He had almost made it through a full season of his retirement without losing his mind.

Finn knew, deep down, deep deep down, that hanging up his broomstick had been for the best. He had a young family to watch grow, he'd been playing for a decade, and he'd won his cups. He was famed internationally, and he had the rest of his life to do whatever the hell he wanted, because he was just that. Damn. Good.

So why on Earth was he ready to pull his bloody hair out?

"Joy!" he called over his shoulder, digging through the kitchen cabinets. It had taken some adjusting, but he'd thought he'd gotten the hand of helping with the groceries, and the dishes, and the cleaning, and whatever else have you, but it seemed like since they'd dismissed the maid (as the two came from muggle backgrounds and house-elves were just creepy) because Finn did not like waking up to another woman doing all the housework that they could do themselves, they'd fallen out of any sort of routine. Finn hated admitting fault or a need for help, but with the mess in the kitchen and the lack of food, it was starting to feel like he was a bachelor again, only this time with four loud mouths to feed.

And that wasn't counting their dogs.

"Joy! We've got nothing to eat!" he shouted again, leaning over the counter in the kitchen to send his voice down the hallway.

It was all a bit of a blur.

The past two hours after the match were full of screaming, cheering, bottles of champagne, camera flashes, hugs and kisses and----Finn's head was spinning, and spinning. He mechanically answered the reporter's questions, left some amazing bits of audio for the WWN to air, and he congratulated his teammates over and over again. This feeling of being a champion had been missed, it was overwhelming, and knowing that it was going to be his last championship was----the entire night was bittersweet.

The traditional celebration on the champions' pitch was well under way, merely an hour after the match had ended. Finn just thrown on some jeans and left his jersey on; it was going to take a lot for him to pry off his United jersey for the final time. He stood by the bar, having managed to sneak away from the more abrasive press that were making their way through the crowd.

Well then. He really should be feeling more excited than this. Finn took a long drink, leaned back into the bar as he continued to watch the crowd.

Charlie was pretty sure he'd missed out on a wonderful career as a party planner. As he stared out at the dance floor, which he stood over on a platform where the DJ was spinning a mix of wizard and muggle music (even with some popular French songs that were actually pretty catchy if Charlie said so himself). He wasn't surprised at how many people showed up, but it still nearly startling to see how bloody happy everyone was to be there! Sure, some looked ridiculous with the fake mustaches that were passed out (not required, obviously), but a lot had actually grown out their beards and it was----cool, they tried, they wanted to be there and they wanted to have a good time. Charlie wanted to have a good time.

The Kestrels were not top of the pack, and while he believed in his team completely, the stress of the numbers had been getting to them. A night like this was necessary, and maybe it could rejuvenate the team that had lost some valuable members this season and had done a bit of shifting around. They were still trying to get themselves into place, and it needed to happen faster than it was.

Plus, Axe had been pissy all week that no one had acknowledged the anniversary of his birth.

Charlie grabbed the mic from the DJ and grinned, enjoying colorful scene laid out in front of him. funkybuddha club had been a perfect choice for the night, "Don't everyone tire themselves out! There's still a lot more festivites to look forward to!"

( enter funkybuddha club )

Well, it had definitely been a good one.

Finn pushed through the crowd, exhausted, drenched with sweat and rain. The weather had been brutal, making it absolutely impossible to see the snitch, let alone any other ball being thrown around on the pitch; even the players had been hard to make out, and he had cursed the rain and the lightening and thunder. Those zooming on the broomsticks had collided more than once, and he was sure that some of his players and the Kestrels were flying with broken bones. But, no one on either team was willing to sit out the match.

It was the biggest game of their lives, for most of them. He had some champions on his team, hell even Jenkins had a cup under his belt. Some had never been in this spotlight, and some survived on it. Finn was one of those blokes, and in the back of his head he knew that if he didn't catch the snitch tonight that this could quite possibly be his last game. The United's management was notorious when it came to using up a player's skills until they weren't winning anymore. Captains didn't last very long in Puddlemere, and as Finn's feet touched the grass of the pitch, he decided he was going to be much classier than any of the upper management in the United offices could ever be.

He pushed through the crowd, wincing at the fireworks until he spotted the green robes of the person he'd locked his gaze on. No, he wasn't going toward Brookstanton (Finn wasn't that classy), but to the other seeker. He pulled on Broadmoor's arm, knowing the young seeker also had a lot of pride riding on his shoulders because of this match. When he turned him around, Finn's eyes couldn't help but duck down to the wings of the snitch that were poking out the side of Broadmoor's fist, the one-hundred and fifty points that had won the Kestrels the cup. Finn stuck out his hand.

"Nice catch," he said with a firm nod.



ooc: This thread is for anything related to the cup: instant celebrations, deep dark depressions, watching from the crowd---if it relates to the cup, then you can thread it here :)

Tiberius was laying on his back in the middle of a park, which he was pretty sure was Hyde Park. He was hoping he was right being as that is where he told Finn he was. He had no idea how long he had been gone, everything from the blackout was a complete blur. He wasn't even sure how he got out of where he was.

He moaned in pain, covering his face. Every time he tried to move every nerve in his body screamed in pain. Just writing the note to Finn int he journal he managed to grab took a ton of effort.

"Excuse me sir, are you alright?" a passerby asked looking down at him concern. "Do you need me to go get help?" the man looked around trying to see if he could find anyone else that could come over and help.

" 'm fine" Tibs croaked out, not very convincingly. "My brother is on his way."

WHO: Finn McLaggen and the newest United
WHAT: Introductions of sorts
WHERE: McLaggen House
WHEN: Today!

( Looking forward to working with you, Captain )

Who: McLaggen Clan + Lt. Darcy
When: last friday?
Where: Commodore McLaggen's house
What: Can you say family drama?
Status: Finishing In comments!

( Wait, your a wizard? )

WHO: Tiberius McLaggen and Finn McLaggen
WHAT: BABIES ARE MISSING
WHERE: Tibs & Elena's house (little while at Puddlemere Stadium
STATUS: Finishing in comments!

( M-ministry kidnappings! They're---they're saying it was death eaters against your--brother! Cormac's missing! )

Sometimes it really sucked that Finn was the captain of the United. Like, you'd think it wouldn't affect her, but it did! Like, for example, it was because he was captain that he had even less time at home than the rest of the team. Or how because he was captain there was even more spotlight and publicity shined on them than the rest of the team's families. Or when the United lost a championship after practically waltzing on in and taking two in a row, it was because he was captain that he was taking the loss ten million times harder than anyone else on the team and making it very difficult--very confusing, still, after all the advice--for Joy to know what to do with him.

He'd slept late that morning, like late late, like she had gotten up a good two and a half hours before him when it was usually the other way around (okay well he usually had practice, but whatever IT WAS WEIRD). And once he had finally hauled himself out of bed, he basically just plopped himself down on the couch. With Cormac. Doing nothing.

She would have said this was worse than the shower, except the shower had been wet, so Joy supposed this wasn't worse, but---she'd gotten through the shower thing, somehow, and now he was posing her with another problem and goodness GRACIOUS this man was high maintenance shewasneverlettinghimcallherthatagainHEWASOBVIOUSLYWORSE!

Joy leaned against the archway to the kitchen as she watched him, biting down on her lip hard. Should she call Tibs? Or threaten to call Tibs? Because like, it had been a day now and he seriously couldn't be mad at her for wanting to do something to make him talk to her, could he? ... On second thought, no, she still didn't want to go there. But like!!!

Sigh.

Pushing off the wall, she stepped carefully into the living room until she got to the couch, and plastered a wide smile on as she tilted her head in an attempt to catch his eye. Outside, she looked happy and energetic as normal, but inside she was preparing herself to crash and burn. "You want lunch? I'm going to make some!"

Finn had really underestimated the hyper activeness of a room full of toddlers.

As Joy let out last of the party stragglers, Finn leaned against the back counter of the kitchen, yawning greatly. Cormac could barely walk, how he and his little friends had managed to run into every room of the house was completely beyond him. There were streamers thrown about every piece of furniture, his cushions were stained with cake and candy-coated handprints, and Finn really didn't want to know about the dirty diaper bin they'd set up in the bathroom.

His nose scrunched as Joy returned, and he lifted his chin to point at their son, who was passed out like a log in a nearly upside down position on the couch. Thankfully everything had been charmed for an extra bounce because of all the little ones running into things, but they should probably move him before he twitched and fell to the ground.

Eh, in a minute.

"That was the wildest party I've ever been to in my life."

Who: Tibs McLaggen, Joy Diserafino, and Finn McLaggen
What: LOL
Where: LMAO
When: TODAY

( ...if these two brothers could have been any more different.. )