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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2014 14:08:30 GMT -5
Garrett always loved Quidditch World Cup time, especially this year, which felt more special than the previous four cups he'd competed in combined. His manager was aware, but he was planning on telling his teammates after the Cup; he would be retiring from Quidditch officially after this year to take up a teaching position. The idea to leave Quidditch, the life he'd always known had been tugging at his heartstring for several years before an offer from a prestigious school had been too much to say no to. He wouldn't even be teaching Flying or Quidditch History; though if asked he would be more than happy to referee matches. No, he would be teaching the young students of Hogwarts how to duel, and he hoped that he would be a good influence on them.
It was just days before Team USA would face Somalia in the Round of Sixteen, and Garrett allowed himself a night off of worrying and fretting about Somalia's formidable offense and take time for himself. He meandered his way in plain navy robes, not catching anyone in particulars eye as to not be recognized until he found the drinks tent. He poked his head in and was relieved to see that most of the patrons were either gone for the night or not interested in the newcomer. He marched up to the bartender and sat on a stool a ways away and ordered a Firewhiskey. He raised his glass to nobody in particular and said "Cheers," before downing the glass in one gulp. It wasn't until he was ordering his refill that he realized someone had answered his cheers, and he looked their way.
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Post by Natasha Santini on Jul 8, 2014 23:16:42 GMT -5
"Move along please. Sir don't make me confiscate your wand." Natasha Santini shrugged her way through the heavy crowd of mostly drunk Quidditch fans celebrating their team's successes or whining about their losses. Either way, she was just concerned about some of the patrons getting a little too rowdy and attracting Muggle attention. Technically she was off the clock for the night and was supposed to be heading back to her tent for some rest, but after a particularly grueling day she fancied a drink. She had been up at Hogwarts very briefly before the World Cup started to attend her old Headmistress' funeral before heading to set up the stadium. It had taken days to cast all of the necessary spells to conceal the gargantuan thing, leaving Natasha exhausted before some of the fans even started to arrive. Now, it felt a lot like babysitting. Last World Cup she had worked with her older sister who was an Auror working security at the venue, but Rhianna was back in Hogsmeade doing some investigation about Marevas' death. So, this year Natasha was all alone.
The drinks tent wasn't so far off from her own tent, and she found herself walking in that direction instead. Natasha had had hardly a moment to sit down in the past few weeks, so even the rickety barstool felt like a luxury. "Ogden's please," Natasha said to the bartender, tapping her toe nonchalantly against the bar. Go strong or go home, she thought to herself. Drinking on the job (although technically off duty for the night) was probably still frowned upon, so she did a quick scan of the bar to make sure nobody would recognize her. When all was clear, she shot back the fiery drink and let it slam down onto the bar, wincing slightly as it burned down her throat. "Cheers," she answered, to whoever had said it right before she took her gulp. It seemed to be the long haired fellow sitting a couple of stools away. He was most likely one of the international players, but Natasha had come in contact with so many that she couldn't even remember them all. "Do you find you play your best with a hangover?" she called out curiously.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2014 10:12:51 GMT -5
Glancing down the bar, Garrett saw that a younger-looking brunette had answered him. He grinned sheepishly and held up his hands. "My match isn't for another few days miss, I'm taking a night to myself," he said, his American accent apparent in the mixture of English, Scottish and Irish. He scooted down the bar so he was seated next to her and stuck out his hand. "The name's Ryan, Garrett Ryan, Keeper for Team USA," he said with another grin. He looked at the bartender. "The lady's drinks are on me," he said boldly, ordering two more Ogden's for the two of them. He held his glass up to her once they were poured and took a sip.
"So, assuming you're not from around here judging your accent, I'm guessing you're a fan of....Canada?" he asked, thinking her accent wasn't exactly American, but sounded closer than any others that he had heard throughout the past few weeks. He took another sip. "Was a good game in the Group round, USA Canada, I got lucky on a few shots by those Chasers. Would love to have another go at them in the next round if we get past Somalia," he said, then realized he was rambling on. He had gotten so used to talking Quidditch all the time that he didn't seem to notice whenever he went on a rant. His teammates were always quick to shut him up, but they weren't there. "How was the trip from Canada then?" he asked her, hastily taking another sip.
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Post by Natasha Santini on Jul 10, 2014 1:28:03 GMT -5
Natasha stuck out her hand to shake his. "Pleasure to meet you Mr. Ryan. Natasha Santini, Department of Magical Games and Sports. Basically, I'm throwing this party," she joked, referring to the World Cup itself. While many would find themselves starstruck to be drinking in the presence of the baby blue eyed Keeper, Natasha had dealt with so many international and professional players during her time at the Ministry that it hardly even fazed her to be in their presence. He ordered another round for the two of them, on him, and Natasha shot it back as quickly as she had the first. Damn, she hadn't really planned on getting drunk tonight. "I actually played Quidditch back in the day as well. I was a Beater back in my days at Hogwarts," she explained for no reason at all. She hadn't picked up her bat in years, and began to wonder if she still had it in her to smack a few Bludgers around.
"I'm not the one with the accent," Natasha interjected quickly with a laugh. "But I am rooting for Canada. Secretly, that is. I'm supposed to unbiased, but the heart wants what the heart wants. And that's a Canadian victory," Natasha said. She would've cheers'd to that, but her glass was empty. "I actually live on this side of the pond. I went to school over here, and I work in London for the British Ministry." Natasha wondered what her life would have been like if she had stayed in Canada for her schooling. She'd probably still be over there now, with her parents. "What about you though? Missing home?"
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2014 8:29:39 GMT -5
Now it all made sense; why Natasha didn't seem intimidated by his appearance and why she was there. "Hogwarts huh? What caused the decision to head across the Atlantic for school if you don't mind me asking?" he said. In reality he couldn't blame her for attending Hogwarts; if his parents had let him travel that far at such a young age he would have taken that opportunity in a heartbeat. They hadn't however, and Garrett had spent his years at Salem Institute, then had moved on to Sweetwater to Keep for their professional Quidditch team. It had been difficult being in such a different climate than Massachusetts, but for all these years Garrett had still enjoyed himself, until now of course.
"I actually don't miss home at all," he admitted, unsure why he chose to disclose this. He leaned in ever so slightly. "Since you're not a journalist and claim to be as unbiased as a girl from Canada can be, I'll let you in on something," he said in a low voice. His eyes scanned around the bar once before he directed his attention back to Natasha. "As I announced before the tournament, this World Cup will be my last. I'm thirty-nine after all, age is getting to me. But, after the Cup is finished, I have an even bigger announcement to make. I'm going to be teaching Dueling at Hogwarts," he said, then leaned back to allow her time to soak in the reveal.
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Post by Natasha Santini on Jul 22, 2014 12:03:52 GMT -5
Natasha grinned at his question. "Both of my parents went to Hogwarts, but since we were Canadian residents, we got acceptance letters to the Canadian Institute as well, where my mother is a Charms professor. That would have been mortifying for my sisters and I, so Hogwarts it was," Natasha explained, taking a sip of her drink. "It was a refreshing change of scenery," she concluded. She had grown up on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Canada before heading off to Hogwarts at age eleven. She often missed the salty air and the sound of the waves crashing, but London was her home now, just as Scotland and Canada had been.
Natasha leaned in ever so slightly so as not to miss a word of his juicy announcement. It was kind of surprising; he seemed so dedicated to Quidditch. "Wow, that's going to be quite a change of pace. Instead of adoring fans and media hounds, you'll be dealing with adolescents in serious need of attitude adjustments," she replied with a laugh. Realistically, she had been one of those adolescents back in the day. "Well, you'll love Hogwarts. The food is delicious, and I'm sure the students aren't even half as bad as they were in my day. You might even teach my younger sister. She's a Gryffindor there, but I will personally vouch for any Ravenclaw, because that's the best House there is," she babbled cheerfully. He quite possibly didn't even know what the Hogwarts Houses were, being from Salem, but he would quickly learn. "So why Dueling? Why not Flying or Quidditch History?" she inquired curiously.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 10:39:27 GMT -5
Garrett nodded, understanding Natasha's point of view. He felt that he probably would have done something similar if he had been in her position; granted both of his parents were a part of the Quidditch world, which he had followed them into. "That makes a lot of sense," he concluded, realizing most of the connections had been made in his head, and not out loud. He laughed as she enthusiastically told him about some of the finer details of Hogwarts, including the mention of two of the houses. Garrett had been studying Hogwarts: A History since he was first introduced to the position, so he knew of the houses, but he was still grateful for the edge of support. "I will be sure to let you know if I find any Ravenclaws disrupting my classroom," he said with a chortle.
He shrugged his shoulders when Natasha asked him why he had chosen Dueling. "Not necessarily that I chose it more that it chose me," he started, then waved his hands in front of him. "Let me explain. Quidditch has been my life since I was able to walk; my parents were both in the field, my mom was a Keeper and my dad worked in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, not unlike yourself. I lived, breathed and was Quidditch. When I went to Salem however, I found that I was also really good at dueling. Not that I enjoyed inflicting pain on others, but more I knew how to disarm and perform incapacitating spells quickly, and became a pretty good duelist there." He paused, taking another swig of his firewhiskey before continuing. "I was giving the option of teaching Quidditch History or Dueling, and I decided that it was time to focus on my other passion that had been pretty neglected over the years."
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