Rugby lessons [Felix]

[hazelparish]

Hazel had been trying to keep busy, so she could keep her mind off all the bad news she had recently received. She was also trying to figure out a way to get into St. Mungos without anyone knowing. When Felix had asked her to help him learn more about Rugby she had happily accepted. Not only would it give her something to focus on, but she would get to spend time with a friend. Anything had to be better than sitting around feeling bad.

She quickly took the time to pull her thick hair back into a pony tail, securing parts with clips to ensure it wouldn’t fly loose and get into her face. She wore her most comfortable jeans and shirt, so she could move around easily. She had a rugby ball tucked under her arm, balanced against her hip. She enjoyed the sport and was more than happy to share it with anyone else who wanted to learn about it.

The weather was really nice, not to hot, not cold enough to be bothersome, a light long sleeve shirt and jeans was enough for her. It really was the perfect kind of day to be outside. Surprisingly, there were not that many other students out and about, which worked quite well for Hazel. Those who were around, she made sure to move to the farthest edge to keep out of their way. Now all she had to do was wait for Felix to arrive, so they could begin.

[felix]

Felix was scared. Very scared. He’d seen the state Hazel had gotten herself into at these rugby matches. He’d also seen it being played, both on the television and at his old school, and he knew how injured people could get. The more he thought about it, the more nervous he got. It got to the point where he had completely forgotten why he’d decided to do this in the first place. He’d settled with the idea that it would give him something to do, and it would give Hazel something to take her mind off whatever was going on in her head recently. That, and he genuinely enjoyed spending time with Hazel. Spending some time doing something Hazel enjoyed definitely wasn’t the worst way to spend a day, no matter how banged up he may or may not get.

Of course, he never complained about being hurt. One reason for this was because it wasn’t the “manly” thing to do, but the thing was, when he got into something he never noticed any grazes or gauges he gained. And after he’d got them, he was rather proud of them. The nerves were just a natural thing, like before a big test that you haven’t revised for – they clear up before you really get stuck in to it. So Felix swallowed the sick feeling when he got up in the morning, and hunted down his most manoeuvrable clothes like the female had instructed him to before setting off to meet her on the lawns.

The glare of the sun hit him like a slap in the face the moment he set foot on the grounds. Wincing slightly, he shaded his eyes while they adjusted to the change in light and looked around to find the Hufflepuff. When he caught sight of her, his eyes split into a large grin and he set off towards her, practically skipping. When he reached her, he pulled a boy from his bag (which secretly concealed bandages and plasters, just in case he killed himself) and brandished it at her. From the rattle it made, it seemed to be a box of chocolates.

”Hazel, gorgeous!” He greeted her warmly, still waving the box at her. ”These are for you! Merry Christmas!”

Granted, it was a bit early for Christmas presents, but Felix knew if he didn’t give them to her now, he’d forget them or eat them himself. So now was the best time. He glanced over his shoulders, rather surprised at the lack of people outside, but also rather relieved that hardly anyone was there to see him fail so badly. He turned back to Hazel and gave her a great, beaming smile, as if to say ‘Alright, let’s do this then.’

[hazelparish]

“Heya hot stuff.” Hazel shot back with a wide smile. She somehow always fell into the habit of picking up on some of his speech patterns. She wasn’t sure why exactly that was. He came bearing a gift and she couldn’t help but smile in pleased surprise. “Thank you, your gift is almost done, by next week it should be finished. And happy early Christmas to you too!” She had made a lot of gifts this year, and she was almost done with the mittens and scarf she planned to give him. She accepted the gift from him with her free hand. It sounded like candy!

“So, why don’t we start with you telling me what you do know about Rugby?” Hazel suggested putting the gift down by her bag. She knew the game was rough, she had never minded it, but it had surprised her a little bit when Felix asked her about it. Perhaps he was just looking to extend his reach in sports. Tucked away in her bag was a list of basic rules in case he wasn’t even clear on that.

“It’s just the two of us so I doubt anyone is going to get to banged up, but I have some band aids just in case.” She assured him. She had gotten a few severe wounds in her time, and she was sure Felix had seen her a few times after some particularly aggressive matches. She had never broken anything luckily, and Hazel had no intention of teaching Felix by driving him into the ground, so she really didn’t think the bandages would come into play.

[felix]

Felix chuckled happily at her response. It always amused him when she picked up his way of speaking, mostly because the words sounded even funnier coming out of someone else’s mouth than they did out of his. His cheerful grin only widened when she accepted his present. He’d bought it with the hope that it’d make her that little bit happier, and judging by the surprised but pleased look on her face, he’d achieved that. He supposed that could count as his first good deed of the day.

“So, why don’t we start with you telling me what you do know about Rugby?”
Ah. There was the fault in his great plan. He truly did want to learn about Rugby, a sport that Hazel herself obviously adored. But he definitely had a lot to learn. He’d seen it played, he understood the basics of it, but didn’t really know much about it. He didn’t know the rules or anything like that. Again, he began to wonder why he’d decided to do this.

”Uhh, well...” He let out a nervous giggle, and ran a hand through his hair. ”I know that you score by getting that ball across... that line... and there’s a lot of falling to the ground involved.”

Which was good. If there was one thing Felix could do well, it was falling to the floor. But this was the limit of his knowledge. He offered Hazel a sheepish, apologetic smile, whilst wondering why he didn’t research any of this before doing this. Never mind, though, he was here now. He had a feeling that Hazel knew he wasn’t very sure about the game, anyway.

“It’s just the two of us so I doubt anyone is going to get to banged up, but I have some band aids just in case.”
He quite visibly relaxed at that. The cocky response would have been to say something like “Banged up? Please, I could handle you any day”. However, Felix knew better. He had no doubt that Hazel could pummel him if she wanted to. So he just smiled at her.

”Well, that’s good to know,” He said jovially. ”I wasn’t really in the mood for a black eye! Anyway, Miss Parish, I’m all yours. Teach away!”

He gave a slight, enthusiastic hop and flopped to the ground, sitting cross-legged and beaming up at the younger girl.

[hazelparish]

Hazel grinned at his chuckle. She also made a mental note of his reaction when she took the gift. She had a feeling be might have picked up on her mood lately. That made her feel a strange mix of uncomfortable, guilty, but warmed that he cared. She quickly pushed it to the back of her mind; she did not want to work herself up into any sort of issue today.

”Uhh, well...I know that you score by getting that ball across... that line... and there’s a lot of falling to the ground involved.”

So he didn’t know much about it. That was ok, Hazel could help him. She sat down, rather ungracefully and dragged her bag to her. She grinned back at his sheepish smile before shaking her head. “Not to worry, I can help.” She pulled out some papers holding them out for him so he could read over them, even though she planned to tell him about it.

”Well, that’s good to know, I wasn’t really in the mood for a black eye! Anyway, Miss Parish, I’m all yours. Teach away!”

Hazel laughed shaking her head. “What and bruise that beautiful face of yours? Don’t be silly, that’s your money maker right there.” She teased. Alright, now down to business, she would explain or at least attempt to, the fine game of Rugby.

“So first things first. This,” she began holding up the ball. “Is a rugby ball.” She said with a teasing grin. “The rugby ball is made of leather or other similar synthetic material that is easy to grip and does not have laces. Rugby balls are made in varying sizes; this is a size four, the intermediate. Three is often used for children and a five is for adults.” She glanced at him to see if he was with her so far. All this information was in the paper she had given him, but sometimes hearing it made it easier to understand.

“A rugby team has fifteen players. Players numbered one through eight are forwards, who are typically larger stronger players. Their main job is to win possession of the ball. Players nine through fifteen are the players who tend to be smaller, quicker, and more agile. Their main role is to exploit possession of the ball that is won by the forwards. This is the position I play.” Hazel explained. There was more information in the papers she had given him, but she was just giving him highlights.

“To start the game, there is a kickoff to the opponent from mid-field. Provided that the ball travels beyond the 10 meter line, any player of either team may gain possession of the ball. Moving the ball can be broken down into a few sections.” She explained. “Running, if your teammate is running with the ball they may run until they are tackled, out of bounds, or they run beyond the goal line."

"Then there’s passing. You can pass the ball to a teammate, however you may only throw it side to side or behind you. You cannot pass it forward. So if we’re on the same team, I can pass it to you only if you’re next to me, or behind me. Obviously you would pass it to a teammate if you’re in danger of loosing the ball; you would pass it to keep it in play."

"Then lastly there is kicking. Any player can kick the ball forward at any time. Once the ball has been kicked either team may take position, regardless if it hit’s the ground. Typically the ball is kicked to relieve of poor field positioning to keep the ball in play.” She hoped she wasn’t going too quickly for him, but this was just the information he needed to know to get a basic understanding.

“There are four ways to score points. The first is Try; five points are awarded to a team for touching the ball down in the other team's in-goal area. Next there is Conversion: Following a try, two points are awarded for a successful kick through the goal posts. The attempt is taken on a line, at least 10 meters, straight out from the point where the ball was touched down."

"Then there is Penalty Kick: Following a major law violation, the kicking team, if in range, has the option to "kick for points." Three points are awarded for a successful penalty kick. The kick must be from the point of the foul or anywhere on a line straight behind that point. The ball can be played if the kick fails."

"Lastly there is a Drop Goal: Three points are awarded for a successful drop kick. A drop kick may be taken from anywhere on the field at any time during play. The ball is alive if the kick fails.” She was almost done with the basic information, she hoped she wasn’t actually boring Felix and making him rethink his decision to learn.

“There are two ways to restart play, when the game has been stopped for either going out of bounds or breaking of the laws. Line-Out: If the ball goes out of bounds, it is restarted with a Line-Out. Both teams form a line perpendicular to the touchline and 1-meter apart from one another. A player of the team not responsible for the ball going out of bounds calls a play and throws the ball in the air in a straight line between the two lines. Players of each team may be supported in the air by their teammates as they jump to gain possession of the ball. Let me tell you, it’s easy to get hurt doing this."

"Next there is Scrum: Rugby's unique formation is the method used to restart the game after the referee has whistled a minor law violation. A bound group of players from each team form a "tunnel" with the opposition. The non-offending team puts the ball into the tunnel by rolling it into the middle and each team pushes forward until one player is able to hook the ball with the feet and push it to the back row players of his or her team. The Scrum Half then retrieves the ball and puts it into play. I know that sounds kinda weird, it’s easier to show than explain I’m afraid.”

“The offside law is probably he most confusing for people who just start watching or playing Rugby. In general play, the ball creates the offside line and players are not permitted to participate in play if they are on the opposing team’s side of the ball. Simply being offside is not a penalty, but attempting to participate in the game from an offside position is.”

“Ok, this is the end of it, I promise.” She said with a laugh. “To get the ball from another team you may do any of these. Tackle; normally you will be tackled around the waist or legs, no higher, so keep your hands to yourself mister.” She said teasingly. “Once tackled you have to release the ball and roll away from it so it can stay in play. Supporting players from both teams, one from each team converge over the ball on the ground, binding with each other and attempt to push the opposing players backwards in a manner similar to a scrum."

"This situation is known as a ruck, the second way to get the ball from the opposing team. The ball may not be picked up by any player, until the ball emerges out of the ruck. The ruck ends and play continues. A team that can retain possession after the tackle and the ensuing ruck has a huge advantage, because a ruck forms offside lines.”

“Lastly, there is a Maul is formed with a similar gathering of players, except the player in possession of the ball is not brought to the ground, in other words, not tackled, but it held up by an opponent and one his or her own players converge on him/her. This creates offside lines through the feet of the last players on each side. Players from each team must retreat behind these offside lines if they are to take part in any subsequent play. The maul ends when the ball emerges.” she smiled trying to take away the slightly overwhelming feel she knew he could be feeling. Rugby wasn’t something people often just picked up on.

“All that information plus terms you may need are in the papers I gave you. If you have any questions I’d be happy to try and explain it another way.” She offered. She knew that was a lot of information to take in all at once.

[felix]

”Don’t be silly, that’s your money maker right there.”

Felix let out a hearty laugh at this comment. When she came out with comments like that, he couldn’t help but wonder what Hazel would be like in a relationship with anyone. The thought always amused him very much – he could imagine her with any guy and no matter how butch, sportive, or manly they were, he’d still see her being the masculine figure. It was hilarious, but probably ridiculous. He figured she could be feminine if she wanted to.

”Hazel, my darling. I believe I am sitting on my money maker right now.” He made a feeble attempt at wiggling his backside, which turned in to more an ungraceful flail seeing as it was hard to wiggle something when all your weight was on it. He put a hand on the floor to stop himself falling over, and offered her a great smile.

And then her barrage of information started. It just so happened that there seemed to be a lot to know about Rugby. He attempted to keep up with her, flicking through the papers she gave to him and trying to read the information she was telling him as well as listening to her talking him through it. Felix’s mind worked in a slow but effective way. It seemed to take in all the information, store it in a temporary part of his mind, and then slowly feed it through to the rest of the brain, which was when he’d manage to understand what had been said. So when Hazel was just about finished telling him about scoring, he was still registering the kicking part. He was nodding enthusiastically while she was talking, making sure she knew he wasn’t getting bored or anything like that.

The interesting thing was that the data registering part of his brain worked completely independently to the rest of it. This is why, whilst he was still working out what on Earth an offside law was, he managed to respond to Hazel’s comment about keeping his hands to himself. He chuckled at this, and put on a fake, disappointed pout, muttering ”Awh, damn” under his breath. He couldn’t keep it up, though, and let out another laugh minutes later.

As she reached the end of her “brief” introduction to the World of Rugby, the Gryffindor took a deep breath, and sat for a few minutes, letting his mind wind down. Eventually, he smiled, and nodded happily.

”Okay... I think I’ve got it... Kinda...” He ruffled his hair again, and looked at her. His face fell suddenly, then blinked blankly at the girl, feeling rather stupid. ”... What’s the thing where the guy get’s mauled again?”

Okay. Maybe he didn’t have it after all.

[hazelparish]

”Hazel, my darling. I believe I am sitting on my money maker right now.”

He did a strange little dance and she couldn’t help the snort of laughter that escaped her. “I didn’t know that about you Felix, and here I thought it was your gorgeous face.” She quipped, grinning. Hazel use to have a joke with a friend about your money maker. Hazel would always say her it was the face; her friend always said it was the rear. It was often accompanied by a good swat to the butt. Hazel dwelled in the happier memory for a moment before bringing herself back to the present.

It looked like Felix was having a hard time trying to keep up with what she was saying. Hazel could be patient, she could explain to the best of her abilities if he was having problems. It certainly wasn’t a sport one picked up on like some others. It took work to understand the rules and the terms of play. When he muttered under his breath about keeping his hands to himself she threw a mild swat out at him.

“Behave you cheeky monkey!” She scolded with a laugh. She watched as he seemed to be trying to process everything, her introduction was hard to comprehend she was sure, and she tried to think of other ways to explain it if he couldn’t seem to grasp it. She began to wonder if maybe she had something in her bag to help draw it out better.

”Okay... I think I’ve got it... Kinda...What’s the thing where the guy get’s mauled again?”

“He doesn’t get mauled.” Hazel assured him with a laugh. “That would be bad, the term is maul, but it’s when another player has them pinned, but not tackled.” She tried to think of another way to explain it before glancing up. “So say you locked your arms around me, but did not take me to the ground, just kept me in place, and players for your team and my team now go into lines on the offlines, if they are to take part in any subsequent play. The maul ends when the ball comes clear of the lines. Does that help any?” She asked hoping that maybe her more practical explanation would help. She tried to think of another way to explain that just in case that still didn’t make it clear.

“Hang on; I have a better idea…” Hazel said digging around her bag. She pulled out a piece of parchment paper and a bag of M&Ms. “Maybe a visual will help.” She said cheerfully. She carefully put two different colored M&Ms on top of each other. “Ok, so this is a maul.” She explained. “Red M&M can be you, and the yellow one is me. These…” she said lining up more yellow and red colored M&Ms to the side “Are our teammates. Their going to fight to get the ball now, on the offlines.” She hoped this made it a little easier to understand.

[felix]

Giggling lightly at her scalding him, Felix winked playfully at her and blew her a kiss.

”You know you love it, sugar.” He chuckled. He was never serious when he said anything like this, just playful. If he were to get a crush that would invite such blatent, shameless flirting that he was laughing about right now, the strangest person for this would be Hazel. Not because she wasn’t pretty, or kind, or lovely, but more because he’d known her long enough and a crush developing right now would just be odd.

Besides, if he did take a liking to Hazel in that way, he certainly wouldn’t go about trying to charm her like this.

He listened intently to her second explanation of a maul. It certainly did make more sense to him this time, and he nodded happily when she asked him if this alternate explanation had helped.. In his mind, he imagined stick-figure rugby players, running about. And if this one grabbed that one...
His imaginative example was deemed redundant when Hazel pulled out the M&Ms. Initially, his one-track mind was distracted by the emergence of the chocolate, but he soon snapped out of this and watched her demonstration. It made more sense now, definitely.

”Okay !” He grinned, pleased with himself. ”I think I’ve got it this time. But...” He pointed to the red and yellow ones she said were them ”If I’ve got hold of you,” He moved his arms, as if to impersonate holding someone. ”And there’s other players over there,” He pointed straight in front of him. ”What happens to the ball? Like before I grab you, you have it right? And then what happens? Do you throw it or drop it or...”

[hazelparish]

Hazel rolled her eyes, but laughed none the less. Felix was very funny the majority of the time. They had a good friendship in her opinion. While she certainly never saw them as anything more than friends, she knew that most of what he said to her was just in jest. She wondered if some girls were put off by his speech pattern or sometimes read to far into it. Hazel who was often considered to be very much one of the guys, easily saw how some girls could be when it came to relationships.

She glanced over her candy filled diagram before she poured some M&Ms out into her palm and offered the bag to Felix. Hazel was always very good about sharing her candy with others. He seemed to understand what she was saying this time, and Hazel thought perhaps she had been too technical the first time. She smiled and nodded watching him encircle the air and then point in front of him trying to explain the question the best he could.

”What happens to the ball? Like before I grab you, you have it right? And then what happens? Do you throw it or drop it or...”

“Ok, so if the player manages to throw it before you grab them, the ball is still in play and the maul doesn’t count towards anything. Then you’re just hugging on the player.” She said with a wink and a grin. “However, if you do use your super secret ninja skills to sneak up on me and get me in the maul, then I would drop the ball, and it would go to the offlines.” She explained hoping that made sense. She popped the handful of M&Ms in her mouth and waited to see if he had anymore questions for her.

[felix]

Felix beamed brightly at her when she offered him the chocolate sweets and accepted greatfully, thanking her as he did so. He was always one for manners and being polite. The day he forgot to thank someone for giving him anything would be the day he forgot who he was. Munching happily on them, he nodded when she started explaining. Were his mouth not full of sweets at the moment, he would have made a comment that hugging her in the middle of a pitch of rugby men didn’t sound too bad, albeit pretty dangerous. Instead, he merely smiled slightly, keeping his mouth closed, and nodded again.

“However, if you do use your super secret ninja skills to sneak up on me and get me in the maul, then I would drop the ball, and it would go to the offlines.”

By the time she’d finished this sentence, he’d swallowed his mouthful. He sat staring at her wide-eyed for a few minutes, before gasping ”How did you know I was a ninja?!” With a fake disappointed scowl, he crossed his arms and made a “hmph” sound. ”And here I was thinking I was all good and secret like...”

His expression faltered a second, before failing completely seconds later. ”Sorry. No, I think I get it now.” He chuckled merrily and grinned at her, before continuing ”But you never know with me. If I played the game I’d probably realise I didn’t know something half way through! And that would be bad, wouldn’t it?”

He imagined this scene. Skinny little him in the middle of a field of rugby boys and girls, suddenly realising that he knew nothing about the game. That would indeed be bad, but if he looked back later he’d probably find it hilarious. However, right now he felt that he’d understood most of what she’d said. So he turned his big, brown eyes to her.

”So what now, miss?” He asked her innocently with a wide, bright smile.