Breath Courage Into Me

[J.T. Hunt]

The Quidditch pitch was swarmed with ambitious students who wanted to test their flying skills a few days before the official tryouts. JT was practicing alone, away from the rest of them, using a single bludger that he was striking with a borrowed bat. He made sure he was far enough from the rest of the bunch for safety reasons but also because he preferred loneliness most of the time. He refused for some reason to try for the Gryffindor team. He knew he could be proved as a worthy beater for his house but at that special day, he never showed up for the tryouts. There were sometimes that brave thoughts were actually flooding his brain. Such us he could prove he was worthy and he could function well as a member of a team. Unfortunately, his lack of confidence was just enough to prevent him from engaging in many activities that he liked, such as Quidditch.

For a moment he was drawn by his own thoughts of how nice it would be to play at an official match. He let a sigh as he was hovering few meters above the ground, lost in thought. The distinctive grumbling a bludger was emanating reached his ears and he snapped out of his insecure thoughts. He raised his bat and swang as hard as he could. Iron clanged against wood. The muscles of his wand arm stiffened as he felt the pressure but it all went away when the bludger was hurled away. JT knew that his arm was going to be sore the next day after so many strikes and three months away from the pitch. He darted after the bludger, leaning over his broomstick to
outrace the iron ball and strike it again in order to change its course away from rest of the crowd.

 

[Doriana Strati]

Doriana had joined early that morning a group of fellow gryffindors who wanted to join the team that semester. Practicing with others was a great way to unfold your talent and train under real game circumstances. She wanted to try her best as a chaser, not that she would turn down another position offer. She just was more confident at that post. She was flying fast and she also liked avoiding those nasty bludgers.

She arrived along with the other gryffindors at the pitch and they all soared at the south end of the pitch to limit the time they were going to fly between goalposts. The quaffle moved among them, passing from different pairs of hands before shot through the hoops or be overshot away or over them.

Doriana went to retrieve the quaffle from a terrible attempt to score. Not only she missed but she sent the quaffle away, to the other side of the pitch where someone was practicing with a bat and a bludger alone. She had seen that boy before. He was coming regularly to train his beater skills but as far as she could remember, he wasn't part of Gryffindor team. The girl grabbed the quaffle just when she noticed the bludger coming her way. She dove and it missed her, passing over her in great speed. It would have knocked her unconscious if it had hit her. "Nice shot." She complimented him while having an eye for the bludger. Those things shouldn't be regarded lightly. "Mind if I join you?" She asked, ready to give up on her teammates and practice on avoiding the bludger. She had grown tired of playing along so many people. Depending on his answer, she was either going to pass the quaffle to the others or get back to them and resume.

 

[J.T. Hunt]

A girl from the chasers practicing at the southern goalposts, strayed in an attempt to catch the quaffle. His bludger detected her movement and rocketed towards her. This was exactly what JT was fearing and thus, he was practicing away from them. He wasn't fast enough to catch up but the girl was quick enough and with a nice dive, she avoided the hurtful collision. He recognized her. She was a gryffindor as well and they had practiced together once before. "Erm, thanks." he murmured slightly embarrassed and struck the bludger again, hard enough to send it away from the location. Surprised from her request, he shifted his attention on her from the bludger that was driven away. For a moment, his blue eyes glanced at the people she was practicing with for quite a while. "Sure, why not." he smiled stiffly. He wasn't feeling comfortable enough with the idea of sending bludgers against a younger girl but she sounded like she knew what she was doing. He was going to be softer than what he would have been in a different situation when he will want the bludger to really hit its mark. "Doriana, right?" he recalled her name and glanced over at the bludger that was coming back.

 

[Doriana Strati]

The girl flashed a warm smile when he let her join him. "Here! I'll take a break!" She called at the other chasers
and passed them the quaffle. It had been getting quite repetitive shooting the ball through the hoops.
This was going to be a nice change. Doriana studied him as he was watching the flying bludger. She thought that his eyes did a beautiful contrast with his darker complexion.
"Yes. And you're JT." She nodded, remembering his name as well. She had noticed him a few times, usually flying alone. People like him were always catching her attention. From a distance, he looked quite mysterious and enigmatic but he seemed to be a nice guy as well.
"So, what's the drill? I fly, you try to hit me?" She wondered and hovered beside him as the bludger was swooping down at them.

 

[J.T. Hunt]

JT didn't mind her joining him. He just didn't want the whole bunch of chasers she was training along to join as well. Relieved, he saw her passing the quaffle and leave them practice on their own. He hadn't practiced along someone else and this made him feel a bit nervous, mostly because he was afraid that he was going to hurt her unintentionally. Another smile cracked on his face, this time it was far more relaxed. "Right. I think we played before together. Chased by the bludgers." he looked back when she had joined him again to that reckless game of letting both bludgers chase you around. She did good back then. The bludger zoomed in and he frowned as he deflected it again. "We could start from there. Though my job would be to keep them away from you. We're both gryffindors after all." he pointed out and turned momentarily to face her as she hovered next to him. Without a warning, he flew after the bludger. "Let's see what you're made of." he said, announcing the beginning of their practice. The bludger sensed his presence and swooped down on him. He was prepared and he swung his bat to send the heavy ball straight down at the girl.

 

[Doriana Strati]

She beamed at him. "That was fun!" She admitted and hoped they were going to try something similar. Since she had interrupted him, she was going to let him decide what they were going to do. He seemed agreed with her suggestion and he mentioned what would have been his job in an actual Quidditch match. "True. We can let them both loose and while I fly close to them, you can at the same time fly along with me to bat them away." She recommended so they were both benefited. "Although you might not have much to do in that case. I'm a pretty awesome maneuverer." She bragged and a cheeky smile touched her face.

Suddenly, JT soared away from her. She knew what he was about to perform when she watched him getting dangerously closer to the bludger. She smirked softly and raised her eyebrows, impressed with his powerful shot. Her hands clenched the handle of her broom and controlled her reflexes that were urging her to move out of the way. Only when the bludger was a few inches away from smacking her on the face, Doriana darted to her right and felt the balls momentum as it passed next to her at high speed. Knowing that the bludger was going to follow her, she propelled herself to begin a lap around the pitch. "It's your moment to shine." She called as she flew away. "HELP!" She threw her arms in the air while still flying on her broom and pretended to be in distress as the bludger descended to hit her from above.

 

[J.T. Hunt]

Her overconfidence evoked a unforced smile on his lips. She had every right to feel like that because she avoided easily his shot. She actually waited long enough until the bludger was too close but she dashed out of the way. "Nice." he said from above. He then watched her puzzled as she flew away. She was agile, important for a chaser. JT realized what she was doing and watched the bludger following her. It sounded furious with the girl for mocking her in that way. JT thought sometimes that these iron balls had a mean personality of their own. They were getting angry when they couldn't hit their targets and they were taking joy in striking humans on brooms. He chuckled at the hilarious sight of Doriana flying away from the bludger with her hands in the air and propelled himself as well, accelerating abruptly. He chased after her and he dashed above her as the bludger was zooming in. His trusted bat protected both himself and the girl from the bludger. With a loud knock, the ball was launched back into the air, past one of the tower stands.
"You are good but you wouldn't have escaped this one." he admitted but he didn't want to full of herself. Bludgers were unforgiving. Especially towards the ones who believed they were capable of avoiding them all the time. "Heads up!" he warned her as the bludger returned fast. He flew out of the way and let her deal with it, this time on her own.

 

[Doriana Strati]

Feeling like she could be dodging bludgers all day, she carelessly flew in an arc and let the breeze touch her face and wipe her hair. She hadn't calculated how fast the bludger was moving but when he heard the knock, she looked above her and saw JT sending it away. She hovered and listened to him telling her that this time the bludger could have hit her. "No it wouldn't." She objected, feeling confident that she would have ducked in time. JT let her face the bludger's next approach on her own and she frowned stubbornly.
She was going to feint but the bludger this time wasn't fooled. It almost crashed her shoulder. Her hair were blown by the bludgers momentum. "I'm good. No worries." She stated right after her recovery but she felt her heart pounding in her chest. That was close.
"Let's release the other one as well." She suggested despite the close call. "Quidditch is played with two bludgers." She added. This time she was careful and fixed her attention on the bludger that was flying across the blue sky.

 

[J.T. Hunt]

JT was weighing whether he would have to interfere with his bat or let her manage on her own. She had grew too cocky and was almost bashed by the bludger that each time was returning with greater momentum. He was glad she did avoid it and wasn't hurt. "I told you to be careful. Never feel too comfortable around a bludger." he advised and hovered next to her. She looked unaffected by this narrow escape. She actually suggested the release of the other bludger as well. JT thought about it as he watched the already freed bludger zooming his way. He raised his bat and knocked it out of their way."Hmm, alright. But you'll have to be extra cautious. Okay?" he reminded her and quickly landed down on the grass. He approached the chest he was using. The other bludger in it jerked as he leaned over it, as if it was sensing its imminent release. He carefully removed the chains and the ball sprang into the air. He jumped back on his broom and flew back to Doriana. "This isn't going to be easy. Just don't let your guard down." he warned her as he watched the bludgers flying side by side, overhead. It looked like they were conspiring on how to knock them off their brooms. Then they both swooped down. "Ready?...Now!" he darted to the opposite direction than the one Doriana chose. At first he accelerated. A comfortable distance was always a wise thing before confronting the bludgers. When he thought he had put a enough distance between himself and the iron balls, he looked over his shoulder. No bludger was after him. Instead, they were both flying after the girl.

JT clenched his teeth and dove towards Doriana. He caught up with the first one and smacked it with the bat. He deflected it somewhere behind him with a loud, knock of iron. Then he dashed and flew past the remaining, preceding one. He swung his bat upwards and the last bludger was launched into the sky, far above. JT stopped and hovered to see how far he had send them away. One was heading skywards, the other one closer down to the ground. Suddenly, the both changed their course, pointing back at them. The one was descending from the sky, the other was ascending from bellow. "Okay, now you take care of the one coming from above and I'll deal with the other one." he said, keeping a close attention on both but mostly on the one coming from bellow. When the bludger approached close enough, he flew upwards. The descending one howled past him but followed Doriana who must have been flying downwards. The other bludger was coming from beneath and he guided it higher to make sure it wouldn't pursue Doriana as well. It seemed that his plan has worked. He flew higher to see how Doriana was doing, keeping his own bludger a safe distance away from him.

 

[Doriana Strati]

Doriana nodded and smiled as she succeeded in persuading JT to practice with both bludgers. She watched him flying down to the chest where the balls were stored while at the same time she was vigilant about the bludger that was trying desperately to knock her off the broom. The second bludger shot in the air with immense power and rose rapidly to meet the other one. JT returned by her side and she nodded she was ready. The bludgers dove and she flew away towards the opposite direction than JT's. With the wind blowing in her face, she had to squint her eyes while maintaining full speed. She was considering flying towards one of the towering stands and use it to maneuver and ultimately escape. When she briefly checked behind her, she witnessed both bludgers coming after her. She could outwit a single bludger, not both of them while targeting her at the same.

Although she instinctively wanted to ask for help, she didn't and instead decided to deal with them on her own. She heard the distinctive sound that made a bludger when hit by the bat and looked over her shoulder to see JT repelling one of them. She eventually slowed down and watched him swinging his bat on the second one.
"Wow, you have a really powerful swing!" She said impressed and hovered. "You're fast as well. How come you're not part of the team?" She wondered and glanced at both bludgers flying to completely different directions. There wasn't enough time for chit chat though. The savage bludgers were back, one free falling and the other launching from beneath. She was prepared for the descending one but she also had an eye on the other. Doriana dove as JT ascended. She felt the rush of the bludger as it dashed after JT and she kept zooming downwards. She could hear this time only one bludger pursuing her. Most likely, it was the one coming from above.

As the grassy terrain was coming fast towards her, an idea hit her. She sped up even more. It looked like she wasn't going to avoid the collision but she pulled the broom's handle upwards moments before crashing on the ground and she soared back into the air. A dull sound bellow, urged her to look down. She smiled disheveled, with flushed cheeks. She managed to trick the bludger that crushed and ended up embedded in the grass. It joggled violently, struggling to release itself and chase after the human that fooled it. "This one is out!" She called with a triumphant smile and floated higher above the spot where the ball was wedged in the ground. She looked up to see how JT was handling the other bludger.

 

[J.T. Hunt]

JT was mainly focused on his bludger but he shot brief glances at Doriana to make sure she was handling her own. When she saw her diving straight down to the ground, he thought that she was out of her mind. He was ready to dart after her but she successfully performed the risky dodge. His mouth gaped when he found out what have happened to the bludger chasing her. It was the second time that she managed to evoke a smile on him, however, he shook his head.
"I'm not sure you can do that during a match." he disapproved as he ducked to avoid his own bludger that had reached him. He let it pass by as he swooped down to reach Doriana. She had grown incautious again. Intoxicated by her accomplishment, she didn't notice that the bludger snapped off the ground and lashed out against her.

JT leaned forwards to build some speed. He raised his bat as he was closing in. He swung it over her head
to beat the bludger off. That was too close. For a moment, JT was scared that they would have to go to the hospital wing. "I told you! Don't let your guard down!" he shouted at her frustrated. He decided to wrap their practice up. It was a miracle she hadn't got hurt yet. The bludger that he dodged previously zoomed in and he hit it, driving it straight to the other one that was coming back their way as well.
The iron balls collided with a metallic clonk and flew away to opposite directions.

"It's a wrap." he announced and shoved his free hand in his pocket and drew his wand.
"Impedimenta!" he aimed at the bludgers coming back at them and their velocity gradually decreased.
They were now dark orbs in slow motion and JT flew towards them to collect them. He avoided looking at Doriana who had ticked him off a bit. If she got hurt the blame was going to be
placed on him as the older student who shouldn't have settled on this in the first place. He landed on the grass with the bludgers tucked under his arms.
"Better get back to your friends." he told her as he placed a bludger into its holder and buckled up the chain net to restrict it. His mood had changed now completely. He wanted to stay alone again. He shot a concerned glance at the crater on the pitch's lawn. He was afraid that a simple mending charm wouldn't just simply fix the damage.

 

[Doriana Strati]

Pleased with the flawless execution of her idea, she ignored the stuck bludger and looked at JT. He dodged easily his own bludger but then she watched him surprised flying down at her with his bat at the ready. She instinctively placed her hands before her face to protect herself but the bat never hit her. The crash sound boomed out close, behind her head. When she grasped what have happened, the once trapped bludger was cast away from her. She remained watching JT bewildered when he talked to her a little abruptly. "I'm sorry. I thought I had everything under control." She apologized genuinely, hoping he wasn't mad at her. It seemed like he blew some steam when he forcefully send one of the bludgers straight towards the other one. They collided violently and rebound. They bolted away and JT dismissed their practice by slowing them down magically and collecting them.

Doriana didn't want to quit their practice and she was about to argue. However, the way he was avoiding to make eye-contact and his expression, were showing her that he shouldn't be crossed right now. She flew after him and dismounted her broom when she reached the ground.
"I told you I'm sorry." She insisted apologetically as she was running after him, holding her broom. Now she didn't mind ending their practice but the fact that he looked be mad at her. "Look, no one got hurt. There's no reason to act like that." She tried to draw his attention but he was busy fastening the bludgers into the chest. "I won't do that again. I promise!" She stated, hardly restraining herself from nudging him to force him look at her. "Will you forgive me?" She was almost begging. He had been so nice to let her play with him when he could decline and continue on his own. She really didn't want him to be bitter over this.