Because it was only the first day back, and therefore still summer, it still got light quite early in the morning, and it wasn't yet freakishly cold or anything. Tobias smiled as he stepped out onto the practice pitch, bright and early the day after the feast, broom in hand. He breathed in the smell of the Hogwarts practice pitch, happy to savour it for a moment. But just a moment.

He turned to Ella, with whom he'd walked to the pitch with.

"I reckon we've got a good hour or so we can use to fly before we need to go and get ready for class," he said chirpily. Strangely chirpily. Morning person. They probably could have even longer, but Tobias wanted to leave time to perfect his hair, y'know how it is.

The third year practically buzzed with excitement as he mounted his broom and kicked off... but only so he was hovering a couple of feet, wanting to take to this slowly, just in case he'd clipped the twig tails all wrong or something. While he waited for Ella, he tapped rhythmically on the broom handle, still beaming away.

So early.

Ella wasn't usually a morning person but she'd had no trouble getting out of bed on this particular day, knowing who and what was waiting for her. It felt right, taking her first flight of the term with Tobias. They'd talked about how much they'd missed this over the summer and she was excited to be able to share in the joy of being back on the pitch with him. Besides, she was a bit nervous about trying out after all this time and she figured the younger badger could let her borrow some of his boom, so to speak. It couldn't hurt.

She bounced on the balls of her feet as she scanned the area, taking in the smell of grass and crisp air. Her hand was gripping her broom as if it was going to fly away from her and she couldn't help but smile. This was nice.

"An hour sounds good to me. I've missed this." And after nudging Tobias gently, the seventh year mounted her broom. "Let's do this, shall we?" And she kicked off, harder than he had and wasting no time gaining height.

"Come on, kiddo. Try and keep up!"

Kidding.

WELL THEN.

RUDE.

Tobias looked kinda stunned for a moment as Ella just TOOK OFF leaving him hovering there. But he wasn't mad, of course he wasn't. Instead, a mischievous look found its way onto his features and he wasted no time in angling his broom UP and flying straight up to Hogwarts' newest Head Girl. He soon managed to catch up and, without slowing down, let himself slide sideways so he was upside down, clutching onto his broom like a sloth.

"Staying right way up is so overrated," Tobias grinned from his upside-down position. Yes. These tail twigs were suiting him quite nicely. Quite nicely indeeeeeed. "You want a race?"

A right-side-up one though. Because he'd never tried racing like this.

The wind in her hair felt SO nice. Also nice, the sun on her face and how quiet it was up here. Maybe getting up this early wasn't so bad if it meant getting to have the pitch to yourself like this.

Well, not just to herself. Hellooo, little badger. GRIN! He was amusing, Tobias was. Fast too. It was unfair, really. Slow down a bit for the old lady, would you?

"If you fall, I'll have no one to run with in the mornings. Don't be so selfish, Tobes." She smiled but was still a bit concerned with his showboating. He was being careful, right? Her smile widened at the idea of a race and she raised her eyebrows at him, head tilted to the side. "Winner makes a smoothie for the loser, okay?"

Oakey would be so proud.

Bri decided to walk down to the Quidditch pitch. The 1st year muggleborn, has been curious about this sport and flying ever since she heard people talking about it in Diagon Alley.

When she arrived at the pitch, she saw a couple of students, that she believed were fellow Hufflepuffs flying around.

The Brunette grinned as she sat down in one of the bleachers, high up, and settled her self in, to watch the other students fly around, she couldn't wait till she learn how to fly on a broomstick, and then, hopefully learn how to play Quidditch.

Tobias let out a little giggle (a manly giggle, of course) as he flipped right way up again. He angled his broom so he would be side by side with Ella and hovered a little higher so they were on a level with each other.

"Okay okay, but only 'cause I couldn't bear to let you run without me," Toby grinned a bit, still all cheerful and stuff. He looked down, and then out over the grounds (as far as he could see anyway) and finally over at the bleachers, where another student was sitting. He was just taking a moment to savour being up off the ground, protected from certain death by only a relatively thin wooden beam being held up by magic. Woo!

AW YIS RACING.

"Right sooooo..." Tobias looked about for a place to race to, before realising the best course was to go around. "First one to loop the pitch twice, yeah?" he suggested, pulling his Firebolt around so he could start off in a straight line. He could feel the anticipation buzz through him. Proper flying. YEAH.

Once he knew Ella was ready to fly, he started the countdown.

"Three... two... one... GO!"

And he shot off as fast as he could.

Ella was grinning too, wider at the manly!giggles. Airey did that too, did Tobias know? She was convinced they were brain twins, those two. "How considerate of you, kiddo." But really, she was relieved he was right-side-up on his broom. Couldn't have the little bouncer breaking a leg or anything.

Lap the pitch twice. Ella could handle that. She gave the younger puff a small nod and looked around quickly, noting the person in the stands. Oh good, an audience. She always performed better under pressure. The blonde then adjusted her broom so she was in the right position to start and waited for the countdown.

GO!

Ella immediately leaned forward on the broom, feeling the rush of wind as she flew forward as fast as she dared. Tobias was fast but she wasn't backing down from the challenge. She was also coming up on his side rather quickly. "Ready to surrender yet, little badger?" GRIN!

Tobias positively SQUEALED as he heard Ella pretty darn close to him. Then he laughed again and took a moment or two to glance back. But only a moment because, y'know, flying at top speed in an enclosed stadium could end badly if you didn't keep a look out.

"Never," he called back over the rushing of the air as they sped along. Toby looked back in front of him and good job too because he was only a few moments away from the point where he knew he had to turn. This was where he really got to test those tail twigs.

As they reached the end of the stadium, Tobias shifted his weight slightly, so his legs were pushing his broom around at the tail end while his hands also pulled. It was the simplest of moves but was pretty effective in turning the broom quickly, and Tobias may or may not have been working out neat flying tricks in all the time he'd been at home, broomless. He didn't have time to realise it yet but though he was becoming a lot more clumsier when he had both feet on the ground, in the air he could be positively graceful.

After looping the hoops and now having a 500ft straight run ahead, Tobias giggled to himself again and made sure his broom was facing straight ahead.

"You'll never take me alive, Captain, ahahahaaaaa!" Toby called out, and flattened himself on his broom again to try and streamline himself so he could go faster. He didn't even realise he'd messed up Ella's student leader title. He was just so busy RACING (and shhhh he'd only just found out after all).

Everything about this was perfect.

Ella couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she sped along, trying not to get distracting by the squeaking badger who had somehow inched ahead of her. Sneaky one, Tobias. She mirrored his simple movements when the turn came up, shifting her weight just slightly to enable the broom to make the curve. She'd come a long way since first year when turns like that at speeds like this would have meant a broomless and falling blonde badger.

Hooray for experience.

It was now a straight shot to the other end of the pitch and Ella relaxed a bit, adjusting again so she was in position. She was momentarily distracted by the term Captain and she looked up to see the back of Tobias, her face falling a little. It was weird, not being captain anymore. Just...really weird. No time to dwell, though. She'd get used to it eventually.

The soon-to-be eighteen year old purposely flew lower, making her way underneath the third year with a smile. When she was sure she'd past him, she shot upwards again, evening out at the same height as Tobias was now flying.

Hehehehe.

"I think it's the other way around, Badger BOOOM!" And the next turn was fast approaching, time for some adjustment. She didn't slow down, though. She wanted to test out her skills.

Hmmm. Maybe he should have done some slower flying before getting into a race. The way he'd clipped certain tail twigs on his broom were definitely good for helping him accelerate and stay accelerated, but the stability didn't feel quite as perfect as he'd anticipated. Tobias filed that away in his mental filing cabinet for things he needed to do that evening, and just focused on the race for now. Anyway, it wasn't likely to be a real problem until he tried to stop. Plus, it could just be in his head.

But right now? Right NOW he had some racing to do.

He flew thr- wait WHAT?

Tobias was momentarily stunned. STUNNED. One minute he was in the lead and THEN there was an ELLA IN FRONT OF HIM. It only took him a moment to realise what she must have done and he smiled to himself. "Sneaky sneaky, Ella," he called out, as it was the only thing he could really think of.

The Hufflepuff urged himself forwards and tried to make it so he was side by side with Ella. With the bend coming up he couldn't really try and waste time flying up higher or down lower. Just before the reached the bend, he managed to get it so that he was almost caught up with Ella, but still a foot or so behind. That didn't bother Toby too much, because he had the inside 'lane' going into the turn.

Aaaaaaand again, he pulled his broom around and looped smoothly around the bend. The back end of his broom listed very slightly but he quickly corrected it and straightened up. Without checking to see where Ella was he took a moment to lean and pull his broom handle back, shooting up into the sky.

"BADGERRRRR BOOOOOOM!"

Toby glanced down again, grinning and positively elated to be back in the air. Once he had a measure on where Ella was he'd go back down to her level for some banter. One lap down, one to go.

Hehehehe.

She couldn't stop the giggling. Sneaky badger was totally sneaky and she was glad she'd surprised him, if only for a minute. She was also impressed with how quickly he'd closed the gap between them, even if he was still lagging a tiny bit behind. Ella inched forward as best she could around the turn, knowing Tobias was in the better position to shoot out ahead. She might have been a little ahead but he was going to have the leg up this time.

The former captain blinked as suddenly she saw the younger badger rocketing towards the clouds and she couldn't help but crack a smile at his words. "Boom on with your bad self!" Mhm. That...totally made sense. Totally.

Taking advantage of Tobias' momentary change of direction, Ella gunned it again towards the other end of the pitch. She honestly didn't care who won but she wasn't going to go down without a fight. No way, Tobe-ey.

Ah, the first day of lessons. Tiara had arrived at her office early this morning. She knew there would likely be a few eager beavers out on the pitch before lessons began, and she wanted to be here in case they needed something from the broomshed.

Her office may be the furthest away from the castle, but there was one thing she wouldn't trade for any cozy suite in the warm fortress: her window opened directly onto the pitch. Ah, I was right! she thought to herself as she pushed it open, admitting the crisp autumn air. There were two fliers in the air. That is definitely Ella... and.. perhaps Tobias? Yes, that pairing made sense. She watched them race, noting especially the careful adjustments Tobias made coming out of his turns. He has improved, she thought, smiling to herself.

She made to close the windows and noticed a third figure sitting in the stands not far above the window. Her face was lit, and this was how Tiara knew that she did not recognize the girl. Perhaps a first year? "Good morning!" she called cheerily. "Planning on grabbing a broom and joining your housemates?" The badger crest was visible upon her robes.

Ravenclaws, Assemble!

After leaving the rather pathetic sign up on the noticeboard in the common room, Mo headed down to the pitch immediately. He really hoped he wasn't going to be running laps on his own today... although it certainly wouldn't do him any harm to practice.

He hopped onto his broom and took to the air, staying close to the gate to watch for any other Ravenclaws to appear on the horizon. Still good practice, though, since he worked on hair pin turns as he made tight figure-eights in the air. Come on, Eagles.

Sophie didn't really need a refresher or anything, but she was eager to get back in the air and into the swing of things with the team as soon as possible. And, of course, to try out her new broom. That she might need some getting used to.

But thank Merlin she wasn't a first year anymore.

Hurrying to the pitch as soon as she saw Mo's notice, she was pleased to see that he must not have posted it too long ago, since he was the only one there so far, right there to greet them. There would be more coming soon, yeah? Maybe some new first years? Hopefully Hope or Brynn or another one of the new faces to the house?

"Yo, Mo."

Giving him a 'sup' nod as he seemed to be working on his turns, Sophie mounted her broom and kicked off hard - and, much to her surprise, she took off like a bullet, her new broomstick responding far better than the old, beat-up broom she had borrowed last term. Luckily, its response rate was just as smooth in slowing down, otherwise she might've lost her head a little as her speed had accelerated much quicker than she thought it would and she was headed straight for the stands ahead - she straightened out just fine, though, and took to the outside of the pitch, taking a wide lap and shrugged a shoulder in case Mo was looking as if to say, Don't worry, I've got this.

New broom, new adventures. New flyer, essentially, and that was bound to be a good thing.

See the thing about having climbed right up into the air, aside from the amazing views and general rush and the wind in his fabulous fabulous hair, was that when Tobias angled himself back down in order to start flying back to Ella's level, he would have gravity on his side.

Tobias was by no means heavy, but he knew from his days at his old school that weight didn't have much to do with how quickly gravity worked. With his broom now sloping downwards, he accelerated into a fast, but not steep, dive. The plan was that he'd get to the other side of the long stretch having built up a lot of speed, which he could then use during the turn and the opposite length. It was only a theory he'd been thinking of while at home, so he had no idea if it would really work.

The third year glanced down to check where Ella was, to make sure they weren't likely to collide when he reached her level again, but he was far enough to one side that it wouldn't happen. Thing was, now he had the outside lane, so was relying on the build up of speed to work.

Without his brain telling his mouth that it was okay, Tobias suddenly let out a howl as he got closer and closer to the other end of the pitch.

"Awooooooooooooo!"

Because he was a werewolf now. And he was booming on with his bad self. Ehehe.

"Oh c'mon... you'll like it." Lily said as she marched her way out of the castle and down to the pitch almost as soon as she saw the poster. She would have been faster in coming out except she found a new claw who didn't seem to have much to do. The seventh year decided to bring the girl down to the pitch, even if she, Mel, didn't end up flying with the rest of them.

With her broom perched on her shoulder, Lily walked out onto the pitch and gave a glance around, noticing Mo and Sophie already up and flying. Sure, the seventeen year old didn't need to learn how to fly, but any kind of practice, especially with other players, was a good opportunity. After giving a wave to Mo and Sophie, Lily motioned for Mel to come fly with the others before mounting her own broom and taking off. Once at hoop level, Lily sped off, doing a lap around the pitch before coming to a hover somewhere in the middle. While she hovered and waited, the seventh year came up with a couple things she decided she needed to work on during the practice if the opportunity became available.

"I DONT WANT TO GO!" She whined as she was practically being dragged but not really dragged, "I dont want to do any stupid sport!" Melek huffed and glared at the girl, crossing her arms. "Let me just be! I could be reading right now!" She glared at the girl and grumbled then the girl was off and flying, leaving Melek to be on her own. Mel sighed and eyed the exit, trying to sneak away before one of the others grab her or the girl returned her attention on her.

Bri was truly enjoying watching her housemates fly around. She was amazed at the way they moved. She clapped and cheered a few times. She really couldn't wait to learn how to fly, and maybe even learn how to play Quidditch.

The 1st year girl was startle when she heard someone calling to her from below. She looked down, and someone leaning out a window. The woman was obviously a professor, and Bri guessed that she was the Flying Instructor.

The brunette smiled and called down "Good morning to you as well." The young girl bit her lip before replying to the question. " I would really love to go flying, but I have never flown before. So I don't know how..." Bri trailed off,

Lana beamed as she ran down toward the practice pitch. In fact, she hadn't even stopped smiling since she saw the notice on their board. She couldn't even remember the last time that she actually been up in the air with any of her fellow Eagles. She didn't think she was rusty but it didn't hurt to get any kinks out before the try-outs happened.

With her semi-used broom swung over her shoulder, Lana ran on to the pitch and looked up to the sky. She spotted Mo, Sophie and Lily already up there and she didn't waste any more time. Quickly, she mounted the broom and took off.

Her take off was a bit rough but the moment she was a good distance up, all was smooth again. It was like riding a bike, you never really forget how to do it. Once she was confident with her handling, she took off toward the hoops to begin some practice laps.

Oh good, not one of those completely scared first years that clam up when addressed by a faculty member. Tiara was a firm believer in speaking your mind when spoken too, none of that wishy-washy mumbling bit. She liked this girl already.

Oh, she must be a muggleborn. And an adventurous one at that, if she had managed to find her way down here on her first day at Hogwarts. "Oh, my dear, there are plenty of people here that would be more than willing to help you."

She turned around and craned her neck to locate Ella and Tobias. Whistling loudly to get their attention, she also decided to call out their names. "ELLA! TOBIAS!" she yelled, making motions for them to land and come over to her.

Back to the first year. "I am Professor Tyner, Quidditch Official at Hogwarts," she said, smiling warmly. "And what is your name, my dear?"

The Baby Chaser was in the air already, and Mo turned on his broom to watch her fly. She was fine and most certainly didn't need any direction from him, so he just let her show off for now. For a second year, Sophie was very good, and he kind of hoped she'd be an encouragement to the newer players who were just learning the ropes.

"Looking good, Soph. New broom? Maybe you can spin down low and encourage some of the new flyers today?"

And there was Lily, also easily taking to the air and heading for the hoops. Lily was a nice surprise last term, out performing all of Mo's expectation and solidly earning a spot on the team. He really regretted losing her after this term, but... he had her now. Hopefully she'd show that grit and timing during her tryout.

"Lily," Mo waved at her, gesturing for her to chase Sophie. "Tag! See if you can catch Sophie!"

"Mel," Mo recognized the girl from Diagon Alley, and he made a point of landing his broom right in front of her so she couldn't escape. She didn't look happy to be there, but maybe that was nerves. Mo remembered how mortified he'd been trying out for Milton, especially based on his rather abysmal performance on the broom during Flying lessons.

"Have you played before? Do you have a broom? I'd like to fly with you."

From the ground, Mo spotted Lana join them, and he gave the girl a wave. Once again, he pointed her toward Sophie (and now Lily). Cupping his hands, Mo turned and shouted as Lana swooped past. "Lily's IT. Keep away from Lily."

Kace decided to go to the practice pitch. He felt it was time to give his broom a try. He hadn't been able to fly it all summer and it had just been cooped up. He felt bad for it. As he made it to the pitch, he realized he wasn't alone. He spotted Mo, Ella and Tobias made it here. No surprise, they were awesome at quidditch and Kace was just...not. Well he didn't think so.

He put his broom down and put on his gloves to grab his broom better. Then he commanded, "UP!" and the broom flew to his hand. Then he mounted it and kicked off. He felt the air through his hair. He hadn't felt this alive in months. He was flying around having the time of his life.

Caterina had a new broom and a new bat. Apparently it had been some sort of peace offering from her brother after he had locked her in a closet for hours. She certainly hadn't minded milking the situation. Really, she'd totally won.

Even though they were on different teams, who was better to take up a bit of flying with than the mighty Gryffindor Biter Captain herself? Plus, she and Alice didn't get to spend much time together very often, so they could do that over Quidditch things. Once she was on her broom, Cat was almost immediately in the air. She glanced down at Alice and grinned, "You think you'll win the cup for your last term?" She thought that sounded nice, actually, a good graduation present for Alice.

Her broom was so pretty. Of course, it'd been over two years since West had gotten it for her, but she sometimes had to pause and admire it's perfection. Really. Most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Alice would date it if it could snog.

But unfortunately, the only thing it was any good for was flying. Kicking a leg over her prized possession, the seventh year mounted it quickly and was up in the air with Cat in no time. "I... don't want to get my hopes up." Although her insides wanted that cup SO BADLY, she tried to maintain an indifferent front. "It'd be really nice to get it. You guys put up a fair amount of competition, though."

Easing into a barrel roll, she grinned at her friend all upside down-like. "Wanna race?"