Lazy day flight

[Stephen Duquette]

Zipping up his jacket Stephen made his way down from the Hufflepuff house to the one place in Hogwarts that he truly felt at home; The Quidditch Pitch. He was rightly annoyed at the beginning of the year when he was told that there would be no Quidditch this year, it was the one thing that kept him going throughout the year. He wasn't feel active, academic wise and he knew that. It really was something that he would have to work on but for now all he cared about was taking to the skies. Broomstick in hand he mounted it and quickly kicked off the ground. The familiar rush of adrenaline made him smile. Without a second thought he leaned forward on his broom and shot straight ahead. A few speed laps of the pitch should be enough to keep him going for a while.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda Fioelli had been jumping down peoples throats with too much ease of late. She didn't seem to dislike her behaviour too much either, if anything people around her seemed to expect it now and just stepped out of her way. She smirked as she swung her broom over her shoulder and made her way to the pitch for some chill out time of her own, the last DADA class had been great fun altogether. The poor Hufflepuff Xeneria Dufflepurk had not expected to be hauled up as Andromeda's partner, if anything the girl usually hid herself so far away in class that she went virtually forgotten. Well it wasn't likely she'd be forgotten any time soon after the petrifying blast that Andromeda had landed on her. The professor had removed it swiftly enough but Andy could still picture the hufflepuffs face looking at her with nothing short of fear, for she had known from the look in Andy's eyes that her opponent had been sending that shot at her with brutal precision.

When she got to the pitch she mounted her broom and pulled her goggles from atop her beanie cap and looked to the skies, disgusted that someone else was there before her but no matter. She could always knock whoever it was off their broom, by accident of course. Speeding upwards she purposefully went in the opposite direction to the person flying so that they would effectively be head on by the end of the lap. Matching her speed against his, for she recognized the form to be male, Andromeda smirked to herself as they neared.

 

[Stephen Duquette]

There was nothing Stephen liked more than an open sky, free to do whatever he pleased while there. His freedom was short lived though as he saw someone at the opposite side of the pitch, they too looked as if they were out for a leisurely fly about; nothing serious. Stephen took another look at the person who had occupied the skies with him and without much trouble recognised the girl; the red hair, even though mostly hid under a hat, was a dead giveaway. Stephen didn’t know Andromeda personally but they were in the same year and shared some of the same classes; when Stephen went that was, so it was only expected he knew her.

As Stephen continued around the pitch, not minding the presence of someone else; he was used to being in the sky with a pitch full of people in Quidditch games; he noticed how Andromeda was flying in the opposite direction as him. This didn’t matter to him in the slightest but as she seemed to be flying head first at him with exceptional speed he grew a tad concerned. As the two sixth years sped towards each other Stephen’s competitive side started to show in him. He wasn’t one to back down from a challenge and when it came to anything Quidditch related, he would rather die than doing so. With that in mind he leaned forward a bit more on his broom to help increase his speed, his eyes never off Andromeda, Let’s see who backs out first. he thought to himself as the gap between the two closed.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda felt elated, exhilarated and had every intention of meeting the target full on. It was as if she could careless if she suffered any injury or not, so she could be a little maniacal at times on a broom. There was no law that said she had to fly by the book. With her gaze directed at the boy coming towards her, she leaned low on her broom. She felt utterly Kamikaze at that moment. The wind whipped about her as she got closer and closer.

Recognizing at last who the other person was though she had never talked to him, Andy hesitated mentally for all of a few seconds. She could easily swerve at the last minute but he sure didn't seem to be in an rush to swerve from her either. So by her reckoning they were now effectively playing chicken in the air. A smirk crossed her face as she moved just a little bit lower on her broom bracing herself for impact in seconds. Still convinced that the Hufflepuff would move at the very last moment if possible. Well he would have too because she wasn't going anywhere.

 

[Stephen Duquette]

Stephen was surprised that the girl had yet to ease up on her broomstick. Instead she seemed to be pushing on even more so as she visibly got lower on her broomstick. Then again from what Stephen heard about Andromeda when she was on the Quidditch Pitch he knew he should be surprised, she could be a beast. Within a matter of seconds the two sixth years would crash into each other as neither seemed to be backing out of the challenge and their pride probably won't let them do so. As Stephen readied himself for the impact his conscious fought with him. He knew it wasn't right to harm a girl, on the Quidditch Pitch he normally wouldn't think twice about this but this was no game, as far as he knew the two had just come out for a leisurely fly, not a trip to the hospital wing. No Stephen wouldn't bash into a girl, even if it did knock his pride down a bit, he would rather that than the shame of hurting a girl. So as the gap between the two finally came to a close Stephen moved his broom to the side with just the tiniest fraction and with his heart racing he flew right by the red head, within touching distance off her. Flying out a bit more he turned to face her.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Within seconds their brooms were closing in to impact when Stephen moved his from the line of fire. No sooner had they passed one another than Andromeda swerved her broom violently to turn about to face him. If it could have screeched it would have but thankfully no such muggle deformed contraptions such as brakes were part of her brooms mechanism. As she looked at him the corners of her mouth twitched upwards into a smirk.

She was so tempted to make fun of the fact that he had been the first to move but she didn't. Instead her broom moved slowly over to hover close by his. Extending her hand to him in way of an introduction her other hand pushed her goggles up from her face.
"We haven't actually been introduced. I'm Andromeda Fiorelli, we're class mates. Nice bit of flying" she grinned at him wondering if he'd comment on her lethal intentions.

 

[Stephen Duquette]

Stephen watched as Andromeda turned round as well, mirroring the smirk that was on her face right now. Despite what had just happened he had the overwheliming urge to laugh at it, he wasn't quite sure why. He was somewhat glad that she didn't speed up to ram into him again, even though he wouldn't have had time to react that time. Wondering if he was going to be getting much stick about pulling out he flew foward a bit more as Anromeda did. He extended his hand also shaking Andromeda's before dropping it back onto his broomstick. "Stephen Duquette!" he replied with a smile. Chuckling at her compliment he replied, "Thank you. Likewise, even if your tactics are little to be desired." he said with jest clear in his voice.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

After shaking his hand, Andy began to fly again but at a much slower pace glancing back over her shoulder to Stephen she chuckled.
"My tactics? Don't forget you only moved at the very last second yourself. So your tactics are as bad as my own" another grin before sailing off the way she had come. She kept her broom level enough now as she gracefully glided the broom about the pitch. Always up here in the air she felt so free, so fabulous and wanted never to land and deal with the crap that life threw at her or that she invariably created for herself.

Andy knew she was her own worst enemy, had been for as long as she could remember now and it did not seem to be improving any time soon either.

 

[Stephen Duquette]

Stephen watched as Andromeda flew off on her own accord, but not far enough for Stephen not to hear what she was saying. “Touché.” he said with a small laugh, having to agree with her. He had moved out of the way and as such backed out of a challenge that he would have gladly taken up with any other person in a proper Quidditch game. He had just come out today for a relaxing fly and that didn’t involve a trip to the hospital wing with one of his classmates; who, when he came to think of it, he knew very little off.

Turning on his broom slightly he flew after Andromeda, this time in a much more casual speed and not heading into her. “So what brings you out today?” he asked her, figuring some company wouldn’t be the worst thing.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Glancing to her left as he came up beside her she turned her head again to simply gaze about her. There was nothing like flying and being able to scope out the entire area for miles almost, well on a clear day anyhow.
"I needed to get away from the classroom" she told him, partial truth being better than omitting every detail altogether. She wasn't about to tell a virtual stranger that she felt claustrophobic being inside the castle. That she was beginning to have panic attacks because she had been so stupid and the more she put off the deed she knew she had to do, then her anxiety would not abate. Not even slightly. She had only hoped that the panic attacks she had been experiencing of late would not filter into her time flying. That had been the real reason she had gone all psycho earlier with the race and the near head-on collision. She had been testing herself and was now thrilled to know that at least in the air, she seemed free of her guilt for some bizarre reason.

"What about you? You're on the Hufflepuff team aren't you?" she asked casting him a sideways glance as she leaned into a turn.

 

[Stephen Duquette]

Stephen nodded in understanding as to why Andromeda was up in the air today. Stephen felt the exact same, except his problem was, he didn't spend enough time in the classroom. He was barely passing any of his courses and he honestly didn't know what he was going to do when it came to his NEWTs next year. If they were anything like his OWLs he would barely have passed them. Of course he knew that his future career, or at least the one he hoped to get into, wouldn't require Outstandings from his exams. Actually just by doing what he was doing now he was doing all the work he needed to aid with his future career, he didn't even need a classroom.

"Oh the same." he answered nonchalantly, with a light shrug of his shoulders. "Yeah I sure am. When it's on that is." he said with a roll of his eyes. He loved being on the Quiddtch Team last year. He was only there a few months yet he got to start in every game and he felt that he did his team proud. More than enough of his team mates reminded him of his skills on the pitch, being called the best Chaser on the team. Stephen enjoyed all of the recognition but he knew it was a team effort so he made sure the rest of the chasers were included in any and all praise. "Well I know you're on the Gryffindor team. Captain right?" he said, having heard it through the grapevine.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

She couldn't help but laugh at his quip about the quidditch games. Andy herself got frustrated no end when the games weren't held, her team mates probably didn't appreciate her hounding them to practice when there was nothing to practice for but she did like to be prepared. To always be at the ready.
"I hear that" she chuckled lightly, "I guess they thought all our attention would be focused on Mike at the Triwizard tournament or something and it probably would be if he was doing better than he is."

She couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for disparaging her team-mate and house mate like that but so often in the past year she had wanted to get herself to France just to give him a serious pep talk like she would before a game, yet she knew he was trying his best and that was all they could want from him.
"Did you put your name forward?" she asked quickly for nothing more than another piece of conversation as they flew leisurely about the place. Her only answer to his own question had been a nod and a smirk.
"Yep, captain and chaser".

 

[Stephen Duquette]

Stephen was glad that he wasn’t the only one who found the lack of Quidditch Games this year pointless. Just because three people had left the school, and only one of them was on a Quidditch Team. Granted that was the same person who was chosen as the school’s champion but even then he wasn’t doing the best according to the reports that were being sent to the school. Although Stephen wasn’t going to ridicule the boy, it was surely a hard thing to go to the TwiWizard Tournament and from what he remembered of the Beauxbatons Champion, she was a formidable opponent and he was sure the Durmstrang Champion had a few extra tricks up her sleeve, after all they were taught the Dark Arts at that school.

Stephen shook his head at Andromeda’s question. He never would have dreamed of putting his name forward for such a thing as the TriWizard Tournament. “No! One, I was too young when the time came to put my name forward and two, I’ve had enough of Beauxbatons to last me a life time.” he said with a slight laugh. He didn’t mind Beauxbatons and at times he had missed it but Hogwarts New Zealand was his home now and he liked it here. “Did you?” he asked curiously.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy turned her gaze to face him then, she hadn't realized that was where he had transferred from. Not that she should have known, it wasn't like she had made any effort to talk with him since he got here. Why she had to behave like number one prat most of the time was beyond her.
"You prefer it here then?" she asked, hoping she sounded interested at least. She was but more times than not of late she came across as way too aloof for her own good but there were also those sometimes when that was exactly how she wanted to be.

"I would have done" she told him honestly, Andromeda had every intention of putting her name in, it had only been the thought of being away from Crispin for a whole year had tipped the scales for her. Now she wished she had gone, perhaps they would still be together. She sighed looking ahead of her as the wind picked up a bit.
"Kind of going mad I didn't now" she wouldn't give her reasons for not putting her name forward though it sounded completely stupid now but who would understand that she would have done anything for him, anything it would seem but stay faithful.

 

[Stephen Duquette]

Stephen nodded his head casually, a relaxed smile on his face. "I do. I've grown to love Hogwarts." he said, his voice light and happy. Sure he was a bit worried about it at first, remembering clearly when he went to buy his school Uniform, not knowing the difference between the houses. It was still something that confused him but at least he knew the difference between a Hufflepuff and Slytherin now. "I used to miss Beauxbatons for a while but this is where my friends are and it's just so much better." he said with a small laugh, not knowing really how to describe just how much more comfortable he felt at Hogwarts then he did at Beauxbatons. Although he knew the main reason he was so happy to be at Hogwarts was because this is where Becky is, and even if that was the only reason it was a good enough one for him.

Stephen listened to Andromeda say how she would have. Even if the Tournament hadn't been in Beauxbatons he still wouldn't have entered. The risk of entering was far too high. Then again that wasn't the main thing that stopped him, he was only a sixth year and while he could well have been against other sixth years, he could have well been against seventh years and they were far more advanced than he was, and for that reason he didn't want to enter; he would either have come out dead or embarrassed and loosing as there was no chance that he could have won. He didn't really catch her reasoning for not going as the wind picked up and blew past his ears and because he didn't want to seem as if he wasn't listening he simply nodded his head as if he understood and agreed with her. "Well at least you considered it, I'm too much of a Hufflepuff I'm afraid." he said, laughing at the joke at himself. "Although as it turns out Gryffindor haven't gotten such a good name thanks to our Champion." he said with a small smirk, jest in his voice.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy turned almost indignantly to look at him.
"Don't knock Hufflepuff's like that, I know quite a few and they are all awesome. I'm sure each of them would have done great out there in those tasks as well" she heard his comment then about Mike and her hackles rose big time.
"Have you been reading about these tasks at all? He's been lucky to come out so far with his life" she shrugged, "And this from a guy who was afraid to put his name in to begin with. Mike may not be doing so good but both of those other champions are a year ahead of him. I'm sure the Goblet chose him for a reason, he may not have done great up against some vicious Veela's or an enchanted ice cavern but in a duel I'm sure he'll be able to hold his own".

She was counting on it infact, they had their scrapes in first year together and she classed him as one of her close friends now. Of course she worried for his safety over in France in those tasks but she was also aware of what he was capable of and well aware that something with ancient magic as the Goblet would not select a pathetic champion but one equal to the others. Andy had faith in Mike probably more so than any of the others at the school right about now.
"He'll do alright" it was almost as if she were now saying it to make herself believe it.

 

[Stephen Duquette]

Stephen quickly regretted his words, he clearly hadn’t gotten used to the whole houses thing like he thought he had, although he was considerably better than he was last year. He looked away from Andromeda as she told him off, his words may have been the wrong ones to choose completely. “I don’t doubt that. Being in the house myself for nearly two years now I know I wouldn’t like to get in a fight with most of them.” he said with a light scoff, not exactly lying either. He deeply regretted what he had said about Mike, he had only meant in a joke of course, as Andromeda pointed out he was too much of a wuss to even put his name in the cup, he held a lot of respect for Mike. It definitely couldn’t be easy to do what he was doing, being half way around the World, away from family and friends to a new place and being told to put your life at risk for eternal glory, he was a braze man anyway. Nodding at Andromeda’s last words, hoping she had calm down enough to not bite Stephen’s head off again, “He’ll do just find. And Andromeda, sorry for what I said. I honestly didn’t mean any of it.” he said, with sincerity in his voice, he really wasn’t good with words. “Mike’s a great person, far better than me for even putting his name in the cup but to make it as far as he has in the Tournament further proves that he’s a Champion, win or lose.”

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy sighed, she didn't know why his comments had seemed like a personal affront to her. Perhaps it was merely that Mike being a Gryffindor as well she simply couldn't help herself or maybe it was simply that try as she might to pull herself away from friends she never succeeded fully. Bonds were too strong and herself and Mike had been good friends since first year. Not great friends mind you though the year before they had dated briefly in a very casual sense of the word.

He was one of her team members so of course she'd be worried. Shaking her head she looked at Stephen and gave a slight smile.
"I shouldn't have jumped down your neck like that... so sorry from me as well" she told him, "anyway .. I should really get down. I've got exams to study for as much as I don't want too."
Dipping her broom slightly she glanced back before pushing herself lower.
"Thanks for the flight ... see you in class" with a wink she was hightailing it to the ground, leaping off her broom just before a safe landing distance from the ground but managing to land with incredible ease all the same. With broom in hand then she gave a final wave to the boy in the sky and headed back up to the school.

 

[Stephen Duquette]

Stephen felt terrible about what he had just said, he knew he was bad with words so why did he have to open his big mouth half the time. He would be better just staying quiet and not saying anything, that way he wouldn’t offend anyone – a common thing for him to do every now and again. The worst of it was he hadn’t even really meant what he said, he had only meant for it to be in jest but he guessed that his inability to use his gift (more like a curse at times) of speech well at the best times also effected his sense of humour, or lack there off as the case may be. He nodded as Andromeda apologised, even though she really didn’t have too. When she said she had to leave Stephen realised how long he had been out of the common room and with his good-byes to Andromeda he did a few more laps of the pitch before leaving for the common room himself.