Briallen Bevin and the Snatcher's Cave

Chapter 11: Quodpot

Briallen threw her head back and did her best evil-genius laugh as one of her bishops destroyed one of Cass Elwood's knights. "I love wizard's chess! It's so brutal!"

It was Saturday morning and many of those students who did not feel like going outside because it was windy were milling about the dining hall or in their common rooms, with most of the older students down in The Village somewhere.

"You are frighteningly sadistic sometimes, you know that?" said Chante Nguyen from her place next to Cass.

"What's sadistic mean?" asked Briallen before directing a pawn to move.

"It means you're barbaric, Briallen," said Marisol teasingly as she sat down next to her energetic friend. "I thought we were going to go watch Withers' Quodpot try-outs, so come on, Briallen! I want to go drool over Benjamin!"

"Hold on, I think I've almost won!"

"Actually," said Cass smoothly. "I've just won. Checkmate."

Briallen stared incredulously at the chess board. "What? But, how..."

"You didn't even know what you were doing," said Chante pointedly. "You were just moving the pieces wherever. I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did."

"So? My team destroyed the most pieces! This is a stupid game and I really should have won," said Briallen, smiling, as she stood up. "Let's go, Marisol."

Marisol laughed and followed Briallen outside. The two girls buttoned up their sweaters as they made their way to the Quodpot pitch. Briallen could already see a few people in the air.

"Briallen! You made it," said Benjamin as he walked to the side of the pitch where Briallen and Marisol were standing. "We won't be starting for a few more minutes since the rest of the team isn't here yet." Benjamin hopped over the wooden fence that surrounded the pitch and sat down next to the girls on the bleachers.

Marisol elbowed Briallen in the ribs. "Oh, hey Benjamin, this is my best friend, Marisol," said Briallen formally as she pointed to Marisol.

"Nice to meet you." He reached a hand around Briallen to shake Marisol's hand. "You're not in Withers, are you?"

"Um, no, I'm in Wenlock," said Marisol as she blushed.

"Are you here to spy for Kenji?" asked Benjamin gravely.

"What?!" Marisol looked stricken by the fact that Benjamin thought she was a spy.

"I'm just joking with you, Marisol! Billy Kenji and I are good friends, besides, this is just try-outs. There's nothing to spy on," he said with a wink. Marisol giggled stupidly and nodded.

Briallen looked at the kids flying around the pitch. One small boy was flying impressively in and out and around everybody else. "He's good. Look at number four."

Benjamin and Marisol looked out at all the people above the pitch. "Noah Pierce," said Benjamin knowingly. "Just a second year. His father, Kemp Pierce, has been with the Houston Hurricanes for the past three years. If Noah's anything like his father - and it looks like he is - then he's a shoo-in for the team."

"Are you the Captain?" asked Marisol.

Benjamin laughed. "No, thankfully! That guy over there is the Captain." He pointed to a stern looking young man with spiky black hair standing on the edge of the pitch with his arms crossed, watching the flyers. "Conall Lonigan. He's only a fifth year but he's fierce on the field. Let's see if you still want to be on the team after you watch him play, Briallen."

Briallen grimaced as Conall began yelling at a girl who had almost run into Noah. "Noah is the only decent flyer on the pitch right now! Pay more attention to what he's doing and stay out of his damn way!" The girl landed and ran off crying.

"Reminds me of my Ma when I don't do what she says," said Briallen dryly as she wrinkled her nose. "I'm more concerned with my flying."

A loud explosion suddenly sounded over the field and bleachers. Marisol and Briallen both screamed and Benjamin laughed. "Looks like they're bringing out the quods now. Try-outs are about to begin. I should go." Benjamin jumped to the ground, hopped over the fence and walked over to Conall Lonigan.

Marisol was shaking. "Why did he say that? Do the balls blow up or something?"

"Yeah," said Briallen with a sheepish grin. "I completely forgot about that. They explode if you don't put them in a special cauldron in time."

"Why would anybody in their right mind want to play a game where the balls explode? This certainly explains why the rest of the world prefers Quidditch... "

A whistle blew, signaling the beginning of try-outs and everybody who was flying around the pitch landed and lined up against the fence in front of Briallen and Marisol. Five boys and three girls marched onto the field wearing uniforms colored violet, bronze and white. The only players Briallen recognized were Benjamin and Conall.

Conall stepped forward and walked up and down the line of two dozen boys and girls who were there to try out for the team. "Only three of you will make it!" roared Conall. "The team and I have already chosen one while just watching you fly because most of you suck! Noah Pierce, step forward!" Noah stepped forward and the rest of the people there to try-out for the team started grumbling.

"He was only chosen because his dad is a professional Quodpot player," whispered somebody behind Briallen. Briallen turned around and saw two girls sitting a few benches up from her and Marisol. The one talking was thin and pretty and as dark as midnight with a short nose and almond shaped eyes, yet she looked cruel. "Conall wants to be a professional Quodpot player - Pierce could help him with that so naturally he made the team."

"Noah was the best flyer out there, he deserves to be on the team," said Briallen matter-of-factly.

The dark-skinned girl looked down at her. "Excuse me? Are you talking to me?"

"No, I'm talking to the purple elephant behind you," snorted Briallen. "Of course I'm talking to you."

"I suggest you mind your manners, first year," said a statuesque brunette girl sitting next to the dark-skinned girl. "You'll regret being so rude to us."

"Whatever. You two aren't even Withers' so I don't care. I was just pointing out a fact." Briallen turned her attention back to the try-outs where Conall and his team had flown into the air and were showing those who were trying-out some basic maneuvering.

"No, we're Platts and we're sixth years. I am Melanie Swinton," said the brunette. "And this is Grace Daniels. We own this school."

"And my boyfriend is ten times better than Pierce," added Grace.

Marisol looked up at the two girls. "Which number is your boyfriend?"

"Twelve."

"Twelve? Isn't that the boy who fell off his broom twice and kept on blagging numbers eight and nineteen?"

"Rex did not fall off his broom and he wasn't blagging anybody!" said Grace sharply.

Marisol shook her head and faced the pitch again. Briallen leaned towards her. "What's blagging?" asked Briallen in a whisper.

"It's a Quidditch term. I don't know if they use the same term in Quodpot but basically it's when somebody pulls on the end of someone else's broom. Grace's boyfriend was doing it to try to jerk eight and nineteen off their brooms. Oh! Look at Benjamin fly! He is so good!" Briallen watched Benjamin closely for a few minutes and then looked at the other players. Benjamin was definitely good but he was not the best by far.

By the time try-outs were over Briallen had determined that Conall Lonigan was the best player on the team and deserved his position as Captain. He flew fast and was excellent at swerving around the other players not to mention nothing seemed to be able to distract him from the game. There had been times when a few of the kids trying out had almost ran into him or threw a quod at his head and he would always dart out of the way or catch the quod and throw it to somebody else, all while still barking orders to those flying.

When try-outs finally ended, everybody landed and Conall and the rest of team huddled together, obviously deciding who should fill the last two vacant positions on the team. Then the huddle broke and Conall ordered everybody to line up. Conall eyed the boys and girls who had tried-out, occasionally snorting or tsking and once even nodding.

"Kishori Kusagra and Franky Rowe! You're on the team!" shouted Conall. The groans of those who were not chosen resounded around the pitch.

Benjamin made his way to Briallen and Marisol, damp with sweat and sporting a fresh bruise on his jaw. He sat down next to Briallen. "So? Still want to be on the team next year?"

Briallen bit her lip and then laughed. "Oh, yeah! My Ma is going to die when she hears what the sport here at Bergamot is."

"You should try out for the Quidditch team instead, Briallen. It's a better game. I'm going to try out for Wenlock's team next year," said Marisol thoughtfully. "I think Dusty de Soto is a seventh year so there should be a chaser position opening..."

"Quidditch is a better game?" asked Benjamin doubtfully. "I don't think so. Briallen has difficulty flying, anyway! She would never make the Quidditch team."

"I'm sitting right between you two, you know," said Briallen. "And I didn't even know we have Quidditch teams too."

Benjamin nodded as he leaned on his broom. "It's not as popular as Quodpot but it does have its supporters. Especially among those kids who have family that live outside of the United States. Quodpot is only really popular here."

"I saw a Quidditch store when I went to Diagon Alley in London to get some of my school supplies. There were a lot of people there and there were kids standing in front of the windows, drooling over brooms... well, there were kids drooling in front of the windows of Briar's Brooms in Habory lane to... "

"You went all the way to London to get school supplies?" asked Marisol.

"Just some of them. My Grandpa thought it would be a nice treat, what with me starting my first year at Bergamot and all. I asked him for a Nimbus 2000 for Christmas and he said 'maybe.'"

Benjamin's eyes snapped towards Briallen and he stared at her in astonishment. "You can barely fly a broom and your grandfather is going to get you a Nimbus 2000 for Christmas? You are so lucky! Hey, you consider me a good friend, right?" He winked and nudged her.

"I never said I was definitely going to get one! I think I want something else now anyway. I'd really like my bedroom ceiling to look like the ceiling in the dining hall."

Benjamin shook his head in disbelief. "You're crazy. Ask for the broom."

"Hey, Beauvais," said Grace Daniels, who had suddenly appeared in front of him, with her friend Melanie standing directly beside her. "What's with Conall not choosing Rex? He was ten times better than that Indian girl!"

"No he wasn't," snapped Briallen. She was sick of listening to this girl speak, especially when she obviously had no clue what had happened out on the field during try-outs. "He was terrible, he wouldn't even make an intramural Quodpot team."

"Look - I don't know what intramural means but if you insult my boyfriend one more time... "

"You want to complain to somebody about the team, you complain to me," Conall Lonigan shouted at Grace from the other side of the fence. Forgetting immediately about Briallen, Grace stormed over to Conall and the two began a screaming match.

"Grace may be preoccupied right now but trust me when I say that we will not forget you, little girl," said Melanie as she waved her finger in front of Briallen's face. She waved her finger a few more seconds and then went to stand by her friend again.

"Wow, you really have a way with getting on the wrong side of people," said Benjamin with a half-smile. Briallen shrugged while Marisol just laughed and nodded her agreement. "Seriously, though, Briallen... Grace and Melanie have a certain - reputation. If they do anything, let me or another prefect know. Or even Taye Frost. He may be a Platt but he's Head Boy for a reason and one of the few people that can keep those two girls in line."

Briallen nodded and Benjamin, content with that response, let the topic go.