Closed Teammates

[Professor Kahurangi Josephs]

Kahurangi didn't have a ton of time for hobbies these days, with Hogwarts taking up the vast majority of her time, but every weekend there were a few hours that were just for her. She absolutely loved rugby, and though she knew she would need to take a break from playing hopefully sooner rather than later, she was hoping to get as much play in as she could before that time came. There were a few new members on the team this year, and one face looked familiar enough that she wondered if she was no longer the only witch on her team. Kahurangi had put a few fliers up in Brightstone, and she was sure she had seen that woman around the Leaky Cauldron or the Three Broomsticks at some point. So while they were warming up for practice Kahurangi took a stretch spot next to her, trying to strike up a conversation. "Hey, Siobhan, right? How'd you find out about our team?"

 

[Siobhan McGowan]

Siobhan was thankful to be getting back into doing something. She had never played the muggle sport of rugby, but it seemed simple enough and just aggressive enough for her liking. That was one of the things she enjoyed about Quidditch - it truly was a contact sport in more ways than one. She had picked up a flyer in the Leaky Cauldron while catching a bite with Fin and thought she would give it a shot. Her sister wasn't as interested, but that just meant she could have more time to herself at home while she streamed whatever video game she was on that week. Since she was finding the flyer in a magical hotspot, she wasn't sure if there would be any other witches on the team or if they were maybe just helping advertise.

The former Gryffindor made her way to the meetup location for the team and started to stretch since she had been sitting in an office chair all day, one of the down sides to her position. She was hanging over with her hands flat on the ground as she heard a voice nearby. She popped up and noticed one of her fellow players. "Yeah, remind me of your name again?" she asked the vaguely familiar woman. "I found a flyer in a pub. Thought I might give it a try to stay active," she said with a smile. "How long have you been playing?" She was a little worried about the learning curve of the sport, but seeing as this was just a recreational activity, she figured she'd be up to par in no time.

 

[Professor Kahurangi Josephs]

Kahurangi smiled apologetically when the woman asked about her name. "Oh, sorry, it's Kahurangi." She smiled, shifting from one stretch into another. She nodded curiously when the woman mentioned a flier in a pub, curiosity piqued. That definitely came closer to confirming her suspicions. "Oh? I put a few fliers up in pubs, might have been one of mine." She smiled, wondering if the woman she was talking to was a witch after all. "I've been on the team for about ten years, but I'd never played on a team before when I joined." She said with a reassuring smile. "My high school only really had one sports option, so I'd only done backyard games with the whānau* before this." She shifted again, trying and failing to touch her toes. "How about you, have you played before?"

*Whānau - Family

 

[Siobhan McGowan]

Siobhan had never heard anyone with the name Kahurangi before and wondered what it meant. New Zealand was full of names she was unfamiliar with having grown up in Ireland, even if she had attended school here for a while. She moved to another stretching position on her shoulders and arms as they continued their conversation. When the woman mentioned she may have hung the poster up in a pub, Siobhan was at first excited and then hesistant. It was possible she was a witch, but at the same time, there were loads of pubs around so rather unlikely. Glad to hear that some folks joined without experience, she felt less nervous about messing up any common rules. "Your school sounds similar to mine, then. I've never played rugby before, but I am used to the roughness I've seen. Though, I'm used to being on coed teams. A woman's only league is quite different, but it should be fun," she said with a big smile. "I'm hoping I'll pick things up quick," she said as she finished her upper body stretches and did a few high kicks, unsure of how soon their official practice would start.

 

[Professor Kahurangi Josephs]

Kahurangi nodded in interest when the woman mentioned her school, giving what she hoped was a knowing look. "Might have been the same school then, not often I run into people around here who went there." She said, with another knowing look. She nodded when Siobhan talked about her sports experience. "Well, don't expect gentler treatment because it's a women league." She smiled. "We play tough, but it's a lot of fun." She said with a reassuring smile. "And you'll pick it up in no time. There really aren't that many rules compared to other sports. Grab the ball, get it to the other side of the thing, don't get tackled, it's all common sense." She smiled, wobbling a bit as she stood on one leg and pulled the other back to stretch her quads out. "Not nearly as many ways to foul as some other sports I can think of..." She chuckled softly.

 

[Siobhan McGowan]

Siobhan wasn't sure if Kahurangi was a witch, but she seemed to be dropping her some obvious clues. She cleared her throat and stopped stretching for a moment. "Yeah, umm, your school didn't happen to be in a castle in the middle of no where or something or the sort, did it?" she asked, trying to add a hint of sarcasm to her tone in case she was in fact speaking to a muggle. She whished that there was just a mark or something on everyone so it was easier to befriend others in non-magical settings. She smiled when Kahurangi continued talking about rugby. It seemed like she would fit right in. "Sounds simple enough," she said, agreeing that there were definitely some games that had too many rules.

 

[Professor Kahurangi Josephs]

Kahurangi's grin brightened once Siobhan took a step beyond the vague terms they had been using, pleased that her suspicions had turned out correct. "It did, as a matter of fact." She said with a quick wink. "How about you?" She asked, wondering whether Siobhan had been one of the many people at Hogwarts with her that she had never run into at the time, or whether she had gone to the UK branch. She chuckled softly when Siobhan said the game seemed simple enough, nodding. "Definitely not too complicated, but it's a lot of fun." She said brightly.

 

[Siobhan McGowan]

Siobhan felt confident that Kahurangi and her were on the same page when it came to their backgrounds. She gave a soft laugh and nodded in response to the woman's question. "Yes, indeed. So, how did you end up playing on a muggle team?" she asked, finally feeling a little more freedom in their conversation. She was actually curious about the answer to the question. Siobhan had showed up becasue of the flyers, but if Kahurangi was the only witch playing rugby, the former Gryffindor assumed she might have some connection to one of the players. Or maybe other people spent more time in the muggle world. Siobhan just didn't have a lot of time for things like that, but she was working on scheduling more "me time." She stopped stretching and took a seat on the grass to tighten up her shoe laces as she waited for someone to begin practice.

 

[Professor Kahurangi Josephs]

Kahurangi chuckled softly at Siobhan's question, relieved they could drop the trepidation. "Oh, I was looking for somewhere my students wouldn't find me." She said with a smile. "I'm a teacher at Hogwarts, needed something social that was entirely removed from that. And I'd always loved backyard rugby with a few mates, figured I'd give this a go." She smiled, releasing the leg she had been stretching and shaking it out slightly. "How about you, what got you interested in trying a muggle sport?"

 

[Siobhan McGowan]

Siobhan was surprised she was meeting a professor. It always seemed like they lived at the castle. "Oh, what do you teach?" she asked her as she remained seated. "I went there for a few years and then transferred back to Scotland. It's a good school." She took the hairband off her wrist and began pulling her hair back into a messy bun. "Oh, well, I spend enough time with Quidditch that it seemed like something different. Plus, I think we should all be trying to encourage socializing with muggles. Or at least, that's what my sister says," she joked. Since she came from a wizarding family, it was easy to forget there were things outside of their world.

 

[Professor Kahurangi Josephs]

"I teach Ancient Runes." Kahurangi smiled. "And I'm Head of Ravenclaw, it keeps me pretty busy." She added, nodding as she listened to Siobhan talk about her educational history. "Oh, that must have been strange. Is the Scotland school much different to the New Zealand one?" She asked, often having wondered what her counterparts on the other side of the world were getting up to. Kahurangi nodded in agreement when Siobhan quoted her sister. "Sounds like your sister has the right idea." She smiled. "Quidditch, though... do you play professionally?" She asked, curious. Kahurangi hadn't had time to keep up with the league for a while, but she didn't think she recognised Siobhan's name from any of the teams she tried to follow.

 

[Siobhan McGowan]

Siobhan was surprised she was speaking to someone with so much responsibility at Hogwarts. But when it came to schools, she shrugged. "I mean, New Zealand was modeled after Scotland, right? It was relatively similar. I think my biggest adjustment was learning the new culture. And accents," she said with a smirk. "So, were you a Ravenclaw in school then?" She thought about mentioning Ancient Runes, but seeing as she had failed her AR NEWTs, it might not be the best to continue the conversation. When Quidditch was brought up, she smiled and shook her head. "No. Sometimes I wish, but I actually am head of the Quidditch League at the Ministry." It still felt odd to say that, even though it had been quite some time since her promotion. But she was so used to working for other people that it felt weird to be in charge of something.

 

[Professor Kahurangi Josephs]

Kahurangi nodded as she listened to Siobhan talk about her former schools. It made sense that there wasn't a big difference, but Kahurangi had always thought the original Hogwarts felt like... another dimension, almost. She chuckled softly at Siobhan's question, shaking her head. "Oh Merlin no, I was never a very good student. I was a Slytherin, don't ask me how I wound up in this job. I'm still half convinced they'll give me the boot any day now." She joked, smiling. Truth be told, although Kahurangi had well and truly settled into her job now it still felt... strange, like she just didn't quite deserve it. She nodded with interest when Siobhan explained her job, surprised to be talking to someone so high up in the Ministry. "Oh, wow. That must be hard." She said, imagining how much logistical work must go into the running of an international sports league.

 

[Siobhan McGowan]

Siobhan was surprised to her Kahurangi's house affiliation. While everyone probably had one or two houses they could end up in, it was odd to learn about those who went to one of the Hogwarts and then see them as adults. When you didn't spend 24/7 with all the obnoxious Gryffindors (which she could say because she had been one) or the majority of introverted Ravenclaws, it definitely made a difference. "I'm sure you're just wonderful at your job," she said reassurdingly. "How long have you worked there?" If she had worked there for a good length of time, she was sure that they wouldn't just fire her and the woman was in deed adequate at her position educating the future of the wizarding world. When her own position was brought up, she shrugged. "It is difficult at times, but I think when you love something, you manage to make it work," she said with a smile. Her interest in quidditch had literally taken over her life, but as long as it didn't impact the other hopes and dreams she had, it was fine with her.

 

[Professor Kahurangi Josephs]

Kahurangi smiled gratefully at Siobhan's compliment, casting her mind back for a moment. How long had she been at Hogwarts. "Oof, well, I've been teaching for a decade, and Head of House for about four years." She explained, a little surprised herself as the words came out. Had it really been that long? Life seemed to be flying by much faster than she could keep track of, and it was strange to state it outright like that. She nodded when Siobhan talked about her own job, giving the woman a warm smile. "That's very true." She agreed. "It must be interesting to deal with teams from all over the world though. Any interesting stories?"