Closed Pitch Conversation PV

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Louca had found the weather quite nice for a quidditch game. The cloud cover meant that the sun wouldn’t be in eyes, and that was always a benefit. Though he had trained for all kinds of weather. But he hadn’t brought his broom, figuring that would be one step too far with the luggage, and also thinking that if worse came to worse, he could try to take a school broom. Hogwarts very likely did the same as Ilvermorny and had school brooms for students to ride if they didn’t have one of their own. Louca was planning to buy his own later, but for the moment with the time he spent on the pitch, the school brooms did just fine.

He had managed to find someone to point him towards the broom shed, where he grabbed one of the school brooms, and then directed him to the pitch. Looking around, he figured it would be fine and he’d just do some simple movements to warm up, and get a feel for the broom. Everyone had their own little quirks and well Louca was a bit of a daredevil, he preferred to have the knowledge of the quirk before trying anything too crazy. Kicking off, he soared around the pitch, once then twice, the broom pulling a bit down and to the left. It was easy enough to balance that out. Doing a quick corkscrew dive, he pulled out of it just as easily, looking around as he did so.

Catching sight of someone, and not being one for the silence of his own thoughts, Louca leaned forward, directing the broom towards the lone figure. Coming to a halt just above the next stair down from where the girl was seated, he dismounted and kept a firm grip on the broom. It wouldn’t do to lose it. ”Hello! How are you? Lovely day out isn’t it?”

He carefully kept his eyes from straying to the book she held, not wanting to intrude on her privacy. ”It’s a great day to have a quidditch match. Bit of a disappointment that there isn’t one. But it’s nice to be able to fly.” Louca said, pointing in the direction of the pitch as he did so.
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Shanelle dismissed the thought that someone was flying around the pitch, it was unlikely. She returned to her drawing, this time she tried a cute doodle of a bunny. This turned out much better than the rose she had attempted to draw. A smile touched her face, maybe she wasn’t that bad of an artist. It was still not nearly as good as her classmates’, but it was probably her best work. Her hand, holding the pencil, touched the smooth paper again, her mind searching for the next thing to draw when she heard the sound of a broom in the air close to her.

She quickly left her head up and saw a boy around her age, flying on his broom. She let the smile on her face stay, to look friendly. Her eyes didn’t leave the boy as he gently touched down and dismounted from his broom.

Shanelle tilted her head slightly in curiosity. She had never seen him around before, and she was pretty sure she had at least bumped into every student once. And judging by his accent when he spoke, he must be one of the students coming from Ilvermorny. She stood up, manners her mother had taught her, he was a little taller than her. ”Hi! I’m doing good, and it really is a lovely day today. How are you?”

She noticed he kept his eyes away from her sketchbook, and laughed. ”It’s alright, you can see.” She turned her sketchbook around and showed him the bunny she drew. ”Quidditch players would certainly love this weather on a match.” She said with a slight smile. ”Is flying around the air fun?” Shanelle couldn’t help but ask. She had flown before, in Flying class, but never like a quidditch player. Not zooming freely in the air. She longed to have the wind in her ears, messing up her hair as she flies. So she asked again. ”Are you on the quidditch team?”

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Louca looked curiously at the girl, her lighter brown, super straight hair a contrast to his dark brown, slightly wavy mess, and her features were clearly defined. He hadn’t had a particular reason for stopping other than being interested to see what she was doing in the stands. After all he hadn’t been flying that long or really done much of anything interesting. But people drew him in. Louca was always interested in having conversations with others and learning more about people. They always managed to surprise him even after he thought that he knew quite a bit.

Shifting the broom slightly so it was more comfortable in his grip, he contemplated sitting and putting the broom down somewhere out of the way but decided he’d wait until the girl he had surprised let him know if she felt comfortable talking to him. He knew not everyone was as outgoing as he was and he tried to respect that as best as he was able. Though sometimes if Louca was really starved for conversation, he would have a short conversation with someone but try not to linger if they preferred. He just drew energy from talking with others.

Grinning, he was glad to hear that she was doing well. ”I’m good, shockingly didn’t get lost on my way to the broom shed and then here. I call that a win.” Louca answered joyfully, excited to be out and about. ”Oh! Thank you. That looks excellent. Quite cute. You’re really talented. Do you do any other art?” Louca asked curiously. She was truly a good, strong drawer and he was sure she likely practiced but didn’t want to ask as that might seem a bit rude or come across the wrong way.

He shifted slightly, nodding as he did so, knowing that this was the kind of weather he preferred to fly in. His grin widened as she asked about flying. ”It’s the best! So freeing, and it’s just amazing what you can do on a broom. Nothing like it really. Do you fly much?” Louca figured not with the way she had asked the question, but thought it was nice to ask.

Nodding slightly, he answered ”Yeah, I am, but second string. I play chaser. Usually I’m just there for support but once I’m older, I’m sure I’ll move up.” Louca said easily. He was confident in his abilities and while at times he was content to goof off he could also focus and work hard for what he wanted. ”Do you like quidditch?”
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As Shanelle waited for an answer, she took the time to observe the boy’s appearance. He had dark mousy hair that was sticking in multiple directions due to the wind. He had dark brown eyes that sparkled. Even though he wasn’t smiling, he was good looking.

She noticed that he was still standing there awkwardly with his broom, so she decided to pet the seat next to her, telling him to sit down. She wasn’t sure if he wanted to, but he looked awkward standing there. “Honestly, Hogwarts is a huge place, it’s really easy to get lost. It’s really a miracle that you managed to find your way here. It took me about two months to figure out the entire castle, and then one more for the grounds.” She said, chuckling.

She blushed at his comment, she hadn't really shown anyone her work, and he was being so kind about it. “Thanks, I’m not really that good at drawing. I have tried painting before, once, but it ended up really badly.” She smiled in memory of that incident. She was not particularly fond of it. “This is the 7th time I have sat down and drawn a complete drawing.” She confessed, not knowing why she would tell him, or that she even counted.

Shanelle lifted her head up towards the sky and took a deep breath in at the mention of weather. “I’ve only flown in Flying class before, and I couldn’t fly like you just did.” She mentioned sadly, gesturing to the sky he was just flying in. Shanelle was not a talent flyer, but enjoyed the freedom of being in the air and wished she could fly better. “How’s it like on the quidditch team?” She asked, wanting to know everything.

“Second string or not, you seem really good at the sport! I’m sure you’ll move up in a while.” She encouraged. “No, I don’t play quidditch, I can barely fly properly. Maybe it just isn’t for me.” She sighed disappointedly. “I’d try out for my team, but there is no way I’d get in. I would need some serious lessons if I want to get in this year.”She said.

Reducio

Don't worry about it, take your time. I don't mind waiting until you get your laptop again.

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Louca grinned appreciatively, saying a quick thanks, as she patted the seat next to her. Leaving some room between them, he placed the school broom carefully where people’s feet normally rest, turning so he was straddling the bench one leg folded underneath him. It would be fairly comfortable until his foot fell asleep and would allow him to more easily have a conversation with the girl.

”I can see that. Thought that also means there’s plenty to explore. We’re here for such a short time but I’m determined to find some of the more hidden areas. There’s always those nooks and crannies that you can easily miss.” Louca shrugged his shoulder. ”Really must be some luck I’ve got today.”

Louca rested the weight of his upper body on his forearms that were resting on his legs, before reassuring the girl as she blushed. ”Yeah, you really are. You don’t even want to see when I try to draw. It’s a bit of a mess. As for painting, there’s probably a bit of a learning curve. Just need to get some practice if you really want to paint.”

Louca nodded, as she continued to speak. ”See? Practice makes perfect. Although I don’t know anyone who really wants to be perfect. That might be a bit boring, don’t ya think?”

He could tell that she must have enjoyed her flying classes, as she seemed to have a bit of sadness around her when mentioning the topic. Moving his arms behind his body, he leaned on them, and added to her statement. ”The only way I fly that way is I’m not scared. And I’ve practiced. The first time I tried that move, I managed to end up dangling off my broom. That was fun and meant I had to get rescued as I couldn’t get the broom to cooperate and couldn’t swing myself back up. Makes for a fun story now though. If you’d like while I’m here, we could fly together sometime and I can show you some tricks?” Louca figured it would be a good way to get some flying time in and wouldn’t mind making friends.
Louca shrugged while smiling.

”It’s great! You’ve got a team behind you when you’re struggling but they also push you to be better. Not gonna lie, it’s cool to be cheered at, although the taunts can be a bit much sometimes. I love that rush you get when you score, even if it’s only in practice. It’s almost more awesome than the feeling of flying by itself. And when you’re in that kind of zone, it just all kind of quiets and things get pretty simple.” Louca stopped himself at that, knowing it was a topic that he could go on and on and on about and no one wanted that many words.

Blushing slightly, he moved one shoulder in a kind of shrug, ”Thanks.” Louca leaned forward, excited and happy to have found someone that seemed to enjoy flying and quidditch as much as he did even if she didn’t think she had the skills necessary to play. ”You should, but even if you don’t want to right now, I’m sure if you wanted to practice, there are plenty of people who would help. Heck, I can easily help here, and we could easily owl back and forth though about it. Though it might be harder to explain things and all that, but I’m sure we could do it. Seriously, if you want some practice or lessons or whatever, I’d be happy to help. It helps keep my skills up too.” Louca told her enthusiastically. ”Do you have a broom? I wish I had mine as the school brooms aren’t always amazing but once you know it’s quirks, you can figure out ways around them.” He hoped he hadn’t scared her off with his enthusiasm.

Sticking his palm out, he said, "I'm Louca, by the way. And you are?"
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Shanelle stayed still as he sat down next to her. She noticed that he left some space between them. That was polite of him, it would have been very awkward if he sat very close to her. She watched as the boy placed his broom on the ground.

“That is true, you have plenty of places to explore! Hogwarts is a big castle, and filled with a lot of secrets too.” She smiled mischievously, hinting heavily. “You won’t be staying for a very long time, but I think you’ll enjoy it here. We do have a lot of nooks and hidden areas here. You might be lucky enough to find one. “ She said, hinting again. She wasn’t particularly sure what she was hinting about, but there was a lot of hidden stuff at Hogwarts. If the boy had been lucky enough to find the quidditch pitch in the huge grounds, he would be lucky enough to bump into one of the secret trap doors or staircases.

He really did seem to mean it when he complimented her drawing. She smiled and thanked him. “Thanks, and you’re right. Painting does take practice, and probably only practice would improve my skills.”

“How can you not be scared? Do you not imagine falling off your broom? It’s an awfully long way down. I’m always scared when I fly, and I barely off the ground!”Shanelle said, half embarrassed, shuddering. “It must take a lot of practice to get that good at flying." And when he talked about his first time with that move he did, she laughed. She didn’t mean to, obviously, but it was quite a funny story. “It must have been funny waiting for someone to come and rescue you!” She smiled again, and said, “I’d love to fly with you! I can’t wait!” Shanelle couldn’t make a lot of friends at Hogwarts, so maybe someone from Ilvermorny would be a better choice? She couldn’t wait.

“It must be amazing to know that your whole team supports you and they would be there for you no matter what. The feeling of scoring must be amazing, that’s what I feel when I score in volleyball, when I used to play with my friends.” She sighed, thinking back to the ‘good ol’ days’. She craved the feeling of companionship and teamwork, they make her feel useful. Maybe that’s why she wanted to be on the quidditch team so badly.

“Do you really think I should? I really doubt my chances, everyone else is so good and so confident in their skills. I would need to practice a lot if I want to get on the team. And I don’t have enough friends, and I definitely do not have friends that are good at quidditch.” Shanelle said, sighing again. When she heard that he could help, a huge grin appeared on her face. That would solve her problem. He was really good, she just needed his help. “Would you really help me? I am sure I can do this if I had your help!” She was way more enthusiastic now.

“I don’t have a broom of my own, I normally just use the ones they have in the shed. I wish I had my own broom as well. If I got on the quidditch team, I am pretty sure I can get my parents to get me an actual broom. I just wish the school brooms are good enough to get me on the team.” She said, just randomly going off thoughts in her head.

When he introduced himself, Shanelle almost slapped herself for forgetting to introduce herself. “Oh. My. Gosh. Did I forget to introduce myself? I’m Shanelle Meza, from Gryffindor.” She took his hand and shook it.

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”Those are the very best kind!” Louca exclaimed. ”Though I haven’t come across any castles that don’t have some kind of secret.” Louca added, sure that all castles or large buildings must have some kind of secret within them. Louca grinned as Shanelle spoke, happy to hear that there would be plenty to find and explore while he was here. It would make the time pass and the days wouldn’t feel so long or boring. He would of course do his schoolwork but he needed something to do in the other days otherwise he’d drive everyone else mad.

Louca just nodded when she mentioned the practice of painting, and tried to maintain an I’m always right, solemn face though that lasted all of two seconds before he chuckled, his usual grin falling into place. He took very little serious, and it showed in his demeanour. But that seemed to be the easiest way to get through difficult situations. By laughing or making an offhand comment that makes others laugh. Easiest method to defuse conflict, and distract.
He took a moment to consider her question.
”I don’t know, other than I know what could happen but it just makes me exhilarated and determined to beat the challenge rather than fearful.” Louca shrugged, he just never felt fear and he didn’t know why. ”I thought that was fear for the longest time but figured out it really wasn’t. Oh well, works for me.” He added, and it truly did. It allowed him to do a lot of things that he probably wouldn’t have if he had been scared. ”It does though sometimes it’s just a matter of getting your body in the right position.”

Louca laughed, remembering how funny it had been and the expression of those around him. It had been fun. ”Oh it was! Though not everyone thought so at the time. Now they do though.”
”Oh excellent! It’ll be good to have someone to fly with. We’ll have to figure out schedules and all that. What do you most want to learn?” He asked, curious if it was just flying or if there were more specific things she wanted to know or learn.\

Louca looked at Shanelle when she mentioned volleyball. He thought muggles had mentioned it but thought it was a beach game. ”What’s volleyball?” He asked curiously, wanting to know more. He was always looking for something new to learn.

”Oh for sure! You’ll be flying like an expert in no time, and I can probably help with most quidditch positions though I will admit seeker is a bit beyond me but I think a lot of that is focus and attention to detail. I can’t focus for that long. What role were you thinking of?” Louca smiled at her, encouraged to see the huge grin on her face. That made Louca feel like he was doing something good and worthwhile, which he appreciated. Plus he’d have company and he could practice as well. ”Definitely! It’s excellent practice for me too.”\

Louca understood her feelings. Most times the school brooms had their quirks and if you hadn’t used it before, you needed to waste precious time to learn the quirks and also how to mitigate them. ”It’ll be a little bit more work but they’ll still be good enough to get you on the team. It’s just a matter of figuring out the quirks and counteracting them.” Nodding his head at the broom he had grabbed, he added ”That one pulls down and to the left, so I just pull up and to the right a bit. It’s a balance though.” Louca had figured that out before doing his acrobatics just to make sure that he didn’t endanger himself more than usual.

Laughing, Louca replied, ”I think we both forgot. Nice to meet you Shanelle from Gryffindor.”
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”Yeah! I haven’t been here for a long time, but I have definitely walked around the castle a couple of times. And I only know a few secret spots. I heard from the older students that there are a lot of secret tunnels and passageways!” She agreed excitedly. There were a lot of places Shanelle wanted to explore, but didn’t have the time or guts to actually do it. Maybe she could take the chance and go explore the castle with Louca! “Hey, do you want to explore the castle together some time?” She offered with a friendly smile. If they went exploring together, that would make it less scary. And that got her excited.

The excited expression on her face turned into laughter of amusement. It was hilarious to see Louca trying to contain his laugh. He was clearly a cheerful and funny person, always laughing and taking stuff lightly. That made her want to laugh. So she did, she giggled a little. People like him are easy to be around, because it’s always fun. He would make a great friend.

She did get the feeling of exhilaration, when he talked about it. She felt that way when she was playing volleyball with her teammates. She felt fearless. Like nothing could stop her, and she could do everything. “I think it’s the perfect sport for you, if it powers you that way.” Shanelle analysed. She wished she could do something like that, something that empowers her.

“So you’ll fly with me? I- I, hmmmm, that’s an interesting question. I have never thought about it. I think I will concentrate on controlling my speed for now.” Shanelle decided after considering for a few moments. She has a lot to learn, and wanted to start with something simpler.

“You don’t-” It suddenly hit her that he probably never heard of it. She wouldn’t have either, if she didn’t go to school with muggle children. “Volleyball is a kind of sport, a muggle sport. You have to bump up a ball, and try to keep it in the air on your side, and let it land on the others. You use a net in the middle.” Shanelle tried to explain, but then shrugged with an apologetic smile when she realised her explanation was not very good. She wasn’t extremely good at the sport, but it was something she enjoyed a lot.

“Can you really teach me?” Shanelle had a huge smile on her face. She was pretty sure she could get on the team now, “I’m sure I will, with you teaching me, I am sure I can do it.” There was a plan now, she feels much more confident already. “I don’t plan to going for seeker anyways, so I am sure whatever you’d teach me would be enough.” She explained. “I was thinking… chaser? Or keeper.” She would want to rely on agility and speed, because her eyesight was not excellent, nor is her strength.

“If the school brooms will be enough for the tryouts, I will get familiar with them, so I know everything about them. I will figure out their quirks, and then I will-” She stopped herself there, realising she was going on. “I’ll figure it out.” She summarised.

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Louca’s excitement was climbing, just imagining finding some of the secrets the castle likely hid. It was always a thrilling experience to find something you hadn’t known about before. He had also had thoughts about climbing the stone outside, but wanted to start in the courtyard to see if it would be manageable. He could usually find enough hand and foot holds but still, better safe than sorry. Wouldn’t want to get to a point he was stuck and couldn’t easily get back down.

Louca grew even more excited when Shanelle asked to explore with him. Adventures were always made more fun with company. And it added twice the brain power to solve any problems that inevitably arose. “Of course! Adventures are more fun that way. Maybe we could ask one of the older students the best area of the castle for finding secret tunnels and passageways? That way we have a spot to start thought it does take some of the fun out of the adventure and does kind of feel like cheating.” Louca’s mouth straightened, unsure how he felt about that. But then cheered up at the thought of the fun they would have. Louca laughed, overjoyed and wanting to start RIGHT NOW! “When can we start?” Louca’s voice had raised slightly and he grinned apologetically over at Shanelle.

Louca’s grin grew as Shanelle chuckled, pleased that he was amusing her, something he always strove to do. Louca just nodded along to Shanelle’s statement, for once unsure what to add.
Louca waited until Shanelle finished speaking before jumping in. “Course I will!” Nodding, he added, “Okay, we can do that! Speed is fairly straightforward and just a matter of figuring out how the motion of your body affects the broom. Which is important for all of flying so really an excellent place to start. Do you struggle with going too fast or vice versa?” Louca figured he’d ask to see where any potential issues would be. “Or going too fast then slowing, rinse and repeat?”

Louca’s smile lifted slightly at Shanelle’s explanation. Made sense but he preferred the challenge of doing everything in the air. It added a bit of danger and adrenaline to the whole thing. “Interesting. Maybe something to try sometime? Though I think it would be better on brooms. But I’m also assuming we’d need to find more people?”

Louca didn’t even bother with answering the question of whether he could teach her, smirking arrogantly at her. He appreciated the confidence she was showing. That was half the battle. “Not to sound condescending or anything but really that attitude will help a lot.” Nodding, Louca added “Excellent! Obviously chaser I’m awesome at, and keeper I can help with as well. After all, I can teach you some of the tricks chasers will try, that way you can counteract them.” Louca continued to nod, envisioning what would be the best way to do thing once Shanelle had gotten comfortable with flying.
“I’m sure you will! Does this mean I need to find a whistle and be all serious at lessons?” Louca jokingly asked.
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