Trying Out Tapestries

Right! Now that we’re all ready to go, let me tell you what I have in store for your extra practice today. I thought we’d inspire a bit of teamwork and competition, seeing as you all have to work together to maneuver the carpets. As you can see, I have a Quaffle in my hands, and we have the pitch to ourselves. What I want you all to do is group yourselves five to a carpet. Then I’ll split you evenly into two teams and then we’ll compete to see which team can score the most goals! For those who have never played Quidditch, don’t fret. We’re just borrowing the hoops and the least magical ball, there’s very little else in common. We’ll be playing only on half the field, and with absolutely no extra physical contact, fancy tricks, or attempted fouls. Anyone who even //looks// like they’re thinking about it gets a one-way trip to detention with a fair chunk of house points to be lost. Do I make myself clear? Good! I want a nice clean game. The goal here is to practice your coordination with your carpet-mates with the added challenge of attempting to throw a ball between two carpets. I think you can do it, though I suspect it won’t be anything as fast-paced as flying on brooms. The winners will be the first team to five points and will net themselves a sweet treat! Alright, find a carpet! You three carpets, your group is Team Hoggy, the rest of you, you’re representing Team Warty. You may begin! [[Say The Activation Word: Sanumman]] [[Say The Activation Word: Samunnam]]

You realize a bit too late that your pronunciation sounds wrong compared to everyone else’s. Maybe that’s why nothing happened. Your carpet-mates look around confused, starting to feel silly for just sitting on a carpet on the ground in the middle of the Quidditch pitch. [[Say The Activation Word: Sanumman]] [[Say The Activation Word: Samunnam]]

You say the magic words and immediately the carpet responds and lifts you into the air. Man, magic is so cool. Now that you’ve made it into the air, you realize you didn’t take a seat at the front, which is where the leader traditionally sits. Instead, a timid-looking student sits there, and doesn’t appear to be very confident or be very excited about the prospect of giving directions. They mumble something about going left slightly, but you see the person next to you shake their heads, and they mouth the word “right” to you. None of them are //bad// choices, necessarily, as you’ve only just gotten in the air and none of those directions will cause you to crash, but you know you need to establish who’s going to be giving instructions or this carpet won’t be going very far. [[Start Giving Directions]] [[Listen To The Person Up Front]] [[Listen To The Person Next To You]]

You decide to take charge. After all, it’s clear that people already aren’t listening to the person up front. The leader needs to sound (and be) confident. You contradict the leader and firmly indicate to lean forward. However, the person next to you still moves right, and the other three people on the carpet go left, as the leader indicated. With the three different instructions to follow, and some brief arguments that ensue, the carpet and its occupants immediately lose altitude and it’s only Madame Fox’s quick intervention that keeps you from smacking into the ground. You land softly, but you all need to get back on the carpet and rejoin the game. [[Say The Activation Word Again: Samunnam]] [[Say The Activation Word Again: Sanumman]]

Despite their soft spoken attitude, you decide it’s not the time or place to start creating new rules for magic carpet riding. They’re in the front, so they’re in charge. The person next to you seems to pick up on your attitude and follows along as well. Your carpet executes a well-coordinated dip to the left, while the leader pulls down slightly on the carpet’s front portion. The person next to you keeps their eyes on the Quaffle and catches it while your team flies towards the hoops, then throws it in to score. Awkward fumbling happens on the carpet to try to accommodate mid-air high fives that don’t send you all to the ground, and you congratulate the goal-scorer. Amidst your celebration, Madame Fox blows her whistle to notify all carpets to line up at the start again for the next round. [[Begin Next Round 1-0]]

Listen To The Person Next To You Making eye contact with the person next to you and nodding, the two of you execute a right-hand lean like they suggested, but the other three people on the carpet lean left, as the leader suggested. Not being accustomed to minor civil wars in leadership, your carpet judders in midair and you have a horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach as the thing you’re sitting on momentarily acts like it wants to rip in half. Ultimately, however, you stay in the air. It certainly did a number on your poor heart, though, and while your group was distracted, you missed a chance to get the ball, putting it in possession of Team Warty. You see one of their carpets race toward the goals, and you know this is your chance to cut them off before they score. You catch the attention of the leader and suggest that you... [[Lean Forward Sharply To Pick Up Speed]] [[Lean Forward Slightly]] [[Change Your Mind And Say Nothing]]

Say The Activation Word Again: Samunnam After a look from Madame Fox that seems to say //follow directions//, you and the person next to you resign yourself to following the leader’s instructions from now on, as you are still not in the leader’s seat. By the time you get back in the game, however, Team Warty has scored. Man, Team Hoggy can’t catch a break. Madame Fox blows her whistle to notify all carpets to line up at the start again for the next round. [[Begin Next Round 0-1]]

Man, you’d think you would have learned how to do this properly from having so much practice, but apparently not. Nothing happens and your teammates look at you with varying levels of frustration before you try again. [[Say The Activation Word Again: Samunnam]] [[Say The Activation Word Again: Sanumman]]

The rest of the game flies past in a flash, and you do pretty well, but you end up tied 4-4. It all comes down to this round. Suddenly, your opening appears. One of Team Warty’s carpets is preparing to throw the ball to another one of the two other carpets, leaving the Quaffle vulnerable to steal. The leader capitalizes on this and tells everyone to bank right to intercept, but you’re not sure you’re going to make it there in time and you might miss the ball [[Lean Right]] [[Lean Left]] [[Lean Forward]] [[Lean Back]]

Your team, Team Hoggy continues to play well, and before you know it, you are ahead 4-3. Just one more point and you’ll win the glory of the… Hogwarts Flying Class… After Class… Championships? Whatever, you’re about to win and they’re about to lose, and that’s what matters, regardless of how prestigious the title is. Early on, you steal the Quaffle and keep possession. You see that Team Warty is hot on your heels and approaching quickly, but you’re still not close enough to the goals to start thinking about scoring. But, if you can nab this point, the game will be over. You decide to gamble and try to score, despite being a bit too far away and a bit too low. You… [[Stand To Give Yourself A Better Angle]] [[Throw Hard And Hope For The Best]]

You suggest a burst of speed, and the leader seems to agree. They indicate to learn forward sharply, with their eye on the Quaffle. However, you realize too late that you miscalculated. While you might have needed to lean forward this much on a broom (with only yourself to contribute to the movement and speed), all //five// of you leaning forward so much rockets you forward far faster than any of you were anticipating and one of you tumbles towards the ground. Fortunately, Madame Fox is there in a flash of black and white robes to catch them with a magical cushion and blows her whistle for play to stop. Play ceases, but not before Team Warty scores. After making sure that everyone is okay, Madame Fox blows her whistle once more and gestures to notify all carpets to line up at the start again for the next round. [[Begin Next Round 0-1]]

You realize that if you //all// lean forward at that extreme angle, you’re going to lose someone overboard with how fast you’ll take off. The carpet should go plenty fast if all of you indicate to lean forward, no matter how shallow the angle. The leader agrees, directs you forward, and you neatly sail right underneath the team that’s trying to score. The person next to you keeps their eyes on the Quaffle and catches when the other team misses, then throws it in to score. Awkward fumbling happens on the carpet to try to accommodate mid-air high fives that don’t send you all to the ground, and you congratulate the goal-scorer. Amidst your celebration, Madame Fox blows her whistle to notify all carpets to line up at the start again for the next round. [[Begin Next Round 1-0]]

Actually, now that you think about it, not being able to take a back seat to the leader is how you got yourself in this mess in the first place. You decide to stay out of it and simply shake your head to show you’ve changed your mind. However, as the whole interaction has been happening, Team Warty has pulled off a sloppy goal, but a goal nonetheless. Madame Fox blows her whistle to notify all carpets to line up at the start again for the next round. [[Begin Next Round 0-1]]

You trust the leader’s judgment and it works out! The Quaffle practically falls into your lap as you sail underneath them. This must have been the plan all along. Your carpet manages to maneuver itself near the goal hoops and you get the chance to throw the shot, but you realize you’re a bit too low and Team Warty is hot on your tail. [[Stand To Give Yourself A Better Angle]] [[Throw Hard And Hope For The Best]]

You lean left, thinking that the other team is trying to fake you out, but you end up guessing wrong. You don’t have a chance to take possession of the Quaffle before Team Warty scores their final goal, winning the annual Hogwarts-After-Class-Flying-Carpet-Championships. Ah well, they played a good game. You congratulate the other team on a well-played match and head back up to the castle, though you are //slightly// jealous of the bars of Honeydukes chocolate the other team got as a prize. Maybe there’s enough time to grab something at the Great Hall before your next class. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/6IfKtWt.png">

You seem to think giving the carpet just a little boost of speed will seal the deal, so you lean forward while everyone else is leaning left. Fortunately, only you are unseated from the carpet, and the rest of your team stays on. //Un//fortunately, you are unseated… and start falling to the ground. Madame Fox catches you but in the hubbub, you’ve lost your chance to score. Team Warty takes the shot instead and wins the annual Hogwarts-After-Class-Flying-Carpet-Championships. Ah well, they played a good game. You congratulate the other team on a well-played match and head back up to the castle, though you are //slightly// jealous of the bars of Honeydukes chocolate the other team got as a prize. Maybe there’s enough time to grab something at the Great Hall before your next class. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/OK8FVvY.png">

For some unknown reason, you decide to lean backward. A few of the people next to you are confused by your movement and turn around to see what you are doing, and follow suit, thinking you must have some sort of brilliant plan. Unfortunately, you do not, and all you achieve is that you’re still in Team Warty’s way rather than ahead of them and they end up on a collision course with you. Both carpets and occupants fall from the sky, and while Madame Fox does her best to catch all of you, saving ten lives at a time appears to be reaching her limit. No one dies, of course, and she does manage to slow you down, but you hear a sickening crack as you land wrong. Madame Fox is immediately at your side, inspecting the damage and tutting before sending you off to the Hospital Wing. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/c1K1whq.png">

You rise to your knees to try to bring yourself to a standing position, but before you can even get fully vertical, you start to wobble. Your hands are full of Quaffle, and you realize belatedly, there’s nothing to hold onto to steady yourself when you’re sailing through the air on a flimsy, undulating strip of fabric. You lose your balance as the rest of your team sails forward on the carpet without you. Looking up at the sky rather than behind you at the rapidly approaching ground, you wish Quaffles had parachutes. This is going to hurt. All of a sudden, all momentum stops, and you screech to a halt with an uncomfortable lurch… though likely less uncomfortable than smacking into the ground at full speed. Your racing mind barely registers Madame Fox, giving her a weak smile of thanks, before you realize //she’s// not smiling. She orders you back to the castle immediately and informs you of your detention every night this week… //and// that you’ve just lost yourself fifty house points. Yikes. You decide not to ask if this means your team lost the game and you trudge back to the castle, not looking forward to what awaits you. If only you had listened to Madame Fox about standing. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/za8SYxU.png">

You give this throw everything you’ve got and miraculously, it //just// barely sails through the bottom of the goal hoop as Team Warty closes the distance. But they’re too late! Your classmates on your carpet cheer and holler, patting and punching you in congratulations, and soon the other carpets pull up beside you to do more of the same. Madame Fox blows her whistle once more, indicating it’s time to head back to the ground, and as you disembark, she has a slab of Honeydukes chocolate for each member of Team Warty. You head back to the castle munching on your prize with a little extra time to spare before your next class. Today is shaping up to be a great day. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/73QRDZx.png">