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Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw
Author: Viktor Krum
Date: 05-26-16 14:54
Refereeing alone this Gryffindor-Ravenclaw match Viktor has the trunk of balls on the pitch, ready for the game to begin. He is not, however, alone at this time. Marjani, a cup of whatever the flavor of the month from her favorite coffee shop in hand, peppers him with questions.
"How did it go? What is she like? Will you ask her out again? When do I get to meet her?"
Viktor holds up a hand and she immediately stops talking. "Planning on giving me a chance to answer or just going to keep throwing questions at me?"
"Sorry," she mumbles around her cup though he can tell she isn't really.
When he takes a drink of his own coffee rather than answering any of her questions Marjani impatiently says, "Well?"
"Last night vas fine. She's nice but I'm not sure yet of another date."
Viktor's vas instead of was is not lost on Marjani. "Tired are you? Up late?"
"Yes and yes, but only because I had trouble sleeping. I think I need a new mattress."
"Suuuure," Marjani drawls.
"I'm serious. You can come shopping with me after the match if you like," Viktor makes a point of saying with rather than vit or vith. He's tired but not that tired and doesn't want to give her further ammunition to imply the date went much better than he's indicated.
Viktor has not had the best love life to date and finding someone who doesn't want to date him simply because he's a well known professional Quidditch player who now owns a team isn't easy. A single date that went well isn't much to go on other than she did not spend the entire time gushing over him or asking about one pro player after another.
Marjani pokes and prods more but soon eventually gives up. Viktor isn't being as forthcoming as she'd like and he seems serious about getting a new mattress later today. She switches to talking about the two teams playing today, showing the most interest in how the Gryffindors have looked in practice of late as that's her former house and the team for which she played while at Hogwarts.
Playing today for Gryffindor are the beaters Madoc McGonagall and Mickey Moon, chasers Finley Pride, Gerry Martini-Blackwell, and Mildred Campbell, keeper Hunter Green, and seeker Leo Marchbanks. The Ravenclaw beaters are Kurt Blackwell and Jade Green, chasers Franciscus Vanderbilt, Penny Puckett, and Paton Shrewsbury, keeper Beatrix Vanderbilt, and seeker Bran Hyland.
As they continue to wait for the start of the announcements by Willow Westwick, the introduction of the players, and the start of the match, Viktor asks Marjani about her upcoming term at St. Emrys and the courses she'll be taking this time. Before they know it, the stadium is full and Willow is welcoming everyone to what will hopefully be an exciting Quidditch match.
Positive Attitude
Author: Gerry
Date: 05-27-16 14:46
Gerry hovered in the air over center field and waited for Coach Krum to release each ball. When the quaffle left the coach's hand, Gerry immediately swept in to claim it for his own. He pulled it tightly against his body and tried to navigate through the other chasers who had set upon the quaffle. Mildred and Finley moved aside to give Gerry a chance to break free of the pack, with Mildred already heading in the direction of the Ravenclaw goals, should Gerry choose to pass the quaffle to her.
Finley, meanwhile, hovered nearby in case someone tried to dislodge the ball from him. With everyone in close quarters, it was possible someone would knock the ball free, and Finley hoped to recover it for Gryffindor if that happened. Gerry, however, used the opening his fellow chasers provided to zip away from the Ravenclaws and quickly pursued Mildred down the Pitch. When he saw a bludger coming at him out of the corner of his eye, Gerry pitched the quaffle forward. Mildred kept moving ahead but looked over her shoulder to see how fast or slow she needed to go to make the catch. She caught the ball easily, only to get hit by the other bludger.
The ball tried to slip from her fingers, bouncing from one hand to the next before she secured her hold on it. The distraction slowed her down enough for Gerry and Finley and the Ravenclaw chasers to catch up to her. She drew the quaffle protectively to her side and only released it when Finley maneuvered around the pack and showed that she was open for a pass. Mildred chanced a throw, even though Penny was right there. Penny reached up to intercept the ball as it passed over her head. She got her fingers on it, causing the ball to change course.
Unfortunately for Ravenclaw, Penny didn't managed to get a good hold on the ball, so it went into free fall. Gerry pointed the nose of his broomstick down and swooped in for the catch. He narrowly avoided getting scratched by the bristles of somebody's broomstick in the process, but the nose of somebody else's broom jabbed him in the side, causing the breath to whoosh right out of him. He missed catching the quaffle, but luckily, Finley recovered it for Gryffindor.
She ascended to the level of the hoops while accelerating as fast as she could at the incline and then tossed the ball at the right-hand goal. It hit rim and bounced right back into her arms. Finley made quick work of deciding her best move, knowing her options were limited. Beatrix was paying close attention to her movements, and the other chasers had caught up to her by then. When Mildred warned her of a bludger coming from behind, Finley handed the ball to Gerry, who had wedged himself in beside her despite his aching side. Gerry fired the quaffle with as much power as he could, hoping it would still go through the hoop if Beatrix did manage to get a hand on it. The force of his throw made her fingers bend back and caused her face to scrunch up in pain. The quaffle, though slightly off-kilter, still made it through the hoop.
"Martini-Blackwell scores! Gryffindor leads by 10!" shouted Willow Westwick.
A whistle was blown so that Coach Krum could check the fingers on Beatrix's injured hand. It would be Gryffindor's lucky day if Ravenclaw lost its keeper right at the get-go.
During the timeout, Gerry scanned the crowd. His gaze fell on an older Ravenclaw boy named Pedro or maybe Pablo who had supplied him with something called Smart Crystals yesterday evening. Gerry had arranged a private meeting in an alcove in one of the quieter corridors with the older boy after hearing about Smart Crystals from a fifth year student in his own house. That fifth year had gone from hyperventilating about the OWLs to looking energetic and ready to take on any challenge thrown her way. Gerry had thought she'd gone to the Hospital Wing for a personality change, but no. Upon asking her in his sometimes difficult to control make-fun manner, Gerry had learned the secret: Smart Crystals.
Smart Crystals were going to help him improve his marks even more, so that his parents would have no reason to threaten him with removing him from the Gryffindor team.
Coach Krum finally blew his whistle again to signal the restart of the game. Beatrix had her fingers bandaged, Gerry saw. Surely that would hinder how well she tended the goals. As far as Gerry was concerned, all things were looking up.
Little Progression
Author: Mildred
Date: 05-27-16 15:48
The timeout ended once it was clear Beatrix was not going to abandon the match. She passed the quaffle to her brother, and Franciscus moved away from the Ravenclaw scoring area, before any of the Gryffindor chasers would be able to get the quaffle back to their possession. Mildred went after Franciscus, as Finley covered Paton. Penny was slowed down by a bludger that hit her shoulder, sent by Madoc. Gerry came closer to Franciscus as well. Cornered between Mildred and Gerry, he risked a pass to Paton. Paton was able to grab the quaffle and after advancing a few more meters he offered it to Penny, who had finally joined the other chasers.
Penny got closer to the hoops guarded by Hunter. Another bludger, this time from Mickey, came in her direction, but Jade tossed it away with her bat, giving Penny the room she needed to try and score. The quaffle flied very high, and Hunter had to stretch his arms up to its maximum, but he avoided the red ball from entering the hoop. At the stands, the Gryffindors clapped their hands, happy with his defense. Hunter passed the quaffle to Finley.
She was very fast as she managed to pass right between Paton and Franciscus, with the red ball under her arm. Mildred and Gerry promptly followed her. Finley passed the quaffle to Mildred and after gaining some space, she offered it back to Finley. Unfortunately, the quaffle was intercepted in the air by Paton. She frowned, not happy that she hadn't spotted Paton. She turned her broom around, to go after him. A bludger passed very close to her, but it barely touched her body. She only felt her robes moving faster as it passed. Mildred positioned her broom next to Paton, and tried to make pressure on his flank. But he did not give into it. Instead he passed the quaffle to Franciscus. Gerry saved the day, by stealing it from him.
Soon the Gryffindors were closer to the hoops again, after passing the quaffle between the three of them. Gerry had the quaffle again, and he tried to score again, but Beatrix made an excellent defense. She quickly handed the quaffle to Penny.
As she followed Penny, Mildred couldn't help thinking about her meeting with the head of the Gryffindor House, Professor Black. As a fifth year she was supposed to start thinking of what she wanted to do in the future, after graduating. She was honest with Professor Black and told him she did not want to become a healer, even if it had something she had dreamed of when she was younger. Mildred omitted that she just couldn't see herself pursuing the same career as both her parents. She felt like she would loath to dress up in the St. Mungo's robes, work on the place Erica Sims died. Of course there were other hospitals in the country, but nevertheless, in her mind she would always see herself ending up working there.
Professor Black had been extreme helpful. He gave Mildred some pamphlets all related with careers in the health area and after analyzing them carefully at the Gryffindor common room, she finally was able to decide what she wanted to do. She was going to study nursing at St. Emrys and then attend a midwifery program at another school, so she would avoid St. Mungo's all together. She wouldn't become a healer like her parents, but she would still be doing something pretty amazing and bold, helping to deliver children into the world. She thought she had what it takes. But first she needed to pass on her OWLs. And for now, Gryffindor had to win this match against Ravenclaw.
She went back to reality when she heard Finley's voice. She had managed to retrieve the quaffle and she was now calling for Mildred and Gerry, so she could find an opening between Paton and Penny so she could hand the red ball safely to another one of her fellow chasers. Little progression was made for a while and she was hoping the match would get more intense again.
Distractions
Author: Finley
Date: 05-27-16 16:38
Finley quickly assessed the situation and decided to throw the quaffle to Mildred, but Penny intercepted the ball and looked very smug doing so. She had only just lost the ball to Finley, so it felt good gaining possession of the quaffle again. Penny turned around abruptly and made a mad dash for the Gryffindor hoops.
Finley, meanwhile, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and hoped it would stay put, though she doubted it would. During the race to catch the quaffle when it went into free fall, her hair got caught on something and a part of it slipped from her ponytail. The catch didn't pull on her hair too badly to cause her any pain or jerk her head back. She only really noticed the issue when the strand of hair fell into her face.
Finley should have fixed her ponytail during the timeout, but she'd been too busy staring at the familiar-looking woman sitting in the stands with Eirene. In addition to those two, there was a man and another couple, who Finley presumed were Eirene's parents. Finley had never seen the others before and wondered why they'd chosen this Quidditch match of all events to visit their daughter at Hogwarts, especially considering Slytherin wasn't one of the teams playing.
Penny threw the quaffle to Paton, who started to throw it to Franciscus but stopped when Mildred got in the way. Paton deliberated throwing back to Penny but ultimately thought it best to hang on to the ball for the time-being.
Finley zig zagged to get closer to the quaffle, hoping to either knock it from Paton's grasp or to intercept a pass if he did end up trying to toss it back to Penny. She got as close as she could to him before a bludger came at her head on. Finley swerved to avoid it and almost collided with Penny, but Penny acted quickly and also swerved.
The other bludger got aimed at Mildred, who had no choice but to drop back or get hit. Paton passed the quaffle to Franciscus, who drove forward with every intention of getting within scoring range. Finley pushed herself to go faster too but only caught up to him after he tried for a goal. Hunter slapped the ball, knocking it back in Franciscus' direction, only Finley swooped in for the steal and quickly arced around him to head back in the other direction.
She dodged Penny when the Ravenclaw chaser flew right at her in an effort to distract her. Finley glanced over her shoulder at the right time and saw a bludger headed her way. She adjusted her path to avoid getting hit and then tossed the ball to Mildred, who had just flown passed her. Mildred quickly approached the Ravenclaw goal hoops and set up for a shot, only to fake the attempt and hand off the ball to Finley. The exchange happened too quickly for Beatrix to adjust her position for the block. Finley scored.
"Pride scores! Gryffindor leads by 20!" shouted Willow.
Hunter In The Match
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 05-28-16 11:32
Though still relatively early in the game Hunter can't help but feel pleased that Gryffindor is ahead with two goals. As others have over the years and as he's done a number of times since first being introduced to the sport of Quidditch, Hunter wonders what the thinking was behind the decision to have the hard work of making - and defending - goals only worth 10 points but the catching of the snitch worth 150. He's played seeker in some games so he knows catching the snitch is not an easy job but since most of a seeker's time is spent in searching while the chasers' entire time is spent constantly either defending possession of the quaffle or attempting to take possession of the red ball, and, when possible, trying to score goals.
At the moment those chasers are battling over the quaffle. Penny had had it, almost near enough to try for a goal, when a bludger from Madoc caused her to fumble her hold. Her teammates Paton and Franciscus, and Gryffindor chasers Mildred, Finley, and Gerry have converged in an effort to be catch the quaffle as it falls away from Penny.
With no eyes on him, or most likely none right at this moment anyway, Hunter applauds when it's Gerry who emerges victorious from the fray. The joy is short lived when almost immediately Jade smacks Gerry with a bludger, allowing Paton to grab the quaffle away.
Franciscus and Penny swarm to Paton, the trio gathering in a formation familiar to even someone who only follows Quidditch in passing. They retain possession the short distance to where Hunter is keeping careful watch of where the quaffle is.
Paton tries to fake Hunter out with what looks like a pass to Franciscus but the fake out isn't successful. Paton throws and Hunter lunges far to the right, knocking the quaffle back. Penny catches it but she's turned oddly and throwing towards the hoops would be awkward so she hands off to Franciscus.
Franciscus hurls the ball, Hunter lurching now to the left. He's not quite got it so he lunges even more. He's got a hand on the quaffle when BAM! A bludger gets him in the shoulder with enough force his hand flies up from the quaffle, allowing the ball to continue past him.
And just like that Ravenclaw has 10 points.
The score is now Ravenclaw 10, Gryffindor 20.
(Beatrix) Stiff
Author: Griet
Date: 05-28-16 12:50
The fingers on Beatrix's left hand were taped up and couldn't bend (in the right or wrong direction), which meant she couldn't do much with that hand other than slap the quaffle. It was awkward to say the least, but no way would Beatrix consider leaving the match simply because she couldn't grip her broomstick with that particular hand. Her fingers didn't even really hurt anymore. They just felt kind of stiff, and not just because they were taped up.
After Franciscus scored (yay, finally!), Hunter put the quaffle back into play via Mildred. She snuck the ball to Gerry, who shot away before the others realized what had happened. Beatrix saw the whole thing though and knew to follow Gerry with her eyes rather than Mildred, who was still feigning having the quaffle for the sake of the Ravenclaw chasers.
It didn't take long for the others to figure out the ruse. Jade intercepted one of the bludgers and turned it so that it targeted Gerry. Kurt got into position to nudge the ball along on the correct course. Penny, meanwhile, urged her broomstick forward and managed to close the gap between herself and Gerry in record time.
The bludger ended up only grazing Gerry in the arm. He kept his hold on the quaffle and threw it overhand and over Penny's head to Finley, who had caught up to them by that point. This time Penny didn't disrupt the pass. The ball sailed cleanly over her and landed neatly in Finley's arms. Finley drove forward with the quaffle and let it fly. Beatrix got into position to knock it back with her taped-up hand. The ball bounced off her hand and landed back in Finley's arms. Finley started to throw again, when a bludger caught her in the back and made her crumple over her broomstick.
Penny was on the spot to steal the ball away. Finley recovered quickly, though there was a pained expression on her face. She hurried in pursuit of Penny and the ball, while Beatrix breathed a temporary sigh of relief.
When the pack got to the midpoint of the stadium, Beatrix allowed her gaze to wander into the stands. She found her friends sitting together, cheering her on. Even Rowan's Hufflepuff boyfriend was wearing blue in support of Ravenclaw.
Beatrix thought about the secret operation they had going. She was intelligent enough to know that Smart Crystals weren't entirely what Lon advertised them to be, but she didn't have any problem promoting the gimmick. The product wasn't a complete farce––it reenergized (at least temporarily) and gave the illusion of potential productivity. It was also extra money in their pockets to spend during next month's Hogsmeade trip.
Beatrix returned her attention to the action on the field when the noise in the crowd increased to a deafening level. Penny was near the Gryffindor goal hoops, looking to score.
(Franciscus & Paton) Splinters
Author: Griet
Date: 05-28-16 13:28
Franciscus eyed Penny as she came upon the Gryffindor goals. He watched her make a quick assessment of the situation and then hurl the ball at one of the hoops. Hunter dove for the quaffle and blocked the ball from entering the hoop. The quaffle ricocheted off his outstretched hands and this time landed in Paton's arms. Paton tried to score, but again Hunter sent the ball back into the fray.
Paton caught the rebound again, but before he could throw the quaffle, a bludger caught him in the shoulder and caused the quaffle to pop free of his grasp. There was a mad scramble to get the ball, with Franciscus being the fastest and immediately firing the quaffle at a hoop, but unfortunately, it bounced off the rim and went back into the crowd congregated in front of the goals.
Gerry caught the rebound this time, but Penny lifted the ball from his arms and tried to score. She quickly found that she couldn't because there were too many people in the way. A few dove away when a bludger came at them, seemingly targeting everyone and nobody in particular all at the same time. Finley got in Penny's way and tried to prevent her from scoring, so Penny handed the ball to Paton. Paton scored when the second bludger targeted Hunter. It didn't hit Hunter, more because it wasn't on target than because he tried avoiding it. At the same time Paton's quaffle made it through the hoop, the bludger struck the pole with a loud clank and caused the whole thing to vibrate. Everybody scattered to avoid getting hit by the rebound.
Now the match was tied, 20-20.
Hunter gave the quaffle to Mildred. Paton was on her like white on rice, eager to harass her into giving up the quaffle. She held on tight and tried to ignore his taunts, all the while keeping an eye on his grabbing hands.
Franciscus maneuvered to Mildred's other side to prevent either Gerry or Finley from protecting her. Her only choice to rid herself of the quaffle if she wanted to was to pitch it forward, backwards, down or up. She ended up tossing it up when Finley sailed right overhead.
Franciscus and Paton adjusted their altitudes to harass Finley, but she managed to dart ahead of them since she was moving in a straight line. Unfortunately, she didn't keep her advantage because a bludger struck the back of her broomstick, causing some of the bristles to break off and fly in all directions. A piece landed in Franciscus' hand, and another bounced off of Paton's goggles, which he was only wearing because he'd had an eye infection earlier in the week and needed to keep them clean and protected from things like the wind.
Franciscus ignored the giant splinter stuck in his hand so that he could claim the quaffle, which Finley lost during the impact with the bludger. He scooped it up from the air and turned around, making eye contact with Paton in the process. Paton seemed unhurt and ready to accept Franciscus' pass. Franciscus tossed the quaffle to him and then made quick work of inspecting his hand. It was irritated and a little bloody around the splinter. Franciscus yanked it out and hoped he'd gotten it all, but he wasn't going to worry about it just then. He'd have Madam Pomfrey look at it later.
Paton, meanwhile, glanced behind him to see what Finley was doing. She was flying in pursuit, which probably meant her broomstick wasn't falling apart. Mildred and Gerry were ahead of him, glancing over their shoulders to figure out what his next move would be. For now, Paton planned on hanging on to the quaffle, but that might change in the next second or two.