Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor

[Zara Phoenix]

Zara swerved away from Theo quickly, forgetting she couldn't intercept a shot on goal; that was Cass' job, to defend and save the Quaffle. She was about to try a steal from Theo instead, before seeing Lenora reaching them. Flying out of the way for her fellow seventh year to attempt the steal, Zara watched as Theo managed to dodge Lenora and threw the Quaffle at goal. Zara groaned when it flew past Cass' fingers and into the hoop, causing a tumultuous roar of approval from the Ravenclaw supporters. Realising that Casey was probably more suited to the Keeper role at the moment, and hoping Cass wouldn't mind her taking the initiative to switch the line-up right now, Zara signalled to Madam Hooch that she wanted to sub people around. Approaching the refereeing professor, Zara gave her instructions to her, before darting back to her position. Madam Hooch halted the game momentarily to change the players' positions, before the game began again. Hopefully, with Casey in the Keeper position, Cass back in Beater, and for now, AJ in Chaser, the game would be in Gryffindor's favour once more.

((Subbing Casey into Keeper position, Cassandra into Beater position, and AJ into Chaser position.))

[Melody Bang-Bala G6]

Melody thought she'd played quite well today, but Lenora hadn't really seen the benefits of it and she felt awful about that. She'd done her best to defend her, but it just hadn't been good enough - Stewart's Bludger had been too strong for her tiring arms. It was extremely hard work whacking Bludgers all match long - especially when the match went on for as long as this. But Melody wasn't experienced enough to be a Seeker yet and she did have more natural talent as a Beater, even though she really hated the consequences of using it. She supposed that she would have to try to stick it out to the end of the game, and just hoped that Scott would find the Snitch soon.

"Ah'm so sorry!" she shouted to Lenora. Ravenclaw had scored again to equalise the game, but Melody took a moment out to gather her strength and collect her mind before she started hitting anymore Bludgers. She thought that it wouldn't matter too much - there was always a bit of a lull in the game after a goal had been scored, and especially since Zara had decided to make some changes in the lineup. Melody would be glad to have her Captain playing alongside her again - so far she'd been the best of the Beaters that Melody had played with, because she wasn't quite as apathetic as AJ and Rex had been. Once she felt ready again, she flew up to the Bludger which had just hit Lenora and hit it towards the Ravenclaw Seeker again.

((Bludger attack on Adriahna.))

[Scott Ryder G7]

Scott glanced around determinedly, his eyes keen and hawk-like as they scanned the fair skies. The odd clouds scattered across the pure azure, but despite the outlook of apparent good weather, he could detect the familiar tingle of rain in the atmosphere, sense the light shower of rain nearing the Quidditch pitch. Already in the distance, across the lake, Scott could see with narrowed eyes grey clouds moving steadily across the mountainous area. Shaking his head, brown locks falling into blue eyes, he told himself to concentrate only at the task at hand, and not think too much of the weather and the crowd and the pressure. He had to keep his mind on his goal, and hopefully, he would succeed. Nodding mutely to himself, Scott soared a few more metres to the left, his head darting from side to side, on the lookout for the familiar sight of the glimmering golden ball. Scott was eager to find it soon; after all, even though he wasn't thinking of the weather as an important issue, if the rain managed to cross to Hogwarts before the match was over, they would probably suspend the game, for goodness knows how long. Scott just wanted a quick, but not necessarily quick, victory.

((Searching for the Snitch and avoiding any Bludgers.))

[Celia Richmond]

Aww no! The quaffle went straight past her fingers as she attemted to catch it, and Lenora managed to grab it, which she wasn't happy about. She then managed to successfully pass to Zara though Theo had tried to steal it. However, she grinned as she saw him successfully steal the quaffle from Lenora, and then go ahead to score a fourth goal for Ravenclaw, so the teams were now equal-it had been a very interesting game, and she hoped that before either seeker caught the snitch Ravenclaw could score another goal or two at least.

Cassandra now had the quaffle, but before she could do anything about it she decided to make a few changes to the team line-up. She flew down to Madam Hooch and told her that she was subbing Jasmine back in as seeker, moving Adriahna to keeper and then subbing August out of the game for now at least. Jasmine had had enough time to rest and Adriahna was generally the stronger of the two keepers-though she felt bad for August. Hopefully they wouldn't need a keeper for a while, but having made the substitutions she flew back up to the game,

Luckily by the time she returned Cassandra still hadn't made her pass, so Celia placed herself so that hopefully she'd be able to intercept any pass she made. Then she could pass to Theo and then he could use his great strength to shoot and hopefully score another goal for their team. Then they'd be 50-40 ahead coming back from 40-0 behind. The game was now going in their favour...if only their seekers could catch that snitch...

((Making substitutions (Jazz to seeker, Adriahna to keeper, August out of game) and intercepting pass)).

[Madam Xiomara Hooch]

((There have been several changes in both teams' line-ups:

On the Gryffindor team -
Casey Allen replaces Cassandra Blackfire as Keeper.
Cassandra Blackfire replaces AJ Murphy as Beater.
AJ Murphy replaces Casey Allen as Chaser.

On the Ravenclaw team -
Jasmine Anderson is subbed on and replaces Adriahna Dynes as Seeker.
Adriahna Dynes replaces August Reid as Keeper, who is subbed off.

Since Cassandra has not passed the Quaffle, Celia cannot perform her action of interception.



Melody hits a Bludger at Adriahna. Since Adriahna did not post, and no one posted warning her, she does not get her skill points for attempting to avoid it.
Melody = Bludger (D6 + Str) = 5 + 6 = 11
Adriahna = Avoid (D8 + Dex) = 5 + 0 = 5
Melody's Bludger hits Adriahna.

Cassandra did not post passing the Quaffle, therefore it is assumed she would release it. The Quaffle is loose.

Scott searches for the Snitch.
Scott = Search (D6 + Con) = 1 + 4 = 5
Scott's search roll is above 5, so he is able to search.

Scott = Search = 6
6 is not the Snitch number. Scott does not see the Snitch.))

[Scott Ryder G7]

Scott was beginning to feel somewhat frustrated. Eight goals had been scored, he noted as his eyes caught sight of the large, glowing scoreboard below, and still, the Snitch had not once come into sight. Judging from the reactions of Jasmine and Adriahna so far, the two girls hadn't seen it either. Currently, Jasmine had been subbed back on again, and Scott glanced over at the older girl worriedly. She had a lot of experience as the Seeker, and she was the Ravenclaw Captain. He wasn't afraid of her, but he was wary of her abilities; she was not a Seeker opponent to be trifled with. Sighing a little in exasperation under his breath, Scott was about to turn his broom and head in the opposite direction, soaring a little higher to gain more leverage, when he thought he glimpsed a shred of shining gold in the corner of his left eye. Whizzing around immediately, he hoped to catch sight of the nifty little Snitch.

((Searching for the Snitch (surprise surprise!) and avoiding any Bludgers.))

[Lenora Byers]

They scored again! Ravenclaw were now tied. Lenora couldn't tell if she wanted Scott to catch the snitch now or wait for awhile for Gryffindor to fight back. Really, where was all this Ravenclaw energy coming from? "Over here!" Lenora called to Cass, who was now holding the quaffle which had sailed through the hoops behind her. Apparently Cassandra didn't hear or something because next thing Lenora knew she had dropped the quaffle into nowhere... Hoping her captain was okay Lenora raced after the quaffle.

((Catching the quaffle))

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

((Sorry for the disappearance all. I've got some family issues going on at the moment, but I've got internet access again for the moment. Ariane and Lenora, I will send you a PM and let you know what is going on soon.))

Cass took new position as beater. With the bat heavy in her hand, she went after her opponent with a renewed vigor. With a heavy swing, she directed a bludger towards Jasmine.

((bludger attack on Jasmine))

[Zara Phoenix]

"We really need to get the Snitch soon." Zara thought to herself, eyes glancing towards the substitutes bench. Rex was sitting down there, looking restless, and Zara knew it was probably time to bring him back on again, giving AJ a rest. Her eyes darted round the pitch, assessing everyone's positons, before signalling to Madam Hooch she wanted to stop the game again. "Rex Carter on as Seeker. Scott Ryder to move back to Chaser. AJ Murphy off the pitch." Zara clarified clearly. The exchange was quick, and before the minute was over, the game was back in play. "C'mon Gryffindor!" Zara shouted over the chanting of the crowd as she soared back into position, looking over the match's situation. Cass had just launched the Quaffle into mid-air by accident, and Zara was about to surge forwards to catch it, but Lenora was much closer anyway. Letting her fellow seventh year go for it, Zara hovered back and put herself in a better position to receive the Quaffle from her friend if she managed to catch it. She saw a blur of blue heading towards the red ball too, and knew that the Ravenclaw team weren't giving up any time soon either.

((Subbing Rex in as Seeker, Scott to Chaser, and AJ off the pitch; avoiding any Bludgers.))

[Celia Richmond]

Celia watched as Cassandra actually dropped the quaffle, rather than attempting to pass it on, wondering what was going on. Anyway, she had a chance to get it back onto the Ravenclaw side, and set off just a split second after Lenora. She really hoped that she could get the quaffle before the older girl did, and would be extremely annoyed with herself if she didn't-she couldn't let the game slip in their favour again, not yet anyway.She flew over to the quaffle as quickly as she could, hoping that she would be able to get past Lenora and grab the quaffle herself.

(Going to catch the quaffle))

[Melody Bang-Bala G6]

Players were changing round right, left and centre, and it took Melody quite a while to assess quite what was going on. She did know one thing that was going on though - Ravenclaw were doing far better than she would have liked them to be doing. She hoped that there was something she could do to stop that. Even with Cassandra already having taken one of the Bludgers, the other Bludger had still been left free so apparently Stewart was having the same issues trying to take in the changes in the lineup as she was. Or possibly he had some entirely different motive/reason for his lack of attack. Melody was extremely grateful for it, because it took some of the pressure off her, unlike when she was trying to defend against Bludger-after-Bludger as had been the case at some points during the game.

The change in the Ravenclaw lineup meant that she had her old target back. Melody had been quite accurate when targeting her over the course of the game... hopefully a Gryffindor Seeker would find the Snitch soon so that she could stop trying to hurt Sapphire's friend.

((Bludger attack on Jasmine.))

[Madam Xiomara Hooch]

((There have been a couple of changes in Gryffindor's line-up:

Rex Carter is replacing Scott as Gryffindor's Seeker.
Scott Ryder is replacing AJ as Gryffindor's Chaser.

Cassandra hits a Bludger at Jasmine. Since Jasmine did not post, and no one posted warning her, she does not get her skill points for attempting to avoid it.
Cassandra = Bludger (D6 + Str) = 3 + 1 = 4
Jasmine = Avoid (D8 + Dex) = 5 + 0 = 5
Jasmine dodges the Bludger.

Melody hits a Bludger at Jasmine. There is a Bludger flying at Jasmine.

Lenora and Celia both try to retrieve the Quaffle.
Lenora = Catch (D4 + Dex) = 3 + 4 = 7
Celia = Catch (D4 + Dex) = 3 + 4 = 7

Tie! Re-roll.
Lenora = Catch (D4 + Dex) = 1 + 4 = 5
Celia = Catch (D4 + Dex) = 3 + 4 = 7

Celia has the Quaffle.

((Since Scott posted before he was substituted out of the Seeker position, I will roll his Search.))

Scott searches for the Snitch.
Scott = Search (D6 + Con) = 3 + 4 = 7
Scott's search roll is above 5, so he is able to search.

Scott = Search = 12
12 is not the Snitch number... ((not long now!)) Scott does not see the Snitch.))

[cdc]

Jamison chased after a bludger. The match seemed as if it would never end. Still, Jamison keep flying as fast as he could. Ravenclaw was catching up and they could win. Celia was doing an excellent job as chaser and all the players were working their hardest. Jamison noticed a bludger that was going Jazz's way but she avoided it. But within a few moments, their was another bludger heading her way. "Jazz, heads up!" He warned and then sped up to keep her from the bludger.

((Defending Jazz and deflecting to Lenora))

[rex]

Rex could not believe that between the combined efforts of he and Scott neither one could find the bloody Snitch. Rex could feel his suspicion of the Golden Ball being left in the ball box come back to life. After several attempts and Scott having no more luck than Rex was having, Zara put him back in the game. Not because Rex was better than Scott. After all, it was Scott who had caught the winning Snitch in the game against Hufflepuff. But because every now and again it was fun to play a different position. But now Rex was ready to be Seeker again and he was ready for the game to be over. If Rex had anything to say about it, the game would be over in no time.

((Searching for the Snitch))

[Melody Bang-Bala G6]

That had been a solid hit, and Melody hoped that the Bludger would do its work in stopping Jasmine from concentrating on searching and giving Rex enough time to find (and hopefully catch) the Snitch before her. The only problem was deciding what to do with the other Bludger. She felt that, at this late stage in the game, it was most important to keep Jasmine occupied than it was to get involved with what was going on with the Quaffle. But on the other hand, it would be pretty dire if Ravenclaw were to pull ahead in goals, having already equalised their way back from 40-0. Melody tilted her head as she shadowed the movement of the Bludger, monopolising it because she could hit it at any moment she chose, but just hadn't decided where to hit it yet. She wanted to stop the possibility of Ravenclaw scoring a goal by getting Theo (their strongest Chaser) with a Bludger, but on the other hand Jamison was attempting to deflect a Bludger and, if he succeeded, Melody wouldn't be able to keep up a constant assault on Jasmine as she felt was necessary at this stage in the game, because she'd have to go and defend against Jamison's Bludger instead. So, much as she was unhappy about not doing anything to hinder Ravenclaw's increasingly impressive Chasers, she hit this Bludger towards Jasmine as well.

((Bludger attack on Jasmine.))

[Scott Ryder G7]

Scott heard Madam Hooch blowing her whistle to signal time-out, and glanced towards her. She made some gestures towards him and AJ and Rex, who was flying up from the sub bench. Scott wondered if he was going to be sent off for a while, which would be disappointing, because he wanted to continue playing. However, he caught Zara's eye, and after the announcement that Rex would be replacing him as Seeker, and he would move to Chaser to replace AJ, Scott felt grateful and happy to be kept on still. As of yet he had yet to be substituted out, and he wanted to see the game through. Quickly, he passed Rex and gave a brief smile of encouragement. The younger kid was talented, but also very confident - perhaps too much so. Still, Scott believed he would go a long way, and his Seeker skills weren't half bad. He didn't mind relinquishing his position; just the more chance to get to face Theo one on one, Scott thought as his eyes flickered across to a familiar figure clad in blue.

Scott's eyes followed the moment of the Quaffle again as the match re-commenced. It felt odd, now going for the much more conspicious red ball instead of the hardly detectable golden Snitch. In a way, it lifted some responsibility off Scott's shoulders too. He watched as Celia and Lenora both dived for the Quaffle, and - agh! Lenora had narrowly missed the Quaffle, and now it was in Celia's hands. Narrowing his eyes, Scott knew it was time for his entrance as Chaser again. Flying forward, he anticipated Celia's pass to Theo, and dived in front Theo, aware of his friend's presence behind him. "Sorry, mate," Scott thought confidently, "I'll be intercepting this pass if the Captain doesn't manage to steal it." Scott hoped, as Zara moved in front of him and Celia, that Zara would do so.

((Attempting to intercept Celia's pass and avoiding any Bludgers.))

[Zara Phoenix]

Zara scowled when Lenora failed to get the Quaffle; instead, it was in Celia's hands again, and no doubt she was heading back to the goals to score another ten points. Zara didn't blame her fellow classmate for failing to grab the Quaffle though, of course not. She knew Lenora was trying her best, like all her other reliable teammates. "C'mon everyone, not long to go until Rex catches that Snitch," she thought to herself determinedly, and shot forward towards Celia to avenge Lenora's failure to grasp it. before. She noted Scott rising in front of Theo to attempt an intercept lest she fail a steal. Taking a deep breath, Zara swung her arm out at Celia, where the Quaffle rested, hoping to snatch it from her with all her might.

((Attempting to steal the Quaffle from Celia and avoiding any Bludgers.))

[Celia Richmond]

Yes! Celia managed to overtak Lenora and grab the quaffle for herself. At that point she wasn't in a good place to be able to shoot from, but she saw Theo was much closer to the goal hoops decided to pass to him. However Scott was obviously trying to intercept the pass and Zara was going to try and steal, so she threw the quaffle over to Theo, hopefully before the Gryffindor chasers got the chance to get the quaffle in their hands-she couldn't allow that to happen!

((Passing to Theo))

[Madam Xiomara Hooch]

((Jamison attempts to defend Jasmine from Melody's Bludger.
Melody = Bludger (D6 + Str) = 5 + 6 = 11
Jamison = Defend (D8 + Str) = 2 + 3 = 5
Melody's Bludger continues on to Jasmine.

Since Jamison warned Jasmine, it is assumed she would attempt to avoid Melody's Bludger.
Melody = Bludger (D6 + Str) = 3 + 6 = 9
Jasmine = Avoid (D8 + Dex) = 5 + 6 = 11
Jasmine avoids Melody's Bludger.

Melody hits a Bludger at Jasmine. There is a Bludger flying at Jasmine.

Zara attempts to steal the Quaffle from Celia. Since Celia posted it is assumed she would attempt to defend.
Zara = Steal (D4 + Str) = 1 + 5 = 6
Celia = Defend (D8 + Str) = 7 + 5 = 12
Zara fails to steal the Quaffle from Celia.

Celia attempts to pass the Quaffle to Theo. Scott attempts to intercept it.
Celia = Pass (D6 + Dex) = 4 + 4 = 8
Scott = Intercept (D4 + Dex) = 1 + 5 = 6
Scott fails to intercept Celia's pass. Theo has the Quaffle.

Rex searches for the Snitch. Since Rex has a Con of 6, concentration does not need to be rolled, therefore he is able to search.

Rex = Search = 4
4 is not the Snitch number. ((Only two more to go!)) Rex does not see the Snitch.))

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

Cass sighed. God, where was that snitch! Cass flew around the pitch and surveyed her team. They were getting tired, and the sun was starting to beat down on them pretty brutally. Even though conditions were bad, Cass had a mission. Cass saw a bludger fly in the other direction. With a push, she forced her Firebolt to fly towards it. With effort, she whacked the bludger with all of her might.

((attack on Jasmine))