Chapter 24: The Badger King Deception
During January, complete chaos that had broken out at the castle. Fred and George became the informal legends of Hogwarts. No students had any confirmation that the twins were involved, and even the staff members were sure that this wasn't the case. Dumbledore's passive legilimency had concluded that the twins were exercising and were designing their own prank items - none of which were in circulation at the school. Albus began to suspect that the Storm-Bringers were involved and that this was indeed a prank. However, he did not voice his opinions to his other staff members.
Suddenly the darker pureblood students were purchasing expensive chocolates, scotch, whiskey, vodka and other expressions of personal excess. Many of the older boys began to smoke in the Slytherin common room. Horace began to wonder how students were getting access to Cuban cigars. He had placed a ban on the items, but nobody seemed to care. There was an unspoken rule in the common room – if you don't tell, I won't tell, and the self-serving attitude of the Slytherins allowed the practice to continue. Some of the neutrals even bought sneakers, as they were far more comfortable than dress shoes.
Many of the girls were interested in shampoo, perfume and other beauty products. Lip Balm, Chapstick, Lipstick and Makeup kits became highly sought after items with the girls and young teenagers – it wasn't that the Wizarding world did not possess these items. Rather the gloss, matte and glitter options were not present. Witches were no different to non-magical women – they did not want to wear the same thing that another woman already owned, and the wealthy decided that money could be well spent for uniqueness.
For the more perverted students, the twins had added a new item to their offerings. It seemed that the pureblooded girls in Slytherin were the biggest fan of the 'Playgirl magazine' as it was considered culturally inappropriate. The risqué nature of the magazine made it very entertaining. The pureblooded girls were suddenly wondering if muggleborn men were worth a shot if they were 'hung like that'. Wizarding men did not have that type of physique, one bit. As for the boys? The playboy amd penthouse magazines were popular. Even Crabbe and Goyle had purchased magazines and Draco knew exactly what was under his shoe, as he heard the sticky noises when he walked out of their dormitory.
"Disgusting. The Dark Lord will punish all of them…filthy muggle trash…." Draco complained. Theodore nodded, as he secretly got hammered in his private time. His father was a cruel man, and while he displayed the image of a perfect pureblooded scion, he was honestly lonely and wanted a hug. Lagavulin single malt was far better than Odgens and Firewiskey. He even considered under the influence of the spirits, he could run away.
He always had wanted to run away but where would he go?
Theodore continued to get more drunk.
Blaise attempted to confirm that Fred and George Weasley were the sellers. However, they could never be seen at drop-off points. The most outrageous thing for him had occurred when a neutral pureblood had bragged to another witch, that he could get one of the best pizzas in the world, delivered to the common room. Blaise had laughed until he saw a box from Pepe In Grani, and wondered how the hell a pizza from Caiazzo had arrived in England. And it was warm.
This was big business that was powered by Portkey transport.
Of course, when Draco threatened to reveal his housemates at the Triumvirate meetings, another neutral who was rather fond of the Cider and the Mountain Dew he was buying, yelled:
"Malfoy, you fuck around with my conveniences and I am going to tell your father that the Storm-Bringers saved your life in the corridor! Do you think we don't know? What will he do to you! I am sure you didn't tell him jack shit. You cut me off from my drinks, and I will make sure your father cuts off your damned balls!"
That had settled the matter. The commotion that night had been so terrible, that Horace had to intercede to quiet things down. Daphne and Tracey held straight faces, and it seemed that they were not purchasing anything 'muggle'. Draco had commented on this observation, and he had not noticed the guilt on Pansy's face.
The pureblooded witches had new tools in their negotiation bag. Suddenly, many of the older boys were grinning as broom closets became the place to watch lingerie strip shows. Some of the more adventurous ladies insisted that the boys use toys on them during their 'negotiation sessions. Hell, some of the boys tried some of the sex toys for curiosity. To any observer looking at the students in the corridors, it seemed that everything was fine. But for the professors who were interacting with the students, it seemed like an end of year party was occurring every other weekend. Hogwarts seemed to be littered with beer, Coca-Cola cans, and various snack wrappers.
House Slytherin was Fred and George's primary cash cow. After a staffroom inquisition had been launched to find the culprits (after they ruled out Fred and George), they continued to be unsuccessful. Fred and George would often set up alerts to ping them when certain teachers were approaching the corridor. Systematic raids on student possessions in their dorm rooms did not find anything, except what was already purchased. Percy knew that his brothers were involved, but if Harry approved, perhaps it was towards a long term goal?
"Harry, are you the cause of this?" Percy asked, one evening.
"Yes. And Gred and Forge are my perpetrators. Did you know that the Slytherins as an entire House spend at least four thousand galleons on all types of things, monthly? That is after they subtract operating costs. Total net profits across all four houses are like... 7,000 galleons."
"Merlin's pants! What are they buying?" Percy asked.
"Naughty items! Playboy and Playgirl Magazines. Penthouse. Cigars, Cigarettes. Vodka, Chocolates, Coca-Cola. Meals from the kitchen. Your mother's onion soup. Pastries from Fredric's store. Subway. Dominos. KFC. Hermione and I went to Italy to grab a pizza one afternoon just as a prank. Ended up staying, Franco is the man!"
"Holy Hecate! They are going wild!"
"Yes. Pansy Parkinson the pug of all people, purchased a couple of sex toys! Jade Ethro bought a Hitachi Magic Wand. Yes, that one is also a sex toy. Theodore Nott has enough booze to get the whole of Slytherin drunk. He is legit alcoholic now. We had requests for lingerie throughout all the houses with the sixth and seventh-year girls! Especially the edibles!"
Percy gulped. He was praying that Penny had not bought anything as he asked, "What is the reason for this?"
"As for why, well when the Dark Lord arrives, we will send him a list of all the things that each of them bought. Five years of purchasing history?" Harry explained as the snickering were heard on Percy's comms device. The redhead's face took on a surprising look before he began to laugh.
"At that rate….their parents might win the war for you by murdering them?" Percy exclaimed.
"Well, Draco has not bought anything. He might survive. He has been complaining to his father, and this has been causing tension. Now, he is almost a pariah. People will pick their creature comforts over the Dark Lord. Enjoying the personal space?"
"Yes. Bill comes over sometimes. He loves the company. Tonks and I see eye to eye on a lot of things. She helps me with tracking information. She is a bit clumsy but she can blend into any crowd. I have been digging into Riddle – he used to be a Head Boy himself. It will give me pleasure as a prospective Headboy to bring him down, by digging up his secrets."
"The distractions provided by all these things, cause the majority of Neville's and Ronald's male classmates to spend so much time fapping, that they hardly ever notice when they are missing. Now the portraits cant spy because the kids are masturbating regularly in all sorts of odd places! Luna openly paints in her common room, so when her art supplies are set up nobody asks questions. She even does portraits of couples for commissions. Ravenclaw is having tea parties with a different flavour tea, every week! Hufflepuff consumes the most snacks and fizzy drinks."
"Makes sense. Besides the ongoing hunt for evidence of Salazar not being a nutter, the weights have been beneficial. I am filling out slowly. We love the new wands, they are very responsive."
"Keep at it. Yeah, we should be finishing with your parents soon enough. They are last in the set. We are getting some jet cycles made again. We will send three of them to your place if you want to take some evening breeze…"
"Not so sure about that, but we will see. Thanks for the books!" Percy insisted.
"If you can get Penny to take an oath, you can bring her in. She seems to be trustworthy. Perce, you da man. Later!" Harry replied as he hung up.
Harry and Hermione apparated into the training room at the Hogsmeade apartment, on the 5th of February. Daphne was utilizing the beginner Jujitsu training dummy and Tracey was practising the plate exercises to increase her fine control. Ronald was beating the boxing bag into submission, while Neville and Luna were working on homework.
"Well look at the squad over here! I have pizza! And it is from Franco!" Harry announced.
"Aww yes!" Tracey exclaimed. Daphne collapsed on the small couch and Neville and Luna who were reading came over.
"Some nice moves there, private Greengrass. How is your core strength?" Harry asked.
"Plenty better from the start of the term? I can do a lot more crunches. The breathing is becoming a problem?" she replied.
"Sweetie, we females have smaller lungs. You are above the benchmark for a female. The dragon lung augment helps me with that, but I would advise that you develop your capability the old-fashioned way. Neville, how is the fencing mannequin going?" Hermione asked.
"Pretty good. I got bruised a couple of times but I am getting better. Are we running the course this Saturday?"
"Yes. I want to see how you have improved. Daphne and Tracey put down some solid shields last week. Confident and consistent casting. What about the appearances at Hogwarts?" Harry asked.
"We the snakes, are matching the golden trio at Hogwarts. There is an open competition. Of course, when I tell Neville I will get him in the corridor, I am in earnest. The others think we are talking about Hogwarts. I am going to beat his target score. I prefer pistols. It is very much a ladies' weapon!" Daphne replied.
"Wait till you graduate to the SMG. Keep practising." Harry replied.
"Ronald, you are somewhat silent? You alright?" Hermione asked.
"Oh just wondering what I can do to my diet to increase my muscle mass. I am ahead of the lovebirds for the offensive spells. No movements, non-verbal and best accuracy with the wand. Luna is still better at the charms. I tried fencing but I like the rifle more."
"This is the Hufflepuff with the teeth, and he is coming for the four of you!" Hermione laughed, and Ronald blushed just a little.
"Percy told me about the ruckus Fred and George are causing. How is Slytherin house?" Harry asked.
"The Slytherin common room smells of whiskey and tobacco. Almost seems like a club or something. They leave us alone, as we score the points. I heard the older girls are buying edible undies, sex toys and lingerie. There have been aggressive negotiations concerning marriage contracts and a lot of lap dancing!" Tracey laughed.
"That was always the idea. They have been denied those things because their parents made luxuries sound like a sin. So they are tempted to try it. I heard some of them are stealing from their parent's vaults to purchase items. All good business for us." Hermione commented.
"Fred told me that Pansy prefers the dildo sex toys. The big black ones! Oh poor Draco, he won't ever be big enough!" Tracey laughed before everyone burst out in giggles. Just when everybody had enough, Tracey continued:
"At the rate, she is riding those things, very soon Hermione can fly in and out of her vagina with the gunship! Maybe Draco will poke his head in one day, and he will get lost and never come back out!"
Now, most of the people were crying and Harry genuinely had a headache. After everyone recollected themselves, they began to discuss the targets for physical fitness and other idle chat. The quidditch broadcasts had been cleared, by bribing Ludo Bagman and Cornelius Fudge. A quick review was made, as they considered projected profits and other items that would set the stage for the war.
Valentine's day was no different to the previous years. Many of the older students left the castle, had rushed out to Madam Puddifoot's tea shop. Tea was not the only item sold at the establishment – there was any number of small pastries, desserts and even ice cream. She was an old woman who had lost her husband and son in the last wizarding war, and she continued to play matchmaker silently as she hoped that the young wizards and witches would find love.
The younger students were not allowed to leave to go to Hogsmeade, so many of them settled for cards and flowers if there was someone who shared in their affections. Now with Fred and George continuing to supply luxury items, many people used contraband to show off. Fred and George stood on the upper floor of the 'Weasley apartment' and looked on at the entire Hogsmeade. Their apartment was the second of the last three buildings in the area, right after Dervish and Banges. Nobody ever ventured into the property and in any case, there was a protego based fence that hid behind the illusion. No strangers would be able to accidentally wander into any of the properties.
"Freddie! How are the sales going?" Harry asked.
"Excellent Lord Prongslet. How goes the tunnel creation?"
"The Goblin excavation team is doing quite well. We are trialling a new plastic tunnel. Depending on the Goblin opinions, Gringotts is prepared to use them too."
"How big is the tunnel?" asked George.
"Eight meters for the diameter. We are building the shelter under the final building. The tunnel leads into that. It is big enough to fly around. Illuminated too. The segments are sixteen metres long. Large enough to handle an entire strike team and even small vehicles. They are hemispherical. So flat bottom, circular ceiling."
"Hey Prongslet, we have been looking at Youtube videos. We would not mind our own tank?" Fred wondered.
"Easy twins, I have some problems to solve first. If I get those figured out, yes you can have a tank. Those smaller projects are for the future. The battleship is the priority."
"We could almost buy Zonkos. Just a couple of months earnings away, along with our current sales. Should we Prongslet?"
"Perhaps partially. Acquire the majority share, and we can completely buy the business out when we need to terrorise somebody. I am going back to supervise the dig. See you lot later!" Harry replied.
Later that evening was another curveball for Albus Dumbledore that left him displeased and pleased at the same time. Ludo Bagman, an ex-Hogwarts Alumni had been a beater for the Wimbourne Wasps. He had retired after becoming too old to play. Now he was the newly appointed Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports and he explained the reason for his presence.
"Well Headmaster, I suppose it is good to be at the castle today. It is good to see you. Ms Hooch, I think you will be pleased with the news. Quidditch at Hogwarts has become important, once again."
"Oh? Are you giving us better funding? Some businesses have chosen to donate handsomely recently. There has never been a time that Hogwarts possessed this much sporting equipment."
Albus frowned somewhat. This was the Storm-Bringers doing. They had millions of galleons behind them and their companies were private.
"Yes. The Artificing Guild who released the wonderous dataslates had petitioned to broadcast Quidditch Matches. There is a pilot program in place. Beauxbatons in France also use the item and they would be willing to watch our matches. Minister Fudge decided in the spirit of international cooperation, to participate. The arrangements have been made by ministerial decree. Tomorrow the news goes public on the Prophet and the Quibbler."
Ludo Bagman then provided the piece of parchment to Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster read the decree and began to suspect that galleons had been passed. He naturally followed through with more questions to clarify how the system worked.
"Very well. Many of the dataslates had been teasing that Quidditch was coming soon. How exactly does the system work?" Albus asked.
"The Artifcing Guild will be providing items that are like muggle cameras. They float and position themselves. They have the function of the Omninoculars. There are enough of them to track all the players. They can also identify the players and display their names. These will float outside of the stadium, but they can move in and out of the way if need be…."
"That is fantastic? Will we be able to get replays long after the matches are done?" asked Madam Hooch.
"Anything can be arranged. From what I understand, the Guild considers Lee Jordan to be fair and engaging. He will spectate the matches, and the 'feed' will go to all the tablets, as long as they pay the fee."
"There is a cost involved?" asked Albus.
"One galleon per match. The Artificing Guild was generous, in that they decided that the I.C.W Quidditch board will receive fifteen per cent. Hogwarts and Beauxbatons get twenty per cent. The guild takes the rest."
"That seems fair? Hogwarts is earning money from this?" Madam Hooch asked.
"Yes. The Guild explained to us that the earnings are somewhat slow for now. If the items pass the I.C.W Quidditch board scrutiny, the next step is the English Quidditch League. And if that works out, the Quidditch World Cup is next."
"That is quite ambitious?" asked Albus, as he considered that Quidditch as an exploitable market would make the Guild untouchable. And worse, this had been planned for a long time. Bagman continued with his explanation:
"Yes, Headmaster. As the items become popular, we are hoping to broadcast matches from other schools, if they are interested. With a worldwide audience and hundreds of thousands of viewers, many schools will be able to earn large sums of money. Of course, the majority goes to the Guild, but I suppose that is how business is run."
"That could be an astronomical amount of money!" Hooch commented.
Albus realised that Fudge and Ludo were surely getting a cut out of this business. But then, Hogwarts could benefit immensely. Maybe he could give his teachers a raise and divert funding towards the war. Gold would not be a problem if he put away some money each year.
No, this was good. As long as he could fund the Order of the Phoenix, he would prevail. And if the Guild planned to support Lord Voldemort, then he would have a word with them. After all, they had to be traditional wizards to consider the Storm Lord and Storm Priestess to be renegades? Traditional wizards, he could take on easily.
At dinner in the Great Hall that night, Ludo Bagman introduced himself and explained to the students the new changes that were coming to Hogwarts. For the Slytherins, the open admission of the "Artificing Guild" caused a lot of them to breathe a sigh of relief. They inferred that Draco's claims had to be true. Suddenly, his previous detractors seemed to be interested in being his associates once more. Many of them felt assured that the Artificing Guild was making large sums of money – they were talented pureblood wizards who would support the right causes? Perhaps they would dip their hand into the political landscape?
Yes, they would. However, not in the manner that they would expect – it was all a game, and Harry was the puppet master.
After dinner, many students participated in loud passionate discussions about the Quidditch Broadcasts. Many of them were excited to see Beauxbatons matches. Slytherin house was discussing that the 'Guild' consisted of proper purebloods, and it was time that proper blood counted for something. Harry and Hermione listened to the comments as they continued to dig their tunnels and teleport their plastic segments and the Graphcrete, under the Hogwarts ground.
Priya had moved to her new flat next to Peverell Manor approximately two weeks ago, as the transporter allowed her to travel to France when she was needed at her workplace. Harry and Hermione had stored the magic for creating power crystals into a runic array. Now Invictus could manufacture power crystals independently by using his robot arm. Charging two hundred crystals a day, allowed the reactor to run for longer times before oversaturation. Harry's associates were not overly concerned as they swapped crystals regularly.
Harry supervised the evenings, as his mother began to work with the martial arts dummies. Sometimes, she and Sirius often joined Harry on their morning run. On other days Hermione and Remus tried to outrun each other to provide comedy to the onlookers, as bets were made and galleons were paid. Camilla and even the three musketeers stopped by in the workshop as Harry and Hermione carried out their research.
The psir onr evening had sneaked around a corner, as they observed Sirius giving Priya a rose. She on the other hand seemed flattered and gave him a polite kiss on the cheek after holding his hand.
"Hey Harry, looks like the whole mum and dad thing is happening?" Hermione giggled.
"Mione, would you laugh if I told you I have been egging both of them on rather underhandedly? Look, they are one of the best sources of entertainment around here, alright?" Harry replied.
"I know. I can't wait to see who is your girlfriend, Harry."
"Careful now, I won't let off on teasing you. I might jump out after you do your walk of shame. Right after you and the mysterious boyfriend shag rotten!" Harry teased.
Hermione punched Harry playfully, as she giggled.
"Alright let us check in on the products and get the last bit of slates ready for transportation," Hermione replied.
Two days later, Harry and Hermione called Fleur:
"Hey, you! How is life across there?"
"Everyone is going crazy for the dataslates in magical France! Even the parents are buying them too! People are not carrying books into class. A lot of the students prefer the pen function. The translated British publications are being purchased. We love your Transfiguration textbook series!"
"Minnie Mouse as we love to call her was consulted for that. Since the French publications have gone live, a fair number of students on our end have been purchasing the English translated Runes and Potions textbook. Our care of the magical creatures students are curious about the critters at your place." Harry answered.
"Some of my friends saw me eating food from your kitchen. They are curious. Could I get deliveries? For small groups of people I trust?" Fleur asked.
"Sure. Any day you are hanging outside alone and you want some company, we can take a trip to Beauxbatons. Find a deserted place. And if you want to come to Hogsmeade, let us know."
"Do you think your map can be adapted to Beauxbatons? Even with the invisibility, I can't tell who is coming around the corner.
"We will organise something for you. So think we are ready for the broadcast? And are you ready to be our commentator?" Hermione asked.
"Of course. I listened to the last Quidditch feed from Jordan, and I was able to translate it into French. I was only ever one sentence behind. And the test subtitles were nice too. I have become the 'English' person on the school compound!"
"That is good. You will find that English Wizards care little about learning a foreign language." Hermione replied.
"Well Hermione, your group is fairly fluent. Daphne knows a fair bit of French. I love when she explains the hilarious things you have done Harry! Selling mundane contraband to the Death Eater children? Grandma laughed when Luna told us! I honestly love Fred and George!" Fleur joked.
"Hey, we like to cause trouble. King Ragnok has been laughing because the micro-transactions they running for us, are bringing in good money for them too!" Harry replied.
"Alright. Most of us know little about Hogwarts. Perhaps a little history about the houses and the unique attractions. And yes, I will pick the places for when we are doing our segment for Beauxbatons."
It was the 18th of February, and Harry, Hermione and Lorna were planning their next phase of deception. Now that the "Artificing Guild of Rivendell" nonsense was an actual rumour that many believed, it was time to confirm their stupidity. A message had been sent on the dataslates – Sunday would be the first televised Hogwarts match that would be viewed by an international audience. The arrangement had been covered by local and foreign newspapers, and Fleur had been too happy to explain to her friends that she was the commentator for the French and that one of her English friends was playing on Sunday.
"You have English friends? That is why your English is so good?" asked one of the girls, in her class.
"Yes. I have seen Hogwarts. Our castle is much more aesthetic, but their castle is designed for fending off attacks. Their castle is far bigger, even though they have far fewer students." Fleur replied.
"You make it sound like they are at war?" a girl asked.
"Somewhat. Grindelwald and the Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore were an item. And no don't go shouting that, it isn't common knowledge. And then the last wizarding war in England was terrible. My friends who showed me around, even they lost relatives."
"I have heard that the English are very…intolerant?"
"Yes. They have some problems. And yet this bracelet was built by my English friends. A halfblood, and a mundane born. So they are working towards fixing it. We have issues too, and Madam Maxine is still held with suspicion right here in France?"
"Is the food horrible?" another girl asked.
"Depends. The magical food is very traditional, but mundane England has some very experimental things. My friend Ronald Weasley is in year one at Hogwarts. His mother and another family make a lot of the items that I have sometimes. We sneak the container on the portkey shipments for the ink…."
"We will get to see Hogwarts for the Quidditch broadcast?" Aliénor asked.
"Some aerial shots? Yes?" Fleur replied.
At Peverell Mansion, Harry and Hermione had conjured some illusions that resembled four masked faces. These faces would represent imaginary people who would introduce themselves as the creator of the many items that were being sold in England. They would also claim that they were the creator of the new artefacts, and they would seek to instigate discussion. Of the six seats, the two missing seats and the narrative of the renegades would be suggested silently. They would introduce themselves before the start of the match, and then Lee Jordan would do a quick piece on the Hogwarts houses before the Quidditch players lined up on the pitch to start the game.
Abus was quite curious to see the items that would be transmitting the game, and Lee Jordan had been offered a sound isolated booth to continue the commentary as he operated the point counter. The booth would be portkeyed, and Albus had made the necessary arrangements.
It was now February the 20th and it was the day of the second Quidditch match.
Today's semifinals would only leave either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw to play against Gryffindor. As it was a Sunday afternoon, the entire of Beauxbatons and even the French parents were tuned in. For many who held their dataslates anxiously, an alert suddenly came on the device:
"Welcome one! Welcome all!
Today is the first broadcast of a Quidditch between two International magical schools. As such, the Rivendell Artificing Guild would like to introduce themselves in a short twenty minute segment. After all, the Guild is responsible for the artefacts and some of the brooms, that have afforded us this wonderful opportunity.
Then, Mr Lee Jordan of Hogwarts will give a small introduction of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We will look at some aerial shots of the castle, and then we will introduce the principal and other related staff. Then, Mr Lee will explain to our viewers, the Houses that are playing each other today.
Live translations into French will be provided by Beauxbaton's Fleur Delacour.
We begin within one hour! See you soon!"
Now Draco was smiling as he hoped that his father was watching. Meanwhile, at Malfoy Manor, Harry listened on as Lucius was only too pleased about the news. Luis and the French Prime Minister who was also logged into their devices, laughed as they realised that their 'weapons dealer' and their 'potions expert' were playing a whole nation for fools.
"Luis, this is the best joke of the century! Anything to see Fudge suffer!" Guilliame roared.
"I don't even want to say if that is all they plan to do, they have a habit of outdoing everything just when you feel comfortable?" Luis replied.
Now the school was seated in the Quidditch stands. Most of the Hufflepuffs were already adorned in the new Quidditch gear that Gryffindor had trialled. For many, it had been personal purchases, but the affordability made it easily accessible. Also, the school now had Stormbolts as their primary broom. However, the Rudra had been made available recently in every store - Perkins and Cedric were running the new broom. Ronald slowly began making final adjustments on his Morrigan. Emma Orchids, one of the chasers, realised that Ronald has a different broom.
"Hey Ron, that isn't a Stormbolt or a Rudra?"
"No. The Guild who make these dataslates? They produced this prototype for me. I was given this broom as an one-up to take on my brother, Charlie. Designed totally for goalkeeping. They want me to wipe the floor when I play my brother, as Nimbus reached out to him…"
"Oh look the Guild featurette is beginning!" Marigold Ironwood commented. Everybody huddled around their dataslates, in the Quidditch locker room, the Quidditch stands and everywhere else.
"Alright showtime!" Hermione giggled, as she started the camera and the illusions in the darkened room. Harry stood on hand as he prepared the drone paths and Invictus controlled the items.
After a set of stylised company logos were displayed on the data slates, the first illusion spoke:
"Welcome. We are the artificers. We are mastery level wizards, who underwent many trials and tribulations in the study of Gammarye, so that we may forge powerful artefacts. While we have forged many things for ourselves, and decided to forge new artefacts that empower our homeland. When we learn the craft, we discard the old face. We discard the old identity. We can be punished by death, for a stranger to look upon our faces, mention our old names, or carry casual conversation or business with us. We serve only the Guild and have no personal aspirations. This is our way and this is our tradition. We only sell what we produce, nothing more. Speaking from afar is acceptable. We depend on others to reach out to you, and to conduct business with magical society…"
There was a pause, as the entire twenty thousand person crowd in England watched every bit of the theatre. Albus and the other professors were looking on intently. The speech continued through viper themed facemask.
I go by the name Adjudicator Artificer Bjorn Jarl, the anvil handed. I am primary to the Storm-Viper enclave."
Now a smaller woman sifted into view as she spoke, "I go by the name I am Triarch RunePriestess Thora Åse. I am secondary to the Storm-Viper enclave"
Now the camera slowly panned over two is the missing seats. The Slytherins who were looking on, began to regard Draco as well informed. Now a third face came into view.
"I go by the name Castigator Forgemaster Auxillius Auspex, the hammer handed. I am primary to the Storm-Snakebite enclave."
Now the camera panned to another face of a smaller woman.
"I go by the name Diac Enchantress Revna Gudrun. I am secondary to the Storm-Snakebite enclave. "
The next fifteen minutes was spent explaining their expertise. Albus looked on a realised that the relationships had just gotten much more complex. The Guild apparently had its issues and it seemed like the other two – the Storm-Lord and the Storm-Priestess had been excommunicated. Perhaps they were a different cadet branch or a separate enclave that had its disagreements with the others? After some careful choice of words by the Guild that discussed the "substandard" creations by other imposters, the Slytherins began to infer that the Guild had far more powerful artefacts and that they would move against those who had taken the deliberate steps (The Storm-Bringers) to act in a personal capacity.
The French, on the other hand, did not witness this long tirade. Rather the cameras had made themselves known as they introduced various angles of the Quidditch field and Quidditch pitch. After the Guild featurette, Lee Jordan introduced Hogwarts by reading a well written information piece that left most of the staff impressed, before some panoramic views of the castle were shown. The Beauxbaton students watched on, as the written script piece for Lee had focused on the defensive nature of the Castle. Then a small orb appeared and the cameras introduced Albus, Minerva, Horace, Pomona and Fillius.
Albus began to reason that the Guild was a neutral party for now. He would have to investigate, as it seemed that they did not take correspondence. But then, he woukd have to investigate more.
A short introduction of the different houses occued. It had been animated with modern computer graphics and art styles, all thanks to Luna. Fleur provided the translations as the other cameras circled around the pitch and showed off the various posters, banners and objects students had created in support of their houses. For those who were watching locally in England and France, the Quidditch coverage seemed to resemble the type of importance given to the World Cup. Jordan Lee began his bombastic commentary, as he was being paid good galleons for his services.
"And now we have the Hufflepuffs! Representing the badgers today are….Cedric Diggory! Perkins Watson! Marigold Ironwood! Emma Orchids! Isaiah Laurel! Melvin Ash! And the youngest keeper in almost a century…..Roooonaaaaaaald Weeeasssleeey!"
Suddenly within the Gryffindor Stand, a giant yellow banner was rolled down as Fred and George proudly displayed a picture of an angry, muscular looking badger that was filled with cyborg parts. The title that was blinking in large black letters was:
"Ronald BRUTUS Weasley!"
Ronald was snickering. He had to admit it was quite funny. The Gryffindors who generally supported Hufflepuff when they weren't playing against the house, began to shout, "Bru–Tus! Bru–Tus! Bru–Tus!, Bru–Tus! Bru –Tus!, Bru–Tus!"
Ronald who was listening to the commentary then took an acrobatic flight around the entire stadium as he showed off his manoeuvrability. With all of the exercise and his wandless practice, he jumped off his broom, and flipped it multiple times, before flying like a jackrabbit towards the goalpost. This was a move that only Victor Krum, the legendary Bulgarian seeker ever did, and he did not do that many flips. Ronald used to worship the sporting star, but he reasoned that he was within his right to be just as good with his new facilities. Draco who had been watching on realised that Ronald Weasley was a far better flyer than him. Even Charlie Weasley was not that agile. Suddenly many of the neutral girls were cheering for Ronald Weasley.
He was definitely 'hot-stuff'
"Damn Daffy, the man has been holding out on us. No wonder he goes flying from nine to ten thirty in the night, in the bloody pitch dark. Look at all the thirst on these witches. He could swim in the spit!" Tracey exclaimed.
Daphne laughed, while in the Gryffindor stands, another conversation was occurring.
"Wait a moment..since when he can do that? Only Krum can do that! I can't do that!" Charlie asked Fred and George.
"He has been practising for hours. Ickle Ronnekins had died. Brutus has replaced him. You better believe we are in trouble for the next match." George replied as Angelina and Katie watched on. The commentary for the match resumed.
"And we have House Ravenclaw. Representing the Eagles are…Wilford Finch! Roger Davies! Carina Owler! Violet Primrose! Elvina Littletree! Ash Boots! and….. Daaaale Twiggsssssss!" Lee Jordan continued.
The camera zoomed in on both teams who were wearing the new Quidditch armour, helmets and beater bats. Some people had even bought the Stormbolt module. Suddenly a small advertisement appeared on the top of the screen on the data slates, and Albus understood the real long term play…
"Like the new gear? Check our catalogue after the match is finished."
There was a little pause, followed by another message.
"Thank you for your support! We have 24,000 live viewers and rising!"
The camera panned into Madam Hooch's customary speech
"I want a nice clean game. Let us show them Hogwarts sportsmanship!"
She kicked the wooden chest and the bludgers and the snitch began to fly about. Madam Hooch tossed the Quaffle and Lee Jordan yelled:
"The Quaffle is in the air…..and Carina Owler has already grabbed it, and is heading for the Hufflepuff goalpost….and she shoots…..caught by Ronald Weasley. An Ironwood is coming about and….Orchid is heading for intercept…."
The whole stadium looked on as Ronald entered a short rotational spin as he tossed the Quaffle halfway up the field as it headed for the chaser.
"The Quaffle is going to chaser Emma Orchids….and what the…am I seeing right? The two beaters are halfway down the field and the keeper has been left wide open…..now the Quaffle has been lobbed close to the Ravenclaw goalpost….Watson grabs and….he scores! Hufflepuff ten, Ravenclaw zero.
Now the Quaffle was returning to the pitch and Lee Jordan explained the play.
"Hufflepuff brought out the big sticks and the teeth today. They got the Quaffle across the entire field with brute strength. They are calculating the trajectory, accurately! Now the Claws will attempt to intercept….Perkins has gotten the Quaffle again and there are two bludgers on the way to Ronald and the beaters aren't there….and…."
There was a momentary pause.
"Is Ronald Weasley mad? Did! you see that….he feinted the bludger. Small controlled movements. Not an inch of panic!"
"Bru-tus! Bru-tus! Bru-tus! Bru-tus!" the Hufflepuffs yelled, as Albus smiled and leaned into Pomona.
"I was on my way to the Astronomy tower last week and I saw the young man doing many arm exercises. He certainly is utilizing that strength this afternoon Pomona! He is also using his magic to sense objects in his environment. Most impressive!" Albus replied, with approval in his voice.
"And now, wait…is that Watson beelining towards the goalpost….and he has a…escort? The entire team is protecting the Captain! Diggory is marking Finch from some distance. What the….."
Perkins then held on to the Quaffle and threw it through the hoop, right after the Hufflepuffs broke off before the keeper area to avoid incurring a penalty. It was not a foul, but maybe a hair's width more and it would have been another story
"Can you believe this!….the Hufflepuffs formed a moving wall! And Perkins smashed the Quaffle in! Had the puffs stayed around him a little longer and it was a definite foul…The Puffs are threading the needle today….The badgers are very cheeky today!
As the cameras zoomed in and highlighted the players and made closeups, Sirius and the rest began to appreciate what Ronald's plays had meant for the Chudley Cannons, at the manor.
"Ah shit Charlie, it's the damned Cannonball!" Fred yelled.
"Wait, he told you about this?" Charlie asked.
"Yes, but we didn't take him seriously! The thing…...actually works?" George answered.
"Ah shit, we are in trouble! Ronald is a savage! Why didn't we get him, Charlie? We would have been unstoppable!" Katie commented.
Jordan Lee resumed again:
"The Ravenclaws have decided to barricade their goalpost by patrolling it at different distances. Now the whole team is waiting….annnd…Davies grabs the quaffle and..wait he is trying the same move. He is going to crash into Weasley….." Jordan commented.
There was a short scuffle where Ron flew into the chaser and grabbed the Quaffle while it was travelling to the goalpost.
"Did you see that! It was a blind robbery committed by Weasley..and now he is tossing the Quaffle… ah crap that guy has a right arm, I don't want a punch from him…look at the Quaffle go! The Ravenclaws are trying to barricade the goalposts without incurring a foul for loitering. The beaters Ironwood and Laurel are shadowing the seeker and are targeting Finch with bludgers….And the Quaffle is intercepted….Elvina Littletree hits the bludger out of the way, clearing the path for Ash…and he goes and….It is the Ravenclaw Hawk manoeuvre….now they are volleying the Quaffle and….oh… Weasley returns to Orchids..oh it is intercepted! And Primose is going for the goal and….."
The next half hour was filled with many attempts by the other side, but Ronald continued to block every attempt. Soon enough the Hufflepuffs were singing…
Brutus Weasley is our King!
He makes the defeat sting!
He doesn't let the Quaffle in!
Weasley is our King!
Weasley can save anything!
He never leaves a single ring!
That's why all Badgers sing!
Brutus Weasley is our King!
The match continued and suddenly Ronald Weasley became the Hufflepuff star of England. The national coach for the English Quidditch team realised that they were looking at a possible replacement keeper. The broadcasts would allow them to select the best and the brightest, far more easily.
"You know we have never won a Quidditch World cup. I have been hearing rumours about Charlie Weasley. Seems his brother is talented too." the national Quidditch coach wondered.
"Hogwarts has some great talent. If we pick them up now and train them….we could have a chance. Charlie has been signed to the Cannons and they are undergoing a lot of new changes, New manager. New coach too. We will see if he is capable. We however don't have the luxury about the keeper."
"What about Wood? He was promising?"
"Yes, but he has a small build. Ronald Weasley is only a first-year and he looks like he is approaching a second-year student. Diggory's son mentioned that he trains his body in a rather brutal manner. He seems to be going through a growth spurt rather early. We want to make use of that?"
"He might be magically powerful then?"
"Yes. Might be one of the bigger young men, with the right investment. Send a representative this evening. We want Ronald and Charlie for tryouts. If they survive, we drill them. An unbeatable keeper might be what we need, Tuckett. We want a damned wall, guarding the goalposts for the Worldcup!"
"Brich? Write the letter. Or actually, get to Hogwarts immediately.…."
"Yes, that will be advisable."
Meanwhile, several French witches were compiling fan mail to many of the Quidditch players. Besides Ronald, Cedric Diggory was considered a rather handsome specimen, and it did not help that the Quidditch replays highlighted the names and showed close-ups. Harry who was enjoying Ronald's performance, found himself laughing at the text message that he received from Bloodaxe.
"The dataslates are all gone. Fifteen minutes was all that was required. You need to send more from your stock. Gringotts England and France are empty. People apparated to the entrance of the bank, purchased directly from us and Diagon alley is full of people watching the live matches. It was total pandemonium. The Ministry had to deploy Aurors!"
"Oh crap. How did you manage?" Harry asked.
"We diverted mine workers to handle the crowd. We are preparing for a sudden influx of orders after the match is done. How many people are tuned in?"
"We have about twenty seven thousand when you combine both populations. The majority are French."
"I will write to the headmaster about the earnings, this evening. Gringotts France will handle the Beauxbaton earnings." Bloodaxe replied.
"Ronald Weasley has been keeping the Claws out of the badger Goalpost. He is unstoppable! He is…BRUTUS WEASLEY!"
Brutus Weasley is our King!
He makes the defeat sting!...
"And Cedric Diggory has seen the Snitch. And he is charging into the air. Finch is trying close behind to catch up! And…what is Diggory doing? Is he lying down on his broom…..and…by Lady Hecate…..Cedric has gone prone to reduce the wind drag. Look at him…Finch is trying to do the same thing….its too late….Diggory is closing on the Snitch….
CEDRIC DIGGORY HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! HUFFLEPUFF WINS THE MARCH. Hufflepuff 230 – Ravenclaw 0!"
"Bru-tus! Bru-tus! Bru-tus! Bru-tus!" the Hufflepuffs screamed as Ronald took a victory lap around the pitch as he performed acrobatics on the broom.
The entire of Hufflepuff house was waiting for Ronald, as they picked him up and transported him to the castle on their shoulders.
"RON-ALD! RON-ALD! RON-ALD! RON-ALD! RON-ALD! RON-ALD!"
Meanwhile, Fred and George prepared their contraband as the items would sell, now that the students were in a good mood. A heartfelt moment for the Hufflepuffs was when Charlie was waiting along the Hufflepuff corridor with a big smile on his face. As the Hufflepuffs put Ronald down, he walked up to his brother. The crowd became rather silent.
"Charlie, you know that you are in trouble right?"
"Yes. But you are my brother. I would prefer that it was not anyone else. Fred and George said that if they break your bones, mum will fix you up?" Charlie laughed.
"Gred and Forge will have to try hard. I plan to make them suffer badly?" Ronald replied, with a cheeky grin on his face. Charlie hugged his brother and suddenly there was cheering from the Hufflepuffs before he left. Ronald was the hero of the Hufflepuff common room, and then he found himself swimming in polite kisses from some of the older girls.
"Hey, I need to use the loo. I will be back in a moment, my stomach feels queasy?" he explained to the rest of the students in the common room. As soon as he bolted into the bathroom, he escaped to the flat to find the others celebrating his success.
"Ronald, you alright? Thought you would have stayed in the common room?" asked Luna
"Is that lip balm on your cheeks…wait a moment…." Tracey said as she scratched her chin.
"Oh, Ronald my man! The witches were after him. Did you get kissed?" Neville asked.
"A couple of polite pecks on the cheeks…but I rather…...well you know why…" Ronald said as he looked at the floor.
"Oh. Well…. let's get something special. All of our items are being purchased. The dataslates are sold out…" Neville explained.
"I am happy with my performance. I worked and trained hard, but I want a little quiet. I didn't use the arm brace. I used my magic. I practice with the boxing bag. Now after playing, I am…tired….…"
"Oh well sleep here tonight. People will assume you were making out with some witch in a broom cupboard, they won't ask questions. Harry and Hermione are coming over a bit later?" Luna explained. Suddenly Ronald's face brightened a little, and Tracey began to suspect that Ronald liked Hermione, very much.
"Oh, that will be good. A lot of the Hufflepuff plays today were my unique ideas. Anyway, let me get some of mum's food…."
For the Hufflepuffs, they asked no questions as they assumed that he went off to have a snog somewhere. Ronald on the other hand continued to punch the bag. As wonderful as the evening was, war was on the horizon.
