I'm flying, but feel like I'm walking a high wire on Quidditch Pitch

Coach Amelia Pierce

June 10, 2011 7:22 PM

Flying Lessons for First Years by Coach Amelia Pierce

In her 'Quidditch Coach' hat, Amelia Pierce was only responsible for teaching one class: Flying Lessons, which was given only to first years (though older students could attend if they wanted to and signed up in advance). Previously, she'd just enjoyed the extra free time that full professors did not have. Now, as Deputy Head, she'd be filling some of those hours with administration work, but mostly she was just glad she didn't have to juggle the extra load with a full schedule of classes plus grading.

It was generally a popular class among the kids because there were no homework assignments or tests, and half the class was allowed to play broom tag or a pick-up game of Quidditch for most of it while the true beginners were given basic lessons. The rest were only expected to participate to the best of their ability.

As long as everyone spent the entire period sitting on a broom in the air and at least attempting to do as instructed, they passed. It was not a difficult class by any stretch of the imagination. The final exam was flying from one end of the pitch to the other and back without crashing. That got an A. If they could do in under ten minutes it was an E. Under five earned an O. Most kids earned Es and Os in her class.

"Hello," she greeted her new class of first years once they seemed to have stopped trickling in. She allowed for 'getting lost time' the first week, but she'd dock points for poor punctuality later. She was Head of Crotalus and now the Deputy Headmistress; it was practically in her job description to be a stickler for rules. "My name is Coach Pierce. I will be your flying instructor this year."

"Now, I know most of you will not view this as a 'real' class, but I can and will take House Points and assign detention if I catch any of you messing around, and I will catch you if you do. I expect you to show up on time. I expect you to behave and show each other respect. I will not tolerate insults or taunting of any form. I expect everyone to try their best." Unfortunately, she could longer assert that there would be no exceptions because this year there was. She had been involved in a debate-by-owl over the summer about whether or not one of the new students was medically capable of her class, and it was one she had ended up losing once the number of medical professionals willing to assert otherwise overwhelmed her argument that nobody had ever been seriously harmed by hovering two feet over the ground. "For those of you with parents who support WAIL, I assure you, they will not disown you for hovering on a broom and flying across the pitch."

She took a breath, and used the short pause to look around the group to make sure they were still listening. "That said, I am aware some of you already know how to fly. I offer those students the priviledge of forgoing the basic lessons and doing whatever you like so long as you are on your broom and flying for the duration of the lesson. I have Quaffles and other muggle varieties of balls available for your use. Later, once I know I can trust you, I'll allow bludgers and Snitches. If you need anything else, let me know and I'll see what I can do."

She waited a moment to let them try to imagine what other equipment they might need for more creative flying games, then added, "Just remember, this is a priviledge and if I have any problems with you fighting amongst yourselves or interferring with my lessons, you will all be down here hovering five feet over the ground with the beginners."

With that threat leveled, she expected not to have any problems with the experienced kids. "Now I'm going to call roll, and then anyone who feels they do not need basic instruction may go play. Please raise your hand and say 'here' when I call your name. Adams, Skipper." She went through the list, marking attendance, and then put away her clipboard. "Okay, that's it. If I didn't call your name, let me know. Experienced fliers, you may take to the air. School brooms are over there, if you don't have your own."

She gave a few seconds for unnamed students to make themselves known and for the fliers to get out of the way. "Everyone else, line up here." Her wand flicked out and a white line appeared in the grass. "If you have your own broom put it down beside you. To your right if you're right-handed, to your left if you're left-handed. Everyone else, just stand in front of the line."

Once they did that, Amelia started distributing brooms to those who didn't have one yet. "Put it to your right if you're right-handed, to the left if you're left-handed," she repeated as she moved down the line. Once they all had brooms beside them, she instructed, "Now hold your wand hand out over your broom, like this," she stepped over her own broom, lying in the grass, so that it was to her right. She held out her right hand over it. "Palm down. Now, in a firm voice, like if you're ordering a dog to sit, tell it to come to your hand by saying 'up' - Up!" she said, louder, in demonstration, and her broom leapt up directly into her hand.

"I'd like you all to try that. You may need to try it a couple of times to get it to work. Once it's in your hand, just swing one leg over it like this," she demonstrated climbing onto the broom, "and just hover there for a bit. Try to keep steady and not drift too much. Raise your hand if you have a question or a problem. Barring too many of those, I'll show you how to manuever once everybody gets into a hover."

OOC: Hello and welcome to Sonora. Your character earns points for their House by participating in classes, so be sure to follow the posting rules. Long quality posts earn the most points. Have fun!

Subthreads:

Indifferent by Nora Dobson with Perdita Rothens

Flying on brooms...Like real witches! by Katrina (Kitty) McLevy - Aladren with Dusk Nysell [Pecari], Kitty

I'm not putting that between my legs by Linus Macaulay with Sullivan Quincy, Linus

I'm flying, but feel like I'm walking a high wire by Paul Bennett with Solomon Asa Davies {Teppenpaw}, Paul

Woo-hooo!! (Tag Coach Pierce!) by Jhonice Trevear with Coach Amelia Pierce

Ladies do not fly by Sally Manger [Aladren] with Mellie Goodwin, Pecari, Sally

E.T. Fly Home by Bosko, Charity with Michael Grosvenor, Cherry Bosko, Amelia Pierce

1 Coach Amelia Pierce Flying Lessons for First Years 20 Coach Amelia Pierce 1 5

Nora Dobson

June 11, 2011 7:48 PM

Indifferent by Nora Dobson

When Nora had found out that the first class she would attend at Sonora was Flying Lessons, she was extremely disappointed. For one thing, she knew all she had any desire to about the subject. Nora's parents were not too strict and had let her fly before but it really did not interest her very much. The first year generally preferred more intellectual topics and even reading about broom types or the mechanics of flying did not interest her much.

Nor was she interested in playing Quidditch in the least. She didn't mind watching a game here and there but generally Nora preferred things that were based on intelligence not athleticism. The only mildly interesting thing regarding Quidditch or flying was the utterly ridiculous idea that it made girls into lesbians. The psychology behind those who started WAIL was fascinating as was the psychology of those who wanted to play but other than that Nora had no use for the topic.

The Aladren would much rather be studying just about any other subject. Something that might be useful to her or at least interesting. She would much rather learn out to do even the simplest transfiguration then fly.Nora would not need it for transportation when there were portkeys and floo powder and apparation.

She listened to the speech given by Coach Pierce and debated with herself internally. Nora was certain she would be capable of getting her broom up quickly, she knew what to do and was not really a beginner. Nor did she really care to make herself look stupid by acting like one even though this was not an academic class and Nora did not care about doing more than passing it.

On the other hand, the first year did not really want to play Quidditch or any form of it. To her, there seemed to be something slightly foolish about playing the game. Who with their intelligence or sanity in tact would consider a game where you had metal balls whacked at you fun ? Though it could be entertaining to watch and if there weren't people stupid and/or crazy enough to want to play, those who didn't wouldn't have that form of entertainment.

Right now, however, Nora supposed she could fly just enough to pass the class even though she would have rather spent it getting to know her classmates better or at the very least observing them. Nora would do the lesson but she was not going to be forced to play Quidditch when given an option not to and if Coach Pierce had a problem with her not putting forth quite the effort that she could have just because she didn't happen to enjoy playing the game and valued her life, Nora would go ahead and-much as she really did not want to and did not want it to come to that-call her on it.

Once she had grabbed a broom and was hovering in the air, the Aladren turned to her nearest classmate. "Hey, I'm Nora." She introduced herself. Nora might not have had the best attitude in the world when it came to flying lessons but she wasn't completely unfriendly.

11 Nora Dobson Indifferent 197 Nora Dobson 0 5

Katrina (Kitty) McLevy - Aladren

June 11, 2011 8:50 PM

Flying on brooms...Like real witches! by Katrina (Kitty) McLevy - Aladren

Kitty had learned at a very young age that she had a birth defect. She’d been born without an internal compass. Most people had a sense of direction, to some degree or another, Kitty did not. Her brothers often teased her that her sense of direction was so bad that she was lucky to find her way from her bedroom to the dining room.

While such a handicap might have been dismaying to other children, it didn’t really bother Kitty in the least. Any time she had to go somewhere knew it simply became an exciting adventure where she could end up anywhere. She’d also learned a number of techniques for dealing with her little problem. When she began school Kitty quickly learned to recognize faces of classmates. She’d become expert at following people who were going places she needed to be.

Even though the tiny girl hadn’t sat with any of her year mates at the opening feast, Kitty had still carefully made note of each as they’d been lead to their commons room later in the evening. Now, she waited in the commons for one such individual to appear, and when they did she followed them to where the first class was going to be.

Enthusiasm showed in every step as Kitty took her place in the line of first years. Her midnight locks had been pulled back in a high tight pony tail that swiched with every step and she wore a buttercup yellow blouse with navy jean shorts. Finally! We get to fly! She could hardly maintain her place in line she was so excited to learn to fly on a broom like a real witch. Now all I need is a black pointy hat she thought with a small giggle. Listening to Coach Pierce Kitty couldn’t stop smiling. This was the first step to getting on the team and she couldn’t wait to fly. Though she was slightly annoyed that they would be taking it slow, it didn’t matter because soon they’d be flying!

Then she was handed her broom and for a moment Kitty again thought that this all must be some extremely vivid dream. She was going to fly…on a broom. With a grin the thought was gone as she set the broom down on her left side. She didn't even consider that it might not work, Kitty held her left hand over the broom and said in a high clear voice “UP” and just like magic it obeyed. Grinning so hard it almost hurt Kitty mounted and after taking a deep breath lifted her feet. It works! Oh my gosh it really works! Laughter bubbled from her lips as she looked around with shining eyes, other students had gone off to play and she couldn’t wait to join them. But, she still had to learn how to make the broom go forward, side to side, and stop, so with impatience brimming in her sky blue eyes she forced herself to wait.

Looking to her right Kitty offered another huge smile “Hi my name is Kitty McLevy, isn’t this just the coolest thing ever?” she chirped.

0 Katrina (Kitty) McLevy - Aladren Flying on brooms...Like real witches! 0 Katrina (Kitty) McLevy - Aladren 0 5

Dusk Nysell [Pecari]

June 12, 2011 12:59 PM

Don't exclude the warlocks! by Dusk Nysell [Pecari]

Dusk Nysell loved to fly.

The rush of the wind whipping through his hair, the flutterflies churning in his stomach, the world shrinking in size… He loved it all. He wasn’t half bad at it either – though his father had given him a few classes on it. As he half-ran down to the pitch, his light-blue button-up shirt reflecting the bright sun above, his father appeared in his mind once again. He frowned, and slowed, his stride still purposeful though with less urgency.

He hadn’t enjoyed growing up in a pureblood community. Too many rules, too many traditions. His mother wasn’t that strict. She wanted him to live his life the way she would never be able to do. He shook his head jerkily, clearing that thought away. No. He would not think about her condition today. He didn’t want to depress himself seconds before flying.

With his bounce returning, he raced across the field to the class. He didn’t recognize a lot of the people, but that was with good reason. He’d skipped the opening feast. True, not a good thing for a first year just coming into the school, but well… he’d gotten lost on the way to the bathroom and spent the rest of the time trying to find his way back. He chuckled, a light throaty sound. He brother would never let him live that down… that is if he ever found out.

Coach Pierce couldn’t explain what to do fast enough. Granted, he already knew what to do, but it still felt even slower than usual. He wanted to fly with kids his own age so bad.

When at last he had been allowed to mount. He’d kicked off, gone for a quick spin about the pitch and was about to call for a game to start, when a girl caught his eye. She was hovering looking very excited, but a little unsure of what to do next. When he flew up to her, she turned and smiled broadly.

”Hi my name is Kitty McLevy, isn’t this just the coolest thing ever?”

He laughed. “It is indeed. I’m Dusk Nysell. Do you need some help?”

0 Dusk Nysell [Pecari] Don't exclude the warlocks! 0 Dusk Nysell [Pecari] 0 5

Kitty

June 12, 2011 3:07 PM

Right. And Warlocks…I thought you were wizards? by Kitty

Impatience began to cause Kitty to fidget as a number of her fellow classmates were still stuck on the ground trying to get their brooms to cooperate with them. Then a boy who’d zipped off the moment he was on his broom returned. She didn’t recognize him from her house, or the feast but figured he must have just been sitting somewhere father away.

“It is indeed. I’m Dusk Nysell. Do you need some help?” he asked with a laugh and Kitty laughed with him. For one moment she turned her eyes back to the teacher and saw her far down near the other end of the line. She knew she should probably wait for further instructions but temptation was too great for the young girl to pass up.

“I’m so glad you came Dusk, she’s just taking forever! Dusk is a great name by the way, could you show me how to make it go?” she asked. Cornflower blue eyes twinkled and she couldn’t keep the smile from her lips as she turned her full attention Dusk. Waiting really wasn’t Kitty’s strong suit and seems Dusk was willing to show her the ropes she put the teacher completely out of her mind. After all, they were flying why not wing it?

0 Kitty Right. And Warlocks…I thought you were wizards? 0 Kitty 0 5

Perdita Rothens

June 12, 2011 5:07 PM

Excited. by Perdita Rothens

Alright, so it didn't involve textbooks and parchment, but was that so bad? Perdita approached the pitch. Sure, she's never flown before, well, excluding airplanes, and it didn't involve essays and whatnot, but it could be really exciting. Learning to fly would be something different. And no matter what the class, Perdita was always aiming to excel.

Now, to actually pull it off was a whole other matter. She wanted to fly, even if it was only a few feet off the ground, so she could tell her father in a letter. Perdita had promised him that she would tell him everything, and of course, explain it to her best ability. Perdita pursed her lips.

She stood next to her broom and commanded, "Up!" It flew into her hand. Perdita breathed a sigh of relief. Thank Merlin. She would have been so embarrassed if she had failed. Perdita climbed on top of the broom, almost falling, and held on tight as she rose into the air.

"Hey, I'm Nora." Perdita turned to the girl and smiled brightly.

"Hello! I'm Perdita, pleasure to meet you."

0 Perdita Rothens Excited. 0 Perdita Rothens 0 5

Dusk Nysell [Pecari]

June 12, 2011 8:45 PM

We get two names, that's how awesome we are by Dusk Nysell [Pecari]

"I'm so glad you came Dusk, she's just taking forever! Dusk is a great name by the way, could you show me how to make it go?"

Dusk chuckled again and touched his broom lightly with his hand, causing it to turn smoothly around her. Thorns of dark brown hair fell in a messy jumble over mud-brown eyes, which were crinkled in amusement. Her posture was good, a little tense, but nothing that would really deter her from flying properly.

He flew back around, chuckling at her flattery. "My Mum's idea. My brother's Noon." He smiled again before adopting a slightly more serious expression. "Now, brooms have feelings."

He paused. "At least, I think they do, anyway, to make a broom go forward, lean forward slightly. I've also noticed it tends to accelerate when you squeeze your feet tighter. To turn, lean to the sides. If you want to stop, pull back. It's sorta like..." He paused again, searching for an analogy. "Like riding a horse."

0 Dusk Nysell [Pecari] We get two names, that's how awesome we are 0 Dusk Nysell [Pecari] 0 5

Kitty

June 12, 2011 11:02 PM

Re: We get two names, that's how awesome we are by Kitty

Another small happy laugh escaped her lips at Dusk’s explanation of his name. “Now it would be perfect if you had a sister named Dawn.” She teased playfully as she watched him circle her. After he finished his explanation Kitty wasted no time in leaning forward and squeezing her feet tighter. Bell like laughter escaped the first year as her broom shot forward. Her long locks whipped behind her like a brazen flag and she tugged her broom around executing a sharp twist as she zipped back over to Dusk.

Her pale freckled cheeks were flush with enjoyment as she brought the broom to a stop in front of him. Sparkling blue eyes danced with life and pleasure at flying for the first time. “This is the greatest thing ever!” Kitty said. “Come on, let’s go play.” Her voice was high and full of the simple joy of discovery. Already any thoughts of waiting on the teacher had long been forgotten, all she wanted to do was fly high, and see all that the broom had to offer. The small girl was as fearless as her namesake. And with a bright playful smile Kitty flew forward, small delicate hand reaching out and tapping Dusk as she passed. “You’re it!” she yelled as she leaned forward and darted away, fearless and headstrong as only Kitty could be.

0 Kitty Re: We get two names, that's how awesome we are 0 Kitty 0 5

Dusk

June 13, 2011 1:28 AM

Seriously. by Dusk

"Now it would be perfect if you had a sister named Dawn."

Dusk laughed, though didn't have the heart to correct her. His mother's name was Dawn, beautiful as the golden sun, and slowly dying. Not the best atmosphere for the sun to rise, bathing the landscape with bittersweet joy. The kind that wanted the linger but never could.

Her joy dashed the thoughts from his mind though. The Pecari first year watched with great amusement as she flew, what he considered to be a victory lap. He grinned, the corners of his mouth turning up into a handsome smile. He sat straighter, watching as she came back around.

"Play?" he repeated, the words light and airy, as though he had said them with a breath of laughter. And then she tagged him. Well, that was a challenge he would never back down to.

He flattened himself down, against the chipping wood of the school-brooms, and shoot after her like a rocket. He had experience on his side, practice flying. It was with ease that he caught up to her, his hand out-stretched for her elbow. He aimed to touch it.

0 Dusk Seriously. 0 Dusk 0 5

Kitty

June 13, 2011 9:22 AM

Well, that’s not very fair by Kitty

Laughing blue eyes flashed as she watched him catch up to her. He was fast, she’d give him that. But Kitty was bold. The broom felt very sturdy in her grasp and reminded her of the playground at school. There was a jungle gym that many a teacher wished gone after Kitty started there because her antics made any adult who saw them want to tear their hair out. This particular gym had two vertical bars, probably placed there by someone who hated children. One was high and the other low.

Kitty and some of her more adventurous friends had come up with a number of different stunts to perform on said bars. Stunts such as the death drop, where a child starts out hanging upside down then swings back and forth until they get enough height before releasing with their legs to flip off the bar. Then there was the double death drop where a child would start sitting on top of said bar before falling backwards using the momentum to flip off and land on their feet. Nether of these stunts were the ones that came to mind for Kitty however, she thought of the spins. Where a child would use one leg to flip around the bar at dangerous speeds, or even the more daring kids like Kitty would sit on top of the bar and tie a sweater around themselves, binding them to the bar before spinning at breakneck speeds that were sure to send what ever teacher saw sprinting over to end the madness.

With a wild playful laugh Kitty loosened her grip on the broom and just before the outstretched hand could touch her she flung herself sideways. Her broom slowed considerably as Dusk passed her she finished the little flip and was back in her seat once more. It was obvious by the swerving buck the broom gave that this was not the normal barrel roll an experienced flyer would execute, but some sort of trick that was normally performed on a more stationary medium. Her near crash didn’t bother the adventurous girl a bit as she turned the broom as fast as she could to shot off in the other direction.

0 Kitty Well, that’s not very fair 0 Kitty 0 5

Linus Macaulay

June 13, 2011 3:52 PM

I'm not putting that between my legs by Linus Macaulay

Flying lessons. never, ever in his wildest dreams had Linus expected to be undertaking lesson in flying when he was eleven years old. The only problem with this concept was that they were expected to fly on a broomstick of all things, and Linus had absolutely no inclination whatsoever to do that. Unfortunately, the Coach was his Head of House, and so linus could hardly avoid the class. He'd heard one kid got out of it on medical grounds, but alas, Linus had always been in exceptional health. He'd gotten chicken pox as a small child, but that was normal. Well, it was normal for Muggles, anyway; Linus' concept of normal was changing almost by the hour since he'd arrived at Sonora.

While the Coach was talking to them, Linus did his best to think of this class as any regular sports class. He was okay at physical activities. he might not have been picked first in anything, but he was definitely in amongst the top ten for everything. Expert at nothing, but pretty good at them all, and that was just fine by him: he was the best overall, if you thought about it. He could swim and run, and hit a ball, and whatever else had ever been required of him. There was no way he could be awful at this, even if it was new to him. Of course, being any good would involve him actually sitting on a broomstick, and Linus didn't really have any intention of doing that. just look at it - did that really seem comfortable? It did not. Not at all. Even when some of the kids (who had apparently grown up with magic) got on broomsticks and didn't look to be in pain, Linus wasn't convinced; they still looked pretty stupid.

Along with the other complete beginners, Linus stood in a line and waited to be given a broomstick, which he then laid down to his right. It didn't actually look much like the broomsticks they had at home, which made him feel a very little bit better. He could at least try the first part of the class, which wouldn't make him look like an idiot. If he did it right first time, that it. So, with the full intention of getting it perfect on his initial attempt, Linus put his right hand out over the broomstick and commanded it 'Up.' To his delight, surprise, and pride, the broom dutifully rose slowly to meet his hand. Unable to hide his smug look, linus looked to the person standing next to him, who didn't seem to be having such a degree of success. "You need to be more confident with it," Linus offered helpfully.

0 Linus Macaulay I'm not putting that between my legs 205 Linus Macaulay 0 5

Paul Bennett

June 13, 2011 6:26 PM

I'm flying, but feel like I'm walking a high wire by Paul Bennett

Though he had been on a broom before, Paul didn’t mind the concept of flying lessons. It was always possible there was something else to learn, and anyway, there were plenty of people who hadn’t had the advantages he did, and no reliable way that didn’t far over the top to determine who really had learned to fly when they were a child and who was just a show-off who didn’t want to admit that he or she was on a level with most of the Muggleborn students in that department. Using truth potions on every student might work, but it would be really impractical, and more expensive than keeping some old brooms flyable and making everyone show up for class.

Plus, it gave the impression that everyone was equal, and the Quidditch Coach, who ran the flying lessons, had declared to the Crotalus first years that this was something she cared about very much. Paul didn’t put manipulation above anyone. Even Gemma, who was usually crying for real about something, knew how to put on to get her way she wanted it, so a grown-up adult would have no problem with a trick like that.

Normally, Paul found his view of adulthood – that adults were constantly scheming and managing – alternatively intriguing, depressing, and repellant, but today, he found it a relief. With everyone here, it would be easier for him to be overlooked.

When his name was called off the roll, Paul said “Present,” trying his best to make his voice sound normal, so he didn’t hang a flashing sign that said ‘Nervous’ on it around his neck. Dad had told him that when kids seemed nervous, adults assumed they had something to be nervous about, and that was when they started looking for something punishable going on. It might not have been the best parenting move ever, but as far as Paul was concerned, it was great life advice.

When the direction came to split the class came, Paul didn’t hesitate to flee to the advanced group, albeit at a dignified pace. He wasn’t yet an adult, with his mind clicking through plans every second, but it didn’t take very long to make the simple connection that Coach Pierce was going to be paying attention to the people who could barely fly. She would glance toward the advanced group to make sure they weren’t killing each other, but her attention was going to be on the people who were more likely to kill themselves by mistake. He would be nice and invisible, just like he liked it.

He had his own broom, so he felt confident flying in a few ovals, keeping an eye on other people to make sure he didn’t crash. That was one thing he wasn’t as used to. Sometimes he flew around other people, but not this many who were his own age and he didn’t know what they were going to do. He was going to have to get used to it, though, if he was going to be on the Quidditch team.

After a minute or two of that, though, he began to feel the nervousness that went with knowing he was going to have to stick his neck out when he could in theory get away with not saying a word, so he screwed his courage up and looked around and selected another student almost at random. ‘Almost’ because he did check out how well the other student was on the broom before confirming the selection. “Want to throw around one of the Quaffles?” he asked, hoping his voice was loud enough to be heard up here without being too loud, and that he was smiling right. How did Eliza make socializing look so easy?

0 Paul Bennett I'm flying, but feel like I'm walking a high wire 201 Paul Bennett 0 5

Solomon Asa Davies {Teppenpaw}

June 13, 2011 8:13 PM

I Believe I Can Fly by Solomon Asa Davies {Teppenpaw}

By the end of the Coach's talk Solomon had decided this would be his favorite class. Stretching for a minute, he yawned lightly, smiling as he held his hand over one of the school brooms. "C'mon." He smiled wider when the broom rolled over but refused to rise. "Oh, yuh wanna be asked nicely, eh? Puh-leez go up. Up!" The broom rose to slap the dark hand above it. Solomon grasped the handle and set the broom down diagonally to swing his legs over, school robes rustling slightly. "Mmm, good wood." He laughed a little, bending his knees, and kicking off, rising easily through the air. 'We do whatever we want, as long as we be nice, and that's it.' He was going to find a nice patch of air to stretch out on his broom and sleep. 'Best class ever.'

Despite this plan, he couldn't help making a few laps around the heads of the beginners, smiling down at them before rising a little further in the air. It was a school broom, an older model, and nowhere near as fast as the one he and his brother shared but it was adaptable and comfortable enough for him. 'Knew it would be alright here.' There was a voice and Solomon looked up, blue eyes scanning from behind thick black square rimmed glasses he wore more out of fun than necessity. "Ah, sure. Ah'm game." The heavy southern voice spilled out from white teeth made even brighter from the contrast of dark skin. He nodded at the ground and went into a semi-dive, his dreads slipping a little behind his shoulder, and grasped a Quaffle from the ground, pulling up again and rising to meet the boy in the air.

"Solomon Asa Davies." He tossed the Quaffle easily through the air at the boy. "Mos' call me Asa." He had the introduction ready at a moment's notice, the words rolling off his tongue in the same casual tone, the same confident length. He hadn't ever had to introduce himself before outside of his community so he wasn't sure how far his name carried outside of Louisiana. He heard the words of pride for their family from his father but he and his brother lived in their separate worlds and while pride for themselves seeped in, they weren't exactly sure for what and for why.

0 Solomon Asa Davies {Teppenpaw} I Believe I Can Fly 0 Solomon Asa Davies {Teppenpaw} 0 5

Jhonice Trevear

June 13, 2011 9:00 PM

Woo-hooo!! (Tag Coach Pierce!) by Jhonice Trevear

It was time for flying! Jhonice raced towards the Quidditch Pitch, this was going to be great! She had flown a little bit at home, but not much and not unsupervised. Her parents insisted on waiting until she was 'old enough' and got proper training. Her dad had insisted on buying her one before she headed off to school, so she could learn on her very own broom. Now that time was here! To top it off, it was training from Amelia Pierce! This was going to be awesome!

She arrived at the pitch along with most of the other students and waited excitedly for the lesson to start. Matriarch... Deputy... Coach Pierce, yes Coach here. Coach Pierce looked great, the way she strode about with that inherent sense of authority, accented with her natural grace, it was something to behold. Jhonice couldn't help but to stare at the woman in awe. The Matri... Coach began to speak and Jhonice hung on every word, she raised her hand, jumped in the air and cheered out a "Here!" When her name was called. A quick calculation told her that even if she was an experienced flyer, Coach Pierce would spend much more time with the beginners, so she lined up with them.

As instructed, she placed her new broom on the ground next to her and held her hand open over it. She had done this before, it wasn't to hard. With a commanding voice, she shouted "Up!" at the grass near her broom. Her broom, strangely, didn't move. She smiled and tried again, "Up!" Again the broom did not move when she instructed the grass to fly into her hand. She looked around at her other beginner classmates. "Are you having any problems with this as well? Maybe I'd better call the Ma.. Coach over here." She raised her hand, "Coach Pierce! Am I doing this right?" Hehehehe... she'd done it! She had summoned the Matriarch of the Boston Pierces!

2 Jhonice Trevear Woo-hooo!! (Tag Coach Pierce!) 209 Jhonice Trevear 0 5

Dusk

June 13, 2011 10:09 PM

Life isn't fair by Dusk

She was pretty good!

Dusk whipped around, caught off guard by her sudden change of direction. She'd executed the move in a rather unique way, as though it hadn't originally been meant for a broomstick, but it was non-the-less effective. He smiled, well, he wasn't going to get showed up by a newbie! That was for certain. His mud-brown eyes crinkled with jovial merriment, he flattened himself on the broom again and shot toward her. This time, on purpose, he overtook her, then jerked to a standstill in her line of path.

Then he realized that he had inadvertently just set them both up for disaster. Yes, there was no way for her to avoid him - she going to fast and too close for a change of direction - but it was certainly not the smartest way to tag someone.

There wasn't time to move out of the way as he realized the oncoming disaster. He closed his eyes, and watched for the crunch.

0 Dusk Life isn't fair 0 Dusk 0 5

Kitty

June 13, 2011 11:41 PM

Of course it is…or it should be by Kitty

Kitty’s laughter rang out like silver bells as she twisted her head to see Dusk shooting towards her again. This is so much fun! She couldn’t believe how fun flying could be and hoped she’d get on the team. Then she could fly like this all the time. If just this little game of tag was exciting then what would a whole game with cheering fans be like?

She expected him to try and tag her again but instead he flew past her. With the swiftness of a fox Dusk darted into her path and came to a dead stop. Sky blue eyes widened as the smile fell from her face. She could tell even before it happened that she wasn’t going to be able to get out of the way. Shoot shot shoot! She thought, though it wasn’t really a fearful thought as she pulled up on the broom trying to bring it to a stop and turn it all at the same time.

The too sharp movements sent the broom into a tumble and Kitty was half curled into a ball as she crashed into Dusk. Her failed attempt had managed to slow her down enough that the wreck didn’t do too much damage, but somehow she’d lost her grip on the broom and reached out to grab at Dusk’s sleeve before she fell.

0 Kitty Of course it is…or it should be 0 Kitty 0 5

Paul

June 14, 2011 12:09 AM

I'd be seriously concerned if you didn't by Paul

The hair and glasses on the person he had spoken to were not themselves extremely remarkable, but between the two, Paul was surprised when his new companion happily dove for a ball to play with. He would have expected him to want Paul, who did not have to worry about glasses flying away or his hair flying over his face, to do that.

Paul learned two important lessons. The first, that most things were often going to be a surprise, was one he’d learned before, but it never hurt to get a bit of a refresher. The other was that he should never think anything involving the word ‘play’ again unless it was at least a hair more ironically than the way he’d just thought it or involved his younger siblings.

He listened to the name, but was California-born and had spent the past three years in Illinois, so it meant nothing to him. It was just the accent that gave him a hint about where Asa – why bother telling Paul his first name, if he wasn’t going to use it? – might be from, and at best, there, he had not so much a state as a region in general. The most he knew about the South was that the Careys were from it, and that there were lots of them, and they were crazy, frequently evil people.

“I’m Paul Bennett, Illinois Bennetts,” Paul called back, holding out his hands as the Quaffle flew toward and smacked into them and then throwing it back with a bit of a spin. He hoped he wasn’t expected to share his middle name as well, because he tried not to think too much about being partially named after Great-Grandfather. Not only was it, well, Great-Grandfather, but it was also Orson. “I’m called Paul.” He couldn’t quite make out the symbol on Asa’s robes. “What House are you in?” he asked.

Dull, but effective. That was about as much as he asked out of his life. Maybe someday – he thought there had to be something strange about detecting sarcasm in his inner monologue, especially when a tiny bit of him did believe in what the rest was mocking – he would be more socially fluent, but for now…Chitchat was the basis of communication in his culture anyway, wasn’t it?

0 Paul I'd be seriously concerned if you didn't 0 Paul 0 5

Sally Manger [Aladren]

June 14, 2011 11:23 AM

Ladies do not fly by Sally Manger [Aladren]

Sally did not wish to fly.

Being a pureblood, she of course already knew how to fly. Her younger brother Arnold knew how to fly, and he was only six years old. However, the idea of her taking flight was not often entertained. Sally was a young lady and had to behave as such; flying broomstick was a man’s sport.

It was not proper for women to fly casually, at least to what she had been taught. Therefore it surprised her to discover the flying instructor to be a woman, let alone a woman named Pierce. The dark-haired first year did not know the ins and outs of the Pierce family, but she was rather certain if she ever became a Quidditch coach and flying instructor, her father would disown her.

She wondered about her father. He and her mother had been having a rough time in their marriage, which was part of the reason she had spent the summer with her aunt Lilac. Arnold and their four-year-old brother, Jacob, had gone over to Uncle Martin’s to be with his nine-year-old son Marcus.

Sally enjoyed her aunt’s request to have her instead of her going to see Marcus as well. The Aladren was very mature for her age and did not relate much to her cousin only two years her junior. Although she knew Lilac had other initiatives in inviting her over. For one, Sally was close enough to Ryan O’Malley’s age to keep him company while her aunt kept company with his uncle.

Perhaps she was not the most understanding of human emotions, but she was not oblivious.

In any case, Sally was not in a situation to inquire about her family standings. Now was time to listen to the instructions. She did not know whether to go with the experienced fliers or stay with the new. She knew how to fly but had not done it much in the past. At the same time, most of the purebloods would probably be experienced, and she did not want to be the only one.

In the end, she chose to go with the more experienced group. The grey-brown-eyed girl grabbed a broom belonging to the school--with some distaste as she did not know who had last used it prior to herself--and mounted sideways. From what she had read, Muggles used this “sidesaddle” position when women rode horses in skirts. Considering her usual skirted outfit being no different than usual, she felt this would be the proper thing to do.

Slowly and somewhat reluctantly, Sally took to the sky, her curly hair falling in front of her eyes; she felt too timid and unconfident with her flying abilities to let go of the broom to fix her hair. She did not wish to fly, and therefore she was not going to venture very high, not over twenty feet. Perhaps thinking her slow pace meant she was in trouble, someone flew up near her. “Hello,” she greeted formally. “I am Sally Manger of the Rhode Island Mangers.” After a quick blink, she added, “Is there something you require?”

0 Sally Manger [Aladren] Ladies do not fly 0 Sally Manger [Aladren] 0 5

Bosko, Charity

June 14, 2011 2:42 PM

E.T. Fly Home by Bosko, Charity

Cherry Bosko had been looking forward to her first flying lesson with great excitement. She had spent a lot of time riding her bike around the neighborhood and to the Aviary back home in Kenosha WI, and she had long dreamed of upgrading to a broom. To Cherry, brooms were just really, really awesome bikes. And her parents would never let her own one for fear of her using it to zip around the muggle neighborhood.

Cherry had a model picked out and everything. But it was a no-go, a maybe when you're older.

Selecting a school broom was rather like picking a hockey stick in gym class. Since Cherry was not one to push her way forward, by the time she reached the pile, most of the equipment left was pretty shoddy. She chose one that looked like it might have been new when Coach Pierce was in school, but it seemed sturdy enough. It was probably functional. It'd be cool to have her bike and enchant her bike to fly.

Flying. This was going to be awesome.

Cherry joined the line up of students in the beginner group and purposefully didn't stand by any of her house mates. She supposed if they wanted to join her it might mean they liked her company, which was fine. But it might also mean that they were clingy and only wanted to spend time with the people they already knew, which was sort of weird. Cherry didn't want to settle on any best buds until she'd met more of her classmates.

She was actually really disappointed that she hadn't met any muggles yet, except for Linus, who wasn't admitting it. Who was she supposed to make flying bike jokes with? Seriously. ET Fly Home!

She placed her broom on her right side--she was right handed--and looked at the kid next to her. He didn't look particularly Pureblooded. Not that there was really a look to look for. She tried the up command a couple times and her broom wobbled up to her hand. It would do.

"Hey," she said to the other kid, "Do you know how to tell a dog to sit? I've never had pets... except a goldfish, and that's not really the same thing."

0 Bosko, Charity E.T. Fly Home 0 Bosko, Charity 0 5

Michael Grosvenor

June 15, 2011 12:49 PM

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike... by Michael Grosvenor

Their first lesson was about as magical sounding as it could get – they were going to be flying broomsticks. Michael stood at the front of the gaggle of students, so as to be able to see and hear their instructor better. She did the usual teacher thing of paying lip-service to not bullying each other. He didn't doubt that she was against bullying, he'd just have liked to try and see her stop it. However much teachers said about stopping bullying, there was rarely anything they could actually do. She then said a lot of words that he didn't understand, to do with wailing and disownment and what kinds of things the more experienced kids could do. He decided that, as it didn't apply to him, he wouldn't worry.

He answered his name in the roll call and shuffled into line, taking the broom that was handed to him. The kids who had gone off to play weren't making much of a racket yet, and the coach was relatively near and easy to see, so he caught what she was saying.

He held his hand over the broom. He was in buoyant mood. He'd passed for normal at the feast and none of his roommates had asked about his alarm clock, which had been the biggest worry that he'd be exposed. No one knew, so no one was picking on him.

“Up!” he told the broom. It jerked a little into the air but then seemed to change its mind and flopped back down to the ground. Glancing around though, he didn't seem to be the only one, so he didn't feel too much of an idiot. He was about to try again when the girl next to him turned around and asked whether he'd ever made a dog sit. For a few seconds he was terribly confused. Firstly, it took him a moment to remember the coach's analogy, prior to which the girl's question seemed incredibly odd and he briefly wondered whether he'd heard her right. The issue that took slightly longer for his mind to sort out was that a Pretty Girl had spoken to him. This didn't disable his ability to form coherent thoughts in the same way that it might of for a teenager because he wasn't really interested in girls that way yet. But, although Pretty Girls, in general, weren't mean to his face (though he rather suspected they giggled when his back was turned) they certainly didn't bother talking to him. It took him a moment of assuming she hadn't realised the deaf loser was next to her and expecting her to say something along the lines 'Oh, it's you... Never mind' before readdressing her question to the person on her other side, before he remembered that she didn't know. Wow... He hadn't realised that people Not Knowing would be this good. He'd thought he might make a couple of friends in his class. But even Pretty Girls were willing to talk to him? This was nothing short of miraculous!

“Yeah, I have,” he smiled, feeling suddenly filled with self-confidence (although there was a good chance that very little of that stemmed from the reminder she'd given him that he might good at commanding a broom). “We've got a dog at home. Up!” he told his broom, in the same type of voice he would use to command the dog. To his immense pleasure (and relief – he was fairly sure that there were other ways to earn the label of loser apart from having a hearing impairment, and that utterly failing at getting your broomstick up was probably one of them) the broom jumped into his hand. “You have to sound like you're in charge...” he tried, figuring she'd probably wanted his advice but worrying that that wasn't any more informative than what the coach had said. “Sorry, I don't really know how else to put it,” he shrugged.

He eyed the now hovering broom warily before imitating those around him and swinging a leg over it. He let out a small noise of surprise as he found himself sitting on what felt like a bicycle seat, even though he couldn't see one. That was clever. The whole thing was vaguely like being on a bike, which meant he knew better than to lift his feet off the floor before he knew how to go; the way to keep your balance on a bike was to move, which he didn't know how to do yet. And besides, it would have been rude to shoot off until the Pretty Girl was ready too. Which reminded him...

“I'm Michael, by the way,” he smiled.

13 Michael Grosvenor I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike... 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5

Cherry Bosko

June 15, 2011 2:25 PM

I don't want a pickle, I just want to ride on my [bi]cycle. by Cherry Bosko

Sound like you are in charge. Well, that was easy enough to say, but rather harder to do. Cherry was more accustomed to people being in charge without sounding like they were in charge. But she listened carefully to Michael's command and saw the broom jump to obey him and had to try it again. She'd heard that tone before. Her mother used it sometimes when Cherry and Addie were not doing what they were supposed to. She would level her gaze at them, the humor would go out of her voice and she would say, 'Stop.' And they would. They couldn't help but stop when she commanded them like that. It was very possibly a magical command.

With this image firmly in her mind, Cherry put her broom back on the ground and straightened her posture. She glared down at the broom. Maybe glaring wasn't necessary. Michael hadn't had to glare. He was a little more up beat about it. She took an average of the two. "Up!"

The broom popped up so fast she jumped and had to scramble after the handle before it took off on its own. Okay, then, she laughed. That was maybe a little too forceful. She grinned at her neighbor. "Cool, thanks."

He straddled his broom and introduced himself as Michael, just plain Michael. A nice change from all the last names and formalities of her housemates. It was fun at first being all formal, but it was getting old. She'd wanted to make a good impression and all, but she just couldn't keep it up full time. She was only used to being a witch a couple weeks out of the year, and the rest of the time she was more muggle than wizard--and a very girly muggle at that. She painted her nail and had a scrapbooking collection full of funny shaped scissors, embossing powder, inks, markers, ribbons, stamps, hundreds of types of paper. She used to it to make greeting cards for the shop, and the cards did sell, so she was able to buy more stuff.

She straddled her broom and grinned back, "I'm Cherry. And the last broom I rode was a six-speed street bike. I like to go fast. There's a hill out at one of the parks my friends and I like to race down. This is going to be awesome... Once we learn how to take off."

0 Cherry Bosko I don't want a pickle, I just want to ride on my [bi]cycle. 0 Cherry Bosko 0 5

Sullivan Quincy

June 15, 2011 2:49 PM

Maybe you could try side saddle? by Sullivan Quincy

Sully hadn't heard much about Flying Lessons except that they were required, and broom-riding had something to do with some wizarding sport that started with a Q, and the coach was distantly related to Simon and Jose through some distant ancestor that normal people would have long since forgotten about. Wizarding families were weird, and he was pretty sure it wasn't just because the one family he knew anything about was weird. They were weird, and they said they were weird, but the reasons they said they were weird only made Sully wonder if the 'normal' ones were even more weird than the weird ones.

It was just weird.

And today, he was here to learn to fly on a broomstick, so 'weird' was fast losing any kind of meaning to him.

He raised his hand and called out "Here!" when his name was called, and watched the other kids do the say, trying to learn names but largely failing. Also, he'd had a brief moment of angry alarm when he thought the coach was calling him Quincy Sullivan, but then he realized she'd called everyone's name last name first and calmed down before he made a scene.

He lined up with the other beginners and accepted the school broom given to him with a polite but mildly quizzical 'Thank you' and gave it a brief look-over before putting it down on his right side. A short while later, he held his right hand over it, and commanded, "Up!"

It seemed like the broom thought about, rolled over, and found a more comfortable place to lie on the ground.

The kid standing next to him - a boy Sully definitely recognized as one of the other people waiting at the Las Vegas wagon stop, and less certainly as one of the people on the playground last year at recess though not a person he'd had any close dealings with before despite apparently being from the same city - helpfully instructed him to be more confident. Sully had thought he was being confident.

"Right," he agreed, a little sullenly, because if this was the guy from the playground then he didn't have any more experience at this than Sully did and somehow it was him and not Sully who got it on the first try. That was really not fair. Despite the braces on his teeth and the eyeglasses perched on his nose - which combined tended to give the impression he was more physically incapable than he was - Sully usually did pretty good at gym stuff.

"Up!" he tried again, and this time the broom lurched about a foot into the air, then decided against it after all, and fell back to the grass. Sully scowled down at it. "It either needs a few months at obedience school, or I've got a defective broom." He nudged it with his foot, not quite daring to kick school property, but feeling it deserved some kind of physical reprimand for being obstinate.

1 Sullivan Quincy Maybe you could try side saddle? 207 Sullivan Quincy 0 5

Dusk

June 15, 2011 3:07 PM

And Penguins wish they could fly by Dusk

Yeah, is previous thought had been correct. This had been an insanely stupid idea, not to mention potentially dangerous to both of them. But, adrenaline over-road his worry, and he leapt into action. She managed not to hit him too hard - not to say that it still didn't hurt and he'd definitely have a large bruise on his shoulder. Kitty however got unbalanced by the crash and he realized with horror she was falling!

She had grabbed his sleeve, but just barely. He heard a ripping sound and - of it's own accord - his other hand snaked out and seized her by the elbow.

"Are you alright?" he asked, slightly white.

0 Dusk And Penguins wish they could fly 0 Dusk 0 5

Kitty

June 15, 2011 3:35 PM

All they need are jet packs by Kitty

RIIIPPP. The cloth of his sleeve was beginning to tear and one of the very few times in Kitty’s short life she felt genuine fear snake though her as a quick glance down revealed that they were pretty high up. Her arm ached from where it had smacked into Dusk and she could feel the material rip further. Oh no, this is really going to hurt! She though as she squeezed her eyes shut waiting for the fall.

Then she felt a tight grip on her elbow just as the bit of sleeve she’d been holding gave way. Sapphire eyes shot open to see that Dusk had caught her before she fell. “Are you alright?” he asked. Kitty gave him a huge smile, though her face was as white as his own. “Yeah, wow great catch.” Her voice was a bit higher than normal but even now, the fear she’d felt was fading. “Hay, where’d my broom go?” she asked as she looked around trying to find the wayward thing.

It was drifting not too far from her and Kitty reached out with one small delicate hand to grab it but it was just out of reach of her questing finger tips. She looked up at Dusk with a pout on her lips, the fear had completely faded from her eyes now. “Go that way a bit.” Kitty said as she pointed towards the broom.

0 Kitty All they need are jet packs 0 Kitty 0 5

Nora

June 15, 2011 3:37 PM

Good for you by Nora

Nora couldn't help but laugh a bit. She hadn't apparently paid attention to whom she was next to. Perdita was one of her roommates. "I think we've met." Nora replied, grinning. "But nice to meet you again." She really couldn't see anything wrong with Perdita thus far.

By which she meant nothing wrong as in the "irritating, I don't want to live with this person for seven years" sense rather than in the "there is something psychologically wrong with her and she is fascinating" sense. Nora found human psychology extremely interesting. What made a person what they were? Sometimes it was easy to figure out. Like her uncle drank a lot because Nora's grandfather had been cruel to him when he was younger. That was simple. Grandfather had been less cruel to her mother and favored Uncle Oliver, therefore, they did not drink so much. Simple cause and effect.

On the other hand, there were things that were not so clear, like why Grandfather had gone so evil to begin with. Nobody else seemed that evil, at least in Nora's immediate family. Uncle Oliver was the very picture of the kind of pureblood wizard that made purebloods look bad and his son, Oliver the Second, was a major brat but they weren't actually evil. Though Nora supposed Little Oliver could end up that way, maybe it was too soon to tell with him, as he was fairly young. It would be interesting to see how he developed.

As for her roommate, Nora hoped Perdita would both be pleasant to be around and at least relatively quirky. She might like the other Aladren if she wasn't the latter but it wouldn't make her as interesting from a learning point.

"So, how are you liking flying so far?" Nora asked. "Personally, I can't wait to get to the real subjects. Like Potions and Transfiguration. That's where you get to learn real magic. The kind that you need for everyday life." One never ever really needed flying. Other forms of transportation were so much more convenient.

11 Nora Good for you 197 Nora 0 5

Dusk

June 15, 2011 3:44 PM

And some brains by Dusk

"Yeah, wow great catch."

Dusk smiled. "Thanks," he said shifting his arm so that he could grab onto her with his other hand as well. At the mention of her broom, he glanced up seeing it as well. Well, that had certainly been an adventure. He chuckled under his breath, his smile returning to his face, which was slowly regaining it's color.

"Alright," he said and he made to pull her onto his broom. Dangling like that could hardly be comfortable, and his arms were starting to get rather tired from being in such a strange position.

0 Dusk And some brains 0 Dusk 0 5

Kitty

June 15, 2011 4:06 PM

Thumbs might help too by Kitty

Dusk returned her smile and helped her get back onto her broom. Though her arm hurt it hadn’t been that bad of a wreck at all. “Man, that’s way better than crashing on a bike. No road rash or anything. Though, it would have probably been worse if you hadn’t caught me. I think I like brooms more than bikes, even going as fast as I can petal doesn’t go nearly as fast as I can on a broom.” She laughed and flew a quick loop around Dusk. Kitty was a very firm believer in getting back on when the horse bucked you off.

“I put my name up for the Quidditch team. Can you imagine flying with the stands full of cheering fans? I hope I can get to be a chaser or a beater, those ones get to be in the thick of the game and that’s where I wanna be. Are you going to try out? What position do you wanna play?” The small girl was lively and animated once more, the near brush with danger forgotten. She was never one to dwell on the past when it came to such things and Kitty was quite good at shaking such things off. Having three older brothers makes for a tough little sister.

0 Kitty Thumbs might help too 0 Kitty 0 5

Dusk

June 15, 2011 6:34 PM

How about fingers in general? by Dusk

Dusk laughed as she looped around him, unperturbed. He mimicked her, making a type of figure-eight around her, his grin broad and friendly. This was a lot of fun! Just sitting here in the air, talking to her. The wind whipped at his black hair, thorns of it blocking his vision every now and then.

"You're trying out too?" He exclaimed. "Awesome! I am too. I told them I'm good with any position, but I like chasing, and I wouldn't mind seeking." He grinned again, an almost child-like expression. He pulled down and went into a steep dive, pulling up a few feet before he touched the grass and then spiraling back up toward her, his face flushed with success. He'd been working on that move for ages.

"Maybe we'll play against each other, huh?" He laughed. "That would be fun."

0 Dusk How about fingers in general? 0 Dusk 0 5

Kitty

June 15, 2011 8:13 PM

Right, fingers, thumbs, brains, and a jet pack by Kitty

Kitty’s eyes widened in delight at Dusk’s fantastic stunt. Sitting up on her broom she clapped loudly as he spiraled back up to her. “Maybe we’ll play against each other, huh? That would be fun.” He laughed. The wind whipped though her ebony locks and pulled her own laugher away with it. Flying was perhaps the best thing she’d ever done in her life and she couldn’t wait until she was really experienced.

“Wow that was great Dusk! I think you’d make a fabulous Seeker. I really hope to get on the team but from what I’ve heard the Aladren team was really great last year and I’m not sure if there are going to be any openings. But I’m really excited to try out.” She said as she did an experimental dive. Her skill was still a bit shaky so she didn’t get nearly as close to the ground as Dusk had. After a few loops she returned her smile brilliant.

“This is amazing! What other stunts can you do? Ohh I bet there are teams of flyers who do broom stunts like in the regular world they do things like the flying angels, with really fast planes.” Her eyes shined with excitement at the thought. Maybe instead of making magical creature documentaries she could be a stunt flyer instead.

0 Kitty Right, fingers, thumbs, brains, and a jet pack 0 Kitty 0 5

Michael

June 16, 2011 11:47 AM

I have no idea what you're referencing, if anything by Michael

“You're welcome,” Michael grinned happily as the Pretty Girl succeeded on her very next try and joined him in sitting astride a broomstick, ready to go. It took him a minute to catch up when she said her last broom was a something something bike because at the words 'last broom' he'd expected the conversation to start going down a tangent that he didn't understand, so he'd slightly let the adjectives wash over him. But then when she got to the word 'bike' he had to go back and re-analyse and figured out that she'd been making a kind of joke. He didn't mind people playing with language, but in situations where he was having to use a lot of energy on concentrating, it was a lot more helpful if they just said what they meant.

“Right, yeah – it sounds like it'll be fun,” he nodded, trying to look like the idea of going fast appealed to him too because he was fairly sure it was wussy not to want to. He wouldn't mind being able to go fast but he would rather be sure he knew how to stop before he tried it.

Thinking more about her bike comment, he began to wonder... Given that Laurie hadn't known what a plane was (even though they were big and obvious and flew over people's houses) he wouldn't have been surprised if his roommate didn't know about bikes, especially as this seemed to be a wizarding equivalent, meaning that they wouldn't need them.

“Are you Muggleborn too?” he asked Cherry. The fact that she'd hung back with the beginners and didn't know how to take off seemed a pretty good indicator too.

13 Michael I have no idea what you're referencing, if anything 199 Michael 0 5

Mellie Goodwin, Pecari

June 16, 2011 3:58 PM

Except when they do. by Mellie Goodwin, Pecari

Flying lessons weren’t too big of a deal, really, but Mellie felt a little nervous as she listened to Coach Pierce talk about this and that. She thought she could meet the course requirements without much trouble, but…Still. It was going to be the first time she ever actually had a piece of paper her parents would see with a letter grade on it to describe how good she was. How was that not a little intimidating?

At least it was likely to start things off on a good note, though. She wasn’t a spectacular student in the academic subjects by any means at all, since she didn’t really have the focus or interest and couldn’t think in circles very well, but this, she could handle. Totally. Starting out good meant things were gonna go downhill from there, but she could deal with that better than she could starting at the bottom, wherever that was, and then making her way up. It was a lot harder than going the other way.

Since she knew the basics, at least, she decided not to stay with the group of total beginners, even though ‘advanced’ wasn’t really a word she would apply to herself, either. It needed to be soon, though, because it was starting to look like she might actually be on the Quidditch team for real, and Chaser or Seeker – the positions she was most likely to end up with, if she was putting the list together right, though really, everything except Beater was wide open – were both pretty intense spots, sometimes.

She flew around in loops for a minute, warming up, and then decided to try something that she didn’t do much at home because it made Mom upset: a dive. First, though, she took a deep breath, swallowed hard, adjusted her grip on her broom, looked at the ground for a second, glanced at the Quidditch Coach to assure herself that Pierce was there and would not let anyone die, and finally checked for other students who might be in the way, just to kill a few seconds. Then she tentatively angled her broom down, but immediately jerked it back up again. Her feet felt like they were dangling over nothing, were alternatively so light that she thought they would fly away or were lead slabs pulling her back toward earth, and she twisted her ankles inward, hoping to feel more secure. The tips of her tennis shoes touching each other, though, just made her feel sick, so she moved them away from each other, hoping the deadly squeak of rubber on rubber would fade out of her memory quickly.

I have to do this, she told herself. I’ve started now. It’s stupid not to do it. I have to. She angled the broom down a little again, then a little more, froze when she thought she felt herself sliding forward – and then closed her eyes and dove.

She opened her eyes as soon as she realized what she had done and began to pull the broom up, her heart thudding erratically in her chest, her face flushing. She let herself drift a little, then flew a straight line to get her balance back, already psyching herself up to try again.

Before that could happen, though, she found herself being greeted by another girl, who seemed to think that Mellie wanted something. “Some more guts, maybe,” she joked uncertainly, remembering how just the other night she’d told Sully her family usually avoided contact with the class of people who introduced themselves by state affiliation. Was that irony? She was gonna have to look that up in the dictionary now just to know. “I’m Mellie. Mellie Goodwin.” She looked at how the other girl was perched on her broom. “Is that hard?” she asked. “Sitting sideways on your broom like that?”

16 Mellie Goodwin, Pecari Except when they do. 206 Mellie Goodwin, Pecari 0 5

Solomon

June 16, 2011 4:27 PM

I Believe I Can Touch The Sky by Solomon

It came back with more of a spin, and Solomon turned his handle and sped a little more to the side to catch the Quaffle with a slight slap in both palms. He smiled back at the boy and pulled his arm back, rocking the Quaffle and letting his long fingers lean back to cradle it before pushing it forward back at Paul, watching the ball curve in an arch toward the boy. "Ah'm Teppenpaw." He flew a little closer to the boy when other students edged near him, avoiding a collision. He glanced at the symbol on Paul's robes and nodded a little at the Crotalus. Since he already knew, there was not much point in asking the boy the question back. Solomon knew he'd have to ask something though out of politeness; often his own resolution to never say something without meaning attached to it grappled with the need to follow society's rules.

"Yuh liking the school?" He asked readying himself for another pass, his legs easily gripping the broom so his hands were free and he did not have to bend so much over the wood. "Ah wus gonna be home-schooled but ah had a cousin come here a while back ago, an' said it was a good experience. Yuh got any family heah?" His little brother was sure to be coming next year, and then even his cousins maybe. The Davies usually stuck together, and liked to follow each other into the next fancy and then the next. From Africa, to Haiti, to Louisiana, they had followed each other. Solomon was a little glad they had chosen the surface world to settle in. Living beneath the waves had its interesting points but it was much nicer to settle in the air.

He looked around the pitch a bit, light blue eyes running over his fellow students, people he would get to know over the next seven years. It had always just been his family; dark, slow talk, people who looked and sounded like him. And then there had been his characters, but they'd all been based off of what he knew. Now, he was to learn more. Understand more. See more. 'And sleep less.' He was resigned to that particular fate. He already had one roommate who apparently craved constant adventure. Solomon liked adventure well enough, but only by writing about it, or reading. His characters performed great deeds, he recorded them. Everything Solomon did, he did for the sake of research. Right now, flying, he was doing well because a character of his did well. He tried out for the team because a character of his was on a team. That reminded him of something and he looked at Paul. "Yuh tryin' out fo' any position this year?"

0 Solomon I Believe I Can Touch The Sky 0 Solomon 0 5

Dusk

June 16, 2011 6:44 PM

They're doomed. by Dusk

Dusk paused, scratching his head. "Other stunts?" He repeated deep in thought. What else had that tutor his father hired taught him? Or rather, allowed him to try... when his father was out of the house. He smiled at one memory, his tutor - a man named Jenkins - had got him a book of Quidditch moves and they'd tried out a few.

Jenkins had ended up going to the hospital, and Dusk had roared with laughter the whole way there.

"Well, there is this," he said and he loosened his grip, sliding upside down and around back onto his broom. It wasn't much but it was good for dodging. "Oh! And this!"

He shot forward, whipped around and then pelted straight for her. Three feet from her, he jerked his broom to a complete standstill - as he had when he had caused their little crash.

0 Dusk They're doomed. 0 Dusk 0 5

Kitty

June 16, 2011 7:10 PM

DOOOMMMMEEDD!!! by Kitty

Kitty gave a pleased laugh as Dusk went upside down and a little excited shriek as he came straight at her then stopped on a dime. Again she clapped. “Ohhh that would be great for getting out of the way, but here’s something that could be used to catch a low flying ball, or even to snag it if the other team is throwing it.” With that odd little explanation Kitty fearlessly performed a similar move to Dusk’s first. Then she hooked both legs together and let go with her hands.

She waived both arms wildly with delight, her hair dangling like a black waterfall as she laughed with joy. “See, see! They totally wouldn’t expect someone higher up, if the other team member didn’t have a good grip on the ball I could snag it right out of their hands.” Still giving a breathy little laugh she pulled herself back up, her face was flushed with accomplishment as her mind already began turning over all the potential stunts. All sorts of tricks were already starting to bloom like dandelions in her mind. Glittering blue eyes danced with the endless possibilities.

“I really hope I make the team! Quidditch sounds like the best game ever. There aren’t any regular games that have so much going on, I mean all the ones I know only have one ball. And usually only one goal post, or basket or whatever per team. Have you ever played before?” she asked. After talking to Arthur in the commons room she realized that there were people who’s whole family got to be magical and so all this wasn’t as new to everyone as it was to her.

0 Kitty DOOOMMMMEEDD!!! 0 Kitty 0 5

Perdita

June 16, 2011 9:58 PM

Depends. I just may have a heart attack from all of it. by Perdita

"True," Perdita replied, wobbling a little in the air. She was only two feet from the ground but she still didn't want to fall. "It's definitely not something you can learn from a book, but I think that is what makes it fascinating. It's something that relies purely on instincts. Besides, I never miss the chance to excel."

Which was true. Perdita loved being above the norm in class averages, she loved pursuing something and then accomplishing it. It wasn't that she was afraid of failure, she understood that in order to learn one had to, naturally, fail and learn from their mistakes. A person doesn't generally get it right the first go around. To be sure, Perdita didn't want to fail. Her father would be rather disappointed if she did. And Perdita hated disappointing her father. He was all she had left.

"But, from what I have read, the theory is simplistic enough." Perdita wobbled again and dared to go a little higher. Three feet from the ground. Well, she wouldn't gain a neck injury, that was for sure. "Putting it into practice is a whole other matter entirely. And I am not willing to try it, honestly."

She glanced at Nora and smiled. "What class are you looking forward to? Personally I want to try my hand at Potions. It's a bit like cooking, or so I've read, and I simply love cooking. Only, I don't think the potions will taste pleasant."

0 Perdita Depends. I just may have a heart attack from all of it. 0 Perdita 0 5

Cherry

June 16, 2011 10:09 PM

Arlo Guthrie's motorcycle song. What were you referencing? by Cherry

Michael seemed a little slow, Cherry decided. Maybe he was tired. He didn't seem very tired, though. But least he knew what a bike was--or at least, he pretended he knew what a bike was. Or at least he knew that a bike had something to do with muggles. And right now, Cherry would take that.

From the word too on the he end of his question, Cherry decided that Michael was indeed a muggleborn. That would make him the first magical muggle Cherry had encountered who wasn't too scared to admit he was muggleborn. Point for Michael. Of course, it might be because he was a bit slow that he doesn't know that it's not great to be a muggleborn in a wizarding world. Wizards had been known to riot about muggleborns joining the schools. It was in the newspaper sometimes. It always made Cherry's father upset.

Was she muggleborn? Cherry wasn't sure how to answer that question.

"No," Cherry said. "But my grandparents on my dad's side are, and my parents have a partially muggle business (it's also a partially wizarding business), and I went to a muggle elementary school. I'm from Kenosha Wisconsin, which is just north of Chicago. How about you--I assume you're Muggleborn?"

0 Cherry Arlo Guthrie's motorcycle song. What were you referencing? 0 Cherry 0 5

Michael

June 17, 2011 2:57 PM

Queen! by Michael

Michael, who had been fairly sure of getting a simple 'yes' was rather taken aback by Cherry's answer. It was very long and complicated. The background noise was increasing as their fellow students successfully hovered their brooms and started breaking into chats around them (or didn't, and begged each other for help). There were parents and grandparents mentioned, so he guessed she must be saying she had a mixed family – especially as she'd definitely started her answer with 'no' yet she knew all about Muggle things. That was interesting. He had thought he and Laurie were the two possible types but it turned out there was an entire spectrum and Cherry was... somewhere along that. She knew what a bike was.

“That's cool,” he smiled, “Yeah, I'm a Muggleborn,” he nodded, having managed to pick the word out at the end of her stream of chatter, and noting the fact that she looked like she was expecting an answer, meaning it had been a question. “I didn't know anything about magi...il I got here but my rooommate's the total opposite – I had to try to explain to him what a plane was. It must be really handy knowing about both,”

13 Michael Queen! 199 Michael 0 5

Coach Amelia Pierce

June 17, 2011 4:46 PM

I'm glad you're so excited by Coach Amelia Pierce

Amelia watched the first years attempt to bring up their brooms and hover. A fair number of them were doing very well, but a few were having a little difficulty. Most were getting assistance from a classmate - including one girl who had been with the beginner class and then ran off with an advanced student. If Amelia wasn't at that point called over to help with a blond girl having trouble with the hover, she may have said something, but the one who her magical class list identified as Jhonice Trevear, Pecari, distracted her at just the right moment.

Deciding to keep her eye on the pair but otherwise let them do their thing with the rest of the advanced class, Amelia made her way over to the Pecari girl. The point of the class was learning to fly, and this one clearly needed coaching more than a kid who managed a hover on the first try and started playing broom tag with an advanced flier soon after.

Normally, she expected some of the students to join the wrong group, but usually it went the other way, where people who knew how to fly stayed for the lesson. But she'd given one rule and one rule only for earning participation credit: you had to be on a broom for the duration of the lesson. The one labeled Katrina McLevy, Aladren, on her class sheet was clearly doing just that, and so Amelia didn't have a problem with it so long as nobody got hurt.

Jhonice wasn't doing nearly as well. Her broom couldn't be ridden yet since it wasn't leaving the ground.

"Try it again," Amelia instructed, now that she was in a position to discern what the Pecari might be doing wrong. "Let me see."

1 Coach Amelia Pierce I'm glad you're so excited 20 Coach Amelia Pierce 0 5

Cherry Bosko

June 17, 2011 10:57 PM

Ahh, nice. King! [ATTN Coach--Spill in Progress] by Cherry Bosko

Woo! Michael admitted to being muggleborn. Fabulous. And his roommate was a full wizard and didn't know what a plane was. Cherry laughed and brushed her brown curls behind her shoulder. Well, that was pretty normal, in Cherry's experience. Wizardborns didn't know diddly about muggles.

"It's funny how most wizards are are just as blind to muggles are muggles are to them," Cherry grinned. "Knowing both is cool." She had a lot more to add on that topic about how it also was the worst thing ever, but instead she just summed it up with, "I'm just glad I won't be the only kid who does anymore."

She looked around at their classmates. Some of them were starting to hover without moving and Cherry realized that's what they were probably supposed to be doing to. The question was, how? Coach Pierce had not been very specific on that point.

"I'm going to try to take off," Cherry declared. She settled herself on the broom and it seemed to take her weight a little bit, but it was also still just a broom. Maybe it was time for commands again. She focused her thoughts on hovering and said, "Up!"

The broom lurched upward and Cherry struggled to hold on and it wiggled around. She yelped and shrieked and said things like, "Whoa" the way someone might who was trying to ride a feisty horse.

The broom finally succeeded in tossing Cherry to the grass. She rolled--you're supposed to roll when you fall and Cherry had fallen plenty of times on her bike--and slowly peeled herself off the grass. Her school robes dislodged, other students could see the pleated, knee length skirt Cherry wore underneath. The bright red matched the flowers on her off-white button up blouse and clashed with her sparkly purple toenails. She smoothed everything out and readjusted her school robes before snatching up the offending broom again. She stalked back to Michael feeling foolish and a little fresh at the knees, elbows, and chin.

"They forgot to put a warning label on this thing," she grumbled as she threw a leg back over the thing. "CAUTION: This broom was transfigured from fifteen wild stallions."

0 Cherry Bosko Ahh, nice. King! [ATTN Coach--Spill in Progress] 0 Cherry Bosko 0 5

Jhonice

June 18, 2011 7:16 AM

How could I not be? by Jhonice

It worked! She was here! Now what? Jhonice hadn't really thought that far ahead. She just stared in awe at the woman for a moment thinking of all the stories of The Amelia Pierce, before collecting herself again. Okay, she was here and she'd certainly spot her problem if she continued doing it. She would have to change tactics...

"Thank-you Ma... Coach Pierce," she started with a gleeful smile, "This is going to be great! Flying looks like such fun! I've already signed up for Quidditch try-outs and everything!" She looked down at her broom and issued the command again that came out more like a question, "Up?" The broom wobbled a bit on the ground then was still again. "It moved!" She clapped and cheered, "Is this how you learned to fly as well? How long did it take you? What am I doing wrong?" She looked imploringly at the coach. She was torn, she really wanted to fly... but she also wanted to stay here and continue the interview... what to do? She tried the broom again, maybe if she could get it off the ground, she could convince Amelia Pierce that she would need more 'supervision'. That would work against her though in her attempts to make it onto the Quidditch team.

She had to make the Quidditch team, regardless of anything else. Not so much because she liked the game, she really had never understood the allure that some people had for it, but she knew who was on the teams. It would be a great opportunity to observe and learn more about them. If she didn't make the team, she'd be relegated to the stands as part of the audience. Then she'd miss out on all the 'behind-the-scenes' stuff! That could not happen, she had to succeed! Sadly it meant postponing this interview in favor of more later.

2 Jhonice How could I not be? 209 Jhonice 0 5

Coach Amelia Pierce

June 18, 2011 8:56 AM

You make a good point by Coach Amelia Pierce

The girl nearly called her ma'am. Amelia wasn't quite sure how to take that. She'd be thirty-six in a couple weeks and, to eleven year olds, that was certainly within the realms of ancient ma'am-hood. Fortunately for both of them, Jhonice had corrected herself and called Amelia by title and name instead, before the whole word had gotten out.

On the other hand, if the children were thinking of her as a ma'am, that did imply both respect and a small amount of fear so, if it was a common thought, at least she'd have good discipline.

"Yes, flying is fun," she agreed, and was momentarily relieved that Bel was too proud to ask great slews of questions all at once and Derry had a tendency to make up his own answers. Somehow, she'd also managed to avoid getting the same from the Sonora students as well (at least in part, she'd heard, because she'd arrived a little too late to teach Quentin Melcher's flying lesson).

"First of all, you need to be more authoritative," she instructed. "You are issuing a command, not a question." Though she could understand the misconception. The girl really liked her questions.

Fortunately - no, this was unfortunate - another student had a bad reaction to attempting to hover and went tumbling to the ground. "Hang on. Keep trying. Be firm. I need to go," she started taking steps toward the fallen girl; it was not a retreat, "make sure she's not badly hurt."

1 Coach Amelia Pierce You make a good point 20 Coach Amelia Pierce 0 5

Paul

June 18, 2011 2:09 PM

But can you breathe up there? by Paul

Off the top of his head, Paul could think of two things about Teppenpaw House: there was a girl in it named Kate who was Lize’s age and had worked with her in a play a few years ago, and it was the one Sonora House Eliza had said there was no way she could see Paul going into. She had been betting on Aladren, so Paul didn’t accept her judgment as definitive, but it was still something to think of. Were Teppenpaws their sort’s natural opposites?

If they were, this one seemed willing to quietly coexist. That worked great, since so was Paul. Enemies were bad. They could make a person crazy.

He almost fumbled the Quaffle when it came back to him, but got the tips of his fingers on it and gave it a bit more of a toss back toward himself. It bounced off his chest, giving him time to get it in his arms. “Liking it fine so far, thank you,” he called back in response to the question once he’d done that, hoping the slight delay wouldn’t be taken for rudeness. It was hard to talk and focus on a Quaffle that didn’t want to go where he told it to at the exact same time. “Are you?”

He tossed the ball between his hands for a moment on the question about his family. “My older sister’s in third year,” he replied. “One of my uncles married a girl from Sonora, and another was engaged to one, so Great-Grandfather thought it must be a good place. We think the other sibs will come, too – there’s five of us.” He decided to assume this left the door open for Asa to discuss his family dynamics if he wished to do so, without feeling he had to if he did not. Families were complicated. Sometimes, it was easier just not to say anything.

He nodded when asked if he was going out for the Quidditch team, or at least, that was what he assumed the question meant. He couldn’t think of any other kinds of positions that they could go out for. “Beater,” he said. “Eliza – my sister – says that Quidditch here is mad, so I thought I might do better if I was the one holding the bat. What about you?”

0 Paul But can you breathe up there? 0 Paul 0 5

Nora

June 18, 2011 3:47 PM

That would be bad by Nora

Nora nodded. She was all for doing her best in classes though she wasn't thrilled with having to put forth the effort in such a trivial, useless, non-academic like flying. "Personally, I prefer the stuff that you can learn from a book. Flying doesn't do much for me." There was also something to be said for what one could observe about a person and their behavior in a situation but Nora kept this to herself. Her mother had told her that it was rude and off-putting to mention such a thing.

"Of course, it's pretty much nothing new to me. I only stayed with the beginners because I don't care to play Quidditch." Nora continued. She had no use for the game, and on the other hand, did have use for the multitude of body parts that could be injured while playing. "My cousin Hope said the games here are brutal and my other cousin, Hope's sister, Kaylie got hit in the back with a bludger when she played. Not that I see that happening during this lesson."

She smiled when Perdita said she wasn't interested in putting the theory of flying further into practice. "You really don't need to." Nora assured her roommate. "There are so many better ways to travel using magic. Like Apparation and the Floo network. Those are much more convenient. Broom riding is impractical long distances."

The Aladren continued. "Transfiguration." Those in her family had a natural tendency towards it, her uncle Marshall was especially amazing at it, as Grandfather's magical power combined in him with Grandmother Rosemary's genetics to make him a prodigy. Nora didn't expect to be quite as good as him, but she expected to do well at it nonetheless.

"Potions sounds interesting too, though." She laughed. "And they don't all taste pleasant, but then, neither do all foods. I've never cooked a thing in my life and I can assure you, if I made something, it would not taste good. We have house elves for cooking and cleaning." Nora was starting to assume that Perdita might be a muggleborn. Not that the first year had a problem with that. Maybe she could learn something about them that way. Besides, Perdita seemed pleasant enough and they seemed to have a bit in common.

11 Nora That would be bad 197 Nora 0 5

Sally

June 18, 2011 11:21 PM

...That statement is entirely contradictory. by Sally

The humor in Mellie’s joking request for more guts was lost on Sally. In fact, the Aladren felt suddenly very protective of her intestines and other organs. Her breeding had not left much for humor; her mother had tried on occasion to make a joke, but her father had shot down the joke, insisting that Sally be exposed to nothing but logic.

It was he she credited with making her the way she was, with an IQ of approximately one-ninety. With her logic came a price: her humor, or at least the understanding of it. The brown-haired first year did not comprehend jokes unless they were clearly spelled out, and if someone was to ask her, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” her answer would likely have included the migration habits of chickens and other birds naturally.

As the girl--Mellie--introduced herself, Sally felt it safe to assume, as no location or pedigree was provided, that she was not a pureblood. It was not as if she personally cared much for the blood supremacy, but her father did, and she had been taught all of the ideals. Despite this more likely than not assumption, Sally knew she was to be polite. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mellie.”

“Is it hard? Sitting sideways on your broom like that?” The eleven year old blinked her brown eyes at the question. Was it challenging? Sally had never really thought about it. “It is not a challenge to me,” she answered after a moment, “because it is a ladylike gesture, and… to do such is how I was raised.”

Asking Sally if performing a ladylike action was challenging was like asking her if remembering to breathe was difficult. It was second nature after eleven years of preparation. Feeling like it would be the polite thing to do to pose a question of similar nature in response, the Aladren inquired, “Is it difficult to sit on your broom in the fashion often accepted as the norm? The position you are in now?”

Sally was hardly enjoying her social interactions, and now she just wanted classes to end for the day so she could dive into a book in her dormitory. She was sure her roommate Nora would not disturb her, and Perdita would likely leave her to herself. Perhaps if she appeared extremely occupied, Katrina “Kitty” would as well. Honestly, that girl was just too energetic for Sally’s taste.

0 Sally ...That statement is entirely contradictory. 0 Sally 0 5

Solomon

June 19, 2011 4:00 AM

I think about it every night and day. by Solomon

Words were never wasted in the little plays Solomon wrote, coercing his brother and cousins to perform for him, inserting lines into their speech. Words moved things along, or at least they should. Had a duty to do so. Not to be left hanging in the air, drifting across from one mouth to the other. "Ah think so." He bored himself with his speech. Why couldn't brilliance emit from his mouth? He was trying too hard. He relaxed on his broom. Clever words were for parchment and ink. He could either be silent now, or just get through the conversation. "Ah mean, ahm not sure yet. Ahm not used tuh bein' 'way from home." He'd always been with family. Always with his brother. He wasn't scared now, or sad, or even uncomfortable. 'Things are just different. That's all.'

Paul was passing the Quaffle from palm to palm. Solomon wavered in the air and waited, listening as the other boy talked, his broom rising a little up, lowering a little down. "Five." He repeated. "Ah have a younger brother, and he migh' come. An' muh cousins. But ahm the firs' of us all tuh come heah to Sonora. Mos' of m'family are from out of the countreh, an' then mos others stay in Louisiana. Ah 'spect you came because yo' sista liked it heah fine? Muh father said it wus a good school." Too many words now. Solomon was fine with silence, comfortable in his thoughts, but when he started sometimes he wished he could just as soon stop. The words poured out with thin strings attached to them and he had to pull quickly, hard, and tight to reel the words back in.

He tilted his head slightly, unsure by what Paul meant as Quidditch at Sonora being crazy. "The Teppenpaw cap'n is already Keeper, which is what ah always played. So, ah've signed up jus' as a reserve. On'y 'cause that's the on'y position ah like. Maybe when she goes, ah can be Keeper." His girl cousins were allowed to play with them back home, but somehow Solomon had gotten the impression (his father, uncles, cousins, and his father's friends jeering in the stands at female players, their suggestive and rude motions that they made at the players' posters) that in the outside world, girls weren't allowed to play. It still seemed odd to him that he wasn't going to have what he wanted because of that reason. He felt no particular overwhelming passion for the sport though. The character he had written that did love Quidditch hadn't been fleshed out yet, or thought about enough, so Solomon was able to withstand his influence. "What did yuh mean? About the games being crazy heah?" He waited for a pass, as well as an answer, curiosity creeping into his tone.

0 Solomon I think about it every night and day. 0 Solomon 0 5

Jhonice

June 19, 2011 7:59 AM

Now on to success! by Jhonice

Jhonice watched as Amelia hurried off to check on the girl who had tumbled off her broom. She sighed to herself, and briefly considered doing the same thing once she had her broom in the air. Then she remembered her plan, a little sacrifice now will lead to many more opportunities later. She would have to do good. The Matriarch would be much more willing to talk to her if she excelled rather than if she was a continual embarrassment.

Her new determination set, she held out her hand and in her best authoritative voice commanded the broom into her hand, "UP!" The broom rose gracefully into the air, and dropped back to the ground just before meeting her hand. She shot the broom a confused and irate look, that wasn't supposed to happen. She had made up her mind and she should be dramatically soaring around the field impressing The Matriarch, not back where she had started. "UP!" she commanded the broom again, once more the broom slowly rose up and this time met her hand. She grasped it quickly. Okay, step one complete, good. Onto step two.

She swung her leg over the broom and straddled it. Now was the moment of truth. Please don't fall, please don't fall, she chanted to herself as she slowly lifted her feet and settled her weight on the broom. It held! She was hovering! "Yes!" she cheered out loud. Now what? She really probably should have gotten some more instruction out of Andrew, he knew how these things worked. If she was on the Pecari team... she'd probably face off against him in Quidditch at some point, that thought amused her. She'd show him! She started shifting her weight around trying to jog the broom into motion, "Come on! Go! Stupid broom!" She succeeded in loosening her grip and losing her balance, before she knew what had happened she was clutching madly to the broom as she was now hanging below it.

Glancing down, she also had somehow gotten farther off the ground than she remembered. Had the broom been floating up the entire time she had been sitting on it? There was at least a good ten feet between her and the ground now. "Help! Anyone?"

2 Jhonice Now on to success! 209 Jhonice 0 5

Linus

June 19, 2011 1:20 PM

That's fighting talk by Linus

The boy next to Linus look strangely familiar, but he couldn't place him. Potentially all the first years were looking familiar now, even though they'd been at the school together for a small amount of time. They'd all been at the Opening Feast, and some of them had been on the wagon with him, so no doubt he'd made some memory of a few of his fellow classmates by now. Whoever this particular individual was next to him, he didn't seem to be successful in his attempts to make his broom rise. He even went as far as to blame it on the broomstick, as if an inanimate object could be responsible. The fact that he practically kicked it spoke volumes to Linus about poor discipline.

"A good artist never blames his tools," Linus proclaimed. The possibility that the equipment was sub-standard could admittedly be a valid potential cause for the broomstick's reluctance, but Linus would like to think that the Coach, his Head of House, would not have provided inexperienced flyers - let alone inexperienced wizards - with defective equipment. In essence, the broom was merely a tool for the young wizard to wield, like any other piece of sporting equipment; if you couldn't hit a tennis ball over the net then it was hardly the fault of the raquet. It made much more sense that the difference was down to the performance and skills of the individual.

"Here, try it with my broomstick, if you like," Linus said, placing his own tool next to his fellow student. That it had already proved to have worked successfully would settle the argument about defective equipment, though it may also have the unfortunate side-effect of identifying his peer as incompetent. Linus had no intention of riding a broomstick - his or any other - in front of a class full of people, so he didn't mind lending it out, even if the alternative broom he was left with turned out to be defective after all. That simply created a good excuse for him to get out of the class, as far as he was concerned.

0 Linus That's fighting talk 0 Linus 0 5

Mellie

June 20, 2011 7:48 PM

Well, you're a lady, but you're flying now, aren't you? by Mellie

“Um, you, too,” Mellie said upon hearing that it was a pleasure to meet her, feeling uncomfortable with the formal introduction pattern, but grateful that Sally had at least not called her something impolite and flown off. She had never had to deal with more than rich ladies occasionally giving her mother and her a slightly blank look, as though confused that they existed, and then moving off with their noses just a little bit higher up, so she really wasn’t sure how she would handle it if she ever did have to really deal with someone being unpleasant to her because of that.

She bit her lip, too, at the response to her question. A ladylike gesture. Implication: Mellie wasn’t ladylike. Though that was a fact, and Sally’s slow pace hadn’t indicated that she was all that comfortable doing what she was doing, and really, what was she going to do about it if it had meant something? Mellie admired ladies – not just rich people, a lady didn’t have to be rich to be a lady; it was a thing of the mind, a way of carrying oneself and behaving, always with grace and politeness and dressing just so and everything – and loved the idea of being one, but Merlin knew she never would be.

Sally’s return question seemed innocent enough, though, even if it was worded kind of funny. Either she was being really mean and was mentally laughing her socks off at Mellie, or it was the way Mellie was taking it and she was a little…off, but basically okay, sorta – just privileged, used to thinking of things how she thought of them, and there was no point in getting worked up about that too much. “It’s not too hard,” she said. “Cushioning charms are great either way, yeah?” She attempted another smile. “And it’s how I learned. I’m not that good, though. I was working on diving right before I came over here, I’m trying to get a spot on the Pecari Quidditch team.”

Another not-ladylike thing, and she was pretty sure you couldn’t actually play in the position Sally was in for very long, so she didn’t bother asking if the other girl was doing that, too. Instead, she looked at Sally’s robes and went with that. “So you’re in Aladren,” she half-said, half-asked. “I know someone in there, Russell from home, he’s one of the second years. Do you like it? He likes it. I thought I was going to be in there, but, you know.” She gestured to her own robes. “I wasn’t.”

16 Mellie Well, you're a lady, but you're flying now, aren't you? 206 Mellie 0 5

Paul

June 21, 2011 11:49 PM

It is an important matter by Paul

Paul nodded acceptance of the unfamiliarity with being away from home. “I suppose most of us are,” he said. Merlin knew he’d never been away from his brothers and sisters and parents before. They went sometimes and had holidays with his aunts and uncles, but even then, the family was together. The closest to separation they got was Father occasionally going away for business and Eliza coming to school, and they both inevitably came back, just as Paul would in a few months. He did wonder, though, how bad it was going to be on Richard once Leo was off at school, be it this one or another. He’d be like an only child for a while, a concept Paul found it hard to get his mind around.

So Asa had a younger brother and some cousins and was from Louisiana. He filed it all away, but the last fact was of particular interest to Paul, especially since the reference to his father saying it was a good school and his brother and cousins perhaps coming someday indicated that he was from a magical family. Now he’d have a better idea what to write Father about.

“Aunt Helena thought it was, too,” he replied. “But I think everything was decided for us before we knew if my sister liked it or not.” Their feelings weren’t really a subject that Great-Grandfather took into consideration, though at least they weren’t Grandfather and his sibs. They had really had the old man’s attention, and none of them, Father and Grandfather both agreed, were the better for it.

“She meant that it’s crazy,” Paul replied, throwing the Quaffle back to his companion. Keeper, huh? Only a reserve, but still. He seemed to have some catching skills. Might not hurt to try to fool him a little to see how good he really was. Maybe next time. “Violent crazy. Five or six people a game injured, Bludgers everywhere, every other pass is intercepted, some of these guys are flying at each other, Seekers getting injured all over the place and still playing….” He laughed. “If that’s how they all feel about it, I want to be able to hit back, you know?”

0 Paul It is an important matter 0 Paul 0 5

Perdita

June 23, 2011 8:29 AM

Terrible, so it's a good thing I wont be. by Perdita

Perdita nodded in understanding. House elves. She had read about them. She couldn't understand why someone would want to serve people like house elves did, but it was an entirely different culture and world. House elves were different from humans, so obviously they didn't have a human's way of thinking. Which was likely a good thing, because humans could be terrible people sometimes. Perdita shook her head. Imagine if House elves did have a human's psyche. There would be revolts and wars, because from what Perdita understood, House Elves had a sort of magic that wasn't available to wizards and witches. They could apparate and disapparate wherever they pleased; wards couldn't stop them. It would be much like the Goblin Wars she read in the history books in the library. Terrible stuff.

Having house elves would make chores at home so much easier though. She could cook fairly well, or at least so her father told her, but Perdita knew having a house elf would help with mundane things that she hated. Like cleaning her room. Perdita hated it so much she kept it spick and span just so she wouldn't have to clean it. Everything had a place in her room. Honestly though, if they weren't in their proper place she started to panic. Her father had misplaced a book of hers once and Perdita almost had a mental break down. It hadn't been pleasant. At all.

"We don't have house elves, unfortunately, though I'm sure they make things so much simpler at home." Perdita told Nora. "My father is a muggle and wouldn't know what to do with it, and probably wouldn't understand that it wouldn't be like having a maid or cook. Or the clothes thing. I only know so much about them because I read about them. I tried reading everything I could on the magical world before coming to Sonora, so I wouldn't feel left out." Perdita admitted.

She hadn't told anyone that before. She didn't like to feel different. She hated it, actually. The children at her muggle school had despised her because of her intelligence and supposed swotty attitude. She'd been different. But an entire knew world had been opened up for her when she had arrived to Sonora, a world of magic and people just like her. Aladren, especially. People who liked books and classes and learning. She almost felt at home.

"What is having a magical family like?" Perdita asked the girl. "If you don't mind my asking, I don't mean to be too forward- I can get a bit like that sometimes. When I'm nervous, I mean."

0 Perdita Terrible, so it's a good thing I wont be. 0 Perdita 0 5

Nora

June 25, 2011 10:03 PM

Indeed by Nora

"Understandable." Nora replied. Who wanted to be left out? She herself didn't really know what it was like but she had heard that Nina had some problems with it because her roommates played Quidditch and Nina wasn't allowed to. It had a lot to do with why Nora's once outgoing and spirited cousin had become more subdued over time.

Being left out and/or feeling rejected could have quite an impact on someone's life. Nora's cousin Adam had felt rejected at Sonora and now he was pretty bitter about the experience. Her grandfather had rejected her uncle, and her uncle was a drunk. So certainly, Nora could understand why Perdita would not want to be rejected.

Of course, whether or not Perdita would actually be left out depended more on the make-up of the class rather than not knowing much about magic. Chelsea had had the good fortune to be part of a class full of people just like her whereas Nina, while in a class with similar people was left out simply because she wasn't on the Quidditch team. "If our class has a lot of others with non-magical backgrounds, I doubt you'll be the odd one out." Nora assured her roommate.

"Besides," The first year continued. "If you like reading," or are a complete psycho on the Quidditch Pitch "you should fit right into Aladren." Nora thought she and Perdita and possibly Sally would get along fairly well. Kitty was the one who was different. She'd probably fit in pretty well with the Pecaris though if the ones in their class proved to be like the house stereotype. "I personally love to read all kinds of things, fiction and non-fiction."

"It's all right, there's no reason to be nervous." Nora told Perdita. She thought for a moment. "Well, I mean, I don't know what it's like to not have a magical family, so I don't really know what the differences are but there are some defininite things that are different in magical society as a whole. Purebloods-which are those from completely magical backgrounds-tend to introduce themselves very properly. I sort of forgot to, but I'm supposed to introduce myself as Nora Dobson from the South Dakota Dobsons. We have lessons in not just academic subjects but in etiquette and such as well prior to coming to school at eleven. Wealthier families tend to use house elves for menial tasks rather than doing them themselves but the poorer families can still use cleaning charms."

Nora continued. "I suppose though it just depends on the family. Not every magical family is alike, just like I'm sure not every muggle family is alike. It sort of depends on who is in the family." She paused. "Also, most prominent wizarding families tend to be headed by a patriarch, who tends to generally be the oldest male in the family."

11 Nora Indeed 197 Nora 0 5

Amelia Pierce

July 04, 2011 1:45 PM

Rescue by Amelia Pierce

Amelia hurried over from where she had been instructing Jhonice on being firm with the broom, to where the Crotalus girl had just taken a spill. It hadn't looked like a bad one, and it had been from a low enough altitude that Amelia just hadn't had time to get her wand out for a direct rescue like she'd done more than once in most of the Quidditch Games last year, but the Pitch ground was permanently enchanted anyway to avoid serious injury even when Amelia wasn't around personally.

Sure enough, the girl - Miss Bosko, Amelia thought her name was, from when she called attendance - rolled like a pro and got back to her feet without wailing for a paramedic or healer. By the time she finished sorting herself out, Amelia had reached her side.

Trying to not look too amused by the warning label recommendation, Amelia remarked dryly, "It's wild dragons, not stallions, but there are only two of them, not fifteen. The warning label is printed in invisible ink."

She didn't think the girl was too badly off if she was able to make jokes, but Amelia was the teacher here so she was obligated to ask, "Do you need a bandage or a visit to the nurse or are you all right to keep going?"

1 Amelia Pierce Rescue 20 Amelia Pierce 0 5