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OOC: June 12, the day before the End of Year Feast.
Please read this thread before posting!

The stands are abuzz with excitement, face paint, crazy hats, and smelly trench coats. Students huddle in groups, some already shouting and cheering like rabid fans, and others more concerned with the state of their nails. However, it can’t be denied that this is the biggest game of the season! In just moments the two final teams, Ravenclaw and Slytherin, will fly onto the pitch and the quaffles will be sent up into the air.

(Those in the stands- make your loyalties known!)

It was close to the end of the year. It was time to venture out of the library and into the world. Especially since today was the big quidditch game of the year. Zoey didn't partake much in the sport, and well, almost failed flying his first year. And he never actually watched the games, either. But Beatrix was playing and he wanted to cheer her on. She was, afterall, his best friend in the entire universe.

Dressed in all navy blue, Zoey wore a wife beater with a raven etched into the front and the words, "TRIX," on the back. His pants were torn blue jeans, with multiple patched up holes, all navy colored bandana patching. His face had a raven painted onto one cheek while his hair was swept back into what appeared to look like wings. He was going all out today, and Beatrix would be proud. Taking a seat near the front of the stands, he situated himself among the Ravenclaws, as his house would not accept his pride today, for they were the opposing team.

"Go Bea! Beat some sense into Pascal! The older one, not the younger!" He yelled from the stands. And in a whisper, he shouted, "And Ava! Good luck!"

When Niobe Thursby emerged from the stairs into the open air of the lofty, swaying tower grand stands she was out of breath.   But she was exhilerated! Quidditch, even when played by teenagers, was desperately exciting.  Actually, she'd always enjoyed the ametuer matches because they were even less predictable! The fliers still not experts at broomflight, dropped passes, bludger hits, bludger misses, and the clumsy fumbling for the Snitch.

She clapped her hands.  Her fuzzy dreadlocks whipped around her head in the winds; she pushed them away looking through the students.  She saw a mop-haired boy in Ravenclaw navy.  She checked the photo again.  Yup, it was her intern Zoey McAdams.

The Daily Prophet reporter climbed the steps and excused her way past some students until she found a gap just behind him.

She tapped his shoulder.

"Zoey!" she raised her voice to be heard. "Zoey, it's Niobe Thursby from the Prophet! Are you well, lad?"

Trying to be hidden was hard when you dressed like a freak. He let his sense of fashion get the best of him at an event he'd rather have not attended to begin with, but alas, he loved being weird, which to him, was not weird at all. He was just being himself, and people tended to frown upon him for that. His care level only decreased every time he got a shake of the head or a rolling eye.

"Zoey!"

Oh god. He hoped he hadn't heard his name. With a sly eye, he turned his head around to see who was calling his name. At first, the person who had seemed to say his name looked like any other stranger. But at second glance, he thought it might be his summer job come to Hogwarts.

"Zoey, it's Niobe Thursby from the Prophet! Are you well, lad?"

And he was correct. He let a small smile gather on his face. "Ms. Thursby, hello." He held out his hand for he to shake. "I'm doing well, yes. And yourself?"

Niobe's smile wrinkled her nose.  She shook the young wizard's hand vigorously.   Good! He was polite! That went a long way when it came to talking to strangers.  And from the look of his clothing, he wasn't shy either.  There was a lot one could learn about a person on parchment, but sometimes it didn't translate to in person.  She'd have to thank Colette Wheaton for help narrowing down her candidates - she seemed to have a good idea of the writer behind words.

"Well good!" she said enthusiastically, still keeping an eye the pitch.  The teams were coming from the locker rooms, flying about with a visible sense of anticipation.

"Aren't you in Slytherin House, Zoey? And look at you, dressed like a son of Rowena - what're you playing at? Undercover and on location, eh?"  She slapped him on the back and then began to dig in her bag for her quill and parchment.

"Trix - that a special friend of yours then?"

From the looks of it, Niobe Thursby was an odd character, just like him. He may have the best summer of his young life coming up this year, though he doubted the best, but second to best would be more suitable. France was his best summer, but that's another story for another day. He laughed when asked about his house and the whole Rowena Ravenclaw ordeal.

"Actually, ma'am, I am in the Slytherin house." He glanced over and saw the players flying from the locker rooms. Beatrix was flying proud and he gave her a wink and a wave, though he doubted she saw it. "Haha, no ma'am, no undercover and et cetera here. I'm just rooting for my best friend. Beatrix, that's her..." He pointed to the Ravenclaw beater with the fiery pink hair.

"She is my best friend. I'm two years her elder, but still, I love her like a sister." He smiled at his shadower and watched her eyes. She seemed interested in him, that was for sure.

Finn squeezed his way through hoards of students in various blues and greens. Everyone in the stands was rooting for someone, regardless of what house they were in - Finn gathered that Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students would root for Ravenclaws over Slytherins any day. And that was evident through the sea of blue, compared with the small spattering of greens.

Today, Finn was going back to his old roots. He was being transported back to his Slytherin childhood. He even had his old school scarf - obviously it wasn't the scarf-wearing weather but it was the only thing from school that he would consider wearing in public support of his old house.

Today, he was not only here to support Slytherin as a house, but to support his younger sister. Ava was a Chaser, and he was proud that she was on the team. He himself had been a keeper when he had been in school.

As Finn made his way through the crowds of students he heard someone shout his name. He turned on his heel to find the owner of the voice and groaned as he saw Arius waving from a few hundred yards away. Finn lifted his arm and gave a half-hearted wave back with a lopsided grin. He waited as Arius pushed his way through the crowd. He swore he heard a "Don't you people know who I am?" come from Arius' lips, but Finn decided to ignore it. Eventually Arius was at Finn's side.

Finn shook his head. "I cannot believe you." He looked his friend up and down. "Every year. Every bloody year!"

[godmoding approved by Mena]

Arielle was bitter. Gryffindor wasn't playing and there was never a good time for Gryffindor not to kick some Slytherin bum as far as she was concerned. Especially with her family being involved in that house the way it was. Though she told herself repeatedly that it was okay, and that eventually she would get her chance to show her Uncle and Cousin just how skilled she had become in flight, it made her annoyed she didn't get to do it sooner rather than later. All in good time, she sighed to herself as she watched people walk through the stands.

The only real reason, aside from the obvious pull to the game itself, that she was even there was to support her friends on the teams. Well one friend in particular got her in the stands, she stayed and planned to cheer for them all while she had a chance to. Sitting with the rest of a bitter Gryffindor house, she held a little blue flag to assist in taunting the Slytherins.

By sitting here and studying the plays, Arielle hoped she would have a better chance next year at making it to the final game. Being left out again would devastate her to no end, that might be why she was driven to practice as hard as she did.

Trying to distract her annoyed brain she decided to look for friends. Her golden eyes peered about the stands for anyone who might be interesting to talk to. Maybe if she had been patient she could have found her team-mates before they headed up the stands and to their seats. Snarks are however rarely patient in any respect. Looking over the bobbing heads of chattering children, Arielle hoped to see someone familiar.

Arius trailed behind Finn, positive that he should have been the one to go first. After all, a few waves of his arms and the phrase 'Arius coming through' would have gotten them to their destination among the sea of students much more rapidly. However, this was always the way it seemed to be, Finn broke through the crowd and Arius just followed, a silly and excited grin on his face. The House Cup seemed to be tradition and every time Ravenclaw or Slytherin played one or the other insisted on going and that the other go with them. Despite the age difference the two were quite close friends.

They moved slowly and soon Arius grew tired fo following, moving through what few students were between them with the occasional "Don't you people know who I am?" That question was easily answered, and obviously rhetorical. Arius knew very well that they knew who he was. He was a cover boy, a runway model, a wizarding superstar thanks to his looks. He pushed next to Finn and joined him walking at his side. He was so excited for this match he had even come out dressed to support his team!

He was sporting his school uniform from seventh year. Robe, sweater, scarf and all. He always did when Ravenclaw played and he loved to goad Finn a bit with it. "It still fits perfectly you know! I haven't grown an inch or gained any weight. Thank Merlin for the latter though perhaps I could do with being an inch or two taller." He wore a broad smile on his face and bopped along excitedly. He hoped Ravenclaw would win today, that was always the best way to leave a match. He looked Finn over again. "You really should consider wearing more than just your scarf perhaps a green shirt with a silver serpent on it, that might not be too bad."

It was up to Finn in the end how far he would go, but Arius loved dressing up for the match. "Are you excited?"

" 30 on Slytherin? Are you sure you don't want to make it 40? The bets are against them but I think they have a strong chance..." Devlin pressured the rather nervous looking 3rd year Slytherin. He kept glancing around nervously as if any moment they would get caught making a deal, and Devlin figured that if he pressed hard enough, the kid would give into his demands just to get away from him before the teachers caught on. He was right, for the kid just nodded and handed him another handful of coins. "Very good, 40 on Slytherin... Now my fee is..."

Looking up from his notepad, Devlin watched as the teen dashed away towards his home stands. "Ah well... I guess my fee just went up..." He smirked. It couldn't be helped if the kid didn't stick around to find out how much Dev would charge him. Pocketing the money, he made another notation in his pad before surveying the crowd for any other takers.

The cheer of the crowd told him that the game was starting, but Devlin didn't move from his spot. Mainly because he knew that a lot of betters would sneak down when the teachers were distracted, but also because he was trying to remain unbiased. Both teams had good friends of his in them, and Devlin couldn't bring himself to cheer for either side. Hence why he was donning a black sweater and not a stitch of green or blue. Resting his head against the leg of the Ravenclaw stand, where he was currently doing business, Devlin sighed happily as he jingled the coins in his pockets. This was the life.

Keegan had never seen a sport like this before. Kuwiditch... or however it was pronounced, sounded so foreign to him that he wanted to snicker every time he heard the name. But when Tulo described the game to him, where people rode around hundreds of feet in the air on naught but brooms, trying to knock each other off with heavy flying balls, well.. Keegan decided it was definitely a game for him. Besides, it would give him a chance to see what school life would be like and get to know people from the different houses. A learning experience if you will, though Keegan staunchly refused to think of it as anything but a chance to see people get bloodied and beaten from a super violent version of flying rugby.

Not sure which stand to go to, or team to cheer for, Keegan found himself just following the crowd. This lead him to a stand bedecked in red and gold, and emblazoned with a lion. Pushing his way to the front of the stands, Keegan stopped nearby a rather disgruntled looking teenage girl holding a little blue flag. Keegan ignored her because she looked like she would bite his head off if he talked to her, and chose to lean over the side of the stands so he could watch the field. As the teams burst from below and flew up to eye level, Keegen let out a cheer "Brilliant...Bloody fecking brilliant..." He breathed, eyes wide. He had never seen anyone fly on a broomstick before that wasn't on TV and held up by strings or computer animation.

Forgetting his plans to ignore the girl, Keegan poked her arm "Hey hey hey... whats... whats going on?? Who's playing who? Whats with those three rings down there?"

Edward had apparated into Hogsmeade and joined the rest of the families and fans towards Hogwarts castle. There were mainly dressed in blues and silvers though there was the occasional spot of greens and silvers instead. That was the group he fell into, wearing a green shirt over his black pants and his old Slytherin tie bound loosely around his neck. It was too hot for a scarf, but the tie had been a good compromise and replacement. He moved through the crowd quietly, trying not to draw attention to himself as he moved through the throng. He was there really to see his brother play, he had just learned about his brother and he had been invited. Then again he would have shown up even if he hadn't been.

He looked up and looked around, lifting his sunglasses briefly when he spotted a familiar looking duo. He began to nudge through the crowd, shuffling people this way and that until he reached his old friend and his famous counterpart. Arius certainly looked... interesting. "Trying to catch yourself some Azkabait?" He arched an eyebrow and looked the other man's outfit up and down. No self-respecting woman would give him the time of day dressed like that. Then again from what Edward knew about Arius, the man lacked any form of moral fiber.

"Hello Finn. Excited for a Slytherin win?" Edward had no doubt in his mind that they would win. After all, if his brother was even a tenth as talented as he was then Ravenclaw might be in trouble. Not to mention the one he called his protege, Malynda. Regardless, Edward's competitive nature made it difficult for him to believe that Ravenclaw could plausibly beat Slytherin. After all, they were known for their rough play. Even if Edward frowned on that a little bit in the case of the Falcons when it came to Slytherin, well, they could play rough and Edward would allow it because it still wasn't as rough as it could have been.

Despite having been there before, the castle was just as breathtaking and awe-inspiring as it had been the first time Mairead had laid eyes on it.  She'd heard that, to muggles, the castle appeared to be old ruins - not unlike the countless stoney piles that were the deathly remnants of past castles in Ireland.  Mairead couldn't help wondering if, perhaps, when she returned to Ireland, whether all those castles would suddenly be big and grand like this place.

She'd spent almost a week during the festivities back in May, but, Mairead wasn't here to see the whole of the castle.  She was here to see a game.

It was easy to find her way down to the quidditch pitch; everyone she could see seemed to be heading in the same direction.  Quickly, Mairead weaved her way around the crowds of people and through the big doors and stared up at the throngs of colors, people and the cluster of kids on broomsticks in the field.  Her eyes scanned the crowd and she spotted Keegan and immediately made her way over to him.

"Hiya!" she said, plopping on the bench next to him.  "Ye came to this quit itch thing?" 

Brushing past the Snark girl, whom Neely did not mind because her family was lovely, but whom she did not exactly adore either (Arielle had, after all, stolen 'most popular' straight from Neely and her friends' deserving clutches), Little Miss Woolfolk made a skipping beeline straight for Devlin Matthews. One silver-and-green bangled wrist plunged into her spirited bag, ready to shower the Ravenclaw with coins and bets in favor of Slytherin, when her eyes found something even more appetizing.

Gold falling her small palm, Neely staggered and stared. She grabbed the shoulder of the nearest stranger and leaned around the person, using he or she as both a handrail and a shield. "Arius!" She whispered loudly. "Look, it's Arius!" She announced, now turning slightly to the person, but still not bothering to really take in the face. She was too focused on her idol to notice whomever she was abusing at the moment. "I wonder what he's doing here with all of these... commoners..." She murmured.

Oh, yeah, quidditch... Go Slytherin.

Or Ravenclaw...

Straightening up, all five-feet and one inch of her (plus heels), Neely threw back her shoulders, gave her blond locks a quick shake, and began to maneuver through the crowd with newfound speed, but more awareness. She didn't want to look clumsy approaching Arius! She would never get through her internship if she didn't learn how to be natural around him. "Arius!" She called. "Arius, it's me!" She pushed a Hufflepuff into the railing, almost sending the poor unsuspecting badger to an early death. "Neely," she added weakly as an afterthought, not quite as loud. He'd written to her personally... after he'd been in her fashion show. He'd given her a gift! Of course he knew who she was! Neely suddenly felt very important.

"You look so young in your uniform!" She said, emerging from the pile of plebeians at last. "But very mature," she added quickly, nodding. Finally, she noticed Ava’s brother Finn and the professional hottie beater Edward Lynch standing beside the supermodel. It was like adding sprinkles to a massive ice-cream cone. As if Neely weren’t already weak-kneed.

Arielle was still feeling the stink of the loss rolling over like a warm tide of annoyance. Why? Why couldn't she be out there. While her friends played about flying and looping through the sky, she was stuck sitting here next to a new breed of what she assumed would soon be a firstie. Turning her golden eyes from her perfect view of Dagan on a broom to the questioning boy beside her she cocked an eyebrow, "This is Quidditch, those Rings are what you throw the Quaffle through..." maybe she had been so used to knowing Quidditch it hardly occurred to her that there are any other worlds aside from her own. As for who was playing Arielle's eyes narrowed a little, "You have no idea?" Obviously he didn't why was she asking, "The team in Blue is Ravenclaw while Green team is Slytherin..." she tried to remain cool under questioning but her mood was somewhat sore. "It should be Gryffindor up there," she said off-handedly her little blue flag fluttering in the light breeze.

Trying to brush off her anger she watched as another child came up in a chattery mood. Sighing deeply she swept some of  her golden brown locks behind her ear. It was going to be a long game. Ignoring the conversation her eyes moved back to the center of the air where the teams were flitting about like fire flies. After a short moment of searching, Arielle spotted Dagan out of the group and a sly smile crossed her lips.

For a brief second she noticed a plastic slide past her. Arielle wasn't bothered much by the girls who thought they were better than the rest of the school, she brushed it aside much like they ignored her. She turned about looking for Sebastian or someone else from her house hoping to at least keep her left side open for them to sit. Gabby had been all but non-existent and Arielle was starting to think that the two best friends were slowly starting to break apart.