Chapter 50 & 51 - Riots

[Volume 2! Starting with a big release of eight chapters. Four days, four releases!]

[Now, if you wish to read ahead of the whole volume, ongoing one, and the next one, then do visit my Patre-on - https://www.patre-on.com/UnravelNNA.]

[Next Volume is the big one, the finale with Voldemort is coming up, and so I have divided it into three parts. 50 thousand words each. Enjoy!]

London was organizing the Quidditch World Cups Final Match, so the Ministry had gone all out. They had to set up Portkeys across Five Continents and build a stadium that could seat a hundred thousand.

It could be said for many of them; that it was a nightmare to perform a Muggle Repelling Charm on a structure so bit. And this wasn't the end to their troubles. They had to work and use Obliviate on every Muggle who figured something out about them, and there were many. Probably because they didn't know how to use Muggle Money, or they were talking about Quidditch at the top of their voice.

Arthur Weasley finally got to the top seats using the tickets that Ludo Bagman, "Amazing! Isn't it!"

"Definitely!" Harry cheerfully grinned, leaning over the railing to look at the tens if not a hundred rows below him.

"Glad you like it!" Fred and George laughed, "I can't wait for this match to end and got all that money from the bet. We could have bet even more if those three had come."

"You already bet all your savings. Your mother's going to be angry," Mr. Weasley sighed.

"Yes, all their savings," Ginny rolled her eyes at her father's obliviousness. Everyone knew the big business her brothers were running in Hogwarts. Everyone but her parents. G

Fred and George gave her a glaring look, but it wasn't scary because of the grin on their lips/

Ginny shot a look back, "Creepy."

"Oh, come on," Arthur patted her head, worriedly looking towards the stairs. He could see that Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge was on his way up, and the three he wanted to meet were nowhere in sight.

"Did you boys send them the letter?"

"I sent a letter," Ginny said, but her brothers burst out laughing.

"What did you do?" Hermione asked the question that was on Ginny's mind.

"What could they have?" Ron curled his lips, "What do Fred and George do?"

"Hehe, they exchange Ginny's letter with something else!" Fred and George exchanged a high five.

"You boys do know how important it was for them to come, right!!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Weasley. I sent them a letter," Hermione reassured him, "I even got a reply that they'd make it. Barely on time, but they said they would."

"Good job, Hermione," Arthur released a breath of relief, smiling. He greeted Cornelius Fudge, shaking his hand as Fudge greeted him, and then greeted Harry as if they were old friends.

While talking, he asked what Arthur was dreading. He would, "You said…those two would be here. Quidditch Players from Hogwarts?"

"Hmph, to be late when coming to meet Minister of Magic himself," Lucius Malfoy was part of Fudge's entourage with his son and wife.

"No, it's not…." Arthur wanted to explain when everyone heard something of a fuss. They looked around, finding the crowd near them staring at the stairs, pointing, whispering.

"I knew we'd get here in the end," He sighed, looking at Harry Potter, only to realize he was looking in the same direction as the others. He followed their gaze, whispering, "What is it?"

"It's not what…it's who…." Lucius scowled, looking towards the stairs.

"Wow," Hermione muttered, seeing Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith walking up the stairs. She wasn't the only one who felt that way. Tifa was dressed as she usually did, in a black mini skirt and purple off-shoulder top, "Damn, she looks cool."

"Right, so does Aerith," Ginny hastily walked over to Hermione, whispering as they saw Aerith in the white suit and white office shorts.

"Hey," Hermione nudged Ginny, gesturing towards the boy walking between them, and Ginny knew what she was trying to say.

They had already seen him wearing a black turtleneck, but this one seemed different, not so rough. Moreover, the black suit jacket and pants made it look like he was wearing a suit. Seeing him walk with unyielding confidence in those deep eyes like an ocean brought more attention than even the Minister of Magic had until now. Their eyes met with his, a soft smile appeared on his lips, and the two giggled, waving.

"Oof," Fred shook his head, "I think I should have worn something better."

"Yeah, yeah. We don't get treated like that."

"Popular, aren't they," Arthur whispered. He knew what Fudge wanted was come popularity on his side.

Harry was grinning, waving toward them, but they were caught up by Arthur, who introduced them to everyone. He couldn't believe that even Lucius Malfoy was nice to them when Fred and George whispered.

"Heh. Since our team lost in this World Cup."

"Destroyed."

"Right, destroyed. Fudge wants new players. Cloud and Tifa's names popped up."

"So you know," George gestured towards Lucius, who was overly friendly with them.

"Will they even have the time," Hermione raised her eyebrows, "They had almost no time last year. I heard Filch pull all his remaining hair, trying to find out how they were leaving."

"Yeah, there were rumors that Dumbledore said if someone else can leave like they can, without being found out, he wouldn't punish them too."

"We got punished," Fred and George snickered, "No one was successful in leaving under Dumbledore's watch."

"Hey,"

"Yo, brother!"

"You guys saw anyone from our year?"

"No. We were trying to reach here as fast as we could," Aerith leaned against the railing, tired. She held her hair to stop the wind here from ruining them, "This place is amazingggg!!!!!!!!"

Tifa slumped on Cloud, leaning on his, resting her head on his shoulder, "I don't think I could take another bureaucratic meeting."

"What? You got invited, so why didn't you go?" Ron had asked his father what happened, who told him that Fudge invited the three of them.

"And spend time with Malfoy's," Harry laughingly said, answering for them, making Ron shrug.

Cloud glanced towards Harry's mark, making a note to talk about it later when brooms zoom passed their heads, "We made it on time."

Once the match started, the cheers barely died down for a minute. Everyone watching it enjoyed it, though it was clear from the start that Ireland dominated the match.

"We bet that Krum would catch the Snitch! While Ireland wins!"

"Hahaha! We are going to be rich!"

"It surprises me…that you still care about little money," Cloud lightly said, but his voice traveled to their ears, only to theirs.

"Wow, how did you—Yes!!! Goooo!!!!! Ireland!!!!!!!!"

Cloud glanced towards Tifa and Aerith; both were tired but enjoying themselves.

"Now, quitting Hogwarts seems like a good idea, right?"

Cloud saw Genesis stand where Fred was standing and turned his attention back to the game.

"Here, try this!"

"Hm?" Cloud's eyes met with Harry's, and he took the binoculars that Harry was carrying.

"It can slow time! And play in reverse!"

Cloud tried a few features, parting his lips, "Huh…interesting."

He gave the binoculars to Tifa to try, and she used them for a minute before passing them to Aerith.

"Wow, we should get these. How much is one?"

"No, if you want, you can keep it," Harry hastily waved his hand.

"She's talking about buying in bulk."

"Oh, then ten galleons each," Harry took the binoculars back. He was slightly embarrassed, telling me he had wasted so much money on Binoculars.

"One of them is about 55 Euros? That's so cheap!" Aerith gave it back to Harry, "We should buy a ton of them."

They were helpful to their people; even one of these could be sold for much more, maybe thousands of euros.

"Oh! Another one in the hoop!!!"

It was clear that Ireland would win, but then Victor Krum from Bulgaria caught the snitch ending the game.

"Why would he do that?! Ireland was more than one hundred sixty points ahead!"

"They would have never caught up. It was probably to end the match on their terms," Hermione said between the cheers.

"Would you have?" Harry doubtfully looked at Cloud, and a smile appeared on Cloud's lips.

"I would never be in the position of chasing points," Cloud fixed his eyes towards the field and giving it a last look before turning away to leave.

"He's so cool," Harry whispered to Ron, who pointed towards the field.

"Not as cool as Krum."

"Boys and their crushes," Hermione shook her hand, linking her hand with Ginny as they walked through the crowd. She stopped to ask Tifa and Aerith, but the two told her they'd be there.

Once the seats were empty, Tifa could finally talk, "You saw the look in his eyes?"

"He wants to play," Aerith enjoyed the wind now that the crowd wasn't there.

"We should have told him."

"And I am telling you. He already knows," Aerith reassured her, smiling, "Let's take a few days and then decide."

"Fine…I'll listen to you on this," Tifa pressed her lips, holding her stomach, "It makes me nervous thinking about his reaction."

"He probably won't have any reaction."

"And…that is what worries me."

"Aw, girl!" Aerith hugged her, stroking her head, whispering in her ear, and Tifa's face was covered in a blush before she slapped Aerith's hands away.

"Eri!"

Aerith giggled, "Perfect solution. Isn't it?"

"No, it is not," Tifa walked to the stairs with a burning blush on her cheeks, muttering, "Perfect solution? No…no…no. It's a trap."

The two caught up with the others until they reached the tent. There were two tents. One was for the boy, and the other for the girls to get fresh.

"Hah…that was fun," Hermione came out of the bathroom and jumped on the bed, relaxing.

"That it was. But it was tiring too," Tifa lay on the bed, with her legs touching the ground and a smile on her lips.

"And you guys almost missed it," Ginny curled her lips, "Oh, right. Did you get my letter? I am sorry. Those two buffoons changed it."

"Letters…? Right. Cloud did say something about them, but he read them already," A look of realization appeared on Tifa's face when she curled her lips, "I bet he must have left them on the side for us to check which one was a booby trap."

Hermione laughed, turning over, holding the pillow, laying on her stomach, "That doesn't sound like Cloud."

"Yeah. I can't imagine him doing that…I thought he was like…the knight in shining armor who'd do anything to protect you?" Ginny muttered.

"Probably…he might…but he doesn't coddle me…us…he…?" Tifa bit her lip, crossing her legs as she sat up in frustration.

"He doesn't underestimate us," Aerith came out of the bathroom, holding her white jacket in her hand, having removed the touch-up.

"Like he didn't underestimate Ginny when she wanted to be in the Gryffindor team, even after her disastrous first year. Or when last year you were playing with the time turner, all he said is that Hermione will be fine," Aerith took a chair and sat down, "I have to say…Cloud has a good judgment of someone's capabilities. Or it could be something much simpler."

She leaned forward, looking at the curious eyes of the three, and sweetly smiled, "It could be…that he has faith in us."

Tifa lifted a delightful smile, tilting her head while Hermione dreamily smiled, "It must be nice…someone having so much faith in you."

Ginny giggled, nodding, "That's true."

"Or…" Aerith slowly spoke again, "Or…it could be? That it's just a prank, and we are in the sixth year and have been watching these pranks for six years so we can take care of ourselves?"

Tifa raised her eyebrows, "You spoiled it."

"I did not!"

Hermione twisted her lips to the side, "Yeah. You did."

Ginny nodded again and again, "Yup. You sure did."

"Sorry," Aerith stuck out her tongue, "Well…I will get one last look at Cloud before he gets out of those clothes."

"Yeahh! Those clothes. He was looking so hot today!"

"I know. Aerith chose it for him, but he felt he might have overdressed," Tifa chuckled.

"Oh please, make him overdress like that every day," Ginny giggled, "I am coming too."

Aerith stepped out of the tent, but she stopped in between, peeking outside, causing Hermione and Ginny to wonder, "Something happened?"

Tifa pulled the tent flap further, but she was faced with a fire and screams, and Aerith pulled the flap down, taking a deep breath, "Wands?"

"Yeah," Tifa pulled out a locket from her pocket, opened it, and a secret expanded space became visible to her. She peeked into it, finding her wand since she didn't make it too big to keep items and get a full view, "Accio."

She took her wand out while Aerith pulled a miniature wand that she kept in her pockets most of the time and used Engorgio to turn it into a regular size.

"Stay close," Tifa patted their backs, leaving their tents only to find Percy approaching them and Mr. Weasley handling the boys.

"Cloud! Come here, boy," Arthur shouted. Outside the tent was chaos, flames were burning in the distance, and there was a riot with everyone running to save their lives.

But Cloud's eyes were fixed on the group of wizards marching, wearing hoods and masks to cover their faces. The fire that burned everything in sight, the burnt smell of the air, the screams of people, and seeing these wizards use magic on an innocent family, even the kids.

"Reminds me of the day we made our first connection, Cloud."

Cloud clenched his fist and took a deep breath. He looked over his shoulder to Aerith, "Stay here and protect them. Tifa, come with me."

"Wait! No! You kids stay here!" Arthur worriedly shouted, but Aerith furrowed her brows, "Go for it."

"Stay together! Cloud! Tifa! Don't be crazy!"

Cloud summoned a wand that transmuted, turning into a broadsword, nearly his height, while in his other hand, he summoned a broom that he threw in the air, watching it swirl and turn into a heavy bike with an open compartment on the side that he put the sword in, closing.

"Let's go."

"Yeah," Tifa sat beside him, worriedly asking others, "Be careful!"

Cloud nodded towards Arthur Weasley, accelerating and turning the bike on its first wheel, letting go of the clutch, and the bike took off, but rather than walking on the ground, it flew threw the air above the chaotic crowd.

"How many?" Tifa shouted as Cloud pulled away, putting his hand on his ear, "You know there is a charm that makes sure you don't have to shout?"

"Yeah," Tifa gripped his clothes, resting her head on his shoulder in embarrassment, "You always keep it closed."

"I…" Cloud accelerated, "Ten…maybe more. Increasing."

"Strategy?"

"Let's try not to kill them."

"Cool," Tifa took a deep breath, lifting her body from the bike, ready for the crash. And the crash did happen, Cloud made a rough landing, sliding sideways, and the two of them jumped from the bike.

"Get away!"

Some of the wizards tried to get away, while the others used Knockback Jinx or Bombarda Spells. The bike wasn't fazed or even scratched, but it did come to a stop.

"What was that?"

One of the Dark Wizards took a step back, looking at the smoke in front of them.

"Some Muggle idiot?"

"No, that wasn't—" One of them let out a horrified voice, only the smoke in front of them got cut apart by a broadsword, and what they saw was a blade that cut one of them in the chest, the other who was turning got a big cut on his back, while the third created a shield and yet got hurled back.

The ones behind them raised their wands to attack when the one in the center found a heel smash against his face. He didn't understand, but the other two saw a girl use the blonde boy who bent forward as support and jump over him to kick the dark wizard in the center.

Tifa used the face of the Dark Wizard, breaking his mask to jump up, pointing her wand at them, center, "Expulso!"

The ground between them broke apart, and shards went in all directions, disrupting the crowd of Dark Wizards starting to regroup.

"Boy!! Do you understand who you are picking a fight with!! We are followers by the Dark Lord!!"

Cloud tightened his grip on the hilt, narrowing his eyes, "Do you…understand?"

"Ifrit," Fire dropped from Cloud's wand like a liquid, and the moment it touched the ground, it went towards the dark wizard, surrounding them, forming a circle, and a pillar of flame shot up. A monstrous humanoid entity made of raging fire roared, landing in front of the Dark Wizards.

"Apparate!!!!"

Some screamed or shouted; others tried to use the spells to destroy the creature, but it slammed its hands down, and fire rose like a wave, trying to envelop them.

"Damn it!!!"

Pops and loud cracks started to resound in the air, disappearing from their view before the flame wave died.

Cloud turned around, seeing a muggle family being laid on the ground by Tifa, and there were more.

"They ran."

Tifa gently nodded, "I don't want to…but in this case, it's better if we erase their memory."

"Yeah," Cloud crouched beside her, patting her head, "Good work saving them."

Tifa closed her eyes when a fresh wind swept away the smell of dust and smoky smell, and they felt it energizing them. She opened her eyes, with a smile on her lips, "Aerith's Wind…Healing Wind."

Cloud glanced back at Ifrit, who was protecting their back in case any of the Dark Wizard was left and tried to attack. He used Obliviate to erase the Muggle Family's memories.

The two of them were going to look for other survivors when numerous footsteps appeared around them. They looked up, seeing Harry, Arthur, Hermione, Aerith, and others weren't far behind them.

"You are fine…you are fine," Arthur let out a sigh of relief when he heard a squeal. He pointed his wand towards Hermione and followed her eyes to see the flaming giant he had caught a glimpse of before.

"It's protecting our back…in case someone tries to use the Killing Curse," Tifa explained, looking towards Aerith, who reassured her that everything was fine with a nod.

Arthur blankly nodded before he hastily talked to them, "Go, go, go, go, go. Do not tell anyone that you used magic! Understand? Only to protect yourself, and don't tell you fought the Dark Wizards! Now go. I'll handle it here!"

"Let's go," Fred and George put their hands around Cloud, pushing him forward while Hermione took Harry, who ran after them first, and Tifa's hand, pulling them, "Come on. We gotta leave!"

"Right! That bike! That bike!!!" Ron panicked, shouting, only to see the bike disappear and a broom appeared in Cloud's hand before disappearing.

"You gotta teach me that. Dad's going to love it," George grinned, running as if they were running from the crime scene.

Tifa looked back, seeing Arthur give out a signal flare and members of the Ministry starting to Apparate. She glanced towards Tifa, whose eyes met hers, thinking the same thing.

'We are not leaving Hogwarts this year, are we?'

Aerith chuckled, shaking her head, knowing what Tifa was asking without her asking out loud.