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(Gus) Advantage
Author: Johanna Steele
Date: 06-30-14 15:21
The insupportable cheering of the Hufflepuff supporters at the stands made Gus to abruptly pass the quaffle to Malden. The chaser made a grimace showing he didn't like the way Gus had thrown the red ball at him, but he didn't stay quiet waiting for the keeper to apologize. Instead, Malden tried to escape from the Slytherin side of the pitch. Mason and Olive followed him, the Hufflepuff chasers literally on their tails.
Gus rubbed his lower leg, as he watched Malden passing the quaffle to Mason. A bludger sent by Caerwyn had hit him and although it didn't hurt much, he knew later he would have a bruise. Mason dodged a bludger sent by Gus Hodfuffer showing great ability, but his pass to Olive was blocked by Sadie. She tried to shift her broom to the left, but Olive was determinate to recover the quaffle that should have belonged to her in the first place. She snatched it from Sadie in a very ferocious way, but it was a fair play and Wanda Carmody didn't use her whistle to interrupt the match. Olive gained green light to continue flying and that was what she did.
The Slytherin chasers worked together, until they reached the hoops guarded by Glori. Marlow, the author of the Hufflepuff goal, set herself in front of Malden who was in the right position to score. Instead of risking a shot, he threw the quaffle at Olive. She made a simulation, pretending she was going to hold it, but she let it fly. Mason, who had managed to leave Jasper behind, grabbed it, aimed it to the left hoop and shot. Glori tried to reach for it, but it was too late.
Slytherin was now leading by 20.
Gus roared as well as the rest of the crowd. He adjusted his wet hair, hoping the weather wouldn't get worse. Glori delivered the quaffle to Sadie, and as the Hufflepuff chasers worked their way in order to reach to his side of the pitch, Gus risked a look up, to see how the seekers were doing. Surprisingly, Rylee and Aleydis were not flying close to each other, being each one of them at different ends of the pitch. Gus had no idea if there was some strategy going on or not, but he wasn't very concerned. As long as Rylee caught the snitch hopefully granting a victory for his team, then all was good. His attention went back to the chasers.
Sadie still had the quaffle and from the announcer's words that sounded all over the pitch, Gus was able to realize that she had been hit twice by two bludgers one sent by Mark and another by Asher, but she kept flying, not dropping the quaffle. The announcer was complementing her resistance to the pain and her speed. Sadie tossed the quaffle to Jasper. Malden tried to catch it while it was in hair, but it slipped from his fingers. Jasper held it and considered to score from the position he was in. Gus heard Marlow calling his name, indicating that she was free. Jasper passed her the quaffle, since Marlow was in a perfect position to score once more.
"Not this time…" Gus muttered to himself, prepared for Marlow's shot.
It was a potent one, but he was able to make a defense. The quaffle rested in security in his gloved hands. This time he passed the red ball a little bit more gently to Malden, making up for his previous mistake, and the match proceeded.
Half-Drowned Puffskeins (Glori)
Author: Phinfilius
Date: 06-30-14 17:38
Watching as best she can through the drizzle as Gus stops Hufflepuff from scoring again, Glori wonders for the third or fourth time if the score would be this low this far along if the weather were clear or not. With Quidditch it can be so hard to tell. Some of the greatest matches have had few goals. They are great because of the excellent overall game play. There was one she read about that took place around sixty-five years ago that was great not because the teams both played so well. It was great for the amusement factor as both teams played horribly, almost comically. It turned out each had been hexed by rival gamblers, each with a large stake on one team. Each had hexed the opposition without knowing the other had done the same. The teams were allowed a rematch but that game wasn't half as entertaining as the first. Just looking at the pictures in the book gave Glori several laughs.
There's a surge of rainfall, turning heavy enough that Glori finds herself squinting to see through the curtain of water, searching for Malden who had had the quaffle when chasers and beaters started back her way. She finds Malden through the downpour, brow scrunching when she figures out he no longer has the ball.
As everyone is still coming to her end of the pitch, Glori looks for Olive and Mason. The downpour lets up just as suddenly as it began. Though still misting Glori no longer has trouble spotting who's where and the location of the quaffle. She now easily spots Mason with the quaffle only to have him toss it to Olive
It's been alternating between no rain, drizzle, and a somewhat steady rainfall so they were all wet but with that waterfall that just took place and everyone looking like half-drowned puffskeins, Glori has a feeling none would be overly upset if the snitch were found this very second. As that doesn't look to be taking place, she readies herself as Olive draws nearer.
Olive, narrowly avoiding a bludger, hands off to Malden so it's he who gets close enough for the goal effort. Malden throws forcefully to one side. Glori hurls herself and her broom that way, able to get to the quaffle in time. Jasper catches the ball but he's somewhat boxed in and can't maneuver well so he throws to Sadie.
Mason intercepts, twisting is torso so he's able to quickly fire off the quaffle for goal. It's a good attempt but Glori swats it with the tail of her broom. A bludger whizzes by, buzzing her ear closely enough there's a little bit of a burn. It distracted her for a heartbeat but luckily it's Jasper with the quaffle once more, this time able to rocket away with it tucked in closely to his body.
Hoping there's not another heavy downpour to obstruct her vision, particularly of what's taking place further down the pitch, Glori takes the free moment to wring out some of the excess water from her uniform sleeves.
Family Day
Author: Driver Morgan
Date: 07-01-14 19:44
Driver dropped onto the couch, the stress of the day faded as he sunk into the cushions. "I'm glad that's over." Helix and Heist barked excitedly, both glad to see their favorite human home, not realizing he had spent the day with his family at a 'reflection of Dexter' as Fia called it, not the formal memorial that had been earlier, but more of a way for the Morgan family to look back on Dex's life. The loss of his younger brother still hit him hard, and all he wanted to do was drown his sorrows in a long draw of firewhiskey. He knew drinking would not solve anything, which almost seemed ironic since most of Driver's livelihood revolved around the bar.
"One drink won't hurt, will it?" He asked the pair who sat in front of him as he poured a generous amount. Heist looked to Driver then grabbed the bottle of alcohol off the table before running off with it. "Okay, no drinks." He said with a frown, as his thoughts drifted back to the morning.
Driver had arrived late, but made the excuse he was stuck at the gym, he hated having to relive that on a daily basis. "I told you I was working out, just drop it Etch."
"No. You knew to come to Mom and Dad's first thing this morning, not run off and spar with a friend."
Driver stared at his eldest brother for a moment, a hint of anger touching his lips, "Do not patronize me, Fletcher. I arrived when I could, and I am here for the family, okay?"
"We're glad you made it, Drive. Etch is still mad over everything. Fallon will sort him out," Ember teased as she hugged Driver. "Fighting won't help any of us, we're better than that."
"I couldn't have said it better myself, sweetheart," Fia said quietly from the hallway. "and the girls are down for a nap, so we can all just relax, please?" Fia and Easton were keeping Dex's daughters so Karma could unwind, and honestly they loved having them at home. Ember and Ever had moved in, so the house was full. She took a seat next to Easton, and looked at each of her children in turn. "It is always going to be hard, not having him here with us, but we all have to move on, and remember the good things."
Fallon spoke up from her spot next to her husband, "I still remember the first time I met Dexter. Back when Fletcher and I were secretly dating when I played for the Stormers. He was such a jerk!" That comment caused everyone to laugh. "He was, he was trying to hit on me the whole time, and he never missed a beat, until he saw some pretty little blonde walk by."
Everyone continued to share stories until dinner, and Driver excused himself to head home so he could check on the dogs. Though that was an excuse he used a lot to get a way, as Orion had said before, the dogs were fine.
"Alright, I lied, Heist bring that bottle back." The dog just looked at him, and tossed the bottle into the fireplace. "You realize I have a whole bar full of it, right?" Heist looked at his brother who laid down in front of the door. "Really? Sometimes, I wonder if you are really dogs or animagi…" He said as he sent a quick letter to Orion, saying he was being held captive by some uncooperative beasts.
(Susan) Ice-Cream
Author: Wendy Mills
Date: 07-02-14 01:34
Florean Fortcue's Ice Cream Parlor was almost empty. So far it hasn't rained yet, but the grey sky charged with ugly clouds had discouraged many people to eat ice-cream. At a round table, four girls savored their respective ice-creams under the attentive look of the mother of two of the girls.
It was Susan Fricks eleventh birthday and just like it had happened to her older sister, Andrina, she went to purchase her wand at Diagon Alley. Her mother had told her that there would be plenty of time to worry about school supplies and uniforms later, and today they had only went to Ollivander's. Susan felt the vanilla flavor melting in her tongue as she looked at the bag at her feet, checking for the tenth time if the box with her wand was still inside. She was afraid to loose it, or forget it inside the parlor. It was a beautiful wand made with hazel wood and unicorn's hair and she was very proud of it.
"How does it feel, to be eleven?" Maud Montgomery asked Susan.
Maud had long blonde hair and vivid blue eyes. She lived next door to the Fricks and since she was only a year younger than Susan, the two girls had always gotten along together. That was why Susan had invited Maud to come for ice-cream today. Their mothers were also friends. Maud was a half-blood witch, and she attended a Muggle school.
"Pretty much the same…" Susan confessed.
She thought it would feel fantastic to finally be eleven, buy a wand and receive her letter from Hogwarts. But now she was not so sure about it. She actually felt a funny nervous feeling in her stomach and insecure thoughts had begun to haunt her whenever she thought about the future. Susan has never been away from home before and going to a boarding school where she wouldn't have her parents nearby, sleep in a dormitory filled with girls her age, and live in a big castle, was starting to scare her a bit. She tried to shake those thoughts away. It was the beginning of May and it was still a long time until September.
"Are you going to practice any spells with your wand? Maybe the hiccups one! Oh you must try that one Susan!" Blair Hazelton told her.
"No one is going to try any spells without vigilance or permission," Mrs. Fricks said, as she handed a napkin to her younger daughter, Rose, so she could clean her cheeks that were all covered with strawberry ice-cream.
Blair looked at her aunt, feeling disappointed. She too was a year younger than Susan, and unlike Maud, who had a quiet personality, Blair was very active and she had a tomboyish attitude. She didn't live in London like the other two girls. Instead, she was from the countryside and Susan knew she spent most her time playing with boys outdoors. She kept challenging Susan to do things she didn't want to do, like playing pranks on little Rose. Once, Susan had heard her father telling her mother that perhaps it would be wiser not to give Blair a wand when she came of age, because she might use it in a reckless way and hurt someone. Blair lived with her grandparents and they had spoiled her too much, never having the courage to be harsh with her. Her parents traveled a lot and they considered her too young to accompany them.
Thick drops of rain started to fall in the street. Nearby, a wizard used his wand to conjure an umbrella. A more talented witch used a potent charm that repelled the rain from her body and she could keep walking down the street as it was a sunny day.
"You're going to learn to do that too!" Blair said, pointing to the window, as the witch passed by. A drop of chocolate ice-cream had fallen in her shirt, but she didn't seem to notice, or care. "Maybe next year you will keep us all safe from the rain."
Susan smiled. She liked that idea. But then the panic invaded her again. She didn't know anyone at Hogwarts except her sister. And what if she didn't end up in the same house as Andrina? She put her ice-cream aside and thought that maybe she could ask her mother to wait a year and only go to school with Maud and Blair. Mrs. Fricks felt her daughter's body getting tense and she placed a hand on her shoulder.
"What's the matter, Susan?"
She looked at Maud who was trying to protect her peach ice-cream from Blair's spoon, not wanting to share it with her. Susan didn't want to express her worries in front of her cousin and her friend. Both of them wanted so much to go to Hogwarts, they would kill to be in her place. They might think Susan was crazy.
"Just a stomachache," she lied. She was going to talk to her mother later, after her friends were gone. "I'll be fine."
Mrs. Fricks nodded and dropped a kiss on the top of her daughter's head.
Does This Need Laundering? (Mason)
Author: Pyrrhus
Date: 07-02-14 14:46
Dabbing wet sleeve against his forehead to wipe off the combination of rain and perspiration, Mason briefly wonders if as wet as their uniforms are if the robes will still need to be laundered. He doesn't linger on that thought because he's got a bludger to avoid while attempting to catch the slick quaffle on a pass from Olive.
He's lost count of how many times the chasers, and beaters, have traveled up and down the pitch since that last goal, made by Slytherin, was scored. It's great having such a back and forth match over the course of several hours. It would be absolutely grand, and fun, if the weather was better.
Mason catches the quaffle from Olive but fumbles, nearly losing it before he's got a firm hold. That's another drawback of the wet. The quaffle is more difficult to manage. He wonders if the beaters have a problem when their bats make contact with the slick surfaces of the bludgers. He'll try to remember to ask one sometime.
He doesn't hang on to the quaffle for long. Spotting Malden open, he sends the ball ahead to his teammate. Malden has the same momentary problem of getting a grip that Mason did but he hangs on to the quaffle, swerving around Sadie in the process.
A bludger from Gus Hodfuffer clips Malden. He doesn't drop the quaffle but the keeping close to him Sadie uses the hit as an opening to steal. She grabs the quaffle and fires off a pass to Jasper who hauls broom back towards Gus van Tassel. Jasper goes maybe a quarter way down the pitch when he throws to Marlow. Olive has other ideas, slipping in between them for the intercept.
As the action once more moves in the direction of Glori and her hoops, Mason again wipes at his face. Sniffing the cloth he shrugs. No usual sweaty smell. Totally fine to hang up to dry and leave without laundering until next time.
(Malden) Injury
Author: Minerva McGonagall
Date: 07-02-14 15:18
Malden gave a little whoop of joy when Olive intercepted the pass Jasper had meant to make to Marlow. He quickly flew into position just slightly behind Olive, with Mason moving in on her other side, so that they flew in V formation through the steady rain. When Caerwyn got off a bludger at Olive, she tossed the quaffle backhanded at Malden. He caught it with minimal slippage and pressed it tightly against his side. Malden pulled ahead so that Olive could maneuver to his side and flank him the way he had done her only moments earlier.
The pack soon reached the goal hoops guarded by Glori. Malden fired off the first shot, but Glori knocked it back with her hand. Olive caught the rebound and attempted another goal, only for Glori to turn it back again. For a brief moment, Malden and Marlow wrestled for control of the quaffle, but Malden managed to get a firm grasp on it and quickly passed it to Mason. Good thing, too, because a bludger came out of no where and slammed into Malden's collar bone. He heard what sounded like a snap and saw spots before his eyes.
Mason got off a shot before timeout could be called, and Glori, who was busy dodging the other bludger, was a fraction too slow in preventing the quaffle from entering the hoop. Now the score was 30, Slytherin, to Hufflepuff's 10.
Viktor Krum and Wandy Carmody flew over to inspect Malden, who had his teeth clenched together and was almost making whistling noises as air entered and left his mouth. He really didn't want to have to sit out the rest of the match, but boy, did his collar bone hurt! At least it was a real injury and not just him accidentally flying into a bludger like happened at the start of the match.
Neither coach seemed to think he could go on playing, based on the grimaces he was making. They made the decision to send him to the hospital wing. Malden would have scowled if his face wasn't making other expressions at the moment. He really didn't want to leave the match, but the fact remained that he was in a lot of pain and probably wouldn't be any good to his team.
Carys and Juliet
Author: Carys
Date: 07-02-14 16:20
Carys sat in her office at Hanham Photography and worked on her readings for her Potions class at St. Emrys. She found it to be much quieter there than at home or even at the library, where she could be distracted by other students moving about the room. Griff and Tristan were off doing "boy stuff", both at home and wherever else they might be spending their Saturday. With it being kind of rainy, though, they were likely limited to doing things indoors.
She was halfway through the chapters she had to have read by Monday, when she heard somebody turn the key in the front door. A moment later, Juliet poked her head into the office and said, "Knock, knock."
"How did you know to find me here?" Carys asked as she set down her quill and leaned back in her chair.
"I didn't know until I saw the light on," Juliet answered. "I was just stopping by to pick up some figures I'd jotted down. Have you been here long?"
"A couple of hours," Carys replied, "and will probably stay a few hours more."
"Such a workhorse, you are," Juliet remarked with a grin. "Did you want to take a little break? Grab a bite to eat? We could get takeout, if you prefer."
"Sure!"
A little while later, they sat crosslegged on the floor and ate takeout from an Indian restaurant just up the road. Carys dipped a triangle of naan into a cup of coriander sauce and said, "I haven't heard you mention Jude yet today. Don't tell me there is trouble in paradise?" She meant it as a joke, since Juliet never failed in bringing up her beau's name at least a few times whenever she and Carys were together.
Juliet made a face and reached for the mango chutney. "We had an argument last night."
"I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"
"Oh, he only mentioned that I've been out of school for nearly a year now and still haven't earned much money. He knows about our arrangement and believes it's a good one, but he doesn't seem to think that us waiting to get this business off the ground is the smart thing to do."
Carys frowned. "I understand his viewpoint, but what does it matter to him that you aren't holding a steady job with steady income right now? Is he only interested in you because of money? I didn't get that impression."
"No. I think he's just frustrated because he still can't get hired on at the Ministry of Magic. I don't think he meant what he said."
"You should make up with him," Carys said. "After we're done eating here, that's what you should do."
Juliet nodded. "I know. I was just so mad last night. He has applied to other places and has had some interviews, but he's really struggling to find a job. He also really wants to work at the Ministry. It's his dream. Nothing is working out for him, all because of his last name."
"It's not fair that he's being discriminated against because he shares the last name as an evil witch. Are they even really related?"
Juliet shrugs. "He thinks they are distantly. You know the wizarding world is kind of small."
Carys sighed. "Still, it's not like he's evil. Can't they see that?"
"Apparently not." Juliet sighed and said, "I'll go talk to him after this."
"Good. He needs some cheering up, and you're just the person to do it."