11 December 1894 — Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch

Thus far, the school brooms proved to be justifiably competent for those learning how to fly, but still managed to leave much to be desired. Rorie had dedicated every waking moment that she could to teaching herself how to fly, which was actually easier than she thought it would be. With flying classes and her experience in horseback riding, she’d succeeded in not being a complete disaster on the pitch. However that didn’t mean she was completely flawless in her execution. Today, for example, was one of her bad days, and for the umpteenth time, she hit the ground with a cry of frustration.

The cushioning charms helped her to, well, not mortally wound herself but that didn’t prevent damage from being done to her pride. As she was clambering up from the ground and brushing her robes off, she felt someone approach her from behind and turned to face them. “I know, that last turn was horrible.” She said preemptively with a snort, her breath puffing out in front of her in white clouds.

James Callum

  

James had spent a lot of his first year practicing so he'd be ready for quidditch this year. And it had paid off--he had made the quidditch team, proving that the hours he'd spent doing practice drills on the pitch last year were not in vain. Not that being on the team now meant he could let up at all--probably even less so now, because he had teammates to make sure he didn't let down. And anyway, James loved flying. He'd probably spend time out on the pitch no matter what, quidditch team or no, just because it was the most convenient place to do a hobby he enjoyed.

He was not the only one on the pitch today as he approached, and he reached the edge of the area in time to see the girl crash. She got up easily enough, so James approached with a sympathetic grimace more than real concern. "Turns take a lot of practice," James said sympathetically. "Don't suppose you want some pointers?"

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Set by MJ <3

Her hands were frozen. She’d been able to find suitable gloves but eventually they impeded with motor function which meant Rorie preferred to try and go without them. Fingerless gloves were an option, but that still meant her fingertips felt like icicles. The boy who had approached her seemed nice enough. He didn’t seem to be laughing at her, nor did he put off any airs that he was doing her a favor in giving her some advice.

So Rorie gave a sniff - it was cold, which made her nose runny, not that she was that upset - and sighed. Another white cloud expanded in front of her and she nodded. “I suppose a few pointers couldn’t hurt, could it?” She asked rhetorically before sticking her hand out to the boy. “I’m Rorie.”

James Callum

  

"James." He hopped on his broom. "Come on, let's get in the air." And with that, he lifted off into the air. To his credit, he resisted the urge to immediately show off, even though it was really tempting. "You just gotta get the hang of it."

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Set by MJ <3

Rorie kicked off, following James dutifully before she directed her broom to hover beside him. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his initial advice. Of course she just had to get the hang of it, wasn’t that what she was trying to do in the first place?

“How?” She replied. “I keep trying to bank but something happens at the last moment and I lose control.”

James Callum

  

James frowned. "Huh." He mulled that over a moment. "How 'bout you show me, and maybe I can see what's going wrong?" Maybe that would help?

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Set by MJ <3