When Bludgers Attack

It was Payton's first day on the job and things were going pretty well. He managed to help a few customers and read a few articles of a qudditch magazine as he waited for something else to do. The day was going slow, it had to be a perfect first day. Until someone let a bludger out of its box. Didn't anyone know you weren't supposed to do that?

The bludger managed to knock over some brooms and destroy a display case. "Watch out!" he called to someone, the bludger was coming right at them. Before he knew it, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the flying ball. "Immobulus," he said loudly. The ball froze right before it was about to hit the innocent person. "Are you alright?" he said as he walked over to the person. Great, he was going to have to clean this mess up. He grabbed the bludger and held it against his side and arm. "I hope this didn't scare you too much," he said a smile grin, he truly hoped he was making them feel better.

It'd been completely impulsive on her part. Christine had entered the Quidditch shop with the express purpose of buying a broom but when she saw the bludger in its box she felt it was the perfect opportunity to see one up close before she returned to Beauxbatons. Using a bowling ball just wasn't the same thing and her uncle had taken it off of her when he saw the state of his bowling ball. She could not understand the fuss he made when most of the damage was sustained by the baseball bat.

Anyway, she saw the box and somehow managed to accidentally release the bluger when trying to have a closer look. Christine had to jump back to escape the iron ball and looked wildly around for the display of beater's bats. By the time she had one in her hand the bludger had been captured.

Disappointed that she did not get the chance to test if the bowling bat and baseball bat practice had been effective she lowered the proper bat before answering the question. "I am sufficiently recovered," she said prim and properly. Her eyes narrowed as she got a better look at his face. "You are the boy who kept taking the snitch before my sister could get it are you not?"

"You ought to be more careful," he warned. Messing with bludgers was a bit risky and he didn't advise anyone to play around with them. "Well, my job was to do that, so yea I'm that guy. But 'that boy' has a name." He secured the ball back into its trunk and turned back to the girl. "My name is Payton Johnson. How may I help you today?"

He couldn't remember her, but he knew who the other seeker was. He didn't really know any of the new members of the quidditch teams, only the people that he had spent most of his time with. He mostly just knew the members of the Montagnard teams, he hadn't really bothered to learn the names of the members of the Cerisier team. It was too late to learn them anyways, he didn't attend there anymore. "I'm guessing you're on the quidditch team?" He looked up at the ceiling as he thought, who was she again? "Oh! Your the beater that dropped her bat." He looked back at her and shrugged. "Sorry about your luck, practice makes perfect. I've practiced since I joined the team and I got better over time. I say to perform your best and keep working hard."

"I didn't make it escape on purpose," Christine complained. "Could you not have at least pretended not to see it in the last game? Your team had already won the cup." His question brought her to the purpose of her visit. "I am here to buy a broom. I should have enough money because it is the same amount as Stephie needed for hers." She held up the money pouch which had been handed to her with very strict instructions not to confuse it with the money to buy her new books and supplies.

Christine stiffened at his pointed question. "I did not drop my bat. I threw it. There is a distinction between the two." It may have made no difference to the fact that she as a beater had been batless for two games in a row but it still was different. "Yes. Yes. Yes. What do you think I was doing with my time? Of course I practised. I even used a bowling ball and a baseball bat this summer because I hadn't the facilities needed to practice with the real thing."