Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff!

[Scott Ryder G7]

Scott rejoiced inwardly as he watched the Quaffle soar through the open hoop. Ten-nil, Gryffindor. That was an easy enough start. Now, if only the rest of the match would go so smoothly. Scott watched the Hufflepuff Keeper, a fellow sixth year, take possession of the Quaffle. Since it was against the rules to steal, Scott was ready to intercept any pass that might be made.

((Attempting to intercept Kael's pass (if there is one)...))

[kael]

He hadn’t managed to save it. Irritably, slightly disappointed in his momentary lapse, Kael grasped the Quaffle in his hands as his eyes scanned the pitch for the Hufflepuff Chasers. He couldn’t spot Chace in the midst of the players but Sophia was within practical passing distance. Glad to relinquish it, Kael threw the Quaffle in the younger Hufflepuff’s direction, sparing a moment to watch it move through the air as he wondered whether it would be intercepted before even reaching the Chaser.

((Passing to Sophia.))

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

Quick! Quick! Quick! It was all going so quickly in this match. Cass could hardly keep up with the action as she watched her team. She couldn't keep up with the bludgers. One seemed to be there, and then it wasn't. The control of the game had slipped through her fingers quickly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the mean balls head towards their little seeker. With nothing holding her back, she put herself in the way of the bludger.

((defending Melody and deflecting to Finn))

[Oscar Flynn G7]

It was a little harder to keep the frown from his face as Ivy yet again slipped past his attack – her call afterwards made him grin, taking a second out to throw back a friendly wink. Which looked weird because Oscar had never mastered smooth winking – Ivy would probably think he had something caught in his eye, or an odd nervous twitch. The Bludger that she slipped past continued circling down the opposite end of the pitch and he shot towards it, building up his confidence once more. Halfway across a mighty cheer cut through his concentration – Scott had scored! Instantly, Oscar felt a surge of pride in his house and his team’s Chaser. Whatever happened off-pitch, he knew that in the air Scott was easily one of Gryffindor’s best players. Whooping in the air with the rest of his team a voice cut through the cheers from the crowd, playfully riling Oscar in an encouraging tone. He thought it to be Theo but one glance told him that his friend Julius was watching him play. He laughed openly at the seventh year’s words before, determined to prove himself now, taking careful aim at the free Bludger. This time he didn’t aim for the lovely Miss Tunstall as before, but Sophia.

(( Raa, attacking Sophia. :K ))

[Carson McGreggor H6]

This game was not going well in Carson’s eyes. Well, it wasn’t like Hufflepuff was losing or anything, but he didn’t particularly like the fact that he had to play against his own girlfriend. Didn’t his team already know how protective he was of Casey? What if there was a bludger flying toward her? Would Carson fly to her aid to protect her, despite the fact that he was supposed to be trying to help his team win the match? Carson didn’t even want to think about it. He needed to get his mind off Casey, but he couldn’t help but glance in her direction every so often to make sure she was safe. But he needed to focus. He forced his eyes off the brunette head he knew belonged to his girlfriend and focused on the nearest bludger, which was headed toward fellow team mate Sophia Hallington. He accelerated on his broom and brought himself into the path of the bludger. He raised his bat high and, thinking of Hanson last Winter Holiday, he hit the ball as hard as he could in the direction of one of the Gryffindor chasers.

((Defending Sohpia and deflecting toward Scott))

[Melody Bang-Bala G6]

No sign of the Snitch as of yet. Unaware of Scott's goal because the commentary was barely audible at this height and she wasn't concentrating on it anyway, Melody looked downwards and saw two things that made her stomach drop a little - the first of them was simply the dizzying height she was at, which she hadn't really thought about while getting up here (she put a second hand on her broom), and the second was that someone had hit a Bludger towards her. She saw Cassandra moving in to deflect it and relaxed for the time being, inching along on her broom as she scanned the pitch below, just keeping the Bludger in her peripheral vision in case it got past the Beater and team captain who had come to her rescue.

((Searchin' fer t'Snitch an' ready to dodge Bludger if necessary.))

[Ivy Tunstall]

Yet another Bludger came her way, seemingly from the same Beater because the spin on it was very similar; Ivy dodged it on this occasion without an inordinate amount of effort. She glanced towards Oscar and laughed a little; it was a common tactic to try to soften up the other team's captain in order to demoralise the whole team. She hoped that he wasn't going to succeed on this occasion. "Nothing personal, I hope?" she yelled towards the Gryffindor Vice Captain. Even as a serious Quidditch player, she didn't mind indulging in a little banter, which was probably why she was never going to be a professional.

Ivy groaned as Scott scored, reflecting that Kael's defense of the goalhoops hadn't looked too clever; Scott's shot had been solid but Kael had certainly made harder saves in the past. She and Chace had agreed that Seth's skills, which seemed to improve almost every practice, were now on a level with their main team Keeper's, and so they'd already decided to use Seth as Keeper for a substantial part of the game. It looked like it might be a good idea to put him into play now and give Kael some more time to gather his focus. Ivy saw that Kael was ready to make his pass and decided to give him the chance to finish what he'd started before bringing in new blood; she watched anxiously.

((Shooting a few words back at Oscar in return for his Bludgers, and evaluating her Keeper's performance... sorry, Kael, I know it's the rolls and not you. ))

[Sophia Hallington H7]

Sophia was disappointed in herself when Scott easily managed to keep the quaffle away from her. It was early in the game, but when things like that happened she always got annoyed with herself about it. Especially with what happened next...Scott had scored, and the game had really only just begun! Kael now had the quaffle, so Sophia flew over to an open area so he could try and pass to her...but the inevitable happened, and Scott came over to try and intercept the pass, and Oscar was hitting a bludger at her. But luckily Carson also came over to her to try and defend her, as she also tried to dodge it while concentrating on the quaffle.

The seekers weren't making any progress it seemed, but at least Sydney had managed to defend Finn from the bludger that had been heading towards him (but now heading towards Melody, the Gryffindor seeker). And Ivy had dodged that other bludger, but didn't seem to be very happy with Oscar for that bludger, or with Kael for letting the Quaffle go past.

((Catching quaffle from pass, bludger dodging))

[Madam Xiomara Hooch]

((Cassandra attempts to defend Melody from Sydney’s Bludger and to deflect it towards Finn.
Sydney = Bludger (D6 + Str) = 5 + 5 = 10
Cassandra = Defend (D8 + Str) = 2 + 6 = 8
Sydney’s Bludger continues at Melody.

Melody attempts to dodge Sydney’s Bludger.
Sydney = Bludger (D6 + Str) = 6 + 5 = 11
Melody = Avoid (D8 + Dex) = 5 + 6 = 11
Tie! Re-roll.

Sydney = Bludger (D6 + Str) = 1 + 5 = 6
Melody = Avoid (D8 + Dex) = 2 + 6 = 7
Melody dodges Sydney’s Bludger!

Oscar hits a Bludger at Sophia; Carson attempts to deflect it towards Scott.
Oscar = Bludger (D6 + Str) = 1 + 5 = 6
Carson = Defend (D8 + Str) = 2 + 6 = 8
Carson deflects the Bludger successfully! There is a Bludger flying at Scott.

Kael passes to Sophia; Scott attempts to intercept the pass.
Kael = Pass (D6 + Dex) = 1 + 3 = 4
Scott = Intercept (D4 + Dex) = 2 + 6 = 8
Scott intercepts the pass! Scott has the Quaffle.

Finn searches for the Snitch.

Finn = Search = 21
21 is not the Snitch number. Finn does not see the Snitch.

Melody searches for the Snitch.

Melody = Search = 19
19 is not the Snitch number. Melody does not see the Snitch.))

[chace]

It was a big day for him. It was his first game as the vice captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Chace still was a bit surprised that Ivy had asked him instead of Seth seeing as Seth was the more outgoing one. But maybe Ivy saw something in Chace that the Hufflepuff team needed. Maybe not. Maybe she pulled his name out of a hat. Whatever it was, here he was, Vice Captain of the team. He wasn't really nervous as Ivy had spent a long time going over strategy and reassuring him. She knew what she was doing. That made it easier. He forgot how quickly the game moves as Madam Hooch blew the whistle and before he knew it, Gryffindor had scored. A little dazed, Chace flew toward the Hufflepuff goal but Kael must not have seen him as he decided to pass to Sophia. Which was intercepted by Scott. Chace let out a sigh and looked for his best friend on the bench. One of Seth's preferred positions was Keeper and maybe he would do a better job. Of course, Chace was partial. He would let Ivy decide. For now, they had to get the Quaffle back.

((Stealing the Quaffle))

[Sydney Rawson H6]

Syd was beginning to get mad. All of her shot bludgers we're not making contact. She saved Finn from one hit, but she needed to make an impact on one of her targets. She watched as she shot her bludger toward Melody, and it missed. She cursed loudly as she swung her bat in mid-air, "Youre JOKING!" she exclaimed out loud as she shot after the stray bludger. She caught up to it with a few seconds, as she circled around it. Twirling her bat in hand, she got right under the iron ball. Throwing all of her weight into it, she shot the bludger toward Melody, again.

((Attack on Melody))

[Scott Ryder G7]

Call it luck, good fortune, or skill, but Scott had found the Quaffle in his hands again. Just a minute or so into the game, and it seemed that he was controlling the overall flow of things. Scott didn't want to let that get to him though, and so he quickly searched for a teammate to help him out. One of the Hufflepuff Chasers was closing in, and Scott knew that he'd have to rely on good teamwork if Gryffindor were to come away with a win. He couldn't have great luck the entire time.

While keeping Chace at an arm's length, Scott gripped the Quaffle tightly as his eyes scanned the available players. Landing on Casey, he dipped in elevation and prepared to pass. Hopefully his flying skills would keep Chace far enough away from stealing.

((Defending from Chace. Passing to Casey. Are you here, Rosaliz? ))

[Finn Miles H7]

Easily distracted as he was, Finn couldn't help but groan in aggravation as he watched Gryffindor steal the Quaffle so close to the Hufflepuff goal. What he was happy to see though was that Carson had sent a Bludger toward Ryder, and apparently the Gryffindor didn't see it coming since he hadn't reacted to it yet. He must have been too busy trying to plan another ten points. Finn's work was cut out for him.

Forcing his mind back to his search, he continued to allow his eyes to flash to any quick movement, hoping that it might be the Snitch. It ended up just being the small blurs of players who were flying by below him. He glanced to his right, seeing that Melody was also using a high-elevation approach in her search. It seemed to be equally unsuccessful for her as well.

((Searching...))

[Ivy Tunstall]

"Oh no!" Ivy shouted loudly as Scott managed to intercept Kael's pass without too much effort; it had looked as though Kael had practically tossed the Quaffle straight to Scott. "Come on guys," she shouted over to Chace and Sophia, "we can do better!" she told them, adding, "Kael, I'm going to put you on the bench for a while... try to focus." Her tone was not at all cross but also not particularly sympathetic. She signalled over to Madam Hooch that she wanted to make a substitution and quickly outlined the details, before chasing after Scott who Chace seemed to have forced a little way away from the Hufflepuff goals... good, that would give Seth some time to get his brain in gear in case the Hufflepuffs didn't manage to wrest the Quaffle back off Gryffindor. Ivy saw that Scott was getting ready to pass, no doubt because of the constant pressure that Chace was putting on him (she felt proud of him for his determination), and she soared in between him and the girl he was passing to in an attempt to snatch the Quaffle out of midair.

((Making a substitution: Kael Collins H7 subbed out; Seth Wright H7 subbed in as Keeper.
Also trying to intercept Scott's pass.))

[Oscar Flynn G7]

Ooh - Oscar forgot about Carson. He was a good Beater and as he successfully blocked Oscar's Bludger, the Gryffindor nodded appreciatively. Of course this expression would certainly not do when looking at the opponent and so he quickly switched, to a far scarier and much more competitive one. He saw the Bludger flying at Scott - but in the corner of his eye spotted another heading towards his Seeker.
"Cassie!" He shouted across the pitch and shot away to defend the smaller of the two players in danger. Hopefully his captain would get to Scott before the Bludger would; and hopefully his defence would be successful.

((Defending Melody, deflecting to Ivy. :3))

[Melody Bang-Bala G6]

It was a nasty surprise having to dodge the Bludger - Melody had great belief in her captain's abilities and so she had thought she could discount it, but seeing it still coming towards her, she focused her attention on moving out of its way and managed to avoid it with some difficulty; she could feel the whoosh of air on her face as it whizzed past in one direction, and she quickly reduced her altitude and flew off at one angle to make sure it couldn't get her by whizzing back in the other direction. However, it wasn't good enough just dodging that one - there was soon another Bludger heading at her, much to her frustration. She needed to be able to look for the Snitch, not be demonstrating her broom skills the entire time. Still, trying to demonstrate those was better than allowing the Bludger to hit her. Deciding that she was going to have to take her own evasive action because it didn't look like either of her team's Beaters would get there in time, Melody tried accelerating away from the Bludger for the moment, still keeping it in the back of her mind to veer towards any glint of gold she might see. Not that the Snitch was mightily important when she was about to take a Bludger to the back of her head...

((Trying to dodge t'Bludger, and searching fer t'Snitch.))

[Madam Xiomara Hooch]

((ALL PLAYERS: I'm a bit late posting today, which was not intentional. I can't keep on posting at this time during the week as it would be disruptive to my homework... but moving it earlier would mean that the next round was too short. Therefore I will be moving the round later - meaning that the next round (and hopefully all rounds onwards from there) will end at approximately 10:15pm tomorrow (British time). I am unlikely to post quite this early, but when I came to actually put up my post today I found two last minute posts *cough* not naming any names *cough*, so I'm telling you that time in the hope that you'll post before that time. You have an extra long round so it shouldn't be too difficult. Thank you!

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There has been a change in the Hufflepuff lineup:
Seth Wright H7 has been substituted into the game as Hufflepuff Keeper.
Kael Collins H7 has been substituted out of the game.

It is assumed that Scott would attempt to dodge Carson’s Bludger.
Carson = Bludger (D6 + Str) = 4 + 6 = 10
Scott = Avoid (D8 + Dex) = 8 + 6 = 14
Scott dodges Carson’s Bludger!

Sydney hits a Bludger at Melody; Oscar attempts to deflect it towards Ivy.
Sydney = Bludger (D6 + Str) = 3 + 5 = 8
Oscar = Defend (D8 + Str) = 1 + 5 = 6
Sydney’s Bludger continues at Melody.

Melody attempts to dodge Sydney’s Bludger.
Sydney = Bludger (D6 + Str) = 1 + 5 = 6
Melody = Avoid (D8 + Dex) = 6 + 6 = 12
Melody dodges Sydney’s Bludger!

Chace attempts to steal the Quaffle from Scott; Scott tries to defend it.
Chace = Steal (D4 + Str) = 1 + 6 = 7
Scott = Defend (D8 + Str) = 7 + 6 = 13
Scott retains the Quaffle.

Scott passes to Casey; Ivy attempts to intercept.
Scott = Pass (D6 + Dex) = 6 + 6 = 12
Ivy = Intercept (D4 + Dex) = 2 + 6 = 8
Scott passes successfully. Casey has the Quaffle.

Finn searches for the Snitch.
Finn = Search = 6
6 is not the Snitch number. Finn does not see the Snitch.

Melody searches for the Snitch.
Melody = Search = 22
22 is not the Snitch number. Melody does not see the Snitch.))

[Seth Wright]

He was up. Seth jerked up from his position on the bench and ran towards Kael, who had just landed. His broom shook in his hands. "Hey man. Um, good job out there," Seth said to the other boy, grinning awkwardly. With another nod, he mounted his broom and took the position Kael had left to him. He had big shoes to fill... Seth only hoped he lived up to the expectations. He only ever wanted to make people proud. Hovering in front of the hoops, it wasn't long before the rather strong Gryffindor Chasers were streaking their way towards him. Seth felt his heart thump and race in his chest, making it difficult to breathe. He was much too aware of the game, the players surrounding him, the crowd covering every wall, caving him in. But he could see Chace in the distance, completely focused on his game, and Seth knew he had to do well. He had to. So, steeling his nerves, he narrowed his eyes at the oncoming Gryffindor. It was a younger girl - Casey was her name, right? Seth's hands stretched out in front of him and he breathed. It was now or never.

((Defending the hoops!))

[Sydney Rawson H6]

Sydney watched as the Gryffindor seeker dodged the bludger again. She was a good player. She had a lot of moves, that you wouldn't believe and third year would. If she was on the Hufflepuff team, Syd would be super happy... but she wasn't, and that was a threat. Sydney cursed under her breath again as the cold wind hit her face. She was thrown back into the game, instead of her own mental frustrations about how she was playing. She wanted to control the bludgers, rather her shooting them, and making sure she is keeping them away from her players. Her goal was to try to keep everyone safe. Shooting down the pitch Syd watched the game above her. Gryffindor had the quaffle... this was unacceptable after they already had a point. Syd got sight of the bludger, and flew up beside it. She aimed, and swung her bat at Casey, who held the quaffle.

((Attack on Casey))

[Casey Allen G5]

“Go Gryffindor!” Casey cheered as Scott scored. The game was off to a great start for the team. Casey couldn’t be more excited. They had a great Quidditch Season the year before and this one was going well for the team so far. Casey eyed her boyfriend as she raced to the goals. She wasn’t sure if Carson would send a bludger her way even if he needed to. He was so protective in general. But, Casey was curious as to what he would do. She giggled at the thought and then shook her head and focused on the game. The Hufflepuff Keeper tried to pass the quaffle to Sophia, a Chaser in Casey’s year, but Scott caught the pass. Yes. Casey leaned forward on her broom to gain speed. As she did so, she couldn’t help but notice her boyfriend to her left. Casey quickly cut straight in front of him and across without hitting him and knowing this wouldn’t throw him off too badly. She turned back and winked at him. Just because he didn’t want to hit a bludger at her didn’t mean she couldn’t have fun with this. Casey then focused once again and headed after Scott. She could see he needed to pass and Casey easily caught the quaffle when he did. She then swerved and headed again for the Hufflepuff goals. Hopefully the Gryffindors would score another quick goal. Casey was completely focused on keeping the quaffle and hopefully scoring!

((Dodging bludgers, defending the quaffle, and shooting!))