Spring Races Spectator Thread Hufflepuff vs Slytherin Apr 2022

Outfit (Outfit Graphic by Bailey Glade)

AngelFyre regretted bothering the photographer almost immediately. Even though she did have the use of both of her hands, it appeared the weather was still making things difficult in setting up her shots. AngelFyre's mother was a photographer herself, so she knew a little something about such things. AngelFyre placed the cup of hot chocolate down and left it for her to enjoy when she was a little less pressed for time, as the racers were already making their way to the START line. As she hurried back up to Bailey, she shouted to the photographer, "Good luck with your shoot!"

Sitting back down beside Bailey, she asked if James was okay? "He must have been freezing. He looked like he was soaked through and through. Hope he does not fall ill with bronchitis. I am sorry to say, but I do not think we will be viewing this race with an umbrella charm. She was a little busy. It was not great timing on my part to ask such a favor of her."

Then, as AngelFyre looked to the START line, her heart started racing as her eyes landed on her other half. There he was, standing up there looking as ridiculously handsome as ever and smiling from ear to ear. In that moment, her own fears really were temporarily vanquished because Simon just looked so happy and confident. When he was this happy, how could she be otherwise?

Laughing at Bailey's observation that Simon did not strike her as the "sporty type" amused her. "Really? How did you two meet? Simon is quite athletic. In addition to broom racing here, he played ice hockey, and I believe squash in London. He is slim but muscular. And competitive... very competitive."

As she had been speaking to Bailey, AngelFyre had been reaching into her raincoat for the pennants she had made in support of her Hufflepuff team. She handed the Avery Gallows, Claire Spennikins, and Jack Warren pennants to Bailey so she could show some support too if she so desired. Closing her umbrella for the moment, AngelFyre brought out the poster she had rolled loosely and stored away from the weather. She put her Simon pennant in one pocket and her Serena pennant in another and unrolled her (masterpiece?) hoping the Hufflepuff racers could see it as well as those Slytherin snakes.

"Okay, Bailey. It is time to make some noise... a lot of noise... for the Hufflepuffs!"

WOOOOOOO, SIMON!!! CRUSH THOSE SNAKES!!!

COME ON SERENA!!! YOU HAVE THIS!!!

HUFFLEPUFFS RULE!!!

@AngelFyre McCubbin

My outfit!

As AF headed back towards her, Bailey moved over so that she could sit next to her.
When AF sit back down, she asked if James was ok. Bailey replied saying “Yes, or that’s what he said. He was really cold, and I almost made him go to the hospital wing. I’ll go make sure he’s ok later; it’s the least I could do.”
When AF laughed at her saying that she didn’t think Simon was sporty, Bailey laughed along with her. Then AF elaborated saying that he was quite competitive, and besides doing broom racing he also played ice hockey. She then continued saying that he was sin but muscular, and when AF said tall that Bailey could think of was James. He was quite similar to Simon in this way; he was of a smaller build but was strong enough to pull her from the lake and carry her to the bank.
When AF asked Bailey how she and Simon had met, Bailey smiled at the memory. “He came to the library to study and the only place to sit was next to me. He was super nice asking if he could sit there, and was super sweet trying not to bother me.”
While she was saying this, AF handed her a few pendants for Avery Gallows, Claire Spennikins, and Jack Warren so that she could wave them around. Smiling, Bailey accepted them saying “Thank you. I made some too, but I managed to forget them in my rush down to see James.”
As the races was about to start, AF encouraged Bailey to cheer. Smiling, Bailey hooted and cheered along with the rest of the crowd.

Word count: 285 ish

There was a crush of people already on the stands despite the unforgiving weather when Zelda had got there. The umbrella she had brought along with her was only just barely holding up against the torrential rain and it had proven completely useless for keeping her bottom half dry. The cold and wet had already soaked through her shoes and socks, leaving her feeling like she was squelching through icy water with every step.

Still though, the fact that everyone else was at least as soaked or even more drenched than her kept her from feeling properly miserable. The horrible weather did nothing to quench the blazing enthusiasm from the spectators as unceasing cheers and jeers resounded through the air. Most of the spectators were, of course, from Hufflepuff or Slytherin but there were a few straggling Gryffindors and Ravenclaws around, probably there to support their friends like Zelda was.

She peered around eagerly and only after some time managed to catch a glimpse of Sylvie’s signature plaits within the crowd. Zelda brightened up and waved to the girl before she squeezed through the stands to join her friend. “Perfect weather for the broom races, isn’t it? Do you want to share my brolly?” Zelda yelled over the noise of the rain beating against her umbrella. She knew she’d have to close her umbrella soon when the race began, but since it hadn’t, Zelda was reluctant to get herself even more drenched than she already was.

“Reckon we could get back for a hot cocoa and to dry off a bit in front of our common room fires before the next one?” Zelda wrapped her arms around herself. She was bundled up enough but nothing could really keep out this much cold and wet. “I think the Ravenclaw match is at 2pm later, do you want to come? This is my first time watching a broom race, so I’ve no idea how long one lasts!”

interacting with: @Sylvie Hawthorne

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Date: 9/Apr/2021 | Time: 11:00 | Mood: Excited | Location: Outdoor Club Area
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─────It was cold. It was wet. It was, quite frankly, miserable. But Sylvie had been cooped up in the castle through many winter months and was itching for fresh air. Besides that, she’d always been too busy up until now to attend the broom races when they’d been put on in the past. Usually she’d been catching up on homework, doing remedial work, or just too plain tired to trek out into the unforgiving Scottish winter weather to watch people she didn’t know do things she didn’t understand.

But over the course of the term she had gradually gotten to know the various Hufflepuff team members by sight and she’d heard the excitement of the upper years. This time she had been determined to go, rain—alas!—or shine. She’d had little hope that Zelda would actually honour the invitation in such wretched conditions and was relieved and grateful to see her friend. And with an umbrella! Doubly grateful.

“Do I ever!” Sylvie said, and ducked under the umbrella with Zelda. Their elbows pressed together and Sylvie squeezed a little closer for the warmth. She had come out in her school robes and her Hufflepuff scarf. She thought the robes might help keep her a bit warmer and keep her under layers dry.

“I think I saw some house elves wandering around with cocoa, so I think we can drink our fill the whole day long! As for getting dry, I don’t know about that—we might be soaked and chilled to our bones until we see our parents during Easter Vacation!” Sylvie shivered and hunched up her shoulders. Oh well! She’d have fun anyway! Try to stop her, rain-clouds!

“Oh yes, I’d love to go to the later match! By then I might understand the rules better. Though I suppose a race must be simple enough—be the person in front! I wonder how they’ll fare in such bad weather? I think it would be scary to fly in this!” Sylvie looked over towards the woods and the rain being blown through the branches of the trees. They wouldn’t put unskilled flyers on the team, would they? So it should be fine. “Do you know who to cheer for? I mean, do you know the Hufflepuff team members?” she asked. Of course her best friend wasn’t going to cheer for Slytherin while they were facing off against Hufflepuff!

Shiawase wheeled out to spectate on the races, the poster and confetti she'd made in her lap as she did. Those with keen eyes would notice her chair looked different . . . there was a black umbrella attached to it. It had been her wheelchair umbrella from her previous chair. Thank goodness she was so meticulous in her packing - she'd be positively soaked if she'd forgotten it at home! It was also a good thing she had this Hogwarts issued wheelchair - it went over the grass and the mud like it was nothing. A smooth ride all around. Though, her wheels were definitely going to be caked in mud by the time she reached the castle. Oh, to be able to wave her wand and clean the mud off herself! If only.

She looked up at the broom racers. She wondered what it would be like to be in the air right now. She imagined they'd be cold, wet, miserable . . . have a hard time gripping their brooms, much less seeing what's going on. Absolutely terrifying thought.

Well, that's why they needed her encouragement all the more!

She held up her poster of a realistic face of a snake, open-mouthed like it was hissing or about to bite down, with the words "Go, Slytherin, Go!" written in silver inside. And she was ready to throw her confetti.

She heard cheers from the Hufflepuffs. She supposed she should cheer for her team, too.

"Go, Slytherin!" Hmmm. Her cheer was definitely weaker than those coming from the Hufflepuffs. She needed to coordinate. That's what it was. Her shouting alone won't be enough. Yes. They needed multiple people to cheer together. Preferably while clapping. And they needed something more memorable than just, "Go, Slytherin." They needed a snake pun. Of some sort. She'd have to think of one. One that would be memorable and cool!

. . .

Cool cheers weren't exactly her thing. But she could definitely come up with one. She just needed another minute, surely.

Zelda was pleased that her umbrella had come in handy after all. She wished she knew the spell for an invisible umbrella – it seemed to be keeping the older students remarkably dry and without having to handle a cumbersome umbrella to boot. As it was, with her and Sylvie squeezing under one umbrella, she was having a difficult time trying to make sure it didn’t poke someone’s eye out while also making sure it was covering both of them adequately enough.

“At this rate, that hot cocoa we’re going to have later is going to be the best one I’ve ever had in my life,” joked Zelda. She really hoped that she wouldn’t be falling sick from getting this cold and wet, however. The exam seasons was not too far away and she didn’t want to have to deal with a lingering cold when she started her revision proper.

Luckily, though, Sylvie was properly cheerful and her enthusiasm dispelled the misery that Zelda would otherwise surely have been bogged down by. She was also glad when Sylvie agreed to come to the Ravenclaw match later – she had been having second thoughts about that given the weather, but having Sylvie with her would at least make the experience much more fun that it otherwise would have been.

“I would certainly have not been able to keep my seat on any broom in this sort of weather!” Zelda nodded passionately, squinting her eyes into the field and attempting to make out the racers getting ready in their corners. “I’d imagine that the Hufflepuff racers are the ones with the yellow robes, but I don’t think I know who they are! Do you? I can’t really see them clearly to see if I recognise their faces either.

“Do you have some kind of house cheer that you want me to contribute my voice and volume to?” Zelda grinned at her best friend. It wasn’t her team, but for some reason it was pretty fun for her to be cheering for a house that wasn’t hers, especially one that meant as much to her as Hufflepuff.

interacting with: @Sylvie Hawthorne

Outfit (Outfit Graphic by Bailey Glade)

@Simon Kincaid @Bailey Glade (@Serena Towers because she said she never has anyone in the audience)

@ AngelFyre McCubbin

Cheering on the teams as the race started, Bailey yelled along with AF the whole time. When AF made a Top Gun reference while cheering Simon on, Bailey smiled. Her mum, dad and grandparents were all huge fans of the series. This made her miss them a bit.
When AF turned to her and told her that they weren’t going to be visible for a while, Bailey smiled and said “Thanks. It is my first broom race, so it’s a lot to take in.”
After AF yelled one more thing at the retreating backs of the racers, she sat down and asked how Bailey had met James.
Smiling at the memory, Bailey said “It a really sweet story. I went for a walk and for some reason decided to walk onto the lake. I was by myself, but when I was 20 or so feet out, I heard a crack. I made it maybe five feet before I fell in, and I yelled for help. James heard me and managed to carry me to the bank. James then insisted in going to the hospital wing with me. And that’s really it. About two weeks later I sent him an owl asking him to meet me at the rehearsal room and I asked him to go to the ball with me.” Blushing at the last part, Bailey remembered the butterflies.

Word count: 235 ish

@Shiawase Mamori
@AngelFyre McCubbin

When AF explained that you could see better if it wasn’t raining Bailey nodded, grateful for the explanation.
Then she listed to Bailey talk about how she and James had met. After Bailey finished, she said that James had another “point” in her book and that Bailey could tell him or not. Then she said something that made Bailey smile at the irony. AF mentioned that giving him an inflated ego or head. Bailey replied with a laugh, saying “I doubt he would get an inflated head or ego. He is really sweet and kind and…” Bailey trailed off, thinking of James.
As she focused again, Bailey saw a girl all along. Standing up, Bailey pulled AF after her up the the new girl. The girl was sitting in a wheelchair and was covered by a black umbrella. She had black hair, dark brown eyes, with dark, pretty black skin and freckles. She was a really pretty girl, but looked like she could use some company.
Walking up, Bailey said “Hello! My friend and I here saw you sitting alone and I wanted to come say hello! My name is Bailey. Bailey Glade. What is your name? And I presume you are a first year? What house are you in?”

Word count:215 ish