I'll be Beating You!

((Ha ha! Nebraska won!))

The coach laughed out loud from pure glee.

"What? and risk losing this useless lump?" he asked in mock astonishment, jerking one thumb over his shoulder to indicate a man who looked as if he had just rolled out of bed, "are ya kidding me? I'll tell you what. I'll summon the athletic director, and tell him to get here as soon as possible. If everything goes as I believe it will, you will be our new starting beater, and Tremain here will be put on reserve!"

Tremain didn't look too happy about this, but he said nothing, merely taking off on his broom in a temper. James grinned over at Jack. He was excited. Perhaps now they had a chance for the League Cup this year.

"Shall we get started, then?" he asked before rising into the air.

Jack listened, her heart thumping more and more heavily in her chest as she felt the anticipation at the chance to prove herself rise within her. The coach went into the air and she stepped towards the Beaters, holding her hands out to both. One took her hand nervously, forcing a smile. The other turned and walked towards the Bludger that was lodged in the ground, intent on working it out.

She blinked, and one of the Chasers clapped a hand on her back, assuring her it was fine and complimenting her on her flying. Jack thanked the Chaser and looked over at James, grinning.

It had been a long time since she had a friend this willing to help her out.

She mounted her old Comet, and the upset Beater made some snarky comment about her outdated broom. She ignored it and sped after the coach, ready to hear what else he might have to say.

((We should make a list of the team to keep as our NPCs, since Jack and James will be seeing so much of them.))

((Sure. Kinda making names up as we go, but I'll message you about it. I'll name half the team and you can name half.))

James hung back for a couple seconds, and approached Tremain.

"Tremain," he said quietly, but sternly, "If your position was that important to you, you would have put in a much greater effort than your performance has been. Don't take your anger out on Jack, because of your own shortcomings. If you want your spot back on the team, then work for it."

Turning his back on Tremain, James mounted his broom and followed the rest of the team into the air. Glancing back, he saw that Tremain was stomping into the locker room. He was unconcerned, however. Tremain was on contract, and if he did not like how things were run here, then he could always put in for a transfer.

"Perhaps the Holyhead Harpies would take him," James laughed to himself in his mind, but quickly pushed that thought away. He reminded himself that the best beater he had ever flown with was a woman, and if he didn't watch it and said something to the effect of woman inferiority around Jack, he would have a fight he could never win on his hands.

James joined the team in a half-circle formation around the coach at playing level.

"Now," coach began, playing with the quaffle in his hands, "In our last match, much of our defeat was due to being knocked around by bludgers. Therefore, I want Dyllan and Murphy to handle the bludgers, while the rest of you practice evasive maneuvers. I want to see the sloth grip roll and some starfish and stick from our keeper. Need to learn how to dodge a bludger and save a goal at the same time. Beaters, aim to kill. Perhaps that will give you lot more incentive to dodge the blasted things."

Jack flew level to the coach, and soon the rest of the team was rising around her. Jack glanced down and saw James speaking what looked like some terse words to the Beater, who stormed off. Jack glanced down at her hands gripping the broom to tighten the straps of her gloves.

The Chaser who had spoken to her drew near, "Tremain has anger issues. We have to brutally insult him to get him to touch a Bludger, and then he's good. Otherwise, he's a potato-face." Jack snorted and the Chaser held out a hand. "Glen Laurie. Everyone calls me Striker."

A female Chaser piped up, "No we don't. You keep trying to start that and-"

"Shut it Nora!"

The coach blew the whistle. "Get to it!"

He waved his wand and all of the balls were free. Nora dove to get the Quaffle, and Jack sped off towards one of the Bludgers, determined to chase it down while the others fell into their rhythms.

James flew to his usual position, about fifty feet above the game. He didn't search right away for the snitch, as it was only practice, and it wouldn't be hard to find on a nice sunny morning like today. James watched as Walsh passed to Laurie, then Laurie to Faye. From previous practices, he knew that the trio would practice passing the quaffle between each other as quickly as possible while performing different formations. Right now they were practicing the Woollongong Shimmy.

James flew in a lazy circle around the stadium, watching the practice with interest. He glimpsed the gold glint of the snitch near the un-occupied goalpost, but did not go after it. He was too interested in how Jack would embolden the team.

Murphy flew near Jack, so that she could hear him clearly above the noise of the team.

"Want to try a Dopplebeater Defence, aiming it at Vance? I've been wanting to take him down a peg or two for a long time now, but Tremain was never up for it. I have a feeling that you got the talent."

((I swear I am going to make you look up each an every quidditch move at least once throughout the course of this thread!))

((Seriously! XD ))

Jack had reached the rogue Bludger and she hit it, swinging it towards the opposite side of the pitch, not to hit anyone (for it was too far for that) but simply to re-involve it in the game. She bent over her broom to approach the action when she saw Murphy approaching.

She swung towards him and jerked her head in response, shifting her grip on her bat. She glanced around and spotted the Bludger perfect for the job- fifteen feet above him and another fifteen behind. A perfect spike to the side that would send him spinning.

Jack glanced at Murphy, angling her broom to point at the Bludger. He took the clue and grinned- a second later they were headed straight for it. Jack picked up speed to get on the opposite side of it, before swinging towards it. Their brooms were now angled so that their collision point would have been the Bludger's location. She tossed her bat to her left hand so she could hit it. She leaned back, holding the bat a bit behind her. She and Murphy approached and-

THWAP.

Murphy and Jack's bat hit the Bludger, and the ball rocketed towards the Keeper, before colliding.

That was then the cursing began.

The bludger connected squarely with Vance's chest, nearly knocking him off his broom. Vance hung on to the broom handle with one hand as he attempted to hoist himself back up, shouting indiscernible obscenities at Dyllan and Murphy. Laurie took the chance to score several goals, while Walsh and Faye seemed to think it was more important to help Vance back up on his broom.

"ARE YOU TWO TRYING TO KILL ME?!" Vance shouted, beginning to say more before he was cut off by the coach.

"Wonderful!" Coach cried, flying towards Dyllan and Murphy, keeping an eye out for bludgers. They didn't distinguish between players and coaches, after all, "If that had been a real game, we could have scored several times as long as the Chasers aren't too much trouble. One of the better Dopplebeater Defence maneuvers I've seen. We may just have to start creating some moves of our own now, kids!"

Coach drew his whistle to his lips to signal the resuming of practice, while Vance continued to look murderous.

Jack turned, knowing it was still much too soon to be giving any cheeky answers. Murphy was roaring with laughter, giggling and ecstatic to have done so much damage. Jack was already heading off towards another Bludger, clearly showing her determination and focus in the game.

Jack strolled through the air after the whistle, looking as though she was just trying to shake off the adrenaline from the last move. She passed Laurie who was taunting one of the Chasers. "So quick to Virgil's defense, eh Vicky!? Told you something was goin' on there, Murphy! You owe me."

Jack lowered herself over the broom, speeding after the Bludger. She passed it and then swung her arm backwards, turning her head at the last second to make sure it hit her mark. It did- Laurie noticed just in time to swerve, but his leg was hit. Jack grinned as Murphy called "Nice backbeat!" Jack looked up at James and grinned. "Scared yet?"

"Oh, I am glad that you are on our side," James replied with a devlish grin, "however I do note that not one bludger has been sent my way yet."

Focused on Jack, James did not see Murphy aligning himself with a bludger that was flying parallel to his motionless form. No sooner had the word 'yet' come out of his lips, a bludger rocketed into James, making him slip sideways on his broom. James gripped as hard as he could with hands, and gripped with his knees.

"You damn rotter, Murphy!" James bellowed, hanging upside down.

"POTTER!" Coach yelled from underneath him, "Quit paying so much attention to pretty girls, and get your head back in practice!"

James swung back on top of his broom, frowning down at the coach.

"Barmy blighter," James said to Jack, "The 'ol coot must be crazy....mistaking you for a pretty girl like that."

James sped off, laughing; now much more wary of bludgers than he was before.

"Grace period," she said, keeping it short and simple, winking up at him. She felt her smile grow, for she could see Murphy from behind James. She smiled again and was able to see the collision up close.

Jack let out a bark of a laugh and turned, speeding after the Bludger. The coach spoke and she said, "Ewie, coach called me a giiiiirl." Laurie, who had been passing her, sputtered into laughter. She heard James call to her and she nodded, saying, "He must've been talking about Laurie."

Laurie abruptly stopped, wheeling around. "Hear that, fellas?! She thinks I'm pretty."

Jack spun around, and a Bludger came hurtling towards her. She threw her arm out and the bat smacked it, sending it for Laurie who turned, attempting to out-fly the speeding ball. Jack turned, not even bothering to watch as she flew away grinning. She heard his curse loud enough, followed by a weak, "I deserved that!"

"Murphy!" Jack called. He flew towards her, pulling up. She said, "I've had this play in my head awhile. One of us, comes above a Bludger and spikes it down, and then the other waits and then hits it on it's way down. It gives it a spin and sends it accurately straight forward, as long as you hit it. Care to-"

"Let's do it!" he cheered. He lowered his voice. "Wanna get James?"

Jack grinned. "Fly at his level. I'll try and get ahead of him. If you can send a bludger above him so I can get to it. Keep an eye peeled. Let's give him a false sense of security."

She winked, before pulling her broom perpendicular with the ground and speeding upwards.