As usual at the start of the second part of term, the students would arrive to find the noticeboard covered in signs, sheets, and notes. Among them was a large notice in bold, black lettering. Any student who looked closer would be able to read the following;
At the end of this term, Sonora Academy will be competing against Rocky Mountain International in a Muggle-style soccer tournament. We are looking for enthusiastic players to represent that school. No experience required. If you would like to try out, please sign your name and year below. If you would like to be considered as team coach, indicate this on your sign-up. If you have any queries, address them to Coach Pierce.
Subthreads:
Soccer? Sign me up! by Brian Moore
*sighs* Yes, I'll sign up for Football. by Tobar Brishen
Yes? No? ...Maybe? Oh, why not! by Ellie McGill
0A notice in the commons<i>Sign up for Soccer!</i> 0A notice in the commons15
With a warm smile on his face and a friendly air about him, it seemed that Brian was already sinking back into Sonora. Being with his kindly yet zany family revived his good spirits. (Not that they were ever falling, but it made him feel good anyways since seeing his family always put him in a good place.) And his friends had even stopped by, too! He hated how he had to lie to them about where he was going to school, though. Lying made the otherwise perfectly honest kid feel like scum, but it’s what he had to do. Besides, catching up with them made him forget (almost) about him covering up himself. Why couldn’t he just tell everyone about his magic?
As he was leaving the Common Room to go to breakfast then straight to class, he skimmed over the notice board. He liked to be kept up-to-date with everything going on so he could be supportive of any of his Housemates with whatever they did. It was only neighborly to pay attention and cheer his Housemates with what they were interested in. His mossy gray eyes, however, landed on one particular paper faster than the others.
He smiled widely at the paper. Soccer? No way! That was one of his favorite sports! Of course he liked all muggle sports, so the fact a wizard school would have them was awesome! As great as Quidditch was, he had a soft spot for soccer. He grew up with it after all. He was sure he could manage both sports like he had managed all his other sport teams when he went to elementary school. and he had plenty of experience with this one, and there were no iron balls involved so the risk of seriously hurting someone wasn’t as great. Always a plus!
One thing he didn’t get was what the heck Rocky International was. Was it a magic school, too? Shrugging it off he added his name to the list.
Brian Moore First Year
He smiled wide, proud to be a part of two team sports at Sonora (he was a bit bummed the only had one sport, but he would never complain). With a final nod at the list and hoping more people signed up from his house he left for breakfast.
*sighs* Yes, I'll sign up for Football.
by Tobar Brishen
Tobar came back to Sonora feeling well rested; thankfully Nadi’s caravan had been far away from his own for the whole of midterm and he hadn’t had to deal with being neglectful of his duties to her. Something had felt odd about being with the caravan though, he had missed the Teppenpaw Commons, and the people within the wall of Sonora. Is that what made his a gypsy his hate of walls and staying in one place? He realized that he liked knowing where he was going to sleep every night, and attending classes in an actual classroom instead of an open field.
Was Tobar Brishen the heir to the Brishen-Molecome caravan becoming something other then gypsy? He sighed and shook his head pushing the thoughts out of his mind as he looked over the notice board the morning before classes were to resume. He saw one that mentioned Soccer. What is Soccer? It sounded familiar to him but he couldn’t quiet place it. He thought for a few moments before remembering. “It’s Football!” He sighed and shook his head; American Muggles were so odd calling Football, Soccer. Of course he would sign up for Football, the caravans played if often with muggle caravans they met along the way.
He took out his quill and quickly signed. Tobar Brishen, second year, position anything but goalie.
0Tobar Brishen*sighs* Yes, I'll sign up for Football.152Tobar Brishen05
Ellie walked to the exit of the common room quickly, for no real reason. Her mind was still buzzing with thoughts of Midterms. She had had the best time at her grandmother's, though she might be a bit embarrassed to admit it. Grandma Harriet, her mom's mother, was an artist who loved to work in clay. Even in her aging state, Grandma Harriet still pulled out a lump of clay and sculpted. Ellie was glad to join her on occasion, for Harriet was the type of grandmother who told those stories of old, which more often than not began, "When I was a youngin' like yourself..." and lasted for much longer than necessary. Ellie normally tuned out a lot of it (for hearing every story about leaf collecting and doll collecting and gem collecting got tiresome after a while), but she enjoyed the husky sound of Grandma's voice.
As Ellie skipped, humming a happy tune to herself, her eyes caught an announcement on the notice board. Soccer? At a magic school? Ellie smiled. While she wasn't exactly athletic (never mind coordinated), she did love soccer, even though she wasn't particularly good at it. Her parents had signed her and her sister up for soccer each summer ever since Ellie was six and Cameron was eight. Those had been some of the happiest memories for Ellie, and she was glad she would get to play on the Sonora team. That is, if she made it.
Hoping to increase her chances of making the team by signing up (with good reason) Ellie quickly pulled a quill out of her purple satchel and scribbled her name and her year, drawing out the last "r" in "first year" with a flourish. She continued to smile on her way out of the Common Room.