Learning to fly...again

Andrew was impressed. Yet he knew it might not be enough if only one person could do this. "That was excellent, but if you get the chance, try showing the other members of the team on how to do that," he said knowing that the entire team had to teach other so they could work as a team. "Let's see your beating skills now." He swooped down to where the Quidditch box was and while on his broom, opened up the hatch and let the bludgers out.

Jack smiled widely when Andrew complimented her on her flying skills. She had known she was good, but it was nice to have it verified, of course. It was nice to know that she wasn't just delusional. "Of course. I'm a team player."

He released the Bludgers and Jack felt her heart skip. This is what she loved. This is what she trained for over the summer, building forearm strength and training her coordination. The kids she played baseball with back home were baffled by her skills.

Time to let them shine.

As luck would have it, both bludgers zoomed towards her. She braced herself and zoomed towards them. She hit one hard in the opposite direction, and dodged the other one. Doing a loop in the air, she zoomed back towards the other bludger and hit it westward.

She turned and zoomed towards the other one. She smiled at Andrew and pelted it towards him, knowing she was far enough away so he could see it and dodge, but also demonstrating that she could aim. Not quite satisfied she hit the other one right at the hoops, hoping to get it in.

The bludger had been rotating when she hit it, so it spun into the hoop, hit the side and barely made it in. She felt a surge of frustration. She had messed up. She chased after the bludger and hit it, harder than any of the others, towards the nearest solid object, the hoops. It hit the hoop and the hoop made a crunching noise at impact.

Ouch.

She flew back towards Andrew, chest heaving. "Wasn't on my best game, but there you have it."

"Nice," he said taking careful mental notes of her demonstartion. She had performed almost flawlessy. Yet work still needed to be done to help improve. He thought for a moment and then came up with something. He zoomed back down to the box and then opened the Snitch container. He grabbed it and then flew back to where Jack was. "Alright now I want you to catch this." he said. This was unusual for his training, yet he knew if she could catch it, she could hit the bludgers with even more ease then before.

Jack watched him fly away and she immediately hoped that he was simply going to test her skills again and not somehow say he seemed to have been wrong about his decision, yada yada.

When he came back, Jack's silly fears were abated. He just wanted to further test her reflexes. She smiled, the baseball's wait against her leg. She was a master catcher, she could do this. Then again, the Snitch was tiny.

She nodded, tensing on her broom. "Okay." She waited for him to release the Snitch.

"Okay," he said and then threw the snitch as hard as he could without falling off. The snitch stayed in it's dormant state for a few seconds, then came to life and immediatly took flight. It flew around quickly and surprisingly agile. "Alright grab that without touching the bludgers." The bludgers seemed to have been protectors of the snitch, because whenever he had played, they had attacked him relentlessy.

Jack quickly flew down to the field and set down her bat and the baseball before quickly zooming back, just in time to see Andrew through the Snitch ad then explain.

Jack appreciated the test; it was going to be a challenge as well as quickly demonstrate her skills. The second Andrew finished his explanation, she nodded, waited a beat, and then shot off after the Snitch, bent low over her broom.

One of the Bludgers was already headed towards her. She did a roll to avoid it and saw out of the corner of her eye the other one nearing her. She pulled on the handle of her Comet and rocketed upward.

She climbed about fifty feet and then leveled out, her eyes searching for the Snitch the way she had seen Seekers in the past do. It still hadn't gone too far, it was hovering by once of the hoops.

She dove and headed straight at the tiny winged ball. One of the Bludgers was pelting towards her. She veered slightly off course and then saw the Snitch fluttering crazily towards the other end.

She made a quick v-turn and shot off like a cannon. The other bludger was rocketing after her, the other one towards her, but she was gaining on the Snitch. It had just passed the Bludger, which was nearing her-

She ducked, rolling slightly. She quickly fixed it and pushed her Comet. With a burst of speed, she neared the Snitch. She reached out her hand and swiped at it, feeling it land on the palm of her hand.

But the test wasn't over. She had slowed down and remembered just in time that the other
Bludger had been on her tail. She rolled over, 180 degrees, and watched it whizz by her fingertips.

She righted herself and felt accomplishment set in. She didn't know how long it had taken her, but she had done it, and not even brush a Bludger. She sped back towards Andrew and held out the Snitch to him.

Andrew watched the entire excersise and was impressed. She did it in great time too. Not the best, but execed expectations. He flew over to herand appluaded. "Excellent," he said. he knew he had a good team member. "Okay," he said. He thought for a moment and then said "Now do it over again, standing on your broom"

Jack smiled and did a little bow as Andrew applauded, a joking smile on his face. She turned her broom, preparing to fly down and get her things, thinking that was it. But then Andrew said he wanted her to do it again, standing up.

Her first instinct was to go ahead and do it, prove herself. But that was such an odd request; that would maybe ever be needed once. She stopped and gave him a confused look. "Seriously?"

Andrew looked at her and nodded. He then pushed himself up on the broom so he could be standing up on it. It was a very flashy move, but it also taught balance and coordination which was needed during a real Quidditch match. He then flew around a little while standing up. It was still a little hard since he hadn't done it in so long but he eventually got it. "You just have to kep your knees bent and you head centered.

Jack had done it a few times, mostly to show off or just have fun with it as a neat trick, but she never expected to have to practice it seriously. As soon as he nodded, she began to stand. she paused to watch his progress, and then stood herself.

At first she was a little shaky but she shifted her weight until she found her perfect center of gravity. She flew forward a few feet and then turned. She was gaining confidence, she was ready.

She still had the Snitch in her hand. She let it go and then waited a moment for it to get away from her. After a good minute's head start, she flew after it as fast as she could without losing her balance, reminded terribly of muggle surfers.

This time she focused on gaining on the Snitch, knowing that she had to get it quickly because her balance would not last forever. A bludger zipped by and she pushed her broom, leaning backwards and curling her feet around the broom.She righted herself and crouched lower, accelerating.

The Snitch had decided to hover in place and she sped up, heart hammering. Another bludger rocketed past and she ducked her head, putting her ams up to save her balance. She accelereated more, nearing on the Snitch, which had begun to zip away. She crouched and reached out a hand to grab it...

A Bludger hurtled at her legs and she gasped. She flailed out a leg, her other one making the broom wobble violently. She began to slip and her hand closed around the Snitch. The Bludger barelled past and she put her leg back down, sighing with relief. She turned and approached Andrew, still standing.