Oh Sweet Anticipation Quidditch Match

Writing as Ella Forsberg

Stats: Stamina: 3 | Strength: 1(3) | Evasion: 7(8) | Wisdom: 10(12) | Accuracy: 7 | Arc Power: 7 |

Nimbus 1001: +2 wisdom, +2 strength, + 1 evasion Now on Hanzo's broom.

Lovely Creature: You are very distracting to look at. This increases the Control DC of spells in duels and adventures by +2 as well as the DC for finding things in adventures or the DC for finding the snitch in a game of Quidditch.
Of note: The Lovely Creature ability in Quidditch matches only affects the snitch search DC for the opponent team.

No matter what was happening on the pitch, Serena couldn’t see anything due to her unconsciousness. And, even though her captain had helped her avoid most of the damage, Serena could still feel pain. At least she could finally get some good sleep while the Hufflepuffs worked towards their victory…

Dream Sequence:

Reducio

…Or at least, that was what Serena was hoping. But alas, even while unconscious, the nightmares had followed her here too. The twelve-year-old opened her eyes. Looking around, she was in another Quidditch pitch, albeit a much smaller one than where she had lost consciousness. What was also different about this place was that instead of people flying around on brooms, there were several decorations of flowers, tables, and a dance floor. Music filled her ears. It was calming despite sounding a bit eerie. After looking down, Serena had changed from her Quidditch uniform to a long purple tulle dress.

No…She couldn’t be here again… Why couldn’t she experience something nice for once, like riding a unicorn over a rainbow or flying through the sky without a broom? Even seeing just black nothingness would be preferable to this. Serena shut her eyes tight and prayed that she would be in the medical ward when she opened them. But when she opened her eyes, her surroundings hadn’t changed.

With a sigh, Serena began making her way over to the dance floor. ‘Might as well get this over with…’ She thought to herself. But as soon as Serena stepped foot on the dance floor, the calming music quickly picked up the pace, and electric guitar and drums were more prominent. Flames had appeared, surrounding her from all directions. Serena began to cough from the smoke and watched in horror as the flames began to move closer and closer.

Then just as quickly as they appeared, the flames were gone, and the music changed back to the eerie melody from before. Everything was now coated by ash, but her torture was far from over as Serena heard a faint buzzing that quickly grew louder. She just barely had enough time to duck before a giant Mosp dove for her head. Screaming, Serena began to run, but it was anyone’s guess as to where the girl would go. The only way out was to wake up, but no matter how hard Serena tried, she just couldn’t. Tears streaming down her face, Serena begged for someone to wake her up and free her from this hell.

Action: Knocked Out

Her eyes couldn’t help widening when more Hufflepuff players were knocked down their brooms. Insane. One, two…she counted, and the result made her shivered. Only one chaser was left on the pitch.

No…that’s impossible…please tell me I’m dreaming…

Her chocolate brown eyes widened. Really, really really horrible. Though loving to be a beater, Lindsey suddenly felt that if she applied for a chaser at that time…then at least two chasers would be on the pitch. But that’s just a dream.

She slowly closed her eyes. Maybe their brilliant seeker could catch the snitch this time…maybe…

Action: Benched

Storm gathered. Bodies of red and ochre began to lose their colour with the setting of the sun, the speed at which they were flying making them blur in and out of each other, blending and merging into a living breathing mass of shadowed orange against the darkening sky. It was becoming nigh on impossible to differentiate one from the other, and as the game reached a fever pitch of ferocity, it seemed to take on a life all unto its own.

Still, Greta fixed her attention on nothing but that one little thing that she was good at doing. Taking that quaffle and scoring goals. She'd done well, threading through the eye-hole openings in the scuffle that slowly closed in on her to net her team another thirty uncontested points. Would that she could continue that trend. As soon as the last one sank and sounded the gong, she raced back to position to do just that. Only.. she'd never quite get there.

What happened next, she would never know for certain. Bludgers and players flew at alarming at such alarming rates this way and that, it was enough nearly to make her head spin. In truth, it was likely a healthy dose of luck that she had managed to avoid their paths this long, ducking and dodging, barrelling around on her broom to avoid what could very well have been lethal blows against her small frame. But luck could only carry someone so far, and eventually it would run out.

CLAP! The thunder of the battle rolled.

She was just coming out of a sharp dive to avoid a collision course with someone when she felt a heavy blow against her. Or perhaps she'd hit them? There hadn't even been enough time to register the colour of their uniform before she'd been sent careening from her course, hands grasping desperately to the handle of her broom to keep herself in place. Perhaps she might even have managed it had it not been for the second blow.

CLAP! Then lightning struck.

Head already swimming with her fight to catch and keep her breath while gripping for dear life, the collision that had come from her lack of control was enough to tip the scales against her favour. She wasn't ready for it. Not in body or mind. Her balance was off, her head was spinning, and her grip was just not enough. In that moment it seemed as though a flash of light had filled the stadium — or were those stars? Suddenly, she found herself looking up at a dark canvas specked with lights, the blurred image of.. someone.. fading in and out of existence as she held to the tremulous line of consciousness.

Before she had even registered that she was falling, she lost grip of that as well.

Action: Knocked Out

Action: Benched and cheering on Durmstrang

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Round V

Chasers

First Quaffle Round

Hufflepuff:
Aaron Jones: Quaffle Grab [d20: 20] + 10 = 30 - 1 = 29 [SUCCESS]

Durmstrang:
Hanzo Fransson & Ella Forsberg: Quaffle Grab [d20: 13] + 10 = 23
Elias Oja:
Espen Kvalheim: Penalty Lap

Second Quaffle Round

Hufflepuff:
Aaron Jones: Quaffle Grab [d20: 14] + 10 = 24 - 1 = 23

Durmstrang:
Hanzo Fransson & Ella Forsberg: Quaffle Grab [d20: 19] + 10 = 29 [SUCCESS]
Elias Oja: Looking at the birds.
Espen Kvalheim: Penalty Lap

Third Quaffle Round

Hufflepuff:
Aaron Jones: Quaffle Grab [d20: 14] + 10 = 24 - 1 = 23 [SUCCESS]

Durmstrang:
Hanzo Fransson & Ella Forsberg: Quaffle Grab [d20: 5] + 10 = 15
Elias Oja: Looking at the birds.
Espen Kvalheim: Penalty Lap

Results

As the Quaffle was thrown in the air both teams collided. Even though Hufflepuff had lost two chasers they were determined to not let the Quaffle go uncontested and it seemed this strategy would pay off. As the second quaffle was thrown in the air the dynamic Durmstrang duo sharing a broom caught hold of the ball. Finally the third quaffle was released and Aaron claimed this one again for Hufflepuff. Whilst all of this was happening Espen was dutifully finishing her lap around the stadium. Lastly you had one very oblivious Elias that seemed to be more occupied spotting birds then helping out his team.

Keepers

First Score Attempt

Hufflepuff:
Willow Anderson: Is being bored!
Aaron Jones: SCORES!!!
Durmstrang:
Romeo Marchonné: Blatch against Reid/Serena [d20: 9] + 11 = 20 [SUCCESS]
Reid Kovacs & Serena Towers: Evasion check: [d20: 18] + 11 = 29
Reid Kovacs & Serena Towers: Evasion check (disadvantage): [d20: 4] + 11 = 15

Second Score Attempt:

Hufflepuff:
Willow Anderson: Starfish and Stick [d20: 15] + 7 = 22 + 3 = 25 - 1 = 24 [SUCCESS] (Passes to Aaron Jones)
Hanzo Fransson & Ella Forsberg: Score Attempt [d20: 6] + 10 = 16
Aaron Jones: SCORES!!!
Durmstrang:
Romeo Marchonné: Blatch against Reid/Serena [d20: 9] + 11 = 20 [SUCCESS]
Reid Kovacs & Serena Towers: Evasion check: [d20: 18] + 11 = 29
Reid Kovacs & Serena Towers: Evasion check (disadvantage): [d20: 4] + 11 = 15

Third Score Attempt:

Hufflepuff:
Willow Anderson: Is being bored!
Aaron Jones: SCORES!!!
Durmstrang:
Romeo Marchonné: Blatch [d20: 9] + 11 = 20 [SUCCESS]
Reid Kovacs & Serena Towers: Evasion check: [d20: 18] + 11 = 29
Reid Kovacs & Serena Towers: Evasion check (disadvantage): [d20: 4] + 11 = 15

Results:

Immediately Aaron nimbly aimed his broom around Hanzo and Ella's grabbing hands and landed a goal. As Durmstrang's dynamic duo sped forth towards Hufflepuff's goals they were met by a determined Willow who nimbly blocked their shot and passed it back to Aaron which resulted in him scoring two more times. Hufflepuff had scored 30 points! Romeo wasn't paying attention anymore to the quaffle. Neither to grab it or block it. He had a score to settle for his team. With that he aimed once more at the tiny spek of a Goblin girl in yellow and sped towards her to knock her clean off the broom causing her and Reid to plummet to the ground.

Beaters

Hufflepuff:
Jack Warren: Bludger [d20: 11] + 5 = 16 - 1 = 15
Hanzo Fransson & Ella Forsberg: Evasion Check [d20: 19] + 9 = 28
Reid Kovacs & Serena Towers: Spiral Dive - Not applicable

Durmstrang:
Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Preobrazhensky: Bludger [d20: 9] + 13 = 22
Reid Kovacs & Serena Towers: Evasion Check [d20: 5] + 11 = 16
Serena Towers: Evasive Maneuvers (1-10 = autododge) [d100: 9] [SUCCESS]

Kolya Mikhailov: Backbeat [d20: 10] + 18 = 28
Reid Kovacs & Serena Towers: Evasion Check [d20: 14] + 11 = 25
Serena Towers: Evasive Maneuvers (1-10 = autododge) [d100: 4] [SUCCESS]

Hufflepuff Damage:
None.

Durmstrang Damage:
None.

Results:

Just like that the beaters had locked on their targets like bees on honey. What happened next was something nobody was prepared for. Jack, Slava and Kolya missed their marks completely. All three of them seemed to be dumbstrunk as it sunk in that all of them had missed. Without saying a word they dispursed waiting to strike another time and avoiding eye contact at one another.

Seekers

Hufflepuff:
Snitch Catch DC: 25
Reid Kovacs & Serena Towers: Spiral Dive 1 [d20: 15] + 11 = 26 - 1 = 25 + 2 = 27 [SUCCESS]
Reid Kovacs & Serena Towers: Spiral Dive 2: [d20: 11] + 11 = 22 - 1 = 21 - 1 = 20 + 2 = 22

Durmstrang:
Snitch Search DC: 25
Hanzo Fransson & Ella Forsberg: Quaffle Grab - Not Applicable

Results:

This was the moment. It was either now or never. Wordlessly Serena tapped on Reid's shoulder causing him to steer to the right and straight down at the snitch. She hadn't lost eyecontact with the shiny object, whether this had anything to do with her being a Goblin or not will be left in the middle, since she had laid eyes on it. As they got closer she reached the tiniest of hands at the shiny object. As she closed her hand around the snitch she was thrown off of the broom and accidently pulled Reid with her in her unfortunate demise. As they both collided with the ground the announcer yelled. SERENA TOWERS GRABBED THE SNITCH! 150 POINTS TO HUFFLEPUFF! HUFFLEPUFF HAS WON THE GAME!

Scoreboard

Hogwarts: 200
Durmstrang: 90

Note:
Let me explain how everything was calculated for the Seekers.
The Seeker DC is stated as followed: 15 + lowest seeker accuracy. Hanzo/Ella = 10 (12 + 7 = 19/2 = 9,5 = 10) Reid/Serena = 11 (10 + 11 = 21/2 = 10,5 = 11) So the snitch dc is 15 + 10 = 25.
Then Reid and Serena get a -1 for the Charmer Ability which results in a 25. However they get a +2 as Serena already tried for 2 rounds a snitch grab.

If you have any more questions please feel free to reach me via owl or DM!

Serena's heart pounded so loudly that she could hear it beating against her chest. The same chest that ached in pain from the sheer numbers of bludgers and blatches she had been subjected to. Her broom partner could probably hear the trumping. Everything ached. But at the same time, adrenaline coursed through her veins. It was this adrenaline that kept her going. She had to hold on... just a little bit longer. Her shaky fingers clutched onto Reid and the broom they shared.

Honestly, she wanted nothing more than for this nightmare to be over. Everyone in the stadium had seen her getting defeated. Again. And again. And again. Her comrades falling around her, just to protect her. They had seen her cry - though, she was luckily far away and secretly hoping no one had binoculars to look that closely. Quinn... Saskia... Serena... Rosie... Annie... The names of her fallen teammates echoed in her mind. This was not a game, this was a warzone. At least, it felt like that when it seemed that everyone was out to get her.

Despite everything that the badgers had lost, they weren't giving up. They were down to just five players. Five against a full team. There was one thing everyone underestimated about Hufflepuff. They were always underestimated. "Not the smartest", "not the bravest", "not the most cunning"... People teased them for it. For being badgers. But only a badger could tell you what being a badger was really all about. They had something no one else had. They had each other. They were loyal, determined and they were a team. Together, they could do anything. That was the way they survived so many fires. That was how they were fireproof. That was their secret.

SCORE! Music to her ears as she heard the points go up. Aaron was still out there, he was still trying to get that quaffle and he was still determined to score. The vast point difference had no effect on his confidence. Even as the sole chaser left on the field, he was going for it. He was out there, giving it everything he had. It was not over. Not yet. Not whilst they still had a single player in the game.

A bludger swerved towards them, "SH-" She cursed, quickly ducking. The iron ball whizzed past her shoulder, narrowly missing her. The attackers were not giving up, it seemed. That much was clear. They viewed her as a threat to the team and they were doing everything within their power to take her down.

Durmstrang got the quaff- Willow saved it. She did it. A small moment of hope appeared on Serena's face as Willow caught the quaffle. She had not given up, not yet. Despite the overwhelming successful goals, Willow was still defending that goal without fail. The opponents were brutal but she was still doing her best and refused to leave the goal unattended. Aaron and Willow were giving Durmstrang everything they got to prevent the point gap from rising. "Yes... You've got this, guys... You got this..." Serena mumbled under her breathe as she mentally cheered them on. They were going it. Against all odds, they were doing this.

Serena opened her mouth to scream 'watch out' to Reid as another bludger came at her. But they managed to dodge it again. Somehow. Honestly, at this point, she was not even sure how. The hufflepuff was struggling to even stay awake, let alone hold onto a broom.

Jack's words echoed in her ears. Make them pay, he said. They don't deserve to win, he claimed. Show them how badgers get shit done, he growled. When Serena first met Jack, she made a terrible first impression. She screamed at him, accusing him of being a third year that she knew and hated - because he looked like Paracelsus Myth. Despite it all, Jack was showing his support for her, motivating her, encouraging her to continue.

And then there was her broom partner. Perhaps the person she trusted the most in the school - Reid Kovacs. He was one of the first people she met at Hogwarts. He had been with her, every single step of the way. From the camp out to the lock in to the train wreck. Reid was always there. They had literally been close to death before and here he was again, protecting her. She partially hated it, because she knew the attacks would continue and she... did not want another friend to get hurt. But so far, he had somehow managed to dodge every single attack coming their way. "Follow my lead..." She mumbled behind him as she stared straight at the snitch. It was now or never. They both knew that. Everyone out there knew it. It was only a matter of time.

Serena suddenly tapped his shoulder. It was time. She could see it. If she just reache- The impact of another caused her to groan. It sent her flying off the broom, alongside her teammate. Their cheating keeper took another dirty shot. But it came moments too late.

Her fingers clasped around the tiny golden bugger that had eluded her thus far. It was over. It was finally... over. For the first time, there was no sense of pride or excitement that came from it. Just... relief. It was done. She could stop now. She could rest. She could take that nap that she really wanted to take. She fell through the sky, not even caring about the fact that she was about to hit the ground. This... was it. It was finally... over.

The announcer's words echoed in her ears. It was first and perhaps last ever time she would hear it. Her name. Screamed out in a massive stadium. There should have been a sense of pride, a sense of excitement... but it was just... relief.

As she fell, she knew one thing. She could not keep doing this. Serena thought she wanted nothing more than to play professionally. To join a national quidditch team and get to play all the time. But, she was wrong. If it meant having to watch her friends and team mates take hits meant for her, to be protected constantly, to be targeted and attacked constantly... She was done. It was over. Both this game and the dream of playing Quidditch forever. "Game over... I quit..." She mumbled under the breath as her body fell through the air.

Serena never cared about winning or losing. She did not play quidditch because she was "good" at it. She did not even care if she was bad. It was fun. That was why she played. Winning a game, becoming Hogwarts champions... they were just bonuses. Amazing bonuses but a bonus to something she had loved to do. What a year... Three games, three wins. Admittedly, she did not even play one of those games as she was benched the entire thing but she watched her team win. Getting to this stage, playing for Hogwarts... It was all unbelievable. And now... they had actually done. Hogwarts had won the game.

Raising her arm, she showed the snitch that was held in between her fingers - a weak hand grasping it as tightly as she could, "It's over..." Serena smiled a little. A moment of peace. What a year, indeed. And what... a way to go out. Despite having a reputation for being better at sports, Durmstrang had resorted to cheating. Their tactic and strategy was not even subtle. She knew what their intentions were, everyone did. It was plain as day when they constantly alternated between a penalty lap and blatching. It was a shame that they did not spend half as much energy searching for the snitch or playing the game as they did cheating. It might have actually been fun.

But Durmstrang considered the four foot ten, forty kilo Hogwarts Seeker to be a threat. They were wrong. She was not exceptional. She was not the threat. They were completely wrong. Durmstrang overestimated Serena and severely underestimated her teammates. The real threat was her teammates, and the fact that they would do absolutely anything to help each other. And that was why they lost. She was not incredible. She was lucky. Lucky enough to have the most incredible teammates anyone could ever ask for. It took every fibre of her being to stay aware and to function but... somehow, because of their sacrifices, their support and their energy, she could finally end this. It was late... but it was the best way to protect them now. They deserved a celebration after everything they went through. This... was it.

"We did it..." She whispered as she closed her eyes and fell straight into the ground. Her battered and bruised body finally getting to snuggle into the grass below and take a nap. It was nap time. A very much needed nap time.

Serena Towers had grabbed the snitch... For her fallen Hufflepuffs... For the Badgers that fought on... For Hogwarts... For the last time.

ACTION: Quit Quidditch.

Action: Being edgy, quitting Quidditch

Feeling her vocal cords straining and her voice going hoarse, Atlas could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she quickly thought of using the harsh wind as the culprit if someone were to ask her about it. Despite the odds, the immeasurably stacked odds, her teammates were never relenting. Aaron had scored a goal as the young girl threw a fist into the air clapping for her close friend and fellow rule breaker.

Willow was quick and graceful to block the Durmstrang's next attempt as she passed the quaffle back to Aaron allowing him to score not once but TWICE more! 30 points for Hufflepuff as her eyes narrowed at the benched Durmstrangs. She knew they were too far away to see her but she wanted to display her aggression as she looked up to see only 5 of her Puffs playing.

Durmstrang had done an unbelievable amount of damage and she feared for the players still on the pitch but she couldn't let her feelings of doubt reverberate off of her. Despite feeling utterly useless on the bench, her job was to remain focused on her team and send them as many good vibes as she could scream out in hopes it would work like Felix Felicis.

Her mouth slowly falling agape once more as she turned her head to see Reid and Serena narrowly missing several bludgers targeting them. It was no surprise that Durmstrang would continue to go hard for Serena but Atlas needed them to survive. She NEEDED them to prevail.

She had never been ashamed or upset to be a Hufflepuff rather the contrary but she despised how looked down upon they were. Loyalty was her strongest quality and she saw it as one of the greatest qualities a person could have. It was what had kept Serena safe this entire game. It had been what kept each of the puffs playing regardless of the stacked odds and cheating.

A loud thwap had echoed through the stadium as Atlas' eyes grew in size. Spiraling down to the ground was Reid and Serena as her stomach dropped into her feet. "NO! No No No!!" Atlas screamed as she dug her nails into her palm. No this wasn't how this game ended...No this couldn't be...NO. Feeling her body shake, Atlas could feel her utter anger and disgust taking over her mind but quickly halted as she heard the announcer yell, "SERENA TOWERS GRABBED THE SNITCH! 150 POINTS TO HUFFLEPUFF! HUFFLEPUFF HAS WON THE GAME!"

"--Wha--?" Atlas whispered utter disbelief contorting her facial expression as she watched Serena slowly rise from the ground holding the snitch between her fingers. "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD! YESSSSSSS!!!! HOLY--" Atlas screamed as she looked up to see her fellow Hufflepuff classmates erupting the stadium in screams and cheers. They did it. No one. No one could ever tear them down again as their confidence and joy could not falter. Today was their day. Today they did what they knew they could do and what everyone thought they couldn't. Today they were champions. They were Badgers through and through.

ACTION: cheering obnoxiously!