I want to play sports too PV June Selwyn FINISHED

Just five more seconds, all she needed was to shave five more seconds of her time and she'd reach her goal. Her eyes trained on the goal posts ahead of her, she leaned forward, pushing her broom just a bit faster than she usually would.

The losing streak was getting to her. The murmurs and whispers she'd heard about her captaincy weren't much better, her housemates weren't particularly pleased at the reputation their racing team had gained, but the losses were by far the worst part. It seemed no amount of study, no amount of strategizing, was going to help them. She just needed to be fast, that was the only answer. Well, her and the rest of the team.

"Excuse me,"

Huh?

June passed the goal posts, glancing down at her stopwatch that she had charmed to stick to her broom to help with training. 2 seconds too slow. Damn.

Not giving herself the time to rest in defeat, she turned her head toward the unfamiliar voice. A vision? Was this a seer? The small voice in her head told her it was likely a cruel joke, but at this point June was confident enough to hold her own in case of something going awry.

She pointed her broom downwards, slowly descending before hopping off her Silver Arrow. "A vision, you say?" She lifted her eyebrows, partly curious and partly skeptic. This was sure to be interesting.

Tommy was shocked it had worked. He was finally able to talk to someone who could potentially guide him on how to join a sports team. Although when the student approached, he recognized her as the team captain for broom racing @June Selwyn. He knew a little about the losing streak the racing team had been on, hearing murmurs from the common room, and since he was already going to lie, he figured a white lie for a confidence boost would be best.

"Ah yes, you're June Selwyn, correct? The team captain for our house's broom racing team" Tommy began and trying to settle any doubt that June may have he continued before she could answer him "You see I have been a seer since I was a babe and have made countless predictions of the fut foreseen I have foreseen you ending the dreaded losing streak we are currently on. However, in this vision you were guiding me, in a mentorship if you will, to my own sporting career." At this point Tommy knew it better than to look for any signs of doubt, as he would often lie to the neighbourhood kids about his ability, and seeing doubt would often result in him messing up his lie. "You see, I foresaw myself as a renown chaser for house Slytherin and that you would be the spark to ignite this journey, but perchance that you are not the spark, then I fear that the losing streak may continue as if one part is wrong who is to say if any of it at all is correct". With this, Tommy hoped to twist any doubt June would have on his lie into doubt about not believing it. Maybe Tommy was sorted into the correct house after-all. This certainly felt like Tommy's truest Slytherin moment since being sorted.

Uh huuuh..." June couldn't lie, it was nice to hear someone believe that the racing team would see a win. But, something about this felt off. The girl was a Slytherin, after all, she knew the signs of someone bluffing. "So, my team's losing streak will come to an end if I help you be a chaser?" June shifted her weight. "Well, I do know a thing or two about the position. Never lost a game I was a chaser in, even though I don't play much. Most of my friends are chasers, too."

She gave the boy a once-over. He was just a hair shorter than her, his build seemed like it could handle the sharp maneuvers required for quidditch, and his face... Merlin, and she thought Avery's visage was unfriendly sometimes.

The third-year extended her hand. "That's right, I'm June Selwyn. You're lucky that you ran into me and not my co-captain Vale. You're what, a second year?" It was a bit intimidating to be recognized for her captaincy, but this is what she wanted, right? Reputation?

June would give a curt nod as he introduced himself. "Right, well, at this point I'll take almost anything I can to give me an edge for this next race. You ever flown on a broom before? Not one of the ones Professor Lin uses for flying class, I mean a real broom. Unless you plan on duelling, you'll need to learn how to handle one."

"Sorry let me be clear, not just any chaser, THE CHASER". Tommy boastfully exclaimed as he puffed out his chest and flexed. "A perfect career is nothing to scoff at. I knew after one look at you that you could teach me everything I need to know". Tommy was convinced she had believed his prophecy and, who knows, maybe this would be one of the few times it would come true, which would be even more beneficial for him in the long run.

"Well @ June Selwyn , I am actually a first year, and as for flying on a real broom. No, never. But with you as a teacher and mentor, how could I possibly f-f-fail?" Tommy's voice began to waiver when he realized he may be a little out of his comfort zone, but he knew he had to force himself to do things he was not used to if he wanted to grow as a person and June seemed nice enough.

After a moment of hesitation, Tommy quickly regained his composure. "So what's the secret lesson plan? I'm ready for anything and everything. I'll do it no matter what it takes. Come on, you gotta believe in me for both of our futures. Then when I impress you, you'll have no choice but to think 'wow I HAVE to introduce this student to my chaser friends'". Tommy truly did believe if he could muster his unique form of charisma and charm, he could make his upper classman believe in him. His eyes were brimming with hope to his future as a chaser and finding a mentor to help him along the way.

June cocked a smile. Well, this kid certainly was ambitious. The serpentine house suited him well. "Alright then, first year." Goodness, June was now aware that even though she had grown, she still wasn't exactly tall. "What's your name, future chaser champion?"

She felt a small pang in her heart as she saw Tommy's confidence waiver for a moment as he thought about the height. "Okay, well, you should have enough of the basics by now from flying class. You haven't been skipping, have you?" With a moment's hesitation, June passed her Silver Arrow to the young snake. "This is going to be a lot faster than what you're used to, but don't push yourself. Being a chaser is more about accuracy than speed."

She flipped through her mental files of flying, a place she went often nowadays. Hell, this wasn't even the first flying lesson she'd given at this point. "Right, get on, go ahead. Weight placed just behind the center, there you go. Why don't you show me a lap? Maybe weave through the goalposts when you pass them, then I can get an idea of your maneuverability. I'll have Spongify on standby in case you fall, so follow Professor Lin's teaching and stay calm, yeah?"

Tommy's face beamed with glee. "Tommy Patterson, don't wear the name out. You'll be hearing it a lot in the future. If I had a quill and paper, I'd give you my first autograph if only I had a quill and paper, but that can wait until we get back to the common room."

For the first time in the conversation, Tommy could give an answer that he knew was true. "No, I would never skip classes" This WAS true, however, Tommy did just so happen to leave out that he transferred into Hogwarts late and was incredibly behind on his classes due to this.

Trying to Impress June, Tommy began by investigating the broom. This was the first safety rule of broom riding AND the most forgotten. The condition, as expected, was impeccable. Tommy then checked his surroundings for any potential obstacles. Obviously, being in the middle of the training field, an EXTREMLY open space, there were none.

Tommy put the broom to on his right-hand side "Up!". Hopping onto the broom, he started to zip through the air at a higher speed than anticipated. Finally, he felt what he had craved, the rush of wind in his hair. Tommy, wanting to impress June, emboldened himself to try stunting. What could go wrong? If he believed enough in his lie, maybe it would come true. Tommy pulled up sharply on the broom, flying up into a steep right angle, flying higher and higher. When he felt he gained a respectable amount of altitude, he began to fly across the training ground upside down towards June. Tommy was unsure if this feat was impressive, so he dared to go even further.

Tommy pulled down on the broom while twisting to the side. He was attempting to do a back-to-back loop-the-loop while spinning 360 degrees like in a helix. The first loop and helix was successful, but the centripetal force grew too great during the second loop and he was flung off the broom, crashing into the ground. His brief wizarding life flashed before his eyes, despite trying to be manly, he let out a childish (if not feminine sounding) squeal.

Although the upper year had assured him that she would have Spongify on at the ready if he was to fall in the rush of all the excitement he had forgotten. He landed on what he expected to be hard body crushing dirt but was pleasantly encased by the soft spongy ground that formed around him. "Well maybe that was a little too much, but you see, I am destined to be a star. What do you say @June Selwyn, will you be my mentor?"

JThis kid was certainly self-assured. It could be worse, at least he was interesting. She gave a soft chuckle as he introduced himself. "Well, Tommy Patterson, show me what you've got."

June stood to the side as the first year inspected her broom. Ah, the sign of a young flier. She watched as he mounted her broom and zipped into the sky, clearly not used to such a reactive broom.

She cupped her hands around her mouth as she tried to cry up to Tommy. "Careful up there! She's a bit sensitive on the left turns, I've got some maintenance I need to do on it today." Hopefully, he heard her, but it shouldn't matter anyway, surely he wouldn't do anything crazy.

Surely not.

June did not know a lot about 12-year-old boys.

Her jaw dropped in a mix of amazement and horror as she saw him pull himself and her broom into multiple inversions, spinning all the while. "He definitely did not hear me," she muttered to herself. Once she saw him slip, she grabbed her wand and pointed it at the ground where he was falling.

"Spongify!" Her head whipped in the other direction, only focused on finding her broom now, as the kid had flung it into the sky. Felt like a seeker, she did, as her eyes darted to and fro. Ah, there it was.

"Accio," she pulled the broom back, the neck of it flying into her hand with a satisfying snap. She turned back to Tommy, happy to see him safe and sound on the spongy ground.

"Destined to live in a bed in the hospital wing is more like it if you intend to fly like that with bludgers flying around," June reached out a hand, offering to help him up. "But you have courage, that's for sure. It's an important trait that most forget and can't really be taught. Mentor... Hmm, it's an interesting thought." The blonde Slytherin thought for a moment. "I'll tell you what, once this next race is over, my time opens up a lot more. Talk to me then with a better broom than a school broom, and we'll see what happens. Borrow someone's if you need to, doesn't matter what it is."

Tommy's face beamed with glee for two reasons. The first, and more important, he was not crushed into oblivion by gravity after falling to the ground. The second, he had secured an instructor and trainer for quidditch. All that was left was to secure a broom, a small task for someone of his wit. Of course, he would use every tool in his arsenal to make this happen. Lying, the tool he most used, would likely be of little to no use for this task. He would resort to the most desperate of solutions.

Tommy would grovel, beg, plead, and sob. It didn't matter who it was, he would worship the ground they walk on if they would provide him a broom. Desperate times call for the most desperate of measure. The sacrifice of pride would be of little consequence. Well, it would be if Tommy had any pride at all.

Tommy thought of what June had said to him. Are hospital beds comfortable? Surely he would find out eventually if he pursued quidditch. It was, after all, a dangerous sport. Was he cut out for the potential danger? Well, Tommy knew he could take a hit from personal experience with the other kids in his neighbourhood. Maybe he could even dish out a hit.

"Thank you for this opportunity. I will not let you down." Tommy bowed before turning around and leaving the girl to practice. "Best of luck, not that you will need it for the next match." The extent of this lie Tommy did not realize, by the time the match began, Tommy would be riddled with anxiety, barely holding any composure until the final results were known.

Interacting with: @June Selwyn

OOC: Thanks for the thread, looking forward to the post game thread