"Shouldn't Greta get to choose herself if she wants to pl-" she started, though her words turned into a strangled cry as she watched a buldger soar into the stands. For a moment she was convinced that she had simply started to imagine things, but a quick glance around the box was enough to assure her that she was in fact not the only one who saw that. Rather, it was the look of her friends that prompted her into action, far to restless and uneasy to sit and do nothing but watch.

"Cameron, Mr. Moony, if you both want to take your sisters home," she shifted from the railing and reached out to offer Sloane her hand to pull her away from the edge. "Sloane and I can see if the adults will take us down to the team rooms to check on her brother - I was supposed to go home with them anyways. If you want to go home Sisse?" As Sisse's mother was in the box, she was sure she'd want her daughter home, not in the team lounge.

  

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look at the pretties mj made me!!!

Oblivious to Anne's observation about her hair, Sloane was sure it was only made worse in comparison by the fact that all of the color had drained from her face, white as a sheet as she felt the nausea bubble up in her stomach. The implications of both her brother's injury and the bludger in the stands was not good. They only grounded matches in serious cases, Sloane knew this, but the gravity of the situation was weighing her down more than she'd like it to.

Still wide-eyed and speechless, she finally tore her eyes from the field at the touch of Calla's hand. She didn't usually like to be so openly jarred, but she highly doubted anybody was going to hold it against her today. Avoiding eye contact with anyone, she searched for her mum at the back of the room, allowing Calla to pull her away from the edge. She doubted they would really be able to go check on Fussy, but she couldn't just stand there anymore either.

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Arm still wrapped firmly around his sister's shoulder, he led her in the direction of Mr. Bell and their mother. He touched Calla and Sloane's arms as he passed and nodded solemnly.

"Make sure everything is alright. I imagine Mr. Bell will want to get Oak home." And poor mother, who likely had little idea how serious the situation was, would want Greta safe and home. "Take care." It would likely be the last he saw of any of them before the start of the school year—hopefully everything would calm down by then.

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Before Sisse could see much more her mother stepped in front of her, “Don’t look dear.” She whispered quietly, much to Sisse’s mortification. Her friends never treated her as delicate and now here her mother was doing just that.

She peeked around as she heard Calla speaking to all of them, her mother answered for her. “Yes, we should be leaving.”

Sisse said good bye to her friends, gave Sloane a gentle pat on the shoulder and then allowed her mother to usher her out of the room.

  

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*sniff* Bee made her look all grown up <3

Everything felt fuzzy, like a nightmare underwater. Anne's ears were simply buzzing, her skin itching where her tears were drying and her nose stuffy. A rational part of brain understood Ned's points and she was very happy he knew what happened with the bludgers. Anne was lucky he was smart and calm. She hadn't been calm, she hadn't helped at all. She felt her eyes pricking again and she blinked them violently. She couldn't be such a baby if she was going to play quidditch and not embarrass her brother in front of his friends. Like she said to Miss Bixby, she bet real players weren't crying.

Plans were made around her and, a real shock, she could only nod dumbly as Ned voiced the need to leave. Dropping a tiny curtsey in the general direction of Mr. and Mrs. Bixby, she managed to find her manners somewhere under the buzzing in her brain. "Thank you very much for the invitation. I hope Mr. Rufus gets better quickly." She took Ned's hand as he moved them toward the stairs. Doing her best to keep her voice steady and quiet, her vocal chords were drowning apparently, her voice far too watery. "Ned, I want to go home to mum, please." The last barely a squeak.

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MJ about made me cry with this one!

Ned was grateful that Calla also agreed it was time to go and started directing people to follow suit. He was especially glad the Hufflepuff took responsibility for pulling Sloane away from the edge. His attention turned to the little girl who held fast to his hand.

He looked down at Anne and gave her a reassuring smile. In response to Anne's manners, he showed some of his own, "Yes, thank you very much. We will be forever grateful. Please take care and be safe." He figured the Bixbys would understand his brief words of thanks since his sister's well-being was his priority at the moment. He had already gushed at them upon arrival.

With a reassuring squeeze of Anne's hand, he started lead her out of the box and through the crowds toward home.

  

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Pretties by Bee <3 <3