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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2016 19:30:23 GMT -5
isubmitnoexcuse* If this is what I have to do I owe you every day I wake. If I could I would shrink myself,and sink through your skin to your blood cells,and remove whatever makes you hurt but I am too weak to be your cure. Zach sighed, grasping the two pieces of the broom that one of his first year students had broken earlier that morning. This was the third broken broom of the year and he knew deep down that there would be so many more. Somehow first years are the most destructive little beasts! Those poor brooms didn't deserve that. A soft chuckle escaped his chest as he mused to himself about the fact that he was more concerned for the broom than the girl. She had to be carried from the field, arm shattered and in tears, but she would recover. There were spells for that. The broom, however, was off to meet it's maker. "Poor thing," he mumbled as he threw it into his equipment bag, "you never stood a chance. "
The rest of the brooms were easy to collect, he drew his wand and chanted for them to head into the equipment shed and they followed orders. He watched as they zoomed toward the rustic old shed, turning only to stare at his one true love, the quidditch pitch. A large smile made haste across his lips and he held out his hand, his own broom flying into his palm. He loved that feeling, it was almost as though the broom was as excited to ride as he was. Zach quickly mounted the broom and took off into the sky. The freedom of flying was more than he could ever describe as he flew to the goals on the south side of the field. He bobbed in and out of the small rings and circled the pitch once more before diving back to the ground. The pounding in his chest seemed to echo through his body in waves and he felt, for the first time today, at peace with the world. Today's classes had been nothing but first year students, and as much as he loved to teach he would much rather be eaten alive by a basilisk. Zach squinted into the distance, noticing someone approaching the pitch. "If you're a first year, I'm all out of brooms! You guys have destroyed all my equipment...and my hopes and dreams. " he called out jokingly.
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Gryffindor
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Post by Liz Reeves on Jun 29, 2016 20:31:08 GMT -5
Liz had suffered through enough of her other classes today. Really they were horrible, and the sky was such a beautiful blue. She’d been staring at it all day long, waiting to take flight up. Both feet on the ground had never suited her, nor had being inside. As soon as her class was dismissed she was out of her chair, running for the common room. Snatching her racing broom from her room, she ran over to the nearest window and jumped. Letting herself fall broom in hand for a ways before pulling it under her and taking off. It used to be banned to jump from the higher towers, but the teachers had given up caring long ago. And it was just so fun!
She circled the Gryffindor tower for a bit before landing in front of the school and walking over to the pitch. Normally she’d fly there but from what she’d seen from her window it had been first years practicing this morning and she didn’t want to get crashed into by a terrified first year. Noticing her favorite teacher on the pitch she smiled, waving as he looked her way. As he spoke up she realized she’d been right, it was first years who’d been flying.
“I thought I was all your hopes and dreams,” Liz said laughing, “You free to practice with?"
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2016 20:52:13 GMT -5
isubmitnoexcuse* If this is what I have to do I owe you every day I wake. If I could I would shrink myself,and sink through your skin to your blood cells,and remove whatever makes you hurt but I am too weak to be your cure. "Well, I think I'm dreaming right now, " Zach chuckled back. He exaggerated his squint and placed his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, completely over-acting his surprise. "Is that someone who ACTUALLY knows how to fly coming to my field? I never though I'd see a more beautiful sight! " A hearty laugh broke from his lips as Liz approached him. It really was a sight for sore eyes, one of his most distinguished students coming to practice. Like he could keep her away! He knew how much she loved the sport, she reminded him so much of himself at times. "Always, " he responded to her question about practice. Any chance to get on the broom was a welcomed one. Zach took the quaffle from the old wooden chest at his side and tossed it to the girl.
Zach took off into the center of the field and buzzed around there for a moment, enjoying the freedom once more. It was such a perfect day for practice, it was a shame that he had to waste most of it trying to teach the un-teachable. That wasn't quite true, he knew that one day many of his students from this morning would eventually become the next great quidditch stars of their house. Zach gazed at Liz with sentimental eyes, could he even remember what she was like as a new flyer? "So, how was class? " Zach inquired, "Or were you too busy day dreaming about flying around with me to pay attention? " He laughed once more. He was quite the flirt at times with her, but never anything too serious. She had to keep her head in the game, and was too young for him. But that didn't stop him from poking his fun.
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Post by Liz Reeves on Jun 29, 2016 22:42:59 GMT -5
As he greeted her she felt her heart fly. She knew it was dumb. With some digging into the Chuddly Cannons, she’d found an article which listed his age. Nine years her senior. Her only hope was that those years would matter less and less the older she got. I mean, she was technically legal but well, she doubted anything would happen, and she wasn’t going to push it. She like their current relationship too much to do something like that, and it wasn’t like he didn’t flirt back.
“Of course! When am I thinking of anything else?” she said mounting her broom, “When are either of us thinking of something other than flying for that matter?"
With that she took off at a steep incline, starting at a 50 degrees angle from the ground, she sped up as she increased to nearly vertical. Stopping and hovering at around fifty feet up, she grinned. She loved the feel of the wind in her hair. The freedom of flying was something so singular. Of course flying in such a way that it was effortless took practice. Not everyone was a Harry Potter, allowed on the team in their first year. She’d spent her life on broomsticks, from ones that hovered only a foot or so off the ground to her Firebolt Ultimate now. Really, it was almost sad watching the other players fly at such slow speeds, on Firebolt Supremes and Starsweeper XXIs. But she knew she wouldn’t have this advantage once she got into the Big Leagues. Assuming Zach had probably caught up to her by now, she started talking normally.
“So want to help me practice the Finbourgh Flick or should we work on how to stay on your broom when someone else decided to commit blatching, or how to get away with it yourself.”
She grinned as she mentioned blatching, happy to spend her time in the air ramming and getting ramming into by her coach. Qudditch was a contact spot after all. One needed to learn how to get away with fouls if they were ever going to compete. It would really be more useful for her to work on her flick however. She’d got down accuracy on her passes and throws, she could even pass the Quaffle in reverse with exceptional accuracy. But she still hadn’t perfected the movement required to hit a moving Quaffle into the goal.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 17:36:28 GMT -5
isubmitnoexcuse* If this is what I have to do I owe you every day I wake. If I could I would shrink myself,and sink through your skin to your blood cells,and remove whatever makes you hurt but I am too weak to be your cure. "True, true " Zach chuckled. They were birds of a feather when it came to flying, figuratively speaking. He remembered his days as a student having to stare out the window and pray that class would end sooner than scheduled just so he could get out on his broom. Or the worst! Having to watch other people flying past the window! Well, that was behind him now and he could fly whenever he wanted! Which was way cool! Liz zipped into the air and he smiled watching her shooting into the sky like a cannon. Her broom was nice, much nicer than most other students. Hell, it was even a model newer than his own! But he had plans to trade the old one in. Soon.
As Liz slowed her broom he caught up with her and lined himself next to her. A smirk crossed his face and he lightly bumped the back of her broom with his, "Blatch. " he chucked, "Blatch! " He bumped her again and cleared his throat sounding slightly more serious. "No, but we should work on the Flick. You're so close to nailing it, I really think you're about to get your groove. " His eyes wandered as he spoke looking to the goals. She was a skilled player and he knew it. There wasn't much she couldn't do on a broom, and he was in awe of her. He had never seen a girl with her skills, and one day she would go pro, just like he had, and he hoped that she would love it more than he had. The first year was amazing, the practice, the coaches, the games! It was like a fairy tale come true for him at the time. But after a while it just began to wear him down and break his spirit. Zach felt confident her spirit was stronger than his, and she would be amazing. "So, " he started, looking to her once more and grinning. " Here is what I think we should do. I can sit at the goal and catch for you and once you think you've got it I'll start running opposition. Because once you've got the feel for it down other chasers are going to see the Flick coming and they are going to try to steal it before you can hit it. Sound good? Or do you want to bump fins a little more? " He raised his eyebrows flirtatiously and bumped her broom once more.
As he gazed at her he felt a warmness in his heart. He liked her, really liked her. But she was his student, and his friend. Zach didn't want to screw that up, besides she would prefer someone her own age. He's old enough to be...well at least old enough to be her coach! He broke his gaze and stared down at her broom, admiring it. It looked mean. It looked fast. And God dammit, it looked good under her. Zach shifted his eyes to his own broom, shaking his thoughts. Head in the game, he urged in his mind.
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Post by Liz Reeves on Jun 30, 2016 19:32:32 GMT -5
She laughed as he bumped into her, leaning into the hits so as to keep both of them on their brooms, and so as to get closer to him. Why did he have to only be her coach again? But it was practice time and that meant focusing. She’d been looking through quidditch books recently. Shocker, but the descriptions in some of the more complex Quidditch books were really useful for figuring out how the moves actually worked. Of course with the amount of games she been to she had a whole stack of anotated films for each one, which move was which and how they were adapting the old ones for more. She had even more films on famous past games. Her favorite being the Harpies’ defeat of the Heidelberg Herriers in 1953, which she knew play by play; really she must have watched it a hundred times by now.
“Sounds good,” she said grinning, “and I’ll be moving to fast for them to grab it. Also I can have the one of the other chasers running interference, with the added distance given to the quaffle from the hit it should be possible to hit it from outside the scoring zone. Meaning, I could have one of them go in like they were going to score then pass it back to me, then I could hit it in while the Keeper defends against them.”
She grinned as she talked strategy. She really did love this sport. Quidditch was everything to her, had been ever since she learned to play and nothing in the world would stop her pursuing it. She’d even gotten out of that horrid engagement. With her temperament it was unlikely any only pureblood family would be interested in engaging their son or heir to her. Especially with her older sister no longer engaged and much more interested in marriage. Which left her free to play as she willed. Of course, she couldn’t be in the air the whole time.
“Though we should definitely bump fins after practice, kitchens for lunch sounds good to me.”
She bumped into him again. Disguising her grab for the quarrel as flirting, she was able to grab the ball. She start racing down the field with it before he'd noticed, laughing as she went.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 20:34:38 GMT -5
thickasthieves* And I guilty I may be But don't give up on me In the wake of the Odyssey We will still be thick as thieves You and me still thick as thieves "That's what you think! " Zach chuckled, "I think it was my....third or fourth pro game against none other than the freakin' Falcon's and I went in for the flick... " Zach mimicked in slow motion on his broom. Slowly whipping it out from under himself and pretending to toss the invisible quaffle, going in for the slow motion swing....annnndd. "What the?! " He uttered in a slow motion surprise, looking up at the invisible other player. Zach climbed back onto his broom and laughed. "Yep, that is EXACTLY what happened, and I was on like THE fasted broom you could get at the time. But, I guess the guy used to be a seeker once so he was really fast, faster than me- obviously. "
Zach smiled down at his broom and shook his head. Good times, gooood times. Liz had a good plan though, and with her skills not only on the broom but as the captain, she had the power to make it all go down seamlessly. It was just a matter of expecting the unexpected. "AND, " he added as if having just remembered, "I watched a chick from Puddlemere go to do it and as she tossed it a bludger came and knocked it right down. But, we'll practice form first and worry about the other stuff later. "
That was one of the things that had made Zach a great quidditch player, being able to pay attention to everything! When he was on the field it was like he was hyper-aware of all of his surroundings, but those moments when he was caught completely off guard were moments he learned from. He had only ever failed once in his professional career trying to do the flick, and it was to that one sneaky Falmouth bastard! But, he learned. And he practiced and practiced to make sure it never happened again. That was one of the reasons he had started to lose his spark during his short career, he became a perfectionist. Something that would have never described him ever suddenly consumed him. He hated hearing the crowd boo or seeing a disappointed fan, he wanted to win. Always. And at times that just was not possible, you can only try your best. That is what he preached now as a coach.
"Oh yes, " he growled flirtatiously. "We'll bump fins all night looong. " Zach laughed and watched as she zoomed away with the quaffle. He raced up behind her struggling to keep pace with her, she was much smaller and lighter than he was- not to mention her broom was a thousand times better! He called after her, "Great, now you got me thinking about food! " Angling himself around her he flew to the goal posts and turned to face her, nodding that he was ready. "Bring it on, woman! "
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Post by Liz Reeves on Jul 1, 2016 0:51:06 GMT -5
(outfit)It actually wasn’t too difficult once she got the hang of it. You simply had to make sure to toss it just high enough to be able to spin around and hit it, but low enough that it wouldn’t be intercepted. After a while of correcting her form and adding some encouragement, Zach started playing defense while she practiced that and a few other techniques she’d been working on. Like charging as if you were going to commit a head on collision and then flipping your self last second so you fly upside down underneath them. You just needed to be careful they didn’t try to dive. They’d both been working hard, she’d worked up enough of a sweat that she’d removed her over top and was flying around with it tied at her waist. It was about an hour in when they stopped for a break.“So, why the Chudley Cannons?" she asked him during their in the air break.The Chudley Cannons were well know for being the worst team in the United Kingdom, if not the entire sport. They hadn't one a championship in... How long was it now? Definitely well over a century.“I mean, you’re good,” she said bumping into him, and smiling “so why only the two years with one of the worst teams to date?"It didn’t make sense to her. He knew what he was doing, was good on a broomstick and was extremely good looking. She stared at his face, extremely good looking. Yet he’d left after only two years to teach quidditch here. She hadn’t asked about it in the past but now seemed like a good a time as any. She was happy he had, after all she probably wouldn't have met him otherwise, and he'd helped her improve so much over his time here. But it just didn't add up to her. She'd never wanted to leave quidditch, and he seemed to love the sport just as much. So why?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2016 17:36:01 GMT -5
thickasthieves* And I guilty I may be But don't give up on me In the wake of the Odyssey We will still be thick as thieves You and me still thick as thieves The two practiced for a solid hour, and not to anyones surprise Liz had practically mastered the Finbourgh Flick. With just a little more practice she would be able to execute it flawlessly on the field. The sun was hot and Zach had removed his teaching robes before playing defense, tossing it down to the grass bellow him. He was never the type to fully robe up, often times wearing his regular jeans and t-shirt underneath, today was no different ( outfit). They continued to practice until they had decided to have a much welcomed break. Zach needed to cool off. He flew next to her and conjured a bottle of water, he took a long drink himself and held it out towards Liz, " Thirsty? " Zach couldn't help but offer a half-smile when she bumped him and asked him about the Cannons. They were a pretty terrible team, many people were surprised when he had decided to join them. He was good, very good in his late Hogwarts years. Many people were shocked by his decision, calling it a waste of talent. " True story, " He stared chuckling before he could continue. The story behind it was something he had not dared tell anyone at the time, but after all these years he could see the humor in it. " I went home, to my mom's, " He chuckled again, " right after I graduated and I gave her a list. I said, 'I'm playing quidditch, pick a team'. She never wanted me to play, not after I got blurted in my first year playing. " He looked at her with a smile and explained, " This slytherin kid, can't even remember his name- hell can't remember much from that day, grabbed my broom and pulled me straight toward the ground. And just before we both smacked the grass he let go and pulled up- but I wasn't so lucky. I went face first into the turf, I broke like six bones and had a concussion. Fun stuff. But, yeah, my mom picked the team for me. You can laugh if you want." Zach smirked at her, scrunching his nose. Was she the first person he told this to? He mused to himself that he believed she was. There was nothing for him to hide, it wasn't as though he was a "momma's boy", he loved his mom, but it was more of his way to tell her that he was going to go pro whether she liked it or not. He had never planned to stay on the team long, at least long enough to honor her choice. " Honestly, I wanted to play for Ballycastle, and my plan was to run with the Cannon's for one year and transfer over. Well, when Ballybastle looks at applications they really don't want to see that you played for the worst team ever. So I kind of screwed myself over on that one. " Zach bumped her back flashing her a soft smile. He had wished that he would have just joined Ballycastle in the first place, and ignored his mothers pick. But he knew that she felt very excluded from his life, he was a wizard she was a muggle. He got to go and see and be apart of an entirely different world that she just could never fit into. SO when he asked her for her opinion, it had meant something. Obviously, he should have asked her opinion about something else. That woman does NOT know her quidditch teams! " So what about you, why the Harpies? "
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Post by Liz Reeves on Jul 1, 2016 20:09:31 GMT -5
Taking the water from him, she took a sip then poured the rest over her face and hair, which she’d pulled back. There was nothing worse than hair in your face while flying. Well, yes there was. A blugger in the face was worse but that was left often. Refilling the water with a quick spell before passing it back to him, listening as he answer her question about the Cannons.
She did laugh, but she also thought it was quite sweet. She could’t picture having that type of relationship with her own mother. Beatrice Reeves was never close to any of her daughter. Although she’d taken more of an interest in Kaela and Erica than in Maddi or her. But that was because the other two struggled for her approval much more than she or her other sister ever had. Liz had just accepted that her mother’s love and approval was something she’d never have, like how muggles would never have magic or she’d never control over her life. But he’d mentioned the Ballycastle bats.
“You’re just batty about butterbeer,” she teased in Barny's voice.
Their mascot, Barny the Fruitbat, had been popular in butterbeer advertisements since before she was born. Then he asked her about the Harpies and she grinned.
“I’ve loved them since I was a kid right?”, she started, “and their defeat of the Heidelberg Harriers, I'd love to concuss some of the pureblood boys my family tries to marry me to with my broomstick. Come to think of it, I might have when I was twelve…”
She wasn’t sure if Roderick had been concuss or not, but he’d certainly cried a lot. Served him right for trying to take her broomstick from her.
"Well, the Harpies seem like a wonderful team from the matches I’ve been to, and with Beckett retiring soon I may have a chance to play for them sooner then I’d ever expected,” she said grinning.
It had been a surprise to everyone when Erin Beckett not only proposed to her girlfriend right after a match, but promised that this would be one of the last years she’d be spending in such a dangerous profession not that they had a child on the way. Liz was happy for her, but even more happy that a chaser vacancy would be opening up so soon.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2016 21:31:20 GMT -5
thickasthieves* And I guilty I may be But don't give up on me In the wake of the Odyssey We will still be thick as thieves You and me still thick as thieves Zach took another long drink from the water she had passed back from him, "mmm" he swallowed the liquid in his mouth, "I AM batty about butterbeer! How did you know? " There was a flicker in his eyes as he joked with her, and he chortled. He couldn't help but admire how she looked sitting next to him on her broom, her skin glistened from the water she had poured over herself. It was a shame he was a professor, and she so young. He glanced over her as she spoke about the Harpies and how she had loved their amazing defeat of the Harriers.
"Jeez, " he laughed aloud as she spoke of concussing her possible suitors. "Did we just practice the flick so that you could use it on boys? " Another laugh erupted from him and he pretended to flinch away from her. The image of her performing that on an unsuspecting love bird cracked him up! Her parents were brave people to even THINK of marrying her off, she was a lawsuit waiting to happen! Ok, maybe not really. But the image was fun to think about.
The quaffle made a quiet batting sound and he tossed it from one hand to another. He had heard her talking about her parents having her betrothed and it sounded like such a far off thing. The way he had always pictured it was she would be already playing for the Harpies and her dying-for-grandbabies mother would be trying to set her up with all these sweet-boys-from-the-ministry type lads. At least that was the reality he had faced, his mother was always writing to him about the 'nice girl from the grocery store' or 'the young lass I met at church', and he had even humored her once or twice and went on a date. It just wasn't what he wanted, and not who he wanted it with. His mother, being a muggle, always tried to set him up with muggle girls and - not that there is anything wrong with muggle girls- it's just that he wouldn't be happy in their world. How would he work? Being gone for so many months a year at Hogwarts. How could they possibly understand, especially when he couldn't tell them why.
Attemping to spin the quaffle on his finger he smirked at Liz, "This is her last season, isn't it? " he inquired about Erin. He hadn't known her personally but everyone found out about the engagement. The picture of her proposal cycled over and over again on every newspaper. "That's what I heard anyways. Just in time for graduation. " Zach wiggled on his broom, mocking the excitement for her upcoming graduation. He was happy for her and sad all at once. She would move on with her life and he, he would be down an awesome player, captain and friend. How else would he spend his afternoons if not practicing with her?
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Post by Liz Reeves on Aug 22, 2016 2:58:10 GMT -5
“Not just,” she teased back, “But some of those boys are definitely asking for it. Though it would probably just be easier to punch or hex them, wouldn’t want to damage the broom.”
She touched the handle of her broom lovingly. Her family let her upgrade to the newest model as soon as it came out, but she treasured each one. They were a part of her. Ever since she could walk, she’d had her own broomstick. Her sister would joke that she’d been flying before she could walk, which considering the number of photos of her racing around the mansion on her toddler-sized broomstick might not be much of an exaggeration. But Zach was talking again, oh right, about the Harpies.
“Yeah,” she said, “But it’s unlikely for me to get recruited to them straight out of Hogwarts. More likely I’ll join one of the other teams first, and then transfer to better and better teams until I get an offer from them. Though, her retirement might speed things up. I, honestly, can’t wait. The sooner the N.E.W.T.s come and go the better.”
She wasn’t anxious to start exams however. But, for them to be in the past. She wasn’t exactly horrible in any of her classes, certainly not the worst student. She did attend her classes, and it wasn’t like she was high during any of them. They couldn’t pay her enough to put anything in her body which could damage her chances in Quidditch. But, she wasn’t exactly paying attention in class either, or doing all of her homework. That’s what happens when you spend all your time at the pitch. Other stuff just doesn’t get done. Though she did make time for her charms and transfigurations homework. But that was after sunset, most of the time, she was on her broom.
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