Practice makes perfect friends

The October wind whipped Mikey's hair as he hunched forward on his broom, Ravenclaw scarf flowing behind him like a pennant. A chuckle escaped him when Avery zipped past his shoulder, scarlet and gold blurring in his peripheral vision. "Hey! Practice with me, not lap me three times running!" he shouted, though he couldn't help but smile.

It was easy flying with her. Too easy, actually. He'd been thinking too much about the impending matches more than he'd care to admit. She'd be in red, he'd be in blue, and the now pleasant broom chases would turn into the real thing. It wouldn’t affect their relationship, would it? He didn't want to think about it, but then Quidditch was Quidditch.

He cut in front of her path just enough to have her slow down and cut to the side, letting out a triumphantly exuberant whoop before another lap attempt. "See? I can still catch you when you're not looking!" he joked, but his heart wasn't quite in the brag.

That was when he caught a motion on the grass down below. Someone had just fallen over on the grass. He cringed downwards, then saw the matted hair and stubborn face. "Is that. Ellie?" he said to himself, then yanked himself back up, gesturing towards the lawn. He smiled at Avery. "Let's go see what's going on before she snaps her broom in two. Or herself."

Diving in further, Mikey surfaced inches from the ground, landing softly on his skid. "Hey!" he yelled, leaping from his broom and smoothing a pair of grass smudges from his knees. "Ellie! Looks like your broom trying to rid you." His grin relaxed into an easy warm smile. "Don't worry about it, happens to all of us. Especially me.".

He rested his broom against one arm, then gestured over at Avery as she descended beside him. "This is Avery. Fastest Gryffindor to ever be on a broom." He grinned, not sure if he should say more, and uncertainty was creeping into his voice. "Thought perhaps all of us could make fools of ourselves together out here rather than individually."

Interacting with: @Mikey Forville and @Ellie Randensmith Mentioning: N/A Date: 10/10/25

Word Count: 459

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Avery laughed merrily as she soared across the broom tracks and lapped around Mikey for who knew what time. Her scarlet and gold Quidditch robes flying as the wind gently lapped her face. She called out, "Catch me if you can!" with a laugh after's Mikey comment. Avery couldn't believe what she was doing right now. She was practicing, well, racing, with Mikey. She had never expected that day to come. She still couldn't believe that in just over a week they would be facing each other on the pitch as they strove for the coveted Quidditch cup. All she could hope for was that it didn't come down to the wire for herself and Mikey against each other. Avery didn't think she would have the heart to knock him out of the game. She didn't want to ruin their relationship. Not when she was finally happy and doing something right for once. Avery had been different since she had found out her grandfather was sick again. She was more closed off. Brooding. Though that day was different. Now she was outside in the clear air doing one of the many things she loved doing. Riding her broom with her boyfriend by her side. Avery was so deep in her thoughts that she had even realized until it was too late that Mikey had caught her. She swerved to the side and laughed at his triumphant whoop. "Well, you got me, but next time I won't make it easy for you." She grinned good naturedly towards him. Avery wasn't sure who Ellie was. The girl's name sounded familiar to Avery. Like she had met the girl before or someone had mentioned her, but Avery couldn't place a finger on where. She followed Mikey closely to solve the mystery of the girl named Ellie. Her Silver Arrow gripped tightly in her hands as she moved forward slowly. Avery dismounted her broom with a smile as she followed where the girl that Avery knew now as Ellie, stood. Her hair was disheveled and frustration was etched across her face. Two things Avery knew all too well from falling off her own broom many times before. She knew it wasn't just frustrating, but also painful. Avery laughed as Mikey introduced her. She gave him a gentle shoulder bump before saying, "Well, not fastest, but certainly fast. You okay? That broom fall didn't look too great." She grinned a little. Hoping the girl's spirit would be lifted. "Anyway, practicing together sounds great! Do you play a broom sport, Ellie?" Avery asked. Her curiosity got the better of her like it always had. She really needed to learn to keep it in check and know when to ask certain questions and when to not.

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Interacting with: @Avery Gray & @Mikey Forville Word Count: 296 OOC Note: Date: October 10th Speaking: #8e0b65 Others: #6c0679 Ellie Randensmith

Mikey grinned as Ellie looked up, sweeping the top of a small clump of grass from his sleeve and tossing his broom over one shoulder. "Well done to get back on again," he whispered, teasing forgotten and replaced by something supportive. "It does take a bit of time to find your balance on a new broom. They have a mind of their own to start with."

He relaxed a bit so they were eye to eye. "I fell off three times the first time I got my very first broom before I ever did get hovering right. And there was that one time when it threw me into a bush." He chuckled, an embarrassing sort of sound to reassure her. "So already you're ahead of where I was."

Straightening, he looked over at Avery, who was standing nearby with a warm smile. "You know," he said to Ellie, turning back to her, "if you'd like, we can do a couple of slow laps together. No pressure, just getting used to the way it feels. It's a lot simpler when you've got someone beside you."

He waved his hand out towards the open space of field, where the wind capered about in the grass. "We'll begin with small passes, tilt forward a little bit, small turns. I'll trail just in front so you can duplicate the motion. Later, we can build up speed. Sounds good?"

He mounted his broom again, several inches above the ground, and gave her a comforting smile. Leaning slightly toward Avery, he said, "We'll be gentle, promise. Just a few laps to break you in. And if you fall again, we'll both pretend not to see it." Grinning, eyes sparkling. "Ready?"

Interacting with: @Mikey Forville and @Ellie Randensmith Mentioning: @Colin McCoire and @Claire Lewis Date: 10/10/25

Word Count: 341

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"He's right. Broom riding isn't easy. I broke my leg in a pretty bad crash on the Quidditch training pitch last year. I've had other crashes since then, but luckily not as bad as that one. I guess you could say it really does take time and a lot of patience." Avery laughed a little at the memory. Breaking her leg had been hard at first. Scary? Absolutely, but the people she was able to meet and the joy brought out of the injury was worth it. Even if it had ended in finding that muggles bathed in a mysterious concoction called sham poo. Avery still couldn't believe her muggle friend had never actually told her about that. She had always seen it around, but hadn't really thought about it until that fateful day where she made two new friends she would never forget. No matter what happened or where life took her. Avery nodded. "I'm happy to do some slower laps. They're a great way to get warmed up to a new broom. I'll stick close to you just in case you slip." Avery nodded and smiled at Ellie. Hoping the girl didn't mind. The last thing Avery wanted was for Ellie to get hurt. Broom injuries weren't pleasant, and Avery wouldn't wish one on anyone. Avery smiled as she mounted her broom and kicked off and hovered just a few feet off the ground. Ready to follow whatever Mikey had planned. She trusted that he had the right idea in mind to help her get more comfortable around her broom. Though she loved the thrill and speed of a chase. Hence why she chose to be a Seeker for the Gryffindor team, starting back at the basics always helped. Especially with her game approaching closer and closer with each passing day. Avery gave Mikey a thumbs up and a smile before saying, "Ready." It was true. She really was ready to be the best help she could be when that was honestly all she could do at the moment.

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Interacting with: @Avery Gray & @Mikey Forville Word Count: 248 OOC Note: Date: October 10th Speaking: #8e0b65 Others: #6c0679 Ellie Randensmith

Mikey floated a couple of meters over the field, his hair streaming in the breeze as he looked on as Ellie came up smoothly into the air. She was so much steadier than she'd been when she'd first begun. More confident and much less unsteady. Her broom seemed to skim the sun's rays just so, shining past as though it had found its rider.

He smiled uncontrollably. He whispered to himself, "There we go," with a quiet satisfaction in his voice. He didn't really know how to help her with flying besides practice. 'If something needs to be done, it's best just to get it done.' His father's words rang in his head as he watched.

Avery floated alongside him, her own broom cutting easily through the air. Mikey caught a look over his shoulder, maintaining even pace as they flew with Ellie loosely across the field. The three of them flew together now, brooms flashing in and out of the air in silent harmony. It was easy, no competition at all, just the simple pleasure of flying for the sake of flying.

When Ellie split wide, her broom sweeping low before rising high once more, Mikey had a fleeting glimpse of true admiration. "Dang," he shouted out, smiling. "Guess you don't need us after all!"

The air was cool, the sky slashing and blue overhead, and for the first time in days, Mikey was perfectly relaxed. The burden of classes, games, and expectations all melted somewhere between the clouds and the grassy ground.

As they finally landed, wind still whizzing past them, Mikey got off his broom and grinned at Ellie mischievously. "If you keep flying like that," he told her, "Avery and I will have to take lessons from you."

He threw his broom over his shoulder, a stifled laugh escaping. Flight had been one of his best experiences at Hogwarts, but this kind of thing? Flying with Avery and his friend Ellie made it seem like magic all over again.

Interacting with: @Mikey Forville and @Ellie Randensmith Mentioning: @Colin McCoire and @Claire Lewis Date: 10/10/25

Word Count: 244

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Avery shrugged her shoulders at Ellie comment before saying, "It did, but thanks to Colin I was all healed up in a matter of minutes as well as making a couple new friends. You could say it was worth breaking my leg in the end." She smiled. Though breaking her leg had been awful, she was glad that it had happened. Otherwise she would have never met Claire or Colin in the first place. Avery followed steadily behind Mikey while staying close to Ellie in case she fell. She was amazed by how smoothly Ellie and her broom glided through the air. She had been far from steady the first time she had ridden her first broom she had purchased. She had proven many times over that she had to start out slow with a new broom even if it took a lot of patience. Each broom is different, so taking things slow is always best just to get a feel. Just taking things slow would have probably saved Avery a lot of bumps and bruises she had suffered from over the past year. "I'm amazed by how smoothly you and your broom move through the air. Soon enough you'll be running laps around the both of us!" She smiled towards Ellie. Her comment sincere. She knew that Ellie really would do those things. She was a broom racer, and broom racing required a speed and agility Avery had always admired, but never attempted.

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Interacting with: @Avery Gray & @Mikey Forville Word Count: 248 OOC Note: Date: October 10th Speaking: #8e0b65 Others: #6c0679 Ellie Randensmith