Before Etta could consider answering the question, Skylar had already responded correctly and since she didn't have anything else to add.. the girl remained quiet. She considered what the professor said about players who treasure their time practicing in the rain, in preparation for what was to come. Interesting. She remained thoughtful for another few moments before raising a hand.

"Professor, I don't have anything new to add here.. but I do have a question. Playing in the rain might improve one's resistance but.. one might also end up getting sick, right? I mean, it's fine once in a while but.. not very often?" You know, just a small thought. She absently stared at the sky once again, listening to the others respond.

Emmeline gave the professor a BIIG grin 'cause he seemed to like her answer and told her she was right and stuff. Getting things right in flying made her super really excited 'cause it didn't happen too often outside of her best subjects. Although flying was one of the most fun ones ever, so maybe it counted as being one of everyone's best! Like by rule or something.

She grinned at Stasya and Professor B speaking that cool language 'cause her best friend was super smart like that, yup. And then the professor asked a new question and the first year's expression fell just a little. She had no idea what he was getting at, though older kids said it was a race which sounded cool. She shrugged aside thoughts of danger and getting sick and whatever, 'cause all broom sports were dangerous duh. It was always dangerous to leave the ground on a broom. Or go outside in the rain. Or eat maybe poisoned food at Hogwarts. She had perspective, you know? And that thought made her smile a little 'cause she was getting maybe better at big words.

Emmeline bounced on the balls of her feet a little. Why weren't they flying yet?? Oh, right... She raised her hand and said, "it's super important to practice flying in all weathers 'cause it won't always be sunny when you need to fly somewhere or play Quidditch and stuff." Okay, there'd been loads of answers and Emmeline hasn't really paid attention to most of them. She just wanted to help move the lesson along so they could all flyyy!

Really? Vivian beamed at the groundskeeper and gave him a thumbs up because they totally were on the same wavelength of thinking at the moment. Nothing special, actually. The Slytherin just found it cool that they felt the same towards heat. She didn't really mind sweating, but staying under the sun usually bothered her.

Moving on to the next question, Vivian shuffled a bit. She wanted to fly around like what Professor B was doing, too. She just wanted to hop on her broom, kick off, and hover around during the class. As for the question regarding that annual competition, Vivian didn't really know what it was. But then her smart dorm mate happened to know the answer to the question and the blonde was in awe because wow. Sky was taking her OWLs studying seriously, and it wasn't even going to happen until a year from now.

A quick self reminder that Vivian should probably ask for a copy of some of Sky's class notes later... just in case.

Anyway, she raised her hand. "Professor, if we do mean the annual broom game in Sweden, my personal opinion would be that it's definitely one heck of an experience!" Vivian said enthusiastically. But as for the dangers and risks of the game, she'd have to address those too. "Perhaps the game is more ideal and made for the experienced -- maybe even professional flyers. Just that they should have stand-by healers for emergencies... and probably tighten security, too." She wondered if her Auntie Elise would survive such a game...

... but her aunt was amazing and Vivian just knew Elise would do well. Elise Fairfield was a pro on the broom! Definitely not familial bias. Please.

Text Cut: Individual replies <3

Text Cut: Skylar

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

Quidditch is never cancelled because of the rain. But it's cancelled because of threats, was what Skylar wanted to retort back, even though she knew Baldvinsson had nothing to do with that, which was what kept the fourth year from making commentary back at him.

Annual competition to test endurance and flying ability? "Are you talking about the annual broom race held in Sweden? 437 miles from Kopparberg to Arjeplog. I think it sounds like a challenge, but definitely not for the faint of heart, as it wouldn't necessarily to be valid for practicing one's flying. Like any marathon or game, it requires proper training and experience." And she would leave off there, even though she could have said more but figured that was enough for now...

Wait, were they were going to be mimicking the broom race? There wasn't 437 miles of pitch, not to mention it would take too long to complete, but they can do a modified version, perhaps?

”I am.” The instructor smiled and listened to what she had to say on the matter. ”I agree with you, Miss Diggory. I wouldn’t advise someone without proper experience to take on this challenge. A lot of training is indeed needed.” Hopefully none of the eager students thought the annual broom race was actually a good idea to sign up to.

Text Cut: Henry

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjay

Henry couldn't help but to periodically glance up at the sky. Part of it was watching those dark clouds that threatened rain and wondering when it was coming and part of it was an impatient longing to get up in the air. But he was sure that was coming soon enough. Otherwise he was sure class would have been held inside like Mr. B said, which was a horrifying though to the 17 year old.

He was fairly well accustomed to flying in inclement weather too, and he knew it to be true to have to practice and be at the top of your game to fly well. All good points and advice, Mr. B.

As for the question, he thought a moment. From what he was describing, Henry thought Skylar had probably given the correct answer. But he raised his hand anyway. "I agree that you're probably meaning the annual broom race. It might be good practice for an experienced flyer, but not so much for someone just starting out." For the reasons that Skylar described, and more. "But I think a case could be made for any broom game to be good practice in one way or another. They all have their challenges. Though really, any kind of flying can be considered practice." Just like with anything, it took continued practice and dedication to be any good at it.

Haraldur nodded at Henry. ”Very true, Mr. Whittebrooke.” After all, the young soon-to-be professional player would know all about this. ”Any chance to get up in the air and practise is a chance you should seize. Although, beginners might seize this chance somewhere else rather than in the annual broom race.”

Text Cut: Zoryn

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

THEY WERE GONNA LEARN HOW TO FLY WITH THEIR EYES CLOSED?????? That's what Zoryn decided to hear, anyway. She also noticed that bright grin that Levi's girlfriend gave her and y'know what, maybe Zoryn would like her after all. So she returned the bright grin with one of her own. Zoryn liked her answer too.

As for the next question, Zoryn had NO idea. But she didn't want to pass on a chance to talk, so her hand shot up in the air anyway. Hopefully by the time it was her turn she'd know the answer. Except she didn't. "I forgot what I was gonna say," yeaaaaaaaaaaaah. That happened.

Okay, but when were they gonna get to FLY? WITH THEIR EYES CLOSED?

'Cause Zoryn was starting to get antsy.

”Happens to me all the time, Miss Spinnet.” Haraldur assured her, patted her once on the shoulder and hovered past. Like seriously, it happened to him way too often.

Text Cut: Etta

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady of Light

Before Etta could consider answering the question, Skylar had already responded correctly and since she didn't have anything else to add.. the girl remained quiet. She considered what the professor said about players who treasure their time practicing in the rain, in preparation for what was to come. Interesting. She remained thoughtful for another few moments before raising a hand.

"Professor, I don't have anything new to add here.. but I do have a question. Playing in the rain might improve one's resistance but.. one might also end up getting sick, right? I mean, it's fine once in a while but.. not very often?" You know, just a small thought. She absently stared at the sky once again, listening to the others respond.

Haraldur hovered towards the prefect and nodded briskly, raindrops falling from his head as he did so. ”Very important to note, Miss Kramer. I advice all of you to change into dry clothes and enjoy a warm cup of tea after class is over.” He gave her a warm smile before continuing over to a little Gryffindor girl.

Text Cut: Emmeline

Quote:

Originally Posted by NifflerFan

Emmeline gave the professor a BIIG grin 'cause he seemed to like her answer and told her she was right and stuff. Getting things right in flying made her super really excited 'cause it didn't happen too often outside of her best subjects. Although flying was one of the most fun ones ever, so maybe it counted as being one of everyone's best! Like by rule or something.

She grinned at Stasya and Professor B speaking that cool language 'cause her best friend was super smart like that, yup. And then the professor asked a new question and the first year's expression fell just a little. She had no idea what he was getting at, though older kids said it was a race which sounded cool. She shrugged aside thoughts of danger and getting sick and whatever, 'cause all broom sports were dangerous duh. It was always dangerous to leave the ground on a broom. Or go outside in the rain. Or eat maybe poisoned food at Hogwarts. She had perspective, you know? And that thought made her smile a little 'cause she was getting maybe better at big words.

Emmeline bounced on the balls of her feet a little. Why weren't they flying yet?? Oh, right... She raised her hand and said, "it's super important to practice flying in all weathers 'cause it won't always be sunny when you need to fly somewhere or play Quidditch and stuff." Okay, there'd been loads of answers and Emmeline hasn't really paid attention to most of them. She just wanted to help move the lesson along so they could all flyyy!

”Exactly, Miss Sparkes.” He agreed and hovered around her once. ”if you’ve practiced in all weathers then you can fly in all weathers. Preparation and practise is key, Miss Sparkes.”

Text Cut: Vivian

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kimothy

Really? Vivian beamed at the groundskeeper and gave him a thumbs up because they totally were on the same wavelength of thinking at the moment. Nothing special, actually. The Slytherin just found it cool that they felt the same towards heat. She didn't really mind sweating, but staying under the sun usually bothered her.

Moving on to the next question, Vivian shuffled a bit. She wanted to fly around like what Professor B was doing, too. She just wanted to hop on her broom, kick off, and hover around during the class. As for the question regarding that annual competition, Vivian didn't really know what it was. But then her smart dorm mate happened to know the answer to the question and the blonde was in awe because wow. Sky was taking her OWLs studying seriously, and it wasn't even going to happen until a year from now.

A quick self reminder that Vivian should probably ask for a copy of some of Sky's class notes later... just in case.

Anyway, she raised her hand. "Professor, if we do mean the annual broom game in Sweden, my personal opinion would be that it's definitely one heck of an experience!" Vivian said enthusiastically. But as for the dangers and risks of the game, she'd have to address those too. "Perhaps the game is more ideal and made for the experienced -- maybe even professional flyers. Just that they should have stand-by healers for emergencies... and probably tighten security, too." She wondered if her Auntie Elise would survive such a game...

... but her aunt was amazing and Vivian just knew Elise would do well. Elise Fairfield was a pro on the broom! Definitely not familial bias. Please.

Haraldur made a final hovering stop by the young Slytherin and nodded thoughtfully at her answers. ”I agree, Miss Fairfield. The race certainly is an experience but one should definitely be aware of the dangers that might present themselves.” As for a tighter security regulation… He was sure it was all good. Haraldur didn’t especially like rules and safety measures, that was up the Ministry. But he was a professor now, and couldn’t go around advoacting breaking rules. ”Very good, Miss Fairfield.” He nodded instead and made it up to the front of the group.”

In the best of weather, his hearing wasn’t what he hoped it was. So with pouring rain that fell more heavily by the minute, it wasn’t easy to hear the young student’s answers. Which was why he hovered very cloooose to them when they spoke. Occasionally he tilted his head to put his ear up close to their faces to catch it all. Personal space was not something he took into account.

When the last student spoke their mind on the matter, he hovered to the front of the group again. His voice carrying over the sound of the rain and the wind that was starting to pick up.

”As many of you have guessed, I was thinking of the annual broom race in Sweden. A race that stretches from Kopparberg in Örebro county to Arjeplog in Norrbotten.” It was not a short journey to undertake, in what the Swedes called “risky weather conditions”. They knew nothing. ”I have taken part in the race myself back in…” He trailed off, hastily glancing at the students. 2059? 2061? He waved a dismissive hand. ”No matter. It was a long time ago. The point is, it taught me a lot on how to work around the weather. Something I thought we’d have a crash course in, today.”

Haraldur cleared his throat so that he could speak louder, he now had to struggle for his usual booming voice to reach all of the students. But he still didn’t use the amplifying charm. ”It’s time to fly, kids, and let’s start with a warm up. I want all of you to fly three laps around the pitch before landing back here again. Fly as fast or as slow as you find yourself comfortable with. Play around with the wind and rain, see how it affects your senses but be aware of your fellow students. I want to see your usual sportsmanship on the field. Those of you who don’t own or haven’t brought a broom, you may now grab one of the school brooms if you haven’t done so already.” He nodded towards the brooms lined in a rack on the side.

As some of the students made their way over there, he maneuvered himself around so that he was mounting his broom correctly. ”Careful with the landing, kids. It can be a bit slippery. Everyone mount your broom please.” He waited for the kids to do so and squinted his eyes to get a good look at each and every one of them through the pouring rain. ”Remember, it’s just weather. You’re in control of your broom. On my mark. Ready… Set…” He brought his horn up to his lips and blew a thundering sound.

As the students kicked off, he followed them up into the air to join them. Ready to intervene assist if needed.

OOC: It’s finally time to fly! *wiggles* Let's get those broomsticks in the air by doing three warm up laps around the pitch. There’s no minimum/maximum amount of posts for this one.

You have 36 hours to complete this mini-practical part of the lesson. We’ll be continuing on the 21st of July at 7 am GMT + 2.

Haraldur will of course be supervising and be around to assist or answer questions so feel free to interact with us during this activity. Have fun! <3

Truth be told, Sam's brain was out here for a break from studying, and it wasn't that she'd drifted off, persay, but watching the weather rolling in closer had caught her attention much more than struggling to hear the questions and answers over the wind.

Sorry, Mr. Baldvinsson.

Flying though? That was what she was here for. To feel the (strengthening) wind in her hair, and blow away the dusty cobwebs revealed by OWLs revision. So when he'd given permission to go get a broom, that's exactly what Sam did.

Not having her own meant she had to go raid the selection of school brooms, and she pulled a couple out and assessed their tail twigs before settling on one. She had a sense that a stray twig would have more of an impact in inclement weather, affecting the streamlining. And whilst she could fly, she wasn't any expert or overly confident by any means. If she wanted to go up high, climbing rooftops was more the Ravenclaw's style.

Broom selected, she commanded it up into her left hand, and before mounting it carefully. The impervius charm was doing its job on her clothes, but she wasn't so sure about her grip on the handle. She took it carefully, before pushing up gently into the air.

Slowly to start, until she felt the way of the wind.

Flying in the rain wasn't going to be all that bad, yeah? She'd never done it before but.. there was always a first time for everything. Maybe she'd actually enjoy it. Who knew? She listened intently as the professor talked about the annual broom race that took place in Sweden every year. She tried to remember exactly what he said since she wasn't taking notes, occasionally glancing up at the sky. It was raining quite heavily at this point. Greeeat.

Three laps around the field? She'd had already grabbed a broom earlier.. but maybe she should actually buy one for herself at some point. Maybe. Mentally shaking that thought out of her head for now, Etta decided to cast an Impervius charm on herself before mounting the broom slowly. Her vision had improved drastically as she took off, definitely making sure that she didn't go up too high. She wasn't an expert flyer, after all and besides.. again, this was her first time flying in bad weather and it was better to not take any risks.

.. and it really wasn't all that bad. The charm she'd cast earlier was obviously working.. the girl maintained a steady pace as she flew, trying not to look down at the ground. Instead, she focused her attention on the broom, making sure she was steady and to avoid any risk of her falling off or something. Now, that would be way too tragic. Gulp. One lap over... awesome.

Warmed his heart? Wow!

This is what Viv thought over and over. Weather was a big factor but it didn't affect her mood. The weather could be changed by a simple spell though. She needed to practice. Useless spells were a waste of time. She wanted to increase her flying skills.

The rain was natural to Viv. She thought time was a treasure to be prepared for. But she didn't want to do the broom competition. Viv raised her hand and said, "Are you referring to the competition in Sweden? If so I could practice my flying for sure!"

Wait .... wait .... Professor Baldvinsson took part in the Broom Race!?!? Sure he was just trying to not maybe reveal his age by saying it was a long time ago, but the fact that they had someone, living proof, take part in the broom race in their midst. Skylar had questions. Lots of questions. Also, she was mentally adding that to the list of things she had to train for.

For now though, it was time to fly and the fourth year didn't need to be told twice. Kicking off into the air in the rain was actually more challenging than the flying bit, but as this wasn't her first time getting caught in the rain on a broom, the Snakette found herself quickly airborne. That thing about dancing in the rain? Totally last year, because flying in the rain surpassed all those expectations and more.

There wasn't too much of a rush to be first, so Skylar chose to fly at a slow comfortable speed, savoring the feel of the rain on her cheeks, in her hair. It was nice that as she round the pitch once, Skylar was almost wishing she could prolong her last two laps. But surely this activity wouldn't be the only one they have today, unless someone caught cold, but usually that didn't take effect immediately.

Did she hear what she thought she heard??? TIME TO FLY!!!! Finally. No offense Mr. Bladvinsson, but Zoryn had been waiting for those words this ENTIRE time. Of course the stuff about the extreme broom race was MEGA AWESOME and Zoryn was definitely gonna sign up when she was allowed to BUUUUUUUUUUT. FLYING.

She was here for that.

Without needing to hear the instructions a second time, Zoryn jumped onto her broom and kicked off to start hovering in the air. Best. Class. EVER. And the rain wasn’t effecting her at all!!! Which meant she was gonna go as fast as her little heart could take her!!!! SUPER SPEEEEEEEEED.

OR maybe she spoke too soon.

‘Cause as soon as she started her first lap, she felt her hands getting all slippy. UH OH. She slowed down from her quick pace to wipe one hand on her robes, while holding on to the broom (for her dear life) with the other hand. And she took turns alternating this way every now and again as she flew.

Finally she got to her third lap, well behind the older kids, and focused SO hard to finish it in one piece.

Man. If only she was good at magic. An impervius charm would’ve been SUPER helpful.

Text Cut: Individual replies <3

Text Cut: Sam

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermygirl

Truth be told, Sam's brain was out here for a break from studying, and it wasn't that she'd drifted off, persay, but watching the weather rolling in closer had caught her attention much more than struggling to hear the questions and answers over the wind.

Sorry, Mr. Baldvinsson.

Flying though? That was what she was here for. To feel the (strengthening) wind in her hair, and blow away the dusty cobwebs revealed by OWLs revision. So when he'd given permission to go get a broom, that's exactly what Sam did.

Not having her own meant she had to go raid the selection of school brooms, and she pulled a couple out and assessed their tail twigs before settling on one. She had a sense that a stray twig would have more of an impact in inclement weather, affecting the streamlining. And whilst she could fly, she wasn't any expert or overly confident by any means. If she wanted to go up high, climbing rooftops was more the Ravenclaw's style.

Broom selected, she commanded it up into her left hand, and before mounting it carefully. The impervius charm was doing its job on her clothes, but she wasn't so sure about her grip on the handle. She took it carefully, before pushing up gently into the air.

Slowly to start, until she felt the way of the wind.

Haraldur watched the young Ravenclaw mount her broom and take off. Calm and collected. His eyes lingered on her for a moment more before shifting his attention to another student. It didn’t look like Miss Tyler would need his help any time soon.

Text Cut: Etta

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady of Light

Flying in the rain wasn't going to be all that bad, yeah? She'd never done it before but.. there was always a first time for everything. Maybe she'd actually enjoy it. Who knew? She listened intently as the professor talked about the annual broom race that took place in Sweden every year. She tried to remember exactly what he said since she wasn't taking notes, occasionally glancing up at the sky. It was raining quite heavily at this point. Greeeat.

Three laps around the field? She'd had already grabbed a broom earlier.. but maybe she should actually buy one for herself at some point. Maybe. Mentally shaking that thought out of her head for now, Etta decided to cast an Impervius charm on herself before mounting the broom slowly. Her vision had improved drastically as she took off, definitely making sure that she didn't go up too high. She wasn't an expert flyer, after all and besides.. again, this was her first time flying in bad weather and it was better to not take any risks.

.. and it really wasn't all that bad. The charm she'd cast earlier was obviously working.. the girl maintained a steady pace as she flew, trying not to look down at the ground. Instead, she focused her attention on the broom, making sure she was steady and to avoid any risk of her falling off or something. Now, that would be way too tragic. Gulp. One lap over... awesome.

Just as Miss Tyler, Miss Kramer had chosen the Impervius charm to keep some off the rain off her. Haraldur watched her take flight but didn’t linger by her side, he squinted off towards some of the younger students and left the Hufflepuff prefect to warm up in peace.

Text Cut: Vivienne

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kayla Taaffe

Warmed his heart? Wow!

This is what Viv thought over and over. Weather was a big factor but it didn't affect her mood. The weather could be changed by a simple spell though. She needed to practice. Useless spells were a waste of time. She wanted to increase her flying skills.

The rain was natural to Viv. She thought time was a treasure to be prepared for. But she didn't want to do the broom competition. Viv raised her hand and said, "Are you referring to the competition in Sweden? If so I could practice my flying for sure!"

Haraldur smiled at the student. ”The annual broom race is quiet an experience. If you get up on your broom, you might practice enough to sign up for it once the time is right.”

Text Cut: Skylar

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

Wait .... wait .... Professor Baldvinsson took part in the Broom Race!?!? Sure he was just trying to not maybe reveal his age by saying it was a long time ago, but the fact that they had someone, living proof, take part in the broom race in their midst. Skylar had questions. Lots of questions. Also, she was mentally adding that to the list of things she had to train for.

For now though, it was time to fly and the fourth year didn't need to be told twice. Kicking off into the air in the rain was actually more challenging than the flying bit, but as this wasn't her first time getting caught in the rain on a broom, the Snakette found herself quickly airborne. That thing about dancing in the rain? Totally last year, because flying in the rain surpassed all those expectations and more.

There wasn't too much of a rush to be first, so Skylar chose to fly at a slow comfortable speed, savoring the feel of the rain on her cheeks, in her hair. It was nice that as she round the pitch once, Skylar was almost wishing she could prolong her last two laps. But surely this activity wouldn't be the only one they have today, unless someone caught cold, but usually that didn't take effect immediately.

Haraldur flew swiftly past the young Slytherin, only giving her a short glance to make sure everything was alright as per usual. She didn’t need his assistance just warming up. Instead he shifted his attention to someone a little younger.

Text Cut: Zoryn

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

Did she hear what she thought she heard??? TIME TO FLY!!!! Finally. No offense Mr. Bladvinsson, but Zoryn had been waiting for those words this ENTIRE time. Of course the stuff about the extreme broom race was MEGA AWESOME and Zoryn was definitely gonna sign up when she was allowed to BUUUUUUUUUUT. FLYING.

She was here for that.

Without needing to hear the instructions a second time, Zoryn jumped onto her broom and kicked off to start hovering in the air. Best. Class. EVER. And the rain wasn’t effecting her at all!!! Which meant she was gonna go as fast as her little heart could take her!!!! SUPER SPEEEEEEEEED.

OR maybe she spoke too soon.

‘Cause as soon as she started her first lap, she felt her hands getting all slippy. UH OH. She slowed down from her quick pace to wipe one hand on her robes, while holding on to the broom (for her dear life) with the other hand. And she took turns alternating this way every now and again as she flew.

Finally she got to her third lap, well behind the older kids, and focused SO hard to finish it in one piece.

Man. If only she was good at magic. An impervius charm would’ve been SUPER helpful.

Haraldur squinted his eyes to make sure the young Gryffindor made it around the pitch three times. In the beginning she was startled but after a short while, she seemed to get the hang of it. Working around the weather to complete the three laps and return safely.

Haraldur waited until all the students had landed on the now soaked pitch before he himself touched back down.

”Very good everyone, yes, very good.” He didn’t waste time talking for long. Being up in the air again proved itself much more enjoyable than being on the ground. Plus, all that talk about catching colds had him concerned. He wanted the kids flying again to get their pulse up. Not on the cold ground in wet clothes.

He quickly summoned the trunk of quidditch supplies from beside the school brooms. These were usually locked up in the broomshed but some of the students had borrowed the equipment several times that term.

”This,” He started as he grabbed one of the many bright, red quaffles. ”Is a quaffle. I want you to grab a quaffle and work in pairs, passing the quaffle back and forth between you in the air. It will get wet and it will get slippery. Let’s see how you handle an object with you up there. Try to get your quaffle through the goal hoops, if you can.” He dropped the quaffle back down into the big trunk of supplies. ”Bring the quaffle back when you’re done. And in a few minutes, I’ll release two bludgers.” He pointed to the balls made of iron that were tightly strapped down. ”I want you to avoid them to the best of your abilities. All maneuvers are permitted, kids.” Although, he’d prefer only the older more experienced flyers did the looping, ya feel? ”Grab a beater’s bat if you’re comfortable with just one hand on the handle but I’d much rather you avoid it in the air than using the bat. Remember, this is to test your ability to fly in a storm. Not the time to practice your beater skills.”

A forceful wind blew and he paused to let it pass before he continued. ”Everyone ready? Grab a quaffle!” He watched the kids approach the trunk of supplies and glanced upward into the sky again. Hopefully they would be done with the activity before it got much worse. As much as he wanted them to test their flying skills, thunderstorms was a no go.

His eyes flickered back to the kids who looked ready to be back in the air again and he raised the horn to his lips to let the horn sound that they could kick off.

OOC: Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup, it’s time for the main practical part of this lesson! You can either work in pairs or by yourself, if you prefer, for this one. The first part of the main activity is to grab a quaffle and if you’re working in pairs, throw it back and forth between each other as you fly across the pitch. Try to score it through one of the goal hoops once you reach the end of the pitch.

The second part of the activity, Haraldur will release bludgers that will fly around trying to knock you off your broom. He would like you to avoid the bludgers first and foremost but if you want, there are bats in the supplies to grab when you return your quaffle.

If your character is having major issues or is not able to wield a bat, Haraldur will direct the bludger elsewhere. AKA your character won’t get hit and spend the remainder of the term in the hospital wing. Your kids are safe. We love them <3.

There’s no minimum/maximum amount of posts.

You have a total of 60 hours to complete this practical part of the lesson and in around 36 hours, Haraldur will release the bludgers. This means the bludgers will be released on the 22nd of July at 7 pm GMT + 2 class will end on the 23rd of July at 7 pm GMT + 2.

We will be around all this time, feel free to interact with us or ask us questions. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if there’s something on your mind! <3 Have fun!

So they were going to be having a sort of mini Quidditch game it seemed like. Or at least they were all going to be Chasers basically. That was fun, even if the rain made it a little less fun. But that was part of the lesson, and it wasn't the first time Rula had flown in not-clear weather, so it wasn't too bad.

She went ahead and grabbed a quaffle - and now she needed someone to work with! "Anyone wanna team up? And if anyone needs help casting the Impervius charm, I can help!" She wasn't sure if everyone had already cast it on themselves before the three laps, so just putting the offer out there just in case!

Fly...fast.

Those were the only words that registered in the trouble-minded Slytherin's head. It's basically the thing he's focused on lately that's been able to keep his unpredictable emotions at bay.

Flying. F a s t.

And he did just that after they had the go, and after charming himself with the Impervius Charm. Cornelius flew fast. Dodging. Zooming. Avoiding collision. At one point his mind had gone on autopilot, but each time it thundered, it brought him back to the pitch, centering him. When it was time to stop, he did. His father had trained him well in the arts of flying. According to family tales, Xavier Baltazar had mounted Cornelius onto a broom the moment he learned to walk. Exaggeration or not, the young wizard didn't doubt it. The Falmouth Falcons' owner has always been extra hard on Cornelius. Failure is not an option. Disappointment is a choice. Neither of which Cornelius wanted to test.

He was not a failure. He would not disappoint.

Ohhh, but his heart hurt. It hurt.

Breath catching as his mind wandered to unwanted thoughts, Cornelius' hand absently rubbed his chest over his heart. He focused on what the professor was saying and kept count of his breaths. Getting a hold of himself, he gripped the broom again. Secure. He was...would be okay.

Partner task? Good. It should be distracting enough. At least, he hoped it would be. Therefore he needed someone who could prose a challenge. Not an itty bitty firstie.

Green eyes fell on a brunette. He approached her, flashing her a smile. "I'm game."

GAME. GAME. GAME.

They were gonna play a GAME.

Sort of. Either way, Zoryn was VERY excited about it. So excited that she practically ran to get one of the quaffles, zipping through a bunch of older students as she went. It was only then that she realized... Maybe she should've found a partner first? Oopsies. Uh. Looking around the pitch, she waved a hand and the quaffle in the air. "YO, anyone wanna team up?" Please? She couldn't have nearly as much fun doing this on her own!!!!

That and her hands kept getting all slippy while it was raining, she really needed someone to switch off with.

Honestly, Skylar wasn't that eager to play chaser in passing a quaffle back and forth, especially when Professor B had hinted that there would be bludgers released shortly. So, they weren't actually playing a game, but who would they hit the bludgers at? Or was it more just people to hit the bludgers AWAY from the flyers? Yes, that was probably it and she was totally game for that, given a beater's bat was like an extension of her hand.

First things first though, they needed to pass the quaffle and she heard Rula and Cornelius partnering up and Skylar was about to go ask if they wanted to practice the hawkshead formation or something with her, when she heard someone else asking for a partner.

Someone she really didn't want to partner with, but she kind of had no choice. There were going to be people you don't like, Sky, but you just have to be the bigger person, she reminded herself as she flew near to the second year.

"Throw it, Zoryn. I'll practice with you." Please, if the girl was too stubborn and let her pride get in her way, it was really her loss. She was a fabulous flyer, if she did say so herself.

........ It was apparent that she had taken too long to choose her quaffle. 'Cause apparently there was a scarcity of people to partner up with. And beggars can't be choosers or something like that. "..... Anyone else?" she said turning to the general population once again before realizing that pretty much everyone else had figured out their own plan.

Turning back to the Slytherin who offered first, Zoryn sighed. "......Okay," she threw the quaffle over to the girl (GENTLY), just as she had asked. Then she put her focus right back into mounting her broom again and getting herself off the ground. Once she reached a steady stop while hovering in the air, she held out her hands.

"Throw it, I've got it!"

Maybe this wouldn't be HORRIBLE.

Zoryn doubted it though.

With the 'anyone else', Skylar wasn't particularly surprised by that because despite the fact that she was well adept in the art of flying, she knew was pretty much the last person the Gryffindor would want to practice with, which was to no fault of her own. It wasn't her fault that she saw right through Zoryn's innocence and conniving ways; in some sense, the girl would have a made a fine Slytherin.

But when the girl agreed, Skylar was ready for the throw despite the rain and keeping one gloved hand on her broom, she caught the quaffle with her other hugging it close to her body. Her body and wet robes were important for the traction they provided, which as someone who had flown in inclement weather conditions before, as well as observed, she knew that.

"Your broom," Sky warned kindly, when she spotted the girl come to a stop and remove her hands from her broom.

But meh, she'd figure it out for herself and if she fell back, Sky wasn't too far away that she could cast an impediment spell on her to slow her fall. Nonetheless, she threw it back at the younger girl (gently) in hopes to not startle her back.

Quaffles.

The three laps had been fine -- challenging enough considering the wind but basic stuff (even if she had slipped a bit on the wet grass but ssssh, no one saw that). This, however, was much, much better. If she didn't know better, she would say Mr. B chose this lesson specifically for her and the other Chasers in the class. Pass around a Quaffle, fly towards the hoops and score.

Well.

It might not be time to practise their beater skills but it definitely was time to practise their Chaser ones.

Flying goggles being the only protection she had against the rain, the Slytherin made her way towards the Quaffles and grabbed the first one she saw. Immediately, she flew off, the red ball familiar enough in her hand for any kind of adaptation period to be unnecessary. She had been throwing Quaffles around longer than she had been flying; lightweight Quaffles, of course, and her throws had been useless but she knew how to hold on to the red material. Even when it was slippery.

When she was high enough, she stopped. Hm. Partners? Yeah, couldn't hurt to try and find one. Hovering above the ground, she kept a tight, one-handed grip on her broomstick to keep it from flying off at the wind's whim and looked around. "Anyone alone?" Or. Hm. If she didn't know the man was probably too busy keeping an eye on the less experienced flyers and/or on the bludgers, Daisy would've thrown the Quaffle at Mr. B, really. Teaching couldn't be as fun as actually doing it, could it?

Haraldur watched the students team up or take flight by themselves again. The wind caught hold on his feather coated robes and whipped around him in the air. He squinted to see through the pouring rain and kept a watchful eye on the younger students.

After a few minutes he descended and bent down next to the trunk of Quidditch supplies. He removed the iron chains strapping down one of the bludgers and watched it zoom up in the air, he moved on to the next one and released that one as well.

He took flight again, this time however, he used the amplifying charm to allow his voice to carry across the wind. "The bludgers are released,
try to avoid them while you pass the quaffle."

Again he kept a closer eye on the less experienced flyers but his eyes scanned the whole pitch to make sure any... Accidents with the bludgers were avoided.


OOC: Here you go, peeps. Have some bludgers to avoid!

You still have 24 hours to complete the activity and/or catch up! ^^

HUH? What about her broom?

AHHHHHH SHE WAS SLIPPING!!!!!!!

Not today, NOT TODAY. Reacting almost immediately (it's funny how panic lead to well-timed reactions), the Gryffindor clutched her hands back around her broomstick. Umm. Well. This was gonna be interesting..... After the quick recovery, the second year made sure to only lift ONE hand back into the air and caught the flying quaffle. "NICE!"

UH.

Not that she was enjoying working with the Slytherin or anything. No they were still sworn enemies.

Just before she threw the quaffle again, Zoryn noticed Levi's Daisy looking around for a partner. AND in her defense, she was only looking down at the ground 'cause she had to figure out when they were gonna get attacked by bludgers. WHICH by the looks of it could happen any second. "If you wanna join us, YOU CAN!!!" She had to YELL 'cause the sky was getting all sorts of louder and also they were up in the air.

And with that, she tossed the quaffle back to Skylar right before BLUDGERS STARTED COMING AT THEM!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

NOBODY PANIC.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!

Yup. Definitely clinging to her broom for dear life. sos.

Henry had been eager to get on his broom and fly and the rain didn't bother him a bit. He was used to flying in inclement weather being an experienced Quidditch player and flyer. But he could always use the practice and was always looking for a reason to get into the sky.

He had thought about taking an extra lap, but Henry was also to eager to see what else Mr. B had in store for them. So when he landed, he gave his teacher his full attention.

Quaffles? Was he serious? Henry couldn't hide the grin from his face as Mr. B detailed their activity. It was like this was made for him. Maybe Mr. B had him in mind when he was planning today's lesson. Probably not, but a boy could think what he wants.

So where was Carden or Shacklebolt? Those were his two obvious choices when it came to partnering for this activity. Ah, there was the Slytherin already in the air. Instead of grabbing a quaffle himself, he mounted his broom and took off into the air after her.

"What are you waiting for, Carden? Throw it here," he called towards her as he flew up alongside her.

Bludgers already? Henry could avoid them sure, but it was much easier when beaters were actively involved it keeping them away. Better stay on his toes.

The rain kept getting stronger and the sound was beginning to get in the way; not enough to hinder her flight but definitely enough to make her consciously more aware of her surroundings. Enough that when the seemingly always hyper Gryffindor called out to her, Daisy was able to hear and understand her. Join them? Mr. B hadn't said trios were forbidden and it did add another dimension to the-- oh. Just as she was about to accept her offer, Whittebrook showed up and she glanced at him before sending a grateful smile the Gryffindor's way. "Can we reschedule? We'll play together some other day." And to be honest, she wouldn't mind that one bit.

Pushing away the wet braid of hair clinging to her neck, the Slytherin turned to her teammate and playfully rolled her eyes. "Not my fault you were too slow, Whittebrook." Not that he had been too slow, at all, but team banter wasn't an easy thing to have whilst keeping an eye on the bludgers that had been released. Just where was Tate when you needed her?

Daisy herself was okay with a beater's bat but Mr. B hadn't mentioned this was about controlling the weather so -- avoiding manoeuvres it was.

Okay. Time to dance, then." She called out to Henry before throwing the quaffle his way and flying off towards the stands, zigzagging her way around the other students and fighting the wind.

HAHAAH. Well. Etta had assumed it was just a simple exercise of taking a few laps around the pitch and they'd be done.. but WELL. This was starting to get a little more complicated and she was not very happy about it, honestly. As much as she enjoyed flying.. well, moderately enjoyed flying.. it was only when the weather was perfect. But the rain and the wind was really starting to make her anxious and there was another factor that contributed to her anxiousness. What if she ended up getting hurt? Biting her lip, she considered just being a spectator but then again, she was pretty sure that wasn't allowed. Why did she think that this lesson would be fun again?

She grabbed a quaffle and took off once again carefully. She had the quaffle tucked under one arm while her other hand held on to the broomstick tightly. Once again, she didn't go up too high. After flying for a little while, since she didn't see anyone even remotely close to pass the quaffle to, she decided to head towards the goal hoops.. Etta paused mid-air, aiming for one of the hoops with all the concentration that she could muster and in a second.. the quaffle soared through one of the hoops. HUHUH. At least, her focus wasn't bad.

Trying not to look too pleased with herself, she grabbed the quaffle once again and practiced scoring it through the hoops for a couple of times just for fun.. and that's it. She was done. The girl landed a few seconds later, handed the quaffle back before taking off, not terribly excited at the prospect of having to avoid bludgers. SIGH.

Time for the actual flying now, YEEESSS!! Emmeline slipped and slid through the rain, puddles, and icky mud to reach the nearest school broom. The rain coming down even harder didn't bother her right this second, not when she was so excited to get in the air. She slowed down just enough to mount and grip her broom properly, and then to pull her robes' hood firmly back on top of her head before she kicked off. Up, up, up!

So it wasn't so easy to ignore all the rain pelting her once she was actually in the air. The drops just kept falling and she couldn't really see anything properly, didn't know any cool spells to help her fix that, and it was colder up here for some reason. Emmeline wasn't one to whine about bad weather, though; she made her broom speed up as much as she could without sliding off it and ZOOOOOMED around the pitch for her first lap. As more blurry-ish shapes that she assumed were her classmates joined her in the air, Emmeline made her broom go up higher and higher to stay out of their way. Going lower didn't sound fun at ALL buuut neither did colliding and going BOOM! with any other students in the air, nope.

ZOOOOOOOMMMM!

Her second lap went pretty smoothly, considering, but she noticed it was kinda harder than usual to fly in a straight line or circle thing. The wind was howling and LOUD from here, and her broom was sort of being tossed wherever the wind wanted it to go. Which was fun and kind of a little scary, but at first it totally wasn't scary enough to make her stop ZOOMing.

By the time she was starting her third lap and losing more and more control of her broom, though, it was scary enough to try to slow the flying up and stop ZOOMing so much. Mhm. Emmeline frowned as she noticed that it was kind of hard to stay on track, to glip a slippery wet broom, AND harder to control her speed with all the yucky rain and evil wind going on. It took forever, but finally she was able to reduce her broom's speed to what seemed like a flobberworm's pace to the first year, but realistically was probably just a relatively slower speed.

Okayyy, that was three laps now! Or she thought it was, anyway. It was kinda harder to keep track of what everything was up here and she'd totally given up seeing through the rain. Emmeline leaned forward on her broom and sent her broom down, down, down to the ground with a "WHEEEEE!!' that was pretty much lost to the sounds of wind and rain splattering everything. The Gryffindor sliiiiiiid through several feet of mud once she was on the ground before she could come to a total stop. Mud had sprayed everywhere from the sliding, of course, which sent Emmeline into a fit of giggles. Though it was super gross, flying/sliding through mud was soooo fun. She could see why the cruppies liked playing in mud now.

By the time Emmeline had straightened up and gotten off her broom, most of her classmates had already grabbed Quaffles and were in the air again. Well, that explained all the blurs she'd passed in her super awesome going-down flying. The first year frowned a little, 'cause if she was so far behind everyone else, obviously the rain had been slowing her up more than she'd thought. She couldn't have been zooming very fast if they were all gone already. In fact, Professor B. was already unleashing bludgers!

She wasn't going to waste another second wondering why rain had slowed her ZOOMing up so much, though; Emmeline ran to the box of Quaffles, possibly splattering Professor B with mud if he stood near them. Not that the Gryffindor paid attention to him or to her surroundings much. It was all just rain and mud and ughh, nothing to pay attention to really. She tried to snatch up a Quaffle from the box, but the rain made everything super slippery and she promptly dropped it!

Not cool, rain. Not cool. Emmeline picked up the silly Quaffle again and tucked it way more securely under her arm this time before she carefully remounted her school broom. Which was soaking wet and the handle was allll slippery by the way. Still, the first year squeezed the Quaffle to her as much as she could with one arm and maintained a death grip on her broom's handle with the other as she swung her leg over, got all seated properly, and kicked off into the air once again.

Time to show off her super awesome, never-before-seen Chaser powers, uh huh! Except she still couldn't really see through the sheets of rain. She could see the outlines of the goal posts, but it was hard to keep looking at any one thing for very long 'cause the rain kept getting in her eyes and making her blink water out every 5 seconds! Her classmates were dark blurs going really super fast, and their Quaffles that soared through the air were even harder to see. She'd probably have better luck hearing the Bludgers seconds before they hit her than seeing them in this mess, too, just 'cause they were black and small and it was DARK out here.

Oh well, flying was still fun and she was super determined to get this Quaffle through the hoops of the far goal post. Emmeline leaned forward just a little bit to make herself flatter to her broom handle (and a smaller target for evil bludgers, ha!) and ZOOOOMed forward towards the goal posts as fast as she could in a relatively straight line. She couldn't see well enough to avoid any obstacles in her way, but she figured everyone else was a good enough flier to get out of her way if she accidentally barreled into them. Right?

Skylar watched, ready to fly towards her to save her just in case, but the Gryffindor proved to have EXCELLENT reflex abilities and the fourth year was thoroughly impressed at that super quick recovery and the one handed catch. "Nice indeed!" Sky praised. Flying and rain could bring out the best of people, even those who were irritating.

Zooming forward to catch the quaffle, she took note of Daisy looking around for a partner and was about to extend the offer for the older snake to join them as well, when it seemed Henry was going to play with her. Well, good thing wasn't a competition because that wasn't particularly fair as the two had played together - in the chaser role - all last Summer (at least).

And with that, the bludgers were released and Skylar almost dropped the quaffle in excitement because bludgers. Quickly tossing the familiar red ball through the air in the direction of the second year, the fourth year flew down to take hold of a bat because someone needed to be hitting the bludgers away from the inexperienced flyers ...

"Emmaline! Look out!" Sky said as the small dark ball was headed right towards the first year! Zooming fast at her, she swung her bat just in time to send the bludger spiraling towards the other end of the pitch. Only problem was that between the fast motion of her bat connecting with the bludger, the inclement weather, AND Emmaline's zig-zagging, she kind of didn't have a chance to slow her broom down before colliding with the first year.

Oopsies? So much for trying to save her.

The wind was picking up and the flying instructor shot a glance at the dark foreboding clouds above them. Luckily, their time was up. It looked like a thunderstorm was brewing and he didn't want any kids in the air when it reached them.

Miss Diggory's voice cut through his thoughts and he looked over at her just in time to catch her collide with the young Miss Sparkes. He grabbed the horn that hung around his neck and blew it to signal time was up. The students, now accustomed to the sound, began returning to the ground. Haraldur flew up to Emmeline and Skylar.

"Miss Sparkes, miss Diggory! You girls alright?" He yelled, concerned as he steered his broom towards them. Luckily, they'd both managed to stay on their broom after their collision. "It's time to wrap this up, come on now."

Haraldur was the last one to touch back down on the wet ground and quickly aimed his wand at the flying bludgers to return to the trunk.

"That's all we have time for today, everyone. I want no one lingering on the pitch today, flying is strictly not permitted until this storm passes." Otherwise, he would have to revoke some flying permits. "Leave the quaffles and the school brooms you have borrowed and hurry up to the castle to get changed so you don't catch a cold. Quickly now everyone."

He watched the kids hurry to put everything back into place after he strapped down the two bludgers. Impatiently he waited for the last students to gather their things and get back to the castle. He was not keen on lingering in the storm any longer. His warm hut was waiting.


OOC: Class dismissed everyone! Thank you all for coming, hope you had fun! <3
I will leave this thread open for another 12 hours.