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.
Only Slytherin or Gryffindor players are permitted to arrive early to use the change room or hear a speech from their captain, done in this thread. They remain in their respective team rooms until told to queue for the match. No one else may post until breakfast ends.
During the waiting time, the following player lineup for this match specifically may be altered -- either by the Captain, or (if there's no Captain) a player themself. Unless informed in advance, this is done by speaking to Madam Graysteel -- who is always nearby, until it's time to start. Remember that a team must have at least 1 Chaser and 1 Seeker to play in today's match.
There's also showers available, which may be welcome for those who arrived the earliest and had to endure the downpour and muddy grounds just to get here. Not that it would help much, as they'd be playing out in the rain today anyway.
The current list of players (updated):
* = playing outside their usual position. Unknown to others until the match starts.
The morning had started for her before the sun had broken into the sky from the east. Her red hair had been tied back and braided for the days events. No way was she letting her fiery red-hair cause a distraction today. The simple spell that helped it straighten the curls was enough to allow her to braid it nicely and she checked herself in the girl's bathroom before giving herself a nod.
Her time at breakfast had come and gone with her managing to eat something before the game. There was always some nerves about the first match, but she'd manage to learn how to deal with them.
Walking to the pitch was part of her preparation for the match. Though this morning the rain was already coming down and she glanced to the skies before pulling the hood of her robe over her head. Tilting her head, she heard the distinct pop that came from tension and she smiled at the wave it sent down her body. 'Relax, Ames.' She thought to herself before she went into the Gryffindor area.
Now, it was her chance to really get ready. Shaking water from her body with a quick fling of her arms, she used another drying spell to remove whatever else she might have missed. She took her time, lacing her flying shoes and tucking the extra into the top to keep it from flinging around in the air. Adding on some padding, though she didn't do too much. She hated the weight of it all, but did enough to protect what needed protecting.
Pulling on her riding gloves was the last piece before grabbing the goggles that would be needed today with the rain. She clenched her jaw slightly, feeling her back teeth rub together at the thought that Tobias, her brother, was not going to be their seeker today. How were they going to end this without his skill? She flexed her hand into a fist, turning as someone else came into the room.
Last Edit: Jul 24, 2023 22:18:42 GMT 10 by Deleted
Post by Amara Seabrook on Jul 24, 2023 22:28:39 GMT 10
Rain.
Of course it was bloody raining.
Sighing, Amara yanked her robes hood over her head as she made her way down to the Pitch. It wasn't as though she hadn't played in the rain before, but it was annoying that the weather was so against them on their first match of the season. And against Gryffindor, to which they could not lose to. Not again. They needed to win this year, especially after last season got ripped away from them.
Shaking off the rain, Amara shuddered -- not from cold, but the state of her muddy shoes and overall dislike of the feeling of wet clothes. She cast a drying charm, and headed to the nearest mirror to adjust her appearance. She then took her time changing into her Quidditch robes that were, at least for now, much dryer.
Amara was deep in thought as she expertly tied her hair back. She had her Quidditch goggles tied to her wrist, so she didn't forget them, and had enchanted them to be impervious to the rain -- not a huge help, but at least she won't be blinded every second. She set up a box nearby of spare Goggles, also enchanted, for members of her team to collect.
She wrote down a note for them to use these instead, in case they arrived while she wasn't there. And with that, Amara headed off in search of Madam Graysteel... but paused, as she glanced towards the Gryffindor area. She'd given it a lot of thought, and had managed to strangle down her pride to get this done. With a bracing breath, as being civil to those buffoons took a great deal of restraint, Amara marched forward and knocked on their door.
'Amelia Twiggs, a word?' Amara asked, not daring to open the door and march in. 'I come in peace, or whatever.'
It was probably smelly and gross in there anyway, plus it very much felt like foolishly wandering into a lion's den. No, she'd wait outside, with every forced bit of casualness she could muster, as to not have any wandering Professors or Graysteel herself thinking Amara was up to no good. And she wasn't, honest. But it had to be done.
Amelia was focused on any straps when she heard the knock at the door, her head turning towards the closed obstacle. Was that a professor? Or maybe it was Graysteel herself? She didn't expect anyone from Gryffindor team to be knocking. Kody, Grace, and Felix would have just walked in. Her foot had been propped up on a bench when she heard the voice on the otherside.
'Amara?' That hadn't exactly been who she was expecting. She gave a tug at the goggles slightly, which she had around her neck for the moment, the goggles slightly offset to the side before she made her way to the door and opened it to see the Slytherin there. She crossed her arms and leaned against the frame, looking at her with a sense of confusion and wariness.
"Peace, huh? How hard was that to force out?" Amelia asked, though not in a bad tone, more an amused one. She lifted a brow at her and let out a sigh before running a hand over her hair.
"What's up, Amara?" Amelia wasn't going to be rude. She needed to put all her energy into the match ahead of them, so whatever Amara wanted, she better get it done now so that way it was over and done.
Post by Amara Seabrook on Jul 24, 2023 23:00:06 GMT 10
Amara instinctively flinched as the door opened, as if expecting a harsh response or for some prank to hit her in the face. Smirking at Amelia's words, she couldn't' suppress another shudder.
'So hard,' she said, honest and... well, not "friendly" per se, but she'd come there to be civil. And the summer had done wonders for her ability to not hex everyone on sight. She doubted they could even be near each other like this a year ago. 'Quite informal though, don't you think? That's Seabrook, to you.'
And to think the Twiggs were purebloods, with casual manners like that. Ugh. Only her friends called her Amara, with her permission. And the select few she'd just given up on scolding for it.
'Gryffindor still doesn't have a captain, right? Doesn't look good for you lot.' Amara made a tsk tsk sound, shaking her head, though still void of her usual venomous tone. 'But that means you're a free agent; you can pick your own positions for this match, if needed. That's why I'm here.'
She fished a piece of parchment from her sleeve, which showed the general lineup of the teams -- who played what, according to the Tryouts outcome. No changes were made yet; it was just a reference.
'Your littlest brother isn't listed. Neither of us have a Seeker right now,' Amara said, showing it to her. 'I thought we could fix this, since our teams can't play if we don't both have a Seeker. So, Beater to Beater, shall we hang up our bats today? That's only fair, right? You play as Seeker. I'll play as Chaser, and shift one of my players to fill Seeker. Leave the Bludgers up to chance.'
It was a bold offer, no doubt. But it was true that they both needed a Seeker. Gryffindors were dense but not that stupid; they knew someone would have to take up the position for this match. Amara was there in the interest of fairness. She wasn't about fair play, but still she respected a fair chance and it was what she needed to do for her team.
The first match of the season was so important, and even she could see the benefit of a level playing field.
The rain sucked enough, and they were still one less player compared to Gryffindor. For her to give up playing as Beater today, but having them keep their own... no, those were quite unbalanced odds. She was more than confident the player she'd put as Seeker could handle Amelia. It wasn't as if she herself could play Seeker, as Amara's skills were mainly in Beater and Chaser.
'Let's start this season off right.' Amara reluctantly held out her hand to shake. It's fine; she could wash it afterwards. 'To hanging up our bats, for today? Level playing field, yeah? Do you agree?'
Benji nervously tugged at the hem of his robes, as he walked to the Slytherin locker rooms. Rain, of course there was rain. Why couldn't the weather be made of puppies and kitten kneazles? He sighed and stopped before the Slytherin locker rooms.
He knocked, but there was no reply. Shrugging, Benji thought he gave the girl more than enough warning and walked in. It was empty. There was a table with goggles and Seabrook's note next to it.
''Whatever,'' Benjamin murmured, glad that Seabrook remembered her team and noted it in his head for later. He really needed a shower, to wake up and let out the nerves.
It was nearly fifteen minutes before he got out, and changed into his gear. He tried on the goggles and they fit him just fine. His stomach grumbled a little, but Benji wasn't sure whether that was due to nerves or the lack of real food. He was too nervous to stomach anything bigger than plain toast and some pumpkin juice.
Benjamin took out his broomstick and began checking it over, for the lack of having anything else to do. He didn't get his post yet, but he wasn't expecting any, since his grandmother and cousin would both be coming to the match.
Nothing like possibly embarrasing himself before a professional Quidditch player, no?
Amelia found the edge of her lips curling into a slight smile at the honest answer from the Slytherin in front of her. Oh, this was certainly out of her comfort zone. Hell, Amelia was out of her comfort zone as well standing so casually before her. But, she wasn't here to impress anyone... Well, maybe that was a lie.
"I don't do formal... But, I guess Seabrook has a more natural roll to it, anyway." Amelia gave an indifferent shrug before she shifted a little, getting more comfortable against the frame of the door. The wood had been biting into her shoulder harshly and that was the last thing she needed to deal with before a match. Bumps and Bruises were going to happen, but she wanted that left for the pitch.
At the question about a captain, Amelia bit the inside of her cheek before shaking her head before giving a raised brow at the obvious remark. No, it didn't look good, but the team could deal with it. They were equals at the moment, they each had their skills and they knew how to work together. "Nothing my team can't deal with..."
She glanced down the hall to see if anyone else might appear, maybe distract her from this rather... Odd encounter with a wild snake? Amelia tilted her head when she piece of parchment appeared and she looked at the familiar line-up. The comment about her little brother not listed was again, an obvious issue, but she listened quietly until Amara finished.
'Wait... Had Seabrook just mentioned something about fair?' That had Amelia blinking a little in both surprise and shock. What the hell had happened to the Seabrook from last year? But, it wasn't a terrible idea, especially since they both needed a seeker. She glanced over her shoulder at the bat leaning against the wall near her locker and then back at Amara.
It made a hell of a lot of sense though and she looked back at Amara, contemplating the words before she looked at the hand offered. Pulling herself from the door frame, Amelia stood before Amara and took her hand. "Agreed... Level field... We already have to deal with the rain."
Post by Amara Seabrook on Jul 24, 2023 23:34:41 GMT 10
Amara gripped the hand tight, perhaps a bit more than needed but not painfully so, and held the shake longer as well -- eyes bearing into Amelia's, in silent warning to keep her word. They both relied on that right now, for the other to keep their word despite the harsh and spiteful history between them.
And that was about all she could stand. Amara hastily pulled her hand back, and wiped it on her Quidditch robes.
'All right.' She nodded, having nothing else to say. 'Good talk. See you on the pitch.'
Abruptly turning, Amara headed off in search of Madam Graysteel. Amelia would have to do the same, so she wanted to beat her to and get that over with. The less time she had to spend in her presence, the better.
'Madam Graysteel?' Amara approached her, checking her parchment once more. 'I'd like to change Slytherin's lineup for this match. I'll be playing as Chaser, and I'd like to put Benjamin Haywood as Seeker.'
Assuming that was sorted from her words alone, since she was a Captain and had full authority on that, so she turned and marched off to the Slytherin area. Peering inside, she was glad to see one of her team members had arrived. And just the one she needed to talk to.
'Hey.' Amara gave a casual wave, headed to a bench where her broomstick was propped up behind it. 'We're out a Seeker, obviously. I'm putting you in that spot for today. There's no particular strategy; just don't let Gryffindor get the Snitch.'
She adjusted her socks, resolving to wait for their third player -- and the mail, she supposed, though Amara didn't really care about that right now. She'll mention her Chaser role once Cynthia showed up, as she wanted to go over that beforehand as well, if possible. Teamwork was essential.
'You'll be playing against Amelia Twiggs, but don't let her intimidate you. I wouldn't pit you against her if I didn't think you could handle it.'
Amara glanced at Benjamin, noticing the goggles. Her lips quirked at that, while untangling her own goggle from her wrist to loop around her neck, ready for when it was time to put them on.
'Nice broom,' she added, pleased to see he'd picked a Seahawk as well.
Benjamin lifted his head from where he was inspecting his new broomstick, startled. The goggles on his head fell off and he scrambled to get him, looping them around his wrist.
''Hey,'' he greeted back then quickly added. ''Captain Seabrook.''
''Oh, that's sa-What?!'' Benji yelped when Seabrook informed him that he'd play as a Seeker. Why? Where was their Seeker? Why couldn't Cynthia do it?
He gulped when Seabrook continued with the information who he'd be facing off. Twiggs, that's one of those read-headed army kids one year older, right? With a twin? Benji wasn't sure. Benjamin recalled her already playing last year, so she has vastly more experience than him.
''As you say,'' Benjamin shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. There was an implication hanging in the air that he'd do it, but if he lost, it would be on her for shoving him into this situation. Not accusatory, just a statement of fact.
''I'll do my best,'' he promised and tapped his fingers on the Seahawk.
''Er, thanks?'' Benjamin said, confused for a moment. This conversation was giving him whiplash. It was a nice broom
Should he compliment Seabrook on her broom as well? Or would that sound idiotic?
''Any tips for Seeker play?'' Benji settled on a topic of conversation. He never played this position before, always a Beater or a Keeper whenever there was a friendly match with his family. Benjamin had no idea what to do, except, as Seabrook said, to catch the snitch.
Last Edit: Jul 24, 2023 23:50:39 GMT 10 by Deleted
There was a firmness that that Amelia felt and she returned it, but was just as pleased to release the hand and tuck it back into the fold of her arm as she crossed her chest and returned to leaning against the door frame. When Amara left, her eyes followed the girl away and she let a hand run over her head. "Yeah."
With that, she put the bat away and left the room to find Madam Greysteel. It was an agreement, so she would do what she need to do. She had waited just long enough to allow Amara to find the woman first, but when Amelia went on her search, she found her rather quickly. "Madam Greysteel?"
Once she had the attention of the woman, Amelia walked up and stood before the woman, giving her the respect and attention she needed. "Since Gryffindor doesn't have a captain, I wanted to change my position to seeker... Without a seeker, Gryffindor doesn't stand a chance... So, I'm hanging up the bat today for the team."
And because she made agreement with Amara. That was still a weird thought. Shaking it from her head, she had done what she needed to do and then returned to the Gryffindor room. She didn't know who the Slytherin player would be as seeker, though she knew it wouldn't be Amara. Once she was back in the room, she waited for anyone else to appear.
She would need to let the others know she would be playing as Seeker, not Beater.
Post by Grace Babineaux on Jul 25, 2023 8:11:50 GMT 10
Grace had let out a long and extended groan when she'd realized it was raining. Still, she'd trampled over the grass to get where she needed to be. She was okay with getting her Quidditch things wet. It wasn't like she'd be any more dry once they started playing. She was just glad her hair wouldn't be in her face, since she had put it up.
"Hello, Amy!" Grace tried to be cheerful, mostly because she thought that being a grumpy grouch wouldn't help them win. If she complained about the rain, that meant she'd be focused on that instead of on the Quaffle, and then she'd lose for sure.
Post by Kody Ashworth on Jul 25, 2023 18:24:15 GMT 10
Eyes skyward, Kody watched the rain fall for a minute and then pulled himself out of his thoughts.
Today was Quidditch day and that meant -- well, it meant he had started to vibrate slightly with excitement and it didn't seem like he would stop until he was in the air.
He ducked into the player's area and smiled at his team-mates, "Morning! Hi Amelia! Hi Grace!"
Kody had zero experience with rain when playing but Kody had to be confident that he would do just fine. He stood next to Grace and nodded, "How are you feeling? Excited to finally play?"
His broom was bumped from hand to hand as he waited... They had no Captain but he hoped that wouldn't stop them being a cohesive team and playing their best. Kody was determined to show his team just how good he could be!
Madam Graysteel glanced over when the Slytherin Captain sought her out for lineup changes, soon followed by one of the Gryffindor players. She nodded to both in turn, confirming the changes will be made.
She went to adjust the board, seen by staff and the Commentator, Casey, when it was time to get started. It wasn't for anyone else to view, so not even the teams playing today would know about these changes until either Amara / Amelia told them or it was revealed by Casey.
Rain continued to soak the grounds, yet anticipation was high -- broken by the arrival of owls for anyone with a subscription to the Daily Prophet, or expecting mail from home. They flew into the rooms as if in the Great Hall itself. Despite the wet feathers and overall drowned look of the owls, anything they transported was mostly dry.
Once they'd done their job, the poor owls took flight back into the rain. The changing rooms atmosphere returned to what it was before, apart from those reading over the Daily Prophet.
No additional letters were delivered.
Despite having written home, and today being his first Quidditch match, there was no mail for Kody Ashworth .
Post by Cynthia Rushton on Jul 25, 2023 20:18:31 GMT 10
She hadn't slept well. Cynthia felt like a lump, though she'd made herself eat as much breakfast as she could manage. It was their first official Quidditch match. She was trying to focus on that and not other things...
But that didn't work so well when Other Things stared her in the face like the Daily Prophet's main story, delivered just as she finished changing into her silver and green uniform.
She was glad for the motion being denied, but a small, ever so selfish part of her nagged: where were advocates when pro-squib demonstrations get shut down? Surely muggles and squibs deserve as many rights and protections as werewolves-?
She shoved the thought away, rather forcefully. That was a distraction. She could think about it more once today was done. She shoved the paper in her bag, ignoring the sound of ripping paper, and sighed.
Today's weather was not going to make this the most fun match in the history of Quidditch, that much was certain. She collected her goggles, letting them hang around her neck for now, as she started to do a last minute check on her broomstick, making sure nothing was out of place or had gone awry.
"Morning, Benjamin," she managed, once she trusted herself to speak without it coming out morning-thick or tinged with newspaper-related anger.
Noise increased outside; people began to make their way into the stands, as breakfast had ended. The match would be starting soon. Madam Graysteel headed to the Gryffindor team room, then the Slytherin one, to get things moving.
She delivered the same message to both:
'It's time,' Graysteel said with an encouraging nod, dressed in her black and purple referee robes. 'Head on over to your team tunnel, and wait there. When Casey, our commentator, welcomes everyone to the game -- that's your cue.'
This thread can now be posted in by all characters.
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