It’s Quidditch Time! – By Lumos and Nox
Hufflepuff V Slytherin – 690 – 660
Right…
Who asked this year to go by so quickly?
It seemed like it was just yesterday when we were reporting on the first game of the season, and now… Look at this!
Two more games, and the season is done -and some of us graduate too, why, oh, cruel world, why? Actually, this might be alright. Freedom?
Anyway, back to where it matters now!
After the last four games, and despite their last loss, things are looking well for Slytherin. If they manage to win this game, they might even be able to hold onto the cup for another year. However, Hufflepuff is not far behind, and if they win, we could be seeing them taking the crown and exchanging it for snacks -unless Gryffindor decides it is their time to shine, or Ravenclaw performs a miracle during their next game.
For now, let’s take a look at both teams’ formations!
HUFFLEPUFF TEAM ROSTER FOR THIS GAME:
1 – Leilani ‘Alley-Oop’ Tamriel: The first Chaser position and the role of captain is for Leilani Tamriel this season. She’s fierce inside and outside of the pitch, and everybody knows to stay away from her very well trained wand. Confident in her team, this Badger is ready to bring the cup for her house -at least the Quidditch Cup. For now, she has delivered us a good pre-game statement: “Well it’s been a pretty good season so far I would think. My chasers are doing fantastic and my beaters are on point, and even though it’s Kayla’s first time keeping, she has shown promise. Tybalt is one of the best seekers in the school. I’m super proud of my team. I don’t put a lot of pressure on winning, I just want them to enjoy themselves, and play to the best of their abilities. I think this game is gonna be another great game. No matter who wins. Though I still hope it’s us.” Confidence!
2 – Lachlan Stewart: Usually portraying a chill and calm -even shy- demeanour, Stewart seems to radically switch his personality when he’s on the pitch. A cocky side that speaks volumes backed up by his results. Although a reserve for many years, this fifth year chaser is finally making a name for himself -even if it is a copy of the Real Lachlan Stewart, a professional Quidditch Beater playing for the Falmouth Falcons. Speaking of the Falcons, aren’t they playing the semi-finals against the Wigtown Wanderers…? Anyway! Back to the Not Real Lachlan Stewart! When asked how he felt about facing Slytherin’s Golden Boy Jasper Hawksworth, this is what he mentioned: “Let me tell you something about Jasper Hawksworth. He’s been raiding Argyle Demoray’s ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ shampoo kit. Apparently that dweeb from Ravenclaw had some go missing, and suddenly Jasper’s hair is gleaming? Naw, naw.” Interesting, very interesting. Someone is definitely having hair envy.
2 – James “Twinkle-Toes” Matthews: Second Chaser of the Hufflepuff team, as well as the Vice-Captain. With a quiet personality -at least most of the time-, James seems to be a player who truly enjoys simply playing Quidditch. However, said quietness can be easily agitated when the game is not entirely clean, as we’ve seen through the past years. A veteran on the pitch, this Badger does not seem to be afraid to switch his wand for a fist when the situation requires it. Although he didn’t seem to punch anyone last year. And this year, so far -after all, his team is doing beautifully for now. “I’m just glad they got someone to cover for me in the last match, and I got to watch my own team from the stands which was a change of pace even if I still got dizzy just watching.” Truly, a great team player.
4 – Muriel ‘The Sweet’ Maple: With a shared passion between cooking and quidditch, this fourth year Hufflepuff is the second beater of this roster. Will she be cooking with bludgers too? One thing is for certain, she’ll probably cook trying. Or try cooking? Is the pitch a kitchen? This is getting confusing. But she has a bat, beats and cooks. And bites? Or so one of our non-confirmed sources tells us. Did she truly bite someone to win a game once? When confronted, this is what she told us. “Honey, you might feel my bludgers faster knocking your teeth out before feeling my pearly whites sink into your flesh.” At this point, she made a theatrical chomp chomp with her indeed perfect teeth. “All I need is my broom, a bat, and a flying iron ball.” Bat away, girl! Or Bite? Bat, definitely bat.
5 – Jenny ‘The Sting’ Reader: A last minute sub for the Hufflepuff team! Jenny ‘The Sting’ Reader has done some amateur Beating in the past, but never has truly committed to the team -schedule conflicts, we’ve heard. She might look like a quiet girl, but what we also have heard is that she knows her way around her bat and a bludger. Slytherin should probably keep an eye on her!
6 – Kayla ‘Stonhenge’ Jaxson: The Hufflepuff Keeper for this game is yet another reserve. Kayla Jaxson is a young Badger that seems to be definitely shy and nervous, but -as some unconfirmed sources have told us- when the time comes to enter into the pitch, she transforms into some sort of ‘You shall not pass’ situation. We’ve managed to get her to tell us about her feelings before the match: “Well… I’m just a reserve Keeper for this game only… It’s my first time playing, so I’m kinda nervous… but we’ve got a solid team!” Ah, youngsters nowadays! Always thinking positively! Beautiful!
7 – Tybalt Tarrowwood: The male part of the Hufflepuff Mini-Veela Duo is Seeking for the Badgers this match. Not a stranger to the Golden Snitch, Tarrowwood was out of the first Hufflepuff game of the season, leaving spectators wondering whether he’d be too rusty to seek or not. We know from last year that he’s truly someone to be aware of.
Will he keep terrifying his opponents as some sort of ‘secret weapon’ this season too? So far, when facing Gryffindor, things did not go his way. But perhaps Slytherin is another animal -actually, it is, you know a snake, rather than a lion? Heh.
SLYTHERIN TEAM ROSTER FOR THIS GAME:
1 – Jasper Hawksworth: With yet another game where Troy Mercer is out of the picture -the excuses are now the N.E.W.T.s-, the pressure of being the first chaser falls once again in our favourite Golden Silent Boy. Last match without Mercer looked as if Hawksworth was missing ‘something’ -definitely not hydration for his golden locks, have you actually seen his hair?
Whatever was missing last match, we certainly hope he has the time to find it on this one, as we know he is more than capable to lead the Chasers -or else, a certain Head Boy will find yet another alleged reason to confront him. Did you hear about that fight…? Oh, we’re not talking about that, apologies. Only Quidditch! When asked if he’d consider Lachlan Stewart his nemesis for the match, he gave us such a typical Hawksworth flat answer: “Can’t exactly be my nemesis if I have no idea who he is.” The thing is, considering Golden Silent Boy, he probably has no idea who the Hufflepuff is. After all, he only has time for books and scoring angle sided quaffles.
2 – Noelle ‘Sweetest Penguin’ O’Brien: Our lovely Darkhorse of the team returns to shine as a Second Chaser. To fall for her demure demeanour and soft ways would be the biggest mistake anyone in an opposing team could do. When she chases, she does so to win; there is no doubt she will slither in through those hoops.
When asked if she was ready for the match, this is what she told us:
“My dear, do I look like I eat hay? I eat badgers for breakfast.” ME-OW! She’s certainly ready for battle! After a moment of reflection, she added: “I just plan to do the best I can do. I have a badger and a lion cheering me on. I can’t let them down.” Noelle O’Brien and how to be a Sweet and Sour Penguin.
3 – Noxira ‘Accio’ Briarley: Whilst Briarley hasn’t been on the team ‘officially’, she certainly has been ‘unofficially’. Our unconfirmed sources tell us that she definitely was practicing with the rest of the team at the start of the season, and then, somewhere before Slytherin’s second match, she dropped from the team, blaming a certain half-bird’s bludgers. Was there trouble in paradise? Or perhaps Briarley was buried in textbooks, preparing herself for her O.W.L.s? Whatever it was, it certainly got sorted for this game!
As per her game style, do not let her quiet and reserved looks fool you. She might actually be one of Slytherin’s secret weapons.
4 – Zenith ‘Firebird’ Kovalainen: Co-Captain and the seasoned -just for one year- beater of the team. When Kovalainen goes up in the sky, she has only one thing in mind: violence. Violence that she needs to control in order to prevent the pitch ends up in flames. This is perhaps the reason why the Half-veela tends to play on the defensive side, allowing her chasers to score easily. Will we be seeing a more ‘uncontrolled’ fire this year? So far, during her last games, she has definitely shown a tactical side to her bat and bludgers -perhaps she’s imagining a certain dark haired Slytherin after an alleged messy break-up? Whatever the case, Hufflepuff might want to keep an eye on her last match of the season!
5 – Phoebe ‘Cry About it’ Peyroux: Peyroux certainly proved her worth during her last two games. She might speak bluntly, but her bat speaks even louder. If you’re in the way, she’ll beat you down. And she will enjoy seeing you cry about it, all whilst she checks her fit is still on point. Simply as that. Her progression has been noticed, and she seems to make a really good duo with Kovalainen.
And as per her decision and attitude?
Only winning mindset, as she told us before the game. “We’re winning yeah, none of that lose mumbo jumbo.”
6 – Alara ‘Dainty Hands’ Ravenhurst: Captain of the Slytherin team, and the young woman responsible for keeping those defenses up for her players. Her icy gaze shows her cold and precise demeanour. She’s all about hard work, statistics and results.
As the last game of the season approaches for her, these are her insights about her team:
“I have the utmost confidence in my team.” She assured us. “Win or lose, we are going to go out there and give it our all.”
7 – Echo ‘The Pirate King’ Solidad: Last season, Solidad managed to consolidate himself as a confident Seeker towards the end. It was a great progression that gave the Snakes the cup last year -alongside with the amazing effort of Hawksworth and Mercer as Chasers.
This year, ‘The Pirate King’ had been in the shadows, probably prepping for his N.E.W.T.s, but as Slytherin’s previous seeker had mysteriously stepped down, Solidad was more than ready to go back to his old spot: “I’m what confidence feels when it wants to feel empowered.”
And this concludes our players’ stalking insight.
How did the actual game go?
This game was expected to be tense, dramatic, and mildly dangerous -have you seen those Bludgers?
Somehow, it exceeded expectations on all three fronts.
By the end of the match, the final score hardly mattered to most students in the stands. What did matter was the fact that Slytherin was delusional enough to allow the Hufflepuff Keeper to play.
Even with the poor badger battling her First-Quidditch-Game-Experience-Demons on the field, Quaffles were flying at speeds that were usually reserved for the Ministry’s Owls carrying tax notices. The Slytherin Chasers attacked the hoops with the determination of someone who is trying to give a Keeper whiplash -or when someone whispers “extra credit” near a Ravenclaw.
And yet.
Save after save, after save.
It seemed Hufflepuff wasn’t going to make it easier.
At one point, the Badgers’ Keeper Kayla Jaxson blocked three consecutive shots while upside down, half-spinning, and very clearly screaming something unprintable about Slytherin’s bloodline, or so we’ve heard from an unconfirmed source.
A fourth-year in the crowd was allegedly overheard, “I wouldn’t be surprised if someone from Slytherin put a hex out on her after this.”
Honestly, fair assessment.
The Slytherin team grew increasingly irritated as the match went on. One Chaser we shall not name cough, cough, Golden Boy Jasper Hawksworth stole right out of his endzone, with referees forcing him to sit out for five minutes, as well as conceding a penalty for Hufflepuff. This was a bad outcome for the Snakes, as Lachlan Stewart was selected by his team to shoot… And scored, making the Slytherin team probably lose their cool -even if they do live in a Dungeon most of the time.
Unfortunately, this was not the end of the troubles for the Snakes. Another of their Chasers that won’t be named, cough, cough, Noxira Briarley was seen aggressively arguing with a Quaffle as though it had personally betrayed her. This altercation ended up in yet another time out -five minutes for the girl- and another penalty for Hufflepuff. This time, the responsibility fell on James Matthews, who also scored against the hoops of Slytherin’s Captain and Keeper Alara Ravenhurst.
While the Hufflepuff’s Keeper was already busy turning into a living brick wall, both teams’ Beaters apparently decided that subtlety was for Ravenclaws. Bludgers were flying with enough force to qualify as bullying –why you bully?
One of these Beaters decided to go the extra mile, and rather than just beating Badgers the entire game, Slytherin’s Zenith Kovalainen appeared to spend half the game tactically guarding her Chasers, specially Jasper Hawksworth -coincidence? Whenever bludgers got remotely close to him, she seemed to intercept them frequently, making others question whether Golden Boy had an extra charm on him that made him ‘Bludger untouchable’.
At one point, an exhausted and very exasperating Hufflepuff fan was reportedly heard yelling “He hasn’t been hit ONCE. They have to be using Hexes!” Full disclosure, he was beaten, eventually.
As the match progressed -despite the numerous time outs, complaints, and penalties-, it was clear that both Lachlan Stewart and Jasper Hawksworth were carrying their teams with their Quaffle-Charming-Abilities. And whilst in Hufflepuff Leilani Tamriel and James Matthews followed suit on scoring as per usual; on the Slytherin side Noelle O’Brien and Noxira Briarley shared their Darkhorse title. The Snake girls impressed their team with their achievements.
However, the true final nail in the coffin came from Slytherin’s Seeker Echo Solidad. At exactly one hour and forty-three minutes of game -and with a score of 690 to 510 for Hufflepuff-, the shine from the Golden Snitch was caught in the Slytherin’s seeker, who was always one step ahead of Hufflepuff’s Tybalt Tarrowwood.
A bitter-sweet moment that ended a match with a final score of 690-660 for Hufflepuff.
There is always next season, Slytherin!