The sky is calling for victory
Banner by Julia EvansInteracting with:———@Persephone Grimsbane
Dialogue:———————#770B08
Date:—————————29th of March, 2026
Date:—————————Morning
Words:————————381────────────────────────It was Sunday, and the weather was simply too good to stay cooped up inside all day. So he did the only thing he could and headed out early. Dressed for flying, he swept to the great hall and grabbed a piece of toast before heading outside.
He had his broomstick over his shoulder. It had been his dad's and wasn’t the most well-kept, but in his opinion it outdid the school broomstick by far. He had even managed to polish the whole thing until it was near sparkling.
He headed across the grounds in steady steps. Ideally he would head to the stadium. Even when deserted, it gave such a vibe to his imagination. He could just picture himself soaring over a crowd all chanting his name. It was the dream. But he turned to the practice pitch instead. In his mind it made more sense for equipment to be lying around there, and he could really use some training on throwing the quaffle.
He took the path down to the stone construction hiding the training pitch from view. It was all empty as far as he could see. Good thing too, because his aim was not that great. He swung a leg over his trusted Nimbus 1500 and kicked off.
The wind ruffled his hair as he shot up in what he felt was breakneck speed. A genuine smile spread across his face as he flattened out. He could live off of this feeling alone, he was sure. Just flying all day, every day. He slowed a bit as he started on a simple pattern of dips and turns. Not very challenging, but he concentrated on making each element perfect. This was the time to do it after all.
He continued like this for maybe half an hour or so. Weaving in between the goalposts, dipping high and low, trying to make a full 180-degree turn without getting moved from his spot. By the time he slowed and descended to the ground, a few drops of sweat had formed. He landed and quickly wiped them off with his sleeve. Now he just needed a quaffle! He put his broom down as he went off on foot to explore forgotten corners. Little did he know he had gained a spectator.
PC: Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler—————————"Life is short; make it weird and slightly chaotic."
iNPC: Harvey Dunn—————————————————————Roadhouse Radio
The sky is calling for victory
Persephone was that very spectator.
Do you ever feel like a misfit?
✪ Everything inside you is dark and twisted ✪
The small girl hadn't meant to stare, nor had she been trying to interrupt a private moment. Far from it. When she'd awoken that morning, it was with the clear intention of getting a few photos and getting in a bit of training. While her chances of making the team were slim, Poppy understood the value of hard work and the importance of avoiding hypocritical mindsets that pined for ambitious rewards without the first trickle of desire to work for them.
What would happen if the tides unexpectedly shifted without her having the first clue how to stay atop her broom and make herself useful?
The few scrimmages she'd had helped, but it wasn't enough for her to be good. That was on her, in her own time, with no one to blame but herself if she never improved. It was an odd thought she'd pondered over breakfast. Of the many discoveries she was making about herself at Hogwarts, Poppy was learning that she had a small but noticeable competitive streak in her – enough to enjoy the games, at least. She didn't think she'd ever become like many of her rabid housemates who toed the line of murder for a chance at a win, but the thrill – while terrifying – was also...invigorating.
If she allowed herself some honesty, she would realise that...she liked the butterflies in her stomach and the distracting way her heart boomed as the adrenaline seeped its way through every vein and nerve.
When she'd arrived at the training pitch, she realised that there was already someone there. Poppy's first thought was to cut her losses and head off to find a good spot for taking some pictures instead. The small flame of competitiveness hadn't yet grown strong enough to allow her to be comfortable practising around others.
Poppy turned to leave, but the movement at the corner of her eye called her attention back to the sky. She was mesmerised by the weaving and the precision with which they were executed. The girl wasn't the worst flyer – not anymore – but she was still a ways off from being able to fly like that. Before she knew it, her camera was in hand. As she'd done on several other occasions, the Gryffindor snapped herself a few pictures, wanting a visual memory of flying form she might be able to emulate with enough practice of her own.
The flyer landed. Through her lens she finally caught her first glimpse of who it was. Max, the boy with enough energy to power a nuclear plant for centuries.
The shutter clicked as another picture flashed, catching him just as he wiped the sweat from his face. It was a good shot, all things considered. The sort one might find as a candid in a sports magazine.
She set her camera for another shot but froze when she saw his diminished frame heading right for her – for the quaffles she stood by in the Quidditch trunk, more likely – but very much her in her mind.
Flustered at the thought he may have noticed her, the girl began to back away. She didn't notice the pair of spare beater's bats stacked one atop the other until she was already tripping over them with a high-pitched squeak. The ground met her quickly, greeting her with a low thud.
Graceful, as ever.
"I'm...I'm alright." Her back was not.
...Ow.
Encyclopaedia ✿ Metamorphmagus ✿ If the sun shines, that's reason enough.
The sky is calling for victory
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Interacting with: Dialogue: Date: Date:————————— Words:
He hadn’t noticed her at all really. Wiping the sweat from his face and headed for the supplies. His mind was preoccupied with how he could possibly use the quaffle as a makeshift bludger. It would be easier to aim and hit, as well as the added bonus of it not hurting as bad to be hit with. He was daring, sure. But he would rather eat grass than take a bludger to any part of him.
His mind continued to spin until he was brought back to reality by a squeak. Blinking in surprise he looked around before zeroing in on where the sound had come from. It was Poppy! A fellow Gryffindor first year he had spent precious little time with so far. The girl was quiet and tended to avoid drawing attention to herself. He had planned to help her out with that for a while, actually several months. All others he had «helped» had really appreciated it, he was sure. He just hadn’t had time for her yet. They had both been a part of an unofficial quidditch game earlier that month, so he knew she at least had some guts. He rather liked that about her.
Seeing her like this was a bit of a comical sight. Not that he could explain why, but he struggled to suppress a laugh. Grossing the remaining distance he reached out a hand. «Here! Sure it’s getting warmer, but it’s a bit chilly to be lounging on the ground like that» A small snicker made it out before he could cut it off. He found loads of situations funny. That did not mean it was appropriate to laugh. He reminded himself of this as he helped her to her feet, if she accepted his offered hand.
«Did you come to practice too?» He shot a look at her camera with uncertainty. «I’m pretty sure the journalists usually stay with the supporters, but I bet you could get some good shots if you went up on a broom though» He had no idea really. Photography was about as unfamiliar to him as electricity. He hesitated a bit before he jumped into it. «I could use with a partner if you’re up to joining me?»
PC: Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler—————————"Life is short; make it weird and slightly chaotic."
iNPC: Harvey Dunn—————————————————————Roadhouse Radio
The sky is calling for victory
The laughter had her cheeks pinkening immediately as a warmth moved to spread across them. It didn't stop there. The flush travelled across to her ears and down her neck, painting her embarrassment across her face. She had no one to blame but herself. Had she wanted her disgraceful tumble to remain unnoticed, annoucing her condition in the aftermath was certainly...not the wise move.
Do you ever feel like a misfit?
✪ Everything inside you is dark and twisted ✪
Lounging?
He stuck his hand out, but all she could do was stare dumbly, wondering what he meant – OH.
"Oh, I—no, no, I wasn't—the ground." She let him pull her to her feet, snatching her hand away the moment she noticed its warmth. There were many beliefs the girl was slowly overriding through her experiences with her peers within the castle. Boys? Contact? It was still enough to have her short-circuiting while her soul preached its own damnation.
She cleared her throat, hoping to divert attention from her sudden recoil.
"I was...I was...the grass isn't that cold. I like it – not that I spend a lot of time sitting in cold grass; that would be – that'd be ridiculous. It's damp – but you probably already knew that. Nevermind," she continued with a shake of her head. The pit was only being dug deeper. Soon she wouldn't be able to see the top. The fact he thought she'd been lounging meant he'd missed the fall.
The girl knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially when Max had done the work of coming up with a more flattering story on his own.
"Did you come to practice too?"
"I did! Or...I would've but you're using the pitch. It's okay; I can come back when you're not using it. I—I got some good pictures in the meantime. They're not for journalism or anything. I...I don't write and don't think they'd be too interested in my shots, but I did get a few of yo—" Wait. "...your...broom," she concluded instead.
Just a broom.
"I could use with a partner if you’re up to joining me?"
"Me?" Was he serious? "Oh, no, I couldn't. Y—You're so good at it... flying... hitting things. I'd only get in the way," or end up the target. It was a little hard to tell with these things, and as...enthusiastic as Max could sometimes be, it wouldn't even be on purpose. Didn't mean her bones would turn to rubber when hit by one of those iron balls of death. All it would take was one quick shout of "look out!" from her housemate as he sent a bludger careening toward her.
Encyclopaedia ✿ Metamorphmagus ✿ If the sun shines, that's reason enough.
The sky is calling for victory
Banner by Julia Evans
Interacting with: Dialogue: Date: Date:————————— Words:
He straightened and gave a toss with his head towards the equipment. «I was thinking of using one of the quaffles as a bludger. I don’t really want to release one of them, they are so hard to catch at the end… and they tend to target me more than anyone» Not really true at all. But whatever could help him make his case, he was going to make good use of. The reality was more that he was useless at dodging when the blasted thing was aimed at him.
He moved the remaining steps and picked up a quaffle. «We don’t have to be in the air either, if you don’t want to?» He offered. In an attempt to look cool, he tossed the ball up in the air. He stumbled as he moved to catch it again when it descended. A shade of red crept up his throat as he feigned a bit of a cough and put the quaffle underneath his arm.
«I just really need to practice my aim. I thought it was all good until we had that game…» He trailed off. His performance, especially in the first few rounds, still embarrassed him. Almost hitting a teammate, and being intercepted like that was not exactly one of his better moments. He shook his head slightly, trying to rid himself of the memory with the motion.
«What if when I hit the ball, you try to either dodge, or catch it? That way we both get some useful practice!» He suggested. This seemed like a brilliant plan to him. A quaffle hurt way less than a bludger, and he knew Poppy had been spying for a role on the house team, just like himself. That it was her, and not him, that would get hit if this went wrong, was not something he thought about. Neither was the fact that the balance of hitting something with the bat would be completely different on the ground, as opposed to in the air on a broom.
PC: Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler—————————"Life is short; make it weird and slightly chaotic."
iNPC: Harvey Dunn—————————————————————Roadhouse Radio
The sky is calling for victory
Using...the quaffle...as a bludger?
Do you ever feel like a misfit?
✪ Everything inside you is dark and twisted ✪
Poppy turned her head automatically in the direction he gestured, glancing down at the large scarlet ball that had clearly displayed years of weathering with use. Was that allowed? It seemed an awful lot like something their flying professor might not have liked, given the simple fact that the ball was meant for tossing and, likely, not for hitting. Bludgers were thick and made of metal. Presumably, they took a lot to get moving or redirect and could withstand a thorough thrashing.
Max looked...er...
Blue-green eyes swept over the boy, looking at him from head to toe. Was he strong? It was a little harder to tell under his clothing, and it didn't help much that he had the body of a 12-year-old. There was definitely some training. Poppy thought she could even see...a bit...of...muscle. Could he crack a quaffle in half? Was this the day she finally got detention because of her inability to say no?
Merlin, she hoped not.
"Um..." Why did she get the feeling she was the only one of the two who saw this for the bad idea it really was? It was a growing trend whenever she hung around those in her own house. Action always trumped thought, desire and will overtaking deep thought effortlessly.
Max tossed the quaffle, staggering in his attempt to catch it. The blunder caught the small girl off guard, eliciting a snicker she tried to mask with a cough of her own as a hand moved to clamp itself over her lips.
It really would be the day she got detention.
"A—Alright..." she said, already knowing better but fighting to override the impulse. He'd said he needed the practice, that he wanted to practise his aim. She understood, of course. Fun as that quidditch scrimmage had been, it had also been an eye-opener. Poppy wasn't anywhere near as prepared as she thought she was to join the house's team, and while she'd never say it out loud, she remembered very well Max's...aim. It made sense that he'd want to put some more work into it, even if no other part of the plan was nearly as sound. "Yeah, sure. I—I don't mind if you really n—need the help." It was her kryptonite. Persephone had always had the hardest time turning down anyone in need – mild and unnecessary as some of those needs happened to be. "I...I reckon I could use the practice, too. I don't have much...much of a future in seeking." And had already come to terms with that fact.
"B–But!" she said, reaching out to take the quaffle from him. "You'll...you'll put a hole through t–this thing with a beater's bat if...if you swing too hard." Which was the whole point while practising his aim. Surely, she didn't need to explain why that would be a problem.
Poppy gnawed thoughtfully at her lower lip for a silent moment, hoping for a better idea to land in her lap before the boy could enthusiastically assure her that everything would be alright. Max very much seemed the sort.
"It – the bludgers – they fly on their own, yeah? What...what if we only let one out...?" For the second time her eyes fell to the trunk full of quidditch supplies, lingering an extra second on the bludger that rattled beneath its chains. "Maybe...I don't know...I could practise some shooting a–and you – I mean if you want to – you could practice...I guess...protecting me?" The bludger would be after them both with no help at all. All he'd really have to do is prevent her getting knocked off her broom.
She looked back to the boy, suddenly remembering the way he'd nearly taken Harlan out.
Um. Maybe...maybe the plan would need further thinking through.
Encyclopaedia ✿ Metamorphmagus ✿ If the sun shines, that's reason enough.
The sky is calling for victory
Banner by Julia EvansI am terribly sorry for how long this took! Will do my best to reply sooner next time
Interacting with: Dialogue: Date: Date:————————— Words:
So he tried to play nonchalant, and made a mess of things as usual. Throwing the ball in the air and catching it again, it seemed so easy when he decided to do it. At least it gave Poppy the chance to observe him for a moment as he stumbled around trying to remain standing. His cheeks darkened at the escaped laugh. But he didn’t comment. It was probably funny. He would have thought so too, if it weren’t him that made a fool of himself. He could laugh at himself any day, and often did. But embarrassment would be the death of him one day.
The two Gryffindors had quite a few things in common, despite their differences. He had asked for her help because he himself couldn’t stand to see anyone in need without doing anything. If it was like that for him, it was surely the exact same for everyone else too. He was indeed in luck. He waited patiently as she stuttered her way through the words, not wanting to interrupt or to hurry her too much.
His mind drifted back to the quidditch match once again. It had been a bit of a mess, and he could barely remember all the moves he had attempted to pull. They had scored a lot, but he had no hand in that game. Poppy had looked long and hard for a glimpse of gold. As far as he remembered, the seekers had spotted it simultaneously. It didn’t seem so bad to him, but he decided to spare arguments about Poppys future as a seeker for a later time.
Her reaching out to take the quaffle surprised him, so he willingly handed it off. «Oh…» The sound was thoughtful rather than agreeable. He hadn’t even given the state of the quaffle a moment of thought. «I guess you’re right.» He conceded after a moment of thought. He did not need destruction of school equipment added to his record, not in the slightest. The fact that they both possessed a wand and a charm for fixing said destruction had slipped his mind. Really, how much was he supposed to keep in his head at all times?!?
He shuffled his feet a little as he tried to think of an alternative. Sadly for him he came up blank. Lucky for them both, Poppy came to the rescue. «Yeah…» He listened to her suggestion and hesitated a bit. The monster of a ball would be frightening enough if it just existed. But it had a mind of its own and targeted with no mercy. «I guess we could, yeah…» He was far from convinced. But outright refusal didn’t seem so brave either. So upon the suggestion of Poppy practicing aim, and him protecting her, he nodded in agreement.
He walked the couple of steps over to where the bludgers were locked in place, and crouched down. Making sure to keep a tight grasp on the bat, he looked over at her. «You ready?» As much as he enjoyed the chaos of doing things without plan or preparation, this would have crossed a line. He took a moment before he nodded, and released the ball of impending doom.
He had never really been that good at aiming how he swung the bat, and now was not the time to think about it. Jumping to his feet, he closed in on Poppy, trying not to loose sight of the bludger. «Hey, Poppy? I bet I get to beat the bludger at least twice before you make a goal!» Where was the fun without a bit of competition? Nowhere. And one could always count on Max to bring the fun, deadly or otherwise.
PC: Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler—————————"Life is short; make it weird and slightly chaotic."
iNPC: Harvey Dunn—————————————————————Roadhouse Radio
The sky is calling for victory
No worries about the wait!
Do you ever feel like a misfit?
✪ Everything inside you is dark and twisted ✪
Oh, thank Merlin, he agreed.
Truth be told, Poppy didn't know what she would've done if the boy had persisted with his plan. Smile nervously, certainly. Wither a little at the thought of just how long they'd be chained together in detention – that went without saying. The girl whose spine was still developing and whose sense of self was intricately tied to fitting in and being perceived well by her peers would've stood no chance against even the smallest pushback from Max.
Was her plan any safer? Not by even half an inch. She was banking on the boy being both quick enough and well-aimed enough to keep her skull from being caved in by an ornery ball with more mood swings than her older sister Evelyn.
While Max wracked his brain, her eyes washed over him again. This time, she wasn't assessing his potential for strength. Rather, Poppy was trying to decide how much she trusted her enthusiastic housemate to not get her killed. A grimmer realisation struck her just as he agreed to follow her suggestion. There was nothing she could do if she happened to realise she didn't trust him at all.
What would she look like, proposing an alternative and then immediately backing down the moment he agreed?
She'd be a joke.
Max would think she was a joke.
The next time they ran into each other on the pitch, he'd take the long way to avoid her. Word would spread to the rest of Gryffindor Tower. Once the captains knew, she'd get moved further down the sign-up sheet, making room for more...more...uh...bold and daring lions who weren't afraid of risk and would look a bludger in the eye without fear.
«You ready?»
"Probably not," she admitted without meaning to. Poppy cleared her throat quickly. With how confident Max was looking, she couldn't afford to be the weak link. They were Gryffindors together and would...would...
Nevermind.
Poppy jumped back the moment the bludger was released. Her instincts and strong sense of self-preservation reminded her that the ball Max had just released under her advisement was, in fact, a murder ball.
«Hey, Poppy? I bet I get to beat the bludger at least twice before you make a goal!»
"Hm?" She barely heard him over the sound of her impending doom. Blue-green eyes tracked the bludger as it ascended, her mouth falling open as the weight of her suggestion finally came swinging back around. "Um."
Something about a bludger? Yes. That bludger. The one she'd seen take people off their brooms during their unofficial match.
The girl nodded slowly, forcing herself to find the words. "Y–Yeah...alright...it's...it's a bet. I...yeah..." Poppy mounted her broom with the quaffle tucked under her arm. Before moving off, she tugged at her hair and tied it into a ponytail at the back of her head. "I believe in you, Max." She didn't, but she'd always heard that compliments had a way of boosting performance, and what better time for that than now?
She kicked off the ground and headed for the closer hoops. It didn't take long to hear the whooshing sound of the bludger redirecting itself to follow her.
"Max!" she squeaked.
Encyclopaedia ✿ Metamorphmagus ✿ If the sun shines, that's reason enough.
The sky is calling for victory
Banner by Julia Evans
Interacting with: Date: Date:————————— Words:
It didn’t go exactly as planned. The bench wasn’t that high off the ground. It was given that his own trusted Nimbus was faster to react than the snails that passed for school brooms these days. Way under half a metre was though a bit short for a sensible person to think it would succeed. He jumped off, and hoisted his legs up to give himself more space from the ground. For one moment it seemed like the broom hadn’t caught on to his plan, and no matter how hard he urged it upwards it didn’t react. His knees managed to touch the grass before the broom took off.
Breathing a sigh of relief and victory, he looked for Poppy. She for sure saw it, right? She had to! He spotted her closing in on the hoops, with the bludger already closing in on her. Shoot, that wasn’t good. He bent down low on the broom and shot forwards, the bat raising to meet the incoming ball of doom. Instinct took over, and before he knew it he had swung. Thankfully the bat hit its mark. He gasped, both in relief and victory, as he turned to look at her.
«Sorry, that was a close one!» He knew how bad it hurt to be hit by that cursed thing, and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Well, that wasn’t technically true. He would wish it on a lot of people. The inventor of astronomy, the person who first thought eating peas, whoever thought exams were a good idea… As well as many, many others he had yet to think of. But Poppy was far from one of them. She was a good mate, or at least she could be.
He gave an apologetic grin before he circled in front of the hoops. Keeping the iron ball in sight he shrugged a bit. «You want me to fly in front of the hoops? I haven’t really tried as a keeper, but it’d be better practice than scoring on empty hoops» He offered with a bit of a shrug. He could do both right? Right.
PC: Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler—————————"Life is short; make it weird and slightly chaotic."
iNPC: Harvey Dunn—————————————————————Roadhouse Radio
The sky is calling for victory
Do you ever feel like a misfit?
✪ Everything inside you is dark and twisted ✪
While the bludger made its intentions clear, Poppy watched Max help himself onto the bench. Even with a mind not fixated on sudden and untimely death, she would’ve had a difficult time figuring out what he was doing. The game was played up at the altitude at which she currently sat, tracking the bludger. Some of the team always remained down on the benches but not…like…that…?
“Max, wai—”
She flinched, her eyes squeezing shut as her body twisted away with the full expectation that he’d go splat in the ground. Admittedly, it wasn’t too great a distance. A scraped knee, maybe, a bruise to his shoulder. It wasn’t something that would take them to the hospital, not unless the boy was unlucky enough to fall in an exceptionally awkward fashion. But, no. When her eyes opened again, he was tearing his way across the field to meet the bludger.
Poppy spun on her own broom, finally remembering her part in this little training session. This was fine. Everything was fine. Max was in the air now. His broom was sufficiently speedy. Like in real and unofficial games, she couldn’t allow herself to be distracted by the very real possibility of being knocked right out of the sky.
Her muscles were tense as she closed in on the hoops, her body anticipating impact despite how hard she tried not to think about it.
Then she could feel it, the shift in the air that usually warned of danger. Once again, she could hear the whooshing and knew the bludger had caught up to her. Inside her chest, her heart was hammering so heavily that it caused the rest of her body to vibrate. She took the shot, trying to remind herself that she was a chaser—a…a fearless chaser who wasn’t intimidated, but the quaffle went wide, bypassing the leftmost hoop before plunging to the ground. The girl barely noticed. Her attention wad been grabbed by a loud and sudden CRACK as Max’s bat connected with the bludger.
In a split second, he shot by her, carried along by the momentum of his swing. He didn’t get far, coming to a stop nearby but it wasn’t Max that she saw, it was the iron death ball careening away because of his last minute save.
Oooooohhhh goooood.
That could’ve been her—had almost been her.
“T—That was bloody b—brilliant!” she stuttered, her hand patting herself down in several places to ensure all of her was still in the right place. “You…you popped in like lightning!” An exaggeration? Only to those who hadn’t felt the approach of the menacing ball. It didn’t matter if Max had been the slowest rider in the entire castle, he’d saved her and that was all that mattered.
Of course, she would have to grapple with how easily she still managed to be terrified in a sport she aspired to join, but the girl could only handle so many issues at once.
«You want me to fly in front of the hoops? I haven’t really tried as a keeper, but it’d be better practice than scoring on empty hoops»
For a moment, her eyes, too, followed the bludger, but she managed to train them on the boy now settled before the goal posts. Getting ahold of herself, Poppy nodded.
“S—Sure! There’s…” She hesitated, her cheeks gaining colour as warmth spread into them. “There’s actually something I’ve…I’ve been wanting to try, if you don’t mind helping—b-but, no laughing if it doesn’t work…okay?”
If anyone might appreciate a stunt, it seemed like Max would, leaving her less self-conscious about her own desire to try.
Encyclopaedia ✿ Metamorphmagus ✿ If the sun shines, that's reason enough.