The Fowlest of Curses PV Alec

Alec had hoped for a nice afternoon. He had hoped he could find himself outdoors, enjoying the weather, the breeze. He had hoped he would be able to sit and read peacefully. However, with a buzzing mind and a list of problems at least twice the length the courtyard, the setup him guaranteed to set him up for failure. His mind wandered, and the words on the pages of a book meant nothing to him. A failed time snatcher. Alec could think of duels, the start of the duelling season, or the chatty foreign kid, those ruined study notes he needed to catch up on. Those were all messes within themselves, complicated, Alec wasn't looking to make his head hurt over thinking about them. And so his mind turned to another subject, quidditch. The were games coming up, the last games of the season. Quidditch was fun and all, the hype was, there was just one teensy-tiny little problem Alec didn't know a thing about quidditch.

His most decidedly severe problem was not knowing how quidditch worked. Since not knowing how quidditch worked was clearly the basis of all his problems it became the focus of the afternoon. He had many many options to fix this problem. Ask the Librarian if there were books on quidditch, track down a roommate and interrogate them on the matter, orrrrr take his questions to someone considered qualified on the sport enough to be a captain. Alec refused to ask the librarian for quidditch books, and either his dormmates hated him or he deemed them to strange to try and interrogate, and so he was left with only one option.
---
Having got a tip from some other students about where Evelynn might be, Alec headed towards the lake. It was supposedly known to be one of her usual spots. The supposed would be right as he made his way towards the lake and spotted the girl sitting on a tree root with ease. As he walked towards the tree root, Alec rehearsed what he planned to say in his head. His plan for his script had been getting straight to the point. The faster he asked the faster he could get answers and the less painfully embarrassing it would be for everyone involved. Second-hand embarrassment and all, right? He could do this just a few simple questions, no big deal. She wouldn't even remember he'd asked them. At least he hoped not...

"Can I help you, Mason?"

Alec's gaze snapped to attention at the sound of a voice and he would realize he was already at the tree root. The third-year's expression soured and his breath did a sharp intake, at the recognition of his last name. Alec preferred to stay away from his last name. As of recent, it had become a situation of him not wanting the reminder of those he was related too. He had become numb to the use of it in classes. But outside of that specific environment he was never able to properly prepare himself for it. His would fall onto his shoes and he stood awkwardly, dead silent. The last name conversation was not one he was going to start. He wanted to get back on track, focus on the quidditch one. That was when he realized he'd forgotten his whole script.

One of Alec's hands went to rub the back of his his neck, alright, starting off not so great. “U-um... yes actually-” Alec was put on the spot, like normal human interactions. He was starting to have regrets. This was a terrible idea. He should have gone for books in the library, at least he didn't have to start this conversation with one of his peers. Except he'd already started it, and there was no backing out now, and everything was incredibly doomed. “I have some questions about quidditch.” Normal, good he was normal sounding. And he would be continue to sound normal if not for the question he was going to ask. He swallowed. “Well, it's- it's just one question,” Get on with it, you're dragging this out further than it needs to be dragged out. His eyes would look up to meet Evelynn's. Alec's eyebrows furrowed as he began to speak “how does quiddtich work?” Alec's face would tint a shade of red. Asking how quidditch worked stung more than hearing his last name.

“I-I would- I would ask someone else. but I heard you were here. I thought maybe I could stop by and ask. I wanted to be able to watch the upcoming game with Gryffindor.” Alec's arms fell behind his back where he fidgeted with his hands. He usually wasn't this nervous, there was a part of him that worried he looked foolish asking how the game worked. Was it something everybody was supposed to understand? Was he the only one who didn't get it? How bad did it look that as a third-year student, despite all his time at Hogwarts, Alec had not once taken the time to sit down and figure out how rules of quidditch? He was hoping an explanation wouldn't take long, she seemed busy, he didn't know if he was bothering her by asking questions, and making her wait for him to ask because he'd forgotten his script and... He was stopping there. No more of that. Alec recognized he was spiraling. He couldn't let himself get into his head too much.

@Evelynn Decipio

Unaware that her peer had been deeply invested in his thoughts, Evelynn cast him a peculiar, almost impatient expression as the sound of his name snapped him to attention, yielding nothing but silence for a moment. Head tilting, she straightened in her seat, taking advantage of the moment to scrutinize him properly. Eyes narrowed as they darted across his face to take specific note of the shape of his jaw and nose, the relative sizes of his features and appearance of any unique markings.

For all she knew, the raising of his hand to rub at the back of his neck was a subconscious anxious reaction under the weight of her stare, but it would hardly dissuade that gaze from dipping from his face. It prowled his form, taking note of the way he stood, the style of his clothing, the accessories he wore and the manner in which he carried himself. By the way she shamelessly assessed his appearance, he may as well have been a piece of marble at a gallery carved for her singular appraisal. And it wouldn't be until his lips finally parted to offer the start of a stuttering response that she would peel her gaze back up to meet his.

"...yes?" she prompted, arms shifting to lift one hand to fall over the other atop her closed journal in the image of a proper little lady.

"That is rather the question indeed..." would come the almost reproachful reply, brows flaring at the sheer scope of his inquiry. Of course, a sense of smug satisfaction left her internally preening at the thought that of everyone he could have sought to ask about the inner workings of the sport, he'd sought to siphon the knowledge from her. And rightly so. Who better to ask than a tenured player and—now—captain?

"Well..." Lips pursed in false consideration at his grand imposition, and she would allow a silence to fall. Its weight, heavy on the air between them, would lift as she spoke up again, "I suppose I might have the time to spare. You had best take a seat, though, I think. I do not expect this to be a brief venture, and you may as well make yourself comfortable." A hand would ply itself from the other long enough to gesture to a space nearby.

"Have you never watched any of our games?" she wondered, hoping to gain at least some measure of where his foundation of knowledge on the sport rested, and perhaps more than a little slighted at the lack of a more robust support. "Or read Quidditch Through the Ages? Really, that could be a decent start if ever you were wanting to properly expand your understanding..." she admitted, pulling her hand back to return it to its previous resting place. "...but I suppose you are here now, and I hardly mind explaining it for you. But it would be helpful to know what you do know." And then as somewhat an afterthought, "If anything at all."

The way Evelynn carried herself was intimidating to Alec. He didn't know whether to call her aloof and cold, or the type of person who projects a certain self-assured confidence. If he hadn't felt nervous before the way her gaze shamelessly bored into him would have been enough. She took no mind in the way she looked over him, as if assessing each and every one of his features carefully. Alec was perpetually anxious, and the thought of her doing such couldn't help but make Alec want to squirm. It was a relief that by the time he had noticed anything he'd already been able to ask his question. And was receiving an answer quickly enough that he couldn't be in his head, or so he thought.

"That is rather the question indeed... Well..."

Alec watched closely as she spoke. His watching quidditch games were hinging on whether or not she would agree to teach him about the game, and it was important, he'd seen the big deal people made of quidditch games. She pursed her lips as if to think about it, the silence sat heavily as Alec waited. He was wondering how hard of a decision it was to explain quidditch to a person because of the silent seconds, but let the thought flow away from his mind when he finally received an answer.

"I suppose I might have the time to spare. You had best take a seat, though, I think. I do not expect this to be a brief venture, and you may as well make yourself comfortable."

A smile edged onto the third-year's lips. Coming over here was officially not a waste of time. Alec dared not dote on the concerns in the back of his head which were asking how long a 'not brief venture' meant. Evelynn gestured for Alec to take sit nearby, he gratefully took a seat nearby on the grass. He was excited, he could already imagine himself participating on conversations about quidditch; not having to make stuff as he went to pretend he knew what he was talking about. Admittedly, he was starting to get wary of the strange looks he was getting when he spoke to the people who knew what they were talking about.

"Have you never watched any of our games? Or read Quidditch Through the Ages?"

Had Alec ever watched a quidditch game? Or read that one quidditch book? Well, technically, no. In his defense he'd read the cover of the book! And then decided he would grab something on duelling instead... Also he did go to the games, he just didn't watch them. Him, brooms, and heights were not agreeable. He figured since he'd been able to watch broom racing just fine, he would give quidditch a try once again. Alec shook his head no as she spoke as asked.

"Really, that could be a decent start if ever you were wanting to properly expand your understanding... but I suppose you are here now, and I hardly mind explaining it for you. But it would be helpful to know what you do know." Evelynn paused, adding an afterthought. "If anything at all."

Alec's gaze fell onto the grass beside him, a thoughtful look on his face as he began to recall what he knew. “I know there's two teams and brooms.” Obviously. The young teen didn't want too sound oblivious, he knew some things. “There are bludgers that could knock people off their brooms.” Alec thought bludgers to be the most gruesome thing about quiddtich, and had a hard time understanding why it was necessary when players risked injury. One would think enough angry parents writing to the school would have them make some revisions. Bludgers were one of the many reasons he was never playing quidditch, another was that he didn't know how, but it was one reason he would be losing. “Some people use bats.” He wanted to say more, but as he tried to search for something else to say on the matter he found nothing.

“I think that's all I know.” He was beginning to question of he knew what he thought what he knew. Alec looked over from the grass to Evelynn, he would squint as he looked at her, “can bludgers actually knock you off your broom?” Alec thought it was a question of the utmost important. His reasons had to have been based on valid logic, right? He had no idea where he'd heard bludgers could knock people off their brooms in the first place.

@Evelynn Decipio

There were some students with whom Evelynn rarely—if ever—interacted. Generally speaking, such a lapse could be explained by simple lack of opportunity. Perhaps they shared no classes, were of different years, or resided in different Houses. None of those were adequate excuses when it came to this one. Not only did the prefect share a year with this one, she shared a House. And yet, she could recall no significant interactions with him.

At first, she'd thought perhaps it was merely circumstantial. An unfortunate oversight. But as she spoke, she quickly came to realize there was little surprise as to why. It was like speaking to a wall. The hint of a smile had tugged at his lips when she had offered he take a seat. And he had complied. But since that, there had been little to no reaction. Not at first, anyway. It hadn't been until she had finally quieted that his direction of sight had shifted to the ground, his countenance thoughtful for a time before he spoke his piece.

"Yes... there are two teams and brooms." Her amusement punctuated that response with an airy chortle that she had quickly cut off.

Perhaps she was being too judgemental. Here was a boy that seemed to actually be taking the time to think before speaking. Wasn't that all she could ever really hope for in a conversational companion? Had recklessness and impropriety really grown so rampant that it had been normalized? Shoving such nonsense from her mind, however, she narrowed in on the current moment, giving Mr. Mason her full attention as he traipsed the boundary of caution and vulnerability to express his (limited) understanding of the sport.

"Well, you do at least know some things," she allowed, shrugging a brow and meeting his squinting gaze with a glint within her own. "And yes.." A certain level of sobriety settled into her tone. "Yes, bludgers certainly can knock you from a broom, especially if sent by certain individuals. Healy, for example, is well known for bludgers that may as well have been fired from a canon. I do not recommend finding yourself at the receiving end of one of those."

"All right, well.." How best to start.. Her gaze had fallen off to the side, fixed briefly upon the flap of her bookbag. "I suppose the basics are in order, then," she began, leaning to flip open its lid and rummage around inside. Her arm disappeared up to its shoulder, indicating that the inside was quite clearly more expansive than what external dimensions may have suggested. When she pulled it free, she reached forward to offer her peer her copy of Quidditch Through the Ages. "In case you are more of a visual learner and would like to follow along.." she explained with a flourish of her hand.

"There are three types of balls. The bludger, of which you are aware, is one of them. These are black iron balls effectively akin to canonballs. There are two of them, and they are enchanted to fly around the pitch with the goal of knocking players off their brooms. If left to their own volition, they will do so without regard as to whom, flying to whoever is nearest and most convenient. It is the job of a beater, those players with the bats, to protect their teammates and bat the bludgers away from them. In addition to that, they will attempt to strike the bludgers at opposing players to hurry along their falls. This is probably the most dangerous part of the game."

There was that one saying about being hit by a bludger. Evelynn had practically confirmed it's truthfulness and use when she spoke. Saying they could and with a certain individual it could have been as if the bludger were fired from a cannon. Alec nose scrunched and he grimaced at the mental image of a person falling from the broom via a bludger, a bludger that seemed like it could have been fired from a canon no less. “Do people often fall off of their brooms because of bludgers?”

Evelynn's mentioned the basics were in order and reached into the bag pulling out her copy of the book Quidditch Through the Ages, offering the book for him to follow along with her words. Alec managing to get out a quick 'thanks' as he took the book. He was opening the book as she began to speak. Already, there was something he didn't know, bludgers were iron balls, interesting and ouch... He knew a bludger could knock a person off their broom. He couldn't imagine how much it hurt to be hit with one at high speeds. Bludgers, and bludgers at high speeds, now two great reasons for why he was never doing quidditch. At least he had less to worry about when he was watching from the stands. Bats and beaters... The bludgers... Evelynn finished explaining both bludgers and beaters, and Alec closed Quidditch Through the Ages looking over at her.

Alec was grinning, though his eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as he began to speak, trying to make sure he'd understood what she'd said correctly. “So... bludgers hit the players, beaters hit the bludgers away from teammates; beaters can also hit the bludgers towards members of the opposing team.” In theory, the concept seemed simple. Alec remembered Evelynn had mentioned it was probably the most dangerous part of the game. “Dangerous,” Alec repeated affirmingly followed by a laugh and a nod, “it seems slightly gruesome, but I think I understand the point.”

Alec was thinking back, again trying to remember what he knew about Quidditch and he settled on something else to add amidst the comment the gruesome comment. “There are people without bats, meaning more positions than being a beater,” Evelynn would know that however Alec had never himself put much thought into it. Raising an eyebrow Alec looked at Evelynn questioningly, “I assume you're not a beater?” When Alec spoke he tried to tread carefully in his asking, wary of the possible implications. She could have been a beater, and it was nothing against Evelynn personally she just... didn't look like she was a beater, because ... you know... agh- had no idea how to phrase it in a way that didn't sound bad. Getting over the implications, he decided he had something more to add onto his question. “You said there were three types of balls, the beater deals with the bludger; do the other two go to separate positions as well?”

@Evelynn Decipio

"Yes they do." The answer to his question on the frequency of bludger-fallen players was delivered without hesitation. The reality was that sometimes quidditch felt more like a game of shuntbumps than it did quidditch.. There would be no sugar-coating on that matter, and if ever he came to spectate a match after this, he would soon learn that truth for himself. If that would deter an average student, though, it seemed to have little effect on this one.

"Correct on all accounts," came the assurance of his beater-bludger summary. Barely scratching the surface in what would like promise to be a lengthy conversation and already a broad smile had spread across his face. At least he seemed invested in the learning. That was more than could be said of most of her pupils... "Yes," she would again answer a moment later. "There are four types of players, in fact. And no," she chuckled, "I am not a beater.

"Well.. not anymore." A rather conspiratorial smirk appeared with the shrug of her brow as though shrugging away the memory of a particularly foolish decision. Which was entirely accurate. "Few would likely know this, but I was actually first brought on to the Gryffindor Quidditch Team as a beater. I did not find it a terribly difficult position. It is not so dissimilar from muggle baseball if you are familiar with the sport. I am actually a decent shot with aiming the bludgers, but as I am sure you can imagine..." In a self-aware moment, she took both hands to gesture up and down the length of her own torso. "...I lacked power behind the swings."

"So to answer your question.." Her hands were back upon her lap again, folded neatly upon it. "Yes, the other two get separate positions as well. The second type of ball is what we call the quaffle. It is red, leather, approximately the size of..." Hands lifted just long enough to roughly demonstrate its size before dropping yet again. "...a watermelon I suppose, but rounded with evenly dispersed concave pock-marks to ease gripping. You might equate it to a football. It is what is used to score goals through the large iron hoops I am sure you have seen at either end of the pitch. One goal with this nets the team ten points, and it is the job of the chasers—of whom there are three on either team—to race against each other in the quaffle grab to first grab the quaffle, and then pass it back and forth to out manoeuvre the other team trying to steal possession of it, and eventually drive it past the keeper—the third type of player that guards the hoops—to score goals for their team."

Pausing, she would take a moment to gauge Mason's attention and interest level. "Simple enough thus far?"

The Gryffindor had casually admitted broom-falling via bludger was in fact not a rare occurrence. Alec couldn't help but wonder how much it was costing the hospital wing with possible injuries to keep quidditch games going. Alec was assured he was correct when he went through the motions of a play-by-play of what he'd heard, and also received confirmation that Evelynn was not a beater. Although she didn't stop at telling him she wasn't a beater, she had more.

Alec tilted his head to the side, “you played as a beater? I wouldn't have guessed.” He spoke, knowing it had to not be a new comment with the way she mentioned people not likely to know. “It's interesting... Your experience being a beater has to help you with whatever you do now. Presumably even a beater has to be somewhat evasive.” Suddenly, he looked at Evelynn sheepishly, “or at least in lending lenience when a beater can't bat away a bludger in time,” Alec joked. Evelynn compared it to muggle baseball, something Alec vaguely knew of, however not enough to understand her comparison.

The conversation switched, be brought back on track after the halt due to questions. Alec didn't once go back to Quidditch Through the Ages as he listened to Evelynn speak. Preferring listening instead of the visuals. She had been able to get through a ball and two more position before she stopped to check on Alec, seemingly making sure he was keeping up with what she was saying. Alec was enthusiastic in learning, surely the fact that he was still smiling had to be a good sign. “Keepers keep the opposing team's chasers from scoring into their goals with the quaffle. If the chasers make it into the goal, it's ten points.” He recalled to show he was paying attention.

Alec shrugged “It seems easy enough to understand.” He was held up by a question, “Is there a certain amounts of points to win the game? Or...” Alec quieted, unsure when he planned to add after his 'or'. His question felt like the only reasonable one when introducing a points system into the mix, then again, “you said there were four positions and three types of balls, what are the last ones?” Perhaps the next bits of information could offer more insight. The game had taken a surprising twist already when Alec only found himself familiar with the dangerous aspects. Quidditch felt less like watching people get hit with bludgers, which he was sure was the not the reason people wanted to wait quidditch games.

@Evelynn Decipio

Once again, Evelynn had to marvel internally at the oddity of th4e moment. Eye contact and interest were well maintained throughout her explanations. Not once did she have to wave her hand in front of the boy's face to recapture his attention, and each answer to a question was met with thoughtful reflection and the occasional extrapolating query. It was... refreshing, to say the least. Too often, it was like pulling teeth to maintain focus or deliver a successful lesson. If only everyone were as captivated..

"Correct again," she smiled, pleased by his accurate summary. Granted, nothing she had explained had been particularly complicated and even the most junior among them should have been able to follow easily along. But the bar had been set pretty low among her peers, with her expectations dragged down to match.

"There is not a specific amount of points required to win a game, no," she shook her head slightly. "Instead, the game ends under specific conditions and the totals at that time are compared to determine the winner. And as you may be suspecting, it is the fourth ball that has to do with that."

"This..." Once more, Evelynn would reach into her shoulder bag, and again her arm would disappear to her elbow. This time, however, she wouldn't have to rummage around long before withdrawing. When she did, she had clasped a shiny golden metallic ball gingerly within her fingers. "...is called the snitch. It is roughly based on a magical bird called the snidget. A flighty little thing, it has wins that unfold— Ah, yes, just like that."

Fragile silver wings had unfurled themselves from around the ball revealing some intricate engravement upon its under surface. They seemed to air themselves out for a moment before starting like a hummingbird's wings, practically disappearing with the speed at which they flapped. Evelynn's grip would tighten.

"Dreadfully swift, and capable of reversing direction in an instant, it flies about the pitch during a quidditch game with the sole purpose of avoiding detainment. It is the seekers job—my job—to catch it. Managing to entrap this ball earns the captor's team one hundred and fifty points. It is also one of the conditions to end a game. The other being the moment there are no seekers remaining."

"And that..." Her gaze would train in on the relentless struggling of the snitch against her enclosed fingers. "...is ultimately the explanation for the basic rules and objectives of the game. From here I could go on to explain common strategies, foul moves, specific methods of cheating to watch for, the strengths and weaknesses of the various House teams, etcetera.." Her free hand would flourish itself in the air to accentuate the general lengthiness of the list. Lifting her focus just slightly to peer out to Mason from above the upper lip of the snitch, she would wait to gauge his continued interest.

No specific amount of points to win, and he was still missing a good amount of information about the game. In that case, everything else ought to explain it. Evelynn mentioned the third type of ball, and eluded to having it with her. Alec sat up straighter as she rummaged through her bag, eventually she would pull out the third type of ball. It was smaller than the rest, small enough that it fit perfectly within one hand. Alec's eyes lit up at the sight of the ball; golden in color and somewhat shiny, Evelynn called it a snitch. Other than it's size, the snitch fit right in -or well, it would have. Had Alec never found out that this ball had “wings?” He whispered in surprise, watching as the wings began to reveal themselves and flap. Evelynn said the ball was dreadfully swift, and upon hearing those words Alec nodded eyes-wide, returning a look that could only say 'you don't have to tell me twice'. It was fast and could move and get away easily, all to avoid being caught. Which was exactly where the job of seeker came in, catching the ball, if they managed to catch it, the ball was worth a lot of points, at least a lot more compared to chaser goals. Catching the snitch was one condition to end the game.

“you play as a seeker. That makes sense,” it made more sense than trying to fit her anywhere else. Alec's eyes focused in on the snitch in Evelynn's hand, “it's very different from the rest of the game,” Alec hadn't noticed until now, the way Evelynn's grip tightened onto the snitch when it's wings begin to flap. The snitch was such a fun idea, a ball that plays keep-away, and from the way Evelynn was holding onto it, a ball that plays keep-away incredibly well. “It's a fun twist, I like it.” Alec laughed, “the only downside is how hard it looks to hold onto,”

He was surprised, his quidditch learning session was going far better than he had expected it would. Evelynn was an amazing teacher, and everything she explained about quidditch was easy to follow. She made it fun, and it was certainly easier than trying to keep his attention focused on a book without getting distracted. Face-to-face interactions were more engaging, Alec imagined if he'd poured his time into looking through a book like quidditch through the ages, he would have made it worthless in his tendency to get distracted or bored and quit half-way through. You couldn't ask a book questions and get exact answers- actually you could, but, Quidditch Through the Ages wasn't that magical.

Alec thought they were done, but Evelynn mentioned there was also things like common strategies, foul moves, methods of cheating(not how to do it, how to spot it), the list was long enough that Alec didn't end up catching anything she said after that point. “...There's more?” Of course there is more! Alec's face flushed lightly, clearly it was not the most intellectual question to ask. “Thank you, you're explanation of the game was helpful,” Alec decided eventually he would have to branch off and look for quidditch book in the library he could try to read. It wouldn't be today, but it would have to be before the game. Alec didn't think he would last long enough to listen to everything Evelynn could say.

In order to not waste either of their time the best option was to conclude now. However, Alec was curious, perhaps he had the ability to maintain his focus for a little longer.

“Do you- um... Do you have the time to explain a strategy or two?”

@Evelynn Decipio