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OOC: May 15th, Friday afternoon.
Please read this post before posting!

Warm weather and bright skies await the Quidditch players on the pitch! A few clouds loom in the distance, predicting a tough game ahead. The Hufflepuff and Slytherin flags fly high above, flapping in the breeze. 

(Make your entrances!)

Quidditch Kit

Kitty stood in the locker rooms, awaiting the call for her grand entrance. Her broom had been polished meticulously, and whilst her uniform was all orthodox, there was a tinge of Miss Li in the brown leather boots, preened, pinned-up hair and gold-clasped gloves. Just because she was now a sportswoman (and a fabulous sportswoman at that), Kitty didn't need to look all humdrum and masculine. It was about time somebody bought a little style and finesse to Quidditch; there was nothing attractive about mud-caked, roguish tomboys. Grace Eddy and Quinn McAvoy could learn a thing or fifteen.

She turned to Strellie, giving her Slytherin compatriot a wink that only one of her friends would receive. Full of confidence and loyalty, Kitty grinned. "Hufflepuff won't know what's hit them, Strelnikov," her voice lowered for the other girl's ears. Although not an experienced player, Kitty had found a natural inclination for the sport; Violet had been keeper in her own Hogwarts days (another avenue of perfection for the dastardly creature) and the younger Li wanted nothing more than to prove her superiority to the family. This was going to be her game. It had to be.

Mounting the pitch-black broomstick, Kitty followed her team out onto the pitch, utterly adoring the boos and heckles from the Gryffindor stand. Giving the roaring crowds a sickening smile, she rotated her right hand (not too dissimilar to the Queen Elizabeth the II of England). Another bold move for such a newbie to the game: her arrogance even made Kitty giggle somewhat. Taking position and waiting for Hooch to throw the Quaffle to the lions, Kitty narrowed her eyes. Let the games begin.

Outfit

Demitria Strelnikov felt more alive than she had in many years. The tiny chaser’s face broke into a devious grin as she listened to the captain give plays. She quickly made sure everything in her outfit was secured to her. Like Kitty, she had chosen an ensemble that was not 100% orthodox. Unlike Kitty, Strellie had no desire to leap out of the woodwork. All of her items of clothing, minus the team’s identical cloaks, were black. It made more sense in the highly rational mind of the Slytherin.

She winked back at her ruthless teammate as she quickly pulled her hair back to slip on her goggles. This would be an interesting game. She knew that most of the players on all the quidditch teams this year were new to the Hogwarts teams. She herself had been playing since she was very little, much to the dismay of her mother, but she had never played at Hogwarts. She checked her broom one last time, the old wood feeling as made for her as always. Mimi Strelnikov didn’t need the newest or the best when it came to brooms, she needed the one that she knew the best.

The team began their walk to the pitch and Demitria was with them, right beside Kitty. The other girl was soaking it all in while next to her, the Russian was going through everything they’d need to remember on the field. That’s where she would be through the game. Slytherin team was known for having rough players, but no one had seen the twin chasers tear through the sky. Kitty would go for the glory, fouling whenever it benefitted her. Mimi would do whatever it took to win, although glory was not her aim.
 
The Slytherin Lionesses were in the air, watching the Quaffle like a piece of meat.

Robes.

Despite the indifference that was permanently slathered across Razzy Chancelier's face, he was actually a bit excited for the game. He enjoyed Quidditch. At least, he enjoyed playing it. He didn't like sitting around and watching people play it. Which was a shame, since practically all the people he cared about were on the teams. He normally forced himself to go so he could be there for emotional support, but he usually got bored rather quickly. Though the Ravenclaw/Gryffindor match had been rather enthralling. Mainly because people got hurt.

Razzy stretched his long limbs before heading out to the field with the rest of the team. He wasn't much of a talker when he was around his teammates, but he followed Mysti's directions quite well. He slid his goggles up, pushing hair hair back so it wouldn't get in the way while they played. He looked silly, but he wasn't concerned about looking fabulous while he sweat his butt off playing sports.

His green eyes scanned the field. He was unimpressed by the Slytherin team. They had a lot of skinny, frail girls. The again, so did his own team. But he learned quickly in Quidditch that bulk doesn't automatically mean good. Even the smaller ones could batter a person up. Beatrix was a beater, after all, and that girl was practically half his size. And yet she dislocated a shoulder within minutes. Razzy was going to be very wary around Callum and Tawse. They had muscle. And... Tawse had good looks.

And, of course, they had Erin Harper. He was a seeker, so Razzy would hardly be interacting with him. But he wasn't going to promise that if his boyfriend got a little too close, he'd do everything he could to topple, confuse, distract, or even harm him. Erin would do the same if he were in Razzy's position, wouldn't he? It's much more fun when you care about the person.

But, like the rest of the chasers, Razzy's eyes locked onto the quaffle.

It was Callum's very first game as captain of the Slytherin team. They had been practicing- and he had confidence that, at the very least, his team would be a force to reckon with. Though he had many inexperienced players, they had worked hard. The Slytherin would even venture to say that he was proud of his team- as shocking as it was coming from him.

He had given what he hoped as an inspiring talk to his team before they entered the pitch. And he, like the rest, rose into the air. His beater's bat was clutched tightly in his hands as he rose into the air. Callum kept an eye on his team- they all seemed ready to pounce, and he was glad they were paying such close attention. He glanced over to the stands- noticeably more support for Hufflepuff- but that didn't worry him. Slytherins were superior in every way. The Puffs had simply gotten the pity vote. But that wasn't important now. He waited for the release of the bludger.

Knight had been working the team like madmen to prepare for this game. On one hand it made sense - they had new players, Callum himself was new to the captain position, etc etc. On the other hand, it meant Erin had been chomping at the bit to really play for weeks. And finally, finally, it was game day. He listened with half an ear to the speech Callum had given them, too restless to concentrate, but when they walked out together to the pitch Erin sauntered like a pro, smirking at the stands and their opposing team.

He kicked off, feeling as he did so an enormous sense of relief he'd have had trouble explaining to a non-flier. The rest of the team hovered in place, the Chasers waiting for Madam Hooch to throw up the quaffle, the Beaters looking for the bludgers, but it was not the Seeker's job to stay still. No, Erin was already circling, waiting and watching for the release of the Snitch. Nothing else mattered, not even his dark suspicion that Razzy was going to try and knock him off his broom at the worst possible moment.

Dion kicked off, from his position in the back of the Hufflepuff formation. His job was not going to come into play for at least 5 seconds after the whistle was blown; this gave him more time to set up, to get ready to ash for the hoops. This small time window did not stop him from gripping his broom with a grip so firm his knuckles went white inside his gloves. The Cleansweep was the one he'd been practicing on; he'd become fond of it, even, and he didn't fall off his broom half as much as he used to. Or even one third. Or at all.

He'd made sure the faulty Nimbus 2001 had been hidden safely away. The last thing Hufflepuff needed was someone getting thrown off.

He really didn't want to lose to Slytherin, but if they lost it wouldn't be through lack of effort, only skill. Skill, yes. Which the Slytherins had a lot more of. Merlin's pants, this was going to hurt, wasn't it?

Dion glanced at Erin Harper. He couldn't help it. He should have done more; finding a way to strike down Callum Knight before this would have been best, but he'd had no time - plans needed time to unfold and he'd had none and he couldn't find a way to get Callum shoved down some stairs in time. Blast. Getting the girls to leave would have helped too, or bought off Harper - anything.

His mismatched eyes locked on the Quaffle. This match was going to be made even worse by Dax, he knew it. At least the announcer was going to be on their side...

With the distraction of boys swept from her life Ayla found she had a surprising amount of free time left on her hands which she diligently poured into her baking hobby and getting better at Quidditch. While she didn't have a strong arm and wasn't entirely coordinated she had turned out to be an excellent flyer. Which in her mind was all she really needed at the moment, sure her stature may have made her a better seeker but she had full confidence in herself as a chaser. Her plan was to at least get one goal in past little Dark and let their Seeker do the rest.

The one thing that was putting the butterflies in her stomach in such a chaotic panic was the looming figures of the Slytherin Beaters. Callum and Xavier. Both had reason enough to hate her, Callum had made it perfectly clear on several occasions and ever since their break up Xavier had been as cold as ever. Now both were given express permission to hurt her all in the name of sport.

She gave a weary glance to Razzy and Mysti, hoping the trio of Chasers would be able to outrun any bludgers the two Slytherins sent there way. Then she sought out Fauna, Helga help us, she thought wondering if her friend would be able to ward off the other Beaters by sending a few bludgers back in their directions.

Now she just had to wait for the quaffle.

Xavier felt empowered by Callum's 'go get'em' speech and was ready to slaughter - ahem, bludgeon - himself some Huffledorks. Clad in the finest and newest Quidditch gear galleons could buy Xavier marched out on the pitch proudly displaying the Slytherin emerald and silver. His broom and beater bat alike had been emblazoned with the Wentworth family crest, Arathorn's little mark to remind Xavier of where he came from.

Before the girls took off Xavier leaned in close to Demetria and whispered in her ear, "I've git ye back luv." He then mounted his broom and kicked off. At a decent height he gripped his bat hard and narrowed his cool grey blue eyes observing the Hufflepuff team.

He didn't like what he saw.

Aside from Mysti all the players seemed to be new, much like the Slytherin team but what was causing his blood to pulse faster was the large amount of females that were on the team. The only males consisted of Figaro, Razzy and Dion. Fig had been one of his closest friends, a good mate that he was just finally making amends with, would Fig resent him if he sent him flying off his broom? And Razzy was  . . . well Razzy was just as good as a girl, and probably cried like one too.

That left him with no one to center in on except Dion. He hoped the Keeper was prepared for the onslaught that was about to be brought down on him. Xavier's muscled tightened as he awaited the whistles ready to send a bludger at the Fayette twins face.

When Fauna flew out onto the pitch with the rest of her team, she barely paid attention to the Slytherins, her teammates, or even Madam Hooch below. All of her attention was on herself, and the terrifying, heady rush she got from the clamor of the crowd. Cheers, boos, and catchy chants rolled over the pitch like a wave, though they weren't clear enough for Fauna to make out specific words (though perhaps that was for the better). There were so many people. So many faces. And they were watching!

She gripped her broom and lurched forward, finding an empty patch of air near one of the Hufflepuff Chasers. Fauna was going to give this everything she got, novice or no. Merlin help them all!

The uniform felt bulky and cumbersome, with shin guards and wrist guards, a Hufflepuff Quidditch robe and athletic boots. She adjusted the goggles over her eyes and felt glad she'd worn a comfortable tee-shirt and long sleeves underneath. Using Grace's broom also helped, since she'd had some time to practice with it and get to know its quirks.

Finally, Fauna scanned the faces of the teams. Several were staring at the quaffle, while others seemed a little more relaxed. Her heart beat fast and her stomach kept flip-flopping. She let the bat rest on her shoulder for now.

Outfit

Mysti hoped her pre-game speech would help her team get their heads in the game.  Slytherin was always a tough team to play.  It was well known that they didn’t always play fair.  Of course, being led by Callum Knight, it was obvious that they’d try for some cheap plays. At least Mysti thought so.  But she’d been pushing her team fairly hard this past week especially, and hopefully got it into their brains what to expect from their competitors. Despite the fact that a fair amount of her team was new, they’d pulled together and had done pretty dang well.

As she flew out over the pitch, she noticed a large amount of yellow in the stands.  Some bright pink hair caught her attention as she noticed her friend Beatrix (a Ravenclaw) wearing something akin to a Hufflepuff cheerleaders outfit.  Mysti allowed herself a smile as she got into position for the start of the match.  Eye out for the quaffle, the captain also made sure her players were where they needed to be, and that they were ready to go.

It was almost time, as she waited for the start, the whistle blow, and the fury of flying brooms.  It would be more intense than practices, but Mysti was ready.  Razzy and Ayla had improved a lot and worked well with her as the Chasers.  She gave Fauna a smile when she caught her eye, as hopeful encouragement.  Fauna as a beater wasn’t what most people would suspect, but Mysti had learned to not underestimate her friends.  Dion had shown quite some skill as keeper, and Mysti felt comfortable with him guarding the posts. Of course, her seeker was late, and they were missing a beater as of now... but who knows how they'd fare.

After giving a final examination of her team, Mysti was ready for the game to begin.

Once the teams took their places in the air, the referee (Madam Hooch) in the center of the pitch set loose the balls! The two bludgers parted ways, one barreling towards a Hufflepuff player and the other towards a Slytherin player, while the snitch winked out of sight immediately. The referee threw the lone quaffle in the air and blew her whistle, starting the match![1]

1.

In each post, please make a note of which position your character is playing and where their location is on the pitch! Use the map above to state general directions. There are three hoops for goals at each end (North/Hufflepuff and South/Slytherin). Keepers and Chasers, try to specify which goals you are closest to (right, middle, or left)!

As soon as the Quaffle left Hooch's fingertips, Kitty sprang forth like an acrobat from a cannon, eyes narrowed in concentration. The sporting pixie was incredibly nimble on the broomstick it turned out, and Kitty had every intention of snatching glory. Outstretched, gloved fingers seized the Quaffle, and the Slytherin newcomer immediately tucked it in the crook of her arm, darting west on the pitch.

Careful of a rogue Bludger that could easily knock her out for the duration of the match, Kitty nosedived on her broom, inches above the grass. It was all intentional, and all a case of tactics. Rushing forward in the direction of the Hufflepuff hoops, Kitty dragged a foot against the rough ground, her foot instantly enveloped by a dull throb of pain. A mushroom cloud of gravel and dust erupted from her position, and Kitty grinned as she took the ascent into the heights of the pitch once more. There was nothing like causing a little distraction and obscuring her location to the canary yellow cretins. One had to be resourceful, after all.

"Strelnikov!" Kitty screeched, her voice like nails on a blackboard as she headed northwest, giving her fellow Chaser (and comrade in bitchery of the finest sort) a nod. She released the Quaffle, sending it flying towards the other Slytherin. Strellie could easily get a clear shot, and Kitty wanted to partly share the limelight.

The whistle blew and all at once, the players darted forward. Bludgers were already whirling their way towards the students, one after Kitty Li, the other after one of his teammates. Razzy sped forward to get his hands on the quaffle first, but Kitty Li managed to grab it even with the screaming ball right behind her.

Razzy hoped the thing would knock her right off her broom. It didn't. She kept low, so Razzy stayed right above her, waiting for her to rise back up. She had managed to dodge the bludger, the lucky little thing. And while she did so, she made an eruption of gravel right below her. It would have been nice to get her out of the way so early in the game, but that would have just been too easy. So he pressed down into his broom and sped up to her side, waiting for her to release the ball.

Whatever Li was thinking, she released the ball to her side, toward one of her teammates. Whatever Li was thinking, clearly she wasn't thinking smart. She should have gone straight to the hoops. Sometimes teamwork just wasn't worth the chance...

Razzy intercepted the quaffle, snatching it narrowly from between the two Slytherins. He ducked down and dashed toward the Slytherin hoops.

Erin Dark was the keeper. Which was laughable. But Erin surprised her cousin on multiple occasions. She was probably on her toes at the moment, as there was nothing to distract her. But Razzy veered to the left, making it look as if he were going for the left hoop, and then shot the quaffle toward the right hoop.

Callum watched as the balls were released. The bludger came flying toward him on the eastern side of the pitch, just above Kitty. She dove down, avoiding it, and Callum flew forward on his broom, readying his beater's bat. Lucky for Callum, the chaser on the Hufflepuff team who was coming toward them was a boy- so he wouldn't have to feel guilty about slinging the bludger in that direction.

He watched as Kitty passed the quaffle to another on his team. He chased the bludger a few more feet and then swung his bat- aiming at Razzy Chancelier- the Hufflepuff chaser who had just stolen the quaffle from his own chasers.

The bludger now spiraling off toward the Hufflepuff chaser, Callum rose into the air to keep an eye on where the Hufflepuff team might be sending their bludger. Hopefully he and Xav could easily intercept anything that might hurt their teammates- especially since most of the people on the Slytherin team were girls. (Who didn't even belong in the game anyway.)