| Details for Hogwarts Quidditch 1940-41, Game 04 - Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff |
| Summary: | The fourth Hogwarts Quidditch match of the 1940-1941 school year pits Gryffindor House against Hufflepuff House. Final Score: Gryffindor 90, Hufflepuff 310 |
| Date: | 28 February, 1941 |
| Location: | Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch and Stands |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
The Gryffindor Team  
The Hufflepuff Team 
In the Stands    
Visitors In the Stands   |
Hooch blows her whistle to signal the teams to start filing out of each locker room. Wand to her throat, voice amplified she announces as the Gryffinfor Team comes out of the locker room first. "Today playing for Gryffindor we have, Terrance Green as Keeper, Finley Higgins as Beater, Angus MacMillan as Beater, Felix Flitwick as Chaser, William "Billy" Marlowe as Chaser, Josephine Davies-Bates as Seeker, and Ignatius Prewett as Chaser and Team Captain!" Another blow of the whistle is given as the Gryffindor team take their positions on the pitch and more names are announced as the Hufflepuffs file out. "Here is your team Hufflepuff. Alicia Rowle as Keeper, Erica Stainwright as Seeker, Dean Hawthorne as Chaser, Asmund Fawley as Chaser and Sierra Higgins as Beater! These are your teams for todays match of Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff, give them your respect and cheer them on. I want to see nothing but a good clean game and outstanding sportsmanship. Take your places…."
Loudly, Linc is sitting in the Visitors section. He has a kid on each knee and the kids are all decked out in Gryffindor Spirit items. They youngest, a boy is at the beginning of Toddler stages while the girl on his other knee is coming out of Toddler-hood. The baby of the bunch is waving a banner only because he's gripping the banner while nomming on his fist. As for Linc himself, he's in more neutral robes, but with an Appleby Arrows 'jersey' on underneath. When the Gryffindors file out he bounces his knees to invigorate the kids just a hint more than when Hufflepuff comes out. But all the Palanchers do cheer for the Badgers as well.
Erica is enjoying the fact that she's not getting boo'd and hissed at when she exits the locker rooms this time. Practically reveling in the polite level of clapping she receives. She waves towards the Hufflepuff sections first and then all others get a smily greeting. Lastly she beams over at Josie hovering across from her above everyone else in the Seeker starting position. "Good luck Josie! Let's have a great game!"
Josie comes out of the Gryffindor locker room, a smile on her face as she mounts her boom and floats up into position. She waves back to Erica, still smiling, answering back just as cheerfully, "Good luck!"
To keep warm in the snow, Augusta has literally skinned a cat. A preserved lion hide is worn like a cape with the roaring preserved head over hers. Curly red and gold ribbons have been added to the lions mane and shimmering tiger's eye gems sparkle within the lion's sockets. Her show of House Spirit doesn't exactly have the reaction she was hoping for. Most of her fellow Gryffindors are giving her unnerved and macabre side-long glances. "RARR! Goooooo Gryffindor!" Her hands, that are in mittens sewn into the front paws of the hide are waved about cheerfully. The snow makes everything bright and sparkling and the gold and red painted claws on the waved about paws dazzle.
Lissie is sitting in the stands wrapped in her warm cloak and Hufflepuff colors. She raises a cheer for the teams, though she has a letter in her hands that she reads now and again with thoughtful intensity. Then her gaze goes back to the pitch, and she slips the letter back into her pocket.
Erica bounces a bit on her broom rubbing her gloved hands over her arms. "Golly it's cold!" She exclaims over to Josie mostly. Then one hand comes up to do a stage whisper, "Hopefully Hooch will get things started soon, before we all freeze mid-air!"
On cue, Madam Hooch lifts up her whistle and when she gives it a blow the Quidditch Ball Box below her springs open and all the balls buzz forth. One of the bludgers is being extremely aggressive, or maybe Billy is just its favorite Chaser, because it comes gnashing through the air right for the Gryffindor. An audible thunk is the balls greeting, but it's affection is fleeting because it veers off after the kiss to hunt for a new 'love'.
The snitch gives a glint here and there as it dances between snowflakes. How the shiny ball manages to zip about, almost able to hide behind the flakes is a magical mystery. Just its expertise in hide and go seek most likely.
Asmund has the Hufflepuff team working together quite remarkably right off as the game starts. They have hand signals and tight well practiced formations that sees them making 3 goals before Terrance has gotten is own groove and blocks what would be a few more goals for Hufflepuff.
Josie speeds into action as the whistle blows, starting to circle and look for the snitch. Once, as the Hufflepuff beaters are lining up on the Gryffindor chasers, she makes a sudden dive right in their field of view as if diving for the snitch. It's not there, but it's a momentary distraction.
Augusta cheers for the Gryffindor chasers when they get one goal. "That's the way! Keep it up! Rarr rarr!" More Lion claws and role-playing. It makes her giggle to herself. Someone is having fun.
Hooch, herself after she announces that the score is, "Gryffindor: 10, Hufflepuff: 30." has to be very careful of bludgers. Because the Hufflepuff Beaters get in an unbelievable zone and it becomes a bludger massacre for the Gryffindors. Not one Lion goes without being struck by a bludger. The flurrying of snow often to blame for not seeing the bludger until it was too late. Josie gets the brunt of it, that dive got their attention all right.
It's not only the Gryffindors that get some bludger attention. While the Gryffindor Beaters are doing their best to keep the bludgers off their team members Finley manages to strike the bludger away from hitting himself and it soars right into Erica's back.
It takes Erica several minutes to stop crying from the pain. She talks to herself and receives a pep-talk from Asmund. Combined she is able to shake it off and join the game again. Her expression is a rare thing on her features, complete concentration. Focusing hard to push pass the throbbing pain in her ribs where they meet her spine.
Dodging left, right, up and down, Josie tries to make herself a difficult target once she notices she has become a target, but it doesn't seem to work. The bludger first hits her arm, then a couple minutes later her leg, and a bit later a nasty hit to her shoulder. She yelps each time, but otherwise gives no complaint, though even for her it's a tough task to keep composure. It does a pretty good job, however, of keeping her from looking for the snitch.
Seeing that her boyfriend had decked out both the children in Red and Gold, Sophie had waited until the opening whistle, then slipped away quietly. As the Hufflepuff team goes ahead in the score, she gives a cheer, her own Hufflepuff scarf quite prominent over the pale blue robes she wears. Returning now, she offers to take the younger toddler from Linc's lap, so that he can explain the game as it happens to Bryony. Once she has her son on her knee, she gently disengages his fist from the Gryffindor banner, and replaces it with a rampant badger. Deft fingers replace the red and gold with black and yellow. She watches the little seeker shake off the blow of the bludger with a fierce nod of approval. The toddler sized Gryffindor scarf is deposited on Linc's head, the ends hanging down over his ears like puppy dog ears.
Ravenclaw has two out of three down so far, and only Gryffindor now stand in the way of a possible House Cup. As such, the captain of the eagles has keen eyes on the Lions, watching their plays and noting the skills of the players. She has one of her journals open on her lap, and is jotting notes in it as the game progresses.
Lissie has gone back to reading her letter, though she does look up now and again. She finally sighs and puts her chin in her hands.
Hooch gives her whistle another blow to call attention for the next score announcement of, "Gryffindor: 60 Points! Hufflepuff: 100 Points!" As always Madam Hooch has completely neutral and equally excited tones for each of the Houses, she plays no favorites.
"I see it!" Erica might be much better on a broom this year after practicing all summer, but the Seeker position is still so very new to the rookie. It's only after she's called that out and set to chasing the golden snitch down that she realizes what she did and exclaims, "Whoops! Oh no! I lost it! I. Think. It. Went. THAT WAY!" She looks ever so guilty as she out right fibs and points the wrong direction trying to mislead the Gryffindors into thinking it went the opposite way it did. Of course after her pantomime is done she really has lost sight of the snitch and she mutters and gives a little light punch to her broomstick.
The chanting and cheers of the crowd, both red and yellow, fill the air as Terrance glides elegantly before the three large open hoops at the Gryffindor end of the pitch. With the Hufflepuffs on the attack, he is forced to resort to a frantic dive, luckily snatching the quaffle before it darted into the center post. That is when he spotted it, something tiny and gold, which brought out a short sharp whistle to Josie to catch her attention.
Linc woofs when the scarf is laid on his head like puppy ears and then laps at the air about his daughter to get her giggling. He doesn't even mind that he misses a good part of the game. That is how much that little girl has him wrapped around her little finger. But when the scarf flops off his head he realizes what it is and looks over at his son that's gone to the Badger side. He peers up at his bebes mamma and narrows his eyes playfully. "You're lucky I love you." He gives Phronsie a kiss on the cheek and then puts his little girl up on his shoulders so he can stand up with arms raised bellowing like a lion himself as the Keeper makes an amazing play. "Deeeeeefense! Woo! Terrance!" Yep, he knows the Keeper by name, it's like he's here unofficially scouting or something, shh!
Josie is still distracted by the pain of her multiple bludger hits when Erica goes for the snitch, so she's late following. In the end, she's far enough back that the fibbing was pretty much unnecessary. That gets her head in the game, again, however, and as Terrance whistles she turns and speeds forward after the snitch. It's close, she almost reaches it, but she has to peel off at the last moment as another bludger flies by in front of her.
Augusta has had to step out of the way to the steps to tend to a bit of a bad poke she got when one of the fangs that hang down from her lion cowl's mouth gave her to the forehead. All the cheering has her pouting as she heads back to her seat still rubbing at her forehead. Must suffer for beauty as they say. "What did I miss?"
Abraxas Malfoy sits in one of the rows of the Slytherin stands, taking in the game. "I suppose we should be rooting for Gryffindor here, hrm? Or… I don't know. Everyone is 1-1, if I recall correctly." He makes his observation to the Slytherins around him, whomever they might be, now that the Knights apparently only attend games involving their own house.
Hooch blows on her whistle for another announcing of the score. It's a good thing she has her volume enchanted or it would be impossible to hear here over the snow that builds again into a flurry. "Gryffindors: 70 points! Hufflepuffs: 120 points!" Then rather suddenly the snow storm stops and everything sparkles as rays of sun make it through the cloud cover as the snow slowly drifts to the pitch below.
Josie loops around the field, searching for the snitch once again. Then, as the sunlight shines down and makes it sparkle, she spots it. Grinning, she leans forward and speeds towards the snitch. She leans tight to her broom, trying to squeeze out every last bit of speed she can.
"As you tell me every day," Sophie responds with a smile and an arched eyebrow. She looks up to the girl perched on Linc's shoulders and mouths a conspiratorial 'you're next' when his head is turned. The Gryffindor chaser being hot on the snitch gives her a tense moment, and she hugs the toddler up to her chin, giving a sigh of relief when a serendipitous bludger cuts her off. As Hooch blows the whistle to announce the score, she waves a little fist that clenches the Hufflepuff flag in the air as she cheers.
Elspeth leans forward a little, elbows resting on her journal as she watches Josie swoop for the snitch. She doesn't react when the bludger ends the chase, and her eyes return to the game of chasers and beaters, making another note.
Erica meeps when Josie goes speeding past her, she had a bit of a moment, distracted by how beautiful the weather became. But her reaction time is fast and soon she's in a chase for the snitch, neck and neck, fingers almost tangling with her opponent when they both reach for the elusive tiny ball. In an effort to untangle she pulls her hand away and it really is only luck that turns that wave into a swat that connects with the snitch enough to knock it off to the side where it gets a bit tangled up in her robes. "I got it!??" Screeching to a halt she quickly picks at her Quidditch uniform giggling because it tickles to try to get the snitch free and solidly in her hand. "I got it?" When the snitch pops out of her sleeve, both hands clap around it, "Holy Moly, I GOT IT!" She looks over at Josie with slack jawed surprise. "I'm sorry." In the moment she just blurts that out.
Lissie looks up finally. Oh. The game's still going on. She reaches into her cloak, then holds up what looks like a piece of dried meat. A little head pokes itself out of her scarf, and then her ferret snags the treat before slipping back into the scarf, startled by the sudden roar at the capture of the snitch.
Abraxas comes out of his seat a bit at the screaming that someone has 'it' - it must be the snitch, right? Who has it? Who won? Tune in next time…
As competitive as Josie is, and frustrated as she has yet to catch the snitch outside of practice, she can't help but giggle at Erica's apology. "Don't be sorry, you're supposed to catch it. Congratulations!" She'll be frustrated later, but for now she's not going to ruin this for Erica.
Erica sheepishly giggles. "I'm supposed to, sure. Doesn't mean I ever thought I would in a million years though. Especially against you! You're really good Josie. Nice game." She offers her unoccupied hand towards the other Seeker. "I could really use a hot chocolate, would you like to have one with me? After all the whooplalala that is." It's about then that the team swarming celebration happens and anything meant to be said or done after that gets lost.
Hooch sounds the final note on her whistle to end the game. "Hufflepuff WINS! Final score, Gryffindor with 90 Points. With a stunning 310 points, Hufflepuff WINS!" A swish of her wand and the Bludgers fall into line. One even looks like it might be sulking as it was just about to bludger in a players head. The quaffle nestles into it's divot gently and Hooch flies over to the celebrating team to take the snitch from Erica and place it by hand back behind it's little shield lid. "Thank you for coming audience, if you will please leave the stands in an orderly fashion. But first another round of applause for our players!" She gestures to the teams and applauds herself with a proud smile.
It's a good thing that the young toddler isn't too much of a squirmy thing, because he's being held tightly again by his mother again, although not too tightly. Then he's tucked on her hip as she lifts one hand to shield blue eyes against the sudden sunlight while she watches the Hufflepuff keeper search her robes, and then clap her hands together. The following cheer from the girl brings a cheer from Sophie as she bounces up and down with her son. "Baaaaadggeeeerrrrrrrs!" She hollers, her eyes glowing as she turns to her boyfriend. "Feels like old times again, beating Gryffindor…" She winks, then stands up on her tiptoes to give Linc a kiss on the cheek. "Just remember, you love me."
Linc looks disappointed of course, but he's here with his kids to instill good sportsmanship so he cheer for Hufflepuffs win. "That was a very good game. I will have to talk to Clavin about that Keeper." To her spinning about his words on her he mutters, "Yeah yeah. I might need a bit of reminding though." Linc has a saucy Palancher grin crooking his mouth as he leans in to give his wife another kiss. But there is a stern clearing of a throat behind him. All these years after graduating and Linc still remembers that sound. "You know Pringle, even your throat clearing has a brogue." He turns around, "Blow Pringle a kiss pumpkin." His daughter obliges and with a chuckle he offers his gloved hand to Phronsie to lead the way home.
Augusta removes her lion hide and turns it so she can give the head a glare. "So much for you being a good luck charm. Hmph." She rolls the hide up an hugs it against herself. Neck craning about as she tries not to trip and or slip in the ice and snow on her way down.
Abraxas is apparently already calculating what this means for the Hogwarts league table. Slytherin beat Gryffindor but lost to Ravenclaw. But what if they beat Hufflepuff? Will that bring home the cup? Maths aren't a subject at Hogwarts, and the calculations would probably require the assistance of the divination professor - if Malfoy didn't think that was all bollocks anyway. He gets up with a group of Slytherins, applauding politely, and then heading for the exit.
Elspeth closes her journal, and leans over to chat with her teammates that have been watching with her. "We need to come up with a way to solve Green," she mentions. "He is strong in front of the goals, even if Hufflepuff did have a few more goals. Davies will be tough, but not too tough, I think. Anybody else see anything?"