|
|
Sleet (Seth)
Author: Blossom
Date: 01-27-19 18:31
A spot of stinging cold hits Seth's cheek.
Great.
Freezing rain.
At least there's not much of it. Yet anyway.
Seth would prefer playing with snow falling. Sleet stings when it hits bare flesh, which is distracting. Can't be distracted when Slytherin is up by two goals.
Chloe has passed to Jordan who now has Charlotte on his heels. Jordan gives Seth a signal and readies to pass the quaffle. Charlotte shoots in between the two boys, ready to intercept only to have Jordan throw back to Chloe.
Chloe accelerates away, darting around Asher and the bat he's swinging back to hit a bludger. Like Charlotte, Asher was anticipating the pass being to Seth so that's who he's targeted. Thankfully, Seth sees the bludger coming in plenty of time to avoid it.
Kurt goes after that same bludger, thumping it in Malden's direction about the time Malden is trying to steal the red ball from Chloe. The distraction of the bludger is enough to allow Chloe to get the quaffle past Malden with a throw to Seth.
Seth, ducking when Noah calls a warning, narrowly avoids being hit by the other bludger, sent by Douglas. Tucking the quaffle against his torso, he drives in towards Wallace. When near enough he gets a good grip on the quaffle and hurls it towards a hoop, frowning when Wallace is able to get to the ball in plenty of time to knock it back. Seth urges his broom in the quaffle's direction, frowning more deeply when Belinda snatches it up, whirls around and takes off the other way just as the sleet begins falling faster and harder.
(Chloe) New Broomstick
Author: Mildred
Date: 01-28-19 13:43
Chloe hold tight to the broomstick handle. The frozen rain was falling faster and faster and she was starting to become a little bit frightened. Before the match started, Kurt had warned the team for this possibility. His advise was for everyone to keep their head in the game and ignore everything else around them.
Belinda moved away from Wallace's hoops and she passed the quaffle to Charlotte. She then passed the quaffle back at Belinda, who passed it to Malden. The Slytherin chasers kept passing the quaffle between the three of them, in a slow, safe pace. They were ahead by twenty points and with the weather conditions worsening they did not seem in a rush to score more goals. Seth tried to break the cycle but when he approached Malden, he would pass the quaffle to Belinda. She would then offer it to Charlotte when Jordan approached, and Charlotte passed it back to Malden, when Chloe tried to intercept it. This reminded Chloe of a Muggle game she played on the school courtyard with a ball. It was turning quite frustrating. Noah tried to hit Belinda with a bludger but Douglas protected her, using his bat to throw the bludger away. Noah was forced to cover a long distance to get it.
It seemed like the Ravenclaw chasers had fallen right into a trap. The sleets wasn't helping. The visibility was precarious and to try a risky move might bring bad consequences. It seemed like an eternity but finally the Slytherins lost the quaffle possession, when a particular nasty sleet hit Malden's face, right when Charlotte was passing him the red ball. He was not able to grab it. Instead Seth intercepted the past. He quickly turned his broom around and shouted:
"Let's go!" Trying to encourage both Chloe and Jordan.
They followed Seth. Chloe lost her equilibrium for a moment, but then maintained her course. Today she was flying on a new broomstick. It was a Woodstar model. Chloe had received it by owl a week ago, while she was having breakfast. Ruth was excited with the broomstick, but Chloe was convinced she had received it by mistake. She went to speak with Professor Flitwick, the Head of her house, ready to give him the broom. The Charms professor promised to make a few inquiries and some hours later he summoned Chloe to his office and assured her the broomstick was meant to her. He couldn't tell her who sent her such gift, but he was sure there was no mistake. He told Chloe to use it well and have fun. Chloe went back to the Ravenclaw common room with the broomstick, still unsure if she should accept such gift. She felt like the broomstick was a luxury, a temptation. Her father would reprehend her from taking so much joy of something so frivolous. It was Ruth who managed to convince Chloe to use the Woodstar. She said that with such a broomstick she would be able to play better and help her team. Only the idea that she could help Ravenclaw win, after their lost the last match made her use the broom. However she was still getting used to it. Unlike the school broomsticks, the Woodstar turned with ease and reached a high speed faster.
Seth passed the quaffle at Jordan, when Belinda approached. Chloe felt Charlotte close to her, but Kurt launched a bludger against the Slytherin chaser. It hit her shoulder, letting Chloe free. Jordan saw that, and he passed the red ball to Chloe. She was still a bit far from Wallece's hoops. The sleets kept falling. Chloe took a deep breath, the quaffle under one arm, and the other holding her broomstick. She pushed the Woodstar ahead, at full speed. Then when she thought she was close enough she shot. It was a potent shot, but due to the bad visibility she missed the hoop and the quaffle hit its steel extremity. The quaffle rebounded and Seth grabbed it. He hesitated deciding where to aim the quaffle, as Wallace had his eyes on him. He choose the left hoop. It was a quick shot. Wallace dived to the left but he was not able to defend.
"Ravenclaw scores! Weasley narrows Slytherin's advantage."
Chloe celebrated with a smile as Wallace offered the quaffle to Malden.
(Malden) Anger
Author: Minerva McGonagall
Date: 01-28-19 18:26
It had not yet been a month since Arielle had dumped Malden. The hand he had broken after punching the wall had fully healed, but Malden still suffered from a broken heart and a bruised ego. He hadn't seen the end of his relationship coming, even though he probably should have. Perhaps he should have realized that he and Arielle hadn't ever really been right for each other, but his dismissal nevertheless stung. Not only was his heart broken, but it had also turned black.
As the weeks went on and the pain of his loss lessened, his anger increased. It showed on the Quidditch field, heightened by the icy rain pelting him. The stinging against his bare hands and face felt almost cathartic. It made him feel alive and made his blood boil at the same time.
After Wallace recovered the quaffle, he handed it off to Malden, who shouldered his way past the crowd of chasers vying to get their hands on the ball. He didn't go out of his way to ram anybody, but everyone was in such close quarters that somebody was bound to get an errant elbow or a scratch from the icy bristles of his broomstick.
Malden shot ahead of the fray and then swore when a bludger slammed into the back of his shoulder. Fortunately, the shoulder was attached to the arm not carrying the quaffle, so he didn't lose his grip on the ball. Also, neither Coach Krum nor Referee Batuti had been near him to hear the swear word leave his lips.
Unfortunately, the bludger slowed him down enough for others to catch up to him. Charlotte pulled up along one side, but Belinda was blocked from protecting his other side. Jordan maneuvered his way in front of her and tried to get to the quaffle, swiping his arm out like a whip, but Malden put the ball in his other hand and then handed it to Charlotte.
Charlotte shot ahead and then launched the quaffle at Belinda, who had managed to pull around Jordan's other side. She quickly threw it back when he turned his attention on her. Charlotte flew as fast as she could against the sleet, which was battering her face, and then threw the ball at Malden just yards from the goal posts. Malden made quick work of scoring when Eileen moved too slowly to shift her attention from Charlotte to the Slytherin team captain.
"McGonagall scores!" shouted Ollie. "Slytherin leads 30-10."
Malden turned his broom around, but not before noticing the icicles already forming on the goal posts. Most were little, but a few were extending into pointy spikes. A dark imagination suddenly came to mind. He pictured himself stabbing Arielle right in the heart with a long, sharp icicle. He wanted her to feel a hole there like the one she'd put in his own chest. Bleeding to death would simply be a consequence for her misguided actions.
Malden found himself smiling in a sinister manner. His dark thoughts were short lived, though, since he was in the middle of an important Quidditch match, and Ravenclaw currently had possession of the quaffle.
Goggles & Gloves (Wallace)
Author: Saffron
Date: 01-28-19 19:31
Knowing the weather might turn bad Wallace had put sports gloves and goggles into a pocket of his Quidditch robes. When the freezing rain began he put on the goggles. He hates wearing them but as keeper he can't let himself be blinded with rain or sleet in his eyes and can't be constantly wiping them. The goggles are charmed so that drops of moisture immediately roll off, leaving his field of vision relatively clear.
After Ravenclaw scored and Wallace had given the quaffle over to Malden to put back into play, he'd pulled out the gloves and put them on, glad they are both warm and waterproof. He doesn't know why he didn't put them on before the match began. As he waited for the cold and numbness to leave his fingers he thought himself stupid for waiting. He also wondered if there are official earmuffs and warm, waterproof cap to go with the official Slytherin uniform. Why he never thought about either before is a mystery to add to the one about waiting to put the gloves on. Though not as cold as today, the first match he played, the one against Gryffindor, was in chilly weather and since the team has regularly practiced in the increasing cold.
In the short time it took Slytherin to get to the other end of the pitch and score its third goal, Wallace's fingers feel better. Good thing too because Chloe, Jordan, and Seth are working the quaffle closer and closer to him and his hoops.
Chloe zips along with Belinda right beside looking for an opening to steal. Seth comes up on Chloe's other side, accepting a handoff of the quaffle from her. He immediately passes to Jordan and as he does, a bludger from Asher thumps into his side. From his vantage point Wallace can tell Asher is annoyed that the bludger got there a fraction too late to stop Seth from passing and to allow Charlotte to grab the quaffle.
Douglas sends the other bludger towards Jordan but Kurt intercepts, redirecting the hard black ball to target Malden. Jordan drives in closer to Wallace but rather than shooting the ball he throws to Seth. Charlotte tries to snatch the quaffle away but Seth's catch is solid and he holds firm. Charlotte lets go rather than risk being called on a foul.
Seth gets in even closer to the hoops, throwing off to his left, which means Wallace zigs to his own right. He slaps the red ball away with enough force his fingers and palm sting through the gloves. Malden hustles for the quaffle but Chloe grabs it first. She repositions her grip then throws towards center hoop.
Wallace is there and has the block and then he's doubling over, an, "Ooof!" escaping his lip, a black orb courtesy of Noah bouncing away from his side. The quaffle has gone by the other direction, soaring through the middle of the hoop.
With Chloe's goal the score now stands at Slytherin 30, Ravenclaw 20.
Who Wins If The Match Is Called For The Weather? (Jordan)
Author: Saffron
Date: 01-29-19 14:33
Wishing he too had thought to have goggles or similar eyewear for today's match, Jordan swipes at one eye then the other. If he didn't know better he would swear icicles are forming on his lashes. He also wonders just how bad conditions have to be before Coach Krum ends the match and if that happened would the game go to Slytherin with its 10 point lead or would be game simply be put on hold to be continued once the weather cleared enough? Definitely something to ponder and perhaps ask Krum when there's a good time to do so.
Ducking a bludger as he chases current quaffle holder Malden, Jordan then swerves around Sylvestor who seems to be in his path so suddenly Jordan wouldn't have been surprised if told Sylvestor apparated there. In the second or two it takes to get even again with Malden, the Slytherin captain has passed to Charlotte.
Face screwed up in fierce concentration, Charlotte abruptly stops completely, avoiding a bludger hit to her broom by a fraction. The jolt of such a sudden stop also caused her to reflexively relax the fingers holding the quaffle as if to grab her broom. Just as she tightens her grip again, a bludger from the other direction, hit by Noah, knocks into her knee. Once more her grip loosens, allowing Chloe to dart in close and pluck the quaffle away.
Chloe swings around in a tight half-circle to rocket back the other direction. Spotting Seth momentarily in the clear from any Slytherin shadow, she passes the red ball. Seth, in turn, lobs to Jordan. He gives Chloe time to pull ahead then passes on to her. She firms her hold on the quaffle, the better to aim at one of the hoops.
Eileen is ready, easily knocking Chloe's effort away. Jordan snaps up the ball only to have his forearm pinged by a bludger, causing him to lose his hold on the ball. Seth dives down just under Jordan for it but Malden beats him to it. In a blink, the quaffle is on its way back up the pitch towards Wallace, his eyes behind the goggles looking faintly owlish from this distance and in the freezing rain.
(Asher) Icy Mishap
Author: Jolyon
Date: 01-30-19 18:02
Asher flung himself to Malden's side to deflect Kurt's bludger, sending it to Chloe instead. Malden, meanwhile, passed the quaffle to Charlotte. Charlotte started to throw to Belinda but changed her mind when Seth got too close. Asher and Kurt spotted the same bludger at the same time and made a mad dash for it, Asher hoping to use it to drive Seth away, and Kurt hoping to dislodge the quaffle from Charlotte's grasp.
When Jordan pulled alongside Charlotte, too, she pulled the ball to her middle and protected it as if it were her most prized possession. Unfortunately, Kurt reached the bludger before Asher. He ended up knocking it towards Noah, who was in a better position to target Charlotte.
Malden, meanwhile, advanced on Charlotte from behind and then ascended, so that he was above her. He'd have gone under if Sylvestor hadn't been there, systematically searching for the golden snitch. Charlotte saw her opportunity, but so did Jordan and Seth. Both lashed out their arms to knock the quaffle off its trajectory, but neither got a finger on it. It went straight up, allowing Malden to easily scoop it up.
Asher turned his sights on Eileen, next. She was gearing up for Slytherin's approach, watching the arriving players carefully through the icy rain. Malden drove hard towards her, quaffle at the ready. Asher, meanwhile, was fortunate to find a bludger perfectly placed to distract Eileen. When he prepared to swing at it, the bat, slick with ice accumulation, flew right out of his hand and conked Eileen in the forehead. The bludger, on the other hand, hit Asher's outstretched arm.
Malden had already let the quaffle fly. He'd half-expected Eileen to stop it, but the bat startled her completely. The quaffle sailed through the hoop mere seconds before Coach Krum blew his whistle to call a time out.
Ravenclaw 20, Slytherin 40
Temporarily Grounded [Sylvestor]
Author: Georgia Copperpot
Date: 01-30-19 19:18
Around thirty minutes have passed since the last goal was scored. Sylvestor is cold and grumpy though not as grumpy as he'd be if Slytherin was behind. There's only been one snitch sighting so far and that was very early on. If he could find the pesky little ball right now, he could get inside and warm again. He has no doubt his teammates are wishing he'd hurry up and get the job done as well.
No sooner does he have that thought then Sylvestor spots the winged ball. Wanting to get out of the freezing rain, now mixed with a hearty dose of snow, he accelerates after it in a burst of speed. Bran doesn't immediately notice, possibly because of the sleet and snow or because he was facing a different direction in his own search or who knows. When Bran does notice, Sylvestor has gained enough on the snitch he's only around an arm's length away.
He's forced to slow when a bludger, he's not sure if it's from Noah or Kurt, clips the front end of his broom. Because of the angle at which Bran comes at the snitch and Sylvestor to join the chase that slowing, though brief, allows Bran to catch up with Sylvestor. He'd tried to come in ahead of Sylvestor, to cut off the snitch, but thankfully for Sylvestor the snitch did not cooperate.
They climb steeply when the snitch shoots straight up. The snitch then goes into an equally steep dive. Both seekers follow down, down, down. When the winged ball nears the ground it levels off. Sylvestor and Bran both had already slowed and pulled up so as not to crash headlong into the cold, hard, snow and ice covered turf.
The snitch continues on at ground level, skimming along just above the surface. In order to get as close to the ground as possible Sylvestor bends over his broom, pulling his legs up and back as best he can. Though he doesn't take the time to turn his head to look at Bran he has no doubt the Ravenclaw is doing much the same.
Sylvestor elongates even more over the broom, stretching forward, reaching for the snitch. Bran is flying so closely all Sylvestor sees is part of Bran's broom and the arm also snaked out, trying to get ahold of the snitch before Sylvestor. Next thing Sylvestor knows he's knocking into Bran and then both are on the ground.
A whistle blows but from his position Sylvestor can't tell if it's Coach Krum or Theodosia Batuti. Both are quickly on the ground as well, helping Bran and Sylvestor up, checking both for injuries. With the seekers having been so low to the ground the worst injury either has is scraping from hitting the icy ground and Sylvestor surely will have a bruise where the bludger smacked into him. It's too early to tell if either boy will have any bruising from where Sylvestor knocked into Bran. After a broom check, thank Merlin no harm to either, the seekers are on their brooms and in the air once more. Referee Batuti and Coach Krum also take to the air with Coach Krum blowing his whistle to signal for the match to resume.
Much to the chagrin of both seeker, once again the snitch is nowhere to be seen.
Another Goal (Doug)
Author: Briar Rose
Date: 01-31-19 17:58
Douglas doesn't know which of the Ravenclaw beaters hit the bludger that took out Sylvestor, and by accident Bran as well, but he'd love to smack the culprit with a bludger. Also by accident of course. Sure, sure, not smashing Sylvestor with a bludger right then would likely have meant a Slytherin victory but it's bloody cold out and Douglas is ready for the match to be done. To be that close to having the match ended and being able to get out of the awful freezing rain combined with snow was enough to make Douglas angry, which in turn raised his temperature. Unfortunately, the heat was exceedingly short lived.
Doug slows as he approaches one of the bludgers. Chloe has the quaffle but from where Doug and the bludger are he can't get a clean shot off at her so he instead targets Seth who's currently in a great position to accept a pass. He makes a grrrr sound when the bludger hits its mark but Chloe passes to Jordan instead.
Jordan ducks down as the other bludger comes screaming his way. Doug goes after it while Asher goes after the one Doug just hit. He's forced to pull up when Kurt gets ahead of him to the bludger. He ends up racing after it before it gives Charlotte a thumping. Good thing too because redirecting the bludger towards Jordan causes the Ravenclaw chaser to flub a pass to Seth, allowing Charlotte to intercept.
Charlotte whips around, making a dash for Eileen and her hoops. When Jordan gets overly close on one side and Chloe on the other, Charlotte drops the ball down to Malden. Malden then passes forward, and slightly upwards, to Belinda. Belinda drives in towards Eileen, letting the quaffle fly towards center but a bludger from Noah screws up the shot allowing Eileen to easily block.
Chloe grabs up the quaffle but Doug managed to hit a bludger at the right time to now arrive to connect with Chloe, causing her to lose the quaffle. Belinda is able to take possession and again shoots toward center. This time, with assistance from Asher and the other bludger, Eileen can't get her hands on the quaffle well enough to block it or turn the ball back.
The quaffle sails through the hoop resulting in Slytherin's fifth goal. With the score now Slytherin 50, Ravenclaw 20, Eileen hands the quaffle off to Seth and the action starts back down the pitch just as the sleet becomes more of a drizzle but the amount of snow increases.
Game Over (Kurt & Bran)
Author: Saffron
Date: 01-31-19 20:43
Bran is mostly glad the match didn't end earlier with Sylvestor catching the snitch. They'd been almost neck and neck. Almost. Sylvestor had an ever so slight edge. If that bludger hadn't knocked Sylvestor over, sending Sylvestor bumping into him, both falling off their brooms, Slytherin could very well have had the win.
Mostly glad but a teeny, tiny bit wishing the snitch had been caught, ending the game. It's bloody frigid out here!
Unlike Bran, Kurt doesn't mind playing in the bad weather quite as much. He'd prefer not to be in this mix of snow and sleet, and thankfully the sleet seems to be letting up, but he's not absolutely miserable like some seem to be. His biggest complaint is that for some reason he's sleepy. It's the cold making him want to snuggle into bed but at least he's not hypothermic. He's certain that if things were so bad that players began exhibiting signs of hypothermia, Coach Krum would call the game in a heartbeat.
Deccelerating as he approaches a bludger, Kurt rechecks the position of the quaffle. After intercepting a pass between Seth and Jordan, Malden has possession of that ball. Kurt slightly readjusts his bat to get the right angle to target Malden then gives the bludger not a mighty thump but what amounts to a delicate tap as he attempts to get the timing of the bludger's arrival in Malden's path just right. He can't suppress a grin when the bludger takes Malden in his side. It's not a forceful hit but then it wasn't meant to be. It does, however, hit just right so that Malden leans a bit in the opposite direction from the hit, allowing Chloe to sneak in and pluck the quaffle right out of Malden's hand.
To get the quaffle away as quickly as possible from Malden and an attempt to grapple the red ball back into his possession, Chloe tosses to Seth. Belinda lunges for the ball but isn't fast enough to intercept. Seth swerves around Asher then sprints away. Asher hastily moves around to be facing the right way to hit the bludger he's reached so that it goes in Seth's new direction. Kurt hustles to get in front of that bludger to redirect it.
He can't get to it in time but Seth has already passed to Jordan when the bludger clips him on the arm. Kurt waits until Seth has moved away to bat the bludger, sending it after Charlotte. To avoid the bludger Charlotte pulls off to her left, giving Jordan a more clear path to Wallace. Jordan closes in, arm going back to throw the quaffle only to be hit by a bludger from Douglas. Belinda tries to snatch the bludger but Jordan jerks away, repositions, then throws to the hoop to his left. Wallace darts that direction to stop the ball but Noah gets him in the shoulder with the second bludger. It's not a hard hit but it's enough to prevent Wallace from getting to the quaffle in time.
About the time Chloe relieves Malden of the quaffle, Bran spots a glint of gold through the falling snow and what's left of the sleet. He shoots that way, eyes rapidly scanning for another glimpse of gold. His quick movement draws Sylvestor's attention. Far faster than Bran would like Sylvestor is right there with him, searching the area ahead of them just as intently.
They see the snitch at roughly the same time, both increasing speed. The sleet that's still falling would sting their faces but the match has gone on long enough their faces are numb. A bludger crosses ahead of them but neither thinks either of them was the target. It did momentarily block Bran's view of the snitch and probably did so for Sylvestor as well. Luckily, the snitch doesn't do one of its vanishing acts in the brief time Bran couldn't see it. He does wish that Sylvestor had entirely lost sight of it but knows it's a silly wish. If he can see it then Sylvestor would simply stick close to Bran until he too could see it again.
The snitch takes them all the way to one end of the pitch then back down to the other, rising and falling all along the way. Both seekers surge forward when the snitch slows, each with a hand out reaching for it.
A half second after Jordan scores Ravenclaw's third goal, Bran's fingers close around the snitch, ending the match with a final score of Ravenclaw 180, Slytherin 50.
Bran doesn't linger to hear whether anyone offers congratulations. He wants nothing more than to get into dry clothes and drink gallons of hot cocoa.