Who Gets to Decide?

Last year Christian had applied to join the school quidditch club, SAQ or Students Appreciating Quidditch, he had also applied to be the club leader. This was something he had never thought he even remotely had a chance of getting, but surprisingly he was told that he was the be the club leaded starting this year. He was almost as shocked when he received this news as he was the day he heard he had not only made his house's team but was also the captain. He didn't wanna sound cocky but it was starting to look like when it came to anything quidditch related he was the best man for the job. While he was completely shocked, and more than willing to take the position he soon learned that he had no idea how to go about running a club. Somehow he had easily fallen into the position as quidditch captain and lead his team to three victories in one year, but now he became dumbfounded on how to run a simple club. Maybe because this meant speaking in front of a group instead of just flying and having fun.

It had taken him many, many weeks to think of good topic to have the group discuss during the meeting. After many hours spent in the library Christian was sure he had something good, so when the first meeting rolled around he was prepared. At least he thought he was that was until he showed up in the large room, at the top of the southeast tower, it was then he started to feel the butterflies. He wasn't going to let his uneasiness show though, and with that he confidently walked up on the tiny stage like thing they had set up in the front of the room. "Alright everyone, can I please have your attention. This is this year's first meeting of Students Appreciating Quidditch. Today's meeting should be a fairly simply discussion, not that that means I wanna see anyone sitting out, or you guys not going in depth if you so wish to." He paused for a moment to take a deep breath. He spotted his mate Oz in the crowd which made him feel a little better now they he at least knew one of he people here. "Today we will be discussing, who gets to decided what's a penalty and what's not. For example, in the very first Quidditch World Cup between Flanders and Transylvania, the Transylvanian captain released hundreds of vampire bats from hit robes and they made this a new penalty. However during the 422nd World Cup between Ireland and Bulgaria, Bulgarian Viktor Krum used a move called the ' Wronski Feint' on the other seeker, injuring him. Tell me why is one banned and the other isn't, since they both caused injuries. No need to raise hands here just speak up when there is a silence if you have something to say, feel free to add your own examples." He explained the topic slowly to everyone and once he was done he waited for someone to speak up. Anyone really he just wanted someone to tell him his idea wasn't stupid.

It hadn't taken Marie-Laure much time to work out which club she wanted to join. As soon as she saw the choices she knew. Journalism was full of lies and Muggles were the normal humans she knew. What was there to appreciate? They were people like wizards, only without magic. It sounded like a complete waste of time to her.

Quidditch of course was completely different. It was something she'd only recently learnt about and already she appreciated it enough to even try out for the house team. That, of course, had not be difficult at all. She was a quick study in flying lessons and she already had played a number of sports where she'd proven to have extremely good eye, hand co-ordination.

She really had no clue what the leader was talking about with those two games he mentioned. Marie-Laure hadn't read much on the history of Quidditch. Just how to play it. However, she thought it was obvious what the difference was. "In the first case the player introduced creatures into the game. He could have introduced hundreds of butterflies or humming birds into the game and it still would have been worthy of a penalty. The second is an official Quidditch move." At least that was one thing she knew. She'd recognised the name of the move as acceptable. "It doesn't require anything more than skill on a broom. If you hadn't learnt how to know when the opposing seeker is tricking you with that you deserve to be injured." Blunt but true.

Osmund had joined the Quidditch club thinking that it might help out with being a captain or something, since clearly his team was on the brink of mutiny if they didn't win the next game. Also, there was the bonus that he was friends with the leader of the club, which hopefully meant that he wasn't going to be put through anything too taxing. Christian looked nervous, but then again, Osmund would be too if he had to do public speaking that had to be censored of all of his sass and nasty commentary. He poised a good point and Osmund had to think for a moment before answering. In the time it took him to pause, someone else piped up, one of the new chasers on the Quidditch team.

The Montagnard listened politely and nodded. "True, the wronski feint, though not exactly invented by Krum himself, used nothing but what Krum had, whereas bats had to be smuggled into the game to produce that sort of distraction. Injuries play no part, since it is professional Quidditch and you can expect to get injured if you want to win. It only had to deal with the means," Osmund put in his two-cents, though he felt it hardly made a contribution since Sylvian had basically summed everything up. However, he wasn't going to sit quietly and let the younger student show him up like that. When he was done with his part, he sat back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest.

Christian stood at the podium nervously, though he had to admit he was getting a bit calmer as other started talking and it wasn't just him. However as they started talking more and he noticed they were all answering with about the same thing he realized that maybe he had chosen some bad examples. After all those hours he had spent in the library alone researching this stuff he had still messed it up. It was the most obvious of things too, one had live creatures and was obviously not a good example for things that were banned. "You all make very good points. What about if we were comparing two tactics, instead of one with creatures. Suppose we compared the Wronski Feint to one of the banned quidditch moves. These ones are as some of you pointed out, use only what the player has with them, themselves and their broom, yet they are banned. Who gets to decide which quidditch tactic should be allowed and which shouldn't?" He asked them all, hoping to change up the answers everyone seemed to be having.

He couldn't actually think of a real move off the top of his head that was banned but he knew there were some. Next time he would need to do even more research, or maybe ask Professor Bowen's advice on a topic. Hopefully this meeting could be salvaged yet and he wouldn't be known forever as the first club leader to lead a club right into one long awkward moment of silence and agreeing. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to sign up for this position, leading a whole quidditch team was easier than this.

The new question gave a little more thought. "Obviously the referee in the game decides whether or not a move was one of the banned moves. Why are they banned in the first place? Probably to make the game fairer." Though how that differed the Wronski Feint would give a little more thought. What could be compared to that? "Don't most of the banned moves involve interfering with equipment or other players? The Wronski Feint on the other hand is just a trick move."

She sat back again and waited to see if anyone else had more to add or maybe even disagreed with what she said. Marie-Laure though thought that perhaps she was on the right track as to what was considered a banned move compared to a legal tactical move.