ch 62. A Storm

November 30, 1991 Saturday 11:46 am Quidditch Pitch

- Third-person POV-

*Bam!!*

"And Hufflepuff's Seeker, Timothy Hale, takes a bludger right on the face!!" announced Lee Jordan.

It was the Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, and the scores are 210 to 40.

The eagle's new chaser, Roger Davies is playing very aggressively and earning more than a hundred points.

On the stand…

Ernie is shaking Marshall saying, "You should have played Marshall!!! You should have played!!!! You could have easily matched Davies in strength!!!!"

"Yeah, Marshall. You should talk to Professor Sprout about joining the team. How can those seniors play so meekly?! We're loosing because of you!!!" complained Susan.

Marshall didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Ugh… Let go Ernie… Jeez. How would I know, they will play like that!? And even if I want to join, it's too late. Maybe next year."

When the Gryffindors and Slytherins heard Witcherly's word, they got scared. 'If this guy plays, it will be a one-sided massacre!'

Wayne, with palm on his face, asked, "What now? Our Seeker just got headshot!!"

"Don't worry. We have a reserve Seeker.." Marshall said.

A moment later, a reserve player enters the pitch.

Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!~💓💖💕💋

Cheers and squeals of girls resounded from everywhere.

Lee Jordan begrudgingly said, "Here comes Cedric Diggory filling in as the Hufflepuff's Seeker. Let's hope a bludger hit him on the fa-- Ouch!"

As the game continues, the Hufflepuff's chasers just defended their goal post along with the beaters and the keeper.

Seeing this, Ernie again grabbed Marshall and said, "What in Merlin's Saggy Balls are they doing!! They are just defending!!!"

Out of nowhere, Diggory swoop in, and he was being followed by the Ravenclaw Seeker. They are already in pursuit of the Snitch.

One of the Ravenclaw beaters hit a bludger towards a Puff and taking down one of the chaser playing defense, giving an opening for Davies to bulldoze his way into their barricade scoring another goal.

"Davies scores again! It's now 220 to 40! Diggory still chasing the snitch. It looks like the badgers are just praying for the match to be over...." Lee's comment is really spot on.

The Ravenclaw seeker bumps against Diggory.

Surprisingly, Diggory predicted it and gave a timely kick pushing himself forward with one arm outstretched toward the Snitch.....

.... and Diggory was able to grab the Snitch.

Lee yelled, "Diggory got the Snitch! The match is over! Ravenclaw won 220 to 190!!"

Yaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh~~~💓💖💕💕💋

It was Ravenclaws who won, but the resounding cheers were dominated by squeals of girls praising Diggory's debut.

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1:30 pm, Great Hall

- Marshall's POV-

Wayne complained, "Man… That was embarrassing. People are saying we should change our emblem into a turtle by how defensive our team played…"

"Yeah. If Diggory played earlier, he could have caught the snitch easily. Thinking about it really pissed me off," said Ernie cutting his stake.

Kevin tried calming everyone, "Uhm… guys. Aren't you taking the lost a little too personal?"

*BAM!*

Megan pointed, "It's about our honor, Kevin!!"

Kevin shrinks back and looked at me asking for help.

I just laughed, "Kev, you don't play any sports, do yah?"

My question got a nod from Kevin, so I explained, "Just let them vent their anger. It's a normal behavior for any fan to get angry when their team loses. Especially when the players… ehh... how should I say it…-"

The Quidditch fanatics among as simultaneously yelled, "SUCKS!"

Adeline frowned and asked me, "Does that mean you're not a fan of Quidditch or any sports? You seem taking the Hufflepuff team's defeat too well?"

Trying to defend myself, "I do play football and practice Taekwondo, but I never did get into the whole 'die hard fan' mindset. What gets me excited is watching a good match in any sports."

Then someone interrupted our conversation, "So I guess the match earlier was not 'good' enough for you, Witcherly."

I turned around to see Cedric with his hands crossed and looking at me with a grin.

My fellow 1st years quieted down and were embarrassed being caught speaking bad about our Quidditch team.

"Oh please, you of all people must admit that earlier was bad… really bad. Why didn't you play from the start anyway?" I casually talked back to Diggory.

Diggory and I can be considered friends. He might look angry, but he's just joking with me.

Cedric just shakes his head and said in a low voice, "Don't get me started. The older players benched me because they found out that I'm their girlfriends' crush."

'Is this guy complaining or boasting? He really should just get hit by a bludger in the face.' I just kept my thoughts to myself.

A few girls from Ravenclaw called Cedric and he excused himself. Not surprisingly, Cho Chang is among them.

When I got back to eating my lunch, Hannah asked me, "You're friends with Diggory?"

I'm quickly swallowed and nodded, "Yeah, he lives near the Weasleys and he sometimes played with us. His dad also helps me deal with some issues regarding my pet's papers."

Susan then remembered, "Oh, I remember. His dad works in the Ministry and is part of the department that deals with Magical Creatures."

Wayne elbowed me, "Marshall, convince him to play as the starter in their next game."

"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure he'll be a started after showing his skill earlier," I said but added, "...but speaking of next match. It will probably be around March next year."

Kevin asked, "Eh, I totally forgot that it's the end of November. Christmas break is just a few weeks away… What are your plans?"

With the sudden realization, our topic shifted about our plans during the Holidays. Surprisingly, all of us planned to go back home and spend times with our families.

After our discussion, we decided to get up and leave.

As it was Saturday, we had the whole afternoon free to do what we wanted. Some wanted to go to the library to finish their homework, while others wanted to rest in their common room.

I choose to take a short siesta in the dorm.

On our way out of the Great Hall, Neville, who was crying and smiling at the same time, just entered.

To everyone's surprise, he walked and immediately hugged me, "Thanks Marshall. Thank you.. Thank you."

My fellow Puffs were puzzled. The Neville began rumbling, "Thanks for curing my folks, Marshall. Sniff...sniff... My grandma just sent a letter about their quick recovery... sniff... It was thanks to the potions you gave... sniff.."

I was silent and finding being abruptly hugged a bit awkward. Patting Neville, I just said, "You're welcome, Nev. Are they out of the hospital?"

"Sniff... Not yet because the matrons want to monitor them for a few days. But they already sent me a letter... sniff... sniff... They said they're alright and told me to wait until the Christmas break at home." replied Neville after letting go of me.

His face was red and there was a bit of snot dripping from his nose. It was obvious that he couldn't wait 'til the holiday break.

I wanted to laugh seeing his face but just kept the idea in my head, "They probably want to recover a bit more and meet you at their best. The potion I gave them do nourish the body, but... they were sick for quite some time and might be experiencing some lingering traumas."

Neville nodded and finally walked away, not forgetting to give me another hug and thanks. He proceeded to go to the Gryffindor table to catch some lunch.

Seeing him walking away, I realized that our interaction caught the attention of some faculty members and students.

Not liking the extra attention, I quickly exited the Great Hall and my friend followed me in silence.

Ernie couldn't help it and broke the silence, "Marshall, what was that about?"

While still walking, I turned a bit and explained, "Oh, I learned that Neville's parents were hospitalized, and he was left in the care of his grandmother. That's the whole cause of Longbottom being forced to use his father's wand. It just so happened that I had some extra elixirs, so I asked the Headmaster to try to cure his parents with it..."

The others didn't find anything odd with my explanation, but Susan and Ernie had some knowledge about the condition of Neville's parents had a surprised look.

Susan grabbed my shoulder stopping me on track, "Marshall!!! The Longbottom couples were tortured to the point of insanity with the Cruciatus Curse... And you're saying that your potion cured them?!"

I sighed and said, "Yes. It's no big deal. Ugh… I forgot to remind the Headmaster to not mention I'm the source… Oh well, it's no big deal…"

"No mate, It is a big deal. It might even put you in danger when those people who follows You-Know-Who find out," reminded Ernie.

"Thanks for your concern, and I promise that I'll be careful…" I said. But in my head, I was thinking, 'Well, those people are free to try. Saves me some trouble of hunting them down.'

The others wanted to ask questions but seeing the worried look of Bones and McMillan, they opt to save it for later.

Our group split, and after entering the common room, I went to rest a bit in the dorm and check on my mindscape.

Naji and the twins are staying with the unicorns, who are having a blast in their stay in Grace's area.

It's just a phase, and I know the three would eventually want to go outside.

As for the unicorns, it appears that having a dedicated environment for their species, offset the repulsive feeling that the my trio get from staying too long in my Beast Space.

I then went to check on the other outsiders staying here, the acromantulas and trolls.

After a few visit to the Forbidden Forest, I caught more of the monster spiders and was able to enslave some.

They are staying in the tree tops in Grace's area, and Jolly milks them of their venom and silk.

The trolls are the ones I got from the Halloween incident, and they are staying in the far corner of Avatar Long's area.

They are not under my control, as I'm afraid that they will kill themselves if I try my soul manipulation on them. For now, they are more of use to me alive than as white corpses.

I, personally, extract their blood once a week.

In exchange for their 'goods', I have Jolly feed them with rats, fish and some of our leftovers.

After looking around, I'm realizing that Gavel and Reza's area seems a bit 'empty' in terms of inhabitants.

'Should I looked for some companions for them?'

Gavel was easy… I could just buy some ewes in Exeter.

Reza is a bit tricky. 'Will she like some fellow herons or phoenixes? Maybe I should invite Fawkes to meet her?'

As for Avatar Long, 'Will he like other dragons around? He's always sleeping often, so I'm not sure.'

While I'm fantasizing on having some newborns in my Beast Space, the news of me helping the Longbottoms is kicking up a storm.

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Slytherin Girl's dorms...

"Daphne, you heard about Longbottom's parents?" Tracy came running in our room.

Daphne was looking at the window in deep thought. She turned around and nodded. After sitting down on her bed, she said, "Yes. It was a surprise. Witcherly just attracted a lot of attention to himself."

"No…. I mean… Yes, Marshall is stirring a storm. But…" Tracy's enthusiasm is giving Greengrass a headache. She continues, "Do you think he can help your sister?"

Daphne became quiet. Thoughts run through her mind. She could ask Witcherly, but at the same time she will divulge her family's weakness.

Taking out a paper and quill, she began writing a letter. She said, "I'll ask my father for his opinion."

Tracy agreed, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Don't forget to mention that we're actually friends with Marshall. That might help him be at ease."

Though Daphne's sister's situation is different from what happened to the Longbottom couple, they still need to try.

For some reason, the two girls feel that Witcherly can really help.

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Headmaster's office…

The four house heads are facing Dumbledore.

"Is it true, ... Headmaster?" asked Snape.

With a nod, Dumbledore confirmed, "Yes, Frank and Alice had recovered."

Snape was going to ask another question, but Dumbledore continues, "…and yes, it was thanks to Witcherly's help."

Sprout was ecstatic, "Oh my, who would have thought that when young Longbottom asked Marshall some help in class, he would go beyond advising Neville to even curing his parents?"

McGonagall frowned and question, "Albus, do you have to mention that Marshall was the source of those potions? He might be put in danger."

Dumbledore stroke his beard and, with a sigh, "Marshall doesn't seem to mind. And this might just be a good opportunity to see if the forces behind Witcherly will make a move and reveal themselves."

"But setting Witcherly aside, How are the obstacles in underground chamber proceeding?" asked the Headmaster.

Flitwick gave a wave, "So far, there aren't any problem."

The rest also gave their update.

Seeing that everything is still going according to their plan, Dumbledore smile.

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Gryffindor common room…

Harry, Ron, and Hermione are sitting near the fireplace.

"Is it really a big deal what Marshall did?" asked Hermione.

Ron nodded, "Yup... it was well-known back then what happened to Nev's parents. They were victims of the Cruciatus Curse."

With a wide eyes, she yelled,"You mean one of the Unforgivable Curse?!"

To which Ron just nod while playing with his pet rat.

Harry, not knowing what they were talking about, asked, "What's an Unforgivable Curse?"

"Bloody hell, mate! YOU don't know?" Ron got surprised.

Hermione began to explain the three Unforgivable curses to Harry. After she ends her explanation, she points out, "Harry, you are the only known survivor of the Killing Curse.."

Ron added, "That's was one of the things that made you famous, mate."

Harry just realized this fact, and he tries to feel the scar on his forehead.

After a while, their conversation shifted about the 'Nicholas Flamel' Hagrid mentioned.

They didn't notice Ron's pet rat that's paying attention to them.

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Somewhere in the castle…

"Hhoow?!" A hoarse voice yelled out from Quirrell's shadow.

Quirrell panicked as he can directly feel the anger of the entity on his back. "It w-was that boy, Marshall Witcherly, my Lord. The students are talking about it. It was him who helped the Longbottoms."

The entity became silent and mumbled something. It them said, "Haaa... Wee can't doo anythingggg.. shh.. for nowww. You're still weeakk... Wwhat abouut tthat damn ddog?"

"Ssorry, My Lord, but all I can tell is that Hagrid put it there." Quirrell replied meekly.

Silence ~

"The Half-giantt..shh.!? There'sshh aa wwayhh toh geth him toh talkkhh... Ccontacthh tthaat dealler aggainh.."

The man reacted, "Mundungus Fletcher? What do I need him for?"

"Ah Draagon'shh eggh..."

~end chapter ~

Next chapter is on Feb 12