Flying Lessons on Quidditch Pitch

Coach Olivers

November 14, 2015 11:47 PM

Flying Lessons by Coach Olivers

It was official. Florence was engaged again at fifty-three. Her first marriage had made her a widow, but it was a relationship she would always hold close to her heart. But Nicholas was someone she felt ready to make those new memories with and begin another chapter of her life as a wife again. It felt strange thinking those words; she had never imagined marrying again at her age and it made her feel a little silly. The biggest question was yet to be answered, however: where were they going to live with him and his job in New York and her and her job in Arizona?

There was tons to think about in order to make things work, but Florence didn't want to think about those things yet. She wanted to focus on her students, not to mention daydreaming had the potential to be catastrophic in Flying Lessons.

"Good morning everyone," she said as she led the group of first-years who had gathered to the pile of school brooms. "Welcome to Flying Lessons. I am Professor Olivers, but you can call me Coach Olivers if you prefer. I am the stand-in Quidditch Coach here at Sonora, but my subject of preference is Charms. I'm going to call roll first, so please answer when I call your name."

Florence made her way through the list, putting a face to the names she called out. She'd never had to worry if her voice was too quiet on the pitch. As a professional actress in her past career, she had been used to belting on the theatre stage. She had never imagined the school grounds to be her next stage of life, but here she was less than ten years later.

When she finished the list, she put her clipboard under her arm. "Every lesson will begin with roll call and the more experienced flyers can break off to play informal scrimmages, toss a Quaffle around, or fly laps around the pitch. Before I let you more experienced flyers go, I only ask that you stay on a broom the entire time, do not hurt yourselves or each other, and do not disturb the class for beginner flyers." Her light eyes rested on the students for a beat before she let the novices go.

Once the group had split, Florence turned her attention to the new flyers. "Now, everyone please grab a broom and put it down on the ground next to you. The side of your dominant hand. Good. Now hold your wand hand out--your dominant hand--and say, up!" The broom she had by her side leaped into her hand. "The trick is to be firm when commanding your broom. Be confident!"

Confidence was the key to acting and the key to making many of her more eccentric outfits look good. After being a stage actress for twenty-three years, she couldn't easily let go of old strategies and perspectives. "Once your broom is in your hand, mount it either astride or side-saddle. Let me know if you want to ride it side-saddle and I will adjust your brooms. Then simply kick off, but not too hard, and let the broom take you a couple feet of the ground and no higher to start. When you feel more comfortable go ahead and fly a little higher."

OOC: Welcome to flying! Welcome to Flying! By posting in this class, you will earn points for your house. There is a minimum of 200 words per post or three paragraphs, but the longer and more creative a post is, the more points you will receive. Points are awarded for how well you write, not how well your character does in a lesson. Keep your posts realistic, relevant to the lesson as much as possible, and creative!

If you have any questions, tag Professor Olivers on the OOC board or check the FAQ.

Florence will be present and will stop any situation before it gets out of hand. Make sure you don’t write for other characters without their permission. However, if your character wants to ride side-saddle, you can safely assume Prof. Olivers adjusted their brooms. Otherwise, have fun with your posts!

Subthreads:

Good morning, Sonora by Gabriel Valenti with Cassius Riker [Aladren], Cassius Riker

My favorite class by Ben Pierce

There was an attempt [Tag Coach Olivers] by Nevaeh Reed [Aladren] with Raine Collindale, Teppenpaw, Coach Olivers

Oh goodie. by Angelique Brockert, Crotalus with Artemis Leithan. Crotalus

Getting the hang of this, too? by Arthur Leithan, 1st year Tep

0 Coach Olivers Flying Lessons 0 Coach Olivers 1 5

Gabriel Valenti

November 15, 2015 5:21 PM

Good morning, Sonora by Gabriel Valenti

Good morning Arizona - strap on your flying gloves and don’t forget to eat your wizard wheaties - because it is a beautiful day for flying! Well, not that Gabe knew for sure, being that he had never actually flown before. But hey, a kid could assume. And never had he been so excited for school before. He’d woken up extra early, combed his curls out of his face, and eagerly put on his Fitchburg Finches jersey under his robes. His knowledge of the team at this point was strictly limited to their emblem, but he hoped to convince Dad to take him to a game over Christmas break. They had to let Muggles go to Quidditch games with their wizard sons - how else was Gabe supposed to master the game someday?

He practically ran from Teppenpaw commons to Cascade Hall, inhaled a breakfast, and promptly made his way to the Quidditch Pitch. The pudgy first year smiled to himself as he entered the Pitch - he was starting to get the hang of his new school. And wearing robes. Wizard robes were definitely among the major cultural shocks of the first generation wizard’s new life in Arizona. Ma had ensured that the tailor hemmed them properly, but he could never get over the fear that he’d trip right over them and embarrass himself in front of everybody. So far so good, though, all they really ever did was kind of billow out behind him as he ran from place to place. Which was actually kind of cool.

Heck, he’d even made his first friend at the Opening Feast, Natalie, a fellow Teppenpaw and first year. Gabe briefly looked around for her during roll call, exclaiming an eager, “Here!” when his own name was called. If anyone was as excited for class as he was, he was certain that it would be his fellow New Yorker.

Dark eyes watched longingly as the advanced flyers got to go off on their own. How cool would it be to have grown up flying! Gabe had played all sorts of sports growing up, of course, from baseball to skiing. But he was certain that flying had to be the coolest sport of them all. That was why he had no shame as he rushed towards the brooms, grabbing a newer looking one from the bunch and walking off a few yards away before settling it down on his left side. One day, he was going to be a super awesome Quidditch player. This was going to be the first step.

It seemed strange to the eleven year-old that one wouldn’t just take the broom and go flying, but he supposed that this was what the class was for. Perhaps brooms were like wands, complete with their own personality and everything. He wondered if the broom would get angry if he just picked it up and attempted to fly off with it. His own wand had started to shake angrily when Ma had tried to pack it away for him, along with the rest of his things. Magic was pretty weird.

“Um… up!” he said hopefully the first time, unsure of what to expect. The broom rustled around in the grass a bit, but not much happened. He frowned. The boy tried again several more times, each with plenty of enthusiasm, yet each resulting in failure. Huh. Well, this was not going to be as easy as he’d thought.

Okay, time to look at things differently. Though he was a husky kid, he was also an athlete. He’d been playing in little leagues practically since he could walk! While not a natural athlete, like his siblings before him, the youngest Valenti sibling always did his very best to keep up. He stayed up past bedtime with Emma, practicing. He’d play soccer with Mattie, even when he had to run hard, and the muscles in his legs started to burn and all he wanted to do was collapse in the mud, he knew he had to keep up. He shifted his weight from side to side, bending his knees slightly. He needed to remember who he was, outside of this wizarding weirdness. That would get him off the ground.

“Up!” he exclaimed, finally with confidence, and the broom darted towards his left hand. Victoriously, he lifted the broom over his head, pumping his right fist in the air, “It worked!” he exclaimed to his nearest classmate, temporarily forgetting that this was just the first step.

0 Gabriel Valenti Good morning, Sonora 330 Gabriel Valenti 0 5

Ben Pierce

November 18, 2015 5:07 PM

My favorite class by Ben Pierce

Of all his classes, Ben was most excited about flying lessons. Not because he wanted to learn to fly - he already knew that - but because it was the closest thing to gym class that Sonora offered. Next year and the years after that were going to stink mightily in that regard with just a straight up academic curriculum. He wondered if 'Sports' was something he could as that independent study thing Professor Pye had mentioned during orientation. He wasn't sure how many sports could be studied independently though. Was Team Study a thing, maybe?

For now, though, he did have Flying Lessons, and as Uncle Derry had said would happen, the kids who already knew how to fly pretty much had a free sports period. He remembered to answer to 'Pierce, Benjamin,' after only a couple moments of silence while Coach Olivers waited for a reply - he wasn't really used to anyone calling him by his full name except Gramelia. "Oh, here!" he called out eventually in response, raising his hand and waving it. "Just Ben, please," he requested when she found him, since that was what most adults tended to use for his name.

After role was called and the experienced fliers were sent away, Ben grabbed a school broom (he hadn't been clear on whether he could being his own broom to the class or not, and had erred on the side of not bringing it), grabbed a Quaffle, and kicked off the ground.

Spotting another student already in the air, he hefted the red ball by way of identification (he thought it was highly unlikely that anyone knew how to fly, but didn't know what a Quaffle was, but you never knew and he didn't want to assume) and called out, "Want to toss the Quaffle around?"

1 Ben Pierce My favorite class 339 Ben Pierce 0 5

Nevaeh Reed [Aladren]

November 20, 2015 1:30 AM

There was an attempt [Tag Coach Olivers] by Nevaeh Reed [Aladren]

Nevaeh woke up with an eager knot in her stomach; she had never flown before. Mom always thought it would be a bit too dangerous for her, especially since neither of her parents were especially talented fliers to help her out if anything were to go wrong. But today, she got to try it for the first time ever, and she was pretty excited about it.

Sitting up and sliding her feet off the edge of her bed, she found her slippers where Scout ritually brought them and made her way into the bathroom to get ready. She didn’t hear any noise that wasn’t coming from her own actions, so she assumed her roommates--she had roommates now!--were still asleep for the current time. Nevaeh dressed herself and, with Scout leading her, scurried down to breakfast. Scout liked it when she let him hurry.

Soon enough, she found herself on the Pitch, calling out a hearty, “Here!” and shooting an arm into the air when Professor/Coach Olivers called her name for attendance. Nevaeh listened carefully to everything the woman had to say for the more experienced flyers, even though it wasn’t really relevant to her. The first important thing for her was the instruction to grab a broom. She released Scout’s harness and told him, “Go get one,” in an even but pleasant tone.

Scout returned a moment later, and Nevaeh took the broom from his teeth and sat it on the ground to her right, regaining control of the harness in her left hand. She assumed saying Up! would make the broom rise to her hand (why else would they have put them on the ground?) so she braced herself for the impact before calling out a firm, “Up!” The broom rose to her hand on the very first try, and she grabbed it with masterful timing. She supposed she was good at giving instructions in the right tone after working with her service animal.

Now came the difficult part. Her heart pounding in her ears, Nevaeh mounted the broom. She released Scout’s harness once again, telling him firmly, “Stay right there.” With both hands now wrapped tightly around the handle, she kicked off the ground. The broom took her up, only about a foot in the air, but she was flying.

Wait, she was flying!

Nevaeh’s primary connection to the earth was through her physical surroundings. Now that she was in the air, that was gone--there was no ground, no wall, no nothing near her. And despite having expected to be thrilled by the rush of knowing she was flying, all she felt was afraid.

“AHH!” She screamed. “I don’t like it! I don’t like it! I wanna go back down! Down, broom! Down!” Despite the panic, she managed to find her way back to earth, and she hopped off the broom, letting it drop beside her. Shaky fingers quickly grappled back to Scout’s harness. She held it so tight her knuckles lost color as she made her way to the Coach/Professor. “I don’t think I can do this,” she stated nervously. “I thought I could, but I can’t. It’s too scary being up there and not knowing where I am.”

12 Nevaeh Reed [Aladren] There was an attempt [Tag Coach Olivers] 325 Nevaeh Reed [Aladren] 0 5

Cassius Riker [Aladren]

November 24, 2015 2:49 AM

Good morning, ground by Cassius Riker [Aladren]

Cass woke up that morning to light streaming in through the window and into his face. He hadn’t bothered to draw the curtains around his bed closed the previous night, as he didn’t need to worry about privacy in the room as he was currently its only tenant. Which, looking in the mirror, Cass decided was a good thing for now as he looked like an absolute mess. The hair on the back of his head refused to lay flat no matter what he did, and he was pretty sure that was drool on the collar of his camouflage pajama shirt. He looked at the clock and groaned at how annoyingly early it was. Mornings weren’t usually a problem for Cass, but for whatever reason today he felt like he could fall back into bed and be out again in an instant.

Before he could do exactly that, Cass pulled himself out of his pajamas and into clothes he considered decent enough, which included a hoodie to hide in if his hair continued to give him trouble. He then slipped his current sketchbook into his canvas backpack and headed down for food.

Breakfast went by uneventfully. Cass ate whatever was closest to him; he didn’t really realize what it was as he was busy filling a page of his book with a quick doodle of the waterfalls that lined the walls of Cascade Hall, taking occasional bites with his right hand while he drew with his left. He left when he was satisfied with the sketch, not really noticing if he’d had enough to satisfy any hunger.

Despite having taken his sweet time strolling to the Quidditch Pitch -because really it was so beautiful here- Cass caught up with the cluster of other first years and who he assumed was the coach just in time to reply to rollcall with a slightly distracted “Here!” He then proceeded to zone out as soon as he heard “experienced flyers.” Clearly, that didn’t apply to him. Sitting his bag down as gently as possibly as to not ruffle any pages in his book, Cass took in the sights of the Quidditch Pitch. Quidditch, or flying for that matter, hadn’t really been a part of his life at home. At home, there wasn’t really any open space for practicing, as the house was closely surrounded by trees; and his parents weren’t exactly sports fanatics. It’s actually kinda picturesque he thought, admiring the view of the high posted rings with the school off in the distance.

Cass was snapped out his head when a student near him exclaimed “It worked!” Worrying he’d look like a slacker standing there doing nothing for so long, he ran over and grabbed a broom from the top of the stack and back to his place. What was it he was supposed to do again? Cass internally groaned at himself for not paying attention when he needed to. The kids around him were mounting their brooms and kicking off into the air to then drift around gently, so that must be what he was supposed to be doing, right?

Taking in a deep breath, Cass hung onto the broom in his left hand as he hoisted his right leg over it, and then pushed off the ground as he’d watched the others do. This attempt ended up feeling, and presumably looking, like a dorky little bunny hop. Cass closed his eyes and braced himself, pushing off much harder this time. This time he went up, but didn’t stop at a low hover, instead ending up closer to six or so feet in the air. Oh no, what did I do? he thought, clinging tightly to the handle of the broom that carried him, almost mockingly, in small undulations that made him feel a little like vomiting. “Hey, um, how do I land?” he asked the excitable student who’d brought him back to reality earlier. Heights weren’t really a problem for Cass, as he’d been climbing the trees in his yard as long as he could remember, but not having his feet connected to something solid was unsettling. His attempts at calm distracted him just enough for his grip to slip slightly, which caused him to slide sideways over the broom to hang upside down.

“Well, can you move my bag?” he asked the boy. “At this point I should probably just let go.” He more than likely wouldn’t hurt himself, but damaging his art was a risk he wasn’t going to take.

0 Cassius Riker [Aladren] Good morning, ground 0 Cassius Riker [Aladren] 0 5

Angelique Brockert, Crotalus

November 27, 2015 2:21 PM

Oh goodie. by Angelique Brockert, Crotalus

Angelique wasn't very enthusiastic about flying or, to be honest, classes in general. What she was excited for at school was the social aspect. Meeting the right people, making influential friends. However, she generally had less interest in flying than Charms or Transfiguration, for example. Charms could make things pretty and Transfiguration was something she expected to be somewhat good at, at least on the practical side. Maybe she could make a smart friend to help her with theory, though she didn't expect to have issues grasping it as much as she did to be bored.

Still, she'd truly never had the desire to get up on a broom and fly around and playing Quidditch was unthinkable. Even if the claims that WAIL made were ridiculous, the facts boiled down to there being nothing at all ladylike about playing a brutal dangerous sport. The girls who played it obviously didn't care about such a thing and that was fine, but Angelique did. Not because society dictated it, but because it was who she truly was. She liked pretty dresses-having to wear school uniforms did not make her too happy-and tea parties and make-up-not that she was allowed to wear too much now-and dolls and fancy parties. Sport was not for her.

Angelique knew though that she still had to take flying lessons, and it wasn't the same as playing Quidditch but she wasn't going to be joining any of the scrimmages once she did get through the basic lessons, something she didn't see as that hard. She could only hope that she wouldn't have to be alone in that. Being an outcast was a fate worse than death to her but at the same time, tossing the Quaffle around was not something she'd enjoy in the least. She'd likely just fly around on the pitch to fulfill the requirement.

She had brought a broom with her but of course it wasn't her own. It was borrowed from one of her cousins, and was thus several years old. As Angelique was never going to use it for more than this class, it would do. She was a Brockert and therefore, it was shameful to be using a school broom as she could obviously afford one. However she'd never had any desire to fly and her parents didn't really encourage it anyway so she didn't own one.

The first year listened to Professor Olivers. Angelique placed her hand over the broom and said "Up!" It shot right into her hand. Confidence and the ability to being commanding weren't something she was all that lacking in, whether or not this was an area she was interested in or not. She rose her hand for the side saddle modifications and once satisfied, got on the broom and kicked off.

Up ahead she spotted someone else who was not scrimmaging or tossing about a Quaffle and flew towards them. "Hello." Angelique greeted her classmate.

11 Angelique Brockert, Crotalus Oh goodie. 332 Angelique Brockert, Crotalus 0 5

Gabe [Teppenpaw]

November 30, 2015 11:54 PM

Ouch. by Gabe [Teppenpaw]

Gabe's arms dropped along with his jaw as he watched his classmate in a hoody promptly grab a broom, do some sort of prep-jump and kickoff, and end up six feet in the air. So. Awesome. He briefly wondered what the other boy was doing here with the beginners, maybe he was a natural, or just a ringer. Either way, Gabe had plenty of questions for the boy, just as soon as he could grab his attention.

Must be a natural - he silently decided when the boy asked him how to land. Gabe's brow creased, he honestly had no idea. This was his first time (hopefully) flying. The Quidditch book he read every night before bed had more to do with the history of the game and cool flying stunts than basic technique. But the good thing about sports was that sometimes techniques you learned in one were helpful in others. And, the way flying seemed to depend so much on shifting your body weight, he imagined it was a lot like skiing. Now, there was a sport Gabe Valenti definitely understood.

"Eh, point your broom in the direction you wanna go and-" but Gabe didn't have the chance to finish his suggestion as the boy executed what could either be a Starfish and Stick or a Sloth Grip Roll. The first year couldn't really remember the difference between the two, and made a mental note to look it up later tonight. He was no nerd, but if he was going to be a starter on the House team some day, he better make sure he knew his stuff.

"Yeah, sure!" he exclaimed, not taking his dark eyes off the boy as he carried the bag over his right shoulder, left hand still clutching the broom as he started backing away. Who knew what this kid would do next, maybe a really cool flip or something! Gabe for sure wasn't going to miss it.

"Cool move," he acknowledged with a head nod full of respect, adding," I'm Gabe."

0 Gabe [Teppenpaw] Ouch. 330 Gabe [Teppenpaw] 0 5

Raine Collindale, Teppenpaw

December 02, 2015 6:45 AM

I want to help! Am I allowed to help? [still tag Coach] by Raine Collindale, Teppenpaw

Raine was a bit nervous for flying class. Well, really for most of her classes… She wasn’t used to a rigid structure, and was scared of being yelled at or humiliated. In comics, the stupid kids had to sit on a big stool with a pointy hat on, and everyone laughed at them. Raine didn’t think she was stupid but she knew she wasn’t good at book learning, and that was what everyone here expected. Flying might be ok, as it was outside, and also something she knew how to do, but she didn’t want to have to go at breakneck speeds or start dodging Bludgers. She was relieved when the coach just let them off to do whatever, if they already knew how to fly.

Raine helped herself to a school broom. Kyte had his with him, as practising stunt flying was his whole life, but Raine wasn’t really bothered about the activity, which meant the handful of family-owned brooms had higher priorities at home. Initially, she trailed after her twin from habit. He liked an audience for his tricks, and she liked his company, although it wasn’t her favourite thing for the two of them to do together, and she found her attention wandering over to the beginners group. Especially when there was a loud scream. She turned to see who it was, and was startled and surprised. She’d noticed Neveah around school, how she always had her dog, and it had its special straps… How she ran her fingers over her handouts in class. It didn’t take a genius to work out that the girl was blind, however capable she was.

Raine turned, planning to go help her classmate, although the commands to the broom acted more quickly than she could, returning the girl to the ground. Raine pulled up as Neveah joined Coach Olivers, over-hearing her explanation of how scary it had all been. She bit her lip. She had wanted to offer to help Neveah but she wasn’t sure about interrupting her when she was talking to a teacher… Nervously, she piped up.

“I… I could help, if you want. I know already how to fly but I don’t….um,” she hesitated, not wanting to say that she didn’t really like the subject in front of the teacher, “I don’t want to play ball games,” this caused her to recap the list Coach Olivers had given them. Play games. Go fly laps. Whatever you like except interfere with the new flyers. Raine coloured to the tips of her ears as she realised she had disobeyed a teacher’s instruction. She hadn’t really meant to. She’d just been trying to be nice. It made her panic to think she might have disobeyed, but a little part of her was angry and upset by any system that would punish her for being a good person. “I…. I know that wasn’t on your list,” she added nervously to the coach, “But… um…. but I…” she hesitated, not sure how to explain how she just wanted to be helpful without it sounding like further defiance.

13 Raine Collindale, Teppenpaw I want to help! Am I allowed to help? [still tag Coach] 327 Raine Collindale, Teppenpaw 0 5

Coach Olivers

December 07, 2015 6:54 PM

Yes please do! by Coach Olivers

Once she sent off the students and helped the others get started, Florence had to keep her eyes peeled for any student struggling or potentially face-planting into the ground. She had seen some really awful flyers before, but relatively everyone seemed to pick it up easily enough. Even if they didn't become Quidditch players, the basics of flying was necessary just in case...well, for whatever reasons it was important to know.

However, Florence had never expected to work in Flying Lessons with a student who could not see. Flying and Quidditch was not her forte. After the last Quidditch coach had moved on from Sonora, Florence had only planned to be the stand-in coach until another was found. However, one year had turned into several and while she had come to enjoy the role there were times when she was at a loss of how to effectively teach first-years how to fly.

By the service animal, it was clear that one student was going to need assistance. Florence kept a nervous eye on the girl after she sent them off to fly and tried to think of ways to make flying a positive experience for her. She was at a loss. Even if she tried to harness her to the broom or control it herself, the girl wouldn't be able to see--or in this case, feel--her surroundings. Florence wracked her brain, trying to think of some way to make flying more enjoyable for her. It wasn't fair to exclude her from a lesson just because of her physical differences.

The girl's screaming was enough to attract Florence's attention and the girl made her way over to relay her fears. "I understand," she said in the same calm tone she used when a student was ranting about how they couldn't perform a certain charm. She couldn't exactly offer to fly with the girl, but before Florence could seat her to the side with some kind of work in place of it, another girl came up offering to help.

The first-year seemed nervous and hesitant, but Florence was glad she had offered. "That would be wonderful," she said with a warm smile. "That's very kind of you to help her. I have to keep my eyes on the other beginner flyers, but you can fly with her. If you have any trouble please let me know, and please fly very low in case something happens." Florence still had her clipboard in her hand and she flipped through the class list. "What are your names again?" she asked the two girls. She would remember their names well enough, but it being the first day was always a little challenging putting names and faces together.

OOC: Once you give Florence your names, feel free to continue the thread without her. Sorry it took so long to reply!

0 Coach Olivers Yes please do! 0 Coach Olivers 0 5

Cassius Riker

December 08, 2015 2:29 AM

It's no big deal. by Cassius Riker

Cass was at least partially relieved when his classmate was kind enough to move his bag for him. The bag itself may look pretty ratty, but inside it held precious cargo, projects he definitely could not risk squishing. That was one experience Cass was all too familiar with, having fallen out of many a tree while drawing, having perched himself higher than he was technically allowed to climb.

Breathing a little easier with the threat to his sketch book gone, Cass was able to focus on his next problem; getting down. Still clinging to the underside of his broom, however a bit more stable now, was not his definition of a good time. What was it the kid on the ground had said? Point the broom in the direction he wanted to go? But if Cass was upside down, did the broom reorient to his current position? Wait a minute, did he just say I’m cool? Cass thought. Hang on, not the time. Get safe first.

Deciding on the ground equalling down, regardless of what it was to his position, Cass pulled the end of the broomstick closer to his chest, and was surprised by the sudden downward angle he found himself dropping into. Doing his best to protect his head and neck, he let go of the broom just before hitting the ground and pulled himself into as tight a ball he could manage, rolling into an awkward, backwards half-somersault before landing hard on his butt. Cass groaned- a little from pain, but mostly from embarrassment. Whatever that was, it definitely wasn’t cool.

Trying to save face, Cass jumped up and dusted himself off, offering a hand for either a shake or return of his bag, and introduced himself as calmly as he could manage. “Hi Gabe, thanks for the save. I’m Cassius.”

0 Cassius Riker It's no big deal. 326 Cassius Riker 0 5

Artemis Leithan. Crotalus

December 12, 2015 9:14 PM

Hi, Angelique! by Artemis Leithan. Crotalus

Artemis Leithan rushed through breakfast and headed for the quidditch pitch. She hated to be late. Artemis was raised as a very correct pureblood girl, and it was unthinkable to be late for one of her earliest classes.

She took her mother's heirloom broom with her to the pitch. Her brother Arthur had been given a new broom, but Artemis' parents believed girls only flew for classes, so she didn't need one as far as they were concerned. It was also the socially correct move, in their opinion, for a young witch to use as many family heirloom objects as possible. It sent the right messaage to all the right people. Artemis was considerably less stuffy than her parents, but she followed their wishes thoroughly. Crotalus was definitely the House for the daughter of purebloods, her parents agreed. They had not been happy when the twins were placed in different houses, but they made fewer demands for conventionally correct behavior from their son. Besides, Teppenpaw was the “friendly” House, and Arthur was extremely social. Their parents wanted him to pursue a career as a diplomat, so it was suitable.

Artemis asked the coach to check that her broom was prepared for flying side saddle, although it had never been used in any other manner. Her mother barely tolerated the idea of witches flying for classes, and certainly had never ridden it astride. Still, Artemis was careful to observe the form required of her, and if her flying instructor wanted to verify that the broom was ready, Artemis was willing to accede.

The broom being perfectly appropriate was quickly determined and Artemis raised it to her hand on her first try with a firm “Up!!” It felt solid and familiar, despite the fact that Artemis had never flown before. She was quickly floating serenely in the air, her blond hair wafting out behind her in the breeze. She tried flying a bit slowly around the pitch to practice her technique, finding the exercise pleasant after all. She regretted that her family considered flying barely appropriate for witches, something she would have little opportunity to spend her time doing, particularly at home.

Artemis heard someone behind her say, “Hello” and turned to find Angelique Brockert, her roommate in Crotalus. Artemis engaged Angelique with a friendly smile and flew back to her. “Hi, Angelique!” Artemis said. Angelique was exactly the type of person Artemis' parents had sent her to Sonora to befriend. Artemis was happy to have such a suitable companion for her first flight.

0 Artemis Leithan. Crotalus Hi, Angelique! 0 Artemis Leithan. Crotalus 0 5

Arthur Leithan, 1st year Tep

December 12, 2015 11:27 PM

Getting the hang of this, too? by Arthur Leithan, 1st year Tep

Arthur Leithan followed the instructions closely. His parents had chosen to give him a new broom for this class. Artemis had been expected to use her mother's old broom from her school days, but Arthur, as a boy, was entitled to a new one to keep. He wished his parents had more modern notions of what a pureblood girl needed, but they frowned on excessive flying by girls, and Artemis had to obey. He wondered if she would like flying. He was more concerned about her sensibilities than his own. Arthur's parents had raised him to be conspicuously protective of his twin sister, as they viewed it as the appropriate manner for a pureblood man to display towards his wife, and treating his sister in this manner was considered good practice. Arthur's parents' focus had always been on tradition and they were fairly stuffy. Arthur appreciated their efforts to turn him into a fine gentleman and wizard, but he knew the restrictions on him were mild compared to those borne by his sister.

Arthur was excited to be learning to fly for the first time. His parents had viewed flying lessons as a matter for the school, not to be practiced at home, and Arthur was afraid of making a fool of himself in front of his classsmates. When the instructions were over, Arthur set his broom below his right hand and said assertively, “Up!!” The broom responded immediately, and Arthur climbed onto it carefully, afraid he would end up hanging from it awkwardly.

He tried to fly slowly, but the broom was a bit hypersensitive to his touch, in keeping with its fine manufacturing, and it moved quickly forward, forcing him to adjust to its smooth but rapid motion. Arthur gradually attenuated his movements, keeping the broom from speeding so quickly, as it was clearly designed to do. Fortunately, Arhur's appearance of skill was aided by the broom's sleek, able construction and he seemed a better flyer than he was. An unknowing observer might have thought he handled the broom well, although it was simply a matter of fine craftsmanship overcoming a lack of practice. He was happy that his parents had chosen it for him. They believed in beginning with a fine tool, not starting with an inferior model and then learning to control a great one. He would be using this broom the rest of his life.

As Arthur became more confident on his broom, he noticed a classmate nearby and flew up to them.
“Getting the hang of this, too?” he inquired.

0 Arthur Leithan, 1st year Tep Getting the hang of this, too? 0 Arthur Leithan, 1st year Tep 0 5

Gabe

December 13, 2015 2:43 PM

Spoken like a true superhero by Gabe

Okay, wand magic and everything was cool and all, but as far as Gabe was concerned, this was the most awesome thing he had witnessed ever since he’d arrived in Arizona. The way the kid was able to guide the broom while upside down, then did a backwards roll-type-thing like a hero from an action movie. All that was missing was intense music and an epic explosion in the background. The pudgy eleven year-old darted over to his fellow first year excitedly, to make sure he was okay. But from the looks of it, the kid had everything under control. So cool.

“For sure,” he exclaimed, handing the bag back to Cassius - which was definitely a superhero name. Not a boring, kind of girly name like Gabriel. Maybe now that he was a wizard, he should consider getting a super cool wizard name. He immediately discarded the thought, Ma would definitely kill him and she didn’t need any magic to do it.

“Such an awesome jump, you need to show me how to do that,” he declared, dark eyes filled with excitement, “Wanna fly together?” There was so much Gabe could learn from this kid, and it would be really cool to fly with a kid like Cassius. Some of the other kids were just kind of flying around, but it would be even more awesome to learn cool flying tricks too. He would have to keep pushing himself if he wanted to make the house team. After all, he was playing from a disadvantage, growing up normal and all. Most of the other kids trying out would probably be older, or at least flying for years. From the looks of it, his theory from the first night talking to Nat had been right - some of these magic kids had been flying for years.

He wondered what that must be like, to learn how to ride a broom instead of a bike as a kid. To grow up, with all this magic stuff being just normal. Not that he’d missed much when he was little - his family lived comfortably and was tight-knit, and he spent most of his days playing outside with his older siblings in a big backyard. He’d had plenty of sports to play, plenty of delicious food to eat, especially from Nonna’s bakery. Still, he wondered, there was a whole other world out there, and up until a few months ago, his family had no idea.

Well, those kind of thoughts were way too serious for the Quidditch Pitch. Gabe ran a hand through his short curls; maybe he wasn’t going to figure out the whole wizarding world in one afternoon, but he for sure was going to learn their sports. He kicked one leg over the broom, bent his knees, just slightly and, gripping tightly on the broom, pointed at a gentle angle upward, and kicked off.

0 Gabe Spoken like a true superhero 330 Gabe 0 5

Nevaeh

December 15, 2015 5:14 AM

Well, then, here we go.. by Nevaeh

Much to Nevaeh’s surprise, it wasn’t the coach who initially answered her. Instead, it was another student who spoke, barely getting out a nervous offer of help. It was clear this girl was probably on the shy side just from the way her voice wavered, and Nevaeh appreciated her trying to help when she was evidently pretty uncomfortable.

Admittedly, Nevaeh wasn’t really keen on the idea of trying again to fly, even with help from this nice girl, but when Coach Olivers approved the idea, she supposed she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. If this proved as much a disaster as her previous solo attempt, maybe then she would get some sort of alternate assignment or even an exemption. “Go pick up my broom, Scout,” she said, temporarily releasing the harness linking her to her German shepard. As he fetched, she answered the coach’s question. “I’m Nevaeh Reed.”

She learned that the other girl was named Raine--a pretty name, she thought. Nevaeh paid quite a bit of attention to names; she felt that a lot of the time, they told more about their owner than what was normally observed. For example, Nevaeh Kamri Carter Reed paid homage to her and her biological mother’s pasts. Whether she liked it or not (she had yet to decide), it tied them together.

“Thanks, by the way,” Nevaeh commented as she and Raine parted ways with the Coach. “For volunteering to help me. It was really nice of you.” She felt Scout nuzzle her leg. “This one thinks so too. His name’s Scout.” Nevaeh smiled with slight nervousness, a bit hesitant to ask the question that weighed on her mind. “So, uh, if we’re going back in the air… would you mind holding my hand? I don’t want to feel so disconnected from everything again.”

12 Nevaeh Well, then, here we go.. 325 Nevaeh 0 5