Hogwarts: Year Seven - A New Age [IC/OPEN]

[Arlye Austros]

Isolde

She nodded. “Thanks! We do need a Beater, though…” She said. Isolde needed to set her priorities and use assets. She walked towards David. ”Are you ready with you gear? I was never good at Broom-picking, and frankly, that shelf looks depressive already.” She jested. “Think you could get a decent one for me? I will go out there and find us somebody.” She asked with a pleading smile standing by her boyfriend. “Thanks, hun.” She then kissed him in the cheek and turned towards the exit, not leaving her boyfriend any time to refuse. Yet, she glanced at Andrew on her way out.

“I trust Forester is no Romanian Seeker. Frankly, I don’t think he will do great if its windy or if he has to dive suddenly. Weight wins there, so use that.”
With that she walked outside and looked at a clock in the passage separating both locker rooms. Less than ten minutes. She ran off into the side-entrance, and towards the access to the grandstands.
Why did their beater have to die? Well, he hadn’t. Thomas was in St. Mungo still, probably for long enough to kill his Quidditch career. Some people looked at her as she passed through the influx of spectators, probably wondering what a non-flying Chaser was doing there.

“Where are you guys gathering?” She asked a group of female students wearing the Hufflepuff colours and giggling by the entrance to the passage under the Grandstands.
“West corner… Shouldn’t you be down there?”
“Yes, I should…” She muttered and rushed towards a side access, then climbing the wooden stairs under the beams that held the stands. She then took the upper lane that circumvented the north-western side of the Pitch, a wooden balcony that ran twenty metres above the Grounds. She dodged a couple of Slytherins and continued. She vaguely heard Raph’s voice somewhere on the stands above, but kept moving, dodged again and reached the Western access, a small stairwat leading to the opening, and again into the sunlight.

She looked around and assessed the situation. Who could make a good beater? There was Verus-Black, a third-Year who showed some promise last year. Lovewood could also do it… Muggleborns? She turned towards a bunch of Hufflepuffs who chatted, huddled in a group. Dawkins, Lineu… none would do. She could only rely on bulk, but not too much bulk.
“Salgado!” She walked towards Ricardo, who had been sitting and contemplating… something. “We need somebody to fill in for the day as Beater. Can you fly?” She vaguely remembered he could. But Isolde failed to get any mental picture of Ricardo on the air. He had, however, put up some mass during summer, somehow. Ricardo, however, didn’t seem too convinced.

“Huh… Beater? Don’t know… Don’t think I’ve ever made the position.”
“We just need one for a day. Tobe honest, we just need somebody to cover us both numerically and literally. If you can beat a Bludger mid air and keep doing it for a time that will be good enough”

Again, Ricardo hesitated. “I can… But I am not a great flyer and… especially at altitudes.”
That could still work, somewhat. “Keep low and climb only when you need to. Shouldn’t be too bad.”
There was another hesitation, then he nodded. “Well, I might as well experience Quidditch once before we graduate, right?”
“Right… Head down to the lockers on the Northern access. The others should be there. I believe the gear we had for our failing Beater should fit you. He was Fourth, but rather large.”

Isolde then turned. She needed to fill in a new list of players for both Caitie and Hooch. Ricardo stood up and followed her into the stairs. She told him to continue north, and she headed south. Sadly for her, it was the upper ring, so it was a longer trek. “At least this is a good warm-up.” She gasped as she could see the stairs leading up through the southern tower. She quickly glanced at the field, and Madame Hootch seemed to walk through the grass. Probably she was checking the conditions of the terrain one last time. Two minutes before the first call, at most. Isolde climbed.

“Caitie! Hold!” She said, gasping. Isolde appeared on the booth, leaning on a wall. “I swear next time I am getting a broom instead of running.” She muttered. “Salgado’s is covering as Beater instead of Horace Falkland. Can you let Madame Hooch know? I’ve got to run!”

With that Isolde went back down. She would have to meet the team on the field. Hopefully David would bring her a broom.

[United Democratic Christian States]

David

It was finally game time. While it felt odd to be playing quidditch on just the second day of the year, David did not mind. Test were at the end of the month and he could use the distraction. Besides it was just an exhibition against the Lions. No harm is done with a loss.

He stood in the locker room clutching his firebolt supreme his parents had gotten him a year earlier. He was confident he could outpace Derek in his first game as Seeker but atlas that was not meant to be once Andrew told him the news that Derek had received Rachels Thunderbolt.

"Fuck" was all that managed to escape his lips by the time Isolde marched in looking like she was on a mission.

"Damn Luv, you definitely got yourself in a pickle" he said with a chuckle as Adam explained the museum that was the spare broom collection, and Isolde proceeding to take a seat next to him, act helpless and use her "charm" to "persuade" him to find her a broom.

"You are lucky your cute Luv!" he yelled jokingly as she left to go find a Beater and he went to his locker to release his NImbus 2020 from its dust collecting prison.

"cute enough to ride my broomstick anyway" he finished slyly, loud enough for Adam and Andrew to hear.

[Triassica]

Raphael Raymond

Raphael shrugged at the question of Avery's motive. "That is why I doubt that it could be him." He replied, "However, one motive could be that Avery dislikes muggleborns enough for him to think that its best to somehow "polish" Alex's image by getting rid of any positive association he may have had with them, including me. If that's the case, though he did a piss poor job at it, leaving quite the paper trail as well as the memories of everyone else who knew Alexander."

"As for Caitie..." Raphael shrugged again, not exactly sure. "All I have is Ricardo's word that it's somehow she who have done it and I don't think he is one who has any talents in memory charms. Or does he?"

[Miekzhemy]

Andrew/Adam

To the two boys sitting on the bench, it wasn't necessarily surprising for David's mind to be practically living in the gutter. It was more remarkable that Isolde didn't catch that. She would've skinned him alive! Andrew, seeming somewhat amused, slowly shook his head. "Christ..." he muttered beneath his breath.

Adam however, in a fine display of both his and David's shared maturity, snorted aloud.

"Haha! Wow!" he cackled, clapping his hands for a second. "That was terrible! Resign from seeker, immediately!"

He was obviously joking. Andrew eventually patted Adam on the shoulder to get his attention. He turned, seeing the team's keeper stand from the bench, his padding now all strapped on.

"C'mon then," Andrew said, making for the door with his broomstick in hand. He fought off the urge to laugh with him. "We're about to start..."

Rachel

Raphael apparently wasn't the only one suspecting Caitie to have been the one tampering with his head. Though Rachel wouldn't have been surprised if she found that to be true, she dreaded it.

"I have no idea..." she said, half her attention seeming to be on the pitch. "But even if he did, what would drive Ricardo to faff about with your memory?"

It now left her rather conflicted. On one end, she could easily suggest Caitie was full of rubbish - using Avery as a scapegoat thanks to everyone's mutual disdain for the man. But what good would it serve? She'd rip him limb from limb if he gave her enough reason to. And that'd only make things bad for all parties involved. But why would Caitie even bother with him in the first bloody place? Usually she never pulled such things without having a reason beforehand. Rachel sighed, reaching up to run her good hand through the witch's long hair. She'd have to tread carefully...

"Frankly, I'm just trying to think of anyone that'd have a reason..." Rachel shrugged. "Was that all Caitie told you--? Oh, it's starting."

Madam Hooch exited the lockers with her own broom clutched in one hand, and a rattling box in the other. With the cheers of the waiting students erupting from the stands, she began to march onto the pitch.

[Arlye Austros]

Ricardo


He wasn’t even sure how long they had before the match started, but given Isolde’s rush he imagined not too long, so Ricardo continued his pace across the passage and finally reached the stairway, needing to slow down as more students were going the other way, particularly Slytherins who seemed to side with Hufflepuff on this one.

“What am I doing indeed?” he asked himself. When was the last time he got on a broom? Well, he had taken flight back home, but that was different. Now it was quidditch, and he was afraid of heights. He reached the gap across the northern edge of the Pitch and entered the Locker rooms, outside the boy’s room he passed by Adam. He didn’t exchange a word, as they seemed about to begin, and he could hear the cheering crowd erupting out there.

“OK, busca… ” He muttered as he quickly glanced upon the lockers he passed by, and searched for what he recalled a Beater’s gear looked like. In a minute he found it. A padded vest and cap, obviously meant for beaters, along other lighter garments. Luckily he was alone. Ricardo quickly changed, trying to be as close as possible what a Beater was supposed to look like.

“I have to be crazy.” He then looked around, and cursed once before actually finding spare brooms on a stand at the corner. Most seemed outdated or damaged at least by some degree. Ricardo’s eyes passed between brooms, trying to guess which one would serve him with quick climbs. Finally he simply picked one that looks in fairly good conditions. It has the letters <<A.W.>> carved on the stick followed by a golden centaur. It had a pronounced upwards curve on the front and was made of dark ash. Ricardo hoped that would do, as he grabbed the broomstick and laid it on the wall. He then summoned it up, and it responded well enough.

“This ought to do…” he turned towards the exit, hoping he wasn’t late. “Idiot!” After cursing once more, Ricardo went back into the rack, quickly picking up a bat.

[Miekzhemy]

(Part 1) Co-written with several players

Dramatis Personae

Rachel Ackerley - Miekzhemy
Caitie Glacies - Britanania
Derek Forester - Skylus
Madi Goodwill - Skylus
Raphael Raymond - Triassica
Ricardo Salgado - Arlye Austros
Isolde Grenwald - Arlye Austros
David Hendricks - UDCS
Adam Tarkin - Miekzhemy
Andrew Bishop - Miekzhemy
Ed Wilson - Segral

---

Quidditch Pitch

Caitie looked out onto the Quidditch pitch with a dulled expression, and the young woman resisted the urge to let out a yawn as the teams prepared. The entire multitude of the school, it seemed, had gathered into the stands, the excitement palpable.

'Panem et circenses...' she thought until Madam Hooch exited the locker rooms, sending the cue, as it were, for Caitie to begin.

"Good afternoon everyone," Caitie's voice, practically monotone, rang out across the pitch and stands. "Welcome to the Quidditch Exhibition between the Gryffindor Lions and Hufflepuff Badgers. Although not counting towards the coveted Inter-House Cup, this match, I have little doubt, will be played with the utmost sportsmanship from both teams."

As Caitie’s words resonated through the Pitch, Isolde seemed to emerge on the southern grandstands, just below Caitie’s vantage point. She hopped down and then leapt over the edge towards the very field, jogging through the grass towards the other side, where she hoped the rest of the team would be ready. She said something aloud, but nobody would have heard.

Derek was looking up at the goal hoops from near the Lions grandstand. “...Okay... um....” He turned back to look at the others. “Hello. Not even day two and we have a game. Wonderful isn’t it?”

Meanwhile, Andrew was the first of the gold-dressed players to exit the Hufflepuff lockers, marching out into that far side of the pitch. Adam trailed behind him, emerging at his side to take in the excited cheers of the spectators waiting for the match to start. They waited patiently by the door. Andrew looked over with a taunting grin.

"Try not to let Angus knock your block off again, yeah?"

"Hey, we don't talk about that, remember?" Adam fired back. He leaned against the wall of the wooden building, idly tapping the end of his broomstick on the dirt. Where was Isolde? Though he was confident that momentarily letting her and David take the reigns in his place would be no issue, part of him was beginning to grow worried, despite how laid-back he appeared. Soon enough, though, he finally saw Isolde returning from her quest to obtain some last minute replacements.

"Oh there she is-- Hey, Is!" Adam called as she approached. "We got everything?"

Isolde gave up her pace a bit, hearing Adam's voice and nodding at it. "Yeah. We should be set." She then turned to David.

"Did you get me a broom?"

David followed Adam and Andrew down to the pitch when it was about time to start the match. Where they met back up with Isolde.

“Sure thing, luv.” he said holding out his old nimbus. “Figured you’d want something better than a museum piece”

---

Raphael shrugged at Rachel, even more unsure after all that she said. What reason would someone have to erase his memory of Alexander? "I honestly don't know. Unless someone thought they were being helpful by making me forget about him? But what would give someone that idea?" He leaned forward and began to watch the game as it started.

"I could think of a certain blonde or two that'd get that idea..." Rachel almost unintentionally murmured out loud, albeit likely out of earshot thanks to the clamour of the crowd of students around them. Still, though, the witch sneered at the thought. It certainly sounded like something she'd do.

She would've went on, but found herself momentarily distracted by...

"What the fuck are those pillocks doing...?"

Meanwhile, from the opposite end of the field to Raphael and Rachel, a tall, black, precariously swaying structure was poking out of the ever-growing crowd, the top crowned with a shiny glimmer of brass. It was like a pyramid of Giza gone all wrong. Really, it was more Leaning Tower of Pisa than Giza, and everybody within twenty feet was harboring a slight apprehension at the thought of breaking the tower's fall if it was to collapse. Everybody inside held the same fear.

Because, the tower was not made of stone, or brick, or even wood. No, it was made of people. A Ravenclaw human pyramid.

"W-why...why are we doing this again?!" whimpered a small, mousy 4th year at the third level of the pyramid who looked ready to go purple with the strain of multiple humans on his back.

"Because...." Ed hissed back, his own body crouched over at the edge of the second level. "All the good team players are leaving Hogwarts soon. Me, Blickey, Wright too. We need to get the first and second and third years into training as soon as they can, and part of that involves watching the game, taking notes on the g--"

"Yeah, but...why do we have to do this?" stiffly replied a large girl at the bottom. "Why can't they just watch the game like everyone else?"

"You need to be level with the players to get the experience, to really get how they move." Ed shot back, jerking his thumb to his right as he spoke. "Ask Arslan, we voted on it."

"It was 4-3, and you were the decider." Arslan muttered back, leading to another clamor of protest from the bottom of the pyramid.

"Shut up! I checked, this was how Ravenclaw won that championship back in 1999! And 2004! It'll work, you watch!"

"Woaaah, this is amazin'!" chirped a second-year boy from the top of the pyramid, practically leaning on his belly out at the arena with the heavy camera in the edge of his fingertips, dials and folds working in double time.

"Watch where you stick that, it took me an hour to charm that thing!"

---

"Excellent!" She smiled and held the broom. "Then let's get ourselves up in the air, do some laps to warm-up just a tad, and be ready for the game." She eyed everyone and then glimpsed at the Gryffindors getting ready at a side of the field.

Meanwhile, Ricardo was putting on a leather cap at the very entrance to the field before trotting towards the others. Isolde smiled. "Anyone have any suggestions before we begin?" The Chaser said while mounting the Nimbus David brought her and hovering a foot over the grass.

Adam planted the haft of his broom in the grass, and leaned on it like a sort of cane. He put a hand on his hip, and assessed the gaggle of Gryffindors at the far end of the field, still waiting for Madam Hooch to give the go to take off.

"Well, they look like they've got a bit more fill-ins than we do. Without Rachel, their keeper's probably new. Could get away with being aggressive - hit 'em fast and hard, maybe?" he suggested. After a pause, he clicked his tongue, remembering something. "Oh, and Ricardo--"

Adam jutted the broomstick towards the Lions, looking over to Ricardo for a second. "See that big burly Scot over there. With the bat? Angus MacMoray. They might not have a coordinated defense right now, but that crazy bastard'll put the beat down on you if you aren't careful."

Ricardo nodded after checking on the other team. "Just perfect."

Isolde seemed to agree. "Yes. They might not be in their best fit. We can exploit their mistakes, but we will have to force them. Let's try to keep them on presure as much as we can, but not commit until they come to us or leave their guard down." She looked at the girl who filled-in for Chaser. "We will rely on short passes, trying to hold the Quaffle as much as we can. Fly close to us and keep all eyes open." She then turned to Andrew.

"You will be our eyes too, but above all keep our score above theirs."

"Do my best," Andrew said immediately. He gave Isolde an off-handed, two-fingered salute.

"So we're set, then? Sweet," said Adam again, quickly mounting his own trusty Nimbus that had earned him his fair of snitch catches over the years. No doubt its speed would help him just as much as a Chaser. "I'll stick close and follow your lead, Is."

With that, Adam kicked off and shot up into the sky amidst the roaring crowd. Meanwhile, Madam Hooch eventually made it to the center of the pitch with that so familiar crate, the angry bludgers inside causing it to vibrate erratically as it moved. The aging referee plunked it down on the grass, and gazed up at the announcer's stand. Caitie resisted the urge to yawn. With Hooch looking up at the box, the game was about to start.

"I want a nice, clean game!" Hooch hollared out, a Sonorous Charm from her wand allowing the voice to reach all corners of the Pitch. With a soft kick to the box, it flipped open, sending two bludgers and a quaffle spiraling into the air. Hooch then raised a single gloved hand, and released a snitch from its clutches.

And on cue, the little golden ball shot up into the sky, signalling the start of the game.

"And they're off," Caitie's voice rang out. "The Molten Kitsch is released, and the game has begun."

[Britanania]

Quidditch Exhibition, Part 2

Raphael caught Rachel's words and gave her a quick look. "So you think Caitie is suspect too, huh?" He asked before thinking for a good moment, "Alright I'm going to confront her about it again.'

"And this time..." His eyes narrowed. "I want you to come along with me..."

The witch pondered her next words, finally tearing her eyes off the Ravenclaws' interesting manner of spectating the game. Rachel's lips twisted into a peculiar grin at Raphael's request. She was already regretting saying that. What had she gotten herself into...?

"You..." she began after a sigh, turning her tired gaze to look at him. "You really have no idea who you're talking about here, don't you?"

As soon as he saw the quaffle shoot up into the sky, Adam instantly kicked his broom into high gear. He made a swift dive and, as one of the third years filling in for one of the Lions' chasers made for it, snatched the quaffle in his hand just in time. His golden quidditch robes billowed forward as he momentarily slowed his speed, and reeled his arm back as the chase began.

"Now!" he shouted, hurling the leather ball over the shoulder of another opposing chaser towards Isolde.

Isolde caught the Quaffle and accelerated. She was, however, notably slower, and soon found herself flanked by two Gryffindor Chasers. She changed her direction, passing over the smaller player at her side with a roll, then crossed the field to the other sideline. Rebecca Patil was close, and Isolde decided to feint a pass to her, but instead turned abruptly once more, this time descending to near-ground level while flying back to the Hufflepuff side. She then dodged Ricardo, who was flying low in the opposite direction.

Ricardo decided to stay low and keep an eye on MacMoray. He heard Isolde shouting something as she passed whistling by him and he climbed up towards a Bludger, thinking he was in the right spot to try to shoot it. Luckily for him, he reached it just before feeling his guts spilling, remembering his fear of heights, and Ricardo swung the bat on the ball, which headed towards one of the Gryffindor chasers, forcing them to cease their chase on Isolde.

The witch gestured Adam to regroup on their field and shouted to him once at earshot, as well as Andrew's.

"Tough defense!"

Derek flew up into the air as the other Lions raced off away from him, despite him being captain now, he was still the Seeker... so where....

Derek saw something golden fly past him and he shot off after it.

Meanwhile, Madi was sitting nearby Rachel. “Are you really going to confront Caitie again, Raph?”

"Isolde Grenwald has caught the waffle," Caitie's voice rang out across the howls and cheers of the fans. "And managed to evade her pursuers."

Raphael gave Rachel a look before glancing at Caitie as her voice rang out to announce the game. "I know that she is an exceptionally powerful witch who is not to be trifled with under any circumstances." He replied before looking back at Rachel, "Anything else I don't know about Caitie? She messed with and violated something that she had no business in. What am I supposed to do about that?"

The Hufflepuff managed to organise an offensive through the left side of the field. Soon they accounted for some scores, including one rather pretty-looking point-blank shot Isolde cast on the Gryffindor goals after a nice pass by Adam.

However when the score reached 40-0 things seemed to turn. The Lions closed their gap and soon they were themselves on the offensive. The score was left 60-50 in favour of the red team in what seemed like the blink of an eye for Isolde.

"Ricardo! We need better cover!" She yelled.

Ricardo was passing below Isolde as he heard the order. He had kept a low altitude most of the time. And it was starting to show, as he imagined Caitie was cracking a joke about it.

The Lions charged again, as Isolde seemed to try and stop them. Ricardo decided to go for it, and climbed, keeping a close eye on McMoray, closing it from behind and unseen. Then the Bludger roamed near

A Gryffindor beater went for it, trying to take down Adam, who threatened their charge. Ricardo sallied forward, passing under McMoray and intercepting the Bludger by holding his bat with both hands and swinging like an axe.

There was an acute impact sound before the Bludger crushed directly into the Chaser's chest. Ricardo had intercepted the Bludger before it struck Adam, and instead directed it at McMoray, who was no more than three brooms away.

Isolde couldn't do much still. McMoray hanged from his broom and spiraled down, but the other two Chasers had an advantage, and Andrew was everything in between them and a score.

"Andrew! Go!" She screamed, unable to intercept the attack.

"I said, watch the damn thing!"

"Sorry, mate!" chirped the second-year back, peering away from the camera for a second to look back down at Ed with a thoroughly blushing face. "The bludger got so close to me! I thought I could hear that bloke's rib crack!"

"I don't care if his skull cracks, don't drop the goddamn camera!"

"Maybe there wouldn't be debate over the damn camera if we weren't doing this in the first place!" Arslan growled, teeth-gnashing as another knee drove into his back.

"Wright, you tell him. Isn't this a good idea?"

"...It's not your worst." Luke Cartwright admitted, creating a collective groan from the entire crowd that could probably be heard a few bleachers away. "What?! He's right, the kids need experience, and seeing them at eye level is the best way to do that. Don't you wish somebody would have gotten you that experience when you were still learning to fly? Besides...it's good teambuilding."

"I failed my first year flying classes. Why am I up here?" asked the heavyset girl at the bottom pyramid with an air of growing irritation.

"I mean, I can see why..." Ed whispered to himself, although apparently not quite to himself as he had thought because when he looked down again, he could see the girl's eyes narrowing and her nostrils beginning to flare.

"Alright, that's it. I've had enough of this." the girl yelled, ripping a long birch rod from the inside of her cloak. "If they want to fly, let them fly!"

"No, wait, do--"

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

On queue with her callout, the chaser in question that had slipped past Isolde swiftly slung the quaffle right towards the goal hoop. Shooting forward as fast as his old Cleansweep could carry him, Andrew practically had to leap from the broom in an attempt to reach out for it. And despite being ready for it, it almost seemed like he was about to miss the interception...

"Shit... Shit--! URGH!"

But as he landed back on his broomstick, they saw the quaffle hadn't made it through the goal but instead rested upon his very fingers.

As momentary cheer shot up from a nearby crowd of Hufflepuffs in the stands, Andrew immediately hurled the ball back into play. Despite visibly sweating, he still seemed to have the energy to crack a sly grin at Isolde.

"Piece of cake, yeah?!"

Rachel momentarily stared down at the floor of the stands, and let out a soft sigh. She probably should've seen this coming eventually. Not like she was in any position to stop them anymore...

"Honestly? I don't know..." she grumbled, finally looking up. Her attention was split between Raph and Madi, the game, and that gaggle of Ravenclaws that looked like they were about to bring the stands down. Below it all, however, Rachel seemed like she was trying desperately to pick the right words.

"I...I know her a tad better than most of the people here. Well, I think..." she ran her good hand through her windswept hair. "She's, well...seen things. Things that have really, really seemed to mess her up in the head. Caitie's not just powerful, Raph. I'd almost say she's...dangerous."

"Not a bit..." Isolde muttered as she nodded, turning to face her opponents with the Quaffle in her left hand and still a nervous smile on her face. They needed to tie back the score quickly before their game crumbled.

She advanced, invading Gryffindor air, noticing the other two Chasers behind and three more ahead. Isolde halted her broom, somewhat struggling at it. He then turned, dodging a Bludger and slipping past a red-clad Chaser before signaling Adam and Patil.

"Keep at it! Keep going!" She yelled, passing the ball to Adam as they passed by her.

Meanwhile, Ricardo was struggling, trying to keep a close tag on MacMoray, but the Beater knew his plan and simply stayed away, his broom somewhat faster than his.

Raphael gave Rachel a look as if she had two heads for a moment. It seemed pretty obvious that Caitie wouldn't be one to cross considering her skill in magic. However, the way Rachel spoke gave the muggleborn pause.

"Well, she would have to be dangerous if she is among the most powerful witches to ever attend the school, no?" He asked as the thought lingered, "What sort of dangerous, though? She isn't one to use, say, the unforgivable... right?"

His eyes widened.

"Fuck..."

"Unforgivables? Oh, God no," she gave Raph a dismissive wave of her hand. "She's much more creative than that."

The casual manner in which Rachel said that didn't seem to make things any more encouraging. She leaned back somewhat and, for once since he came up, finally decided to give him all her attention for the time being.

"I can't imagine how it feels. During that battle, when Alex..." Rachel hesitated. "When we...lost him, and how it affected you then - only to forget about it all like there's a gaping hole in your brain or something."

The witch took a moment to think. "I just wonder. If Caitie did it, was it on her own...I don't know-- twisted way of trying to help?"

Isolde had sent the quaffle spiraling through the air, narrowly missing one of the opposing chaser's attempts to snatch it before coming to rest in Adam's arm.

"I got it! I got it!" he shouted, promptly shooting off towards the other end of the pitch. But the Lions were gaining fast, like a miniature mob stampeding after him. He wouldn't make it to the goalpost in time, so he decided to... Wait, where was she? Adam's gaze darted around in an attempt to locate the third chaser to line up a pass.

...unawares to the circular hunk of iron that was spiraling in his direction.

CRACK!

"OUGH--!"

In a remarkable shot that left half the stands cheering and the other half reeling, the bludger that was slugged his way smashed into the haft of Adam's Nimbus. It hit with such force that the sudden shift made him practically faceplant into his own broom. The quaffle shot out of his hand and up into the air for the chasers to fight for yet again, and Adam was left to spiral helplessly to the ground, dazed and knocked silly by the blow.

"GAAAAHAHAHAH!!" came a boisterous cackling from the hulking MacMoray that had just barely managed to recover from his earlier blunder. "SUCK'ET!"

Isolde sped towards the commotion, having seen Adam get a Bludger to his face. Her eyes followed his fall, but in her mind, Isolde recounted the facts only to reckon that the hit had indeed been legal and the match wasn't halted. She aimed to the Quaffle, which was wrestled between Rebecca and the bulk of the Lions' attack bunch. She wouldn't hold it.

"Salgado! Get your bloody game in place! Blatch the bastard if y' got to!" She berated Ricardo as she passed by, then accelerated to break a standoff between the replacement Chaser and another one in red, striking with her body on the ball itself and sending it towards the grass. Isolde glimpsed at Hooch, who seemed unwilling to stop the game. Isolde quickly turned towards the Quaffle, which bounced on the ground. She sped towards it, as another player came from their side of the field, feeling the grass below her knees. She would make it. Perhaps.

Then the opposing chaser extended her hand and Isolde held her breath. Then she was gone, and she grasped the Quaffle. The red Chaser was flying aside, recovering from a scraping Bludger-shot.

"Now I'm coming for you, y' skirt-wearing boke!" Ricardo crossed Isolde's sight as he chased MacMoray. holding the Quaffle, she made a gesture towards Hooch to halt the game and see how Adam was doing.

But Hooch merely waved Isolde off to continue playing. She did, however, whisk herself down towards the floor of the pitch, following behind Adam as he spiraled the rest of the way to the ground. His impact was thankfully somewhat soft, and though he merely flopped over into the grass upon landing, he did not lay motionless.

"Urgh..." Adam let a groan escape his lips as he squirmed on his back. His head was swimming, and a steady dribble of warm blood trickled down his nose. He didn't dare touch it though - he knew that terrible feeling. A mere second after his landing, he heard the sound of another person touching down several feet away. Hooch's voice called out as she marched up, pulling her wand free.

"Still alive, Tarkin?"

"I think so..." his nasally voice responded.

"Chin up. Let me see."

He strained himself to sit up. The aging referee hardly had to examine the boy's face, merely pointing her wand. "Think my nose is--"

"Episkey."

"Augh--! AH!" a gruesome crack preceded his yelp of pain as Adam felt the small bones of his nose snap back into place. He then found himself suddenly able to breathe again. That always stung a bit at first...

"Better?" Hooch asked, readying herself to shoot back up into the sky to keep track of the match. With slight hesitation, Adam gave his referee a thumbs up. With that, Hooch simply nodded, and swiftly pat him on the shoulder. "Good. Up and at 'em, Tarkin."

Hooch waited for Adam to remount his own broomstick before the former took off. With the cobwebs shook loose, Adam eventually followed suit, zipping off to rejoin the game hopefully before his absence could stall the Badgers' performance.

Raphael gave Rachel a look. If Caitie is capable of using the unforgivables and creatively more, then the witch must be off her rocker. Especially if she thought it would help to erase his memory of Alexander.

"Well, that's why I don't want to confront her alone about this." The muggleborn replied, "I can't let this whole thing slide, but I know better than to get myself into a potentially dangerous situation... I know that you are in no shape for this, but do you have any other suggestions?"

Derek was zooming around the pitch, dodging bludgers and various members of either team as he kept his gaze on the flying golden ball. He didn’t know if the Badgers’ Seeker was nearby but he didn’t want to take any chances of the other team winning.

Though, he had to admit that he was stalling, because he didn’t want the match to end. He felt free up here, flying on this gifted broom to his heart’s content.

He saw Adam get hit by a bludger and stopped for a second, before he took off again, rolling in a corkscrew to avoid the same blunder as it flew off towards the Lion pitch. He came up out of the corkscrew and again took off after the Snitch.

Isolde grabbed the Quaffle after getting a pass from Adam. She was in a perfect position. A couple of minutes after the fall they had reorganised their formation into something called "Dangling Crescent". At least that was the name the Lebanese gave it, screening their advance from side to side to create openings. Adam had practiced with this formation, and she only gave Rebecca some basic idea and told her to follow her lead.

It worked! Within a few moments the score had turned again, and they managed to pass the Quaffle through the goals three times in a little over a minute, causing an uproar on the Yellow Benches. She heard Caitie's voice announcing the score was now 180-140 for the Badgers, giving them a solid advantage for the moment.

Ricardo climbed once more after giving a wide turn around the field, covering Isolde on that last shot. Now Gryffindor was charging again, probably to try breaking through Adam and Isolde's mobile defence.

But the boy's eyes were fixed on the Scottsman who led the charge.

He gained altitude, turning to see something else. He passed near Derek, who seemed to scan the field for the Snitch.

"Hello there!" He said as his broom halted mid air and was yanked back towards the ground.

He still was afraid of heights, he discovered, and Ricardo struggled to keep his guts calm as he gained speed. With the side of his left eye, he could see the red charge, but his gaze was now fixed on a Bludger moving fast below him. Just perfect.

The Bludger turned to face Ricardo, climbing towards the player while the Gryffindor charge moved towards the centre of his sights. Ricardo waved the bat and aimed at MacMoray, then made the swing. The Bludger made a buzzing sound as it was propelled towards the Chaser from the side.

Rachel spent a moment attempting to peek over a few heads, evidently trying to get a better look at Adam going down. Almost five years playing against that big bloke, and still he manages to get shot down by him almost every single match against the Lions. Some things never change, she figured.

Though as Hooch went down to check on him, the witch soon noticed that Adam wasn't too badly injured. Rachel slowly sat back down, turning her attention back to Raphael.

"I'm...really not sure, Raph," she gave him a bit of a shrug. "Though I said I know her a bit better than everyone else, that's not to say she talks to me about anything. Caitie might have that air of popularity, what with her family and her...appearance," Rachel decided to leave it at that. "She's not exactly that outgoing and extroverted type. Then again, I could be wrong about that. You know how unpredictable she can be."

She paused for a time, going back to thinking about her again. Despite her somewhat closer relationship with that mysterious and intimidating blonde than most students may have, there was still so much she didn't know about Caitie. And though she herself tended to leave her to her own devices and not ask too many questions, primarily out of respect for all the trauma Caitie had been through, she only continued to wonder...

"But I suppose I could help," Rachel said, still evidently unsure in her tone. "Maybe it'd make it easier to smooth things over, and come to some sort of understanding."

She shot Raph a mischievous smirk. "Or at the very least, reduce your chances of getting maimed or something."

It was then that she remembered something she was going to mention a while ago - before all the distractions came a-knocking.

"How about we speak with her tomorrow or something? I'd say tonight, but I've already told a bunch of people I'm holding a meeting after the game. Won't take long, not that many people... You're welcome to come if you want."

Having no real interest in the Quidditch match at the moment, Raphael smiled slightly at Rachel's offer to help him with Caitie and nodded at her. It felt good knowing that he wouldn't have to face that psychotic woman alone. "Thanks, Rachel." He replied, "You talking about a meeting about that Army we did? Wasn't Alex extremely enthusiastic about that? Yeah, I'll be there..."

Derek was still chasing after the Snitch, dodging Keepers and Beaters all the while. Occasionally, as he passed various stands, he caught snippets of conversations that involved his new broom and how fast it was.

Unfortunately, he didn’t see the Bludger until it was too late to dodge. He took the ball to the upper chest, then rolled out of the way and watched it fly off towards the Badger’s pitch.

It hurt to breathe now, maybe a cracked rib, but he could still fly around. And so he took off after the Snitch again.

Although he was speeding towards the goals, Angus's speed wasn't as committed as Ricardo had hoped. He somehow managed to perceive the projectile and made an abrupt halt. There was a collective gasp as the Bludger struck the shaft of the broom, sending it and its rider to spin towards the edge of the field. The Quaffle was tossed up in the air, and Ricardo noticed all five remaining Chasers speeding towards the ball, which began falling towards the grass.

Meanwhile, McMoray managed to hover his broom over the stands, almost halting some palms above Rachel's head. Ricardo, maybe worried of his own recklessness, stopped to watch, but then noticed the game was still on, so dove back to gain speed.

Isolde saw their chance. 180-140. They needed more distance. She accelerated towards the falling Quaffle, feeling Adam following suit below her. They had the numeric advantage. But the Lions had the field on their side, they were closer and had a heads-up start. Besides, her broom wasn't ideal.

"We have to counter!" She shouted, knowing they wouldn't make it in time. Instead of gaining speed, Isolde glared at the opposing chaser who would get the Quaffle, waiting. When they caught the ball, she came forward to face the ensuing charge, completely blocking the advance and forcing a pass, a pass that Adam could intercept now.

Thankfully, he was finally lucid enough to make that read, after having spent the past several minutes in a daze. As the blocked chaser chucked the quaffle to what she believed to be a teammate, Adam darted past, snatching it clean out of the air. "Gotcha..." he hissed, zipping off towards the Lions' side of the pitch. He kicked his broom as hard as possible, but he had mere seconds before the others would catch up to him. As a dollop of sweat trickled down his brow, Adam glanced over his shoulder at his pursuers, and then to his right, where a yellow-clad rider outstretched an open palm...

"Shit! Rebecca!" Adam yelled, before hurling the quaffle towards her.

Rachel slowly raised her head up after Angus had nearly clotheslined half the people on their bench. Seems even being a spectator rarely spared her a near-death experience on the Quidditch Pitch. As the burly Scot shot back towards the field, the witch felt her long hair billow forward for a moment. She ran a hand through her scalp to brush it out of her face.

"He was," Rachel remarked. "Lots of people were before things started to go downhill. But this probably won't be a very big one-- Oh, there they go!"

With the game still a fierce battle between the chasers and beaters, all soaring about non-stop scoring goal after goal against one another, Rachel's attention had shifted to the two seekers, who now rather suddenly started off in the same direction. The witch scooted to the edge of her seat as she watched both Derek and David take off towards what could only be the Snitch.

"Think they found it..."

It seemed Rebecca's score made the trick. Gryffindor's defense simply collapsed under their regained offensive in the middle of the effort made by the red players. After the filler's score Isolde made a bunch before Adam took the lead. Only after some minutes of almost non-stopping scoring did Gryffindor regain some coordination, themselves managing to hover their numbers a bit by pushing through Andrew's hold a few times. In what seemed like a never-ending coming and going to Ricardo, the score that Caitie announced was set at 240 over 210 in favor of Hufflepuff. Exhausted, Ricardo just hoped for the Snitch to be snatched, since his arms were as well as melting at that point.

Derek’s chest was bothering him now, but the Snitch was in sight. He dodged another Bludger by rolling to the right several times, doing so made spikes of pain flare-up in his chest, but he shook it off and kept flying.

He reached out with his hand, feeling his skin enclose around the cold metal of the flying golden sphere, which started to flap its wings desperately to try to escape.

Derek caught the Snitch. He hovered there in the air for a while, having moved his free hand to his chest as he gazed at the Snitch. He then gently lowered himself to the ground far below, descending in a straight line until he felt his feet touch the grass of the pitch. He then got off his new broom and sat on the ground in a cross-legged position, watching for Hooch to come check him out, the Snitch visible in his hand.

"And that's the game," Caitie's voice rang out amidst the cheering of the crowd. "Griffindor win!"

[Miekzhemy]

Rachel

"YES!"

The second Derek had held up that little golden ball, the people in the stands, already on the edge of their seats, immediately exploded with shock and awe. Students shot up from the benches, cheering and clapping for the climactic ending to what was easily the most exciting match to open the year. Even Rachel followed suit, momentarily ignoring the pang in her leg to rise to her feet and clap alongside the rest of the Gryffindors. The clamour continued for several minutes, utterly shattering the organized departure of the student body from the Pitch. Some of the red-robed students attempted to rush out into the grass and join the team of Lions that had begun gathering around Derek, but Madam Hooch quickly waved them off on her way down.

As some of the students started filing out, Rachel gave Raphael a parting wave.

"Meeting probably won't be for another hour or so. Same classroom. I'll see you later, Raph."

She was careful on getting out of there without getting outright shoved aside by the excitable Gryffindors she passed by. She was tempted to try going down there to talk with the teams, but it was probably far too crowded. And Hooch would get Derek fixed up in minutes, she figured. Besides, if she wanted to talk about the game, there was bound to be more than enough banter at the meeting.

Depending on who shows up, of course...

Andrew Bishop

---

Third Floor - Abandoned Classroom
Later that Evening

Guess Adam was right...

Honestly, he didn't feel angered by the Badgers' sudden loss back there. Shocked, yes, but in a more...impressed way. He stifled a laugh through his nose, imagining what David or Isolde thought about it. 'How did he beat you? He hasn't touched a broom in literal months!' she'd probably tell him...

He was one of the first to leave the showers, dried and dressed back in his uniform. He didn't know what it was specifically, but something about the hot water in the prefect bathrooms soothed every ache in his body, no matter how strenuous or taxing the activity was. It left him with a sort of spring to his step as he marched down the Third Floor corridors. Andrew continued a ways down the hallway until reaching a familiar door, which he nonchalantly pushed open.

Now that he saw it again, that same abandoned classroom probably hadn't changed one iota since their class entered Hogwarts. Save for the few chairs or tables the lot of them used, everything was piled along the walls in the same way they always remembered - from cabinets and desks to old statues and a big standing mirror. Though apparently Rachel broke that one at some point last year. Did the seven years bad luck still apply if it was to stop a certain someone from spying on them...?

Somehow, Andrew always managed to be the first one there without even trying. One of those gifts, he supposed. As such, Rachel was the only person in the room at the moment, visibly straining herself to death trying to haul their big meeting table to the center of the room. Andrew slowly came inside, closing the door behind him.

"Ngh--!" Rachel growled audibly, putting the weight of her entire body - which wasn't much at this point - into pushing the damned thing. Andrew stepped up, allowing a grin to show on his face.

"Why not just transform? Might be easier, getting the big bear to do the work for you."

The robed witch finally stopped killing herself for a moment, and snapped her gaze to the newcomer with a few stray locks of hair in her face. She was surprised at first, given how...presentable she seemed at the moment, but quickly relaxed once she saw who it was. Rachel shot him a smirk.

"Oh, I dunno Andy," she said after a pause to catch her breath. She stood back up straight, massaging one hand with the other. "Thought it'd be a better idea to just get you do it instead, how about it?"

Andrew promptly chuckled at her little comeback, but nonetheless stepped over to the table. "Guess this is just my lot in life now, ain't it? Next you'll be asking me to braid your hair."

"Don't give me any ideas." Rachel remarked, opting instead to begin pulling up a few chairs one at a time, finding those a lot lighter than the table Andrew was now pushing to the middle of the classroom. When she finally sat down, she gave the clock on the wall a quick glance. They should be showing up any minute now...

[Skylus]

Derek Forester

Hooch had healed Derek and had sent him on his way a few hours ago. He had hung out in the library until the alloyed meeting time and wandered up to the third floor, then entered the abandoned classroom.

“If you’re wondering where Madi is, she’s not going to be here. Said she was tired and fell asleep on the couch in the dorm room, decided not to wake her.” Derek wrapped the dark blue robes around him tighter, then sat down nearby Rachel. “So. Might have asked you before... If I did I forget, how has your summer been?” He then noticed Andrew. “Hi.”

[Miekzhemy]

Rachel

"She's...tired," Rachel repeated, blinking. The witch momentarily threw up her hands - a sort of 'what the fuck' gesture.

"How the f-- She didn't even play during the--!" She stopped herself with a coarse sigh. "You know what? Forget it. You tell her about the meeting later, then."

She promptly lounged back in her seat as Andrew took his own, taking a bit of a breather after pushing the table into position. "Well, as you probably know, I spent ninety percent of the summer laid up in a hospital bed. We were actually able to attend that, erm...get-together at Caitie's, but..." She trailed off, crossing her arms as she opted to stare straight ahead. Andrew, however, let out a chuckle.

"Rachel got smashed off of absinthe and got us grounded by her dad. Thanks for that, by the way."

"Okay, look!" she promptly smacked her palm against the table. "You said you had one of your potions on you!"

"Yeah, and I gave it to Ed because he was tripping over his own feet--!"

"How was I supposed to know?!"

"Why were you even drinking in the first place?" Andrew leaned forward, obviously knowing he was in the right this time. "You're like, fourty kilo right now, remember? One shot's gonna do you in!"

A pause followed. Rachel seemed about to respond to that, her cheeks puffing up in frustration. But instead, she eventually slouched back in her chair with a huff. Andrew then shrugged, looking back towards Derek with a somewhat amused grin on his face.

"It was pretty uneventful," he said simply. "How're you holding up, by the way? That was some wicked flying you did back there, mate."

[Triassica]

Raphael Raymond

Just as Raphael promised, the muggleborn walked into the third floor classroom as the meeting got close to getting starting. He saw that Rachel was already there as well as a number of other students who took part in the Army before Alexander died. He was hoping to get this meeting over with, wanting to get on with Rachel with their plan to confront Caitie about her violation of his memories. Raphael quietly moved about the room inconspicuously and sat down on a chair, facing the backrest as he waited.

He looked at Rachel and gave her a wave hello as he waited on other people to arrive.

[Skylus]

Derek Forester

Derek nodded.” I haven’t flown a broom in... how long has it been... The new broom is phenomenal... I felt free up there, flying...”

He then stared at the grain of the wooden table he was sitting at. “.... Did Rachel tell you yet?” He looked up and glanced at Andrew, his voice quiet and his gaze weary. He then noticed Raph and moved his gaze to the Slytherin. “...What did you make of the match?” He asked, attempting to make small talk.

[Segral]

Ed Wilson

The obnoxious crunch preceded the footsteps into the third-floor classroom. Technically, he had a medical excuse for it; Pomfrey had managed to put all of his teeth back into place and fix his nose, but the side of his face was still hot and achy, and some ice was the best cure. It still didn't make the sound of Pink Coconut Ice being broken down into fine pieces less irritating. They could blame Thomas for it, if that rat hadn't pulled that little Leviosa stunt, their pyramid wouldn't have come down, he wouldn't have fallen face-first into the railing in front of his seat, and he wouldn't have had to go to Madam Pomfrey's to get ANYTHING fixed. It wasn't exactly an enjoyable experience either, keeping three dislodged teeth in your mouth for twenty minutes. There was no way he was losing one before his time was due, and there was NO way he was taking Skele-Gro to get them back. Who knew what they let the fourth-years make in those damn cauldrons. And his camera, his beautiful, elaborate camera! Destroyed, hours of charming wasted. Nobody in the world was excited about that.

Ed didn't exactly look excited as he entered the third-floor classroom. His hair was a total mess, dangling over his eyes in all the wrong places, and there was a suspicious amount of dried blood all over the front of his robe. Somehow, it wasn't torn in any place, but push it an inch and it might give. At the very least, any scent radiating from the gore on his cloak was pretty handily washed away by the scent of the Pink Coconut, an airy, fresh, and slightly fruity aroma that hovered around his whole body. It prevented anybody from cringing at his very presence (a line he hadn't crossed quite yet) as he made his way to the center of the room and quickly slipped into a chair on one side of the table, two seats down from Raphael. He let out a heavy sigh as soon as he sat down, clearly exhausted from the absolute mess of his day.

"Anyone want one?" he asked aloud out of the faintest courtesy still left inside of him, plunking a small sack of thick, slightly-warmed Pink Coco ice cubes on the table a distance in front of him as an invitation.

[Arlye Austros]

Ricardo Salgado

He discovered that his muscles were not one bit ready for what Quidditch demanded: His right arm was completely numb by the fall of the evening; his right hand was under the constant punishment of a shock-like feeling every time he stretched it; and his neck was somewhat tense. These didn’t show up until well after the match. Until dinner, Ricardo was quick to go about with his day, putting back the gear in the lockers (most likely for an elf to deal with that) and changed before anybody else to head back to the castle.

And for a moment he considered not going to that meeting. But he was curious, mostly. Ricardo he had endured worse, and so got back to the Common before heading towards the Third Floor. He was wondering why did Rachel choose that place, and if it had been abandoned for anything specific, when he reached the door of the classroom.
“I am never getting on a broom again, I can tell you that.” He said announcing himself as he walked inside, then collapsed on an empty seat, leaning with a faint expression of pain. “I can feel every bone.”

Isolde Grenwald

She looked at the watch on the wall again. Isolde needed to finish it quick.
“Just a bit more…”

Although she was tired from the match, she decided to write down the events as soon as she could, so the memory would stay fresh.

Her description of the match, as neutral as she could provide, was promptly finished, joining another set of writings she had made in the first days of school. Mostly she talked about how both teams had to fill up their positions. It was, after she re-checked, a hidden realization of how the school had lost so much, so fast. It somewhat contrasted with the previous writings: A description of the Start of Year Feast, her impressions on the announcements made by Avery, and a careful listing of her impression on Karamazov.

Isolde rolled the parchment and introduced it with the others in a holder within her personal chest. Her gaze quickly smirking at a nearby statue. “That ought to do it…” She muttered to nobody in particular, then headed down to the meeting.

Amelia Grenwald. London.

She was feeling a bit sick still, and didn’t want to go to bed just yet.

Her interview had the desired effect. It largely calmed down the escalating tension between the High Lordship and the International Confederation of Wizards. For a moment alone. In her line of work, that was a success. She was ready to draft the trade agreement the Latvian Minister of Magic had spoken about. Something about Spidalan Floating Stones being imported to Northern Ireland for bridge construction. But the door knocked four times in a rhythm.

“Come in!” She said, and as she knew he would, Joseph entered her office, quickly closing the door behind him. The Auror looked at her, probably still in a shock.
“Have you told her?” He asked. Amelia nodded. Joseph walked to her and squatted at her side. “I am not sure if they will allow me to stay in the Force once they find out. I should pr…”
“No! I am not going to let you throw away your career…” She interrupted, quickly lowering her voice while looking at the door. They could be under watch. “Let me think out about something. Maybe I can give myself leave.”
“Amelia.” He stood up and dragged a chair to sit at her side. “You know it doesn’t work like that.”

While her interview had calmed some waters, her own mind was now as troubled as ever. She went to St. Mungo, and they confirmed her fears. Luckily, the hospital was still not giving up patient records to the Ministry. For now, that is.
“Do you think anyone knows at this point?” She enquired.
“Anything is possible…” He added full of doubts. “Listen. I have to get away for a job. This gnome-trafficking ring seems to be worse than expected, and I have to go to Ireland to check some leads. Can you not do anything rash until I come back?”
Amelia nodded. “I promise. Just my work. I want to tell Isolde. But I know that’s giving it up to Avery too.”

“I like the way you think.” He smiled. “As for your other endeavour…”
Amelia looked at him with a bit of frustration, but didn’t say a thing.
“I need to you release that judge. Put a memory charm in him or something. But you should really let this matter go.”

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room, as Amelia looked down at the floor. She was aware it looked like submission. But she also knew Joseph knew it wasn’t. She was just thinking. She thought about how she got stuck with the plot to set the Foresters free. How useless it seemed and how trapped into this whole system they were. She had crossed paths with some of them in her daily routines. Every time she looked into their eyes, wondering if there was any humanity left under the layers of the Imperius Curse. She thought how they were, in the end, by-standers of the whole thing, and that even the younger son was dragged into that entire backlash. A boy still going to Hogwarts. Isolde could be put under arrest as well for anything that she, he mother, attempted. And now she had another life to fear for. Did she want that future for her children?

“I will. I promise. I will deal with the judge tomorrow morning.”

[Triassica]

Raphael Raymond

Raphael glanced at Derek, surprised to see him again, remembering that he was gone for the entire summer. It was good to see him again, muggleborn thought to be honest. "I didn't really pay attention to the Match really. I sort of lost interest in quidditch and am just there for the fresh air really." Raph replied, "I was mostly talking to Rachel about... Alexander. You remember Alexander Markus, right?"

[Skylus]

Raphael Raymond

Raphael glanced at Derek, surprised to see him again, remembering that he was gone for the entire summer. It was good to see him again, muggleborn thought to be honest. "I didn't really pay attention to the Match really. I sort of lost interest in quidditch and am just there for the fresh air really." Raph replied, "I was mostly talking to Rachel about... Alexander. You remember Alexander Markus, right?"

Derek nodded. “I do.” He turned in his chair to face Raph. “I don’t remember a lot about him... but I do know that he cared a lot about you.” The Gryffindor was waiting for Andrew’s response, if the others are going to show up, they might as know what happened as well.

[World Anarchic Union]

Anton V. Hurt

Everything seemed stranger this time around. The castle, the students, the whole atmosphere was significantly different than what he remembered. But after months at the hospital, staring at a wall, it was a very welcome change of pace. And maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, it wouldn’t be the first time. Although he doubted that,

Despite the days that had passed since the beginning of the new year, Anton hadn’t talked to anyone for more than a couple of minutes. He couldn’t understand if his feelings were true and most students were looking at him in a hostile manner, or if it was his paranoia affecting his outlook. Whatever the reason, it averted him from opening up to others, and made him stay away, even from people he was already closer with. The party at Caitie’s house over the summer had convinced him that it was still too early and that he should wait before any attempt at approaching the witch again.

To his surprise, he hadn’t been approached by any official or Auror yet. He knew it was a matter of time, there was still much left to be said. But that was certainly not a meeting he was awaiting with eagerness.

Unlike the one that was arranged by Rachel. Their interaction at the summer party was quite difficult to forget, the guilt he had experienced then convinced him to spend the rest of the summer at the hospital, without many such outings. But now some time had passed. He still didn’t know if he would be accepted. He had never attended a similar gathering, seeing as, until very recently, he belonged to a radically different group. But he had to attempt it, at the very least.

The Quidditch game was eventful enough so that he could be absorbed for its duration, and memorable moments didn’t cease to pop up, both in and out of the field, with the Ravenclaws being the highlight. Now, however, after a few hours, he reached the abandoned classroom at the third floor. After much deliberation, he took what seemed like a leap of faith at the moment by entering the meeting place.

He was greeted with quite a few familiar faces, but the meeting didn’t seem to have started yet. He took a chair close to Derek and Raph, who he knew better than most in the room, and waved at them, anxious of what would happen once the meeting started officially.

[Miekzhemy]

Rachel / Andrew

"That he did," Andrew remarked in response to Derek and Raphael's conversation about Alex, his tone growing somber as his mind drifted back to that night. No matter how hard he tried to save him then, he just...couldn't. Whether it was his lack of focus, his inability to treat such fatal injuries, or some other third thing, the fact still remained: It was a bitter failure - one that only continued to haunt him. And for Raphael to take it so badly... It only made him feel worse for the poor bloke. Andrew hung his head somewhat, his voice trailing off in reminiscence as he repeated himself. "That he did..."

After a pause, he shifted his gaze to Derek. "And yeah, she told me enough. Heard that git stuffed you into a cage or something. Like an animal... Horrible," Andrew nonetheless tried to smile. Perhaps try to make light of it all. "Good to see that hasn't done you in though. And with how you did during that game? You'll be back to yourself in no time, mate. Don't worry."

It certainly wouldn't be the first time he had to try uplifting someone that seemed so...withered. Andrew eventually turned to look at Rachel, who was quietly digging through her bag. The witch eventually pulled out a small vial - a glass one, filled halfway with a green liquid. She popped the cork and, without hesitation, downed the potion in a single swift gulp. After a second or two, she closed her eyes and took a single deep breath...

"Hah..." she exhaled, letting her shoulders go lax for a time. As the room went somewhat quiet, likely in anticipation for what announcements were to come, Rachel momentarily looked to Andrew. "Is everyone here...?"

They took a moment to scan the room of everyone who had walked in thus far. All in all, it was definitely a smaller number than many of their previous meetings had seen. In fact, there were little to no students younger than the Fifth Year Prefects and whatever other students of that graduating class that accompanied them. But to Rachel, that was somewhat expected given her directions. Thankfully, the vast majority of the Prefects she was on decent terms with had shown up, along with several...familiar faces. With a smirk, Andrew looked back.

"I'd say we're good to start."

Rachel slowly nodded as eyes fell upon her now. The haggard witch, only slightly reinvigorated by the Wiggenweld, leaned forward, crossing her arms over the tabletop as her gaze passed over them all - the people she had known for almost her entire tenure at Hogwarts. Though she hardly expressed it, she couldn't help but feel a certain sadness for what she had to tell them - a heartache that pained her in ways she could hardly describe...

"I, erm..." Rachel began, the corner of her mouth curling into a poor excuse for a half-grin. "I didn't really rehearse anything this time, so I suppose I'll just get right to the point..."

She let out a soft sigh. "After the opening feast, I...received a summons to Avery's office. At first, I figured it was related to this," she briefly gestured to the 'Head Girl' badge pinned to her cloak, much like that of her fellow Prefects. "Honestly, when I read that letter that came in not long before I woke up in the hospital, I was...well, quite floored, really..."

She noticed a few smiles in her modest congregation, clearly pleased with the prospect that she was given such a position. Rachel, however, did not share the sentiment. "But Henry wasn't there, which frankly left me wondering what exactly he wanted from me. And-- I..."

The witch paused for a time, ever so slightly hanging her head amidst the baited curiosity of her peers.

"In short... Avery demands the Army be shut down, and for its meetings to cease..."

Though the room was still silent, to some, the mood seemed to turn on its head in that very instant. Rachel hesitated before uttering her next words, her voice growing soft.

"...and I intend to follow that order."

[Arlye Austros]

Ricardo

He had been sitting in relative silence, loosely listening to the chatter going on around. Derek and Raph seemed to exchange words with he quickly realised had to do with Alex, only to give him a displeasing feeling in the bottom of his stomach. It would indeed take him a while to get over the guilt of what he was going through. He also noticed Anton came in after a while, but barely noticed him. Ricardo’s mind wandered a bit towards the ship sitting by the Orkneys. Would they still try to breach into the Great Lake?
Rachel explained what was going on. He didn’t smile as she did, quickly understanding it wasn’t something good the witch had to say. Finally, she spat out what Avery had demanded. Ricardo’s eyes moved around, quickly checking the expressions of those he could. But then Rachel told them what she wanted to be done next.

”… and I intend to follow that order.”

There was a moment of silence which Ricardo decided to take and think, but then found himself breaking.
“I see… Did he give any justification for this? Other than just his authority being at full display?” He wondered if he had allowed the meetings to happen and only now decided they could be a thorn on his side.
His eyes quickly picked Isolde sneaking into the room, but only standing by the door, listening and not interrupting.
"If so... Do you agree?"

[Skylus]

Derek

Derek gazed at Rachel from across the table. “You do? Why? I have reason to be terrified of Avery, you don’t, so if that’s not the reason, then what is?” He noticed Isolde near the back and wondered why she wasn’t at the table, but didn’t say anything.

[Triassica]

Raphael Raymond

Raph frowned grimly at the news brought up by Rachel in both surprise and disappointment. He himself didn't have as much love for the army as other students have had. However, whenever the muggleborn thought of Alexander, or at least what he knew about him so far, Raph knew how much Alex was dedicated to these sort of things.

"So this is it? You're just going through with giving all of this up?" Raphael asked, scratching the side of his face. He was beginning to think aloud almost. "Makes me think of what... Alex would do in this situation. Probably just simply continue the army without you anyway, under the logic that just because you being told didn't mean he was told the same. Alex seemed to have been a bit of a rebel that way when he was alive from what I kinda remember..."

[Miekzhemy]

Rachel

It all had left a bad taste in her mouth. She knew well enough that the lot of them wouldn't be pleased with the news, let alone her decision to actually follow along with Avery's command. As questions began filing in, Rachel turned first to Ricardo.

"Little bit of both, I'd say," she told him, a solemn tinge to her voice. There was a brief pause. "He...compared groups like this to... Death Eaters, and Ravencloaks."

That alone was enough to shift the mood of the entire room from mere shock, into a near outrage. In fact, Adam was the first that shot up to his feet.

"That's a load of shit! And you know it!" he practically shouted. "Like you're the next Reynolds or Darkenstone or something? We're the ones who stood up to people like them! Who the hell does this jackass think he is?!"

Rachel didn't bother interrupting his momentary bout of fervor. "I know it's a load of shit," she said, bidding Adam a half-smile. "And I didn't hesitate to tell him that to his face. In fact, I...actually went off on him about it. Even if doing so would've led to him taking away my badge. Or worse..."

He seemed like he wanted to continue, but eventually succumbed to the urge to just sit himself back down. Rachel slumped back in her seat, looking to address the rest of the room. "But my point is..." she frowned. "I don't have any choice." She momentarily gestured to her Head Girl's badge, before crossing one arm over the other. "I think most of you also had the realization when Avery used the words 'eyes and ears' when congratulating Henry and I for these badges."

But some still didn't seem convinced. Namely Raphael, who seemed hell-bent on continuing the exercise in futility.

"You say that as if it's an easy decision for me. And it isn't," Rachel said to him. "But frankly, you only prove what I tried to explain to him..."

She looked around again. "Practically speaking, this group's served its purpose, and that was to inspire people to work together when everyone was tearing at each others' throats for little more than their blood status. Avery can shut down our meetings, spy on me or the prefects whenever he wants...but nothing he does can kill what we stand for. I know his game - He wants to drive a wedge between us all. And I'll be damned before I let that happen..."

[Arlye Austros]

Isolde

She had wondered why she wasn’t outraged, or at least tense. Others seemed to share in a feeling of anger. But she was somewhat relieved. Isolde sighed as she was leaning on the wall near the door, keeping to a vague darkness, and looked at Rachel straight in the eyes as she mentioned the possibility Avery spied on the prefects. She then interjected.
“Sadly we don’t know what Alex would have done, Raph, and to be honest, it’s not up to anybody to figure it out. Rachel made a call based on her own intuition, and I think we should all honour that.” She spoke still in the shadows, but then walked forward until she was well within the group of used desks.

“What worries me, Rachel, is what you said, that he wants to drive a wedge.” She added looking at the limping girl. “We are not a group who’s going to overthrow the High Lordship or anything. It’s more likely Luxembourg will do it before we even think of it.”

Ricardo

For a minute Ricardo didn’t pick up Rachel’s opinion on Avery’s call. But then he understood that she didn’t agree, despite her intention on following it. He used a pause after Isolde spoke.
“What matters now is we lay low, then. Not give him a reason to go after any of us.” He said this while thinking of his little sneak with Derek as they got back to school. Ricardo yawned, he was exhausted after the game. "Sorry about that... I mean, until things cool down, probably. I don't believe Avery will cross a line before the due exams from last year."

[Segral]

Ed Wilson

"Well that's irritating." Ed muttered to himself glumly, swallowing his words and pride with another chunk of Pink Coco Ice. Edmund Avery continued to play wizarding chess with Ed's brain, always intercepting him at every turn, even sometimes becoming an ally of him, only to turn on him once again. A rat. A grass. He was weaponizing them against each other by throwing Rachel into the mix to make them feel like they couldn't share any information in her presence without Avery listening in, and now that the possibility of grass was on the table, everyone was bound to become suspicious of one another. He always had the power to hear everything, he learned that the hard way shoveling Hippogriff shit until he couldn't wash the stink out. You could dodge the eyes and ears, but Avery didn't need those to track you down. Technically, there wasn't much need for him to put grass down, but the fear was priceless.

But why instill it at all? Why not tap into a resource of practiced students who could beat back almost any threat they were faced with? That was the missing piece of the puzzle, the move that was going to put him in check. Avery wasn't stupid, he clearly knew the difference between them and Ravencloaks and Death Eaters. It was probably something stupid that was hanging right in front of his fat nose, but by Peeves name he couldn't reach out and snatch it. Maybe he was just paranoid about any sort of hush-hush group banding together underneath his own fat nose, but it wasn't as if they would turn against the castle. He would have to think over it. The Hat put him in Ravenclaw for a reason, not just to get an "O" on his Charms O.W.L. He would win this goddamn chess game. For now, a question.

"What happens if you refuse to talk?" Ed asked, his words still somewhat mushy thanks to the swelling around his mouth. "He wants you to be eyes and ears, right? What if happens if you say no? Or does it not matter what you say, because he can already see through you?"

[Miekzhemy]

Rachel

"I...I don't know..." she said to Ed. "Could take away my badge, withhold my graduation... Expulsion? I-I'm terrified to find out, really..."

That was unfortunately the only thing she could say to him at this point. Despite knowing that it was only a matter of time before Avery caught on to what they were doing, it seemed nothing could have possibly prepared her for...this. They had survived so much, yet it felt as if her entire world was beginning to unravel before her very eyes. And worst of all - she could do nothing to stop it. And now, as even a single wrong movement continued to wrack her entire body with such terrible pain, she felt more powerless than ever.

"I'm sure all of you remember fondly why I brought this group together in the first place," Rachel mused, her voice growing soft as she took a moment to dig into her bag again. "Back in fifth year..."

What she retrieved was a roll of parchment, faded and frayed at the edges due to age. She set it on the table, and unfurled it before them all. It was covered - all two feet of it - in a massive list of signatures, dotting the sides when it finally ran out of room as the list went down and written in an ink that didn't seem to have faded at all over the years. Presiding over this list was her own name in eloquent cursive, right below the large signing at the very top of the parchment: 'McGonagall's Army.'

"I counted it all again. One hundred and seventeen names," she said plainly. "And that's everyone: The ones that signed at the first meeting, and after interest for the group was gauged with the rest of the student body. From seventh-year prefects to first-year newcomers."

Her voice grew a little quiet as the witch ever so slightly hung her head.

"And not counting the graduations, fourty two of these names are no longer with us..."

As a bittersweet smile formed on her face, seemingly trying to find some semblance of silver lining, Rachel reached up with a weak hand, wiping the wetness from one of her eyes.

"But I like to think that...were it not for us, that number would have been much higher..."

The room fell into another bout of silence as Rachel slowly hung her head, her half-bandaged hand sliding from her eye to cover her mouth. As the quiet was momentarily broken by a sharp sniffle from her nose, Andrew finally spoke up - probably to divide their attention from the witch growing uncharacteristically close to losing her composure. "I...think we should put it all on hold for now. Like Ricardo said," he suggested. "Lay low, don't give him any reasons to screw with anyone else, all of that."

He slowly shrugged "...'least until we figure out what to do, anyway. Worst comes to worst, could probably...I 'dunno, set up a dueling club in its place? At least keep teaching people to defend themselves..."

Andrew folded both arms over the table. He briefly turned his gaze to check on Rachel, before looking back to the rest of his classmates.

"Any objections? Before we head on?"