Gotta Keep the Skills Flowing

[Anthony Blade]

Anthony Blade had gotten up early on the first day of lessons so that he could have a little bit of practice on the pitch before all of the different tryouts got underway. Last year had been a good first year on the team for him but he couldn't allow himself to become complacent under any means because if that was to happen there would be absolutely no way for him to get his dream job. He had his eye on a professional quidditch team, and he would have to keep up his hard work if he wanted to make that dream a reality. He had his broom in one hand, and he'd managed to procure a Snitch from the shed which he would practice with for a little bit before breakfast.

 

[Solomon Mordaunt]

Out of the boys in his dormitory, Solomon had always been the first to get up in the morning, though at times he was also the last to go to bed. The Slytherin believed in making the most out of his day. There was little point in wasting time sitting around getting nothing done, and while being lazy could be tempting, such as spending extra time in the comfort of a bed, it wasn't a vice he gave in to. There was always something that could be done, whether it be studying for a test, completing an essay, practicing spells or planting and growing herbs. Most of all, Solomon liked to experiment with potion ingredients to see what, if anything, he could made that hadn't already been done.

On his morning stroll to the edge of the forest where naturally some of the best kinds of herbs grew, just on the grey line between school grounds and out of bounds, Solomon caught sight of a familiar face, and without quite realising it, deviated from his path. He trudged slowly in the direction of the Quidditch Pitch, losing sight of the forest as it was replaced by stands and wooden towers. He didn't often go to the pitch, unless one of his friends was playing in a match, and only then he particularly just went to support Merrill. Nothing interesting grew on the trimmed field, and flying wasn't exactly his forte. He preferred to keep both feet planted firmly on the ground, rather than risk a hundred foot fall, or getting his gorgeous face bludgeoned by a bludger. There was only so much a metamorph could do with a broken nose.

"Does the early seeker catch the snitch, Anthony?" The Slytherin called out once he was close enough to see his friend. He personally didn't understand the point of participating in the game at all, when all it took for a team to win was one player catching a tiny golden ball. It didn't make sense to him, though he didn't try too hard to understand it to begin with. Nothing about the sport caught his interest enough for it to be worth looking into. He had his own hobbies to focus on.
​

<i></i>

 

[Anthony Blade]

The last thing Anthony had expected was for someone to follow him down from the castle, but he looked up when someone called out to him just as he was about to mount his broom and kick off. He grinned when he saw his friend Solomon and gave a small chuckle at his question. "You caught me just as I was about to find out!" He said with a mock roll of his eyes. He was glad that it was a friend and not someone from another Quidditch team trying to spy, or even an entire Quidditch team that was here to take over the Quidditch Pitch. "What brings you out here this early?" He asked his friend.

 

[Solomon Mordaunt]

Dipping his fingertips into the pockets of his coat for warmth, Solomon closed the distance between himself as Anthony. It felt somewhat odd to be standing around on the cropped field without a broom, but if he were to ever take up flying, it definitely wasn't going to be on a stick. It was just a shame that the Ministry nonsensically decided to ban flying carpets under ridiculous reasoning. If carpets qualified as "muggle artifacts", so did almost any other type of furniture in the world.

"I planned on harvesting some of the asphodel near the forest, before some first years trampled on it." The amount of kids sneaking off into the forest to muck around was crazy, and he was sure that there'd be at least one incident with a centaur mistaking a child for another mammal it was hunting before he graduated. It was hard to believe they were fourth years already, though Solomon still felt he wasn't learning anything he felt was important. "Ended up finding you first."
​

<i></i>

 

[Anthony Blade]

Anthony nodded at Solomon's comment about the first years. He knew that before long a bunch of them would end up breaking the rules and find their way down to the Forbidden Forest where the Headmistress or Deputy would probably end up finding them, probably more than once. He chuckled at the thought. "Have you ever flown?" He asked Solomon, noting that he looked a little bit out of place at the Quidditch Pitch. He assumed that he would have learned from Professor Cliffeton but he could have always skipped the class.

 

[Solomon Mordaunt]

Solomon cocked his head to the side, thinking about the question for a moment and trying to recall the few times he actually had flown on a broom. Of the three of them, the Slytherin didn't play Quidditch, or any broom related activity. It was a hobby Merrill and Anthony shared, in the same way that Merrill and Solomon made potions together. Yes..." He said slowly. It wasn't a topic of conversation he usually had. Flying was popular, and quite the norm. Most witches and wizards could do it, so Solomon didn't like to admit he wasn't exactly the most comfortable on a broomstick. "I flew in first year for that class we had to take. Personally I'm not a fan of brooms in general. I prefer space and comfort if I have to travel. Take that school you played against last year for example. Beauxbatons have that carriage pulled by Abraxan. That's more my thing. It beats holding on to a branch - for me, at least." He finished with a small shrug, trying his best to sound indifferent, as if it was no big deal. Honestly, he had no idea how Quidditch players didn't feel nauseous in the sky, and ignore the fact they could fall at any moment.
​

<i></i>