@KillBox
As soon as one left, another appeared. In this case it was everyone's makeshift quidditch player, Darius. The player wrapped his arm around his captain's shoulders and spoke with the singsong voice of a bird flying around on a springs day. Even on a cold wintery day as this his presence was one that warms the soul. "Heh, yo Darius. I take it that you had a great vacation?" He smirked at him and leaned back as he sipped his cup of coffee, eying some lovelies from the Ravenclaw table. "Don't be so eager. After that shit performance last game I'm gonna be drilling you all until you beg for mercy." Sylvester said in a way that seemed like he was joking, laughing lightly at what he said, but if anyone knew him well enough then they knew that he meant every word of it. At Darius question, he glanced towards Genevieve's direction at the Hufflepuff table. "Patrick Ford, captain of the Hufflepuff team and one of the school's best keepers. Those two are friends, didn't you know that?"

"Anyway, the training schedule should be posted in the common room later today so make sure to look for it. By the way, I promised Genevieve that I would help her with her broom riding outside of practice, but I need someone who can help out as a beater in case things go awry. Can I rely on you for that?" Sylvester gave Darius his trademark charming smile that typically could get anyone to do what he wants, when working in conjunction of his Veela abilities of course.

@The Undertaker
Mary didn't respond at first she was thinking, still hearing what Jaden said of course. She'd have to invite him to one of their study sessions later that was for sure. Her thoughts were still on Apparation. She remembered that feeling, and how she thought she would die. "It won't be my first time." Mary finally says, her bread long gone and tea mostly gone. Her voice barely audible in the bustling Great Hall. The tone similar to Jaden's ears, she only used it when talking about anything from before she was nine.

She took an apple from a bowl and bit from it, then said. "I'll ask Mad later to see if she's up for having you join us. She'll probably say yes." The tone was now gone and Mary could once again be heard over the din. "We have Runes first I think." Mary could remember just about anything she wanted, but she still couldn't get her class schedule straight. She always kept a copy of it in her bag, even toward the end of the semester.

@The Undertaker

Mary made a face like she had smelled something bad. Then searched the hall for the girl. The pair of them had never gotten along. They never would. Karen was evil in Mary's mind. She had somehow in their first year realized Mary's aversion to her, Mary was sure that Karen knew as much as why Mary avoided her, though not the full why. Just that it had something to do with her zelotry.

Avoiding Karen had been easier back then the Ravenclaws shared so few classes with the Gryffindors, but now they had almost every class together. All of Mary's classes except Runes were with the blonde Gryffindor.

"I just try not to draw her attention. Even if that never seems to work. As long as I don't somehow end up alone with her." Mary shifted, rotating her shoulder as if someone she didnt wamt to had touched it. "I think Professor McCarthy noticed I sit as far away from her as possible. I used to be the first in the class and now I try to show up after her so I can pick my seat according. No one else has said anything, and we'll he hasn't said anything about it so much as well making sure we aren't paired." Mary looked up at the teacher's table and easily spotted the DADA professor. He looked relaxed leaned back in his seat and partially watching the students as he ate his own breakfast. To Mary he liked tired. Everyone knew his wife sometimes met him in Hogsmead, Mary wondered if she had last night.

Madison "Mad" Flaherty

Madison looked curiously at the 4th year who was walking towards her. What did he want? She smiled at Mary and Jaden as they walked past. Jaden was hot... Too hot. There must be something or someone in his background for them looks. She searched her memory for what bloodline he was, but she found herself unable to recall a time she had been told what he was. She made a mental note to ask him the next time she got.

Madison suddenly remembered that Ravenclaw's next Quidditch match was against Gryffindor. She thought she had probably go to shake Slyvester Evans' hand - only tradition Ravenclaw had. She stood up and raced over to the Gryffindor table, focusing her gaze on Slyvester Evans.
"Hey there, just thought I'd wish you luck for the upcoming Quidditch match. Of course, Ravenclaw will beat you, so have fun trying!"

_{@hatakekuro@The Undertaker}

The boy's bed room was almost empty by the time Nick woke up. His alarm went off a good 45 minutes ago before he was finally able to summon all the will power needed to get out of bed. His limbs and thighs felt stiff and sore from all the practices they've been doing from the passed few days, what with the Gryffindor's first lost in the season, Evans hasnt rest for a moment since until they've all been beaten good during practices. Despite all that however, Nick hasnt seen Ian around, which meant that he's still doing his morning routines as usual. Nick didnt even bother to try and copy him because he believe Quidditch practices are enough to keep his body fit, and besides, his 'projects of mischief' are keeping him up most nights, and he really needed that extra time for sleep.

By the time he's done changing into his school robes, his tummy was growling like Leo. So without anymore delay, Nick slings his school bag on one shoulder and then started to make his way towards the Great Hall, passing through the almost deserted Gryffindor common room, and then out of the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Had some good night sleep, dear?" the Fat Lady called.

The Fat Lady has somewhat took a certain fondness of Nick ever since because he usually gives her compliments (or attention) she hardly gets from other students, and in return, she lets him (and others as long as they're with Nick) pass through her some nights during off hours without telling the other teachers.

"Not much, I had to finish something." Nick looked back, giving her a mischievous grin. "Oh, by the way, is it just me or you look exquisitely slimmer than the last time I saw you. I dont know, must be the new dress?" Nick said, though the Fat Lady looked exactly the same for the last 20 years, that made her giggle like a young maiden, and probably made her blush too if Nick cared to look. With that Nick walked off towards breakfast.

The Great Hall was already bustling with activities when Nick arrived. As he entered the hall, Nick didnt even bother to stay low or cool, no, that was Damian's thing, but instead he answered all the nods, waves, hellos, and even a few cat calls he got over from the Slytherin table with just the same fervor. He wasnt exactly popular like some kind of an idol (though that would be nice too), but Nick's definitely has made a reputation in school, what with playing the role of Keeper for his House's team, and surely, mainly because he's one of biggest prankster to have ever walked Hogwart's halls after the legendary Weasley twins (unbeknownst to most teachers of course).

Nick scanned the Gryffindor table for Ian, but saw that he hasnt arrived yet, which is a bit strange since he usually arrives first than Nick. Without much choice, he found himself seated amongst his other Gryffindor teammates.

"Where have you gone off to now, Darius? The Grand Canyon or something? Really, you could use some proper washing." Nick said eyeing Darius' dirty clothing, "Anyway, we are one Chaser short, and its about time you work your butt off the same as we did from passed couple of days. But really its good to have you back, we at least have a greater chance at winning that cup now that you're here, right Captain?" Nick winked at Sylvester playfully, while filling his plate with two slices of fresh baked bread and a couple of bacon strips and an egg.

"Speaking of missing players, I havent seen Ian around. Has anyone of you saw him by any chance?" Nick asked, looking around for Damian amongst the Gryffindor crowd.

@Asuu@KillBox@hatakekuro

Patrick knew that he didn’t have the best tendencies for waking up in the morning. It wasn’t always that he stayed up late either; even if that was something that happened very regularly. He’d be reviewing Quidditch games in his head or going through every word on his parchment to make sure it was as good as it could be before he submitted it. He knew that he perhaps didn’t have the natural intellectual tendencies of his house and that he probably studied like a Ravenclaw but he had to work much harder for it. He just imagined that a Ravenclaw could pick it up before someone could even swish their wand. He polished off the rest of his toast and bacon, brushing his hands down quickly on his robes before he paid her his full attention.

when Genevieve turned, he followed her gaze and nodded a little. He knew both of them of course, given that they played matches and had lessons and all that other stuff. It wasn’t hard to get to know the other people who played Quidditch because there was always some various tussle over who had booked the pitch or who had pulled the best moves at a game. It was a passion and a sport that many people followed. “Isn’t that what he does?” Patrick asked as he gestured toward Darius. “I’ve played you guys multiple times and watched all the matches and he always seems to be somewhere else. Not that he’s bad at it but I’m sure he has it covered. Besides,” He grinned widely and ran a hand back through his hair. “How can you be sure I won’t repeat history and send the bludger your way?”

Then he paused and looked at her face. Something was a little obscure this morning but he couldn’t put his finger on it and it wasn’t his place to pry. He was a very nice and compassionate guy but he could be a bit behind on the whole emotion thing. Not dense but not wanting to assume. “I think I’ll pass, I don’t want to intrude and I know we’ve played you already but…it’s your training session so…” He shrugged one of his broad shoulders then picked up a pancake, tore it in half and offered a chunk to her. “Besides, got to do some work. You know how it is. But, doesn’t mean I don’t wanna see you because I can’t seem to shake you,” He joked.

@ScarlettWaters16

@the Undertaker
@tip
Mary Winthrop

Mary nodded a bit meekly at Jaden's request for information about Karen. He knew enough to know that Mary avoided Karen as much as possible, and Mary certainly wasn't going to antagonize Karen. She did however think his story about the troll in the bathroom was hilarious. She hadn't heard about that.

When Tarim showed up Mary offered him a bit of bread, but he was off and gone before she had gotten the bread ready. She didn't notice Jaden's discomfort at the note. "If you will excuse me I have some business to tend to, I will see a little later Mary. Good luck with your classes today, see you at DADA class possibly if you can make it."

"I'll do my best." Mary smiled and waved goodbye. She sat alone for a moment before Emma plopped down next to her.

"Oh Merlin's beard I've been looking for you." Emma spoke excitedly and fast. "I went to the library before breakfast and found this." She held up a thin black book.

"Uh, all right?" Mary looked at her confused.

"It was the only book I could find that actually talked about the rune I found last week, and get this the tiniest mention is almost an afterthought." Emma opened the book to the page. She continued babbling about the rune, until Mad returned from talking to Sylvester.

~Karen Antonius~

Karen laughed again, just a bit louder this time, but still not very loud by most people's standards. The blonde took a seat next to Damian, crossed her legs under the table, placed her head on her hand and looked at him with some mild amusement. Really, he was a such rough person, but nonetheless he had his good points - he was replying to her, even if it was out of pride. That, and he was rather adorable to look at while he looking all prideful, even while it took that much effort to ask her such a simple question.

"You're quite the awkward man, aren't you? There's no need to be so stiff with me, Damian; I don't bite. I must say though you're rather cute when you try that hard," she said, slender fingers idly playing with a lock of hair while staring at him. "That being said, my day is going rather swell so far. A bit of tea in the morning, cool morning air, and someone to talk to. It's a rather nice start, if I do say so myself.

"Now I suppose it's my turn to ask: What made your day 'fine', Damian?" she asked. "Most people don't wake up too early, so their reasons are rather stale, so I'm rather interested in what constitutes as a good morning for you."

_@Asuu

Damian leaned back in his seat, folding his arms and staring across the table at the girl. Leo leaped onto the dinner table, and Damian's eyebrow twitched slightly as the over-sized lion cub nailed a piece of bacon on it's claws and 'nimbly' leaped over the plate, only to fall face-first into a third year's food. "Exercise and a hot shower." He said simply, eyes narrowing as he leaned forward. Leo tried to move out of the way, but the Seeker's hands were too fast, even for most adult players. In a blur, the lion's bacon was in the ear, and Damian snapped it up with a quick jab, brutally biting into the morsel of food and glancing around, just to see a flash of Nick go towards another crowd. "That idiot." Damian grumbled, grabbing a vine of grapes from the fruit platter. Around a dozen on his calloused palm, he began flicking them towards Nick's face, each one meeting their mark with wet 'squelches' on the boy's forehead.

@Tip



There it was Madison , finally he found her , now to ask her about the quidditch team , well now about asking he was really going to accepted or since he just was a 4 year student,this passed through his mind as a killing machine making him nervous .But after all he was going to do it

-Hi Madison , can i ask you something about the quidditch team , because i want to enter the team.

well now he did it , he just asked for something , his mind now wasnt clear , he became nervous again just waiting for the answer of Madison

"Eh, it wasn't a vacation. Just family matters. Had to be away for a bit, ya know? But, despite that, I'm still good at what I do, which is like... everything~" He chuckled as he refuted what his captain had said about his performance in the last game. "I only missed a few bludgers and may have gotten Genevieve hurt... Has she forgiven me for?" He glanced over at her direct, but noticing that she was still in conversation with Hufflepuff's captain.

"Well, I knew that. I knew he was the captain. I think I've heard something about Genevieve knowing from a while back, but I wasn't sure. He is a keeper, huh? Play me as chaser next game we play Hufflepuff and I'll make damn sure I score on him..." He chuckled and shrugged slightly. He knew Ford was one of the best keeper of their generation. However, he was not about to let that get to him. He is confident in what he can do and in order to be a proper chaser, one needs to be borderline arrogant.

As he was taking a sip of his pumpkin juice, he found Nicholas seated by him. "Eh, no. Not the Grand Canyon. Just done a lot of running around, dealing with family issues... Yeah, well, I haven't been back to the dorms since I got back to Hogwarts so I haven't had a chance to do all that either. Tibbers hasn't been fed in a while either...so I might have to do that soon..." He chuckled and took a proper sip from his cup. "You know damn well I'm always ready to work. But...Sylvester just told me I'm being played as Beater for the practice...and know you tell me we're missing a chaser... I mean, Which team are we playing next? Ravenclaw? What are their strengths? Keeper? Beater? Chaser? I mean, if it is keeper, you might want me at Chaser. If it is beater...I can play beater as well and rough them up a bit...Just let me know..." He shrugged as he finished his words, ready to get to work. "Although, let me change first though. This robe isn't the best for Quidditch...and my broom is in my room anyways..."

@hatakekuro@Travesty

"Exercise and a hot shower is it? Hm, I must admit that it's very you," replied Karen, looking at Leo scrambling around. She chuckled before saying, "and I think that is why we don't bring pets to the dining hall. I wanted to point it out earlier, however it seemed like you knew what you were doing; clearly I was mistaken."

There was absolutely no malice in her voice, but the way she said it was just cutting to the ears. Shortly afterwards, the girl raised a long brow as Damian began chucking bacon at his friends.

"I'll have to ask you to stop doing that, Damian. While I've no qualms about you calling the attention of your friend, needlessly wasting food is rude to those that have none," she said, before using a for to pierce a piece of sausage and biting into it. She took a moment to chew and swallow the meal before speaking again. "The world is not so frivolous a place that you can just go and discard food for such a menial task."

_@Asuu

Madison "Mad" Flaherty

Madison was satisfied she had successfully spooked out the Gryffindor, and headed back over to the table. As she walked away she could hear their 'determined' player talking about what position he was going to play in the Quidditch match. Maddie's nickname for him was 'Wannaplay', because he always seemed to think he could play any position better than everyone else. Pah. The next match was gonna be a blur! She sat down at the Ravenclaw table and was about to speak to Mary when a fourth year came up and started talking to her.

"Hi Madison, can I ask you something about the Quidditch team," he gabbled, not waiting for an answer "Because I want to enter the team."

"Woah woah woah!" she replied, "Ok, right, I'll have to speak to you at lunch. Oh, and what's your name?"
She turned to Mary.
"Sorry, babe, but I'll have to speak to you later. Quidditch calls!" She patted Mary's shoulder. "You'll never understand, no fear. Do you know where Jaden is, any hoo?"

@tip

Mary Winthrop

"You just missed him, I don't know where he went." Mary wondered the same thing, but he had said he had business to attend to. She just figured it was Prefect stuff.

"Oh he's doing a class with the first years on Hex's for Professor McCarthy if you want to go, and he offered to help us with silent casting." Mary paused in her thought, "Wait is there a game today?" She never could remember, but she always did try to go to the games for her friends that played. Emma stood up, Mary followed. They'd walk to class together.

@Travesty@KillBox


"Heh, of course. We have our malleable quidditch player. What else is more valuable than that?" Sylvester snickered though he stopped when asked where Ian was. That was a good question. Just where in the hell did that roughneck seeker get off to anyway? Normally he would be sitting by the Griffyndor table in the dining hall just like the rest of them, if they actually decided to not sleep instead of getting an early start of the day. "I wanted to challenge him to a spar. Magic or fists, it really doesn't matter to me, but so far we're even thirty to thirty and I want to get the upper hand against him." Ian was one of the few people in their year that Sylvester thought he could go all out against whether they were boxing or dueling with magic. No matter how gruff and cold the American was, he had Sylvester's full, unyielding respect. Hence why Sylvester has a tendency to challenge Ian to spars. That and he was the only other person in school that he knew boxed. It's not easy finding a guy that he can trade physical blows with in a place where people are so dependent on magic.

Sylvester shook his head at Darius. "No no, you misunderstand. When we are actually practicing out on the field I want you to play as a seeker, but I'm asking you a favor. Outside of practice I'm helping Genvieve improve her flying, but I figure that I'll need one more person to help me with those bludgers. I'm not sure if our main beaters are back so I'm asking you to help outside of practice. Capiche?" He leaned back in his seat and watched Darius stand back up to go get his quidditch uniform, but he motioned him to sit down. "We don't have practice right now so you may as well relax before classes start. I hope you didn't slack off while you were away, Darius." He smirked coyly at him.

Darius shrugged, sipped on his pumpkin juice after being basically pushed back down into a sitting position. "You and your spars. It is as if some demon from afar raised you and imparted some of its bloodthristy nature upon you..." He chuckled and scanned the great hall quickly. Seems like all of the houses had some sort of representation there. There was the captain of Hufflepuff's team, captain of Ravenclaw's team, and several members of Slytherin's team as well. It was as if the inter-house showdown is about to happen that afternoon or something...

"Seeker? Isn't Ian our regular seeker? Why would you have dual-seekers...Come on Cap. I've only been away a few short weeks and you're Old Man's disease seems to have gotten worst..."Darius chuckled once again, digging at his captain verbally. Thats how they acted around each other. Verbal jousting. However, things were different if they were on the Quidditch pitch. Darius would gladly take a bludger for his captain and he assumed the same from the rest of his team while their captain would do the same for any one of them as well. On the field, they were brothers and sisters, striving for the same goal. Off it, they were some of the best friends, having gone through trials and tribulations together.

"Oh no. I made sure I got all the material before I left on the trip and I kept up with it, sending owls back and forth with the professors while I was away. My studies are fine, as usual.." He let out a nervous chuckles. What he had said was not a lie, but it was not entirely true either. Sure, his grades remained largely the same, but one is bound to fall behind some if they had to be away from school for a few weeks...

@hatakekuro

Oliver Batch @Dahlia Hawthorne

Those that know Mimi know that to be around her is to expect a harsh discussion. Oliver never fully understood the reason for her standoffish nature or brash tone of voice, but he had never seen it as any different than peoples fake friendly ways that ran rampant through the halls of the school. You always knew where you stood with Mimi, and if you didn't for some reason she would make it crystal clear if you any hesitation. "Any interest in grabbing some time in the library this afternoon after the match? Should be pretty free since everyone else is either wallowing in defeat, partying because of victory, or more likely heading into Hogsmeade to ignore the game?" Oliver's tone was very casual. Almost like he was more thinking aloud rather than actually asking a question.

Looking around the great hall he saw plenty of the usual suspects. The large number of sixth years was a nifty counter to the small number of 7th years. Perhaps their year was more academic or for whatever reason just wanted to extend their time at Hogwarts a few more years. Oliver had assumed it was the second option since so many of them were on their houses quidditch teams. Oliver had joined the team for one year, but stepped down since he was leaving on another study abroad the next year. Since then he had enjoyed the games as a spectator. The love of competition was more that drove his interest rather than invested in the actual specifics of the sport.

"Wait isn't it your house playing today? Or am I mistaken?" Olive was now actually asking Mimi a question. One he knew she would know considering her fandom of the sport.