#these span about 2 months and 160 chapters

[mayhemchicken-artblog]

VARNEY POSTING PART 11: Legacy Varney Shitposts, aka "all the early ones i did where the hair + clothing isn't historically accurate because i hadn't bothered to research it yet and now it Bothers Me"

[synchronousemma]

17th February: Frank Churchill longs to dance again

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Read: Vol. 2, ch. 11 (29); pp. 160–162 (“It may be possible to do without dancing” through to “quite amiable enough”).

Context

Emma and Mr. Woodhouse spend the evening at Randalls. Emma and Frank scheme after another opportunity for dancing.

We know that this occurs a “few days” (vol. 2, ch. 12; p. 167) before “two days” (ibid.) before “Tuesday” the 22nd (vol. 2, ch. 13; p. 172); thus it must be the 17th unless “a few” can be allowed to mean “two.”

This chapter was misnumbered XIII in the 1815 edition.

Note that the last paragraph of the first section (“The Advantage of Being in Vogue”) contains spoilers.

Readings and Interpretations

The Advantage of Being in Vogue

This section opens with the following memorable passage:

It may be possible to do without dancing entirely. Instances have been known of young people passing many, many months successively, without being at any ball of any description, and no material injury accrue either to body or mind;—but when a beginning is made—when the felicities of rapid motion have once been, though slightly, felt—it must be a very heavy set that does not ask for more. (p. 160)

For Graham Hough this is the “authorial” voice, separate from the narrator, which exists for no purpose other than to “establish a footing of agreeable complicity between author and reader” (p. 204). Rachel Oberman, however, argues that this passage originates with the narrator, a separate, “objective” personality who narrates characters’ “subjective” thoughts. She writes:

In many instances, it is difficult to distinguish the heroine’s voice from the narrator’s because their voices share a similar style and vocabulary, and this connection helps the narrator to fuse her voice to Emma’s less noticeably. In Emma the narrative voice is charming and high-spirited, much like the eponymous heroine’s voice. The narrative voice in [this] passage is as pleasant and worldly as Emma’s own voice. (p. 4)

Robert Polhemus writes that Austen’s irony “depends on its audience to detect and complete meanings extending beyond the literal sense of the language. […] Irony is her mind’s bridge between what is and what may be or ought to be, and at times it spans and supports alternative interpretations of reality, none of which she is ready to discard” (p. 66). He says of this passage:

At first this appears to be just a piece of rather obvious irony directed against the tendency of young people and others to make much of little. Of course it is “possible to do without dancing.” But on second thought there is a deeper irony. Humanity may be able to do without dances, but we can’t be very sure, since the race seems seldom to have tried. […] And that precise, yet generalizing, elegant, typically Austenian phrase “the felicities of rapid motion” extends the irony further. All dances are essentially mating dances, and the end, as well as the means, of dancing is the felicity of rapid motion. Through such prose and such manifold strands of irony Austen brings home the importances of the “little things” she writes about and of the whole tenor of women’s belittled lives. A conventional ironist might find balls trivial, much ado about nothing, but the ironist of genius may discover that dancing is even more significant than anxious dancers can imagine and that just as a dance may be much more important to a particular woman than a Napoleonic war, so might the fact of dancing be just as significant to the human race as the face of battle (p. 67)

Oberman’s argument that it can be “difficult to distinguish the heroine’s voice from the narrator’s” holds true when, a little further down the page, someone suggests that the “wicked aids of vanity” (p. 160) are increasing Emma’s wish to dance: is this narrator’s dour moral condemnation, or Emma’s knowing, playful self-mockery? As for Frank, of course his desire to dance again (and more specifically to re-collect the party that had been at the Coles’ two days before) can be explained by his thwarted attempt to dance with Jane Fairfax on that occasion.

Quite Amiable—Enough

Mr. Woodhouse, after the others have considered a scheme to dance across a passage between two rooms, laments that Frank Churchill “has been opening the doors very often this evening, and keeping them open very inconsiderately” (p. 161). Jonathan Grossman, who argues that “maintaining proper etiquette” is the “leisure class’s everyday work” in Emma (p. 146), writes of Mr. Woodhouse’s speech and Mrs. Weston’s reaction to it (from “it would be the extreme of imprudence” to “Every door was now closed”, p. 161):

At first glance Mr. Woodhouse’s reaction to Frank may seem little more than the ramblings of a petty hypochondriac. Yet when Mr. Woodhouse converts his fear of dancing in drafts into a condemnation of Frank’s “thoughtless” and “inconsiderate” behavior, his [class-based] authority is quietly asserted. […] Mr. Woodhouse’s lowered voice is heard by others besides Mrs. Weston, as is shown by the generalized and serious reaction to it that follows.

Registering Frank’s disrespect, Mr. Woodhouse acts not as a guiding autocrat but as a seismograph for tremors. He reacts. […] [P]reoccupied with matters that seem to be irrelevant, Mr. Woodhouse can all the more effectively test and register obedience to the strictures of politeness. (p. 147)

Grossman argues that this failure of etiquette is what makes Frank unmarriageable to Emma: “Her father’s disqualification of Frank Churchill is not lost on Emma, though she remains silent. In fact, her silence may suggest that she is thinking rather than hastening as usual to rescue her father from agitation and to smooth over discord” (p. 147). Later, Emma’s thoughts on the dance floor, “rendered in free indirect style, contain the novel’s first specific indication that she has decided that she is not interested in marrying Frank” (p. 148) (“Had she intended ever to marry him, it might have been worth while to pause and consider…”, p. 162).1

For J. F. Burrows, “Emma’s multi-faceted relationship with Frank Churchill […] can be epitomized at last in the rise and fall of her belief that he is “amiable” (p. 93). This is a word that Emma uses “more carefully” than do others in Highbury at this point of the novel, after having learned from her mistake in misapplying it to Elton (or when, for example, Miss Bates calls Miss Campbell “extremely elegant and amiable” (E vol. 2, ch. 1 [19]; p. 103), and Emma “comments drily on the proviso, ‘Yes, that of course’” (Burrows, p. 94).

Burrows argues, in particular, that Emma uses the term in a way that emphasizes its etymological association with love (and this is why Knightley responds as he does to her calling Frank “amiable”; E vol. 1, ch. 18; pp. 96–7). At first, Emma decides that Frank is “amiable” on the basis of his letter (ibid.); later, Emma’s “intimacy” with him ends after he teases Jane, against her protests, at the Coles’ party (and she “never confides in him again”; Burrows p. 93). Now she calls him “amiable” for the last time, but “in an ironically diminished sense” (p. 95): “Had she intended ever to marry him, it might have been worth while to pause and consider, and try to understand the value of his preference, and the character of his temper; but for all the purposes of their acquaintance, he was quite amiable enough” (E p. 162).

Footnotes

Earlier, though, Emma had been “guessing how soon it might be necessary for her to throw coldness into her air” towards Frank (vol. 2, ch. 8; p. 137). How Emma’s prediction that she may never marry at all interacts with her specific decision that she would not marry Frank Churchill is not always clear.

Discussion Questions

What is the narrative or thematic purpose of the paragraph about dancing that opens this section? At what level does its irony function?

What does Frank Churchill’s determination to dance say about him as a character, or his place in the narrative?

Why do the others give up the scheme of dancing across the two adjoining rooms as soon as Mr. Woodhouse objects?

Bibliography

Austen, Jane. Emma (Norton Critical Edition). 3rd ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, [1815] 2000.

Burrows, J. F. Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’. Sydney: Sydney University Press (1968).

Hough, Graham. “Narrative and Dialogue in Jane Austen.” Critical Quarterly 12.3 (1970), pp. 201–29. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8705.1970.tb02333.x.

Oberman, Rachel Provenzano. “Fused Voices: Narrated Monologue in Jane Austen’s Emma.” Nineteenth-Century Literature 64.1 (June 2009), pp. 1–15. DOI: 10.1525/ncl.2009.64.1.1.

Polhemus, Robert M. “Jane Austen’s Comedy.” In The Jane Austen Companion, ed. J. David Grey et al. New York: Macmillan (1986), pp. 60–71.

[comicteaparty]

February 29th-March 6th, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from February 29th, 2020 to March 6th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

What is the thing you’re proudest about regarding your story?

Deo101 [Millennium]

I hope saying "That I'm actually doing it, and that I'm still doing it and loving every minute of it" Is an okay answer ^^ there is a lot that I am very proud of myself for with regards to this comic, but I think I take the most pride in actually sticking with something for this long.

carcarchu

I agree with deo, sticking with it is what i'm most proud of and it's probably one of the hardest things to do

Capitania do Azar

Hah I can't say I'm proud of everything, right?

It's hard to put it in words but I really enjoy the comic making process and I'm proud of what I'm accomplishing with it, both in terms of writing and of art. And I think it's rather visible that I put a ton of effort into it

Spring-heeled Jack

I am proud that I prepped ahead of time because the last two times I tried, I didn't. Both times I got about 10 pages in and quit because I felt overwhelmed. With the story itself, I think I'm proud of my characters. Characters are the easiest part for me (plot and central conflict I always flounder on) but I'm still so pleased with them.(edited)

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

For me, it's just getting the work out there. Actually finishing chapters. compared to the first comic story I want to put out, this story I know for sure where its going and gives me a sense of ease? There's some days when I feel i'm slumping along but in the end, I'm pretty happy how it turned out. Pretty much what Deo and carcarchu said lol: my story is long but not super long, but I'm glad I'm still working on it among my other stories I want to share (edited)

Ash🦀

For me, what I'm most proud of is my artist, Katie. We're a collaborative team, I'm just the writer so I don't do much. And she takes my words and just... adds so much life to them. Seeing every page she makes is so amazing. Every time she's growing in her style in leaps and bounds, and seeing her push her lighting, expressions, and unusual panel styles, ugh, it's just so cool seeing her grow. I am so proud of her and what she's done, she's a total rockstar and I love her. I couldn't have done this without her, and every day I'm more grateful to her.

DanitheCarutor

That is a really good question, I don't really show pride in stuff I do usually. I guess the closest to being proud was either when my new comic passed the stopping mark for my old comic, which was discontinued at chapter 3, or when I got chapter 1 rescanned for print recently. The latter was kinda challenging because I rebubbled the whole chapter, and how I rebubbled was a little... awkward, pasting over the old bubbles in photoshop afterward.

Sorry! Apparently the image file was weird.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I actually semi-recently wrote a raving tweet thread relevant to this topic. Basically, for years and years, I did not know what it meant to be proud of your work. I've been happy with my work, both the process and the result. But was "proud of my work" completely synonymous with "happy with my work"? I legit did not know. Even asked a former English teacher friend, who's very good at explaining this sorta things, and I still didn't get it. Then as I made progress through the most recent chapter, I noticed this brand new, strange feeling welling up in me. Yep, you guessed it. For the first time ever after starting this comic, I was proud of what I was making. Not just happy with it, but proud of it. Took me a while to realize, oh, this is proud. Afterward, something happened IRL that temporarily borked my sense of time (one specific week felt like months). So because it felt like it had been months since I made it, I got to experience the last couple pages of the chapter as a reader, not its creator. And I gotta say, thank you past me, you've made something truly heartfelt, and you had every reason to be proud of this. In short: I'm proud of how my comic is an honest reflection of what my heart wants to see, what I want to read. And I'm proud of my most recent chapter being the pinnacle of that. I hope to make more, higher pinnacles down the road, as I continue my way through this story.

spacerocketbunny

I'm proud of how me and @FeatherNotes(Krispy) have shaped our characters and fleshed them out! I'm also super proud of our team dynamic and how if something didn't feel right in the story or art etc., we've always challenged it and come up with something better and stronger! Because we've been so thorough and willing to reconsider, I'm always perfectly comfortable to stand by what we've put out there, even if we've had to go back and fix past mistakes!

Mei

Hoh boy, the thing I'm proudest about in My Husband is a Cultist is the audience interaction. I've been told the comic is funny, and that makes me immensely chuffed, because it means I'm doing something right. I'm always so nervous when putting my work out there with how it's going to be received. That seeing people engage with the story and find it funny and liking the characters... it just warms my heart so much, and it makes me truly feel like I'm on the right path. I'm also pretty proud of the stuff I've written that's not been featured in the comic yet. I look forward to developing those and making them come to life, and I hope people enjoy the grittier parts of this strange comedy as much as I do! And mostly I'm proud that I'm still doing it and haven't given up yet. My lord, I just don't know how it's gonna keep going! but hopefully just onwards and upwards!

eli [a winged tale]

Reading through all of these and I’m so touched. Super proud of you all!

I’m most proud in finally chasing my dreams. Life threw me a bunch of curveballs and creating this comic is a reflection of how I dealt with things and at the same time be thankful for what I have. When I reread my comic I can see mistakes but I also see parts of myself that are genuine. I can’t wait to continue on the story and let the comic be part of my life moving forwards

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

My comic went on so long behind the scenes before I was comfortable enough to share it, so I tend to think of my past self quite differently than my current self. So, I'm very proud of 'past me!' She started the project completely unaware of how long it would last or what it would become - just a few characters and story threads and a whoooole lot of ambition - and my present self has had the pleasure of weaving those threads into a project I'm truly proud of. The comic has brought me so much joy - much of it delayed, like a ticking time bomb - and it's all thanks to my younger self. She wasn't sure of what she was doing - but now I know she made some excellent decisions in the beginning. I'm very grateful she started all of this. It's made my life all the more joyful

chalcara [Nyx+Nyssa]

I got a BUFFER. My first non-fancomic died because of work-comittments and lack of buffer, but on Nyx+Nyssa I manage to work ahead. More than anything I am proud of the discipline I developed to allow for that.

FeatheryJustice

I'm proud of almost completing Teasday. I had some long hiatuses but I will finish the story for now. Also proud of where I grown from the beginning of that story to now. The time and effort shows that I did do a lot, which makes me really happy to know.

Nutty (Court of Roses)

I'm proud of a lot of the work that goes into my comic, but what I'm most proud of was this page. I wanted this to be grand and a pivotal moment if what the comic was about. I don't think even a couple years I could've done anything at this scale, but I split the areas into chunks that I completed over the span of two weeks. Always look upon this page fondly.

eli [a winged tale]

That is gorgeous!

Spring-heeled Jack

Impressive!

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

I can point out four moments in Super Galaxy Knights http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/comics/ that I'm the most proud of - 1. The end of Book 1 Chapter 4. Chapter 4 was intended to be a big "growing the beard" moment for the comic's action setpieces - the first three chapters were more about introducing characters and plot elements than actual action, so I consider chapter 4 to be the first "real" fight of the comic. The way the action was presented in chapter 4 would go on to represent how action would be presented throughout the rest of the comic, and IMO I pulled it off fantastically. 2. The end of Book 1. Kinda self-explanatory, but Book 1 was the first major story arc of the comic - the fact that I managed to pull together a satisfying conclusion, something that I theoretically could have ended the comic on, was super satisfying to me. 3. This page: http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/images/comics/160/30997a1543363807f2141157006.gif . When I wrote in my Book 2 script "they fight for a bit in a big looping animation" back in 2016 I was hoping my animation skills would advance to the point where I could pull it off. And it turns out, they did. 4. Well... today. Ever since starting the comic back on leap day 2016, I knew today would be a big milestone, and I'm proud of myself for sticking with this project long enough to get to this four year mark.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

oh my god, that looks incredible and I've never seen a page like that before!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I am not very far into my comic, but when I try to think about what I am most proud of in my work, it is definitely all the behind-the-scenes work I have put into the comic. The world-building. The map-making, language developing, culture exploring, building a political structure, writing histories, character work, etc. All this time and energy I devoted to something that wouldn't be seen by others for many years to come. It is only now starting to come to fruition, despite technically having been working on this project since 2014, with the first scripts, the first character designs, and the first paragraphs about the world of Whispers of the Past. All this work that nobody will ever see. I am proud of sticking with it and putting my heart and soul into it despite the lack of return for so long. I have given up my adolescence to this project, and I am giving up the rest of my youth. But when I think about it, there is no worthier recipient. Because without this story, I feel like a large part of my identity would be gone.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Thank you @Eightfish (Puppeteer) ! The storyboarding alone for that animation took a week so I'm glad you like it!

eli [a winged tale]

I totally get you Cronaj! So much goes behind the scenes but that creates the world’s depths and it will resonate with readers! continues dedicating the rest of my life to comics

SL Black

@Cronaj (Whispers of the Past) yes! There is so much prep work involved. I have three full scripts for UO that will never see the light of day (mostly because they are terrible). Comics are such a marathon. All that hard work will be appreciated so much by your readers!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

@SL Black Man... That sounds like me. I myself went through at least 3 scripts too. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way about the BTS work

Desnik

I'm proud that I'm putting myself out there with a WIP comic script and learning how to not only write, but collaborate with other writers.

renieplayerone

Im really proud that i started a comic and have stuck with it for a year and just how much ive learned by making it^^

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I'm proud that even after 70 pages I've never missed a scheduled update!(edited)

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

Awe yeee thats always good to have a streak like that!

eli [a winged tale]

That is #goals!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Agreed!

[wearesungreenmylove]

Chapter Nine: Quidditch Is What Brings Us Together Today

Word Count: 2077

masterlist // previous // next

Luna’s tumblr is @stanverscom

also on ao3 and wattpad

The Hogwarts Express seems different this time. It's where Scorpius and I say hello on September 1st and goodbye at the end of the school year. I guess this time’s just different because he lived with me for a month during the summer before his dad was deemed fit to live at home again. So there's that. But there's also the familiarity with going to Hogwarts on September 1st on the train that calms my nerves.

I haven't seen him in 3 weeks. Will he have dyed his hair like he did second year? Will he have cut his hair short? I inhale and exhale. Checking the time on my wristwatch I'm surprised when it clicks over to 10:57. Where's Scorpius? He's usually here by now. I look all around the platform, but I don't see any sign of his or his father's unique white-blond hair. I start to panic when the clock ticks to 10:58. Everyone still on the platform is wishing their child goodbye as they usher them onto the train.

Where is he?

I sigh in relief when he comes barreling through the brick wall and onto the station, pushing a trolley with his luggage and Andromeda. He slips past people, rolling his cart faster and faster to get across the platform.

He makes it on with a minute to spare.

I pet Gingersnap in between her ears while waiting for Scorpius to get to the compartment. “You’re so cute, aren’t you?” I press the pad of my finger to Gi’s nose.

The door opens, startling me.

“Hey,” says Scorpius, waving at me awkwardly.

“Hey! How was the rest of your summer?”

He shrugs. “It was alright. We did pretty normal things, like going to the opera.” He sets Andromeda’s cage down on the seat and unlatches it, letting her fly free around the compartment. She hops out, surveys her surroundings, then flies up to the luggage racks above our heads. She preens her wings, then lets her head rest in between her shoulders. Her body rocks slightly with every movement of the train.

I scoff. “I can’t believe she just settles right in like that.”

“Yeah,” he looks up at her. “It is pretty unbelievable.” He looks back at me and takes a seat on the red cushioned booth. “Anyway, how was your summer? Did you play any more quidditch with your family?”

I smile. “Yes, actually. We went over to Gramma and Grandpa Weasley’s house and we saw everyone right before school, so we had time to play a bunch of quidditch instead of doing any studying.”

“Wow.” He raises his eyebrow and teasingly says “You’re getting to be so rebellious. How dare you not like studying all the time?”

I laugh. “You actually gonna try out this year? I know you have rebellious tendencies of your own.”

Scorpius smirks. “Yep. Seeker. Will I see you there?”

I try to remain as nonchalant as possible. “Maybe,” I shrug.

....

“Join the Quidditch team!” Riley Aberforth, the new Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, stands in the common room, a pile of flyers in zir hands. “Plenty of openings!” One of last years’ beaters walks by, and ze throws a flyer at him and hexes it to stick to his clothes.

I feel a little bad- almost all of our old players graduated last year, and it’s hard to find people willing to juggle Quidditch and studies. “C’mon, Riley, now I’ll never get it off,” The beater complains, trying and failing to pull it off of his robe sleeve.

“That’s the idea,” Ze replies savagely, and he sighs.

“Hey-” Scorpius walks up to zir, scratching the back of his neck. “I was wondering when seeker sign-ups were?”

Aberforth looks immensely relieved. “Two weeks from now,” Ze said, passing a flier to him. “Don’t miss it.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Scorpius says and throws a wink over his shoulder at me.

‘Shut up,’ I mouth at him, and he chuckles as he disappears into the boy’s dormitories.

I watch as Aberforth sticks a flier to the wall with a permanent sticking charm.

Maybe there'll be an easy chaser spot, I think.

…

I exhale and grip the handle of my broom tighter. Now that I’m here, everything seems exaggerated. I look to the stands at Scorpius. He waves, and I smile awkwardly, waving back. I’m really doing this.

Scorpius had been talking about trying out for seeker since he came over for the summer, but I only decided to try out for the chaser position three days before tryouts. It left me with a bit of a time crunch but, well, too late to worry about that now.

“And… start!” Aberforth throws the quaffle straight up into the air. One of the other chasers gets to it first- she dives and twists up in a move that I, luckily, recognize from years of playing with Albus and his sneaky tricks. I get the ball from her easily, and in a whirl of movement, I’ve already scored.

Aberforth blows zir whistle and looks impressed. “Good job, Weasley!”

I blush, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “It’s nothing, really,” I try to avoid, and ze smirks.

“Precisely,” Ze says, and throws the quaffle in the air once more.

...

It’s my turn.

There are a few assembled people- a blonde girl with bright eyes, a boy with comically oversized glasses- but most notably is Lorcan Scamander, looking completely out of place and practically swimming in his borrowed gear.

“Lorcan?” I ask, bewildered. “What’re you doing here?”

He jumps, then puffs out his chest, glaring. “I have every right to be here as you do,” He says defensively.

“Right, of course,” I say, “It’s just you don’t really seem… the type.” He manages to look even more outraged. “I can fly!”

“Right,” I say.

He finally deflates a little. “I mean, I heard Rosie was trying out, so I figured… why not?”

I blink.

He crosses his arms.

I blink again.

“Right,” I repeat.

He huffs and opens his mouth, clearly readying to lecture me, but luckily, Aberforth blows on zir whistle, and he closes his mouth.

“Alright, everyone know the rules?” Ze calls, and there’s no way ze isn’t using a sonorous charm. Even zir lungs aren’t that big.

Most people nod, but I frown. “No,” I say.

Ze sighs sharply. “Basically, I’m going to release the snitch.” Ze opens zir hand to reveal the snitch, wings fluttering against zir palm. “When someone catches it, my wand will flash- like so.” Ze lets it go, only to catch it out of the air immediately. Zir wand flashes a bright blue light twice. “When you catch it, release it immediately.”

“Okay,” I say.

“Whoever catches it the most times wins,” Ze finishes. “Three… two… one… go!” Ze lets it go, and immediately it takes off, zipping up into the sky and blending into the cloud coverage in the span of a blink.

Everyone scrambles to their brooms, Lorcan nearly falling off, and the game begins.

...

An hour of rigorous gameplay and half an hour of random, unannounced bludger attacks later, the game is over.

The blonde girl comes first with 13 catches.

I come at a close second with 8.

The boy with the glasses is third with 5.

Two angry-looking boys yell at each other in what sounds like French with a tie of 3.

Lorcan catches a grand total of 1.

Disappointed, I go to leave, but Aberforth quickly catches up, grabbing onto the edge of my sleeve. “Hey, Malfoy, wait up.”

I stop and turn to zir. “What?”

“Listen, I know what I said, but I think you have potential,” Ze explains. “Would you like to take a Chaser position alongside Weasley?” When my eyes widen, ze smirks. “Don’t tell her yet, postings aren’t up until after keeper tryouts.”

“Yes, of course,” I exclaim. “Thank you so much!”

“Our secret,” Ze says with a wink, and then ze is gone, jogging back to meet with the winner

When I meet up with Rose, she looks sympathetic. “I’m sorry you didn’t get seeker,” She says.

“Eh,” I say with a shrug and a broad smile. “I think everything’s gonna work out.”

...

Rose zooms across the other side of the field as we both head for the goals. I manage to get near the keeper from Gryffindor who’s tall and burly and looks like he could be better suited as a beater with his large shoulders.

Rose passes the quaffle to me, and I throw it into the hoop.

“It’s only their fourth game of the season and they’re already tearing up the scoreboards-That’s another ten points to Ravenclaw!”

I feel a sense of pride when I look over at Rose. We’re doing it.  

We’re becoming awesome players. Not being able to play with Rose and her family was annoying, but now I actually get to play with her and some of her siblings are on the opposite team.

“It looks like Potter is diving towards something- has he spotted the golden snitch?” Jordan's voice booms across the fields. “Hare is going after it too and it looks like it’s gonna be a close call! Oh, and she pulls up right before hitting the ground-and Potter is down!”

I look down to where he’s crash-landed on the wet grass. He gets up on his broom and flies back up to where we are.

Good move, Hare.

The burly keeper throws the quaffle back into the game, and Rose and I set into motion, me going for the ball and her towards the goal. Finnigan from Gryffindor flies up and sends a bludger right for Rose. I can only see it hurtling towards her before shouting a warning.

“Watch out Rose!”

She ducks, but it still manages to hit her elbow, knocking her even more off balance. “Thanks!” She calls to me. She still has the quaffle held in her good hand. She flips herself right side on her broom and passes it to Aberforth, who scores the goal easily.

The game goes on and on, but it doesn’t drag by at all. The adrenaline keeps me watching every move my team makes and I follow the quaffle with my eyes and broom.

Bordeaux scores a point.

“That’s another 10 points to Ravenclaw, making  it 190-160 Ravenclaw,” says Jordan. “This is a close call for Gryffindor, who has won all of their games for the last 2 years.”

I pass the quaffle to Rose.

“And the game’s over! The Ravenclaw seeker has caught the snitch, ending Gryffindor’s streak. Good job, Alaska Hare and the rest of the Ravenclaw team!”

...

“Good job team!” Aberforth calls from the top of people. Ze’re crowd surfing. The crowd whoops.

“Ravenclaw! Ravenclaw! Ravenclaw!” They chant, and I join in. Adrenaline still rushes through my veins.

Scorpius makes his way over to me, two butterbeers in his hands.”Do you want one?”

I take it. “Thanks.”

“No prob.” He rests his back against the wall, taking a sip of his drink. “They’ve also got some roast beef sandwiches from the kitchens if you want one.”

“Sure. Where?” I look over to him. He has a moustache of foam on his upper lip. I giggle. “You might wanna wipe that off.” I point at it.

He blushes and wipes it off with his sleeve. “Better?”

“Yep. It’s all gone now.”

He sticks his free hand in his jeans pocket. “So, sandwiches?”

I follow him to the corner of the commons room, where people are munching on the food offered at the table. I grab a sandwich, and Scorpius grabs the same, plus an apple.

“Let’s go sit down.” I motion towards the seats. Most of them are occupied, but there’s half of a couch still open. I set my plate and drink on the table, and settle into the soft couch. Scorpius does the same.

“Is it bad that I wish there weren’t as many people celebrating in the commons?” He takes a bite of his apple.

I shrug. “I don’t think so?” We barely see almost the entire house in one place besides the great hall for meals. “It’s weird to have everyone in here.” Especially partying. Everyone either has a drink or food in their hands and are chatting. Though there is one person I can’t seem to find. “Where’s Hare?” I ask.

“Probably enjoying the peace of the library.” He sighs wistfully.