Anticipation
Author: Coco Nutt
Date: 03-14-03 10:24
Coco and Pea wander down to the pitch before the sun is even up. Even though her own house team is not playing today, this being Coco's first Quidditch game to attend, she was so excited she could hardly sleep. At long last she'd fairly leapt out of bed then very quietly so as not to wake her roommates, Coco had gotten dressed. Because the November weather has such a bite to it, Coco also put a teensy little sweater on Pea. The miniature dog, picking up on Coco's excitement, was fairly quivering with anticipation as well.
Exiting Ravenclaw House, Coco and Pea walked down to the Great Hall through corridors so empty Coco was sure that her footsteps were being echoed a hundred times over. Once in the Great Hall, a bright eyed House Elf hard at work getting the floor so clean it sparkled was surprised to see a student up and about so early on a Saturday morning, even with it being a game day.
The House Elf, Jolly by name and by personality, had been more than happy to get Coco some hot buttered biscuits, milk in a cup that she could take with her to the pitch, and for Pea a bone almost as big as the tiny dog. After thanking Jolly, Coco, with Pea and his bone in her pocket and the food balanced in one hand, cup of milk in the other, set out for the pitch.
Not surprisingly, Coco and Pea are the first to arrive. In the predawn gloom, Coco peers up at the Ravenclaw stands and begins the climb up to the seats. Coco sets her cup down then takes the pillow she'd had tucked under one arm, and places it in the middle of the front row. She takes Pea out of her pocket and places him on the pillow then hands him his bone. Next she sits down on the pillow beside Pea then still being careful not to drop any of her biscuits, Coco takes a blanket that had been draped over her shoulder and wraps it snugly around her, making sure Pea is protected under one corner. Reaching for her cup of milk, Coco begins eating her breakfast and wondering when everyone else will get there. She's ready for the game to start!
Gryffindor
Pride
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 03-14-03 11:30
A pale pink color painted the sky as Hermione climbed out of bed, slowly stretching her arms and legs. She tiptoed through the dorm room, careful not to wake her roommates, but most were half-awake already with anticipation of the very first Quidditch match of the school year.
She mouthed a good morning to Majandra, who yawned and stretched, slowly getting ready for the day as well. After showering and dressing warmly, for winter rapidly approached the castle's surroundings, Hermione trotted downstairs to find the common room already buzzing with excitement.
The seven Quidditch players of Gryffindor House were already long gone, planning last minute strategies and giving enthusiastic pep talks in the locker rooms at the Pitch, but their fans all congregated in the common room, all deep in animated discussion about today's match against Slytherin.
Hermione found Ginny waiting by the entrance to the common room, twirling one end of her red and gold scarf. She grinned big when she saw her friend approaching, dropping the scarf to envelope Hermione in a great hug. "Are you ready for Ron's debut? Isn't this so exciting, Hermione?"
Hermione nodded, smiling. "Oh, yes! He's been waiting for this day forever. Let's grab a quick bite to eat and then hurry on to the Pitch. I want to see the look on his face when he flies onto the field!"
Ginny agreed whole-heartedly and turned with Hermione to exit the common room, but a voice calling their names prompted them to stop and swivel their heads around to the source.
Majandra waved to them and skipped over, smiling big and looking hopeful. "Mind if I join you two?"
"Not at all," Hermione responded. "The more the merrier!"
Pre-Game
Author: H Potter
Date: 03-14-03 15:30
Yesterday, Harry had made arrangements with Dobby and Winky to have breakfast for the Gryffindor team delivered to their locker room. The others would be nervous enough without having to deal with eating in the Great Hall where they would be inundated with people trying to engage them in conversation. Conversations that might start with something like, "You don't look very nervous. Are you? I would be petrified if I were playing in my first Quiddtich match ever!" or "Doesn't it worry you that Gryffindor has six untried members whereas Slytherin only has one new team member?" As well meaning as people can be, these are just not the sort of things Harry thinks the Gryffindor team members should have to hear as the focal points of discussion before the game.
The other thing Harry had done Friday was to insist all team members eat a good supper and that they get to bed early. From experience, Harry knows it's asking alot to expect them to actually sleep but at least it would give each one some quiet, relaxing time.
This morning he'd gotten up early and woke up Dean and Ron then Harry had crept into other rooms to wake up Australia, Brett, Remadi, and Natalie. They'd all hastily, but quietly, dressed in regular clothes and assembled in the Gryffindor common room. When everyone was present, Harry led the team to the pitch.
Since their first day of practice together, Harry has incorporated some fun ways for his teammates to build trust and teamwork. When everyone's done with breakfast, Harry is going to have them run through a couple of these exercises, such as one person falling backward blindly and trusting that the others will be there to catch the person.
Harry takes the last bite of the best cheese omelet he's ever tasted. The others are finished soon after and Harry directs them through the trust and teamwork techniques. These are accomplished with lots of giggles and encouraging words so that when they begin dressing for the game, all are wearing broad smiles. Looking at them, Harry isn't but what so sure he's more nervous than they are.
When the team is ready, Harry gathers them around for a little pregame pep talk. He keeps it short and sweet. "We've practiced together enough now for me to know we've got a really great team with huge amounts of talent. I don't know how it's been with all of you but practices have been really enjoyable for me."
Seeing six heads nodding in agreement with him, Harry continues, " Let's go out there and have as much fun as we do in practice. And, in the process, let's kick some Slytherin butt!"
Progress at
Gringotts Bank – Hogsmeade Branch
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 03-14-03 17:20
"Won't be much longer now before this place is finished," said Hans McCullough, the man heading the renovations at the Hogsmeade branch of Gringotts bank. Short and stocky, the middle-aged wizard seemed quite the handy man–his method consisted of both Muggle craftsmanship and wizarding charms.
Bill sidestepped scaffolding and asked, "Can I see the tunnel?"
Hans halted, turning his head and fixing Bill with an eager smile. "Oh, yes. I knew you'd ask about it. It's nothing like Diagon Alley's bank, but it'll be enough for the people of Hogsmeade. Come on down."
Bill followed the construction foreman through an open doorway where a spiral, cast iron staircase in the middle of the small round room lead only downwards. Hans led the way, climbing down the staircase until he found the landing in the basement, deep underground. Pale, golden lights flickered in sconces along the cold, stone walls. "Here we are," said Hans, gesturing to the walls.
"The tunnel runs like the pattern on a snail's shell, only it's square-shaped. The bigger vaults are along the outer most corridor and in the ground in the very middle."
"We're on the right side now?" Bill asked, squinting his eyes to adjust to the dimness of the corridor. "The start of the, erm, maze?"
"Yes. If you're looking at the bank from High Street, we're on the right side. If your inside the building facing High Street, we're on the left side."
"Yes, I understand. When do you suppose construction will be finished?"
Hans shrugged. "Like I said, it shouldn't take much longer. I say less than a month, but no less than two weeks."
"Well, thank you for taking the time to give me the tour," Bill said.
"Anytime. Can you find your way up alone?"
"Yes, thanks again," Bill said, and he climbed the spiral staircase to the main floor and carefully avoided scaffolding, ladders and other such material as he headed for the front doors.
As he stepped outside into the bright sunlight, he buttoned his coat and adjusted his scarf, his ears harkening to the sounds of the Quidditch crowd gaining numbers. A smile crept across Bill's lips as he thought about Ron and how excited he must be to be playing his first ever Quidditch game for Gryffindor House. Bill also smiled because he'd be seeing Adriana for the first time in a long time too.
With a skip in his step, Bill strolled over to Hogwarts to find his lady love and a good seat to watch his brother play some Quidditch.
Watching My
First Ever Quidditch Game
Author: Annie Paul
Date: 03-14-03 17:21
I took a seat in the Gryffindor stands anticipating the first Quidditch game of the year. I thought I'd bring my sketchbook along to get a drawing of the two teams in the assembly formation and maybe the end of the game.
I managed to find a good seat right up front and took out my pad. I began to draw the stands and the field and then the crowd. After I finished that, I sat back and waited for the teams to show up. I was so eager to watch and learn how it's done and to most importantly cheer my house on to victory.
Pre-Game
and the Start
Author: Draco Malfoy
Date: 03-14-03 19:51
Draco looked from one eager face to the next, pleased to have such a great team this year and certain that Gryffindor didn't stand a chance against them. All of his team members looked sharp in their green Quidditch robes; not a soul looked tired despite the early morning wake-up call.
Judging by the increasing sounds of cheers coming from the crowd of students, teachers and fans in the stadium, Draco knew it must nearly be time for the game to start. He took a few moments to give one last pep talk, although he could tell that everyone in the locker room was more than prepared to go out there and kick some serious butt.
"You all know that we are a great team. We've worked hard during practices, so let's be sure and play hard on that field." Draco's gray eyes fell upon each player in turn as he spoke. "I dare say that we know each other quite well. Most of us have played a true game of Quidditch before–that's more than Potter has with his good-for-nothing team. Are we going to let a bunch of amateurs beat us?"
"No!" cried his teammates.
"I didn't think so," Draco responded. "So, let's go out there and show everyone what a real Quidditch team is made of. On the count of three."
Hands extended and piled upon each other in the center of the group.
Draco led the countdown. "One. Two. Three."
"Go Slytherin!" Moments later, they lined up outside the great double doors that led to the field. They mounted their brooms and flew into the crisp, cool air after the doors swung open.
The new Quidditch commentator, Kyle Stebbins, called out their names...
"For Gryffindor: Potter, MacDonald, Ye, Kingston, Kingston, Thomas and Weasley! And for Slytherin: Malfoy, Farnon, Bramble, Aisling, Black, Devaki and Fine!"
Meanwhile, Madam Hooch walked to the center of the Pitch with a long, rectangular box. Draco and Harry touched down and walked over, stiffly shaking hands and agreeing to keep the game nice and clean. Then, they re-mounted their brooms and soared high in the sky, watching down below as the balls were released.
Madam Hooch tossed up the quaffle and in a flash, new Gryffindor chaser, Remadi Ye, had it in her arms. The game had begun.
Supporting
Gryffindor
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 03-15-03 07:58
Bronwyn adjusted the yellow and black scarf around her neck, shivering from the sharp bite in the air. She snuggled up against Toby, who wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders and held her close to his warm body. They watched as the two Quidditch captains, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, rigidly shook hands. Then, the boys mounted their brooms and took to the air, flying high above their teammates as Madam Hooch released the balls. The quaffle immediately found a secure place underneath Remadi's arm, causing a roar of excitement to rumble through the crowd.
Bronwyn untangled herself from Toby's loving embrace and leapt to her feet, shouting and cheering with the rest of the fans supporting Gryffindor. "All right, Remadi! Go Gryffindor! Woohoo!!!! Beat those Slytherins down! You can do it! C'mon!"
The Game
Author: Alexis Black
Date: 03-15-03 10:11
Alexis felt completely confident. She had been training for weeks for this moment.
At the whistle, Alexis shot into the air and across the field toward the Slytherin goalposts. She paused momentarily, searching for a bludger to cream this snippet of a Gryffindor with. One wasn't near enough for her, and Alexis wasn't about to let this girl keep the quaffle...
Alexis maneuvered her broom directly into Remadi Ye's path, nearly knocking both of them off their brooms. Alexis fared much better, though, and flew away laughing as the quaffle fell from the Gryffindor's hands.
A whistle sounded. Madam Hooch declared a foul. Alexis swore loudly. She was hoping no one would notice.
Remadi took the quaffle and shot it toward the goal. It was blocked easily by Pyrrhus, who grinned.
The game recommenced.
The Gryffindors had no hope.
The Only Game
in Town
Author: Nevvyn
Date: 03-15-03 10:37
Saturday dawns bright and cheerful... a most excellent November morning. All three Toms are still wrapped tightly in their slumber, looking as if they could be hibernating until spring arrives. With a stretch and a yawn, I step out the front door and fetch my copy of The Daily Prophet from the stoop. Back inside, I busy myself with the beginnings of preparations for breakfast. First things first! I think to myself as I give the kettle a light tap with my wand. Within moments, it is whistling merrily. I stoke up the fire in the old "Majestic" range and start water to boiling for porridge. Before I put the bacon in the pan, I go to the door of their room. "Are you three slug-a-beds going to wake in time to eat, or shall I just prepare breakfast for one?" I chuckle at the flurry of activity as I return to my culinary duties.
By the time everything is ready, there are three smiling faces busily setting out plates and silver on the table, and getting our jams and jellies for the toast. I serve out the eggs and bacon onto the plates while Tom spoons the oatmeal into the bowls. Tom pours the fresh-squeezed orange juice while Tom fetches milk from the cooler. We all sit down at once and, after a brief grace, start eating with gusto. There is little talk, as we all have our mouths full. I glance at the paper and see there is still no breakthrough on the mysterious escape of the evil Koyla and his cohorts. I pull out the sporting section and a smile and an idea come to me. At the bottom of the page, there is a brief article about the Quiditch game at Hogwarts, between Gryffindor and Slytherin. "D'you know?" I tell my three friends. "I have been thinking of taking a bit of a holiday!"
Three pairs of eyes look at me with apprehension. "You're not thinkin' of goin' off an' leavin' us to our own devices, are ya?" asks Tom. "That could bring BIG trouble!" says another Tom, dropping his toast into his lap, where it lands with the jelly side down. "Oh, yes!" the third Tom joins the discussion. "Remember when you went off to London?"
Stifling a chuckle, I reply, "Oh, YES! I remember that quite well, thank you. That's why I was thinking of an outing for all of us." I pause long enough to let the clapping and cheering die down. "How would you boys like to go to see a Quidditch match?" Grins erupt from the other three sides of the table, then there is more cheering as I point to the picture of Harry Potter, smiling and waving from the bottom of the page. "We'll just close up the shop and leave a note on the door. Usually not that much business on Saturday, anyway! If someone needs us badly enough, they can send us a quick-owl." We finish our breakfast in a buoyant mood and the Toms make short work of the clean-up. They pack a large hamper of picnic goodies while I pen a note to hang in the window.
Gone to the Quidditch match! Will Return in Time For Supper!
"There, now! they should certainly be able to see that!" I say as I fasten the note to the inside of the window with a bit of "spell-o-tape". And with that, we are off down High Street, across the tracks and up the hill toward the Castle.
Quidditch
Game
Author: Clara Devaki
Date: 03-15-03 10:51
Clara flew around above looking out for bludgers. She shook her head. The Gryffindor team was filled with amateurs. Only Potter had the real experience. Slytherin couldn't lose.
Grinning, Clara caught sight of a bludger heading towards one of her teammates. Swooping down on it, she hit it off its course, lucky enough to knock a quaffle that had just been tossed by a Gryffindor off course.
This game was no contest.
Watching the
Game
Author: Nevvyn
Date: 03-15-03 11:41
By the time we arrive at the Quidditch Pitch, the House stands are almost full. However, I see that there a number of open places in the Hogwarts Staff box, so up we go. We manage to find four spots together, near the top, and settle in. Although we are known to only a few of the Professors who have dropped by the shop, we are greeted with smiles and nods. From our seats, we have a clear view of almost the entire field.
We watch intently as one of the Slytherin beaters deflects a Bludger with a smart "whack", sending it off toward the Gryffindor end of the pitch. As she races off in another direction, there is a flash of gold directly in front of us. It's the Snitch, and here comes Potter, hot after it. The little golden ball seems to read his mind, zigging and zagging as he darts after it. Meanwhile, a Gryffindor chaser has the quaffle and is rushing toward the goal. Oh! Her shot is deflected. Well, it is proving to be an interesting game, so far. The youth and agility of the Gryffindor side seems to be compensating for their lack of experience. The Slytherins, on the other hand, seem to be quite confidant of their abilities. So much so that they appear to be showing off their fancy flying skills and acrobatics. Yes! I think this will be an interesting game!
Goalie
Author: Pyrrhus
Date: 03-15-03 19:32
Out of nowhere, the Gryffindor Natalie McDonald appears directly in the path of the Quaffle Clara had just knocked away from the other team. After easily snagging it, Natalie lines up to take a shot, telegraphing with obvious body language which goal is her target. Pyrrhus makes a sound that's partly laughter and partly sneer as he almost lazily intercepts the Quaffle and deftly passes it off to the lovely and talented Isolde. Isolde is a blur as she spins on her broom and races back towards the other end of the pitch.
Staying Home
Author: Lysander Stratford
Date: 03-15-03 20:42
Although the cool November air contained a sharp bite, Lysander propped open the door to allow the fresh breeze to enter the bookstore and fill it with the pleasant smell of the crisp fall season. Hogsmeade seemed virtually empty, which Lysander attributed to the Quidditch game carrying on at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
He, too, thought about attending–Slytherin was playing after all–but his wife, Chyler, felt ill today and at Lysander's gentle persuasion agreed to stay in bed. Three and a half months passed since the conception of their child. Chyler seemed very eager for the pregnancy to end, but also did seem to enjoy the extra attention she was receiving as of late.
Lysander divided his time between business in the bookstore and his wife in their apartment. While downstairs, busying himself with counting the money in the cash register or stocking the shelves, he'd keep his ears harkened to the low rumble of the cheering crowds from the Quidditch Pitch. It sure did seem exciting.
The Game
Author: Australia Kingston
Date: 03-15-03 21:56
I watched nervously as Natalie tries hard to score at least one goal for us. But the Slytherin keeper is to quick for her this time. He blocks the attempt and kicks the quaffle out to a teammate. With a quick glance around to see where everyone was at, I nod to Brett as he understands that this game is going nowhere for Gryffindor and everywhere for Slytherin.
With a burst of adrenaline, he smashes a bludger at the Slytherin carrying the quaffle. Madam Hooch immediately blows her whistle and yells, "Foul." The Slytherin girl would get one chance to try and get past Ron. Only because luck was on her side, did she make the bloody shot. Madam Hooch blew the play to continue. Boy this was sure to be a long game. If only Harry could catch that stupid little snitch.
Re: The Game
Author: Annie Paul
Date: 03-16-03 01:20
It didn't look good for Gryffindor. Slytherin was doing all it can to beat our team senseless and out manueuvere them. Shaking my head and booing at the Slytherins for some of their cheap shots, I was praying on the inside for Harry to get the snitch.
As I watched Brett smashed a Bludger towards a Slytherin causing a "Foul" being called my Madam Hooch. Orie and I looked at each other in worry as the penalty shot made it past Ron Weasley. "Orie, no matter how this game turns out I'm going to do my best at the chess tournament. We've got to beat those pesky Slytherins," I said as the game continued. I wondered if I could get help in that matter and who could help. As I watched the game it looked hopeless unless we get some points and Harry beats that troublesome Malfoy to the Snitch.
Interception
Author: Remadi Ye
Date: 03-16-03 07:34
Friday, since she had no classes, Remadi had gone through quidditch exercises on her own for a few hours in the morning. She knew that they had a good team, but she was still nervous, especially since tomorrow would be the first game that they would play as a team. It didn't help her nerves any that their first game was against Slytherin, either. She did a little Tai Chi and a lot of Tae Kwon Do practicing, trying to work her nervousness out of her. She had succeeded somewhat.
Now it was Saturday, time for the game. Remadi ate what she could, knowing that right before the game was the worst time for her. Once she was on that field her nervousness would fade into the background. She proved this point by starting the game with the quaffle in her hands.
After Alexis nearly mulled her over and the Slytherin's gained a goal, she wasn't in the best mood. She kept her eyes open and watched as the Slytherins gained the ball once more. Using her speed and a bit of surprise, she waited until the Slytherin, Azaelia, threw it to a teammate before moving in and intercepting the quaffle. Flying towards the Slytherin end of the pitch, she noticed Australia open and threw the quaffle to her.
Maybe things were getting better.
