Chapter 20
There were two excitements left before the end of the year; though the cricket match against St Jodoc's was not as well attended as a quidditch match might have been. The visitors went, as usual, through a hastily installed gate directly to the corridor of the room of requirements where they slept for their two day visit; Sita Patil of Gryffindor was head of cricket and she organised the visitors quite ruthlessly. None of the muggle boys saw anything that muggles would be better not seeing and all of them would later tell their parents that the school in Scotland was so luxurious that you'd think the kids there were soft until you faced them at the wicket.
The visitors managed to win one and draw one owing to the unseasonal thunderstorm and heavy rain that drove the second elevens indoors. The weather showed no sign of letting up, so the Hogwarts second eleven challenged the St Jodoc's second eleven to a game of softball hurley indoors.
"And we might be glad" murmured Sita to Maud and Isabel "That some bright spark didn't suggest beach volleyball in New Zealand."
Maud grinned.
"Why do you think that even those of us who are duffers at cricket are hanging around to leap on the little darlings?" she said. "We may not have Bella's erratic brilliance but we do have our moments!"
"Just as well" said Sita. She and her sister had become closer to the Belle Marauders since they had decided to join the Khans in India to teach.
On the whole the two cricket teams of each school had a good time and the boys of St Jodoc's were despatched back to their coaches filled with the delicious after match feast that had been carefully enchanted not to lie heavily on their journey home.
There had, of course, been a temporary covering on the bog of very long lasting stench to allow the coaches to come to the front of the building; and everyone heaved a bit of a sigh of relief as the visitors departed and nobody had to act like a muggle any more.
oOoOo
The second excitement was a quiddpolo match to be played against Prince Peak.
Bella blew in for the match – just a brief visit, she declared, because she could not resist and because it gave her mother-in-law time to worry that she had driven her away because Princess Aruna was being unreasonable about wanting Bella to waste time sitting on a dais farting about with a second wedding – as Bella put it – because she wanted to do all the display thing.
"I called her vulgar and stormed out" said Bella cheerfully "And left Assim to tell her that I don't intend to conform to some outmoded gimcrack way of doing things. We are going to be teaching young witches that they are every bit equal to wizards and don't need to be subjected to such degrading spectacle. Assim knows how I feel about it."
"And he's quite well able to handle Aruna" said Mimi who had met Assim's mother. "Welcome back, Bellabuttons."
"Good to see you Mimiwobbles" said Bella.
They butted foreheads.
oOoOo
The team read a bit like a social magazine in terms of names on it, which Bella grimaced about; but until juniors had come up through the school learning to ride, only those who had prominent families were likely to have had much experience riding.
Penny Malfoy was Seeker – which was, as Bella said, a no-brainer since her brother had re-introduced the game; and had played seeker himself the previous year; and apart from Drusillina the rest of the team too had needed revision.
This was in a couple of cases at least the replacement of a team member by a younger sibling; Damian Malfoy, otherwise known as Faunus for his love of animals, replaced his brother Hadrian; and Faustina Bobbin, bubbling with excitement, replaced her brother Erasmus. Nobody had ever considered asking her older sister Narcissa.
Genevieve Harris had proved a surprisingly handy player, the only one whose name might be less likely to be found in a society magazine. With her new found maturity over the boyfriend issue it was apparent that she was a much more stable young girl than she had been, and if her brother Oliver was bemused that she preferred quiddpolo to quidditch he was at least glad that she was no longer making a fool of herself. Cassius Prince would be there to cheer for her, as Ludmila Yaxley, soubriquet Flora would be to cheer for her Faunus.
Paris Bullivant and Bryony Urquart made up the remainder of the team, like Gorbrin useful quidditch players as well but showing that they rose to the challenge of any game having also played cricket.
"No Huffers or Ravers?" Bella asked Drusillina.
Drusillina shrugged.
"Only the Corbins seem to have horsy leanings in Ravenclaw and we don't have any right now; and the Huffers are duffers with horses" she said "I think it's the Slytherin and Gryffindor willingness to embrace the new as much as anything else. If Slugworthy had an interest in animals that aren't slimy he'd have the right attitude, but y'know."
"Oh there are forward looking Huffers" said Bella "You malign them darling. It's just that most of the most forward looking ones are either tigers, which upsets the horses, or just don't like horses. Some people don't you know. I mean, my point of view is – which I LOVE to argue with Lucius – that if any Divine Being there might be had intended us to ride, He would never have invented Gottleib Daimler OR Brooms OR flying carpets."
oOoOo
Bella did her duty of welcoming the visitors and greeting the team.
"This here is our captain of quiddpolo, Drusillina Hallow" said Bella "One of the girls Auntie Connie stole from Prince Peak when it was Cackle's; she's a marauder natch."
"No surprises there" said the head of the Prince Peak team, George Ingate, a ward of Severus Snape. "Our Marauders on the team are Viridian D'Aubert and Johanna Schiff as I expect you already know. I'm captain; this is my team" and he introduced them "Marius Schreiber, our Seeker; Cerellia Malfoy, she's now step sister to Jocelyn Malfoy in Hogwarts; and last but not least, Sarah Elliot, plus Pru Buffer our reserve."
"One Malfoy and a spare Snape ward to balance two Malfoys for us" said Drusillina cheerfully. "Penny Malfoy here is our seeker and her cousin Damian succeeds his brother. Damian is known as Faunus and he deserves it; he wants to tame aggressive animals and his girlfriend, known as Flora, wants to tame aggressive plants and I wish she'd start with the ones she owns in our common room."
"Put a sock in it Lina" said Damian lazily.
"You're a Gryff; you don't have to avoid the mating habits of spinynastius attackyoulotsicus or whatever the monster is called" said Drusillina calmly. "She's a cousin of your Malfoy, being a Yaxley with Malfoy complications and she doesn't fly; we don't trust her not to start growing experimental plants in the horse's mane."
"Oy" said the pretty blonde girl.
"Get ON with it Lina!" said Bella.
"Right… the others are mostly harmless" she said as she introduced them and added, "A bit of a cross-age mish-mash; I'm the only one left of our last year team because they have all left us for higher things" she said in a sepulchral voice.
"Three of them to train as aurors if I recall correctly; exalted persons" said George. "No reserve?"
"The rest of the least worst draw straws if one of us drops dead" said Drusillina "Or we let Lilith Snape off the leash and wonder what mayhem she can cause on a horse. She's a great keeper on a broom but what a flying horse would think of circus antics I don't know."
"Lumme yes; broomsurfing is one thing but horse surfing? The mind boggles!" said George.
The visitors were installed in the school to settle in, rest and take refreshment.
oOoOo
"You're keeping a close eye on one of your team – the Harris girl" Johanna remarked to Drusillina, presuming on the relationship as a fellow marauder.
"Yes; it's a bit prophylactic" said Drusillina "She's been a little dippy in her youth; inclined to show off and encourage boys to chase her. She seems to have settled down and she IS in the fifth now but I'm just a little concerned that posturing on a horse might go to her head. She looks good on horseback and it doesn't take even as few brains as she has to realise it. Pass the word to your chaps not to be impressed by her beauty would you? We're trying to break her of being too fond of her effect on males because she isn't a ruddy veela and doesn't know how to handle it."
"Will do" said Johanna; and proceeded to be blunt to Marius, Viridian and George.
As it happened, Genevieve was far too much aware of the trouble that could be caused to actually posture; she had appreciated being noticed but was a wiser girl and was happy to keep boys at a distance, save for Cassius with whom she was starting to forge a very good friendship.
oOoOo
The visitors joined Hogwarts for lessons for the rest of the day, which mostly involved quizzes and games as the term wound down, as well as the issuing of holiday assignments. The Prince Peak crew were certainly well grounded in all their lessons and Lilith remarked to Sextus that their bunch should look to their laurels!
Jocelyn was proud to have his new sister visiting and introduced her about. He was less happy that she struck up a friendship with Bibaculus Wilkes, once one of Genevieve's admirers, but relaxed when Cerellia confided in him that the ass was a posturing fool and any interest in poetry that drew them together was too egocentric on his part to be attractive.
The game however was soon on, on the following day; and it was quickly apparent that the Prince Peak team were more used to playing as a team and that Hogwarts had a bit of a scratch team. It was a friendly however, and not to be taken too seriously; but when Penny Malfoy caught the snitch and manfully defended it from Marius' tackle by dropping and recatching her lacrosse net it was only for pride, because the visitors had outscored the hosts by more than fifteen goals and the catching of the snitch could only deny a more disparate score.
The players all shook hands.
"When you've had a bit more chance to practice together you should be fairly formidable" said George Ingate "We lose a couple this year; how about you?"
"Only me" said Drusillina. "Yes, they could be a decent team next year; and the match has been good for us to show us our weaknesses. Played, everyone; both teams. When you've seen to your mounts we should have a decent spread laid on."
It was.
Nobody could beat a Hogwarts feast; and the elves were on their mettle to show off to Severus Snape that his castle elves were not as good as the ones he had left behind to found his own school. The Hogwarts pupils appreciated their efforts too!
"Enjoying being head, David?" Severus asked as he joined the Hogwarts Headmaster at the staff table.
"Very much, Severus" said David.
"And are YOU enjoying being head with all the alarums in Europe, Severus?" asked Minerva.
"Very much" said Severus "Keeps us on our toes. Besides I have the opportunity to be snidely contemptuous at them."
Minerva laughed.
"HOW like you, Severus!" she said.
The body of the school was more concerned about a convivial feast than about European politics; though Mafalda Prewett did find the time to ask a few questions of the grim-visaged headmaster as she hoped to study under him the following year. She had already been helping with what the Marauders were calling the 'greatest jape of the century' concerning one supremacist; and to learn that there were others in Russia as well was a daunting thought. Mafalda however had been grateful for the support of Marauders through her school life; and promised herself that she would not stand back if Professor Snape needed an extra wand at his disposal.
And then the visitors were gone; and the school was full of excited children ready for the long summer holidays, getting ready to leave, and – in the case of some of them – charging about looking for missing clothes and equipment. Argus Filch held one last day of viewing of lost property to pay fines on, and then sold off anything that remained. All the fines and profits went to the Society for the Promotion of Education for Squibs; and he had an enthusiastic helper in Damian Malfoy whose father was investigating rituals to enhance the damaged genes on squibs to give them a chance to use magic.
oOoOo
The final day came; and the shields were to be distributed.
"Well Ravenclaw has taken the Quidditch shield" David announced "And the House Shield has been won – by a nose – by Slytherin for working well together. The points however have been so close overall that I have had three extra small shields made because the rest of you did so well it really needs to be honoured" he grinned as the pupils raised the roof with a resounding cheer. He went on when silence resumed, "And I have decided to give the Marauders Shield this year to the Society Against Slavery and the Lifemunchers jointly, both of which gangs have worked tirelessly to promote interhouse co-operation; not with any flamboyance or fanfare but just by example. I've enchanted a shield which projects so many names when touched" he added "Kevin, Tarquin, would you like to represent your two groups to collect it?"
Kevin Slugworthy and Tarquin Prince proudly came to receive the shield.
It was nice that the Head had noticed what had been, really, very understated efforts through the members they had in every house.
"And Slytherin very nearly dropped to equal with the other houses in points for squabbling amongst your Lifemunchers over who was to collect the shield" said Constance Hardbroom coldly. "Really Bryony!"
Bryony Nuffield flushed; she had felt that Salazar should have been the one to collect the shield.
Salazar wiggled his ears at her, an accomplishment he had been working on for the whole of the last term, and gave her an affectionate grin. He also patted Tarquin on the back when he returned to the table. It did not matter who collected it; and Salazar knew that though he and Tarquin led more or less jointly it was a matter of politics that Slytherin's heir should NOT be one to collect such. There would always be whispers from the jealous that would mar the feast and end of term!
And then the feast was brought in and David adjured the school to eat up and enjoy and not to forget to get their holiday tasks finished as soon as possible.
And then the term was over and everyone was streaming off to the station, or to private transport and another year was over!
And next year would be Triwizard year.
David hoped he would have a restful holiday; he deserved one and he needed it!
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