Y37 Hufflepuff Try-Outs

[Elliot Briar]

Quidditch was both such a strange mix of joy and anxiety for Elliot. He hadn't been sure how to feel when Analei and Arvel had made him one of the team's co-captains, especially after how badly he'd played last year, but he really did love the team, and he tried to focus on that feeling as he and Abian got things set up for try-outs. Having Abian was a great help for Elliot's nerves too, it felt like nothing really ruffled the older Hufflepuff too badly, and Elliot liked having someone a bit older to defer too for difficult decisions.

Elliot eyed the gathering of Hufflepuffs as try-outs neared their start time, checking over the team roster for probably the fifth time since he'd picked it up. Analei and Arvel's spots felt conspicuously open, but despite Elliot's unease about the upcoming season, he felt a small kernel of hope that maybe Hufflepuff could actually make it this year. "Uh, hi everyone, we're about ready to get started here," He said after a moment, clearing his throat and checking his watch. "I'm Elliot Briar and this Abian Hunter, we're your team captains this year, hello," He said, giving a half wave with the hand holding the team roster. "If you're here to try-out, please step forward and state your name and position when you're ready. Returning players, get warmed up and help out where you can, thanks," He finished meekly. Not the most inspiring start to the season, but Elliot hoped he'd have his public speaking a bit more under control by the time the team was finalized and they were playing games.

Position	Player
Chaser	Abian Hunter (Co-Captain)
Chaser	Amy Jewel
Chaser	OPEN
Beater	OPEN
Beater	Lauren Davenport
Keeper	OPEN
Seeker	Elliot Briar (Co-Captain)
Alternates	OPEN

Out of Character:

Returning players are guaranteed their spots as long as they post attendance before try-outs close. Returning alternates, please try out again.

First years, please PM me or Daphne (Abian Hunter) before posting. First years will only be approved to try-out if there are not enough older students to join the team.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or Daph. Good luck!

 

[Connor Holland]

Connor had spent the whole holidays preparing for Quidditch tryouts. He had loved playing as an alternate, but he missed being a real part of a team, and as sad as he was that Analei wouldn't be returning, he felt ready to take over her spot. His workouts and extra practice over the holidays had paid off, and Connor felt stronger than he ever had before in his life. The new muscles were a happy counterbalance to his voice, which had started squeaking and cracking at all sorts of awkward moments.

He listened as the practice started, excited that Elliot and Abian were the ones taking over. He had always looked up to both of them, and knew the team would be strong under their management. When his turn came,Connor stepped forward with a bright hopeful grin, hoping the two older boys would remember his hard work in practices last year. "Connor Holland, trying out for beater again!" With that he kicked off, bat gripped tightly in his hand, ready to give it his all. He flew straight for the nearest bludger, hoping to start the tryout strong, and it was a relief when his bat connected to the ball with a satisfying crack, sending it flying towards one of the other people trying out. He grinned cheerfully and shot across the pitch, enjoying the feeling of flying through the air. He picked one of the people trying out for seeker and decided to shadow them for a bit, eyes locked on the bludgers as he batted a few close calls away from his charge, keeping them safe while they focused on their own tryout. Once the time was over Connor was still beaming as he returned to the ground, making sure to thank Abian and Elliot in the hopes of proving himself a good team player.

 

[Finn Lockley]

Finn was ready for the try outs, he had been training for this moment for a while now. He had trained with Finn last year and he even trained this year so he could be in top condition for the try-outs. He had a bat and broom with him so he could try out for beater. A position he favoured over the others, he wasn’t a very good keeper and his chasing techniques were a bit lacking as well. Finn grinned and excitingly walked over to the pitch. The try outs were now, there was no returning or going back. ‘’Hello, I am Finn Lockley second year and I am trying out for beater’’ He said while holding up his bat.

Finn mounted the broom he bought with all of his saved money, the wind in his hair felt good. He wasn’t very good at school, but he did have skills when it came to Quidditch. He did some special manoeuvres and was on the look out for bludgers. Soon he spotted one and he gave it a nice hard wack. The sound was as loud as thunder and the bludger collided nicely. Finn could lose his emotions when it came to being a beater, it was lovely to smash something so hard. Finn smiled and looked for another bludger. Soon he spotted one up high and he gave it another good wack. This time it went of by an inch, which didn’t matter that much. He didn’t want to hurt his fellow try-outers to much.

Then it was time to shadow a seeker and Finn tried to fly close to the people trying out for seeker and the regular seeker of the team. Showing the captain that he was a versatile beater and could do both positions perfectly. Finn was eager to learn more about being aa beater and he was going to try and his best for the team. He had enjoyed flying lessons and couldn’t wait to have regular trainings with a bunch of people. He wacked a couple of bludgers away from the seekers and made sure they were protected. He loved to actively search for bludgers more, but he knew this was also a part of being a beater. He needed to make sure the seekers were safe. If the seeker was out it meant that the game could be lost. He was going to put up a fight, to make sure Hufflepuff would win the Quidditch Cup this year. He was determined and filled with passion to be a great asset to the team. Finn was going to make sure the team needed him and with that would come a spot in the Hufflepuff team.

When the try out ended he dismounted his broom, hoped he had done enough. He thanked the captains one of which he knew already and the regular team members. Soon he would know how he did and what the team thought of him. Now it was time to wait patiently and hope for the best.

 

[Hunter Robinson]

Hunter knew that the Quidditch try outs would be sometime soon so since he had arrived to school that he was feeling kind of weird. He was excited, neevous, stress and putting a bit of pressure on himself to actually make it to the team. During the break he had trained his flying skills even more and last year he even trained wirh Professor Holland who, as a former chaser, gave him some pointers on what he should work on.

Hunter was surprised to see Eliot but also a little more at easy. As one the Wild Patch leaders, if he could call him that, Hunter was already familiar with him, not that they ever talked but the fact that he wouldn't be trying out in front of total strangers kinda reassured him. "I'm Hunter Robinson and I'm trying out for chaser" he said after stepping forward. This was actually happening now.

The Hufflepuff boy mounted his broom and took off from the ground with the other chasers. Being a chaser meant he had to work a lot as a team and less as an individual, something he easily could do, that's why he couldn't try out on his own without any external help. He and the chasers were flying around and passing the Quaffle. That seemed like an easy task but it all honesty it wasn't, Hunter had to always keep track of the other chasers in order to work together and pass the Quaffle. He also needed to know what they were doing to know if it was a good time to pass them the Quaffle, something that in an actual game would be a lot harder to do.

The second year boy had some opportunities to throw the Quaffle through the hoops and score and never missed one. He had his mom to thank for, for taking him out to play baskettball from time to time and practicing his aim, of course that Hunter was bound to fail sometimes but he had enough luck to score all his throws and hopefully make a good impression. Hunter finally got back to the ground after a while, sweating a bit already, being a chaser was much more difficult than he expect but also very rewarding. He was up for the challenge, he knew he was but that decision was not his to make.

 

[Tilly Drage]

While Tilly knew that second years didn’t always make the cut during Quidditch tryouts, she told herself that she’d never have the opportunity if she didn’t give it a shot. The Hufflepuff showed up to the Quidditch pitch and did her best to look both friendly and serious. She recognized Elliot, the prefect who had shown up on the pitch when she and Finn were dealing with that heckler of a first year. Tilly hoped she'd made a good, not terrible impression, but what was done was done.

The girl stepped forward and looked directly at both co-captains. “Tilly Drage, second year. Trying out for Beater." She wanted to add that she’d take any role as long as she could make the Quidditch team, but bit her tongue. Coming off as desperate or proud wouldn’t show teamwork or talent; really, she thought it would just annoy the older students.

Tilly hopped onto her Sienna Storm with her hand-me-down bat and took flight. When a bludger was released, she leaned into her broom and vaulted after the demonic whizzing ball of metal. She grinned as she swatted the bludger with a satisfying crack.

 

[Linden Kinnek]

linden had been tossing up the idea of trying out for the quidditch team. he wasn't as keen on the sport as his sister or his mum. but he missed being on the soccer team that he had been on before he stated quidditch. not that he liked soccer that much as a sport, it was always the camaraderie that he had enjoyed. he listened as the leaders explained the protocol. he joined the line of people putting their names down "Hello, i am Linden Cullen, I would like to try out for goalie, I mean keeper." he said when it was time to practice he took one of the school brooms and picked off. doing a lap of the pitch before settling hovering in front of the goals. slowly circling between them as he watched the chasers passing as one came near hin he went to block it and smiled when he caught it. before throwing it back. he was fairly sure that it was a fluke.
The next chaser that took a shot fainted and he went to the wrong hoop. and the ball went in. the tryout kept going and he was starting to get and was starting to miss more and more. eventually, they were called down to the ground. he landed and wondered how Wills had managed to keep going for a whole game as the seeker.

 

[Lillith Montgomery]

Lillith had been waiting to play quidditch ever since she watched the Holyhead Harpers play when she was nine. She flew on those small broom for children, flying around the house for hours until she got hungry. So, when she arrived at hogwarts, flying was her best and favourite subject. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to play until a week ago, it was either keeper or chaser and she had finally decided which one was the one for her. So here she was, in the quidditch pitch to try out for the first time.

Lillith stepped forward, “Hi! I’m Lillith Montgomery, Second Year. I’m trying out for chaser.” She said, confidently. She could see her classmates, some she knew quite well and others she didn’t. As the co-captains finished giving their instructions, Lillith got on her broom and lifted off the ground, following the other try-outs and hufflepuff chasers. Lillith worked really well in a team. All her dancing on stage had made her more aware of the people around her and so the passing and flying around part was easy. She was a quick flier and could catch and throw the quaffle without pausing and losing balance on her broom.

The second portion was harder though, Lillith wasn’t the best aim-er, and so she missed a few hoops. She knew she would have to practice more on her aim, but she hoped she had made a great impression, maybe even good enough to get her a spot as a chaser.

 

[Abian Hunter]

While it was strange not to have Analei and Arvel to count on anymore, it was even stranger to think that he and Elliot were now the ones others were counting on. Being captain was not something Abian had ever expected, and he had been pleasantly surprised when he'd been asked last year. But he had also been relieved that he didn't have to do it alone. With the brotherhood also taking up his time, it was good to have someone else to count on as well. Elliot seemed like a reliable kid, and a smart one too. He'd been named prefect for a reason, after all. The younger boy took charge after a moment, speaking to the group. Abian waved when he was introduced. "Good luck! Try to play together so we can see some of that as well." He said with a smile. It would be smart for chasers and keepers to work together in their tryouts.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas anxiously waited until it was his turn to try out. This would be the second time he tried, but he felt even more nervous after last time when he had been rejected from the team. It seemed busy today as well, and Lucas worried he still wasn't going to measure up. He watched the other students fly around and try out, waiting until it was his turn. When it was, he stepped forward and introduced himself. "I'm Lucas Fletcher and I'm trying out for seeker." He said, glancing at Elliot nervously before mounting his broom and getting up. He had missed flying, and grinned as he felt the familiar feeling again. He started scanning for the snitch immediately, flying around and dodging different players and bludgers as he flew around the pitch. It was nice to be in the air again, but Lucas felt more relieved when he spotted something gold. He zoomed after it, dodging past other players while keeping an eye on the snitch. He lost sight of it for a moment, but then spotted it slightly to his left. With a grin, he leaned over and snatched it from the air. He cheered loudly, holding it up for everyone to see. Then he released it again and tried to catch it again for a bit, before giving up and returning to the ground. Hopefully he had proven himself.

 

[Ilija Olaf]

Ilija had already got off to a bad start to the year by the time he reached the Quidditch pitch. It hadn't escaped his notice that Alice was clearly not interested in him the same way that he'd been for the last four years, and he was fed up of going round in circles with her. He knew it was his own fault, and he blamed himself entirely, but it had the seventh year in a bad mood, especially after seeing her with Elliot so much in recent days. As he made it to the pitch, he hadn't heard who would be taking over as Captain until he got there, although he had to assume he wasn't him. When he spotted Abian up at the front, he wasn't surprised in the slightest, the boy had always had a soft spot for the sport and he knew he did well to lead the Brotherhood too, although as his eyes drifted across to spot Elliot at his side, Ilija's jaw clenched tightly, his body frozen to the spot. He knew that Katy had wanted him to befriend Elliot, and he had made a couple of efforts, but this just seemed like a slap in the face. Ilija didn't want to make a scene, in fact he hoped that most people wouldn't even have realised he'd turned up yet, although he knew that he didn't want to face that prefect anymore. The seventh year knew he had to do what he could to make himself happier, and for a time Quidditch had been one of the goals he'd set his mind on, but how was he meant to play under the rule of the same boy who was now also with Alice? ​

​

Katy wasn't here anymore to tell him he was making the wrong choice, not that he expected anyone to be looking out for him. She was gone. Rowan, Elsie, Elio, Alice and Padme were all gone from his life in one way or another. Ilija didn't want to be here anymore, and facing Quidditch in that moment felt like another hole he had to try to squeeze himself into to please a crowd that didn't care. Without saying a word, the seventh year turned on his heel, throwing his broom down into the pile of spares that students would be able to practise on, and walked swiftly back up to the castle before anyone could catch him. Maybe he'd drop an explanation to Abian later in the dorms, but for now, Ilija couldn't face whatever was starting to unfold in front of his eyes. If he was going to salvage anything for his last year, the least he could do was graduate with his head held high and that wasn't going to be done if he felt as though he had to pretend to be someone he wasn't.​

 

[Amy Jewel]

Amy was looking forward to seeing who tried out for the open spots on the team. It was strange going down to the pitch and not seeing Analei and Arvel there. She was pleased to see Elliot and Abian as co-captains. She listened to Elliot's introduction and mounted her broom when he was finished. Flying off, she threw the Quaffle between players and made sure everyone got a turn. There were some good players within the group, and she was excited to see who made the team.

 

[Abian Hunter]

Out of Character:

Tryouts will close sometime tomorrow!

 

[Elliot Briar]

Out of Character:

Try-outs are now closed! Thanks everyone for trying-out, we'll post the line-up in the common room shortly.