Happy clouds floating on Quidditch Pitch

Professor Skies

May 25, 2013 3:07 PM

First Year Flying Lesson by Professor Skies

Amelia had contracted some kind of vile 'flu bug and needed cover for the first flying class of the year. And thus, before she had met them yet in her proper capacity as their Transfiguration Professor, Selina was heading out to supervise the new first years on the pitch. She'd gone over with Amelia what she usually did; let the capable ones do their own thing, let the prim ones ride side saddle if they had to and don't let anyone die. It seemed straight-forward. On paper. Now as she stood on the pitch, she was starting to feel a little less comfortable. She was a competent flyer, having played Quidditch throughout her school years, and occasionally during her teaching career in staff-student matches, or else at family events. She was also, she hoped, rather more than a competent teacher. She could only hope, therefore, that teaching flying was not a task much more complicated than the sum of its parts, in which case she would be alright. Teaching things, however, usually was harder than doing them but as she was just guiding the students in a hover, she thought it would be manageable.

“Good morning,” she called, once everyone seemed to have assembled. She had allowed a few minutes for stragglers, seeing as they were still bound to be finding their way, but started once she felt she had the majority there. “I am Professor Skies, and you will more usually find me in your Transfiguration classes. However, as Coach Pierce is sick today, I have offered to cover this class for her.” The first order of business was to take the register. She made her way from Bennett to Yesir, ticking them off as they answered.

“Right, those of you who are experienced flyers will have the opportunity to move away from the learners in a minute,” she phrased it carefully to prevent any of them haring off before she had finished giving them their instructions. “There is a basket of sports balls, including Quaffles, at the other side of the pitch. You may fly around or play however you wish within reason. Be aware of the beginners and be sensible. Misbehaving is not only discourteous to your colleagues who are trying to learn but, as with many situations you will encounter at a magical school, can be downright dangerous. If anyone misbehaves, they will spend the rest of the session on the bench, and suffer any other sanctions I deem necessary,” she informed them, her face serious. Although she liked to be upbeat and friendly there were certain things it just did not do to joke about, and safety warnings were one of them. “If you wish to spend the lesson in the non-learner group, you may make your way towards the other side of the pitch now.” The balls were placed near enough that she would be able to keep a reasonable eye on the group.

“Ok, beginners,” she said, turning to the remaining first years. “Before we start out, I would like to remind everyone that this is a flying lesson. It is not a Quidditch lesson and thus I cannot foresee it causing any problems,” she said, speaking at least as firmly as she had done when warning the other group not to mess around. “It is a compulsory part of your education and everyone is expected to put in their full effort. Everyone take a school broom. If you wish to have your seat adjusted to fly side-saddle, please raise your hand,” she moved through the crowd, making adjustments where requested.

“Now, place your broom beside you, hold your wand hand out above it and give the command Up!” she intoned, her own broom jumping to her hand as she demonstrated. “You will need to be clear and commanding, and feel a genuine intent to make the broom obey you. Once you have succeeded in this, your broom will stay in a hover and you can mount, either astride or side-saddle.”

OOC
Welcome to your first class! The structure of this will be the same as the feast, i.e. small threads starting out from this one. By posting in class, you will earn points for your house as posts are graded 1-5. The usual site rules of a minimum 200 words apply. However, if you write an average post, you will get an average mark. If you write a good post, you will get a good mark. The marking is based on how well you write, not how well your character does at the lesson. Relevance, believability, length and creativity are the key to a good mark.

If you are unsure what is expected of you please:
- Check the FAQ

- Check the 'dos and don'ts for class threads' post

- Ask on the OOC board

Remember that a teacher is present and would stop any situation before it got out of hand, so end posts at a point that gives me a chance to react if your character is getting into difficulty or misbehaving. If you wish to have your broom adjusted to side-saddle, you may assume that Professor Skies did this. Otherwise, as per usual, there is no writing for other characters.

Subthreads:

Soaring through the air! by Chloe Jareau with Viktor Volkov, Crotalus, Chloe

Happy clouds floating by Ji-Eun Park, Pecari with Eleanor Vandenberg - Crotalus, Nellie Vandenberg

Fancy a race? by Leo Princeton, Crotalus with Dimitri Porter, Teppenpaw, Leo Princeton

Can I do something else now? by Emery Kijewski-Jareau

This situation is precarious at best. by Thaddeus Luther Leebridge III with Ava Fletcher, T.L. Leebridge

The moment I've been waiting for. by Tristan Spaulding, Crotalus

Wanna play catch? by Darina Porter

0 Professor Skies First Year Flying Lesson 26 Professor Skies 1 5

Chloe Jareau

May 26, 2013 3:38 PM

Soaring through the air! by Chloe Jareau

Chloe was so excited to begin her lessons for the year and thought it was fantastic that the first lesson of the day would be that of flying. Chloe already knew how to fly. Her dad taught her and Emery a long time ago. Nothing special and they were only beginner brooms, but she had learned enough to keep her balance and fly around in circles. She certainly was not an expert at flying, but she knew enough to not have to stay with the beginners. Being raised with just a dad for most of her life, she tended to play sports or with trucks and climb trees. Kiva had been around for the most part, but at that time, she was just a friend of her dad’s and didn’t spend too much time with her one and one at that point.

Chloe pulled her long blonde hair into a low pony tail, not really worried about whether or not it was neat. As long as it kept her hair out of her face that was all she cared about. In jean shorts and a boy t-shirt beneath her robes, Chloe stood along with the rest of the first years waiting for the lesson to begin. She fidgeted on her toes while she waited and cheerfully called out ‘here’ when her name was called. Upon being released onto her own, Chloe grabbed a broom and set off for the pre-determined area in which they could go and play ball or just fly. As much as Chloe didn’t mind playing sports with her dad, she had done it more for him than for herself. He had been a single dad with a little girl and had no idea what to do about it. Sports were his way of trying and so, she grew to appreciate the time she had spent with him doing so. But she didn’t plan on making it her thing while at school.

With this in mind, Chloe did not make her way directly to the various balls that were available to them. Instead, she mounted her broom and took off into the air with quick speed. For a moment, she had forgotten on what to do with the broom and had simple just kept going up, but then her brain came back to life and she straightened it out and began to fly in circles. When she finally slowed down and simply hovered, Chloe smiled at the person nearest her. “Nearly forgot what I was doing! That would have made for an embarrassing start!” She exclaimed without really seeming remotely embarrassed at the idea she had just stated.

6 Chloe Jareau Soaring through the air! 267 Chloe Jareau 0 5

Ji-Eun Park, Pecari

May 26, 2013 4:37 PM

Happy clouds floating by Ji-Eun Park, Pecari

Ji-Eun did not have much experience on a broom. This was not because her parents subscribed to any notions regarding its suitability for young ladies – they did not really have any contact with those kinds of circles and had never even heard of WAIL. They simply felt the activity was a waste of time. What was the point of larking about in the air when you could be doing something useful? She had had a couple of goes on the toy broomsticks of friends but she had done little more on those than skim her toes on the grass.

She was as prepared as she could be, in that her hair and clothes were practical and suited to the task at hand. Her dark tresses were swept into a bun. This was a rather dull style but she had livened it up by keeping stray strands out of her face with large star-shaped hair clips in bright shades. Under her uniform, she was wearing a t-shirt long enough to look more like a dress. It was pale blue with a number of smiling clouds on the front towards the middle. Above them were scrawled in a font designed to replicate simple, slightly childish hand-writing the words 'Happy clouds floating.' She had figured it was appropriate to the activity at hand, and might give her a little bit of help or inspiration. She had paired this with pale pink leggings and white tennis shoes.

She lined up with the other first years, listening carefully to what Professor Skies said. Regardless of whether they thought it was any use of not, her parents would still expect her to do well in the class. Besides which, Transfiguration was a subject her parents cared about and, even if the professor was out of her usual environment, you still only got one chance to make a first impression. She wanted her teacher to think of her as someone hard-working and competent. She did not want her Transfiguration teacher to think of her as a failure before she'd even set foot in her classroom. And she already had her house placement working against her. For all that Clara had told her positive things about Pecari, it did not sound like a highly academic house and thus the teachers were bound to expect the brightest students to be found elsewhere.

She collected a school broom as instructed. She was rather surprised by the tone the Transfiguration teacher took with them, as if there were people in the class who would be unwilling to work. Maybe most people didn't really take it seriously.... When the question was asked about people wanting to ride side saddle, she noticed that it was mostly, if not exclusively, girls who raised their hands and wondered whether she should too. However, if it was how all girls were supposed to ride then it wouldn't need asking. She might still have raised her hand out of worry that the others would consider her to be doing something wrong but some other girls had not, and Chloe had already zoomed off astride her broom. Ji-Eun wasn't sure what the difference between the groups was but hoped that it wouldn't really matter. She placed the broom by her right hand side and held her hand over it.

“Up!” she commanded. It did nothing. That was ok... So long as she persevered and was able to do it in the end...

“Up!” she tried again, still to no avail. She had never really had to command anything before... She wondered what would happen if she spoke to it in Korean. It wasn't that she necessarily felt any more authoritative in that language. But she missed home. She felt safer and more secure there, and that was the nearest she thought she had to being commanding. She called to it once more, this time in Korean. The broom jerked part way towards her hand before seeming to give up and returning to earth. Was it the repeated practice or the switch in language that had done it, she wondered? She was still trying to decide which one to try in again when a voice caught her attention...

13 Ji-Eun Park, Pecari Happy clouds floating 268 Ji-Eun Park, Pecari 0 5

Eleanor Vandenberg - Crotalus

May 26, 2013 5:28 PM

Why are the clouds happy? by Eleanor Vandenberg - Crotalus

Unlike her best friend, Nellie had never flown before in her life. She knew Leo's family really didn't care all that much, but hers did. She wasn't from the wealthiest pureblood family around or the grandest, so her parents tried really hard to groom her into a lady. That meant no broom-riding or rolling in the grass or lying down on her back in public. She had done most of those things when she was hanging out with Leo Princeton as a child, but recently she had grown up a little. So when she heard that flying classes were mandatory, she was at a loss of what to do. She knew her mom would hate her getting on one, but at the same time she had to.

The academic part of it won and she went to class with her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her uniform was prim and proper and she always walked with more confidence than she actually had. It was something she had picked up from hanging around Leo so much. She picked up a school broom and waited till the instructions began. Apparently their Head of House was really sick and Nellie was glad she wasn't here to teach them. It was better to stay home than to see their professor get sick everywhere.

Nellie didn't know whether or not she was supposed to ride sidesaddle, but Leo probably didn't and Nellie didn't want to be left out of his games even if she was a lady. She wanted to impress people and not seem completely stuck up.

The girl next to her commanded her broom to come up and Nellie did the same. "Up!" she said, but her voice wasn't commanding enough. She stared at the broom a little peeved when she heard the same girl say something to her broom in an Asian language. Nellie jerked her head around to see if the girl's broom had done anything and was surprised to see it had moved a bit. Nellie wasn't used to hearing very many different languages in Surrey nor was she used to seeing all that many Asians like her mom. Nellie was half-Chinese, but though her mom could speak it, she had never taught Nellie how. And having spent most of her childhood growing up with the Princeton boys, particularly Leo, Nellie hadn't been exposed to many other languages besides French. There were definitely some interesting people here at Sonora.

"What did you say to your broom?" she asked curiously, her dark green eyes looking at the girl curiously. "How did it work?" Maybe if she said it in the girl's language maybe it would work better even though Nellie's first language was English.

0 Eleanor Vandenberg - Crotalus Why are the clouds happy? 0 Eleanor Vandenberg - Crotalus 0 5

Leo Princeton, Crotalus

May 27, 2013 7:19 PM

Fancy a race? by Leo Princeton, Crotalus

Flying class seemed like the best class there could be ever, but he knew it was a lie. Growing up, Leo had been cursed with a flying instructor who had taught him how to fly properly while his parents had been busy with other things. He had hated his tutor with a passion and had done all he could to get out of lessons. They were mostly by himself, though Nellie had come to watch a few times, making it more difficult for Leo to slip past without a real excuse. By the end, his instructor had given up on him completely. But it was after his flying instructor had quit that Leo proved to be quite skilled at flying.

Though he came from a prominent Quiditch family with Seekers running through his family’s bloodline, Leo had never touched a Quaffle in his short life. Every informal match his family had put together, Leo had found something better to do or he had been too young to play. Either way, he had never had the fierce competitive spirit as Cepheus nor the natural athleticism Rupert had inherited. So Leo, though he knew the rules or the game and the injuries that came from it, had merely watched on the sidelines. He was much more willing to go racing in a safe area that dare to get hit by a flying bludger or the like. Flying lessons here would be the easiest O he would get and Leo didn’t care for an O in any other subject, really. He was glad flying lessons didn’t include Quaffle-throwing or something. His flying tutor would have dared to put him through that sort of thing if Leo hadn’t gotten him so sick so many times.

Leo joined the others on the pitch and checked his fingernails as the professor took roll. He was very glad Coach Pierce wasn’t teaching today. He had been disgusted that she had even wanted to lead them to the Crotalus commons being as ill as she was. Didn’t she know better than to infect others with her germs? When the time came to grab brooms, Leo had his custom-made broom from a big entrepreneur his family proudly supported and watched smugly as others scrambled to grab a school broom. The pure-blood witches had an excuse, he supposed, but the wizards certainly didn’t.

Professor Skies dismissed the experienced flyers and Leo left with the group, wondering how he could escape this class. He was certain these professors were at least a bit more competent than his tutors had been, but he could never be sure till he tried. At least while he was stuck here, he could have a bit of fun. Leo carried his broom nonchalantly, but proudly, ready to show it off at any moment. He approached someone who looked like they were a bit reckless. He was brilliant at finding out personalities from first impressions and he hoped his assumption of this classmate’s look was correct. Finding someone who was willing to break a few rules was always the first step to having fun. “Hello. I’m Leo Princeton, of the Surrey Princetons. Want to race?” he asked immediately.

0 Leo Princeton, Crotalus Fancy a race? 0 Leo Princeton, Crotalus 0 5

Viktor Volkov, Crotalus

May 27, 2013 8:28 PM

Hovering in the air. by Viktor Volkov, Crotalus

Viktor stood near to the other first years, surveying the situation. Their female transfiguration professor would be teaching them how to fly. He wasn’t sure what to think about that. Surprisingly, it had nothing to do with the fact that she was female, which seemed to be something of importance in the American culture. At home, women could just as easily be in charge as the men could. No, he was more concerned since he wasn’t the regular professor for the subject. He would much rather have preferred Pierce since now he was worried about those that were learning running into him. Injury by a random flying person was not an option. It would end up being purely embarrassing. He was not about to have his reputation ruined. The only solution he could see was making sure that he was far away from those students.

After all the details were given, Viktor wandered off to a slightly isolated area of the field. He hovered a bit, allowing himself to get used to the broom. If he decided to try out for Quidditch, he would certainly need to send for his. This one was clearly old and he doubted it could go terribly fast. After adjusting, he tried a couple tricks just to see how it would hold before he attempted to go any higher. He was just about to go up when a girl came near him. He gave her a once over. She didn’t really look like a girly-girl. Her hair wasn’t perfect and her outfit seemed like something more for a commoner. Of course, she could have been one of those pureblood girls that liked to rebel against the rules. Or she could end up being one of the popular ones. Americans were funny like that.

He would have to wait and see. Until then, he would play nice even though what she said made her sound like an airhead. “What exactly is it that you were trying to do?” He raised a dark eyebrow in question. His lips were pursed slightly. If anything could ever be said about Viktor, it would be that his face was very expressful and sometimes intense. Though, one couldn’t always be quite sure how he would react or what the meaning behind them was. At the moment, it probably just looked questioning of what she was doing, but honestly, he was sizing her up to see if she was worth more conversation. Of course, more could be answered through introductions. “I apologize for not introducing myself first. I am Viktor Volkov of the Moscow Volkovs. Though, currently my father is on extended business in Canada. And you are?”

0 Viktor Volkov, Crotalus Hovering in the air. 0 Viktor Volkov, Crotalus 0 5

Emery Kijewski-Jareau

May 27, 2013 10:00 PM

Can I do something else now? by Emery Kijewski-Jareau

Emery wasn’t really sure how he felt about his first lesson being flying. He flew just fine. It was something he had done with Jeff when he was younger and his mother decided he needed a male figure in his life. Emery didn’t see the point. He wasn’t athletic, so Quidditch or any other sport was not going to happen, and he saw no reason to just sit on a broom for no reason. Emery sometimes felt his mother felt guilty that he had been raised for most of his life with just her and his grandmother. She would often tell him stories about his grandfather, to whom he was named after (Emery Derk), and how if he were still with them, he would have played catch with him or taken him fishing. Emery did not feel that he had lacked anything in his life, but some others might think that of him. Jeff was a good guy and Emery knew since he was very young, Jeff had felt like he needed to be a father figure to him. He appreciated what he had done, but Emery preferred books to balls and that wasn’t going to chance simply because he now had a father.

Emery called out ‘here’ when his name was called, watching the Transfiguration professor with interest. He had no doubt that Care of Magical Creatures would be his easiest class. This wasn’t saying that the lessons would be easy, but since that was his mother’s specialty and he had been raised around animals his whole life, he knew that he’d at least be able to get through the basics. It might become more challenging once he reached his fifth year. Transfiguration, however, was another story. He knew this was one of the more difficult forms of magic and he knew it was going to be a challenge. Because Professor Skies was here, he at least had extra time to figure her out. Even if it was only for the introductions.

Since he was not a beginner, Emery took a broom and wandered over slowly to where the other advanced flyers were. He was not enthusiastic about this like his sister was. He watched her shoot straight into the air. For a moment, he thought she was going to fly up and not come back down, but she seemed to finally steady herself and get a handle of things. The last thing he wanted was to embarrass his mother with Chloe making a scene the first day of school.

Sighing, Emery called up the broom and seated himself on it. Emery left the ground, but didn’t go very far. He was not afraid of heights or anything such thing, he just didn’t care to really fly.

6 Emery Kijewski-Jareau Can I do something else now? 259 Emery Kijewski-Jareau 0 5

Ji-Eun Park, Pecari

May 28, 2013 2:51 PM

Because they are floating? by Ji-Eun Park, Pecari

Ji-Eun looked up, finding herself looking at a very pretty and neatly presented girl.

“I was still saying 'up,'” she explained, “only in Korean,” she added, trying not to feel self-conscious. She really wasn't sure why she should – it was a good thing, after all, being able to speak another language, and she hadn't been doing anything wrong – but she still did, just a little. At home, with her parents, she spoke Korean. Almost all of her friends were Korean too and even though they were all fluent English-speakers, they switched in and out of the languages. Sometimes it depended where they were, or who they wanted to bring in or leave out of a conversation. Sometimes it was just a specific word coming to mind more easily in one language than an another. But it had never really been something unusual to be doing before now. Never something that people thought it necessary to remark on.

The girl's next question was much more difficult, as it related to who knew what theories. Wracking her brains, she became sure that she didn't. It was not something she could recall reading or being told about. Her main way of understanding the world tended to be relating it to facts she already knew. Her parents placed great store by how much information one had learnt and could reel off. Thinking for oneself was less vital – after all, what stunning conclusions about the world was an eleven year old girl going to reach, that hadn't been better expressed by wise academics, who had helpfully written it all out?

“I'm not sure...” she said softly. She didn't want this new girl to think she was stupid though, nor for her parents to. True, they were thousands of miles away and had no way of knowing but she felt that she was letting them down if she was unable to answer a question, even if it was only posed by a year mate instead of a teacher. “Maybe brooms don't speak a specific language,” she tried. It sounded a little weak and obvious. “They might know what's being meant rather than said.”

13 Ji-Eun Park, Pecari Because they are floating? 268 Ji-Eun Park, Pecari 0 5

Chloe Jareau

May 28, 2013 6:49 PM

Almost the same thing. by Chloe Jareau

Chloe looked at the boy with interest. This did this with pretty much everyone she was encountering. They were new and a brand new mystery for her to solve. She had to remind herself that she couldn’t be too brazen with people she did not know because it could come off in the completely wrong way and that would not be good. There was already the stigma of being the Headmistress’ daughter and having a brother her age in Aladren (not to mention, two older siblings who didn’t seem to be all there) that Chloe had to get past, she didn’t want to alienate herself unintentionally.

“Oh, I haven’t ridden a broom in quite some time.” Chloe began, looking down at the old school broom as she spoke of it. “I took off too quickly when I had only meant to go a little way up and forgot what I needed to do to get it to settle down.” She explained to the male near her. “But, I figured it out before it became out of control.” Her blue eyes sparkled as she gave a large smile, pleased that she had accomplished this feat.

Her blonde eyebrows went up when he introduced himself. She felt like he had given her quite a bit of information in that sentence. She didn’t understand why she needed to know that his father was currently on business in Canada. That did not have anything to with their conversation at present. Saying he was from Moscow was fine since some people may end up asking him that at some point, but his father… no, not necessary. “I am Chloe Jareau from New Mexico.” She introduced. She felt no need to explain where either of her parents currently were as it was none of his business.

“Is it important to you to tell everyone your father is in Canada and not Moscow?” She asked him. If it was simply that he was from Moscow but due to his father’s current business, was living in Canada, maybe she could understand the introduction a bit better. She wasn’t judging him for necessarily saying it, but she was merely curious as to why it had needed to be said to begin with. She wasn’t used to this sort of thing. Everyone they were in contact with back home were laid back. Some were from families with loads of money while others were middle working class, but they all got along and didn’t need to feel above anyone else. This school would be a major adjustment for Chloe and it would be an easier one if she had an understanding as to why certain things were the way they were.

6 Chloe Jareau Almost the same thing. 267 Chloe Jareau 0 5

Thaddeus Luther Leebridge III

May 28, 2013 11:05 PM

This situation is precarious at best. by Thaddeus Luther Leebridge III

Thaddeus may have loved to learn new things, but upon arriving at his very first class at Sonora, he was more than disappointed. Academic work he could handle, and handle deftly, but never before had he ventured near a broomstick. Joining in his younger brother's hazardous airborne games of keep-away and Hippogriff-in-the-middle had been out of the question from the beginning, forbidden by a set of parents who feared that their firstborn might unexpectedly snap in half if hit by a strong gust of wind. It was generally acknowledged in family circles that Edwin was the athlete and Thaddeus the scholar. Sports didn't much interest the elder Leebridge, and he'd had no reason to go against the wishes of his parents.

Now, as he stood surrounded by the grassy emptiness which was the Quidditch Pitch, facing a long row of broomsticks, Thaddeus felt like he might vomit. The substitute flying instructor concluded her spiel, and with difficulty Thaddeus swallowed as he watched some of the more experienced First Years zoom skyward. They soared as casually as eagles, dancing above the young Aladren's head. A passel of mischievous Pixies seemed to have taken up residence in his belly.

Thaddeus crept forward, installing himself to the left of the nearest available broom. As per Professor Skies' instructions, he raised his right hand over the shaft, standing ramrod straight in an entirely unconvincing attempt to look confident, and mumbled "Up." The broomstick remained firmly on the ground. Thaddeus wished he could do the same. He delivered another "Up," this one with slightly more conviction, but to no avail. Some of the beginners had already mounted, and others had at least convinced their brooms to roll about on the grass. His was, by all appearances, completely inanimate. Thaddeus thought of his brother's easy confidence, and wondered idly how fast Edwin would have been able to convince the stubborn thing to rise. Thaddeus felt his face redden, and he took a deep breath.

"You know what," he whispered fiercely to his unresponsive broomstick, "Obviously you don't like me much, but it may be a shocker that I've little enough fondness for you in return." He paused for a moment, suddenly very aware that he was having a conversation with a stick tied to some twigs. After establishing that no one was paying attention to his little diatribe, Thaddeus continued, doing his best to sound threatening. "See, it's my brother who enjoys this sort of thing. I'd be just as happy to burn you for firewood and roast some marshmallows over the fire, get me? Now I would appreciate it if you'd keep me from sticking out like a sore thumb and just come up already!"

The broom rose with a smack into his waiting palm. Thaddeus allowed himself a smile of satisfaction. He'd swung a leg over the handle and begun his ascent before he realized the danger of combining a hostile broomstick with the rapidly widening gap between him and the ground.

As if in response to this very thought, Thaddeus' broomstick veered violently left. Clinging tightly to the shaft as the broom accelerated, Thaddeus failed to notice the mounted student he was plunging towards until it was too late. He collided with the green-robed flyer in a tangle of twigs and limbs and chaos.

0 Thaddeus Luther Leebridge III This situation is precarious at best. 0 Thaddeus Luther Leebridge III 0 5

Dimitri Porter, Teppenpaw

May 28, 2013 11:30 PM

Absolutely! by Dimitri Porter, Teppenpaw

Dimitri had a weird time with the first few days at school. It took him a bit to get used to sleeping in a new bed in a strange place. Yeah, he was used to sleeping in a tent for the events he and his family went to for the SCA, but that was only for a few days. This was for a much longer period of time and his parents weren’t nearby. Sure he had his cousins all over the place here at school and his twin sister, but it was still weird. He figured once classes started up he would have an easier time adjusting (or so he hoped). He heard about the first class starting and was a little excited about it being flying class. He was actually pretty good at flying and couldn’t wait to do it here at school. It was very rarely that he got the chance to use his broom at home. He got to do it at his grandparents place in England, but it was a little different here. Here he would have the chance to fly around near the Quidditch field, at his grandparents place there was just empty fields and trees.

He woke up the morning of his first class ever at Sonora and dressed slowly in his robes. He made sure that he was clean and polished for his first class. He didn’t want to look like a slob. His mother would have been very displeased if he had. He grabbed his favorite flying broom and headed down to the common area. He headed out of Teppenpaw Commons, shaking his head at the fact that they had to dance their way into the Common room to begin with, and headed down the hall towards the door leading outside. He made his way towards the Pitch and let out a deep breath he had been holding as he joined his fellow classmates on the Pitch. He listened politely to the professor introduce herself, but really didn’t want to join the newbies. He had a lot more flying experience than that and wanted to do something fun. He followed the group of more experienced flyers and was preparing to mount his broom when he heard someone talking behind him.

Dimitri turned to see one of the other first year boys moving closer towards him and introducing himself. “Hello, I’m Leo Princeton of the Surrey Princetons,” the boy introduced himself. Dimitri wasn’t unfamiliar with the name. His grandparents were mildy acquainted with the Princeton family in Surrey. His grandparents were acquainted with a lot of European families in one way or another. “Its great to meet you Leo,” he replied politely. “I’m Dimitri Porter of the Tucson Porters,” he introduced himself as well. He gave Leo a polite head nod as a greeting and grinned and Leo’s question. He had been hoping for something like that and here was his golden opportunity. “Want to race?” Leo had asked him. Dimitri was excited about the prospect. “Absolutely,” he grinned mischievously at his would-be new friend. “You say when and I am soo ready to go,” he told him. Dimitri waited semi patiently for the cue to fly. Whether he won the race or not, he was going to have himself some fun. He couldn’t wait.

0 Dimitri Porter, Teppenpaw Absolutely! 0 Dimitri Porter, Teppenpaw 0 5

Viktor

May 29, 2013 2:10 PM

Is it? by Viktor

Being able to remember how to control her broom seemed to make the girl quite happy. Perhaps, he had been raised to a higher standard, because it was expected to always know and expand on what one knew. Thankfully, for him, he didn’t have to try very hard to retain information and for it to pop up in his mind as necessary, so he couldn’t really relate to forgetting such valuable information as how to control a broom. Besides, wasn’t that the old adage, ‘It’s just like riding a broom. You never forget.’ Of course, he could have just been being mean in his head. Instead of saying any of these thoughts, he opted for, “It’s a good thing you figured it out. It would have been highly embarrassing to have met through an accidental collision.”

Her introduction was highly disappointing. There was no explanation of who her parents are or were, so how was he to know if he should care or not who she was? Viktor nearly sighed, but bit the side of his mouth instead. He supposed it wasn’t her fault if she hadn’t been taught proper manners. Besides, he wasn’t sure if it was due to not being a proper pureblood or if it was simply a cultural difference. He sincerely hoped not everyone was like this girl though. If so, he would find it quite difficult to partake in anyone’s company.

“I suppose it’s not extraordinarily important,” he responded to her question regarding his father. “Our home is in Moscow, but my father’s business may take awhile, so I may be referring to Canada as where I live outside of school for a bit. However, Moscow will always be home.” A slight tone of wistfulness entered his voice. He really did miss everything about home. “Since you asked me about my father, I feel it’s only fair to ask you about your parents. Why have you not mentioned them? Is this normal for Americans not to mention their parents?” It may have come off as a bit rude to be so blunt, but he really had no other way of obtaining answers to his questions.

0 Viktor Is it? 0 Viktor 0 5

Nellie Vandenberg

May 29, 2013 9:25 PM

I would be happy if I could float by Nellie Vandenberg

Nellie thought it was really cool to be bilingual. She wasn't, but her mom was and her dad could speak a little Dutch. She was kind of jealous of them both, but at the same time it was hard work learning another language. The girl in front of her was clearly Korean and Nellie wondered if the girl had grown up speaking it. It seemed obvious that she would have, but one could never be sure.

Sometimes Nellie wondered what it would be like to live in a dominantly Asian neighborhood. She had lived with her mom's family when she was a baby, but she couldn't remember that time and they hadn't been back since. She wasn't really sure why, but she didn't bother asking. Maybe if she had been closer to her mom's family she would have grown up speaking Chinese. But if she had grown up closer to her dad's family, she might have grown up speaking Dutch. It was nice to have two different cultures to explore, but Nellie was usually too busy living in her own world in Surrey to care about either.

The girl tried to answer her question, but she didn't seem to really know the answer. Nellie didn't blame her. It wasn't an easy question to answer and she didn't know the right answer herself. But what the girl said made sense. Brooms should be able to understand what was being meant no matter what language it was in. The only thing was Nellie had to be more forceful in her meaning. At least that's what she guessed.

Nell nodded. "That makes sense," she said, looking down at her broom again. She put her hand over it. "Up!" The broom twitched, so Nellie said it again more forcefully and the broom came up so fast that it smacked her palm. "Whoa," she said, her eyes wide. "That was surprising." She turned to the girl and smiled. "Thanks! I'm Eleanor Vandenberg, by the way, but you can call me Nellie." She mounted her broom, ready to try flying. The first step, however, was to find out how to control the darn thing. "Hmm...did Professor Skies tell us how to control the broom?"

0 Nellie Vandenberg I would be happy if I could float 0 Nellie Vandenberg 0 5

Ava Fletcher

May 30, 2013 4:46 PM

It's okay, it's only payback.. by Ava Fletcher

Ava had been really nervous to start her first ever flying lesson. While it was something that she had only ever wished she could do- be like one of the fairies in the books she so loved to read, she was still scared as ever to try it. Flying sounded fun and adventurous but also like something that could end quite badly. She was carefully appraising her broom trying to figure out the best way to approach this task when she was suddenly pushed over by a body.

As she fell she realized just how hard doing this would be as falling was something she'd never enjoy doing though it was a prerequisite to climbing up high things as a small child so it was also something she was quite used to. This time, however, she had been quite unprepared for the incident and muttered to herself about the scrapes that were sure to be on her hands and knees after this. She lept to her feet, hands on her hips ready to snap at whoever it was, braid swinging over her shoulder when she realized she recognized him. She stuck out a hand, offering to help the poor boy to his feet.

"Hey, T.L., funny how we keep meeting." She laughed a little bit to herself at how at their last encounter it was she who had tried to manhandle him . She was happy that the person was at least someone she knew, someone who, like her, enjoyed reading. It was also somewhat comforting that he was the one who had done the crashing as now she didn't feel as bad for trying to push him over the first night. And in addition, now she didn't feel as self-conscious about her own flying and she told him so too. "At least now I won't be the only flyer out here who doesn't know what they're doing," she joked.

10 Ava Fletcher It's okay, it's only payback.. 258 Ava Fletcher 0 5

T.L. Leebridge

May 30, 2013 8:46 PM

And now we're even. by T.L. Leebridge

Thaddeus scrambled to his feet with Ava's help, and ran a hand through mussed dark hair, slightly grassy from his recent acrobatics. His wicked broom lay inert a few yards away, and he shot it a dirty look as if to prevent any further funny business. He pat himself down for injuries as Ava greeted him for the second time, finding nothing but a small tear in the khakis he wore under his robe. Relieved, Thaddeus turned to the girl to make sure she was alright was well. She seemed in a fairly good humor for someone who'd just been knocked over with a broom, not that he had any points of comparison, not being the sort of boy who went around and crashed into people on a regular basis. She'd looked mad when she first stood up, but in no time at all her indignation had been replaced with a laugh and a joke.

Looking down at the sorry state of his robes, Thaddeus began to laugh as well. His mirth began as nothing more than a giggle provoked by the absurdity of at all, but it progressed quickly into the sort of rib-shaking guffaw which belongs exclusively to pun-telling fathers and people who stay up past three in the morning (at which point things began to register as significantly funnier than they really are). As Ava had said, he really didn't know what he was doing. Thaddeus' eyes watered and his sides hurt with adrenaline-fueled laughter. He'd just threatened a broomstick, for goodness sake, and look where it'd gotten him! With substantial effort, he pulled himself together, and still chuckling weakly, returned Ava's greeting.

"Funny, um, running into you here." Hearing the inadvertent pun only sent Thaddeus into gales of laughter once again. "But really--" he gasped between chortles, "It's nice to see you again. I swear I'm not laughing at you," he added hurriedly, "If you were, um, if you were thinking anything like that."

When he'd calmed down a tad, T.L. turned back to the girl he was rapidly beginning to consider a friend. "Obviously you know that I'm, well, I'm not the smoothest of broom riders. But you said you didn't know what you were doing either." In his case, inexperience on a broomstick was self-imposed due mainly to timidness, but he couldn't imagine a confident type like Ava growing up without playing in a few impromptu Quidditch matches. "Are you... from somewhere that people don't ride much?"

He looked up at the taller girl, grey eyes wide, awaiting a response.

0 T.L. Leebridge And now we're even. 0 T.L. Leebridge 0 5

Ava Fletcher

May 31, 2013 4:38 AM

Sounds good to me! by Ava Fletcher

As she hoisted T.L. up Ava knew that as soon as she had time she was writing a letter to her grandfather about him. She knew he'd like to hear about this boy who was similar to her in regards to balance and book loving. In addition he seemed nice enough and kind of clueless about the whole going off on his own sort of thing- just like her. She checked her palms for scrapes and then her knees and when she only found a slight cut on her left knee she nodded happily. At least it was just a small cut, something that would stop bleeding soon enough and quite repairable with a Band-Aid. She lifted up her robes and reached into a pocket of her corduroy skirt to put a crumpled Band-Aid on her knee. There, no biggie, all fixed up. She was lucky that her grandfather had snuck a few Band-Aids into all of her pockets and an extra box into her trunk.

As T.L. started laughing, Ava found herself laughing even more. He had one of those laughs that just sent her into even more fits of giggles and she knew that if they continued to have this much fun together then he would make a really fantastic friend. She loved people who could make her laugh. "I wasn't thinking at all," Ava was starting to think that T.L. had some confidence issues, but wasn't side-tracked at all. If they became friends- as it looked like they were, then she hoped he wouldn't be one of those people who cared about blood-type. While helping her pack-up, Ava's mother had warned her about some of the pure-blood families who might not like having their kids be friends with a half-blood.

"Are you... from somewhere that people don't ride much?" T.L. looked up at her with his eyes wide and Ava noticed that they were a lovely shade of grey- like the color of her beloved cat back home, Seal, after the cat in another book that she loved so much, Sarah, Plain and Tall . She had wanted to bring Seal to Sonora with her but hadn't known if pets were allowed.

Ava shook her head, bits of hair knocked loose from the fall falling into her face. While she hadn't wanted to talk about background just in case T.L. came from a family like that- though she wasn't sure, for all she knew he could have been Muggle born, she figured it was better to find out now than to become friends and then have to stop later on. "I live with my grandfather. He's a Muggle. My mom is a witch but she's a Healer and she travels a lot for her job so I'm not really around her much and then her parents who are magical too are usually too busy to have me over so it's just me and Papa." Ava bit her lip hoping T.L. didn't notice the missing part of the equation. Obviously if she had a mother, she had a father too. Otherwise she wouldn't be standing here covered in grass. "But I don't mind it. He's really sweet and he cares a lot about me. He really loves books too."

10 Ava Fletcher Sounds good to me! 258 Ava Fletcher 0 5

T.L. Leebridge

May 31, 2013 7:34 PM

Two is my favorite even number. by T.L. Leebridge

Thaddeus couldn't recall ever having met someone magical who had a Muggle for a grandfather. His parents had always been diligent in keeping such riffraff -- halfbloods, Squibs and the like -- off their polished hardwood floors. Although he'd spent his childhood only an hour's drive away from the Muggle metropolis known as Boston, he'd never had an opportunity to venture into the city. Such things just weren't done in the Leebridge household; T.L. had never paused to wonder why. His tutors and parents had always described Muggles in terms of their inferiority; they were at best a satisfying topic of study and at worst a menace to their magical counterparts. He'd read the greats, of course, Mr. Twain and Tolstoy and Emily Dickinson and the rest, and viewed the whole group with a kind of offhand interest. Without magic, they'd developed a fairly impressive set of cultural identities, and their history revealed an intellectual capacity which seemed on par with that of the wizards he knew.

So when Ava admitted that she actually lived with one of them, a real live Muggle, Thaddeus' immediate reaction was shock, followed by the curiosity of a scientist examining a new sort of moth he'd just found on an expedition. He would have liked to pelt the girl with questions about what her Papa looked like and how he took his coffee and if he was left- or right-handed, but out of respect for the man as an elder, he held his tongue. In his excitement, Thaddeus failed to notice that the girl hadn't mentioned her father at all.

T.L. had not had a happy childhood, and although he'd twice met his grandfather and namesake, the wrinkled old man had left an impression primarily of staleness. Thaddeus II had once possessed the powerful build of an athlete, long since warped by multiple strokes and the disintegration of aging. When he visited his son's family, he'd commandeered the comfiest armchair for her personal use and shouted indistinct abuse at any house elf who dared come near. Ava's Papa sounded softer than Grandfather Leebridge, an entirely different flavor of ancestor.

Thaddeus wondered for the first time if his family might have been better off as Muggles themselves. His mother and father wouldn't have to worry about their reputations so much if there was no clear line between themselves and the others around them, and Edwin would find a way to enjoy himself, magic or no magic. All T.L. really needed was his books, and there were plenty of non-magical ones out there. He sighed, knowing that such a thought was as unattainable as it was attractive. In his case, family instability seemed to be the price paid for the privilege of wizardry.

"I don't know my grandfather too well," Thaddeus told the grass-stained girl beside him. "But I wish he was as nice as yours sounds. Uh, I've always lived with my parents instead. And my little brother, Edwin." Not knowing if it was rude to mention the partly-magical status of Ava's family, Thaddeus quietly added: "I've never actually someone with Muggle blood before." He smiled nervously. "I guess I thought you might have orange skin, or a tail or something."

0 T.L. Leebridge Two is my favorite even number. 0 T.L. Leebridge 0 5

Ava Fletcher

May 31, 2013 8:43 PM

Mine is twelve. by Ava Fletcher

As Ava waited for T.L.'s response, she twisted her fingers worried that he might respond negatively which would really have been a shame seeing as they'd gotten along quite well in their two meetings so far. When T.L. did respond, it startled her. Well the bit about his family didn't so much, she knew of girls in her school who didn't know their grandparents at all, and it was normal to live with one's parents and siblings- if one had any. But the part about being orange or having a tail? That was kind of bizarre. It made Ava wonder if T.L. was from one of those families seeing as he had never been around anyone with Muggle blood before. Not that it mattered to Ava, it didn't, she was just shocked, she'd figured that everyone at some point in their lives came across a Muggle or two after all the majority of the world was populated with them- according to her social studies teacher who'd said there were 6 billion people on the planet.

"O-orange skin?" Ava's eyes grew wide. "No, only fake-tanners have that and it's really nasty. As for a tail while that would be awesome, but I'm no mermaid no matter what Papa calls me. How is it that you've never met anyone with Muggle blood, aren't they everywhere?"

It was odd to her that someone had never met anyone with Muggle blood, having grown up surrounded by Muggles. She wondered what it was like to grow up in a wizarding family and knew that once T.L. had finished answering her question she would immediately start asking about what life was like surrounded by magic. It was fascinating, did that mean his parents prepare him better than her mom and Papa had? Did they have house elves like she'd seen at her grandparents the few times she'd been over? Did T.L.'s parents want to know about Muggles or had they grown up completely oblivious to them? And, most importantly of all, how did they feel about the Salem Witch Trials or any of the other witch hunts that were happening all over the world?

10 Ava Fletcher Mine is twelve. 258 Ava Fletcher 0 5

Leo Princeton

May 31, 2013 10:57 PM

Brilliant! by Leo Princeton

Leo had introduced himself to a well-dressed wizard and he smiled. Hopefully he wouldn’t be the sort to tattle on miscreants. Dimitri Porter. Leo had heard the family name, but not of Tuscon. Dimitri was probably from a Porter branch in the States somewhere. It was of no importance so Leo promptly forgot about it as Dimitri agreed to a race. It would be a promising start to the term if Leo didn’t get into trouble on his first day, but he wanted to leave class so badly. Flying class was ridiculously irrelevant for him as Leo wasn’t planning on playing Quidditch or flying very often. It was something to think about, escaping class.

“Brilliant,” he replied and mounted his broom. “Let’s go three times around the pitch. On three. One, two—” He cut himself off at two and zoomed ahead, making his way around. If Dimitri asked, Leo would just blame it on the broom. His broom had been created for speed and that was why he loved racing so much. It was a great way to show off not only his skill at flying, but his broom’s immense power. It was glorious, the feeling of power.

As of now, Leo didn’t fancy Sonora very much. He liked it better at his manor in the country where they had wild creatures roaming about and his own bed to sleep in. He had wanted to bring his house-elves, but his father told him that was an absolutely ridiculous idea. He had wanted to bring his cat, Bonnie, too, but his mother was too fond of Bonnie to let her go halfway across the world with her irresponsible son. Leo could forgive the house-elf ordeal, but he was still a bit bitter about leaving Bonnie behind. However, he did not want to dwell on unpleasant feelings. He was trying to soak up the feeling of power in flying.

He made one quick round of the pitch, then two as he picked up speed and ended after the third. He landed roughly on the exact spot they had started, stumbling a bit as he tried to keep his body from involuntarily moving forward without his broom. When his mother had purchased it for him, she had been a bit hesitant to give it to him at his young age, but he wouldn’t have anything else. Leo’s blond, wavy hair was wind-blown and his cheeks were pink from the adrenaline. “Blimey, did you see how fast my broom went? That was brilliant.” He grinned at his opponent and stuck out his hand. “Good race, mate,” he said. It wouldn’t do to make enemies on his first day here either. “Want another go?”

40 Leo Princeton Brilliant! 263 Leo Princeton 0 5

Dimitri Porter

June 01, 2013 5:46 PM

Ready...Set...Go! by Dimitri Porter

Dimitri mounted his broom and prepared himself for the three count to go. Whether he or Leo counted it made no difference to him. Leo began the count and Dimitri was ready to start on the three count when he saw Leo take off on two. Either he started a second too early or he had said the three part and Dimitri had just missed it. Either way he was a second behind Leo. He took off like a shot after the other boy around the pitch as Leo had suggested. He had no idea how much (if any) trouble they were going to get into for doing this, but he really didn’t care. It was certainly much more fun than doing what looked like “normal” flying lessons. Besides Dimitri had already been through those and he was already good at flying. He fought a little to keep up with Leo who seemed to have an extremely fast broomstick. He made a mental note to ask him where he got it from.

He circled around the pitch poles the first time, riding right on Leo’s tail and almost passed him a couple of times in the second pass around the poles. He was right alongside him, but couldn’t seem to get in front. He was a little frustrated by that, but it really didn’t bother him. He was enjoying the feel of wind whipping through his robes and hair as they flew. He rounded the poles for a third time and was coming back to the finish line, touching down a half a second or so behind Leo. Dimitri was a little out of breath when they landed. He had flown fast before, but this flight was intensely fast. When Leo stuck his hand out Dimitri gladly took it. “Good race mate” Leo commented as they shook hands like good sports. “Blimey, did you see how fast my broom went?” he asked. Dimitri nodded impressed.

“That was an awesome start,” he told Leo appreciatively. “You didn’t even get to say three before your broom took off,” he laughed lightly. He nodded immediately when Leo asked if he wanted another go. “Absolutely,” he told Leo cheerfully, taking his hand back. “I might even win this time,” he joked. “I doubt it considering the rocket you’ve got for a broom, but we’ll see. Maybe I’ll get lucky.” He winked at Leo and re-mounted the broom. “Okay…on the count of three we’ll do three more passes around the pitch,” he told him. “Ready…Get set…GO!” he yelled, kicking off the ground and taking off into the air. He would try to win this time and if not he still wouldn’t be upset. After all this was only for fun. He made the first pass around the poles sailing through the air and felt like a comet soaring through the sky. He buckled down on the broomstick and leaned into the turn as his grandfather had shown him to. He felt like he was a bolt of lightning shooting through the sky.

He made the next two passes with the same break-neck speed all the while hoping he didn’t actually break his neck. When he rounded the last turn he glanced around to see where Leo was at. Upon spotting him he grinned and kept flying turning back to watch where he was going. When he reached the finish line he set back down in almost the exact spot they started from and was just about wheezing he was soo out of breath. He had just flown six passes around the massive pitch and loved every waking minute of it. “Wow! Now that was Fun!” he said happily wiping a little of the sweat off of his forehead with his handkerchief he always carried in his pocket. “I don’t know about you, but I would love to do that at least one more time. What do you say?” he asked playfully.

0 Dimitri Porter Ready...Set...Go! 0 Dimitri Porter 0 5

Tristan Spaulding, Crotalus

June 01, 2013 6:23 PM

The moment I've been waiting for. by Tristan Spaulding, Crotalus

Tristan was super excited for Flying Lessons. Not that he didn't know how to fly, of course. Most pureblood boys did. However, it was a chance to fly, maybe get a pick up Quidditch game going. It would be the only time he ever got to play his favorite sport at Sonora. His stupid parents wouldn't let him be on the Quidditch team. Well, okay, he felt a little bad for calling his parents stupid, usually they treated him like he was some prince, but in this particular situation they were being so. Instead they wanted him to concentrate on his studies .

It was all so ridiculous. Of course Tristan wanted to do well at magic, because he felt that if a wizard was incompetant at magic, they might as well go and be a Muggle. And there were few worse things out there. It wasn't as if the first year wanted to kill all Muggles or anything but wizards were far superior in every way. Still, it wasn't as if he didn't think he couldn't handle both schoolwork and Quidditch, so why did they? Lots of people did, and some were probably not as capable as him. Of course, he didn't know how well they did at either.

He took his broom-obviously he had his own, nothing but the best for the heir of the Spaulding family-down to the pitch. Okay, it wasn't quite up to the standards of a professional team. Especially not the Denver Wolves. Theirs was the best, naturally. Nobody could expect any less from a team that was owned in part by the Spauldings and in larger part by the Brockerts. Still, Sonora's pitch was quite nice for a school. Of course,both families donated a lot of money here too.

The Crotalus was surprised to see the Transfiguration teacher. From what he understood, Professor Skies knew her subject and as someone with genetic proclotivity towards it, Tristan knew he'd likely impress her anyway with his abilities in that, so long as he didn't do...things Carrie would do. She was also more respectable than Coach Pierce, who was a disgrace, while Professor Skies had never been from the proper sort of family. Which was expected, because most society pureblood women didn't work. Still, Tristan had more faith that Coach Pierce would know what she was doing.

Though, he supposed it didn't matter when he didn't need flying lessons to begin with. Plus, he was good at it. So, the first year listened as the Transfiguration professor began her instructions. Hm, seemed fairly reasonable, nothing different than what his cousins said lessons were like. Professor Skies must have known how Coach Pierce did her lessons.

As soon as she said experienced fliers could go, Tristan took off and headed out to get a Quaffle, pointedly ignoring the Muggle balls. He didn't know what sports they were for exactly, but nothing Muggles could come up with could ever compare to Quidditch. He grabbed the ball that he was looking for and took off into the air. He looked around at his classmates and frowned. Tristan could have sworn he'd heard the names of more pureblood males when the list was read and so many of them were down with the beginners. The only other ones flying seemed to be his two roommates, another guy, and a girl, whom he figured was not a member of pureblood society because they didn't know how to fly.

The he spotted someone else and made his way over. "Care to toss the Quaffle back and forth?" Tristan asked. There was no way they could get a proper game going with only two people.

11 Tristan Spaulding, Crotalus The moment I've been waiting for. 264 Tristan Spaulding, Crotalus 0 5

T.L. Leebridge

June 02, 2013 12:42 AM

I've always had a problem with twelve. by T.L. Leebridge

T.L. regretted mentioning orange skin and tails as soon as he heard the incredulous note in Ava's voice. He wasn't entirely sure if he'd meant the comment literally. But having really never in his life actually looked at a Muggle, how was he to know what they looked like? When speaking of the non-magical businessmen he was forced to interact with on his trips into Boston, the boy's father could be viciously derogatory. Often T.L.'s mother would hustle her boys from their spot by the ornate marble fireplace up into their bedrooms when he started using words generally avoided in polite company. Rudolph Leebridge was not a shouter, no, his abuse was targeted and cold, the calmly prejudiced rhetoric of a fundamentalist Pureblood. There was ice in his voice and metal in his stare, put there by his own parents and reinforced by a skewed vision of the world which he expected his sons to adopt.

Edwin had picked up this hereditary bias with the casual ease of a boy who knows his importance in the world. Thaddeus, less proud but just as impressionable, had at first been eager to accept the teachings of his father.

It was a particularly passionate Muggle Studies tutor who'd finally brought the boy around to a more reasonable mode of thinking with the introduction of Muggle literature into his curriculum. Thaddeus found their interpretation of the little magic which had managed to trickle its way into their public consciousness fascinating. He was particularly fond of Austen's satirical take on the aristocracy. Funny how the Muggle rich of the past weren't so very different from his own family.

Still, Thaddeus' interest in the Muggle world had been built on the foundation of misinformation and prejudice. He didn't know how to explain this to Ava. Shifting uncomfortably, Thaddeus cleared his throat before answering.

"Well," he admitted, "I was... I was really sick as a kid. Really fragile, so, erm, I didn't get out of the house much. And, and we weren't in a big city or anything. I guess I just never, uh, never met one." Thaddeus bit his lip, feeling guilty about lying by omission. Although it was dishonest to conceal the truth from her, he was sure Ava would hate him if she knew anything more about his family history.

0 T.L. Leebridge I've always had a problem with twelve. 0 T.L. Leebridge 0 5

Ji-Eun Park, Pecari

June 02, 2013 11:22 AM

Maybe we will be able to soon by Ji-Eun Park, Pecari

The other girl seemed pleased enough with her answer and Ji-Eun relaxed. It was only for a moment though, as the other girl succeeded at getting her broom into the air. She didn't really seem to have flown before and thus her achievement set a standard, that Ji-Eun would either match or fail to live up to. She wasn't competitive, as such, but she felt the need to do at least as well as everyone else in her class.

She had had her best result in Korean, so she decided to stick to that. She felt a little bit odd with Nellie listening in but she tried to tune her out, and to focus. She called to the broom again and this time it leapt to her hand, perhaps fuelled by her desperation for it to work.

“That's such a cute nickname!” she smiled. From some people that might have seemed patronising but from the smiling clouds on her t-shirt to the clips in her hair it was clear that, from Ji-Eun, it was a compliment. She swung her leg over the broom, pleased to note that Nellie was doing it the same way. If it meant anything, at least they were on the same side. “My name's Ji-Eun but you can call me Jane if it's easier,” she told the other girl. In all the excitement and nervousness of her first night, she had forgotten to give this option to Clara and Chloe. Her American name was something that she was dimly aware was on her birth certificate but she wasn't even sure which order her names were listed and it wasn't something she'd had much cause to use at home. Her friends were mostly Korean and her family most definitely did not use it. It was something teachers called her, and only some of them.

“They just kind of... follow the way you lean, I think,” she mused. Even though she hadn't had a lot of exposure to flying, she knew the basic principals. She lent forward a small degree. Her toes were still near enough the ground to just touch and she scooted the broom along with them before remembering that was what children did, not proper flying. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her toes clear of the grass. She lent a little further and although the broom crept along, it wobbled with far more speed than it had in progressing forwards, and she hastily put her toes back down.

13 Ji-Eun Park, Pecari Maybe we will be able to soon 268 Ji-Eun Park, Pecari 0 5

Chloe

June 02, 2013 12:01 PM

Yes, I think so. by Chloe

Chloe, not at all perturbed by the facial expressions of the boy in front of her smiled and shrugged. “It would have only been embarrassing for the moment.” She advised him. She was not easily bothered by many things, so if she ever was embarrassed, she didn’t think it lasted for very long. “Besides, it would have been a great story to say, right?” Chloe questioned, “When asked how you meet, we would have been able to say ‘oh, Chloe seemed to have forgotten how to ride a broom properly being as scatterbrained as she is and rammed her broom straight into me.’ You would be seen as the victim and everyone would chuckle at me and go ‘oh, Chloe.’ It’s totally how it would happen.” Chloe told him, looking wistfully for a moment as though that would have been a far better way of meeting someone than having figured out her broom and preventing it from having happened.

Chloe still didn’t seem to understand the reason for saying his father’s business. To her, a simple, ‘I’m originally from Moscow, but we’re currently staying in Canada due to business needs’ would have been more than adequate to explain to someone if they so asked. Her parents had advised her that the students here were very different than what they were used to. Her father (who was from a decent Pureblood family) told her that when he was in school, those who were proper and of a large family that were placed in different areas, would generally introduce themselves and state the area in which family branch they came from. He said it was ridiculous and he stopped doing it a long time ago. It probably helped that his family stopped talking to him when they found out he had gotten a woman pregnant without any plans of marriage. But Chloe wasn’t supposed to know things like that.

“I haven’t mentioned them because I don’t feel as though that’s something I need to mention. Most people, from what I’ve gathered, only state the area in which they are from, they do not mention their parents specifically.” Chloe said, although her words may have sounded hostile, her tone was not. She was simply explaining herself. “Besides, my mother is the school’s Headmistress. I didn’t really think I would need to point that out.” She felt that was a true enough statement. Although her mother’s last name was hyphenated, the last part of it was shared with her’s.

6 Chloe Yes, I think so. 0 Chloe 0 5

Ava Fletcher

June 04, 2013 2:53 AM

That's like me and six. by Ava Fletcher

"Well, I was... I was really sick as a kid. Really fragile, so, erm, I didn't get out of the house much. And, and we weren't in a big city or anything. I guess I just never, uh, never met one."

"Oh." After T.L. said he was sick as a child, Ava immediately felt bad about assuming he was an elitist. It wasn't as if her family was that way and they were purebloods. At least, on her mother's side. Ava shook her head. That stuff didn't matter anyway because T.L. was going to be her friend and he didn't sound like he carried about her heritage which is all that mattered to her. As long as the new friend that she had made stayed her friend Ava didn't exactly mind. Besides, there were more important matters at hand, like what life as a pureblood was like. Growing up with a Muggle grandfather was great and all, but it wasn't actually that exciting. There was no magic. Well, Papa always tried to spice things up, but for some reason though the things he did for her made her happy, they never had the same bit of spark as the things her mother did. It was probably because she rarely saw her mother so her mother's acts were therefore special, but Ava liked to think it was because of the magic. The real, live magic like from one of her Papa's many books.

"Actually," Ava played with the tip of her braid, a habit that she'd had ever since her hair was long enough to braid and pursed her lips in thought as she tried to figure out the right way to ask the impending question- well questions, without sounding rude. "Were you- I mean, did your parents, well..." She trailed off and her forehead creased in thought. "I suppose I'll just say it because I can't figure out how to ask it in a polite way but I don't mean to suggest you were tutored on the sly, but did your parents prepare you for school, like academically wise? I mean, did they teach you spells and potions? I was just wondering because I don't really have much background, my mom's always away for work so I don't really know how it's supposed to be done."

Ava smiled at T.L. again, hoping she wasn't coming across as being rude or too curious about his home life. She decided to put her other questions on hold but they just burst out of her mouth before she could stop them. "And do you have actual house elves? Only, my mother's parents have them even though I've only been over there once or twice and they have to do like everything you ask them to, right? And did your parents know about Muggles when they were little? Like, in the magic world is it the same where Muggles aren't talked about like how wizards aren't talked about in the Muggle world? Which reminds me, what is your family's opinion on the Salem Witch Trials?" Ava took a deep breath and slapped her hand over her mouth in shock. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't really mean to pry, it's just, I have all these questions about what it's like to grow up in a magical household and I just couldn't help myself!" The smile Ava offered at the end of her statement this time wasn't necessarily because she was happy but because she was nervous and worried about making the right impression with her new friend.

10 Ava Fletcher That's like me and six. 258 Ava Fletcher 0 5

T.L. Leebridge

June 04, 2013 7:37 PM

And don't even get me started on the odds. by T.L. Leebridge

T.L. knew his answer had been vague, and he felt his muscles tense in anticipation of Ava's follow up questions. Just as he had feared, they came hard and fast, a million different points of scrutiny on the bits of his life he'd really rather not inform her about. There was so much he imagined they could discuss at length, but he'd rather the conversation didn't begin with an examination of the differences between them. T.L. already felt isolated from much of the student body, and couldn't stand the thought of alienating Ava with the story of his high-minded, Pureblooded upbringing.

He returned her smile uncertainly, and began: "Yeah, I had some tutoring. God, yeah, I mean there were lots of tutors. No actual magic, since that's not done, but theory and stuff, sure. Music and dancing too, so I supposed you could say I'm well-rounded." He ran a twitchy hand through his hair. "House elves, just a couple. My mother didn't believe in... too many cooks mess up the kitchen or something, I guess."

It was simple enough to just look Ava in the eye and tell her inconsequential things about his education and his servants, but T.L. knew, as soon as the topic switched to his parents' experiences with Muggles, there wouldn't be a way to avoid offending the girl. Avoidance, cowardly as it seemed, was his best option. So, steeling his shoulders and recovering his errant broomstick, Thaddeus avoided. "Um, we've been standing around and talking for a while, and I think the coach is looking over here. I'm going to do my best to mount this sucker," he declared, gesturing to the askew twigs of his broom, "and try hovering again. Considering our little collision, I'd... well, I'd advise you stay as far away as possible, if you value keeping your limbs intact and whatnot."

Perhaps the broom sensed some of T.L.'s inner turmoil, as it barely fought his efforts to climb aboard and make his airborne way back to the crowd of inexperienced flyers. He stayed low enough to the ground to drag his toes on the manicured grass, and resisted the urge to look back at Ava as he left her behind.

0 T.L. Leebridge And don't even get me started on the odds. 0 T.L. Leebridge 0 5

Viktor

June 05, 2013 9:02 PM

I'll have to trust you on that. by Viktor

The girl in front of him was crazy. Certifiably so. There was no doubt in his mind. Who actually seemed to hope that they had met via her running into him with a broom? He had no desire to be humiliated by a girl running into him. Plus, there were other things that could have happened. “What if I had actually been the victim and had gotten hurt? Then, there would have been a much different ending,” he pointed out. Though, he supposed it wasn’t likely that much damage would have been done and if he admitted it, perhaps, some would find the story amusing. He, however, would not have ever found something like that funny.

Viktor was ready to smack himself for not making the connection that she was the Headmistress’s daughter. He supposed part of it was due to the fact that he was still getting used to everything and everyone. He was trying to figure out whom he should or shouldn’t hang around. At home, his father simply only allowed those of worthwhile standing to be around him. Now, he had to figure these things out on his own. He knew though that this was part of his training and hopefully, in time, he would be able to do so without making such a fool of himself. Honestly, how hadn’t he made such a significant connection?

Not to mention, this changed everything about the girl. From appearances, and even from the small amount of conversing they had done, Viktor would have written this girl off immediately, but now, he was glad he hadn’t. She was someone of importance even if she were merely a means to an end. If she liked him, then, perhaps, others would view him in a positive manner. And, of course, there were other fringe benefits to such an arrangement, such as maybe getting out of trouble more easily. Yes, this definitely changed the course of his behavior.

“I should have made the connection,” he apologized. “After all, it would seem so obvious with a name, but, perhaps, it was for the best. I have found that most people judge one based on their parents, however, I have gotten to know you a little without such intrusion.” It was a line of nothing, but if she bought it, then he would be in great shape. He offered a lopsided smile, which was actually quite nice. “Now, then, do you want to try riding some more? I could ride next to you and we could talk more.”

0 Viktor I'll have to trust you on that. 0 Viktor 0 5

Nellie Vandenberg

June 05, 2013 9:11 PM

The sooner the better by Nellie Vandenberg

The girl spoke again in Korean to get her broom up into the air and Nellie found it fascinating. She wished she knew another language well enough to do magic with it. Then she could perform spells without anyone knowing what she was doing! That would be really cool. If she had enough patience to learn a new language, Nellie would have put that on her summer To Do list. She smiled brightly at the witch’s compliment. “Thanks!” she said. “It’s been my nickname for as long as I can remember.” Apparently her paternal great-grandmother was an Eleanor too, but Nellie didn’t think her great-grandmother had the same nickname.

The witch’s name was different and Nellie had never heard anything like it before. Her mom’s name was JoAnne and that was it. “Ji-Eun,” she repeated, hoping she wasn’t botching it up. “Do you like that better or Jane?” She wasn’t really sure which was Ji-Eun’s/Jane’s real name, but as Nellie knew quite well, it didn’t matter what your real name was as long as you liked your nickname. Sometimes the older purebloods refused to call Nellie by any nickname because they thought Eleanor was classier. That just meant Nellie didn’t like them nearly as much as the ones who did humor her and call her by her preferred name.

Ji-Eun/Jane went first on her broom and Nellie watched with wide eyes. Her classmate scooted along at first and then actually lifted her feet off the ground. Nellie hadn’t even attempted flying yet. “Good job,” she told her, pausing for a moment when a blonde head caught her eye. There was Leo racing his way around the pitch. She wondered briefly if he would get in trouble, but he could take care of himself. Nellie still had to master flying to impress him.

Nell took the next step and tilted her broom upwards slightly. The broom went up slowly, jerking just a little from age. She kept her toes on the ground until she couldn’t reach that far anymore and then leaned forward just a little to get on with it. The broom reacted by jerking a little forward, scaring Nellie at first, but then calmed to a good speed. Now Nell had her toes off the ground and was moving forward. This was progress!

Now it was time to turn. She had passed Ji-Eun/Jane during her ride, so she tilted her broom sideways while still leaning forward to make a really wide turn. But it worked and she was back at Ji-Eun’s/Jane’s side in no time. “That was awesome!” she said with a smile. “Good advice. Do you know a lot about brooms?” It was clear Ji-Eun hadn’t flown before, but maybe she had read up on flying or something. “Do you think you would ever join Quidditch?” she added as her eyes noticed Leo briefly.

0 Nellie Vandenberg The sooner the better 0 Nellie Vandenberg 0 5

Ji-Eun Park

June 06, 2013 12:07 PM

You're making good progress by Ji-Eun Park

“I'm used to being Ji-Eun,” she admitted, when the other girl asked her which name she would prefer. Her pronunciation of it hadn't been horrible and she appreciated the fact that she had tried. Who knew whether, with time, the minor alterations Sonora's residents were bound to make to her name would annoy her, rather than endear them for their effort, but at the moment she definitely lent towards the latter. It was especially interesting hearing it roll of Nellie's tongue. She seemed to be from somewhere that wasn't America, and hearing her name in a different accent was kind of fun. “It feels more like me,” she added.

“Where are you from?” she asked, softly. It sounded a little blunt and she hoped Nellie didn't think she was being rude, but she had asked Ji-Eun about what language she had been speaking, and this seemed kind of like tit for tat, so hopefully it would be ok.

She blushed a little bit at Nellie's praise. It was sweet of her, given that she really hadn't done very well. She watched as the other girl climbed slightly higher into the air so that her toes couldn't skim the grass. Even though it wasn't far enough to really hurt if she fell, that seemed like quite a bold step. She watched, impressed, as Nellie flew in a large, slow curve around and back to her.

“Well done,” she smiled, as the other girl got back to her. She was surprised once again when Nellie attributed her success to Ji-Eun's advice. “I didn't really do much... You were the one who was brave enough to try it,” she admitted humbly. Whilst sharing in the other girl's success meant she didn't have to feel outdone by her, it felt wrong if she hadn't really earnt it.

“I don't know much,” she shook her head. It was hard to say how she knew what she did... She felt like they were just things she'd grown up being aware, or being made aware of. “And... I don't know. I'd need quite a lot more practice!” she laughed. “My brother will probably want to play when he comes here and then I might have to. Our parents like us to do lots of extra curriculars, so I have to do at least as many things as he does,” she explained, hoping it made sense.

“We should probably work while we chat,” she said, realising she'd been perching, still with her toes on the grass, whilst she answered Nellie's questions. “How about we go to that line” she nodded to the edge of the scoring area, which was easily in sight of their current position, “Then try to turn and come back?” she suggested. She wanted to be brave, like Nellie, and get up to where she couldn't put her feet back down. But, even though she knew it was silly, not having that safety net still seemed a little bit scary. She would try her hardest not to, but she still wanted the option of touching solid ground. She picked her feet up and leant forward, her broom gently moving along the course she'd set.

“Do you have any siblings?” she asked, turning her head and looking up at Nellie. She felt her broom swerve a little towards the way she was now looking and she quickly set her eyes back straight ahead so as to not bump into the other girl.

13 Ji-Eun Park You're making good progress 268 Ji-Eun Park 0 5

Darina Porter

June 07, 2013 6:12 PM

Wanna play catch? by Darina Porter

When her cousins had told her and Dimitri that they would have to go to a flying class, she sort of laughed at them. “Well, I guess if I have to, I have to. I mean flying is fun, and really cool, but I don’t need to be taught how…” she’d said, to which one of them (she couldn’t remember which one of them, there were so many!) replied by saying that it was something everyone had to do their first year whether they knew or not. “Oh alright…” she had said with a shrug. So on the day of the flying lesson she thought about what she’d wear in order to feel comfortable, yet also be able to fly in. Rina decided on a pair of black Capri pants and her yellow and white ¾ sleeve shirt with the buttons at the base of the shirt. With that she set on a pair of yellow and black sneakers with a pair of yellow socks.

She hoped that her style shone, but just in case, she added a long necklace of white pearls and a hair ribbon in her hair made with dangling pearls to match. Sure, they made a funny noise when she walked, but she liked the noise. The clicky noise was something she’d become used to and it was comfortable. She carried her robes, unsure if she needed to wear them or not and left the dorm for the Pitch. She hadn’t seen Mitri in the Commons, so either he was still in his room where she couldn’t go, he was eating in the Hall, or he was already there. Darina decided to go on without him. She didn’t need to be her brother’s calendar, he knew when their classes were, after all. She shrugged it off and knew she’d see him when class started.

Rina got to the Pitch and saw that the others seemed to be wearing their robes. She sighed and put it on over her cute outfit. She only hoped that at least some people saw it before she had to cover it up!

The professor started to talk, and Rina looked at her and smiled when she introduced herself as Professor Skies, their Transfiguration Teacher. Interesting… She was sad that the Coach was sick, but she was glad to meet one of her actual teachers. She did roll call and Rina raised her hand, saying “Here.” when her name was called. After the names were all called, including her brother’s, the experienced flyers were allowed to move away from the beginners and play around with the balls on the other side of the Pitch.

“YES!” she said as she went off with one of the school brooms to the other side of the Pitch. She set it down and said, “UP!” it went right into her hand and she mounted and flew off, grabbing a Quaffle as she flew by the pile. She flew up beside someone else on that side of the Pitch and asked, “Wanna play catch?” she asked.

0 Darina Porter Wanna play catch? 0 Darina Porter 0 5

Chloe

June 07, 2013 7:22 PM

Okay! by Chloe

“Naaaah!” Chloe said, dismissing his comment. “I wasn’t going that fast and we aren’t so far up. Besides, I’m sure the Professor would have stopped anything from terribly going too wrong.” Chloe commented and believing it to be true. Even if he did happen to get hurt, it was an easy fix and everyone would feel terrible for him and he’d probably make loads of friends that way. “Anyway, being the victim would just mean that everyone would want to check on you to make sure you’re okay and then you’d make lots of friends. It’s a total winner scenario.” She advised him. Her thought process made complete sense to her, even if someone else didn’t quite understand it. Not that it had ever really mattered to her before. Chloe would always just be Chloe.

Chloe shrugged at his apology, her blonde hair bouncing in its sluggish pony-tail by the movement. Her blue eyes watched him out of curiosity. She was finding herself amused by the reactions she and her brother received whenever people found out they were related to the Headmistress. She assumed this had not happened to Ayita or Angel because the adoption process had happened while they were already in school and everyone knew them.

“That’s alright. It doesn’t seem like most people pick up on it.” Chloe commented. “Clara, I met her during the Opening Feast, she caught on about the names, but she seemed to think that I was trying to hide it or something.” Chloe said, looking completely flabbergasted by the thought. She still wasn’t sure what to think of that girl. She was strange and Chloe was pretty sure that she had something wrong with her eyes because she kept winking at her. It was a little off-putting because there hadn’t really seemed to be a need for it.

She wasn’t really sure how to take his comment regarding being judged by ones parents. She thought her parents were fantastic, so if people wanted to judge her based on them, they were more than welcomed to. Her dad was great at his job and they were able to get whatever they want. They were able to bring home Ayita and Angel, who were both so very cool to have! And her mom ran the school was currently attending. Yes, she saw nothing bad about being judged based on her parents. “Judge away. My parents are awesome. My brother tells me that I’m weird, but he also says that it’ll help weed out the people who I wouldn’t want to be around anyway.” Chloe commented happily.

“We could ride around, sure!” Chloe exclaimed. “I have a whole year to get better at this, but I think I’ll do okay.” She stated with a smile. “Are you a Quidditch player? Will you sign up for the your house team? Who is your house team anyway?”

0 Chloe Okay! 0 Chloe 0 5