Responses to Reviews:

Re: stealacandy - chapter 23

"Hi,

A question about this touch-memory thing of the snitch:

The makers wore gloves so that the snitch wouldn't record their touch, right?
Except, don't Quidditch players wear gloves also? I seem to remember from the movie that they did? So if a glove can stop the snitch from recording the touch, the snitch would never record anything!"

So everything I've said about the snitch-catching regulation is canon. As to how they determine which Seeker caught the Snitch, I believe that the movies depicted the players using open fingertip gloves where the fingertips are exposed. So, I would guess that all players are required to wear these gloves for the purpose of detection of first touch (and in the case of a snitchnip, the detection of which team committed the foul by accidentally touching the snitch).

Re: attacktitan100 - chapter 25

"You mentioned a person who was given a wand that the tree voluntarily gives us to people of great destiny,

And promotheus receives it but at that time the current first years won't have gotten their wands."

I'm not understanding what you are asking exactly. But from what I can gather, I think you are asking whether the "presented" wands would be made by the time Prometheus was at Hogwarts. The answer to that has not been revealed yet in the fic. But as I have mentioned in Chapter 11, the presented wand that Turais received was one of the first wands that he has ever made. It is entirely plausible that Ollivander has made all three presented wands and tucked them away, forgotten, for decades before their rightful owner showed up.

Hey everybody,

New update. And the plot thickens...

As always, I'd love to hear from you.

- ravenclawblues 2020-01-10

️ Note:

I anticipate some questions regarding blood status determination.

My story will follow the system where one's grandparents would determine the person's blood status. A pureblood would be anyone that has four pureblood/half-blood grandparents. For example, both Turais' paternal and maternal grandparents were purebloods, so he would be a pureblood. A half-blood would be anyone with a combination of Muggleborns/Muggles/pureblood/half-blood. For example, Harry Potter's children with Ginny Weasley would be half-bloods because Harry's mother, Lily, was a Muggleborn. A Muggelborn would be anyone who has four Muggle/Muggleborn grandparents.

So blood purity fanatics such as the Gaunts would pride themselves as having NO MUGGLE ANCESTRY at all. In this story (and this should be canon-compliant), you could be a pureblood with distant Muggle ancestor as long as it was beyond your grandparents. But you might be looked down upon slightly by, say, a Malfoy or a Black as they boast complete magical ancestry.

CHAPTER 26

A STAR SEEKER WAS BORN

September 4, 1970 (Thursday)

HALFBLOOD SLYTHERIN MEETS MUGGLEBORN SLYTHERIN

by Sclandora Gosp

Milestone for progress or Flashpoint for contention

Dear readers, it is to my utter surprise to report that we have a Muggleborn Slytherin in our newest class of Hogwarts students. Aigel Pierricoeur, youngest son of the renowned Arithmancer Emmanuel Pierricoeur, was confirmed to be sorted into Slytherin two days ago. Throughout the history of Hogwarts, the House of Slytherin has been the house of choice for most pureblood families. In fact, most family members from the Sacred Twenty-Eight were sorted into this house. It also has the unofficial reputation as being the most selective in the blood purity of a prospective student. While this theory has never been proven as the ancient magic vested in the Sorting Hat has never been studied, one might consider it to be highly plausible as Salazar Slytherin, the founder of this House, was known stress the importance of magical ancestry and heritage.

However, today's story is not about the dry facts of history. Instead, I would like to bring your attention to what transpired during the Sorting. Multiple sources identified that Alexander Fawley, cousin of former Minister Hector Fawley and second-year, coming to the aid of the nervous first-year.

"I have utmost confidence that the Sorting of Aigel Pierricoeur shows the efforts made by the Headmaster to make Hogwarts a more inclusive place has reaped its rewards. I am very proud that Alexander has become a leader and stepped up at this crucial moment," said Lord Fawley when asked about Alexander Fawley's behaviour.

However, his faith the second-year's judgement might be sorely misplaced.

"He is already a blemish to our reputation as a whole," Johannes Grassley, a sixth-year said. "Fawley was a fool to try and invite him into our fold as though he belonged."

His peers have voiced similar concerns and discomfort about their newest addition.

Tracey Morrison, a fellow housemate, said: "He is... quite frankly... odd." Her friend, Regina Bennett added, "He constantly looks at me silently, which is quite unnerving."

If the addition of such a character proves to be so divisive, the Headmaster should remedy the situation by yielding to the request of a re-Sorting...

September 4, 1970 (Friday)

"Incendio," Alex said as he set the small heap of letters aflame. Beside him, Aigel eyed the ceiling of the Great Hall with fear and trepidation.

It was the morning after The Daily Prophet ran the first of several articles penned by Sclandora Gosp that sent pureblood families into a frenzy. Aigel Pierricoeur has received more than a dozen letters from readers, several of which were Howlers that shouted obscenity after obscenity at the poor boy.

After the third Howler, it convinced Jonty that the first-year Muggleborn could use some emotional support after all and asked Aigel to join them for breakfast.

"It's going to be fine," Turais said comfortingly as the boy nodded numbly while staring at the pile of burning ashes.

Suddenly, another owl passed over their head and dropped yet another Howler. However, it landed straight in Alex's lap this time. Alex's eyes widened as the Howler sprung to life and contorted into the shape of a mouth.

"Alexander!" A harsh, raspy voice boomed from a green envelop menacingly over their head. "Have you decided that you have not brought enough shame to our family name? How dare I you associate yourself with that boy! -" The envelope-and-letter lips formed a vicious snarl that was sent towards the direction of a cowering Aigel Pierricoeur. "- Boy! You are not welcomed in this House and stop poisoning our brilliant young minds -" The Howler whipped back and flew right at Alex's face"- Watch your step, boy. If I ever see you sink to even lower levels..." With that unfinished threat, the Howler gave a final hiss with its ribbons flapping wildly before tearing itself into pieces.

Turais eyed his friend with concern. It was the first time he has heard the elusive voice belonging to Alex's father. But Alex just fixated his gaze somewhere over Turais' shoulder while maintaining a blank, emotionless expression. Aigel, who was sitting next to Alex, tugged on Alex's robe gently. Alex turned to give the first-year a reassuring smile before returning to his stupor. Tenebrus, Jeremy, and a handful of Slytherins sitting nearby pretended to take interest in their breakfasts to give them a semblance of privacy.

"Are you alright, Alex?" Turais couldn't help but ask. But Alex's expression were closed off and he was unresponsive. Turais sighed. He would have to give Alex some time before he lowered his defenses once more.

"At least your father still has some sense in him," one of the older Slytherins, Grassley, yelled out. His friends shouted out a chorus of approval.

"Lord Fawley, or the former Minister for Magic, wrote to him approving of his actions," Jonty shouted out as he waved today's newspaper in the air as proof.

"That pathetic Muggle-loving Minister was a complete joke," Grassley continued. "It seems like the hermit Fawley was the only one with proper pureblood upbringing in his dying family. Unlike his deceitful spawn and his tainted blood -"

"Ten points from Slytherin and detention for the week, Mr Grassley!" Professor McGonagall shouted out sternly as she trotted over from the staff table.

"You can't punish me for telling the truth, Professor," Grassley responded.

"Make that twenty points from Slytherin," McGonagall said. "It is not the truthfulness but the cruelty of your words that is the real issue here, Mr Grassley. Verbal bullying and any other forms of bullying have no place in this School."

The Professor turned around to a silenced Hall in which all students were trying to observe the latest Slytherin drama. After a brief moment of consideration, she addressed all the students present.

"It has been brought to my attention that certain articles have been published in regards to the Sorting Ceremony several days ago. The Headmaster has indicated that no student was ever re-Sorted in Hogwarts history and he does not intend to break this tradition now. Hopefully this would set the records straight and any rumours, or in some cases, wishful thinking -" the Professor glared at Grassley, " - will lie to rest."

Grassley fumed but remained silent. After a loathing glare, he returned to angry muttering with his peers. The Professor turned to look at Alex and Turais with a hint of concern, but Turais nodded on their behalf. McGonagall pressed her lips thinly and nodded.

Slwoly but surely, the Great Hall returned to its normal activities. Just as the students were finishing up and ready to head to their first class of the day, Professor Slughorn strolled in.

"Turais!" Slughorn beamed as he walked up to him. "I'm glad I found you!"

"Yes, Professor?" Turais asked as the Slytherins all turned their attention to their Head of House.

"I have decided to host a party in you and Damocles' honour for the approval of the Wolfsbane Potion for clinical trials!" Slughorn said excitedly as most of the table looked on with varying expression. Some were in awe and others were seething with jealously at the blatant favouritism.

"That is..." Turais stuttered, "T...thank you, Professor. But that is not necessary..."

"Nonsense, m'boy!" Slughorn clapped his hand on Turais' back. "This is a wonderful achievement, which means a celebration party is in order! I've already sent out invites to my contacts in M.E.S.O.P. as well as the Ministry of Magic Research Committee that will be involved in the approval of the Potion. They will be wonderful contacts for your professional network and future career. It's never too early to start cultivating those relations."

"I... well, thank you, Professor," Turais said as Slughorn waved off his comment.

"Anything for a future Order of Merlin awardee," Slughorn said proudly. "I'm always glad to see my students go on to be successful. Oh - I almost forgot -" Slughorn pulled out a stack of invitations, " - invitations to your party. Invite all the friends you want - carte blanche. I know you have many friends, so just come to me if you run out!"

Professor Slughorn trotted off as Turais looked at the stack of invitations in his hands. Turais recognized the world-changing role Professor Slughorn had in bringing Damocles and him together as he would have to indulge the Professor's antics - at least this time. He would also have to order an entire shipment of crystallized pineapples to sincerely thank Professor Slughorn for his involvement.

What he did not expected (although he should have, in hindsight), was that all the students were now blatantly staring at and discussing about him, which made him very uncomfortable. But Turais recognized it was a small price to pay for the benefits of many inflicted with the condition.

"Hey," Turais nudged Alex as he handed him an invitation. The name "Alexander Fawley" immediately appeared on the envelope in a beautiful cursive font. "Would you like to attend my party?"

Alex broken out of his stasis and received the invitation. His lips tucked upwards minutely. "I thought you wouldn't wish this on your third-worst enemy."

"Well, it seems like I will not be able to get out of this one, considering I am the guest of honour," Turais said. "So as my best friend, you'll just have to give me your unconditional support."

"I see how you treat your closest friends now..." Alex teased.

"Please don't abandon me to the wolves," Turais pouted and used his puppy-eye looks on Alex.

"Urgh... fine," Alex said in mock disgust as he placed the invitation in his pocket. "The things I do for you."

Turais grinned. But Alex's smile soon disappeared as his expression closed off once again. Turais looked on worriedly because Jonty's voice cut through his thoughts.

"Am I invited to this fancy party of yours or do I need to gatecrash it?"

September 11, 1970 (Friday)

It was the day of the Slytherin House Team Quidditch trials and Turais was grateful for the excuse to escape the Group meeting. When Turais approached Carmichael Wilkins, the Slytherin Quidditch Team captain, to inquiry about trying out for a position last week, Wilkins immediately called upon Malfoy and told him to excuse Turais from the Group meeting for today in preparation for a long trial session. Alex, who was eager to avoid the meeting too, also pretended that he wanted to try out for the team as well.

Therefore, they found themselves walking with Jonty down to the Quidditch Pitch after classes.

"Good luck trying out for Seeker, Turais!" Fabian Prewett shouted out on his way towards the stands as he spotted the three Slytherins approach the Slytherin team captain with their brooms.

"Thank you, Gideon!" Turais shouted back, deliberately saying his twin's name instead.

"I take back what I said to you and sod off!" The seventh-year Gryffindor chided bemusedly as he made a rude hand gesture.

"I didn't know you were close with the Prewett twins," Jonty commented as they continued towards the Slytherin captain, who was engaged in an animated discussion with... "Huh, isn't that Potter?" Jonty pointed towards the Gryffindor who clearly contributed the most towards the conversation both in words and in hand movements. At some point, Wilkins gave Kaiden a withering look and the boy immediately dulled his movements... but only for a brief while before he started waving his arms wildly again.

"What were you saying about the twins?" Jonty returned to the previous conversation.

Turais shrugged. "I meet them occasionally. As you are probably aware, my aunt Lucretia is married to Lord Ignatius Prewett."

Jonty slapped his forehead in realization. "That completely slipped my mind."

" - have to replace that buffoon Pucey. Laughalot was clearly under a Confundus when he swapped her out -" Kaiden's voice was clearly heard as the Slytherins approached the duo. "Now I know you don't like me interfering nor should I be helping you build a better team... but PUCEY! Really?! -" Kaiden took Wilkins by the shoulders and shook him violently. " - You can do better than that, Michael, much better -"

Wilkins visibly rolled his eyes as he shoved Kaiden away with his hand squarely on his chest. He then took a few steps away from Kaiden for extra distance. His dry, scratchy voice sounded, "Kay, I know what I'm doing -"

"You clearly don't since you are keeping him on the roster!" Kaiden made an attempt to claw at the clipboard but Wilkins physically held the boy at bay. Undeterred, the Gryffindor captain whipped out his wand to levitate the clipboard out of Wilkins' hands. But the Slytherin quickly countered by casting a weak Shield charm followed by a mild Stinging Hex at the boy. "Hey Mike, you're not playing very nicely -"

"So, ahem! Black. What are you -" Wilkins shouted out as he spotted the incoming Quidditch hopefuls. He held his arm out to keep the energetic Kaiden at bay.

"Hey Rais!" Kaiden waved excitedly. "Looking mighty fine today, Steward!" It was Turais' turn to wonder about the relationship there as he looked at Jonty questioningly.

"We have a symbiotic relationship on inter-House information exchange," Jonty whispered into Turais' ear.

Turais snorted before whispering back. "Is that what you call your glorified gossip circle?"

Jonty bristled predictably.

Meanwhile, Kaiden has taken advantage of Wilkins' momentary distraction as he snatched the clipboard and feather quill from his grasp and started scribbling. "Turais is trying out for Seeker -" Kaiden said as the quill moved across the piece of parchment before shoving both items back to the disgruntled Wilkins. "- here, Michael. All done for you."

"Kay, here to scout out the winning team Seeker?" Turais teased.

"That's funny because you are looking at the winning team captain," Kaiden smirked and puffed his chest.

Wilkins gave Kaiden a questioning look as he jerked his thumb at Turais. "Kay?"

"Ah! Long story - I'll tell you later, Michael!" Kaiden said hurriedly as he smiled at Turais. "Good luck!"

Turais smiled. "Thank you, Kaiden. I'll try my best."

"Well, try your best now. But don't try too hard on the actual matches," Kaiden joked.

"No promises there," Turais returned.

"Ahem! " Wilkins cleared his throat aggressively as he gave Kaiden a pointed look who, for once, seemed to have taken note and decided to spare the Slytherin captain more headache.

"Good luck to the rest of you too!" Kaiden said before wisely sauntering away.

Wilkins muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Pillock Potter" as Kaiden shouted out, "I heard that, Michael!"

The three second-years shared an amused look while Wilkins cursed under his breath.

"So... ahem, Seeker, huh. That's good. Wait over there with Blishwick and Eibon. Also, nice broom there - Mahogany-birch Nimbus 1700 - better not waste it or I'll nick it for myself. How about you, Fawley?"

"Uh, same?" Fawley muttered.

"Broom?" Wilkins asked gruffly as he glanced at the boy's empty hands.

"Uh… I'll just use one of the school ones."

Wilkins stared at Alex's face for a moment and decided he was one of those time-wasters. "Fawley, I'll spare you the trouble. Just head to the stands and I'll say you failed the Chasers trial."

Alex gasped out a breath of relief.

As captain of the Quidditch Team, Wilkins held great respect and power in the Slytherin hierarchy. Therefore, although he was not in the Group, he was in the loop with top-circle politics and the happenings. Fortunately for them, Wilkins was also a Quidditch fanatic who placed Quidditch above House politics; therefore, Turais guessed that whenever it came to Quidditch-related business, he was clearly willing to turn a blind eye.

"And you, Steward?"

"Chaser."

"Oak-hazel Cleansweep Five..." Wilkins eyed the platinum finishing approvingly. "... Plus. Worse than a Nimbus 1700 but better than the Cleansweep Six, at least the current oak-aspen one. Join the largest group over there."

As the three walked the remaining trail down into the Quidditch pitch, Turais heard a quiet rustle nearby and reached for his wand.

"Who's there?" Jonty asked as he pulled out his wand moments later.

Turais turned to his right to see a jittery boy walking out from the shadow of the tree. It was Aigel.

"Aigel, what are you doing here?" Alex exclaimed as he walked towards him under Jonty's suspicious gaze.

"Um... I heard it's the Slytherin Quidditch trials," Aigel said as he scratched his head sheepishly.

"You're not planning on trying out for the team, are you?" Alex frowned. "First-years are not allowed to have their own brooms."

"N...no," Aigel shook his head. "I just wanted to see what was going on... if that's okay..." Jonty snorted as Turais nudged him disapprovingly.

"Why are you hiding in the shadows then?" Jonty asked sharply.

"I... I..." Aigel's eyes darted to Alex's face and flushed before looking down on the grassy path. "I... just wanted to see your performances."

"That's great!" Alex shot Jonty a warning glare and put his arms around the boy. "I'm heading to the viewing stands. Why don't you join me?"

Aigel's face split into a big, dazzling smile as he immediately tugged Alex towards the stands. Alex gave a helpless shrug and allowed himself to be dragged away.

"That boy better make up believable excuses next time. He's a Slytherin, for Merlin's sake," Jonty shook his head as he hid his wand once more. They eyed their retreating backs as Jonty spoke up again, "I seriously think that boy has imprinted on Alex like how those ducklings do. Either that or he's up to something. Why can't the Pierricoeurs act like normal human beings?"

"Don't be rude," Turais admonished. "I find it quite endearing." In fact, he was happy that Alex has made a friend on his own. Although there was a part of him that was bothered by the fact that Aigel might be Prometheus. Jonty made a retching noise and Turais thumped on his back, hard.

'Keep an open mind, Turais,' Turais thought to himself. 'Don't jump to conclusions. Just stay vigilant.'

Quite honestly, it was important for Alex's social development as well to have a group of friends that did not only consist of Jonty and himself. In terms of inferior motive, that meant Turais would be able to keep close tabs on the boy through Alex. This indirect monitoring might work in his favour in the long run.

They walked over to the side of the pitch and joined their respective groups while Alex and Aigel headed off to the stands where four clusters of students wearing different house colours sat. It was a convention that team trials were open to viewing by other House teams as opposed to the closed practice sessions. Hence, historically it was also when the other House Team members were known to jinx and hex potential rivals and prevent them from making the teams. It was all part of the "fun", and Turais agreed. Rule-breaking and being enraged by them were and would always be an integral part of the game. He didn't condone them and was furious when it happened to him, but let's be honest for a second, it wouldn't be half as entertaining without them (at least when in moderation ).

The whistle sounded to signal the start of the trials. Wilkins sat on his Comet 220 and zoomed up to join the current members of the team. His Comet was the latest model of the series and was on par with Jonty's Cleansweep Five Plus and Turais' Nimbus 1700; they were all the top broom offerings alongside Shooting Star 70, which was the last good broom from the company before its collapse in 1978 from his original timeline. It was a weird feeling to see the best brooms available now would end up becoming undesirable school brooms by the 1990's.

Turais looked up to Wilkins as he used a Sonorous to address the hopefuls.

"So everyone here should know that there are open spots for one Chaser, one Beater, one Keeper, and one Seeker. But unlike some stupid, sentimental Gryffindor -" An angry rumble sounded from the Gryffindor section and Turais could hear Kaiden's indignant shout " Hey, Carmickey!" which Wilkins ignored. " - the current members will also be tested again with the short-listed hopefuls. So be prepared for a long haul. Seekers, this is your first test. Learn to sit back and watch others have all the action. Now as usual, Chasers are up! "

The Chasers were first tasked with ball passing with several Quaffles while hovering stationarily in a large circle. Wilkins eliminated all the players who were deliberately sabotaging other players with absurd passes and players who fumbled with every catch. That shaved off half the group. Then, they did several laps around the stadium while passing the Quaffle amongst themselves and further eliminated half the group. Jonty was eliminated in this stage and headed off to the stands, although he didn't look too dejected. Finally, they were aiming shots at the hoops from different angles and flying speeds. After that, only five players flew to his satisfaction.

The Slytherin section was now the largest group filled with rejected Chaser candidates as they muttered angrily while watching the shortlisted members taking turns grouped with the two current Chasers, Pucey and Montague, on quick passes and flying combos. The current Chasers were also put on rotation and placed in various groups of three with two new hopefuls at a time. Pucey's inept, which did not come as a surprise to any given his dismal performance as Chaser last year, was completely exposed as he fumbled with passes and missed perfect throws compared to Natalia Arkenstone, who melded with any partners Wilkins assigned her with. Finally, after two full hours, Wilkins has decided on the new Chasers.

"The Chasers for this year are Pyrites, Montague, and Arkenstone -"

"WILKINS! What did you just -" Pucey roared as he flew up to the captain.

" - Backups are Harper, Riley, and Vance, in that order. Beaters are up! "

"WILKINS! My father will hear about this!" Pucey yelled as Wilkins zoomed off to the Beaters group, ignoring Pucey completely.

"Natalia!" Turais shouted as he ran over to the jubilant Chaser. "Congratulations!"

Natalia gave him a radiant smile. "Thank you, Turais! I'm glad that Wilkins had the backbone to kick that bumbling fool off the team."

"Well, Wilkins is quite serious about Quidditch. But most importantly, you deserve this position," Turais smiled.

"Thank you for the encouragement last year," she said. "I'm just really glad Wilkins has been made captain so I have a chance to fight for a Chaser position. I hope you make the team as well."

"Don't worry. I will," Turais grinned.

Natalia gave him an approving nod before waving goodbye to join the rest of the Chasers. Turais also turned his attention back to the Beaters trial.

Wilkins was one-half of the Beaters pair, so he personally engaged in the trials. First, he had them aim the Bludgers at levitated targets. Then, the successful few did drills on batting passes and were tested for reflex by defending the three Chasers from four Bludgers at a time. Wilkins was a fierce player all-around but particularly excelled in defence. His incredible talent was on full display as he almost single-handedly defended the Chasers from all four Bludgers for two minutes when he was paired with a particularly terrified Beater-hopeful. His foul temper was also on full display afterwards when he dressed down that player so loudly the entire pitch could hear him without the Sonorous .

"MAX, DON'T BECOME A BEATER IF YOU ARE GOING TO FLY AWAY FROM THE BLUDGERS!"

He ultimately announced that Cornfoot would be his partner and Gibbon would be the back-up. Turais was suddenly extremely glad he would not end up on an opposing team as Cornfoot and Wilkins made a scary pair of Beaters. They were able to fend off four Bludgers for ten minutes and also took out all the designated targets in a record time. Wilkins even gave Cornfoot a rare grimace that, Turais guessed, was supposed to be a smile.

"Keepers are up! "

Only four Slytherins were vying for the position and it quickly whittled down to one when it became painfully obvious that three of them couldn't catch a Quaffle, let alone guard three hoops. Gibbon, who tried out for two positions, was mediocre at best so Wilkins gritted his teeth as he was forced to announce the position.

"Gibbon, you are Keeper," he said with great reluctance."And you and I are going to spend a lot of quality time together . And don't you dare land yourself in detention. I don't care if you have to French-kiss McGonagall out of one, you will do it!"

Gibbon, along with all the students present on the stands, made various noises of disgust, horrified with the mental image. Wilkins ignored them all and continued.

"Seekers are up! "

Turais mounted his broom and kicked off the ground with a fourth-year girl and family friend, Emma Blishwick, and fifth-year boy Eibon. The sun has almost completely disappeared beneath the horizon now as the Quidditch viewing towers cast long shadows across the orange-lit fields. Wilkins joined them shortly after.

"Now, a-hheem, I have nine Snitches released on half the pitch with four Bludgers set. Whoever catches the most Snitches in the next fifteen minutes will become Seeker. On my whistle."

Wilkins' whistle sounded as Turais zoomed ahead towards the designated area and immediately saw specks of gold glistening in the setting sun. He veered right at the closest moving light and immediately dived as a Bludger whistle past his right ear and grazed his flapping robes. Sighting the first Snitch, he reached his right arm for it as he saw another Bludger swing into his view. He performed a barrel roll as it shot harmlessly over his body while keeping his sight on the Snitch. He reached for a second time and closed his hand around the cool metal.

'One.'

He stuffed it in his pocket as he propelled towards another Snitch that was racing towards a Quidditch viewing tower. He leaned into the broom and pushed for the highest speed as he heard the air whistle a warning of an incoming Bludger. He knew he could out fly the Bludger at this pace and focused on the Snitch and the fast-approaching tower. The Snitch darted upwards at the last moment and Turais pulled up sharply after it, inches from the flapping fabrics. He heard a loud crash below him as he closed his hand of another Snitch; the Bludger must have smashed into the tower.

'Two.'

He did a backflip-twist to return to the pitch as he saw a Bludger roaring directly towards him. Turais quickly banked right as the Bludger missed the handle by a fraction of an inch. That was a bit too close for comfort as Turais' heart raced, but he would have to think about it after.

He saw another glint directly beneath him hovering very close to the pitch floor and Turais tipped his broom down for a straight, vertical dive before twisting into a horizontal path straight for the Snitch, which he pocketed with ease.

'Three.'

Turais thought he was on track to getting the most Snitches when he heard the whistle. He turned to look at Wilkins who was on the ground.

"Trials are over!" He yelled. The crowd at the stands were murmuring excitedly and pointing at their direction.

'There's no way fifteen minutes has passed. Did the others catch the rest of the Snitches already? Oh no... that means I tied with three at best or lost otherwise."'

Turais raced down towards Wilkins and dismounted from the broom as the other two joined him moments later.

"What? It was three minutes tops, cap. Why did we stop?" Emma Blishwick asked.

"Yeah, I didn't even catch one yet! Four Bludgers are too much, cap!" The boy shouted in discontentment. Turais' heart dropped to his stomach. He couldn't believe someone caught double the amount of Snitches than he did in the same amount of time.

"You didn't catch any? I didn't catch any either," Emma exclaimed. Both of them turned to stare at Turais. "Turais... did you..."

"Wait… what? I thought you caught six Snitches, Emma," Turais fished his pockets and held out the three stilled Snitches in his right hand. "I only caught three, I don't know why Wilkins stopped."

They turned to Wilkins who was shaking with an intense grimace on his extremely flushed face. The veins by his temples were bulging dangerous. He looked like he was about to explode.

"Uh… are you alright, Wilkins?" Emma asked hesitantly, pulling her broom closely to her body. Turais suddenly realized that he and Eibon did the same thing institually as well. Wilkins pulled out his wand and they flinched. But he pointed it at his tensed-up throat and turned to the stands. He bellowed in his magically magnified voice, and Turais was surprised by the thick emotions, "BLACK IS SEEKER! BLACK IS SEEKER! THANK MERLIN AND ALL MY ANCESTORS! BLACK IS SEEKER!"

Turais was trapped in a bone-crushing, bear hug from the team captain for several minutes listening to his play-by-play analysis of the three catches as though Turais did not witness them before he suddenly realized they were in the middle of the Quidditch pitch in front of dozens of students, including Gryffindors. But then, he decided that Turais was the reincarnation of Merlin and that he really didn't care about the other students because Turais was smooch! and proceeded to hug him even tighter for several more minutes.

When he finally released Turais, Wilkins looked as though he has fallen in love with Turais and kept sending obvious love-sick glances at him as they walked towards the Slytherin changing rooms. He even walked himself into the wooden door frame as he tried to enter the narrow doorway beside Turais and fell onto the ground while still maintaining a dreamy grin, much to the amusement of everyone else who witnessed it.

In the changing room, Wilkins formally introduced the team to each other. The three Chasers were Noalan Pyrites (sixth-year), Cyrus Montague (seventh-year), and Natalia Arkenstone (seventh-year). The two Beaters were Carmichael Wilkins and Brookes Cornfoot (fifth-year). The Keeper was Strafford Gibbon (seventh-year) and the Seeker was Turais Black, himself. Wilkins said his name with a slight tremor of barely contained excitement.

When they re-emerged from the changing room, Turais saw Jonty and the Gryffindor team standing calmly while Kaiden was jumping up and down ecstatically, an uncanny parallel to James Potter's behaviour. Wilkins immediately stepped in front of Turais protectively and placed himself between the Gryffindor and his new favourite person in the entire universe.

"What do you want, Kaiden?" Wilkins growled at the sight of the opposing team captain.

"Calm down. I just wanted to say congratulations," Kaiden continued to bounce, which was starting to make Turais nauseous. "Oi, that was awesome ! Your third catch was the textbook Wronski Feint but with the added catch, oh Merlin! Why were you sorted into Slytherin? Why can't you be our Seeker ? Can I ask Dumbledore for a re-sort? I should ask -"

"Hey, Kaiden! Snap out of it! He's mine!" Wilkins snarled possessively at Kaiden and stabbed a finger at his chest. "If I see you within ten feet of him, I will whack you with Bludgers until you wished you were never born."

Honestly, Turais was a bit thrown off by the seemingly genuine animosity rolling off of Wilkins against the Gryffindor captain. If this was an act, they deserve awards for their performances. However, Kaiden totally shrugged off the ominous threat and continued to bounce cheerily.

"Cheer up, Carmickey!" Kaiden said cheerily despite Wilkins' darkening scowl.

'Carmickey?' Turais thought as he raised an eyebrow.

"Stop looking like a dying flobberworm," Kaiden continued. "I can't wait for the Ravenclaw-Slytherin match now. I will need to film it using a cine-cam! Wait, I don't have one. I will have to ask my dad to buy me one then!"

"Stop bouncing, Kay! You are making me sick," Turais finally burst out. Wilkins lashed out upon hearing his words and grabbed Kaiden's shoulders to still his movements. Turais heard Jonty muttered something about "know how we feel" and "Christmas train ride".

"You heard him, Kaiden. If he misses even a single hair or feels the slightest discomfort from your actions. You will have a talk from my bat, face-to-face ," said Wilkins while waving his battle-hardened companion in his hand menacingly.

Kaiden frowned for a moment before turning to Turais and fake-whispered, "Loosen him a little, would you?"

At Wilkins' second growl, an actual growl, Kaiden leapt away quickly and ran for the rest of the Gryffindor team standing nearby. "Bye, Rais. See you around."

Wilkins turned around to Turais and his deep scowl turned into an awkwardly stilted smile that contorted on his face unnaturally.

'Um, please stick with frowning and glaring… please?'

"Black, please catch the snitch in the first five minutes of our first match so I don't need to get a heart-attack over Gibbon's Keeping skills," Wilkins said as he placed his rough hand on his shoulder.

"I'll try…?" Turais squeaked out and Wilkins did the hideous smile again.

"Good. And I'll have a word with Malfoy when we get back about training dates."

The official Slytherin Quidditch team managed to enter the Great Hall ten minutes before dinner was finished. The Hall was completely empty except for a professor who was sitting at the Head Table - Professor Castiella Trelawney, the Divination Professor - Turais recognized. Once they reached the table, everyone was stuffing their faces and plates messily with food before they disappeared. As they were finishing up, they were interrupted by another group of Slytherins.

Lucius Malfoy strolled into the Great Hall with the members of the Group of Seven behind him.

"Carmichael, how were the trials today? Pucey pulled quite the ruckus in the common room and some of our members were too eager to hear the news so here we are."

Turais eyed Alex, who Turais supposed has returned to the common room already, but the boy shook his head minutely in confusion as well. Everyone stopped eating as the Group settled onto the same table. Alex elected to sit beside Turais as the conversation continued.

"It went well, Lucius -"

An audible gasp sounded from the staff table. Turais turned to see Trelawney's bulging eyes staring at them as she rose from her seat, trembling. Her bony fingers pointed at them as though she was counting something. After that task, she gasped again and looked as though she was about to faint.

"I cannot comprehend why anyone would ever hire that hysterical woman," Dolohov sneered as the old Professor darted down the centre aisle while casting frantic gazes at the table. Once she left the Hall, Wilkins continued to answer Malfoy's question.

"It went well, Lucius. Except for Gibbon, who will need a lot of training to bring his Keeping skills up to par, we are well-put together," Wilkins said.

"I see that Turais is sitting with the rest of the team. Has he been selected for a position?" Malfoy asked with curiosity.

"Yes, he is the newest Seeker for the team. I am confident that we will win the Quidditch Cup this year with him on the team," Wilkins slapped him on the back hard and Turais felt winded.

"Really?" Malfoy arched his brow, "That is high praise coming from you, Carmichael. But given the usual training session, he would be scheduled to miss most of the Group meetings."

"I'm sure I won't miss much. Alex would gladly relay the happenings to me afterwards," Turais said.

"If you insist, Turais," Malfoy acquiesced.

"I thought you would prefer that the Slytherins win the Quidditch Cup this year, I am sure a slight accommodation in exchange for this is worth it," Turais said smilingly as he stood up from the table.

"Of course," Malfoy said pleasantly as he rose as well. "I hope you can deliver what you just promised."

Afterwards, Wilkins led them back to the Slytherin common room where he gathered all the housemates to make the official announcement of the new Slytherin Quidditch Team. The announcement and student reaction was relatively normal until he reached the reveal of their new Seeker.

"And finally, the new Seeker on our Team is... Turais Black."

Turais could feel the stillness in the room as the students all stared at him intensely. Turais could imagine that half of the students were absolutely awed that the second-year was the top student in his class, a magically-powerful wizard, a member of the Group of Seven, a soon-to-be Order of Merlin awardee (if Professor Slughorn was to be trusted), and also a great Quidditch player; the other half of the students were seething with jealousy and hatred for the same reasons.

Reading the room and sensing the tension-filled silence, Wilkins continued on. "I don't care what you feel about Black, but what I do care is that Black stays safe, healthy, and able-bodied to participate in all upcoming training sessions and matches. If I catch even a single person breathing weirdly around him, your parents and Dumbledore will be the least of your concerns. Good evening."

He turned his gaze just to see Dolohov staring at him with a murderous loathing that sent an involuntary shiver down his spine. He was reminded, once again, of the dangerous undercurrents of threats.

'I will find out soon enough…'

Septemer 12, 1970 (Saturday)

"I think Nott is up to something," Jonty whispered as he laid beside him on his bed, shoulders touching.

Turais closed his book and gave Jonty his full attention.

"So... I was tailing Aigel -" Jonty held his hand up to preemptively stop Turais from interjecting. " - and I don't need your permission to do so. But that's not the point. So I followed him to the fourth floor and he was apparently heading to Gobstones Club so it was a false alarm. BUT! But! I noticed that Nott was slinking around suspiciously. I mean, there's no reason for him to be there. And then I thought, poking my nose into everyone's business is my duty so I followed him. But he turned a corner into a dead-end hallway and when I peeked, he was nowhere to be seen!"

Turais froze. The description of that hallway sounded vaguely familiar.

Jonty mimicked his head exploding in a dramatic fashion. "That is one interesting mystery to solve, isn't it, Turais? What do you think happened? I'm sure there are secret passages in this castle and I bet he was using one."

'Secret passage. Secret passage to... Hogsmeade!' Turais' mind screamed out. That was it. Jonty just described one of the seven hidden passages from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade.

And it was one of the four routes that he has never used because they have been discovered and blocked off by the time Harry Potter went to Hogwarts for the first time. Maybe the passages were still accessible at this time,

Turais schooled his expression to a feigned nonchalance.

"Interesting, indeed," Turais agreed. "But I suggest you not to investigate into this any further."

"Why?!" Jonty whined. "Nott must be up to something -"

"Listen to me, Jonty," Turais said. He needed Jonty to keep himself out of this whole ordeal surrounding Nott and Dolohov for his own safety. "This is something between Nott and I and you should not involve yourself in this, not this time."

"Hold on a moment," Jonty asked shrewdly. "It's just Nott acting suspicious. But why are you automatically assuming it has something to do with you? You know something, don't you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Turais said hastily as he opened his book once more, but Jonty quickly slammed his palm on the book cover.

"You'll tell me right now, Turais. I will figure this out one way or another," said Jonty. Turais glanced at Jonty defiantly and the other boy sighed. " Fine. If you're not telling, then I will have to ask Nott -"

"Don't you dare -" Turais growled as he sat up and pinned Jonty down, who was wide-eyed and looked frightened. Turais released Jonty and calmed himself down before speaking, "Nott is highly dangerous. Stay out of this, Jonty. I don't want you to get hurt. Promise me, please."

Jonty nodded quickly as he scrambled back to a sitting position at a respectable distance away from Turais.

"I'm so sorry for the outburst, Jonty. I just not want you to be implicated in my personal qualms with Nott," Turais said.

"It's okay, Turais," Jonty said softly. "My pa always told me to stay out of our people's business - always as in 'everyday always' - I deserved that. And it's not like I didn't know you and Nott are like mixing oil and water. I guess I just - I don't know - wanted to see what he was up to and if he was planning something against - I guess, you?"

Turais gave Jonty a small smile. "I appreciate it, Jonty. But I think I will take on him by myself for this one."

Jonty nodded and did not speak for a long while. Turais saw how Jonty desperately wanted to say something, but he was eyeing him with unease. Giving the boy a questioning look, Jonty took the gesture as permission and immediately blurted out, "But secret passages though?!"

Turais grinned.

September 13, 1970 (Sunday)

After eavesdropping from a couple sixth-years that Nott was currently in detention with Professor McGonagall. Turais decided to abandon his normal weekend studying session and head to the fourth-floor. Replying on Jonty's description and his scant memory, he searched the whole area close to the classroom where Gobstones Club was held. Fortunately, there was only one dead-end hallway in the vicinity that fit the description entirely.

Turais walked up to the three barren and inconspicuous walls. He reached out to his magic and started muttering the incantation, "video sed non credo, ipsum revelare!" (I see it, but I do not believe it. Reveal itself!) repeatedly. Turais then started running his palms over the rough stones on all accessible surfaces while trying to detect any abnormal magical boundaries or signatures. Sure enough, he encountered a slight but detectable shift in magical intensity at a particular spot on the wall. He ran his hand up and down that area and discovered a faint outline. Satisfied, he followed the outline and mapped his way along the magical boundary that arched just above his head and down the other side. Turais realized that It resembled a jagged, and narrow crevice.

Stepping back and opening his eyes, Turais looked at the unassuming stretch of stones. However, he now knew that that was the exact location of the hidden doorway. Turais pulled out his wand and tapped on the wall, willing it to grant him passage. From deep within the walls, there was a rumbling sound that reverberated and increased in intensity. After a few moments, the wall started to quake, crack, and split in front of his eyes until it formed a narrow, veneer crack that could barely fit a slim, grown adult.

Turais peered through the entry into the utter darkness and pointed his wand.

"Lumos maxima."

The tip of his wand shot a glowing orb of light through the crack. He saw the orb impact upon the wall several feet away and lit up the entire narrow but, otherwise, standard low-ceiling tunnel. Convinced of its relative safety, Turais shuffled through the crack sideways. Once he passed through, he tugged his robe free from one of the edge just as the entryway sealed him off from the castle.

In his hunched-up position, Turais lit his wand with a handy Lumos and started to venture down the tunnel filled with cobwebs and dust. Along the way, Turais noted that the tunnel became so narrow that he had to crawl on his hands and knees with his wand between his teeth. He also noticed that there were footprints visible on the thin layer of fine dust, suggesting that he was not the only user of this tunnel.

"Appare Vestigium."

The Tracking Spell emitted a heavy layer of golden mist that settled onto the trail of footprints before him. The results confirmed Turais' suspicion that, indeed, Nott was the user. Fortunately, it seemed as though there was only one set of magical profile, which suggested that no one else besides Nott was utilized the passage. This was great news for Turais.

After twenty minutes of walking in the darkness, Turais finally reached the end of the tunnel. Pointing his wand around him found a ladder leading to a wooden trapdoor above. Casting a Disillusionment Charm over himself, he stored his wand away and climbed up the ladder. Carefully loosening the hinge, Turais pushed the door upwards and peaked through the tiny gap. In his line of vision, he could see boxes labelled books directly in front of him. Hearing no noise, Turais opened the door higher and found himself at the back of a dim room that resembled a small basement library. On the right side of the room, there were a series of narrow windows near the ceiling that provided some natural light.

Turais guessed that he was on the bottom-floor of the bookstore in Hogsmeade called Tomes and Scrolls.

'So Nott, and perhaps Dolohov, likely has knowledge of a secret passage to Hogsmeade. That means they could smuggle anything from outside undetected,' Turais thought to himself.

This was a huge security breach and Turais decided him needed to seal this passage permanently. Turais climbed back down the ladder and closed the trapdoor behind him. Then, he cast a permanent Locking Spell on the hinges and performed a series of Shield Charms on the trapdoor to prevent anyone from blasting off the trapdoor in brute force.

Hopefully that was enough to deter whatever Nott or Dolohov has planned.

September 18, 1970 (Friday)

Turais was finishing up his homework when the door slammed open with a loud bang. His dorm-mates all jerked out of their sedentary positions into high alert as they saw Nott walk through while dragging Jonty by the ear, who was squirming in his grasp. Avery Jr., Dolohov, Montague, and two other seventh-years strolled in behind them.

"Black!" Nott shouted, "Come out here at once!"

Turais and Alex shared a confused look. But seeing that Jonty looked panicked and guilty, Turais had no choice but you figure out what has happened. Once they entered the common room, they found that it was filled with students.

Turais turned towards Nott and asked, "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Steward, here -" Dolohov kicked Jonty on the back and caused him to tumble onto the floor, "- has been caught sticking his nose where he shouldn't be - in our dormitory."

Jonty quickly scrambled up and crawled behind Alex and Turais in panic.

"I'm not sure if I understand your meaning?" Turais asked calmly under the gaze of all the students.

"Don't insult my intelligence with your act, Turais," Avery said. "We all know how close you are with Steward. You were definitely trying to undermine us with your nefarious schemes."

Turais turned to look at the boy, who ducked his head in shame. Turais had a feeling that Jonty was just snooping around, unwilling to listen to him and let up on Nott. He glanced back at the seventh-years. If they wanted to gather an audience to shame Turais into admission, they were not receving one. But if they wanted his public apology, well...

"I had no plans to, as you put it, 'undermine' you. However, I will apologize on his behalf for any inconvenience that you may have experienced," Turais said. "And I will guarantee that it will never happen again."

"See to it -" Dolohov said, looking satisfied. Turais was surprised that he was so lenient. Nott looked at Dolohov as though he was betrayed.

"Antonin!" Nott hissed, but Dolohov ignored him.

"- or someone else might take the fall for your inadequacy to keep your minions in check," Dolohov said as Turais saw his gaze landing on the first- and second-years . "I've several designs I would like to test out. For example, someone might just find some defective Potions ingredients used in the first-year Potions class that will cause some interesting injuries..."

So Dolohov was holding the safety of other students hostage. Turais knew there was no way he could protect everyone at all times if Dolohov decided to go through with his threats, therefore he could only nod curtly. Upon that silent admission, Dolohov's Cheshire Cat grin only grew wider.

"Noted," Turais gritted out.

Turais has been made Seeker. Surprise. Surprise.

Jonty has been in a bit of trouble as of late. Yikes.

The next chapter is Chapter 27: The Phoney War. Until next time.

- ravenclawblues 2020-01-10