Only one thing to be done [in the office: tag DH Skies] on Crotalus Commons

Alistair Johnson

January 22, 2015 4:56 AM

Only one thing to be done [in the office: tag DH Skies] by Alistair Johnson

Since signing up for the Crotalus Quidditch team, Alistair had habitually checked the sign up sheet every time he went past. But nothing ever seemed to come of it. His name remained inked alone on the sheet with no other suggestion of interest. It was disheartening, that was for sure, but it was Alistair's proud, ambitious nature that prevented him from accepting such defeat.

He wanted to be a part of the Crotalus Quidditch team and would therefore try his hardest to achieve this wish. It wouldn't be easy and neither would it be ideal but Alistair felt he had to do what he had to do. This was the reason he knocked on Professor Skies office door one evening after dinner, his young face set firm in determination.

He didn't hesitate to enter when granted permission and strode into the room with a purpose perhaps unexpected for a child of eleven, although he preferred to think of himself as twelve because how much difference did a month make?

"Good evening, professor," he responded to his Head of House's greeting, taking the offered seat. His stomach suddenly fluttered with nerves but pushed the feeling away, refusing to accept such weakness, and sat up a little straighter. "I've come to talk about the Quidditch team," he told her. "I see that there is a significant lack of interest in Crotalus but I'm hoping something can be done." He waited patiently for her response to the subject before taking things any further.

8 Alistair Johnson Only one thing to be done [in the office: tag DH Skies] 306 Alistair Johnson 1 5

Professor Skies

January 25, 2015 6:41 AM

And what is that? by Professor Skies

It wasn’t uncommon for students to seek her in the first few weeks, when homesickness, difficulties with room-mates, or other start of term complications were most prone to strike. Whilst she was always happy to do her best to help, it was much nicer for all concerned for her not to be needed. It was therefore with a slight sinking feeling, but one which she kept out of her voice, that she called ‘come in’ to the knock on her door early in the term.

The student who entered, however, looked far from woe-begone, striding in full of determination. This made her a little wary…. She had heard tales of such students. Students of Pureblood backgrounds, who simply demanded that the Muggleborns be removed from their sleeping quarters and so on. Children filled with the absolute unshakeable conviction that they were simply right in all things. She braced herself to do some shaking up, but was again, pleasantly surprised.

“I see,” she smiled, as he revealed his cause, the expression carrying over to her eyes. She was sure she had been every bit as precocious, every bit as ready to sort all the adults out and set the world to rights when she was his age, and she was sure it had looked every bit as comical on her as it did on him now. Not that she didn’t admire his ambition, and wasn’t glad of some interest in the house team, but to see such a firm and business like attitude on such a small boy was still an amusing contrast.

“In past years, the possibility of forming a joint team between Crotalus and Teppenpaw has been mooted but never had sufficient players to come to pass. Under those circumstances, those interested have been invited to play as reserves for the Aladren and Pecari sides in order to be able to train. I appreciate that neither of those options is appealing as having one’s own house team and I am pleased to see we have some interest. My advice would be to stir up as much as you can amongst your housemates and see whether you can convince any of them to sign up - those please stop short of bullying, blackmail or anything else I would have to put you in detention for. Do you have any ideas on the matter that you wished to share with me?” she asked. She had told him the status quo, things as they stood, but he seemed so full of zeal for so much more that she wondered whether he had come with more than merely seeking answers in mind.

13 Professor Skies And what is that? 26 Professor Skies 0 5

Alistair Johnson

January 25, 2015 7:35 AM

Your's is a more realistic plan. by Alistair Johnson

Alistair was pleased that Professor Skies seemed to understand his thoughts on the subject. The idea of sharing a team with Teppenpaw was not one he rendered pleasantly but was a whole lot more agreeable than playing as reserve for Aladren or Pecari. Reserve was most definitely not the position he was seeking and the concept of playing under two other houses as though Crotalus were inferior sounded humiliating.

At least Skies recognised the unattractiveness of the two options she had offered. Alistair regarded his Head of House as keen enough; she'd offered him advice and not made any inclination that she thought him to be chasing a lost cause.

He nodded at her suggestion. Bullying, blackmail or anything else - Professor Skies was fairly safe as Alistair was merely a first year and therefore had no means of blackmail nor any reason to bully but "anything else"? The words echoed in the young Crotali's mind as he struggled to conjure up a course of action. But maybe he didn't need one. If he was lucky then all his housemates needed was a bit of encouragement to put themselves out there, into the spotlight. It was a challenge but Alistair Johnson fancied that he liked challenges.

The plan he had entered the room with now felt a little foolish and insufficient. Professor Skies may be the Head of House but she wasn't a dictator, she was there to help. "I guess I'm on my own though?" the handsome young face looked at the professor, although he was pretty sure he knew the answer. In fact, for all he knew the question was a rhetorical one (or so it would be if he didn't like the response). DH Skies had given her aid to his cause and he couldn't blame her for leaving it to him from here on out. But could she not persuade some of the older students? The ones who wouldn't listen to Alistair irrelavent of his surname.

"Can you give me any names?" Alistair asked, hoping for a headstart. He knew virtually no one in Crotalus at the moment and did not want to go on a wild goose chase. "Surely there have been people interested in the past who are still here?" There just had to be - surely Crotalus couldn't have had absolutely no sign ups since the current seventh years had started out at Sonora.

8 Alistair Johnson Your's is a more realistic plan. 306 Alistair Johnson 0 5

Professor Skies

January 31, 2015 1:33 AM

Yes, sorry about that... by Professor Skies

“If you can think of any reasonable help I can give you, I’m more than happy to,” she replied. She could almost see the realisation hitting him that even though she was a grown up, and one with a fair amount of power (within the limited world of the school), she couldn’t just make things happen, however much she or anyone else willed it. “But honestly, I think you’re a better ambassador for the cause - someone nearer their own age, who is genuinely passionate about getting the team started - I think that trumps a middle aged teacher telling everyone it’ll be jolly good fun if they all join in,” she smiled ryely.

“Certainly,” she nodded, to a request for names. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t given that matter some thought herself, though she was never sure she’d come up with very definite ideas. She opened one of her desk drawers, pulling out a piece of paper.

“Gemino,” she cast, pointing her wand at it. A second copy of list bounced out of the original, the latter of which she tucked back into the drawer. Taking a quill, she made her way through the list of Crotalus students.

“Your yearmates are as much your guess as mine,” she informed him. She was only just starting to get to know them, and for all that the Quidditch team was in the back of her mind, her first priorities were being aware of how they were settling in and whether they were managing in her class, not whether they seemed like they were raring to get out on the pitch. It wasn’t something that came up much in her interactions with them, though she was quite sure it did with each other. “Your guess, is in fact, probably better,” she put a large question mark alongside the whole column of first years.

“These two girls seem relatively forward and outgoing,” she added, turning her attention to the second years and underlining the names of Shinohara Uzume and Makenzie Newell. That didn’t necessarily equate to a desire to play Quidditch but it was possible - much more so than, fo example, Araceli Arbon, whom she doubted would venture anywhere near any kind of public event, unless she had had a radical personality transformation over the holidays. “And Theodore expressed an interest last year,” she added.

She proceeded through the years, underlining Olivier Westley, Isaac Douglas, Leo Princeton, Tristan Spaulding and Eleanor Vandenberg - the latter mostly because she felt guilty for how dominated her list was by Pureblood males, though it wasn’t the girls’ blood status but their natures that had kept her from putting most of them down. Crotalus seemed to fit a particularly timid section of the population - rule-driven, she supposed.

“Most of these have never expressed an active interest, mind you,” she added, “They just…. don’t seem like the types who won’t want to play,” even that she was unsure of. Perhaps some of the precious Pureblood heirs didn’t play because they found such trivial things to be beneath them. She knew their grades, she knew broadly who they liked and didn’t like, and she knew that they weren’t expressing the latter to any degree that caused trouble.

“If you would like me to speak with some of the older ones, I’m happy to do so,” she added. She had more hope for the younger students, the fresh faces joining the team, which had made her see Alistair as the most appropriate advocate. However, there was no harm trying the older years, and they might respond better to someone who wasn’t half their height…

“Or we could both approach all of them together - invite them to some kind of meeting and give them impassioned speeches about rallying to the cause.” She could picture speaking one on one to the students, and them all responding that they ‘would think about it.’ A group event though… Crowds played off each other and tended to all go in one direction. It could totally bomb, if a few disinterested people spread that around, but equally they might stir each other into action...

13 Professor Skies Yes, sorry about that... 26 Professor Skies 0 5