The Failings of a Beater PV Saskia N. Finished

@Bridget Collins

Saskia needed to get away from people sometimes. As much as she liked talking with her friends and socializing in general, she was finding that she needed more time to herself. Sometimes, people were just too overbearing. It was odd, considering how she found herself busier and busier with Quidditch practice. With that occupying most of her time, and homework and studying usually taking up the rest of her time, she didn’t have the time to talk to other people. And people with enough common sense knew better than to bother the girl when she was busy. The problem was with the people who didn’t have that common sense.

They all came in various shapes and forms. Some were mostly innocent- they were big fans of Quidditch, and they wanted to get an opinion from a Captain who probably knew a lot about the subject, whether that meant giving their opinion on who the best team was, or asking non-stop questions. That, she could have handled. They were just enthusiastic, and she couldn’t blame them for that. But then there were the people who simply pissed her off. They were the ones who were a lot more focused on house pride. In the last game, the Hufflepuffs won against Slytherin, thanks to Serena catching the Snitch. Most people were okay with the final outcome, although there were still some Slytherins who were less than happy to see that their team lost against the Hufflepuffs. Those kids were done and dealt with, but that didn’t make them any less of an annoyance. Fortunately, those incidents were not very common, and it was more likely than not that Saskia would have peace to herself.

With Quidditch and studying getting in the way, she didn’t have too much time to go tree climbing. But for today, she would find that her schedule wasn't as cluttered as it would normally be. The usual team practices didn’t happen today, and the homework wasn’t as grueling. And what better way to spend the rest of the day than to read a book while enjoying the quiet breeze outside? She didn’t read too often, but when she felt like reading, it was easy for her to get into the book. There was just something about focusing oneself into a single goal. In this case, it was immersing herself in this book. She had already reached the halfway point, and if she kept going on at this pace, she could even finish the book by tonight.

Then she felt a sharp pain on the side of her head. The Hufflepuff gave a yelp as she rubbed the side of her head. What the hell? It took her a moment to process what had happened, but as soon as she pieced it all together, she scowled to herself. Did someone just throw a rock at her? Did they think this was some funny joke to throw stones at random people? The Hufflepuff slammed her book shut, her hands balled into fists. But she wouldn’t act just yet. She was definitely angry, there was no denying that. If she could, she would have walked right up to that person who thought it was a good idea to throw a rock at her and at the very least, give them a verbal thrashing. She probably would have gotten in trouble if she got into a full-on physical fight, and as a Quidditch Captain, that would have also reflected poorly on her professionalism. Either way, she wanted to take this person down a peg or two.

But there was another problem. She was still on a tree, and she wasn’t about to jump off the tree. She wasn’t that stupid. And by the time she would have climbed down the tree, there was a chance the intruder would have already left. She had to take action now before it was too late. “Who’s there?” She called out, turning her head towards the source of where she assumed the rock was thrown. If they could even hear her, they would hear that her voice wasn’t necessarily angry, although it was obvious that the girl was annoyed. That, she couldn’t hide no matter how hard she tried.

Of course she was annoyed. Her private reading session got interrupted, and by a rock no less. But this inconvenience gave her some time to think and calm down before her anger completely overtook her. This wasn’t befitting behaviour of someone who was supposed to show authority. She wasn’t a Prefect by any means, so she didn’t have that same level of authority as them, but she was still a Captain of a team. Rushing into things on a whim wouldn’t have solved anything. It might have made things worse instead. At best, she would have only given the stone-thrower the reaction they wanted. And at worst, she’d be yelling at a person who didn’t truly mean any harm. That was why she needed to at least give this person a reason to explain themselves. If it was only an accident, she would have let it slide, as much as it still annoyed her. But if this was some kind of malicious prank, she would have definitely came down this tree and teach this person a lesson. No one would have been able to pull this kind of prank on her and get away with it. She would have made sure of it.

@Saskia Nicholson

For a minute, Bridget just stood there frozen in place. Had she really, actually just nailed someone with a rock? Maybe she hadn't. Maybe she'd just imagined the yelp of pain. But as she listened, barely breathing, there was no denying the shuffling coming from the spot of the first sound. She supposed there was the small chance she'd hit an animal, but she didn't really believe it. There was a churning feeling in her gut that it was a person in the tree.

Part of her wanted to run away. Staying would mean having to explain what had actually happened and considering what an unusual thing she'd been doing and her less than satisfactory conversational skills, that wouldn't be easy. At the same time, Bridget couldn't flee again like the coward she was. Last time, she'd left Thora at the Masked Ball, and what had happened? Thora had become a traumatized shell of her old self and their friendship, Bridget's only friendship here, had been strained. Although this time there were no fires, stabbings, or half-giants, she didn't want to deal with any more guilt and regret.

And so she found herself approaching the tree, squinting through the foliage in an attempt to see who was up there. Someone she wouldn't mind hitting, like Dawn Riley or Neculai Lazar? Someone she desperately hoped it wasn't, like Alexx Severin or Erin Ryan, because of how scary they were? Or someone she would feel horrible for smashing a rock into, like Katrina Walker or Thora Larkston? 'Please don't be Thora,' she thought, not even daring to imagine that possibility.

Now directly under the tree with her left arm, still clutching the bat, hanging at her side, she called, "Are you okay?" The words, however, were drowned out by the person in the tree. The voice she was unfamiliar with sounded pretty annoyed--her call of "Who's there" might as well have been "Who had the gall to hit me with a rock." Normally Bridget would've paid mind to logic to realize the irritated tone was perfectly acceptable for someone who'd just had a rock fly out of nowhere and slam into them, but not today. Instead, that annoyance mixed with her own frustration over Quidditch and her failure of a self. She wasn't at the point of the glaring-daggers, no-words wasted mood she'd been in with Dawn Riley, yet she did not feel like apologizing and explaining herself. Spurred on by the fact she didn't know the person in the tree, Bridget's mouth opened and out came perhaps the rashest thing she had ever uttered. "Well, I didn't do it on purpose. And I could ask you the same thing. Besides, how was I supposed to know you were hiding in a tree?"

@Bridget Collins

Well then. It was clear that they didn't mean it. They apologized for what they did, and of course, they admitted that they didn't do it on purpose. And then they got mad at her for daring to sit on a tree and mind her own business while they did what exactly? Target practice? What did they expect her to do? Make a sign below the tree that said 'Occupied'? She might as well have painted the damn sign in bright neon colours and used magic to make the letters glow or something. All she wanted was some quiet, but no. Someone had to ruin it for her, and now they were giving her a hard time for making herself an inconvenience for them, and them only.

Was it that hard to find solitude around these places? Did she have to stick herself in the library or the study room to get it? Not that it'd be a good idea in the first place, since there were still people there. She quite literally wanted to get away from everyone, and she wasn't about to spend time in the Abandoned Toilets or the Girls Lavatory just for that. It wasn't that she was a misanthropist or anything, but she was still miffed at a certain group of individuals who only caused problems for her. It was only natural that she would find a place where she could actually think rationally and not have the urge to smack people.

And speaking of rationally, she really didn't feel like it right now. They were being a prick, and that alone pissed her off. She had a right to be angry. She was here on this tree first, and it wasn't like she asked to get hit. What exactly was that person doing throwing rocks around? If they wanted to do it so badly, they could have found a more secluded place to do it, instead of out in the open. If not her, they might have hit someone else instead, and what then? Would they get mad at them too just for being there?

It took all her strength for her to hold her tongue. She wasn't going to let them get away with being a pretentious jerk, but she also wasn't about to unleash a wave of unnecessary insults their way and act just as unreasonable as them. She was much more dignified than that. She still wanted to tell them off, but at the same time, she didn't want the situation to escalate more than it should have. She still wanted to read her book, and if she was going to have to deal with this crisis, she might as well get it over and done with before she decided to give her book another use. Not that she wanted it to come to that conclusion.

"Look, I just wanted to read in silence. I wanted to get away from people, focus on this book, and what do I get? A rock. I get a rock thrown at me." Each word came out slowly and calmly, but there was a distinct sharpness in her tone. And she wasn't about to stop there. Oh no, she wouldn't stop now. "So excuse me for getting upset about the stinging pain on the side of my head. Did you want me to congratulate you instead? Well done, your accuracy was so on point, you hit me right on the head. You could have hit me anywhere else, but you got me right there in that very spot. You should be proud of yourself." It was harder to keep a cool head. What were previously calm words were heavily coated with sarcasm. It was one of her habits when she was angry, among other things unfortunately.

Then the girl heaved a deep sigh. Her rant was done, and she already proved her point. She might as well add something in there so she didn't seem like a total jerk. She acted out of self-control again, after all. She still believed her anger was warranted, but it was better to act like the bigger person. At least that was what was widely believed anyway. "So, was that all you wanted to know? Why I was up here? Well, now you know, I guess. For what it's worth, sorry about being up on a tree and acting all sneaky-like and whatnot. Didn't mean to get in your way, if that makes you feel any better." She shrugged. She was just about done by now. Even the apology didn't feel like it resonated with her. It was an automatic response. A way to facilitate a problem even if her heart wasn't entirely into it. It wasn't that she didn't feel sorry at all or that she wasn't genuine in what she wanted to do, but her energy had been wasted. What else could she have done?

@Saskia Nicholson

Proud? The girl in the tree thought she was proud for nailing her in the head with a rock? At first Bridget felt bad for hitting her in the head, of all places, but with each loaded comment the remorse faded. By the time the mystery girl was done, she was almost glad she'd done it. Still, the words were not unlike those the short girl would love to say if she'd been at all gifted with quick-witted speech.

How was she supposed to respond to all of that, though? Without the aid of physical gestures like glaring, scowling, and eye-rolling, silence seemed to mean admitting defeat. So, the Slytherin did the only thing she could think of: she poked holes in the verity of the tree-hider's statements. "Actually, I didn't throw it. And I certainly didn't aim for your head. That sort of thing just might possibly require me to know you were in the tree in the first place."

The sarcasm in her tone was something she hadn't used much at Hogwarts yet, although that had more to do with her self-induced isolation than anything else. Now finished with her retort, Bridget remembered that she'd been on her way back to the castle. There was nothing beneficial for her out here--this situation would only escalate and lead to consequences--and besides, she had homework left to do. Whoever this person was wasn't worth her time or grades.

"Enjoy your book then," she called, the annoyance still noticeable in her tone. She still had unanswered questions, of course, like who had even been in that tree. But this time, she didn't care for answers. Bridget left the tree line without looking back.

Bridget Collins exits the thread.

Merlin. Was this person serious? So what if they didn't throw the damn thing? Would it have mattered if they got a slingshot and flung the stone over? They could have used a stone-summoning spell instead and it wouldn't have made a difference. They would have all found a way towards her and she would probably have made a bruise on her head. Or wherever the hell it landed, if they were so persistent that 'they weren't aiming for her head.' Of course they didn't know that she was in the tree. They already repeated that fact enough times that it was making her sick. Apparently to them, all accidents were perfectly excusable if the person didn't know that it would have any consequences.

Ah, yes. Way to shift the blame from the actual perpetrator and avoid taking responsibilities for their own actions. It was naturally the mature thing anyone could have done. That was how conflicts were solved, was it not? As long as it was an accident, no one had to do anything. The victim had no right to complain, and all they could do was accept the fact that it was a damn accident. Ha. Forget all the magical and non-magical incidents that hurt people and even killed them on occasion. There were all just accidents. They didn't know what they were doing in the first place. That had to be a good excuse for any damages they caused, right?

Even thinking about it made the Hufflepuff want to rip the book she was previously holding. But she had much more self-control than that. She probably could have fixed it with a simple Reparo, but it really wasn't worth the trouble. All she could do was dig her nails in her palms and silently seethe in her own rage. The person was already gone, although she refrained from shouting anything else at them. She was too angry to speak, and even if she did want to say something, she probably would have ended up saying something she would have regretted afterwards. She had already tried to restrain herself as much as she could, although she was too mad to keep it all in. They deserved to at least know that she was absolutely livid.

The stranger's final words told her to enjoy her book. Truth be told, that was probably not going to happen. Even if she did want to focus on reading, she was too preoccupied thinking about the things that made her so mad. With a frustrated sigh, the girl set the book aside, crossing her arms as she leaned back against the tree, watching the ground below her. There weren't many people in this part of the Grounds, or else they would have noticed what was going on. It was peaceful now, which was definitely a change from the last few minutes.

Things were quiet again. And this time, it might have actually stayed that way.

-Thread Completed-