Y29 Hufflepuff Quidditch Tryouts

[Ares Jeffreys]

Ares had been surprised by the appointment that he had received. He had expected that Reuben would stay on as captain that he would remain at the school. However, this had not been the case, he had left the school and allowed Ares to be in charge of the team. The boy was exceedingly nervous, he hadn't expected to be in charge of a team. After all he was just expecting another year on the team. The boy stood on the pitch with his new broom in hand and a growing sense of nervousness in his stomach. The butterflies fluttered with increasing intensity, he didn't know if he could do this. Being a captain was hard and they had done well in the last year, he wanted them to do as well in this year as they had in the last. The teen watched as the first students entered, he recognised various members of the team and he was sure they would be relatively confused that he was the captain and Reuben was no longer even on the pitch. Ares was sure he could do well as long as he concentrated, didn't let his mind wander to anything other than the practices and matches that they would have.

Finally when it seemed that everyone had arrived so he decided to get started. The boy ran a hard through his hair as he cleared his throat, trying to get people's attention. Noting that he wasn't quite loud enough the first time, so he repeated himself, clearing his throat loudly. He looked around at the different people, "Hello, I'm Ares, I'm the new captain, Reuben has transferred to a different school and he left me in charge. Hopefully we can repeat the success of last year,"Ares introduced his voice gaining in confidence as he went on. "Today's tryouts will be like every other time, current team members can fly around getting a bit of practice, those trying out give me your name and the position you'd like to play for. If you want to give more than one position by all means do," Ares continued, "Right, let's get started! Best of luck," Ares clapped his hands and stood now excited about what this might bring.
​

Players	Position [/td]
Available	Chaser
Ares Jeffreys	Chaser (Captain)
Tesla Wilde	Chaser
Available	Beater
Hunter Baird	Beater
Available	Keeper
Anthony Jackson	Seeker

[th colspan="2"] Current Hufflepuff Quidditch Team[/th] [th]

Out of Character:

Players from the previous year are guaranteed their spot without needing to try out again - as long as attendance is posted before try-outs are over. Alternates, however, will need to try out again.

First years are required to PM me for approval before attempting to try out - which will only be accepted if there is a need for more players.

 

[Matthew Harper]

After a year at Hogwarts, Matthew felt a lot more at home here than he had at the tryouts during last year. The one downside was that the captain was someone he didn't know instead of his best friend, so he felt more nervous than he would have it it had been Reuben standing there. During the last school-year he had been an alternate keeper for the team, something he had been fine with since their regular keeper was very talented. But now the girl had graduated and Matthew hoped he could get her spot, but only if he did well in the tryout.

He listened to the new captain speak, nodding at him when he was done. He had never talked to Ares much, but he seemed alright and Reuben had made the right choice in making him captain. He stepped forward. "Matthew Harper, trying out for keeper." He told the younger boy before he got on his broomstick and took to the air. He flew to the nearest set of rings, waiting for a chaser to approach. He managed to block the first quaffle by hitting it away from the hoops, and actually caught the second which he threw back a the chaser. By the third, however, the chaser feinted and pretended to go for the left hoop, only to score through the right when Matthew headed that way. He grimaced, remembering how bad he had felt about his last tryout. He had to do better. He saved the third goal as well, though he dropped the quaffle through to nerves and had to fly lower to retrieve it before he could pass it back to the chaser. The fifth and last one he only barely saved by pushing it out of the way with his fingertips, nearly falling off his broom in the process.

He still hadn't done as well as he wanted, with some near misses, but he had saved four out of five balls. He hoped that would be sufficient to get the spot. He nodded to the captain before landing again to watch the others try out.

 

[April Ward]

April was so so SO excited to try out for Quidditch! She had spent the entire year last year waiting for this, ever since she saw her first game. Flying lessons had been fun, sure, but this was the real deal. And there was only one position she wanted: seeker.

She knew that they had a seeker who was very good, but they would always need alternates right? She had secret fantasies of Anthony becoming ill so she could save the day, though she didn't want the boy to actually become ill. She wasn't the most patient person, but she could wait for her time to shine. She needed training first, after all.

She had debated trying out for chaser instead, but knew she would probably get stuck playing that position if she got it for ages and then she would not train for the position she really wanted. Besides, the odds of her becoming an alternate even if she tried out for chaser were pretty big as she was only a second year. And playing the same position as two others on the team just didn't appeal to her. She wanted to be unique, and Keeper wasn't nearly as flashy or fun.

She took her brand-new broom down to the pitch and smiled at the captain. She saluted him jokingly. "April Ward, trying out for Seeker." She grinned at Anthony. "Not that we need it, but back-up is never a bad thing, right?" Without waiting for an answer, April hopped onto the broom and kicked off, beaming at the feeling of being in the air. She did a little loop just to show off and then started searching. It took her a little while to see the snitch and she reached for it at once, in her haste to grab it she lost control of the broom and it wobbled for a moment, making her miss the catch because she had to steady herself. She scowled and shook her head, she had to do better than this, but the snitch was gone. She flew a circle around the pitch in her search, squinting as she tried her best to find the snitch again. It took some time again, in which she found the snitch once more but lost it again before she could even try to grasp it. But the third time she saw it she was ready and reached for it carefully. She caught it, but barely, as it nearly fluttered out of her grasp again before she could fully close her fingers around it. She whooped loudly and held it in the air to show it off. She figured it was mostly luck, but she was glad she had caught it. She hoped the alternate position would be hers, as long as it meant she got to practice and maybe play a few times.

 

[Tesla Wilde]

Tess walked onto the Quidditch pitch, feeling excited to start the new year off right as they had done so exceptionally well the last year. As title defenders they would surely have a harder year but was surprised when she didn't see her friend and captain. Figuring he was poorly she thought to check in on him later but as Ares began to speak the Chaser's mouth fell open gobsmacked to hear that Reuben had transferred elsewhere. She felt sour that he hadn't told them and during the tryouts that she should have been watching Tesla was stewing in anger at not being considered by their captain as she viewed her team as a big family. Some she was closer with than others but a family nonetheless.

 

[Austin Branning]

Austin had been surprised by how much he enjoyed being on the Quidditch team the previous season, though he hadn't expected to play at all he had actually started a game. Being part of the team as an alternate gave him the confidence to go back to tryouts and hopefully he would be good enough to get a spot as a regular. He briefly wondered if Autumn would be trying out as the previous year she had been stuck in detention the day of the Gryffindor tryouts. He found that very funny but he would never admit that to her. Once he made his way out onto the pitch he approached the captain and announced his arrival and what position he would be trying out for. "Austin Branning, trying out for beater,"

Clutching his broom in one hand and his club in the other, Austin had never felt more ready. He mounted his broom and rose steadily and watched as the bludgers sprung out from the box and began to fly around. He watched eagerly as one bludger seemed to set its sights on one of the girls trying out for seeker. Austin leaned forward on his broom and shot forward, he drew back his club and smacked the bludger making a loud crack and firing it in the opposite direction. It was more fun in games when he had somewhere to aim it. After saving the seeker, Austin went to stop a bludger hitting the keeper, one from hitting one of the regular players who was just doing laps of the pitch and one that got dangerously close to hitting a second year trying out for beater. Evidently he wasn't paying that much attention. When Austin returned to the ground he did so with a smile on his face. How he wished Margo could have seen him in that moment.

 

[Ethan Mendoza]

It was the start of a new year and Ethan was ready to get back to school. He had spent his first year laying low and getting to know his way around the castle and figuring out how everything worked, but now he was ready to get more involved. He was a second year now which meant he could try out for the Quidditch team, which he was eager to do. Once he saw that tryouts were open, he went down to the pitch with a broom in hand and listened as the Captain spoke, explaining to them how things would go. He was excited to get started but watched as others tried out first. When it was his turn, he walked up to the Captain and said, "Ethan Mendoza, trying out for Chaser," with a small nod at the boy.

When given the okay to go, Ethan mounted his broom and kicked off the ground hard. His nerves had him shoot higher than he intended to but he played it off like he was going for a lap around the pitch first, which helped calm his nerves. He was a pretty calm guy in general but he could feel his adrenaline pumping. He just hoped to channel that towards aiming well. He hovered in front of the Keeper who threw the ball out to him and he caught it, tucking it under his arm while he flew around the pitch once more so he wouldn't just be hovering in front of the goal posts. During a game he wouldn't be sitting dead center so he had to try and shoot from an angle. Ethan came up from the above and saw the quaffle just miss the keepers fingertips as it shot through the right hoop. He whooped and then caught the ball when the Keeper threw it out again. Without waiting, he immediately threw it back, aiming for the left hoop and had the element of surprise to his advantage as the Keeper dove too late to catch it. He grinned once more and caught the quaffle as it was thrown out again. This time the Keeper was on high alert as they watched his every move while Ethan flew around the pitch. When he tried to throw it the next two times, the Keeper managed to catch and block each one, but Ethan didn't get discouraged. The boy caught the quaffle for a fifth time and zig zagged around the pitch, stalling for time truthfully. When he got close to the pitch he made to throw it in the left hoop but at the last second he switched his throwing style and managed to throw the ball in an underhand motion, which reminded him a lot of bowling, and the ball went through the center hoop instead.

Ethan allowed himself to cheer briefly as he flew back down to the ground. He hoped that three out of five wasn't too bad and that the Captain would consider him for the position but if not he'd be happy as an alternate too. Ethan stayed on the ground for a while longer, catching his breath and watching the other try outs. After they had won last year he was sure everyone would want to be part of such a team.
​

 

[Anthony Blade]

Anthony Blade smiled as he walked onto the Quidditch Pitch & joined the rest of his team to watch the new people tryout. It would be an interesting day and he was really excited to see who the new people would be. He grinned at his captain. "Time to watch the fresh meat." He said with a light chuckle. He wished that it wasn't so long until their next game and he was looking forward to hopefully winning the cup again this year. It was a little strange to not have Reuben as their captain but he was sure that Ares would do just as good a job.

 

[Danielle Gates]

Danielle was making her way down the pitch to try out for the Quidditch Team. This would be her first and last time to try out since this was her last year. She had decided to do so for something to remember her by. She also wanted to see if she could live her keeper or chaser skills. Skills that she had acquired playing with her brothers. She had finally reached the pitch and watched her other housemates try out. Finally, it was her turn and she stepped out to the center. "Danielle Corelli, trying out for Keeper." Given the signal,she mounted her broom and flew up to the goal posts.

When she was up already, Danielle stretched her neck, loosening some nerves from her. She willed herself that she was just in for another Quidditch game with her brothers. The whistle was blown and the Hufflepuff got into position. Just a few seconds after the whistle was blown, the first Chaser came towards her with the quaffle. Danielle, hovering in between the three goal posts, tried to calculate the chaser's next move. The chaser feigned a left, making her flew there directly but she soon realized the plan and tried to make it up. Reaching out her right arm, she was able to barely grasp the quaffle and save it from getting through the goal post. The Hufflepuff released a breath of relief at her first point. She barely had a minute to spare before the second chaser came fast. Danielle was taken by surprise by the quaffle which made her unable to save it. Shaking her head, she got herself in position, determined to save the remaining three quaffles. Soon enough, the third one was fast approaching. It was a move she knew from her brother so she was already prepared for it. She stayed put in her position and on the last second, dashed towards it and hit the quaffle with her broom, sending it to the left side of the chaser. Biting back a grin, she faced the fourth quaffle coming towards her aiming for the other side of the goal posts. She flew over there, saving the goal in a nick of time. She wiped a trickle of sweat on her forehead. Last goal.You can do this, Corelli. She set her eyes on the last chaser approaching her and when he was just only few meters away,threw the quaffle in an amazing speed. It was heading for the center goal post. Danielle hovered between the two posts,giving her allowance to move in case it would swerve to another direction. When it was within her reach, she punched it with all her might,the ball flying to the opposite direction, away from her and the goal posts behind her.

She had done it. The whistle blew and Danielle exhaled as she leaned down,touching back the ground. Four out of five was not bad. She was just hoping she could qualify even as an alternate. She gave Ares a polite and stepped off the pitch to the sides to watch other students try out.

 

[Norton Gillespie]

After much inner debate, Norton bounded happily on to the quidditch pitch with an eagerness in his heart. He had thought about just watching from the stands again, but the boy had admitted to himself that while that was AMAZING, he wanted to try his hand at playing! After all, his father had encouraged him to get involved and this was IT! He could no longer do his twaekondo, he had to find something else and though his sister had been more into it than he had, quidditch was where Norton's interest had gone. The boy had a school broom in hand and instantly noticed April on the pitch. He broke into a run, excitedly going to her, "APRIL! You're trying out too!?" the boy said excitedly, "Best of luck April! You'll be amazing!" Norton couldn't help but think that it would be amazing if they got to work together on the team. Norton knew he probably wouldn't get on it this time, perhaps just an alternate, but really nothing would bring norton greater joy than being on the bench looking at at the amazing team. Sure, he might hurt his neck but it would be SO worth it! The only downside was that he wouldn't be able to spend the time with Min, and he wasn't sure if she would want to come to the games then.

The hufflepuff looked towards the captain and nodded, this wasn't the same boy as before, this was the chaser who'd scored three times in one game. He had loved that game the MOST! Since it had been his first ever real game. The hufflepuff shifted the broom into the other hand and stepped forward, grinning brightly, "NORTON GILLESPIE!" he shouted with unnecessary loudness, but evident excitement, "Trying out for Beater!" the boy spoke at a more acceptable level. He picked up one of the available beater bats and flew up into the air. He had seen how it was played and he had learned how to fly but combining the two was not thing he had done yet. So he was a little unstable on the broom as it flew up into the air. He held the bat tightly in his hand, nodding easily to himself. He could do this. HE COULD DO THIS! Norton laughed lightly as he set off, hitting a bludger hard, and he was surprised by the weight of it as it flew off into the distance. Norton thought that was a success. He missed following this first success quite a few bludgers, opting to dodge out of the way. He hit a few more, even managed to stop one from hitting someone, but it was overall a bit hit or miss. He was proud of himself, he was over the moon with how he'd done. The boy was so happy he had tried, so pleased with himself over it. He landed on the ground and couldn't wipe the grin off his face. It wouldn't even matter if he didn't get it.
​

 

[Patrick Vernier]

Patrick was never really good at being the best and he wasn't a very competitive person, but when he heard that first years could try out for quidditch he felt an adrenaline rush and he knew he had to at least try for it. Walking up to the quidditch pitch, Patrick soon became intimidated by the older students but tried not to let it get to him as he crowded around with everyone and listened to the captain speak. When it was time to let the captain know the position he wanted to try out for, he did so in his best attempt to seem as excited as possible. "My name is Patrick Vernier and I'm looking to try out for beater!" he excalimed before going ahead and taking a beater's bat to show them the talent he wasn't even sure he had. As he mounted the broom, he carefully stepped off the ground and slowly flew up into the air, using one hand to keep control of the broom and using the other hand to keep hold of the bat. As the bludgers were let loose, Patrick kept alert, looking around to see if any were to come near him. When the first one came his way he hesitated and was too slow to hit it. Instead, he quickly ducked and tried not to let that get to him as he looked for another bludger to hit. When it came, he swung the bat as back as far as he could before it collided with the bludger and was sent flying, much further than what Patrick had imagined. Throughout the rest of the tryout, Patrick continued doing this, smiling at his ability. He didn't care if he didn't get the position and was concentrating more on having fun than getting a spot. He was disappointed when the tryout had ended and flew back onto the ground before thanking the captain for his time and making his way back to the castle.

 

[Ares Jeffreys]

Players	Position [/td]
Ethan Mendoza	Chaser
Ares Jeffreys	Chaser (Captain)
Tesla Wilde	Chaser
Austin Branning	Beater
Norton Gillespie	Beater
Matthew Harper	Keeper
Anthony Jackson	Seeker
April Ward	Alternate Seeker
Danielle Corelli	Alternate Keeper
Patrick Vernier	Alternate Beater

[th colspan="2"]Hufflepuff Quidditch Team Y29[/th] [th]

Out of Character:

Thanks to everyone who tried out, and if you didn't manage to there is always next year!