Celia was not a sentimental person, but as she stepped onto the pitch, she did pause for a moment to take everything in. She would not miss Hogwarts, but she thought she might miss Quidditch. It was a ridiculous sport, so heavily predicated on luck, and yet she had loved being a beater. She'd loved racing the wind itself, cracking bludgers at her opponents, and making the crowd gasp. It really was a shame that her past had been marred by so many matches cut short and that her future did not have room for professional Quidditch. Instead, there was only the here and now, this one last fleeting opportunity to play a perfect game and knock an entire team into forfeit before she set down her bat forever.
Normally, Celia spent each pre-match team briefing going over strategy and the opposing team's strengths and weaknesses. However, she didn't know much about Beauxbatons, having barely had any time to study their tactics last year before their seeker had caught the snitch. Regardless, Celia knew her team was expecting her to say
something and so she turned to face them after giving Reeve her lineup. "
Alright, listen closely. The last time Beauxbatons was here, they caught the snitch in ten minutes flat. We need to be ready as soon as Reeve starts the game, and we can't let up for a single moment."
"
Now, I know some of you might be operating under the mistaken belief that this game doesn't matter. If that is the case, please let me know, and I will gladly let you ride out this meaningless match on the bench." One might assume that a bunch of athletes in
Slytherin of all places would always be hungry for victory, but Celia knew better. The entire student body was infected with complacency. However, as long as she was captain, she would not tolerate it on her team. "
We might have the cup, but I still want to see one hundred percent effort from each of you. We've only played one game this year. If you're graduating, this is your chance to prove the last one wasn't a fluke," she said, gaze boring into Ivelisse and Atlas. Then she turned to everyone else. "
As for the rest of you, what happens today sets the tone for next year. The entire school is up in those stands, and they're all trying to decide how much of a threat Slytherin will be next year." Her gaze drifted from face to face. "
Give them something to be afraid of. Make sure they understand that Slytherin's strength is bigger than any individual player." It was perhaps a very un-Celia-like thing to say, but she didn't know how else to convey to her teammates that cup or not, they should
want to win and do well in this game. God knows she did.
| Position | Player |
|---|
| Seeker | Ivelisse Burleigh |
| Keeper | Horror Zhefarovich |
| Beater | Celia Vuong (captain) |
| Beater | Seamus Reid |
| Chaser | Atlas James-Cade |
| Chaser | Lennox Addison |
| Chaser | Terror Zhefarovich |
| Alt. Seeker | Avery Lancaster |
| Alt. Beater | Mischa Falter-Butera |
| Alt. Seeker | Toby Oikawa |
Out of Character: 
