The Art of the Oop PV Claire Lewis Closed

It would have been cheating to say that the first-year reminded Aly of a younger version of herself. She had been nothing like this little creature five years ago, a swaggering, plucky creature full of spunk and plaid and compliments. Aly herself, at eleven, had been a shy little thing, stammering over her own name so often you'd have thought she didn't know it, staring wide-eyed at Muggle inventions even when it made others slightly uncomfortable, eating more sugar than she should have been capable of stuffing in her tiny body, weaving flower crowns on the grounds, and she had been so much of a giant bookworm that she'd taken to hosting her own classes on Saturdays, much to the chagrin of her mates... most of whom Aly hadn't seen in years. Perhaps they'd transferred, or maybe they just had found other friends. Either way, Aly tried not to think about it. Her social life had certainly begun to bloom in her second year, when she'd joined the Quidditch team. It seemed that Claire was getting a head start on that same path.

The Snitch clutched firmly in Aly's hand, the sixth-year Ravenclaw returned to where her new first-year pal was still hovering midair, spouting acclaim like a broken fountain and looking a cross between vaguely horrified and awestruck. Though her face was red as a Gryffindor crest, the younger girl didn't seem at all eager to return to the ground and, in fact, sounded like she was more than ready to try out being Ooped by Aly herself. Grinning, Aly flew closer until they were flying side by side, holding out her closed fist to the other girl and gingerly peeling three of her fingers from it until she was holding a fluttering, frenzied Snitch just between her finger and thumb. "Well, now, hold on a moment. Have you ever seen one of these before? I mean, close up?" she asked, holding it up to Claire's eyeline so the first-year could closely examine it. "They're faster than you think, and the wings can hurt if it slices you the wrong way. I've ended up having to charm my own hand with some basic healing spells after a practice gone wrong. Know your enemy, kid - or at least your target. You can't just go grabbing away at this thing. You have to know it first."

Reaching out, Aly handed the flittering golden ball to Claire, only letting go when she knew that the other had a good hold on it. She let Claire hold it as long as she wanted and then gave the younger Slytherin a friendly smile. "When you think you're ready, let it go, follow it with your eyes so you don't lose it, and take my hand," the Ravenclaw instructed, reaching out her hand to her. "And then - well, my only advice is to hold on tight and keep your eye on the ball! You might spin a bit, so looking at the Snitch is a good way to keep from getting dizzy. Ready? One, two..."