A Spectacle Spectator Thread Gryffindor v Slytherin Jan 2022

There was nothing else in the world like a snowy day and a sharp chill in the air. If Tuesday were completely honest with himself, the man from the states would never actually get used to the European cold. The man preferred a nice humid and warm day back home in the Georgia heat. Nothing could ever compare. Even with that said, the Herbology professor wore nothing but a Carhartt jacket, black beanie, jeans, and black boots. He was never one for fashion, much to Orion's chagrin. Tuesday would never really understand the Defence against the Dark Art professor's obsession with suits and chocolate frogs.

As the Herbology professor found an excellent viewing position upon the snow-crested hill, the man clapped politely, making sure to shout a cheer for Gryffindor and Slytherin alike. His heavy workman's coat sat heavily on his shoulders. Tuesday moved to adjust his beanie that had already pulled into an odd position on top of his head before glancing around at the other spectators. He would give pleasant smiles and 'hellos' to anybody that would offer them first. He had agreed to meet the new Care of Magical Creatures professor at the race. Of course, Mr. Irons knew very little of the man, but he found him interesting at the very least.

Here to meet @Alois Proulx, and is open to any other interactions!

Hex color:#A0A9B8 | Feel free to interact with Alec. I promise posts after won't be this long
Mentioning: @Nicholas McCowan | @Youssuf Baid | @Wyatt Starkey
General description: Wearing a black sweater and ripped jeans, the only winter item he has on is boots. His nails are painted black, his curly hair is all over the place with snow that keeps on landing on his head. His hands, nose, and cheeks are all pretty red due to the cold. He's carrying his messenger bag with him, the front of the bag has pins covering every area, one is shaped like a wolf, the others are pinback buttons with painted designs on them.

The Broomracing season had officially arrived. The date had been saved on many a calendar for months, there was excitement in the air, and chatter in the halls. Bets and betrayals... Really... Who was actually gaining money on that anyway? Were they betting on a house or a player?

Suspense, sheer surprise, and the mindset of always making sure to busy himself lead too Alec's choice to attend. A reflection the third-year made as he walked through snow. There was a lot Alec could say, or reasons he could make for not going, if only to justify to himself. It was cold, and Alec had decided that he didn't particularly like snow. The sun was way too bright, and because of trying to see where he was going while walking, he was squinting and yes! Perhaps Alec was complaining for the sake of complaining!

He felt prickly, and spiteful, bitter. He felt as if he had thorns... In other words, he was in another mood. Usually these moods were easy to ignore, just find another activity to fill time, but today was different, today felt like black nail polish and dark clothes. Yes, Alec too was in disbelief when he found he actually owned a pieces of dark colored clothing. Today felt like rooting for Slytherin because what did Alec care of his own house? Alec had tried to fit in, and it felt like it had been working then it didn't. No good came out of trying to keep peace like that, it only caused Alec more frustration. Alec apparently needed Henry to yell at him mid-duel to realize. It had happened a while ago... Alec should have been over it. He supposed it didn't matter, time was subjective anyway. Alec had brushed off thoughts of it for a while, it was due time for it to come back and pop up.

Alec groaned inwardly, hah, if only those frogs faces(You know who you are Enzo, Valentin) could see him now. He really wasn't any better then them. Alec did have one thing above them, he was self-aware, how did that one saying go again? The fire's lit, but the cauldron's empty.

Alec hands clung onto the banner he was holding rather awkwardly at his side. Adjusting his posture as he reached the top of the hill. So, he was slightly late. A minor inconvenience. The few seconds Alec was using to center himself he would finally realize just how cold it was. He would silently curse followed by mumbling about always being under-dressed for cool weather. At least he was wearing boots. He'd.... probably be fine.

Alec set his eyes on the broomracing course. Having a quick look at the race as it had already started. He would look down to fix the banner and make sure it wasn't twisted. The banner itself? It was rather unoriginal, the way Alec wanted it to be. He didn't want to stuck out the dark clothing, and lack of a jacket or anything else to keep him warm already made him seem odd.

Alec held the sign up, being careful not to stumble and fall. Being clumsy it seemed the predictable thing. Unlike other people he'd seen, or one girl in particular as he entered, he wasn't shouting, or speaking at all, just holding up a sign. As Alec watched his heart was racing, his hands were freezing cold. Something about the cold, the height of the brooms, and the attitude, brought an unforeseen adrenaline rush that was keeping the third-year going. He was freaked out for everybody there, you know, if you fell off a broom or something, or even just in general got hurt. Dueling was so much more of a controlled environment, and it was safe, there was someone right there, but this-

Alec's eyes widened as he watched, there was so much going on at his eyes didn't know where to stop. Then Alec spotted someone he knew, this someone was on the Gryffindor team, and Alec had a feeling, that maybe, just maybe, he should have memorized the teams. Because the second he spotted McCowan, Alec felt a sinking feeling. Instant regret, and no, it didn't change the fact that Alec still felt like rooting for Slytherin. He just wondered it this was now going to cause problems.

Co-conspirator and dormmate. It wouldn't have been such a big deal had this not been the kid Alec convinced that needed to help him figure out whether another kid was loyal or not. With plans to ditch the kid out after dark and see if he snitches, even though Alec hadn't let up his true intentions for the night. Haha... Maybe Alec had brought it down to simple terms, wasn't loyalty to the house that mattered, just the dorm. Holding up a Slytherin sign didn't look so loyal. But- Maybe height- nope- ugh, why did he have to be so tall?!!! Fine, how about year? Maybe year would intimidate him, Nicholas was nothing but a follower anyway, serves him right. Co-conspirator that couldn't even pick up that ditching your dormmate was not only a bad plan but a rather boring one. Shoving them into a lake? Well, at least that one was smarter, they wouldn't be able to run after you, not until they got over the shock. Alec looked around, he was good right, nobody else here to tell him off on anything?

Youssuf, Alec's eyes fell on him and it already felt too late to take it back. You can't let him notice you, he's gonna definitely have a thing or two to say. Don't make eye contact, if you act invisible maybe it'll be like camoflauge. Alec had to go share a room with those guys- He was not looking forward to the possibility of you know, being spotted.

Alec looked away quickly. So, Alec didn't like broomracing because of the whole broom thing. At the same time, Alec could see why people liked it. It was nerve-wracking to watch but even Alec couldn't help but smile just the littlest bit. Everybody who was racing looked like they knew how staggering it must have been for the people watching, or one person, Alec. Enthusiastic and smiling, even while his eyebrows were furrowed, concerned and unsure. It wasn't sticking out, simply being invested.

His eyes stayed on McCowan for a while, curious if the younger year did have an expertise that lay in the field in broomracing, no longer then a minute before he looked for someone else to focus on. It was a shame Alec was unable to recognize anybody else thus far.

Then, Alec saw it, a wand that looked so strikingly close to Wyatt's that it had to be his. Alec's vision had to be mistaken though, Wyatt, broomracing? Sure, Alec had been less involved but, they were both busy! It hadn't been just Alec. It was friendly waves in the hall and conversation from time to time. Alec stared, it couldn't be him- could it? The strategy was unmistakable, but that could be explained away-

An audible, dramatic gasp from Alec. “how- what in the name of merl-” Alec let his left hand let go of the banner, clamping over his mouth before he continued. First thing first, fkjgjkf- there was no way that detail had simply been missed by Wyatt, right? This was a big thing, he would have told Alec. Which meant he'd probably mentioned something, and Alec somehow missed it? Did Wyatt mention is so casually that Alec never picked up on it? How? Did he just like- randomly mention in it in the middle of Alec trying to keep up on studying? ... Actually that seemed to be the most likely option. Studying cursed Alec, hmph, it was not fair. Alec didn't even get to wish him good luck!

The banner had been at Alec's side along with both of his arms for a good few minutes. Alec was trying to process the information fast. He knew he was worried, Alec didn't like the idea of Wyatt getting hurt. He also knew that Wyatt could take care of himself just fine. It was only a trip to the hospital wing, and he didn't need Alec worrying. Besides, Alec's worry was implying that was likely to happen.

Wyatt was smart, and Alec trusted him to know what he was doing, and think of himself as capable. Alec took a deep breath, watching as the cold made the air he breathed out visible. Why was he cheering for houses when he barely knew the teams anyway? Alec slid the banner into his bag and grinned. Alright, maybe he could be just a little loud-

“Come on Wyatt! You've got this-” Other people were already making noise, and Alec's voice? Well, he was confident in the fact that it could only be picked out of a crowd if you knew him. The chance of Wyatt hearing Alec's shouting, as far as he was, was slim, still, Alec felt like being there was enough.

Interacting with @Tuesday Jeremiah Irons
Open to Interactions

The day had finally come, and she was still in a bit of shock. The sport of Broom Racing had been introduced to Hogwarts just last year, and the school houses had already formed teams. Starlee had gone to watch the race over the summer; it seemed thrilling, exhilarating even, watching the students from all different schools compete in a need for speed. But there was something that always managed to hold the Slytherin back from anything related to flying: her fear of heights.

Sure, sure, she was a wizard, there were plenty of ways to prevent harm when falling to the ground, but that thought still couldn't calm her nerves. While many people told her she had a natural gift for flying, she still hated every moment she spent up in the air, her hands gripped as firmly as possible to the broom handle as she could. After each flight, her hands would be red with tension.

This summer she was determined to change that. Her parents had been generous enough to gift her a broom of her own, a Nimbus 1700. She'd also continued flying lessons at Hogwarts, hoping that she could potentially get over her fear, or at least be more adept at flying, even if she was scared. What she wasn't expecting, was getting decent enough to be made Co-Captain of the Slytherin Broom Racing Team.

She had been absolutely shocked to receive the position. How could they even consider giving someone who is terrified of heights a spot on the team, let alone a captain's position? Thankfully she wasn't able to race this year, due to being on the dueling team, so it wasn't her out there on that field today. But she had gotten the co-captain position, so here she was, finally making her way to the match to see how her team would do. It was nerve wracking. This sport wasn't nearly as established as Quidditch was at Hogwarts, so they were starting from scratch in terms of everything: strategies, opponent's strategies, and skills. But this would be the time to finally see if her coaching would manage to make a difference.

She made her way up into the hill, donning an oversized green sweater and jeans, and a Slytherin colored scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. It was a bit snowy this morning, but racing would happen regardless of the weather conditions, so she was sure her team was prepared for the cold weather. Snow was delicately falling onto her hair, and she would brush it off every few moments to keep her head from getting cold. 'Shoulda worn a hat...'

She found a gathering of people there already, and house elves tottering around with trays of food and drink. She retrieved a hot cocoa off a tray, thanking the elf, and proceeded to find a spot to watch.

"C'MON SLYTHERIN'S!" she would call as the race began. They had prepared the best they could, and now was the moment of truth, she hoped they could see it through. Turning back, she meandered her way through the crowd, attempting to find someone she knew. She spotted the new Herbology Professor, and, being her favorite class, she decided to place herself directly next to him, not realizing that one of the slytherin racer's was having a tough spot in not moving from the starting line.

"Why, Good afternoon, Professor Irons..." she said, attempting to put on her most sophisticated voice, emphasizing her Scottish accent even more, while in reality it ended up sounding fake and forced. "Quite the sport huh? Who are you supporting?" she asked, clearly trying not to take note of his cheers for Gryffindor as well as Slytherin. Surely he had to choose one of them to cheer on, no?

She would attempt to swap her attention to the race, barely seeing a few of her fellow Slytherins become drenched in acid from the Budimun. "We really need to practice some evasive maneuvers..." she muttered under her breath, before turning her attention back to the professor.

@Tuesday Jeremiah Irons | Open to Interactions

The day, much like Alois, wore a cold front. It had a homely aspect, coming from heavy winters himself, though having been often pampered with faux fur-lined coats, there was a distinct emptiness woven into your typical jacket which he wore today. The professor rubbed his arms as he treaded through the blanket of snow, scattered cries and cheers reverberating from the spectators and carried by the baseline of the pure white ground complaining beneath his boots. He squinted through the falling snowflakes, blowing at a forty-five with the breeze’s every whim, catching the tail-end of the herd of racers as they flew into another obstacle.

There was a standing social grace, as a new addition to the castle’s staff, to go on tedious and often forgettable endeavors to acquaint himself with his coworkers. Shake gloved hands, offer a tight smile, learn a few names he was destined to mix up. Today, the Herbology professor, a colleague Alois would be meeting with in the crowd of broom-racing spectators. One of his hands occasionally fumbled with his coat’s collar, wary of suffocating inside the fabric and tugging it from the base of his neck. Over the rims of his round glasses peered blue eyes at the students as they yelled for their respective biases, in their midst a rather tall professor sporting casual winter attire.

Alois navigated through the crowd to the man’s side, extending his right hand in formal greeting. “Irons?” Phrased as a question but meant as a plead, for if it was anyone else this was quite the awkward time. To curse the fact or kiss the ground in thankfulness for a race he didn’t need to watch, it was a dilemma he’d be troubling himself through for the duration of their interactions.