Blind Leadership ((Slytherin Quidditch Team))

[Wynd Lehane]

Wynd was glad that Kennedy had called an official end to the first exercise. Wynd was still unsure as to why he had to go first and let the rest of the team scoff at him behind his back. Little did they realise that they too looked like idiots. Leading their blind teammates around the pitch. Drake's partner actually led him into posts. It was quite funny to watch actually, until Drake landed. The team had to look the other way so that they would not laugh. Wynd tried to think of something else, but he could feel a smile desperately trying to escape his lips. Instead he concentrated on Olivia and Valmer taking their turn at flying around the pitch. Neither one was on his good side and so he secretly wished they would crash. Maybe Olivia would lead Valmer into a goal post and his face would become deformed and then Ruby would dump him because he was so ugly and then Kennedy would kick Olivia off the team because she had scarred their Seeker... but no such luck. Their flight went without a hitch.

Kennedy now wanted each player to fly with the Quaffle and try and score against him. Sounds easy enough. And then Kennedy asked Mary to send Bludgers flying their way. A task that she seemed more than willing to do. The team watched as Valmer attempted to score. His speed was remarkable, but he missed. Next, Olivia went and when she missed, Wynd couldn't help but smirk. That should relieve her of some ego. Dylan made his shot. Wynd watched Drake take his turn and then decided to have a go. Grabbing the Quaffle, Wynd rose in the air and made his rotation around the pitch. When he was finished he headed toward the goal where Kennedy was waiting for him. It was sort of intimidating to know that the entire team was watching him waiting to see if he would score or not. But of course, if he felt pressure now then he would never make it with the entire school watching him. Get it together, you're a Lehane, his father's voice rang in his head. Wynd's eyes dashed from the left hoop to the right hoop, trying to fool Kennedy. Going at top speed he let go of the Quaffle when he was close enough. Would it make it?

[Kennedy Valak S6]

((Bludger roll = 3 Drake avoids the Bludger
Score roll = 5, Defend roll = 5 TIE!
Score roll = 4, Defend roll = 4 TIE!
Score roll = 2, Defend roll = 2 TIE!
Score roll = 4, Defend roll = 1 Drake does score

Bludger roll = 5 Wynd avoids the Bludger
Score roll = 4, Defend roll = 3 Wynd does score))

Drake Manning, one of the seventh years on the team was up next. Kennedy didn't like him much, mainly because Drake was very cold and seemingly arrogant. Kennedy knew that he had quite the notorious reputation with the girls, but aside from that, Kennedy did his best to avoid him despite now having to play with Drake on the same team. Watching, Kennedy noticed that he didn't have much of a natural talent for flying, and when the Bludger came, Drake got by, but just barely. At first, Kennedy was surprised that so many people were able to avoid Mary's Bludgers, but then he realized that in a game they won't be so ready for the Bludgers. Here, they knew that Mary would be hitting them their way, which made it more likely that they could avoid them.

Kennedy quit his analyzing for the moment that Drake flew close enough to score. He watched Drake's eyes, which seemed to be full of spite. It made Kennedy wonder why Drake would be so angry. Then, as Drake threw the Quaffle, Kennedy was even more shocked to see the speed that was put behind it. Drake was probably the largest player on the team, and it was obvious with his attempted shot. Kennedy didn't have to move to block the Quaffle though, as it was heading right toward him at a very fast pace! Trying to move though so that he could block it with his hands instead of letting it hit him square in the chest, Kennedy overcompensated and was helpless to stop it as the Quaffle soared through the goal post. Drake's sheer strength made him valuable, but Kennedy wondered if Drake was even capable of playing as a team though. Most likely, especially as a Beater, Drake would fly around without much of a care about the game, simply trying to knock people off their brooms with his strength.

Kennedy didn't let the missed block bother him though as Wynd was up next. He was another one who wanted to be a Chaser, and so Kennedy was anxious to see how he would do when trying to score. Another avoided Bludger passed as Wynd approached the goal, managing to steer clear of the metal ball. Again, Kennedy's concentration went right for the eyes. Wynd was looking one direction, and so Kennedy leaned a bit that way, ready to shoot across the gap of air with his broom. At the last minute though, Wynd switched sides, and Kennedy was forced to fly the opposite direction that he was preparing to go. This caused him a split second of delay, enough time for Wynd's shot to make it through the hoop. Kennedy offered a smirk, pleased with Wynd's skill but also disappointed in his own. At least he was slowly learning that the eyes couldn't always be trusted. Most likley, the more experienced Chasers would know this fact and use it against him if he tried to always follow one's view. Of course, Kennedy could always try to use this against the less experienced Chasers.

[Caleb Donnelly S7]

Green eyes traveled around the pitch, he had to admit that he was fairly impressed with the team so far. It seemed they were all quite good. They knew how to at least follow rules. Not only that, but Kennedy's ideas on how to build teamwork were rather unique. It was definitely not something Caleb had expected at practice. He was glad it was happening though. It was good to see a captain that was actually more concerned with working as a team than working as individuals on a team. It was a good thing. After being on the team for a while Caleb had seen both ends of the stick, the wins and loses. This year though he’d be damned to let the team lose. He wasn’t a loser…far from it. He may be a prefect, but he knew what he wanted and knew how to achieve those goals, as long as the others on the team realized there wasn’t an ‘I’ in team…though there was a ‘me’ if you rearranged the letters. Caleb smirked at the thought as he watched people take their turns with the Quaffle.

Finally Caleb swished out from the line of people grabbing the Quaffle from the air. He wasn’t overly confident in himself, but after playing chaser as long as he had he figured he wouldn’t do so bad. Really he didn’t ground himself that often when it came to Quidditch. He was always boasting about his skills, wanting to play professionally would do that to someone, but it was his best friend that grounded him. Fiona was always trying to get him to be a better player. She wasn’t bad on a broom herself, but she refused to audition, saying it was a conflict of interest because of Kennedy. The guy did have her heart and he’d admit that. Of course it had taken nearly everything in him not to hunt the guy down and curse him several months ago when he’d just up and left her.

Cold green eyes stared at the three rings as he pulled himself back to the here and now. Concentration was his biggest flaw. He just found it so damn hard some days and right now it was one of those times. So he took several deep breaths as he palmed the Quaffle, the texture waking him up slightly as he took off, a smirk falling across his face as he rose quickly, faking to the right hoop to throw Kennedy off before he chucked the ball at the far left hoop, attempting at the same time to roll out from the Bludgers path. Damn Mary was good, he thought to himself as he dove and rose, back to the group, waiting to know if he had made it.

((Sorry so late, you can kick me later Kennedy.))

[Mary Evans]

It was over, the “trust” exercise. Kennedy called everyone together to do something useful, test out the new kids and keep the older ones on their toes. Mary was a little surprised when Kennedy said he wanted her to be beater instead of play chaser like everyone else but recognized the compliment; he apparently already knew her skill. It also made it her job to keep everyone focused on the world around them, not just focused on that fussy red ball, as people often seemed to become. Now in a real game they wouldn’t be so prepared as the beater would have more targets, and they would be counting on her to protect them but… At least they were getting some exposure to the power of that metal ball and how easily it could break their noses.

Respect for the bludger was always something Mary felt was lacking in non-beater quidditch players. Until they got hurt by one, at least. They get so focused on everything else they forget the sheer power of one of those metal balls. Sheer brutal power, something Mary admired. Not something she possessed really, of course, but in animals and objects, there was something appealing. It was probably the reason her mother hated Mary playing beater, thought it was masculine, because Mary was wielding such force.

Mary released a bludger and rose into the air. She followed each target and looked for weak spots in their flying where she could send the bludger at them. Of course she also had to keep an eye on the darn thing and make sure it was nearby when she wanted it. Worked out fairly well, and Mary had no qualms sending bludgers at her own team – it was the exercise. Not like anything rested on it besides instilling a healthy fear in people.

[Kennedy Valak S6]

((Bludger roll = 1 Caleb does not avoid the Bludger
Score roll = 4 - 2 = 2, Defend roll = 1 Caleb scores.))

Kennedy saw the other seventh year player take his turn next. It was Caleb, and unlike Drake, Kennedy was actually quite grateful to have Caleb on the team. He was experienced, and he didn't seem to hold as much attitude as many of the other players. Kennedy knew he could count on Caleb. Knowing all of this, Kennedy realized he'd have to be extra quick and perceptive when trying to block Caleb's shot.

As he was nearing, Kennedy saw that Mary had managed a very good hit of the Bludger. For the first time since they had started this drill, she was able to hit someone despite them knowing that it was coming ahead of time. This caught Kennedy a bit off guard, as he was surprised that it would be Caleb of anyone who got hit. Of all the players, Caleb should have known quite well how to avoid a Bludger.

That's when it hit him though. Kennedy saw the concentration in Caleb's eyes; he was so focused on the goals that the Bludger seemed to be little worry to him despite knocking him off course a bit. Before he realized what was happening though, Kennedy's concentration was no match for Caleb's who faked a shot one way and then went the other. Kennedy came very close to stopping it, but it soared through the hoops showing why Caleb had earned his spot on the team and why Kennedy knew he could count on him in the Chaser position. "That's how it's done," Kennedy shouted to Caleb with a somewhat begrudging tone of voice. "Same goes to you, Mary," he shouted her way. Kennedy was starting to think that perhaps Keeper was not the spot for him, but at the same time, he knew he was at least an average Keeper, which meant that maybe his team was better than he thought.

[Kennedy Valak S6]

((Again, sorry for anybody who did not get to do this round. I need to get this practice wrapped up though, seeing that there is a good possibility that we will be having a match in the upcoming weeks! Woo! ))

Once everyone had taken a turn, Kennedy flew back down to where everyone was huddled. He had his fair share of saves, and there were still many that had gotten by him. Overall, he was pleased with what he had seen. There were obvious strengths that he could utilize and notable weaknesses that he could try to work with (even many weaknesses of his own). "Good job everyone." He said, a bit out of breath from the flying. Kennedy knew he wasn't in the best shape, which was why he planned to end their practice with the following exercise.

"Now, this last drill we do is going to help us with our speed in flying and also our endurance. Together, we are all going to fly to the one set of goalposts, and then on my go, we will all race to the other set of goalposts. The first person to touch the middle goalpost first will be able to fly to the players' quarters and they will be done for the day. If you are not the first to touch the middle goalpost, as soon as you do touch it, you should quickly turn and fly back to the other middle goalpost. The first person to touch that goalpost can then also go and change for the day. Keep doing that until everyone has finished. The slower you go, the more you have to fly. This drill will test speed, but it will also test endurance. The Bludgers will both be let free as well, so keep an eye out for them. Everybody will be participating in the flying though, so the Bludgers will be moving on their own will. OK, everyone join me up at the right set of hoops.

Kennedy hurried and released the Bludgers and then flew up to the first set of hoops and waited for everyone to gather round. There were ten of them in all, Pyro being the only one who hadn't shown up for the day's practice. They were all hovering in a group, waiting for his signal. "Everybody ready?" Kennedy took hold of the edge of his broom with a tight grip as he saw the two Bludgers zooming quite frantically around the pitch. "Three... two... one... GO!" He shouted, taking off as quickly as he could. He really hoped he would be the first one there, simply because he was hoping to be able to then watch the rest of his team as they finished the exercise. He knew though that he was definitely not the fastest of the lot. He couldn't concentrate on the others now, and so he set his sights on the middle hoop, noticing many speeding blurs to both sides of him. Just then, he felt something collided with his broom in the back. It jolted him off course, and he lost quite a bit of speed. "Damn Bludger!" he cursed as he realized one of them had hit him from behind.

Being hit had cost Kennedy quite a bit of time before he managed to recover. He kept flying though, but he was definitely not the first one to finish... nor the second, or third, or fourth. Finally, Kennedy beat the few people that had fallen behind him, which at this point were only two people. He was the eighth person to finish first after the previous winners of each leg of the flight had flown to the ground. Quite out of breath, Kennedy was too worried to figure out at that moment who had finished in what order. He was simply glad that their first practice was over as he watched a very unhappy Drake Manning finish up the drill and be the last Slytherin to head off the pitch and into the players' quarters.

((OK, by random drawing from a hat, here was the order that everyone finished:

Wynd
Mary
Valmer
Caleb
Alexandra
Samaal
Dylan
Kennedy
Olivia
Drake

You don't have to reply in that order, but be sure to make sure that your reply accurately depicts what the order really was. Notice how I did it with Kennedy. You can do the same and feel free to be creative. Whether a Bludger hits you or not, or why you finished where you finished is up to you. Just don't include anything that has not already been said by other players. For example, you may now include the fact that your player saw Kennedy get hit if you want, since I said that he did. Any questions, just PM me. This practice is done then from my part. If you plan to reply, please do so asap, as I would like to chose my starting roster before the next match according to this practice!))

[Drake Manning]

Another drill?! Drake was getting tired of practice and it really hadn't even been going on that long. When Kennedy explained what the next drill would be and that they would be racing back and forth between the goals, Drake's facial expression clearly showed that he was in no way thrilled to have petty little races back and forth, flying across the pitch with no apparent reason aside from the mere purpose of flying. When were they going to get a chance to hit Bludgers at each other? Why had Mary been the only one to even get to touch a Bludger during the whole bloody practice? Drake muttered curses under his breath as he knew he had to follow the team to start the drill. He hated the fact that they were all young and full of such attitude for the most part. They didn't even respect the fact that Drake was one of only two seventh years on the team. The whole idea of seniority seemed to have no effect, not that Drake knew what he would even do to exercise the fact that he was of the eldest on the team. It just bothered him that none of the others on the team seemed to respect him or his reputation.

As they all gathered round, Drake really wasn't even paying attention. When Kennedy announced that they should start, Drake decided that he could care less who finished first. He simply flew, not bothering to give it much of an effort. He watched as Wynd finished first and then Mary. Shortly after that, the cocky new Seeker had finished third. Drake was easily bringing up the tail of the crew, though he was able to keep a good eye out for Bludgers as he didn't have to worry about flying too fast. He laughed though when he noticed that Kennedy had been hit and was not doing very well. For being the captain, he sure wasn't setting a very good example of what good flying was. Much to Drake's disappointment though, the flying seemed to last forever until finally he was the last person to finish. Normally, the person in his position might have felt embarrassed to finish last, but not Drake. Drake actually felt somewhat glad to be last. He figured everyone was starring at him, and it only made it more humorous that they probably thought he was really terrible. The fact was, Drake didn't really care how good he was or how good he seemed when it came to Quidditch. He didn't need to please anybody, and if they had lower expectations of him then he shouldn't have any problem living up to them. As he landed, Drake went to the players' quarters and didn't say a word to anybody else. He was simply happy for practice to be over.

[Wynd Lehane]

Wynd rather enjoyed Quidditch. It was a game that muggles could not play no matter how much they wanted to. They could not fly. Period. It was as simple as that. Flying required magic. And a broomstick of course. But it wasn't a normal broom. A normal broom that you used for cleaning up dirt from the floor would never fly. The right charms and spells had to be upon the broomstick during manufacturing. They also had to be placed in the right order and at the right time. That was a secret of the trade that the broom industry was not willing to share. And with good reason. Imagine if the process to make brooms was revealed to the world. Then everyone would start to make flying brooms. But they would only be cheap imitations to the real things. There was more than the spells that went into a flying broom there was also the wood that made up the handle. Plus there was the end of the broom. Do you use hair or straw? Many different factors went into the making of the brooms. Many different factors that muggles would never have access to. That was why they would never be able to play Quidditch. They would never fly. And that's why Wynd liked it so much.

When Kennedy told them that the last exercise of the day was to fly was goal post to goal post, Wynd could see some of the other players roll their eyes, but Wynd was looking forward to it. It was a race to see who could finish first and he was anxious to get started. Wynd was fairly confident in his flying ability and thought that he would be one of the first players to finish. However, if he wasn't he didn't mind. He liked to fly and at least this exercise didn't require talking with anyone else. Wynd couldn't believe that he had to lead Kennedy around the Pitch. Wynd just wanted to fly in peace and quiet. When he got on his broom he was the only one in the world that mattered. So when Kennedy forced him to talk it was like his whole world was turned upside down. Suddenly he was not the only one in the world. This person, Kennedy, had been shoved into his reality. Then when Kennedy wanted them to shoot on him, Wynd had to make Kennedy part of his world again. But Wynd supposed that he would have to accept that there were other people in the game. It was something that he would have to get used to but that was what practice was all about.

Wynd watched as Kennedy released the Bludgers from the box and thought it was going to be interesting with no Beaters to contain them. Wynd joined his captain at the first set of hoops and waited for the rest of the team to catch up. They all got ready to speed across the Pitch at full speed. When they were told to go it was like letting a bunch of Thestrals at a dead elk. They speed toward the opposite goal. The first Bludger hit someone on his left and with a glance, Wynd saw that it had hit Kennedy. Wynd suppressed a laugh and narrowed his eyes to see the center hoop better. He reached out his hand and found that he had been the first to touch it. He was amazed but his shock soon left him as the other players touched the post and then sped off toward the other goal. Wynd flew to the players' quarters, glad that he was done for the day. Flying was fun, but flying with other people wasn't.

[Mary Evans]

Finally everyone finished and Mary strapped the bludger back into its case. She huddled around with the rest of them, noticing not everyone seemed entirely pleased that Kennedy was announcing yet another flying exercise. Mary didn’t mind, she quite enjoyed flying, not to mention she had gotten to hit bludgers at people last exercise when everyone else had to wait in line. But of course it was only fair, she was senior on the team and co-captain to boot. 3 years of loyalty to the Slytherin team, she deserved some fun during practice.

Kennedy explained that everyone would be flying from one goal post to the other, basically when you were the first to reach the pole you were finished and free to go. Fairly short practice, but that’s good considering how many people on the team were new. Mary remembered days when Dawn had them practicing after breakfast until dinner. Didn’t want to give new members that kind of welcome, they may well quit the team if they started with that. Work them up, let them start by thinking it will be easy until they get personally invested, then they will appreciate the hours and hours in the air that was required to win.

Everyone mounted their brooms and got up into the air; as soon as Kennedy shouted go Mary was flying toward the other post. She didn’t notice anyone else, it was just right to the pole. Mary knew bludgers were zooming around her, but she also knew that as a beater should know when one was coming, there is a distinctive sound you learn to pay attention for. The only person Mary noticed was Wynd, he was in front. Mary practically laid down on her broom to get in front of him but was too late, he had already touched the pole.

Mary pressed her palm to the pole and turned with the accuracy of a practiced flyer. She noticed everyone trailing behind as she passed them the other way, some not far behind her. As Mary was nearing him she noticed Kennedy get hit by a bludger and winced for him, not slowing down at all. Mary touched the second pole and went down to land, she came in second, not bad.

Everyone else flew, Valmer going one more way, then other people finishing before Kennedy finally came in to watch the last of them. “You okay? I saw you get hit.” Mary said, slapping Kennedy in the back with an evil grin. “Some decent flyers in there” she said gesturing to the change room “we just have to train them up to be Quidditch players.”

((The slight G-Moding of Kennedy has been approved))

[Caleb Donnelly S7]

Caleb growled in anger ad pain when the bludger hit him. The pain shot through his arm and he blinked his eyes to try to ignore it as he gained control of his broom, flying back to the group. He put a hand to his shoulder, but that was about it. He'd have it checked out later if it bothered him, but right now he didn't really care. He was fine...well at least he felt fine about it. He had a high enough pain tolerance to deal with it. At least he made the shot, which was what he had wanted. That was all that really matter anyway right? As long as he scored he had nothing to worry about, because that meant that Slytherin would still be up the points that they would need. He just hoped that next time he could avoid the damn bludger before it broke one of his bones. Then again he had at least stayed on his broom and kept himself from flying out of control. Now being back with the group he was able to deal. The team was good this year or at least it seemed they were. He hadn't kept watch over the other teams like he usually did though, which could hurt them in the end. He usually checked out the new members, tried to find a weak spot in their tactics. It was how Caleb kept going, especially since he’d done that the entire time he’d been on the team so far. Maybe he’d be able to catch a few practices from the Ravenclaw team before they played them.

Caleb’s attention went back to Kennedy at the next part of the exercise. He nodded his head as he lined up with the rest of the team. Speed was usually his strong point, being a chaser one had to be fast, but at the same time his shoulder was hurting from the freaking bludger that had hit him, so his speed flying would be affected to some extent. When Kennedy had them go Caleb took off, his eyes staying on the goal, not bothering to look where the other players were, except when some nearly collided with him. He growled, they were supposed to be working as a team not trying to run each other off the track. He swerved a little losing his spot in third, but he still came in fourth, ahead of a lot of the other players. He didn’t fly to the ground like Kennedy had said though, instead he moved far out of reach so he could watch how the others finished. He wanted to watch the team, wanted to judge their flying skills. They had a few very strong newbies this year, but also a few weak ones. They’d learn quickly enough though.

When the final player reached the end, Caleb quickly descended moving to the grounds and then to the changing room. His eyes on the rest of the players he nodded with a smile on his face. They had a strong team this year and the matches would be good. He changed quickly into his everyday outfit outside of his robes, the snug black sweater fitting over his powerful body in just the right way. He pulled on his jeans before hanging his robes up in his locker his green eyes turning to Kennedy in case he had something else to say. “Is that it Captain or are we free to head on out?” Caleb asked as he leaned back against his locker, his arms crossed as he looked with interest upon their team captain.

[Olivia Dawson S6]

Olivia scowled as she saw the Quaffle land safely in Kennedy’s hands. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t been able to score. And what was worse was that now she had to catch up with Speedy Gonzales over there to make up for it. She rolled her eyes as soon as her captain turned around, but followed his order anyway. Olivia would have never guessed she would be that good at following orders before. Olivia never really was one to follow the rules and do what she was told, so it was very odd indeed that she was obeying this sixth year’s commands. He was even a peer of Olivia’s, who attended some of his classes with her and who studied with her at the same time. Normally, she would have told him to stuff it if he tried thrusting orders at Olivia like he was now. But for some reason, she just swallowed her pride and did what she was told.

It was very odd indeed, but Olivia didn’t have much time to think on it, for she was focusing on catching up to that Valmer Van Ruster kid, who was completing his task at top speed. But it didn’t matter. Olivia was built perfectly for speed. She was short and extremely slim. Her jet black hair was tied in a loose bun and some of it kept flying in her face as she leaned close to her broom to try and quickly catch up to the boy. She squinted her eyes, focusing on the back of Valmer’s head, which seemed miles away. C’mon Olivia! You can do this! she said to herself as she picked up speed. Olivia’s lips curled into a smile of success. She was nearing her target. Pretty soon, she’d catch up with him. Olivia’s smile remained pasted to her face when she found herself just feet away from Valmer. She could see his green Quidditch robes whipping around in the strong wind. They were both going at top speed. Almost there… Olivia was almost neck and neck with Valmer when Kennedy called the group back down to the ground. She cursed loudly but headed for the ground anyway. Olivia’s pale face was pink from exhaustion, and she was already sweating. She was breathing deeply and heavily as Kennedy gave his instructions for the final drill. Great, yet another endurance test. She thought bitterly with a sigh.

Olivia got ready to take off, but by now she was exhausted from trying to catch up with Valmer. The rest of the team seemed rejuvenated, since they didn’t have to do what Olivia and Valmer had been forced to do. Olivia scowled at the unfairness of it all, but readied herself to take off. She wanted to be done with this damned practice already, so she was going to make sure she was the first one to the end. But it was kind of tough to do so when Olivia was already tired and out of breath.

Olivia was second to last to finish. Eventually, Kennedy beat her out and it was just Drake and Olivia left. Olivia was getting tired of this, and she wasn’t about to be the last one to finish, so she pulled herself together and was eventually able to finish her practice. Olivia all but rushed to her water bottle and drained the entire thing in one big gulp. She suddenly regretted drinking it all so fast when she started to feel sick to her stomach. She sighed heavily to catch her breath as she all but limped to the showers. This had been one long, hard first practice.

[Kennedy Valak S6]

As Kennedy neared the group, Mary spoke to him, asking whether or not he had been alright after having been hit by the Bludger. "Fine," he answered shortly. He wasn't angry with Mary, but his voice might have suggested that. He was more upset that he hadn't done so well as a role model, but he figured that nobody could always be the best. "Sorry, just a bit upset with my own performance," he assured her. Being short with Mary would only cause her to snub him off, and Kennedy didn't want her to get the wrong impression. Overall, he was actually quite delighted with the way practice had turned out. It was simply his own ability he was not so happy with.

"There is a lot of potential," he agreed with her. "But yes, we have a lot of training to do still. I hope that the time over winter holiday doesn't make them all forget everything we've went over in practice. There's nothing I want more than to win this upcoming match against Ravenclaw. We're a young team compared to them, and we have to prove ourselves." Kennedy winced a bit as he pressed his hand against the place where the Bludger had hit him. Nothing was broken, but he was already quite sore.

"So I trust you will make sure Dylan is ready then?" he asked, knowing that Mary would do much better at teaching Dylan the ins and outs of being a Beater. "Caleb should be able to handle the new Chasers. As for Van Ruster, I have a feeling his ability is going to be what determines our success. Our Chasers are good, but I don't think they are good enough to run up the score to a point where we don't need the Snitch to win. I will admit, I am a bit worried about Valmer. He is quick, that's for sure, but he lacks consistency, I'm afraid. However, I guess we will see when the time comes. He is up against Jasmine Anderson, which worries me. She was able to beat out Potter when he was still the Seeker for Gryffindor." Kennedy didn't really see Potter as the best Seeker ever, but he sure had earned at least a bit of respect. "It's going to be an interesting match, that's for sure. I will definitely need you to keep Ravenclaw on their toes, especially Jasmine. We can't afford for her to catch the Snitch first. I'll make sure that the Ravenclaw Chasers don't get a big enough lead." He looked at Mary, knowing that she wanted this victory as much as he did.

[Mary Evans]

Mary rolled her eyes as Kennedy said he was unimpressed by his own performance. She really didn’t know how to respond to that, sure they were friends but… she really wasn’t so great at the whole “making people feel good” thing. She was quite glad when he went on to continue the discussion on their team. He was right, there was potential, but a very new team, needed a lot of training up. Of course Mary and Kennedy had been on the team long enough, they had been subject to enough training sessions, there shouldn’t be too many issues there. As long as the kids were adept of course, but like Kennedy said, they had potential.

“Yeah,” Mary answered, “we’ll do well. We have to. I mean Ravenclaw won’t be easy; not sure any of the other teams will be this year… but we can do it. You pulled a good team together this year, Captain. We just need to train them up and we’ll be unbeatable. Next year especially, if our team stays together and trains, we’ll get the cup easy.”

Kennedy, apparently 2 steps ahead, started talking about individualized training plans. As the experienced beater it would be up to her to train up Dylan, shouldn’t be too hard as Mary enjoyed his company, they even went to the Hufflepuff Gryffindor game together. “Yeah, Dylan and the chasers are under control. Maybe you will need to spend some time with Valmer, make sure he’s consistent. You’re right, we probably won’t be able to pull an Ireland ((referring to the QWC in the books of course)) but… I think only they really can. But we can get a strong lead.

“Should be interesting you’re right. Get on the chaser; get the bludger at the seeker, for sure. Dylan and I will get her. Just let Caleb know, work on Valmer, and leave Dylan to me, we’re good.”