Go Aladren! on Quidditch Pitch

Coach Amelia Pierce

April 29, 2011 10:29 AM

Quidditch Final: Aladren vs Crotalus by Coach Amelia Pierce

Spring was just beginning. It was still cool out, but compared to the cold it had been during the past months of practice, the Pitch must feel beautifully warm today. It certainly did to Amelia. While she was tempted to go with short sleeved robes, she decided to stick with the longer sleeves if only because it was a bit windy today. Cool air was one thing, cool gusts quite another.

She also tied her hair back in a tight french braid so it wouldn't get in her eyes and block her sight of the game at an inopportune time. Given how Aladren had gone after Teppenpaw during the first game of the season, she dared not risk anything impairing her ability to intervene in a timely fashion when they were up against Crotalus in the Final.

She allowed the captains as much time as they wished to use for their pre-game speeches then called them over when both looked to be finishing up. She realized as they approached that this was a battle of Heads - the Head Girl lead one team while the Head Boy lead the other. As if this match needed another reason to get messy.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Final match of the year," Amelia said, her voice assisted by a sonorus charm. "We have Aladren, lead by Captain Daniel Nash, up against Crotalus, lead by Captain Charlotte Abbott. You all know the rules; please keep to them so we can have a nice clean game today." Though, to be fair, neither Aladren nor Teppenpaw had actually broken any rules in their game and that one certainly hadn't been clean. "Would the captains please shake hands."

They did so, and she sent them back to their teams as she released first the snitch, and then the bludgers from the chest of balls beside her. Once they flew away, she picked up the Quaffle, and began the game with a countdown, "Game begins on my whistle. Three. Two. One." She threw the Quaffle into the air as high as she could, and blew into her whistle, the shrill sound piercing through the air.

She mounted her own broom, triple checked that her wand was ready for emergencies, and followed the Quaffle and the players into the air.

OOC: It's the final, so you've all done this before, but if you have any questions put them on the OOC board. Long detailed posts, and have fun!

Subthreads:

Go Aladren! by Captain Nash, Chaser with Russell Layne, Chaser, Sam Bauer, Chaser, Arthur Carey, Chaser, Edmond Carey, Beater, Nic Sawyer, Keeper, Coach Pierce, Renée Errant {Chaser}, Charlie, Crotalus Captain, Samantha Hamilton Keeper

Up, up, and away. by Marissa Stephenson Seeker with Arnold Carey, Seeker, Preston Stratford, Beater

Commentating by David Wilkes, Alternate

Recentering. Play continues up here. by Coach Pierce with Captain Nash, Chaser, Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

And we're recentering again! by Coach Pierce with Renée Errant, Arthur Carey, Chaser, Russell Layne, Chaser, Nic Sawyer, Keeper, Sam Bauer, Chaser, Captain Nash, Chaser, Renée Errant {Chaser}, Edmond Carey, Beater, Charlie Abbott, Chaser, Samantha Hamilton Keeper

Recentering. Again. by Coach Pierce with Arthur Carey, Chaser, Captain Nash, Chaser, Charlie Abbott, Chaser, Topher Calhoun, Beater, Edmond Carey, Beater, Sam Bauer, Chaser, Preston, Beater, Samantha Hamilton Keeper, Russell Layne, Chaser, Captain Nash, Chaser, Renée Errant {Chaser}, Renée Errant {Crotalus}, Arnold Carey, Seeker

I think we all know the drill by now. by Coach Pierce with Nic Sawyer, Keeper, Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

One more time. by Coach Pierce with Arnold Carey, Seeker

1 Coach Amelia Pierce Quidditch Final: Aladren vs Crotalus 20 Coach Amelia Pierce 1 5

Captain Nash, Chaser

April 29, 2011 12:50 PM

Go Aladren! by Captain Nash, Chaser

Daniel was glad it was getting warm again. He expected his team would be able to fly even better than they had in practice now that their fingers weren't frozen to their brooms. He gave a sidelong look toward Edmond to make sure he seemed present in mind as well as body - his assistant had be acting more withdrawn since midterm - but the school's oldest and most experienced Beater seemed at least attentive which was good enough for Daniel.

On top of his game would be ideal, of course, especially since this was the Championship, and Aladren's greatest strength over Crotalus was Edmond, but his step-mom (or possibly his adopted mom; Daniel wasn't up on the specifics) had died, and Daniel had lost enough step-dads (and not even to death, just divorce) that he wasn't going to expect Edmond to be playing his A-game again only a couple of months later.

Even so, Daniel still thought his fifth year Beater could fly circles around Crotalus's first years.

"Okay, folks," Daniel said, once his full team had assembled around him. "We did an amazing job against Teppenpaw last fall and we can do it again against Crotalus now. Chasers, we've got to watch out for their guys. They like to intercept. A lot. So keep your eyes open and keep track of where they are. Arnold, Marissa's got experience, but you've bested Kate already, and you can best Marissa, too. Still, Beaters, she's you're primary target. The Keeper shouldn't be a problem, so if you're not going for Marissa, go for one of the Chasers and break up that powerhouse. Samantha, you know what to do."

He glanced toward the Coach to make sure he wasn't taking too much time, but she seemed willing to wait for him to finish his last point. "Last thing. The wind." He waved his hand around as if to mimic its blowing. "That's probably our biggest enemy today. Short passes, Chasers. The Quaffle will probably be the ball most affected by it, but Beaters, you guys should probably account for the wind, too, when hitting the bludgers around. And hang onto your brooms. Let's try not to have anyone fall off them." He was careful not to look at Arnold as he said that, since Arnold's fall last game had been a bludger's fault, not a simple loss of balance caused by an unexpected gust.

He nodded, having completed all of the advice he could think to give, and finished up with, "We can win this. Go Aladren!"

By then, Coach Pierce was calling him over, so he went, and shook Charlie's hand. Returning to his broom, he mounted up and readied himself for the whistle. It came, and he kicked off. Fast enough to grab the Quaffle first, even, though he would admit that an errant breath of wind did give Aladren an unexpected advantage at just the right moment.

He flew upwards, gaining altitude as quickly as his broom would allow - and it was a very good broom, bought new over midterm with his Christmas money - and then evening out and heading for the Crotalus goals. He made it a little more than halfway to the goals before he began to worry about bludgers and began looking for an opportunity to pass. Catching the eye of another Aladren Chaser, he took a quick glance around to make sure there weren't any Crotali lying in wait right next to him, and threw the Quaffle toward his teammate.

Even if it did get intercepted, Crotalus had three-quarters of the Pitch to traverse to get back to the Aladren hoops. Plenty of time for Aladren to intercept them right back.

Daniel smiled. He had a good feeling about this game.

0 Captain Nash, Chaser Go Aladren! 0 Captain Nash, Chaser 0 5

Russell Layne, Chaser

April 29, 2011 3:13 PM

Keep going, Aladren! by Russell Layne, Chaser

In the first game of the year, Russell had succeeded where everyone else had failed and scored a goal against Kirstenna Melcher. That, he thought, should have been the pinnacle of his first year, a well-deserved moment of glory.

Unfortunately for him, Arnold had caught the Snitch at almost the same moment the Quaffle had left his hand, so that the whistle actually blew as the ball went through the hoop. He thought some people were aware of his accomplishment despite its poor timing, but his moment of glory had still been very much overshadowed by his roommate’s. Therefore, to avoid nerves, he was choosing today to think less about it being the Championship and more about it being a second chance. Thinking that way made his chances of keeping his breakfast where it belonged much better.

Though, logically, there was really no reason to be as worried as he was. Yes, their team had Marissa Stephenson, but his had Edmond Carey, who was very, very large and very, very equipped with a bat, which he was very, very encouraged by Captain Daniel to use to direct Bludgers toward Marissa Stephenson. And while school talk would make it look like Pecari was the nightmare of every other House on the Pitch and Crotalus a close second, Russell had checked out the school records, and in the past ten years, Aladren had made the finals more often than Crotalus. By one game, sure, but they had still done it, and won more times, too. And while the title Championship was intimidating all by itself, it was really just a game beneath that. The same rules applied. So there was no reason to be completely, mind-numbingly terrified of going out there today.

Acknowledging this did not help, but hey, he’d tried.

He listened to Daniel’s pre-game speech, nodding in what seemed like appropriate places. Wind bad. Short passes. Right. He could do this. It was all cool. Sure. Right. He was good. They were good. They’d played straight through a storm, which had been dark and wet as well as windy, and done great. This wasn’t nearly that bad. They were gonna win this one.

Somehow, that line of logic was a little more comforting – maybe because it dealt with the actual teams in questions, rather than with legends of the past – and it didn’t hurt that it was immediately reinforced by his captain getting the Quaffle and hurrying on with it. Holding his broom with both hands for the moment to help avoid being blown off-course, Russell followed.

When the pass came, it was to him, and he managed to stay on his broom despite the wind and taking both hands off it to make sure he got that Quaffle. Ultimately, though, he decided not to make the shot. He was the slightest of the three Aladren Chasers, which meant he was the most likely to have the ball blow back in his face instead of going forward toward the goals, and now that it came right down to it, he found himself superstitiously sure he couldn’t be lucky twice. So he imitated Daniel’s scan of his surroundings and tried another short pass.

It was also pretty close to the goals, so there might even be another benefit. If the new ball-carrier was quick enough, they might catch the Crotalus Keeper – who, despite Daniel’s assurance to the Beaters, looked dangerous enough to Russ – off-guard thinking that Russell was going to be the shooter. Made him feel slightly less chicken to parse it that way, anyway, so that was a good thing.

16 Russell Layne, Chaser Keep going, Aladren! 183 Russell Layne, Chaser 0 5

Sam Bauer, Chaser

April 29, 2011 3:53 PM

So does that make me a red stop sign? by Sam Bauer, Chaser

Sam felt great affection for his cousin Kate, but not enough to stand out in the rain just to squint at a tiny speck far up in the air that, in those visibility conditions, could just as easily be her opponent instead of her, so he hadn’t seen the now-infamous Aladren-Teppenpaw game. He’d seen the aftermath clear enough, though, and had heard enough from Kate about “crazy ninja firsties” in the months since to take Aladren seriously as a threat to Crotalus’ Quidditch dominance now. He was in a good mood as he came down to the Pitch, but by no means bouncing off the walls with happiness over his team’s superiority.

He listened to both the speeches offered up for his consumption, but during the coach’s, he divided his attention between doing that and summing up the condition of the Aladren team. He’d heard that both the captain and assistant captain had cracked up, but they both looked normal enough today, so they couldn’t use that, but he still, overall, thought his side had the edge. If Edmond could be kept away from Marissa and he and the other Chasers could box in Sam Hamilton the way they had Starbuck Gregory, they’d have it in the bag.

Of course, that second part assumed that all the Aladren Chasers sucked, since Pecari, with only one who showed clear signs of not doing so, had nearly broken the trap last time, but two of them were first years, the crazier-sounding of the Carey boys was not the one playing Chaser, and Daniel Nash had to be feeling a little overextended, between being Head Boy and being Quidditch Captain and being Daniel Nash. So they probably still had this one.

He went for the ball with the other Chasers when the game began, but Nash got it first and was off. He then passed, and was far enough ahead that there was no chance to intercept on that one. Small First Year Chaser – they all had brown hair, so that was his most distinctive characteristic, that he was a little scrawnier than his roommate; Sam, the pretty short guy with the really tall roommate, felt no sympathy – wasn’t as good, though, and Sam was able to sweep between him and his attempt at a close pass to seize the Quaffle for Crotalus. He then promptly lost altitude, turned, and got the heck out of Dodge before the Aladren Beaters could turn him into a pizza.

The fear of that was why, despite the wind and having just proven that interception was possible even with precautions, he, too, was soon looking to pass. He could only help Crotalus win if he was still alive to make interceptions and attempt goals and that kind of thing, and it was a very long way from a quarter of the way back from being close to the Crotalus goals to getting back to the Aladren ones. So, when he saw another red uniform close, he passed.

16 Sam Bauer, Chaser So does that make me a red stop sign? 163 Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Captain Nash, Chaser

April 29, 2011 4:16 PM

A detour, possibly by Captain Nash, Chaser

Russell caught the Quaffle without any Crotalus interference. Short passes were helpful against more than the wind, it appeared. He smirked in pleased satisfaction and moved forward, pressing his broom to get him into a position to score on the chance that Russell couldn't find a opening. He also picked a position somewhat downwind, in case Nic Sawyer only managed to knock it aside instead of catching it. Doing so would put Daniel in a good position to recover the Quaffle and make a quick turn-around shot, like Russell had managed at the end of the last game, and Charlie had used a few times in hers.

Instead, Russell attempted to pass the ball directly to him on purpose. Possibly for his good position on a side shot to the left-most hoop, or possibly because passing to Daniel didn't incur as much of a wind hazard. Unfortunately, there was still a Crotalus hazard, and Sam Bauer swooped in and snatched the Quaffle from the air before it reached Daniel.

Doing what his position was named for, Daniel chased after him. He felt reasonably confident that his broom - not yet three months old and top-of-the-line - was among the best on the Pitch, and he kept up with the younger Crotalus, flying several feet above to make himself both less noticeable in a quick glance around and better positioned for a diving interception.

The opportunity presented itself and Daniel took it, diving in and grabbing the ball out of the air between two Crotali this time. Yanking on his broom handle, he turned sharply back the way they'd come from and sped back toward Nicodemus Sawyer. He thought about shooting for the goal, he even raised his arm as though about to take a shot, but decided at the last moment that his angle was bad given the wind direction, and chose instead to make a pass to one of his other Chasers.

The feint, he hoped, would draw most of the Crotali between him and the right-most goal, keeping his pass flight clear, as well as the path between his fellow Chaser and one of the Crotalus hoops.

0 Captain Nash, Chaser A detour, possibly 0 Captain Nash, Chaser 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

April 29, 2011 5:50 PM

Only a brief one, though by Arthur Carey, Chaser

Arthur had noticed that he was fidgeting with his things, or, once he was down at the Pitch and no longer had them around to fidget with, just his hands much more than usual, and that he felt strange, but it was a surprise to him to realize that the feeling was tension and that it was because of the game. He hadn’t expected that, not at all, and wasn’t sure what to do with it except try to hide it and hope it went away once he was concentrating on the moves of the Quaffle and the Bludgers instead of on how much this game was worth.

The numbers bothered him. Aladren had, he thought, the strongest academic background of any House, and the strongest Quidditch team at the moment, but somehow, they were still third in the points competition. Catching Teppenpaw today didn’t seem likely unless the score was ridiculous, but it might very well catapult them past Crotalus and get them in second. Then, at least, they would have a chance of winning both the Cups at the end of the year, and while it wouldn’t be a personal victory, exactly, Arthur thought he would still enjoy and take pride in it. Certainly the family would, and the happier the family was with things associated with him, the less the family tended to annoy him.

Plus, for them to win the Quidditch Cup, Arnold had to beat a much older Seeker, which would translate into prestige for his brother. Being the twin of someone well respected wouldn’t do him as much good as it might have if they’d been identical, but something that helped Arnold in any way was more likely to at least marginally benefit Arthur than it was to hurt him, and he would be pleased for Arnie even if the thing that helped Arnold didn’t affect him at all.

He was pleased to hear that Captain Nash’s speech was, for the most part, direct and focused on practical matters. It never failed to make him more nervous when people put too much time and effort into encouraging him, because it made him think they thought he needed bracing and, therefore, wasn’t good enough to do whatever it was he was supposed to be doing at all. Once it was over, he concentrated very hard on remaining impassive, as he had the last time he’d seen Grandfather so the old man wouldn’t realize Arthur knew they were enemies now, while Coach Pierce spoke and the other team could see him, and then they were in the air, Aladren in possession. At least things were getting off to a good start.

‘Start’ being the operative word. The Crotalus Chasers were about as good as the Aladren ones, which Mr. Bauer decided to prove at an inconvenient moment. Arthur joined in the chase, which Captain Nash ended, and then, when the captain passed again, swooped in to catch the Quaffle and shoot, hard, toward the left hoop.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser Only a brief one, though 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

April 29, 2011 7:56 PM

Possibly much briefer than this one by Edmond Carey, Beater

His head hurt.

Edmond didn’t know why. It seemed to have just done that for no reason except to bother him when he could really do without the distraction, just as his sister said hers did. He had seen Morgaine in one minute walking around, looking tired and rubbing her neck and eyes a great deal but otherwise being fine, and then in the next have her face go blank as she reached out to grab something for support and ended up in bed for five hours, unable to move or hear any sounds or see any lights without making the pain worse. Once last summer, when he’d been on his mandatory visit, he’d taken her one of the hot towels she said helped a bit during one of those headaches, and she had taken it without opening her eyes, looking almost dead.

This wasn’t like that, but it was still enough to make him curse his blood family. Julia had always said bad blood would somehow make itself evident, and genetics were as easy as anything else to blame for the dull, slightly hot ache making him feel irritable and completely disinterested in playing this stupid game.

He had to play, though. He was the Assistant Captain. He had responsibilities. So he showed up in the right place at the right time wearing the right color and forced his expression to one of polite attention as Daniel told them all what they were supposed to do. He listened to all of it by rote, as he did in classes, as he’d been taught to do. He would rather his one surviving parent – and there was, now that he thought about it, something almost funny about realizing he’d already lost more parents than most people ever possessed – not come around to Jane’s way of thinking and disown him for being a disgrace as well as the reason his mother was dead, or be shunned here at school by those he could still be around, so he had to keep up certain skills. He nodded along with the speech and then, as they were walking toward the center, fell into step beside Preston.

“I would appreciate it,” he said to his smaller colleague, “if you would cover the Seekers, and try to keep all three of you out of my way.”

A feeble, flickery back corner of his consciousness protested that the last bit had been a little too blunt, too harsh, even impolite, and he was not impolite. The rest just thought that if he had to be here, he might as well do his job right and maybe even get something out of it, which wasn’t going to happen with the three little first years who thought they could break some heads getting under his feet. Let them trip over each other while Arnold and Marissa did the only work that mattered and he did his best to earn his still fairly new reputation as the dread Beater.

And, as he did, just not think - at least not about consequences, because out here, there were very few of those to be had. He couldn’t stop thinking completely, he’d tried, but at least he could think less. That was definitely a notable something.

The Bludgers were released, and his eyes followed first both and then one of them for a moment. For a moment, he wondered why, at the beginning of games, they flew away instead of just attacking the large group of people gathered right there for them, and if it was another charm besides the “attack what’s nearest” one, how it timed out exactly in time for the release of the Quaffle and what it might mean if it didn’t, and felt…different. Then the feeling passed as the Quaffle went up in the air and they all followed.

Fourteen players. Seven Aladrens, seven Crotali. Fourteen of the top people at this school, the achievers. And he was supposed to try to break exactly half of them into pieces. Amazing. Anywhere else, he’d get expelled for attacking the kind of people they had out here. They had more badges on this field than any one House did, or than would be present in a meeting of strictly prefects and Head Persons – two Head Person badges, two Prefects’ badges, two Captains’ badges, two Assistant Captains’ badges.

Those badges, of course, were attached to him, Marissa, Daniel, and Charlotte. Four people, eight badges, two apiece. Four people, four badges to a team. There was something about the elegance of it that tickled him. Unfortunately, however, the way the game was moving meant he couldn’t really go for Charlotte while being as effective as possible, so he instead directed the Bludger he’d seized control of near the action toward the Crotalus Keeper, hoping to clear Arthur’s shot.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater Possibly much briefer than this one 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Nic Sawyer, Keeper

April 29, 2011 8:34 PM

Um, Renee, I'm sorry I resented your interference last time. by Nic Sawyer, Keeper

Nic's flying had improved over the year. As his previous skill level had been pretty low, that wasn't saying a lot, but it was better. He could now fly in a mostly straight line and a reasonably quick pace, and he didn't run into things or people anymore, most of the time. He could even take both hands off the broom without hurdling to his death dozens of feet below. Well, he could when there weren't hurricane force gales blowing at his ridiculously skinny frame which probably had more surface area than volume.

Today wasn't hurricane force - he was from Florida, so he knew hurricane force all too well - but there was some good wind going. He had to brace himself a little to just stand and listen to Charlie's speech. Taking off made him veer a bit, and he fought with his broom all the way over to the goals. Thank Merlin Sam diverted the Quaffle for a little while anyway, or Nic may not have been in place in time.

But it did come back, all together too soon, and Nic found himself regretting his bored thoughts at the Pecari game. It seemed the Aladren Chasers were way more motivated to win than the Pecari ones had been. He guessed he could see that Daniel Nash II, Head Boy And Possibly Crazy, was probably scarier than Jose Hernandez, Friendly Prefect.

And Edmond Carey definitely was. Nic noticed that right away when the large Aladren prefect (who was nearly as tall as Nic himself, and not nearly as scrawny) swung his bat and sent a bludger right at him.

Nic was not particularly brave. He would fight other kids if he thought he had a reasonable chance of winning, but Black Bludger vs. Nicodemus Sawyer was not an encounter he would win if he stood up to it. So he did the same thing he did whenever he was faced with a fight that would leave his bruised and sore.

He fled.

Charlie would probably kill him for that later, but right now he was more concerned about escaping a beating than he was about stopping the red ball from going through the hoop. This was why he did not normally volunteer to play sports.

Honestly, he didn't even see who threw the bloody thing, but he caught the Quaffle on his way back up, after he shaken the bludger and it had gone through the stupid hoop. He knew it went through because the Aladren stands were all cheering and the Crotalus stands were all groaning, and that was when Nic remembered:

Rachel Bauer was probably watching.

He grimaced and moved back in front of the hoops. He tossed the Quaffle out to one of the red clad Chasers, and decided that, for Rachel, next time he'd take on the freaking bludger in his duty to keep out the Quaffle. For Glory. For Honor. For Crotalus.

To impress a girl.

1 Nic Sawyer, Keeper Um, Renee, I'm sorry I resented your interference last time. 165 Nic Sawyer, Keeper 0 5

Coach Pierce

April 29, 2011 8:37 PM

Aladren Scores! Score: 10-0 (nm) by Coach Pierce

0 Coach Pierce Aladren Scores! Score: 10-0 (nm) 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Sam Bauer, Chaser

April 29, 2011 9:10 PM

Trying this again. by Sam Bauer, Chaser

About the time Nic was forced to choose between allowing Bigger Firstie to score or facing the imminent collapse of his ribcage and chose to let the firstie score, Sam realized that he’d failed. He’d given it his best shot, but somehow, he’d still managed to underestimate Aladren.

He’d been playing since his first year at Sonora, and he didn’t think he’d ever seen a goal scored that fast, nor seen the Bludger-to-Keeper tactic and quick-at-goal-pass feint actually work. That would have been a beautiful thing to see if he’d been in the stands, or watching it happen at the opposite end of the Pitch, instead of having it used to beat the snot out of his team.

He glanced up at Marissa, and was relieved to see her still flying and not seeming to be, right this second, going through anything like the bizarre alternation of playing chicken and broom jousting that Kate had described while discussing Arnold Carey. Maybe he was intimidated by Marissa in a way he just wasn’t by Kate; he always thought of Marissa as having the personality of that one genuinely sweet cheerleader, as opposed to the evil cheerleaders or, more rarely, the Rachel-like Cheerleaders of the Damned, but to a first year playing directly against her, he guessed he could see how she looked terrifying.

Or maybe Carey was sick today, or used different tactics when it was sunny, or was just working his way up to being an annoying gnat to distract Marissa and get by her that way. Just so long as things were good right now and the Beaters still had time to swat him before he got too close to their girl to risk it.

Nic came back around, grabbing up the Quaffle – at least Aladren had possessed the good grace, as the goal was announced, to not do what Sam would have on the other end, and might have on this one if not for that Bludger still in the vicinity, and swoop in to grab the thing and try to score again – and tossing it back into action. Sam went for it, nearly losing his balance in his enthusiasm but catching it, before the blues could get any ideas. Then he flew as fast as possible back toward Sam Hamilton, pushing his old-ish (a polite way of saying ‘very old;’ his mom insisted that he have manners, and darned if he wasn’t going to try to do so) broom as hard as it would go and much, much further, about half the Pitch, than was safe or sane of him to try before looking to pass. He thought it was a good assumption to guess that either someone had taken a Bludger for him, or that he’d narrowly avoided one, but he’d had to get them out of Crotalus territory. Seeing at least one of his fellow Chasers still alive, though, he did a quick check for Aladrens and then tried to pass for the second time.

16 Sam Bauer, Chaser Trying this again. 163 Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

April 29, 2011 11:12 PM

Me, too by Edmond Carey, Beater

I must not assault the Keeper directly because he avoided a Bludger. I must not assault the Keeper directly because he avoided a Bludger. I must not –

Edmond cut the litany off abruptly as he flew after his Bludger, because it wasn’t helping. Instead, it was making him more frustrated on one hand and seriously worrying him on the other. He’d never wanted to just go over and beat someone up before in his life, never even thought of such a thing without feeling repelled, especially over something so petty. It wasn’t even a personal affront. Nothing was personal in Quidditch. And he had no reason to be cross, because Arthur had just scored. His strategy had been effective – another worrisome thought, too efficient, but not nearly as bad as the other – so why wasn’t he pleased that no one had gotten hurt? It wasn’t perfect, everyone knew that, an intact Mr. Sawyer meant the possibility of the next attempt on the goals being unsuccessful, but….

He went after the Bludger to vent. That was all. Find Bludgers, hit them at Crotali. Focus on that. Achieve relevant objectives. Hurting people was not the objective, winning was. It was just that hurting people was sometimes a consequence of doing what was necessary to win. It was the nature of the game they were playing. Everyone knew that.

That Crotalus in Jane’s year, Sam, was already moving down the Pitch when Edmond hit the Bludger after him. For a moment, he thought it would go true, but then the nearest-target problem kicked in and it nearly turned on Arthur, who shot up in the air to avoid it as Edmond hurried over to hit it back toward another Crotalus, the one furthest from any of his people. Hitting the Quaffle-bearer was best, but it was a perfectly legitimate strategy to pick off the other Chasers so they couldn’t, in turn and good time, become the Quaffle bearer, limiting the options the Chasers still standing had, the number of formations they could try to block out interceptions and make it down the Pitch….

All things he’d read in books about the strategy of Beating, all things he’d reasoned through himself and concluded were true. It was somewhat sloppy to only target the one with the Quaffle, and inefficient, and shortsighted, not to see further than the immediate situation. This game was sick.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater Me, too 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Russell Layne, Chaser

April 29, 2011 11:46 PM

Role reversal. by Russell Layne, Chaser

“Hey!” Russell exclaimed, or tried to exclaim, when his pass was abruptly going the wrong way and the Quaffle blending a little too well with what its bearer was wearing. The comment was cut off halfway through because of the wind, which made talking when he didn’t have to unpleasant at this speed. Instead, he turned to go get it back.

Daniel beat him to it, though, and the next pass went to Arthur, who scored. Russell clapped his hands together once, but then the ball was back in play. One of the hardest things about Quidditch was the pace; the moment they’d had to catch their breath due to Nic Sawyer taking a second to get the ball back because of Edmond’s Bludger was about as much as, Russell was starting to deduce, they could really expect in the entire game.

Crotalus ran with it, and Russell, still feeling a little annoyed with that guy, ran after it and, to his surprise, was able to catch up. The wind made him sway a few times, but since he kept going in the right direction, that much was good.

Actually getting involved again, though, looked harder, again because of the wind. It was hard to intercept without colliding with someone anyway, but with the wind throwing everyone just a little bit off….Crotali were supposed to be rule-abiding, which meant they knew the rules, which meant they could possibly talk and twist an accident into being flying with intent to collide, which was a foul. It probably didn’t hurt that their Head of House was the coach, even if she was officially neutral today. This could go kind of really not well.

He’d already not done something when he had a chance once today, though, and that hadn’t worked out too well for him. Maybe it was time to take a risk instead of trying to play it safer and rely on his more skilled teammates and see what happened. Couldn’t be much worse than what happened when he didn’t take the chance, could it? Except that, if a foul was called because of some rules lawyering by the Crotali, Daniel would probably kill him, but what was it Aunt Linda always said about never living if all one did was worry about getting killed….

He was sure he sort of mildly collided with Sam Bauer, but he came out with the Quaffle, and went up instead of down to turn and head back toward the Crotalus end. Another goal would be good.

Still wasn’t going to be him that scored it, though, at least not in one run. Not spending life in fear of death was great and all, but begging for skull injuries instead of just accepting their likelihood was going a little far for Russell’s tastes. If the ball came back to him close to the goals, he might try to score, but he wasn’t going to try carrying it all the way back down the Pitch to Nic Sawyer, who was probably not happy right now. When he saw a chance, he double checked for Crotali, this time, to avoid a repeat of the previous pass’ embarrassment if he possibly could, and then he passed it, already preparing himself to either turn and give chase if it was intercepted and try to get it back or to cover his teammate if the pass was good and it was Aladren that needed to worry about and protect against attempts at an interception. They could only do this if they worked together. Cliché, maybe, but here, at least, true.

16 Russell Layne, Chaser Role reversal. 183 Russell Layne, Chaser 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

April 30, 2011 12:16 AM

That can be fun or terrifying by Arthur Carey, Chaser

Something unusual happened at the moment the Quaffle, with a little assistance from Edmond, went through the goal hoop, securing ten points to Aladren in the game. It wasn’t something unheard of, there were a few people, one of them searching for the Snitch, even at Sonora who could honestly say they’d seen it happen, but there were members of the first year class who never had.

Arthur, watching the ball fall back down the opposite side of the goal post, allowed his face to relax into a completely natural smile.

The general consensus, if anyone had been looking, would most likely have been that it looked weird.

He didn’t have much time to gloat, though, because the Quaffle was quickly back in play, and he with it. He raised an eyebrow, surprised and impressed despite his better judgment, when Russell risked a close interception to get the object of six people’s temporary obsession back into Aladren possession, but didn’t complain. He could see the weakness of the strategy the Crotali had used in their last match, battering the Keeper down by hugging the goals – Bludgers; eventually, the Pecari girls had gotten desperate enough to start risking their own by shooting into the huddle – but he still didn’t see any reason to let the Crotali get really into their half if it could possibly be avoided.

Arthur winced slightly when he saw that Russell was going to try to pass again, since that had worked not so fabulously the last time his roommate tried it, and decided to risk his own neck on it. The risk proved advisable, because he got the ball and was able to continue their work back down their half of the Pitch.

Having the Quaffle, though, involved doing the thing that consistently proved itself the hardest part of playing Quidditch for him: trusting his teammates. He preferred to micromanage, to be the one controlling when everything happened, or at least to be in control of the results of his own actions. In the game, though, it didn’t usually work that way. People could sneak up on you, teammates could fall behind…It was sometimes hard to guess what other people would do.

Since this was one of the few acceptable outlets he had, though, he forced himself to trust them, and if he couldn’t be forgiving, he at least kept his mouth shut. That was nice, just as no one saying anything about it when he fumbled against Teppenpaw because Arnold had gotten hurt had been nice. Besides, he was a first year Chaser. Talking about other people’s performance wasn’t his place.

He carried the ball a little way, gaining a respectable amount of ground, and then looked around for Crotali and another Aladren. Finding one of the latter and not detecting one of the latter coming from above, below, behind, or right on either side at that exact moment, though any of them could speed up at any time, he made a short, quick pass.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser That can be fun or terrifying 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

April 30, 2011 1:37 AM

Fun for us. Terrifying for you. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

Delaying putting on her Quidditch robes, Renée spread her arms before the pitch while students continued to trickle into the stands, her own teammates and Aladren's hurrying into the locker rooms to change if they hadn't already. 'Finals!' The cool gusts of wind rippled through the thin shirt she wore, her deeply tanned skin drenched in the heat of the Spring sun. 'Finals!' She smiled in pure excitement, confidence radiating from her face. They were going to win. ''Course, not if I don't get dressed first. Rapida! Prisa!' She ran in, a blur of flying clothes, dark curls being pulled up, red robes being thrown on, long sleek wood gripped in her right hand. On the pitch, shifting her feet from one side to the other, she tried her best to stifle her impatience, and listen carefully to Charlie's speech. 'I just want to go. Lift up and fly. Please, please can we hurry?' The captains shook, Renée mounted her Febre broom, bent her knees, kicked off, and she was gone, rising higher and higher into the air. 'All right, nothing can stop us now. Noth - '
Aladren had the Quaffle. Renée spurred her broom on, chasing after Daniel Nash, who passed to another Aladren, who got intercepted by Sam. Grinning, Renée swerved to change directions, waiting for a pass and readied herself for it... Aladren, Aladren, and a shot was made at the left goal hoop. Renée watched from feet away as Nic, scared by a bludger, sped towards the opposite side of where the Quaffle was headed. She blinked at him, watching as he dropped in height to retrieve the red ball. Aladren had scored. Against them. The Crotalus chasers. 'Wait - what just happened?' No time to think, and she blinked as the Quaffle continued its passing around her. She locked her gaze on where the Quaffle was now, and dove after one of the Aladren chasers.

There was a pass, and bright dark brown eyes narrowed into the cool gust of wind growing stronger the faster she flew. "Yes!" She grinned as her legs passed just over the Aladren's head, careful not to touch him, and grabbed the Quaffle, spinning her broom in a downward spiral to escape the bludger sent by an Aladren Beater. She had already been hit once, she no longer held any curiosity over the feeling.

She kept lower than most of the players, her body parallel to the Febre as she urged her broom to go faster, left hand gripping the handle, the red leather bound ball tucked underneath her arm as the Aladren goals loomed closer and she sought for a quick pass. Making sure she was below a red robed figure, she suddenly shot up in height, hoping to startle any surrounding Aladrens whilst blocking any interceptions, and made a diagonal upward pass to one of her fellow chasers.

She supposed she had entered this game with the lingering sense of entitlement granted to her after the Pecari game. She hadn't thought that she would have to up her talents, actually have to strain for the ball. 'But I like this. It's better.' There was clearly a greater challenge this game, more so than the last. And a greater chance for Crotalus, then, to shine. 'They're only ten points up. We can surpass that easily.' Her face was spread into a wide smile, as she waited eagerly for her pass to be received.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} Fun for us. Terrifying for you. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

April 30, 2011 10:52 AM

I don't feel terrified by Edmond Carey, Beater

His third attempt also missed, the Errant girl just dancing out of the way in time. Frowning, Edmond went for the Bludger again, enjoying the beginnings of strain on his muscles, not liking at all the realization that the game was going to be long and messy, and half-daring Mr. Calhoun or Mr. Lucore to try anything so bold as interfering.

Edmond had always disliked it when people seemed to find him intimidating just because he happened to be a large guy who had the great misfortune to get every unattractive feature – thick, curly red hair and, his sister said, a wide, thin mouth from his mother, a large, somewhat beaky nose, heavy, set features, and being very tall and wide across the shoulders from his father – either of his parents had to offer, but at the moment, it was convenient. He wanted them afraid of him, because that would make them run when he needed them to run, make them make mistakes just because they saw him from the corner of their eye, and that would make things better for his team. He didn’t even care if they carried the feeling off the Pitch anymore; the respect and liking of his classmates, something he’d always scrambled so hard for despite disadvantages ranging from his looks to his last name to his nonexistent social skills when he’d come to Sonora, had seemed increasingly irrelevant for a while, now, and seemed downright stupid today.

Catching his Bludger again, evidence that his ‘terrify first years’ strategy was most likely working, he hit it toward the person he’d been keeping an eye on as he approached and who now happened to be the person Miss Errant was passing to. As he came level, he slammed the bat into the Bludger as it began to turn on him, sending it toward his new target with all the force he could muster. Nothing counted out here, not even injuries, because it was just an illusion. Someone could appear mortally hurt one second and be back in the game five minutes later, if they could get ‘round the medic. Very nice.

He’d found a pattern that worked, where he didn’t think too much about the details of what he was doing: follow, aim, hit, follow, aim, hit, follow, again and again. He intended, barring something strange happening, to follow it for the rest of the game.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater I don't feel terrified 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Sam Bauer, Chaser

April 30, 2011 12:23 PM

I feel kind of annoyed.... by Sam Bauer, Chaser

Sam was displeased by the sudden outbreak of firstie vengeance and expressed his feelings through an unintelligible shout toward the already-retreating back of the Aladren Chaser as he turned to give chase again. Not fast enough, though, since Small Firstie managed to make a successful pass to his brother firstie before Crotalus had time to interfere.

Renée got in on the fun in the next pass, though, and Sam covered her warily even as he grinned over their success, knowing her liking for weird passes. Sure enough, the one she offered up wasn’t straightforward. The wind nearly blew it out of range, but Sam was able to pull off another lunge and get it back without losing his seat on the broom. Tucking it under his arm, he started to accelerate when a Bludger slammed into his shoulder, throwing him forward so he only just kept from breaking his nose on the broom handle as well.

“Oh – “ he said as he fought his way back mostly upright, then embellished the exclamation with a few more words, words his mom didn’t know he knew, but which knowledge of came part and parcel with spending his holidays in a fairly large and diverse city and neighborhood full of tough guys from elementary who’d gotten slightly older and tougher with time. He dropped in altitude, both to avoid another assault by the same Bludger – with luck, it would turn on an Aladren – and re-catch the Quaffle, which he’d dropped when the arm that had been around it had suddenly stopped working properly.

Most of the pain was dull and burning, which he thought was less bad, but some of it was stabbing, which seemed more bad. And it was his wand arm, too. Damn the Aladrens, and, he very much suspected, their Super-Beater. He was going to have to seriously work on making Topher and Phoenix more afraid of him and, since he could get loud but was still short, especially Nic than they were of Edmond Carey, or something like that, or they were all gonna end up dead by the time the big guy graduated.

Getting the ball back, he decided he really was that desperate and attempted, after clearing the area for Aladrens as well as he could and getting in as close as he dared, a one-handed pass to one of his fellow Crotalus Chasers, really hoping she’d be the one to start reversing their fortunes in this game, and then started trying to move his shoulder. It, predictably, hurt, but a little less with repetition, and he could move it at all, so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Still not good, though, which brought up the awful question, the one that no one ever wanted to ask: should he duck out to get that looked at and risk not getting to come back, or should he just play on and hope for the best?

He really, really hadn’t wanted to ask that today.

16 Sam Bauer, Chaser I feel kind of annoyed.... 163 Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

April 30, 2011 1:09 PM

Don't be. Our luck's changing for the better. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

In the air, in the middle of the game, Renée's mind always succumbed to its usual transformation of fantasy into the reality that was all passes, dodges, catches, and throws. It became her world, and one of the few times she was actually able to fully focus on what was happening, because Quidditch could actually hold her entire interest, and there was no need for her mind to escape. No ned to twist reality into her own fancy; Quidditch was perfect. She couldn't imagine having to be seeker, though she had tried out for the position last year. She would have been terrible, paying no attention to anything and growing bored with trying to find an elusive golden snitch that just didn't want to be caught. Her mind would have delved under, emerging with herself thinking she had held something when she had only grasped air.

Being chaser focused her mind, gave her no room for idle thoughts, imaginations beyond the choices she made for a pass. She couldn't be good without giving herself to the game, and she had to be aware of everything around her, forgetting about what was inside. Focus on the wind, her curls threatening to unwind, the wood tucked between her thighs, her hands gripping the handle, or reaching out for a pass, aware of both Sam and Charlie and bludgers. She saw one now.

'Ouch.' She watched as it slammed into Sam, causing him to drop the ball, but her wince widened into a smile as he dove after the Quaffle. Things were a bit shakey, but she felt they were all starting to come together again. The Aladren chasers had surprised them only because they had let their guard down, and Renée could admit to herself that she had thought their trio the best the school had to offer... 'Because we are.' One Aladren goal wasn't going to change that fact. She caught the one handed pass from Sam, curving around the ball as she sped forward, Aladren goals looming even closer, the keeper in clear sight.

A passing bludger caused her to drop in height again, and she raised her arm, palming the Quaffle. 'Now or never.' She feinted to Charlie, her arms going through with the motion before she made a sharp turn in her ascent in the right direction, and threw the Quaffle with a curve so that it headed for the middle goal hoop, and then spun towards the right. Training for two years now had made her throws more confident, and while she had always been an instinctive player, she now had strategy, and power in her arms. Enough to cause the Quaffle to head as fast as it was going. She was aware of it, just as she was aware of the fact that they were going to win. She knew because she saw it in her mind, and she knew it had to be true because her mind did not delve into fantasy during a game. It was focused, and it was real. 'We're going to win.'

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} Don't be. Our luck's changing for the better. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Charlie, Crotalus Captain

April 30, 2011 4:11 PM

Luck is on our side. by Charlie, Crotalus Captain

This championship game wasn’t making Charlie feel anywhere near as nervous as she knew it ought to. Aladren had practically slaughtered Teppenpaw earlier in the year. True enough, Crotalus had done their best to put the pressure on Pecari and had succeeded in beating them by a decent margin, but if the Aladren Beaters took out her entire team there wouldn’t be anything Charlie could do about it. She had no reserves, so she needed every player up in the air. Of course, Crotalus had the advantage that while they were up in the air, their formation was enviable. Only Aladren’s Beaters presented a real threat – their Keeper was improving but not excellent (certainly nothing like Starbuck Gregory), their Seeker had nothing at all on Marissa, and while Daniel had gotten better at chasing with practise, the Crotalus Chasing team was renowned for its efficiency. Plus Renée was insane. Perhaps it was Charlotte’s belief in her teammates that put her at ease concerning the game... or perhaps it was the opportunity to beat the same team again next year that made it less important to do so this year. With no graduating seventh year, it seemed unlikely the teams would change a great deal, and it wasn’t as if this would be Charlie’s last game – or Daniel’s for that matter. It just didn’t have the same ‘last game ever’ feeling that championship games usually did.

That didn’t mean that Charlie wouldn’t give it her all, naturally. In fact, she wanted to give it more than her all, if anything. She didn’t think she could stand it if Aladren won, and she’d have to acknowledge that Daniel had beaten her. In classes, fair enough – he was smarter, he tended to test well – she didn’t mind him being better than her there. In acting he would always be better, because he’d been born to it (and it wasn’t something that Charlie felt any need to be good at, anyway). Quidditch? No. No way - he wasn’t allowed to better at that than she was. She’d first flown a broomstick when she was four years old, had been Chasing with her brother and former team captain since her first year, and had been captain of the Crotalus team since her brother graduated. That all had to count for something. Right?

Meeting her team on the pitch in the morning of the game, Charlie looked fiercer than normal, which could have been due in equal parts to her determined game face and her hair being braided especially tightly to keep it in place in the breeze. “Okay, guys. Championship game, and I hope you all know what that means. We can’t let Aladren push us around – you all saw what they did to Teppenpaw. Be on the look-out for Bludgers, because we need a full team. Having said that, we don’t want to try long passes because of the wind, so if you need to do a full-pitch stream –” she couldn’t help looking at Renée when she said it “- just be careful, okay?” She then proceeded with the full and usual pep talk, telling each player what they already knew about their task for the game, and reminding her players quite passionately that they were the better team and could beat Aladren if they just kept their focus. With a more natural smile, Charlie added, “Plus if we don’t beat them they’ll never let us live it down. You know what Aladrens are like.”

Coach Pierce called the captains over to shake hands, and Charlie found herself wishing as she did every game she played that their Head of Coach could be somewhat less than impartial, but she knew it wouldn’t be the case – Coach Pierce played fair, and wouldn’t give the Crotalus team any leeway just because they were in her House. Daniel wasn’t especially easy to manipulate, either, but just in case it would do anything to unsettle him, Charlie gave a particularly flirtatious wink as she shook his hand. It had lip work and everything. She certainly wasn’t above playing dirty, so long as no actual rule-breaking occurred. With a thumbs-up to the Crotalus team, Charlie swung her leg over her broomstick and, on the whistle, kicked off from the ground, and soared into the air.

Aladren got to the Quaffle first, but that had never been on Charlie’s agenda – the Crotalus team preferred to intercept the Quaffle once the opposition had lured themselves into a false sense of security. The fact that it was Daniel who’d gotten the Quaffle first bothered her slightly, but she chose to ignore it. What bothered her a great deal more was that when Sam dutifully had captured the Quaffle from Aladren’s keep, as was the job of either him or Renée (while Charlotte herself held back to assist in getting the Quaffle back down the other end of the field), it was intercepted again by Aladren. By Daniel. No! That wasn’t supposed to happen – that had never happened before. The Crotalus captain was in dismay. That plan was failsafe – it always worked! No way was Daniel supposed to steal it back again, and then.... oh, and then it got worse. He took it to the hoops. Aladren were making a goal attempt, and in the same moment that Charlie was hoping today was one of Nic’s good days, the little cretin bolted from a Bludger, leaving the goal wide open for the ball to sail through. Was this the thanks she got for telling them to be careful of Bludgers? Sighing inwardly as the ball was retrieved, Charlie decided that Nic was only doing what she’s said, and she’d have to give him a second chance. If he blew that then he’d better hide from her for the rest of the year. For now, she’s have to move on past it, and she readied herself a second time as Sam once again had the Quaffle and started his way back down the pitch.

This time things were looking much better, as Bludgers were avoided, and largely the Quaffle was in the right hands and heading the right direction. Charlie was relived; she was just about considering abandoning their game plan and joining the rest of the players at that end of the pitch, rather than hanging back as was her traditional formula. Too many cooks spoiled the broth, or something equally as meaningless yet poignant. Her relief naturally was short-lived as one of Edmund’s Bludgers collided with Sam. She winced in sympathy, and a distant corner of her mind wondered what the Aladren Beater’s issues were – nobody hit like that without serious personal problems that needed working out. Regardless, Sam proved his worth as a Crotalus by retrieving the Quaffle anyway, and making a stellar pass to Renée. Excellent! This was more like it. As her fellow Chasers joined her further down the pitch, Charlie quipped, “I thought you’d left me for good!” loudly over the wind. She flew in formation with them, deterring interception and inevitably looking daunting as they made their way quickly to Aladren’s Keeper. Charlie wouldn’t have wanted to be in that girl’s shoes right then – Crotalus meant business, and now the Quaffle was down that end of the pitch she had no intention of letting it leave the goal area. The onslaught on the Pecari Keeper in their last game was about to be repeated, and Renée made the first move.

0 Charlie, Crotalus Captain Luck is on our side. 0 Charlie, Crotalus Captain 0 5

Samantha Hamilton Keeper

April 30, 2011 4:29 PM

Could you give it back please? by Samantha Hamilton Keeper

The draw of team events had always been that Samantha could never be wholly responsible for the outcome, whether it was victoriouos or otherwise. She had never liked to be in the limelight, especially when connected with losses. It had occasionally happened when she'd been identifiable as contributing more than others, but in the end they were still a team. In other words, even if she let in every goal Crotalus attempted, it still couldn't technically be her fault if Aladren lost the game. The Beaters and Chasers could have kept the ball away, and the Seeker could have caught the Snitch. All in all, Samantha thought that should be enough to keep her calm.

It wasn't.

She was reconsidering her place on the team again. She'd taken her second year out, anyway - maybe she'd take fourth year out, too. She could maybe just be on the Quidditch team every other year. the third year wasn't at all sure she liked the pressure that team members seemed to suffer in games, particularly the chammpionship game. As a Keeper, she thought that most of the time the pressure on her was usually quite low. When a lot of the game was taking place, she really didn't have to do a great deal. On the other hand, at crucial moments she had a lot of pressure, like trying to protect three large hoops all at once. She liked the adrenaline kick, and she loved sports, but she wasn't sure this was really the job for her. This, she knew, was just how she felt today - other days she loved playing Keeper and wouldn't give it up for anything.

Samantha managed some cereal for breakfast, and she tied her hair back as she pulled on her Quidditch robes and rummaged in the broom shed for one of the better school brooms. She didn't need to go fast or very far, so it was acceptable for her to use a school broom - she couldn't afford one of her own, anyway, and wouldn't have a clue where to buy one. She listened to Daniel's speech, and felt as she usually did at Quidditch practises - like the rest of the team forgot she was a girl. They even called her Sam a lot, which wasn't confusing when Sam Bauer wasn't around, but it still sounded like a boy's name. Samantha had used to like it, but increasingly she was feeling like she wanted to be treated as a girl.

Anyway, Sam Bauer was around now. In fact he was coming ever closer. Samantha had enjoyed the first few minutes of the game when the Quaffle had been at the other end of the pitch, but now it was heading her way, and it brought with it three Crotalus Chasers. Gulp. She'd seen in the Pecari game how relentless the Crotalus Chasers had been with their Keeper. She'd hoped desperately that it wouldn't happen to her, but it turned out her hoping hadn't been sufficient. Her nightmare was occurring.

Traumatized by three Chasers all at once, Samantha fumbled, lunged the wrong way, and let the ball go through the hoop. God, it was horrible. She felt her cheeks turn red to match the leather ball as she retrieved it. It was okay - it wasn't the end of the world. She tried to remind herself she was part of a team as she found another member of that team, and did her best to negotiate the players in front of her to get the Quaffle back into possession of the Aladren Chasers.

0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper Could you give it back please? 0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper 0 5

Coach Pierce

April 30, 2011 4:34 PM

Crotalus scores! 10-10 (nm) by Coach Pierce

0 Coach Pierce Crotalus scores! 10-10 (nm) 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Coach Amelia Pierce

Quidditch Final: Aladren vs Crotalus by Coach Amelia Pierce

<font color=blue>Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

Go Aladren! by <font color=blue>Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Russell Layne, Chaser</font>

Keep going, Aladren! by <font color="blue">Russell Layne, Chaser</font>

<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson Seeker</font>

Up, up, and away. by <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson Seeker</font>

<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

So does that make me a red stop sign? by <font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

<font color=blue>Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

A detour, possibly by <font color=blue>Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

Only a brief one, though by <font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Arnold Carey, Seeker</font>

Yeah, you away from the Snitch sounds good by <font color="blue">Arnold Carey, Seeker</font>

<font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

Possibly much briefer than this one by <font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

<font color=red>Nic Sawyer, Keeper</font>

Um, Renee, I'm sorry I resented your interference last time. by <font color=red>Nic Sawyer, Keeper</font>

<font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

Aladren Scores! Score: 10-0 (nm) by <font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

Trying this again. by <font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>

Funny, I was thinking just the opposite. by <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>

<font color="blue">David Wilkes, Alternate</font>

Commentating by <font color="blue">David Wilkes, Alternate</font>

<font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

Me, too by <font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

<font color="blue">Russell Layne, Chaser</font>

Role reversal. by <font color="blue">Russell Layne, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

That can be fun or terrifying by <font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Arnold Carey, Seeker</font>

But I can't be wrong. I'm an Aladren. by <font color="blue">Arnold Carey, Seeker</font>

<font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

Fun for us. Terrifying for you. by <font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

<font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

I don't feel terrified by <font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

I feel kind of annoyed.... by <font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

<font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

Don't be. Our luck's changing for the better. by <font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

<font color="red">Charlie, Crotalus Captain</font>

Luck is on our side. by <font color="red">Charlie, Crotalus Captain</font>

<font color="blue">Samantha Hamilton Keeper</font>

Could you give it back please? by <font color="blue">Samantha Hamilton Keeper</font>

<font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

Crotalus scores! 10-10 (nm) by <font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

<font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

Recentering. Play continues up here. by <font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

<font color=blue>Preston Stratford, Beater</font>

Maim!Maim! by <font color=blue>Preston Stratford, Beater</font>

<font color="blue">Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

Continuing play up here by <font color="blue">Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

<font color="red">Charlie Abbott, Chaser</font>

Continuing it further by <font color="red">Charlie Abbott, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

Changing directions by <font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

Chanting with Preston, I suppose by <font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

<font color=red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

Towards Aladren Goals by <font color=red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

<font color="blue">Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

And back again by <font color="blue">Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

Playing along by <font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Russell Layne, Chaser</font>

Providing cover. by <font color="blue">Russell Layne, Chaser</font>

<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>

Catching up the Seekers. by <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>

<font color="blue">Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

All yours, Mr. Sawyer by <font color="blue">Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

<font color=red>Nic Sawyer, Keeper</font>

I don't want your gift, Mr. Nash by <font color=red>Nic Sawyer, Keeper</font>

<font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

Aladren scores! Score: 20-10 (nm) by <font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

<font color="red">Charlie Abbott, Chaser</font>

Nic, have you written your will? by <font color="red">Charlie Abbott, Chaser</font>

doing best to combat extreme anger by <font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

Wonders why Arthur is laughing so hard by <font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>