Practice makes perfect friends

Mikey was giggling so much that he could hardly bear to watch Ellie whiz by him, not elegantly, of course, but with such excitement that its coarseness was rewarded a thousand times over. "Look at you go!" he yelled, hunching forward on his broom, fighting to keep up. The wind ripped at his scarf and mussed his hair into his face, and he didn't mind. It was like freedom.

He spun around next to her, still smiling. "You're doing it! I mean, sure, the broom is sometimes threatening rebellion, but that's to be expected." His words were playful but affectionate, the sort of praise it was difficult not to chuckle at.

He waved down the stretch of open ground. "Alright, let's race." He pretended to hesitate dramatically, lifting a finger. "But! It's called the world's slowest race. Like, snail speed." Before waiting for a response, Mikey pushed forward a bit, drifting nowhere on the grass. "Ready… set… go!" He overemphasized each turn, acting like he teetered precariously just to get a laugh from Ellie. "Oh no, watch out! Rogue gust of wind!"

As Avery drifted over to join them, Mikey said, "Now we're in trouble. Professional flyer coming! Quick, Ellie, get in line! We can take her down!" He growled in a commanding voice. "If we fly in a triangle, she'll never... ah, no, never mind, she's too fast."

They soared over the field in spirals, laughter echoing above the wind. Finally, when they coasted to a hover, flushed cheeks and shining eyes, Mikey caught Avery and Ellie's glance and grinned.

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

Word Count: 386

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Avery grinned as she flew. Though they were going slow, she loved it. The gentle caress of the breeze on her face felt amazing. Like the touch of a butterfly as she flew alongside Ellie and Mikey. She couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun flying. She was usually either training for Quidditch or showing others the ropes of Quidditch. Leaving her little time to enjoy herself and remind herself why she loved flying so much. She laughed at the mention of flying a snail race. All her races she'd done had been about speed and agility. This kind of race was different. It was a way to laugh and have fun instead of being constantly being reminded of the stress and pressure that came with helping her house win the Quidditch cup and proving herself to be a good player. Avery grinned back as she lazily drifted her broom across the track. This time not worried about winning or being the fastest. This time she was just relaxing and having fun. "Professional player? We'll see who's the professional after I somehow crash going at a slow pace." Avery grinned naturally and laughed. Knowing the words she had spoken were true, but still fun to say. How had she never done this before? The relaxation was helpful. After all that had happened over the past year such as nearly losing Dylan to hearing her grandfather had fallen ill again, Avery had always felt like she was useless. Like she couldn't do anything to help anyone even though she had helped train a few people for Quidditch in the past. None of it added up. It was as if she was a shell of herself. A robot when she did things like that. She was just following protocol instead of enjoying the game. Maybe that was why she enjoyed spending time with Mikey and now Ellie. Mikey made her feel wanted and that she belonged as well as lightening a mood with his jokes and playful banter. Ellie and Avery had just met, but Avery knew they would be fast friends. The girl reminded Avery of a bright day. She seemed like the kind of girl that was always there to lighten a mood and bring light into dark places. Avery admired that.

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Interacting with: @Avery Gray & @Mikey Forville Word Count: 262 OOC Note: Date: October 10th Speaking: #8e0b65 Others: #6c0679 Ellie Randensmith

Mikey‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ simply couldn't keep in his laughter. The sort of laughter that made him have sore ribs and cheeks, as the three of them stuttered their way through what might have been the most uncoordinated yet somehow glorious race at Hogwarts. Between fits of laughter, Mikey shouted to Ellie, "If you crash, I don't think you can get all the way to the lake!" trying to keep his broom flying straight even though the wind was pulling his scarf all over the place.

He didn't go full throttle and so was able to hover alongside her, his broom moving slow and relaxed from one point to another. With a smile on his face and only a few moments of nervousness, he looked at her hand holding the broom tightly and then at her facial expression, a faint bit of pride. "You nearly made a perfect recovery from being unbalanced. Admittedly, there was a half-second during which it seemed that you were going to slip and fall off the broom, but well done."

Glancing over at Avery, he added teasingly, “And I think Avery over there might have some competition. Look at you two, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff teaming up to make Ravenclaws look bad.” Taking the lead by just a meter or so, he leaned forward again and, in a louder voice than usual, amid the crashing of the wind, he yelled, “New rule, Alright if you are still able to laugh and balance themselves, you win this round only. Getting too serious leads to immediate disqualification.”

In fact, this was how they spent the next several minutes of their time: slow flight, circling tightly, talking off and landing, and laughing a lot. The air of October was filled with the sounds of laughter and the soft brush of brooms against the air. When it was over, they were able to come to a very quiet and slow stop at the side of the field, and Mikey threw his foot to the ground and, in one clean movement, got off the broom. His hair was all messy from the wind, his cheeks were bright, but his smile was just as radiant as ever, and he said frankly, “Okay, Decision made, I reckon. Ellie, you're now racing fit. You’ve learned the most vital skill, falling and getting up.” He joked.

Looking the two girls, he put the broom on his shoulder. "I had a really great time! I'm not kidding." Mikey came closer to Avery, took her hand in his and spoke, "What's the next thing on the plan, today?" he asked them, both unsure if they wanted to keep flying or take a break.

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

Word Count: 444

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Avery laughed lightly when Ellie said she would break every bone and somehow fall into the great lake if she crashed. "Don't worry. I'll be there to make your fall easier as will Mikey. We may be from different houses and on different teams, but that doesn't mean we have to be rivals." Avery smiled. Glad that she had gotten to know Ellie that day. The girl seemed like a great person to be around that always brightened a room. The day was turning out beautifully. The air was crisp yet fresh, the rush of air as Avery flew alongside Mikey and Ellie in what was probably the slowest broom race in the world. For all they knew they could make history for the slowest most creative broom race. Avery smiled at that. After all that had happened, this was the break she desperately needed. No. Craved. All she wanted was to feel normal for once and enjoy the world around her with her friends instead of worrying constantly about if her grandfather would survive another day. "Well, if I'm lucky I may stay a short time in this round. You guys are better at joking around than I am." Avery laughed. Though it was true. She hadn't spent a lot of time around people her own age until she had come to Hogwarts. Yes she had hung around her muggle friend before she had died, but that was different. She couldn't tell her muggle friend who she really was. All Avery could do was act as if she was a muggle herself when in reality she was far from it. Avery was surprised when Mikey took her hand. She was still getting used to that. Their dating relationship wasn't that much different from their friend relationship, but it did have some changes. Avery wasn't afraid to hide the truth anymore for one. She now knew he cared for her and wanted her, so that helped her open up herself. "I don't have anywhere to go, so I'm happy to stay here flying or we can always take a short break in the grass below and take up our brooms again if we wish." Avery said with a smile. She really was happy with anything as long as she was with Mikey and Ellie, but she also understood if the two of them had somewhere to go or something else to do. Then she would probably drag herself into doing homework or work on her snitch hunting. The next Quidditch match was approaching quickly and Avery knew there was always the chance she was going to play. That meant she needed to be prepared.

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Interacting with: @Avery Gray & @Mikey Forville Word Count: 392 OOC Note: I'm sorry for the amount of time this took! Date: October 10th Speaking: #8e0b65 Others: #6c0679 Ellie Randensmith

Mikey chuckled again at Ellie's absolute certainty that gravity had it out for her. He gently nudged his broom into a hover, letting the girls of them float closer. "You know," he said, thinking it over, "if you actually make it to the lake, I think it would be a new Hogwarts record for longest unplanned flight ever." He landed first this time, letting his boots graze the grass. The wind messed up his scarf and hair, but he looked completely happy. He looked from one girl to the other, his eyes bright with a clear idea brewing. "Alright", he said, clapping his hands once, "hear me out before you two shut me down."

Mikey pointed his broom vaguely towards the castle. "Potions test and studying. A necessary pain. But"... he raised a finger, his grin getting wider. "We'll make it fun."

He turned to Ellie first, putting on a serious face. We'll quiz each other. Ingredients, what they do, antidotes, all the good stuff. And every time someone gets something wrong... he paused again for drama, then pointed to the open field, they owe us a lap. Then he looked at Avery, clearly having a good time now. "You're a Seeker. This is basically studying and working out. Learning and getting fit. Honestly, I think the professor would approve. Probably. From far away.

He sat down on the grass and looked up at them. "I'll even start first, because I'm that nice." He paused. "And because chances are, I'll mess up at least one ingredient name." His grin softened. "Ellie, if you're worried about falling, this way you only fly when you want to. And Avery." his voice got a little softer, "stop looking so good on a broom." His cheeks began to blush. "It's kind of distracting." He chuckled, hoping to keep spirits up, and a little worried he said too much. He leaned back on his hands, looking back and forth between them. "So. Potions quiz. Wrong answers mean laps. Right answers get you bragging rights." He paused again, then added casually, "And if we all fail badly, we'll just blame it on trying new study methods. What do you say?"

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

Word Count: 206

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Avery laughed. It was so easy for her to be herself around Ellie and Mikey. It was as if she finally belonged somewhere. Avery loved that. Was this what it felt like to finally be free of the traditions and constant pressure of living up to her family's standards? She hoped it was. If not, she didn't know what else could feel better. "Making studying fun? Sounds like your Ravenclaw is showing." Avery said playfully as she nudged her broom close enough to Mikey to playfully shove his shoulder. A grin played across her face. Avery laughed at the justification Mikey had for studying. She admitted though that he did make a good point. "Exercise and studying? Well, if you put it that way I just can't refuse." This was the fun that she needed. Avery in the back of her mind knew she had to study eventually, so why not now in the company of friends? Studying was always more bearable when you had someone to share it with. Avery blushed at what Mikey had said. To hide it she shook her head with a smile and turned her head away. "Let's do this. and hope not to mess up too badly." Avery laughed again.

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Wow. . . This is so late. . . Sorry guys!