All decked out in an outfit screaming with Hufflepuff house pride, Maddie Kemp headed to the pep rally and bee-lined toward the stage. She must have been early, because there wasn't a whole lot of people here yet. Even still, she was confident the place would be pumping with activity any minute now.

She looked up toward the red curtains, excited about the mystery they'd soon reveal. Regardless, they were closed at the moment, so there was nothing to do but wait it out. She fidgeted a little as she glanced around, looking for someone to talk to and waiting to see what would happen next.

Daisy was wearing a yellow shirt with a large badger on the front, along with a pair of black trousers with the words, "Hufflepuff Rules" written in yellow emblazoned on the side. These were clothes that she had designed herself.

She headed towards the stage and spotted Maddie, smiling as she sat down.

"Hello my favorite Badgers!" Charlie was just at the buffet table, stuffing his face with all things YUMMEH-- when he came to the staging area with another glass of hot butterbeer. He was of course wearing his favorite yellow shirt, badger hat, and two streaks of yellow and black face paint across each cheek to show his house pride. He was also wearing his yellow knickers, but that was to remain a secret, yeah?

With his face beaming, he picked a seat just right in front of Maddie and Daisy and gave them a wave. "Hey guys! Whadda ya think is behind that mysteeeerious curtain?" he said gesturing his head towards the stage. Could it be the latest Nimbus model? Or an internationl quidditch team? WILL THEY GET TO DO A PRACTICE MATCH WITH THEM?!

Maddie was starting to feel somewhat strange about being the only person gathered at the stage. It made her feel like she shouldn't even be there at all. Had she not gotten some memo or something? Were they all meeting up somewhere else? Just when she was really starting to worry, Daisy strolled up and took a nearby seat. "OH, HEY, DAISY!" she said, not exactly realizing how loud her voice was. She was just relieved, okay? "So where is everybody? Are we early or something?"

As those words left her mouth, she glanced up to see that Charlie Kane had joined. OMG, CHARLIE KANE. He was one of the cutest boys at Hogwarts! He and DERF. "What's up, Charlie? Is this the Hufflepuff party or something?" she greeted. That's what it seemed like, at least. She looked up toward the curtain and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe some Quidditch equipment they're trying to sell. OH, or maybe some pro players or something!" That would be SO COOL.

After finally finishing her homework, Emmalyn bolted down to the Pep Rally and towards the stage. Her mind whirred with the possibilities of what could be hiding behind the curtains. As she skidded to a stop she eyed all the Hufflepuffs! "Hi Maddie, Daisy and Charile! It's all Hufflepuffy down here." She giggled and twirled around, ready to get the rally going.

"Where is everyone else? Where the Hufflepuffs the only house invited?" That would be odd, but there weren't any other houses students at the stage area yet.

Daisy grinned as Charlie joined her and Maddie. "Hello, Charlie. Love how you're dressed up. Maybe someone from a professional Quidditch team is going to pay Hogwarts a visit. I hope we find out soon."

She smiled as Emmalyn as she sat down. Both she and Maddie echoed Daisy's sentiment on the fact that there seemed to be only Hufflepuffs in attendance. "I noticed we are the only house here. Maybe the other houses are getting some refreshments beforehand."

So ever since Skylar made the decision to not not try to play professionally after Hogwarts, the seventh year became extra hyped by the possibility for natural talent recruitment and networking. She'd heard from a couple places in regards to positive light on journalism programs, but so far nothing stood out. Which was why the Slytherin Captain made sure to fix herself up EXTRA nice today. Something that every student taking major exams could relate to the struggle of daily baths. Yes, see, she actually washed her hair today so bonus win points for her.

All she could hope for was that some housemates - even those who didn't fly - would show up and give support for Slytherin. That and there would maybe be someone super cool there to network with and show off her amazing planning skills as one of the people behind this pep rally.

Light eyes gazed around and Skylar frowned. Lots of yellow. And she was the first captain to arrive? Had she missed some sort of memo to meet with Baldvinsson at the start of the Rally? OH NO, the professionals were going to see her as failing to pay attention to minute details!!!

"Hey," she greeted of the mingling Hufflepuffs. Wait, they weren't going to gang up on her to take her out because they still had a match left. Paranoia suddenly swept over the seventh year, wishing she had some sort of support there with her. Cause mocking about snakes eating badgers for breakfast wouldn't get her very far as the lone snake present. She was soooo overreacting, wasn't she? Maybe she should distract herself over with making some crafts.

Haraldur was not a fan of huge crowds and wasn't really a man of many words. He usually kept to himself and getting on the stage was more the style of the Hufflepuff Head of House. Speaking of Hufflepuff, there were a LOT of them there. Unsurprising really. The flying official also spotted his Slytherin Captain in the sea of yellow Hufflepuffs when he made his way up the small stairs to enter the stage. The sun was beaming down on them, and he was sweating in his coat. S W E A T I N G.

He just had to make a small announcement before he could find a chair in the back. Preferrably in the shade somewhere or in the Igloo for some solitude.

He cleared his throat. "Everyone," He announced to quiet down the chatter. His voice carried without using Sonorus, as usual. "This Pep Rally is to support our Quidditch teams before their final two matches of the term; Hufflepuff versus Slytherin, and Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw." He allowed for some cheers before continuing. "Come up with a chant for your team, create a poster or dress up in your best costume to show your support today. The Captains and their teams are out here on the pitch doing their best to score goals which converts into House Points and of course, for the glory and honour of winning the Quidditch Cup." He stopped then. Mainly to wipe the small sweat drops off his forehead but also to allow more students to join them before he moved on with further information.

"We have invited special guests here today. I'm sure you have heard of them and some you may even know personally..." Wink, WINK. "The guests who need no introduction... Please give a warm Hogwarts welcome with a round of applause!"

The Stage area looked pretty cool to Kirk. Things had been pretty mellow with him over the few months, contemplating on the aftermath. One could say his future was up in the air, however one wishes to take that. The Pep Rally was a nice addition and definitely would bring joy to everyone including him.

Once he arrived, he spotted some Hufflepuffs, who received his typical greeting, nodded head with a "Hey." Oh, and Skylar was there too, no doubt rallying up her team. She too received a nodded gesture. He sat down as he looked for his teammates before Mr. Baldvinsson got up to make his speech. He smirked as he applauded awaiting the guests to arrive.

Spotting Baldvinsson nearby, Charlie felt all the excitement rush up to his head. If the Flying Instructor was present...it can only mean that the show's about to start, whatever it was. He turned again to face Maddie and grinned. "It does look a lot like a party to me. It even feels like a festival." he said fixing his Badger hat. "I was thinking that too, you know! If we get to meet professional players today that'd be awesome. There'll be lots of gawking from me, but it'll be killer!" the exclusivity was almost killing him. Can you imagine meeting your idols in a minute without other rowdy fans? "And if we're going to meet them, I hope we get the chance to do an impromptu practice match. That'll be SO COOL."

Charlie beamed and showed off his looks once more when he got a compliment from Daisy. "I gotta support the House you know. And yellow IS kinda my color." Bright, sunny, cheerful, you name it. "Hey Emmalyn." he said when she joined their group. When she mentioned about the others, Charlie did a proper sweep of the area and shrugged. There were a couple of students here and there, but mostly were from their house. "I guess they're all taking their own sweet time. I'm not gonna blame them. The food is good!" Did he mention he had stuffed his face and stomach before joining the audience? Yes.

And then more prominent members of the student body arrived. In fact, both of them were Quidditch Captains. Charlie returned Skylar's greeting with a wave and an energetic "Hey there!" for Kirk. "You guys are more than welcome to join us," he said seeing that they arrived separately and without company. After giving them his offer, Charlie turned back to the stage and waited anxiously as Baldvinsson did his intro speech.

So...not the latest Nimbus model, but a bunch of important people! OOOH. Charlie placed his glass of Butterbeer on the floor, between his feet and did a series of enthusiastic applause. He even did a loud whistle with his fingers.

Daisy then spotted Skylar and Kirk , both of them captains for their retrospective houses. She smiled and waved at each of them, giving them a friendly, "Hello," in greeting. Charley had offered that they join the Hufflepuffs in terms of seating to which Daisy nodded in agreement and said, "Please feel free to join us if you wish."

When Baldvinsson began his speech, Daisy listened attentively. At the news of important guests joining the rally, she applauded enthusiastically and beamed. It took some strong self-control for her to stay in her seat because was so excited.

Vivian had other things she had to deal with, what with NEWTs drawing closers and practices for their final match against Hufflepuff, but maybe a quick stop at the pep rally wouldn't hurt. They hadn't had one since the IMPS thing three terms ago, so she felt she had to come by. It was her last year as a student here. While she was determined to get good grades and do better in classes (she had been slacking off so much due to things), Vivian had also decided that she wanted her final term to be worth remembering.

So here she was, by the stage, wearing her seeker jersey and sporting silver-and-green face paint to add to the festive mood. See? She wasn't that of a spoilsport.

"Hey, guys," Vivian greeted them, standing beside her captain. Oh, and she clapped as well. Hooray, hooray.

She was very honored to be invited to this Pep Rally, of course, she wouldn't be as well known as the professional players, but still to be invited to join and speak on behalf of all professional quidditch was such an honor and a privilege that Victoria Culloden would not be wasting. Hogwarts had come a long way since her son was cut short of his school career over a silly threat.

Now that it was back at school, it had made the ministry's life a little easier with teams being able to scout and she hoped as the years went on it would gain it's full strength of being the best way, though they would still hold the tryouts as always as well.


Stepping onto the stage and giving the group a wave, she wondered if she could find her daughter in the stands. Hearing the introductions she smiled, "HELLO HOGWARTS! Most of you will know my son, Bart Culloden maybe more than me, but I am Victoria Culloden, Department Head of Magical Sports and Games, the head of all Professional Quidditch." Yes she took great pride in saying that and being able to help every year get the Quidditch season moving. "I've been part of professional Quidditch for over ten years now and let me tell you, I get just as excited as you to see the players and games. I am so excited about Quidditch at Hogwarts and want to wish all the houses good luck as they play their final games, though I have to stay true to my house, GO HUFFLEPUFF!!!"


The excitement in the air was fully bringing excitement in her. She had a speech if she needed it, but she looked around the stands to see if any of the students had anything to say to her first.

Daisy gave Vivian a smile and wave as she made her way to the proceedings. "Hello, Viv!" Daisy greeted.

Daisy's attention was now focused towards the stage as Victoria Culloden appeared. Victoria was a fellow Hufflepuff and the Head of the Ministry department that Daisy was hoping to be a part of in the future. She listened to Victoria's words rapt with as much attention as possible without seeming odd.

Since she was a quidditch player, Emmalyn figured she should probably know who the Victoria person was, but she had no idea. She simply waved back and smiled while listening to her speech. Then she said it. Hufflepuff. She was a Hufflepuff.

Um, yes, GO Hufflepuff!

Emmalyn started chanting "HUFFLEPUFF! HUFFLEPUFF! HUFFLEPUFF! HUFFLEPUFF!"

As she chanted, she waved her hands in the air and encouraged her housemates to chant as well.

Hufflepuff sure were dominating this thing, weren't they? Abra, decked out in regular jeans with his special Gryffindor Quidditch hooded sweatshirt and captain's badge for some of that house pride, was struggling to find many Gryffindors in the crowd that had so far formed. More alarmingly, familiar friendly faces were even harder to come by. He was, at least, managing to catch some glimpses of housemates and the occasional flash of red in the crowd, so that was definitely something, but he found himself wishing he'd made plans to meet up with Bel or Junia or the twins before heading out here. In fact, why hadn't he done that? Rookie error.

As a captain and as someone who'd had a helping hand in this event, Abra felt pretty obligated to be here, but he didn't exactly feel comfortable, despite supposedly being in his element. Perhaps it was all the hype, all the expectation of 'pep', and the fact that he felt distinctly pep-less, or perhaps it was just that he was feeling particularly introverted these days and preferred to just mill around quietly, but he definitely felt a little bit, uhh... very out of place.

Well, whatever. This was a pep rally, and they were supposed to be, you know, rallying pep, and he couldn't handle the guilt that came with just quietly lingering at the edges of the event until it was over, so he was gonna fake it 'til he made it. Or. You know. Try to.

That mostly involved a lot of clapping and whooping when Baldvinsson announced their first guest - but... not so much that it made him stand out ever so much - and then settling down to hear exactly what she had to say.

Okay, but seriously. Were there any friends nearby he could just sort of... linger with for a while?

Maddie laughed slightly at Emmalyn's choice of words. Hufflepuffy was a good way of describing the stage area. She shrugged then said, "Maybe we're just early?" she suggested. Or maybe everyone else was already eating. Maddie was pretty hungry. Maybe she'd stroll that way soon. Then Daisy reminded her of why they were all at the stage area in the first place and should likely stay there. That mysterious red velvet curtain was still hiding...something. Whatever it might be.

Then Skylar showed up and spread a little green on the Hufflepuffiness. Heh. Another new word! "Hey, Skylar!" she said. She still remembered how the older girl had played a small part in convincing Maddie to sign up for Quidditch in the first place. Then Professor Baldvinsson caught her attention, and she turned back to the stage. OHHH, were things getting started?!

So this was a pep rally for the final matches?!Well, in that case... "HUFF-LE-PUFF! HUFF-LE-PUFF! HUFF-LE-PUFF!" she chanted. Oh, yeah! They were going to be the loudest ones out there, she was sure! She managed to overhear Cutie Charlie over the loudness of her chants. "A practice match against the professionals? I don't know if I'm good enough for that!" She stayed quiet to hear Mrs. Culloden's speech, but when the woman began cheering for Hufflepuff, Maddie just couldn't help it.

"HUFF-LE-PUFF! HUFF-LE-PUFF! HUFF-LE-PUFF!" she chanted again.

Nerves. Nerves, nerves, nerves.

Being at Hogwarts was...a wild feeling. Mostly everyone he knew had came here. Els, Linc and Charlie. The good people. His friend, his brother and his wife. And he hadn't. So it definitely felt strange to be on this turf when his whole education had been at the British Quidditch Academy.

Or was it just that Tristan was overall a bundle of nerves when he was off a broom?

He followed Mrs Culloden on the stage, and raised a hand in greeting to the small crowd. "Hi. Uh... hi. I'm uh... Tristan. Tristan Darcy. You...might know me? I guess? Maybe? Probably? I'm a seeker. And uh.... hi???" He'd only agreed to this because Charlie had wanted to bring Bethie with them to see the castle today and they were somewhere around.

Nerves.

After a quick stop for food, Elissa made her way to the stage area. The fourth year was the picture of Hufflepuff pride in a yellow shirt, black skirt, and black and yellow striped tights and matching beanie. If only she could've brought her pygmy puff to the festivities with her. She'd knitted her a cute little Hufflepuff hat and scarf and everything, but the poor thing didn't like loud noises. Oh well, probably for the best... she wouldn't want Rosa to be scared! And she had her badger plush in her bag. She'd even charmed it to dance and yell, "GO HUFFLEPUFF!"

Oh, no! She wasn't late, was she? It seemed she just got there when Ms. Culloden started speaking. Her brown eyes scanned the crowd, and she spotted a group of her housemates (Maddie, Daisy, Emmalyn, and Charlie). She waved at the Head Girl and Quidditch Captains as she passed, greeting them with a whispered, "Hi." Ducking her head so as not to block anyone's view, she made her way through the rows of chairs to sit near the other Hufflepuffs. "Hi, guys,"
she said with a smile. "Did I miss much?"

Oh, Ms. Culloden was a Hufflepuff too? That knowledge had Elissa on her feet cheering and applauding, and out came her dancing badger plush.

Yeah, Fiyero wasn't feeling all that peppy today. Chalk it up to a combination of an all night NEWTs cram session and his lingering bitterness about being passed up for Gryffiindor captain twice.Any house pride he once had was pretty much gone with his hopes of playing professional quidditch, but he had enough loyalty to his friends to make an appearance.

Well, he supposed this could be fun. It was a break from NEWTs studying, and he was mildly interested in the mystery presentation. Maybe they were giving away a brand new broom? Or a famous quidditch team signing autographs. He had his camera strapped around his neck and his quaffle tucked into his bag to get signed in case it was the latter. He'd stick around long enough to see what was going on and snap a few shots, but if he saw Marchand, he was out of here... otherwise he was liable to chuck his quaffle at his stupid face. Probably no danger there, though; he was pretty sure the stage area would be too loud for his Head of House.

Blink, blink. Holy Hufflepuffs, Batman! For a minute, Fiyero wondered if we was here on the wrong day and this pep rally was just for the Badgers. Wouldn't surprise him a bit with the lack of sleep he'd been getting the past few months... But then he saw Kirk and Skylar. "Hey, guys," he said, waving to them. "Good luck in your matches." See, he was a perfectly good sport toward those who deserved to be on their house teams! He noticed half the Hufflepuff team here too, but he'd wish them luck a bit later; they seemed a bit busy cheering at the moment.

Oh, and there was Abra waaaay over there. Hey... He waved to the Gryffindor captain, but he wan't going to embarrass him by yelling to him. He was welcome to come join him if he wanted. As angry as he was at being passed over for captain, he didn't blame the younger boy for it. It was a job anybody would want, and it wasn't as if he twisted anyone's arm and demanded to be made captain.

Making his way through the crowd, Fiyero spotted Vivian and headed over to sit in the row behind her. "Hey, Viv," he greeted, pretending to fiddle with his camera to hide his goofy smile at the sight of her face paint. "Nice paint." He'd opted for something a bit more subtle himself:
red streaks in his blond hair, so red and gold... sorta. He also wore a red graphic t-shirt with a lion on the front and matching red sneakers with gold laces.

Before he could say anything else, the Games and Sports Head started speaking. He listened somewhat intently, but his attention perked up when he saw Tristan Darcy take the stage. Might know him?! DUH! He was pretty sure everybody here knew him... or, knew of him anyway. Now Fiyero was actually getting excited!

"Huff-le-puff! Huff-le-puff! Huff-le-puff! Huff-le-puff!"

She continued to chant, thankful that Maddie joined along. It was a pep rally and she had a lot of pep to share. Their little Hufflepuff group was growing and it was about to get crazy!!

She did, however, stop her chanting when the nervous looking Tristin took the stage. Poor guy looked as if he may faint. It appeared he was not a public speaker. "Hi Tristin! You're doing great! Woo hoo!" He was a seeker, which was cool, and everyone deserved a little encouragement.

While Tristin was still up there, Elissa had arrived and she caught sight of her. "Hi, Elissa! Come over here by me. You didn't miss much. They just started a few minutes ago." She hadn't spent much outside of class time with Elissa lately and it was a good reminder that she needed to see her friend for fun stuff more often. "Did you have a chance to hit the buffet tables? The grilled pineapple was amazing."

Her shirt was green.

That was something, right?

Right. If this pep rally had happened at any other point over the last four years, Felicity would have been all over it. As it were, however, she wasn't really in the mood - she was tired, basically surviving on coffee, and all she could think of was that it was cutting into her study time for the day. She tried to tell herself that Valko recommended breaks, and whatnot, that he'd even put them into her study timetable, but it wasn't working.

Maybe if it had been Quodpot, or if there was a Cheer team, she'd have been in a better mood. Either way, she was here, she was wearing green and she had a smile on her face. This was for her Snake Sisterhood.

.....Well, the first speaker was a Hufflepuff. She had made that very clear, but Vivian decided to be a good sport and clap for when Miss Victoria Culloden had finished her speech. She could really use some Slytherin speaker here or something. Would have been uplifting for her mood given recent things.

Oh, and Vivian offered a pleasant smile. “Hey, Daisy.” The beauty of pep rallies was that it united all houses for a day. She had wished for more of these as a student here, but she was... leaving soon. A wave was offered to another Hufflepuff (Elissa) whom, honestly, Vivian didn’t know. There were far too many faces at Hogwarts for her to remember every single one.

But Vivian knew that one. That was the seeker for the Wigtown Wanderers! She’d watched a couple of matches with being playing before. Perks of having an aunt in the professional word of Quidditch, that is. It had loads of advantages in terms of getting good seats to games.

“Zorro!” Vivian greeted with a smile. And yes, that camera wasn’t really hiding too much of that goofy smile of his. She could see it, sort of, but chose to ignore. It wasn’t every day she had green face paint on. “Thanks! You look festive too.” Very Gryffindor. It made the though funnier because the colours of Slytherin and Gryffindor just...made it seem like Christmas.

And Liss! Vivian wiggled her fingers at her dorm mate, a smile on her face. Lots of people present today. She needed the distraction.

Elissa smiled as she saw the Head Girl wave back at her, but that was the extent of the interaction. After all, she didn't know much about her other than her name and the fact she was the Head Girl and Slytherin seeker, so an attempt at conversation might be weird.

She beamed at Emmalyn as she moved to sit next to her. She was glad she didn't miss much; she wanted to take part in all the fun, and besides, it would be rude not to show up! She giggled a little at the mention of food. "Yeah, I probably spent more time at the buffet than I should've." What could she say? She got distracted by all the delicious food and lost track of time. Her mouth watered at the mere thought of the pineapple. "I know! I wish I had some more of it now. Do you think there'll be any left after this?"

Elissa turned her attention to the stage as Mr. Darcy started speaking. Was it bad that she had no idea who he was until he introduced himself? She wasn't a particularly big quidditch fan - she preferred the arts to sports - and her family only followed the Italian team. Did he even say what team he played for? If he did, she didn't hear it. She thought to ask Emmalyn, but she didn't want to embarrass herself by showing just how little she knew about quidditch teams. As she listened, she noticed that the poor fellow seemed awfully nervous. She couldn't blame him; she'd probably faint if she had to speak in front of that many people! She gave him an encouraging smile, hoping to put him more at ease.

Fiyero chuckled at the all too familiar nickname. Hey, it sounded a lot cooler than Fiyero anyway! The compliment caught him a little off guard, and he lost his grip on his camera. The only thing that saved it from tumbling to the ground and breaking was the strap around his neck. Thank Merlin he hadn't removed it! He couldn't afford a new camera right now...

He stared at the floor to hide the blush rising to his face. Well, that was awkward! After wiping his sweaty hands on his jeans, he realized that he hadn't thanked Vivian for the compliment yet. "I, uh... thanks, Viv," he said, running a hand through his streaked hair. Smooth move, Fiy, he thought.

He'd better focus on the speaker before he did anything to make himself look any stupider! The blond Gryffindor leaned to one side, trying to aim his camera. It was hard to get a good shot without standing, but he didn't want to block the view of whoever was behind him. That, and knowing how his day was going so far, he'd probably trip over his own feet and send somebody to the hospital wing! He wondered if the rest of the Wanderers were here too; he'd love to get some pictures of the entire team. "Do you think he'll be signing autographs?" he asked.

It was great to be back at Hogwarts for a Quidditch pep rally, now that the sport was officially reinstated at the school. Sure, he wished that he could have played in that capacity when he was a student here, but Henry was excited for all the kids that had the opportunity now. And when Mr. B asked if he could make an appearance, he made sure to take a little time out of his busy schedule after he spoke to his publicist.

And the crowd was great. Henry hung back a moment while Mrs. Culloden and Darcy introduced themselves, but his eyes were drawn to all the Hufflepuffs watching and cheering, and he couldn't help the grin on his face because of them. And he kept that cheerful grin when it was his turn to address the crowd.

"Hello, everyone!" he greeted students and staff alike with a wave. "I'm sure most of you know me since it wasn't that long ago that I was a student here, too." Or if they followed Quidditch at all, they were sure to know him that way. "I'm Henry Whittebrook, of course - former Hufflepuff and Head Boy, and current chaser for the Kenmare Kestrels." He paused a moment to let the chants of Hufflepuff die down a little. "I'm very excited to be here with you all today and to see Quidditch make its comeback to Hogwarts! It's great to see all that badger pride and spirit Hufflepuff is famous for... GO HUFFLEPUFF!!" It was okay that he was biased, right? He was excited for all of them, really, but he loved his former house best of all.