Ouch.

As much as she's wanted to hear that all day. That someone was disappointed in her. That someone agreed with her atrocious playing, her failure on the pitch, it hurt. She bit her lip again. Hard.

Then suddenly she knew he wasn't serious. And Ellie wanted to cry again, but in relief, glad that she hadn't in fact disappointed Max. Or that he wouldn't admit it. "They're very nice," she said, in the same quiet voice. She knew he was joking, but her lip muscles weren't working and weren't allowing her to smile to show the playful sarcasm. "Thank you." THAT she was serious about.

All three of his suggestions sounded wonderful, but for now she just nodded and took the chocolate frog. Which she unwrapped, and bit the hind leg off of before a question of her own popped into her head. "How much did you hear of it?" The match. How much detail about it was he informed of? Or could he just tell that they'd lost from the lack of celebration and general foul mood of, surely, the whole Ravenclaw house?

Max smiled a little. Of course they weren't nice. He was glad she humored him, though.

He looked down at his empty hands after she accepted the chocolate frog. "Enough," he murmured. "I've been in here all afternoon, so I've just picked up bits of conversations - but I do know that it was neck-and-neck and you played 'the toughest game in many terms,' someone said." He believed that. "And... that Vashti wasn't too happy with her performance. I feel so bad. That was my fault. She... shouldn't have had to be out of her element and play Keeper for her last match." He leaned back in his chair again and rubbed one of his eyes. "I also know that Vindictus got hurt - his leg, I think? - but I'm not sure of the extent to that. Is he okay?"

He also overheard that Ellie broke down on the pitch. When he heard that, he nearly passed out again. He regretted not being there for her. Again. He wasn't going to bring that up, though. She wouldn't have liked being reminded of the time she cried in front of most of the school.

"No one was mad, though. Just kind of sad. None of them blamed you. There's just been a kind of solemn mood to the room this evening. Lots of people just went back to studying for final exams." It wasn't like Ellie ruined everyone's lives. It was just a game, after all. "We're all okay."

She wondered if someone really said that. That it was the toughest game in many terms. Or Max just made it up so she'd be a little less humiliated from losing to a first year. Actually, Ellie didn't see how that could possibly be NOT humiliating. It was incredibly embarrassing.

And Vashti. Right, Vashti. That was her last match. Ever, at Hogwarts, and Ellie was pretty sure the seventh year didn't have plans to carry on with Quidditch after she graduated. Great. Another name to add to the list of people she disappointed by failing today. "'S not your fault," she muttered, shaking her head. It was her own. She placed Vash as Keeper. Not that she had regrets. Vashti did amazing. But she probably would have much rather played Chaser in her last match.

"Yeah. The Healer came down to the Pitch." So Ellie was presuming Vindictus was alright after that. She didn't exactly hang around to make sure, though.

They should blame her, though. It was ultimately her fault. No matter how well she played, if someone was going to argue that point, she still didn't catch that Snitch. And no one was to blame for that but herself. Also, Ellie was upset people went back to studying after. She deprived them all of a probably much needed study break.

She hung her head again and sucked on that bite of Chocolate Frog she'd taken.

Of course it was his fault. If he had prioritized better and stopped worrying about studying so much, he wouldn't have overslept. If he hadn't overslept, he would've eaten some breakfast. If he had gone to bed at a decent time and eaten breakfast, he would not have been stressed out and jittery enough to collapse on the way down to the pitch. "Yeah it was," he replied shamefully. He knew it was. Ellie couldn't have convinced him otherwise.

Max nodded, "Hmm, I imagine that's good. She probably took good care of him. I can't imagine anything too bad ever happening to Professor Vindictus - he's a tough one."

There was silence between them in which Ellie was consumed with her chocolate and he looked back and forth between Ellie and his hands for awhile.

"Hey," he said finally, "now that Quidditch season is over, let's go see Vindictus sometime later this week - remember how you said you needed to talk to him about going professional, and you wanted me to come with?" He sat up a bit in his chair. "I'm sure he'd like to get his mind off his injury by recalling his golden days, and he'll tell you all that I've told you and more. You have just as good a chance as anyone we've ever seen at Hogwarts." He knew Vindictus would support her, too. Of course he would. She was his Ravenclaw Quidditch star.

"You didn't put her as keeper," she sniffed. Therefore, it wasn't Max's fault. Ellie should have kept Vashti in her usual position. Maybe they'd have won, despite her not catching the Snitch if she had. It was so stupid of her to take Vash out of her comfortable, best position in her last match. Ever, probably.

Ellie nodded. Not knowing enough to really contribute. She'd left the Pitch as soon as the Healer'd gotten there. In fact, she didn't even know if anyone else was okay or not. But with the Healer there, she supposed they were in good hands, too.

The silence was both welcomed and heavy for the Captain. On one hand, she didn't feel like talking much, and was glad Max wasn't giving her a reason to. On the other, she wondered if it would be rude to use this silence to...silently dismiss herself. Or bid Max goodnight, at the least. Or good week, rather, because it didn't seem as if Ellie'd leave her room for at least that long.

But just as she was about to push her chair back, Max spoke again. It actually caught her so off guard, she flinched. What he said, made her neglect the last bit of chocolate, and bite on her lip instead. There was no point in visiting Vindictus anymore, was there? There was no Quidditch career in her future. How could there be?

Max seemed to disagree. "I suppose..." However, hearing that she had no hope of playing professionally anymore by Vindictus himself was going to be the most devastating thing ever. But she'll go. Maybe, at least, Vindictus will be less inclined to say things only to try and make her feel better.