A Race! closed

Gabriel was quite startled that a girl ran up to him asking to race, as he had never ridden one before. His father had gotten into an accident with one and has never shown Gabriel the tricks to handling a broom.

Hi Mardella, um... sure let’s race! But be warned, I’ve never flown before and I may ram into you accidentally he said with a strange shimmer in his eyes. Gabriel’s mother would say that it was his acknowledgement to a challenge, especially one that he was interested in.

Gabriel’s mind was a-flutter with random thoughts: How am I not supposed to embarrass myself? How do you fly? New friend?!
But what he didn’t know was this: Gabriel is a natural flyer of broomsticks, and of magical creatures. So his first ride on a broomstick would not end up too bad, but the school broom that he had grabbed did not look as if it had been touched by anything human in centuries.

Ew. Ugh. Oh well. He said as he cleaned off the dust. He just would have to fly now, and it just so happened that it would have to be in a race. But Gabriel knew one thing. He liked this girl...

"Hi Mardella, um... sure let’s race! But be warned, I’ve never flown before and I may ram into you accidentally."

She beamed at him sheepishly. "Sorry if I startled you!" Mardella followed closely behind the blond boy as he made his way back towards the way she had come to grab a broomstick from the shed. He looked mildly familiar and, glancing down to his fingers, she noticed a fancy looking ring there. Pureblood? Or at least someone of a proper lineage...she couldn't believe she'd just pounced on him like that! Oh Merlin. "I'm no expert either, I've only flown a few times before! I'm a massive Quidditch fan though. Do you have a team?" She asked curiously.

Usually, Mardella wouldn't describe herself as shy, perhaps more awkward, but out here on the grounds with the grass beneath her feet and a clear sky above, she felt something in her loosen and relax. Clearly she'd been inside for far too long!

"Ew. Ugh. Oh well."

She laughed a little at the crinkle of his nose, not unkindly, as he dusted the old broom off on their way back to open ground. "Er...maybe we should do a few laps around the clearing to warm up?" She suggested, feeling the familiar buzz of excitement in her veins she usually got before a good game of footie.

“Laps — ok...” Gabriel had barely managed to spit that out by the time that they got to the Quidditch Pitch. He decided to try and get on his broom. ”UP! UP! UP!” the broom flew straight up into his palm, so fast that it pulled him up into the air with him hanging on.

Gabriel managed to clamber onto the broom, which he was suspiciously assuming that it had malicious intentions...He was right, because as soon as he was set in place and just hovering waiting for Mardella to leave the ground the broom took off. With him still on it.

“I don’t have a team! Ahh!” he yelled as he picked up speed. He swerved around a tower and banked hard to the right, doing a barrel roll and continuing on his harrowing first ride. He flew and flew, back to the pitch where Mardella was. He soared past her and rammed into one of the three posts through which the Chasers’ score. Gabriel lost his grip on his broom when he hit the post, and barely got himself situated on the top of the ring when his broom bolted. “Accio Broom” he yelled wand pointed and and flexed with anger. As he came back down towards Mardella, this time at a much slower pace, he stated: ”Well that was an interesting way to warm up... but how do you do it?” Gabriel said as a warm smile flashed across his face.

“Laps — ok...UP! UP! UP!”

Mardella watched with more than a bit of shock when the broomstick immediately jumped into the boy's hand. She glanced back at the handle of the school Cleansweep she'd found with trepidation. It had taken her several tries to even get the broom to respond on her first go...perhaps she'd bitten off more than she could chew with this Ravenclaw. The tall Gryffindor waited until the boy had seated himself on his broom before she started to get on her own.

“I don’t have a team! Ahh!”

She blinked as he immediately took off with a trailing shout, careening up into the sky with alarming speed. "Wai-" She called out, but he was off and out of sight. "Certainly doesn't seem like his first time," She muttered to herself, wry but amused, kicking gently off the ground. The Cleansweep slowly lifted into the air, wind tugging her braids lightly against her skull. Mardella tilted the the handle upwards to ascend a few more feet before glancing around a little anxiously. Had he fallen? Had he decided he preferred flying on his own? Had he -

A sudden gust of wind and a blur of blue and blond buffeted past her, making her yelp as it sent the broom spinning below her. She clutched the broom tightly as the world around her span, a dizzying mix of bluebrowngreengrey-blue-green-brown-grey as she pulled sharply on the handle to right herself, just in time to watch her classmate? - opponent? - new friend? - crash into the hoops on the Quidditch pitch! She leant forwards on her broom, moving towards him, eyes wide in alarm. "Oh Merlin! Are you okay?" She called as he dusted himself off, perching precariously on the rim of one hoop.

Instead of replying, his eyes narrowed and he whipped his wand out.

“Accio Broom!”

Mardella's jaw dropped. People weren't kidding when they said Ravenclaw's were smart, wasn't that spell only taught to older years later on in Hogwarts? She hadn't even managed a Tempus the other day! She tried her best not to stare as he sedately flew back down towards her, a pleasant grin on his face like what had just happened was nothing out of the ordinary.

”Well that was an interesting way to warm up... but how do you do it?”

"Nothing like that, for sure!" She blurted out, still feeling off-kilter. "I mean," Mardella hurried to reassure him, "I was just gonna do a few laps around the lawn." And then she paused, before a teasing grin lit up her face. "Oh, I don't think I got your name, Mr I've-never-flown-before!" And this was why Ma always said she was bad at making friends, she inwardly face-palmed.

She steered her broom away from the Hoops and back out towards the edge of the stadium stands, hoping the Ravenclaw boy would follow. "That was brilliant! Scary, but brilliant! I can't believe you can already do Accio!" She rambled, impressed. "And where did you even go? I lost sight of you for a moment there."

They moved until they were roughly hovering several feet behind the last of the wooden scaffolding that supported the spectator stands, flying past a few errant pupils who were out and watching the progress of the a few players training hard.

"Right," She turned back to the blond, "I guess we should get to racing, huh?Let's do a lap around the outside of the stadium," And then winced as she thought of that crazy crash into the hoops. "But maybe only about ten feet off the ground, let's not have a repeat incident."

Yes let’s do that Gabriel said whilst being a little out of breath. This time they managed to soar mostly smoothly, with Gabriel having to repoint his broom only oncewhen it started to bear off course.

“I’m Gabriel Mattix, son of Albert Mattix ~~ Chief Curse-Breaker of Gringotts. It was there on a trip when I accidentally lost my Family Ring due to a spell protecting one of the vaults, I think 2034, and it was there where my father decided that I would learn the ‘Accio’ spell. We wouldn’t leave until I got my ring back. It took one and a half hours for him to both show me how it was done, return the ring to where it fell, and then have me practice and finally retrieve my Family Ring. And now I know the spell. It’s easy when you get the hang of it, but you need to concentrate really hard.” Gabriel stated as if it was nothing new as they finished their first “warmup lap”.
“And yes, this is surprisingly my first time on a broom, but enough about me. Where are you from, who are your parents, and yeah — I just want to learn something about you.”

"Yes, let’s do that."

They set off at a pace, the wind whipping past them and making Mardella's heart race a little even if they weren't moving at the speed of light. It was brisk enough that it still bought a happy grin to her face but slow enough they could still talk.

"I’m Gabriel Mattix, son of Albert Mattix ~~ Chief Curse-Breaker of Gringotts."

Mardella wobbled a little on her broom when that registered. Of Gringotts? Merlin, she'd only set foot in there a few times herself, but that seemed like a pretty important place to work. Especially as Chief of the Curse-breakers? "Does he speak Gobbledegook? Can you speak Gobbledegook?" How cool would that be?

"It was there on a trip when I accidentally lost my Family Ring due to a spell protecting one of the vaults, I think 2034, and it was there where my father decided that I would learn the ‘Accio’ spell. We wouldn’t leave until I got my ring back. It took one and a half hours for him to both show me how it was done, return the ring to where it fell, and then have me practice and finally retrieve my Family Ring. And now I know the spell. It’s easy when you get the hang of it, but you need to concentrate really hard.”

Mardella fought back a wince. Neither her brothers nor her Da could manage more than household charms at best, and even then it was a fifty-fifty chance the spells would fail. She knew plenty of people would kill to be able to say it was that easy for them. "It's still pretty impressive," She said instead, as they looped past one of the towers supporting the stadium, "I mean you got it in one and a half hours, you should be proud of that!"

“And yes, this is surprisingly my first time on a broom, but enough about me -"

She couldn't stop a laugh bubbling out of her throat at Gabriel's unsubtle segue.

Where are you from, who are your parents, and yeah — I just want to learn something about you.”

"Ah," She scratched her freckled nose as she thought of what to say. "I'm nowhere near as exciting." Mardella shrugged, self-consciously. "Ma's a muggle, she's got a shop in Muggle Edinburgh selling touristy stuff mostly," She glanced at Gabriel. He seemed like a decent sort. Taking a breath, she barreled on, "Da's magic, but what some wizardfolk call a hedgewizard." She frowned, "like a step between a squib and the most hopeless wizard." She continued, hoping this wouldn't mean he'd suddenly brush her off. She knew some wizardfolk had awful ideas about squibs and muggles.

"He's a carpenter at Silver Moon Carpentry in Knockturn Alley," Mardella's shoulders dropped, feeling less tense now that they were back on a territory that was a little more comfortable. Relaxed again, she grinned at Gabriel. "He, and my brothers, make all sorts of things; fancy tables, chairs, jewelry, even broom parts!" She patted the handle of the school Cleansweep.

"What does your Mum do? Do you have any siblings?" Mardella laughed, hazel eyes bright once more,as they approached the spot where they'd originally started from. "I've got three brothers, and they're all older than me too!"

“I’m a fast learner, but I didn’t learn Gobbledegook, my father might have...” Gabriel said with a little shrug full of indifference towards the fact that he didn’t even know or care about what Gobbledegook even was. “But as to you being — Muggle-born? Half-blood? Um, well I’ve always thought that muggles have some very interesting qualities, especially hedge wizards, as most don’t know of their powers until they come out full force for either good or bad. And come on, forget lineage, you are—as a singular human witch—pretty amazing in your calm demeanor and flying and probably in other regions of magic!” Gabriel politely said. They cruised to a slow stop and continued to talk. However, they both wanted to race, and where actually quite anquious for the pre-planned race. “My mother works for the Ministry, as does my Elder Brother. I have no other siblings. Wait, you said your Father was a Carpenter? My Family Ring is Goblin-Forged, but I still like man-made carpentry, and I do enjoy a good hand whittle, completely mundane of course... What are your goals for this year? Or for the upcoming future? I mean, if we are going to be friends we might as well as get to know each other better...”

. And come on, forget lineage, you are—as a singular human witch—pretty amazing in your calm demeanor and flying and probably in other regions of magic!”

She snorted at the description, and shook her head with a laugh. "...right." She grinned at him dubiously, it was awful nice of him to say so, but she knew what her strengths and weaknesses were and magic wasn't one of them. Or flying!

Mardella shifted her weight on the broom, jerking the handle upwards to bring herself to a halt beside Gabriel.

“My mother works for the Ministry, as does my Elder Brother. I have no other siblings. Wait, you said your Father was a Carpenter?

She nodded, as the boy lit up, continuing without pause for breath.

"My Family Ring is Goblin-Forged, but I still like man-made carpentry, and I do enjoy a good hand whittle, completely mundane of course..."

He'd mentioned his ring a few times now, she glanced down at his fingers quickly to see if she could spot it. And it was there, nestled on his fingers, a mixture of gold and dark wood - ebony, she noted - well-crafted so that the join between the wood and metal was nearly non-existent. Forget her Da, even Master Roscoe would be salivating for a chance to examine it. She shifted a little, hoping he hadn't noticed her looking at it too closely. Most didn't take well to curious eyes on ancient objects.

"What are your goals for this year? Or for the upcoming future? I mean, if we are going to be friends we might as well as get to know each other better...”

Mardella elbowed him gently in the side, not enough to jostle him, but enough to startle him out of his rambling, feeling a happy flush rising in her cheeks. A friend! Yes! She could have done another lap right there! Delighted, she snickered, "C'mon, there's plenty of time for that later, but first," She declared, raising her brow at him. "A race, my friend! I'll even let you pick the course this time!"

You’re letting me plot the course?! Ok... umm... how about around the entire school! Gabriel said while getting more excited by the second. He was getting jittery, and was starting to plot a course in his head for the race when he noticed Mardella glancing at his ring. He really wanted to tell her all about it, but it was not the place nor the time to do so — especially when the object of discussion would be of such great value...

In order to calm himself down, and because it was necessary, Gabriel started to define the rules of the race:“The rules for this race should stand as follows. Rule #1, Safety first, and the race will be canceled or post-poned if either of us gets hurt. Rule #2, No wand work except if it is a life or death situation, which it shouldn’t be. Rule #3, Have fun and do not get caught! Also, you can start us off, like with a ‘READY’, ‘SET’, ‘GO’, type of thing... I mean it’s your choice...”