and realized he knew her from long ago. "Alaia Rothstein. It's been a long time."
Old Friends
Author: Alaia Rothstein
Date: 04-28-14 18:07
"Yes, it has been a long time. How have you been?" She asked
"I've been well. I've been working a lot."
"Oh, what do you do?" She asked with a smile.
"I'm just a clerk at the Ministry by it keeps me busy sometimes long hours." Alaia bobbed her head and smiled again. "So, you work here, huh?"
"I own the place. My parents helped me set it up when I was twenty-four and I've been running it ever since."
"Very nice." He smiled at her. "It really is a nice shoppe." He looked down at the truffle selection again and then back up at her.
"Would you like to try one?"
"Sure." She got into the case and got out a dark chocolate truffle with a raspberry cream center. Putting it on a small plate she handed it across to him.
"Thank you."
He ate the truffle and looked to the scarf in his hands and then to Alaia, "I would like you to have this." He said handing over the yellow and black scarf.
"It's our old house colors." She smiled brightly. "I love it. Thank you."
"You're welcome." He said never even noticing before that the scarf had been in his former house's colors.
"The truffle was amazing. Thank you again. You made it?"
"I did." She smiled happily. "I make everything in the shoppe, except the little hard candies in the bins over there." She indicated the bins and Lee looked to his left and noticed that the man in black had disappeared from the shoppe; and, he hadn't even heard the bell above the door tinkle."
"I really should be get going but I would love to catch up with you sometime."
"I would like that." She said.
"Alright then I'll drop you an owl here at the shoppe?"
Alaia nodded, "I live upstairs in an apartment."
"Come over one of these nights and I'll make you dinner and we can talk…I would love to catch up and hear all about what you've been doing since we graduated."
"Sounds good." He smiled again and he turned to leave and she stopped him.
"Wait." She quickly got a small box and boxed up an assortment of truffles and then handed it over the counter to him. "It really was great seeing you again."
He thanked her for the truffles and then headed out of the shoppe. Alaia watched him leave until he was no longer in sight. It had been a very long time since she had seen Lee but she was eager to see him again. It seemed to her that she had lost track of a lot of her friends from school and now she wondered what they were up to. These days it seemed like it was mostly she and her cat Lottie and her best friend Divina, who helped her run the shoppe.
A Little More Progress (Jasper, Hunter, Marlow)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 04-28-14 18:24
Now in possession of the quaffle Jasper slows, assessing where each of the other players are. The two seekers, Aleydis and Cai, he's not worried about other than wanting to be sure not to run into either of them. The same goes for Gus and Caerwyn, though Jasper supposes knowing their positions also helps him to know if one might be near enough to him should either Madoc or Edgar send another bludger his way.
Hunter and Max are off to his right, not far from Sadie. Mildred is to his left, nearer to him than Marlow. Marlow is both to his left and a little further ahead. Jasper decides to see if he can pull of a fake pass to Marlow. His arm comes up, ball in hand. He goes through the motion of throwing. Mildred looks in the direction he looks to be throwing. Hunter accelerates, crossing ahead of Jasper's path.
Marlow, expecting to see the quaffle coming her way, looks quizzical for a half second before it dawns on her that Jasper hasn't actually thrown the ball. She goes through the movements of catching and pulling something close to her torso. As fast moving as Quidditch is, it's easy to miss something, even a red streak across the air that would be the quaffle. There's also the fact that because Jasper made a show of throwing the ball and Marlow of catching a pass the others want to believe a quick as a blink hand off just took place.
Marlow becomes the focus of both Mildred and Hunter. Max sticks close to Sadie for the moment. Edgar sends a bludger towards Marlow, which Gus turns away. Madoc has gone after the other bludger but Caerwyn is there first, hitting it in Mildred's direction. All this leaves Jasper free to surge forward towards Hunter G.
When it's realized Marlow does not have the quaffle, Jasper is coming in near to Hunter G., retrieving the ball from the folds of his uniform. He lets the quaffle fly but despite having thought Marlow possessed the ball, Hunter G. is able to knock the quaffle away from the hoop. It comes almost directly straight back to Jasper. He tries again, grimacing when it looks as though Hunter G. is once more going to knock the quaffle away. Just then a bludger sent by Gus connects with Hunter G.'s arm. That hit allows the quaffle to squeak by, passing through the hoop near the rim.
The first goal of the match brings a rousing round of cheers as well as a resounding groan from the Gryffindor fans. Lips pursed in distaste, Hunter G. puts the quaffle back into play with a pass to Mildred. Getting into a position to accept a pass should Mildred decide to go on and do that, something about the way she sits her broom reminds Hunter of when his sister Heather plays. Heather is good enough for a house team but she's chosen to stick to playing just for fun.
Mildred hangs on to the quaffle for now, not that Hunter can blame her. Sadie's come up right on her, making it more difficult to safely move the ball forward by passing. Hanging on to it for now is her best option.
A great opportunity to pass, to Max, not to Hunter, comes with Madoc clips Sadie with a bludger. Max tucks the ball in close and shoots away. Flying parallel, Hunter keeps pace as best he can, darting ahead when he spots a bludger heading for Max. He'd have preferred to kick the bludger away or use the tail of his broom to bat it but what happens is the bludger gets Hunter on the lower leg. He's pretty sure he'll have a knotty bruise in his gastrocnemius by tonight but at least Max has been able to move the quaffle closer to the Hufflepuff kept hoops.
Max ends up passing back to Mildred and then, seconds later, she hurls the quaffle at Hunter. He ducks a bludger, looks to throw for a goal but ends up sending the quaffle over to Max. Max takes the shot, but Glori easily bats the ball away. Sadie and Mildred tussle over the rebound with Mildred victorious. Mildred shoots in hopes of putting ten points on the scoreboard for Gryffindor. Glori has other ideas, yet again turning the quaffle away.
Marlow just barely beats out Hunter for the quaffle. She gives her cousin a sweet smile, which he wells knows is anything but actually sweet. Marlow heads back in the direction of the other Hunter, someone whom she's long thought on the cute side. Then again, so are the other lads in the match, even her cousins Hunter and Jasper. Not that she'd ever tell them as much.
Crossing paths with Edgar, who's surely off in pursuit of a bludger, Marlow sees that Sadie's not only ahead of her but for the moment in the clear. She throws the quaffle at the older girl, making a face when Max darts in between the two, intent on stealing. His timing's slightly off, allowing the quaffle to reach Sadie.
Sadie hangs on to the ball until just before getting to the end zone where three hoops loom over Hunter G. At the last moment she passes to back to Marlow, who immediately makes a goal shot. Hunter G. blocks it, with Jasper taking the rebound, practically plucking it right out of Max's hands. Jasper's shoot is no good, hitting the rim to bounce back without Hunter G. having to do anything. Sadie's got it now, but she too can't get the quaffle through a hoop. The ball is quickly back in Gryffindor's possession with Hunter shooting off down the pitch with it gripped tightly in one hand.
Stealing the Quaffle
Author: Mildred
Date: 04-29-14 06:17
Hufflepuff has an advantage of ten points. It's not a big a deal, but it's enough to frustrate Mildred. On her first official Quidditch match, Gryffindor lost and she doesn't want it to happen again. Not today, because Hufflepuff had also lost their previous match and so the team who leaves the pitch at the end of the game with a defeat will be on the button of the chart. There is no margin for mistakes.
Hunter, Rabnott, not Green, has the quaffle now and he is flying fast towards the hoops guarded by Glori. Mildred goes after her fellow chaser, followed by everyone else. Hunter's path to the Hufflepuff hoops is blocked by Marlow, who had managed to outstrip him and she now stands in front of him. He tries to find some opening but Marlow is inflexible with her blocking. Max calls Hunter's name and the Gryffindor captain passes him the quaffle. Marlow's attention shifts from Hunter to Max but he was able to fly by her and he is now face to face with Glori.
Max is about to score. Sadie flies to his encounter, in the hopes of stealing him the quaffle. The Hufflepuff's pressure makes Max uncomfortable and his shot is sloppy. Glori defends it with ease and she quickly hands the quaffle to Jasper.
The chasers rotates their brooms, since the trajectory has changed once more, and everyone is now flying once again to the Gryffindor side of the pitch. Everyone but the seekers, that is. Mildred doesn't have time to look at them since she is busy going after Jasper and trying to recover the quaffle, but she supposes Cai and Aleydis must be flying at their own pace, as they search for the golden snitch. Jasper passes the red ball to Sadie and she throws it back at him, a bludger passing only a short distance from her arm. Mildred continues chasing Jasper and she goes against his left flank. He is older, taller and stronger, but he had definitely felt the collision because his guard lowered, as he tries to shove Mildred off, using his elbow. Later her right side will be sore, but for now with the adrenaline she doesn't even feel the pain. Her eyes are on the quaffle Jasper is holding. But the vision of the red ball is gone, when not able to make Mildred leave, he makes a pass to Sadie.
The Hufflepuffs keep passing the quaffle between them and for a moment there is no way of the Gryffindors to get the quaffle back in their possession. Not even the bludgers fired by Madoc and Edgar seem to work. Marlow got hit on her shoulder and she didn't even seem to have felt it. Now it's Jasper again who has the quaffle and he aims to the left hoop. Hunter's, Green, not Rabnott, eyes are alert. Finding herself free, while the other Hunter and Max are a few meters away, each one blocking the other two Hufflepuff chasers, Mildred accelerates and flies into Jasper's direction. His arm is now stretched as he is ready to try and score. A bludger, courtesy of Caerwyn, passes only inches from her face, but she doesn't have any time to think how luck she was for not being hit because she is so focused in the quaffle. She too stretches her arm and with her hand, she steals the quaffle from Jasper, right in his face.
Part of her wants to grin, but there is no time to celebrate. Now it's time to turn the broom around and speed up towards the Hufflepuff side of the pitch. With any luck, this attack will succeed and Gryffindor will be able to tie the game.
(Sadie) Tied
Author: Griet
Date: 04-29-14 07:35
Sadie spun around and raced after Mildred, who had just stolen the quaffle from Jasper. He had been right in front of the Gryffindor goal hoops, which made the steal all the more disappointing. After a slow start to the game, Hufflepuff had the only points, a measly ten compared to Gryffindor's zero.
Mildred pulled away from the cluster of chasers, which made her a bit more vulnerable to bludgers. Madoc and Edgar both converged on her to give her protection, but not before Caerwyn nailed her in the shoulder with one of the black balls. Mildred's grip on the quaffle loosened, but she didn't lose her hold of the ball. She also didn't lose it to an opposing chaser, since they, Sadie included, hadn't yet caught up to her.
Sadie urged her broomstick to fly faster and made herself as flat and small as possible, reducing her wind resistance in the process. She caught up to Mildred just as she was letting the quaffle fly towards one of the goal hoops. Glori knocked it away, sending it back into Mildred's arms. Mildred tried to score again, but Glori successfully prevented her from doing so once more. This time the ball went straight towards Sadie, but Max came out of nowhere and stole it, much like Mildred had done to Jasper earlier.
Max shot the quaffle the same time Madoc batted a bludger at Glori. Glori dodged the black ball and still attempted to stop the red one from going through the hoop, but this time she couldn't get a hand on it.
A cheer went up in the air when the announcer cried out, "Owens scores! The game is tied, 10-10!"
Glori handed the quaffle to Sadie, and she darted away, eager to put some distance between the quaffle and the Hufflepuff goals. Unlike before, when Mildred broke free from the crowd, Sadie found herself surrounded on all sides by friend and foe alike. She pressed the quaffle more tightly to her side. Her boyfriend made multiple attempts to pluck the ball from her grip, but Sadie held fast to the ball.
She was halfway across the Pitch when the sky opened up. Freezing rain, just isolated drops at first but eventually growing steady, felt like little daggers on her exposed skin. The effect of the rain and the wind, which had started to pick up, caused mini collisions in the pack. Hunter, thinking Sadie might be too distracted to retain her hold on the ball, swiped his arm out to steal it again, only a bump from someone else had him grabbing onto the bristles of Sadie's broomsticks. She jerked backwards slightly and nearly spun out.
A shrill whistle sounded and the helper referee Blaise Cadogen shouted, "Foul! Blagging!"
Sadie cast Hunter a teasing look and then flew off to prepare for the foul shot.
Golden Wonder
Author: Cai Pembroke Carter
Date: 04-29-14 07:50
She would be thankful to get off her broom and back into the Castle soon enough. Once the match was over, she would be making a beeline directly to the Common Commons to procure a mug of hot chocolate or spiced cider and then probably curl up beneath a blanket in the Gryffindor commons and do some homework. For now, her attention was on the match at hand, and not on what had happened last week in Hogsmeade.
Currently, the quaffle was in the possession of Gryffindor, in hopes that the score will be tied, instead of Hufflepuff being ahead by ten points. Cai was less interested in the goings on of the beaters and chasers beneath her, as she was catching sight of the glimmering, winged ball that was the bane of every seeker's existence.
Aledyis Vanderbilt is currently engaged in the same search as Cai, and both were hoping that the snitch could be found somewhat quickly so that they could go back inside where it was warm. Her gaze flicked toward the stands, a soft sigh slipping from her lips accompanied by the billowing trail of air thanks to the chill in the air. Her gaze lingered a few moments on Kyle Martin, before she quickly tore her gaze away and went back to hunting for the snitch.
The moment she turned her attention back to the game, the glimmering golden ball made it's presence known. Hovering mere inches from Cai's face, before taking off. The announcer was heard, but barely acknowledged as Cai took off after the ball. However, it would seem that it wasn't meant to be just yet. It took all of a nanosecond for her to lose sight of the golden ball once more.
Muttering a curse or two, she slowed and once again began hunting for the snitch once more. This time, lowering herself a bit so she could watch the game unfold beneath her. A quick glance at the scoreboard confirmed that the game was now tied - which is what she'd thought she'd heard earlier when she'd been trying to grab the snitch.
As the rain began to intensify, there was a foul called and it was against Gryffindor which meant that Sadie from Hufflepuff would be taking the shot - and if she made it, it would put Gryffindor behind by ten after they'd just caught up thanks to the goal by Max Owens.
Cai shivered slightly as her gaze drifted down to watch Sadie attempt her foul shot, and within moments the ball was back in play - Sadie had made the shot, and ultimately brought the score up to twenty to ten, in favor of Hufflepuff. Once Hunter Green put the ball back in to play, with a pass to Mildred, the action once more began again, and Cai began hunting for the snitch anew in the rain.