A golden opportunity Finished

Practice was rough. Barely into the school year and you already had to start getting back into the swing of training for things like not getting thrown off your broom, working with your team, and of course, catching that stupid snitch in his case.

He gave a long sigh, giving the pitch one last half hearted look around for the elusive thing. He already missed summer. Yeah seeing friends and learning magic was ok and all but you know what the real magic was? Naps. He wanted a nap. Hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it all throughout practice and sure that might’ve impacted his success a little bit a lot but hey! At least he’d shown up. That had to count for something right?

Surely it did, and he planned on treating himself by finding a nice soft spot on the ground to take a well-deserved nap because practice was over, and that snitch could bite his-

-a small swish of air behind him; he went to turn only to make a gutted sound as something slammed into him from behind, hard. His broom clattered to the ground, feet stumbling as a pair of arms wrapped around his neck, awkward and tight enough to almost choke him as his eyes immediately locked onto the familiar gold clutched in the others hand. “Wha-” something like a strangled yelp cut off his words as the extra weight finally pitched him off his feet; he knew that voice. But they were falling, Elsian slamming into the ground with a pained hiss not unlike a cat as a certain annoying Chaser crushed him with his fat head that was undoubtedly filled with bloody rocks!

Because he knew that annoying voice.

The team was gonna need a new 2nd string Chaser, because Elsian was about to kill him.

“Finnegan you absolute ass!” he hissed, immediately scrambling to throw the other off.

Which was hard to do with the others knobby knees practically stabbing his sides. But Elsian was nothing if not determined, at least for the moment, after being so brutally backstabbed right before his hard earned nap; he wasn’t going to let a bit of pain keep him down. “Get off me!” He aimed for the others side and elbowed back hard, taking the care to really dig his elbow in there! Jabbing turned into shuffling and a mad scramble as Elsian used the moment to grab his broom and shove Finnegan away with another well aimed smack, this time with the broom! Watching the other boy gain his bearings, maybe sit up, perhaps even get a single word in…

Only to immediately tackle the Finn right back.

Y’know, as one did to get even.

“Merlin, do you got a bludger for a brain?” He shoved Finn back with a huff, jabbing a finger into the boy's forehead as he spoke. “Or did it knock all your screws loose? Is that it? tackling me midair! Gimme that-” He raised a hand smack at the others fingers to try and pry that stupid bloody snitch from the others boy's fingers upon sight of what started this, and when that didn’t work? Quickly turning into the beginnings of another miserable wrestling match? Elsian smacked him with the broom.

The bottom of the broom smacked into Finn's face, cutting off any of the boy's words with a dull whack. “Sorry did you say something?” he asked rhetorically, lifting the broom-

-and immediately hitting Finn again with a grin.

With one hand he went for the snitch again, half waving, half randomly swinging the broom at Finn with the other. Mostly half-heartedly aiming for the other boy's face when possible.

F I N N E G A Nx⳧xC O N N E R

☙ A golden opportunity, 8th of September 2023 ❧

For three glorious seconds, he had the upper hand. His bright laughter was broken up by the jabs being thrown at his sides and stomach, only to resume at every pause in the onslaught. There was an akwward moment of half hanging on to Elsian's shoulder with one gloved hand before he was finally thrown off. With a grunt, he landed flat on his back in the tickly grass.

For a short moment he lay there, shaking and wheezing uncontrollably. Tears welled up in his eyes, but not from pain, his padded Quidditch gear had made sure of that. He tried to say something but like a fish out of water, he produce no comprehensible sound, just ragged, high-pitched laughter.

He tried propping himself back up on his elbows but was immediately remarried to the ground when Elsian slammed into him, knocking the air from his lungs. The older boy hardly had to pry the snitch from his hand, his grip and arms had gone completely limp like spaghetti. Honestly, he didn't much care for it and neither - it seemed - did his beloved teammate. "You-" he squealed, and that was all that he was allowed to say before he was introduced to the rear end of Elsian's broom.

One hit, he was still laughing. Two hits, it slowed. By the third, he was still grinning like an oaf but at least willed his arms into half-heartedly shielding his face. "Love" smack "you" smack "too," he giggled. Though Elsian wasn't doing a lot of damage, Finnegan much preferred the soft tickle of the grass to clipped twigs scratching his face. For a while he wriggled and squirmed, trying to dodge the incoming blows while he sneakily drew up his legs in the meantime. Without warning he coiled up his legs and-

-kicked up hard. Right against the boy's stomach, smearing grime and dirt all over his pretty little outfit. Whether he managed throw the boy aside completely or just startle him, it was enough to crawl out from under the upperyear's weight. A wink later he was back up on his pins, staggering backward in an attempt to put some safe distance between himself and his teammate. "You seemed a little sleepy," he smiled mischievously. "Oh, did Pax tell you yet?" The pause was deliberate.

"I'm back to the core line-up," he grinned. "Keep my seat warm, will ya?" He stuck out his tongue and should Elsian decide to charge him again, he'd let him, only to spin on his leg at the last moment so that he would end up on top. He still had a score to settle after all.

Stamina 10 ✶ Evasion 10 ✶ Strength 2 ✶ Wisdom 3 ✶ Arcane Power 5 ✶ Accuracy 10

He refused to laugh, absolutely refused. It wasn’t funny, not even the tiniest bit amusing and Elsian was still annoyed. “Oh shut it,” he griped without heat, and had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from snickering at Finn's cheeky attitude.

It wasn’t funny. It wasn’t funny. It wasn’t.

He eyed the snitch in his hand, resting the broom fully on Finn's face with a hum. The thing lied there uselessly in the palm of his hand, sluggish, and not for the first time Elsian felt jealous. That could have been him, already asleep but noooo…his team mate just had to pick a ‘fight’. “I hate you.” He said simply and pocketed the snitch. “You’re the worst-”

A grunt of surprise cut off his words as the other's knee smacked right into his stomach in a smear of dirt over his uniform. Any pain from the hit was helpfully blocked by their gear, but even then, Elsi wouldn’t be sure the other meant to actually hurt him. But it did surprise him, it shouldn’t have, Finn was a total loon after all, but it had, and it was enough to have him flinching away and stumbling off the other when Finn began to scramble away. He glared at the other pointedly stomping down a huff of laughter before it morphed into a gasp of outrage.

“You did it just to spite me!” He shrieked dramatically. The audacity. The cruelty! Elsian had never done anything in his life to warrant this blatant bullying. “Finn you ass,” he snagged the snitch from his uniform and threw it at the other's head with a childish petulance, “just wait, I’m gonna pay the other team to target you.” He threatened as he stood up.

It was only a half serious threat, lightened by the obvious lack of heat in the words…

Ok it would be a little funny if he did but he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t!...

Probably.

But for now, he was tired, a little grumpy, and so very done with being a semi functional person. So, any possible planning of paying off the other teams to mess with Finn would sadly need to wait.

Picking up his broom he made the wise decision to ignore the other. He would leave and ignore Finn and enjoy sleeping in his bed far far away from the others and his cruel ways. But then he had to go and act so cheeky! And Elsian…well he couldn’t resist trying to get one more shove as he passed the other, suddenly knocking into the boy's shoulders with all his weight with a fond insult on the tip of his tongue.

F I N N E G A Nx⳧xC O N N E R

☙ A golden opportunity, 8th of September 2023 ❧

Ironically, the most pain Elsian managed to cause him was entirely unintentional. Something about the boy's dramatic fuming just made him double over with laughter and it hurt, it really hurt. By the time the snitch bounced off his forehead, Finnegan was clutching his abdomen with both hands and a trickle of tears, very manly tears, trickled down his flushed cheeks. When Elsian bumped past him in mock anger, it took him a few more seconds before he could finally speak again.

"Spite you? I'd- I'd never!" He didn't quite manage to match Elsian's dramatic flair, but he got close. "You can have the whole bench to yourself and sleep on there if you like. Matter fact, the way you seekers have been playing, I don't think anyone would notice the difference." A low blow? Perhaps, but if it stung then there had to be some truth to it. "I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding!"

If Elsian thought he could just walk away from his chatty team mate, he had another thing coming. "You know," Finnegan started, his voice sinking into a steady, serious tone now, "have you ever thought about trying out for Chaser?" He'd caught up to the boy and trotted alongside him like an eager puppy. "I think it suits you better, you'd probably get to play more, and you'd really drive the beaters mad." One thing about Elsian's flying was obvious to anyone who even spent a second looking at the Fifth-year Gryffindor, he was damn agile and hard to hit. "I wouldn't mind, to be honest," he lowered his voice a little there, "the others, the other Chasers I mean, they can't always keep up." It wasn't bragging if it was true, was it? Even Haley, who had two whole years on him didn't quite manage to hit her mark as often as he did. "Besides, they're not as fun as you are," he offered with an apologetic shrug.

Stamina 10 ✶ Evasion 10 ✶ Strength 2 ✶ Wisdom 3 ✶ Arcane Power 5 ✶ Accuracy 10

Oh like hell he’d never! Elsian aimed the broom for a smack to the back of the others head-

-and paused. A thoughtful look replacing the grumpy one at the thought because he really hadn’t thought about it that way…

Of course Finn had to go and be cheeky again and any possible peace was once again broken with the harsh thwack of the broom's bristles to the others head. Pointedly, and quite mercifully on his part he dare say, he lessened the force of his next 2 hits to that of a dull pat. “Yeah yeah I know,” he said not unkindly, waving away the joke. He grinned at the other, “if you weren’t I’d have just let all the bludgers loose in your room when you were asleep.”

“Kidding, kidding,” he repeated back, a mimic of the others words even as he snatched the snitch from the ground and began marching off of the field. A “maybe,” muttered under his breath.

It depended on how many bludgers he could get. Only 2 or 3 wasn’t worth the effort.

‘I’d need at least 6.’ He mused to himself. A thought to certainly keep track of just in case, you never knew when an aggressive prank war would break out after all-

Only to snap a pained look in the other boy's direction when Finn followed him and kept talking. With a dramatic groan he weakly shoved the other away as he sped up, head thrown back to stare at the sky as if seeking guidance, maybe patience to not just aim for the other boy's knees and praying it kept Finn down long enough for him to run away.

The problem was he didn’t want to run. He didn’t even want to fly. He wanted to rest, undisturbed and Finn wasn’t letting him!

“You know-” he mocked over the others voice, “I haven’t because would you look at that, I’m a seeker.” Imagine that. But he just kept going-!

Why was he so fast? He was a 2nd year. He had tiny legs. Hadn’t the other boy gotten the memo? You should be slower than your older peers out of good manners when they are trying to get away, what would your parents think? But he clearly wasn’t getting away that easily. And Elsian? He just- he just sighed, slow and pained as he gave up speed walking and went back to the comfortable crawl of a pace he usually favored as he looked at the other.

Logically Finn might’ve been right. But the thing was Elsian wasn’t like Finn, so the others logic was kind of lost on him.

Pausing he stared at the other, amused. “Bold of you to assume I won’t drop off the team the moment a better seeker tries out for the waitlist.” He laughed, turning away towards the equipment area.

He was bad at the game, didn’t hold a love for quidditch, he looked at practices with the same dread he faced for morning classes and Astronomy and overall, just wasn’t a good player. And the only reason he’d tried out, the only reason he’d gotten on the team was because there hadn’t been anyone else on 2nd string for a few spots into the new season and Elsian had felt pressured. Because it felt like a jerk move to not try out of laziness when all he had to do was sit on a bench half the game.

Elena was a good player after all. A great one! Elsian had sadly failed to realistically understand how often their team's seekers were targeted brutally however and how that meant he would be playing more often than he’d anticipated... Maybe it was partly his fault, maybe he’d enjoy the game & practice more if he talked to his team but was there really a point when he planned on dropping out the moment someone better than him showed up?

Oh ho, but if anyone thought he was going to stay on the team if a better seeker came along, they had another thing coming.

“I would mind,” he interrupted sweetly, dropping the broom to crouch down and drag out the case for the different balls. “I like my cushy spot on the bench when Elenas still in the game.” Not everyone could be a great player, some people were just mediocre and he said as much under his breath, pausing to balance on toes as he aimed a look at Finn, torn between amusement and annoyed.

Finn was pretty fast; and sturdy, sturdy enough to take a hit or 2 and had a not half bad aim. He was probably the best Chaser they had right now, but he was also a little shit and was totally failing the whole ‘team’ thing Elsi was pretty sure should be a must with the people you work with. Finn could probably become a good player, a really good player in a few years…but maybe not as a captain or tactics guy.

“You’re pretty fast, and even got a good aim. I'll give you that. But you should probably work on your strategy.” Finn would just need to practice harder, or better yet, work with the team he already had if he wanted better results. “I’ll leave the chasing to you. It’s like you said, with the way we seekers have been playing, pretty sure it wouldn’t make much difference,” he teased.


Couldn’t keep up, he said. “Maybe you should slow down so they can get to your level then,” he shot back “or maybe they can’t see past your fat head-” Oh, oh, oh he didn’t like that. More fun than the others didn’t translate well to his quiet, mostly left alone lifestyle when it came to Quidditch. He did the bare minimum, followed plans and stayed outta the way. This is how he survived sports. He would die otherwise. He was sure of it and Finn was here making threats.

He narrowed his eyes at the other, frowning. “I’m not fun. I’m the opposite of fun. Like misery, or-” Elsi stumbled to find another word, “or seriousness.” Was seriousness even a word? It didn’t feel like he was using that word right. But that didn’t matter, he was very serious. Serious was his middle name.

Solemnly he added with a very serious, respectable nod thank you very much, “I’m boredom incarnate.” He thought for a moment. “And a bad team player. Horrible. I’d knock you off your broom.”

A pause.

“Actually I lied, I’ll still knock you off your broom next practice. You deserve it. I’m gonna tattle and tell all the other chasers you’re shit talking behind their backs.” He laughed, popping one of the cases for their equipment open to put away the golden snitch.

“Now shoo,” he hummed, making a dramatic show of shooing Finn away as he stood, “why don’t you go find the others and go- I dunno bond or something so we win.” Fingers wrapped around the broom, contemplating, “magic of friendship, teamwork and cheating or whatever.”

F I N N E G A Nx⳧xC O N N E R

☙ A golden opportunity, 8th of September 2023 ❧

At this point he hardly even registered being hit by the broom anymore. The neatly trimmed twigs were the closest thing to a comb his overgrown, matted hair had ever seen and frankly, Elsian was improving his style considerably. "Uh," Finnegan said between being pats, "you do realize we share a dorm... never mind." He quickly shut his mouth, thinking it best not to remind the mischievous fifth-year that they were only separated by a couple of beds.

As a function of both his age and height, Elsian's clues about wanting to be left alone went straight over his head. "You're not dropping off the team," Finnegan said. It wasn't an argument, it was a statement of fact. He'd come to a standstill and crossed his arms over his chest, perfectly mimicking the look his mum gave him when she told him "no, you can't have crisps for breakfast."

"I'll Spell-O-Tape you to your broom, I will," he grumbled. Now that was a threat. "I'm a right menace with the stuff, I'm warning you" In truth he was unlikely to try and even less likely to succeed, but he delivered his warning with all boyish bravado he could muster anyway. "Besides, the bench will be so cold without your," he lightly tapped the fifth-year's rear with his broom, "butt warming it. You could be... you could be called the hottest ass in Gryffindor," he sniggered. "Mostly just ass though, how'd you like that? Whaaaat?" he drawled, "don't look at me like that, you called me an ass too."

"Besides," he rattled on, "there is no one better and you know it. Evelynn was better, but she's gone and she seemed real strict, I met her at summer camp last year, you know? She'd brought her notebook to a match, real serious stuff, I heard she was real good, but I think I like you better, she just kinda felt like she was looking down on me you know? Not because I was short like, well I was, but I'm bigger now, anyway-" he paused only to flare his nostrils and suck in a breath before he continued, "she seemed like a stickler for the rules, a real bore" he rolled his eyes at that, as though nothing could be worse, "You aren't boring. A boring person wouldn't get riled up over being bested at Seeking by someone half their age." Ah yes, why not rub it in, a little payback for having been forced to become intimately acquainted with Elsian's broom. "You can try knocking me off my broom, but you'll have to catch me first and frankly I think you'll have more luck catching that," he jutted his chin toward the golden snitch just as the older boy put it back in the box.

"I'm not a kitten," the deadpan answer came in response to Elsian's attempts to shoo him away. "You go, I'll handle this." Easier said than done. He put his broom down and picked up the closed box with both of his spindly arms, huffing and puffing as he lifted the box which was almost as large as him. "I.. got...it...go, just go, I've got this-" Most of his face disappeared behind the box that he awkwardly held out in front of him, his knees buckling under the weight. "I've got this Go. Go to bed or something" he insisted with a reddening face.

Stamina 10 ✶ Evasion 10 ✶ Strength 2 ✶ Wisdom 3 ✶ Arcane Power 5 ✶ Accuracy 10

Oh, details, details… “I’ll happily go on the run as a vagabond after doing the deed.”

It wouldn’t be so bad, he thought to himself, he had a giant enchanted tent with a kitchen and 3 bedrooms. Who knew, maybe it’d even be fun. Like a permanent camping trip.

“And who’s to say I won’t?” He challenged, “you shortstack?”

He laughed, ruffling his hair with a shake of his head at the others so-called warning. “Who says I’m not taking the bench with me? I’ll run away before you can do anything on a dark & stormy night, far far away to my true calling as a vagabond-” He stumbled, the beginnings of a blush burning his ears as he smacked at the others broom with a growl. “God you really are the worst.” The older boy did his best to block out the others words as he stomped forward but Elsi was failing rather miserably all things considered.

But everything Finn had said so far just sounded like he was proving Elsians point. Wasn't a strict routine like the backbone of success? Effort, hard work and all that jazz. He rolled his eyes, “it’s probably that ego inflating your fat head. Probably helping you float a few inches taller.” Elsian faked a surprised look, pointing at the other boy's feet from his spot on the ground, “oh look, it’s happening now!” He gasped, “all that hot air filling that empty head of yours!”

And then in the same breath he stood up in a swift movement and tripped up the other, kicking at the heels of Finn's foot hard enough to just barely make the boy stumble a bit. “Better watch out or the wind’l carry ya off!”

Or maybe it would be the opposite? Maybe Finn's head was filled with rocks, and it’d help balance out his inner air head.

“A runt then.” He deadpanned, snorting at Finn's attempts to carry the box. He looked ridiculous.

But who was Elsian to refuse?

“If you insist!” He said cheerfully, swiping up his broom. 3 hour nap here he comes!

“I’m sure you can handle this- but oh,” he paused, broom cradled in the crook of his arm as more gear and a smaller box hit his foot, “you missed a few things.” Without hesitation he picked the stuff up and with a shit eating grin dumped it all unceremoniously atop the box in Finn's arms, grin widening at the added struggle the other would face.

Elsian twisted on his heel, quickly wandering away,words thrown over his shoulder. “I’ll leave you to it!”