Practice Makes Perfect

[Tomas Wode]

It was early in the morning when Tomas entered the Quidditch pitch with his broomstick in one hand and in the other the practice snitch his parents had given him for his birthday. He had just gotten back to the school a couple of nights ago but had been unable to sleep much due to him feeling homesick once again. So, rather than wasting his time lying awake in his four-poster bed and staring at the ceiling, the young Gryffindor decided to train his skills for the upcoming tryouts. Now that James had left the school, the fourth year would have a chance to take his spot and be the new Seeker for the Gryffindor team. But for him to become just as good of a player as James, he had to practice a lot, especially since he did not get to practice much whilst being back home again for the holidays. Living in the Muggle world while being a wizard had its downsides. Tomas released the snitch and followed it briefly before mounting his scarlet streak and kicking himself off the ground. He looked around the sky for it, though it didn't take him long before he had spotted it next to one of the hoops at the other side of the pitch.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

As soon as she returned to school, there was only one place Lizzie wanted to be. The pitch was calling to her, and the moment she was able to grab some free time she was there, broom in hand, ready to get back to practicing. The memory of how close the game with Beauxbatons had been stuck in her mind, and Lizzie didn't want to lose to them again. They were going to train hard this year, keep their cup, and show Beauxbatons what they were made of, Lizzie was sure of it. She was surprised when she stepped onto the pitch to see that she wasn't alone, squinting upwards to see who was practicing above her. It took a moment to recognise Tomas but when she did Lizzie grinned and waved up at her teammate. "Hey Tomas!" She called out, kicking off and joining him in the sky. "Want a practice buddy?"

 

[Tomas Wode]

Almost crashing into one of the undecorated stands, Tomas continued to follow the little golden ball as it soared through the air. He had been so close to catching it that he cursed under his breath. If only that stand hadn't been there. He proceeded to follow the Snitch while also keeping track of where he was flying towards in order to avoid a near crash again. He didn't hear his name being called out at first, as the Gryffindor was focused still on catching the Snitch but then noticed someone approaching him out of the corner of his eyes. He slowed down and turned to look over his shoulder to see who it was. Tomas smiled. He turned his broom around and flew towards his teammate. ''Hey Lizzie,'' the teen said. He nodded his head when she asked if he wanted a practice buddy. It'd be nice to have someone he could practice with. ''I didn't know you could play Seeker?'' Tomas said, a little surprised. He knew Lizzie was a talented Quidditch player but didn't know that she was this good. ''Well, alright then, if you're up for a challenge,'' the fourth year added with a grin.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie laughed, joining Tomas in the air. "Seeker's my favourite position after Beater." She smiled, relishing the feeling of wind in her hair again. "I play everything though, my family runs a holiday lodge so when guests want to play Quidditch we just fill whatever positions they don't want." Although after all the practice at school Beater was definitely Lizzie's strongest suit, she had a decent amount of experience doing everything on a Quidditch pitch, from chaser to referee. "I actually almost went up for Seeker when I tried out, but I figured if I had to wait for James to graduate I'd go nuts with boredom." Flexing her hands, Lizzie grinned back at Tomas's challenge. "Let's do this."

 

[Tomas Wode]

Tomas smiled whilst he listened to Lizzie talk. Having people to play Quidditch with outside of cool sounded awesome. Maybe she would want to train with him over the holidays - if his parents would allow him to travel all the way to New Zealand of course. It'd certainly be nice to practice more often. ''Yeah, tell me about it.'' the Gryffindor commented, clearly frustrated. While Tomas enjoyed supporting the team and watching them play from down below, it had become rather boring sitting on the sidelines every game. It made him feel like the most useless player on their team. He then smiled again, excited that she accepted his challenge. ''First one to catch the Snitch wins. On three. One. Two. Three!'' And with that, the teen flew away from the Beater to look for the tiny ball once more. It was a shame that he had lost sight of it when she arrived but he was sure that he would catch it before Lizzie would. He had to if he ever wanted to prove himself as a good Seeker.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie laughed, nodding in agreement. She imagined Tomas had been frustrated waiting for his turn to play, and was relieved once again to have gone for the position she chose. Lizzie wouldn't have been able to stand watching her team from the sidelines for as long as Tomas had. She tightened her grip on the broom when Tomas started counting, shooting off from her spot as soon as the count was over. Lizzie had only played seeker once over the holidays, and looking around the pitch she realised how rusty her instincts really were. The school pitch was much larger than their setup at home, and there were a lot more places a snitch could be hiding. For a moment Lizzie's heart stopped as she thought she caught a glimmer of gold in the corner of her eye, but it sank as she quickly realised it had just been the sun glinting off metal in the stands.

 

[Tomas Wode]

Every now and then the Gryffindor looked over his shoulder to check if Lizzie had spotted the Snitch before he did. With every second that he did not spot the tiny golden ball himself, he slightly panicked. He really wanted his teammate to think that he had it in him to become just as good as their former Seeker. He decided to flew up high above the Quidditch pitch to get a good view of the entire field, hoping that maybe he would spot the Snitch from where he was flying. Scanning the skies trying to catch a glimpse of the tiny ball, the fourth-year suddenly leaned forwards on his broomstick to make it go faster. He thought he had seen it next to the middle hoop on the northern side, but when he finally got there it was long gone. Tomas groaned and continued his search once again.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Trying to tune her instincts back in to seeking after going so long since playing the position was difficult, and Lizzie was struggling with such a large area to search. She spotted out of the corner of her eye that Tomas seemed to be heading for something and decided to chase after him. She didn't see what he saw, but hopefully she could at least outpace him. She hadn't quite caught up to the boy yet when he pulled away and she groaned slightly. "Distracted me!" She called to him and stuck her tongue out, returning to her own search.

 

[Tomas Wode]

He had not realised that Lizzie might have seen him heading for the Snitch, so when she called to him he looked rather confused for a moment until it dawned on him. Rather than telling Lizzie that he had not been trying to distract her from catching the Snitch, Tomas figured that he would use it again if he would ever spot it flying nearby the girl. It was taking him too long in his mind, and the more circles he was flying around the Quidditch pitch, the more annoyed he was starting to get. ''Is this usually how long it takes to catch a Snitch?'' the Gryffindor asked as he flew past the Beater. James made it look so much easier during games.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie continued to circle the pitch, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of gold. She hadn't realised just how huge the Hogwarts pitch was compared to the one at home until now. Tomas's comment as they passed made her laugh. "Sometimes! I've been in games that took forever..." Lizzie had played some matches that had almost been over before they started as well, but it felt much more common to her for finding the snitch to be an arduous ordeal. Looking around the pitch again Lizzie almost missed the glint of gold hovering by the base of one of the hoops, but it caught her eyes and she realised with a jolt that that was the snitch, and she was much closer than Tomas. Lizzie's competitive streak kicked into overdrive and she shot after the ball, flattening herself to her broom and reaching out her arm. The ball tried to dart out of the way and Lizzie almost slammed into the hoop but she managed to pull her broom around just in time, laughing breathlessly as she held the golden ball up, surprised and proud. "Got it!"

 

[Tomas Wode]

Tomas spotted the golden ball near one of the hoops but apparently so did Lizzie because she was heading towards it already. He tried his best to match her speed, leaning forward on his broom to make it go much faster than it was already going. It didn't help him much, though as he was losing her in his attempt to catch up to her. Tomas groaned when she called out that she had caught it and continued to fly to the hoop. ''Congrats,'' the Gryffindor said, ''Are you sure you don't want to try out for Seeker instead?'' he joked. He wasn't surprised that Lizzie had caught the Snitch before him but it meant that he would need to train a lot harder.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie still couldn't quite believe that she had gotten the snitch, as out of practice as a seeker as she was. When Tomas caught up to her she smiled, tossing the ball to him quickly. "Hey, I lucked out, I was closer than you." She smiled, wanting to be encouraging. "Gryffindor's already got a top notch seeker. You'll do great. Just stay focused and trust yourself." Lizzie said sincerely. Although it was an intimidating position to be stepping into, Lizzie was sure Tomas would do a great job, and make the team proud.

 

[Tomas Wode]

He caught the ball with his right hand and smiled weakly at her encouraging words. If the captain would choose him as the next Gryffindor Seeker perhaps he should buy himself a new broomstick with the money he had saved up over the years. ''Do you think that we will win the cup again this year?'' he asked Lizzie. James and the rest of the team made sure that they had won two times in a row now, hopefully, this year's team could make it a third.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie gave Tomas an encouraging smile. "I'm sure we will." She said, voice a mix of comforting and confident. "Most teams are gonna have new Seekers, it'll be a pretty even playing field. We're a strong team though, and we've got a solid streak. We'll crush them." More than anything, Lizzie wanted a rematch against Beauxbatons. Although their fling had only ever been a fling, seeing Elvira kiss one of her teammates last year had felt like insult to the injury of their defeat, and an angry, petty part of Lizzie wanted to see the French team lose to them.

 

[Tomas Wode]

He smiled back at Lizzie. He was really lucky that at least two of the other teams would also have new Seekers, as that gave him an equal shot at catching the Snitch. ''We're lucky we've still got you and Marisol on the team,'' the fourth-year commented. Both of them had been on the team for a very long time, and in his opinion, they were the best at their positions too. ''Did you want to train your beater skills too? If so I can help you if you want.'' He told the older girl. ''Gotta know what bludgers feel like eventually, right?'' he added with a nervous chuckle.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie laughed slightly, glancing away. "Yeah... but look, a strong team is what makes winners. Everyone on the team has strengths and weaknesses, new or experienced. What matters is just playing together well and being there for each other." She smiled encouragingly. Lizzie was a little surprised but Tomas's offer, but nodded, quickly thinking about what they could do. "Look, you let the snitch go, and see if you can catch it with some distractions. I'll try not to actually hit you, just send the ball past a few times." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Just see how it feels with a bludger on the pitch."

 

[Tomas Wode]

Lizzie was right and deep down he knew that she was. All of them were pretty great at their positions, even he was good at being a Seeker if he wasn't too nervous about playing the position. Tomas did what she told him to do and let go of the little golden ball. He was a little nervous to be flying around bludgers but could no longer avoid them. He nodded when the Snitch was released and no longer in sight to let Lizzie know that he was ready for them to start again. He leaned forward on his broomstick and flew away from the girl, hoping he would catch a glimpse of the Snitch while doing so.

sorry