Tiberius was chasing after the ball once again, eyes on it and nothing else, when suddenly there was a foot. And it stopped.

Looking up, Tibi's face broke into a smile. "Hi Professor. Great lesson!" He giggled and looked back down at his shoes when Lawson commented on them. He bounced a little, causing them to blink in a different way.

"I got them last year when Professor Dumont did a lesson on shoes and they used to blink red but then I asked Celandine to do a color-changing charm so they blink blue now." His words all mushed together, excitedly.

He looked back up. "For Ravenclaw." Bounce.

Tibi's grin got even wider when Lawson asked about one-on-one. He looked around the room and realized it had mostly cleared out, which meant they'd really have some space. "Sure. Just.. you know. I'm little."

And with that, Tibi gave the ball a quick, but forceful enough, nudge and swept it out from under Lawson's foot, chuckling as he dribbled it away.

Ashlyn grabbed her bag, when they where dismissed to their next class by the Professor. SHe sighed, happy she hadn't done anything horribly stupid in front of the other today.
"Goodbye." She said quietly walking quickly out of class.

"Well they're certainly very spiffy" Marcus remarked and eyeing them off appreciatively. He wondered if he would look like an idiot if he went out and got himself a pair. Marcus chuckled to himself, well he couldn't look anymore of an idiot then he did when he was in the band. Some of the clothes he had worn...

Mmmhmm thank Merlin spandex was now out of fashion.

"Hey!!" he exclaimed as he turned on his heel and chased after Tibi, laughing heartily as he ran. Finally he managed to catch up with the 'little' Ravenclaw and got in front of him blocking his way. "Just...you know. Remember...I'm old."

Tibi giggled. "Mmhmm. OLD." Tibi dribbled the ball slowly, standing in place. Squinting, he attempted to size up the man. How much playing had he done?

And just how old WAS he?

Dribble left. Dribble right. Dribble left. Tibi bounced back and forth, not really indicating any desire to move in either direction. Lawson was bigger... stronger... and had longer legs!

This was going to take some brain-work.

Or maybe not. Tibi hesitated just a moment before lurching left with his body, but kicking the ball to his right. With any luck, he'd be fast enough to grab it on the other side.

Maybe.

Josh took a last tour in the class to find his stuff, hey wait, he had not come up here with his stuff because he never bothered himself with taking notes especially not in a class like that, he was raised like a Muggle by a Muggle till he ended up in this school. However any of his ideas on that the Muggle Studies would be a piece of cake for him had vanished immediately today...for obvious reasons. *big snort*

He eyed the professor hwo was playing or trying to play *hehe* with a Ravenclaw and saying something about that he was old ''Yea, i'm sure you never would like to hear my idea on that'' he mumbled and shot an angry glare at the professor before walking out the class as fast as possible.

Oh these kids were extremely cheeky. Thirty seven was NOT that old, even though there were days when he did feel over one hundred.

Now it was lucky for Lawson that he had in fact played quite a bit of football when he had been younger. With his fear of flying, quidditch had definitely been out of the question and gobstones was just on that side of boring. So he had taken to playing muggle sports and he had very much enjoyed playing them.

Football had been one of his favorites hence the reason for the lesson. So Marcus made sure to pay close attention to where the ball was and in what direction Tiberius was about to kick it.

It was a very good tactic from the kid but Marcus intercepted the ball and laughed as he began to dribble it in the opposite direction. "Come on Tibi" he called over his shoulder still laughing as he ran down the field, "Run, run as fast as you can you can't catch me I'm the Lawsonator!"

Ahem. Poor deluded man.

Tibi got around to the other side of Lawson and...

no ball.

Turning around quickly, Tibi scrunched up his face as Lawson called back to him. Taking a moment to steel himself, he sprinted back toward Lawson and the ball.

"Too slow!" Tibi giggle!taunted as he swung around and got in front of Lawson. He wasn't sure how he'd get the ball back, but he wasn't going to let Lawson get past him, at least. He faced the man, matching his moves, keeping himself between the professor and the 'end' of the 'field.'

Sapphyre gathered her books from where they had spilled out as she threw them down and shoved them into her bag, offering a smile to Professor Lawson as she did. Ugh, she would never be able to handle ink... She had all her life, being raised by pureblood parents, and yet... She was still so accident-prone with the stuff. Hands coated in the think black liquid from her last class, she left. Yes... Muggle Studies out definitely be her worst subject. If it included physical activity like this, at least.

"See you next lesson, Professor!" she called as she walked out. Well... It would be good to at least respect the teacher. It might get her somewhere.

Wow!

The kid was fast. Marcus stopped with a slight skid on the grass and he placed his foot firmly on the ball. He studied Tibi for a moment, looking him up and down a few times.

Marcus COULD get passed the Ravenclaw but it wouldn't be done with speed but with simple force. The kid was just so small. But he wouldn't do that to the young boy, he liked Tiberius and besides that he already had two kids in the hospital wing and he really didn't want to try for a hat trick.

Taking out his wand, Marcus flicked it over Tibi's head and conjured a goal area. "Alright Mr Pryce, I'll tell you what we're gonna do. We get one free kick each, whoever gets the goal is the winner." He paused for a moment and grinned at the young boy, "And the prize...the loser has to be the winner's slave for a day."

Marcus took his foot off the ball and placed his toe underneath and flicked the ball upwards and caught the ball in his hands. "Agreed?"

Tiberius scrunched up his face as he stopped moving, considering the man's wager. Slave for a day? How confident was he? For that matter, how confident was Tibi?

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Tiberius grinned. "Agreed!" Racing over to where he assumed they'd kick from, he shouted back to Lawson.

"You guard first." He giggled and bounced, limbering up a little, waiting for the ball.

Looking at Tibi's eager face, Marcus gave an inward groan. Maybe he had been just a little too hasty making this wager. The Ravenclaw was not going to let him off like Jake had done.

Well it was done now and he would have to go through with it. Marcus was definitely going to have to stop betting on everything.

"Okay" he said as he rolled the ball over to Tibi and made his way over to the net. He turned around and bent over at the waist placing his hands on his knees, staring at the Ravenclaw in front of him.

"Let's see what you got Tiberius" he taunted as he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the boy's feet.

Stopping the ball with his foot, Tibi watched as Lawson situated himself in the net. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to figure out what the man's weakness might be.

Could he... jump?

Stepping away from the ball, Tibi took several paces back, his shoes blinking with each step. Taking one step to the side, then, he ran at the ball, lights flashing blue furiously before wailing the ball with his foot toward one of the top corners of the goal.

Tibi skidded to a stop and watched, hoping.

Okay, those bloody shoes were very off putting. Marcus was trying to watch the kid's feet so that he could see where he was going to direct the ball but the shoes were distracting.

Blink!Blink!Blink!Blink!Blink!Blink!Blink!

With those lights flashing in his eyes, Marcus only just managed to catch when Tibi actually kicked the ball.

And what a kick!

The ball soared easily over his head, even though he had jumped and stretched his hand out. It brushed his fingertips, hit the corner post and bounced straight into the goal net.

Crap!

Marcus went and retrieved the ball and turned back to Tiberius, "Nice kick" he said giving him a smile as he walked to take up position.

YES! It had been close, but it was in. Tibi did a little jump and fist pump as the ball sailed into the goal, huge smile plastered on his face.

Jogging (with the blinking still continuing) toward the goal, he smiled at Professor Lawson. "Nice jump. And thanks."

Situating himself in the net, Tibi stayed up on the balls of his feet, bouncing back and forth. He was at a huge disadvantage because of his size and he knew it.

"Ok. Let's see it!" He called to Lawson, eager to give it a try, anyway.

Pay attention, pay attention, pay attention.

Yes, yes rub it in.

Marcus placed the ball onto the ground and tried not glare at Tibi standing in the net. It had been a long time since he had done this and even back then he had never really been that good at free kicks.

Taking a deep breath, he moved back a few paces and looked at the goal net and Tibi. The kid was so small, it should be easy.

Moving forward at a bit of a run, Marcus brought his right foot forward to kick the ball. Unfortunately his left foot slid out from underneath him just when he made contact with the ball. He promptly fell on his butt and watched the ball head towards the goal net.

It sailed to Tibi's left but it was a terrible kick and he didn't get the kind of air or force that he wanted.

It was up to Tiberius now.

Eep. Tiberius was distracted by Lawson's clumsiness and subsequent fall. He'd taken two steps in the direction of the man before he realized he still had a goal to defend.

Throwing himself to the left, hoping to block to ball with at least some part of his body, the ball promptly ricocheted off his head, spun in the air and landed behind him in the net.

Landed belly first on the grass and sliding a little bit, Tiberius rolled to his side to look at the man on the ground. Ow. "Even." He smiled, before pulling himself up, now sufficiently grass-stained. (Hey, magic grass made messes, too!).

Throwing the ball back to Lawson, he stayed in the goal. "You go again."

Hopefully the man didn't need help up... "Er, you're ok, right?"

Woot!

He scored! Okay, so he had a little help from Tibi's head but that didn't matter. The goal still counted. Marcus was tempted to do what those muggle football players do and run around with his shirt over his head but that would be just stupid. And besides Tibi didn't carry on like a fool when he had scored.

But it sure was tempting.

"Even" Marcus agreed as he got back to his feet. "Yeah I'm fine" he replied as he caught the ball in his hands and placed it back onto the ground in front of him.

He took another few steps back again and prayed that he would at least stay on his feet this time. Marcus looked again at the goal net and thought about kicking to the right but then Tibi would probably expect that so he decided to kick to the left again.

So with another small run off Marcus struck out his right foot and this time managed to stay on his feet. He struck the ball with full force but still the ball refused to get airborne and it rolled along the ground.

But extremely fast.

Like a bullet you know.

Tibi was bouncing as Lawson prepared and then... whoa. The ball was speeding to his left, out of reach, like no bodies business and he wasn't sure how to stop it. A little bit of fear ran through him at the thought of using his hands... broken fingers, you know?

But there was no more time to think, so Tibi did the only thing he could think of, even though it didn't make any sense. He was a little... panicky. He dove again, sliding along the grass, back to the oncoming ball and hoped it would hit somewhere squishy.

Not that there was ANYWHERE on that skinny little boy that was squishy.

Thankfully, it hit the bottoms of his feet and spun back away from the goal, sending a shock up his body, to be sure, but not at bad, he thought, as if he'd caught it in the face.

Sitting up, he looked around. Saved.

Turning back to the professor, he grinned. "Better block it," he teased, before standing up, collecting the ball, and scurrying over to where he'd kick from.

Aww man! How did he save that?

"Better block it" he mimicked under his breath as he made his way over to the net and took up his position.

Marcus pulled a face before he turned back around and faced the cocky little so and so. He gave Tibi a huge encouraging smile as he once again bent over and placed his hands on his knees. On the inside he was cursing himself for making the bet and wishing he could hex Tiberius with his eyes or something.

Not a very good sportsman was our Marcus.

Tibi bounced once more, the bottoms of his feet sore from blocking the last kick. Sure he was a kid and was supposed to be full of boundless energy, but he was getting tired.

Pacing back after setting the ball, the shoes still blinked with each step. Blink. Blink.

Blinkblinkblinkblinkblinkblink

KICK!

Tiberius kicked the ball with what energy he had left, but had not kicked it straight on, so it spun and curved awkwardly around waist-height.

He scrunched his face as he watched it. Bah. Not at all how he'd wanted to do it.

Those bloody shoes again!! If he didn't win this bet then he was going to have those things banned.

As he watched Tibi move around all Marcus could see was those blinking shoes.

Blinkblinkblinkblinkblinkblinkblink.

Gah and now the ball was coming. And at first it was going in one direction and so Marcus moved that way but the ball was spinning and it then curved around. He tried to stop and turn back but he couldn't twist his body around in time.

The ball brushed against his hip and sailed straight into the back of the net. He turned and looked at it horror and was tempted to kick the stupid thing straight out of the window.

No!No!No!No!No!No!No!

This was not happening.

Marcus turned back around to face Tiberius and he gulped, "You win" he said in a barely audible voice.

Tibi stood there. Dumbstruck.

His eyes wide and his mouth open a little, he simply stood there. "I do?" How had that happened? Lawson was bigger, stronger, and despite what Tibi might have teased, he wasn't that old.

"I do?"

He just stood there, staring across the room at the man in the net. How? What? Who? Did he let him win? No, the look on Lawson's face told him that much. Bhe'd actually beaten a professor at something?

"Wow, um. Well, good game?" Tibi should have been thrilled, but instead...

Yeah. Dumbstruck. And awkward.

Well at least the kid was rubbing his face in it. But of course it was early days yet.

Marcus should go and shake his hand right? Because that would show good sportsmanship right?

Ugh...it was a looooong walk back to the Ravenclaw and when he reached the young boy, Marcus stuck out his hand. "Yeah good game and the best man won." Oh Merlin that had been hard to say and this was going to be even harder.

"So I guess I am all yours for a day."

One day Marcus was going to learn that it did not pay to gamble.

Tibi stuck out his hand and shook Lawson's, still surprised. Shaking his head side to side, he answered the man. "No... just got lucky." It was true. In terms of skill and advantage, Lawson should have prevailed. But Tibi had caught a lucky break when he dove. That was all.

He considered the wager and, looking up at Lawson, made a face. "You dun have to. I mean.. I won't hold you to it." He had no idea what he would have a professor-slave even do. Teach him stuff? Oh.. well.. maybeeee. No. Tibi shook the thought from his head.

"It was just fun playing," he said softly, looking away. It was.. different than playing with his Mum. Is this what it's like to have a da-- No. Tibi wouldn't let himself think that.

Moving over toward his stuff, he made to go. "I guess I should go change. The house elves are going to have some fun with these," he looked down at the deep grass stains on his clothes and smiled a little mischievously.

No comment on the lucky part, Marcus would NOT bring the boy down. Besides he had won fair and square. "You played well Tibi, don't put yourself down."

Well as much as Marcus would love to not have to be a slave for a day, that had been the terms of the wager. "No Tiberius, I never back away from my responsibilities. I made the bet. I lost the bet and now I pay up." He relaxed a little and gave the boy a smile. It wasn't going to be so bad, I mean how much could the kid make him do?

Marcus looked at Tibi for a moment and noticed the subtle change in him. "Yeah it was fun playing, we should do it again some time. Just for fun you know, without the wager." That's if Marcus could stop himself, just once.

As the boy made to leave, Marcus caught the comment and he rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated noise. "Oh give them to me. Since I am your slave I will clean them for you." Whether they come back in their original condition was another matter. Because he was not that good with cleaning spells.