Slytherin Quidditch Practice Y37/S2

[Blake van Houten]

Blake really didn't want to do this. It wasn't like he had to. Professor Josephs had just suggested he think about the way he saw the girls on his own team, but the more Blake had thought about it, the clearer it became that this was something he needed to do. Apologising to Alice had been terrifying, but had also felt like the start of something. It was the first time it had really hit Blake how much seeing Lars had changed him, and his appalling date with Minnie had been the final nail in the coffin for the person Blake used to be. He knew she was right, knew for the first time in his life that his dad was wrong, wrong about a lot of things, and he needed to make a choice. Was he going to be the kind of man who clung to lies so they could pretend they were better than everyone else, or was he going to be his own kind of man, the kind of man who deserved to be a leader, who deserved to be loved by someone like Lars? It was a no-brainer.

But deciding to swallow his pride and actually doing so were two entirely different things. Faced with the team he led assembled on the pitch before him, Blake paused much longer than he usually would before beginning a pre-practice speech, clearing his throat and fumbling a bit with his broom. "Hey team." He said, voice much lower than the usual boom he reserved for hype up speeches. "I've, uh.... I've gotta have a chat with you guys before we get started." Blake cleared his throat again, trying to ignore the nervous thumping of his heart as he looked around at the faces of his teammates. "If you were at the Yule Ball you probably saw there was an... altercation between me and one of the other captains, and I want to.... clear up the situation before we get back into practicing." He needed to do this, Blake reminded himself. Everyone had seen him get hit, it would be stupid to just pretend it hadn't happened. "I just want to say that Minnie was, uh... she was completely right. I was being a, s-uh... a jerk." He corrected his speech quickly, reminding himself there were second years on the team who probably didn't need to hear the kind of language he had almost used. "I come from.... a pretty sexist family, and that's not... an excuse, but I did learn some.... really wrong stuff growing up, especially about girls playing sports. So I, uh.... I owe all the girls on the team an apology. If I've ever said or done anything that... made you feel like you weren't valuable players, or I didn't... believe in your abilities, or anything like that, I'm really sorry. You're all on this team because you're the best players in the school, and that's got nothing to do with gender. I'm still... unlearning a bunch of that stuff, so if I ever mess up again, please call me out. I'm your captain, and I need to be held accountable for my stuff." He paused for a moment. "Or just punch me again, I won't tell Professor Josephs." He added, hoping to bring a bit of levity to what had to be the most uncomfortable speech of his life.

Out of Character:

Arrivals only for 24 hours, practice will begin tomorrow and last for 2 weeks!

Slytherin,Practice

 

[Penny Wills]

The first post-Christmas Quidditch training started with… an apology. The blonde watched on stiffly as the captain fumbled through his words. He was apologising for sexist comments he'd made. It didn't offend Penny who found it all subtly amusing.

Penny was quick to chime in after Blake's statement. “Blake. I'd much rather aim a bludger your way. If I punched you, I might ruin my new nails!" She smiled at him, showing off her colourful nails she'd had done over Christmas. Girls can be both girlie and sporty if they want to be.

 

[Mordred Cavanaugh]

Mordred was beating himself up for not going to the Ball. If he had known Blake would cause drama, he would have stolen as many cameras from Accio! as he could to catch it. But, it was getting to crunch time...again, and all Mo had going for him at school was his team. Mordred smirked as Blake flushed with embarrassment. Given such a perfect opportunity to blow off years of repressed anger, Mordred practically jumped on Blake to land a perfect, powerful right hook right in the captain's face. The sixth year straightened himself and picked up his that fell to the ground in his excitement. Mo ran a hand through his hair and smiled. "That was just 'cause I wanted to," he admitted, but he knew his intentions were clear.

 

[Blake van Houten]

Although part of him knew that an open invitation for his teammates to hit him could have consequences, Blake hadn't actually expected to experience any of those consequences. Certainly not so immediately. So it caught him completely off guard when Mordred of all people lunged, and the other Slytherin's fist had connected with his face before Blake even had time to really process what was happening. He stumbled back, blinking at Mordred in bewildered confusion as he tried to put all the pieces together. Sure they had been roommates and teammates for their entire time at Hogwarts, but Blake didn't think he had ever given Mordred a second thought. What could the other Slytherin possibly have against him? It wasn't like Mordred was friends with Tyler or Jasper either.

"...Right." Blake said slowly, rubbing his face and quickly blinking back the sting of his eyes threatening to water. "That's, uh.... that's what I'm talking about. Let's... uh.... if anyone else has anything to add, let's save it for after practice." He stumbled over his words a bit, trying to shake the daze from his head. He tightened the grip on his broom and did his best to just put.... whatever that was aside from now. "Mordred, you're on north hoops. Chasers, focus on cooperative play and passing, save the stealing and aggression for the other teams. Beaters, uh... give it your best, you guys know your job. Focus on seekers. Ruben, you know the drill." By the time he was finished giving orders, Blake almost felt like himself again. He lifted his whistle to his lips and blew it, releasing the balls into the air and kicking off to start his search for the snitch.

 

[Daintree Vaskevold]

Daintree arrived at the pitch just in time to catch the captain's speech and while it was a bit surprising, he was caught a little off guard as the keeper launched at him. He almost felt bad for him, but did refuse to really get involved. He just got on his broom and and shot up into the air when he was able to. He probably would allow at least a bludger to be targeted towards Blake, but he wouldn't go out of his way to do that either.

 

[Liusaidh Styx]

Liusaidh arrived when most others did at the pitch and she kept her distance. She'd definitely heard about the captain being punched at the yuleball, so it was interesting to hear why - even if she thought far less of the captain now than she had before and that hadn't been much, he was from what she'd heard half blood. It was so muggle, so pedestrian to punch someone and the keeper did it too. Though it was amusing to watch him have to pull himself together and then get the event started. Liusaidh got on her broom and shot up into the air. Grabbing the quaffle as it was tossed out and heading towards the hoops. ​

 

[Blake van Houten]

It was hard to shake the dizziness from being punched, but now that he was up in the air it was easier at least to hide it, and Blake flew a low lap of the pitch as he tried to pull himself together, keeping one eye open for the snitch.

 

[Ruben Right]

Ruben flinched when the keeper hit Blake. He could understand why everyone was so mad at the team's captain but punching him was a bit extreme in the young boy's opinion. He decided to keep quiet as he wasn't present at the yule ball and didn't knew exactly what happened, he just gave Blake a sympathy look before starting to look for the snitch.

 

[Liusaidh Styx]

As soon as Liusaidh was close enough she threw the ball to the hoops and cheered for herself loudly when she scored.

 

[Blake van Houten]

Cool air on his face finally helped Blake to collect his thoughts and he began searching for the snitch in earnest as the ringing in his ears subsided, scanning the pitch for any glimmer of gold.

 

[Ruben Right]

Ruben kept searching the pitch, he wanted this practice to go as good as the other one. He wanted to catch the snitch as many times as possible and show Blake that he was qualified enough to be the next Slytherin seeker, but this time he wasn't having much luck finding the golden orb.

 

[Liusaidh Styx]

Rule 2a

As it seemed that no one else was going for it as soon as the keeper threw the ball back out, Liusaidh raced forward and grabbed it.

 

[Daintree Vaskevold]

Daintree managed to find a bludger pretty quickly, and smacked it hard, not really in any direction but it found its course heading straight for the young seeker and hitting him square on.
@Ruben Right

 

[Mordred Cavanaugh]

Mo had expected more praise from the rest of his team, but to look on Blake's face was enough he guessed. The sixth year flew up to the hoops. Mordred was immediately off his game. He was still getting warmed up though. Slytherin had a reputation to protect. He threw the ball into play. There was no chance he would allow himself to be the weak link.

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper was a bit late for practice, and walked up as Blake was already talking. It surprised him to hear him talk about what had happened with Minnie at the Yule Ball, he'd heard rumors, but hadn't expected him to clear it up in any way. He definitely hadn't expected him to invite the girls to punch him, and Jasper whistled at the words. Somehow, Mordred seemed to think the invitation was for him, and Jasper winced as he watched the boy punch Blake. He actually felt pretty bad for him.What was happening? Then it was time to get started with he practice, and Jasper took to the air. He followed Liusaidh, and cheered for her as she scored. Then he trailed her as she grabbed the quaffle again and flew off.

 

[Liusaidh Styx]

As soon as she was close Liusaidh tried to score again but had no such luck this time around.

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake kept one eye on the chasers as he searched for the snitch, relieved to see more cooperative play than in their last practice. He looked away, satisfied that they had listened to his instructions, and refocused on his search for the snitch.

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper grabbed the quaffle after Liusaidh's failed attempt, tucked it under his arm, and flew off with it.

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake pulled his broom higher, not seeing any signs of the snitch close to the ground, and began exploring the air a bit further up.

 

[Blake van Houten]

Searching the pitch at hoop level now, Blake was mindful of his teammates as he circled the pitch, careful not to fly into anyone's way as he searched for the snitch.

 

[Daintree Vaskevold]

daintree continued to fly around the pitch and when he spotted a bludger hit it directly to Blake, pretty pleased when it met its target.
@Blake Irons

 

[Liusaidh Styx]

Liusaidh followed the older chaser who had the quaffle, hopeful she might be able to take it from him.

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake's search was interrupted by a sudden searing pain in his side, the familiar burn of a bludger. He looked over to see who had hit him, giving Daintree a thumbs up before trying to shake the pain off and flying on.

 

[Ruben Right]

Ruben was searching for the snitch when he was hit by a bludger, this time it wasn't Paige who sent it but Daintree. Ruben was a bit hurt but he got his head back on the game and kept searching.

 

[Blake van Houten]

It was easier to shake off the familiar pain of a bludger and Blake swerved around the pitch, looking for any sign of the snitch.