Laughing In The Face Of Bludgers... Then Ducking (Ernest)

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After practicing on the Pitch all winter, it was finally spring! The Gryffindor team could practice under pleasant conditions... well unless it rained. But not today... it was gorgeous outside! The breeze was perfect, the sun was just warm enough, and the Pitch looked perfect. Dom took in a deep breath as she held her Firebolt. It was a not a new model, but it was somewhat new, a Christmas gift from her family last winter. The important thing was that it was fast and worked for her. Dom had played many a fine game with it since she got it.

Beside Dom was her cat, Poof, who was out enjoying the beautiful warm weather. The poor cat had been inside the tower all winter to stay warm. He was quite happy to have the fresh air and plenty of room to roam about. Dom looked down and smiled to see Poof checking out a little flower. The cat looked back up at her and gave a meow.

"That's right, Poof!" she said. "Today is our day! We're going to kick arse on the Pitch! Well, I am, but you'll watch, right?" Another meow from Poof. Dom bent down and pet him. "I knew you would! Always my biggest fan!"

Dom them pulled a bowl out of her backpack, followed by her wand. She tapped the bowl with it.

"Aquamenti!" she said. The bowl filled with water. "There, in case you get thirsty while we're out." She gave Poof another little pet before she stepped over and readied her broom. "First, let's do a little speed test before we bring out the practice Quaffles." She mounted her broom and it rose off the ground.

Soon, she was soaring around the Pitch. This was one of her favorite parts of both practicing and playing Quidditch, just speeding about on her broom and seeing how fast she could go. She let out a big "Woooooooooo!" as she soared, occasionally, but briefly, raising her arms in the air before gripping the Firebolt again. After a few circles around the Pitch, she landed again. Yep, her broom was fast and ready for the next match.

"Alright, Poof," she said to her cat, who was now drinking away from the water bowl. "Time to grab the practice Quaffles, and hopefully some of the other team will be here to have a bit of fun." Another meow from Poof.

ERNEST FALCON HOLMES

[ERNEST FALCON HOLMES]

TROUBLE IS A FRIEND

Ernest threw the blood stained tissue into the trash can in the corner of his dorm room. It was his fifth nosebleed since the beginning of spring. Goddamned spring with its pollen. Even with all the mighty power of magic and witchcraft, he could not stop the sneezing, runny eyes and nosebleeds. Perhaps Aubrey would find them entertaining, he assumed, and an increase in her teasing would not be unpleasant at all. After all, a little more attention could be enjoyable. But at the same time, he tried to minimize the chance of encountering her in such horrible conditions, with those pathetic bloodshot eyes and red, runny nose that made him look as if he could collapse anytime. He wanted to look like he was trustworthy and strong enough for her to rely on, especially after what had happened the summer before.

The thought of Aubrey’s premature first hunt brought a frown to his pale face. He gripped the broom harder until his knuckles turned white, his nails dug so deep into the skin of his palm it almost bled. Every time Ernest recalled their conversation by the autumn lake, he wanted to punish himself. Hard. For being so ignorant of the terror she had had to face in his absence. For being helpless when she had needed him. For getting mad at her, even when he had not meant to. He had not tried to accuse her of irrationality or anything like that. He had only been too taken by the thought that he could have lost her without being able to do anything. Countless nights, he had wished he could have shot an arrow through Kayden Sciarra’s arrogant heart so that he could never foolishly put her in such danger ever again. Then again, so many times he had wished he could have been a better mentor to Aubrey. Perhaps the incident was his fault.

The Gryffindor sighed as he left his dorm and made his way to the Quidditch pitch. It was not the most ideal time for practicing, with all the pollen floating in the air outside. But a bit of flying would help take his mind off the trouble for the time being.

One often expected a Seeker to be smaller – not a six foot tall guy. He occasionally pondered on switching roles with the Keeper or one of the Beaters, although of course, he utterly had no doubt in the ladies’ Quidditch capabilities. They were, after all, the Weasleys. At least his skills as a Hunter allowed him to be more than sufficiently fast and flexible for his duties as a Seeker, despite his large figure.

From the distance, he could already see a red dot shooting across the blue skies like a red shooting star at daytime. He heard her, too. So much liveliness for a spring day. At least someone was happy that spring was finally here. As the distance closed up, the delicate features of Dominique Weasley became clearer to his eyes. Under the sun, her hair seemed to be glowing red. Her face was radiating with so much enthusiasm it brought a smile to his weary face. He bent his knees to gently pet the cat before looking up again.

“Someone is full of energy today!” He said, loudly enough for the girl flying above to hear. ”Mind if I joined?”

Not waiting for her approval, he took a Quaffle, got on his own broom and flew up to her. Once close enough, he threw the ball in her direction, before smiling and winking with his bloodshot eye.

“I can be the Keeper for today!”

tag: @dominique
note: I'm so sorry for the late reply! >.<

TEMPLATE BY ELIZA @ Delusional & SP