[Q.Pitch] The Beautiful Game

[theodoreharding]

Theodore had been dying to get back onto the pitch since he came back to Hogwarts. Today was his first day of being the appointed Quidditch coach as the kids nowadays seemed to be taking it more seriously, and with all the rules and regulations, it was important for the students to know the ins and outs of the beautiful game.

Grabbing his new broom that he recently bought from his old pal Russell in his new shop, he strutted out onto the pitch. Looking up into the sky, he saw it was a great morning to be practicing.
Waiting for the quidditch players to arrive, he decided he would have a quick fly before they came. Placing the broom between his legs, he kept his balance and zoomed upwards.

Soaring high at an unapproachable speed, he grabbed tightly and twisted in midair followed by doing a full circle upside down. He needed to get used the his new broom and 'wear it in' so to speak. Looking down, he noticed a spec, meaning a student had arrived. Stopping, he lowered himself down on the broom slowly before reaching the ground and stopping.

[Erys Grace]

Erys had heard from a friend of a friend that there was a Quidditch coash fresh to the school, and if he was familiar with the 'out with the old, in with the new' policy, he might've brought some killer moves along in his little bag of tricks. She was an excellent Chaser, everyone knew it. When she got on that broom it was like an extension of her, they were one of the same. Of course even the pro's needed practise, and she wasn't exempt. So here she was, advancing on the pitch, eyes to the skies as she saw the new professor. Were they supposed to call him professor? Probably coach. Arching an eyebrow as she watched him 'catch air', the Slytherin waited patiently - latest broom model in hand, broken in since a match ago and a few practises - for him to land. "Coach." Erys greeted, appearing to lean slightly on her broom yet perfectly balanced on her own. It could have fallen, and she wouldn't have fallen or alterred her position. She was plenty comfortable.

"Erys Grace, Chaser." She introduced herself casually, simply, as if it was a day-to-day routine. Everyone knew her name, anyway. He might have learned it, or might not have, didn't matter which, he got it anyway. Tilting her head to the side, she added, "Any new moves that'll up my Quidditch expertise?" Waiting expectantly for the answer, she shifted her position, suddenly anxious and yearning to get in the air.[/color]

[theodoreharding]

Noticing is was a girl who stood below him, sighing he lowered himself down and merely landed perfectly so he could just pull the broom from beneath him and hold it in one hand.

Introducing herself as Erys Grace, as if she was some sort of celebrity, Theo decided to just humour the girl. A typical slytherin if ever he saw one.

"Well Erys, I'm Coach Harding. Call me that or Theo, I don't really care, but just so you know, don't test my patience...Just for future reference. I won't take you as dumb, because I know your not Grace" he said dryly. He wasn't one to creep around things, he liked to be straight to the point.

Asking about if he had any new moves, he simply moved a little closer, towering over her, and raised an eyebrow.
"It all depends on what you have to offer so far Grace, so get up there and show me what ya got" he said, flicking his eyes into the sky, signalling she should stop yacking and just get on with it.

[Erys Grace]

"..but just so you know, don't test my patience..."

[/I]
At this, Erys smiled pleasantly, "Wouldn't dream of it." Her voice was sweet, almost too much so. And he was towering over her now, a move too.. Close, for comfort. She didn't like him trying to intimidate her like that, she wasn't so easily scared. What, he thought she'd pee her pants and run off crying to her Slytherin posse? Not a chance. But there was no time to argue about it, he was urging her in to the air to show him her moves. Mounting her broom, the animagus shot in the air with no hesitation, her take off short and precise as she began picking up speed. Slowing down slightly for a mere second while she turned upside-down, the Slytherin flew that way a while, figuring she'd show him the basics of what she knew before delving in to more complicated stunts. After all, it wasn't an acrobatics show, it was Quidditch. Some people needed to learn it was time to rip the tutu off and get their head in the game.

When it came for the no-hands portion of her performance, Erys Grace simply lifted her fingers away and up off the handle, naturally well-balanced. What she wanted to learn how to do was catch a pass while flipping upside-down. She could turn and quicken the speed without her hands - leaving them free for quaffle grabbing - but she didn't spend much time on it. Wrapping her fingers around the broom once more, she soared higher, pitching forward smoothly, plumetting towards the ground, her entire body a blur as she nose-dived towards the sand. Pulling up a few moments before impact, she eased herself into a glide, hovering as close to the earth as possible; a move which could have splattered her flat had she not executed it perfectly.

It wasn't like she was looking for a grade, she just wanted to practise and keep her skills up. Hopefully he wasn't as tight-derriere'd as he looked, 'else she might just get a bit irritated. She'd been playing since she came to this school, having been a thumping good beater last term. She would have taken the same role this year, had all the spots not been filled. Chaser would have to do for now, until a place rolled around or someone quit. Not everyone could play Quidditch, after all, and it was only a matter of time before someone realised it and threw in the towel. Not like Erys promoted this type of quitting behavior, she frowned upon it.

Still soaring near the ground, the Slytherin angled her broom slightly to gain altitude, and soon she was high in the air again. She would have shown him her leapfrog, but there was no one else but him present at the moment, and she didn't feel like having him participate. Plus, flips seemed more appealing to her, maybe it was just her mood. Tipping forward, hold on the broom handle tight, she did a trio of front flips, stopping and pushing back so her body didn't jar forward from the sudden cease of movement. Then she started on the back ones, more careful and precise. It was clear she had learnt the frontal stuff first.

Then there was the risky stuff she did while in the moment, in the middle of games. She hadn't exactly categorized this stuff as actual moves just yet, they were just innovations and stuff she tried and got away with. They came to her when she played, and they wouldn't return unless she played again.

Instead of flying back down to hear him insult her and tell her her moves weren't all that - her assumptions, of course, they may not be true but most teachers looked down upon her and her kind -, Erys stayed up in the air a while, crossing her arms and resting her cheek on her hands while she floated steadily on her broom. Finally she began her descent, and when she was close enough to do it, jumped off her broom, somersaulting in the air and landing in a crouch with a hand against the ground to steady herself. Her broom floated obediantly to her. There, thats all for today. Come back tomorrow for a new show.[/font][/color]

[theodoreharding]

Theo watched, eyes like a hawk as Erys performed her stunt show in mid air. He was impressed, to say the least, and thought maybe the girl wouldn't need as much training as he first thought. He kept a mental note of her actions, and what she could improve on.

Watching her float down, he noticed she had the reflexes of a cat, and it made him wonder if she was actually a cat. Deciding he would leave that question for a later date, and concentrate on the quidditch, he coughed and decided he would start with the good points of her performance.

"Well done Grace, well executed. You seem to have good reflexes and agility. You have strength, so you should be concentrating on being a beater, however, if some bozo got there before you then that's tough. Overall, you don't need to learn any more moves too complex. However, you may have good balance now, but when your up there and different weathers come at you smacking you in the face, it's a different story. You need to work on your leg strength. Sounds stupid I know, but you'll see the improvement" he breathed. Tapping the end of his broom onto the grass, he gave her a small smile.
He just hoped the compliments wouldn't go to her head.