Definitely Not Cheating [Tag Hose] on Quidditch Pitch

Elly Eriksson

December 10, 2009 2:01 PM

Definitely Not Cheating [Tag Hose] by Elly Eriksson

Elly knew from last year, and had been reminded at their recent practises, that Jose Hernandez was afraid of heights. It was a real shame, because he was a pretty decent player when only a few feet off the ground. Get him to playing height, though, and he lost all confidence. It seemed to Elly like his reflexes were delayed because he had to psych himself up to move, and in a game this could be really damaging. The three Chasers had barely had time to play together, and Elly was concerned that they might not hold up in a game situation. The main problem, it seemed, was Jose. Elly liked the kid, and she had seen him play well, so she knew he had it in him. She just had to bring it out of him.

So between practises and other school obligations, Elly had spent extra time in the library researching ways to help Hose out. She'd first thought of her inhibitions-inhibitor potion, but she didn't think that was a good idea overall: it might make her Chaser reckless on the pitch. Next she'd thought about a fear inhibitor, but then Jose might lose his innate fear of dying, and plunge right into the ground or infront of a Bludger, and they didn't seem like reasonable outcomes, either. Eventually Elly had come across a draught that remedied vertigo, and a hypnosis charm that temporarily distorted reality - she was hoping she could make Jose forget his fear of heights for the duration of a game. She had yet to check with Coach Pierce if these were legal during a school match, but she first wanted to try to see if they would work.

So it was that Elly was waiting for Jose on the pitch with her broom, her wand, and a small vial of purple liquid. "Hey, Hose," she said with a grin as he arrived as they'd previously arrnaged. "Here," Elly passed the vial over. "This is a vertigo remedy, so it should help with any side effects you usually get when you get too high - heart rate, and all that. I've also got a charm that works like hypnosis. You've got to really concentrate on your fear of heights when I cast it." This was the crunch question. "Are you willing to give them a try?"

0 Elly Eriksson Definitely Not Cheating [Tag Hose] 92 Elly Eriksson 1 5

Jose Hernandez

December 11, 2009 11:25 AM

Good; I have a strict 'no getting caught cheating' policy by Jose Hernandez

Jose was a little nervous about this meeting with his new team captain. Last year, his difficulties on a broom didn't cause the team any trouble. Jose was just just the alternate, present at the games with the sole purpose of warming the bench and being available in case of an emergency. Now he was actually on the team. He was, in fact, the second most experienced Chaser. (At least, he assumed, Delilah had never been on a Quidditch team before, even as a bench-warming alternate.) The team was counting on him now.

It was terrifying in a way he hadn't felt since he'd gotten over stage fright.

(Which, incidentally, was distinctly different from the oh-God-oh-God-I'm-going-to-die kind of terrifying he'd felt every time he'd flown higher than a dozen or so feet above the ground during the last year or so.)

He had no idea what Captain Elly was going to say to him. It probably wasn't going to be the 'Buck up and get out there, or you're going to spend the next six months cleaning latrines with a toothbrush' that Aunt Regina had given him when he'd started panicking before his first public show.

But who really knew? Maybe Elly had found some latrines at Sonora.

It would have surprised him less than the potion she did give to him. "Vertigo?" he repeated doubtfully, giving the potion a dubious look. "It's not really vertigo. I got the heart rate thing going on, sure, but I don't get dizzy or anything. It's more anxiety than vertigo."

He frowned at the potion. He cautiously unstoppered the vial and gave it a distrustful sniff. "What ingredients are in this? I'm a vegan. I can't take it if it has animal products."

"But I guess I could try the charm."

1 Jose Hernandez Good; I have a strict 'no getting caught cheating' policy 149 Jose Hernandez 0 5

Elly

December 11, 2009 11:57 AM

Makes two of us by Elly

What the -? Well, fair enough. Elly had refused to take a couple of potions in her time, on the basis of her being a vegetarian, but her lifestyle choices had tended to get in the way or her succeeding at her best subject, so she'd occasionally let the odd rat spleen slip, and certainly she had no qualms in crushing beetles or adding scoopfulls of salamander eyes if it meant she'd get an O. Honestly, this potion wasn't vegan. Elly battled with her conscience for a couple of seconds before giving in to her human nature. "Uh!" she grunted, her frustration at herself not quite making it into words. "It does have some beeswax in, and a tiny drop of doxy egg - to slow the heart rate," she explained. "It's okay, you don't have to take it," she decided she didn't want to make the second year feel any worse than she'd made him feel already. "I'll fix up something totally vegan to combat anxiety instead, okay?" It just meant another few hours in the library and the lab before their first game, but she could do that. No problem.

"Okay then, the charm. Just concentrate really really hard on how scared you are of being up high - it probably works best if we're actually up there but i don't want you to fall off your broom or anything if I hypnotise you," Elly explained. "And don't worry, I'm really good at charms. So, are you concentrating? Are you ready?" When Jose gave her the go-ahead, Elly aimed her wand at his forehead and softly incanted the spell. Then she lowered her wand and peered at Jose to look for any sign of side-effects. "How are you feeling?" she asked him cautiously. "Want to try getting on a broom?"

0 Elly Makes two of us 0 Elly 0 5

Jose

December 11, 2009 5:27 PM

That's perfect, then. by Jose

He probably could have handled beeswax. Most beekeepers treated their bees responsibly and with respect. They had to if they didn't want to get stung to death or lose their livelihood. His potions kit had beeswax. The doxy egg, though, wasn't something he could take. That directly interfered with a doxy's life, no matter how well the doxy that laid the egg was treated. Jose gave an apologetic shrug and smile and gave the re-stoppered potion back to Elly. "Sorry." He felt kind of bad for making her go through the effort of finding the potion only to not take it.

But after telling Veronica he wouldn't use a potion with Runspoor egg in it to save his life, he could hardly take one with a doxy egg in it to prevent a little fear of heights.

Besides, whatever vegan anti-anxiety potion she came up would probably treat his symptoms better anyway. He was still positive he didn't have vertigo.

He closed his eyes and concentrated at her instruction to do so, trying to bring up the fear he felt when up in the air, but the problem with a phobia was that it was irrational, even in a mild form like Jose was sure his was - if he had really serious agrophobia he probably wouldn't be able to fly at all, and he almost certainly would have had trouble on the Obstacle Course's wall, which he hadn't, at all.

Just thinking about heights didn't really make him scared. The idea of heights didn't bother him. It was just when the only thing between him a potentially fatal fall was something as flimsy as a broom that things got dicey. Heck, he could even climb a robe to the ceiling of a muggle gymnasium without any trouble as long as there was a good thick crash pad underneath him.

And the reason he could keep getting back on the broom day after day was that he really couldn't remember just how scary it was to fly up to the level of the Quidditch goals until he was up there.

So as hard as he tried to concentrate on the sensation now for Elly's spell, he didn't think he had the whole of it.

When she was done, Jose shrugged and shook his head, "Don't really feel any different. But let's see if it fixed anything."

He went to fetch a broom and flew up into the air. At thirty feet he stopped and shook his head at Elly, gripping at the broom in a white knuckled grasp. "It helps a little, but not really enough. I got a few feet higher than normal before it kicked it, and it's not as intense, but . . . Still scared."

0 Jose That's perfect, then. 0 Jose 0 5

Elly

December 18, 2009 9:14 AM

Almost perfect by Elly

As she too mounted her broom and followed Jose up towards playing height, Elly would admit that she had all her fingers and toes mentally crossed that the spell would make a difference. At first it was looking good, but then she saw Jose's grip tighten, and she wasn't surprised by his admittance that he was still scared. "Okay," she said, trying not to sound too deflated. "Don't worry."

Elly led the way back to the ground and dismounted her broom. She didn't want to try the spell again immediately because she'd read some worrying reports about permanent brain damage if the spell was used too effusively, and there was no way she was risking that. Quidditch just wasn't that important - besides, Saul might be miffed if she turned his little cousin into a human vegetable. "Hey, at least we tried," Elly said bracingly to her young teammate. "I'll keep looking, okay? And maybe we can give the spell one more go another time." Clapping her hand on Jose's shoulder as she moved to walk past him and back to the commons, Elly said, "I know you've got it in you, kid." She would just have to keep working on how to bring it out of him.

0 Elly Almost perfect 0 Elly 0 5