Montagnard vs. Cerisier; Round I

Although the sky was a bit overcast, Professor Bowen was in the brightest of moods. Quidditch had been a life-long passion of hers and with each new year she coached the Quidditch teams at Beauxbatons came new stories to tell with Quidditch games. Both the Cerisier and Montagnard teams were never quite the same each year, as old players moved out and graduated and new players came in, bringing with them their own unique style and personality, making the first game of every season one that she looked forward to. She trusted that all players, whether old or new, had spent an ample amount of time practicing for this game so they could start off the year on a good foot. Unbiased to who she wanted to win, Professor Bowen just wanted to see each team put their best foot forward.

As players filed out from the changing rooms, geared and ready to go, Bowen gave them a smile hello and then got down to business. "First game of the season!" She cheered, looking upon some nervous faces, some overly confident faces. "It is a little overcast but a little rain has never hurt anyone before and trust me when I say there will be worse conditions you will be playing in." She paused to give another look into the eyes of the team players. She could tell it was a decent lot this year. "I want all of you to give it your all. This will be the first of three games, so unless you and your team are planning on winning the next two games..." She paused and then chuckled a bit. "Give it your all."

Mounting her broom, she took off to the sky, expecting the teams to follow suit. When the two teams found themselves in the orderly patterned circle, she raised her whistle to her mouth and blew it, simultaneously releasing the quaffle into the air. 

Cerisier:0
Montagnard: 0

His heart was pounding like the thunder that wasn't present in the sky, though it sure did look like it was going to rain. Weather was irrelevant to the boy as were the words that were coming from his coach's mouth. Something about the first game, blah, blah, do your best to win. Osmund thought that was always the goal, though he was nervous about obtaining it.

Hours of practice couldn't have calmed his nerves and with the new title of team captain, he felt the weight of winning was particularly resting on his shoulders. "You hear her?" Osmund called to his team, his eyes landing on Annaliese. "Though I want you to do better than your best. If we don't win this one, the punishment is 50 push-ups next practice, alright?" Osmund scolded, before mounting his broom and taking off. 

He waited and watched as the quaffle was released, smiling only when he found that a chaser of his team had managed to make it there first. That calmed his nerves slightly but not before he remembered he had a job of his own to do than to watch the game take place. He readjusted the bat in his hand and his flew towards where he thought he'd might be of assistance. His players didn't need him yet, though, as the goal rang out and the first goal of the match had been made.

Cerisier:0
Montagnard: 10

Annaliese had been ready, she made sure she had practiced and was prepared. Her aunt had been somewhat impressed by her receiving a spot on the team. It had really been competitive in the placements. She was glad though that her aunt had given some recognition to her efforts to please her, it had not been often that she did do so.

She quickly rose into the air keeping her eyes on the chasers, as they started to near she swung her arm out, blocking the shot of the Chaser. "Ha!" She yelled victoriously, but it was too soon for her to celebrate because another ball was zooming at her. She quickly threw her other arm out, but it ricocheted off it and went in the goal. She saw Oz's glare focused on her. She'd been trying...couldn't he see it was only a game.

Cerisier: 10
Montagnard: 10

__________

His heart was working in over time now, but not from being nervous he was just so excited to finally be in a real quidditch game. Christian had spent so much of his life playing this game that it was almost natural to him. Almost but not quite for he had never been in an actual game, this was more nerve racking then he ever would have imagined it to be. Not only was there a huge audience, made up of all the Beauxbatons students and teachers, but he was also on a team with all of the positions actually filled. And if all of that wasn't enough to make anyone nervous he was the captain of the whole team! He didn't know how to run a team, somehow over the past few weeks since the tryout results have been in he learned to run it somewhat. He had at least gotten through the practices and he thought he had one seriously talented team.

He lead his team out onto the pitch from the changing rooms all of them with their heads held high and broom in hand. He felt like a proper captain now out on the pitch with his team around him, and with that his confidence grew and he even smiled a bit. He walked out to the middle of the pitch to shake hands with the Montagnard captain which just happened to be mate of his, not that this meant he was going to take it any easier on them. With all of that finished he took to the air his team following suit. "This is it guys, lets show them what we're made of!" He yelled out to his team mates. As soon as the quaffle was released they were off, and the game had begun. 

Unfortunately the mountains got a hold of the quaffle first and scored pretty quickly. "It's okay just shake that one off!" He called over to his keeper before flying back to the other end since now they had possession of the ball. It was quickly tossed to him and he took it most of the way down the pitch before tossing it to another chaser, who threw it at the hoops only to have it blocked. A Montagnard took it back the other way, but Christian stole it back when the boy was hit with a bludger, and he took it all the way down and into the center hoop. "Yes." He celebrated quietly. 

Cerisier: 20
Montagnard: 10

Announcing a Quidditch game was not something Linette had envisioned herself doing back when she'd been a first year.  Yet now she was here after what must have been a successful tryout.  In a way it was rather a good place to be. She'd read the books and could talk like nobody's business.  Who could be a better informed and informing announcer than herself?  No-one of course.  

She waited for Professor Bowen to begin the match.  "Hello all of Beauxbatons," she called out through the enchanted microphone.  "You heard the whistle.  Now you are going to enjoy a game in which Cerisier annihilates Montagnard.  No.  I am not biased.  I just happen to have a good idea of which is the better team."  A complete lie but Linette had to say something to introduce a little controversy.

A huge disappointment filled her as the first ding went to the wrong team.  "And first goal of the season goes to Montagnard.  Never mind Cerisier.  I'm sure you'll eventually pull ahead of the poorer team.  Ha. Montoya has failed to keep out a goal and Cerisier is now even with Montagard.  Good going Cerisier."

The game was rather boring but Linette could not think of any way to spice it up a little beyond being biased toward her house.  "Yes.  Captain D'Angelo has scored for Cerisier.  Now Cerisier is ahead of Montagnard by ten points.  Good going Christian."

Cerisier: 20
Montagnard: 10

Annaliese felt the hatred rising within her as the announcer went on. She'd had her squabble with the girl before and Anna was going to take this new bred anger out on the Quidittich team. The Chasers had brought two of the balls and tried scoring, but saw to that it wouldn't be that easy. She knocked them out of the way to their teams Chasers.

The Chasers took the balls to the other goal scoring two goals! 20 points to Montagnard! 'Whose the better team now?' She though to herself as the game continued. Hopefully Oz wouldn't give her such a hard time. She was pulling just as much weight as everybody else on the team, if not more. She swerved around to get a better view. The Seekers were looking out for the snitch dodging incoming blows. 

Cerisier: 20
Montagnard: 30

Osmund rolled his eyes as with the start of the game came the start of the commentary. If calling one team better than the other wasn't being biased, he didn't know what was. However, it was just like a Cerisier announcer to root for her own team above the other. Osmund just hoped he wouldn't lose his sanity to the babblings of the loquacious girl before the game was up. He smiled as Montagnard was starting to rack up the points, hoping that Linette had spoken too soon and wanted to see the look on her face when Montagnard did win. "You're about to find you are pretty bad at divination," he said aloud to himself, chuckling a bit.

Shock game as a bludger passed and hit a chaser of his own team, making Montagnard lose possession of the quaffle. He frowned and sent a worried look to his companion beater who shrugged and then pointed to the other bludger flying around as if saying they'll get that one instead. Osmund nodded.

With the addition of twenty new points for Montagnard, Osmund was feeling pretty good. Between him and the other beater, they volleyed a bludger back and forth waiting for a moment when it was needed. As soon as the Cerisier keeper received the quaffle and handed it off to one of their chasers, Osmund struck them. He wasn't going to chance Cerisier winning. Not after the praise he had received from his father for making the team. He had to win and make his father proud. 

A Montagnard chaser caught the ball, and within a few passings, the quaffle was soaring through the opposite hoop.

Cerisier: 20
Montagnard: 40

Linette couldn't hear any yelling from the Montagnard players so far which was a little disappointing.  She didn't normally try to get people to yell at her but this was different.  Quidditch was meant to involve yelling.  The two goals in a row from Montagnard didn't bring Linette's mood down like the lack of yelling did.  She still had ideas in her head on how to antagonise the team.  

"Montagnard is now twenty points ahead of Cerisier but it's still anyone's game.  The Cerisier seeker I am certain is poised and ready to snatch victory away from Montagnard.  That's right.  Cerisier is still the better team.  Their chasers just aren't quite up to scratch."  She paused.  "Nor is their keeper apparently.  Aren't you pleased Montoya that you're not the only keeper having problems with chasers." She may have managed to knock away two goals but Linette was quite happy to pretend she hadn't noticed.

Cerisier: 20
Montagnard: 40

Christian shot a bright smile up to the announcers box when the commentary started. Linette was who it was obviously and she was going to be his new favorite commentator ever, boy did she know to do her job. It might sound a bit biased to others and Professor Bowen might say something about it afterwards but he loved it. However he didn't love what was happening in the game as much. He didn't have another chance to shot the quaffle through the hoops for awhile after his first shot. For quite a bit of the game he ended up just passing the quaffle from him to the other chasers never getting a good shot at the hoops. 

Cerisier was now down 20 points and that was too many points in his mind. Christian was getting very heated now there was no way he was going to let his team lose. Slowly Montagnard continued to rack up the points at one point it came to Cerisier 20 and Montagnard 60. Finally the teen was able to take a good shot and threw the quaffle right through the center hoop. Right after that his determination was even higher and he got the quaffle back from the mountains and tossed it to his best chaser who scored again. 

The game continued like this for sometime, the two teams trading the quaffle back and forth but very few people scoring. The score finally became 50-70 when a whistle was blown and the game was over. Christian pushed his dark hair out of his eyes to see who had the snitch and laughed aloud when he saw his seeker with it in their hands. Throwing his fist in the air before flying to the ground to celebrate. He shook hands with the captain again this time with a wide smirk.

Cerisier: 200
Montagnard: 70

Annaliese saw the victor and groaned, Osmund would somehow make this her fault. "Great...." She muttered to herself as she flew down the ground. The little biased commentator would get a piece of her mind if she had anything to say about it. She wasn't going to be walked all over. She glared at the winning team. Her gaze then fell on Oz. He look wildly disappointed. 

After all it was just a game, but what if it wasn't that simple for him. She sighed and walked over to the captain. "We'll get them next time?" She said quietly trying to be optimistic about the situation they were in. Oz would probably run them so hard they'd have win the next game.

Cerisier: 200
Montagnard: 70

____________

The Montagnard chasers were more than pulling their weight on this one and Osmund was proud when he saw the score change to a whopping score of 70. Maybe it wasn't as impressive as the scores that were achieved in professional Quidditch, but it was a lot more than Cerisier had.

It seemed that Montagnard had the game in the bag until the whistle was blown, indicating that the snitch had been caught. He was smiling when he initially turned to the score board but his face fell sour once he saw the ending score. Cersier had caught the snitch, rending all goals scored by Montagnard completely useless. 

His shoulders were drooped as he flew back to the ground, ready to shower off all this disgusting sweat he had obtained only to have failed. His first quidditch game as both a player and captain and all had been for nought. He wondered if should even bother writing to tell his father about it. He passed by Annaliese on his way down and vaguely heard her words. "Damn straight the next game we are going to win!" He said, angrily. "Now giveme fifty push-ups before you head to the showers, Montoya! The rest of the team!"

Cerisier: 200
Montagnard: 70

"This game really is down to the seekers ladies and gentlemen.  We certainly can't say much for the efforts of the chasers now can we?"  Linette leaned forward as she watched the chasers battle it out in the scoring department.  "Montagnard is currently at 60 points and Cerisier a measly oh wait a minute.  Captain D'Angelo has finally scored another goal."

She watched impatiently.  "The chasers really do need to get their acts together and I think that is exactly what Cerisier is finally doing.  Montagnard is now at 70 points to Cerisier's 50.  Wait a minute."  She clapped her hands once in triumph and raised her arms above her head.  "What did I tell you people.  The seeker for Cerisier has come through for the team.  Cerisier wins with 200 points to Montagnard's measely 70 points.  Chasers may I recommend you practice more and maybe you keepers too. Beaters I don't have any advice for you.  You're all just too violent."  

Over all Linette didn't think she did too badly for her first time though she did have a suspicion Professor Bowen might give her a dressing down for being too biased toward her own house.  Next time she might just have to come up with some other method of needling the houses just to stop herself falling asleep from boredom.

Cerisier:200
Montagnard: 70