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Alice had received a letter a little while before Gryffindor's first game from Momma Kinzlie, informing her that she had passed her WOMBAT exams and was going to be coming to the school to bring Seb the gift of a new broom. Alice squealed when she read that letter. But moreover, it was her job to get Sebby into place so that Momma Kinzlie could give the gift. Alice had to keep that a secret, which would be tough, but it was something she could do. After all, she'd been keeping her feelings for Seb a secret up til this point... When it came the day for the game, Alice had gotten dressed as usual and went to meal to find her best friend. She had to craft an intricate lie to get Sebby to come down to the pitch before the game started so that they could deliver his new gift to him. The entire walk down to the Great Hall, she was working on what she would say, practicing the words in her head and mumbling them out loud so she had everything right. It needed to be a good fib so that Sebby didn't get suspicious about what Alice was up to, but not good as to make other people volunteer to help as well. Nodding, she had the words right in her mind.

When she walked into the Great Hall, the teen scanned the crowd for Seb, spotting him at the Gryffindor table. Walking over to the table, she dropped down beside him and smiled, wishing him a good morning. Now all she had to do was wait for the sign from Mrs Nora that they were in position. And that came soon after, in the form of her patronus, the silvery hummingbirds. Alice reflected for a moment how that was a cool spell and she couldn't wait to learn it herself. Then she nudged Sebby and said, "Hey Sebby, could you help me with something? I need help getting set up in the Announcers' Booth since Nic is playing. He usually helps, but he's gonna be busy. C'mon." She took Seb's hand in hers, not being specific on what she needed help setting up on purpose. Doing her best to keep a silly grin off her face, she led her friend down to the Quidditch Pitch to the place where they were going to meet up. As they walked, she talked about classes and spellwork, making sure to keep the conversation engaging so that he didn't ask what she needed help with, since technically she didn't really need help with anything and she hadn't come up with that part.

Seb was... exhausted. Not physically, of course, but mentally and emotionally. For the third year in a row he felt like a massive disappointment. He felt like he'd ruined not only the reputation of his house, but also all the fun of playing quidditch. After pretending to be okay following the match against Ravenclaw, Seb found himself wandering outside. He just needed to be alone for now. He'd even put a tin of wet food in Zoot's bowl to keep the cat distracted while he wandered away.

This time his feet didn't take him all around and get him lost, but they took him somewhere his brain didn't really want to be. Sighing at the center of the Pitch, Seb debated - and not for the first time - his fate on the team. The teen plopped down in the grass, laying amidst the green as he looked sadly up at the clouds. Quidditch was his favorite activity... or so he thought. Lately even the thought of playing in games just gave him an upset tummy.

He didn't want to quit, to throw away countless hours of practice, both his and the other Seekers... and he really, really didn't want to throw away all the help he'd gotten. How much effort had everyone else put into him, just for him to fail time and again? Honestly, he had a feeling that even if he mustered up the courage to try out again, the rest of the team would ask him to leave. Maybe he could just ask to be on the reserves team? Then he could at least practice with his friends but he wouldn't ruin everyone's spirits anymore. Seb sighed heavily, pushing his glasses up into his hair so he could use the sleeve of his hoodie to wipe away tears he didn't want to fall.

As his red-rimmed eyes continued staring blankly at the clouds above, Seb could hear someone coming. It didn't take but a second before a soft breeze brought with it the familiar scent of Alice's perfume. She was probably gonna talk to him, which was.... probably needed... and yet, he wasn't sure he wanted to talk. Alice was great for optimism, but not the best when he just wanted to be a sad little guy sometimes. Seb shifted to drape his arm over his eyes, subtly hiding his teary eyes from her view. He huffed softly when she sat on his legs, but he didn't yet acknowledge her.

At her question, Seb shook his head a bit, a frown firmly in place to tell her otherwise. It didn't take long before Alice asked about talking through his problems, since she was a Tàmhas-appointed counselor. He shifted a bit, his arm moving up enough to show his tired eyes. "I... don't know. Everyone's already said everything. It just... doesn't work." His voice broke a bit before he hid his eyes again. Alice was smiling, he knew, but it wasn't a mood he figured he could handle. "I know I shouldn't quit and I know everyone will somehow be even more disappointed in me if I give up.... but..." He groaned loudly, tugging at his messy greenish hair. "You don't have to deal with it like I do. You just have to see 'em looking sad. But I can hear all the tiniest changes in their voice and pulse and-and even their breathing! I can hear their disappointment... a-and I don't think they know I can hear people talking about me either." After overhearing one of his roommates saying they should've kicked him off the team last year, it just extra hurt.

"I'm tired, Liss. I'm just.... tired."

Seb briefly explained his feelings, before he finally looked at Alice as she laid down on top of him and moved his arms. Apparently she didn't like him pulling on his own hair? Then again, it could just be Alice's way of trying to make him feel better. Of course, Seb wasn't really sure if he even wanted to feel better right now. Sometimes he just had to let his feelings play out. Alice began saying she knew how he felt, that he'd been practicing harder than the other Seekers... but also that she was proud of him. She continued saying that his playing made her smile and that anyone who would be disappointed was stupid. "It's not... it's not even that they're just upset with me! It's... even if it wasn't y'know, solely my job, I think they'd be disappointed in just... losing. Time and time again. It weighs on you... and it weighs heavy."

He sighed heavily, letting his eyes drift closed as his thoughts bounced around in his noggin. He had so many possible options, but it really just boiled down to two. Should he try again... or just give up and walk away? That might screw the team even further, especially since they didn't have a reserve Seeker.... but when the actual thought of a first year being a better option reared its head, Seb had to realize it clearly wasn't good enough to not give consideration. He listened as Alice said she wouldn't blame him for wanting to stop. She said that it wasn't easy to push past stuff like this and that all their friends would support him.

That just caused Seb to sigh again, a heavy sound leaving him. Alice gave him a little cheek kiss, then offered to give some alone time. Instead, Seb tightened his grip, his arms wrapping a bit more firmly around her. "I just... I don't know what to do. I don't want to quit, because I really, really love quidditch... but I also can't shake the feeling that I should quit. My bad luck is just... spreading to everyone else. It's making the whole mess less fun for everyone else. And like..." he paused, wiping at his eyes before carrying on. "Sixty points. That's the total of every point Gryffindor's made since I made the main team. That's.. that's not even equal to HALF of one Snitch catch! A-and yea, our Chasers are probably the best ones, but it doesn't matter even a little bit when I'm the Seeker. It's not even like a one-off bad season, Liss. It's three of them! In a row! I'm not even like... we didn't get the cup, no. We didn't win at all! Not even sort of close to at all!" His voice rose with his frustration, even as he tried his best to keep himself calm. Instead, he was just stressing himself out further.

"I just hate that I'm the worst player in the entire school. I think they could put a cat on a broom and it'd do better than me." Well... maybe not Zoot. He didn't have enough paws. Though the thought of Zoot wearing little goggles and a Gryffindor scarf did bring a little serotonin to his brain.