Impact

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

The last Quidditch match of the year wasn't far away, and Lizzie was determined that Gryffindor were going to be the ones lifting that cup again this year. Hufflepuff had a strong team, but Gryffindor were on fire. Their team was perfectly put together, and they were going to blow Hufflepuff out of the water, no question. But a bit of extra practice certainly couldn't hurt. Lizzie didn't want to let her OWLs distract her from keeping up with Quidditch, so she had taken some time for herself this afternoon to get in a few swings. It would be good for relieving study stress, as an added bonus.

Lizzie felt like her swinging angle hadn't been quite right in the last couple of games, so she was practicing on the ground today, summoning bludgers towards herself and then smacking them away. The pressure that she would get hit by the ball if she didn't manage to bash it away was a good incentive to aim properly, and practicing summoning spells was probably... schoolwork, or something. Squaring up, Lizzie gripped her bat firmly and chose her moment carefully, swinging at the ball approaching her with perfect timing. Her bat impacted the ball with a satisfyingly loud crack, sending it soaring back across the pitch. Beautiful. Pleased with the shot, Lizzie drew her wand and summoned the ball again, quickly squaring up with her bat again as it began sailing towards her, picking up speed as it approached.

 

[Hayley Elridge]

Hayley wandered listlessly around the school grounds, unable to settle to anything. The depression she'd fallen into since Harley's confession made everything feel unreal and pointless. She wanted to organise another meeting for the revolution like she said she was going to . . . so long ago, it felt, back when she and Harley had been best friends and nothing else, Odette had been Harley's enemy too, and all had been right with the world - except it hadn't been, and she'd wanted to change that. She still wanted to change that, but she couldn't summon the motivation. Not when it felt as though she'd lost her best friend forever.

Eventually Hayley found herself near the Quidditch Pitch, empty but for an unfamiliar girl in the Gryffindor team uniform, swinging at bludgers. Ugh, a beater, just like Odette. A reminder she really didn't need right now. But as Hayley watched the girl's bat struck the bludger with an impressive thud, and actually that was badass and . . . kinda hot. Despite herself, Hayley was drawn closer, to watch. Under normal circumstances she might have taken her sketchbook out and asked to draw the girl, but she'd barely touched it for weeks now. Was this part of what Harley saw in Odette, the allure of the ability to smash things? It was certainly exciting to watch.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

As she bashed the next bludger away Lizzie realised her arms were beginning to ache from the practice. Just a couple more then, then it would be time to head back inside. Ugh. The less Lizzie thought about that the better. She was checking her bat, adjusting her grip slightly, when she realised there was someone watching her. Lizzie was fairly sure she recognised the girl by reputation - her demonstrations had caused quite a stir - but Lizzie wasn't entirely sure what the girl's actual cause was. Whatever it was, it clearly wasn't anything to do with why she was watching Lizzie practice so intently.

Smiling, Lizzie waved to the other girl and gestured her over, seeing no reason not to try and make a friend out of this encounter. "Hey there!" She called happily, smiling. "Wanna have a go? I'll show you how to hit a bludger if you want!" It occurred to Lizzie that someone angry enough about... something or other to throw a whole protest would probably enjoy the catharsis of just smashing some bludgers, and Lizzie always found teaching someone else a skill a good way to double check her own technique and make sure she was applying the basics properly.

 

[Hayley Elridge]

Hayley was startled out of her reverie by the girl calling to her. "Oh, hey." She hesitated. Hayley had never wanted anything to do with Quidditch before; muggle sports were dull and baffling enough without trying to comprehend wizarding ones, and besides, Odette played. But on the other hand, smashing things might be just what she needed right now. Hayley's melancholy was foremost in her mind right now, but her anger hadn't gone away, merely sunken into hopelessness. Maybe letting some of it out would give her back the energy to do something - anything. Hayley approached the girl, coming onto the field and forcing a smile onto her face. This stranger was being friendly to her, the least she could do was return the favour. "Sure, why not? Teach me your cool smashy ways."

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie grinned, pleased when the girl approached her. This could be a nice opportunity to make a new friend, and... well, anything that kept Lizzie out of the library was a bonus. "Awesome." Lizzie grinned, holding her bat out to the girl. "I'm Lizzie. Have you ever played before?" Lizzie assumed the answer was likely no based on the girl's response to her offer, but it was always worth asking. "The first thing is to make sure you're gripping the bat really firmly. Think about it like an extension of your arm, so you're putting all of your strength into the swing." She helped make sure the girl was holding the bat properly, enjoying the challenge of breaking down her quidditch skills to the basics. She was used to thinking about skiing and snowboarding, but this was a new challenge, and it was a lot of fun.

 

[Hayley Elridge]

Hayley grinned back at Lizzie, unexpectedly eager to begin now she had committed. "I'm Hayley," she said, accepting the bat a little gingerly. "No, I haven't played." Hayley gripped the bat as she thought Lizzie was instructing, which turned out to be too tight as the Gryffindor adjusted her grip for her. This was cool, this was nice. It had been so long since she'd made a friend. She hoped she was making a friend. It occurred to Hayley that she hadn't yet applied her usual test to see if new people were prejudiced and therefore not worth her time, and that in the context of Quidditch it would be pretty easy to do. "I haven't really paid much attention to the game, to be honest. Riding around on brooms is still pretty weird to me, and adding to that a whole bunch of complicated rules . . ."

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie beamed, pleased to see Hayley showing some enthusiasm for the exercise. "Well, you'll be a Quidditch pro in no time once I'm done with you." She joked, as she helped the other girl adjust her grip. "There, that's perfect." She nodded as she listened to the other girl, assuming from what she said that Hayley must be muggleborn. "Well, that makes sense." Lizzie commented. "There aren't a ton of rules for my position though, it's pretty much just all about hitting things really hard. Give that a couple of test swings, see how it feels." She grinned, picking up a bludger once Hayley's grip was ready. "This ball is called a Bludger, it's the one I aim for. I don't have anything to do with the other balls. The only real goal I have is to smash this thing into the other team, and if I can, try to stop the other team smashing our guys. Nothing too complicated." She smiled, tossing the Bludger into the air and catching it a couple of times.

 

[Hayley Elridge]

Hayley chuckled at the idea of herself as a Quidditch pro. As if she would ever be good at a sport. As if she would ever want to be good at a sport that required teamwork with other Slytherins. When Lizzie reacted with perfect ease to Hayley's implication that she was a muggleborn, a tension relaxed that Hayley hadn't even realised she was holding. It was always a relief to let go of that dim bacground fear; it was an especial relief for this cute, friendly girl. "Hitting things really hard sounds cool," she agreed, swinging the bat about and feeling how its weight sat in her hands. It was good, satisfyingly heavy, the whoosh of its swing thrumming in the air. As Lizzie picked up the ball - the bludger, Hayley corrected herself - she took a wider stance and stood with the bat ready. For someone who had seemed vaguely disappointed to hear Hayley describe what she wa doing as 'smashy', Lizzie sure did use the word 'smash' a lot in her explanation. "That's actually pretty badass."

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie couldn't hold back a laugh, nodding in agreement. "It is. Nothing like hitting things really hard after a long day." Smiling, Lizzie tossed the bludger back and forth between her hands. She laughed again at Hayley's assessment of her position and nodded. "Pretty much. I play seeker and keeper sometimes at home, but beater's always been my favourite position. Feels pretty cool walking out onto that pitch swinging a big bat." Taking a couple of steps backwards, she tossed the ball up again. "Alright, I'm gonna throw this to you on the count of three, and I want you to just bash it as hard as you can. Don't worry about aiming, just give it a good whack. Ready?" Lizzie grinned, getting ready to throw. "One, two, THREE!" On three she hurled the Bludger at Hayley, putting a decent amount of speed on it but not enough to injure the other girl too badly if the swing went awry and she got hit.

 

[Hayley Elridge]

This was nice, this was good. Hayley liked being able to make someone laugh, even with comments that were pretty low quality by her usual standards. She grinned. "Yeah, it does look pretty cool. Hey, do you mind if I draw you later?" It was always wise to ask, and for the first time in ages she actually felt the motivation to draw something other than desultory scribbles. Though whether that energy would remain in her long enough to do anything about it was anyone's guess. "Ready." Hayley nodded, holding her position. She hadn't actually played any sports since primary school, and she hadn't had much interest in it then. The only physical activity she'd ever excelled at was punching bullies. When the bludger flew her way she managed to hit it with a loud thud. The impact jarred her shoulders, and by the way the bludger spun off sideways she suspected it wasn't the best hit, but the adrenaline was exhilarating.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie was a little surprised by Hayley's question, but the thought of someone drawing her was flattering, and she laughed. "Sure! Just make sure I look really cool." She grinned, hoping it wasn't too obvious just how much the idea pleased her. Watching Hayley take the shot, Lizzie cheered as the Slytherin managed to hit the bludger successfully. "Great shot!" She grinned, watching the ball spin away. "Targeting's a worry for later, you put good force into it!" Lizzie drew her wand and summoned the bludger back to herself, catching the ball deftly. "Ready for another?"

 

[Hayley Elridge]

Hayley chuckled. "Well, duh, of course you're gonna look cool. I only asked 'cause I thought you looked cool." Her tone remained light; she wasn't calling Lizzie stupid, just teasing her lightly. It should be fairly obvious anyway, Lizzie looked pleased at the idea, and that gratified Hayley more than she would have guessed. "Thanks! That felt pretty good." Hayley hefted the bat again, ready for Lizzie to throw the bludger back to her. This time, when she did, Hayley swung with as much force as she could, imagining fiercely that it was Odette's head she struck and sent flying away.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie laughed, flattered by Hayley's comment. "Awesome. You better show me when it's done, then." She smiled, surprised at how nice it felt to have someone want to draw her. Lizzie had never even imagined being asked something like that before. When Hayley was ready, Lizzie pulled back and threw the bludger, watching with pride as the other girl sent it flying. "Great! That was heaps better, you're getting it." She smiled, summoning the ball and catching it again, tossing it from hand to hand. "Try to follow through a bit more, don't just think about hitting the ball, try to almost swing right through it. You'll put more force into the hit if you're aiming further than the ball actually is." Holding the bludger up, Lizzie got ready. "Want another one?"