Badgers and Bludgers PV Avery McCall finished

“Oh, the library’s got everything! It’s so wonderful. I was there just yesterday actually…” she trailed off, blushing slightly as she thought of her new friend she had met yesterday. She wondered if he had finished that book yet

She shook the thoughts from her head and focused back on Avery, smiling brightly. “We should totally go together sometime, I could help you find a book on plants!”

She watched as Avery lined herself up next to her and Alma smiled competitively, getting ready to take off. “3…2…1…go!”

She leaned forward quickly, going as fast as she could around the perimeter of the pitch. The wind blew her bangs up out of her face and Alma had to squint in order for her eyes not to dry out. She turned, going side to side around the hoops just for fun and to practice some simpler maneuvers.

She didn’t have time to look back behind her as she came to a quick stop after her lap. “That was fun!” she called to Avery. “I think fast laps might be one of my favorite exercises.”

She turned her broom to face the other girl again, still smiling. “Who won? I didn’t quite catch it, sorry!”

Date: 9/14/22 | CC: #a37e05
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─────Avery levels a bright smile Alma's way. "Yeah, for sure! I'd love the help sometime!" There was so much she wanted to still learn and so little time to do so so far. May not hurt to start trying to find some books for over the summer as well.

Making note of the competitive edge that's overtaken the chaser's smile, Avery returns it with one of her own. At the countdown, she grips the handle of the broom tightly and leans forward a little in preparation. Despite how intently she found herself listening to the countdown, the call to go still somehow managed to surprise her. As Alma shot forward, it took Avery a half second to realize and shoot off after her with a quiet laugh lost to the wind.

She trailed just behind Alma as she kept an eye on the path they were taking. Pressing closer to the handle, she tries for a little bit more speed as she shifts to the outside of the loop to avoid potentially getting in Alma's way. Though she was able to gain a little bit of the ground back, it still proved a hair short as the chaser completed the lap.

Grinning, the beater followed Alma's lead in maneuvering around the hoops in easy turns before coming up beside the chaser. Avery could imagine how red her cheeks might be from the cold wind, with no mention of just how windblown her hair likely was. "Oh yeah, they're a blast! I don't know what I expected, but I was definitely anticipating more nerves," she said, lifting a hand to brush down some unruly bits of hair.

"And it was absolutely you, nicely done!" Avery holds a hand out between them to offer a mid-air fist bump. "You might just be a natural after all!" She looks out over the pitch below with a content smile. "When I first heard about brooms and flying lessons, I was more than a little nervous. But it's been more fun than I thought it'd be. Kinda freeing, honestly."

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𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Alma Stoll
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Alma noticed Avery brushing her wind-wild hair out and did the same, combing her fingers through her bangs and trying to watch them fall back into place. “We’ve oughta do that again sometime!”

Alma laughed when she heard she had won. “That’s a first! Good effort though,” she said, holding out her hand for a high five.

“Oh, tell me about it. Broom lessons seemed like the scariest thing ever at Hogwarts, but now they’re not so bad. Even the worst thing I thought could’ve happened has already happened so, it can’t get any worse from here on out!”

She looked down to the ground, reminiscing about just a week or two ago when she was dangling for her very life from this exact height. Still, looking back, she has no clue how she managed to get back up on that broom with no help but gosh is she thankful.

“Anyways, what should we do next? We could do movement drills, dodging, one on one…” she listed, trailing off near the end there. Avery seemed like a fantastic Quidditch player really, and Alma was excited to play with her in the next game.

“I really am excited for the next game,” she said, voicing her previous thought. “It’s gonna be so much fun! Even if all we do is sit on the bench.”

She wouldn’t even mind that last part in all honesty. She loved quidditch so much, but if all she did in a game was sit on the bench and watch that would be perfect. That meant that the first-string players didn’t get injured and that also meant she couldn’t possibly be injured while sitting quietly by herself.

Date: 9/14/22 | CC: #a37e05
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─────Looking over in Alma’s direction, Avery offers a bright smile and an enthusiastic nod. “For sure!” At the hand extended for a high five, she swings a little closer to complete a relatively light high five. No need to go unbalancing either of them midair for the sake of showing too much enthusiasm in the action.

As she listens to the other first year, Avery leans forward to rest her elbows carefully on the handle of the broom to comfortably survey the training pitch and the ground beyond. Just a year ago, all of this would have just sounded like some sort of weird fever dream. And yet, here she was now learning magic and soaring about on a broom. It’s definitely been a weird, yet most enjoyable experience since.

“Yeah, I definitely think we've got the worst out of the way. My first flying lesson, when we had to call the broom, I, uh…” she starts, trailing off with a bashful laugh. “I almost smacked myself in the face with the handle because it startled me so much I nearly missed catching it. And yet.” She lifts an arm to gesture out across the pitch below, flashing Alma a grin. “I think we’ve done pretty well for ourselves so far, all things considered.”

At the list of options, Avery ponders for a moment. “Hm. Well, I think some practice dodging might do us good in the long run. A bludger might be a bit intense for just the two of us training, so we could always just use the quaffle?” she suggested with a slight shrug. Though a bludger would probably offer the best practice, she wasn’t quite confident in being able to control the wild ball in case of something going wrong. She was more than happy to leave that to some of the more experienced players for practices for the time being. Her current bruises were reminder enough.

At mention of the upcoming game, Avery wasn’t quite able to rein in the excited smile that lit up her face. “Yeah, I’m super excited even if we don’t leave the bench! I’ve never seen a game live before, just some pictures in a couple of the books I’ve picked up.” She at least knew from the moving scenes that it would be…intense to say the least. “But yeah, I’ll be perfectly happy just staying on the bench to get a feel for everything. Especially if it means the first-string players aren’t getting knocked off brooms.” The first year tried to imagine what that feeling must be like. The thought only lasts for half a second before a shudder passes through her, her grip tightening on the handle. May be best to not think about, especially right now.

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𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Alma Stoll
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Alma listened carefully to Avery’s flying lesson story, her elbows firmly planted on her broom as she leaned forward in interest.

“I almost smacked myself in the face with the handle because it startled me so much I nearly missed catching it.”

Alma couldn’t help but let out an impulsive chuckle, quickly covering her mouth. “Sorry! Sorry, that’s just…very funny,” she giggled. “But yeah! I’m pretty sure we’ve made some good progress, seeing as we’re already flying so high off the ground.”

She nodded at Avery’s pitch about the bludgers, so thankful that she wouldn’t have to deal with them this practice. Bludgers might be her biggest fear, other than spiders. If she ever got hit by one and landed in the hospital wing with the (from what she had heard, oblivious) school nurse, certain people would get a big earful from her.

Gliding down to the pitch again, she momentarily got off of her broom and walked on over to where Avery had tossed it. She grabbed it and craned her neck to look up at the beater.

“So…I guess we just throw it at each other? Or we could make it a game? We could go back and forth and whoever gets hit first loses?”

@Avery McCall

Date: 9/14/22 | CC: #a37e05
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─────At the chuckle that escapes from the other first year, rapidly followed by an apology, Avery releases an amused laugh of her own. "Oh no, don't apologize! Being able to look back at it now that I'm not actively stewing in embarrassment I find it pretty hilarious." At the comment about their height, she takes a quick glance directly down towards the pitch. Nope, that's a mistake. She immediately looks back to Alma with a new mental note to refrain from looking straight down at the ground from now on. Talk about weird vertigo.

Sitting up straight, Avery takes a moment to twist carefully back and forth to try and stretch out a bit before they start up again. There's an almost immediate relief. As Alma returns with the quaffle, she swings to face her once more. At the prospect of making a game out of it, the a grin spreads across the beater's features. "Oh, I am absolutely down to make a game out of this." She pauses a moment to ponder how it could potentially play out. There were so many possibilities. "I think first one hit could be good. We could also use it to help with practice catching, maybe make it so that if it hits the ground before you catch it that could also be an out? Really practice those dives," she adds, chuckling.

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𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Alma Stoll
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Alma nodded at Avery’s proposal, gliding once again over to her on the pitch. She distanced herself a little until they were more than a few feet apart. Gearing up to toss it to the other girl, she paused for just a second. She adjusted her sitting position on her broom before deciding she was ready.

She circled the beater swiftly, flying around her from a distance until stopping abruptly and chucking the ball her way.

Avery would either dodge it or it would hit her. If she dodged, Alma would keep the game going for as long as she could before someone was hit.

“Alright! After this exercise, we should probably break and go back to our dorms. You’re in Plant Palace, right? I believe i’ve seen you in there!”

She flew back down and planted her feet on the ground firmly before swinging her legs off the broom. She tossed the Quaffle back to where Avery had first set it aside for practice, ready to bring it back to the locker room where they had to keep it for games and practice.

“Thank you so much again for asking me to practice with you. It was super fun! Would you mind if we..hung out again sometime?” she asked nervously. Avery was so awesome and seemed like a fantastic friend to have, Alma could definitely see them being friends as long as Avery would allow it.

Finishing up the thread - unless @Avery McCall decides to stop Alma and keep practice going

Date: 9/14/22 | CC: #a37e05
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─────Avery kept a watchful eye on Alma as she drifted through the air, seemingly searching for a good spot to start from. The small smile never wavered. When the chaser abruptly threw the ball her way, her grip on the broom handle tightened and she veered off to one side to avoid its path. Transitioning into a mostly smooth dive allowed for her to shift and scoop up the ball as it fell. Looping back to face her temporary adversary, she took a potshot of her own.

After a bit of play and one of them subsequently going ‘out’, Avery pulled up short on her broom at Alma’s call. She offers the other girl a nod as one arm lifts to idly wipe at her brow. “Sounds like a solid plan to me. And yeah! I think I’ve seen you around in there before, I’m usually in such a rush to not be late that I barely pay attention most days,” she chuckles, cheeks flushing a vibrant red. She’d get her sleeping habits under control one day. Maybe.

She follows Alma back down to the pitch and promptly dismounts her broom with a little hop. She manages to catch herself before she can stumble, playing it off as if nothing happened. Her left leg felt like it might be partially asleep. You win some, you lose some.

At the somewhat nervous question that’s posed, Avery looks away from where she had been trying to stretch her legs out to flash Alma a smile, still bright yet softened at the edges. “I’d love to!” Gathering up her things, the beater strides closer in order to lightly bump shoulders in acknowledgement if given the chance. “I really enjoyed practicing together, so thanks for sticking around. And I’d be happy to hang out with you anytime, Alma, just give the word!”

The day had already been pretty great, but the prospect of a new friend only seemed to add to the excitement of it all. Despite her nerves regarding Quidditch itself, she didn’t at all regret signing up or the opportunity it gave to, hopefully, make more friends during her time here in Scotland.

Glancing up at the castle in the distance, Avery turns to look once more at her fellow first year. “I’d offer to race you back, but I think my leg might actually fall off if we do that,” she adds with a quiet laugh. “Happy to walk back together, though.” Upon the go ahead, she takes back off across the grass at a relaxed pace.

A good day indeed.

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𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Alma Stoll
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Heading back and finishing up the thread.