(10:30am)

Hovering a foot off the ground, the Cleansweep Aero seemed to be waiting just as eagerly as Sasha for the opportunity to be sky-bound.  He loved flying and he'd grown to love quidditch - almost as much as riding.  Maybe ... possibly ... even more.  If there was a horse standing here next to his broom and he was forced to choose between the two, he wasn't sure which he'd, really, choose.  It'd probably depend on the horse.  But, after two long months of two of his most prized possessions sitting up in the Ravenclaw tower, ignored, he was ready to fly again.

And, get ready for Ravenclaw tryouts.  He'd try out for Seeker, again, though (as always), he'd be happy to make the team as Chaser, again.  After their horrendously horrendous (and embarrassing) show in the Hogwarts cup game at the end of last year, Sasha wasn't sure what to expect from tryouts.  But, no doubt, he'd have to practice hard to get back to flying form before tryouts. 

Leaning over, Sasha tugged the laces taught on his spotless trainers before pushing himself to his feet.  Leaving his broom hovering eagerly, he jogged over to the quidditch office and returned to the field, the box of quidditch balls hovering a foot in front of him. 

Leaving the box of balls on the ground, Sasha climbed up on the Aero and took off.  It was fantastic and exhilarating to be in the air, again.  It was like riding a bike - a very tall, fast bike.  It took only a few laps around the field to feel back to full flying form.  He turned the broom back to the ground, ready to let the balls loose. 

She was in her gear, looking better than ever. Summer had done her well. He hair was shorter, above her shoulders, and still platinum in color. She hadn't really grown much, but then again, she was a seventeen year old girl with not much growing left to do. Her skin was looking brilliant, and her arm was stronger, ready to bear down on any balls, er, bludgers coming her way. Her leaves were turned, and she wanted a fresh start. No boys this year.

Sure, the statement was a strong one, bold even. But she was ready to fulfill the promise. She rode her broom down to the pitch, wanting to get in some fresh practice for the upcoming year. Upon entering the pitch, she witnessed Sasha something doing some spins on his broom. He seemed like he could use a good one-on-one thing happening. And she could use the competitiveness out of her system. Calling from lower to the ground, she shouted, "Hey, Sashy! How's about we make this practice more interesting?" With that, she swooped down, grabbed the lock to the balls, and let the bludgers fly.

As Sasha's broom continued on its trajectory towards the ground, he spotted a flash of blond moving below him towards the box of quidditch balls.  From his elevation, Sasha wasn't able to immediately recognize who had joined him on the quidditch pitch but he readily recognized the voice as it called up towards him.  Before the summer, Sasha had largely known the older Hufflepuff only on the quidditch pitch but he'd run into her on several occasions over the course of the summer, during the course of his internship with Ainsley's older brother. 

"I ... sure - what?"  He called out as he continued towards the ground.  But, the Hufflepuff's intentions became much more clear as a pair of bludgers came racing towards him.  He only had a split second to react but, after years of finding himself around cranky hoofed animals had imparted him with some decent reflexes.  He leaned far over the broom and tipped it into a tight roll just in time to feel and hear the two bludgers whizz by his ear.  Keeping a close eye on the bludgers, he righted himself and continued on his path towards Ainsley. 

"That was sneaky!" He called as he neared, glancing over his shoulder for any balls on war paths.  "I - grab the quaffle," he called to the other team's beater.  "There's a beater's bat over there."