Headmaster Brockert
January 15, 2016 6:22 PM
Returning Feast by Headmaster Brockert
Another midterm had passed with dull parties and inane chatter and his own house, his sanctuary , filled to the brim with the irritating sound of children. He now had nine grandchildren, eight of them girls, ranging in ages from Amethyst, the baby at about a month old to her nine year old sister Emerald. In between them were their sisters Ruby, Topaz and Sapphire and their brother Jasper. Then there were Ben and Shannon's three girls, Allegra, Esme and Isla. Not to mention Mortimer's three other sons and their wives.Okay, he'd admit to himself that he felt something that he assumed was love for his grandchildren but that didn't mean the noise level didn't get rather annoying. Especially when one was only capable of communicating by screaming and crying. Sometimes he envied his older brother Zachariah with only two grandchildren, one whom was thirteen and one whom was twelve. Owen and Angelique were way past the screaming and crying stage.
Anyway, now everyone was back at Sonora for the second half the year and he couldn't be happier to have an end to all the holiday crap. He stood to give his few remarks. "Welcome back to Sonora. Hopefully you all had a nice holiday." Yup, one more meaningless platitude after a season of them. At least he knew that was the case, some actually thought people meant things like that when it was really just politeness. A thing that was said automatically. Even shopkeepers said it to customers and everyone knew they certainly weren't thinking of the customer once the transaction was complete. Or vice versa. And Mortimer was doing the same thing, just saying it because it was customary.
"I'd also like to congratulate Teams Five and Fifteen on their first place tie on the Challenges after our first event." He might as well congratulate them. Even though he didn't really care who won these silly games any more than he did about who won Quidditch."The rest of the results are posted by the door"
Mortimer sat down, and food appeared. The students were free to eat and converse. He personally preferred the former.
Subthreads: Time to make it count. (Tag Eleanor) by Leo Princeton with Eleanor Vandenberg, Nellie Vandenberg
Exhausted but getting Enthusiastic again by Natalie Varth, Tepp with Gabe Valenti
All good things must come to an end. by Alistair Johnson with Artemis Leithan
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Headmaster Brockert
Returning Feast
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Headmaster Brockert
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Natalie Varth, Tepp
January 22, 2016 7:13 PM
Exhausted but getting Enthusiastic again by Natalie Varth, Tepp
Natalie felt like putting her head down on the long table, curling her legs up to her on the bench, and retreating into herself as much as was physically possible. Magic was draining. In a few days she’d return to her usual, chipper self, full of vigor and competitive energy if not competence and she’d be able to simply get along with her classmates and fellow Teppenpaws. Well, she thought, I would be able to if t weren’t for these games. Nat wasn’t opposed to the games per se, she liked games and even more so if they were competitive in nature and involved teams, but she didn’t like feeling like an imbecile. When it came to magic she was falling behind very, very quickly.She’d fallen sick the week they learned about werewolves in DADA which resulted in her being lost when it came to the next week’s assignment; she had no interest in being with the creatures in COMC and failed miserably with the interaction with them; she was of no help during the challenge to bring all the presents across in a sleigh, her teammates having had to prompt her to get the spell they supplied correctly. She was simply a terrible student right now. Nat promised herself it would only be at the beginning, that what she lacked in natural aptitude she’d make up for in hard work. She’d get through it.
So even though she felt like huddling up into a ball in the great hall she didn’t. Even without Medic Eir thoroughly cementing her decision to miss classes no further, she was going to study like no other muggle born witch had before. Sonora was an impressive place and she’d do it proud just as she would do her family proud. With renewed determination she turned to the person beside her and said, smiling “Hey there!”
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Natalie Varth, Tepp
Exhausted but getting Enthusiastic again
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Gabe Valenti
January 24, 2016 2:03 PM
Excited for new beginnings by Gabe Valenti
A funny thing happened on the way back to Sonora. Gabe had been home, packing the last of his things. Mattie was at his PSAT class, but his parents and his older sister Emma were home, along with his little cousins, Ari and Ellie. Dad was cooking dinner and packing some snacks for Gabe’s journey to school, Mom and the girls were watching some movie while Gabe finished packing.But then Ellie had wanted to play hide-and-go-seek, and Gabe had been recruited, and soon all the children were scattered about the house. He’d chosen to hide in a hallway closet, until he’d heard giggling coming from his bedroom. Thinking the game was over, he’d opened the door, and his jaw dropped.
“Cool toy,” Ari exclaimed, a big smile spreading across the ten year-old’s face, “I want one. Where do you get it?”
The toy in question was a Snitch, now flying around the bedroom. His cousin, Arianna Valenti, had managed to turn it on. He was pretty sure only people with magic could do that. Did that mean-?
“In the boy’s section of the toy store, hun,” Mom smoothed over it easily, suddenly standing behind him, before turning to her younger son, “Gabriel, I thought you were packed by now.”
They said nothing of it, there was no more time. Dad gave him a box of treats, and it was time to go. The New Yorker had no idea how his Mom would handle this, what she would say to his Uncle Anthony and Aunt Trish, if anything. But the idea that he was not alone, that there was someone else in the family like him - even if it was girly, nerdy Arianna - that meant everything.
He was excited to share this information - and some of the treats - with his friends in Teppenpaw. While everyone he had met at school had been friendly, and learning about monsters and flying was way more interesting than Math and English, there was something about having a connection with home, with his family, that made it even better. It wasn’t fair that most kids from normal families were robbed of that, were made to feel alone. He wanted to do something about that, for the new kids next year, maybe even Arianna. So the kids handling magic for the very first time, without family to support them, knew that they weren’t alone. He wondered if his friends at school would be interested in that sort of thing, too.
“Hey Nat!” he exclaimed excitedly, happy to see his friend, “How was your break?” He grabbed some buffalo wings and tater tots to fill his plate. There was so much to talk about.
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Gabe Valenti
Excited for new beginnings
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Nat
January 29, 2016 1:12 AM
And continuing where we left off by Nat
“Hey, Gabe! Welcome back!” a grinning Natalie said. “Break was great- going home was great! Just when I had gotten homesick, apart from first coming here I mean, break came and POOF! Done with that!” Being physically sick had brought on memories of Marigold taking care of her, bringing her tea and soup, tucking her in bed, and reading Nat tales of adventure. The medic could relieve her symptoms but her help was far from close to being treated at home.Once Nat had started thinking of home she’d missed everyone sorely. The fever had been both a blessing and a curse, for she was often too boggled to think of anything but when the fever broke enough to let her think she missed home and everyone there ten times more than she might’ve otherwise. “I’d missed them all so much but when I was there I missed everyone here. Weird, huh?
“Anyway, it was impossible to get any flying practice in at home but I’m proud to report that next year I’m confident I’ll make the team!” Nat cracked a larger grin than usual “We’ll be fully prepared, the sky will be our oyster! Who needs the world when there’s Quidditch? Jerry thought it sounded pretty cool but no one else was all that interested. Course they couldn’t be shown an example either, so they’ll come ‘round. Mom wasn’t originally thrilled with the idea of me playing a sport high off the ground but she’s also come ‘round.
“Other than it just being really nice being back home, seeing everyone, then missing everyone here there isn’t much to report. But what about you? How was your break? Any nice presents for Christmas?”
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Nat
And continuing where we left off
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Gabe
February 04, 2016 3:47 AM
But making some changes by Gabe
Gabe didn’t mind all of Nat’s chatter, because it gave him time to devour his buffalo wings, and he was hungry. He was always hungry. Ma said not to worry about this, because he was very active, and still a growing boy after all. As for the first year himself, he saw no issues with his eating habits. Food was delicious. Why wouldn’t he want to eat all the time?A small, knowing smile reluctantly spread across his face behind drips of barbeque sauce around his mouth. The boy reached for a nearby napkin, a casual defense. Her words resonated - too much - and filled his stomach with a sort of unpleasantness that was definitely not related to dinner. He didn’t like to talk about his feelings, particularly the not-happy ones. Oh, he’d make people laugh, he’d work hard to support a team, he’d even listen to his loved one’s own fears and frustrations, when the situation presented itself. But to say anything about himself, to place his own frustrations on somebody he cared about? That had to be the worst thing he could do.
Soon enough the conversation turned to Quidditch, as it often did with his friend, and Gabe was off the hook from sharing time, “Yeah? Well good,” he grinned genuinely, “‘Cause my plan is for both of us to make the team next year.” It was good to have a friend with the same goals as him, with the same (lack of) magical background as him. Somebody who enjoyed sports like him, but couldn’t explain a thing about it to his family at home, like him. It felt like being on a team, but for life stuff.
Maybe now wasn’t the time to tell Nat about the crazy awesome Starsweeper he’d gotten for Christmas. They had all semester to try it out.
“Well,” he observed, as he diligently but calmly attempted to turn his tater tots to mashed potatoes with his fork, “After this break, I’m pretty sure my little cousin Ari is gonna be a witch,” saying it out loud, making it real, was a lot more exciting than he thought it would be, and it showed in his voice, “And - she’s kinda a nerd - but it’ll be cool to have someone else that’s non-normal in the family,” he looked up from his potatoes, the Teppenpaw in him shining through, “And I wanna help her get used to all this stuff, look out for her, you know?” the words almost surprised him as he spoke, he’d never been a big idea guy, but this felt important, “All the new kids from normal families deserve to feel like they have a team.”
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But making some changes
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Nat
February 04, 2016 5:21 PM
Pleasant ones allowed only by Nat
Having only foster siblings Nat wasn’t holding out hope for any of them to be witches or wizards. She didn’t feel superior because she was, but she did feel that it would make her able to protect them better, especially without their knowing. She certainly would have liked if they all came here, though Marigold would be lonely, but if they couldn’t all be here it was probably for the best that they all stayed together at home. They’d look out for each other. Gabe brought up the same point about his cousin Ari. Technically it didn’t have to do with her but she burst out grinning when Gabe announced his suspicions. Gabe continued to talk about the possibilities, Natalie nodding in agreement.“Absolutely. Sonora is great but it’s big, even Teppenpaw is big. We’re pretty lucky to have made a friend in pretty much the same circumstances” Nat said, thinking how lucky she was to have Gabe on her team. “Figuring stuff out for yourself can be fun but it has been kind of hard and teams and friends always make things better. I’m sure Ari’ll have an easier time with you helping her.” The possibility that Ari might not be a witch in the end didn’t cross her mind. “And of course I’ll look out for her too!” If Ari was a Teppenpaw they could even have sleepovers. Everyone liked sleepovers.
“How much younger is your cousin?” Nat had made friends with most of her fellow first year Tepps, hadn’t yet met Artemis but planned to, and was planning to make more friends with other students now that she’d be more active in classes. Making friends came naturally, being cheerful was her default mood, but looking out for someone younger was even more so in her nature.
Natalie was finished with her entrée and moving onto dessert early. Pudding would have been considered an excellent substitute for dinner had it been up to Nat so she was more than ready to dig into the creamy vanilla substance.
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Pleasant ones allowed only
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Gabe
February 09, 2016 1:26 AM
Think happy thoughts by Gabe
Gabe cleared his worries as he cleared his plate. You know, maybe there wasn’t so much to worry about, being a new kid in the magic world. First semester, he’d learned to fly. He was in the coolest, friendliest house, and on top of that he’d gotten along with just about everybody he met. And of course there was Nat, who was always on the same page as him. Maybe he’d gotten himself all worked up over nothing before. The world was a wonderful place on a full stomach. He really ought to grab some dessert, too.“Well, actually, she’s ten, she’ll turn eleven a few weeks from now,” he admitted, his cheeks turning slightly red. Everybody in the Valenti family knew Arianna and Elisa as the Little Cousins. So what if Gabe was barely six months older than Ari? He had five older cousins on just his dad's side, not to mention two older siblings to think about. It was important to identify himself as Not the Baby of the Family. There was a hierarchy to think about.
It would be good, Gabe thought, for Ari to be friends with a girl like Nat. Of course he loved Ari, she was his cousin, but, she didn’t really like many of the same things that Gabe did. And she could be kind of a know-it-all, and bossy. On the other hand, Gabe did not envy the kid who even thought about messing with her little sister, Elisa. That was something you had to respect. She might not turn out to be a Teppenpaw, like Nat, but it would be cool if the girls became friends. If Nat could get her to chill out and relax a bit, Ari could possibly become his closest cousin.
“You know, kids from wizard families have their own parties and stuff,” he added, dark eyes scanning the table carefully for his next plate, “It would be cool if there were things for other kids, too.” Not that he wanted to make anybody feel left out. That didn’t seem fair. It was more that he wished that there were more events to make people feel included. The Challenges were meant to do that, and maybe they would feel more inclusive to him, if he wasn’t a first year and brand new to magic. What a project like this would take, Gabe wasn’t really sure. Planning was more up Ari’s alley. Or maybe Nat would know.
His eyes lit up when he discovered a platter of cookies, and he reached over to his left to grab them up. Chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, sugar cookies - there were so many options. Best to get to these before somebody else did.
“Cookies?” he offered his friend.
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Think happy thoughts
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Nat
February 09, 2016 6:56 PM
Like we don't even need pixiedust to fly by Nat
“Well, actually, she’s ten, she’ll turn eleven a few weeks from now,” Gabe said, catching Nat off guard. She was practically their age! None of her siblings were that close in age to her and she didn’t have any cousins. How lucky he was to have such a close relative so close in age be similarly gifted with magic! Nat was surprised but delighted to hear it- hopefully Gabe didn’t feel homesick often but if he did having Ari around might be a nice counter measure. Having Gabe around as well as other friends helped Nat but having a cousin around but make it even easier. Not that she’d ever know.
Just tucking into her pudding, Gabe proffered a tray of cookies. Cookies. Cookies went so well with pudding. “Thanks!” she exclaimed, reaching for one with chocolate drizzled on top. It looked like the fanciest snickerdoodle she’d ever seen but, just like many of the things on the buffet table she couldn’t actually be sure of the flavor until she tried it. It was often a mystery but it was always delicious!
“Million dollar question-“Nat started to ask around a bite of cookie-pudding, “does she like Quidditch?” Nat was not thrilled that Quidditch had been cancelled this year but, as she’d thought to herself before, it had given her more time to practice the new hobby of flying. She had been flying on the pitch in most of her off time, occasionally using the MARS room to practice her throwing and aim. It definitely wasn’t the same as when she was on a broom in the beginning but it was definitely well worth doing. Her aim had definitely improved since using the MARS room. Now when she threw a quaffle when on a broom, it almost always went where she expected and when it didn’t she’d either been fairly close or had simply slipped. By now, as soon as the misshapen ball left her hand she pretty much knew if it was a good throw or not.
Playing with a bludger was trickier alone, though. You could be sure that bludgers would fly back, of course, but hitting them nearly continuously was tiring. She’d nearly been knocked off her borrowed broom every other time she hit it, and she’d only tried playing with them after she was confident flying. She shared her predicament with Gabe, tentatively asking if he’d help her beat it back and forth. If the bludger didn’t continuously fly back to her after she’d hit it but instead flew towards Gabe it might be more catch like than before. Then when he’d beat it back to her he could take a moment, and so forth. Realizing she’d never actually asked she turned to Gabe and said “Which position have you been practicing most? Do you know already which position you want to play next year?”
Nat hadn’t yet decided where she wanted to be. She supposed it would depend on which positions were actually available. Probably not keeper, they’d probably want a more seasoned player protecting the scoring area; beating was kind of fun but as of yet she wasn’t the best at it; surely they’d want a speedier player to be the seeker; that left being a chaser. Honestly that was where the most fun was for her, flying fast and more interaction. Being a seeker might be fun but she hadn’t even practiced with a snitch- despite having practiced alone thus far she didn’t think she’d really want the position that was most independent from the game and so hadn’t brought the most elusive of all the balls out of the case. If Gabe agreed to practice with her they could maybe take turns practicing keeping, though, that could be fun. Beating was also fun, just sort of tricky. Those balls were so strong and took a lot of power to hit. Still! Beating and Chasing were fun, keeping would surely be the same- the only position she didn’t want was the coveted position of seeker. It worked out perfectly. For now, while she was undecided, she’d practice those three positions.
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Like we don't even need pixiedust to fly
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Gabe
February 15, 2016 12:36 AM
Oh yeah! That's convenient by Gabe
Natalie Varth was truly an innovator, and Gabe was impressed. Cookies plus pudding was an excellent idea, and the first year was surprised he hadn’t thought of it himself. He hoped his friend took imitation as a compliment, as he helped himself to some pudding as well. Crumbling up a chocolate chip cookie on top, he decided that he looked forward to another semester at Sonora.“Dunno,” he admitted, as he appraised his dessert, “Ari doesn’t play a lot of sports, but she is competitive about stuff. She plays volleyball,” he added, remembering how she had demanded he practice with her during break. Uncle Anthony was an assistant principal at a fancy prep school in Manhattan, which meant the Little Cousins got to attend. This also meant that they were required to participate on school teams, and Arianna had chosen volleyball. Gabe was uncertain how dedicated she’d actually be to the sport, if it hadn’t been mandatory. Maybe if Gabe could show her how amazing it was to fly, how different it was from anything they knew growing up in the normal world, she’d have a change of heart. It would be cool to have a flying buddy over the summer.
“Not Beater, I don’t think,” he reasoned, adding, “I don’t think I could hit bludgers at people.” Not that he couldn’t physically, it was more the idea of it. Gabe sometimes wondered how Teppenpaw ever fielded enough people who wanted to play Beater, what with them being so friendly and all. What friendly person wanted to spend the whole game hitting stuff at others?
“I think Chaser would be fun, or Seeker,” he blushed slightly, knowing he didn’t meet the conventional physical attributes of being a Seeker, “I really like the speed, you know?” And hey, maybe his size could work out for him, it would be harder to knock a sturdier Seeker off of his broom. He loved flying for speed, and he loved practicing on the obstacle courses around the Pitch. Sometimes he would get charmed hoops out of the broom closet and practice maneuvering through and around them. Practice would be even better now, what with his new broom. His eyes lit up - how had he not told Nat about it yet?
“I got a Starsweeper twenty-one for Christmas!” he blurted out, dark eyes filled with excitement, “It is so cool! You need to try it!”
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Gabe
Oh yeah! That's convenient
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Nat
February 16, 2016 4:50 PM
And so, so, SO exciting. Go brooms! by Nat
As Nat and Gabe ate their cookies and pudding, conversing all the while, Nat grew aware of the fact that her mood had drastically improved since she had first sat down at the long table. Maybe good food and good company was the key to happiness. For her, anyway, it was possible.Nat agreed that beating was less up her alley than other positions. She was surprised, though, by what followed. It wasn’t Gabe’s interest in possibly being seeker that surprised her but the blush that came over his face. How cute is that? she thought to herself, withholding comment in order not to embarrass her friend. “I think you’d make a great seeker” Nat encouraged her friend, “and I’m not just saying that, I honestly think you’d be great!” Though Gabe blushing was utterly charming she didn’t think it was warranted at all. “It wouldn’t be my cup of tea personally but I understand the appeal, especially the part about going fast, you’re absolutely right.”
Natalie could have gone on but she was interrupted by a very enthusiastic Gabe with great news. “A what!?” Usually she wasn’t at a loss for words but this took them right out of her. “Gabe, that’s amazing! And it’d be great for seeking!” Which was stronger, the excitement for him or for her, having permission to ride it and all, she couldn’t say. She wanted to ride it now. Right now. She had finished the last of the cookies and pudding a good two and a quarter minutes ago, she was ready. Or were you supposed to wait a half hour after eating before flying? “Thanks so much, Gabe!” she gushed, hugging him with uncharacteristic strength. “I’m looking forward to it!”
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And so, so, SO exciting. Go brooms!
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Gabe
February 17, 2016 11:10 PM
Candy is good too by Gabe
It was an absolute relief that Nat didn’t laugh at him. Even Mattie - his big brother - might have questioned Gabe’s desire to be a Seeker, once Gabe explained to him what a Seeker did. Ems might be more forgiving. His big sister liked to play sports with the boys, who often argued that her body type wasn’t right for their games, either. Well, once you saw Emma Valenti pitch, it was hard to argue against her. You were most likely still trying to wrap your mind around that curveball.“Thanks,” he grinned, feeling great as he used a chocolate chip cookie to spoon his pudding. Gabe felt no small amount of pride when Nat got all excited about his Christmas broom - he knew she would understand. Gabe had been so thankful when his parents had given him the gift, but it wasn’t the same. It had been at home, after Christmas with the cousins, where none of his normal family could see. His parents, being normal, didn’t truly understand flying themselves. But they did understand sports. And since Gabe couldn’t play the normal ones anymore, and had dedicated himself to flying, they wanted to show him their support the same way they supported Emma playing baseball, and Mattie in all his sports. Knowing that they had his back, even if they didn’t fully understand, meant the world to him. But it was also fun to share the news with someone who really got it, too.
He grinned again when she thanked him, he barely had time to put down his half-eaten cookie, “Of course! We’re teammates.” Maybe not on the Teppenpaw Quidditch team yet, but at school in general. It was the highest form of praise, in Gabe’s opinion.
“So,” he asked, as he finished off the cookie,”What position are you gonna go out for?” It was lame that there was no Quidditch this year, he had never even seen a Quidditch game in person. But if they wanted to make the team next year, they would have to really push themselves this semester. Depending on what Nat wanted to practice, maybe they could work together. Who knows, maybe even next year, they could win the championship!
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Candy is good too
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Nat
February 23, 2016 3:09 PM
I'm an enthusiastic connoisseur of confectioneries by Nat
“I think I’d like to be a chaser. I haven’t practiced keeping, though, and I think that’d be a lot of fun too.” Nat explained her thoughts on the positions, how everything but seeker appealed in some way to her, how beating was third, and she couldn’t make a decision between the other two because she’d never tried keeping.Nat was beaming, elated at the prospect of practicing on Gabe’s speedy broom. In a few years she could get a job and save up to buy her own. Maybe she could sell something, nothing magical because she wouldn’t be allowed to use magic outside of Sonora but something like. . . muffins. Or cupcakes. Cookies. Nat eyed the cookies again. “One more won’t hurt. . .” she thought to herself as her hand tentatively reached forward. She and Gabe weren’t going to practice right now. . .
“So what are your plans for the rest of the day?” She assumed Gabe would be practicing at some point but even she found some other things to do in between practice sessions. She was tempted to look at the various clubs on campus but her interest in it was only mild. “After all, what could be better than Quidditch?” Thought the girl who had never actually played a game before. Still, Quidditch practice took up only so much of her time. She wanted to try other things out too, things she’d never gotten to try in the city.
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I'm an enthusiastic connoisseur of confectioneries
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Gabe
February 24, 2016 8:52 PM
Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar by Gabe
It was probably a very good thing that he and Nat wouldn’t be competing directly against each other. If they both went for Chaser, there were more than enough positions for the both of them, and Nat had no interest in competing with Gabe for Seeker. Sure, a little bit of friendly competition could be fun now and then, but he also liked that they could help each other out without any hesitation.“Well, if you wanna practice Keeping, I could use the shooting practice,” Gabe offered, “I usually fly for a couple hours after classes everyday, if you wanna join.” Now was the time, after all, to really buckle down and practice their flying. Gabe took practice seriously, like any little league he had plaed in growing up. He was sure his friend felt the same way. Besides that, Nat was from a normal family, like him. With all those rules about secrecy, who knows how much opportunity either of them would get to practice flying over the summer. Soon enough, it would be second year and time for Quidditch tryouts. They had to make the most of the time that they had.
“I dunno,” he shrugged, “Get settled in, catch up on some Potions homework. Ma didn’t want me blowing anything up at home,” he added sheepishly. Nat was in all his classes, she was sure he had seen his wand’s explosive reactions to Gabe’s attempts to do magic. It was such a finicky wand, he sometimes wondered why it had picked him in the first place. He was barely passing his classes, save for Care of Magical Creatures, where he was actually doing pretty well. The hope that one day they would finally get to study dragons kept him focused there.Scratch that, the everyday encounters with monsters kept him focused there. All magical monsters were pretty cool.
“What were you thinking, though? I’d much rather do… well, anything other than homework.”
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Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar
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