Welcome, everyone, to the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! So, the reason why it took a while to update this story is because I had to go back and actually complete this chapter, as I initially skipped over it. However, since I have completed it, this is no longer an issue! So, with that...
Disclaimer: I own nothing of HP save for the OC's.
Now, here's...
Chapter 14: Quidditch World Cup Semifinal Match! U.S. All-Stars vs Irish International!
Enjoy, one and all!
"He - he sent me this," Hermione said, holding out the letter.
Harry took it. Marcus looked over his left shoulder and saw that the parchment was damp. Enormous teardrops had smudged the ink so badly in places that it was very difficult to read.
Dear Hermione,
We lost. I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts.
Execution date to be fixed.
Beaky has enjoyed London.
I won't forget all the help you gave us.
Hagrid
"They can't do this," said Harry. "They can't. Buckbeak isn't dangerous."
Marcus found himself unable to speak. Despite everything that had going on lately, he really wished that he would've been able to help Hagrid. The fact that he hadn't hit him really hard.
"Malfoy's dad's frightened the Committee into it," said Hermione, wiping her eyes. "You know what he's like. They're a bunch of doddery old fools, and they were scared. There'll be an appeal, though, there always is. Only I can't see any hope...Nothing will have changed."
"Yeah, it will," said Ron fiercely. "You won't have to do all the work alone this time, Hermione. I'll help."
"Oh, Ron!"
Marcus watched in utter surprise as Hermione flung her arms around Ron's neck and broke down completely. Ron, looking quite terrified, patted her very awkwardly on the top of the head. Finally, Hermione drew away.
"Ron, I'm really, really sorry about Scabbers...," she sobbed.
"Oh - well - he was old," said Ron, looking thoroughly relieved that she had let go of him. "And he was a bit useless. You never know, Mum and Dad might get me an owl now."
Marcus felt absolutely relieved. At least Hagrid's somber letter did one good thing: It finally allowed two of his best friends to bury the hatchet.
"Well, I'm finally glad we got past this whole mess," said Marcus, allowing himself to smirk. "And, if I'm not mistaken, Harry, Ron, we have a World Cup semifinal game to attend this Saturday."
"I've been looking forward to this," said Harry with a smile.
"And since Dad's going to be meeting us in the entrance hall in two days, I suggest we get everything ready now," said Marcus. "So, let's get back to the dormitory and get ready."
As the four of them went into the Gryffindor Common Room, Marcus' smirk slowly faded. He knew that their friendship was patched up for now, but he also that it was only going to be a matter of time before Harry, Ron, and Hermione were going to find out about everything regarding Sirius Black and his involvement with him. He shuddered just thinking about the possible outcomes of that discovery and tried to push it as far away from his mind as possible.
Before he knew it, Saturday evening had come, and the three boys were packed for the short trip to watch the semifinal match between the U.S. All-Stars and Irish International.
"I still can't believe we're actually going to watch a World Cup Quidditch match!" Ron exclaimed, barely containing his excitement.
"And not just any Quidditch match, Ron," Marcus added. "The match between the U.S. and Ireland. Oh, this will be one to remember!"
"Who do you think is going to win?" Harry asked, sounding curious.
They made their way down the staircases as Marcus said, "That's actually a tough call. Both sides have some of the best Chasers in the world."
"And both teams rely heavily on them to win their matches," said Ron, queing in. "I mean, think about it. Their Seekers aren't exactly match winners."
"I'm sure both sides are re-thinking their strategies as we speak," said Marcus. "No doubt to try and counter the other's trio of Chasers."
"What about the Beaters?" asked Harry.
"Well, U.S. has a slight edge in that regard, but it won't be enough to turn the tide," Marcus responded.
"Which means it'll have to come down to the Seekers," Ron stated.
"Doesn't it usually?" asked Harry.
"Most of the time, yes," said Marcus. "But, like Ron said, both of the team's Seekers aren't that impacting on a match."
They were making their way down the marble staircase into the entrance hall when Marcus saw his father, standing in the middle of hall.
"Finally, you boys show up," he said with a smile.
"Sorry about that, Mr. Williams," said Ron. "We got caught up talking about the match outcome."
"Well, I'm hardly surprised," said Michael. "This match will be quite memorable. All right, boys, no time to waste. Let's get going."
They didn't take two steps towards the entrance doors when Marcus heard an unfortunately familiar voice say, "And where do you think you're going?"
The four of them turned to see Snape, arms crossed and an unpleasant look on his face.
"Why, Severus, I didn't see you there," Michael said.
"Then, perhaps you didn't hear me, Michael," said Snape. "Where are you taking them?"
"To the U.S. for the weekend," stated Michael. "Not that it's really any of your concern."
"It is my concern, Michael, when three Hogwarts students are being taken off the premise without permission," stated Snape with a cross attitude.
"Dumbledore has already given permission for me to take Harry, Ron, and Marcus," stated Michael. "But, perhaps if you spent less time staring down a cauldron and more time around people, you might've been able to find that out for yourself."
Marcus saw Harry and Ron stare at his father in amazement while Snape's face seemed to have blanched.
"You really haven't changed, Michael," said Snape, sounding as sour as he looked. "Being an authority figure seems to make you believe you have any significance in the world, keeping everyone in the dark of the deceitful person you really are."
Marcus knew that Snape had hit a nerve with his father, as Michael was using every bit of his willpower to maintain a civil look.
"Always jumping to conclusions, I see," said Michael. "At least I haven't consorted with scum like you have. Have a good day, Severus."
As the four of them started to make their way to the entrance doors once again, Marcus chanced a look back to see Snape rooted to the spot, fuming with rage.
Once they were outside, Harry said, "Do you know Snape from somewhere?"
"He went to Hogwarts the same time your father and I did," stated Michael. "Let's just say they didn't get along."
Rather eager to change the subject, Marcus said, "Dad, how exactly will we be getting to the match?"
"We'll be apparating there," said Michael, who suddenly found himself looking rather worried. "Of course, I wanted to use a Portkey as our primary means of transportation, but with Sirius Black still being at large, the use of Portkeys are strictly prohibited."
"Have you made any headway with Sirius Black?" asked Ron.
Marcus found himself feeling a bit cold as Michael sighed and said, "Well, we know that he's somewhere in Scotland, but everytime we've gotten close, it seems to be nothing but a dead end. I do hope we catch him soon."
Marcus kept his mouth shut as his father said, "Ah, here we are, finally."
Marcus found him looking at an old-fashioned steel gate, which looked rather shabby.
"What's this, Mr. Williams," asked Harry.
"This, Harry, is the boundary of Hogwarts and the entryway into the Muggle world," stated Michael. "Once we cross this gate, we'll be outside Hogwart's set of enchantments and be able to apparate."
"After everything that's happened this year, I can't wait for this," said Marcus. "Let's get going!"
So, Michael opened the gate and the four of them stepped across.
They took twenty steps away from the shabby, steel gate when Michael said, "All right, right here should be enough. Boys, my sleeves."
While Marcus grabbed his father's left sleeve, Harry and Ron grabbed his right sleeve.
"Now, I want you three to take deep breaths, slowly in, slowly out," stated Michael. "You're going to feel a bit of discomfort for a few seconds, but it will be over quickly."
Before Marcus knew it, he felt the familiar feeling of being squeezed inside the smallest tube possible. Twisting and turning, it felt really painful. However, just as soon as it started, it stopped. Marcus, who had his eyes closed, opened them and couldn't help but smirk.
The four of them were about a mile outside of Merlin's Village. Marcus could see the tail of the Dragon's Maw barely sticking above the top of the trees.
"All right, we have a little bit of a walk to make before we get into Merlin's Village, so let's get to it."
It must've been due to the excitement of tomorrow's match, as Marcus felt like the walk to Merlin's Village was taking a lot longer than he remembered. Eventually, they arrived at the entrance courtyard of Merlin's Village and Michael said, "Harry, Ron, welcome to Merlin's Village."
"Whoa," the two of them gasped.
Marcus was rather pleased to see that nothing about the village had changed. Little boys and girls were running around the courtyard, absorbed in their own little world. Men and women were bustling up and down the cobble streets, going in and out of the straw-roofed buildings and, at the other side of the village was the iconic dragon-shaped inn, "The Dragon's Maw."
"This is so wicked!" exclaimed Ron.
"Greatest homage to Merlin himself," stated Marcus with a bit of pride in his voice. "Some of the finest merchandise can be found here, and it's only five miles away from the U.S. All-Stars Quidditch Field."
Before he knew it, Marcus found himself being the guide for Harry and Ron, taking them to all sorts of stores, from Jester's Joke Paradise to the Royal Robe Shop. He couldn't possibly forget to take them to Dulcid's Daring Confectionary, which made Honeydukes feel like a third-rate store.
"Wow, this is all so amazing!" said Harry, who was stuffing his face with a star-spangled Chocolate Frog.
"Blimey, I don't think I can go back to Honeydukes, knowing there's a store like that," Ron said to the two of them.
"Well, I do believe it's time to settle into our rooms at 'The Dragon's Maw," said Marcus with a smirk. "Come on."
Once they got settled into their room, they talked of nothing except the upcoming match.
"So, if the U.S. Chasers pull off enough feints and tricks, they should fool the Irish Chasers," Ron stated a half hour after they settled into their room.
"That's not exactly going to work, Ron," Marcus said. "No doubt Irish International will see most of their tricks coming. They'll have to mix it up with straight play and trickery."
"Sounds like this is a pretty intense discussion," came a familiar voice from the doorway.
Marcus looked to the doorway and couldn't believe it. It was Percival Braxton!
"Braxton, what are you doing here?!" asked Marcus.
"I felt like stretching my legs a bit," stated Braxton. "I heard you guys were here, so naturally, I had to see you guys. So, were you guys discussing tomorrow's match?"
"Of course!" said Ron.
"Well, I'm all ears," said Braxton with a smile.
"You're actually interested in what we have to say?" asked Harry.
"Of course," said Braxton with a smile. "It's always good to get second opinions."
So, the three boys and Percival Braxton spent a good hour talking about Qudditch strategies until Michael came walking in.
"Braxton," said Michael, sounding exsaperated. "Did you leave Penelope in the lobby to wait on you again?"
Braxton's face blanched before saying, "Crap, I did! Oh, she's going to really give me a hard time now!"
He turned to the boys and said, "I hope you enjoy tomorrow's match, boys! It should be one to remember!"
Once he left the room, Michael turned to Marcus, Harry, and Ron and said, "All right, we have an action-packed day tomorrow, so let's all get to sleep."
"Yes, sir," said the three boys. The lights went out and Harry and Ron went straight to sleep.
Marcus, however, wasn't able to go right to sleep. He had a lot on his mind, between wondering if Sirius was doing all right and how much longer he was able to keep him a secret from everyone to thinking about his own upcoming Quidditch match Final and his schoolwork. However, he shrugged them off eventually, knowing he'll find a way to work it all out when the time came and went to sleep afterwards.
Finally, the morning came, and it was absolutely crazy. From trying to get adequete shower time to getting on his U.S. All-Stars attire, by the time all four guys managed to get to the U.S. All-Stars Quidditch Field, it was a half-hour until it started.
"Wow, can't believe it's finally here!" Marcus exclaimed. "The Quidditch World Cup Semifinal, U.S. All-Stars vs Irish International!"
"I wonder who's going to score first," said Harry.
"I wonder the same thing, don't you, young Mr. Williams?" said a voice Marcus recognized.
Marcus looked to the entrance of the stadium to find Mr. Booker standing behind an elaborate stand, no doubt to make good on the opportunity to get a profit.
"Well, well, Mr. Booker," said Marcus. "I can't say I'm surprised to see you here."
"Why wouldn't I?" said Mr. Booker with a smile. "It's great for business. Speaking of which, care to place your bet?"
"I'd thought you'd never ask," replied Marcus. He got out one hundred Galleons from his pouch, placed it on the counter in front of him, and stated, "U.S. All-Stars win the match 200-50. They'll score the first point."
"Ah, very interesting," said Mr. Booker. "Those odds are eight to one, Mr. Williams. You might just lose this bet for once."
"I'm pretty confident," said Marcus before returning to Harry, Ron, and his dad.
"So, where are we going?" asked Harry.
"Our tickets have us sitting in the VIP box," stated Michael. "That's up there."
Marcus looked to where his dad was pointing and smirked. He'd seen the VIP box plenty of times, but he'd never been in there once. It was situated so that most, if not all, of the Quidditch gameplay could be seen with perfect clarity. Not only that, but fans that were in the VIP box received catering service.
The moment they got inside the box, they were greeted by the Stadium staff, who said, "Welcome to the VIP box!"
"Young Mr. Williams, Young Mr. Potter, and Young Mr. Weasley, your seats are closest to the window," said an older gentlemen. "Mr. Williams, your seat is behind Young Mr. Williams."
"Thank you," said Michael as Marcus, Harry, and Ron took the seats closest to the window.
Marcus had a good look around the stadium. Numerous U.S. All-Star fans were quickly filling in the large stadium, the rows reaching quite high, even higher than the VIP box. He couldn't wait for the game to start.
Suddenly, he heards a very familiar voice shout, "Is that you, Marcus?!"
Marcus looked to the source of the voice to find -
"Edwards!" said Marcus. "What are you doing here?!"
"Watching the match, of course," Edwards replied with a grin on his face. "The rest of the team wished they could be here, but since I'm the only one caught up with my school work, I'm here instead of them."
"Well, hurry up and take a seat," said Marcus, gesturing to the seat next to his.
As soon as he did so, Marcus heard the crowd get real quiet.
"What's going on?" Harry and Ron asked.
"Shh, it's starting," said Marcus and Edwards.
Suddenly, a loud voice (which was louder to them considering it was coming from inside the VIP Box) boomed to the fans, "Welcome, one and all, to the Quidditch World Cup Semifinal Match between our esteemed U.S. All-Stars and the illustrious Irish International Team! I am Ben Whipsnap, and I will be you commentator for this match!"
The crowd roared in applause. Marcus knew that Mr. Whipsnap was the U.S.'s top Quidditch commentator and it wasn't easy to book him for matches. The way he went about commentating Quidditch matches made it so easy to get sucked into the matches, even if a person wasn't a fan of Quidditch.
"And, now, without further ado, the Irish International Quidditch Team! Presenting - Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaand - Lynch!"
Marcus saw seven green-clad players flying from directly underneath them, zooming around the stadium in a circle, firing up the smattering of Irish supporters that were present in the stadium.
Once they gathered on one side of the field, the area in and around the stadium went dark. Both Edwards and Marcus were fidgeting in their seats, as they knew exactly what to expect, leaving Harry and Ron wondering exactly what was going to happen.
"And, now, the moment you've all been waiting for, ladies and gentleman: The U.S. All-Stars!" roared Mr. Whipsnap. "Presenting - Braxton! Jasper! Harley! Powers! Powers! Ignatius! Aaaaaand - Force!"
Marcus and Edwards watched from above as seven star-like figures came flying in from the sky, going around the stadium to roars and screams of applause and chanting, which made the stadium vibrate all around them.
The seven star-like figures, upon gathering opposite of the Irish International team, did a series of small boom-like explosions, revealing the U.S. All-Stars team. Marcus took a look at each and every player on the team and noticed that they were not on edge, they were not worried at all. They looked the same confident, surefire winning attitude that got them this far in the tournament.
"And, referring the match, making this the last match she'll referee, our very own American Department of Magical Games and Sports Head, Ms. Elizabeth Salem!" roared Mr. Whipsnap.
The American supporters applauded very loudly for Ms. Salem, as she had done wonders for the Department, who was one of the main people responsible for turning the U.S. All-Stars from what used to be the laughingstock of the Quidditch World to one of the most forefront contenders for the World Cup itself.
Dressed in elegant Quidditch robes of solid silver, she released the Bludgers and the Snitch before grabbing the Quaffle and getting in the air on her broomstick.
She then looked to both sides to see if both teams were ready. Marcus noticed that the faces of both team members looked intense, as if nothing else mattered but securing their win and moving on to the Quidditch World Cup Final.
The referee nodded before she blew her whistle and threw the Quaffle in the air.
"Aaand THEY'RE OFF!" roared Mr. Whipsnap to the stadium. "And it's Braxton - Harley - Jasper - back to Harley - ooh, intercepted by Moran! Moran - over to Connolly - never mind, Powers gives an amazing side hit with the Bludger to Connolly! Quaffle's taken by Braxton - Jasper - Harley - back to Braxton - Braxton weaving through the Irish Chasers -!"
Marcus, having enhanced his vision as the match started, was able to see all of the moves with amazing clarity. Upon Braxton roaring down the field for the second time, Marcus could briefly see the fierce determination on his upon getting close to the Irish Keeper before doing -
"Oh, here comes the CYCLONE PSYCH!" roared Mr. Whipsnap.
The moment Braxton started to spin, it really looked as if he was creating a mini-tornado around him, bamboozling the Irish Keeper into going for his right hoop. The moment he did this, Braxton rocketed the Quaffle into the wide open center hoop.
"AND BRAXTON SCORES THE FIRST GOAL OF THE MATCH!" bellowed Whipsnap. "10-0 FOR THE U.S. ALL-STARS!"
The U.S. supporters were yelling up a storm, the four boys included.
"And Troy takes the Quaffle from Ryan!" Whipsnap yelled. "Back to Troy! To Mullet! Moran - Troy - over to Mullet again! Weaving inbetween one another and - MY GOD, THAT WAS AN AMAZING SHOT!"
Marcus, having seen it out of his peripheral vision, saw Tyrone Powers blasting one of the Bludgers directly at Moran, who just got the Quaffle right as the Bludgers smashed right into his face.
"And Jasper takes the Quaffle!" yelled Whipsnap. "Japser - Harley - Jasper - back to Harley - Japser again - oh my, where's the Quaffle going?!"
Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Edwards all looked up as they saw Jasper rocketing the Quaffle towards the sky until -
"No way!" yelled Marcus, who was able to see it clearly.
"What is it?!" said Harry, Ron, and Edwards at the same time.
"It's the -"
"EAGLE DIVE BOMB!" roared Whipsnap.
Sure enough, Braxton caught the Quaffle as he was screaming towards the ground from at least four hundred feet up. He avoided the Irish Chasers and both Bludgers masterfully as he started to get level with the stadium's highest seats, making the Irish Keeper Ryan get really ansty on his broomstick.
Unfortunately for Ryan, he suckered into the Eagle Dive Bomb executed by Braxton, going much lower than he should have. Acting on this, Braxton suddenly swung on his Firebolt, using the momentum to rocket the Quaffle back up to Harley, who easily threw it into the wide open center hoop.
"AND HARLEY SCORES FOR THE ALL-STARS, GETTING AN ASSIST FROM BRAXTON USING THE MASTERFUL DIVERSIONARY TATIC, THE EAGLE DIVE BOMB!" Whipsnap boomed.
Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Edwards were madly jumping up and down. The U.S. All-Stars were already two goals up with only five minutes of gameplay!
The next two goals by the U.S. All-Stars were just as masterful as the first two. The Irish Chaser Mullet lost the Quaffle due to successsive Bludger hits from both sides, causing Jasper and Harley to execute their famous Quaffle Dance, which made Ryan dizzy watching them and nearly fell off his broom, giving them an easy score in the Keeper's left hoop. The fourth goal by the U.S. All-Stars was nothing short of amazing, as Braxton, Jasper, and Harley exectued the almost impossible Tri-Drill Tactic, consisting of one Chaser rotating forward while the other two spun around the central Chaser, all three of them passing inbetween the other. Unsure of how to counter it, Ryan froze in place at the center hoop, giving Braxton a whipping pass to Jasper, who easily threw it into the Keeper's right hoop.
"AND JASPER SCORES!" Whipsnap roared to the crowd. "U.S. ALL-STARS HAVE WIDENED THE GAP ON THIS MATCH, FOURTY TO NOTHING! And Aiden Lynch calls for a timeout for the Irish Team!"
As both teams went to huddle together on the ground, Ron looks to Marcus and Edwards and said, "This is unbelievable! I've never seen Quidditch played like this!"
"The U.S. All-Stars are really playing at their peak!" said Marcus. "I've never seen them pull off their last two moves ever!"
"That Quaffle Dance and Tri-Drill Tactic, gentlemen," said Edwards, who sounded swoon, "was nothing short of beautiful in my eyes."
"I can't believe it," said Harry, who sounded awestruck. "This match is unbelievable!"
"This will definitely go down as one of the top matches of the entire tournament, that's for sure," said Michael from behind the boys who, while he wasn't going crazy with celebration, was certainly enjoying himself.
Eventually, the five of them heard Whipsnap say, "And it looks like we're ready to get the match back underway! And Ryan will give the Quaffle to Troy!"
After the timeout, it was as if the wind was taken out of the sails of the U.S. All-Stars team. They made too many errors, almost all of which the Irish Team capitilized on, scoring four goals in a row.
"And with that last goal by Mullet, the score is now tied, 40-40!" yelled Whipsnap, who even sounded a bit disappointed in his voice.
"What's happened to the U.S. All-Stars?" asked Harry.
"Looks like they did all their best moves too early and have no leg to stand right now," stated Marcus. "Unfortunately, it's a mistake that, if they don't bounce back from, will cost them the match."
"I agree," said Michael. "I even advised Braxton from doing those moves too early. But, he sounded adamant, no doubt due to having made it this far for the first time in fifty years."
"And Braxton will call for a timeout, no doubt to try and pull things together!" yelled Whipsnap. "Let's hope that it works, ladies and gentlemen!"
Marcus looked upon the U.S. All-Stars team and saw at first they looked a bit dejected, even crestfallen. However, by the time Braxton was done talking, each member of the new had a renewed look of determination.
"Well, well, looks like we got our U.S. All-Stars team back," said Marcus, having seen all of the huddle unfold before his enhanced eyes.
"What do you mean?" asked Ron and Edwards at the same time.
"You'll see," said Marcus with a smirk on his face.
Once the game resumed, Harry, Ron, and Edwards knew exactly what Marcus meant. The U.S. All-Stars were no longer trying to be flashy, instead sticking to what got them this far in the tournament in the first place. It was like watching a dog fight, watching the Quaffle go between the Irish and U.S. Chasers.
"And back to Braxton - to Jasper - MY GOD, WAS THAT THE SNITCH?!" roared Whipsnap.
Marcus darted his field of vision to the right and, sure enough, saw Aiden Lynch and Penelope Force gunning for the Golden Snitch, which was flying away from them rapidly.
"Now, this is where it's going to get interesting!" Edwards said.
"Come on, Force, come on," said Harry, who looked much more into the match than before, if that was possible.
"Oh, and Mullet's taking the Quaffle down the pitch!" yelled Whipsnap. "He dodges both Bludgers - gets past the Keeper - YES, IRELAND SCORES! 50-40 Ireland!"
"Damn it!" said Marcus, who was starting to get worried. "Come on, Force, get the snitch!"
"And Lynch and Force are neck and neck!" yelled Whipsnap. "Who'll get it and secure their spot in the Quidditch World Final?! Well, Braxton's certainly screaming down the field, isn't he?!"
Marcus saw that Braxton was making his way down the pitch, letting nothing get in his way.
"And Braxton's in scoring position now, folks!" yelled Whipsnap. "He'd better watch out for the Seekers - they're on the warpath!"
Marcus realized that he was right: Braxton was going to run right into Force if he didn't change his path, leaving Lynch wide open for grabbing the Snitch.
Suddenly, Marcus saw Connolly bash the Bludger right at Braxton, and Marcus saw the Bludger rocketing towards Braxton, which would collide with him any second -
Out of nowhere, both Braxton and Force swung on their Firebolts, causing the Bludger that was intended for Braxton to collide with Lynch, which knocked him right off his broom. Braxton then passed the Quaffle to Jasper, who came out of nowhere to score in Ryan's right hoop.
In the same moment, Force swung back on her Firebolt, miraculously having kept track of the Snitch the entire time, and grabbed it in the middle of the air.
The shrill sound of the whistle echoed through the air, and the stadium roared in excitement.
"WHAT A MAGNIFICENT PLAY BY BRAXTON AND FORCE!" yelled Whipsnap. "FORCE CAPTURES THE SNITCH, GIVING U.S. ALL-STARS THE WIN, 200-50 OVER IRISH INTERNATIONAL! THEY'RE GOING TO THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP FINALS!"
All four boys were madly jumping up and down, excitement overtaking them. The U.S. All-Stars bomb-rushed their Captain and Seeker, lost in their own excitement as well.
When Marcus recovered himself, he looked at the Irish Quidditch Team to find that they looked crestfallen and couldn't help but sympathize with them. They did do their best, after all.
Eventually, Marcus, Harry, and Ron had to bid Edwards farewell, as they still had to get back to Hogwarts. Marcus wanted to talk to Braxton one more time, but considering him and the rest of the team was caught up in interviews, he supposed he would have to wait another time.
At long last, Marcus, Harry, and Ron made their way into the Gryffindor Common Room, where they were greeted by everyone else from the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, Oliver Wood especially. As they fervently recapped the U.S. All-Stars/Irish International match to the rest of the team, Marcus was especially looking forward to not just the upcoming Quidditch Final Match, but for what the rest of the year had in store for him too.
And this concludes this chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please feel free to leave me a review, letting me know what you think of the story! Or, if you had any questions for me, please feel free to leave me a PM and, I promise, I will answer them to the best of my ability! Until then, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!