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Match Against Gryffindor (Rex)
Author: Saffron
Date: 03-14-18 18:29
Rex scrubs at one eye. It feels like it has grit in it, which is possible. There is a breeze and although he's not done much flying yet, he has done a little. His eye is watering when the balls are released but being keeper means he can blinks and wipe at his eye without any real worry just yet of having to defend the hoops behind him.
Even with blurred vision in the one eye Rex doesn't need the announcer to tell him that first with the quaffle is his own teammate Cornington Marchbanks. Cornington takes off for the end where the other keeper in today's game awaits. Oliver Towneley comes more sharply into focus as Rex's eye begins clearing. Thankfully, whatever was irritating it has been washed out or moved enough not to be noticeable.
Cornington has covered half the distance to Oliver when a bludger from Achilles Sims allows Finley Pride to steal the quaffle. Though still a ways from him, Rex sits up straighter, blinks a few times to makes sure his eye is truly cleared of whatever it was and no longer watery.
Finley passes to Mildred who dodges a bludger from Tessa Filby. Mildred then hands off to the third of the three Gryffindor chasers, Gerry Martini-Blackwell. Kaycee Sickleby is right there on him, ready to snatch the quaffle away at the first opening.
Kaycee's chance comes when Conrad Ellis gets in a good hit of a bludger. The hard blackball passes closely enough to Gerry that he instinctively jerks away. When he does, his grip on the quaffle loosens slightly. Before he can adjust Kaycee has the quaffle in hand, zipping away the other direction. Rex can't read Gerry's lips from where he is but from the expression on Gerry's face Rex is fairly certain whatever it is Gerry has said would earn him a detention if a professor overheard.
Kaycee ducks as a bludger from Gideon Weasley passes uncomfortably close and then she makes a pass to Duncan Dippet. He, Kaycee, and Cornington work together to move the quaffle nearer to Oliver and goal range.
(Oliver) Runny Nose
Author: Ethan Somerset
Date: 03-16-18 12:31
The three Hufflepuff chasers worked the quaffle all the way down the Pitch. Oliver, who watched their movements closely, got ready to block the three Gryffindor hoops. He felt slightly distracted by the condition of his nose, however. Oliver was battling a slight cold, and his sinuses were runny. The frigid temperature outside didn't help matters either. Oliver could feel snot leaking out of his nostril at that very moment, but he didn't dare pull out one of the many tissues stashed up the sleeve of his Quidditch uniform.
Cornington passed the quaffle to Kaycee, who lobbed it to Duncan. Duncan veered toward the goal hoops at an angle and threw back his arm before pitching it forward and letting the quaffle loose. The ball flew strong and hard at the middle-hoop, but Oliver managed to block it with his chest and grunted in the process. The quaffle bounced into Kaycee's arms. She started to try for a goal, but Gerry was suddenly there, waving his arm in front of her. She shoved the quaffle into Duncan's arms the same moment Oliver saw a bludger heading his way.
Oliver inhaled sharply in an attempt to retract the snot dripping out of his nose and threw himself where he thought Duncan might throw the quaffle, despite knowing the bludger would at the very least strike him in the shoulder. He turned slightly so that the black ball hit him in the upper arm and not in a more boney part of his body. The impact stung and caused Oliver to hiss through his teeth. By this point, the snot was practically in his mouth.
His attempt at blocking Duncan's goal was no good, however. Duncan fooled Oliver completely by throwing the quaffle to Cornington at the last second, who scored without any hindrance whatsoever.
"Huffepuff scores the first points of the match!" shouted the announcer.
Oliver retrieved the quaffle with a frown and handed it to Gerry. He waited until the six chasers were far enough away from him before reaching into his sleeve and pulling out one of the many tissues stashed up there. He wiped the snot off his face and then blew into the tissue. He shoved the used tissue up his other sleeve and got another fresh one out, which he wound up a bit and shoved up his nose. It was only a temporary solution to his problem.
Moving Along
Author: Finley
Date: 03-16-18 12:48
After accepting the quaffle from Oliver, Gerry threw long to Finley. Finley caught the quaffle cleanly and flew quickly towards the Hufflepuff goal hoops. She drew back suddenly when a bludger came at her from the side. She felt it whoosh past her nose and realized that she either could have ended up with a broken nose, or worse, a bad head injury. In that moment, Duncan came up to her an attempted to lift the quaffle from her arms, but Finley woke up out of her daze and yanked it back. They struggled for a moment, but then another bludger flew between them, causing them to scatter.
Finley still had possession of the quaffle and zoomed ahead. She saw Mildred pull up to her out of the corner of her eye and when the coast was clear, passed the quaffle to her. Mildred secured the quaffle against her body and darted through the chilly air to where Rex awaited her.
Mildred lined up for a good shot, but Rex nevertheless deflected the ball with the palm of his hand. She caught the rebound and started to throw again, but by then, the five others chasers caught up to her. Each was vying for the quaffle, either to make a goal right then and there or to take the ball across the Pitch to the other hoops. Finley studied all options and made herself free to accept the quaffle when Mildred found herself completely hemmed in.
Mildred took a chance and threw the ball at Finley. Duncan almost intercepted it, but as it was, he got fingers on it and made it go off course. Everybody scrambled for the ball, but it was Mildred who recovered it and pulled it tightly against her body. She weighed her options again and this time slipped the ball to Gerry, who started to go for a goal but at the last second threw overhand to Finley. She nearly jumped out of her seat to catch the ball before Duncan, who was taller, would get his hands on the ball again.
Finley shot the quaffle at the right-most hoop and breathed a great sigh of relief when Rex didn't get to the hoop fast enough. The ball sailed through the hoop without touching rim and put ten points on the board for Gryffindor.
Gryffindor - 10, Hufflepuff - 10
Not Quite Quick Enough
Author: Blossom
Date: 03-16-18 14:31
Gideon rubs a spot on his forehead. A little earlier he'd conked his head when trying for an interception. Somehow he'd knocked his head on Tessa's broom handle as the Hufflepuff beater was going after a bludger. They couldn't have timed it better for him to smack his head if they'd practiced it.
A stiff wind causes him to shiver. Like most players he's layered under this robe for the weather but not so layered as to overheat when the action of the game causes sweating.
As Gryffindor has just tied the match, Hufflepuff has taken possession of the quaffle. Gideon flies as close to Duncan as he can get without fouling, making it difficult for Duncan to take a pass from Cornington on that same side. Cornington passes to Kaycee instead, who accelerates quickly, surging forward but with Finley hot on her heels.
A bludger clips Gideon hard enough on the leg that he momentarily slows, allowing Duncan to pull ahead. It also allows him an opening to take a hand off from Kaycee. She maneuvers to Duncan's side away from Gideon and the two rapidly work the quaffle back and forth while at the same time moving the red ball towards Oliver, looking comical with tissue sticking out his nose.
Gideon slows, deliberately this time, steering his broom to come up between Kaycee and Duncan. As he's doing this, Cornington has joined the other two Hufflepuff chasers, taking a pass from Duncan in the process. Like Gideon, Mildred is doing her best to push between Duncan and Cornington, Gideon giving himself a mental kick as that was just where he'd been. That is, he'd been on that side of Duncan and his moving had allowed Cornington to move in close to Duncan on that same side. Then again, if Gideon hadn't moved, Cornington probably would have come up on Kaycee's other side.
They're near enough to Oliver now to throw the quaffle. It's Kaycee with the ball when it's released towards the hoop nearest her. Oliver is quick but not quite quick enough. The quaffle passes just beyond his outstretched hand, to Gideon it looks as though the quaffle actually brushes the keeper's fingers.
Hufflepuff now leads 20 to 10!
Distractions
Author: Sophie McCourt
Date: 03-17-18 07:25
Sophie smiled when Hufflepuff scored. She was so focused on trying to find the snitch that she missed her team's goal. Sometimes she would pay attention to the commentator's words, while other times she was completely oblivious to it.
She circled the pitch, searching for any glint of gold that might give away the snitch's location. It was a sunny day, but spring was not here yet and so it was quite cold. Leo Marchbanks, Gryffindor's seeker, passed closer to her. He flew at a slow speed, almost as if he was enjoying the view from his broomstick. Sophie copied him and risked a glance at the stands. Jasper was here today, to watch the match. Or to watch her. For the first time Sophie wished Quidditch was a more glamorous sport, so she would look prettier in her gear. She did not dismiss her usual braid, when she played, but she had added a pink hairband to it, to give it a more special and feminine look.
She was trying to spot Jasper's handsome face in the crowd when she noticed the agitation in the stands. Leo had spotted the snitch! Sophie tried to catch up with him, but he was way ahead of her. A bludger, sent by Tessa, flew in Leo's direction to delay him. Leo was able to dodge the bludger attack. He kept in the snitch's pursuit, but it was too late: the little ball had vanished from his sight and was nowhere to be found.
Sophie made a mental note to thank Tessa for her help, later. If it hadn't been for her help, Leo would probably get the snitch and grant an early easy victory to Gryffindor. She started looking out for the snitch again, trying to put Jasper off her mind for now, and get her head in the game.
Conrad Bats the Ball
Author: Ellis
Date: 03-17-18 09:06
As soon as the commotion started up in the stands and Conrad realized that Leo had sighted the snitch, he abandoned his goal of preventing one of the Gryffindor chasers from scoring to go after the Gryffindor seeker. Fortunately, Tessa beat him to the punch. Her bludger distracted Leo enough for the golden snitch to vanish from sight.
Conrad immediately returned to the task at hand. Mildred had the quaffle and was making a beeline for the Hufflepuff goal hoops. Conrad tore after a bludger just utilized by Achilles against Duncan, who was doing his darndest to steal the red ball from the Hufflepuff chaser. Conrad gave the black ball a mighty whack in Mildred's direction, but Finley called out a warning to her. Mildred flattened herself against the shaft of her broomstick so that the bludger sailed right over her and then slyly handed the quaffle to Gerry.
She continued to act as if she had the red ball, while Gerry pretended like he didn't. Tessa intercepted the bludger Conrad had used against Mildred and sent it straight back to her. The impact would have been devastating, but Mildred saw it coming and swerved to avoid a head-on collision. Unfortunately, she collided with the bristles of Gerry's broomstick, causing him to spin out. The quaffle flew out of arms in the process, surprising those who thought Mildred still had it. A mad scramble for the quaffle followed.
Conrad, meanwhile, prepared to intercept Tessa's bludger. He only had a second to think about where to send it. When Finley came up with the quaffle and made a mad dash for the Hufflepuff goals, Conrad aimed for her back. There were too many other players around for him to be certain of his accuracy, though, and then Achilles popped up to defend Finley and redirect the bludger to his own advantage. Only, he underestimated the bludger's speed and missed striking it with his bat. Instead, the bludger struck him in the stomach. Bile rose up his throat, and before he could stop himself, Achilles puked.
Kaycee - Bodily Fluids
Author: Lee Sickleby
Date: 03-17-18 09:32
Kaycee had been near Achilles when he vomited, but none of it got on her. Still, the smell made her stomach roil and made Kaycee want to put as much distance between the Gryffindor beater and herself as possible. She was a bit surprised when a timeout wasn't called, but then Achilles seemed to bounce back almost immediately. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked a bit green in the face, but he got down to business with hardly any hesitation.
Finley still had the quaffle. Kaycee hurried to catch up to the Gryffindor chaser and then turned her attention to Mildred, when Finley passed the red ball to her. Mildred quickly lobbed the quaffle at Gerry. Kaycee changed course and managed to cut in front of Gerry, earning a scowl and some choice words. Kaycee smiled sweetly at him and tried to swipe the quaffle from his arms, but Gerry wasn't letting go.
When Conrad aimed a bludger at Gerry, Kaycee veered away to avoid getting hit. She wasn't sure if the bludger in question was the one that struck Achilles or not, and though she didn't think it had gotten any vomit on it, Kaycee could almost smell it. Then she realized that Achilles was there. She wrinkled her nose and tried to breathe through her mouth, but the thought of vomit was making her sick anyhow.
Gerry attempted a goal, but Rex stopped the quaffle outright. He handed the quaffle to Duncan, who wasted no time leaving the Hufflepuff goal hoops in the dust. Kaycee and Cornington flew into formation on either side of him. The air seemed cleaner all at once, but Kaycee knew it wouldn't last. Why couldn't she stop thinking about vomit?
When Gideon tried to break up the Hufflepuff chasers with a bludger, Cornington veered off and Duncan flew a bit closer to Kaycee. The pair flew shoulder to shoulder toward Oliver, who lost his tissue nose plug to a bit of wind. Oliver's eyes shifted between the two. Though he knew that Duncan had the quaffle, he also knew that Duncan might give it to Kaycee at the last moment. Oliver was prepared for either scenario, and so focused was he on the two that he didn't see the bludger coming. It actually missed him, but it struck one of the goal posts and ricocheted into his side. Duncan took the opportunity to shoot and score.
"Hufflepuff leads, 30-10!" shouted the commentator.
Kaycee grinned at the announcement, but her smile faded when she got a whiff of barf. On top of that, Oliver's nose was leaking. She almost lost it when he audibly sucked the gooey stream back up his nose. Fighting nausea, Kaycee flew after Mildred, who now had possession of the quaffle.
Double Whammy
Author: Gerry
Date: 03-18-18 07:17
Feeling extremely disappointed that Gryffindor was losing by twenty points, Gerry flew after Mildred to lend her support while she carried the quaffle. Mildred got pretty far before she had to make a decision: take a bludger hit and risk losing the ball or attempt to pass to one of her teammates and risk an interception. She opted for the latter, tossing the ball over to Finley. Finley almost missed the catch thanks to Kaycee interfering, but she nevertheless managed to secure her hold on the ball and continue on to the Hufflepuff hoops.
Gerry, meanwhile, pulled ahead and made eye contact with Finley in case she wanted to pass the quaffle to him. She did whenever the bludger originally meant for Mildred was directed at her. Gerry caught the ball and zoomed ever closer to where Rex guarded the Hufflepuff goals. Gerry made quick work of weighing his options and started to throw, when something slammed hard into the back of his neck.
The quaffle flew out of his hand in no particular direction, and Gerry fell forward, smashing his nose against the shaft of his broomstick. He felt pain both at the base of his head and in the middle of his face and realized quickly that he was bleeding. Gerry couldn't see straight, but he knew his nose or maybe his mouth was bleeding profusely. Gerry could taste copper in his mouth.
He heard a sharp whistle and saw someone fly up to him out of the corner of his eye. His vision was still blurry, but Gerry couldn't tell if it was just from the double whammy he sustained or if there were tears in his eyes. Then, Coach Krum began to speak with him, asking if he was all right. Gerry mumbled something in the affirmative, but Coach Krum didn't seem to agree and sent him packing to the Hospital Wing.
Gerry didn't want to leave the match. This was his first time ever being pulled from a game for a serious injury. He was still in a daze as he was escorted off the Pitch and had no idea who was helping him to the castle. He could hear the game recommence, though, and knew from the announcer's detailed play-by-play that Finley had recovered the quaffle.
Achilles fired off a bludger at Rex and managed to distract him enough for Finley's goal attempt to be successful. Maybe it was the smell of vomit that did it for Rex, or maybe Achilles' had great timing. Either way, the score was now 30-20, with Hufflepuff still leading.
(Tessa) Doing Her Job
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 03-18-18 07:41
This was shaping up to be one of the most disgusting Quidditch matches Tessa had ever played in. Snot, bile, and blood were just some of the things present. Good thing she wasn't squeamish. On the bright side, Hufflepuff was ahead and the weather was nice, albeit cold. There was nothing worse than playing Quidditch when it was both wet and cold.
After Finley scored, Rex retrieved the quaffle and handed it to Duncan. Duncan immediately launched the quaffle at Cornington, who was a ways away from the Hufflepuff goal hoops. No sooner had Cornington made the catch did he have to dodge a bludger courtesy of Gideon. Finley was upon Cornington, but he managed to elude her attempt to steal the quaffle from him. He quickly passed the quaffle to Kaycee.
While the Hufflepuff chasers passed the quaffle to each other and the two remaining Gryffindor chasers tried to intercept, Tessa raced after an available bludger and reached it just seconds before Achilles. The Gryffindor beater needed a serious shower, but he seemed okay after having lost his breakfast earlier in the match. His face wasn't pale or had a greenish tinge. It was a bit pink, probably from the cold.
Tessa whacked the ball at Finley. Wouldn't it be something if all of Gryffindor's chasers left the match? Tessa didn't want to cause serious bodily injury to anybody, but then it was her job to hit players with bludgers. She also wanted Hufflepuff to win, and if it took taking out anyone who could score for Gryffindor, then so be it.
Finley dodged Tessa's bludger, allowing Kaycee to pass the quaffle to Duncan. Duncan passed to Cornington, who threw it back to Duncan in a hurry. The Hufflepuff chasers expertly passed the quaffle to each other the length of the Quidditch Pitch and were in front of Oliver, who had plugged up his nose again with a tissue.
Tessa searched for a bludger to use against him but was too slow. Gideon got to it first. She watched with bated breath as Duncan attempted a goal and hoped that Gideon's bludger wouldn't be a problem for him.
Two Against Three
Author: Mildred
Date: 03-18-18 09:48
Mildred had never before played in a match where the number of chasers had been reduced. Things were not going well for the Gryffindor team. If they had a big advantage, then perhaps she and Finley could simply play defense, trying to stop Hufflepuff from scoring. But, Hufflepuff was winning and both she and Finley weren't going down without a fight.
Before the match proceeded she gave a quick thought on her Secret Santa, Ingrid Hyland, and if she was watching the match. Mildred had offered her blue navy bag for Christmas.
Oliver defended Duncan's goal attempt. Gideon's bludger didn't manage to touch Duncan by only a few inches. Oliver threw the quaffle to Mildred. She speeded up, knowing that soon at least one Hufflepuff chaser would be over her. They had the advantage of 3 to 2 which meant either Mildred or Finley would have two chasers covering them. Mildred kept flying forward.
Cornington bumped against her, trying to make her loose control of her broom and the quaffle's possession. But she didn't let go. Instead, she shifted her broom to the side and then bumped against him violently. This surprised Cornington and allowed Mildred to speed up.
Her eyes moved over the pitch trying to find Finley. There she was, in the middle of two yellow figures, Kaycee and Duncan. It would be impossible to try and pass her the ball at this moment. Gerry was really needed, she thought with concern, hoping that his injure would be nothing too serious. It was Gideon who came to their rescue. He aimed a bludger at Duncan, who had to move out of the way. That provided Finley with some room and she escaped Kaycee's control with an impressive speed.
With Cornington back on Mildred's side, she passed the quaffle to Finley. She grabbed the quaffle and continued the path to the Hufflpeff hoops guarded by Rex.
It was a hard battle for the two Gryffindor chasers. Each meter was conquered with patience and hard work. They had to wait for the right space to open, in order to make some progress. Gideon and Achilles' help was precious, but sometimes slow because Tessa and Conrad were also trying to put Mildred and Finley off the match, like Gerry.
However, the two girls did not allow the quaffle to fall into Hufflepuff's hands. Their hard work and patience paid off. When they finally reached the hoops, it was Finley who had the quaffle. She tried to score but Kaycee deviated the quaffle with her hand, so it hit the right hoop. Mildred did all she could to reach the quaffle in the rebound. She felt something or someone going against her, but she did not really care. She managed to touch the red ball and direct it right inside the hoop.
With the lion's courage and bravery, the two girls had managed to tie the match, now 30-30.
Marchbanks Brothers In The Match
Author: Phinfilius
Date: 03-18-18 14:39
Leo's eyes rapidly scan for the snitch, determined not to let it get away again. With Gerry out of the match, Mildred and Finley are having a harder time keeping up with the three Hufflepuff chasers, even if one of them did just score a third goal for Gryffindor.
Something flashes off to the side. Leo's eyes dart that way then a slower turning of the head. He doesn't want to give anything away, at least not yet. Keeping sight of the snitch, Leo eases his broom around in a shallow curve as if merely part of his search for the winged ball.
As nonchalant as he can be, Leo closes in on the golden orb. His hand is reaching for it, can feel its wings on his fingertips. Next thing Leo knows he's in a spin and his hand feels on fire. He grapples for control, to stop the spin, all the harder because only one hand seems to be working.
The spinning stops just as suddenly as it began, thanks to an assist from Coach Krum. Once he isn't whirling about Leo can think clearly again about what happened. Both Conrad and Tessa had noticed about the same time how close he was to the snitch and got bludgers off at him, also roughly at the same time. One got him in the hand and wrist he'd had outstretched and the other smacked just right into the tail of his broom to cause the spin.
His hand and wrist are still on fire but with a forced smile he makes his fingers clench into a fist to show Coach Krum he's not out of things. He can't be. If he's sent from the game the number of goals Gryffindor would have to score before Sophie manages to catch the snitch isn't a number that usually doable. Oh, certainly, it can be done but it's not the usual or even normal unless a team is down several players or a team simply is playing that badly.
When Coach whistles for the game to resume, it's Gryffindor in possession of the quaffle. Mildred has it but Cornington and Kaycee are shadowing her while Duncan is on Finley. Still, Mildred gets the quaffle near enough to Rex and the hoops to shoot. Cornington heaves himself at it in an effort to intercept but his angle is wrong. Rex, however, easily deflects the quaffle.
Duncan grabs it then once away from the hoops passes to Kaycee who lobs to Cornington. The three of them move the quaffle closer and closer to Oliver, Finley and Mildred trying hard to at least slow them with Mildred coming close to successfully stealing the quaffle, stopped only because of a quaffle from Conrad.
The quaffle is back with Duncan when Hufflepuff again goes for goal. Oliver catches the ball, handing it off to Finley. Finley accelerates away only to slow because of a bludger from Tessa. Before she picks up speed again Cornington's maneuvered in close and popped the quaffle from her grip. Pulling the ball to his chest he swivels his broom around and rockets back toward Oliver and his hoops.
Cornington throws, the quaffle going far to Oliver's right. Oliver throws himself and his broom after the quaffle but it squeaks by him. Hufflepuff now leads 40 to 30!
Swollen Knee (Duncan)
Author: Briar Rose
Date: 03-18-18 17:50
Earlier in the match Duncan took a good knocking to one knee from a bludger he thinks was sent by a pre-vomitous Achilles Sims. Though his broom has footrests Duncan rarely uses them but after that hit, having his leg hanging freely made the pain worse. Using the footrest for that leg hasn't entirely eased the pain but it helps and as having only one foot on a rest feels weird he's making use of both of them.
The game has gone on long enough since that hit that no matter what he does, no matter how he sits, the knee throbs and is definitely swollen. Much as he loves playing Duncan wouldn't be upset if one of the seekers, preferably Sophie, were to catch the snitch this very second. It's bad enough he's certain he'll need help walking to the castle and once there to see Madam Pomfrey.
As that doesn't appear to be happening, Duncan grits his teeth, darting forward for an interception on a pass between Finley and Mildred. The jaw clench becomes tighter, enough to make him wince and ease up, when he misses the quaffle by a hairsbreadth. Mildred pulls away from him but has Kaycee right there, watching for an opening. Duncan speeds up, drawing near again but also keep watch of where Finley is and for any signs that Mildred will pass back to her. Cornington is on Finley's far side and despite Gerry having been gone from the match for awhile now Duncan automatically searches for the other chaser's position as well.
Mildred nears Rex, cocking her arm back for a throw but almost immediately pulling in to avoid a bludger smashing into her arm. In a blink Finley has the quaffle and is letting it fly. Mildred must have handed it off to Finley when she'd pulled back from her own throw without Duncan ever noticing the pass.
Rex doesn't stop the quaffle entirely but does knock it off its path. The red ball hits the hoop's rim and bounces back to the waiting chasers. A scramble for the rebound has the ball firmly in Mildred's hands. She rapidly sets up for another goal attempt, this time with the quaffle being slapped away by Rex.
Another scramble for the quaffle has Cornington victorious. Despite the tight space surrounded by other chasers he pivots his broom around, jetting back the other way, with Mildred, Finley, Kaycee, and Duncan following right behind.