What is it about Quidditch? Finished

Diagon Alley was everything Sadie expected and more. There was eccentric clothing - for sale, and on the people, books about topics that made her brain feel all fuzzy, and, of course, magical supplies that she had thought only existed in fantasy novels and movies. Dad had brought all four children along today, if only to show them what he hadn't seen since his own childhood. Being what was called a 'Squib,' Sadie's dad had only ever seen Diagon Alley when his siblings attended school and needed supplies, so he was quite happy to be back, it seemed.

While their dad was tending to matters at a place called 'Gringotts Bank,' or something, Chloe and Reina were sticking together. Perhaps they felt a sort of kinship, since magic had apparently skipped them. Who would have thought magic had a cut off age of around ten or so? Sadie definitely hadn't thought as much, but she found herself wondering if Miles would be able to do magic, too.

Miles was following the older siblings, but he was dragging Sadie along for the trip. He didn't want her to miss anything that the two older girls found, but Sadie found it hard to really enjoy the experience. While Chloe and Reina saw fantastical supplies and cloaks, Sadie only saw price tags she knew her parents couldn't afford. She didn't even know what a galleon was, but seeing the other magical people exchanging handfuls of golden coins for goods made a knot form in Sadie's stomach.

"Come on!" Miles whined, letting go of Sadie's hand and running after their older sisters.

"Miles, wait!" Sadie called out, watching in horror as Miles bumped into a girl around Sadie's age, knocking her aside. He ran into what seemed to be a pet store, behind Chloe and Reina, leaving Sadie behind for damage control.

Sadie followed the other girl into the other shop, which was filled with brooms. She imagined this was the magical equivalent of a car dealership, but there seemed to be some level of sports fanaticism sprinkled throughout. People were wearing clothes not unlike the footie jerseys Reina sometimes borrowed from her friends at school before they snuck into games. Competitive broom flying? That sounded horrifying.

Sadie approached the girl, who seemed to be browsing the price tags with the same horror that Sadie had felt all morning. She felt a bit less alone at that.

"Um, hello," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before it fell into her face. "I'm Sadie. You don't know me, but my brother gave ye a little bump out there. I wanted to say 'sorry' on his behalf."

Sadie's hands came together in front of her as she offered her best apologetic smile.

Current Participant/s: Eira Cravensworth|@Sadie Murdock
Eira's outfit: Periwinkle cable knit jumper with a pleated skirt and black flat shoes.
Hairstyle: Hair down with a silver hairclip pinned near her left ear
Accessory: Snake shed necklace (provided by Circe)

Reducio

"I'm Sadie. You don't know me, but my brother gave ye a little bump out there. I wanted to say 'sorry' on his behalf."

An apologetic voice took Eira away from her thoughts and made her look to her left, near the shelves where broomstick accessories were displayed.

Standing there was a girl with blonde hair and clothes that looked threadbare. The way she stood said that she was not very confident, but what took Eira aback was the girl's striking appearance. She had seen a fairly large number of beautiful people, her mother included, but this girl had something otherworldly about her.

Suddenly, she reminded herself that they're in a busy Quidditch shop and the girl had promptly introduced herself.

Embarrassment washed through her as the Cravensworth heiress immediately gave a small curtsey that would make Ms. Roscov proud, and responded, "It's nice to meet you, Sadie. My name is Eira Cravensworth." As she straightened her posture, Sadie's word had brought a memory back-

"Oh! And not to worry about your brother's actions, no bones were broken!" she laughed lightly, mentally kicking herself for using formal speech to someone her age.

'Calm down', she assured herself, 'She could be a Hogwarts student too. She might even be your new classmate! Don't act like a 'princess' as Emile would say.'

Eira took a peek at the shelves and wondered if she could use it as a small talk. The girl might be a Quidditch fan if she's in this shop-

"Are you going to Hogwarts as well? I heard that the Interhouse Quidditch matches are truly fierce. Dad said it's like watching the World Cup but with fewer stunts and accidents."

Outfit(Because I completely forgot to even mention it in the last post!): A black pleated skirt just past her knees, a brown jumper with patches that almost matched the color of the original material, but not quite, and a pair of brown trainers with soles that clearly hadn't originally been fitted to this pair of shoes.

Sadie shifted self-consciously as she felt Eira's eyes on her, but her cheeks pinkened when the dignified girl curtsied! Was that something witches were supposed to do? Sadie had never curtsied in her life. She'd only ever seen it on the TV, and that was mostly on fantasy movies and shows.

Sadie returned the curtsy with her own horribly clumsy variation. She was certain she was doing it completely wrong. She really just bent her knees and crossed her legs while grabbing the edges of her skirt, but she didn't know how else to do a curtsy. She didn't know if there was a science behind such an act.

As she stood from her disastrous curtsy attempt, Sadie adjusted her jumper self-consciously. This girl had been nothing but nice to her so far, so she had no reason to be embarrassed, but the difference in wardrobe alone was enough to make Sadie feel a bit inadequate. Not to mention the girl's posture, the way her chin was high and proud. This girl was probably a daughter of a very, very important person. Perhaps a politician? Or a celebrity of some sort?

Sadie was relieved by Eira's forgiveness of Miles's careless bump, and she was even more relieved at the immediate change of subject. Hogwarts. School. School was a safe subject. An easy subject.

"I am! I just found out that I could do magic. My granddad was apparently quite the wizard, and my gran was a... well, she was not quite normal, but magic sometimes skips a generation I figure. My own dad couldn't magic his way out of a wet paper bag!" she said, smiling.

She tried not to let her confusion show at the mention of 'Quidditch.' At best she could figure out from context that it was probably the sport involving brooms she'd seen merchandise for in the shop. Her dad hadn't mentioned it when he gave her the brief rundown on magic's existence, but she was all too aware of the World Cup. Reina had watched the 2022 World Cup on the TV until she'd learned about the controversies surrounding it, and even then, she'd kept up with the score. She'd been a firm supporter of Wales throughout the championship.

"Fewer accidents than the World Cup? That's insane. Don't the brooms make accidents more likely?" she asked, eyes curious.

Sadie couldn't know that when Eira mentioned the 'World Cup,' she wasn't talking about the FIFA World Cup. Sadie didn't even know what Quidditch was, never mind the fact that it had its own World Cup. When she heard 'World Cup,' her mind went to football.

Current Participant/s: Eira Cravensworth|@Sadie Murdock
Eira's outfit: Periwinkle cable knit jumper with a pleated skirt and black flat shoes.
Hairstyle: Hair down with a silver hairclip pinned near her left ear
Accessory: Snake shed necklace (provided by Circe)

Reducio

Eira's eyes might have glimmered when Sadie said that she has experience with muggles.

Mr. Sheffield mentioned 'Squibs' during one of their extensive lessons. Squibs are people who are part of a magical household but are unable to use magic at all. Hundreds of questions raced through her brain, but she held her tongue. Her too enthusiastic probing might chase her new schoolmate away, so she settled on staying on the topic of Quidditch.

"It' supposed to be" Eira nodded, "But the last World Cup, where the Magpie's Chaser was accidentally hit by a Bludger so hard on the left side of the head that the Healers fought with Singh (Magpie's coach) to take him out for the season because they stated that the player have experienced concussion and may experience traumatic brain injury."

She answered in a confident tone as she echoed her mum's words. She stated that Warrington might even experience numerous headaches, speech and movement difficulties as she and Mr. Collin, on of the Healers attending Warrington, talked about it during one of her parents' annual gala dinners (actually it was all mum's, dad lets her do it because it makes her giddy seeing her old friends who were too busy for the usual afternoon tea).

Frankly, looking at wounds on others made Eira squirm, and the dedication to provide them with careful prescriptions of potions and rehabilitation based on their case deterred her from pursuing a Healer career like her mum.

She tugged at the ends of a stray hair that fell over her shoulder; "Dad says that there are maneuvers that are not allowed during school matches, and the flying instructor is the referee, so they're pretty strict on the guidelines. Not that I'm keen on flying with the broomstick in general. Apparition and floor travel are more favorable for me."

Taking a good look back at the pile of kit before them, she gave a friendly grin to Sadie, hoping to gain more rapport. "How about you, are you interested in trying out for the Quidditch team at Hogwarts? I'm interested in the Duelling Club, though, it will give me more time to practice what I will learn in Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts!"

Outfit: A black pleated skirt just past her knees, a brown jumper with patches that almost matched the color of the original material, but not quite, and a pair of brown trainers with soles that clearly hadn't originally been fitted to this pair of shoes.

Sadie understood some of Eira's sentence. Words like 'World Cup,' 'concussion,' and 'traumatic brain injury' weren't entirely uncommon in Sadie's own house, since Reina had a love for football, but what in Gods' name was a bludger? A Chaser?

Sadie didn't keep up with sports like her sister did, but even she knew those weren't football terms.

"Bludger? Chaser?" she asked, feeling awfully stupid as she realized that, yes, there likely was a World Cup for this weird, magical sport. "I have to say I agree. Flying on a broom seems terrifying. Not a seatbelt in sight. I can't believe people play a sport on these things."

Her eyes scanned the broomsticks nearby, wincing as she imagined having to fly one of those. She wouldn't be caught on a broomstick in a thousand years. She didn't know that there was a required Flying class.

Eira's continued attempts at conversation hit Sadie like a brick wall. Mentions of Apparition, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and, once more, a Quidditch team at school filled her with a sense of unfamiliarity. She should have expected such strangeness, though. It wasn't as if learning geometry or studying Irish like she did in muggle school would serve her well in a witch's curriculum. She should have known there would be classes on defending herself with magic. There would probably be cauldron classes too, or something.

"I can't say I'm particularly interested in Quidditch," she said, trying not to let on to the fact that it wasn't that she wasn't interested, but that getting her on a broom for a contact sport would likely cause a bad case of urine-based rain down below.

"I didn't exactly grow up around magic. At least, not like you seem to have done. My grandad was a wizard, but he met my gran and settled down like nor- er, like muggles," she quickly corrected herself, using the word her dad had told her magical folk used for non-magical counterparts. "My gran isn't a muggle, or even actually a person, technically, but I don't think she went to Hogwarts."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear self-consciously at the thought that she herself, by extension, wasn't fully human. That would explain why people had always stared at her in muggle school.

"What's this about a Duelling Club, though? It sounds..." Safer? she thought. Instead, she said, ""...more interesting."

Current Participant/s: Eira Cravensworth|@Sadie Murdock
Eira's outfit: Periwinkle cable knit jumper with a pleated skirt and black flat shoes.
Hairstyle: Hair down with a silver hairclip pinned near her left ear
Accessory: Snake shed necklace (provided by Circe)

Reducio

When Eira explained the difference between the World Cup and the Quidditch matches at Hogwarts, she saw Sadie's confused expression, thus making her confused as well.

But then, Sadie told her about not growing up in a magical household, making the terms unfamiliar to her. It made Eira feel embarrassed that she somehow alienated someone, having received the brunt of it from her cousin from her father's side.

Eira really wanted to ask Sadie if she could clarify about her grandmother 'not actually a person' but it would be rather rude, so she shelved it in her mind.

Seeing the blonde girl's eagerness for an answer to her question, Eira answered,

"Erm, the Duelling Club is where students would face each other in a proper duel using different spells. But yes, a Chaser is someone in the team who uses a quaffle- it's a ball and they throw it on the goal posts to score and... oh dear."

She made a distressed noise, unable to properly explain Quidditch to someone who wasn't familiar with the sport. Finally, she sighed and offered an assuring smile, "Not to worry though, there are lots of students at Hogwarts who aren't from magical households as well, so I'm confident that you will be able to catch up on all the terminology in no time!"

Alright, she better not use full wizarding terms then, but she doesn't know a lot of muggle terms as well. She had seen some of their inventions and saw one of the large rectangular mirrors that show other people and even animals inside them while taking a stroll in muggle London. The man who was near the door promptly stopped them when they looked at the strange mirror and called it a 'tee-vee'.

A thought lit in her brain like a bright lighting spell.

"You did mention having a brother earlier. Do you have other siblings as well?"

Outfit: A black pleated skirt just past her knees, a brown jumper with patches that almost matched the color of the original material, but not quite, and a pair of brown trainers with soles that clearly hadn't originally been fitted to this pair of shoes.

Watching Eira struggled to explain Quidditch was almost funny at first. Sadie tried to put herself in Eira's shoes, and tried to imagine explaining football to someone who'd never once heard of the game, and she had to admit she would struggle all the same. That wasn't a good example, though, since she wasn't as well-versed in football as her sister, Reina.

"Why do they call it a quaffle? Why not just call it the 'ball?'" she asked.

Her eyes darted through the store in search of one of the quaffles, and she saw a number of balls throughout the store. Were there different sports played on broomsticks, the same as muggles had different balls for football, rugby, and tennis? The little golden ball looked perfect for a magical flying version of tennis, if she was pressed to judge it. The next larger ball looked as if it would be good for something similar to American baseball, maybe. Then, there was the largest ball, which almost reminded her of a proper football in size and shape.

"I think duelling sounds much less complicated. I mean, how difficult can casting spells at one another be, right? Besides, learning magic is our whole reason for going to Hogwarts, so we may as well get some practice," Sadie said with a shrug and a grin. "Maybe we can join the club together. It could be fun."

Sadie wondered if Eira was right about lots of other non-magical people at Hogwarts. She hadn't met any so far, but this was only her first time in Diagon Alley, so that wasn't surprising. Eira was actually the first other student she'd met so far. And on that note...

"I bet your family's magical through and through, isn't it? I have a brother and two sisters, but my older sisters can't do magic, and I'm told there's a cutoff age for Hogwarts. My little brother... the one who bumped into you - I'm not sure about him, yet, but he's almost ten, so I don't know if it's too late for him to find out," Sadie said.

She looked at the other people in the shop. Some were wearing garish and gaudy cloaks, and others were dressed neatly in pretty, elegant clothing like Eira's. How many of them were once like her, with no magical experience or knowledge? And how many others were like Eira, seeming to have a good handle on things regarding magic?

"How many siblings do you have?" Sadie asked curiously.

She didn't want to assume, but based on the way Eira carried herself, and the way she'd curtsied earlier, she almost gave off 'only child, pampered since birth,' vibes. But that was probably a rude assumption. She was nothing but sweet to Sadie so far, and meeting her had been quite the stroke of luck for the terrified girl being plunged into an unfamiliar world.

Current Participant/s: Eira Cravensworth|@Sadie Murdock
Eira's outfit: Periwinkle cable knit jumper with a pleated skirt and black flat shoes.
Hairstyle: Hair down with a silver hairclip pinned near her left ear
Accessory: Snake shed necklace (provided by Circe)

Reducio

Hmmm.

Why is it called a Quaffle? She can explain why it's not just called the ball since there's also the Bludgers and the Golden Snitch to take in account but she supposed it would led to even more explanation she is not confident with.

Maybe she can ask Mr. Sheffield once they resume their lessons tomorrow. Then again, he might reprimand her for asking too many questions right after begging him to give her extra lessons on defensive charms and counterspells last week.

When Sadie expressed interest in joining the duelling club, it made Eira smile, excitement bubbling in her chest at the prospect of someone she knew joining the club. Happily, she clasped her hands on her front.

"Oh it's quite exciting! During one of the exhibition matches, I watched a wizard use Bombarda and Glacius simultaneously to make some sort of powdered snow at the arena, which made it hard for their opponent to target them." She felt herself rocking her feet back and forth before she ordered herself to stop.

Poise, Eira. Poise.

Then came the question about her own family, which she should have expected since she had opened the topic first, and it's only polite to be truly honest with Sadie since she had been candid with her own.

Tugging slightly at the thin chain of her necklace, she lightly bit her bottom lip.

"Yes, my parents both came from pureblood families. My dad is a Cravensworth and he's the head of the main family since my grandfather passed. They originally came from Wales and reared kelpies for generations. My mum is a Von Thaine but... she really doesn't want to talk about her family."

"Nor anyone else, for that matter. Even dad doesn't even dare mention them in front of her." she thought.

She slowly exhaled, secretly proud that her breath didn't quiver, and gave an open grin. "And no worries about your brother, he might also be able to use magic. My cousin Claire's first accidental magic was when she was ten years old, a few days shy of her eleventh birthday. For siblings, I'm afraid I'm the only one. So far in the family, it's just my dad, mum, myself, and our house-elf Mitzy."

She wanted to add another, but it's still a bit too early. Even her parents don't know about her. The necklace felt a bit colder against her skin.

Bombarda and Glacius? Were those spells?

Eira mentioned snow, so Glacius had to mean 'ice' or 'freeze' or something along those lines, and 'Bombarda...' To 'bombard someone,' perhaps with the aforementioned snow? Sadie probably had the details wrong, but that was probably the gist of it.

"Bombard and Glacius?" she asked, a smile on her lips. " Isn't that a bit on the nose? I'd expected spells would have stranger names. 'Bibbity boppity, doodley doo,' and then someone turns into a frog or something."

Sadie laughed as she spoke, feeling a bit ridiculous just saying such silly words, but somehow it felt just as silly calling a snow spell 'Glacius' in her mind. That would be like a fire spell called 'Igni,' or a flying spell called... well, she didn't know how to say 'fly' in Latin, but the point still stood. That was the sort of thing she would expect from a fantasy novel, not real life.

But seeing the very visible excitement on Eira's face and in her posture as she spoke, made Sadie's own smile widen.

"My grand-dad was from a pureblood family too! My dad said he abandoned it for gran!" she said excitedly, finally enjoying having something to relate to with the obviously better witch in front of her. "But... did you say kelpies? As in... breeding them? Like they're sheep or somethin'? Come on, I know I'm gullible, but you have to be teasing."

Kelpies being real was one thing Sadie could wrestle with after years of being a muggle, but the idea that they were being bred like livestock just felt unbelievable. Surely Eira was pulling her leg a bit, right? She couldn't blame her. If she was the one with magic experience, she'd play a few jokes herself!

Hopefully Eira was correct about Miles. Sadie didn't want him to feel left out, and having him attend Hogwarts with her would just be lovely. They could have sleepovers like back home, and she could be his mentor and guide through his first year like Eira seemed to be for hers.

Wait... was that presumptive? To call Eira her guide and mentor? They'd only just met, but Sadie was already learning so much, and speaking of which...

"House-elf?" Sadie asked, quirking an eyebrow.

House elf. That painted a vivid image in Sadie's mind of a beautiful, elegant Tolkien-esque elven woman, standing tall and proud within the household of a pure wizarding family, but why had Eira used the word 'our?' Was it like saying 'my sister,' or 'our auntie?'

"As in... actual elves? Like Galadriel, or Legolas?" she asked, her voice wavering between excitement and a tinge of nervousness at the thought of every fantasy novel aspect she'd ever read in her life being real.

@Eira Cravensworth Outfit: A black pleated skirt just past her knees, a brown jumper with patches that almost matched the color of the original material, but not quite, and a pair of brown trainers with soles that clearly hadn't originally been fitted to this pair of shoes.