|
|
Confectionery Confiscation
Author: Phyllida
Date: 11-07-11 14:23
They shared the bench in silence. Phyllida had her frog wrapper scrunched up in her fist, making as little noise as possible. Her knuckles were pale, and she was biting her lower lip in concentration. Slytherin was up against Ravenclaw. She watched a bludger rebound off a Ravenclaw beater, making its way towards the current Slytherin beater, Gus Van Tassel, who sent it careening towards an enemy chaser. The sudden manoeuvre forced the chaser to drop the quaffle, which was picked up instantly by Olive Green.
"YES!" Phyllida hissed with delight, moving to the edge of her seat.
Unperturbed, Nathaniel carried on eating two chocolate frogs, a licorice wand, and one red-striped lolly that turned out to be an exploding bon-bon, much to Phyllida's displeasure. She gave him a brutal look.
"Sorry…" He packed the wrapper away in his pocket – already overflowing with wrappers.
Phyllida caught a dark-robed shape approaching from their right. The surly face of its wearer made her tug her companion's sleeve urgently. "Nate, it's Snape…"
Professor Snape strode towards them purposefully. "What a delightfully odd couple. I thought my eyes had deceived me, Miss Grimshaw."
Phyllida buried her gaze in the floor, cheeks lightly aflame.
"I thought I'd heard trouble." His gaze fell to a piece of glinting foil near Nathaniels' feet. A chocolate frog wrapper had escaped the confines of his overstuffed pocket. "Ten points from Hufflepuff for littering. Haven't you paid attention to any of Professor McGonagall's cautions, Mr Ross?"
"It fell out of his pocket, sir, he didn't mean –"
"Miss Grimshaw, it is enough that you keep such company. Your defense of him would be considered most suspicious. I'll have to confiscate the rest of your confectionery, Mr Ross. And take care that you dispose of your refuse more thoughtfully, otherwise detention might be necessary. I know Professor McGonagall could use more pitch-sweepers."
Phyllida bit her lip as Professor Snape ambled away. She looked at Nathaniel, cheeks still bitten by shame. "Sorry about that…"
"It's alright." Nathaniel sighed. "I have plenty more in my dormitory."
The scrimmage was already over, the contestants dropping to the ground and carrying their brooms. Phyllida eyed the scoreboard half-heartedly, and repeated his sigh.
Wishing The Quidditch Trials Lasted Longer (Caerwyn)
Author: Julian Valentine
Date: 11-07-11 16:33
Mounting his broom to participate in one of the scrimmages, Caerwyn wishes that tryouts lasted longer. A full day per house or something like that. Summer holiday passed far too quickly for his liking and then these first two weeks of school passed ever so slowly. At times Caerwy thought the Quidditch trials would never arrive. He's had to content himself with getting in as much practice time as his coursework would allow and with his ongoing project of training himself to become an animagus or, better yet, a late blooming metamorphmagus. His mum was a metamorphmagus. Doesn't it stand to reason that he'd have inherited some small fraction of her ability? Caerwyn is convinced he simply hasn't figured out the correct way to tap into it.
For now Caerwyn's full attention is on Quidditch. It's been a glorious day, made all the better each time he's been able to gain air above the pitch, even if some of that time was only spent warming up. He's downright joyous for the moment, a beater in a match of Hufflepuff against, a glance at who else is taking to the air lets him know the team is Gryffindor. Caerwyn wants beater more than anything. It's the only position he's played in official matches though he's filled other roles in games with friends and every now and then in a practice. He went ahead and put his name in for any position available but did list beater as his top preference. His best friend Gus Hodfuffer only signed up for beater but Caerwyn would rather play some other position if it came to it than no position at all.
Etta Wynbourne gets the quaffle first, darting down the field with the other five chasers right there with her. Caerwyn heads for a bludger he'd been tracking from the second the two bludgers were released. One of the Gryffindors gets there first but Caerwyn simply puts on a burst of speed to get in front of the bludger targeted for one of his teammates. First he bats it with a light tap to alter its trajectory then moves around to hit it at one of the Gryffindors, Etta since she's still got the quaffle.
Caerwyn's hit is good and on track to clip Etta but then another of the Gryffindor chasers whips along beside her and ends up taking the hit. As that sort of thing is all part of the game of Quidditch, Caerwyn doesn't waste a glare; afterall, the person did just get hit with a bludger. The other bludger is closer to him now than the one just hit so he goes for it, reaching it before another beater. Etta's passed the quaffle by this time so Caerwyn sets his sights on someone else, thwacking the bludger with a solid hit.
Meanwhile, Hufflepuff's gained possession of the quaffle with an interception and that other bludger is soaring straight for the quaffle holder, Glori Hodfuffer. She's Gus's cousin so Caerwyn has never admitted that he's got a little bit of a crush on Glori. Crush or not, she's his teammate so if he can stop that bludger before it smashes into her, he will. Accelerating forward, Caerwyn zags around one of the seekers careful not to let the bat he's in motion to swing crack into the seeker in the process.
Caerwyn heads off the bludger even as Glori throws a pass to Hugo Hathi, who in turn shoots for a goal. The shot is good and as he sends the bludger at another of the Gryffindors, Caerwyn is smiling over his team's ten points. Now if they can just maintain the lead for the remainder of the scrimmage or, better yet, end the match with Hufflepuff catching the snitch. Truth be told though, with these scrimmages only 20 minutes long, Caerwyn hopes the snitch isn't caught by either seeker so that the match goes the full alotted time.
(Cornelia & Aleydis) Seeking Seeker x2
Author: Griet
Date: 11-07-11 18:10
Cornelia and Aleydis had played against each other in scrimmages, exhibition matches and one official school match, in which the older Vanderbilt had outplayed her younger sister for the win. In some of those lesser match-ups, Aleydis had been the one to catch the snitch first. Both girls possessed remarkable skill when it came to playing seeker.
Since settling in at Hogwarts, Cornelia had started hanging out with Aleydis a little bit, even though she belonged to the Hogwarts house absolutely no one took seriously. Cornelia still couldn't understand how Aleydis had ended up in Hufflepuff House. At least Beatrix and Franciscus were Ravenclaws.
Cornelia missed Griet, though. By extension she missed Oberon, but most of all she missed Gervaise. They wrote to each other constantly.
Thinking of Griet brought to mind the fact that tonight was the full moon. Cornelia understood that Griet would face her first transformation at her new flat in Stratford-upon-Avon. Supposedly it had a special containment area in the cellar.
"Cornelia! You're on seeker."
Cornelia and Aleydis were sitting side by side in the stands, though they weren't talking much to each other. Beatrix was also there. She had tried out for the IQT team last year and hadn't made the cut. She was trying out this year for her house team.
Cornelia got up, grabbed her broomstick, and proceeded to the green. A short while later, Aleydis heard her name called and met her sister on the ground.
"Good luck," she said with a smile.
"Whatever," Cornelia replied. She mounted her broom and took off.
Aleydis climbed on hers and also ascended into the sky.
In due course, the next scrimmage match began. Both girls immediately peeled their eyes for the elusive golden snitch. Sometimes it made its presence known early on, but sometimes it stayed well hidden forever and ever. It was Aleydis who sighted it first. She immediately flew after it. Cornelia was quick on the uptake and raced after Aleydis.
The snitch seemed to fly faster and faster, allowing neither girl to get anywhere near it. They drew the attention of the beaters. One bludger sailed right in front of Aleydis' face. She drew back suddenly, causing Cornelia to very nearly run into her. Cornelia swerved suddenly and almost spun out on her broomstick.
The snitch continued to flit around the Pitch, and Aleydis and Cornelia continued to chase it. At one point, Cornelia decided on a different tact. She stopped following and instead cut across at an angle in an attempt to intercept it. The snitch had a different idea, however, and immediately fell straight down.
Aleydis and Cornelia dove but before either could catch it or injure themselves by colliding with the ground, a shrill whistle sounded, marking the end of their 20 minute scrimmage.
Aleydis carefully adjusted her flying pattern and then dismounted. When Cornelia touched down beside her, Aleydis said, "The time went by so fast!"
"Yeah, yeah," Cornelia grumbled.
They both climbed back into the stands when it was clear they wouldn't be playing in the next scrimmage.
At Least The Broom Is Fine
Author: Christopher Chant
Date: 11-07-11 18:43
A foul is called, one that gives the other team, once again Slytherin, a shot at making a goal. Christopher dutifully stops his search for the snitch as a chaser making the shot gets into position. Hovering high above the pitch, eyes continuing to scrutinize the immediate area for that elusive little winged ball, Christopher also takes the moment to stretch. He thinks he must have slept in an odd position because he's had a kink in his back since waking up. He thought that the activity of the Quidditch trials would have worked the kink out by now but so far it's still there.
The foul shot is taken, easily blocked by the current Ravenclaw keeper, a boy Christopher's seen around their common room he can't recall the boy's name and wasn't paying attention when names for this scrimmage were called. Regular play resumes at the exact same moment Christopher spies a metallic glint down near one section of stands. He stays put long enough to make sure it's not just a random reflection of jewelry or some girl's make-up mirror catching the light just right.
The glint moves a hair to the left, just enough that Christopher can clearly see it's a small winged ball. Unless someone's violating a few rules, that's the snitch he's after. The Slytherin seeker, Mason Jeffers this match whom Christopher got to know somewhat on last term's IQT team, hasn't seen it yet. Christopher spurs his broom forward, zipping around one of his team's beaters in pursuit of a bludger.
By the time he reaches the spot where the snitch had been, the small ball has moved but Christopher's still got his eye on it. And now Mason does as well. Christopher speeds up, arm stretching out, fingers reaching. Mason is low over his own broom, face screwed up in concentration, fingers unfurling to make his own grab at the snitch.
Next thing Christopher knows Mason and he are all tangled up, brooms spinning in a fast descent. The collide with the ground still tangled. Not half a second later the whistle is blown to signal the match's end. Hovering just above the heads of the two crashed seekers, as if taunting them both, is the snitch.
At least neither Mason nor he are seriously injured, just the usual bruises, bumps, and scrapes that go with playing Quidditch. They help each other up, immediately giving attention to their brooms, making sure that the brooms didn't suffer in the collision either. That important matter attended to, the two boys shake hands and exchange, "Good match," before making way on the pitch for the players up next for the following scrimmage.
(Beatrix, Sadie & Ramona) Trying Out
Author: Griet
Date: 11-08-11 06:16
Beatrix Vanderbilt was the only one of her sisters never to have played for a Hogwarts house team or the Interscholastic Quidditch Tournament. She'd tried out for the IQT team last year but hadn't made the cut. It hadn't been too much of a sore spot with Beatrix, because she'd still gotten to attend all of the matches and visited places she might otherwise never have seen.
This year, she'd decided to try again. She had practiced a little bit over the summer with Aleydis, tossing the quaffle around or just broom racing. Beatrix felt like she had improved, at least a little bit. Maybe it also had something to do with being older, too.
When she'd come down to the Pitch earlier that morning, she'd signed her name on the roster for all positions but seeker. Cornelia and Aleydis were good seekers. Beatrix wouldn't say anything to Cornelia and risk getting turned into a toad, but she thought Aleydis was the better player. But Cornelia was really good, too. Beatrix found the position too difficult. She wasn't good at spotting something so small, even if it was shiny and gold.
Presently, she found herself playing chaser in a scrimmage against Hufflepuff. Her cousin Ramona was also on her team, also playing chaser this go around. Ramona had tried out for Quidditch a few times herself, most notably last year when she'd also failed to earn a position on the IQT team. She had also signed up for any position, including seeker.
On the opposing team was Beatrix's other cousin and Ramona's older sister, Sadie. She'd also tried out in the past and had no luck. Maybe this year would be different. Like the other girls, she'd signed up for all positions. In this scrimmage, she also played chaser.
Beatrix accepted the quaffle from Ramona and tucked it securely against her body, sheltering it with the crook of her arm. She wove past a Hufflepuff beater, who was getting ready to intercept one of the black bludgers. Beatrix saw an opening and passed the quaffle back to Ramona.
Ramona urged her broomstick forward, only to get hit by the bludger. It struck her upper arm, but not the arm carrying the quaffle. Ramona winced but continued on her path towards the Hufflepuff goals.
But then Sadie swooped in out of nowhere and plucked the ball from Ramona's arm.
"Hey!" Ramona shouted at her sister. "That's mine!" she yelled, as if they were fighting over a toy.
Sadie stuck her tongue out at Ramona and turned around abruptly, heading in the opposite direction. She wove between all sorts of players but got stuck when a bludger made a beeline for her face. Sadie rolled to avoid it, and lost the quaffle when she accidentally dropped it. It went into a free fall.
Beatrix was the quickest of the bunch, maybe because she'd happened to be right there. She emerged from the pack with the quaffle in her arms and took off with a giant smile on her face.
A Gryffindor vs Slytherin Scrimmage (Etta & Basil)
Author: Jared
Date: 11-08-11 12:57
"What's up with you today?" Olive asks as she sits down beside Etta.
"I don't know what you mean."
Olive shrugs. "You're quieter than usual."
"Just have my mind on the trials I guess. That's me."
Etta jumps up as her name is called for another scrimmage match. As she's only put her name in for chaser she knows what position she'll be playing even before she makes it to where other Gryffindors and Slytherins are gathering around this match's reference Brent Gorper.
Seconds later Olive is one more beside Etta. "Looks like we're both in this one."
"Too bad you're going to lose."
"You've always had a great sense of humor, Etta."
They grin at each other then move into starting positions. Also grinning is Etta's cousin Basil. This is the first of the Gryffindor-Slytherin scrimmages Etta and he have been in together. Now that they are once more on opposing teams, Basil relishes the idea of being able to smash bludgers into Etta with impunity. Sure, there are a number of fouls that could get called on him but fouls can happen no matter how careful a player is and if he does commit one against her, he'll still be considered as doing his job as beater and sent right back in to pummel her a few more times.
Basil can't wait!
Etta gains first possession of the quaffle, clamping it against her torso as she ducks and pulls away from outstretched hands. Movement off to the side has her not only ducking and rolling, narrowly missing a bludger.
Basil curses under his breath that the first bludger sent at dear cousin Etta missed the mark. Felt good batting it though, just thinking about the bludger smacking into her. Stupid, useless Gryffindor. Thank Merlin she wasn't sorted into Slytherin. Basil would have walked right out of the Great Hall and gotten back on the Hogwarts Express that first Start of Term Feast six years ago.
Mark Farnon is the other Slytherin beater in this match and though Basil wants to hit another bludger at Etta like ten seconds ago, Mark's got the nearer ball. Basil wheels his broom, laying low over the handle and pouring on the speed, wanting to get to that bludger he'd first hit as quickly as he's able.
Etta, meanwhile, has passed off to a first year she remembers from the Sorting Ceremony is called Achilles. She's actually spoken to him a few times, once when he got disoriented going from the library back to Gryffindor House, but Etta can't say she knows him. He catches the quaffle only to be hit by a bludger. He keeps his hold on the ball but it's a tenuous grip. Before Etta or the other Gryffindor chaser this match can move in to assist, Olive plucks the quaffle away from Achilles, shooting another grin at Etta in the process.
Etta goes in pursuit, catching up to Olive and making it difficult for her friend to pass the ball. Olive takes her on a merry chaser, zagging this way and zigging that but she can't shake Etta. That is, she can't shake Etta until a bludger clips Etta hard in the side. She slows as much out of reflex as anything else, one hand grabbing at her ribs on that side as she shakily gasps for a breath.
Basil had put a great deal of force into batting that bludger then sat back to watch with great satisfaction as it found its target. That he actually aided his teammate with the quaffle is a bonus, even if that teammate has the unfortunate taste to be one of Etta's closest friends.
That was so fun Basil is going to do it again. He spots the other bludger and heads for it, hoping that he can get her in the head at least once and also telling himself he should target another Gryffindor from time to time just so no one says anything to him about only sending them at Etta.
Etta, her ribs sore but nothing she can't handle as someone who's been playing team Quidditch for years now, locates where the quaffle is and who has it then speeds to rejoin the action.
Lunch With Karma
Author: Kissy Isuki
Date: 11-08-11 15:06
On the walk from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade Karma and Kissy mainly talk about how Karma's settling in with her classes and teaching. After they've reached the Crown & Cauldron and have ordered lunch, Kissy lets Karma do most of the talking. She is, afterall, the one who's had the most recent incident of parents crossing the line.
"Who signs up for a dating service then doesn't show up for the dates?" Karma grumbles.
"Apparently Sajjan Dashti. Doesn't sound as though you've missed out on anything. Say, do you think his mother signed him up like yours did and he chose not to show up but has told his mother he did?"
Karma's frown turns into a smile as she chuckles, "You know, I never thought of that. Still rude of him to stand me up but at least that's something I'd understand if it's the case. I've been dominating this conversation. Your turn. What horrible things have your parents done?"
Kissy cheekily grins. "That, Karma, is a loaded question."
"That bad?"
"Have you heard of a cult called Traditions that was in the news earlier this year?"
"I remember hearing some about it and reading a few newspaper articles. Members were under some sort of spell as I recall."
"Yes, every Traditions member had at least one item kept close at all times, such as a brooch or a ring. Those items were charmed, making the wearers who were already more traditionally mind for whatever their respective cultures were even more single minded about those traditions to the point of fanatacism. My parents had long held to the Japanese traditions of gender roles and stressed on me my entire life what being a good daughter meant. While I was in Japan for several months helping with a sick relative, Mum and Dad started attending Traditions meetings. By the time I returned to Britain, they were huge supporters of the group and were after my brother and me to not only join but they had spouses lined up for us."
Kissy relates the high points of how Zen joined Traditions as well and married the girl their parents picked out, of all four of them increasing the pressure on her. How they'd tried drugging her with potions and kidnapping her, of Kissy filing charges against them and them being sent to Azkaban. After being released they were still involved with Traditions but not quite so fanatically. Kissy wraps it by explaining how she figured out about the charmed items, which in turn led to the leaders of Traditions being arrested.
"Wow, and here I thought I had the most meddlesome parents in the world," Karma says with a shake of her head.
"At least now I know that the worst of everything was because they were compelled by magic. Their only excuse now is that they think I am an old maid who cannot get a man without their assistance. I finally told them that if they pester me about it again I will once more cut them out of my life. So far they've managed but after several months of holding her tongue I can tell my mother is starting to crack." Kissy says this last with amusement.
"I don't think mine could go as long as yours has."
"You mean short of using an Imperius Curse?"
"If only ," Karma wistfully sighs. More serious she asks, "Ready to hit the shoppes? I find retail therapy extremely helpful."
"I'm not much for shopping but sure, I'll tag along."
"Not much for shopping? Are you ill?" Karma jokes.
"I've just never been done to shop just to be shopping. I will on occassion. I window shop but generally unless I have a need for something I don't buy anything."
"And I usually never know I need something until I see it in the shoppe and it lets me know I have to buy it."
Upon leaving the restaurant Karma leads the way across the lane to nearby Gladrags Wizardwear. Though not intending to buy anything Kissy sees no reason not to go look. She could, she supposes, look at some of the maternity wear. If she goes through with her plans she'll need a few things. Never hurts to keep an eye open for sale items.