#hence why he's the youngest quidditch captain in years

[lemon-boy-stan]

THE BATTLE OF LIONS AND SNAKES - R.A.B

As the first wizarding war draws near, the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin becomes even more visible. You'd thought that being James's sister and a Slytherin would change things, but it only made things worse. Pairing: Regulus Black x fem!Potter!reader. Genre: fluff, some angst. Warnings: pureblood supremacy, war talk, slightly dark themes? Swearing, Sirius being a dick. YN calls Sirius a cunt.

The Potters and Blacks were, perhaps, two of the most popular wizarding families at Hogwarts; along with the Malfoys, Prewetts and the Notts. Yes, being pureblood had it's privileges, but it was popularity that put James Potter and Sirius Black on the map.

James and Sirius were the kinds of people that no-one disliked. They were good at sports, funny, daring, and over-all good natured people. They might not have the best grades like Remus Lupin or Lily Evans, but they were damn good at making people laugh, and no-one seemed to mind if they lost any house points.

When the Sorting Hat was sorting you into your house, it had mentioned Gryffindor. Out of all the houses, Gryffindor was the house to be in. Gryffindor made stars, and was home to many famous witches and wizards.

James was a leader. He became Prefect in his fifth year and Head Boy in his sixth year, and was the youngest Quidditch player in a hundred years to be made Captain of the Gryffindor team. He was a good friend - always loyal, always listening to the side of everyone's conversations, always making sure everyone was involved. He was a gentleman - when he had his heart set on someone, he knew exactly what to do and how to treat her right (in the later years, of course). Your mother and father were extremely proud of him.

You yourself were somewhat similar, as his younger sister, but you always envied him for finding most things in life easy. James had every opportunity laid out for him. You, however, had to work hard if you wanted something, sometimes twice as hard as the average student; hence why the hat placed you in Slytherin.

Being in Slytherin and being a Potter caused quite an uproar your first year at Hogwarts. Everyone in Slytherin had a bone to pick with James, based on whatever prank he and his friends had done on the house. Because of this, everyone had some kind of opinion on you, except for the first years, who knew nothing better but to be your friend.

You had met your first ever friend on the Hogwarts Express. James had brought you to sit with his friends, the "Marauders", as they liked to call themselves. You'd spent two Christmases with them before coming to Hogwarts, and honestly, they were pretty stuck-up, especially Remus, who was some sort of care-home yob, and glared at you every time you spoke.

Eventually, you left the carriage, telling James you wanted to make some new friends. He didn't mind, and jokingly told you not to make friends with the "wrong sort", although you didn't really know what that meant.

All of the carriages were full of people who looked older than you and scarier. You walked further down the train, wondering why some students were staring at you. You ignored them, looking through all of the carriages. Finally, after quite some time, you came across a carriage that was almost empty.

A small boy was sitting on the left side of the carriage, reading a book about Ancient Runes. You smiled, he looked so peaceful compared to everyone else; and he was your age. You put your hand to the door and knocked. He looked up, frowning.

The small boy put his book down and got up. He opened the door, "what do you want?" His dark eyebrows furrowing in confusion. You smiled apologetically, "I was just looking for a place to sit. My brother and his friends are a bit annoying." The small boy looked you up and down and stepped aside. "You can sit with me."

"My brother and his friends are a bit stuck up, too. I met them on the platform. My name's Regulus, by the way. Regulus Black."

Your eyes widened. This was Regulus Black? The brother that Sirius Black despised so much? Well, he didn't seem quite so decietful and troll-like after all, but perhaps siblings just disagreed with each other. You wondered why he was all by himself.

"I enjoy my own company, normally, but mother said to make friends. You seem like a respectable enough witch... Would you mind telling me your name?" You tried not to giggle at how Regulus spoke. You'd never heard a ten-year-old speak so posh before. You smiled, "YN Potter, nice to meet you."

Regulus's eyes darkened but he shook his head. "You're not bad for a Potter. Let's be friends." Regulus Black held out his hand, and you shook it, sitting down next to him.

The train continued to move through Scotland. "I'm afraid I'll be put in Slytherin," you said after awhile, putting your head in your hands, "all of my family's been in Gryffindor for thousands of years, but the other day dad joked that I was more cunning than bold."

Regulus looked at you, "I think what you did earlier was pretty bold." You scoffed, "what, asking you if I could sit with you?" He grinned and nodded, "yeah. Do you know how many people avoided me just then before you got here? Even in the Slytherin carriage they think I'm some sort of a freak." You frowned, "I don't think you're a freak. You're just a regular kid to me."

Regulus pulled a face, "I'll have you know I'm the second heir to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black, an extremely respectable and non-regular young wizard." You let out a snort of a laugh, "what kind of kid has to be respectable?!" Before covering your mouth. Regulus smiled at you, "the ones who don't snort like that." You giggled.

Regulus started to get more comfortable. "All of my family's been in Slytherin for thousands of years, just like how yours is with Gryffindor. When Sirius was put in Gryffindor two years ago mum went absolutely ballistic. Maybe I might be put in Gryffindor too, but I think I'll probably be in Slytherin... I wish I was brave enough to run away."

You snorted again, "I wish I was brave enough to be in Gryffindor." Regulus laughed loudly. You turned to him, "if I am put in Slytherin, it won't be so bad if I'm with you." And he smiled.

And you were right. With Regulus by your side, you found it easy making friends in first year. Everyone in Slytherin was a pureblood, and was either scared of him (which you thought was truly ridiculous) or they respected him.

As the years went by, it was clear to most people that the two of you were as close as two peas in a pod. You were often seen together so much that on the rare occasions where you weren't together, you were asked where the other one was.

It was in your third year where you realised your feelings for the youngest Black brother was not just those of friendship, but something much stronger. As your crush grew and your Slytherin friends teased you about it, you began to worry and think of what would happen if you were to date Regulus, and what would happen when your big brother and his best friend found out that you were dating the little brother that he despised so.

And in fourth year, as if nudging these events into reality even further, you and Regulus began to date. In fifth year, the two of you became prefects and Quidditch Captains, and it was clear that you were a powerful unstoppable couple. Despite this, however, some people still did not agree with the dynamic of your relationship.

It was during lunch in the middle of your fifth year did the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor really take its poll.

The war was almost in full motion, and it was obvious to anyone with brains that Voldemort did not have good intentions. There had been whispers in the Slytherin Common Room of some older students who had joined Voldemort's side through some kind of ritual.

James and Sirius were convinced that Regulus was one of these people, and as usual, had convinced themselves that they were right.

"What exactly are you trying to say, James?" You snapped. Your older brother put his hands up in surrender. "Don't get mad at me, I'm just the messenger. Padfoot thinks you should reconsider your relationship with Regulus, that's all." Merlin, were you glad that Reg was out in the pitch training. Sometimes his mad Quidditch obsession was a good thing.

You turned to Sirius now, "you think that, do you?" And Sirius shrugged. James jumped in quickly, keen to stop an argument from happening.

"Well you know how Padfoot's family are all very... Traditional," James was picking his words carefully, watching your facial expressions, "and he told me the other day that his folks had been talking about some dark lord for a long time, like, ever since second year, and how they were all going to join him and support him, and Padfoot was just saying-"

"Regulus is bound to join up!" Sirius butted in. James turned to him and sighed. You looked at him. "He means well, but he's easily coeerced into things, and he's always trying to impress mother, and they always brainwash him, I mean, just look at Bella."

You scowled. Sirius's parents may have been horrible people, but that didn't mean everyone else in his family was. Okay, perhaps one or two of his cousins had done some nasty things in the past, and Bellatrix was one of them, but you would always remember her as the girl who cursed some older students for boxing your ears. She'd said any friend of Regulus was a friend of hers and that you could count on her.

"Bella is a perfectly kind and respectable witch. She's really nice, actually." Sirius rolled his eyes at this. "Well, whatever, but don't come crying to me when your boyfriend has suddenly run off to join Voldemort. I'm telling you, all of them are like that. You know, at least ninety percent of Slytherin house are evil!" Sirius threw his arms up and you began to fume.

"But you always forget the main thing, don't you, Black?!" Typical Sirius Black to hate something but to leave an exception. "I'm a Slytherin too! You think we're all just so evil, do you? You think all of us want to join Voldemort? Since Regulus apparently will, maybe I will to PROVE YOU WRONG, you righteous, narcissistic cunt!"

Lily and Marlene gasped but you didn't care. Sirius scoffed even louder. "Oh, that's rich, coming from YN "I don't want to be a Slytherin" Potter! But I suppose after snogging my dear brother everything's fine, is it? Suppose the death eaters will just have to snog you to convince you to join up-"

"CONFRINGO!" The Gryffindors shrieked loudly at the sudden spell. Sirius flew backwards, knocking down the students who were sitting next to him and you knew who it was immeadietly. Regulus was always rather powerful with his magic.

Sirius got up and glared at his younger brother, taking out his wand. Regulus held his chin high, "don't you say a word against my girlfriend." And Sirius scoffed. "Is she really your girlfriend, or is she just someone who you lock lips with in your bed? LEVICORPUS!"

You dove infront of Regulus just before you saw Sirius wave his wand, but forgot to take out your own, and now you were hovering in the air. James let out an enraged roar, getting up. "WHAT THE FUCK, PADFOOT! DID YOU JUST CURSE MY FUCKING SISTER?!" You didn't think you'd ever heard him be so mad before.

Sirius glared at him, "I was trying to get Regulus, but the little weasel doged it just like everything else in his life!" You tried to fight the enchantment, "GO FUCK YOURSELF, BLACK!" kicking at the air. The other students laughed.

"Expelliarmus!" Regulus flicked his wand and Sirius's wand flew out of his hand. "You're just as bad as mother," Regulus hissed, "cursing an innocent person." Sirius rolled his eyes, "oh, I'm as bad as mother? Who's the one still grovelling about her knees and begging for her admiration?! Who's the one who-"

"CAN THE TWO OF YOU JUST SHUT UP AND PUT MY SISTER BACK? FINITE INCANTATUM!" James wove his wand angrily, and you fell back down to the ground. The school had stopped laughing now, and were all just watching intently.

Regulus turned to you, "are you okay?" You dusted yourself off and nodded, "I'm good." You turned to Sirius. "Not that it's any of your business, but Regulus is my boyfriend and I love him. So if you can't deal with that you can just get lost."

James looked the two of you up and down before nodding solemnly. He turned to you, "YN, Regulus, I'm sorry. I didn't see it before, but I do now, and I can tell that you're in love. So, what I'm trying to say is, if you want to be together, I don't have a problem with it anymore." James nodded at Regulus, who still looked a bit taken aback that he was being addressed.

Sirius scowled, "I still do."

This time it was Regulus who rolled his eyes. He then turned to you and grinned, "since you've got such a problem with it, Sirius, watch this." You looked at Regulus in confusion before getting the memo and grinning. Regulus smiled too, grabbing your waist and leaning in, kissing you on the lips. Slytherin house cheered as the others stared in shock.

Sirius scoffed in disbelief, "whatever." And you smiled, kissing Regulus again. James made a sound, "you better remove Regulus from my sister, Padfoot, or you won't have a brother anymore." You giggled softly, threading your fingers through Regulus's dark curls before looking up into his green eyes and pulling away.

HARRY POTTER MASTERLIST

NAVIGATION

[carewyncromwell]

[Carewyn’s] expression became more ashamed again as she looked down at her own feet, dangling off the bench in front of her.

“I’m really, really sorry I upset you. I might not entirely get why you decided to have me call the shots for this, but…well, I meant what I sang. ‘I’ll do my very best, and it ain’t no lie,’” she sang a bit more sweetly, “‘if you put me to the test, if you let me try…’”

Carewyn’s singing seemed to soften Orion’s expression further. He smiled slightly at her.

“I accepted your apology the first time you made it, Carewyn Cromwell. Though it was easier to do, after our minds melded properly.”

~“We Can Beat Them Forever and Ever,” a Quidditch season 1 ficlet

x~x~x~x

Gahhhh, little!Carion!! God, they own my heart so much. ;~;

But yeah, so this drawing is set in Carewyn’s third year and Orion’s fourth year, right before the first (and ultimately only) Quidditch match Carewyn and Orion play together that year, against Hufflepuff (hence why Orion doesn’t have his facial hair yet and Carey’s ponytail is so short!). It’s right at the beginning of their relationship, so yeah, pretty solidly platonic at this point, but considering how similar their personalities are, Carewyn and Orion still forge a pretty strong connection from the get-go. It is a shame these two weren’t able to play Quidditch together longer, otherwise they totally would’ve become the Papa Bear and Mama Bear of the Slytherin team 😂

Fun fact: the song Carewyn’s singing here is “Take A Chance on Me,” which is by her brother Jacob’s favorite band, ABBA. Although Carewyn originally sang it for her team just for fun and is singing it for Orion here to affirm her commitment to him and the team, the words are obviously meant to be much more romantic. In fact, this song actually really suits Carewyn and Orion as adults post-Second Wizarding War, when they realize how much they care about each other and enjoy spending time together and yet are on the fence about whether or not to pursue a relationship when they live such different lives:

“We can go dancing -- we can go walking -- As long as we're together (long as we're together)... Listen to some music -- maybe just talking -- Get to know you better (get to know you better),

'Cause you know I've got so much that I wanna do! When I dream, I'm alone with you -- it's magic! You want me to leave it there, afraid of a love affair, But I think you know that I can't let go...”

Hope you’re all doing well! Much love! 💚💚💚

[pulaasul]

Billy Batson and the Triwizard Tournament

As the Triwizard Tournament pushed through, Billy investigates the event and much more.

FFN I AO3

---------

A lot of magical games in this world were really strange, as Billy figured. One example was Quidditch, it's like someone put the rules of soccer, football, dodge ball, basketball, and some others in a blender and mixed everything thoroughly.

Apparently, His assumptions were correct. Quidditch was actually a combination of other now-defunct broom-using sports.

He can't help but admit having a sport based on flying would be a spectacle to watch if only he wasn't busy in America during the Quidditch World Cup.

The same could not be said for the Triwizard Tournament.

Utilizing the Wisdom of Solomon, Billy knew that the world he came from and this world operated on the same rules apart from having magic a secret to most of the populace with the Statute of Secrecy implemented all over the world and Rapaport's law heavily enforced in the Americas.

The question of how successful it was remains to be seen, considering not many countries were in the International Confederation of Wizards let alone have their own respective magical governments.

In utilizing the same power, Billy knew of the Triwizard Tournament's infamy. He knew of the tournament's dangerous tasks that turned up a lot of casualties amongst its participants. Unlike other tournaments from his world, this one was one of the most dangerous and fatal tournaments in existence as far as he was concerned. During his research, there was even a time when there were no declared winners because all of the traditional three champions died during one of the many perilous tasks.

Hence, when Billy had learned of a fourteen-year-old competing against seventeen and eighteen-year-olds in the tournament, not to mention the dubious way he was selected as one of the tournament's participants despite the many precautions the organizers implemented to stop any underage witch or wizard from entering, he opted to train the four champions together and gave all four of them a bigger chance at survival.

Billy, in his Captain Marvel form he aptly named William, taught the four Triwizard Champions new spells that have a high probability of helping them winning and surviving the tournament.

He had admitted to the selected participants that their sessions were more for the benefit of their youngest competitor however to avoid the matter being categorized as cheating, he also extended the offer to the other three champions.

---------

"Headmaster Dumbledore, do you have any comments on how Harry Potter was able to enter the tournament and made him the fourth participant in a tournament where there should only be three?" William questioned the Headmaster.

"No, I drew an age line around the Goblet of Fire to stop any would-be rule breakers and join the tournament to avoid casualties as young as eleven-year-olds." Hogwarts's headmaster responded. "The only way for Mr. Potter to have entered was for someone else to have put his name in."

"Are you saying that no one under the age of seventeen can enter the age line even if one were to make an aging potion or even transfigure oneself to be older?"

"Funny you say that, William," Dumbledore chuckled. "There were indeed people who used transfigurations and aging potions to pass through my age line, but they were unsuccessful."

"I had heard of that from the school's rumor mill." William nodded. "The Weasley twins found their faces aged up to elderly men judging from the apparent white hair and beard that grew by the second."

"Never a dull day with the Weasley twins." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"Speaking of the Goblet of Fire, do you know its origins Headmaster?" William asked.

"I'm afraid not William." Dumbledore shook his head. "All teachers and staff are at a loss at how the Goblet managed to spit out four participants instead of the regular three." He sighed. "Even the Ministry of Magic does not know. There's a theory that the artifact was hit with a Confundus charm and made the Goblet think that there need to be four champions for the tournament instead of three."

"Do you believe the theory?"

"A few Unspeakables seems to agree."

"Unspeakables?"

"They're Ministry workers who work on time, space, astronomy, prophecies, and the heart," Dumbledore answered. "All of their work remains a secret even to the Minister himself, all we can do is ask if something was in the realm of possibility."

"If I were to ask them about the Goblet, they'll likely not to give me an answer?"

"You assume correctly William."

"If I were to give Harry Potter leverage against his older competitors, would he be potentially be forced into a penalty?"

"I cannot say."

"Well then, would it be alright if I were to teach all four champions new spells then until before midnight."

"That wouldn't be viewed as cheating because all four champions will be given the same privilege." If it was ever possible, the Headmaster's eyes twinkled even more. "You have my permission, Mr. Diggory is a prefect and he can vouch for Mr. Potter being outside of the Dormitory past curfew."

"I would like to ask permission for Mr. Creevey as well, instead of having another employee of the Mudblood be the paper's photographer during the event, I figured why not use an intern who's already on the school grounds."

"Considering Mr. Creevey already has a clearance as a student, there's less of a risk for a security breach, very well, Mr. Creevey can be outside the Dormitory after curfew on the condition that he must return to his dormitory when his head of house fetches him."

"Fair enough." William nodded.

----------

For the most part, sporting events and tournaments such as Quidditch works the same as Billy's homeworld, home universe. The spectators were entertained as they watched how each event was played like: how one member managed to score a goal, how an opponent stole the ball, even how some even blocked the ball.

It was entertaining to watch beaters slam away the quaffles, how keepers prevented the opponent team from scoring, even how seekers chased after the golden snitch to potentially win a game.

The first task of the Triwizard Tournament was a lot like that, it was entertaining to watch, albeit in a worrisome sort of way, considering the danger the participants were in: how they were going to outsmart a nesting mother. The first task of the tournament was retrieving a fake egg from a nesting dragon.

----------

"Mr. Diggory, could I have a word?" Billy questioned as he approached the bed Cedric sat on. "How did you come up of transfiguring a slab of stone into a dog?"

"I don't know," Cedric admitted. "I was just thinking that if the dragon's attention wasn't on me, I'd be able to finish the first task with ease."

"Good thinking, most dragons are easily distracted." Billy nodded. "That water eruption spell was brilliant as well." He praised.

"Well, I was just glad that I had thought of that spell before I became one fried bloke." Cedric joked. "I don't fancy being fried, mate."

"I don't think anyone would." Billy chuckled along. "With experiencing the tournament, how do you describe this?"

"This goes way beyond glory." Cedric shivered. "This is survival."

Not a moment later, Madam Pomfrey then decided to shoo Billy and Colin away from the healer tent so that she can tend to her patient in peace.

Billy and Colin then went back to the stands and they were just in time for when Fleur entered the enclosure. They watched how the Delacour fared against her opponent and immediately returned to the healer tent and waited for her injuries to be treated.

"Ms. Delacour, could I have a word?" Billy smiled.

"Oui!" Fleur nodded. "

"What did you feel when you entered the enclosure?"

"J'étais effrayée!" Fleur exclaimed. "La flamme! Endormie!" She rambled.

"Excuse me?" Billy raised an eyebrow.

"Je m'excuse," Fleur apologized. "I was so scared, I thought it was asleep but it exhaled la flamme!"

"You didn't think that the dragons would exhale flames when they're asleep?" Billy questioned.

"Oui!" Fleur nodded. "I deed not know what to do."

"From what I've seen, you were composed the whole time," Billy informed. "You were quick enough to extinguish the flames of your skirt with a water-making charm."

"I was lucky." Fleur admitted.

"Well then, after experiencing the first task, what can you say about the tournament?" Billy questioned.

"Survie!"

Billy and Colin were once again shooed away from the healer's tent and just in time for Krum to enter the enclosure. Both boys watched how the famous Viktor Krum would've done, suffice to say that he was the strongest spellcaster between the four of them, hitting the eye of a dragon, whose species were known to be able to resist magical attacks from wizards.

As soon as Krum finished, after saving the nesting mother's eggs, Billy and Colin immediately rushed to the healer's tent once more and repeated his process with Cedric and Fleur for Krum.

"Mr. Krum, how does it feel to score so high in the tournament from the start?" Billy questioned as Colin took a picture of the still panting Durmstrang student.

"It vas intense!" Krum commented. "I vas glad that I vas avul to protect the dragon's eggs." He panted. "It vould no doubt affect my standing in the tournament."

"I see, could you please describe the tournament in one word, now that you have experienced the first task."

"Survival." Krum responded.

---------

It was no wonder that this infamous tournament racked up a lot of casualties. The tournament was no different than the Gladiator fights during the ancient Roman Empire or bullfighting in modern times, modern times relative to his home universe. All three events endanger its participants all for the entertainment of its spectators.

Unlike the sporting events in Billy's home universe, however, the Triwizard Tournament featured an event that would normally be held at the end, concluding the event on a high note. The event was called the Yule Ball.

The Yule Ball was quite a strange event to hold right in the middle of the tournament, it was before the second task of the tournament would take place.

Strangeness of the event aside, the Yule Ball was an event Billy could never forget. The school's great hall was transformed into a ballroom made of ice: tables and chairs were covered in ice-like colors granting the illusion that everything in the Great Hall was made of ice.

The Icicles that clung to the candle-lit chandeliers gave the Great Hall a variety of colors and effects making the Great Hall seem to be a sight to behold. The addition of the snow-covered trees alongside the trees made of ice by the high table just added more to the spectacle.

Billy couldn't help but describe the entire event as, dare he say it, magical.

Once the event concluded Billy decided to investigate some claims further.

---------

"Sir Nicholas, has Mr. Potter's life been in danger before?" William questioned the ghost in one of the corridors.

"Most Certainly Sir William." Nearly Headless Nick answered.

"William's just fine Sir Nicholas." William shook his head. "Unlike you, I was never knighted or in the service of royalty."

"Very well William." Sir Nicholas nodded. "With regards to Potter, for three consecutive years, that boy finds himself in a lot of trouble starting at Hollow's Eve."

"What kinds of trouble?"

"Life-threatening kinds of trouble." The fat friar inserted himself into the conversation.

"How so?"

"A troll got inside the school grounds during 1991." Sir Nicholas hummed.

"The Chamber of Secrets was opened in 1992." The Bloody Baron hissed.

"Then there was the time when Sirius Black infiltrated the castle in 1993." The fat friar added.

"These events act some sort of precursor to the life-threatening events that Mr. Potter has faced?"

"That was true for Potter's first two years." Sir Nicholas nodded. "I feel like the one in 1993 was just pure coincidence."

"You reckon that when Potter's name was ejected from the Goblet of fire, this was only a precursor for more things to come that would threaten Potter's life?"

"We can't be too sure." The fat friar shook his head. "As the one that happened in 1993 broke what we knew of the pattern that was established."

"Sirius Black's infiltration of the castle had never gone to fruition and Peter Pettigrew was caught, or so what I've caught from talking students." Sir Nicholas offered.

"Sirius Black is back in Ministry Custody but under hospital arrest at St. Mungos and help him recover from being near the Dementors for more than a decade," William informed the ghosts. "It's largely due to the capture of Peter Pettigrew who was thought to be dead." He added. "Black will soon go to trial and would then be declared innocent depending on circumstances."

"You mean to say that Black hasn't undergone any trial for his supposed crimes?" The fat friar hissed. "What utter hypocrites, they're no better than the muggles who performed witch hunts back in the day." He scoffed.

"Anyway, do you know of any students who could possibly cast a Confundus charm on a magical object such as the Goblet of Fire?" William questioned the ghosts that have gathered.

"So this is the nature of your inquiries of Potter's life-threatening adventures." The Bloody Baron mused. "You exhibit Slytherin qualities, William."

"To answer your question, most sixth and seventh years are capable of casting the charm." The fat friar responded.

"Come to think of it, that Granger girl could possibly cast the charm herself, she's always in the library." Sir Nicholas offered.

"But none would be able to cast a charm that would confuse a magical object such as the Goblet of Fire."

"Which means, one of the teachers is responsible for the fourth champion." William deduced.

"No, that can't be it." The fat friar denied the conclusion. "No self-respecting teacher of Hogwarts would ever bring harm to the students of the school."

"You said it yourself, it'd be impossible for any of the students to be able to cast the Confundus charm on a magical object and having the desired result," William pointed out. "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

"The lad has a point." Sir Nicholas nodded. "No self-respecting sixth or seventh year would put the name of an underage student on the off chance that the goblet wouldn't pick them."

"Those are mere circumstantial evidence." The Bloody Baron sneered. "How could you possibly hope for the capture of the one responsible?"

"By investigating further." William smiled as he walked towards a wall.

"The Come and Go room." Sir Nicholas commented.

"Come and Go? I was under the impression that this place was called the Rock of Eternity."

"I think I heard the Grey Lady say that this was called the Room of Requirement, although I cannot remember when." The fat friar hummed.

"Regardless of what the name of the room is, I have more things to do, thank you for your inputs." William smiled at the Ghosts.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A silver-y Bengal Tiger was summoned from William's wand before it ran towards the wall and passed through it.

William summoned another silver-y Bengal Tiger and it too did the same as the first one.

---------

Before the year could've ended, Billy shared with the four champions what he had concluded with his conversation with the ghosts. He had enchanted the four champions to say his very own magic word, which he had already made as a taboo beforehand during his days as a MACUSA auror, whenever they hear the first two syllables of any of the three unforgivable curses.

It had the side effect of shocking the four champions unconscious, which put Potter in a more precarious position.

Confident that the four students would at least be protected from the killing curse, Billy left the unconscious champions by the lakeside and continue his search back in the Room of Requirement, as some of the ghosts had insisted the room to be called.

Then came the second and third tasks of the tournament and they were as boring as they can get. There's more action with muggle children playing tic-tac-toe than the second and third tasks.

The second task involved the merpeople, the grindylows, and other deepwater creatures present in the Black Lake. It was a long waiting game, all the audience saw was when the participants jumped into the water and when they came up.

It was rather impressive of Harry, and it was appreciated, that the boy jumped from the water like a dolphin before diving back in as it provided a little bit of entertainment from the longest waiting game the entire school has played.

Eventually, the participants surfaced, along with their respective hostages, the judgment of this particular task was based on the time it took for them to rescue their respective hostages, whether they were able to rescue them or not, and the merpeople's accounts of what happened underwater.

Tragedy struck right after the reveal of what the third task was about. Bartemius Crouch Sr. was found dead, whose corpse was transfigured into a human femur buried near the gamekeeper's hut.

Naturally, the main suspect was the school's gamekeeper but further investigation proves that Crouch Sr. was killed with the killing curse as what was shown by the spell 'Appare Vistigium'. That alone couldn't convict the half-giant for the death of the ministry worker.

During his investigation on Crouch Sr.'s death, he met Professor Alastor Moody. The two of them collaborated with investigating the death of one of the Ministry's department heads.

As Billy continued to collaborate with Moody, there was something off about this auror-turned-professor. He knew it was the Wisdom of Solomon at play, but he just can't place on what was off about the wizard.

One thing was for sure, that Billy knew, the walk Moody was doing, wasn't due to a disability but rather due to him trying to accommodate the prosthetic on his leg. He can identify whether the man was truly disabled or not. Freddy, his best friend, was disabled due to his blunder against Captain Nazi.

As per recommendation by both William and Moody, Minister Fudge had Professor Hagrid watched 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The move was necessitated to both prove the professor's innocence and to watch over him in case Crouch's killer would target the half giant next.

Minister Fudge's motive however wasn't as noble as William's, due to the Minister's prejudice against anyone not fully human.

The other reason why Professor Hagrid wouldn't have been the killer was that he was expelled, transfiguring a human into an inanimate object was an advanced level of magic.

---------

"William, has your investigations bore fruit?" Professor Dumbledore questioned the journalist.

"Unfortunately headmaster, no." William shook his head. "I have a few suspects but I don't have any conclusive evidence to back my claims, which as you would know, would be bad for any case."

"Right you are my boy." The headmaster nodded. "Surely the last task of the tournament would go smoothly as the first two tasks did."

"You should have not said that, Professor." William exclaimed.

"Whatever do you mean William?"

"There's a no-maj belief that if you state that something good is sure to happen in a particular event, whatever forces out there would make the event in question have worse things happen to it." William sighed.

"Surely those are mere superstitious beliefs."

"Every muggle has thought of magic as superstitious, Professor." William shook his head. "Let us just prepare."

---------

Unlike the second task, there was some sort of entertainment during the third task as soon as all the participants were inside the maze, doing the third task of the tournament.

The entertainment in question was the different arguments that broke out after all the champions had entered the maze. Different people supported either of the four champions. Naturally, the students from Durmstrang supported Krum and the students from Beaubaxtons supported Fleur.

One would think that the two Hogwarts champions would get the support of the entire school's student body, however, house loyalties reared it's ugly head and divided the school more than it already was. Naturally, the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs supported Harry and Cedric respectively however the Ravenclaws and Slytherins were split between all four of the champions.

Some Slytherins were taunting the Gryffindors and Gryffindors taunted back.

Thankfully it never escalated to hexes and curses at each other.

One of the major downsides of this universe's separation between magic and non-magic is the fact that most muggle technologies don't work in places where there is a huge concentration of magic. It was a shame too as a wizard or witch could've been on the brooms and followed the champions while carrying cine-cameras.

Then again there is the issue of how to transfer the camera's feed to something that would be viewed by the peanut gallery, not to mention how it would work with the surrounding magic, making most technological things malfunction.

Speaking of cameras, Billy never asked the intern how he got his camera.

"Colin, how did you get your camera?" Billy asked his companion.

"This was a gift to me by my mother," Colin answered. "I think this was my 8th birthday gift and I've been using it since then."

"How'd you make it work inside the school? Aren't most muggle things do not work in the school?"

"Professor Mcgonagall and Professor Flitwick enchanted the camera when she took me to Diagon Alley for the first time where Professor Flitwick enchanted it," Colin answered. "I kinda asked Professor Mcgonagall how I can show my younger brother Hogwarts."

"That can't be it." Billy narrowed his eyes in confusion. "That would violate the Statute of Secrecy."

"I don't know myself," Colin admitted. "Mum and Dad probably know the reason why I was allowed to bring my camera."

"It is possible that your head of house informed your parents about the Statute of Secrecy." Billy nodded in understanding. "I suspect that it was to make your transition from living in a muggle society to living in the wizarding society."

"Maybe so."

Apart from the idle conversations Billy had with Colin and the taunts that happened all around the place, the third task was as boring as they come, some muggleborn first years had even agreed with his sentiment and wished.

"I wish something were to happen." A first-year Ravenclaw groaned.

"What are you talking about?" Another Ravenclaw questioned. "This is the third task of the Triwizard Tournament."

Billy merely shook his head and stopped listening to the conversation.

A moment later, the boy's wish came true as a battered, dirty Harry Potter appeared right outside the maze's entrance clutching the unconscious body of one Cedric Diggory.

Billy's eyes narrowed as the peanut gallery erupted in cheers. It's as if what happened was a breathtaking performance as the act of appearing out of nowhere, by way of the Triwizard Cup, garnered a standing ovation from everyone in the audience.

"Colin, make your way down the stands and you need to take photos," Billy ordered. "Do not bother with niceties and consent, keep taking photos. I will call William here to help, make sure to listen to what was talking."

Colin was about to open his mouth.

"No, this is not a normal situation Colin, trust me on this."

"If you say so." Colin nodded.

Colin didn't wait for any more words from the older boy and immediately went down to where the Headmaster was.

Billy pointed his wand at Colin's running form and cast a spell or two on the boy.

With everyone distracted from the round of applause that turned into shrieks of horror, Billy ran behind one of the many pillars and shouted his magic word.

"SHAZAM!"

Lightning struck Billy and he transformed into his champion form, Captain Marvel, or as he was known to the Wizarding World, William.

"What happened?! I rushed here as soon as I knew." William made his presence known.

"By Merlin! Diggory! He's dead!" Fudge exclaimed.

"I-I can't j-just leave him there." Harry wailed as he clutched Cedric's body like his life depended on it. "Not there."

"It's alright Harry, it's alright, let go." Dumbledore comforted the wailing champion.

"That's my son!" Amos rushed to his son's unconscious form. "That's my boy." He wailed.

"No!" Mrs. Diggory gasped. "Not my son!" She wailed as she too knelt by Cedric's side.

The entire Quidditch field was merely filled by the sounds of grieving parents who just saw their son lying on the floor lifeless.

William narrowed his eyes on Cedric's stomach and chest when he observed that it was moving up and down as if the boy was breathing, but it was subtle enough that no one, let alone the grieving parents, noticed.

William immediately rushed to Cedric's side and pressed his finger on the side of Cedric's neck trying, trying and trying to find something there.

A smile adorned the journalist's face as he announced.

"He's alive! Diggory's alive! We need a Medi-witch here."

"He has a pulse?!" Came the shout of one Hermoine Granger.

"Ms. Granger and any other muggleborns knowledgeable of first aid, I'm leaving you to explain what I just did to these people here," William shouted his instructions. "Colin, continue to snap photographs, and don't stop! If you have to, follow the headmaster or the Minister." He continued.

William looked down on the wailing Potter, who might've ignored everything that just happened.

"Harry, Harry." William tried to gain the young boy's attention. "You trust me, right Harry?"

Harry's only response was a nod.

"I swear Harry, Cedric is alive, you can let go so that Madam Pomfrey can get him checked." William assured the Potter.

"A-a-are you sure?" Harry questioned. "I saw the k-killing c-curse hit him."

"Yes."

"Okay."

William decided that he didn't want to wait for a gurney from the hospital wing and cut Cedric's shirt open from the middle and then cut the sleeves soon after.

As soon as Cedric's torso was bare, he immediately transfigured the cut shirt into a gurney right under the unconscious boy.

"Messers Weasley!" Professor Mcgonagall called the twins over. "Take Mr. Diggory to the Hospital Wing."

"Mr. and Mrs. Diggory you can come with me to the hospital wing." William informed Cedric's parents.

The Diggorys mutely nodded and followed the twins and William to the school's hospital wing.

---------

"If Mr. Potter's words were to be believed, Mr. Diggory was hit by the killing curse." Madam Pomfrey stated. "Is it possible?"

"I do not think so." William shook his head. "When I was teaching all of the champions some spells, spells most likely will be used in the tournament, I took the opportunity to teach them of the taboo I had MACUSA set up."

"Taboo?" Amos questioned.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Aria asked.

"I was a MACUSA auror," William admitted. "The establishment of the taboo using a word I frequently use has helped a lot of my fellow aurors on the job. If Mr. Diggory was able to say the word as the killing curse was cast, then lightning would have struck in front of him, intercepting the beam of green light that came from the killing curse."

"I see." Madam Pomfrey nodded. "How come he wasn't awake when he and Potter arrived back from wherever they were taken?"

"One of the many side effects of the lightning, especially when it intercepts any spell targeting the user, is paralysis."

"My boy wouldn't be able to move?!" Amos exclaimed.

"Temporary paralysis," William amended. "And extreme fatigue."

Both Diggory parents seemed to calm down at the correction William made.

"Extreme fatigue?" Aria questioned.

"He's very, very tired," William explained. "I reckon he had already gained consciousness before arriving back with Mr. Potter but he must've done something that his body forced him in a state of unconsciousness." He offered. "I'm not a healer but that was what my fellow aurors has experienced when they say the taboo word and intercept a spell, especially from the killing curse that was coming their way."

"When will he wake?" Cedric's mother questioned.

"Given time to rest, in a few days," William answered. "Once he wakes from this but I warn you, your son is going to have a lot of nightmares, nightmares involving what ifs."

"What if the killing curse hit him?"

"What if he and Harry had their positions switched?"

"Or he would just relive what he has witnessed wherever he and Mr. Potter was taken in the middle of the tournament."

"My poor boy." Aria's eyes now had tears welling on her eyes.

"The best you can do for him would be there for him whenever he wakes from his nightmares." William offered. "Train him to become better combatant."

Amos and Aria nodded as they watched their son's unconscious form, now wearing a simple plain shirt to replace the shirt that was transfigured into a gurney earlier.

---------

"Please tell me again what happened to the impostor?" William took calming breaths.

"Minister Fudge brought a dementor with him and it kissed Barty Jr." Professor Dumbledore obliged with the request.

"Please tell me you were at least able to question him?"

"We have," Professor Mcgonagall answered. "Severus was able to administer a dose Veritaserum."

"How'd you figure out that he was taking Polyjuice potion?" William questioned.

"The effects of the Polyjuice potion expired." Professor Snape dryly answered. "He was as obnoxious as Potter when he revealed to the boy what he did while posing as Moody.'

"What about Mr. Potter?"

"We were able to rescue Mr. Potter from Crouch's clutches as he was about to kill him." Professor Mcgonagall supplied.

"I've known since the Impostor Moody took Harry from my sight." Dumbledore answered.

"I take it he was the one who placed the Confundus charm on the goblet and placed Mr. Potter's name in then?" William sighed. "I had known that only the teachers and staff were capable of doing such feats." He admitted. "I even had suspicions on him but I didn't have any conclusive evidence to prove it."

"How did you figure it out?" Professor Mcgonagall questioned.

"Diggory and Potter had commented about Moody's curiosity about their progress for the second task," William answered. "But that wasn't conclusive, I needed something substantial and not circumstantial evidence to actually act on my suspicions."

"You heard everything, Colin?" William turned his back on the professors assembled.

"Yeah, William." Colin nodded as he revealed himself to the professors.

"How?!"

"All of you were busy dealing with Harry and Mr. Crouch," Colin admitted. "No one even took notice of the flashes my camera made."

"I highly doubt that boy." Professor Snape sneered. "Had there been a flash of the camera all of us would've noticed it."

"I'm telling the truth, Professor Snape." Colin insisted. "I don't know how you didn't notice it."

"Actually that was Billy's doing," William interjected. "Before he called for me, he cast a disillusionment charm on Colin and a Confundus on his camera so that no one would notice him and bar him from taking any photographs."

"That was reckless!" Professor Mcgonagall fumed.

"50 points from Gryffindor," Professor Snape declared. "For endangering yourself and sneaking in towards restricted places."

"Ten points to Gryffindor for sheer dumb luck." Professor Mcgonagall seethed.

Colin was about to protest but William's hand on his shoulder stopped him from doing so.

"And another 20 points for braving the situation despite its danger, showing Gryffindor qualities." Dumbledore declared.

William simply shook his head at the headmaster's actions, no wonder Gryffindor house won the first three house cups, as the ghosts reported.

---------

The Daily Prophet

The Boy Who Lied

By: Kekis Trecus

----------

Billy had to hand it to Minister Fudge, he can work as fast as he could if given the right motivation.

But…

Billy knew what the price behind that work ethic was. He especially knew that Cornelius Fudge was in love with the power he had as Britain's Minister for Magic.

Frankly, Minister Fudge was drunk on the legal powers that he had.

An all-out smear campaign against both Hogwarts's Headmaster and Harry Potter was instigated by the Daily Prophet the very next day. They discredited everything Harry told the people right after returning, escaping his captors.

Billy wouldn't even begin to imagine what was in store for one Cedric Diggory, once he corroborates his story with Harry's words.

Yes, once, not if, once. Cedric Diggory embodies all the traits that the Hufflepuffs value, and one of which was loyalty. Cedric was as loyal as one would come.

Speaking of smear campaigns, as far as he knew, Godfrey wasn't this ruthless when he ran a smear campaign against him or the other heroes back in his home universe. At the very least the standards for print media were still upheld, nothing in their articles was outright insulting and degrading towards the other heroes.

The Daily Prophet, however, Billy couldn't help but scoff at the news organization. The Headline itself was in clear violation of those standards using an insult from the get-go. The rest of the article wasn't even worth reading as he had already seen the words 'hallucination', 'headaches', and the like in the article's first paragraph.

The Daily Prophet was clearly building upon the articles Skeeter had printed during the Triwizard Tournament.

Billy took the time to smile to himself however, it was a good thing that he had cast a disillusionment charm on Colin before he started taking pictures. A quick narration of events from the boy alongside the testimonies from the teachers, he was able to build a good article out of it.

It was also a good thing that he can pay to distribute his paper to the Ministry of Magic and other key places in Wizarding Britain to fully inform the public.

---------

The Mudblood

Tournament Scare: Potter Claims You-Know-Who is Back

By: William Joseph Batson

In an unfortunate turn of events both Hogwarts Champions, Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory, appeared at the maze's entrance dirty, battered, and seemingly dead – in Diggory's case. As soon as Potter arrived with an unconscious Diggory, the boy immediately tried to warn everyone in the area about You-know-who and his return.

According to Potter both he and Diggory touched the Triwizard Cup together and they were transported to a graveyard. There they encountered Peter Pettigrew who immediately cast the killing curse on Diggory.

Afterward, Pettigrew, who supposedly died under Ministry custody, performed a ritual using Potter's blood and resurrected You-Know-Who.

Potter was able to escape, alongside the unconscious body of his fellow champion, the graveyard by using the Triwizard Cup once more and returned them to Hogwarts.

Last night's events have also revealed who had put Potter's name into the Goblet of Fire, it was Bartemius Crouch Jr., a convicted Death Eater who was thought to be dead. He was posing as the school's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Auror Alastor Moody.

Minister Fudge feared for his safety and commissioned to be accompanied by a dementor from Azkaban as he questions the escaped convict. It never came to fruition as the dementor with the minister kissed the escaped convict, leaving him a shell of his former self.

According to the staff of Hogwarts, who had the foresight to question Crouch while under their custody, they found out that the Dark Mark during the Quidditch World Cup was the mark Crouch conjured himself. According to them, you-know-who was insistent on using Potter for the resurrection ritual for various reasons for which the impostor wasn't privy to.

If we can remember the events that led up to this, October 31st of 1981, you-know-who attacked the Potters in the hopes of killing a baby Harry Potter.

Two years ago, Sirius Black, who was recently declared innocent, escaped Azkaban who was presumably trying to continue his supposed master's plan, but early last year, however, everyone had it wrong and it was revealed that Pettigrew was you-know-who's servant and have been masquerading as a pet rat to a wizarding family.

According to the Ministry, Pettigrew died while under their custody earlier this year.

Late last year, someone had put Potter's name into the Goblet of Fire, forcing him to participate in the Triwizard Tournament.

Due to the severity of the situation, Diggory and Potter being unconscious, Hogwarts's Headmaster has opted to delay the announcement of the winners of the Triwizard Cup.

-----------

Billy supposed that there was a silver lining with Minister Fudge's actions. He had already revoked Albus Dumbledore's seat in the International Confederation of Wizards, which means that the Confederation Decree 7 of 1751 or the Decree protecting the leaders of the magical government of whomsoever was the Supreme Mugwump from the scrutiny of the ICW to prevent coups from happening would not be able to protect the current Minister.

Billy had already compiled a lot of evidence but most of them were flimsy at best. The evidence he needed had to be severe, like a matter of life or death.

Billy supposed he still has time to investigate, he was here to investigate the rumors of Voldemort and whether his organization could pose a threat to the Wizarding World.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Ok why are ppl even assuming Rath & Orion are the same age & in the same year??? There's nothing to even hint it's true unless I've missed something. I mean, Rath might be younger than Orion or he could be younger than her. There's been nothing said to throw either possibility out the window yet. Not trying to be rude or anything, I just don't get why some ppl just tend to lump them together age wise.

Let me see if I can put together all of the extraneous details. Like, you’re absolutely right in that we have no canon confirmation one way or the other, and every head-canon is valid. But there are a few things that come to mind for me. We know that Rath and Orion are both older than MC. They have to be, since Rath was playing when MC was a first year, and Orion’s status as a captain means that he was too. Hence, they’re both third years at the youngest in Season 1. We also know they cannot be too much older than that because if we assume that they’ll be appearing all the way up to Season 4, that means they are two years older than MC at the most, otherwise they’d have graduated by that point. Perhaps they’ll leave before Season 4, but considering how few characters Quidditch has, it’s unlikely. Therefore, they’re either in Bill’s year or the year between Bill and MC. A third year captain being somewhat unlikely, (even fourth year is pushing it) we can assume Orion is in Bill’s year. With Rath, it’s less certain. But even in Year 1 she was “expected to lead her team to victory” which is surprising if she was still a rookie. She’s not a Parkin, she’s not Harry Potter, she doesn’t have a famous name that would bring about such expectations. That kind of reputation would need to be earned over time. So while it’s not a sure thing, I believe that Rath and Orion are in the same year, Bill’s year. 

[jinsoulsscalp]

if ur not indy ( @parallelwcrlds​ ) ignore this (or dont idc but youll b confused)

gen 1 of our hp au, set in 6th year. probably set sometime between 2010-present day. the blood status war bullshit died down a little after hp-era, but there’s been a recent resurgence in it. 5 years ago, a big dickhead graduated from hogwarts and probably went into politics and is super magic-equivalent-of-alt-right and is popularizing being an asshole and is lowkey starting the third war to kill all muggleborns and take over and popularize dark magic (donald trump ass motherfucker smh) and “finish what voldemort started” (bitch sounds like kylo ren the fuck erhiufbneri).

the not-asshole members of this year reformed the dumbledore’s army as a protest and to pay homage to the heroes of the past war, and lowkey dont do antyhing yet but hangout, but probably someday will reform the order of the phoenix outside of hogwarts when shit starts to really get bad. also onyx is on the brink of bringing muggle tech to the magic world, so there’s that too.

BEN

name: benjamin jo age: 17 height: 5′8 house: slytherin sexuality: gay fc: b-bomb bloodstatus: pureblood extra affiliations: n/a hometown: falmouth, west country, england about:     -nasti boi on the blood supremist train     -he & river are the evil slytherin gay power couple     -uses naomi to keep tabs on antonia     -favorite class is defense against the dark arts, though he thinks the name is stupid     -stuck up and vindictive     -lives on a beach lot with his family, far away from muggle settlements in his town     -father is a wizengamont grand juror, mother is a socialite

JOSH

name: joshua eom age: 17 height: 6′1 house: ravenclaw sexuality: bi fc: zico bloodstatus: halfblood extra affiliations: quidditch beater, member of the new dumbledore’s army hometown: london, england about:     -v sarcastic and seething but means well     -doesn’t try to hard, but is real smart and has an eidetic memory, so he gets by pretty easily     -doesn’t take any shit     -more or less good natured     -both parents are magic, however his father is muggleborn     -lowkey loves divination but if you tell anyone he’ll fight you

NAOMI

name: naomi woo age: 16 height: 5′5 house: gryffindor sexuality: straight fc: chorong bloodstatus: pureblood extra affiliations: n/a hometown: kenmare, kerry, ireland about:     -was a good kid when she started at hogwarts, hence getting into gryffindor, but as she grew up, she and her family started falling in blood supremacy holes, so realistically she doesn’t belong there anymore     -wicked and stuck up     -a spoiled brat     -lowkey would do anything to get people like river and ben to be on her side     -honestly is just insecure and wants to belong and is trying to do that by appealing to the nasties of the world     -two-faced and manipulative and will cry to get out of things     -loves charms class uwu

BETH

name: bethany jung age: 16 height: 5′2 house: hufflepuff sexuality: lesbian fc: chuu bloodstatus: halfblood extra affiliations: prefect, member of the new dumbledore’s army hometown: ilkley, yorkshire, england about:     -both parents are muggleborn     -grew up in a waterfront cottage     -very loving family     -so energetic and desperate to please     -in love w casey thats her girl     -looks up to antonia so freaking much     -classic hermione granger-- has a giant ass classload     -loves ancient runes class

TONI

name: antonia park age: 17 height: 5′6 house: gryffindor sexuality: lesbian fc: cl bloodstatus: pureblood extra affiliations: prefect (ambitions to be head girl), quidditch captain & chaser, founder and leader of the new dumbledore’s army hometown: tinworth, west country, england about:     -lowkey descended from death eaters but we don’t talk about that     -classic hero trope, shes a badass and takes no shit but is inherently good     -kind of an overachiever too-- shes always pushing herself to be better and do more     -wanted to grow up to be an auror, but with the ministry getting more and more corrupt, she instead wants to reform the order of the phoenix and become a bounty hunter vigilante     -natural enemy to river and ben lbr     -hates defense against the dark arts class bc its lowkey turning into what it was when umbridge ran it     -digs transfiguration tho that shits cool

KURTIS

name: kurtis ahn age: 17 height: 5′10 house: gryffindor sexuality: pan fc: daesung bloodstatus: halfblood extra affiliations: member of the new dumbledore’s army hometown: kilkenny, leinster, ireland about:     -big goofy boi     -class clown 2 the max     -went through an emo phase years 2-4 but we dont talk about that     -raised by his dad, who is a wizard. muggle mother left when she found out bc it was too much for her aND ALL THE LIES MAN     -mood maker-- brightens everyone’s day     -sunshine personified     -loves care of magical creatures

TRISTAN

name: tristan lee age: 16 height: 5′7 house: slytherin sexuality: bi fc: hwiyoung bloodstatus: muggleborn extra affiliations: prefect, member of the new dumbledore’s army hometown: manchester, england about:     -kind of shy and keeps to himself for necessity (you would too if you were a muggleborn who shared a bedroom with river and ben)     -loves learning about magic so much     -pissed a lot of people (racist blood supremicists lol) off when he was made prefect, but hes really proud of that position     -he likes muggle studies class bc its an easy a and he likes laughing at everything they mess up

STEPH

name: stephanie kim age: 16 height: 5′5 house: slytherin sexuality: bi fc: hyuna bloodstatus: halfblood extra affiliations: n/a hometown: bangor, wales about:     -spoiled brat, but not like naomi? like shes spoiled and self centered but not mean     -that being said, super self absorbed     -doesn’t do anything that doesn’t have something in it for her     -party girl     -a metamorphmagus but mostly just uses her powers to change her hair without commitment     -mother passed away during childbirth and she never knew her dad, raised by her eccentric wizard grandmother who literally just throws money at her bc they have so much and her grandmother doesnt really know how to take care of teenagers

MARYSE

name: maryse young age: 16 height: 6′0 house: hufflepuff sexuality: pan fc: jeonghwa bloodstatus: halfblood extra affiliations: quidditch seeker, member of the new dumbledore’s army hometown: cork, ireland about:     -youngest of 5, only girl and the shortest (wow i know wild)     -surprisingly coordinated for being so tall tbh     -her best friends in the world are the hufflepuff quidditch team-- especially the ones in her year. that team is so tight they’re her people     -lowkey braeden got them all into the dumbledore’s army, but like??? why would she not join???? shes protecting her friends like braeden who need her support??? its a no brainer???     -shes very happy and giggly and so so supportive of her friends     -shes also like 1/4 giant

MIN

name: minhyuk byun age: 17 height: 5′10 house: ravenclaw sexuality: gay fc: key bloodstatus: muggleborn extra affiliations: prefect hometown: jeju, south korea about:     -hogwarts equivalent of an exchange student     -muggleborn with very potent magical energy very young, so hogwarts snatched him up before any other schools could     -there was originally a big ol language barrier, and its still there but he’s learned a lot     -he wants to be a healer when he graduates

ONYX

name: onyx moon age: 16 height: 5′4 house: ravenclaw sexuality: bi fc: le bloodstatus: muggleborn extra affiliations: member of the new dumbledore’s army hometown: london, england about:     -her parents are both muggles, but her mother’s sister is a witch and would tell her stories about magic when she was a kid. she thought they were all fake until she got her hogwarts letter     -as soon as she went to hogwarts, she brought as much muggle tech as she could with her so she could figure out how to integrate it with magic and make it work.     -she’s made things that play music work, but anything more complicated or online is still up in the air (she’s really close to cracking it though)     -she’s absolutely brilliant, but she’s so focused on her passion project that a lot of time her grades suffer.     -she likes arithmancy bc its basically complicated magic math, and she can respect that

THEO

name: theodore nam age: 17 height: 6′2 house: gryffindor sexuality: straight fc: mino bloodstatus: halfblood extra affiliations: n/a hometown: glasgow, scotland about:     -resident hogwarts bad boy hugiuerjdgnj     -big time slacker and troublemaker     -a little bit of an asshole but he means well     -probably has broken a lot of hearts hes the classic bad boy trope tbh      -just some of his ex-girlfriends include naomi (one of his biggest mistakes he regrets that one), bethany (that was in year 4 before she knew she was gay af), steph, brynn, arcadia, faye, among others (those are just the fellow 6th years)

RHYS

name: rhys do age: 16 height: 5′2 house: ravenclaw sexuality: pan fc: minzy bloodstatus: pureblood extra affiliations: quidditch chaser hometown: godric’s hollow, west country, england about:     -okay so u kno how there are parents who push their kids to do stuff and live vicariously through them? that was rhys’ parents with quidditch     -like that’s her life it’s all she knows     -she’s traveled all over the world to see the world cup every single year     -wishes quidditch class wasn’t just for first years     -if she doesn’t go pro someday she will combust

BRYNN

name: brynn kang age: 16 height: 5′4 house: slytherin sexuality: bi fc: soyeon bloodstatus: halfblood extra affiliations: quidditch beater, member of the new dumbledore’s army hometown: hogsmeade, scotland about:     -kind of a bit of a delinquent     -she cuts class and sneaks into the forbidden forest, but that’s because she’s curious and adventurous and doesn’t learn very well in conventional settings anyway     -born and raised in hogsmeade, so you don’t know how many times a year she straight up just sneaks out of hogwarts to go home and hang out with her dog      -strong sense of morality     -if antonia is true good, brynn is chaotic good. she’s just as much of a freedom fighter, but less into structure and establishment     -shes 1/8 veela on her dad’s side but she hasn’t really grown into that yet and is just a mess

GABE

name: gabriel lim age: 16 height: 5′10 house: hufflepuff sexuality: pan fc: v bloodstatus: halfblood extra affiliations: quidditch chaser, member of the new dumbledore’s army hometown: holyhead, wales about:     -yo magic exists, there is 100% a magical way for two women to conceive a child aka gabe has two moms     -one of his moms is the captain of the holyhead harpies, and the other is an investigative journalist for the daily prophet (among other publications)     -hes so loyal and good      -his quidditch team, but braeden especially, are his best friends and he’d do anything for them.     -he’s so good natured and kind he cannot fathom people like river and ben existing

BRAEDEN

name: braeden hamilton age: 16 height: 5′8 house: hufflepuff sexuality: bi fc: vernon bloodstatus: muggleborn extra affiliations: quidditch captain and keeper, member of the new dumbledore’s army hometown: brighton, england about:     -very sporty as a smaller kid-- was really into soccer especially, and was an a+ goalie     -he was a huge outcast his first year and didnt have a ton of friends. he lowkey was close to just saying fuck you to this magic shit and going home to be normal     -finding quidditch once he went to hogwarts was his saving grace-- he finally found something he understood and could relate to     -and, as it turns out, reflexes are reflexes, so he ended up being a really talented keeper     -he started making friends too, as he was embraced by his team, and now he doesn’t know what he’d do without them     -this year he was named captain of the team and dude he honestly cried when he found that out he was so honored and it felt like things were coming full circle finally     -he was one of the first hufflepuffs to join the new dumbledore’s army, because people like ben and river were part of why he’d been so close to just leaving the magic world behind when he was 12, and he wanted to be a role model

[carewyncromwell]

[Ficlet] How to “Get” a Quidditch Tryout in 10 Days

...I have no excuse for this. None at all. 😅 But I never ended up doing a play-through of Quidditch season 1 for my OG girl Carewyn Cromwell, so I just decided “what the hey” and wrote this part out, which is based on the beginning of Quidditch Season 1, Chapter 5, AKA MC first meeting Orion Amari. (I may or may not add another part or two to this later.) 

A few things to keep in mind about Carewyn’s canon regarding both Quidditch and where she is in her character arc at this point --

Carewyn is in her third year. Her hair, which was a very short pixie cut in her first year, has now finally grown long enough to be tied back in a short ponytail only a little longer than Charlie’s. After having dealt with the Ice Vault the previous year with Bill Weasley and Ben Copper, Carewyn has just started to get some confidence, but she’s far from the poised, collected Mama Bear most of you might know her as. At this point, she still has some trouble keeping a lid on her sensitive emotions and is more likely to lose her temper and get impatient. This year, however, she’s started to get both into Quidditch and fashion, thanks in large part to her new friendships with Charlie (who she’ll become very close to and eventually see like an “unofficial twin” in their later school years) and Andre (who she’ll nurture a romantic crush on as this year goes on and eventually date in fourth and fifth year). It’s after Carewyn’s returned to school in her fourth year that she makes the most strides in her dramatic transformation and becomes much more sophisticated and cool. 

Orion, Skye, and McNully are all Slytherins one year ahead of Carewyn. Orion is the oldest, having been born in early October, so he’s newly 15 even if he is a fourth year. (And, naturally, he’s incredibly mature and wise for his age, hence why he was picked to be the new Slytherin captain at all!) Erika Rath is in their year too, though in Ravenclaw. 

Carewyn ultimately will only play in one match this year -- the match against Hufflepuff -- thanks to a falling-out with her teammate and “coach” Skye Parkin surrounding the whole “Rath rumor” fiasco. If you’d like, you can read about Carewyn’s “grand return” to the Slytherin team in the Quest for the Quidditch Cup gameplay I did, set in Carey’s sixth year and Orion’s seventh!

As many of you probably know by now, Carewyn and Orion -- post Hogwarts -- actually end up in a committed romantic relationship. With these two being at ages 13 and 15, though, one can expect there won’t exactly be a lot of romantic sparks just yet, especially since I headcanon both these two as being on the asexual spectrum. 

Hope you enjoy! 💚

x~x~x~x

The first day was bright and sunny, without a cloud in the sky. A perfect day to make a good impression. 

Carewyn felt like her insides were tied up in knots as she took her broom out to the Quidditch Pitch. Even though she’d gotten plenty of bumps and bruises practicing with Skye that last week and had stayed up almost all night reviewing the Quidditch strategy playbooks McNully had lent her, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was still a longshot, to be considered. She wasn’t a traditional build for a Chaser -- she and her school rival Merula Snyde were the shortest kids in their entire year, and Carewyn herself wasn’t exactly the traditionally toned Quidditch player. Not to mention she struggled with a lot of the strength exercises Skye had thrown at her. 

‘You’ve prepared for this,’ she reassured herself. ‘You put in a lot of work. McNully and Skye can see that. Hopefully Slytherin’s Captain will too.’

Carewyn had yet to meet Orion Amari, but she’d heard plenty. It had been a little hard to believe that a boy only one year ahead of her could already have become Quidditch Captain, but Carewyn knew Snape well enough to know he wouldn’t have trusted their house team to just anyone, so he no doubt had to be talented. From what McNully said, Orion was the youngest Quidditch Captain in over a century (exactly 104 years), and from what Skye said, he was an oddball sort that didn’t let just anyone join his team. 

Steeling her nerves, the third year Slytherin looked around the Pitch. Within a moment, she saw that a young man with shaggy dark hair and dressed in worn brown robes, pants, and fingerless gloves was already there, hovering on his broom in mid-air. 

‘So that’s the Slytherin Quidditch Captain?’ Carewyn thought. 

Upon getting closer, she gave a visible start. 

 ‘…How is he balancing on his broom like that??’

For Orion Amari wasn’t just hovering there -- he was actually standing on top of his broom on one leg, his eyes closed and his hands clasped in front of him as if he were meditating. 

Feeling a bit intimidated despite herself, Carewyn nonetheless put on her bravest expression and flew right up to him.

“...Orion Amari?” 

The Slytherin Quidditch Captain slowly opened his eyes and looked down at who had interrupted him. His face was rather mask-like and calm, but his black eyes ran over her face, examining her critically. 

“Forgive me for interrupting,” Carewyn said quickly. 

Fortunately Orion didn’t seem perturbed. 

“All things have their time,” he said in a rather mellow, pleasant voice. “Clearly my meditation’s time has come to an end...though for what reason, I’m not yet sure.”

‘Great, so he was meditating,’ Carewyn thought guiltily. ‘Way to muck up that first impression!’

She swallowed, but kept her face as stoic as possible. 

"My name’s Carewyn Cromwell -- I’m here to ask about tryouts, for the open Chaser position?”

Orion’s face didn’t shift, but his eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly. Sensing that he was sizing her up, Carewyn pressed on with as much assurance as she could manage. 

“I may not have that much experience in Quidditch yet...but I’ve been practicing hard in Quidditch friendlies with Charlie Weasley and Andre Egwu. And Skye Parkin’s coached me on improving my physical skills. And Murphy McNully gave me a crash course in Quidditch strategy too, so -- ”

“Neither physical nor strategical skills will ultimately determine which way your path will wind,” Orion cut her off very cleanly without raising his volume or hardening his tone at all. 

Carewyn blinked. ‘Path? To a Quidditch tryout, I suppose...’

“What will, then?” she asked.

“Balance,” said Orion simply. 

Carewyn frowned in slight confusion. “Balance? You mean between my studies and Quidditch, or...?”

“Balance,” Orion said again, very coolly. “On one leg. On your broom.”

Carewyn felt like her stomach had crumpled up in her chest. 

Oh, great. She knew she had adequate reflexes and she’d always felt rather comfortable on a broom, but balancing on her broom on one foot? She’d never once thought she’d have to do something like that! If she had, she would’ve practiced ahead of time...

Carewyn looked from her splintering Shooting Star to up at Orion. His expression had not shifted once. 

‘This is a test,’ Carewyn thought to herself. ‘If I back out now, then that’s it.’

She hated the thought of doing this without having practiced first. She just knew she was going to make a fool of herself in front of the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, and she absolutely dreaded that. But, it seemed, there was no other option. 

So, taking a deep breath, Carewyn inched herself off of her broom, little by little, and tried to just stand on it.

She lost balance and fell right off, landing on the ground a few feet below with a painful THUMP. 

Carewyn winced as she eased herself up. 

Fortunately Orion hovering overhead didn’t look at all amused or derisive. His eyes were locked on her, as unreadable as ever, but he made no move as if to help or even ask if she was all right. 

The ginger-haired Slytherin averted her eyes, flushing in humiliation. She knew she’d look completely incompetent!

Exhaling through her nose, Carewyn mounted her broom, flew back up into the same position she’d been in before, and tried again. 

She wobbled for only a few seconds before falling off again. This time she scraped her fists when she threw them up in front of her face to protect it from colliding with the ground. 

Her third time, she landed face-first in the dirt. Her fifth time, her Shooting Star went flying and she had to dash across the pitch to get it back. Her tenth time, she cut open her chin and had to force back tears of pain and shame. 

‘This is impossible!’ Carewyn thought furiously. 

She couldn’t even look at Orion Amari anymore. Part of her hated that she’d even bothered coming at all -- hated that she’d wasted her time on any of this, just to look so pathetic -- 

‘Jacob would never have had so much trouble,’ she thought bitterly. ‘He never struggled with anything at Hogwarts -- he wouldn’t be getting himself hurt over something so stupid -- ’

As soon as she thought that meaner thought, however, she faltered. 

Sure, this exercise seemed stupid...but what it was for was not. 

The devastated face of the wounded Slytherin Chaser in the Hospital Wing when she failed to convince Madame Pomfrey to let her play in the upcoming match rippled over Carewyn’s mind again.

‘Slytherin can’t win the match against Hufflepuff with only two Chasers,’ she thought to herself. ‘Maybe I ultimately won’t be good enough, but...well, how could I live with myself, if I didn’t at least try to help? Especially with how much help everyone else has given me...’

Just thinking of how disappointed Andre, Charlie, Skye and McNully would be, after how much faith they’d placed in her...it made Carewyn feel sick. 

So clenching her teeth and avoiding Orion’s eyes, she powered through, got up, and tried again. 

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again. 

It took over an hour for Carewyn to just stand on top of her broom without falling off. It took longer still for her to do it while standing on one foot. Several times she managed to catch herself before she fell off completely by snagging the broom with her ankle, leg, or hand in mid-air, but other times she fell back or face first into the dirt. She had to take out her wand and use Episkey and Scourgify to clean herself up several times, as well as fix her ponytail once or twice. But she kept getting back up. 

‘Now that I’ve pushed myself this hard, I can’t stop now,’ Carewyn thought fiercely. ‘The only thing worse than looking like an idiot would be to fail after looking like an idiot.’

The entire time Orion watched her in silence, his face impossible to read and his own balance never shifting. Carewyn avoided his eyes the entire time -- she hated feeling his judgmental gaze on her when she knew she wasn’t at her best, and she worried that if she looked him in the face or spoke to him, her temper would get the better of her and she might snap at him. 

At long last, when the sun was starting to set, Carewyn finally managed it. She kept her arms out on either side of her rather than clasped in front of her, balancing as if she were a circus performer on a wire. 

Breathing heavily, she finally looked back up at Orion. His lips had spread into a very small smile. 

“You have achieved balance,” he said. “Congratulations.”

He spoke as patiently as if the last three hours hadn’t even happened. 

Despite herself, Carewyn felt herself flushing with some pride. 

“...Thank you,” she muttered.

‘I wish I didn’t waste so much time, but...at least I finally did it!’

“Now we can communicate on the same level,” said Orion. 

“Then...does that mean I can get a Quidditch tryout?” Carewyn asked, sounding a bit more hopeful than she’d intended. 

“Can anyone really get a Quidditch tryout?” asked Orion in return.

Carewyn considered this. 

“...Well...no, I guess not,” she said sheepishly. “I mean, you’ll need someone to fill your Chaser’s spot, of course...but one would have to earn the chance to prove themselves first. Right?”

Orion’s face flickered with some interest. 

“Your mind works in complex ways,” he said, and he sounded rather pleased. “A Quidditch tryout is not something one can ‘get.’ It is something one...experiences. And yes, as you said, not everyone earns the privilege of that experience.”

Carewyn straightened up slightly, and her broom wobbled a bit under her. She quickly corrected her center of balance by pretending there was a string tied to the top of her head holding her up like a doll, like she used to when she was first learning how to hop on one foot when she was in grade school. 

“What must I do to earn such an experience, then?”

Orion’s black eyes sparkled with some mischief. “Let’s just say that when we next meet, we shall meet again.”

Carewyn frowned in confusion. “What?”

Rather than answer, Orion deftly leapt off his broom down to the ground, hoisting his broom up over his shoulders. 

“H-hey!” said Carewyn, as she quickly tried to get back on her broom and land properly. “Wait -- ”

But Orion had already strode off the pitch and disappeared. 

~~~

The second day was a bit more cloudy, but the same mild temperature. 

Carewyn once again found Orion balancing on his broom. He had his eyes open this time and his arms resting on either side of him absently, so she flew right up to him. 

“Good afternoon, Orion,” she greeted him politely. 

‘At least he’s not meditating this time, so I’m not interrupting anything.’

Orion didn’t respond. He seemed to be waiting for something. 

Carewyn felt a prickle of discomfort settling on the back of her neck. “...Orion?”

He once again didn’t respond, his gaze still almost expectant. 

Carewyn glanced down at his single leg balancing on his broom and then back up at his face. 

“Do you...need me to ‘communicate on your level?’” she asked. 

Orion’s eyes grew a little smaller, but remained rather pleasant. “Not my level -- our level. We are all equals on the Quidditch Pitch.”

Despite herself, Carewyn couldn’t help but smile a bit. ‘Well, that’s a nice attitude for a Captain to have, not to be condescending to the people he might lead.’

Taking a breath, she eased herself up onto her feet on her broom and carefully balanced. She wobbled slightly, trying to correct her posture so that she was standing up straighter. 

“It’s rare that someone shows such fire, when trying to balance for the first time,” said Orion.

Carewyn blinked. “‘Fire?’”

“Yes. You fell off many, many times yesterday. And yet you kept getting back up and trying again.”

Carewyn glanced away, off toward the stands. 

“...I probably wouldn’t have fallen off so many times, if I’d been able to practice ahead of time,” she muttered self-consciously. 

Orion’s lips actually spread into a very small, wry smile. “Ah, but would that have taught me anything about you?

Carewyn frowned deeply. “I think so. Hard work always shows through.”

“Naturally -- but you already stated you’d worked hard at your Quidditch skills, before balancing. And given that you led others to successfully break the Ice curse last year, it’s already quite clear that you both work hard and are a planner. What I did not yet know, however, was how you respond under pressure.”

Carewyn tilted her head slightly to the side. “...I see. And...did my response meet your expectations?”

Orion’s black eyes sparkled with slight amusement. “I think the better question is whether they met yours.”

Carewyn couldn’t stop herself from scoffing. “Of course not. I fell off my broom over a hundred times in the span of three hours.” 

“Many others gave up long before you did.”

“It doesn’t matter what anyone else did -- I know I could’ve done better, and I should have...”

Carewyn caught herself. She probably wasn’t making the best case for herself right now.

“...That’s why I’d like to have a chance at a tryout,” she said firmly. “I’d like to make up for that first impression and show what I can do.”

Orion’s eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly, losing their amusement and becoming much more placid again. “Interesting. Your posture is modest, and yet your expectations seem to rest somewhere in the stratosphere.”

Carewyn wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that, but she felt that she’d opened herself up to Orion more than she’d intended. It made her instantly feel uncomfortable, and she once again found herself wobbling slightly on her broom as she avoided his eye. 

“...I suppose so,” she muttered. “So...will you tell me what I have to do, to earn the chance to ‘experience’ a tryout?”

Orion closed his eyes. 

“Find your center,” he instructed her. 

“My center?”

“Your emotional and physical center. Find it and hold onto it -- make it your anchor, and let all imbalances and distractions fade away.”

“Will that earn me -- ?”

“There will be time for questions later. For now, we’ll find our center.”

~~~

The third day the clouds had darkened and a slight drizzle had started.  

Carewyn found Orion balancing again, and didn’t even speak to him until she was already balancing on her broom the way he did. 

“Hello, Orion.” 

“Your balance has improved,” commented the Slytherin Quidditch Captain. 

Carewyn nodded. “I practiced some more on my own time.”

“Such tenacity is to be commended.”

Orion closed his eyes and started to meditate. Carewyn once again felt uneasy, not wanting to be rude and interrupt him, but feeling like she didn’t have much choice. 

“...Should I...come back another time?” she asked.

“Now is the time,” said Orion patiently without opening his eyes. 

‘So he wants me to meditate with him some more,’ Carewyn deduced. She couldn’t help but feel slightly frustrated. Was he ever going to tell her what she needed to do to earn a tryout?

But she thought to herself, maybe this was the point. Orion was still clearly testing her -- not in the way Skye or McNully did, with shows of physical strength or recitations of Quidditch facts, but from an emotional perspective. He’d commented on her “fire” and “tenacity” -- therefore what seemed to matter most to Orion Amari wasn’t physical skill or Quidditch strategy, but one’s emotional state while flying. 

‘If that’s the case,’ Carewyn thought gloomily, ‘losing my temper or getting impatient would probably be the worst things I could do.’

Inhaling in through her nose and out through her mouth, Carewyn closed her eyes. The silence irritated her like a fly, so she soon started singing a song to herself in her own head, to pass the time. 

‘Here comes the rain again...falling on my head like a memory...’

The drizzle soon came down as a fuller rain, and Orion put an early end to their session and headed indoors. 

~~~

The fourth day, it rained all day. 

Carewyn didn’t find Orion near the Quidditch Pitch at all that day, nor in the halls of the school. Naturally he was a year ahead of her, so they had no classes together, but they were still both Slytherins, so she would’ve thought she’d see him at their table during mealtimes, at least. And yet, no. No, she did not.

'Does he do anything the way a normal person does?’ Carewyn couldn’t help but think to herself, baffled. 

~~~

The fifth day, the rain had cleared, but the sky was still very cloudy. 

Carewyn came to the Pitch and balanced alongside Orion as usual. What was not usual, however, was the swarm of Pixies that appeared out of nowhere and flew right at them while they were meditating.

Carewyn wobbled around on her broom, trying to whack them away without falling off. Orion, however, didn’t move an inch -- instead, all he did was recite random magical creatures under his breath. 

“Fire Crab, Flobberworm, Kneazle, Niffler...”

Although Carewyn just barely avoided falling off, it required all of her concentration. It was only once she’d finally managed to shake the Pixies off of her back that Orion spoke to her. 

“You did not ask me about Quidditch tryouts.”

Carewyn couldn’t completely fight back a frustrated glare. 

“Well, I was a little preoccupied,” she said sarcastically.

Orion raised his eyebrows. “Really? I didn’t notice.”

Carewyn felt her temper steaming. She was reminded of when Jacob would tease her about being a long-lost kelpie who their mother found and adopted as a baby, just because she put salt on everything. 

‘Even then, though, you knew Jacob only said those things because he wanted to get a rise out of you, not because he didn’t care,’ Carewyn reminded herself. 

Her heart ached at the thought of her brother. She would have him tease her for the rest of her life, if only he, she and Lane could be a family again...

Taking a deep breath, Carewyn fixed Orion with a more stoic expression. 

“...I’m surprised you didn’t. The Pixies were flying around you too.”

“Yes,” granted Orion. “But when focus meets balance, one can let Pixies be Pixies.”

Carewyn’s expression grew more thoughtful. “...I see. You need to block out all distractions and focus solely on your goal, if you have any hope of achieving it.”

Orion’s lips spread into a pleased smile. “Indeed. Playing Quidditch in its purest form means leaving one’s personal ‘Pixies’ off the pitch.”

‘I think I understand now,’ Carewyn thought. ‘This guy is a philosopher. He doesn’t want me asking about what I have to do to earn a tryout -- I have to find that out for myself.’

Carewyn’s eyes narrowed slightly and she nodded.

‘All right, then, Orion Amari...I’ll prove myself on your terms. Or rather, ours.’

~~~

The sixth day, there was a notable chill in the air. 

Carewyn bundled up in one of her warmest sweaters and found Orion at the Pitch balancing on his broom, his eyes closed while he meditated. Once she was balanced too, she tried a different tack. 

“Orion...what helps you balance?”

Orion smiled without opening his eyes. 

“Fire Crab, Flobberworm, Kneazle, Niffler,” he answered vaguely. 

Carewyn was baffled. “...Magical creatures?”

“Yes. You’ll want to remember those magical creatures.”

“What makes those creatures significant?”

“All creatures are significant.”

“Well, yes,” said Carewyn begrudgingly, “but what do they have to do with Quidditch?”

“What do any of us have to do with Quidditch?”

Carewyn just barely fought back the urge to sigh in frustration. ‘Now he’s just being obstinate!’

The memory of her brother Jacob’s cocky smile as he backtalked a wizard who had referred to him and Carewyn as “the bastard Cromwells” when they were in Diagon Alley hovered over her brain. The image oddly soothed her temper. 

‘All right, then,’ she thought decisively, ‘if he doesn’t like giving straightforward answers, then I’ll twist around him.’

“Fire Crabs, Flobberworms, Kneazles, and Nifflers, right?” she recurred. 

“Yes.”

Carewyn considered this. Then she smiled. 

“...Nifflers are like Seekers, aren’t they?”

Orion actually opened his eyes, tilting his head slightly as he considered her. 

“Nifflers can smell out gold from a mile away -- and Seekers have to be good at that too, if they want to go after the Snitch. And Fire Crabs...well, they’re aggressive and fierce. Sort of like Beaters! And Kneazles...well, they’re protective of any owner they’ve got, kind of like a Keeper protects their hoops. And Flobberworms...”

She trailed off with a frown. 

“Yes?” Orion prompted. He actually sounded very curious to hear her answer. 

After a moment, Carewyn deduced that she had no idea how the Hell a Flobberworm related to a Chaser. So, feeling at a loss, she nonetheless put on her bravest, wryest smile and channeled her brother as best she could. 

“...Well, I suppose we’ve moved about as far as a Flobberworm, whenever we’ve been balancing together.” 

Orion blinked. Then he actually laughed. It was a very quiet sound in the back of his throat, but a warm one -- it kind of reminded Carewyn of her mother Lane’s soft-spoken voice. 

Carewyn bit her lip to hold back a self-conscious giggle of her own. “...Did I...that is, did our thought processes match up at all?”

Orion smiled fully, his white teeth very bright. “No.”

~~~

The seventh day was even colder. 

Once again, Carewyn met Orion at the Pitch, this time wrapped up in her Slytherin scarf. Even when a rogue Bludger almost whammed into them, Carewyn was able to stay balanced enough to shimmy her broomstick out of the way with just her foot, taking out her wand and pointing it right at the Bludger.

“Finite Incantatem!”

A blast of white from her wand slammed into the Bludger and made it stop abruptly in its assault, hovering helplessly in mid-air for a few seconds before it dropped like a stone to the ground. 

Orion smiled, clearly pleased. Carewyn glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“Was that another ‘Pixie,’ meant to distract me?” she asked him.

Orion’s black eyes twinkled. “Perhaps.”

Carewyn smirked broadly herself. “At least you only threw one Bludger at me -- Skye once surprised me with three.”

“Really?” said Orion amusedly. 

“Yes...though I daresay she would’ve seen me using my wand as cheating.”

“You will not be able to use it during a match,” Orion reminded her.

“Of course not,” said Carewyn. “But you already lost a Chaser thanks to a rogue Bludger -- I wasn’t going to just let it take you out too.”

Orion actually looked slightly taken aback. Then his expression softened. 

“...You express a lot of loyalty, for someone not even on the house team,” he said lowly. 

Carewyn sniffed in mild disapproval. “It was the right thing to do. We’re both Slytherins, aren’t we?”

Orion’s smile broadened, becoming more wry. “Indeed we are.” 

~~~

The eighth day was just as cold as the last. It was also the day that, once the two started balancing and meditating in silence together, Orion initiated conversation first. 

“Tell me, Carewyn Cromwell,” he said pleasantly, “what helps you balance?”

Carewyn blinked in surprise. Then she looked away, suddenly very uncomfortable. 

“Well...” she mumbled, “I sort of just...sing in my head.”

Orion raised his eyebrows. Carewyn felt her face flushing in embarrassment. 

“...Music helps me think,” she admitted sheepishly. “But well, radios and cassette players don’t work here -- so I’ve gotten used to just singing songs in my own head, whenever I’m working on something.”

It sounded really stupid when she said it aloud. Orion, however, considered her answer carefully. 

“...Will you sing the song you’ve been singing in your head aloud?”

Carewyn knew her face had to be a bright pink by now. Closing her eyes, she held her head up high as proudly as she could and, once she’d taken a breath, sang quietly aloud. 

“We...can never know about the days to come... But...we think about them anywaaaay... And I wonder...if I'm really with you now... Or just chasin' after some fiiiiner day...  Anticipation -- anticipaaation is makin' me late! ...Is keepin' me waaaaitin'... And I tell you...how eaaasy it feels to be with you... And how right...your arms feel around meeee... But I -- I rehearsed those words just late last night... When I was thinkin' about how right tonight might be! Anticipation -- anticipaaation is makin' me late! ...Is keepin' me waaaaitin'... And tomorrow...we might not be together... I'm no prophet -- and I don't know nature's waaaays... So I'll tryyyy...and see into your eyes right now... And stay right here 'cause these are the good old days!  These are the good old days! And stay right here...'cause these are the good old days! These are the good old days...these are the good old days... These are the good old days... These aaaaaaaare...the good old days...!”

When Carewyn finished, she waited. She didn’t know if she really wanted to open her eyes -- her breath control and pitch were hardly her best, considering she was doing it while balancing on one leg on her broomstick.

She was a bit surprised, therefore, when Orion responded,

“...In the future...please feel free to sing whatever song passes through your head, when we balance together.”

Carewyn opened her eyes. Orion had also opened his eyes and was smiling. 

She smiled back wryly. “Any song?”

“Preferably something to encourage peace and serenity,” Orion corrected himself coolly. 

Carewyn giggled. “No Bohemian Rhapsody, then.”

~~~

On the ninth day, the sun had peeked out of the clouds in a vain attempt to warm the Pitch. It was just as well, as it was filled with far more people than normal. 

Carewyn came to the Pitch as usual, only to instead find it swarming with other Chaser hopefuls, all practicing for and likely seeking out Orion to request a tryout. 

‘Orion wouldn’t be able to meditate at all in this mess,’ she concluded. ‘And knowing him, he’d probably want to dodge anyone who came just to ask him for a tryout, like he did me.’

She sighed. There was no way he’d have stuck around, seeing the assembled crowd. Still...she knew she really aught to practice. So she got her broom out, stood on top of it, and balanced off to the side, being careful to dodge any players working on the Porskoff Ploy and Reverse Passes. Once she’d taken some time to find her balance and focus, she felt better prepared to jump into practicing the Parkin’s Pincer and Thimblerig Shuffle with some of the other Chaser hopefuls.

Little did Carewyn know that Orion was there at the Pitch that day, watching from the commentary box out of everyone else’s view.

~~~

The tenth day -- a sunny day with a biting wind -- was the official day for Quidditch tryouts. 

Orion arrived at the Pitch a good hour before the tryouts were supposed to be held. He honestly didn’t like the thought of even having a specific date or time by which he had to select a candidate -- it had been Snape’s determination that Orion had to have a full team line-up ready five days before the next match, and even though Orion wasn’t much one for deadlines, he had to agree with the sentiment behind it. After all, a team couldn’t hope to strike a proper balance and fly as one without at least a little time to practice. That didn’t mean that Orion didn’t dread the flood of pushy students that would no doubt arrive even without an invitation to try to pressure him to pick them for the new Chaser spot. 

When Orion arrived, however, he found that he was not alone, as he had both expected and hoped. 

Standing on one foot on her broom was Carewyn Cromwell, her ginger hair up in a ponytail as usual and dressed in her Slytherin scarf, a collared shirt with her Slytherin tie tied neatly under a buttoned-up black cardigan, and a pair of jeans tucked into a pair of thick brown winter boots. She was already balanced perfectly, and at the sight of Orion flying up to her on his broom, she smiled.

“Good morning.”

Orion kept his face very neutral as he inclined his head to her. “Greetings, Carewyn Cromwell.”

He thoroughly expected her to ask about tryouts. She had met with him just about every day with the expectation of earning one, after all. But instead, she merely looked from his hands on the broom to up at his face with a small smirk, almost expectantly.

Orion, his face breaking into a wryer smile himself, nimbly leapt up onto his broom, balancing on it with ease. Carewyn beamed. 

“I’m sorry you weren’t able to meditate yesterday,” she said sympathetically.

Orion clasped his hands in front of him and closed his eyes. “Everything has its time. That time was simply not the best one for meditation.”

Carewyn nodded. “That’s why I thought you’d probably want to meditate a little earlier than usual. If it was that bad yesterday, I can only imagine how crazy it’s going to be today.”

“Like a flock of Snallygasters stalking prey,” said Orion very coolly.

“Mm...”

Orion opened his eyes. Carewyn’s eyes had drifted away, but her expression appeared oddly sad. 

“Your eyes have become rather cloudy,” said Orion curiously. 

Carewyn looked up, blinking in surprise. “Huh?”

“They’re swirling with thoughts. Might I know what they are?”

“Can you truly know another’s thoughts, even if one tried to describe them?” said Carewyn with a smirk, unable to resist the urge to poke fun. 

Orion fortunately took it in stride. “Can one truly know anything at all, description or not?”

Carewyn giggled behind her hand, before speaking more seriously.

“It wasn’t much, really, it’s just...I’m sorry you’ve been put under so much pressure,” she said quietly. 

Orion gave a mild shrug. “Three Chasers are needed, in any game of Quidditch. Where else must the pressure of those decisions fall, if not on one’s Captain?”

“Well, yeah, of course it’s your responsibility,” said Carewyn, “but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. I mean...Skye was really upset, when your Chaser got injured. She was really upset too. I heard her in the Hospital Wing, talking to Madame Pomfrey, and...she just sounded heartbroken. Like she felt like her injury was going to let you all down.”

Her blue eyes grew more solemn. 

“And...well, you don’t feel like that unless you really, truly care. Unless there are people who really rely on you and who you really don’t want to let down...because you know they’d feel the same way, if your places were switched.”

She couldn’t meet Orion’s eyes, but her expression was rather self-assured and confident as her gaze rested on his shoulder. 

“So I reckon you must have been really upset when she was hurt too. And if you were...I honestly don’t blame you, for not wanting to pick someone to replace her, even if it is only until she feels better. It’d probably be hard to find anyone who could take her place.”

Orion found himself feeling oddly speechless. He hadn’t expected to hear something like that. He certainly hadn’t given any indication of how upset he was about a member of his Quidditch family having been injured, not even to his own teammates, as he knew he’d have to put a strong face forward for them. For Carewyn to think so deeply on the matter and try to place herself in his shoes...it was a mark of remarkable empathy, something he had little experience with, but picked up from her very quickly, when she immediately caught on to his way of thinking and actively tried to speak in a way he understood. 

“She’s the one you should pick, Orion,” Skye had urged him the previous week. “I trained her myself. She’s resilient, she’s capable, and what’s more, she’s really determined. She might get all sappy and sensitive sometimes, but well, I reckon I’m not the best judge of that...” 

“She is a rather sensitive sort, Carewyn Cromwell,” McNully had commented to Orion earlier that week. “I’m about 95.5% sure that’s why she’s so determined to be Chaser at all. When we met, she said to me, ‘They’ -- that is, the Slytherin team -- ‘probably were really shaken about having lost their Chaser right before the match.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I suppose so.’ And then she said, ‘If Orion cares so much about loyalty, then I reckon he probably cares about his teammates just as much as I do my friends. I don’t know if I’ll be good enough, but well, I’d like to help them if I can.’”

After a long moment, Orion’s face broke out into a full smile. 

“...You are the very first person who has ever expressed such a concern. And after how much I’ve dodged your pointed questions from the start...that takes a respectable amount of patience.”

Carewyn laughed. “Good of you to notice! Patience isn’t always easy for me...”

“You’re well on your way to mastering it,” said Orion, and his black eyes flickered with approval. 

He lowered himself back down onto his broom, his eyes never leaving her face.

“Meet me in the Changing Room. I believe I owe you something.”

~~~

Carewyn thoroughly expected some sort of note or invitation which would maybe give her a different location and time for tryouts or something. What she found instead, lying on the bench in front of the lockers, was a folded set of brand new, unworn, emerald green Slytherin Quidditch robes. 

Carewyn stared at them. When she turned around, she found Orion striding up behind her, beaming from ear to ear. 

“Congratulations, Carewyn Cromwell,” he said proudly. “Welcome to the Slytherin Quidditch team.”