nate is back

[Luag]

Trina sent me something I thought you might like to see. Said she made it with you in mind, and she's not listening when I owled her back to say it's a bit schmoopy for a pair of blokes and all.

( painting )

Congrats on the game, love. That was bloody well brill.

[/ward]

I know I've said this about a hundred times over the weekend, but Hufflepuff you played a brill game. Couldn't be more pleased with all of you.

[Ginny]

Thanks for the brill advice, love.

I said it.

He said it back.

[/private]

[Hufflepuff Quidditch]

I know I've been pushing you all really hard in practice, and I was in a poor mood after the last game. Well, I don't want to give you any speeches tonight about getting in bed early or sleeping with your broom or any such rot.

I just want to go out there and have fun tomorrow. I've been trying so hard to get that victory because I thought we needed it, that I forgot just how much fun Quidditch is. And that's what I want tomorrow -- to fly a brill game and have a great time with teammates who are among the best friends I have. I'm looking forward to a good day in the air.

[/Quidditch]

Time for another game tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to a good one.

Trina says I'm getting something for Quidditch for my next ink. This summer, I guess. Haven't decided what or where yet. She wants to come out to Hogwarts sometime and see a match.

[charmed VERY private to Healer Pye]

This is an awkward question, but it would be a lot more awkward if I were to ask Madame Pomfrey or the lady at the bookstore near my house in Surrey.

When I'm home this weekend, I'd like to find some books on, well, being gay and gay sex. I've never needed any books before. I always just knew I was, and I didn't really need any explanations, and I've known enough people who were since Mum has all these model friends. But any time I try to explain it, I just freeze up, which is deucedly awkward when I'm trying to figure out how to talk to my own boyfriend about it.

So... if you were dealing with a bloke who'd come to you for advice on coming out and what it all meant, do you have any books you'd recommend? Hopefully ones I won't have to special order, so they'll be right there in the sexuality section of the bookstore.

[/private]

Can't wait for Thursday night and the train home. Trina's got me all set up for getting the new ink done on Saturday, which'll be brill. And I've got four days with the people who mean the most to me. Well, and the Git, but he'll bring his kid, which makes up for it. And he's only coming down to Surrey for Sunday. Mum's asked me and Trina to set up an egg hunt for him, so that ought to be cute. I think Mum's starting to get into this whole being a grandmum thing.

[Luag]

Everything's all set, yeah? We're working on that project and your parents are good with that? I'll make sure you can impress them with how well you're doing in Muggle studies. In fact, I'll let you study me all weekend.

[/Luag]

[private]

We lost. Again. God, I'm just... I'm not doing well as captain. I'm not the right person to be captain. I keep thinking I have these brill ideas, and then we have a day like today.

Either that or I need to move myself off to chaser and put someone else in as seeker. Or maybe I ought to keep. 30 bloody goals. Thirty! Bloody hell, you'd think that with us bringing in 22 of our own, we ought to've won.

But I couldn't get the snitch. Again. I kept finding it and losing it and the game just went on and on and then next think I knew, Malfoy had the bloody thing in his hand.

Next practice, I'll ask about seekers. I'm obviously not as good as I think I am.

[/private]

[private to Hufflepuff Quidditch]

You guys played brill today. Swapping positions worked out at first, until the game went on and we just got tired. My fault, that; I ought to've had the snitch in my hand long before anyone was exhausted. Take a chance to sleep in tomorrow and come late for practice in the morning. You all deserve the chance to take a break after how hard you've been working.

[/private]

Good game, Slytherin.

[private to Luag]

You're spoiling me, love. It's already on, and I'm not taking it off, not for anything. You'll have to wait to see it until ater the match, though, since you've got practice tonight.

Thank you. At least I hope I'm thanking you. I don't have a secret admirer out there, do I?

[/Luag]

[Hufflepuff]

Everybody fired up for the match tomorrow? Our team is ready to go and we're going to do brill. Rest up, everyone; we need everyone ready to fly their best and cheer their loudest tomorrow morning.

[/Hufflepuff]

There's something about the night before a match. Makes it hard to sit still. I'm glad I've got a good amount of fabric and a decent amount of work that needs doing to keep me busy until I can sleep.

And Slytherin? Prepare to lose.

[posted late evening, after Nate returns to his room from the library]

[private to Hufflepuff & ZJ]

He's out. We're out. Sort of. He snogged me in the Great Hall (I don't know who saw, but there were folks around, I know... I was just pretty much focused on him, not them). Just... be gentle with him, yeah?

I'm sorry I wasn't talking about it earlier. And I'm sorry I lied about it to most of you. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but I didn't want to hurt him. Or lose him.

Didn't turn out to be a bad week after all.

[/private]

[private to Luag]

Meet me in our room in your free period right before dinner, yeah?

[/private]

[private to Sam]

You've been quiet the last few days. Did I arse everything up?

[/private]

Sail around the world and tell them all to keep singing it
la la la la la la
all we needs a harmony and we’ll convince the world to sing
la la la la la la
throw your arms around someone (throw your arms around someone)
maybe spread a little love
I know it sounds a little dumb (or maybe I’m a little drunk)
But all we need is some ice cream and a hug

Take a good look around
Does life really suck
Are we just complaining
I hope that this mic is on (testing 1, 2)
Cuz im on a roll here
I hope this is making some sense
I hope that you’ll throw up your hands and sing it
And tell all the haters that they should just shut up and smile, yeah

I'm so glad that didn't burst out during breakfast or lunch...

[ZJ]

Sorry I blew up at you the other day. I was more scared at what Luag would do than mad at you for what you said.

[private to 6th & 7th year Hufflepuffs]

Pig said something that bloody well scared me, and I left Transfiguration to go off looking for him, but I can't find him. Has anyone seen him? Let me know if you do, yeah? I don't have class again until Divination and I don't think I'm going to that, either, if he's not been found.

I'm scared, guys.

[private to Luag]

Hey. Talk to me?

Good game, Ravenclaw. Congratulations.

[Hufflepuff Quidditch]

You guys played a brill game. You didn't let their quick lead get to you, and you were doing a brill job of pulling it out. Looks like I'm the one needs to be training harder, so I give you all leave to make me do laps tomorrow at practice!

[/Hufflepuff Quidditch]

[private]

Bugger. Just... bugger. I let them down. It's not even that we lost, but that we lost like that. I need to get off my arse and train more. At least I think I've a better chance of beating Malfoy to the snitch when we play them.

We needed that win, for morale. It's not even the bet, although I wish I'd won that. But after all the shite our house has been through, the least I could've done was catch the bloody snitch.

[/private]

This was a brilliant weekend. Not even having more Charms work than I can manage is going to ruin it for me.

[Hufflepuff Quidditch]

Brill practice, guys. Be on the pitch as early as you can this week, and don't forget the extra workouts. I want to see us beat Ravenclaw next Saturday. You are all flying amazingly.

[/Hufflepuff Quidditch]

[Pig, Seamus, Lavender]

I'm going to take a chance and leap from the burning building to see where I land. I have some hope someone might be there catch me before I smash into the ground. Wish me luck, yeah?

[/Pig, Seamus, Lavender]

( Private )
 

( private )

[charmed to the student body only]
I'm open for commissions for clothing: alterations of what you already have, something new and different, anything. I just got a package from Trina of new fabrics, and I need something to keep my hands busy.
[/students]

[Justin & Pig]
I'm doing the indoor course for training after three today, if you'd like to join me.

I wrote I finally Zach wrote to me. I know he's written to other people, and it's not a big deal. It took me almost a week to write back.
[/Justin & Pig]

I've been thinking about Colin this week.

Actually, I've been thinking about Colin since we came back. But this week, the pain's faded. It still hurts, knowing he's gone, and knowing all the things I never said because I was sure he didn't want to hear them. But it's like having a toothache, and getting it fixed, and it still aches and you can't quite forget it, but if you poke at it, it's not nearly so raw.

See, a few years ago, somewhere in the middle of my fourth year, I figured out I was bent. Beginning of fifth year I had my first fancy that was something more than a passing oh hey I wonder about that bloke sort of thing. And that was Colin. He never knew, of course. I never really talked about it much to anyone, because Colin was a mate, and I wasn't going to arse that up by making things difficult between us. He had that kind of enthusiasm that made a bloke smile just to be around him. He was full of life in a way that not many folks are.

When I heard he'd died, I was devastated. Miserable. Seeing that spot where he ought to be sitting sent me off-kilter when we got back. A Colin-shaped hole at Gryffindor.

This week the good memories have been sneaking back in, like thinking I see him standing there with his camera, waiting to catch the perfect snapshot. And it makes me smile. Like an old friend's still here.

I've been wondering if I ought to've said something then about how I felt. But it's so bloody complicated, isn't it? He was straight, and I knew I'd never have a chance. It didn't seem right to let that intrude on things. But at the same time, I wish he'd known I thought he was important. Hopefully he figured that out from friendship.

Hufflepuff, you were brill on the pitch this morning. Great way to start the day.

[private to Justin]

Some specifics, now that I've had some time to think after practice. I really liked seeing you work in the Beater position, and I may start you out there rather than Chaser. But I'd like to leave you primarily as a Chaser, since I know you need to build up strength for Beater. But I think if you do some work to practice aim, the strength'll come with it. If you want to do any work on the pitch outside of our usual time, just let me know.

[/Justin]

[private to Hufflepuff]

Practice was BRILL. I meant what I said. Keep up the good work, folks, and we're going to beat Ravenclaw easily. Next practice we're going to be doing combination drills, so be prepared to get a lot of movement in, and ducking. They can't stop us if they can't catch us.

[/Hufflepuff]

[private to Luag]

I've been thinking I don't think I can I think I need to take a break from the Gaelic lessons. I know I don't have a lot of classes, but NEWTs seem harder than I was expecting, and with Quidditch taking up so much of my thought, I just don't know if I can have one more thing going on. I hate lying to you like this. It's because I hate sitting across from you and being so bloody confused and I can't listen to you talking about shagging girls. I can't tell you that.

I forgot to give those shirts to you, so I've sent a house elf to bring them over to you. You ought to have them by now, I'd think. Sorry to've taken so long. I hope you like them.

I'll see you in class and all.

[/private]

I think I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon working on my Charms essay and trying not to think about L Quidditch. Which is harder than it sounds.

( very very private )

I got an A on my last Charms assignment. Professor Flitwick wrote a note on it that my mark would've been an E, if I hadn't been scribbling Quidditch plays in the margins. Hadn't even realized I did that.

( private to Hufflepuff )

( private to Lavender )

( private to Pig )

( private to Seamus )
 

( private )

( private to Lavender )

( private AGAIN )

The problem with having the last slot for Quidditch tryouts is that I'm antsy as anything wanting to get in the air for it.

( private one more time )

( private )

Two readings done, and two more scheduled. I just need to do two more other than that, and I'll be all set.

Hufflepuffs! I'll let you know as soon as I've got tryouts scheduled, and we'll get ourselves in the air. That cup is ours this year!

I've a Divination assignment to perform six readings for six different people, using my preferred method. Anyone want a tarot reading any time tonight or this weekend?

[Pansy]

I've the things you sent, and I'm sorry, I forgot all about working with you for your outfit. When are you available and have you a space where we can work privately?

[/Pansy]

[Seamus]

I think I'm getting on alright with Luag now. You don't need to get him drunk, if you haven't already.

[/Seamus]

[Luag]

Have you come up with a place for your fitting?

[/Luag]