Carefully, Vernon adjusted the motion sensor, closing one eye and leaning down to make sure he had it perfectly lined up. He pawed at his tool box behind him, searching for his level.
"This one, right?"
"Thanks," Vernon said, taking the level and reaching up to align the sensor.
He was just realizing that something was off when a voice boomed in his ear, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"
Swearing, Vernon came up swinging, his huge fists batting the air behind him.
Moody just leaned back slightly without batting his eye.
"GET OFF MY PROPERTY!" Vernon raged, shaking his finger under the nose of the shorter man.
"For a muggle-made system, it's not bad," Moody told Vernon, completely unperturbed. "Most idiots use a standard Disillusionment Charm, but that just bends the light around them. A motion detector can usually pick it up. Not my charms though. For that, you'd need a pressure pad."
"I don't want any bloody magic in my house!" Vernon ranted. "Not a charm, not a curse, not any of that wand waving nonsense!"
Behind him, one of the neighbors out walking their dog paused for a moment to listen, then quickly sped up, looking rather scandalized at both Vernon's display of emotion and by his obvious insanity. It had been bad enough when it had just been his niece, but clearly the man was cracked.
"If I needed a wand to get past this pathetic excuse for a security perimeter, I would send myself back to basic training. If a cripple can sneak up on you, Dursley, it's because you don't practice-"
"If you say constant vigilance one more time I'm going to make you eat this damn level," Vernon snarled.
"Hmph." Moody hobbled off, back to his own house. He nodded politely to the neighbor, who picked up their small dog and sprinted back home.
"Show that man a thing or two. Constant vigilance my arse," Vernon grumbled. Then, an idea came to him. Grinning wickedly, he hurried back inside.
That night after Petunia went to bed, Vernon dressed in a black jumper and sweatpants, along with a black beanie. He put on soft slippers he blacked out with a marker, then painted his face with grease like he'd seen commandos do in movies. He took his torch, some clippers, and his shotgun, and snuck across the street.
Vernon had the vague idea that Moody's lawn was booby trapped, and he was entirely right. Thus, instead, he snuck through the neighbor's yard, then used the clippers to cut a hole in the hedge. He wriggled through, chuckling to himself.
"Never see this coming. The bloody fool will see who practices-"
"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"
A bright spotlight stabbed out from Moody's home, skewering him just before he could get out of the hedge. In a panic, he raised the gun and fired, which caused some sort of shrieking siren to go off. Still blinded, Vernon wriggled back through the hedge into the neighbor's yard.
"THIEF! THIEF! GET OUT, GET OUT!"
Vernon looked up just in time to see a shrieking woman with her hair in curlers pointing a frying pan at him. Then there was a growl, and her pomeranian dashed across the yard, barking and snarling. Vernon stumbled away, yelping and wailing as the dog bit at his legs. Then the little beast jumped up and bit right in the posterior, ripping his pants and exposing his white and red polka dot underpants.
After running for far longer than he usually did, Vernon managed to lose the dog, then slink back home. He dodged the police that were taking a statement from the neighbor woman and made it through his back door. Just as he was coming inside, the lights came on.
"Vernon. What in heaven's name are you DOING?" Petunia demanded,glaring at him in her nightie with a robe wrapped around herself.
"I, er, I was just…" Vernon tried to come up with an excuse, but couldn't find one. "Out for an evening stroll?"
"Honestly. You're acting like Megumin," Petunia said in exasperation.
"YOU BLOODY WELL TAKE THAT BACK!" Vernon raged.
"Hmph. You're sleeping on the couch tonight. And get that grease off your face before the police come and catch you," Petunia ordered.
Vernon spent a very uncomfortable night on the couch, and in the morning had an incredibly awkward conversation with the constable. He was just bidding them farewell, after assuring them he had no idea who the mysterious burglar was, when Moody came out of his house.
"Morning, neighbor," Moody called, raising a mug of tea. "Interesting night, last night."
Vernon just glared at him, then turned around and went back inside.
Moody chuckled and sipped at his tea. Tonks came out of the house, dusting some ashes off herself. "What's the word, boss? Why're the muggle constables here?"
"Just a little game, Tonks," Moody told her. "You know, I was worried I'd be bored to tears in this muggle neighborhood."
"Well, you've got your security set up, yeah? I know it's not Hogsmeade, but the Headmaster did ask us to keep an eye on Potter's family," Tonks said.
"Oh, I think I quite like it here," Moody said.
Tonks pulled out her wand. "Right, what's the recognition phrase?"
"Semper vigilantes," Moody said, nodding in approval.
"Semper paratus," Tonks responded, slowly lowering her wand. "Er, you alright, boss?"
"Just fine. Never thought I'd find a muggle so entertaining." Moody sighed in satisfaction, then nodded. "Right, what are the cases today?"
"They want us to check out Wiz's shop again," Tonks sighed. "It's just more discrimination, I say, but the woman does make lovely tea."
"We'll head there in the afternoon then. Anything else?"
"We're supposed to be investigating how Mizu killed that vampire still, and if she really did clear out that nest of ghouls in Romania," Tonks informed. "We've a meeting with a representative from the Romanian aurors at nine."
Moody grunted, and the two of them departed for work.
But he was already planning on how to do a proper infiltration of the Dursley residence.
"I just want you to know, I'm proud of you all."
Kazuma looked up from scrubbing the floor, wiping his brow with his sleeve. He glared at Megumin, who only smiled excitedly, her red eyes glowing in the dim light. Draco looked similarly peeved, but Dust just smiled and said, "Hey, thanks!"
"Shut up, you idiot!" Kazuma and Draco hissed at the same time.
"At first I was not certain you lot would make decent rivals, but I am quite pleased with how you are developing. Attempting to steal my idea for attaining the treasure has proven you are indeed a worthy rival," Megumin said, nodding to herself as she went back to cleaning the floor of the Great Hall.
"Less talking, more scrubbing," Filch snarled, stomping into the room. "Can't leave you lot alone for five bloody minutes to visit the WC."
Once Flich stomped off again, muttering to himself, Dust whispered, "May the best Adventuring party win! This will be fun!"
"How can you even say that?!" Draco demanded. "She's a blood traitor!"
"You know, I never really got what a blood traitor even is," Dust mused as he wiped down one of the long benches. "Like, how come it's so bad if your parents are muggles?"
"Because their blood is impure!" Draco argued.
"Well, then they should just take a blood restorative, fix them right up," Dust said with a shrug.
Dust gave Kazuma an incredulous look, but the other boy was glaring daggers at Megumin.
"That treasure is ours, you hear!?" Kazuma snarled."You tricked me, Megumin! You knew that frog was there and you set me up!"
"You're the one who pushed me out of the way, Scumzuma," Megumin said with a shrug.
"Don't bother talking to her, Kazuma. You know she's the sworn enemy of our families," Draco urged.
"Why? Didn't she rescue us from being oppressed by You-Know-Who? He imperioused our entire families, you know," Dust commented.
Both Dust and Draco stopped what they were doing and gave Dust looks of utter disbelief.
"Right, how did you even get into Slytherin?" Draco demanded, throwing down his rag in disgust.
"Well, the Hat said I should really be in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, but then I sang the 'Muggle Baiting Song' like my older sister taught me and it immediately put me in Slytherin!" Dust said happily. "Which is brilliant because you two are my best mates."
"You are, without a doubt, the worst Slytherin ever," Kazuma said in disgust. "How is that cunning?! Where's your ambition!?"
Dust considered this. "Well, I'd really like to fly on a dragon."
"We know," Draco and Kazuma said together, then glared at one another.
"Ah! A rival that is a dragon rider! That is a properly interesting thing to aspire to!" Megumin told Dust. "Keep this up and you'll be my number one rival!"
Dust's chest swelled with pride, and he beamed at Kazuma and Draco. "You lot hear that? I'm her number one rival! How's that for cunning and ambition?"
"You're hopeless," Kazuma sighed. Draco just shook his head and went back to working.
A few days after their shared detention came the day that everyone had been dreading.
Megumin got her wand back.
"Now, I want to emphasize that you are to be responsible with this, young lady," McGonagall said as she returned the wand. "That means no trying to kill yourself, or anyone else. And no creativity when it comes to spells. Cast them properly, or not at all."
It was either a mark of how badly Megumin wanted her wand back, or a sign of her growing maturity that she simply nodded meekly and said, "Yes, ma'am."
Oh, who am I kidding? She just wanted to get somewhere private before practicing her explosions.
However, before Megumin could sneak off to the Forbidden Forest and turn it into the Cautionary Crater, she was cornered by her friends.
"Look, Megumin, Ron's first game is tomorrow, and we need to do something special for him," Hermione said, planting herself in front of Megumin not far from McGonagall's office.
"Why? It's just sports, and flying is dumb," Megumin protested.
"You only say that because flying is the only thing you're not top of the class at," Darkness told her.
"R-Ron's our friend, a-and we should s-support him," Yunyun said.
"Hmph. Well, you can't make me go to a dumb sports game," Megumin declared, sticking her nose in the air.
Hermione sighed, then held up one of Megumin's charms books. "We found a spell that will let us light off a series of explosions to spell out Ron's name."
"Well why didn't you say so!? If you were intending to celebrate the sport with an explosion of course we have to do it!" Megumin declared, seizing the book. She quickly glanced it over, then frowned. "This isn't confringo."
"No, it's pompari," Hermione explained. "We got Flitwich to agree to teach us how to do it properly for the match."
"Mostly by telling him it was that or you would try to use confringo," Darkness admitted.
"Hmmm. Well, I was going to suggest we try to steal the treasure during the quidditch match…" Megumin weighed her desire to explore a dungeon and find a fantastic treasure, and her desire to blow stuff up. In the end, she went with her gut.
"Very well, I will consent to attend this quidditch game, so long as we get to produce a variety of interesting fireworks," Megumin agreed.
They ended up practicing down by the lake with Flitwick for a few hours. He showed the four girls a variety of ways to conjure up colorful sparks, which would launch into the air, then detonate into a desired image or phrase.
"Most beginners can only manage a few colorful blasts, but a dab hand can do something more impressive," Flitwick explained. Then he launched a blue streak into the air, which exploded into an azure eagle that spread its wings and cawed definitely, before exploding again.
"Well, it's not as interesting as a confringo," Megumin said, but then she nodded. "It is, however, a suitably interesting spell. As the Foremost Genius of the Crimson Demon Clan, it is my duty to master it!"
After an afternoon of practice, Hermione was able to conjure up a series of fireworks that spelled out, 'Ron-stoppable', while Yunyun could create an image of a red haired boy on a broom catching the golden snitch. Darkness could only manage a few small sparklers, and only that after a great deal of practice. Even then, half the time her spell simply fizzled out, much to her chagrin.
As for Megumin...well…
*KA-BOOM!*
"Bwahahahah!" Megumin cackled, pointing to the massive blast that had appeared to be a second sun over the lake for a brief moment. "How many points for that explosion!?"
"Er, that is certainly impressive, Ms Potter," Flitwick said, wincing and sticking a finger in his ringing ears to wiggle around a bit. He yawned and popped his ear drums after the overpressure. "The point, however, is generally to make a beautiful or creative display, not simply the largest blast."
"Perhaps for others! I, however, have realized the combat potential of this spell!"
"B-but it's not for combat, it's for Ron!" Yunyun protested.
"If Ron is assaulted by a mysterious curse while on his broom, then my spell shall save him by shattering the foe's concentration!" Megumin bragged.
"Well, just don't go trying to blow up the quidditch pitch. Limit the size of your blasts, please," Flitwich ordered.
Megumin looked like she wanted to protest, but glares from Hermione and Darkness convinced her otherwise.
The next morning, Ron decided to have a small panic attack before the game, locking himself in the boy's bathroom.
"Ron, you have to come out some time!" Hermione shouted through the door.
"I bloody well don't!" Ron called back. "You lot are just all waiting to see me fall off my broom!"
"Don't worry, I have mastered Wingardium Leviosa! You shall not fall and die," Megumin assured Ron.
"Oh, brilliant, thanks! But I'll never catch the snitch!" Ron's voice came back.
"So? It's just a stupid sports match," Megumin said. Hermione gave her a disgusted look, and Darkness cuffed the back of Megumin's head.
"W-what Megumin means i-is we've been practicing cheers for you, Ron!" Yunyun said. "W-we believe in you!"
"Why are you even rooting for me? We're playing Hufflepuff!" Ron demanded.
"Um, um, I-I just w-want e-everyone to have a good time, a-and-" Yunyun looked flustered and confused, uncertain of what to say.
"Just leave me alone! Fred and George are certain to poison me or something! Those rotters will probably try to hit me with the bludgers too!"
"Just leave him alone," Megumin sighed. "I'm hungry. We can come back later."
"W-we could go in and get him?" Yunyun offered.
"What?! No! It's the BOYS loo!" Hermione cried, scandalized.
"What's the matter, Dursley?" Draco called as the Three Stooges went past. "Can't read the sign? I thought they would have at least taught someone like you to read."
"No! Ron's just in there and won't come out!" Megumin snapped. "You should go in there and get him!"
"Why? It would be hilarious if Gryffindor loses tomorrow because their seeker's too chicken to come out," Kazuma laughed.
"Chicken!" Dust agreed, then made some clucking sounds.
The bathroom door slammed open, and a red faced Ron stalked out, his nostrils flaring. "What did you say about me?"
"That you're chicken," Dust supplied. "On account of you hiding in the bathroom like a little girl."
Both Kazuma and Draco winced as Megumin spun about. "What did you just say?!"
"Well, I figured, since I'm your rival, maybe Kazuma should be Ron's rival," Dust explained. "Don't know about the other three. Honestly, it's not very fair that there's five of you and only three of us."
"Hmm, Kazuma does seem like proper minion material," Megumin mused.
"That's not important!" Ron glared at the three Slytherins. "I'll show you how to be a proper seeker! And I didn't even have to try to use my family's money and influence to get on the team!"
"Yeah, but with whatever piece of crap broom you're sure to be on, you're going to end up looking like an idiot," Draco cackled.
Ron blushed, but didn't say anything. "Come on. I'm hungry. Gotta eat well before the big game."
At breakfast, Megumin noticed something amiss. "Hold on now. Normally there's only four red heads, but now there's five!"
"Charlie!" Ron gasped, running over to the table.
The lanky boy with his hair tied back in a ponytail stood up to give his little brother a hug. "Hey, Ronnie! Heard you took over my spot on the team, so I came to see the game!"
"Really? You came all the way from Romania?" Ron asked, his eyes shining as he scrubbed at his face.
"'Course I did! And, well, don't tell anyone else, but the rest of the family is coming too," Charlie told Ron.
"Mummy never came to any of our games!" Fred protested.
"Truely, we are an oppressed lot," George agreed.
"Oh grow up, you two. You weren't the youngest Seeker in a century," Percy said with a grunt. He managed a smile in Ron's direction. "You'll be brilliant, you'll see."
"I couldn't agree more!"
The group turned to see a smiling stranger approaching, dressed in green and yellow quidditch robes, a broom over her shoulder. Ron let out a gasp, going beat red, and hastily smoothing out his somewhat rumpled robes. "M-miss Fortuna!"
"I told you, call me Chris!" the girl laughed, reaching out and rumpling Ron's hair. "Charlie told me your game was today, and I thought I'd come by! Got to cheer on my 'puffs, even if I'm not Seeker anymore."
"Well, I'm glad I don't have to play against you," Ron said fervently. "I've been following your games! You've caught the snitch every game for the Harpies this season!"
"Hey, it's like I always say, better to be lucky than good!" Chris chuckled. She turned to the rest of the group. "Heya, Darkness."
"Auntie Chris!" Darkness cried, coming forward and giving the older girl a hug. Despite the fact that she was seven years younger, she was already taller.
"Oof, are they feeding you skelegrow in the food here?" Chris teased. She broke their embrace, regarding the others. "Well, I have a good guess as to who you are, but why don't you two introduce me to your friends?"
Before Ron or Darkness could say anything, Megumin struck a pose. "Behold! The one who stands before you is none other than the Girl-Who-Lived, Megumin! Foremost genius of the Crimson Demon Clan!"
"A-and I am Y-Yunyun, F-foremost Friend of the Crimson Demon Clan!"
"What's an innocent Hufflepuff like you doing hanging out with these crazy lions?" Chris laughed.
Yunyun blushed and looked down, unable to respond to this stranger.
"Oh, don't be like that. I'm sure we'll be famous friends, Yunyun," Chris said, bending slightly so her eyes were on a level with Yunyun's, and gently tilting her head up. "I'm just glad that Ron has someone around to be a good influence on him."
Gasping, Yunyun looked up, her red eyes glowing with excitement. "Y-you mean it?"
"Sure! Though I do hope you and Megumin here learn to play quidditch. Best sport in all the multiverse if you ask me."
"Have you been to many other universes?" Hermione asked skeptically.
Chris laughed at that, and stood up. "I suppose it's just a figure of speech, but a girl has to have some hobbies. And who are you then?"
"I'm Hermione Granger. And you must be Chris Fortuna. Ron's mentioned that you were the best Seeker in the history of Hogwarts. I read about you; you caught the snitch in every game you played, for five years running."
"Ah, it was just luck!" Chris laughed. She punched Charlie's arm. "This big lug managed to beat my team our last year though! I swear, Weasley, if we'd just had a couple of chasers who could compete with those girls…"
"Despite what you seem to think, Quidditch is a team sport. Ron knows that. And he won't go catching the snitch until his team is good and ready for him to do it," Charlie said, resting a hand on Ron's shoulder.
Ron blushed and nodded. "I-I'll do my best."
"Well, I think I have something here that will help you do it a sight better." Chris took the broom off of her shoulder, and handed it over to Ron. "They gave me a Nimbus 2000 when I joined the League, so I won't be needing my old 1900 any more."
Ron reached out with trembling hands to take the broom, then paused and licked his lips. "This...this isn't charity, is it?"
"Nah! I'm a family friend! Think of me as your fun auntie giving you an old hand-me-down!" Chris said, tossling Ron's hair. "Besides, I told your folks, they think it's a brilliant idea! Though this does mean I don't owe you a Christmas present, you hear?"
Ron nodded dumbly, looking down at the broom in his hands, then gently stroking the wood. "A real Nimbus 1900…"
"We'll take it out for a spin after breakfast," Charlie assured Ron. "You can-"
"Charlie!? You're back!? You're off the team Ron," Wood said, hurrying over to the breakfast table.
"I'm only here to watch Ron play, Oliver," Charlie said, rolling his eyes.
"Oh." Wood considered this, then turned to Chris. "I don't suppose-"
"If you think for one moment that I'm mad enough to fly under you, Oliver, I have some bottomland to sell you. No asking what it's on the bottom of," Chris said, folding her arms over her chest.
"Ah well, can't blame me for trying. You're back on the team, Ron," Oliver said.
"Thanks. Always nice to feel appreciated," Ron grumbled.
Megumin glanced at Ron, then at Oliver, and then she smirked. Ron caught the expression, and attempted to turn and block Megumin, but it was far too late.
"BEHOLD!" Megumin cried, grabbing Ron by the arm and hauling him atop the breakfast table. "I DECLARE THAT RONALD BILIUS WEALSLEY IS THE FOREMOST SEEKER OF THE CRIMSON DEMON CLAN, HE WHO SHALL CAPTURE THE GOLDEN SNITCH, AND PROVE THE SUPERIORITY OF THE CRIMSON DEMON CLAN AT QUIDDITCH!"
Megumin poked Ron in the ribs and growled, "Now pose, and introduce yourself!"
Ron sighed, but raised the broom over his head. "Behold, I am-"
"LOUDER!" Megumin ordered.
"BEHOLD!" Ron roared. "I AM RON WEALSEY AND I'M GOING TO BE THE BEST BLOODY SEEKER IN THE CRIMSON DEMON CLAN OR THE WHOLE WEALSEY FAMILY AND GOD ONLY KNOWS THERE'S A LOT OF US SO YOU'D BEST BE PREPARED!"
"Ronald!" a scandalized voice called from the entrance of the great hall.
Ron winced, and slowly turned around to find three more redheads had come in. "Er, hello, mum. Dad. Gin."
"Don't tell me you found a girlfriend," the ginger girl said, sounding exasperated.
"What?! NO!" Ron and Megumin shouted at the same time, turning and giving each other a disgusted look.
"She's bloody mental!" Ron protested, pointing at Megumin.
"He's a muscle headed moron who likes SPORTS!" Megumin pointed out.
"Ahem."
Both children winced, and turned to face the head table, where McGonanagall was giving them a baleful look.
"As thrilled as I am to see that new broom, Mr. Weasley, I would hate to take points from our Seeker before your first day. Kindly step down off the table."
"Yes ma'am," Ron agreed, and hopped down.
"I say, what exactly was that?" The older man who had to be Ron's father said as he came over. He gave Ron a quick hug, but looked rather amused as he did so.
"Er, dad, this is Megumin. She's my friend," Ron explained.
"I have adopted Ron as my sidekick," Megumin said smugly.
"I'm more like your minder to keep you from blowing us all up," Ron snapped.
Chris let out a snort of laughter, and had to turn away as she developed a sudden case of hiccups.
"Are you really Megumin Potter?" Gin the Weasley Girl asked, looking at Megumin with interest.
"Yes," Megumin agreed, posing. "You may call me the Girl-Who-Lived, for my renown has spread far and wide across the land."
"Just call her Megumin," Ron sighed. "You call her anything else and she'll get an even fatter head than she does now."
"Well, I hope this young woman isn't leading you into trouble, Ronald," his mother said, fussing with his robes. "I've had letters from Percy."
Ron went slightly pale. "Oh. Um, well-"
"Well, nevermind that. We are so very proud of you," his mother said, bending down to give Ron a tight hug. "I know how much you adore quidditch, and I know you'll be a great Seeker, just like your brother."
"Thanks," Ron said, looking a bit mollified.
There was another round of introductions, then they sat down to eat.
"Do parents often come to visit Hogwarts?" Hermione asked Mr. Weasley.
"Not typically, but I took the day off work to see Ron play," Mr. Weasley explained. "I tried out for the quidditch team when I was a boy in Gryffindor, but I never did make it. Ron's mother was the quidditch player."
"Believe it or not, I was a chaser back in my day," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling fondly at Ron. "Seems quidditch runs in our blood."
After breakfast, the Weasleys and Chris went out to do a bit of flying on Ron's new broom, and the four girls tagged along to watch.
"H-hi," Yunyun said, timidly waving to Ginny, who was walking at the back of the Weasley group. "I-I...I…"
"If you've got something to say, just say it," Ginny said bluntly, which made Yunyun blush and take a step back.
"She's just shy," Darkness said, putting a steadying hand on Yunyun's shoulder. "Go on, you can do it."
"D-do you...w-want to be...f-friends?" Yunyun asked, her eyes glowing slightly.
Ginny frowned at Yunyun. "Why?"
Yunyun blinked, taken aback. "Um, well...b-because...I-I know your brother…"
"Well, I'm not Ron. Just because you know him doesn't mean you know me," Ginny said, turning away and sticking her nose up in the air.
"Ah, you have a sibling rivalry, as I and Yunyun once had!" Megumin laughed.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Please. Ron's probably my favorite brother, but it is boring at the Burrow now that he's gone. At least now I don't have to worry about him using all the hot water in the mornings. But don't go thinking I'm just another Weasley."
"W-well, e-even i-if you are a different person, I-I'd still want to be f-friends…" Yunyun mumbled.
"Well we can hardly be friends when I'm not even here yet. Ugh. I wish I could come this year. Maybe then we would be friends," Ginny complained.
"W-well we c-can be friends soon! Y-you'll be here n-next year, right?" Yunyun offered.
"Obviously. I mean if they let Lalatina Longbottom in I'm a shoo in," Ginny said with a shrug.
"I-I prefer to go by Darkness now."
"Well I prefer to go by the Amazing Wonder Girl," Ginny said, rolling her eyes again.
"That is not bad for a title, but you shall have to earn your epitaph," Megumin stated.
"Don't you mean epithet?" Hermione demanded. "An epitaph is what you put in an obituary."
"Well, if she does well enough, she will write many obituaries for her foes!" Megumin huffed.
Ginny missed half a step, looking at Megumin incredulously. "You know, Percy mentioned 'Mad Potter' in his letters but I thought he was exaggerating."
"Madness is merely a sign that you are too much of a genius for the world to handle," Megumin cackled.
"Uh-huh," Ginny said, then smiled sweetly. "Well, I'd best catch up with my family."
After a couple of hours of flying, Ron seemed fairly comfortable on his new broom. Wood hustled him away before lunch, saying that he "had to memorize the game plan."
"Of course Wood would come up with some crack-brained scheme," Charlie sighed as Ron was led away. "He was always pushing me to come up with all sorts of maneuvers."
"Well it must have worked, because you lot always outscored us no matter how quickly I caught the snitch," Chris said with a shrug.
Despite her lack of enthusiasm for sports, Megumin had to admit that she enjoyed the pageantry of the quidditch match. Students dressed up, with roaring lion hats and boxing badgers, bright colorful scarves, and flashing signs proclaiming their team's superiority. The large stands towered into the sky, but were soon filled with both the student body and no small number of visitors and enthusiasts.
Yunyun got some strange looks for sitting in the Gryffindor stands, but most of the students seem to have accepted that someone had to keep an eye on Megumin and if Ron was otherwise occupied, Yunyun was the next best option.
Even before the teams made their way out onto the pitch, the cheering and jeering began. The Hufflepuffs were highly coordinated, with enchanted placards and signs that the students would hold up in unison so that a badger could run across, chasing away a cowardly lion figure. They also started singing "The Badger Beats Them All" and other favorite quidditch songs, just as though they had practiced them (which they had).
The Gryffindors were far less uniform, but they made up for their lack of cohesion with sheer spontaneity and passion. Several Seventh year students had brought a large lion puppet that roared and danced it's way above the stands, and a few other students conjured up glowing badgers to toss at the lion, which it happily ate.
"Should we do our bit now?" Hermione asked, looking around at the crowd.
"No, wait until the most dramatically appropriate moment," Megumin ordered.
At last, the Hufflepuff team made their way out onto the pitch as Lee Jordan the announcer gave their names and positions, which Megumin ignored. Then, it was time for the Gryffindor team. Wood came out first as team Captain, followed by the three chasers, then Fred and George. Last came Ron, and it was then that Megumin made her move.
"NOW!" Megumin ordered, and shouted, "Pompari MAXIMA!"
A massive shower of fireworks erupted over the Gryffindor stand, causing most of the students to dive for cover under their seats. One of the Hufflepuff chasers even fell off of her broom, though thankfully she was only a meter or so above the ground and didn't have far to fall.
When the smoke cleared, burning letters could be seen in the sky.
RON WEASLEY; FOREMOST SEEKER OF THE CRIMSON DEMON CLAN, AND HE WHO WILL ONE DAY BE THE GREATEST SEEKER OF THE CENTURY
"That's not bad, actually," Darkness said, nodding her approval.
"You overdid that initial blast, but that is quite nice," Hermione agreed.
There was the sound of muffled laughter, and Megumin glazed over at Chris, who was doubled up. She appeared to have had another hiccup fit.
"Oh Eris," Chris giggled. "Never change, Megumin! Never change!"
"MISS POTTER!"
Madam Hooch swooped up on her broomstick, looking thunderous. "What in the name of Morgana's Sacred Staff was THAT!?"
"That," Megumin said, "Was a fireworks display in support of my good friend Ron."
"Um, P-Professor Flitwick taught us," Yunyun added.
"Well, don't do something like that AGAIN. A few sparklers are fine, but don't bloody well go trying to murder everyone here!" Hooch ordered.
"Yes ma'am," Megumin agreed. Then she tapped her chin with her wand. "Though, for reference, just how big of a sparkler-"
"Accio Potter's Wand," Madam Hooch snarled, and Chunchumaru soared out of Megumin's hand to Madam Hooch's. After a moment's contemplation, she confiscated the other's as well. "You can have them back after the match. What was Flitwick THINKING?"
Megumin settled down, feeling both satisfied at the Explosion and peeved that her wand was gone again, even if only for a short time.
Naturally, no one noticed until later that the blast had caused a bit of the roof of the castle to collapse. Specifically, one large chunk that had fallen down and hit one Quirinus Quirrell. He would be fine, not even visiting the infirmary, but he did break an arm and a leg. Which resulted in him being unable, no matter how harassed he was, to make it up to the Third Floor Corridor that day.
So once again, instead of a reward, Megumin got another week's worth of detentions for saving the world.