Tumbling Upside Down

[April Ward]

April Ward could do a lot of things. She had been very good at ballet before going to Hogwarts and losing track of training, she was very funny and could do some acrobatics. She knew how to do cartwheels and backflips, things like that. She enjoyed all of that too, but decided today she would have to push herself further. She just hoped her father wouldn't come around the corner as she tried it, because she knew it was dangerous.

Walking on her hands was easy for April, somethings he sometimes did to amuse the girls in her dormitory or her friends when they were hanging out outside. But as she had returned at Hogwarts and laid eyes on the grand staircase in the Entrance hall, she'd had a brilliant idea. She wondered if she could walk on her hands upstairs. Before she would find some friends to be an audience for this neat trick, she would have to try it out herself. She waited until the entrance hall was mostly empty before getting started. She did a handstand effortlessly and walked a bit on her hands. So far so good, but then she tried ascending the stairs and it got a lot tougher. After only a few steps, she felt her balance shift. April let out a tiny yelp as she wobbled and lost her balance. With a gasp, she landed on her behind at the bottom of the staircase. "Ouch." She muttered as she glared at the staircase. Maybe stairs weren't made for walking upside down.

 

[Syrus Stilinski]

"What the heck?" Syrus announced as he came down random direction of the corridor. He had been watching, not for a long time. Enough to witness her lose her balance while going up the stairs on her hands. He would've congratulate her on a job well done if she didn't fail at her attempt. He got closer to April, staring her down. It's been like what, months? Since he last saw the girl face. In which he was rushing off the quidditch fields.

"Is this what you've been up too, huh?" Syrus crouch low onto her level, he was grinning now. April glaring at those stairs was a ridiculous sight for him to see. "Is it opposite day or something? I must've missed the memo." The gryffindor jest. Syrus reach out with his hand to assist her back onto her feet again. It's the most he could do while he poke fun of the young puff. She did help him get over his lost tryout last year. Consider them even, he thought in silence reaching out where he stood.
​

 

[April Ward]

April's embarrassment had apparently been witnessed, and she grimaced at the sound of a familiar voice. She looked up as Syrus crouched down next to her. It could be worse, at least he was nice. April shrugged, giving him a small smile. "Gotta keep trying new things, it's what keeps me so cheerful and interesting to talk to." She announced. "I see you're more cheerful than before if you can joke like that." She added as he helped her up. "Maybe it really is opposite day if you're smiling." She added, poking his cheek lightly. Syrus had been a real grump last year, but she couldn't really blame him. Quidditch was really awesome, and she would hate to be excluded from the team too. "I'm joking, but I'm glad to see you're okay. We haven't talked in a while." She told him. "How is Gryffindor?" Then she looked up at the stairs, contemplating a better way to achieve what she had failed to do. She couldn't really think of anything. Planning had never been her strong point. "Can you walk on your hands?" She asked him. Perhaps it was a bit random, but the question popped into her mind so she asked it.

 

[Syrus Stilinski]

Syrus rolled his eyes whilst she took his offered her hand. "Okay, okay. I get it, you've made your point. I'm not your typical sour puss!" Syrus stepped back at her poke, letting go of her hand. It's the first time he kinda, well kinda got to touch a girl without shoving them away. She felt nice, he sunk both his hands towards his front pocket. "The usual, right. It's because the whole school sort of went on a break." he teased her. "Gryffindor is okay, it's red." He reported, lazily. "Hufflepuff, how are you? Still on the team?" Syrus asked. She never told him about her position, or he couldn't quite remembered if they had talked about it. Well he knows more now, but he also forgot who won last year. Someone told him, he must've forgot that too. "Me? No way! I would fall flat on my face." Syrus made a face. "I will never, would ever dare to attempt to smash my face against that! Heck no!"
​

 

[April Ward]

April rolled her eyes when he said it was usual that they hadn't seen each other, though it made her smile too. Was he just determined to poke holes into anything she said? "Okay, fair, but we could have run into each other during the break. And it was a while before the break that we talked too." She pointed out. "And Hufflepuff is yellow. And yes I'm on the team, still an alternate though. Our seeker is very good, so I hope to learn from him and take over when he graduates. But that's not for a few more years." April wasn't thrilled to be stuk in an alternate position until her sixth year, but she hoped she would get to train a lot until that time so when she finally took over she would just be able to catch the snitch during every game. Besides, she may be able to play a few more matches before then. She grinned when he said he would fall flat on his face, and did a handstand just to rub it in his face. "Really?" She asked, upside down now. "It's easy." She then righted herself again, dusting off her robes. "So I guess you can't do cartwheels either?" She asked teasingly.

 

[Syrus Stilinski]

Syrus simpered, partly showing off teeth he was missing from his smile. "A WHOLE lot while. We never even had the chance to practice or anything. I asked my sister if she had seen ya, but she's pretty much useless!" Syrus admitted. The way he had said that would may anyone think he had been looking forward to playing quidditch with April. And how he was still a little ticked off for not making the team. Ever since that day with April, Syrus had tried avoiding the field completely. He was a mixed bag of confusion. "Still an alternative?! You shouldn't take that! If I were you, I'd challenge them for that position. Waiting years to play, I guess I'm not missing out on anything if you're forced to be an alternative." He mouthed off. He didn't see how that was fair in any way?! Had he known that, Syrus would be less keen into playing the game. Nobody wanted to be bench. "I can't, but fall again and I won't be helping you this time." Syrus followed her with his eyes, a bit envious at the girl's abilities. "Show off!"
​

 

[April Ward]

April grinned at Syrus as he brought up practice. "You still want to? Did you try out for Gryffindor again?" She hoped he had gotten it this time, his grumpy mood last year had been funny but if she had to sit through it again she wasn't sure how well ffe688would deal. It might cause her to lose his patience. "We could practice sometime, or just play games! I did that with my friend Norton last year. It was fun." She grinned as she thought back. It was fun to just fly for no real reason with a friend. His outrage at her being an alternate made her giggle, and she shook her head. "That's not how it works. Besides! Even though I'd love to be the real seeker, they do get targeted a lot by the stupid beaters. I can use this time to learn to avoid all bludgers so I can be the best seeker ever later!" She had told herself this, and telling Syrus almost made it feel real. She grinned when he called her a show off, and shrugged. "Is being a show off bad when you have something interesting to show off?" She asked him before sticking our her tongue. "Its fun to be in the center of attention occasionally!"

 

[Syrus Stilinski]

Syrus scuffed. "No. By the time I heard about the tryouts they were already done with them. Should I give up? I thought muggel sports were worst, but this is ridiculous." He expressed ever so annoyed. He wished he didn't like qudditch so much, it was nothing like muggel sports. They were bland in comparison. And it's rather difficult to play the game when you're not in school because he wasn't allowed to play back home. How unfair?! "Well duh! If I'm bringing it up, I wanna play. Who Norton?" Syrus inquired. April seem to have a lot of friends. Quidditch would do that. Play the most popular game in school and you'll be flocked with admires and people wanting to be your best friends. He wanted that.

"Do you seriously need more attention? Qudditch queen." He flared his nostrils, but his mouth did something else. He smirked at the girl, and looked away. She always have a way to get him worked up over nothing. Or he just always happen to be worked up over nothing when she was around. It doesn't help he find himself having a little crush on April. No, he won't admit that. No way! "Norton, is he your boyfriend or something?"
​

 

[April Ward]

April shrugged. "Maybe your chance is next year! After all, the captain is graduating this year isn't he? So at least one spot opens up. You shouldn't give up." She said, trying to be encouraging. "Wouldn't it be fun to compete against me? Also, what sort of muggle sports do you think are the worst? I used to go to ballet lessons before I went to Hogwarts, but it's been a while." She paused, sighing as she remembered how much fun she had at those lessons. "I kind of miss it. But I suppose getting magic for it instead it's a fair trade." April thought of October, who also had to miss it. But the older girl would never talk to her about that sort of thing. "Norton is a friend of mine, he's in Hufflepuff and in my year and plays beater on the team." She told Syrus, hoping it wouldn't put him into another grumpy spiral about not being on his own house team. "Let's play sometime, for sure. Maybe we can all play together! I could ask him." The more the merrier, right?

April laughed and felt her cheeks heat up slightly, though she was glad it wouldn't show much on her dark skin. "I don't get that much attention for that one match I helped win like, a year ago." She said, sticking out her tongue at the Gryffindor again. "I don't think anyone is calling me Quidditch queen." though she had to admit she rather liked that title and wouldn't mind being called that more. His last question took her by surprise, and she looked at him blankly. "What?" She asked, then cracked a smile. "Do I look old enough to have a boyfriend?" Then she paused, thinking of Geo who was already dating Jess last year. "I mean. I guess I could be, but I don't really see the appeal. I haven't had a boyfriend yet." She shrugged. "Norton is one of my best friends," she added.

 

[Syrus Stilinski]

Syrus scowled, shaking his head. "If I try out and I don't make it I'm gonna be so bummed out. I do-" Syrus cut himself off going quiet. He really wanted to play. Maybe just once, or maybe it wasn't meant to be? April didn't make it any better. She was a bit too naive for him to deal with at the moment. "All of them. My dad used to have me play when I didn't want to. He was a gym teacher and a coach." He thought back on it, his dad was the reason he cared to kick a ball around every now and then. Muggels sports sort of glorified qudditch in a way for him. It was a bit of most muggel sports into qudditch. And he liked the fact he didn't have to run out of breath because rarely did anyone used their legs in quidditch but to hold onto the broom or maneuvered their way around the pitch. "Ballet? You mean you wore frills and tights?" he teased. It's not shocking information for him, he could already picture her doing that sort of stuff. April really was someone he would never in a million years ever get this close to a girl quite like her back home.

"Okay?" Syrus hadn't met the boy, but he guess he could play a game with them or not. "Wasn't that match that helped win the cup?" He pointed that out. He avoided any games last year. This year, he was still contemplating if he would attend any this year. His stomach did a flip thing, feeling weird in the tummy. He held back from expressing anything, yet inside was a different story. "Oh I forgot you're like twelve or something." Syrus taunts her. He laughs, sniffling as he gaze up at her. That flippy weird feeling calm down, thankfully.
​

 

[April Ward]

April was tired of Syrus' negative attitude towards quidditch. If he stopped trying after one time, of course he wouldn't make the team. She managed to keep that thought inside her head somehow though, which was good. She didn't want to make the boy all annoyed and huffy again. Perhaps Quidditch tryouts were a topic best ignored for now. She nodded when he said his dad was a gym teacher and a coach. "I get why you think they're the worst. But yes I did Ballet and yes I wore tights and no, you don't really wear frills unless you're performing." She shook her head disapprovingly at his comment but smiled. "I miss it, it's kind of impossible to practice at Hogwarts so I've sort of been neglecting it lately." She liked that other things had come into her life, but sometimes still missed her life before Hogwarts.

April smiled happily when Syrus agreed (albeit reluctantly) to play with her and Norton. But she started giggling at his next question. "Syrus! You really don't pay attention to this stuff, do you? This was last school year when your house won the cup!" She laughed, wondering how he had forgotten. "Don't you remember? They got to play that French school and then lost horribly." She said with some glee. It had been kind of nice to watch Gryffindor lose after they had beaten Hufflepuff. She huffed when he said she was twelve, putting her hands on her hips and drawing herself up to her full height. She was tall for her age, and knew it. "I'm clearly thirteen. Don't act like you're all older and wiser! I just think I have better things to do than having a boyfriend. Like trying to walk up the stairs on my hands." She said with a grin. "I know it went wrong, but how cool would it have looked, right?"

 

[Syrus Stilinski]

"Well, it's not all bad." He walked back his comment about muggel sports. Playing these muggels sports with his dad were good memories that Syrus deeply cherished. No matter how much he dislike some of the games he was force to play, he can say he at least done them with his dad. No one can take that away from him. And he was sure of it, if his dad were alive he'd support Syrus one hundred percent with qudditch. "Impossible? That's no excuse. There always time to do the things you love." He went onto trying to encourage her. Sort of like how she would do for him. "Make time."

Syrus shrugs. "I didn't really care last year. My head wasn't in the game." Syrus rolled his eyes. He would say something about her team losing and all, but as he wasn't there so he can't really comment on that. Syrus rolled his tongue inside his mouth and watched as she almost sized him up. Not as much, since he grown several inches over these past few months. If he had to question it, he was nearly touching six feet tall. Nearly. "Okay, whatever floats your boat. I guess? Are you going to set this thing up? I would like to play a game before I graduate."
​

 

[April Ward]

April resisted the urge to roll her eyes when Syrus suddenly said it wasn't all bad. He seemed unable to commit to his opinion of many things. She didn't get it, but she didn't ask. "It's not impossible to practice the things I already know, but there are no ballet teachers here are there?" She asked with a small frown. "I can't really learn new stuff, and that's the best part about it." Syrus obviously didn't know anything about ballet, but she knew he was trying. "I should practice a little more, though..." She added, shrugging.

She knew Syrus hadn't cared much about quidditch last year, but it still surprised her that he hadn't picked up who had won the cup last year. Maybe she was simply unable to escape any quidditch news because she was on a team herself. April was tall, but Syrus was taller. She didn't think he had been this tall when they last talked, and she found it quite unfair. "Yes I'll ask Norton. I'll let you know okay?" She asked with a bright smile. Even if she argued with him a bit, she liked Syrus. She wondered if Norton would like to hang out with him too.

 

[Syrus Stilinski]

"Ballet a muggel thing? Look up some new things to learn." He shrugged. At least that's what he would do if he missed something he liked doing before coming to Hogwarts. He's kinda outgrown a lot of that old stuff, the muggel stuff he did back home. He hasn't picked up a comic in months. Syrus wouldn't be able to tell the last time he sat and read up on his favorite superheroes. That was his sister thing, dwelling on the past. Though he heard she join Hogwarts Monthly, shocking news to him. He wonder what was going to motivate her to leave the Hufflepuff common room. He glad she possibly have found her muse?


"Awe, guess who the short nugget? Not me!" Syrus teased her, the expression on her face made him laugh. He poked and teased her, she was still tall though. Taller than most average girls her age. Syrus nodded, "Yeah okay. Maybe I can get Elizabeth to join us? I don't want to be the third wheel!" Elizabeth can be on his team, maybe. If she agrees to it. He'll have to make a point to ask her during breakfast, or whenever they cross path. "I'm saying it's only fair to have someone else play with us."
​

 

[April Ward]

April shrugged when Syrus advised her to find something new to learn. She had quidditch now, it wasn't the same as ballet but it did more for her competitive spirit than the other sport ever had. When he called her a short nugget, she glared at him. "I'll have you know I'm taller than my sort-of stepsister and she's almost fifteen." She said, puffing out her chest. This wasn't all that impressive as October was short, but it was the best example she had. She shrugged again at his suggestion about Elizabeth. "Sure, you can ask her and I can ask Norton?" She knew the girl he meant as she was in his year. At least, if it was that Elizabeth. "I think I'll head up the stairs now the normal way. I have to find Norton to ask him." She said with a smile. "I bet I'll be the best at flying." She added, wondering if he would rise to her bait. Not everyone was as competitive as her, but she felt like it would be more fun if it was a bit of a competition.