[img align=left]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/313535.png[/img]

Lenore looks up at Corvus and gives a small smile. "I can understand that. I enjoy flying myself, just not in the realm of sports." She glances back to the quod and shakes her head, thinking of the bludgers back home. "Do all games involve some ball that tries to kill you?"

When Corvus asks about the spell, Lenore realizes that it doesn't sound like the best course of action in it's normal form and explains. "Carpe Retractum is usually used for grabbing and pulling objects. It does have a visible light when that's done so isn't very subtle. If you don't put much power into it though, you can help direct the aim of something you're trying to catch. It's like creating a magnetic pull. It's never been visible when I've tried it like that but I've never seen anyone else do it so I can't be certain." She purses her lips as she thinks. "Impedimenta sounds good. The dummies can't be too hard to beat if this is just a first practice. Once we slow them down a bit we just need to focus on not dropping the ball and we should be fine."

She hands the quod back to Corvus and holds her hand out for her broom which rises neatly from the pitch and into her palm.

Corvus chuckled a bit. "I don't know about this, but now that you mention it...probably natural selection.", he replied amused.

Looking at her, he frowned a bit. He knew how the spell was working, he had just wondered how Lenore wanted to use Carpe Retractum. However, he decided not to discuss this further as it certainly wasn't her intention to annoy him by explaining it. He had actually asked her what she was planning to do with the spell. Oh Corvus, your sociopathic side is showing again, he thought and made an effort to look more friendly and encouraging. "I see. It makes sense now that you've explained it. ", he said and looked at the quod while continuing to listen to Lenore. "Actually, I'm more concerned about lifeless puppets chasing us than dropping the quod.", he confessed then and was a bit surprised what he just said.

Taking a seat on his broom, Corvus ascended into the air where he was waiting for Lenore to do the same to throw the quod to her. He took a quick glance over his shoulders and noticed the training dummies approaching them, floating through the air. Reassuring himself that the teachers were busy, he cast a non-verbal Impedimenta on them to slow their movement down. Just in time, he remembered that the quod would start to smoke after keeping it for more than 15 seconds and he tossed it above his head a few inches before catching it safely again, resetting the magical timer. Interesting that it works this way, he thought with a satisfied smile.

Lenore looked at Corvus and as he spoke her eyes opened just a touch wider. Did he just admit to a fear? The dark-haired boy was usually so quiet and such an admission seemed awfully personal for him. Lenore simply nodded her acknowledgement and let the matter be.

She followed Corvus into the air. Her broom was a Firebolt Supreme given to her by her parents. She may not play sports but she did a great deal of flying back home. The broom was neatly cared for even though it didn't look quite as nice as it had when it was new. It had been through several storms last season.

She saw that Corvus took care of the dummies, something she now knew he would be most comfortable seeing to himself. She wouldn't want to trust someone else to do it if their roles were reversed. She watched as he threw the ball into the air and caught it again without difficulty. Her own aim was poor but it looked like his was just fine. That would be helpful.

Taking up position about twelve feet from Corvus, she glanced to the pot at the end of the field, to the dummies who were now hovering nearby, and back to her partner.

"Ready when you are."

In the air, Corvus' mind was still busy with what he just said to Lenore. It surprised him that he told her about one of his fears, normally, he didn't speak much - at least not the truth. However, Lenore wasn't like the other students and certainly not unpleasant. He appreaciated her calm behaviour. So that was probaly the reason for being sincere. Yet, he had to be more careful with his words.

He duly noted the quality of Lenore's broomstick and presumed that her family was wealthy. Didn't she mention her family name back then? Though, he didn't remember it.

Glad that the dummies were slower now, he took a deep breath and nodded towards Lenore, before tossing the quod to her. Then he flew forth until he was roughly 20 feet away from Lenore where he was waiting for the quod, focusing on catching it as soon as possible while having a calculating glance at the dummies.

(Sorry, I have forgotten to include the HA in the last post...however, I think it's not necessary anymore =D However, I loved the detail you've put in yours c: )

With his hair in disarray, Bran Calder hurried toward the Quodpot field. He couldn’t believe that he was late for a class that involved flying. True, he loved hiking and exploring, but flying was a close second for favored outdoor activities for the blond youth. With a snort of laughter at his own foolishness, Bran paused and in a fluid motion was aside his broom rather than running. Why run when you could fly?!

Bran was at the pitch in two blinks. He had missed the directions but knowing how to play Quodpot helped. The look that Boakye gave him was returned with a cheeky grin and wave from Bran as he hovered on his broom. The instructor merely shook his head and pointed to the other students who were working on the assignment.

Scanning the area, Bran frowned as he saw Corvus of all people partnered with Lenore. Darn it all!! If only he hadn’t taken so long on his latest hike and been late it could have been him who was her partner. With a sigh, Bran looked to see who else might be in need of a partner. His eyes found a boy from Hogwarts that he recalled from the welcome feast. Now what was his name? Nate…Nathan…nope not exactly right. Bran thought back and then called out, “Nathaniel!” () Guiding his broom over, Bran circled around the Slytherin boy. “Want to pair up for this?” he asked with a smile.

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A flash of blond appeared in the not-so-distant distance. It was running and it was clutching a broomstick. It was Brandon Calder. () He'd mounted the broomstick now, and he glided across to the pitch.

A small, wicked smile lifted Nathaniel's lips upwards. Who better to partner with than Ilvermorney's Champion? He'd not spent all that much time with the boy, but he seemed charming enough. His potions work in the first task was impressive, especially when Nathaniel thought of the magenta Doxycide potion he'd brewed not so long ago. Biting his bottom lip, he cringed at the memory.

Quodpot was an American wizarding sport, and Bran seemed to know how to handle a broomstick. He was a little older than Nathaniel (2 years, if you're asking) and actually seemed quite confident. The older student circled Nathaniel on his broomstick, though he seemed to have an eye for Lenore. So he doesn't have anything against Slytherins! Nathaniel thought to himself, gladly.

Bran smiled, looking downwards. "Want to pair up for this?"

Finally. Nathaniel grinned, "Sure! But you're gonna have to show me the ropes, Bran Flake," He winked, grabbed a Quod from the trunk and hopped onto his broomstick. He pushed from the ground calmly and took to the air. His balance was good, and though he wasn't particularly into sports, he could manage flying just fine. "I've never played Quodpot in my life!"

The Quod's light pulse felt odd in his hands and he nodded at Bran, "Catch!" The ball was heavier than it looked, but not unmanageable. He flung the ball in the other boys direction, hoping he was a good catcher.

Bran laughed at the teasing nickname. He’d been called worse, that was for sure. He watched as Nathanial grabbed the Quod and took to his broom. At least his partner could handle a broom well, Bran thought approvingly. Once the Slytherin boy had eagerly accepted the offer to partner up, Bran had flown a little distance away as Nathaniel pushed off so that he could be ready. The call was not unexpected. When playing Quodpot, you learned fast to expect a toss every few seconds…or else you paid the price, and it was in no way fun!

Catching the Quod easily, Bran called, “The key is to fly fast but stay close enough to catch a throw. You have to be quick to dodge your opponents and a good catcher. And always be sure to count in your head. Even though these won’t explode today, you need to practice in case you play for real!” He gave Nathaniel a brief run-down on the game from his point of view as he guided his broom down the field to about midway, then called, “For now…heads up!” He checked that Nathaniel seemed ready and tossed the ball back to him with two seconds left out of the fifteen.

[img align=left]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/313738.png[/img]

Bran () caught the Quod: he'd definitely done this before. Nathaniel however, had not. Dodging opponents? Maybe he could do that, if he thought of it as like dodging spells in a duel. Catching though, would be difficult: Nathaniel hated taking both hands off the broomstick during flight. One-handed he could do, but he wasn't confident to fly without holding on.

The ball looked too heavy to catch with one hand, though. "Heads up!" Bran called, sending the ball flying across before it's timer released the smoke.

Nathaniel reached outwards with his right hand, frowning with concentration, not taking his eyes off the ball. He caught it, but instinctively used both hands. He gasped quietly, tucking the ball under his arm and flying onwards. He'd done it! He might be alright after all.

"Thanks for the tips!" He said to his teammate. They weren't too far from the end of the field now. "Ok, you ready?" Nathaniel aimed the ball towards Bran, thrusting it in his direction, a new burst of confidence behind his throw.

Lenore was ready to use the seize and pull spell but found that she didn't need to. Corvus had good aim and she was able to catch the quod with no problem. She glanced over at the dummies and saw that they were making slow but steady progress toward her. Now I see why Corvus doesn't like them. she thought. They're creepy. The blank faces and stiff posture of the dummies was unsettling. They just didn't look like they belonged on broomsticks.

Lenore turned to face where Corvus was hovering and saw that he was a good twenty feet away. She wasn't physically strong and wasn't sure she would be able to throw the quod that far. Dropping it wasn't an option though, she really didn't want to go back to the start. She aimed carefully and threw the ball as straight as she could, then gave it a small shove with a low-powered banishing charm. It went far enough but was just a few feet to the left of where Corvus waited. She didn't watch to see if he caught it. She hoped that he would and just took off to wait at the next interval.

As she passed where Corvus was she shouted a quick "Sorry!"

((I forgot my HA as well on the last one but I think you're right. We know what our characters look like by now :) And thanks! I don't change my live HA except for some seasonal tweaks so I have fun with Lenore's outfits instead.))

Myself and are both in 4A

Corvus was glad that the dummies were still far away from him and he remained where he was. It was more important to focus on Lenore and the quod. Now he wondered if he advanced too far and if she would be able to throw the quod far enough. [I] Probably shouldn't worry about that [/I], he thought and grinned when he noticed the small amount of magic she used to give her throw more power.

" Don't worry ", he replied quickly when Lenore passed him. The slight drift of the quod to the left caused Corvus to stretch a bit on his broomstick before catching the quod safely. After all, he was tall enough to reach it. However, he had forgotten about the dummies and they were coming closer to his position. " Oh don't you dare to touch me, filthy puppet ", he cursed under his breath, before quickly throwing the quod towards where Lenore was waiting, hoping she would catch it. Just after this, he used Impedimenta again to slow down the dummies for a while and finally took of to reach the next interval. This time, he didn't fly as far as before so Lenore would have an easier time throwing it.

( I really like your live HA btw :) looks very detailed. :) and sorry I got sick and I'm recovering right now. I hope we have enough time to finish this task :> )

Lenore got to the next place out and looked back. Corvus had the quod and she was grateful that her throw hadn't messed them up. He threw it toward her immediately, not wanting to waste any time. Once again his aim was good and she had no trouble catching it. She saw that he slowed the dummies again. They weren't all that close but he didn't seem to be wanting to take any chances. She wondered if the instructors would notice such a large gap?

As Corvus made his way farther down the field and stopped, she noted that he was closer than the last time. That was helpful. She tossed the quod, managing to make it far enough without the aid of magic and inwardly cheered. She actually did something athletic! It was a small triumph but good enough for her.

She took off to wait at the next space but slowed a bit as she passed by where Corvus was still sitting.

"It might get noticed if we keep those things too far back. I'm going to let them get close on my turn." Then she went on and hovered about twenty feet off.

((Thanks! No worries, I was busy yesterday so didn't manage to get on either. I hope you're feeling better!))

Corvus followed Lenore with his eyes before catching the quod. It was fairly easy. He hesitated for a moment when Lenore whispered to him about the instructors noticing their spellwork. [I] She does have a point there [/I], he thought and noticed a warm feeling coming out of the quod. He reacted quickly and threw it in the air above him before catching it again. He sighed and looked relieved. It would have been a shame if they had to start over again just because of him.

Corvus turned around to face Lenore and nodded to let her know that he was fine with her plan. He noticed that she was roughly twenty feet away from him, which was the longest distance she had made so far. With a grin, he threw the quod in her direction and then took off to fly to the next waiting point. " Next one is just one step from the pot. It's up to you whether you think you're able to fly fast enough to make it in one final turn. ", he said when he was passing her, slowing down a bit before going on to take a new position in the air.

( Oh okay :) It's slowly getting better, thankfully. Corvus is actually trying to be a gentleman here, giving Lenore the option to place the quod in the pot. (gosh that rhyme sounds so cringy xD))

Lenore saw Corvus nod and was glad that he had accepted her idea. He threw the quod with his usual accuracy but she nearly missed in nonetheless. She grabbed at it as it slipped and just managed to keep it from falling. Steadying herself on her broomstick, she glanced around to be sure no one was paying attention then reversed the impedimenta on the dummies. They instantly sped up and began moving toward her. She tossed the ball quickly to Corvus.

Passing him on her way to the last stop she called, "Just keep it moving. I'll take it to the pot and you can stun those things the moment it's in."

She stopped close to the finishing point and turned, waiting. The dummies were swerving toward Corvus now, following the quod.

((That's sweet :) lol just the name of this game sounds a bit odd to me.))

Keeping an eye on Nathaniel ()and how he was handling things, Bran called, “Good job!” to his teammate as the younger boy caught the quod.

Then his eyes caught a movement to his other side. Darn! The dummies were coming their way! And one of them was pretty fast. Bran was just glad to see that the thing was on his side, not Nathaniel’s. Number one, he didn’t want Nathaniel to freak out, and number two, his competitive spirit didn’t relish the idea of having to start over. “Hey, Nat, watch out!” he called, waving a hand toward the advancing dummies.

At almost the same time he alerted the other boy, the quod came flying back at him…just as the dummy put on speed. They seemed determined not to allow the boys to score. “Think again, stuffy!” Bran said to the animated opponent. Nathaniel had thrown the quod with a bit more force this time, which was good because it showed the Slytherin boy was getting used to the game. Bran dove for the ball and managed to catch it with a quick grab before guiding his broom upwards to avoid the dummy.

With the dummy following him and the other looking momentarily motionless, the young Thunderbird called, “Nat! Fly fast and get in front of me! And be ready!” He was mentally counting the seconds as the other boy hurried to follow his directions. As the count reached thirteen, Bran glanced toward Nathaniel and let fly with the quod and then executed a fast turn on his broom. Now he was heading directly at the dummy! The dummy wavered a moment and then became even more confused as Bran flew in dizzying circles around it. It began to spin, not able to keep up with the boy.

With a laugh, Bran veered out of a circle and made a beeline back toward Nathaniel and the quod, leaving one of their opponents out of commission for a bit. Now he only had to verify that Nathaniel had caught the quod, catch it in return, avoid the second, slower dummy, and get the quod in the pot. Easy work, right?!

Corvus was tensed up when he saw the quod nearly slipping out of Lenore's grip and closed his eyes for this short moment. [I] That's a weight off my mind[/i], Corvus thought when he had opened his eyes again and saw the quod safe in Lenore's hands. A quick glance reassured him that they were almost done with it. The pot was close
Unfortunately, the dummies seemed closed as well. The sudden change in their speed was absolutely disgusting. It had been important to lift the spell and he was thankful that Lenore had thought of that, but he was still not happy about these puppets on broomsticks which were coming for them.

" Got it!", he replied when Lenore was next to him. He shot a quick glance at the dummies before flying a bit higher to catch the quod. However, Corvus had underestimated the actual speed of the puppets. Without the Impedimenta spell, they were much faster and more agile. He bit his lip. He knew he didn't have much time before the quod would start to smoke and he wasn't keen on letting that happen. Corvus turned around to face Lenore, she was still very close to the pot and obviously waiting. With a deep breath, he took aim and was about to throw the quod in her direction when he heard a buzzing sound coming closer. He risked a glance and saw one dummy right behind him. Somebody must have thought it would be amusing to draw a smiley face on the brownish linen that was serving as the head. It looked ridiculous but actually rather creepy. The dummy was lifting an arm now, probably trying to get the quod. This brought Corvus back from his thoughts and he threw the quod forcefully but with good aim into Lenore's direction. " It's your turn now! ", he exclaimed before turning back to the dummy. " And you stay where you are, you stupid thing! ", he snarled at the dummy, though fully aware that it couldn't hear him. It was just very satisfying and he quickly waved his wand in a subtle way. The dummy stopped and slowed down, the arm was moving back to the puppet's body. The whole thing was falling back a bit and the second dummy, totally out of any aim, crashed into the first one and both wandered off course.

( :) that's true. XD but then, Quidditch sounds strange as well xD)

The two dummies appeared seemingly from nowhere. Like the Dementor's of Azkaban, they glided towards the boys. Bran () seemed to know what to do, of course - much to Nathaniel's relief. He had squirmed inwardly as they approached, wondering how he could dodge them and manage to catch the quod too!

He was grateful that Bran was taking control: the Thunderbird instructed Nathaniel to speed up and fly ahead of him, which he did gladly. "Got it, Bran Flake!" he yelled as he sped up on his broomstick, mentally rehearsing ways of catching the quod whilst airborne.

Bran thrusted the quod towards Nathaniel, before spinning in the air and rendering one of the dummies near useless. That was certainly some quick thinking on his behalf and some impressive flying, too. Nathaniel would have acknowledged this himself, only there was a slight problem.

The quod, which Bran had thrown with a pretty solid aim, had not exactly landed in Nathaniel's outstretched hands. Well, he'd kind of caught it at first. It landed in his awaiting palms, but then he had operated some form of weird juggling act, before dropping the quod with a yelp.

He leant forward on his broomstick, diving towards the falling ball. He seemed to lose focus on anything but the ball. He'd also realised that the pot wasn't all too far out of reach. He was flying downwards at some speed now and, gripping the broomstick between his thighs, he reached out ahead of him with both hands clasped tightly together. He pushed his arms upwards with both hands together, bumping the quod from his fists, aiming somewhat ungracefully for the pot.

He grabbed the broomstick and yanked it upwards, managing to save himself, his broomstick, and his emerald green attire from a potentially messy crash landing on the pitch. He flew upwards, glancing backwards for his team mate, and then glancing ahead again, searching for the quod. Had it landed in the pot, or was it laying lifeless on the pitch below?

Lenore caught the quod easily though its force knocked her back a bit. Corvus must really dislike these things. she thought.

Without hesitating, she turned and tossed the quod into the pot which was only about six feet away from her but quite a ways below. Her perfect aim was due entirely to a subtle spell but no one would be able to see that. Grinning she turned back to where Corvus was and watched as he stunned both puppets.

"Well done." she whispered under her breath. She knew that the boy had just faced something that was uncomfortable for him and she was glad to see that he had handled it so well. She flew back to where he was still hovering.

"That went better than I had hoped." she remarked, staring at the lifeless dummies. "You were a good partner. Thank you" She smiled at Corvus.

The sight that met Bran’s eyes as he flew away from the spinning dummy nearly froze the youth. No, no, no!! he mentally screamed as he watched helplessly while Nathaniel () juggled the quod…and then dropped it. The yelp had Bran taking off in what he knew was likely a vain attempt to catch the ball.

Nathaniel beat him to it however, and Bran’s eyes widened as his teammate strove to undo the mistake. He was going too fast and straight down. Bran cursed lightly under his breath and sent his broom diving at an angle, hoping to intercept Nathaniel’s apparent collision course with the ground. Heart pounding and mouth dry with fear, Bran had one hand firmly on the handle and the other ready to grab Nathaniel if needed…provided he got to the boy in time.

Then Bran witnessed the moment when Nathaniel reached the quod. He watched as the other boy gave the quod a solid, upward bump from his fists and sent it hurtling toward the pot. Easing back on his speed, Bran was more than relieved to see his teammate manage to change direction and shoot upward rather than crashing. It no longer mattered to Bran if they had to start over; at least Nathaniel was alright.

Taking a deep breath and attempting to restore his heart rate to normal, Bran steered his own broom closer to the pot just as Nathaniel was doing. As he got alongside the Slytherin boy, he said, “And here I thought the brushes with death were supposed to be a part of the champions’ tasks. I’ll just let yours count as mine since you darn near gave me a heart attack. But you sure handled your broom well,” he added with a smile.

Now that the terror was subsiding, both boys sailed over to the pot and looked down.

“Is that…?” Nathaniel asked in disbelief.

Bran gave a whoop. “It is! It’s our quod…in the pot! You did it, Nat!!” He reached over to give the other boy a high five.

With a bit of nice flying, a bit of aerial excitement/fear, and a whole lot of beginner’s luck Nathaniel and Bran had managed to complete the assignment! Laughing and cheering each other, the two boys gleefully raced their brooms in a lap around the field before heading back to where the instructors were waiting. Pulling up and landing, Bran hopped off his broom, gave a jaunty salute, and said, “Mission accomplished!”

This is a friendly reminder that this assignment is worth a lot of points and ends tonight. ^_^