Quid Spectators Hufflepuff v Slytherin Jan 2022 𝙳𝚘𝚗𝚎

Interacting with @Serena Towers & @Howard White

"Right? He is pretty great," she agreed with a smile. Bloom watched Howard fly around the Quidditch pitch on his broom. She had no idea why she was so attached to him. Perhaps it was because of that one night in the Room of Requirement. They were both vulnerable and shared their deepest feelings with each other. It made them instant friends then on. "HOWARD!!" She called out, waving her hand, trying to get his attention. There seemed to have been a friendship between Serena and Howard, too, which would be great if he looked over and waved back at them. Though, with all the screaming and intense chatter at the stands, she doubt that he would be able to hear her and better yet, know where to look.

"I've never thought of Broom racing that way, Serena. I always thought it was just speed, but you're right, there are so much to consider. You know, I did put myself on the waiting list wondering if it was for me. Maybe I should take my name off," she chuckled a little, wondering when a good time was to take out her name. The last thing she needed was to join a sport that was multitasking in danger and overall intimidating.

Bloom couldn't help but to laugh and shrug at her comment about Quidditch being "nicer" with all that someone could end up having done to themselves. It was true. Bloom had so many times where she could have fallen off her broom. "The difference is that there are some breathing room to just soak in the environment in between plays. I don't think you'd get that from Broom Racing, right?" she asked, wondering if there were moments that Serena could just take for herself. Probably not if she was always on the go trying to get through the obstacles.

"Anyways, tell me more! What else is new with you? I feel like we are in our old age catching up decades of our life," she said, looking back at the Quidditch players riding their broom around the pitch with ease, and then back at Serena. "Anyone you are crushing on?" she asked, slightly joking, but also very much interested.

Interacting with @Bloom Silverton

"Yeah..." Serena agreed softly, not really sure what else to say about the matter. He was pretty great. She decided to just focus on her drink, it was far better than looking dreamily at the chaser. Ooohh look at her hot chocolate. It was uh... so brown. Taking a sip, she tried to just not think about the boy. Which was a lot easier when Bloom was not calling out his name. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at Bloom, before looking out to the pitch - he did not hear or notice, right?

She quickly looked away from the pitch, trying not to draw his attention at all. Bloom was waving her hand and Serena was just standing there, staring into her hot chocolate. Or rather, looking anywhere that was not at Howard frickin' White. The game. She was here to focus on the game. Right, that was exactly what Howard should be doing too. "Oh. We uh probably uh shouldn't distract him..." Serena mumbled into her drink, trying to not draw his attention, reminding them both that the game was still on.

She downed half her hot chocolate, just trying not to look at Howard. Despite not wanting to catch his attention, she could not help but look up every so often. It was complicated. Sometimes she wondered what he was doing and wanted to spend time hanging out with him, but then when he was actually there, she wanted to avoid being alone with him or having an actual conversation because her heart could not actually deal with it.

"You get breathing room in Quidditch?" She asked, wondering if they played two completely different games. She did not get any breathing room between plays. Perhaps the position mattered. Being a seeker meant spending most of the time dodging bludgers, whilst constantly trying to search for the snitch or chase it. Was there any sport where you got a chance to breathe? She was not sure there was! "But no. I think you should give it a go before deciding," Serena admitted honestly. Perhaps Bloom was right, perhaps the sport was not for her - but Serena was a firm believer of "if you don't try, how do you know" in this matter. Those who liked quidditch would likely enjoy aspects of broom racing. It was not the same but they were somewhat similar. It was worth trying before deciding. Even if they did a practice drill instead of joining the official team.

Her chest pounded. What did Bloom just... ask? Crush. Really? Her eyes flickered back down to the hot chocolate, unsure of what to say or do. She bit her lip, trying to figure out how to answer this question. "Y-yeah, you can say that..." Serena muttered out, not entirely sure what more to say. She did have a crush. That much was very obvious, there was no point in denying that. Who did not at some point in their life?

Focusing on the game to the best of her ability, she frowned, "Dammit. They got Ami..." She muttered to herself, hitting her closed fist that was not holding her hot chocolate against the railing in front of them."They are making aggressive plays..." She continued, watching the game intently. If Rosie had not caught Quinn... they'd be down two beaters in an instant, "They are taking out our offence and our best defence..." She continued suddenly, realising that they somehow knocked off both beaters. Their focus was on the beaters. By taking out the offence line - and Ethen's best defence - they were leaving no survivors.

Her gaze focused on the game. Erin... Damn strong player. She was definitely excellent at what she did, no one could deny that. Her aim was true, and her blow was strong. A frown crossed her face as she heard penalty lap associated with Howard. He cheated? "Damnit..." She whispered softly, slightly annoyed by the game that was happening in front of her eyes, "C'mon... C'mon..." She whispered staring at the game. So much was happening...

@Serena Towers

Bloom looked at Serena questioningly. She remembered being out there and loving the distraction of someone calling out their name. Granted, she was also nervous as hell to be playing in the game and seeing familiar faces helped her get through the anxiety of trying her best. "Okay...," she said, slowly, looking back at the game for a quick glance of the play.

Bloom, being a former Keeper, tended to look at the goals more than she did at the main attraction of Beaters and Chasers. Perhaps it was because she knew more about the Keeper's role that it got her attention more. She watched how Atlas and had blocked the first attempt from the Slytherin and it ended in a fumble from another player. The second attempt, Atlas blocked, but then... Oy, the third time was the charm for Slytherin. They had scored ten points. "Come on!" she said, rolling her eyes. Things would have been different if they hadn't fumbled the ball.

Bloom nodded at Serena's question. "Yeah, for the most part. Chasers and Beaters have the most action in comparison," she said, thinking about her plays. She would either block the goals or try to make the goals herself if she was able to help, but most of the time, she would sit by her goals.

A smile was placed on Bloom's lips when Serena mentioned awkwardly that there probably was. She went closer to Serena with excitement and loudly whispered. "Who!?" she asked, wondering who the lucky person was to catch Serena's attention. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours!" she said, giggling. It was always fun to be a teenage girl with Serena. It was all they ever talked about when they saw each other: boys.

Looking back at the game, Bloom noticed that a penalty lap was given to Howard. She hadn't seen anyone be given that ever. Granted, she had never seen so many games in the past. So it probably happened all the time. But why was he given a penalty lap? What did he do? She had definitely missed that play.

@Henry Knight

Her eyes glued to the sky, she jumped slightly when something touched her leg. It was just a cat, though. Orange in color, it looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place whose it was. With a quick look around, there was no immediately identifiable owner. "Hmm, what to do with you?" she asked the cat, sitting down on the bleachers to get a better look at it. She should try to keep it in place until its owner arrived, it being easier to find someone when they stayed in place and all. Picking it up didn't really seem like an option--cats varied in behavior considerably, from sweet things to menacing utilizers of their claws and teeth--but maybe she could keep it entertained enough to stick around?

She was in luck, though, a voice sounding before she had to figure something out. That's right, this was Henry's cat. "Hi, Henry." She stood back up to greet him. They weren't on friendly terms, exactly, mostly because Henry seemed... well, she wasn't entirely sure what it was. Intimidated by her, maybe? She was older and his captain--he had taken to calling her 'cap'--so it was possible. Being teammates had offered a level of familiarity, though. As was typical, he found something to apologize for, this time his wandering cat. He could have been keeping a better eye on it, true, and one had to wonder if this was the best of weather to bring your pet to a match (granted, her pet was a tiny rat), but it wasn't a big deal. "Don't worry about it, he hasn't done anything." Rather ironic for a cat named Loki.

The players were lined up and the referee looked to be about to blow their whistle, and so she offered quickly, "You're welcome to sit with me if you'd like." She would actually probably stand the whole time. "I will warn you that I might pay more attention to the match than you." The offer was out there, and if Henry was here, one could reason he intended to see the game. He could already have someone he was coming to watch with, though.

Whatever the case, the action had started and she wasn't keen on missing it. Tyranni was the only one after the Quaffle, an interesting move by Hufflepuff for the start, and though she only scored once, that was one more time than the badgers. Bridget joined the cheers, clapping her gloved hands. The bulk of the action, of course, was elsewhere. That elsewhere wasn't even really the Seekers, either; in a bit they would become magnets, attracting everything the other side could throw at them, but for now they were just looking around, and it was hard to tell if they'd seen anything until their flight patterns became very singular-minded. The action was with the Beaters and, almost always, the Chasers going in for a blatch or foul. Simply put, with the bodies dropping out of the sky.

It was brutal, though offered a full rollercoaster of adrenaline. She grimaced as Cash took a blatch meant for Dan, thankfully saved by a swooping-in Maggie. That wasn't the end of the carnage for them, as they took a bludger from Ami but managed to hold on. That devilish metal ball not only hit them but ricocheted into Dan. Still, no one out. And they had their own offense. Alexx was no doubt blatching, though either she hadn't made her move yet or Bridget--and the referee--had missed it. Lastly, with a mighty swing of Erin Ryan's bat, Ami dropped off her broom, all the way to the ground. It was not a pretty sight, and though on the louder side, Bridget rather liked Ami from what she'd seen. Still, strategically speaking, this was good for Slytherin.

Interacting with @Bloom Silverton

"Hey, let me tell you that being a seeker is no picnic either. You stop for a second, you get blasted by bludgers straight to your face," She reported in return, in a tone that said this was clearly a true story because she was talking from experience. Stopping to breathe was not necessarily an option. Oh, the number of times she had taken a bludger, been whacked off by someone cheating or fallen from her broom...

Her chest almost exploded as she heard his voice. Unlike the waving Bloom, Serena's gaze quickly fell from him to examine the floor. Oh, look at how uh stable it was. It was so uh... clean? Right, she had no idea where she was going with this but her chest was pounding very loudly and her face was likely reddening. Could she blame the cold? Her nose sometimes went red in the cold so uh, maybe she could blame that if her cheeks did too?

Ugh, what was she doing? She should have waved back. Or smiled or... anything. Something polite or nice or friendly! Or at least, something less awkward than just trying to not meet his gaze... after meeting his gaze. Of course, she only realised this when he had already zoomed off and gone into the distance. To apparently cheat.

Bloom seemed very excited about hearing Serena's crush - and apparently sharing her own. She swallowed a little, not entirely sure what to say. It was not something she admitted easily. In fact, she had not really admitted it at all. Perhaps for fear that he would find out or his girlfriend or ex or whatever she was would make everything worse. But Bloom was a friend and they had conversations about boys before!

Her eyes watched the pitch. She was quiet for a little bit, fiddling with her fingers nervously against her cup of hot chocolate. She drank most of it, biding her time before she had to reply. She had to say something. Sighing softly as she lowered her cup, her gaze fell onto Howard. He was doing a penalty lap. He had cheated. This was confusing for her. She hated when people cheated, she refused to do it herself... That was why she felt the need to leave Quidditch but now, here he was, and he was cheating and... she definitely did not hate him. She felt a lot of things but hate was not one of them. If anything, she hated that she felt this way about him.

Her brain automatically started to justify his actions. 'Oh, but it's fine for him to cheat - Slytherin would have done the same.', 'It needed to be done!', 'Everyone does it though!'... Sigh. She sighed softly, removing one hand from her cup and putting it on Pizza, gently stroking his head to make sure he's okay. Her gaze remained fixed on the game ahead, "The guy cheating over there," She replied to Bloom's excited whispers. Her tone was not as excited, she sighed softly as though this crush was not something to be excited about, "It doesn't really matter though..." She continued, defeated. Her feelings did not matter when it came to him. She just needed to learn to forget about them.

@Serena Towers

Although an important question was asked, her eyes could not be torn away from the game. So much was happening at once that Bloom tried her hardest to keep up with the game. They were flying left to right. There were two things that Bloom had caught: the first being that Hufflepuff had scored three ten-point goals, getting ahead in score; the second was that Howard apparently cheated and was told by the referee to do a penalty lap. She hadn't seen that before.

After the play, Bloom looked extremely nervous and uncomfortable. Why? Maybe it was because they were older and the stakes of having crushes were bigger now than when they were younger? Bloom had no idea as to why it would now, all of a sudden, be a big deal to tell her. Bloom was patient, however. After petting her adorable pet rat, she said it.

"The guy cheating over there."

Bloom followed her eyes that were stuck on the pitch. She watched Howard who was continuing his penalty lap. Serena Towers had a crush on @Howard White. Seeing as they are in the same house together, they probably were much closer than Bloom had assumed. She would not be surprised if Howard had to choose, she would choose Serena over her. They had only met and gotten to know each other last June in their fourth year together.

Immediately after, Serena had thrown her idea of having a crush on the side. Bloom tilted her head and looked at her friend. "Well the way he said hello to us, he totally looked at you," she said, laughing. Though, deep down, Bloom was feeling defeated. She, too, was slowly feeling something for Howard, but was not sure. Perhaps she shouldn't let feelings develop knowing that Serena was crushing on him. Could it be possible to put feelings on hold? For friendship she might as well could try as much as she could.

Bloom knew it was her turn to share hers now that Serena shared first. As much as she wanted to say Howard's name, she couldn't bear to do it. She began to look around the Quidditch Pitch to find someone familiar to her (and Serena) to name. But who? Everyone who was around so far were much younger than Bloom. She began to think hard and finally came up with an idea. "Since you shared yours, I can tell you mine. He doesn't go to Hogwarts though. His name is Arjan. Have you met him?" she asked, wondering if she knew who he was. (Little did she know that Arjan was the brother of Serena.)

Interacting with @Bloom Silverton

"Uh-huh.... I think it might have been the handwaving that he was looking at. It certainly caught his attention, and you know, the screaming that accompanied it," Serena responded honestly. She was pretty sure she could have hidden in the crowd, never to be looked at by him if Bloom had not frickin' started calling him and got his attention. If anything, he was looking at Bloom instead.

Not for a second did she believe her friend. It was nothing to do with her but rather, Serena's own self-doubt. She had managed to convince herself that there was absolutely no way of that happening. From her perspective, Howard only saw her as a friend. And that was fine. Honestly, it was likely better than she had expected... A part of her had wondered if they would even manage to be friends, so this was definitely better than what she had expected.

She sighed softly, taking a sip of her hot chocolate as she tried not to look at Howard. Her chest felt heavy. She had not specifically asked him but she had made this conclusion some time ago and it sucked. Not that she was expecting or wanting anything more than friendship anyway. "Besides, I'm pretty sure that his girlfriend would break my face if that were true," She added as an afterthought. The 'girlfriend' was likely still an ex-girlfriend at this point but she had no idea if they had managed to get back together or not. She could not keep track of their relationship, nor did she really want to. She wanted to stay out of it and not get her face bashed in.

Almost choking on her hot chocolate, Serena regretted taking another sip as she heard the Ravenclaw speak. Arjan. Not from Hogwarts. No. Of course not. There were probably like a thousand Arjans. And there were so many other schools. There was no way that she would like that douchebag. He was... terrible. But there was a concerned feeling in her stomach as she wondered if it was possibly, "Arjan...? He... doesn't go to Durmstrang, does he?" She paused, waiting for confirmation - with the hope that Bloom would fill in a surname that was anything other than 'Oberoi'.

@Serena Towers

Bloom laughed. It was true that the waving of her hand and calling out his name would have grabbed his attention. Bloom could be loud when she wanted to be and it was a perfect time for that. She shrugged, signaling a 'my bad' to her short friend.

Girlfriend? When did Howard have a girlfriend recently? Bloom's eyes widened at the statement Serena had mentioned. But she quickly hid it. Throughout her spending time with Howard, there was no mention of a new girlfriend. Unless she meant Fal, but they weren't together and Bloom was sure that they would not be together anytime soon. She stayed quiet, thinking to herself if there was a possibility that they would be back together. She knew of their on-and-off relationship. What Bloom was not worried about was the 'break my face' comment that Fal was known to do if someone was near Howard.

Does he go to Durmstrang? Bloom was making it up as she was going along. Hiding the fact that she really was starting to have feelings for Howard. Did Arjan go to Durmstrang? she thought to herself. She took a second and nodded slowly. "Yes, he does...," she said, with a small smile. "He is so gorgeous and very tan," she added, shrugging. "Do you know him?" she asked, wondering since she guessed what school he went to.

Bloom felt a bit sick to her stomach. She was lying to her friend. Would it have been better to tell her that she, too, also liked Howard? She did not want to start anything weird with Serena.

Interacting with @Bloom Silverton

As Bloom confirmed that this 'Arjan' she liked went to Durmstrang, Serena found herself feeling like she was going to dread this whole thing. The conversation alone was not one she wanted to have. She did not need to know about her brother's exploits. They did nothing but anger her.

But- Bloom liked her brother?! Of all of the people that Bloom could like, why him? It already bothered her that several people seemed infatuated by him, despite the fact that he's an absolute jerk in her opinion. However, having her friend like him? It just felt... wrong. She could not quite describe the feeling but it was a little nauseating.

A part of her also disliked that no one seemed able to see through Arjan's bullshit. It was utter nonsense, according to Serena, but no one seemed to see that. They just seemed so into him and his ego was boosted even more than it needed to. Did Bloom say he was gorgeous? She hated it. Gross. That was not something she wanted to think about.

"Yeah..." She replied after a moment, confirming that she did know him, "Somewhat. We grew up together, after all," She added. She did know him. Somewhat. Serena always felt like she did not know him fully but it was because everything she knew of him already was just irritating. How well did she really know him? Not that well. She did not know how he would take this sort of news, for instance. Not that she would ever tell him, but on the off chance that Bloom did...

Serena felt like she needed to warn her that Arjan was not a good guy. He was fake. And he very much believed in pureblood superiority. But how do you tell someone that their crush was a racist, that they had no chance in her opinion and the only thing he would do is take advantage of her and hurt her? She had no idea.

She knew she should say something but... she also knew how much it hurt when you thought you weren't ever going to be 'enough' for someone you liked for something you might not even be able to change. But if this escalated to the point of Bloom asking him out that would lead to more trouble and hurt. Warning her was the safest thing to do. She just needed to find the words to say it... Of course, she was very biased in her viewpoint but she just could not fathom how no one else saw it. Perhaps it was all in her head but... she was convinced he was the worst and she had no idea why others did not seem to see what she saw. Well, save for Felix. He was the only one who hated Arjan just as much. Though, he also kissed her brother so... she was not entirely thrilled by that. Sigh. Why did everyone worship him so much?

"Do you actually know him? I mean, like other than... his appearance, I guess," She asked, feeling very awkward that she had to clarify. However, she was not really interested in her friend raving about how attractive her brother was.