Chapter 13: A Quidditch Challenge and a few Frictions
The Blood Group convened earlier than the rest of the MSHG as a result of a Blood summons from Krait; and if some of the younger ones and the older boys were a trifle sulky about it, Krait pretended not to notice.
"We were second guessing what Fishface would use as Horcruces" she said crisply, her eyes gleaming with excitement "And I had an idea, that I've been expanding on, and thinking of how to find it – which is what I wanted to discuss."
"Couldn't it have waited until the morning?" yawned Ron.
"It IS the morning" said Krait severely. "Listen! He meant to make a Horcrux with Harry's death – and got forestalled. But he could use Lily and James' murder as one of the soul splits, and then how ironic if he used something of theirs to put that part in…I think he'd see it as a subtle attack on Harry. I mooted the idea to Dumbledore when we were searching memories, he said it was something to look into…."
"It's extremely plausible" said Severus. "Something personal Harry would never even consider destroying…."
Krait nodded.
"A locket of his mother's….a ring of his father's….I bet he sent Wormtail to England when he was in Albania to get something like that….and if he runs true to form, put it back in Godric's Hollow to hide it by obviousness, laughing to think that if Harry ever goes there he'd be cherishing something that could be a part of his downfall. Wormtail was the secret keeper, remember, like I said….and so Wormtail is the key, he knows what and where, because Fishface had to act through him…."
"It fits what I know of Fishface" said Harry. "But how do we find out what it is? Wormtail is in Azhkaban, he was one of the ones caught at the ministry…."
Krait shrugged.
"Our DADA teacher arranges a field trip to Azkaban….and I slip off in one of the invisibility cloaks and turn Wormtail's mind inside out for him" she said.
Severus choked.
"Arrange….just like that?"
"Why not? As an awful warning about people who turn to the Dark Side of the Force….it has your pessimistic and warped touch, my dear."
"I suppose…..very well, I'll see what I can do, but I'm only taking MSHG people, the others couldn't cope." He said.
Krait nodded.
"Wise. Besides, they'll back our story better. Is this David's friend?"
The big military looking man who strode out of the castle was greeted cheerfully by David Fraser and introduced; Colonel Anastasius Smith, squib, late of the Grenadier Guards and sometime of the SAS felt his duty lay clearly in the training of the MSHG rather than with the British Army.
The MSHG when he had put them through their paces were divided in their opinion over whether he was the best trainer they could ever have or whether he should return from whence he came pursued by abuse.
-/-
Krait heard all about how her friends were getting on at lunch time; after overhearing Abrax Malfoy informing his friends at the top of his young lungs
"Hey, I thought Padfoot was the works at DADA but I gotta say, Scales ROCKS!"
Krait grinned to herself. She knew that Severus had planned on introducing each class with his description of the 'ever changing, mutable, many headed monster' of Dark Arts and evidently it had gone down well with the second years. Harry and friends looked smug.
"Potions go okay?" Krait asked. "Is he any good?"
"Strictly speaking he didn't teach anything" said Hermione "He opened up with testing us over what certain potions were…"
"Which Hermione had her hand up over for all of" said Neville "Not that that's a big surprise, so the rest of us lounged around and let her do the hard work…."
"And then he set a competition" said Draco "To brew the draught of living death out of our books….and it's one the Half-blood Prince modified….. I never saw such an expression of wonder on anyone's face before, he's convinced Severus has trained us beyond any reasonable expectation and turned out a bunch of geniuses…."
"Even mine kind of worked" said Ron.
"Of course, he's right" said Harry "It IS down to Severus' training…he gave us the better instructions…"
"The joke is he offered a phial of Felix Felicis to the winner…" grinned Draco "And is he sour because he had to put up more than one…."
"Liquid luck's expensive to brew" said Krait "And tricky….you have to be moderately talented to make it. I guess that's how he pays for some of his luxuries….you dented his profit margin. Well done! How many got it perfect?"
"Hermione, Draco and me" said Harry. "Ron got it kind of right and judging by his comments, Neville's would have been expected to be the winner in most classes…Draco's right, his face was a study, it'll be sweet revenge for Scales to have his teaching so vindicated after not being one of the Slug's pretty favourites…."
Krait laughed.
"And you have Severus back next year for your NEWTS so Slughorn can't steal his thunder by claiming to have discovered you all" she said contentedly. "We'll have plenty of Felix Felicis for the Big Day when we confront Fishface though."
"It awfully complex" said Hermione "I looked it up….it takes six months to brew and there are loads of stages…"
"Tell me news not history!" groaned Krait. "Severus and I set some up about two months ago…we've been working at it all over the holidays between other stuff. We needed enough for the whole MSHG; so I talked the cost of the ingredients out of Lucius."
"THAT's what dad meant muttering that he hoped it was a worthwhile investment….he ought to trust Severus, even if he doesn't realise how good you are" said Draco. "That eases my mind…."
Krait smiled at him.
"Yeah…as it will be up to you to bring him where and when we want him" she said. "Knowing who Convolvumort is is going to make him hit the ground running without engaging brain….I hope."
"And how!" Agreed Draco.
-/-
Krait was having a top of the lungs conversation with Hermione across the Hall next morning at breakfast asking if Hermione had done any Arithmancy revision exercises at the back of the book and asking if she agreed that there was a mistake on example fifty two.
"Undoubtedly!" yelled Hermione "I worked it four times…. Same answer."
"Seven days, twenty three hours and fourteen minutes?" yelled Krait.
"Yes!"
"I'll have to tell Professor Vector!"
The Arithmancy teacher's voice carried magically to both girls
"She just heard you"
Krait turned and grinned unrepentantly.
Dumbledore murmured to Severus
"We used to separate Slytherin and Gryffindor for very good reason…..for the sake of my eardrums, I wonder if we should rearrange the tables…"
"Bearing in mind the food fight the Malfoy twins are orchestrating from each end with malice aforethought to involve Ravenclaw with Hufflepuff I'm inclined to agree" said Severus dryly. "Using crumpets like Frisbees….Ernie Macmillan isn't going to take getting that in the eye sitting down, and he's picked a likely candidate to blame right across the way….."
"Disgraceful, a prefect letting himself get drawn into a food fight" Dumbledore sounded grave but his eyes twinkled. "nice under the table wand work from Abrax….tell him off about it for me, won't you, next time you see him…."
"I'd be more enthusiastic in my telling off if various of my own adoptees weren't deeply involved" sighed Severus. "Jade looks so innocent and sweet and is far too young to be doing wandless magic…little horror."
"Technically, Severus" Minerva leaned over "She's too young to be doing ANY controlled and directed magic….whether that's down to Krait or being blooded I'd not care to guess."
"It's down to being as cussed as Krait is" said Severus. "I think it's gone far enough, Hufflepuff are itching to kill somebody…."
Dumbledore rapped on the table, enhancing the sound with the sonorous spell.
"Ladies and gentlemen…and I believe at the moment with some of you I use the term advisedly….if you are any of you old enough to be high school students not candidates for a crèche, I have some news….."
Some of the older participants in the food fight looked embarrassed. The Marauders and friends beamed unabashed. Dumbledore coughed suddenly and hid his mouth. He went on,
"We have received a challenge to play Quidditch against both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang schools in a Round Robin, playing each, the winning school to be the one with the best record….I hope you will all work hard for your House team so we can send the best…"
Krait stood up.
"Sir, pardon the interruption, but may I make a suggestion?" she asked.
"You may, Miss Malfoy" said Dumbledore.
"I think this transcends the house thing….especially with the Hat's reiteration about co-operation….I vote Harry Potter seeker and team leader and that he should put together a team from across the Houses that can work together and so he has a pick of the best. We can still have the house cups if people want to, because it's all good practice, but we'd have a better chance of hammering Durmstrang…er, I mean, of making a good showing."
"An interesting idea. Do other people agree?"
There was a roar of discussion. Gryffindor was looking strong as a contender for the house cup, with Harry as seeker and the talents of the Weasley twins as beaters; and it would be a chance for other houses to shine and be represented. There were those who would have preferred not to have any mixing of teams, views about other houses stealing ideas and learning styles were mooted, together with some who would NEVER fly on the same team as a favourite Quidditch enemy; but most seemed to like the novelty of the idea. Dumbledore banged on the table.
"Very well! Harry, we'll give that a try, and if after three weeks you have too many frictions, we'll go back to plan A, hmmm?"
"We won't have friction, sir" said Harry. "I'll pick first from people who flew against the Huorns…we worked pretty well together then."
"An excellent idea!" said Dumbledore heartily "But remember that Professors Snape, McGonagall and Black aren't available…." He teased.
-/-
Cho Chang threw a temperament when Harry suggested she fly as a Chaser.
"I am a seeker, I have always been a seeker!" she declared. "Why should I be the one to change? Why not you?"
"Because he's the best darn seeker in the school" said Draco. "A sight better than you, you're erratic too. I'm glad you won't play, I'd not be happy to have to rely on you!"
"Tact? What tact?" murmured Krait as Cho flung off in a temper.
Draco shrugged.
"She IS erratic…and she throws temperaments."
Harry pulled a face.
"I kind of had to ask her….she did a good job against the Huorns and I need a third chaser to go with you and Krait…."
"Zacharias Smith's not half bad…he's a member of the MSHG and he's as cynical as they come, no one will put anything over him" suggested Krait.
"That's three houses represented anyway" said Harry relieved. "I want the Weasley twins as beaters, they are the best and they have an instinctive knowledge each of where the other is…"
"Yeah, in Slytherin we attract the wrong sort of person as beaters….and Urquhart encourages that" said Krait, referring to the Slytherin games captain. "We don't want to lose on penalties…."
"No way" said Harry.
"So we need a keeper" said Draco. "Ravenclaw's keeper is hopeless…Ron's erratic – sorry Ron, on a good day you're brilliant, on a bad day…."
"He's blood group" said Krait.
"Which helps chasers and Beaters….Keepers and seekers are kind of off in their own little world" said Draco. "Frankly, as a chaser I'd as soon have Ginny than Smith, but if we do have Ron as Keeper, it starts to look like the Weasley Team more than the Hogwarts team…."
Harry laughed.
"I was going to put Ginny as a reserve – she's flexible enough to play any position, she'd be good as a seeker, better as a chaser, okay with any one of her brothers beating and could play keeper well enough…." Ginny gave a shout of delight.
"I thought you might deliberately leave me out because we're an item…" she said.
Harry grinned at her soppily.
"I thought about it….but it wouldn't be fair. Only we must play politics….."
"And we must have a keeper" said Draco. "Run trials….it's the only fair way…."
Harry nodded.
"And I'll take whoever can work with Fred and George to get their help best…." He said. "Not necessarily just the best keeper….go for it Ron, and if you are the best, so be it."
-/-
Zacharias Smith was delighted when Harry suggested to him that he play Chaser; though he felt honour bound to say
"Cattermole might be a better player, if you wanted a Hufflepuff…."
"I don't want A Hufflepuff, I want you" said Harry. "Cattermole couldn't cope with team work with Draco and Krait….and together they fly like demons…."
"You're playing Malfoy as Chaser? Didn't he jib at not being Seeker?" Smith was surprised.
Harry shook his head.
"He's happy enough…he's Seeker on account of being Slytherin's finest, which at the moment isn't saying much, Krait doesn't play on their team if Urquart can avoid it because she gave him the benefit of her opinion on him a couple of years ago and doesn't scruple to update her thoughts if he crosses her path…."
"That's shooting himself in the foot….I saw the way she flew against the Huorns, wished I'd been invited along…."
"It was all rather sudden…you were a bit sceptical about the MSHG then as I recall, we asked the members first…"
Smith shrugged.
"Fair enough. Yeah, I can work with the Malfoys if they'll work with me."
Harry was not forced to turn down the Ravenclaw Keeper; Ravenclaw decided that as Cho had been rejected they would boycott the whole thing.
"Which is grossly unfair!" said Hermione, crossly. "Cho wasn't rejected, she just chose not to play the position you suggested, Harry."
Harry shrugged.
"I must have been mad to want to go out with her…she's such a drama queen."
"She relied on your previous infatuation" said Krait dryly. "I wish Cedric Diggory luck of her. I never did have any time for the silly creature, she's almost as bad as Lavender Brown. Ron, you're going to have to tell her to get lost, you know, subtle hints go over her head and splat against the wall."
"Hermione will tell her when she becomes a nuisance" said Ron lazily. Hermione stared at him open mouthed.
"Ronald Weasley, you are the LIMIT!" she said.
"Why? What did I say?"
Krait and Hermione and Ginny exchanged glances; and all threw clods of turf at him.
-/-
In the end Hufflepuff's keeper, a large stolid boy called Damon Rich, was chosen as Keeper; he looked slow but was actually a lot faster than most would give him credit for, and his hands and feet were outsize and very adept at knocking the quaffle out of harm's way.
"Two each of Slytherin and Hufflepuff, three Gryffindors and Ravenclaw out of it in a massive fit of the sulks" said Krait. "Seems good to me….and Rich has an unexpected sense of humour hidden under that stolid exterior I reckon….I've heard a couple of comments off you that could be taken two ways…."
Rich gave a slow smile.
"Big fellows are supposed to be dim and humourless" he said. "If you get underestimated, you can get away with a lot more…."
Fred and George exchanged glances.
"That's a thought for a leaving stunt" said George. "Damon, my dear chap…."
"Will you please NOT corrupt my keeper until the tournament is safely under our belts?" asked Harry a trifle waspishly.
Fred looked at George.
George looked at Fred.
They grinned.
"As it's you, Harry….." said Fred.
"Seeings as we like you….." said George
"And providing you stop sounding like Professor Snape at us" said Fred.
"Did I?" Harry was startled.
"I'll say….tone, phrasing, look down the nose….but we DO need a good relationship with Damon…." Fred said with an innocent look.
Rich laughed.
"I'll not jerk the captain's strings…. I'll listen, but that's all for now, you hellions."
"Hellions!" said George.
"Appreciation at last!" said Fred.