September 11th, 1891; Morning — Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch

With more than half a roster to fill, George Waterford knew today was important. It would be her only year captaining the house quidditch team—which had not won a cup since '86—and thus, her only chance to get this right.

"Good morning," George greeted simply, doing her best to deepen her voice. It had been a long time since the rest of her yearmates had seen their voices crack and boom with the change of adolescence, and while she had mimicked it the best she could, it was still higher than most. "I hope none of you skipped breakfast—one does not play their best on an empty stomach."

The Ravenclaw gave a wry smile, having done just that in the past.

The seventh year continued, pacing slightly, broomstick in one hand.

"Today, you will be trying out for one—or both—of chaser and beater, both of which are integral to the team. Most of you will likely know that the latter was not permitted last year, and I can say quite honestly that I am excited to have it back, though a part of me shall miss not getting thwacked in the shoulder."

"Those who are trying for chaser should pair up and demonstrate their ability to pass and catch the quaffle at increasing distances. From there, you will have individual opportunities to fire on Montgomery." Here, George gestured to Thomas, standing by.

"Those who are trying out for beater, you will note that I have set some targets up on the level of play," the captain gestured above them. "You will need to grab a bat, find a bludger, and try to hit as many targets as possible* in the two minutes you are allocated."

Without further ado, George straddled her broomstick and blew the silver whistle around her neck.

"Begin!"

The seeker kicked off into the sky.

Please post once for each position you are trying out for. Make sure you have filled in the requisite form and have received a “like” from Kayte before posting! The deadline for all posts is 7pm EST on September 10th.

By posting in this thread, you agree to have your character present and whole regardless of what happens between the date of posting and the IC date listed.
* You can automatically give yourself up to three hits if you’ve got beating experience, one if you don’t. Anything beyond that should be left vague!

  

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He/Him/His by those around her.
She/Her/Hers OOC and in her own narration.

No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings

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This was his third year trying out for the quidditch team; wasn't the saying third time's the charm? Maybe this would be his year. He certainly had adequate experience with the tryout process at least, that was something.

Figuring he was less likely to make the team as a beater, Nico decided he'd go for the beater's club first and get comfortable in the air before putting his best foot forward for chaser. He could do this. No matter the outcome he wouldn't be crying into his pillow over it this time. With a bat in hand, he mounted his broom and kicked off. His stomach was a maelstrom of nerves (despite his mental pep-talk) but he forced himself not to focus on it too hard. Clammy hands clasped on broom and bat at the ready, Nico honed in on a bludger and swung.

It wasn't until the latter half of the two minute allowance that Nico finally landed a hit he could be truly proud of. It was probably too little too late but he was thrilled nonetheless and that was exactly the feeling he wanted going into his chaser tryout.

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Outfit | Tag: | Notes:

  

Although Nelson cared intensely about the outcome today, he was – for once in his life! – going in quite confident about his skill. He’d been on the team as a beater before, after all, and probably could have kept on as chaser. But one year of chasing had been plenty, so if he didn’t make it back on as beater he might as well give quidditch up forever and get focused on more important things, like figuring out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, anyway.

And it would make things in the dormitory a little awkward if he lost his spot, Nelson fancied; but if Waterford didn’t think he was good enough what could he do? At least he was the eldest here. He must’ve had more practice than most with a bat. (Nelson shot Zabini a brief wave of encouragement.)

All the same, he wasn’t fully relaxed until he had heard the satisfying thwack of hitting his first target. This won’t be so bad, then.

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There was no way in Hell that tiny Archer Belby who, to his intense embarrassment, still hadn't managed to hit a growth spurt, would ever try out for Beater. He was positive he would probably only end up injuring himself, even in tryouts. No, he would only allow himself to be bullied into trying out for Chaser.

The boy visibly flushed when Waterford mentioned that he hoped they hadn't skipped breakfast. That morning, Belby hadn't even been able to think about food, especially since bludgers had decided to make a return. All he could imagine was one hurtling toward him, knocking him clear off his broom, and falling to his untimely death. That would be his luck.

No. His actual luck would be to become permanently mangled and maimed, yet still alive. Yep, that would be him.

Passing the quaffle back and forth was the easier part. Somehow, he managed not to drop it, which was a vast improvement from his earlier attempts at trying out. Attempting to make a goal however was another story. It didn't help that Montgomery gave him such a fierce look that he nearly dropped the quaffle before he'd even thrown it. That boy was terrifying on a good day, not to mention during tryouts when Archer was sure he would purposely punt the ball right at his face.

When he finally landed back on the ground, the fourth year appeared haggard and harassed, his clothing all askew and hair windswept. At least, he hadn't died?

  

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MJ is the best!

No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings

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Buoyed by his beating performance - he'd exceeded his own expectations, never mind what anyone else thought - Nico felt pleasantly optimistic as he mounted his broom for his chaser tryout. He grinned at his quaffle buddy and then took to the sky. Admittedly part of the allure of quidditch for him was the ability to fly like a bird but he'd never said as much to anyone, he thought he'd sound rather childish if he did.

Although he fumbled a few times and missed more than one catch Nico was determined to believe he'd done better than in previous years. Of course in the sea of adrenaline and nerves he now couldn't reliably remember how he'd done in the past and it was slowly starting to undermine his confidence. His feet touched down on the grass again and he resigned himself to the fact that either way there was nothing more he could do now.

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Outfit | Tag: | Notes:

  

"Thank you all for your time," George offered brightly as the last of the would-be Ravenclaw quidditch team touched back upon the ground. "You have given me a great deal to consider," except for Higgs whose trial had been a formality. "Enjoy the rest of your week-end!"

  

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He/Him/His by those around her.
She/Her/Hers OOC and in her own narration.