Closed Summer, 2064

[Rudolf Lagowski]

Evening was falling, the bonfire was blazing, and the twilight sky was alight with magic. Brilliant colours leapt under the blue and collided like stars, scattering luminescent dust. Wheels whirled, chrysanthemums bloomed, comets rained in reverse. It was a breath-taking display; and when the last light burgeoned and faded, the applause was eruptive. Rudolf whistled over the noise. His mum and dad always put on a good show, but that might have been the best one yet, he thought, leaning down to kiss his daughter on the top of her head. Reuben would have loved to have seen it. The lights were always his favourite part.

Excited chatter resumed around the campfire. Rudolf popped into his tent to fetch some metal cups for tea and coffee. The children had their own table, well-stocked with fizzy drinks and cartons of juice; Thalia was in charge of distribution. Rudolf smiled. He remembered when he'd been small enough to join the queue. The annual camping trip had been full of wonder, then. It still was, but in a different, more subdued sort of way. He appreciated now not only the food and the drinks and the games, but the opportunity to spend time with his loved ones. That was such a precious thing. He'd secretly vowed to keep the trips going even after his parents were unable. Future generations of Lagowskis - and Laytons - deserved this.

There was talk of a quidditch game. The suggestion travelled quickly around the fire, met with little resistance. Yes, it was dark, but they could illuminate the quidditch set. Yellow for the snitch. Red for quaffle. Blue for bludgers. The hoops, too, could be lit up, and the moon was full and bright enough by which to see the players. Everybody turned to Rudolf. He seemed to be the authority. "All right," he said, grinning. "Who's on the team?"

 

[Montana Layton]

Montana took the juice from Auntie Thalia with two careful hands. Mum always said she had to use her careful hands because her normal hands tended to drop things. She grinned up at her as she carefully - staring straight into her juice so she could make sure she didn't spill - walked around the group and over to where Uncle Rudolf was standing. She very, very carefully pulled the cup up to her lips to sip it when she realised they were organising a Quidditch game. In her excitement - sorry mummy - the drink slipped from her tiny grasp and spilled all over her mum, who'd just rushed over to stop this very thing from happening. "Oops, sorry mummy!" She called, as her mum fussed with her clothes. Montie peeled into fits of laughter before turning to Uncle Rudolf. "Me! Me! Pick me! I want to play Uncle Ru!" She squealed, kicking the juice cup somewhere she didn't care about in her excitement. "I can catch the yellow one! I'm super-duper fast!" She missed her mother's rapid head shake behind her as she bounced from foot to foot. She even spun around in a circle to prove it, her curls flapping wildly in the wind. “Pleeeeease?”​

 

[Wendall Layton]

Wendall appreciated the annual camping trips if not because it was a chance to spend time with the rest of his family, and occasionally ask those with more experience some much needed parenting advice. Wendall had been sat in a camping chair with a cup of tea in his hand when Montie threw her own drink over Mary-Lou, and child who seemingly inherited his own knack for coordination. "I'll play," Wendall told Rudolf, not looking at the man but instead moving to help his wife clean up their daughter. Wendall wasn't the best at quidditch by any means, but if he was ever going to play a game that could result in serious injury he was better off giving it a go while surrounding by those he trusted.

His eldest daughter was quick to announce that she too wanted tobplay, however there were a number of children on this trip that would have been much too little. "Maybe we can have two teams?" Wendall said, glancing to Mary-Lou with trust behind his eyes before finally turning to the man who'd organised it all. "I mean one for adults and one for children. The children can play on the floor," at least they wouldn't feel left out and besides, there was enough of them to fill two teams and have alts left over.​

 

[Rudolf Lagowski]

Oh, jeez - Rudolf hadn't thought this through. He expertly stuck out a foot to stop the cup rolling away. Of course the younger kids wouldn't want to be left out - but there was no way they were playing on brooms, even if the bludgers were soft, and even if they were only flying a few meters off the ground. Wendall seemed to agree with this and made a brilliant suggestion. "OK," he said, crouching down to Montana's level. "You hear that? Your dad's got an even better idea. And guess what? You're gonna be team captain. Your team is gonna play on the ground, all right? And uh - this is your co-captain..." Rudolf glanced around for the nearest person under eleven. "Luke!" He stood up. "Sorry, guys. Thirteen and up for the sky team." He already knew the other parents would be fine with that. Most of the Lagowski kids had been playing family quidditch for a couple of years before they even went to Hogwarts.

 

[Luke Lagowski]

Luke had been aimlessly chewing on the inside of his coat when one of the adults volunteered him as co-captain. He lifted his head and shuffled in his seat, automatically glancing toward Susie to see of she would protest. If anyone knew what he was capable of, it was her. The boy slid out of his seat and headed toward Montana, who was so small it was hard to comprehend she could lift a broom at all. "Have you played before?" He asked the smaller girl, scratching his head. It would be nice of he didnt have to explain the rules to everyone, but he supposed he could make an exception to his co captain.

 

[Rion Pendleton]

Rion didn't feel like an adult. She didn't feel like a child, either. She was something between the two, which made the camping trip a little awkward, but she was still enjoying herself. In some ways, it was nice to be able to fall into whichever group she wanted. Mostly she hung out with the adults, but she'd spent some time with Eluned and Amortentia, too. They were the closest girls to her age, and though they didn't have very much in common, they made Rion feel normal for a while.

She put down her tea and approached her uncle. "I can be chaser," she said. "If there's a space." Her foray into quidditch at Hogwarts had been a bit of a disaster, but it was only the pressure that put her off. She could play quite well casually.

 

[Susie Lagowski]

Susie gave Luke an encouraging nudge toward his new co-captain, grinning. Of course, she was old enough for the sky team. She didn't say 'bye, losers', but her face was quite communicative as she left them behind to join the adult team. Thrusting her hand up, she said, "Beater!"

 

[Mary Lou Layton]

Mary Lou focused on scourgifying her dress and then scourgifying her daughter, shaking her head at Wendell over the little girls head. "Hear that darling, they'll make you Team Captain," she said, before looking to Rudolf. "I'll play Keeper, it will mean I can also keep a bit of an eye on the kids, and it's not a big loss if I have to drop out." She said, running her fingers through Montie's hair.​

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Ten had never pictured herself spending much time with Rion, but here they were often banding together as a trio, neither wanting to linger around the small kids or the adults. Felix was often hanging around with Wendalls children too so she didnt have to worry about her brother. She nodded as the Ravenclaw said she'd play chaser. Ten hadn't played at school, unlike her mum she had very little desire to, but perhaps it would be more fun if she was playing with family. "I'll be Chaser too. And Ned," she called out, volunteering her aunt for the role as well.

 

[Leda Layton]

Leda was making the most of there being so many willing babysitters for the girls and had taken herself for nature's shower while the rest of the family had been making plans for a family game of Quidditch. It was only when she returned in her pajamas, wet hair down her neck, that she realised what was happening. "If there's a game then it's only fair I play seeker," Pjamamas or not, shed spent six years catching the snitch at school and they'd be lucky to have her again now. She glanced to Mervyn, wondering whether he'd let the triplets participate in the game on the ground. It would be good for them to have the distraction honestly.

 

[Eluned Strangewayes]

Quidditch? Yeah, Ned was in. This camping trip desperately needed something to liven it up. As cool as the light display had been, it had only lasted twenty minutes or so. The rest of the trip had consisted of sitting around with Ten and Rion, trying to find ways to entertain themselves in the middle of a field.

 

[Raylee Lagowski]

Raylee wasn't about to take a spot on the team from one of the kids, but when it became clear there wasn't going to be enough players, she stood up. "I haven't played quidditch in years," she said. "Bet I could still run circles around you, Rudy. I'll set up the pitch." The pitch, of course, was another field, but it still needed charming, just in case. The chances of any muggles wandering through this remote place at this time of night were slim to none, but getting told off by the ministry would kind of put a damper on the fun.

And Raylee hadn't had this much fun in a long time.

 

[Felix Layton-King]

Felix was lying in the grass, one of the triplets sat on his stomach, just as he was trying to find a way to tell her nicely that she needed to get off so his dinner wouldn't make a return. He'd put himself on official babysitting duty although hadn't realised that meant he was now babysitting enough children to employ a small nursery. "Look..a game!" He pointed toward Luke and Montana in the hopes the child would climb off him, and that he wouldn't be stuck looking after the children's group on the floor. "You need two seekers, don't you?" Felix called out. He wasn't as vocal at home as he was at all but he wasn't about to miss the chance to practice, especially if he was trying out for the team again.

 

[Olive Layton-Strangewayes]

Livvy removed herself from her cousins comfy lap and headed in the direction he'd been pointing. She wasnt someone who usually took charge of a situation and as such, lingered near a bench behind the older boy she didnt really know. Was she even going to be able to play?

 

[Elsie Layton-Strangewayes]

Ellen watched as Livvy headed over to Montie and Luke and slipped off one of the seats to follow. "Ooh, Quibbitch! I want to play too! I'm older than Montie can I play too?"​

 

[Rudolf Lagowski]

"Uh, I want you on my team!" Rudolf called after his sister. He certainly wasn't letting her play beater, either way. Slapping his hands together, he addressed the sign-ups. "All right, guys - looks like we're playing five-a-side. Two chasers, one beater per team. Mary-Lou, Leda - you good to take these three?" He gestured to Eluned, Ten, and Susie. It seemed like the most balanced way to do things. And if Wendall was going to be a beater, then, well, better he was aiming at Leda than Felix. The bludgers were totally harmless, but the bats were not, and any heavy object in Wendall's hands was a potential health and safety hazard.

Everybody fetched their brooms. Rudolf covered the ground rules, and then led the teams through the narrow strip of woods and into the neighbouring field. Raylee had finished setting up and the hoops, raised about three metres off the ground, glowed bright at either end. Monty had come too; with some light persuasion (and a bit of flattery) he had agreed to be referee. Rudolf mounted his broom and kicked off. "Positions!"

Team 1 - Red

Keeper	Rudolf Lagowski
Beater	Wendall Layton
Seeker	Felix Layton-King
Chaser	Raylee Lagowski
Chaser	Rion Pendleton

Team 2 - Blue

Keeper	Mary-Lou Layton
Seeker	Leda Layton
Beater	Susie Lagowski
Chaser	Eluned Strangewayes
Chaser	Ten Layton-King

Rules: Normal quidditch rules apply, with a few exceptions: Anybody can post at any time, without delay A snitch catch is worth 30 points and does not end the game, but resets positions First team to 150 points wins The snitch is easier to catch than usual and the bludgers are soft. Three strikes and you're out still applies.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty was quite happy, really, to referee the match. They'd even given him a whistle. He waited until everybody was in the air, then waited a little bit longer, just to mess with them, and then finally released the glowing balls. It had begun.

 

[Mary Lou Layton]

It had been some time since Mary Lou had been on a broom, but she was fairly confident. Enough that she could sit on one and be a keeper. She certainly wouldn't be doing much fancy flying, but this she could do. So she got onto her broom, (after making sure Montie and the others were okay and giving Monty a big grin) and headed up to her side of the pitch, getting ready to defend like her life depended on it.​

 

[Freddie Lagowski]

Freddie, who felt a bit too old for the ground group but was determined too young for the sky group, followed his family into the field just to watch. He was a little aggrieved at having been left out, but realistically, his age was only half the problem. Still, he could stand here and cheer Susie on - and if he hung about long enough, maybe Monty would let him help referee. Freddie could do that. That was something Freddie could do.

 

[Wendall Layton]

TEAM RED - 0 POINTS
(Beater)​

It wasn't long before someone thrust a beaters bat in his hand, and Wendall looked at them as though they'd just taken out his pet rabbit. "Are you.. sure?" He was looking around at the other players who didn't seem to think this would be a bad idea, and gingerly mounted his broomstick. At least he was only going to be trying to knock Leda off her broom, although he also knew he would need to protect Felix. Honestly he didn't want Felix to be hit either, he'd need his help for the rest of the trip. Wendall got into position in the sky, trying to look braver than he felt.​

 

[Ten Layton-King]

TEAM BLUE - 0 POINTS
(Chaser)​

Ten was delighted she'd be playing with Ned. The pair of them working together against Rudolf wouldn't be any problem at all. Besides, with her aunt playing seeker there was no way they'd be losing. Ten would cheer for her brother on the pitch, but here he would heavily be out experienced. ​

 

[Leda Layton]

TEAM BLUE - 0 POINTS
(Seeker)​

The former Captain in Leda had the redhead bowing to the other members of the opposing team before she mounted her own broom, not even changing out of her jimjams. She'd prove to her nephew that it didn't matter what you wore, you could easily win if you had the skill for it. She flew up to the rest of her team, balancing on her broom as she started to stretch her limbs.​

 

[Felix Layton-King]

TEAM RED - 0 POINTS
(Seeker)​

"Blow it really hard when I win okay," Felix whispered to Monty on the way past, before mounting his broomstick and heading up to the air to join the others. He was face to face with Leda, who looked like she was about to get slapped in the face with her wet curls. This was going to be easy.​

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty laughed. "Oh, absolutely," he said. Felix was on Rion's team, so privately he was rooting for him, just a little bit.

Freddie moved so quietly that Monty didn't even notice he had come to stand nearby. He was too busy watching the quaffle. As it reached its apex, he blew the whistle, and the game began.

 

[Ten Layton-King]

TEAM BLUE - 0 POINTS
(Chaser)​

Ten didn't hesitate to dart forward the moment Monty blew the whistle. She managed to reach the quaffle first, yanking it out of the reach of the blue red team's chasers and immediately started gesturing to Ned with her head to get in position.