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(Charlotte) Low Expectations
Author: Lysander Stratford
Date: 04-30-20 17:58
Charlotte wished she could say she was excited about the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, but after losing the match against Gryffindor and the one against Ravenclaw, she didn't have much hope that Slytherin would win. Even if by some miracle Slytherin did, then it was unlikely that the team would advance to the championship match. The only way it could possibly happen would be if Sylvestor caught the snitch after the chasers ran up the scoring game.
Charlotte, Belinda, and Mira were a cohesive team but she didn't think they'd be able to score enough points to earn their way to the final match of the school year. Maybe someone could take Rex out early on. Not having a keeper defending the Hufflepuff hoops would definitely make things easier!
Not feeling very good about their chances was main reason Charlotte asked her family not to come to the match. She had a feeling they might show up anyway, but she had no intention of looking for them in the stands. She'd rather lose without knowing they were there watching.
Sylvestor and Belinda gave words of encouragement and outlined some of the plays they had practiced in anticipation of the match. Then it was time to fly out of the locker room while Barbie called out their names. Sylvestor and Tessa met at center field with Coach Krum, agreed to play a clean game, and shook hands. Then, they mounted their brooms and took up position in the sky.
Coach Krum released the snitch and the bludgers and then tossed the quaffle up into the air, which was suddenly swept sideways by a strong gust of wind. Charlotte had grasped for it but ended up grabbing the end of Alex's robes instead. He jerked and she nearly found herself unseated when he moved while she still had the cloth in her hand.
By the time she recovered, Kaycee had the quaffle but she was flying against the wind and it was making her progress difficult. Fitz tried to pick her off with a bludger, but Tessa swooped in and deflected it, sending it instead after Mira. Unfortunately, another gust of wind drove the bludger off course. Tessa scrambled after it, only to lose it to Doug, who was quicker and in a better position to get to it.
Charlotte, meanwhile, made herself as flat as possible to reduce wind resistance. Even in doing so, she found it difficult catching up with Kaycee. Mira managed it, though, which made Kaycee decided to pass the ball to Cornington as he came up along her other side. The wind did Slytherin a favor then. Instead of completing its arc to Cornington, the quaffle was suddenly driven backwards by a strong gust, and it landed straight in Charlotte's arms.
She whipped her broomstick around and charged for the Hufflepuff hoops, propelled by the wind which was now at her back.
"Bludger!" Fitz shouted.
Charlotte saw it out of the corner of her eye and dropped down over the shaft of her broomstick again, feeling the black ball whiz across her back. She flew faster and faster and just hoped that when she attempted a goal, the wind wouldn't muck it up.
Rex buckled down, ready to stop her goal attempt, but then Fitzwilliam was there with a bludger. Charlotte had a feeling her best shot at scoring would be to throw straight rather than with a bit of spin, so she did just that at the right hoop the same time Fitz's bludger cut between where Rex was at the hoop. Rex moved in for the safe but stopped short when the bludger sailed past his head.
The wind proved Charlotte's ally as it drove the quaffle forward forcefully from behind. The red ball sailed cleanly through the hoop and put Slytherin on the score board, 10-0.
(Belinda) Cat and Mouse
Author: Sophie McCourt
Date: 05-01-20 03:52
Belinda grinned when Charlotte scored. Slytherin's odds this year to move towards the Championship Match weren't good, but at least she wanted her team to win today. Finishing the school year with three defeats in a row would be very humiliating.
Rex resumed the match and passed the quaffle to Alex. He flew away from Mira, holding the quaffle under his arm. Mira however didn't give up and followed Alex. She used her fist to hit the red ball, unloosing it from Alex's grip. But his reflexes were fast and he recovered the quaffle before Mira. Nevertheless, feeling the pressure he passed the red ball to Kaycee.
Kaycee pushed her broom forward, despite the heavy wind. Douglas sent a bludger against her but it seemed like the black ball was moving in slow motion against the wind. It allowed Kaycee to dodge it with ease and continue her flight. She then passed the quaffle to Cornington. Belinda had tried to intercept the pass but she didn't reach the quaffle on time.
Frustrated with Hufflepuff's advances, she followed Cornington, pressuring his right flank. She tried to steal the quaffle from his hands. She used all the brute force she could spare but Cornington was stronger. Finally Belinda let him go, frustrated with herself. She knew needed to be smarter.
Cornington threw the quaffle to Kaycee, and after pushing forward a few more meters, she offered it back to Cornington. The Hufflepuff chaser simulated a goal attempt, trying to deceive Wallace. But the Slytherin keeper had spotted Alex, who was uncovered, just like Cornington had. He passed the quaffle to Alex, who aimed at the left hoop and tried to score but Wallace denied Hufflepuff their first goal.
"Rex defends!" Barbie announced.
Wallace passed the quaffle to Charlotte and Belinda flew close to her, receiving the quaffle from her teammate when Kaycee tried to steal it. Belinda pushed forward. She spotted Conrad by the corner of her eye. Playing against her boyfriend gave her a certain rush. It was like a cat and mouse game where Conrad tried to sabotage her efforts with a bludger and she did the best she could to avoid it. This time he won. Due to the wind, Belinda's hair covered her view and she wasn't able to anticipate Conrad's bludger on time. The bludger hit her elbow. The pain blinded her senses for a moment but Belinda was still able to pass the quaffle safely to Mira.
She panted, and stopped her broom for a moment, trying to recover her breath.
"Are you all right?" Conrad shouted.
Belinda turned her head to him and smiled.
"Is that all you got, Ellis?" She joked. Conrad smiled back.
"I was just warming up, McCourt," he joked back.
Then they both returned to the match's action, but for a split of second Belinda took a look at the stands to see if she would spot Gavin. If she scored today she decided to dedicate her goal to the young Slytherin.
Gavin had been Belinda's savior. After he had showed her the Bowtruckle Island, Belinda had gone there on her own to destroy the knife she had used to carve the Dark Mark at the stall's door. She used a spell to reduce the object to pieces and then she threw them into the lake. Gavin had done more than just providing her a place to get rid of evidence: he had given her peace of mind. After destroying the knife Belinda was taken over by a sense of relief. She was able to walk around the school feeling like her old self. Conrad had noticed the change in his girlfriend as well, and Belinda was glad to finally be able to devote him some time, and stop acting like a silly OWLs anxious girl that he thought she had turned herself into. After what she had done, no exam in the world would be able to frighten her.
However, when the results of the investigation were published Belinda couldn't help feeling frustrated. The Ministry of Magic could not be able to confirm if the Dark Mark was authentic, declaring the investigation inconclusive. The public opinion strongly believed it had been a meaningless school prank. Belinda's pride was hurt. Of course the plan was to only cast doubt among the school and the magical community, but deep down she was hoping for better results. She wanted students whispering in the corridors and classrooms about the Dark Lord. She wanted the teachers, especially McGonagall to tremble. But as time passed everyone seemed to have forgotten about what happened and the main conversation topic these days was the Quidditch World Cup.
She touched Maurice's choker. Soon they would meet again at Hogsmeade and she would get rid of it. After all she had accomplished her mission with success, getting rid of all the evidence, so there was no reason for her keep wearing his silly reminder.
(Tessa) Nerves
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 05-01-20 18:28
When Mira accepted Belinda's pass, Tessa was near one of the bludgers already. She dove for it with bat extended and gave the black ball a solid whack, but by the time it got anywhere close to Mira, she had already passed the quaffle to Charlotte.
Douglas went after the bludger but ended up hitting it strangely because the wind jerked his bat in midswing. Instead of targeting Kaycee, who was getting handsy with Charlotte, the bludger soared downward. Tessa made a shallow dive to meet it, leaning to the side to counteract the wind pressing against her as she flew. She cocked back her arm and then moved it in a smooth arc, connecting with the bludger and sending it to Conrad, who was in a better position to do something with it.
Charlotte had the quaffle under one arm and was racing towards the Hufflepuff goal hoops with Mira close beside her and Belinda trailing not very far behind. Kaycee was still attempting interference without causing a foul, and Alex and Cornington were also nearby.
Conrad swooped in and managed to get the bludger Tessa had meant for him. He sent it spiraling towards Mira, hoping to knock her away from Charlotte so that either Alex or Cornington could take her place. It would be really grand if Charlotte were being harassed by two Hufflepuff chasers, one on either side of her.
It wasn't meant to be because Fitzwilliam intercepted the bludger and directed it at Kaycee. She peeled away to avoid getting hit, allowing Belinda to pull up on Charlotte's other side. The three Slytherins charged for the Hufflepuff goal hoops.
Tessa knew she needed to do something quickly: either stop Charlotte from scoring or protect Rex from getting hit by a bludger surely coming for him. She immediately noticed that Fitzwilliam was gearing up to take him out. His bludger hit was solid and without the impediment of a strong gust of wind.
Rex, too busy watching Charlotte approaching, didn't notice Fitzwilliam's set up and neither Conrad nor Tessa were near enough to stop the bludger themselves. They both called out warnings to him, and though he heard them quick enough to avoid full contact with his jaw, the bludger struck him in the collar bone and drove him backwards in the time Charlotte took to pass the ball to Belinda and for Belinda to get the quaffle cleanly through one of the hoops.
"McCourt scores!" Barbie shouted. "Slytherin leads, 20-0!"
Tessa sighed. This match wasn't boding well, though it was still early, and maybe she would be pleasantly surprised in the end. Just this morning she'd gone in for her apparition licensing exam. She'd fretted that she'd done something wrong, like leave an eyelash behind, but she'd passed with flying colors. She'd been so nervous but had done just fine in the end.
Rex retrieved the quaffle and wincing as he used his injured shoulder, put the ball back into play via Alex.
Which Rex? (Wallace)
Author: Saffron
Date: 05-01-20 22:07
From his position at one end of the pitch, Wallace studies Rex at the opposite end. Wallace rarely gives much thought to his surnamed and his cousin's first name being the same unless someone else brings it up. Every now and then, however, when Barbie announces something that "Rex" has done, he finds himself looking his cousin's direction and thinking, "I did that, not him!" then with a sort of duh feeling reminds himself that she IS talking about him.
Wallace directs his attention now to Alex Lancaster, the Hufflepuff chaser who currently has the quaffle. He's moving rapidly but is flying in such a zigzag that he's still some distance from Wallace. Doug sends a bludger after Alex but the chaser has such a twisty turny flight path that he easily avoids being hit.
Without slowing Alex lofts the quaffle to Kaycee. Charlotte rapidly moves in for a steal. Given she's a Slytherin Wallace would have jokingly described it as lightening fast as a striking snake if anyone had been near enough to hear him. Kaycee's reaction in snapping up the quaffle before Charlotte can get it is even faster. Action like that Wallace wishes he knew a charm that would let him see the moves close up. He'd cast it before taking to the air. With his luck though such a charm would mean his near vision would be so screwed up he couldn't see up close properly when chasers and beaters reached him and his rings, which would mean not being able to tell where the quaffle was or if a bludger was within a foot of his face.
Kaycee soon passes to Cornington who sends the quaffle back to her not long after so he can better shake out his arm where Fitzwilliam was able to hit him in the upper arm with a bludger. With Belinda closely shadowing her, Kaycee moves the quaffle closer to Wallace. Tessa directs a bludger at Belinda but Doug stops the bludger and redirects. From where he is, Doug can't get that particular bludger to Kaycee without hitting Belinda first so he targets Alex who is now closer to Wallace and open for a pass.
The bludger grazes by Alex but while it doesn't otherwise make an impact Kaycee passes the quaffle to Cornington because Mira and Charlotte are both near enough to Alex to easily intercept. Cornington flies in close to Wallace to make his goal attempt. Wallace thinks he's got the block no problem until a combination of a strong gust of wind and a bludger hit by Conrad fudge up his timing. With a deep, disgusted sigh, Wallace moves to retrieve the quaffle as Barbie practically screams, "Rex misses! Marchbanks scores for Hufflepuff! Slytherin leads 20 to Hufflepuff's 10!" As he hands the quaffle over to Mira, Wallace makes another noise of disgust thinking that this time he doesn't have to think twice about which "Rex" Barbie meant.
Kaycee - Catching Up
Author: Lee Sickleby
Date: 05-02-20 12:27
Kaycee followed closely behind the Slytherins chasers, who kept the quaffle tightly among themselves. Working as an excellent team, Mira, Charlotte, and Belinda passed the red ball amongst each other without missing a beat or over-or-underestimating when and where to throw it. Weaving in and out, Kaycee searched for an opportunity but found none.
The Slytherins moved the quaffle all the way down the Pitch and then got in front of Rex,who deflected Mira's goal first, then Charlotte's attempt, before stopping the ball outright with Belinda's try. He passed it to Alex, who threw long to Kaycee.
Kaycee tucked the ball between arm and body and zoomed for the Slytherin hoops. Belinda, Charlotte, and Mira followed suit, eager to recapture the quaffle, but as they had done in their previous drive for the Hufflepuff hoops, Kaycee didn't give them any opportunity.
When they got close to her, Kaycee threw the quaffle at Cornington, who was ahead of her. Unfortunately at that moment, the wind howled against him, making the continued flight to the Slytherin goal hoops a slow one. Belinda used a burst of speed to close the distance between her and the Hufflepuff chaser, but she fell back when a bludger came straight for her face her. It had been Tessa who'd targeted her with the black ball, not her beloved Conrad.
Cornington eventually reached Wallace and threw the quaffle to the center, where it was promptly intercepted not by the Slytherin keeper, but by Mira, who'd come out of nowhere to get it. Before Mira, Charlotte, and Belinda could fall back into their usual, seemingly impenetrable formation, Kaycee pulled her broomstick sideways directly in front of Mira, risking a T-bone collision.
Mira pumped the brakes hard and lost the quaffle when her grip loosened on the ball as she pitched forward from her sudden stop. Kaycee caught the ball one-handed and immediately launched it at Cornington. Cornington tossed it to Alex, who started to aim for a hoop, only to drive it back to Kaycee. Mira, having recovered, tried to intercept the ball, but Kaycee not only caught it but also scored when Wallace took too much time in shifting his focus from Alex to Kaycee.
"Sickleby scores!" Barbie shouted. "The match is tied, 20-20!"
After A Pause In The Match
Author: Plum
Date: 05-02-20 19:41
Just after Hufflepuff's second goal the wind went from gusting to being so strongly steady blowing from one side of the pitch to the other that players were having difficulty getting from end to end with several of them being blown out of bounds. As a result, Coach Krum decided to pause the match for a few minutes. Players either flew down to wait on the ground or flew low enough for the stands to offer something of a windbreak. Trying to hover stationary at a normal altitude was pretty much impossible.
From his spot a little above the ground, using his broom for the flying equivalent of pacing, Alex can see Dolly up in one of the stands sitting with one of her roommates. She recently asked him if he thought Wallace Rex might like her. Turning his gaze to where the Slytherin keeper stands talking with Rex Applewhite, the Hufflepuff keeper who also happens to be Wallace's cousin, Alex can't help but frown. Dolly is his best friend. He's known her pretty much forever. They went to the Valentine's dance as friends and he's never thought of her as anything but a friend until she began showing interest in Wallace.
The wind starts dying down, returning to a gust now and again. Coach Krum blows his whistle for everyone to retake positions in the air. Alex puts his thoughts of Dolly on hold, taking up a spot near Mira. Within seconds Belinda has put the quaffle back into play with a pass to Charlotte.
Alex does his best to stay positioned where Charlotte can't easily pass to Mira. They make it almost to Rex with Mira growing irritated with Alex when she finally gets by him because he doesn't see the bludger from Doug until it's bouncing off his shoulder. Mira flashes him a grin as she shoots past, getting into a formation with Charlotte and Belinda as they cover the remaining ground, or is that air?, to Rex.
Charlotte throws to center but Rex has no problem getting to the quaffle to smack it back with the palm of one hand. Mira goes for the red ball, irritated again with Alex when he maneuvers for it as well. Both have hands on it but just as Alex is about to fully wrest if from her Doug again gets him with a bludger. Mira flashes that grin at him once more, the hand gripping the quaffle already in motion to throw it for what she hopes will be a goal.
Mira's throw looks like it might be good but Rex throws himself at it with just enough oomph to get a hand on it, catching it outright. As he hands it off to the nearest Hufflepuff chaser, Cornington, with a return grin at Mira Alex whips his broom around for another trip down the length of the pitch, keeping an eye on Cornington in the event that his teammate wishes to pass him the quaffle.
Beat This
Author: Ellis
Date: 05-03-20 08:22
Cornington only had the quaffle a few seconds before he was hit by a bludger. Doug, once again on the spot to do damage against a Hufflepuff chaser, had sent it soaring at Cornington. Fortunately, when Cornington fumbled the quaffle, it was Alex who retrieved it and not Mira, who grasped wildly for it only to come up with air.
Alex sped down the Pitch. Kaycee caught up to him and then dove down to fly just below him. Alex sent the quaffle down to her so that Mira would leave him alone. Charlotte did her own dive and attempted to dislodge the quaffle from Kaycee, but Conrad hit her with the other bludger. Kaycee pulled away, and Cornington moved into position to accept her pass. Belinda swooped in and almost snatched the quaffle from Cornington's hand, but Tessa sent a bludger at her. Fitzwilliam intercepted the same bludger and sent it sailing towards Kaycee's back, but Conrad swung his broomstick around and set up for the block.
Cornignton, meanwhile, charged for Wallace with the quaffle tucked under his arm. Conrad whacked the bludger he intercepted at Mira, but Fitz was quick to defend his teammate. He sent it at Cornington, but Tessa was there in time to prevent anything form happening to him. Cornington passed the quaffle to Alex anyway, who was in a better position to potentially score. Tessa perfectly timed targeting Wallace with the bludger as Alex set up for a goal attempt.
Wallace made a good attempt at avoiding getting hit and blocking the hoop Alex set his sights on, but it was no good. His fingers barely brushed the quaffle, and it still managed to go through the hoop.
"Lancaster scores!" Barbie shouted. "Hufflepuff leads, 30-20!"
Conrad searched for Belinda and shot her a playful smile that seemed to say How do you like me now, McCourt? The game was far from over, though. Hufflepuff might be winning now, but that could all change.
No Chance Of The Championship (Doug)
Author: Briar Rose
Date: 05-03-20 10:23
Doug knows that short of a miracle Slytherin has no chance of continuing on to the school's championship match. Without whatever today's result turns out to be, Slytherin is in last place this season. Hufflepuff is, in fact, in second place without whatever it earns today added to the mix. Despite the fact that his team has no chance of playing in the last official game of term he'd love to have at least one Slytherin victory this school year.
Approaching a bludger, Doug hits the black ball at an angle, directing it towards Cornington who has just stolen the quaffle from Mira. Tessa had clipped her just right with the other bludger causing her to lose her grip on the quaffle, allowing Cornington to dart in and jerk it from her grasp. As if sensing the bludger's approach from behind, the Hufflepuff chaser goes low over his broom. The black ball sails across Cornington's back, riffling his uniform but doing no harm.
Rapidly approaching Wallace, Cornington, still hunched over his broom but not hugging the handle, raises one arm in preparation of throwing the quaffle. By this time Doug has circled around just behind Wallace's hoops to reach the bludger he'd so recently batted. Another of the massive wind gusts blasts him just then, almost causing Doug to slam into one of the hoop posts but he's able to compensate though one foot does smack the pole. It hits in a way that had Doug wondering if he'd had on less sturdy footwear if he'd have cracked a bone.
As Doug reaches the bludger, Wallace deflects Cornington's shot but the quaffle soars straight into Kaycee's arms. She immediately shifts her grip on the ball so that she can throw it. Just as she's about to release the red ball Charlotte somehow reaches across without fouling to knock the quaffle from Kaycee, sending it straight to Belinda.
Belinda hastens away from Wallace and the three hoops behind him only to pull up short when a bludger hit by Conrad crosses directly in front of her. She frowns at him then smiles when the Hufflepuff beater makes a silly face at her. Doug rolls his eyes, unsure of how flirty and funny he could be in the middle of a match with a girlfriend on the opposing team.
With Mira now slightly ahead and in a good position, Belinda passes the quaffle to her. Mira, narrowly avoiding a bludger from Tessa, shoots off in Rex's direction, Doug wishing he could hex the Hufflepuffs just enough to ensure another Slytherin goal, if not the win entirely.
Apparate Away (Cornington)
Author: Phinfilius
Date: 05-03-20 18:18
Mira still has the quaffle when the action once again reaches Rex. She tries to do a fake out, making as if to throw to the hoop farthest from her but passing to Charlotte instead, who promptly aims for the nearest ring. Rex, who'd started for the one hoop is able to readjust and get his broom and body in front of the other in time to block the shot. Cornington catches the rebound, turning his broom in a tight arc to head the other direction. He doesn't make it far when Fitz catches him full on the middle of his back, right between his shoulder blades with one of those hard, black balls.
Literally handing the quaffle to Kaycee as she glides by, both checking that he's okay and blocking Belinda from taking his stopped moment to maneuver in close enough to steal the ball, Cornington contorts to rubs a hand over what he can of the painful spot. The hit was hard and he won't be surprised if he has a big bruise there come tomorrow but it's not the first likely bruise he's gotten this match and there's a good chance it won't be the last of the match either. His breath caught and the pain going from the initial sharpness to a somewhat dull ache, Cornington hurries to catch up with Kaycee and Alex as they fend off Belinda, Charlotte, and Mira from gaining possession of the quaffle.
Coming up behind Alex just as Kaycee passes to him, Cornington's take on the back hit not being his last bruise of the match proves true when he rockets forward just enough to put himself between Alex and a bludger hit by Doug. Having deliberately positioned himself as the target, Cornington's at least able to keep the smack from being a bad one though now he's got a throbbing sting in one calf that seems to set off the ache between his shoulders to go from dull to sharp again.
Alex is directly in front of Wallace now. He starts to throw on direction then jerks his arm as if to throw in another. He does this several times, seemingly torn as to which of the outer hoops to aim for only to throw dead center when he does let the quaffle go. Despite the effort to confuse Wallace, the Slytherin keeper is able to stop the ball, sending it straight to Charlotte.
Angling his broom around Cornington has to dodge Fitz, who's lining his sights up on a bludger to bat at one of the Hufflepuffs. Cornington has an urge to remind that even if Slytherin wins today, odds are extremely low that Hufflepuff doesn't advance to the championship, which will be played against Gryffindor. Cornington has the urge but doesn't say it. He doesn't need anyone else to tell him that being snide is poor sportsmanship, something anyone has yet to be able to accuse Cornington of. Instead, he joking calls out, "If you aim that at me, I'll just apparate out of the way. I'm licensed now, you know!"
As he speeds away, Fitz hitting the bludger towards Alex not him, Cornington can hear the Slytherin beater laughing.
How Lame An Excuse? (Rex)
Author: Saffron
Date: 05-03-20 21:10
Belinda, Charlotte, and Mira are able to get into one of their formations that allows them to rapidly move the quaffle down the pitch with little interference from Alex, Cornington, and Kaycee. Almost three-quarters along the length of the pitch a bludger hit by Conrad breaks up the Slytherin trio's tight grouping. The current quaffle holder loses the ball, fumbling to regain control of the red ball. Before Belinda is able to stabilize her grasp on the ball Alex gets in close enough to steal. Though Hufflepuff now has the quaffle, with the action so near Rex remains on high alert.
Alex retains the ball until just past midpitch when he passes to Kaycee. Quaffle held close to her body, Kaycee bolts away, only slowing as she nears Wallace. Before she can take a shot, a bludger from Fitz crosses in front of her, inches in from Kaycee's face. That brief distraction is all Mira needs to lift the quaffle from Kaycee's hand. Mira promptly hurls the quaffle to Belinda who sprints back Rex's way.
She arrives so quickly Rex thinks she must have broken a speed record. Curving around she whizzes by him so fast he almost misses Belinda's letting go of the quaffle. He launches himself at the red ball, almost catapulting himself off his broom in the process. Rex's fingers brush the ball. He extends his reach, grunting with the effort, fingers curling enough around the quaffle to flip it away from the hoop. Out of the corner of his eye he spies Cornington so tries to push the quaffle that direction.
Mira dashes in front of Cornington to grab the quaffle but a bludger Tessa had hit turns out to be well placed enough that it hits Mira with just enough force to cause the quaffle to pop up from her hand. Rex sees the frustration on her face when his teammate seizes the red ball. Cornington throws over Mira's head to Kaycee who, in turn, sends it along to Alex.
As the ten millionth, or so it seems, blast of wind hits him in the face, Rex reflexively reaches up to push back slightly too long hair from his forehead, wishing he'd thought to get a trim before today, knowing there was a chance of gusting wind. At least having hair flopping in his face hasn't affected his keeping this match. How lame an excuse would it be to explain away missing a block because bangs were blocking his view?
Down A Player (Mira)
Author: Sirius Padfoot Black
Date: 05-04-20 18:12
Less than a second after Mira had intercepted a pass from Alex to Cornington, the strongest gust of wind yet blew across the pitch. The players and Coach Krum were battered by the blast, Fitzwilliam sent barrel roll spinning. Before he could regain control Fitz slammed into the boards of one of the stands. A quick reacting adult, Mira isn't sure who or if it was actually several people, used magic to prevent Fitz from tumbling quite a distance to the ground, lowering him gently instead.
After a full minute Fitz hasn't regained consciousness. Mira observes as Fitz is taken from the pitch, both hoping he'll be fine and hoping that his absence from the remainder of the match won't hugely affect Slytherin. Mira realizes that in the big picture, whether Fritz being out causes the team to lose doesn't really matter as they little chance of making the championship but, like her teammates, Mira would love to see Slytherin finish the season with a win. Accepting the quaffle from Charlotte, Mira has to admit she's glad Fitz is a beater and not a chaser, the keeper, or the seeker.
As she weaves around Conrad then Doug Mira catches sight of both seekers. She wants to shout encouragement to Sylvestor but the way the wind, now only slightly above a gentle breeze, is blowing and the distance from her position to his along with the noise of the spectators, she doubts he'd hear her. She does wonder if the snitch is even still around. That one blast that caused Fitz to be injured and the constant high winds earlier that resulted in a long time out could have pushed the tiny snitch far from the playing area. Or could it? Would the magic that binds the snitch to the general area of the pitch during a match, or practice, prevent the wind from blowing it far away? And if not, how would they know it was entirely gone? Could this match go on for days before Coach Krum calls it on goal points alone?
Something to ponder for another time. Right this second, Mira's got to concentrate on keeping Alex from getting the quaffle. She swerves from him when he gets so close she swears she can feel his breath. Obstructing her view of Belinda is Cornington. Kaycee is between Mira and Charlotte but more open. She prepares to make the pass, Alex getting in close again, one hand snaking over to grab the quaffle from her when he's hit in the hip from behind with a bludger, freeing Mira to throw the ball without interference or a steal.
Kaycee throws herself towards the quaffle in an effect to intercept but she's just short enough that Charlotte catches the ball without Kaycee getting even a fingertip on it. Charlotte makes a push for the hoops where Rex is watching the action like a hawk. She throws for a goal as soon as she's within range but Rex makes the block. Belinda catches the ball only to have Cornington to knock it from her grasp with a pop of one fist to the quaffle. They both scramble for it only to both draw back when a bludger hit by Tessa crosses between them and the red ball. Mira is the one to successfully snatch the ball, pivoting on her broom for a better throwing angle.
She gets off a shot, frowning when she thinks it's a bad throw. The quaffle hits the ring's rim, Mira expecting it to bounce away from the hoop rather than go in. Rex, clearly thinking better safe than sorry, is in motion for the block but the quaffle dings off the hoop at an odd, upward and back angle, just out of Rex's reach.
Mira's frown turns to a broad smile even before hearing Barbie proclaim, "Eternal-Black scores! The game is tied 30 to 30!"
Victory [Sylvestor & Bertie]
Author: Georgia Copperpot
Date: 05-04-20 20:57
Sylvestor finds himself looking for Fitz only to remind himself that his friend has been sent to the hospital wing, perhaps even to hospital. He starts feeling guilty that he'd forgotten his best friend could be seriously hurt. The guilt is followed by Sylvestor chiding himself for feeling guilty as he'd not forgotten, not truly. He'd just been so focused on locating the snitch, which he's not seen since it was released at the start of the match, that his preoccupied mind didn't stop him when pausing to watch the action for a moment he'd looked for Fitz out of habit.
Across the pitch and slightly up from Sylvestor's position Bertie rubs a hand across his face. All this wind has made his eyes dryer than usual for a match. If there's another time out he hopes to take advantage of the short break to drip some water into his eyes. He freezes mid eye rub when something flutters nearby. Could it be the snitch at last? Bertie goes from rigid frozen posture to slightly bent over, somewhat wilted as the something comes into better focus. Just a small bird.
Bertie had been creeping along while he rubbed his eyes. Blinking a few times and cursing under his breath at the snitch for being extra elusive today, he increases his speed, though he's still flying at a relatively slow pace, especially when compared to the chasers and beaters. The little bird flies closer, veering off in a different direction when a bludger followed closely by Tessa with her bat at the ready startles it. Bertie watches it go then sensing movement from the direction it had come he dismisses it as another bird.
Sylvestor sees the little bird altering its course to disappear somewhere behind one of the stands. Aloud, though no one's near enough to hear him, he jokingly asks after the bird, "Have you seen a snitch?"
Reaching the general area recently vacated by Bertie, Sylvestor notices the same movement Bertie had. At first, like Bertie, he thinks it's another bird. With a mental shrug he decides to check it out. It's not as if he has anything else to do. He starts towards what could be thought of as an invisible line demarcating one edge of the pitch. That's when it dawns on Sylvestor that the movement is in one spot as if hovering. Only one bird comes to mind that can hover like that. Either there's a hummingbird or that's the snitch.
Bringing his broom around to start a pass in the direction from which he'd just come, Bertie notices two things. Whatever he'd sensed rather than saw moving is more or less in the exact same spot and it has captured Sylvestor's attention. Accelerating rapidly, Bertie's broom goes from a crawl to a full on racing sprint.
The way the snitch, because he's sure now it's the snitch, is staying in place as if in suspension, Sylvestor is sure he can fly right up and pluck it from the air. And he almost does just that but the snitch being the snitch decides that as the exact moment Sylvestor is reaching for it, that it's time to move.
The snitch flies a straight line, following the boundary line, away from Sylvestor then hooks a turn inward to fly across the pitch. Swearing, Sylvestor goes after it, turning to intercept it at an angle. He swears again when seeing Bertie coming in fast.
Closing in on the snitch again before Bertie arrives Sylvestor swears for a third time when the snitch hurtles straight up. Not quite there yet Bertie goes into a steep climb. Sylvestor begins climbing as well but because Bertie'd been further out from the snitch when it went up whereas Sylvestor had been practically on top of it, Bertie now has the advantage.
As the snitch levels off Barbie has become aware of the seekers vying for it. Her calling attention to their actions now has the three beaters still in the match racing to get the bludgers aimed at the two of them. Bertie ducks one, now doing his own swearing when another wind gust shoves the snitch away from his outstretched fingers.
Sylvestor catches up to Bertie, keeping pace with the Hufflepuff, hoping his slightly longer reach will aid him in catching the snitch. He mirrors Bertie's low over the broom, one arm outstretched, fingers reaching position. His fingers graze the snitch and start to close around it. At that exact moment yet another one of those bloody blasts of air pushes the snitch away from Sylvestor's hand and straight into Bertie's palm. Bertie reacts to quickly squeeze his fingers shut over the snitch.
"Nutcombe has the snitch! Victory for Hufflepuff! End score is 180 Hufflepuff, 30 Slytherin!"