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Quidditch Time Again
Author: Viktor Krum
Date: 04-03-16 11:47
Viktor carries the trunk of balls out to the pitch. The stands are slowly filling for today's match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Both teams have looked good in practice the past few weeks when he's gone out to observe but there are so many factors that go into a game that while he thinks this could be a close match there's actually no telling what will take place. He remembers all too well the World Cup match back in 1994 when the Bulgarian national team should have held its own against Ireland only to have the Irish team bury Bulgaria in goals, enough so that an overzealous Viktor didn't hold back to allow his team to narrow the gap, instead catching the snitch. Bulgaria was soundly defeated.
Sitting in a lawn chair he'd placed on the sidelines earlier, Viktor drinks coffee and watches the animated faces around him. He'd been going to have a second referee for today but his friend came down with such a nasty bout of bronchitis last night that the letter sent by owl is written in a hand shakey from coughing. Viktor probably could have come up with someone else on short notice but hates the thought of imposing last minute when it's not actually necessary. He's capable of handling the match on his own. Having another referee or two is convenient and it's nice having at least one more set of eyes but it's not a must.
Playing today for Gryffindor are Madoc McGonagall, Mickey Moon, Hunter Green, Mildred Campbell, Gerry Martini-Blackwell, Finley Pride, and Leo Marchbanks. For Hufflepuff are Conrad Ellis, Tessa Filby, Glori Hodfuffer, Duncan Dippet, Jasper Jenkins, Marlow MacDougal, and Sophie McCourt. Both teams are still in the locker rooms getting ready though it won't be long before match announcer Willow Westwick is calling their names as each flies a circuit around the pitch. And a little after that he'll give the captains, Madoc and Jasper the standard warning about playing a fair game, the balls will be released, and he'll have the match officially begun.
He wonders how those who will be seventh years next year, such as Hunter Green and his twin Jade who plays for Ravenclaw, are going to feel about no house matches. Next year, unless Viktor has entirely misunderstood, is the second Scholastic Aptitude Tournament contested against several Wizarding schools from around the world. During the first, the flying related contests were held here at Hogwarts. He's not yet seen a breakdown of what category of competition will be held where so doesn't know yet if he and those from the other schools involved will be prepping the pitch and equipment here or elsewhere. Either way, he'll miss having the regular house matches but at the same time the change will be refreshing.
Finishing his coffee, Viktor moves to throw the cup away then walks over to talk to the just arrived Marjani, Zuberi, and Olive. He's seen little of his two "kids" this past week so is eager for an update and plans to suggest getting together after the match or for lunch tomorrow.
As they stand talking, the stands fill even more. It's not long now at all until time to get this match started.
The Match Starts
Author: Ellis
Date: 04-03-16 12:31
Conrad joined the circle around center field and waited for each ball's release. When the bludgers hit the air, he quickly sized up which was more easily utilized and darted after it. Unfortunately, Madoc had the same idea and got to it seconds before Conrad could. Unlucky for Madoc, Conrad was now in his way. Madoc's intention was to use the bludger on Duncan, who managed to get his hands on the quaffle first.
Duncan tossed the quaffle to Jasper, who threw it to Marlow. Madoc ended up knocking the bludger away––if he couldn't use it, then by golly, neither would Conrad. Conrad decided to go after it anyway. He flew around Madoc, who had his sights set on the other bludger now. Conrad zipped for the stray bludger and batted it to Tessa, when she figured out what he was up to. When Tessa intercepted the bludger, she targeted it at Mildred. Mildred was practically on top of Marlow, doing her darndest to prevent her from passing the quaffle to either of the other Hufflepuff chasers.
Gerry saw the bludger coming and called out a warning to Mildred. Mildred rolled away to avoid getting hit and allowed Marlow to pitch the quaffle towards Jasper. Jasper moved swiftly around Leo as he systematically searched for the golden snitch. Then, he swerved to miss Mickey, who had placed himself in Jasper's pass both to block him and to accept the bludger Madoc batted in his direction.
Conrad saw an opening and put himself between Jasper and the bludger. The bludger made contact with his bat and caused his entire arm to vibrate. Unable to aim the black ball at anyone in time, Conrad simply watched as it ricocheted in Mickey's direction. Jasper, meanwhile, arrived at the hoops and threw the quaffle at the right-most goal. Hunter dove for it and knocked the quaffle away with both of his hands.
Finley scrambled for the rebound and then rocketed away from the pack of other players. Conrad quickly scanned the area for the nearest bludger and saw that Mickey was using it on Duncan, the Hufflepuff chaser closest to Finley. Conrad's broomstick sped forward in a burst of speed to hopefully allow him to intercept the bludger and use it on Finley.
(Diving & Alaia) Dreaming the Day Away
Author: Alaia Rothstein
Date: 04-03-16 13:46
Divina didn't know that one person could make one so happy, but Amyas Brycin made her happy. He was sweet, kind, attentive and more than that he was sexy. She smiled to herself at the thought of Amyas being so sexy.
"What are you grinning about?" Alaia asked as she walked into the kitchen of the sweet shoppe.
"Oh, nothing." Divina grinned again, but Alaia knew her best friend all too well and she began giggling and so did Divina, "alright. I was just thinking about Amyas."
"Oh, you've got it bad don't you?"
Divina giggled again. "I don't know I just like him a lot. He is very nice."
"Yeah and not bad looking either."
"Yeah, well that too." Divina smiled brightly.
The door jingled and Divina and Alaia both walked out to the main part of the sweet shoppe. Alaia began straightening things up while Divina attended to the customer order. The customer wanted a custom wedding cake, a groom's cake and a cake for the rehearsal dinner. Looks like she and Alaia were going to be busy because they had some other custom orders to fill over the next couple days along with all the items they kept stocked in their shoppe.
"I am not feeling very well." Alaia said as the customers left the shoppe.
"Why don't you go home then?"
"I can't leave you here alone. It is always busy and I don't want to leave you."
"I'll be fine. I can owl my sister to come in and help me."
"Okay, but only if you are sure." Alaia said.
"I am." Divina said and began shooing Alaia off. "Go, now."
Alaia laughed and hugged her best friend and then headed out the door. Quickly Divina penned a note to her sister and sent it off with one of the shoppe's owls and then got back to work; but she thought about nothing but Amyas while she worked.
Distractions
Author: Finley
Date: 04-03-16 14:14
Finley flitted away from the Gryffindor goal hoops with the quaffle tucked underneath her arm. It was a nice day for a Quidditch match, though a bit on the breezy and therefore chilly side. Finley glanced quickly at a random spot in the stands and wondered how many guests had come out to view the match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. It was a nice day for a family outing.
Then again, with Hogsmeade recovering from an abrupt attack only two days ago, maybe folks were staying away from the area. Finley herself had not witnessed any of the attack on March 4th, though the tension in the air had been quite palpable afterwards. She and Phoebus had spent the afternoon holed up in the Gryffindor Common Room too distracted to work on homework or play games.
Finley allowed another quick glance into the stands and wondered if Eirene's relative "Auntie Gemma" was sitting with her in the Slytherin section. A few times since Parents Weekend, Finley had wanted to ask Eirene just who the woman was and what business she might have had at a Muggle orphanage, but she never did find the courage to ask. A part of her thought perhaps Eirene wasn't supposed to know that Gemma had gone to Finley's orphanage.
A bludger suddenly whizzed past Finley's ear. Her knee-jerk reaction was to swerve, which sent her colliding into Marlow. Finley had been so distracted by her thoughts that she'd never noticed Marlow catch up to her. Marlow stopped herself from spinning out and managed to lift the quaffle from Finley's arms, but then Madoc aimed the other bludger at Marlow's arm. It connected with the place just below her elbow and caused the quaffle to go flying.
Finley tried to get to it, but Marlow's broomstick had turned in her direction and their handles nearly locked together. Finley jerked her broomstick away at the last second. It was too late to recover the quaffle, but luckily, Gerry picked it up and continued on toward the Hufflepuff goal hoops. When a bludger crossed his path, Gerry handed the quaffle off to Mildred. Mildred drove forward and then arced in front of the goals guarded by Glori. She let the quaffle fly, but Glori successfully kicked the red ball away.
Finley managed to catch up by that point and caught the rebound. She immediately shot for the left hoop and scored before Glori could block it.
"Pride scores for Gryffindor!" Willow shouted. "Gryffindor leads, 10-0."
Glori retrieved the quaffle and handed it to Duncan.
(Willow) Timeout
Author: Rowan Westwick
Date: 04-03-16 16:53
Duncan threw long to Jasper, who was forced to swerve suddenly when Madoc aimed a bludger right at him. He was still well enough ahead of the pack to be at an advantage, though, and quickly found his momentum again. Mickey also aimed a bludger at Jasper, but it was intercepted by Conrad and redirected toward Leo when it looked like the Gryffindor seeker may have spotted the snitch. If he did, the sighting was over in an instant.
Jasper got within scoring range and tried for a goal, only Hunter caught the quaffle squarely and passed it to Mildred. Mildred didn't get very far before she found herself boxed in by the Hufflepuff chasers. She wasn't about to give up the quaffle, though, and as long as the Hufflepuffs surrounded her, then she was somewhat protected by a bludger attack. She made a break for it when first Duncan and then Jasper were hit by bludgers. The one that hit Duncan clobbered him in the side of the head and forced Coach Krum to call a timeout.
While the game was on pause, Willow sat silently in the staff box. She felt a bit distracted, which was a rarity when it came to the Quidditch matches. After all, as the commentator, she had to pay attention to the game play.
She wasn't quite with it today because of what had happened in Hogsmeade on Thursday. While it was true nobody was killed and the village wasn't destroyed or too devastated by the attack, the fact that Death Eaters were involved had Maurice Kilman once again taunting her because of her own connection to the dark wizard group.
Maurice insisted her father had been one of the hooded Death Eaters terrorizing the village, when in fact, Linden Westwick had been cleaning toilets in Diagon Alley at the time. Maurice also suggested Ash was now a Death Eater and that he, too, had participated in the attack.
Willow denied her family's involvement in the attack until she was blue in the face, but Maurice wouldn't let it go. She really hated him for the things he said and how he treated her.
Duncan appeared to be all right. Coach Krum cleared him to continue playing and then put the quaffle back into play while blowing his whistle to signal that the match had resumed.
"Campbell has the quaffle," Willow announced, forcing her head back into the game. "She passes to Martini-Blackwell. He passes to––ooh, intercepted by MacDougal!"
With a grin, Marlow turned her broomstick around and made her way for the Gryffindor hoops.
Another Goal
Author: Gerry
Date: 04-04-16 19:00
Gerry frowned and immediately followed after Marlow, who had just disrupted his pass to Finley. She zig-zagged around Leo and Sophie as they happened to fly near each other in search for the snitch. Duncan signaled he was open, so Marlow propelled the quaffle forward, only for a lucky bludger to strike the ball off course. It was unclear if it happened intentionally or accidentally, but it didn't matter. The ball went at an angle where Gerry could easily reach it. He caught it and turned tail.
Briefly, Gerry flew without obstacle or opposition. Carefree moments as a chaser were rare, not that playing Quidditch was stressful or undesirable. Gerry wouldn't be playing it if he didn't like it.
Gerry felt far from carefree, otherwise. Ever since his dad's visit for Parents Weekend, Gerry carried the weight of his father's words on his shoulders. If he didn't improve his marks or his conduct, then he wouldn't get to play Quidditch anymore. Gerry didn't like the sound of that at all, but he also didn't want to do homework or study when there were more interesting things to do with his time.
Nevertheless, he was trying to do better. It was hard and he didn't like it.
Gerry saw an opening and threw the quaffle to Finley. She caught the ball easily but decided she couldn't hold onto it for longer than a second. She passed it to Mildred, who dodged Conrad's bludger and then passed the ball back to Gerry. He came up to the goals at a quick clip and threw the ball with all his might. Glori was able to deflect it off her person, though from the facial expression she made, it looked like the impact hurt.
Gerry quickly swept the ball into his arms again and tried for another goal. Glori did her best to stop it from going through the hoop, but she was a hair too slow.
"Martini-Blackwell scores!" Willow cried. "Gryffindor leads twenty to zero."
Are Omnioculars Against The Rules? (Glori)
Author: Phinfilius
Date: 04-04-16 20:07
After Gryffindor's second goal Glori watches as her team's chasers work the quaffle down the pitch away from her. Her time as a Hogwarts Quidditch house team member is running out. One more match for Hufflepuff after this one, against Slytherin. That's it for Glori unless the team makes the House Cup match.
Unfortunately for Glori she has no idea what she wants to do after Hogwarts. She thought she knew. The past two or three months, though, she keeps changing her mind. Glori is definitely starting to feel the pressure to do well on all her NEWTs and to have some sort of "plan" or "goal." At this point she can't even decide whether she wants try out for a St. Emrys team or even if she wants to attend St. Emrys. Or what program she'd enter. Glori doesn't think she's ever felt so indecisive and uncertain in her life. Why or why can't she be like her cousin Baron and have known practically since birth what she wants in life and not change her mind about it even once.
Glori's attention is brought back to the pitch and the action taking place. Mickey has just gotten Jasper with a bludger, messing up a pass between Jasper and Duncan. This allows Finley to dart in and grab the quaffle only to get hit by Tessa with the second bludger. Finley fumbles the ball, ending up tossing it to Mildred.
Mildred starts back Glori's direction but doesn't get far when she too takes a bludger, this one courtesy of Conrad. The hit is hard enough that Mildred wobbles on her broom, nearly colliding with Jasper. Mildred recovers but goes ahead and passes to Gerry. Marlow gets in between the two, snatching the quaffle mid-pass for an interception.
Glori relaxes slightly as Hufflepuff regains possession of the ball. At the other set of hoops Hunter tenses, readying to fend off any scoring attempt Marlow, Jasper, or Duncan make. Marlow drives in closer but before getting into the optimal scoring ranges hands off to Duncan.
Duncan charges forward, quaffle at the ready, throwing straight toward center. Hunter blocks the shot with Jasper and Gerry grappling for possession of the quaffle. Glori practically stands up using the stirrups of her broom to better see from this distance the outcome of the struggle over the quaffle. Is it against the rules to bring mini binoculars or omnioculars up here?
In Pain
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 04-05-16 15:48
Jasper has the quaffle after a struggle with Gerry that if it had gone on much longer Coach Krum would have blown his whistle. The Hufflepuff chaser throws the ball, Hunter diving for it. As he stretches his arms out to knock the quaffle back a bludger connects with one elbow. The pain is intense enough that for a second Hunter's vision goes weird. In that second the quaffle soars past and through one of the hoops, giving Hufflepuff its first goal of the match.
The score now stands at Gryffindor 20, Hufflepuff 10.
Mildred accepts the quaffle to put back into play with a throw to Finley. Finley tucks the ball in close, accelerating away with Marlow close behind. Marlow edges in closer, which has Finley pouring on more speed. She then fakes out Marlow with what looks to be a pass to Gerry. Marlow starts to peel away to go after him only to realize Finley still has the ball.
Meanwhile, Jasper has gotten around Finley and is flying a zig zag course directly in front of her in an effort to slow her. This allows Marlow to get in close again but Finley's having none of that. The Gryffindor suddenly jerks her broom up and over Jasper. The move causes her to slow slightly but does get her out of Jasper's roadblock.
Seeing Mildred open, Finley passes the quaffle. Duncan tries to get an interception but a bludger from Madoc stops him. Duncan then turns his attention to Mildred, shadowing her much as Marlow had been doing to Finley only a moment before.
Despite several attempts by the three Hufflepuff chasers to retake possession of the red ball, Mildred, Finley, and Gerry are able to hold them off. They soon have the quaffle at Glori's end, looking to score a third goal.
Gerry has the quaffle as they reach Glori, dodging a bludger from Mickey to throw to the hoop that from Hunter's perspective is on the left but for Glori is to the right. Hunter watches from his end of the pitch, cradling the elbow that was hit by a bludger when Hufflepuff scored. His arm isn't working right at the elbow and the pain is enough he can easily see himself reduced to tears. For now, he's able to hold them back but it's taking an inordinate amount of effort and energy.
As Glori rebuffs Gerry's throws and almost immediately has to knock the quaffle back again when Mildred tries for a goal, Hunter fervently hopes the snitch is caught soon to end the match. He won't admit to anyone how much pain he's in - enough that he doesn't even care if it were Sophie who gets the winged ball - and leave his team without a keeper so the quicker the snitch is caught the quicker he can get his elbow checked.
Glori has successfully blocked each of the Gryffindor throws and the quaffle is now back in Hufflepuff hands, Duncan currently in possession. Hunter will have to let go his elbow when the chasers get near so he steels himself for that while sort of hoping his team retakes the quaffle before the action reaches him again.
Advantage
Author: Mildred
Date: 04-06-16 08:24
Gryffindor was winning the match, but by one goal only. Glori had managed to defend a lot of the goal attempts and now it was Duncan who had the quaffle. Ducan shot the quaffle to Jasper who grabbed it. Mildred went in his pursuit, followed by Finley. The two girls tried to make some pressure around Jasper so he would drop the quaffle. It did not work, but when he passed the red ball back to Duncan who was free, while Gerry was covering Marlow, a bludger met the quaffle's trajectory making it spin in the air, far away from all the chasers.
All the chasers tried to go for it. Mildred heard Willow saying it has been a bludger from Mickey Moon that had caused such effect on the quaffle, as she tried to be the first reaching it. She failed by little and it was now Marlow who got the quaffle. Marlow changed her broom's direction and headed to the Gryffindor side of the pitch. She passed the quaffle to Duncan, who dodged a bludger from Madoc, and continued on his way to the Gryffindor hoops. Duncan speed up and Gerry put himself in front of the Hufflepuff chaser, blocking his way, not allowing him to go further. But Duncan did not seem to mind as he passed the quaffle to Marlow.
Mildred tried to steal the ball in the air, but she failed and the red ball landed in security on Marlow's hands. Seeing herself in a good position to score, Marlow took her chance. Hunter was paying attention, but he was not able to defend and the quaffle passed smoothly threw the hoop on the left.
"MacDougal scores! Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are now tied, 20 points each."
Mildred frowned. Hunter passed the quaffle to Finley, but not after Madoc approached the keeper. They exchanged a few words, and Mildred noticed Hunter pointing at his elbow. He was a bit pale, but he used his gloved hand to do the sign of 'thumbs up' indicating he could continue to play, despite his condition.
Finley simulated a pass to Gerry, as Jasper was right next to her, but instead she offered the quaffle to Mildred. She gained some speed, trying to reach Glori's hoops. She heard the whistle of a bludger approaching, but she carried on her way, turning slightly to the side. The bludger had been sent by Tessa and hit Mildred's flank. She slowed down her rhythm because of the impact and she looked around. Gerry was free and Mildred passed the quaffle to him.
The Gryffindor chasers were approaching the Hufflepuff's hoops again. Gerry tried to score but the quaffle failed the hoop on the right by a few inches, hitting the metallic structure of the hoop instead. Finley was in a good position to grab it after the rebound, but Jasper was nearby not allowing her the space she needed make a proper shot. She noticed Mildred was free and passed her the quaffle. Mildred shot, and this time, the quaffle entered the hoops.
"Campbell scores! Gryffindor is leading the match again, 30 to 20."
Glori passed the quaffle to Jasper and the match continued.
Snitch Pursuit
Author: Sophie McCourt
Date: 04-06-16 14:17
While the chasers kept playing, Sophie was focused on the snitch search. She kept flying in circles around the pitch, trying to spot the little ball. At the same time, she would check out on Leo, to see if he had better luck than her finding it.
Just after Gryffindor scored their third goal, Sophie noticed Leo was flying faster than before. She did not see the snitch at first: instead of looking out for it, she decided to just catch up on Leo, and then once they were close to each other, then she would try to locate the snitch. The Gryffindor seeker was just a few inches ahead of her, when Sophie noticed the snitch. The golden ball abruptly turned to the right and the two seekers followed it. Sophie heard Willow announcing the snitch pursuit to the spectators. All eyes were on the two seekers.
Sophie gained some speed on her broomstick and she was now side to side with Leo. The snitch was near. The two of them started to reach their hands out of their broomstick's handles, almost in synchronized moves. That was when a bludger hit Sophie's shoulder. She did not get hurt too much, but lost control of her broom for a moment, bumping into Leo. This distraction was enough to make the snitch disappear out of their sight.
Sophie looked to the direction the bludger was sent. Mickey was holding his bat and he waved at her before turning his broom away, to focus again on the chasers. He had prevented Sophie from catching the snitch, however thanks to his move, Leo was not able to catch it either. Sophie hoped the Gryffindor team captain, Madoc, would later have a talk with Mickey about his move. She couldn't help being upset with his action. This was a match, and they were playing for different houses. Sophie understood that but at the same time it bothered her a bit. She would rather have been hit by one of Madoc's bludgers, than her friend.
Recently she had made up with Caleb and she did not want to become mad at another friend. She had been upset with Caleb because he took Patricia to the Valentine's Day Carnival, and the reason why she forgave him so soon, was not because of what Estine said but because of the attack at Hogsmeade, the day before Caleb's birthday. The attack had happened so close to the school, and she couldn't help thinking about what might happen if they had been at the village. What if something happened to Caleb? The idea of losing her best friend, especially now when she was so upset with him, scared her. So she decided it was time to forgive him and just move along.
She rubbed her shoulder. Leo had already flew in another direction. Sophie kept looking for the snitch, in the hopes this time she would see it first and be able to catch it.
Tying The Match (Duncan)
Author: Briar Rose
Date: 04-06-16 18:28
Several minutes after the excitement of a snitch sighting Duncan was fouled by Gerry though Gerry had tried hard not to. All alone with the quaffle facing Hunter and the hoops, the other chasers scattered around in what they each hope is a strategic location.
Hunter seems to be favoring one side so Duncan throws that direction. He doesn't want to cause Hunter any undo pain but at the same time this is a competition. Have to take whatever advantage is presented.
Hunter maneuvers quickly but his arm is definitely being a problem for him. The Gryffindor keeper makes a good effort and nearly has the quaffle stopped. Nearly isn't enough. The ball gets by him, going through a hoop though it does touch the rim on its way through. For less then half a second Duncan worries the goal won't be good but the quaffle continues on as intended, giving Hufflepuff ten more points.
As Willow announces the tied game standing of 30 points apiece, Finley gets the quaffle back into action with a pass to Gerry. Gerry passes to Mildred who almost immediately throws to Finley who in turn once again passes off to Gerry. The passes are quick as the three Gryffindor chasers work the quaffle away from Hunter.
Just past the middle pitch point Jasper intercepts one of those passes. It's between Finley and Mildred with the steal assisted by a bludger from Tessa. Gerry rushes in towards Jasper in an attempt to steal the quaffle right back but the combination of the other bludger sent by Conrad and Jasper hurling the quaffle to Duncan keeps the red ball in Hufflepuff hands for the time being.
Duncan heads back towards Hunter, dodging a bludger from Madoc and avoiding Finley's reaching, grasping hands trying to jerk the quaffle from his grasp.
(Tessa) Unfortunately…
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 04-06-16 19:16
Tessa raced after a nearer of the two bludgers and gave it a hard bat in Finley's direction after she managed to steal Duncan's quaffle after all. Unfortunately, Finley dodged the black ball and threw the quaffle at Gerry. Frowning, Tessa made a split second decision to go after the same bludger instead of the other one. Madoc intercepted it after it sailed past Finley and targeted Duncan with it, because the Hufflepuff chaser was flying very close to Gerry.
Tessa didn't think she could get between the bludger and Duncan, but she could narrow the gap and use the ball to her advantage in a little while. Unfortunately, Duncan avoided getting hit by Madoc's bludger, and neither Conrad nor Mickey were in a position to stop it from continuing on its trajectory. Tessa frowned as she watched the bludger go past all the action, though it changed position midair before it could continue all the way into the stands.
Nothing seemed to be going as planned. Tessa thought she should give up on the bludger that didn't want to cooperate with her, but the other one wasn't easily within reach. Besides, Conrad and Mickey were monopolizing it at the moment. With a sigh, Tessa rushed towards the bludger now returning in her direction. Unfortunately, she had to contend with Madoc. She had a head start, but he was fast and strong. He muscled past her and gave the bludger a mighty whack with his bat.
Tessa scowled and made her broomstick fly as fast as it would go. She overtook the bludger before it could hit its target and then redirected it at Gerry, who still had possession of the quaffle. Not only did the bludger hit Gerry, but it smashed him in the hand and caused him to drop the quaffle. Duncan was there in a flash with the steal.
Being a beater meant you had to hurt people. It came with the territory, but Tessa was a typical kind Hufflepuff and usually felt a little bad about it (but not enough to not play her hardest). Seeing the look of surprise and the grimace on Gerry's face was somewhat satisfying, though. Everybody heard what he did to a first year Hufflepuff on Halloween. He was an awful boy.
Tessa didn't relish the moment for long. If Hufflepuff wanted to retain possession of the quaffle, then she as beater needed to assist in every way possible.
Jasper & Marlow In The Match
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 04-07-16 11:56
Marlow uses a couple of fingers to massage one temple. In the last fifteen minutes, give or take, she's had a massive headache come on. As she's not taken a bad hit to the head with a bludger or smacked her head against anyone else or been knocked by a broom, she's not sure what's brought it on. It's not a sinus headache but not a migraine either. It's just a regular headache that simply had to come on whilst she's participating in a match. If this were a for fun pick-up type game, she'd look about for someone else to take her spot and go sit out for a bit but, no, this is a house match for points that help determine who plays for the Quidditch Cup and points that go towards the House Cup count.
The quaffle had gotten knocked out of bounds but now Finley has it back into play. Marlow drops her hand, trying to ignore the ache in her head, telling herself it's just another pain that comes with Quidditch and as soon as the match ends she'll take something for it and for the ache of a few bruises she's gotten since the game began.
Finley flies by Marlow, who falls in at Finley's side, keeping pace. Finley passes off to the other side, frowning when Duncan nearly gets in for an interception. A bludger from Mickey keeps him from getting to the quaffle in time, allowing the ball to reach Mildred as planned.
They were already close to where Glori and her hoops are so it doesn't take much for Gryffindor to get close enough to try to score again. Mildred throws the quaffle but Glori knocks it back with the flattened palm of one hand. Gerry snatches the ball up before Jasper can get to it, almost immediately launching the quaffle back in the air.
Glori again stops the quaffle's forward momentum, this time by batting it with a fist. It comes straight to Marlow though Finley does try and grab it before Marlow's able to firm up her hold on the ball.
Marlow has a hard time getting turned to fly the other direction down the pitch. Finley is close enough that they nearly tangle broom handles but making the turn the other way would be just as difficult to maneuver at the moment because Gerry's closed in on her. Marlow ends up dipping down while angling her broom around. When she's clear enough of both the other two chasers she rockets away.
Finley is right on her heels so Marlow goes low over her broom and urges it to go even faster. The combination of slouched over the broom and air whipping past her face does not help the headache but Marlow is not going to let that keep her from preventing Finley from taking the quaffle from her.
Spying Duncan open, Marlow flings the quaffle his direction without slowing down. Mildred hustles over to steal the ball but Duncan is quicker, grabbing up the quaffle. A bludger from Madoc gets him in the thigh but doesn't slow Duncan nor does he release his grip on the ball until passing to Jasper.
Jasper curves around Tessa as she approaches a bludger then straightens out, flying in a directly line towards Hunter. He has to zig to avoid a bludger from Mickey then zags to get out of Sophie's way. Either she's had a snitch sighting that brings her into the thick of things or she's so focused on finding the snitch she didn't realize that the chasers were converging right where she's searching.
Jasper passes to Duncan who moves the quaffle even closer to where Hunter sits pale faced. Jasper rightly imagines that Hunter isn't enjoying this match as much as he has others. While Jasper empathizes he understands Hunter not wanting to willingly leave the game. He'd probably protest if Coach Krum tells him to go - that's what Jasper would do - but would go if ordered. So far it's not come to that and while Jasper would hate to see Hunter go because of an injury, he'd also wouldn't mind having the Gryffindor hoops unattended.
Jasper calls a warning to Duncan about a bludger but Conrad intercepts it in time. Duncan throws the quaffle as Hunter avoids the very same bludger that had been meant for him. Hunter is able to deflect, kicking the ball away. Gerry reaches a hand to grab up the quaffle only to have Marlow snatch it away.
She does a side toss of the ball, unable to get into a better position just then, only to have Hunter turn that attempt back as well. She catches it but drops it thanks to a bludger from Madoc. Jasper's able to retrieve the quaffle before anyone else. He sends it to the hoop nearest him. With good timing Tessa assists with a bludger directed towards Hunter. The quaffle gets by the Gryffindor keeper, putting Hufflepuff in the lead with 40 points to Gryffindor's 30.
(Madoc) Falling Behind
Author: Minerva McGonagall
Date: 04-07-16 18:59
Madoc swung his bat and watched as the bludger he hit made a beeline for Marlow. She was in the process of harassing Mildred, who had received the quaffle after Jasper's goal. Conrad came out of nowhere to intercept the bludger, but instead of directing it at Mildred, he batted it at Gerry. Gerry had his arms open, ready to catch Mildred's pass. What ended up happening is the bludger overtook the quaffle and slammed into Gerry's gut, causing him to buckle forward and almost lose his lunch.
A timeout was called while Professor Krum checked on Gerry. Gerry looked green in the face but he waved off the injury. After a couple of minutes, the game resumed. Professor Krum put the quaffle back into play via Mildred, who was the last person to touch the red ball.
Madoc used the bludger that so recently slammed into Gerry's stomach on Marlow, who again harassed Mildred for the quaffle. This time the bludger caught Marlow in the arm. Mildred passed the quaffle to Finley, who drove to the goal hoops and attempted a goal. Glori caught the ball and handed it to Duncan.
Duncan zipped back to about midfield before encountering any trouble. Madoc targeted him with a bludger, which grazed his arm but didn't force him to give up the quaffle. Duncan held onto the red ball for a little longer and then threw it to Marlow. She passed it to Jasper. He raced for the goals and let go of the quaffle from an angle. It hit rim and bounced back into his arms. Jasper tried again the same time Tessa aimed a bludger at Hunter. Madoc tried to get to it before it could distract Hunter, but he was too slow. Hunter tried to dodge the bludger and stop the quaffle, but he only managed to avoid getting hit. The quaffle went through the hoop, putting another ten points on the board for Hufflepuff.
"Hufflepuff leads 50 to Gryffindor's 30!" Willow cried out.
Ending The Match (Leo)
Author: Phinfilius
Date: 04-07-16 20:43
At some point Leo had become aware that Hunter is having an issue with one arm and is in pain. The longer the match goes the more likely Hunter will have greater difficulty. In turn, this will allow Hufflepuff to score enough points from goals that it won't matter whether Leo gets the snitch or not.
Of course, to get the snitch requires locating the snitch. Leo has only seen it once since the match began and as the game is still going on that means he didn't get it then.
Gryffindor has the quaffle again, or so he takes it that's the case based on Willow Westwick's calling of the match. At the moment, Leo is below where most of the chasers are and has his back to them. According to Willow, Gerry had the quaffle but now he's passing to Mildred. Mildred catches the ball with Jasper trying to take it from her.
Mildred holds Jasper off until she passes to Finley. The catch is good but Conrad gets her with a bludger causing Finley to fumble her hold on the quaffle. This in turn allows Duncan to grab it away.
Leo turns and though he's still flying at a lower level, he's far enough down the pitch that he doesn't have to strain to look up as Duncan weaves around Tessa, who's after a bludger, Gerry, and teammate Marlow.
Something just below Marlow's broom has Leo squinting. He thinks it's the snitch but can't be sure it's not something like a butterfly or a leaf. Are there even butterflies out yet? Or moths?
He doesn't alter his altitude but does increase his speed to get over there where Marlow was just a split second ago. It is the snitch and it's still there, hovering.
So eager is Leo to get there and get the snitch he doesn't bother trying to be sneaky or do anything to make Sophie think all he's doing is changing his search pattern. Leo quickly realizes even if he had been trying to do either of those things it wouldn't have mattered. Sophie had seen the snitch, probably about the same time he did, and is in motion to get to the hovering snitch quickly.
They converge on it, by this time drawing the attention of others. Both bludgers come at them, one sent at Sophie by Madoc and the other hit by Tessa at Leo. Both dodge the bludgers, knowing that beaters will be hurrying to get to those hard black balls again to send right back at them until one of them gets this snitch this time or until they both lose sight of it again.
Sophie and Leo are flying almost directly at each other. The snitch has yet to move. Each sticks a hand out to grab it as they brush so closely past each other that their clothes ripple and pull. Leo reflexively closes his hand but it's not until he's passed the spot where the snitch is - or was - that he stops to see whether he caught it or if Sophie did or if they both somehow missed. With the snitch them both missing is definitely a possibility.
Opening his hand, Leo cannot suppress a grin at the sight of the winged snitch sitting docilely in his palm. Willow energetically announces, "Marchbanks has the snitch! Gryffindor wins 180 to Hufflepuff's 50!"