An active, character-driven Hogwarts experience set in the early 2000s. Unique items, plots, and features. Non-canon; this isn't Harry Potter's story, it's ours.
It was always a bit strange, leaving the castle as a group once Dinner ended and Curfew began. Some younger students were quite nervous about it, despite the older students accompanying them and various Professors who oversaw the journey to the Quidditch Pitch.
The weather was perfect; the night air wasn't too noticible and only a little breezy, as they walked underneath a blanket of stars -- guided by the bright glow of the moon. Many chattered and mucked around on the way, while others were quiet and nervous. No one had any broomsticks with them, as per the rules that Tryouts were only to be done on the school brooms provided, which awaited them in the middle of the Pitch.
Those who'd tried out in the past, whether they were accepted onto the team or not, were rather surprised to see things being done a bit differently this year. It wasn't the only time there hadn't been a Captain assigned yet, though this year there was only Amara Seabrook present for Slytherin house. But that wasn't what was strange -- rather it was that the Captains had an area off to the side, and the event itself appeared to be run by the new Flying Instructor.
'Welcome, everyone. Let's settle down now,' said Madam Graysteel, with a vibe to her that made it clear they stood in the company of an expert. Word had spread by now of how she'd even trained Professional players such as Trailblazer Tammy Doyle.
'Use the sign-up sheet, then grab a broom.' She indicated to a desk nearby, which had a strip of parchment and a self-inking quill for each house.
Then she gestured to the broomsticks stacked in the middle of the Pitch, near where she and the Slytherin Captain stood. They were a bit battered and outdated, but still in good condition -- better than most used in the past, even.
[Note: Amara Seabrook is the only current Captain we have, and is played by me, thus posting as her will be minimal and Slytherin-related things done as she intended. As of this RPG year, Tryouts are mainly run by Madam Graysteel as a big group event.]
Please add your character to the list below by adding the info to your arrival post, which can be done at anytime even if Tryouts have already started. Only those listed there may partake in the event.
To be listed, you must qualify as an active member. If you have not posted (RP'ed) at least within the 24 hours prior to the conclusion of dinner, you cannot participate at this time -- but may join your team via the Discord option at another time, if those requirements are met.
Players are chosen by their Captain, if there is one. Or by staff, if not. For the signup, please choose a primary and secondary position preference. You'll Tryout for your primary, but may be asked to Tryout for secondary as well. Keep in mind that, if accepted, no position is guaranteed; you may be placed in a better suited or more urgently needed position. That may also be changed around at a later date or for a specific match.
Acceptance onto the team is not so much about your RP'ing or how your character performs, but rather we look closely at your average post length + quality, overall activeness, and of course how well your follow the Quidditch Rules & Gameplay, which must be read beforehand.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on May 1, 2023 15:06:19 GMT 10
Marching down to the pitch at this time of the night was a thrill. MJ hadn't been outside the castle this late and, even though there were older students and Professors around, she still felt like she was breaking the rules by being here!
She soon got over that feeling as she arrived at the pitch and was faced with the new flying instructor for the first time. MJ tried not to stare too much but she was new and MJ had heard she had trained professional Quidditch players -- her own desire to play professionally was an aspiration she held close to her heart.
Waiting for her turn to sign up, MJ added her name to the sign-up list for the positions of Chaser (her primary) and then Keeper as secondary. She hadn't expected to pick another position so quickly so she went with the first one she thought she'd be okay at.
MJ didn't fancy slinging around a bat to hit bludgers... Though if the team needed her to switch to Beater on match day, she knew she'd gladly do it for them.
Of course, she noticed Amara and then quickly went back to wait for the next step of try-outs. She looked for Joe, hoping they could stand together since she knew that would help her feel better.
Last Edit: May 1, 2023 15:11:18 GMT 10 by MJ Birdwhistle
Post by Kody Ashworth on May 1, 2023 15:10:59 GMT 10
Bouncing his way to the pitch, his body still brimming with energy, Kody grinned at the sight of the Quidditch pitch. Ahh! It was one of his favourite places to be, especially on match day!
But things would be different now, right? He'd be on the team instead of watching from the stands. He looked around and wondered if any of his siblings were going to show up like they had promised. Had they promised? A part of him felt like they had but maybe that was just something he'd made up too.
Oh well!
Kody bounded forward to add his name to the list of Gryffindor students trying out. He added his primary with ease, Beater but hesitated for his alternative position. He frowned and then shrugged, opting for Keeper as his secondary since it seemed like a good position. Something less dangerous than a chaser who would be in the thick of the action.
Surely Jaxen would approve!
He returned to the crowd of waiting hopefuls, eying the school brooms and itching to get his hands on one already. Kody was keen to show what he could do! His stomach somersaulted as he thought about it. There was no way he was going to lose out on a position after his mum had given him permission to try-out!
Last Edit: May 1, 2023 16:28:14 GMT 10 by Kody Ashworth
Post by Jonathan King on May 1, 2023 16:12:23 GMT 10
It was amazing, leaving the castle after Dinner. Being in a group with older students and professors, it almost felt like a school trip.
A night time school trip!
And they only had the best possible place to go within school grounds, too.
He had soon lost sight of his friends in the crowd, but was only slightly upset about it. It was forgotten by the time the new instructor addressed them.
Joe regarded her with awe and did not hesitate to queue for the sign up sheet. He saw MJ step out of line and watched where she was headed so he could join her once he had signed up as well.
He was feeling rather nervous by the time it was his turn.
Putting down Chaser as his primary was a no brainer, of course. For his secondary however, he surprised himself as he put down Seeker.
Last year he had been thinking about the Beater position, but his cousin had made fun of him for that. Not that he wanted to prove her right, but perhaps it was best to wait until he was a little taller for that.
Besides, there was no way he‘d get the Seeker position over Nox, so he‘d be pretty safely put as Chaser, like he wanted to.
Having signed up, he quickly made room and skipped towards MJ with a smile, after stopping to grab a school broom. He stood bouncing on his feet in nervous anticipation of tryouts to come.
“It is so different from last year,“ he said to her. “You think they‘ll put all Chasers together, regardless of House?“
Last Edit: May 1, 2023 16:15:29 GMT 10 by Jonathan King: forgot broom smh
Post by Joshua Twiggs on May 1, 2023 16:30:01 GMT 10
On the way out from the castle, Joshua tried to keep close to his friends, yet he didn’t talk much. He did point out that the stars were beautiful tonight, though he hoped they wouldn’t trick any potential Seekers into thinking they were the Snitch.
Although- it would be hilarious if his brother just kept on flying upwards, missing the real action, until he realised his mistake.
Joshua could not help but fidget with his sleeve as he watched Madam Graysteel command the crowd. She did give off a professional vibe and he felt both reassured and anxious to live up to her standards.
He took several deep breaths to calm him down, looking around for Caine for reassurance, before he stepped up to the sign up sheets.
Joshua did a little swinging motion before he got there, which made him feel more confident, yet spontaneously decided to put Keeper as the primary next to his name. Beater as his secondary choice.
Keeper would be needed more, with a formadible Beater on the team already - was Luckett returning as Beater?
Joshua tried to scan the crowd for him as he chose one of the school brooms, yet remained unsuccessful in spotting him.
He resigned to a less crowded spot to stand and wait for things to start - and tried to keep his nerves in check. Which was easier said than done and he really hoped Caine would come to help with that any second now.
Post by Amber Lloyd on May 1, 2023 16:52:26 GMT 10
Amber was quite nervous as she was walking down to the pitch, but as the pitch came in sight, the anxiety was slowly replaced with excitement. She got this!
She shortly looked around for her friends, then directed her attention forward to the new flying instructor. Having an expert here as her gave Amber a little bit of reassurance – if she made the team, she could always ask her for tips.
Amber hesitated only for a moment before she pulled herself together rather fast and got up to the parchment, adding her name and her position preferences.
Positions? She frowned. She had thought about it but didn’t came to a conclusion yet. Now she needed to.
But knowing other students behind her wanted to write down their names too, she wouldn’t have time now to ponder over it. Amber shrugged and decided to go with her gut feeling. Seeker for her primary and Beater for her secondary.
But she would also go Keeper, if that was a position which would fit her better.
Amber grabbed a school broom and cleared the way for other students. She looked around to see if she could now spot some of her friends as she didn’t want to be alone until the Tryouts really began. She spotted red hair a little bit farther away and decided to try her luck there, and in fact it was Joshua, already having a broom too.
She made her way over to him, although now again nervous, but for another reason. She didn’t quite tell her friends she would sign up for Quidditch because she had been too nervous about it (and there was never a good moment for it).
So, she approached Joshua with the broom in her hand and an awkward smile, showing clearly her mix of emotions being happy to see him but also remorse.
“I … did it too,” she just said apologetic, looking after it more to the broom than to him.
A smile played on the lip of the Gryffindor as she walked from the castle to the pitch with an air of confidence. Quidditch was part of her lifeblood and she smiled at the darkened skies above. It was clear. It was beautiful. The breeze would be enough to keep cool, but not enough to send someone off their broom unless they were just that clumsy.
Amelia barely paid attention to the Captain's area, ignoring the one person there, and looked at Madam Graysteel as she spoke. Taking her broom from the center, she went to the sign-up sheet and wrote down her preferred positions. Put her primary position down as Beater, but made sure to write that she would be fine with Chaser as well. If that was where she was needed, she would do it. Keeper was not something she wanted to take, it was far too boring for her.
With everything signed, she smiled and waited to see what they would be tested on first. She noticed the boy, Kody and managed to stand near by him on the pitch.
"Nervous?" she asked casually as she tightened a glove on her hand quietly. She had brought them from her dorm prior to dinner, having tucked them away when packing.
Charlotte had left dinner, but lagged behind while everyone else was moving at a much quicker speed. It had been decided that she would at least go and support her friend, MJ, during the try-outs. She had no desire to try-out and she doubted she would get any permission to try out from anyone. The walk to the pitch had been smooth enough, though that was because she had stayed away from the crowd ahead of her.
Arriving at the Pitch put her heartrate up and she gripped at the bag around shoulder and looked around. She saw MJ with some other Ravenclaws and made her way to where some spectators were. She didn't see Elizabeth or William, which didn't surprise her at all. They had never shown any interest either in the game of Quidditch.
She stayed away from groups of people, though watched out for any friendly faces that would make her comfortable.
Post by Caine Hawke on May 1, 2023 21:51:13 GMT 10
Ohhh it was time! He'd hyped up his friends through dinner. He'd been hyped up all day! And here he was now, waiting and ready to do this! Dressed and ready.
Willing and excited! Quidditch was a sport he hadn't known existed - his father hadn't really shared it with him as a younger kid but he could see why. His mother would have keeled over at the idea of him zooming through the air after a ball that could take him out with one sure hit.
But hey, there were worse things that he could face. This year he wanted to be the Seeker. Having a keen eye for detail and being able to find shiny things was a super power of his hyper-focusing mind. But, if they needed him to, Caine would have been a pretty awesome Chaser too. He was good at that.
Marking those options on the sheet, he grabbed a broom from the center of the pitch as instructed. It wasn't his but it would do just fine for now.
Shifting from foot to foot, looking over the crowd for Joshua and zooming next to him where he sat.
"I am so stoked for Joshuaaaaaa!" he squealed, seemingly shaking with excitement.
Last Edit: May 1, 2023 21:53:09 GMT 10 by Caine Hawke
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on May 1, 2023 22:22:25 GMT 10
It felt weird to be holding a school broom again, since she was used to her own and hadn't needed to use a school broom since flying lessons in first year. She smiled as Joe joined her and nodded, "I have no idea how she'll do it... I wonder what she's like."
'She' was Madam Graysteel. MJ watched as she conducted the sign-ups. She definitely seemed different from Madam Hooch... MJ missed the old flying instructor since she had been the one to teach her last year.
"It's nice to see so many people showing up, though." MJ tried to look for her friends through the crowd. She knew Charlotte had mentioned wanting to come watch during dinner and that had made MJ feel really touched.
After all, this definitely wasn't the kind of situation Charlotte enjoyed being in.
Sadly, she couldn't see her room-mate and MJ did her best not to frown. Even if the crowd was too big to spot Charlotte, she believed her friend was going to be there for her!
Post by Martha Twiggs on May 1, 2023 22:26:04 GMT 10
Martha moved through the small crowd gathered and joined the other spectators at their designated area. There was no sign of Pierce yet but she kept a space free next to her for her younger brother. He had been keen to show up so she had no reason to believe he wouldn't
Scanning the group of potential Quidditch players, it was easy for Martha to pick out her twin and her other brother. Martha tried to catch their eye, waving to each of them so they'd know she was here.
It wasn't in her nature to shout out or try to get their attention that way so she stayed quiet -- for now.
Her attention went to the new flying instructor. She had been someone important, if she remembered what had been said about her at the welcoming feast. It was hard to tell what kind of person she was but Martha knew this event would be informative. She didn't really think fondly of her flying lessons from her first year. Madam Hooch had been understanding but...
Well, flying was not for her.
She sighed -- watching Quidditch wasn't exactly for her either but she was determined to support her siblings. Martha scanned the crowd again, trying to pick out anyone else she knew.
Post by Kody Ashworth on May 1, 2023 22:30:23 GMT 10
Kody let out a soft yelp as he realized he had forgotten to grab a broom (seeing Amelia with one) and dashed back to grab one.
He rejoined Amelia a few moments later, panting softly. "Sorry -- Yeah, I guess I'm a little nervous."
He looked around at the players gathered and signing up. A lot of fifth years seemed to be interested in Quidditch this year and Kody swallowed. He wasn't that much younger than them but it felt like a big difference anyway.
"Excited too." He added, looking around for Felix. Even though he was a second year, Kody felt they were becoming good friends with their shared loved of Quidditch and similar personalities.
And there was nothing wrong with making new friends. Kody stood next to Amelia and his body vibrated as he struggled to stay still. He was just keen to get going and get this whole experience over with.
Kody knew he'd be disappointed if he messed up and didn't make it on the team. Especially after begging his mum to let him try out...
Last Edit: May 1, 2023 22:49:17 GMT 10 by Kody Ashworth
It was odd but also exhilarating being on the grounds at night. Usually they would have been heading back to their dorms at this time, so having such a change of pace gave him the boost of energy he had been needing. His stomach growled a bit -- maybe he should have ate more, but too late now. He'd find a snack after tryouts.
Things were definitely different than last year. Felix hadn't made the team, but he still remembered quite a bit from that day. This time the new flying instructor was taking charge. He had wondered how her teaching would be, so he supposed they'd find out what kind of instructor she'd be tonight!
Heading up to the sign-up sheet, he took a deep breath. This year would be different. Last year he had just tried out for fun but this year he was serious. He hoped that would make a difference. For his primary position he signed Keeper. Back when he played baseball he liked catching, that was kind of similar, right?
For his secondary he hovered over Seeker for a moment -- but he knew Toby would be all over that. So instead he signed up for Chaser. He was small and quick so he felt he could do well in that role too if Keeper didn't work out.
After signing up he quickly grabbed a broom and searched for Kody. They had been separated in the crowd after leaving dinner but it didn't take long to spot him.
"Kody!" He ran over in a rush of excitement. "I can't believe it's time!" Felix also waved to Amelia beside him as he bounced on the balls of his feet in anticipation.
Post by Joshua Twiggs on May 2, 2023 0:14:20 GMT 10
He was so busy looking for Caine, whom he saw buzzing about, that he completely overlooked Amber until she was next to him, holding a school broom like he was.
“You- what?!“, he exclaimed wide-eyed. He could feel his lips shift from an ’o‘ into an open-mouth smile.
“You signed up? That’s, that is so great, Amber!“
He reached out to lay his arm around her shoulder in a show of support, seeing that she mostly stared down at her broom, as though torn up about her decision.
Feeling his helper-syndrome kick in, he completely abandonded feeling nervous and sorry for himself. This was way more important.
“Caine!“, he called out in happy excitement. “Look, who‘s here to give us a run for our socks after all!“
He grinned and let go of the Ravenclaw girl, extending an arm for Caine‘s shoulder instead.
“Guess we better watch out!“
He spotted his sister join Kody Ashworth across the field and gave her an upwards nod of acknowledgment before turning back to his friends.
“What position are you trying out for primarily?“, he asked. Would he have to compete with Caine for the Keeper position?
That would be fine. Joshua would gladly take another one.
Well. Just not Chaser, for now at least. He feared he lacked the stamina for that at the moment, they rarely got a minute to breath on the pitch.
Post by Kody Ashworth on May 2, 2023 3:21:53 GMT 10
"Hey Felix! You made it!" He grinned, motioning for the younger student to stand with him and Amelia. A small cluster of Gryffindor hopefuls!
"Finally, right? I thought dinner would never end. Hey, what positions did you both sign up for?" He addressed Felix and Amelia with his question. He hadn't seen their names on the sign-up sheet.
Mostly because he was focused on being able to write his own name with how shaky his hand had been!
Excitement -- he tried to tell him -- not nerves.
Kody switched the broom from his right hand to his dominate left hand, watching as more students signed up. He recognized Amelia's brother with some other Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw. It wasn't surprising to see another Twiggs joining the Quidditch train.
He looked out over the small crowd of spectators, trying to pick out one of his siblings. It was hard to see them despite the moonlight so he hoped he had just missed them somehow. Maybe he'd see them better as try-outs progressed.
After all, Jaxen had promised he would be there! And Kody hoped Reena would show up as well. He'd understand if Verity didn't want to be here but surely Ezra would want to see him trying out? Kody bounced on the balls of his feet, scanning the crowd once again.
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