Gryffindor Quidditch Practice Y32 S2

If Lizzie thought too much about the fact that this was going to be one of her last times on the Hogwarts quidditch pitch, she knew she would cry. This pitch had become her home over the last seven years, and the idea that she was about to really, genuinely leave it behind forever was unthinkable. There were professional teams she had her eyes on, but never playing in Gryffindor colours again made her heart ache. And never playing alongside the teammates she had come to consider family was even worse. The Gryffindor team were some of Lizzie's favourite people in the world, and no part of her was ready to say goodbye to them.

But that day was drawing closer and closer, and Lizzie's heart sunk into her stomach every time she thought of it. Her graduation was so soon, and she wanted to make the most of every moment she had left at school. Even if they were long finished playing for the rest of the year, Lizzie wanted to keep her team sharp for next year, and a more casual, relaxed practice would also be a good way to take to the sky for the last time with the team who meant so much to her. So she had put the word out, summoning her teammates to the pitch, and once the small group had assembled Lizzie addressed them, trying to keep her sadness at saying goodbye to them out of her voice. "Hey guys!" She said brightly, smiling just a little too much. "I know we're all done for the year, but while I'm still your captain, I wanna keep you guys sharp for next year. You've got a cup to win, and nobody's getting rusty on my watch." She said with a grin, looking around at the people assembled in front of her. "Just run drills today... practice anything you think you need to work on, and if you've been on the team a while keep an eye on newer players, see if there's anything you can help them with. Remember we win or lose as a team, we've got to keep each other strong." She said firmly, a smile still on her face. Lizzie had considered saying something about her graduation, but she knew if she brought up the topic of leaving school she would wind up crying, and that wasn't the note she wanted to start practice off on. Picking up her broom, she blew a whistle around her neck, grinning. "Alright, let's start off with a few laps!" She said brightly before kicking off hard, soaring into the sky with the expectation that her team would follow after her.

Willow had been informed about a quidditch practice. she had really enjoyed being on the team this year and didnt know why she had been reluctant to join last year. She headed down to the pitch and saw lizzie there. "hey lizzie" she said a big smile on her face glad to see the captain. the team would not be the same without her. She listened as the girl gave a speech before they started and said to start with a lap. She took her broom and kicked off and followed lizzie for a lap. before flying faster around for the second one. "Lizzie. what position do you think I should try for next year. I don't want to be a chaser and I felt disconnected from the match as keeper" she said. referring to the position she had played in the last match. she would play it again if she needed to but it wasn't a position that she wanted to stay in permanently. as for chaser, it was the position her mum played and she didn't want to be that much like her. the options were beater and seeker. she had been practising seeking on her free afternoons but it was trouble to practice being a beater on your own.

Fleur had enjoyed being on the Quidditch team over the past year, and had built up an admiration for the captain. It would be sad that the girl would graduate soon, though Fleur hoped she herself could stay on the team a little longer. She was excited for this practice, mostly because it was a nice way to spend some time with the team before the holidays. She turned up a little early, and waved at the captain before waiting for her teammates to arrive. Lizzie gave them a little speech, which was nice. It was clear she would miss the team, and Fleur felt for her. They would just be running drills today, and Fleur was happy for the chance to improve a bit. She wasn't a great chaser, but she wanted to be better. She wanted a real spot on the team. She spotted her friend Willow, but she headed over to talk to Lizzie. So Fleur decided to start flying laps, looking around to see if anyone would join her and would maybe want to chat while flying.

As soon as Lizzie was in the air she felt settled, despite the sorrow she still carried about leaving this all behind soon. The wind rushing through her hair was soothing, and it was easier to relax when she had the joy of flying to focus on. It wasn't long before one of her teammates caught up with her and Lizzie gave Willow a smile, pleased to talk to the girl. She listened to Willow's question, considering the matter seriously for a moment. "Hmm... well, I can't answer that question for you." She said seriously, considering it. "It took me a long time to decide what to try out for, 'cause I've played every position at home. I think you should try out some seeking drills and some beating drills today, and see what feels best." Lizzie's smile turned a little sad as she continued. "The obvious answer is that my spot on the team is going to be open next year, so there'll be space for a new beater. If you're going for a permanent spot though, you want to be certain that it's something you won't get sick of, so if you try things out today and find that you enjoy playing seeker a lot more, it's worth waiting out the time as an alternate, and building experience and skill in practices. Choose something you know you can be happy with in the long term." She smiled. "Being a flexible player is a strong skill to have, even if you wind up in a fixed position. It's a big advantage to know what other players are doing and why they're doing it, both in terms of working well with your team and interacting with opposing teams. It's never a bad idea to run drills for multiple different positions."

Jacob had been excited to hear about the practice, but on the morning of, he woke up late. Sliding down bannisters, having not learned his lesson from earlier in the year, and racing down steps, Jacob burst out of the castle doors, stopping when he realized he'd forgotten his broom. Jacob let out a loud curse before he remembered that he'd left his broom in his dad's care for some repairs. Then he ran on, hoping there would be some school brooms laying around. He raced onto the pitch, pausing to catch his breath as he listened to Lizzie. Jacob was trying very hard to not pay attention to what this was - Lizzie's last practice. But it was hard when she was here being cheery. He watched everyone else head up while he grabbed a broom from the shed, hopping on and kicking off shortly after. The broom listed slightly to the right he noticed, and he made a note to compensate as he tightened the strap around his bat so he could do some laps.

Willow listened as Lizzie advised her on what to do with the positions. she didn't think that she would get bored of either one. and the fact that the beater position would be open next year would be advantageous. she smiled "Thanks, Lizzie. I will have a practice at both and see which I prefer. Thanks for all your help this year." she said, she would miss having her there for advice and help when she needed it. she walked over to the quidditch supply cupboard just as she got there she saw Jacob leaving with one of the school brooms. "hey Jacob" she said as they passed. she thought about saying something to him but didn't here and now was not the time or place for the conversation she wanted to have. or maybe the quidditch pitch was the best place to have it. it didnt have to be a long conversation, just somehting to let him know not to upset her cousin again. and if they were doing something it would mean it didn't get awkward.
Willow made her way onto the pitch and did a lap first slowly then once Fleur had caught up to lapping her she matched pace with her quicker than she had been flying before. "hey fleur" she said smiling at her best friend "how quick has this year gone. do you have any plans for the holiday?" she asked. before moving the bat into her other hand. She was usually left handed but sometimes it would be an advantage to use her right such as meaning that she could fly a little closer to fleur and chat as they lapped. not the most practical reason in a game but a reason none the less.

Lizzie smiled at Willow, pleased that the girl had taken her advice on board. "Happy to help." She said cheerfully. Once Lizzie had finished her laps she flew back down towards the ground, opening the chest that contained the balls for practice. She would let other players pick the balls they needed for practice, focusing on the bludgers for now. She unlatched the case to release one of them, catching it quickly and trapping the violent ball tightly under her arm, and ignored the bludger's attempts to wiggle free as she called out to her teammates. "ANYONE DOING BEATER DRILLS OVER THIS WAY." She said, struggling a little to contain the ball as she took off again and flew over to the far end of the pitch, where they could hopefully avoid the bludger going after any other players. "We'll practice batting it back and forth between one another, focus on aim and quick reactions..." Lizzie said, voice a little strained from the effort of containing the small ball. It was a relief when she released it, quickly gripping her bat and giving the bludger a hard smack towards one of the other players who had joined her.

Jess was glad that she had finally had the chance to play properly that year and she was hopefully the next year would bring success to the team. The season was over but Lizzie had still called a practice session which Jess was happy about as she welcomed the distraction. She made her way out onto the pitch and took her broom and flew a few laps around the pitch before she took the quaffle and turned her attention to the hoops. "Anyone wanna do some scoring drills?"