Hey everybody,
New update! There will be a time-skip of sorts in this chapter.
Enjoy!
- ravenclawblues 2020-01-17
CHAPTER 27
THE PHONEY WAR
January 25, 1971 (Thursday)
LORD DENNIS PRINCE DIES AT 103
by Demelza Keats
The Man with Mixed Legacy Succeeded by His Son, Hardwin Prince
Lord Dennis George Prince was found unconscious at his residency late yesterday afternoon by his house-elf. After being rushed to St. Mungo's Hospital, he has been declared dead due to natural causes.
Lord Prince left behind a mixed legacy where he aligned with Dark families for the majority part of his early career. In particular, he was famously recognized as the commissioner of the anonymously published book called the "Pure-Blood Directory". This book, which was widely believed to be penned by Cancankerus Nott (although Lord Prince never confirmed nor denied the claim), was arguably the most influential piece of writing on the 20th century and its ideas have shaped the ideology of entire generations on blood purity after its publication.
However, after Grindelwald's revolution, Lord Prince has seemingly experienced a change of hearts where he severed his relationships with his former allies and joined the Light families, proclaiming that "[he] was a misguided young man with a self-consuming thirst to prove [himself] in the worst means possible". He has frequently said that the publication of the "Pure-Blood Directory" was a "grave mistake" and that if he could time-travel back, he would "smack the sense into [his] younger self with a Beater's Bat".
While one might think Lord Prince has denounced his blood purity ideologies after his official split from the Dark families, a domestic affair that has, once again, catapulted him into the spotlight. The disowning of his daughter, Eileen Prince, had come on the heels of Eileen Prince's marriage to a Muggle named Tobias Snape. Many believed that Lord Prince disowned his daughter due to her marriage to a Muggle, but Lord Prince has vehemently denied those claims. It has been a largely publicized affair where he came under immense pressure from the magical community to retract his decision, but he never bowed to those pressures.
After that event, Lord Prince has slowly retreated from the public eye as his son and Heir, Hardwin Prince, started acting as his father's proxy in the chamber more frequently. The last time Lord Prince set foot in the Ministry was eight years ago.
Hardwin Prince has been described by his peers as a fiery, ill-tempered man that resembled his father in his youth. While he has yet to break ranks from the Light alliance on any vote, his allies worry that he might soon become an opponent. Their fear is not unfounded as Heir Hardwin Prince has been increasingly vocal in his criticisms against Ministry-backed policies. In such a politically charged chamber where neither side could afford to lose a single vote, this presented a terrifying prospect for the Light alliance...
February 12, 1971 (Friday)
Today's task in Transfiguration class was Untransfiguration, which involved undoing previously transfigured items, and was a more difficult branch of Transfiguration. They were each given a black feather quill to untransfigure.
Turais swung his wand as though he was writing a check mark and said, "Reparifarge ."
The black feather quill untransfigured smoothly into a rolled-up parchment, which turned out to be a list of to-do items that was due in two weeks, including a fourteen-inch essay of Untransfiguration and the transfiguration of a snuffle box into a book using their arsenal of known Transfiguration spells and writing out all the spells used. It was a clever assignment that used a variety of the most difficult spells they have learnt in this class up until this point.
Alex also successfully untransfigured his quill and groaned as he saw the instructions.
"Why, Professor? This is so much work… urgh . And we also have the study sessions to run. I don't even know how you manage to do all that on top of your Quidditch training sessions."
Turais grinned at his friend as he waved his hands in a mystical fashion. "I have my secret magical abilities," he said mysteriously for which he received a well-earned punch on the arm.
February 9, 1971 (Tuesday)
Four days ago…
"Hey, sorry everyone!" Turais shouted as he sauntered into the Potions classroom with his Quidditch gears and school bag into a classroom with nearly one hundred and fifty students. They were mostly first- and second-years with a few older students volunteering as tutors.
A chorus of "hey Turais"s and "hello"s echoed throughout the largest Potions classroom in the castle which Professor Slughorn has kindly offered when he caught wind of Turais' "little" venture. But even so, the room was barely large enough to house the sheer number of students that turn up. There were nearly a hundred students in both years and a good portion of them were regulars. Turais was glad that they found this useful. Despite it being a lot of work, Turais was happy that he could help others learn and succeed, especially when he was in a position to do so.
"Hey," Turais slapped Jonty and Alex on their backs as he plopped onto the chair beside them. He also waved at Aigel who sat on the other side of Alex. After a while, he opened his eyes and finally laid eyes on the two plates of food in front of him. He exclaimed, "Thank you to whoever did this!"
"It's all Jane," Alex said absent-mindedly as he edited one of several scrolls of second-year Transfiguration essays. Turais shouted a "thank you" to Jane, who was at a nearby table helping a group of first-years with their Charms homework.
She laughed and shouted back, "It's Alex, you dummy! He kept saying that I picked the wrong foods so I got frustrated and just handed him an empty plate in the end."
Indeed, everything on his plate were his favourites - shepherd's pie, thick-cut fries, sauteed broccoli and mushrooms, healthy servings of apple pie, treacle tart, bread pudding and also a glass of chilled pumpkin juice to finish it all off.
"Thanks, mate," Turais knocked his shoulder with Alex and hummed happily as he dove into his food. After a few more bites, he wiped his mouth and shouted, "Okay, so who has questions?" A dozen students quickly rushed over to him and formed a line as he started to get to work.
After two hours of seemingly endless questions, Turais shouted, "Let's end a bit early today and see you Thursday!" The students shouted their thanks as they packed up.
Then, in a low voice, Turais leaned over to Jonty and whispered in his ear, "You know what today is. Make sure to stay behind for your extra practice on making wishes."
Jonty beamed.
February 12, 1971 (Friday)
"How did you two untransfigure the feather so quickly?" Jonty gasped when he turned around to see his best friends' desk. His own black feather was still sitting on the desk idly. "Actually, don't answer that."
Turais knew Jonty was still miffed from last week when Professor McGonagall said Turais and Alex had "raw talent" for magic.
"Well, Jonty. Since you know the next assignments. Do you want to work on that first? We can help you with your feather after classes today?" Turais suggested. Jonty's frown loosened a little and gave a nod.
"Summon the snuffle boxes over please, Alex," Turais sighed. This would take at least fifteen minutes of their precious talking time. Despite spending almost every moment, awake and asleep, together, they all somehow realized that Transfiguration class was the best time for a chat. Professor McGonagall gave up shouting at them for their chatters sometime last October and did not bother them unless they started to disrupt other students. But this would never happen as he always casted various anti-eavesdropping Charms around them in case of "sensitive information".
Three snuffle boxes floated from the storage cabinet and onto their respective desks.
'Okay… snuffle box to mouse first.'
" Snufflifors ." The snuffle box transfigured perfectly into a black mice.
'Okay… then mouse to bird…'
"Avifors. " The black mice turned into a jet-black raven that screamed " Ca-Caw! " Turais looked around in alarm just to see everyone staring at him blankly, wondering what on Earth he was doing transfiguring items into birds rather than focusing on untransfiguration.
"Ca-Caw! Ca-Caw! " Alex's raven also croaked and joined the cacophony of noise that filled the room.
"Mr Black! Mr Fawley! What on Earth are you -" Professor McGonagall approached their tables and stopped as she looked at the unrolled parchments on their tables. "Well… five points to Slytherin. Please continue on -"
"Ca-Caw! " Turais' raven turned to the professor and blared out aggressively.
"Silencio. " Turais pointed at his bird, which proceeded to open and close its mouth silently. It paused mid-croak and turned to Turais questioningly. Turais looked at it apologetically and whispered as though it would understand him, "Sorry, raven. You were misbehaving."
He turned to look at Professor McGonagall, who was trying very valiantly to suppress her smile. She eventually was able to regain control and school her expression back into an impassive look.
"Make that five more points to Slytherin," said Professor McGonagall before walking away.
"She usually gives you two five points per person , why is she was stingy all of a sudden?" Jonty hissed. "Aren't you her favourite student? She even hugged you, I mean."
Turais thought back to how it came about.
September 22, 1970 (Tuesday)
Approximately five months ago...
Today was the day Turais was invited to visit the headquarters of M.E.S.O.P. and also a photo-op for both the press and the institution to officially announce the discovery of the Wolfsbane Potion. The rest of the students were in class as Turais was waiting in the Slytherin common room fully dressed in a proper dress robe when Professor Slughorn came to retrieve him.
"Turais, my boy, you look smart and photo-ready. Follow me to Professor McGonagall's office please. We are going to use her Floo. By the way, thank you for my year's supply of Bolandi's Exquisite Crystallized Pineapples. It is my favourite." Professor Slughorn said. "How did you know?"
Turais just smiled politely and offered no answer. Professor Slughorn did not press for the information and just hummed happily. When they entered her office, Professor McGonagall was standing by the fireplace and gave him a rare smile and said, "I am very proud of your achievements, Mr Black. You are a brilliant addition to our school and the staff are delighted to have the honour to teach you."
Professor McGonagall stretched out her arms and Turais thought she was gesturing for a hug so he wrapped his arms around her midsection. She stilled tensely for a moment before patting his head gently twice.
"Ahem. Mr Black, it's almost time for your arrival at the headquarters."
Turais saw her flustered expression through the licks of green flames as he shouted "M.E.S.O.P. Headquarters!"
February 12, 1971 (Friday)
'I might've misinterpreted her hand movements. That was awkward. She might've just been pointing at the Floo.'
Turais shrugged at his potential mistake and turned back to the raven, which now looked at him reproachfully as though it was demanding him to unmute it. When it saw Turais had no intention to do so, it clicked its beak in a show of aggression and stepped towards him menacingly. Turais hastily cast the spell before it could attack his face.
"Vera Verto… argh! "
The raven was about to leap off the table as it transformed into a crystal, clear water goblet, which teetered near the edge.
"That was a close one," Alex said as Turais pushed it back to the relative safety at the center of the desk. "By the way, am I the only person who thinks it's weird that things are so normal around here? Not that I am complaining, but I mean… no one has tried to maim you yet. That's new."
Turais thought in silence as he eyed the water goblet for any imperfection or intricate patterns. One imperfect Transfiguration now will make the object nearly impossible to transfigure later on as the mistakes will amplify exponentially after each addition spell. Credits to Pierricoeur's Laws of Transfiguration Interactions.
The goblet looks fine to his eyes despite the hastily-cast spell and Turais was satisfied.
What Alex said was true. He maintained constant vigilance and used the Cloak of Invisibility whenever necessary, watched out for Nott and Dolohov amongst other threats, and kept out of Professor Dumbledore's gaze. And the last five months have passed by very peacefully, except for that incident. But Turais knew he couldn't relax his guard. The threats were real, and even if they weren't, it couldn't hurt to be cautious. Also, there still hasn't been any Muggle attacks yet so that's a win.
January 4, 1971 (Monday)
Approximately one month ago...
Turais was returning from a quick chat with Professor Slughorn, who wanted to personally welcome him back to Hogwarts from the break and a happy new year, when he saw Andromeda pacing in front of the blank stretch of wall that led to the Slytherin common room. It was after curfew and Turais was surprised to see her outside the common room area.
"Andromeda," Turais greeted as he approached his cousin. Andromeda's face snapped up upon seeing Turais as he saw her frantic expression.
"Turais," she said as she stopped and faced him. "H...How was your holiday?"
"Splendid. And yours?" Turais asked. Andromeda has seen him at the Black Ball as well as at the Black family Christmas party, so this question threw him off balance momentarily.
"T...That's good to hear," she said absented-mindedly as she glanced around the empty corridor.
"I suspect our holiday plans is not the sole topic of conversation you had in mind?" Turais prompted.
"No," Andromeda said tensely. "Would you mind following me to somewhere more private?"
Turais raised an eyebrow, but he nodded. Then, Andromeda guided him to a nearby unused classroom. It was a large classroom with two doors on either side of the room. After casting some basic Privacy spells around the room and the door, she started.
"What I am about to say is of great importance," she said quickly. "I was with my sisters at the Lestrange Christmas Party this holiday and I overheard a conversation with you as the subject."
'The Lestrange Christmas Party. Bellatrix has married Rudolphus Lestrange in the past summer.'
Andromeda scanned Turais' expresion before continuing. "I believe there is a plot against you that is in motion."
"What is it?" Turais asked.
"I could only hear fragments of the conversation and there was nothing substantial. Only that you were an obstacle and must be..."
"Must be what?" Turais asked quickly.
"Must be... taken care of..." Andromeda grimaced. "...promptly and without a trace. Also, someone said everything was in order. You're in serious trouble, Turais!"
This piece of information confirmed his suspicion. The Lestranges were Voldemort's staunchest allies. Turais bet that Voldemort was plotting against him. But that was not news itself. What was unnerving was that Turais had no idea what they were planning.
"Do you know who were involved in the conversation?" Turais asked Andromeda. She shook her head.
"I don't recognize their voices, Turais. I... I stole a glance at the guest roll but there were only members of the Lestrange extended family and no one glaringly suspicious."
"But those people could have been private guests that did not appear on the guest roll," Turais said. "But good thinking to check the guest roll though, Andromeda."
"I'm sorry I cannot be much help, Turais," Andromeda said nervously. "But I thought that you should be made aware of the potential threats against you."
"No, Andromeda. You have done a lot, thank you," Turais said sincerely.
"Turais... you... you don't think they a...actually mean..." Andromeda stuttered in a hushed voice, "... take care as in... murder. Right?"
"I hope not, Andromeda," Turais said with uncertainty.
"We need to tell your grandfather, Turais," Andromeda whispered. "Or... or Dumbledore. If they are plotting murder, this is way beyond our abilities and we need to keep you safe."
"Andromeda," Turais said soothingly. "I can handle this. Please rest assured."
"Turais!" Andromeda hissed loudly. "How are you able to handle a genuine death threat? You're a second-year -"
Suddenly, he heard two pairs of footsteps approaching their location. They turned back to each other with eyes widened.
"You didn't cast a Disillusionment Charm on the door, did you?" Turais said. Andromeda shook her head in shock.
Too late for that now. Turais grabbed Andromeda's forearm and pulled her towards the second door. He unlocked the door silently and the two Slytherins slipped out of the room just as the other door creaked open. Peeking through the slightly ajar door. They observed two boys enter the room.
They were Dolohov and Nott.
"What is it, Brutus?" Dolohov snarled.
"Is it going as planned? You're not messing up, are you?" Nott whispered nervously. "And can you go any faster -"
"I can't go faster - you dim-wit. Also, I'm not like you. I don't make mistakes," hissed Dolohov furiously.
"Fine! Just make sure it's ready by then. I have my material prepared already. If it weren't for the stupid blocked passage, I wouldn't have to rely on you." Nott responded nervously.
"That's not my issue, Brutus. Also, this is your only chance, if you spoil this -" Dolohov snapped.
"This method will work. It did once already, Antonin -" Nott stopped abruptly.
The door creaked open and Professor McGonagall's voice rang in the empty room, "What are you two doing here at this hour, Mr Nott and Mr Dolohov? Curfew was fifteen minutes ago. Ten points from Slytherin apiece."
A pair of footsteps left through the other door hastily as Professor McGonagall slowly closed the door and strolled away.
"What are they talking about, Turais?" Andromeda said softly.
"I don't know. But I have to keep an even closer eye on them now," Turais whispered back.
"You don't think they have anything to do with what I just told you, do you?" Andromeda said as her eyes widened she connected the dots. "Turais! This is insane. They can't send children to do commit these monstrosity. We have to tell someone -"
"Andromeda," Turais said firmly. "I know this is unfair of me to ask you of this, but stay put and do not do anything. We cannot afford to alert them that we know of their plans."
"Turais! This is insane. I cannot do that -"
"You don't know what they are capable of doing, Andy ," Turais said. "I cannot put you in harm's way. Just stay out of this and let me handle this, please. If you wouldn't obey, I'll pull my rank and command you as Heir if I have to."
Andromeda looked at Turais, furious. But she ultimately gritted out, "This is your neck on the line, Turais. But I really don't like the sound of this."
'Me neither.'
February 12, 1971 (Friday)
"I think Nott and Dolohov are up to something, but I just don't know what it is," Turais said. "Especially Dolohov, he has been giving me the evil eye every time I see him."
"But he hasn't done anything. So maybe he has just decided to graduate without a fuss? Especially when Malfoy's not going against you and Wilkins is taking you under his wings, it will be hard for him to get away with bullying you into anything," Alex analyzed.
The likelihood of that was close to zero, considering what Turais knew. But there was no need to scare them. Also, if Jonty knew anything was happening, then he might be tempted to hunt for information again. And Turais did not want that to happen, especially since Jonty has been on his best behaviour since that alteration with Nott in September.
"I rather keep it this way," Turais said slowly. "Last year was too crazy for my taste. I can really use a year where no one wants to attack me." He transformed the water goblet into a porcupine.
'I've had enough near-death experiences my last time around.'
"Well, unless you don't count the two Ravenclaw girls who pushed you down the stairs trying to ask for your autograph," Alex snickered at the memory as Turais levitated the agitated porcupine and rotated its body such that its quills were directed at his friend's neck.
October 2, 1970 (Friday)
Approximately four and a half month ago...
"Turais!" Two Ravenclaw girls ran up the Grand Staircase as Turais was travelling to his Charms class.
"Hey Jo, Stella. How may I help you two? Question about Potions?" Turais asked as the two first-year girls reached the first stairs landing. They were both flushed pink in the cheeks, Turais noted.
"Ummm…no… sort of… Turais? Can we ask… you to… um -" Jocasta Shafiq glanced at her friend for help.
"To… um… sign these!" Stella Thurkell shoved two magazines right into Turais' chest, pushing him back. Turais instinctively stepped back to rebalance and realized there was nothing to step on except air, twisted in the air and tumbled as screams filled the air.
"Ms Shafiq! Ms Thurkell! What are you doing?" The fifth-year male Slytherin prefect, Evelyn Napier, appeared at the bottom of the staircase. He then saw a second-year crumpled half-way up the staircase with two boys standing beside his crumpled body nervously. Quickly, he dashed up and found the Slytherin in a daze.
"I'm perfectly fine!" Turais said loudly. Despite the reassurance, the two Ravenclaw girls broke into tearful sobs.
"You two, explain!" Napier gestured the two crying Ravenclaws as Turais started to right himself.
"We… we… wanted to ask… Turais to sign our… Potions subscriptions," Stella said sobbingly.
The two girls shakily held out their copies of the October 1970 edition of Potions that was titled " POTION FOR WEREWOLVES! " with a photo of Damocles and Turais beaming, with their arms around each other's shoulders, at him.
"I didn't mean to push him down the stairs!"
The Slytherin prefect shook his head in pained exasperation.
February 12, 1971 (Friday)
"Ouch!" Alex exclaimed as he rubbed his neck and glared at Turais. Turais hummed happily at his successful attack and cast the spell at his porcupine gratefully.
"Hystrifors ." The porcupine turned into a pincushion.
"Well, they meant no harm. Although Wilkins scared them off quite badly, and the entire school for that matter, in the entirety of October after that," Turais grimaced at the memory of an over-protective Wilkins.
October 14, 1970 (Wednesday)
Approximately four months ago...
"Kaiden! Step! Away! " Wilkins pointed his battle-tested Beater's bat at the approaching Gryffindor Quidditch captain. His iron grip was tightening painfully around Turais' forearm. Turais was marched down from the Slytherin common room to the Quidditch pitch with "extra protection" that involved the entire team surrounding Turais and Wilkins.
"Relax, Carmickey," Kaiden said teasingly at his Slytherin counterpart. "I was just going to ask Rais to sign my copy of Potions ." Kaiden grinned mischievously as he pulled out a copy of the "Best-selling Potions magazines in history - Special double-month edition: ACONITE ROOTS IN POTIONS FOR WEREWOLVES! " as he waved it just outside of Wilkin's bat range. Two days after the release of the October 1970 edition of Potions , Turais and Damocles has signed a deal for a special issue of Potions on their achievements and have received a hefty sum with decent royalties. And Kaiden has clearly thought it was funny to buy one as a practical joke.
Turais rolled his eyes at both boys.
Then, Wilkins threw his bat at Potter, who dodged it easily, and proceeded to pull his wand out and incinerate the magazine. Kaiden feigned disappointment and horror as his magazine burst into flames and ashes. He then grabbed Wilkins' bat from the floor and examined it.
"Give it back, Kaiden!"
"Well, you're the one who threw it. I'll be nice and - catch! " Kaiden threw the bat at Wilkins who leaned backwards to catch his precious bat while Turais was dragged along with him.
Plonck!
Turais barely deflected the bat with his magic as it hit the wall in a clatter.
"Woah... that was some mad reflex, mate," Kaiden gasped in awe just before Wilkins launched himself onto the offending boy.
February 12, 1970 (Friday)
"Well, he is… intense…?" Alex said cautiously. His porcupine squirmed and paced around the desk trying to avoid his wand tip.
"That doesn't even begin to describe it," Turais sighed. Wilkins was as serious about Quidditch as Wood was and trained twice as hard. The best thing that came out of it was that they had regular training sessions on Friday evenings to a Turais got to avoid most of the Group meetings; Alex was not amused with being stuck in the room without Turais. "It's just going to get worse until tomorrow's match is over, especially when we have a chance to win the Cup."
His pincushion was now an owl hooting sleepily at him, its half-opened yellow eyes blinking slowly. "We've been training almost everyday for the past two weeks. I wouldn't put it past him to sleep on the ground next to my bed tonight just for the sake of 'extra protection'."
"Again?" Alex's face crumbled as all three boys shuddered at the thought.
October 31, 1970 (Saturday)
Approximately three and a half months ago...
Wilkins did not end up sleeping in Turais' room, thankfully, but it was a very near miss. Turais was able to convince him that he was a light sleeper, hence, the presence of a foreign person would affect his sleep and his subsequent performance against the Gryffindors; Wilkins agreed reluctantly.
After changing into his Quidditch robes, sporting the green and silver colours instead of the red and gold, Turais headed down to the Great Hall with his best friends. Most of the second-year students were wishing him good luck, and that included a pinched-face Pierricoeur that was dragged along by his brother, Aigel. In general, many people were very excited that a second-year would be playing as the starting line-up of a Quidditch match.
This match was considered the match of the decade as the Slytherins finally has a serious chance in winning against the Gryffindor. Furthermore, the Gryffindors have beaten the Slytherins resoundingly in their last seven match-ups. Therefore, none of the current students in Hogwarts have ever witnessed a victorious Slytherin team over its Gryffindor rivals, which only served to further excite the school.
However, Turais was calm and unstressed for his pre-match breakfast compared to when he was Harry Potter in his original timeline. After all, he has seen things that were more important in life than winning a scholastic Quidditch match, so he was determined to enjoy it instead of worrying about it. He was still excited though, but the sense of dread and nervousness that generally accompanied it was no longer present.
"Hey, Turais. We're supposed to root for Gryffindor but we just wanted to wish you luck," Jane and Alice said quietly.
"Hey! You two Gryffindors, scram! " Wilkins shouted from down the table. Turais rolled his eyes and the two girls smothered their laughter with their hands. However, they ran away quickly afterwards as Wilkins started to pelt pieces of cereal at them.
"Calm down, Carmickey -"
"Shut up, Kaiden! Black, time to head down."
"Can't wait to lose, Carmickey? We do have the best team because I'm on it."
Turais flashed Jonty and Alex a confident grin as he left the table. Kaiden also walked over to the entrance to shake his hand.
"My parents sent you their well-wishes on your first Quidditch match. But I'll just wish that you wouldn't lose too badly ," he said as Turais snorted.
"In your dreams, Kay, I -"
But that was all he got to say before Wilkins proceeded to pounce on them and then forcefully drag Turais out of the Hall to head down to the Quidditch pitch alongside the rest of the team.
"Okay, team," Wilkins addressed the team, who were all stone-faced and grim, in the changing room for the pre-match talks moments before the match was about to start. "We trained incredibly hard for the past two months and I have a really good feeling about this one. We will flatten the Gryffindor team and make Kaiden crawl away sobbing like a baby. We will win today! Good luck to you all," Wilkins spoke somberly.
Turais headed out behind the team but suddenly felt a familiar rough hand hold him by the shoulder. He turned around and Wilkins whispered to him, "Black, just -"
" - just catch the Snitch in the first five minutes. Yes, cap," Turais rolled his eyes at Wilkins. He scowled but said nothing as he trudged towards the bright sun-lit pitch and the distant cheering and chattering. Turais was pretty sure he's the only one on the team who could get away with this amount of cheek.
"The Gryffindor Team!" A loud male voice boomed in the distance as a thunderous applause followed.
Breathing in deeply, he shook his body loose of tension and stepped out onto the pitch as well. Loud cheers erupted from the Slytherin stand for their newest and youngest player on the team.
"And... the Slytherin Team!" Turais looked up at the podium to see a Hufflepuff boy, maybe fourth-year, shout. The audience was less enthusiastic but it was still a respectable reception. As Turais walked to the middle of the field, he also heard a few scattering of applause from the Gryffindor side, to his surprise.
Mister William, the flying coach, was refereeing as he stood in the middle of the field with his broom by his side. Once Wilkins and Kaiden shook each others' hands, Mister William said while glancing at both sides, "I want a nice, clean game from both teams. Now, mount your brooms, please."
"On my whistle." Turais adjusted his grip on his broom as he stared at his counterpart, a seventh-year girl called Yolanda Fields.
A loud blast sounded across the field as the fourteen players rose up into the air along the referee.
As planned, Turais veered out to the edge of the pitch to survey the perimeter.
"Kaiden Potter of Gryffindor has first possession of the Quaffle - first match as captain - and a quick pass to Rachel Findley - her first match as main Chaser - and back to Potter - no, he took a Bludger and the Slytherins have taken Quaffle, Pyrites - arrrrrr - has possession - good hit aimed by Cornfoot - Wilkins' new find - passes to Arkenstone, nice move there dodging Prewett's shot - don't ask me who, can't tell - goalposts ahead - Findley intercepts but Arkenstone passes back to Pyrites - Walters climbs but it's out of reach - SLYTHERIN SCORES!"
A loud cheer filled the Slytherin stands as groans sounded from the Gryffindors.
Turais was almost at the opposite end of the pitch when he saw Fields dive towards the Gryffindor stands. The crowd nearby seemed to have realized their Seeker in pursuit of the Snitch and fell silent while watching intensely.
"Fields seems to have spotted the Snitch - the newest Slytherin Seeker and prodigy and future Order of Merlin - sorry, yes Professor - Turais Black chases after her - a Bludger from Wilkins - she dodges and continues - no, she lost the Snitch -"
"Keep your eyes open, Black!" Wilkins shouted. As Turais was about to nod at him, he saw a flash of gold appear beside the Beater's head and he leaned forward immediately.
"Montague barrel rolls past MacGregor's grab - ducks the incoming Bludger from Prewett but drops the Quaffle - Potter gains posses - and… has Black spotted the Snitch? Yes! Black is the youngest in the field and my younger sister's first crush - sorry, Professor - and Hilary to you too - sorry, flies past Wilkins and suddenly made a dive - almost vertically - no, he's going to crash - NO! - he pulls up in time, that was terrifying - wait, he's raising his hand up, he's waving at the referee - what's that, is that the - BLACK CAUGHT THE SNITCH! - SLYTHERIN WINS! - The quickest catch in recent memory - what's that, yes, really - two minutes and twenty-four seconds - Hilary, your crush has done it! It's the shortest match in Hogwarts history."
The Slytherin stands roared in celebration and their victory. The Gryffindor teams hovered disappointedly around their goalposts as the Slytherin team landed by their exit to celebrate.
"YES!" Wilkins touched down and threw himself at Turais, who tumbled onto the grass on his back. The rest of the team piled around him to pat his head and shoulders in delight.
"I knew you could catch the Snitch in under five minutes!" Wilkins looked like he was about to kiss Turais so he quickly extracted himself from the pin and scrambled away from his captain.
"SLYTHERIN: ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY - GRYFFINDOR: ZERO! First win for Slytherin over Gryffindor in seven years -"
Turais was walking back to the Slytherin changing room with his team huddled around him when he saw a familiar figure walking across the pitch from the guest viewing stand.
"Father!" Turais abandoned his cheering teammates and walked towards his father. However, they did not embrace for it was a public setting under the watchful gaze of too many wandering eyes. "Why are you here?"
"Well, I can't miss my son's first Quidditch match and I want to see how my broom works," Orion ruffled his hair, slightly damp from the November mist and perspiration. "Awesome job. First match and quickest catch in history!"
Turais looked behind him to see his grandfather waiting by the gates with his two brothers. Orion followed his gaze and grinned, "Sirius and Regulus are here as well. Special perks when your father is a School Governor."
Turais waved excitedly when Orion suddenly said in a low, dangerous voice, "We are going to have a nice little chat about that stunt you pulled for that Snitch afterwards ."
Turais gulped nervously.
February 12, 1971 (Friday)
"Hey," Alex's voice shook Turais out of his reverie. "I never asked, but why do Wilkins and Potter call each other by their first names? Aren't they supposed to be the ultimate enemies? Slytherin Quidditch Team captain versus Gryffindor Quidditch Team captain - the epitome of all rivalries."
Turais snorted and said, "You read too many romance novels. There is no fantastical epic rivalry going on. In fact, I'd think they get along quite well."
In fact, Turais has finally worked out their confusing way of addressing each other. Kaiden preferred to call Wilkins "Michael" in non-Quidditch situation and "Carmickey" in any Quidditch-related setting. Why Carmickey, you might ask? Who knew. But Kaiden seemed to be the only person who could get away with calling Wilkins something other than "Wilkins", "Captain", or "cap". Wilkins, on the other hand, only referred to Kaiden by his first name and addressed everyone else by their last names. It was a mind-bloggling system with an equally unlikely friendship so perhaps there's truth in the madness.
But everyone else seemed genuinely worried whenever the two captains crossed paths as it seemed like some sort of scuffle would always break loose. And from Turais' observation, they were not play-acting as well. Kaiden and Wilkins genuinely interacted like they were rivals whenever it was Quidditch-related business. However, there was a major difference on how they approach the sport.
Wilkins had a "no nonsense"-type mentality while Kaiden fully embraced a "work hard, play hard" attitude. It seemed as though Kaiden was also determined to rile up Wilkins at any given opportunity and Wilkins rose to the bait every single time despite being a calm, collected boy the rest of the time.
How on Earth they managed to stay friends despite their personality clashes was beyond his understanding.
"What makes you think they get along well?" Alex asked. Turais gave him a "Really? " expression and Alex's eyes widened in comprehension. "Right. Wilkins. Quidditch World Cup. Potters. Top Box. Understood."
"Wait, what?" Jonty asked confusedly as he turned around completely to place his water goblet on Turais' desk. Then, he stood up to straddle his chair backwards. Turais turned to the center of the classroom to see Professor McGonagall's disapproving glare, but she just shook her head and turned back to Dante Pierce, a Hufflepuff.
"Well, Wilkins was with the Potters at their Top Box," Turais explained. "You won't see me inviting a random Quidditch team rival to go to the Top Box with me." Jonty transfigured his goblet as he spoke and a porcupine now resided quietly on his table beside his sleepy owl.
"Well, the thing about Potter and Wilkins is old news. I knew they were friends since beginning of last year -" Jonty saw Alex's incredulous look. "- What?! It's an open secret that they are close friends. I thought everyone knew..."
"Well you clearly didn't bother telling me this," Alex punched Jonty on the shoulder.
"Must've slipped my mind," Jonty shrugged as he mindlessly massaged the site. "But what I don't understand is how they struck up a friendship to begin with. They're polar opposites. Wilkins is… prickly..." Jonty poked the porcupine to make it move but it just curled up tighter. "... and Potter is flamboyant."
"Boggles my mind as well," Turais agreed. "Anyhow, time to get this done. Liberifors. " The owl warped and turned into a thick journal with a brown cover and yellow spine.
"It is about time, Mr Black," Professor McGonagall smiled wryly as she walked up to their desks. She lifted the book and inspected his work. Satisfied, she placed the journal back on his desk and said, "You would've been done in half the time if you weren't busy chatting with your friends. Five points to Slytherin and you won't need to submit the essay to me, Mr Black."
Before she could walk away, Jonty asked, "Professor McGonagall, why aren't you giving us five points each this week? And Turais deserves at least fifteen points for finishing the assignment two weeks in advance."
The students around them paused to eavesdrop on the conversation. It was apparent after their first year that the Transfiguration professor has a soft spot for her three second-year Slytherins and indulged them more than most could dare to dream of. But Jonty was pushing even that limit.
Turais saw Professor McGonagall's lips thin dangerously as her gaze flash briefly at Turais' broom before opening her mouth. Turais immediately understood and said to Jonty quickly before she could utter a single word. "Quidditch is serious business, Jonty. I assume you we will make up the missing points next week ." He then gave McGonagall a winning smile, which she narrowed her eyes at him while looking annoyed before leaving without a word.
"What do you mean, Turais?" asked Alex. Then the reason dawned upon him. "You mean like those terrible two weeks after the Slytherin-Gryffindor match?"
November 20, 1970 (Friday)
Approximately three months ago...
"Mr Black! If I hear you whisper even one word, you will get detention for a week!"
Turais jumped in his seat as he leaned back into his chair away from Jonty. The whole class stilled as the realization settled in on them.
"Am I hallucinating? Did the professor just threaten our Turais for detention?" Hilary Hawthorne, the second-year Hufflepuff who had her crush announced by her older brother in front of the entire school, whispered to her friend as her voice travelled across the silent room. Although it was a very quiet whisper, it was loud compared the chilling void of noise in the rest of the room and spoke of the thought that was crossing everyone's mind.
"Ms Hawthorne, unlike your Mr Black who has a perfect clear, crystal water goblet without any etchings, you have not even attempted the spell. I suggest you focus on your studies instead," Professor McGonagall snapped. Hilary flushed and snapped her jaw shut.
Professor McGonagall has been in an incredible foul mood and all the students were tip-toeing around the ticking time bomb. She did not award Turais with any points for his works as normal and actively avoided their corner of the classroom.
"It's been two weeks already, can't she let it go?" Jonty hissed.
"I heard you, Mr Steward! Five points from Slytherin and detention after class today!"
February 12, 1971 (Friday)
Turais grimaced. "If there is one thing her impartiality falls apart because of, then it's Quidditch."
"Can you not win the match next week?" Alex groaned. "I can't stand another two weeks of death glares and silent treatment."
"Well, it's against Ravenclaw so she should be less affected. I'm more worried about our fates in Charms class. Remember Professor Flitwick after Hufflepuff pummeled the Ravenclaws?"
"Yeah…" Jonty trailed off as he focused on his transfiguration from the porcupine into a pincushion. A gentle " hoot " sounded from Alex's desk, indicating he was almost finished the assignment as well.
"... but you got something good out of it too," Jonty winked at Turais as he jabbed the cute pincushion with his wand. Turais stuck out his tongue.
December 1, 1970 (Tuesday)
Approximately two and a half months ago...
"Hello, class," the tiny professor squeaked but lacked the signature cheeriness in his tone. "Because Mr Kingston, the one in first-year, set fire to the entire box of feathers last period. We will be unable to revise the Levitation Charm. However, I have once again prepared the pieces of cloth in front of you so you can practise the Severing Charm from last week. You may begin."
Turais was attempting to refine his technique by slicing exact and intricate patterns on his piece of cloth when he heard a hard thud of a book contacting someone's skull.
"Mr Shepard, you are a wizard, not a baboon brandishing a stick!" Turais saw Professor Flitwick's usual long, black beard cleaved off jaggedly while the severed hair laid at his feet.
"Detention after class today!" Professor Flitwick said furiously before strolling away from the shocked Hufflepuff while the others tried their best to stifle their laughter. The rest of the class went by in relative peace, albeit tense, as Professor Flitwick snapped and terrorized multiple students about their poor wand movement. Just as they thought they had successfully escaped more drama as class ended, the Professor's high-pitched voice shouted out again.
"Ms Rashley! Have you spent the entire period drawing Mr Black instead of working on your charms… and you as well, Ms Summerbee! And Ms Vengal?! " The three girls looked straight at him in horror and snapped back at the Professor, debating on which person's knowledge of their actions was the more terrifying prospect of this reveal. "Ms Rashley, five points from Hufflepuff; Ms Summerbee and Ms Vengal, ten points from Slytherin. Mr Black! -"
The professor turned towards Turais, who sat up in shock. 'What did I do?'
" - stop distracting the female students in this class."
Turais wanted to protest, but he saw the angry glare from the professor and decided it was best to just stay silent. Jonty and Gerald grinned unhelpfully beside him.
February 12, 1971 (Friday)
"I wonder how many girls in school have a crush on you, Turais?" Alex asked with a smirk.
"Well, Valentine's Day is coming up!" Jonty said in a sing-song voice. "We'll know then - I'm guessing fifty!"
'How do I deal with a girl's crush? Also, I have the mental age of a thirty-something-year-old and having eleven-year-olds crushing on me is highly disturbing and creepy as heck!…'
"Ms Clark! Is that a drawing of Mr Black that I see on your desk?!" Professor McGonagall screeched from the back of the room.
Turais groaned into his arms on his desk, feeling a headache building up.
"So, I propose a resolution to encourage our members to join the Knights of Walpurgis upon graduation and promote their values in a more visible manner."
Malfoy brought up an atrocious plan, in Turais' opinion, in the regular Group meeting tonight. It was Turais' first participation in the meeting in a long while since it collided with Quidditch practices. However, he was quickly reminded by Malfoy as to why he was thankful to avoid so many meetings. He would have to block his terrible idea and fortunately, he had the votes to do so.
Malfoy had the power to introduce resolutions that bound all Slytherins but he has to rely on the regular members (or at least four of them) to agree with his proposal in order for it to be effective. However, Turais has Alex and Rosier's votes in his camp so Malfoy would not be successful. Thank Merlin for small mercies.
"What exactly do you mean by 'a more visible manner'," Turais asked curiously.
"Turais, the Knights believe that the Wizarding society should be rid of those with impure blood. Hence, I am proposing that we should follow their noble ideals and initiate the process in Hogwarts. We should strongly encourage them to return to their world," Malfoy said maliciously.
'I'm sure "encourage" means extreme bullying. That's not going to happen under my watch.'
The resolution failed as Turais, Alex, and Rosier voted against it. Malfoy was not pleased, but there was nothing he could do but fume as per the Charter . However, tonight's meeting left Turais wondering what prompted Malfoy into wanting to promote the Knights' platform. Was it his father? Was he in contact with Voldemort and his cronies?
February 14, 1971 (Sunday)
Today, Turais was especially determined to stay under the radar and away from everyone . Girls, boys, students, staff, friends, enemies - everyone! Therefore, he snuck into the kitchen at the crack of dawn to ask Quincy to make him a large batch of sandwiches, enough for the entire day, and hid in the Goblins' Rebellion history section in the furthest corner of the library where no students ever willingly went.
There he was reading up on Potions literature on its effects on Muggles when he saw Jane strolling into his secret location and laying her eyes on him. Upon seeing Turais, she blinked and then smiled hesitantly as she walked towards him with both hands behind her.
"Hey Jane, what's up, how's your brother doing?" Turais asked in a quiet whisper when Jane remained standing by his table.
"Hey Turais, he…is, uh… doing well," Jane whispered back as she bit her lower lip nervously. Her eyes darted sideways. Turais thought her voice sounded rasp and he wondered if she was getting sick.
"That's great! Listen, Jane, I've actually been thinking about your brother's illness just now and how I might have an idea for researching a new potion -"
Jane cut him off and brought forth her hands. It was a pink box containing a large home-made treacle tart that was tied neatly with a red ribbon bow.
"Um, Happy Valentine's Day, Turais!"
"So… Jane has a crush on you, huh," Alex's eyes narrowed his eyes at the gift suspiciously.
Turais returned to the dormitories after curfew, just to be sure that no one could ambush him with a gift in the halls, and broke the news to his friends.
The three boys now stood in the Slytherin dormitory in the aisle between Turais and Alex's bed as they stared at the treacle tart box that was lying innocently on Alex's bed.
"I didn't see that one coming," Jonty turned his head to face Turais, his face in disbelief.
"Me, neither," Turais continued to look at that box, slightly panicking.
"That makes the three of us. So… what did she say exactly? Start from when you first saw her in the library," Alex turned to look at Turais too. Turais felt uncomfortably warm between them as they stared at him.
"Uhmm… I saw her coming into the library. She walked up to me. I asked her about her brother and suggested a new Potions recipe for his brother's illness -"
"Talking about diseases is so romantic, Turais," Jonty quipped.
" - and she handed me this box as she said 'Happy Valentine's Day' to me and blushed heavily. It was so much that I had to comment and say 'you're blushing so hard your hair's turning red', then -"
"Urghh, Turais! You don't tell a girl she is 'blushing so hard her hair's turning red'!" Jonty groaned, slapping a hand on his face. "You are so tactless. For all your brilliance, you are so useless with girls."
"And transportation - he does not mix well with the Floo or Portkeys," Alex amended drily.
"Well, I'm sorry if I don't have much experience with girls, Steward," Turais snapped, feeling slightly defensive. He couldn't argue with Alex about transportation, however.
'Honestly, I have only ever had romantic feelings for two girls: Cho, who I had a crush on but it ended disastrously, and Ginny, who I married. So put me in the "lack of experience" department please.'
"What will you do?" Alex asked.
"What can I do? Say no!" Turais stated as though it was the most obvious thing to do; and it was. "I'm too young to think about this."
"Why in Merlin's sake does this not happen to me?" Jonty fell back on Alex's bed. "Of course the cleverest chap in school who is also an amazing Seeker is the first to have crushes. And he is now turning them all down because that's the most obvious thing to do when girls crush on you. I resent you and all your good fortune!"
While Jonty wallowed in his own pity and sorrow, Turais ignored his complaining and asked Alex, "So what do I do? How do I reject her without ruining our friendship?"
Alex looked directly into his eyes. "Mate, do you really want my opinion? I have zero experience with girls. Neither does Jonty. You'd have better luck asking a mating Hippogriff than us."
Turais sighed and pinched between his brows. He could feel another headache coming. "What about the treacle tart? Should I just throw it away?"
"No!" they both shouted.
"It's a perfectly good treacle tart -" Jonty said.
" - and finishing it is the least you could do to soothe her broken heart -" added Alex.
" - plus you love them, everyone in Hogwarts knows that by now, at least your crushes do," Jonty finished unhelpfully.
"Alright, alright," Turais relented.
Turais decided that eating the treacle tart wasn't exactly a chore. Plus, Jane probably put in a lot of effort making it herself. Jonty was right, it was the least he could do.
Turais transfigured a knife and took out the tart.
"There's a Stasis Charm on the box to keep the tart warm. Clever girl."
He started to cut the tart into small slices, and licked his fingers that were dirtied in the process. He hummed in enjoyment as the rich flavour hit his tongue - a sweet, caramel taste with a hint of citrus and… berries? It's a different flavour that what he's used to but it was still very delicious. Turais took one of the slices and savoured every bite of it.
"Hey, do you two want some?" Turais asked when he was finished the slice, feeling completely content.
"Nah, I'll have it later. I'm too full from the shepherd's pie the house-elves made tonight. It was extra awesome," Alex said.
"Same here. I'm stuffed to the brim and I don't want Jane's effort to go to waste on me . You're the intended recipient," Jonty fell onto his bed and rubbed his abdomen.
"Well, there's no way I can finish this on my own. I'm going to share it with the other Slytherins then."
Turais levitated the tart and walked out to the common room.
"Hey, I have a treacle tart here but I can't finish the whole tart. You can have a slice of you want," Turais announced.
"Valentine's Day gift, Black?" A fifth-year boy crooned and his friends laughed.
"Laugh it up, Sykes. At least I have gifts," Turais returned before placing the tart on one of the tables. He turned to see Nott eyeing at him intensely, as though he could burn holes in his face by staring.
"Nott, you're not a basilisk and I'm not going to drop dead just because you look at me murderously. Quit staring," Turais snapped and walked back towards his dormitory.
As he reached for the doorknob, he started to feel a sharp pain in his stomach. He grabbed the doorknob to stabilize himself but crumpled as he lost focus. His mind was overwhelmed by the excruciating sensation, as if he swallowed a ball of lava that was burning through his stomach and flowing through his veins as it spread to his peripherals.
'Poison... Treacle tart…'
He vaguely saw the door open with Alex and Jonty's puzzled, then horrified looks. He could hear someone shouting into his ears and feel someone shaking his shoulders but he was preoccupied with intolerable pain that was overloading his senses. With his last vestiges of consciousness, he heaved himself from the hunched position as he felt every inch of his flesh burning in protest from the movement. He used the remnants of his rapidly fading strength to crack open his eyes and look down the Slytherin common room as he saw Nott smile at him maliciously.
'Jane… Nott… Dolohov…'
His last thought was the sight of Jane's panicked expression with her black hair slowly turning red… her face slowly replaced by Nott's demonic grin.
This chapter speaks for itself, really...
I would love to hear your comments and thoughts as always!
The next chapter, Chapter 28: The Tempest, is on schedule. Until then.
- ravenclawblues 2020-01-17