Author's Note:
I'm taking a few days off over the New Year... spend some time with my family, so there'll be a short break in updates after this chapter. Not long, at most, only a week đ
I just want to say thank you, truly, for all the support you've shown me. It means more than I can properly put into words. I hope all of you have a happy, peaceful, and wonderful New Year, and I'll see you again very soon.
Anyways, enjoy the chapter, and as always, smashing the Powerstone button really helps.
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Sunday evening, at five o'clock, the sky was already pitch black, and snow drizzled softly, blanketing the rooftops of the castle's many towers.
Emerging from his office, Maverick strolled through the empty hallways and came to a stop by one of the open corridors. In the distance, he could see young witches and wizards returning from the holidays, appearing along the long slope that led to the castle.
Excitement, and most of all eagerness, was written all across their faces. Even without using his magical sense to listen in, he could easily guess the subject of their animated conversations, which was quite literally about him, along with the three who had taken part in the battle against the aliens.
Sighing, he continued his lazy walk toward the Great Hall for the opening dinner. For the next few days at least, he was certain he would have a hard time doing any actual teaching, with all the questions he would inevitably have to answer.
---
The weeks passed like a quiet river, unhurried yet inevitable, carrying all things forward. The first week, true to his guess, half the lessons were about satisfying the young witches' and wizards' relentless curiosity, so much so that in the end, he had to gather the entire school on the weekend and play out the battle for everyone, of course, on the condition that no more talk of it should be held, at least during classes.
It didn't work. The excitement continued through the second week and even lingered into the third, though it had begun to soften somewhat by then. It was only in the fourth week that life at Hogwarts finally returned to normal, with classes, meals, and lessons resuming their familiar rhythm for students and professors alike.
And by familiar, it was not by typical Hogwarts standards, but by those of any normal educational institution. Hogwarts, after all, had always been a magnet for chaos. Yet now, with the matters of Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black finally laid to rest, and even Lupin's furry problem resolved, the castle stood quieter than it had in years. The events that were meant to unfold in the original story would not come to pass. Probably, anyway.
The trio's training also resumed in the Room of Requirement, and they seemed even more fired up now, for no other reason than having witnessed the thrilling battle against the alien invaders. After all, who wouldn't dream of being the hero who saves the world, right? In any case, there was one change in their practice routines now, which was that Jean had started joining them in the sessions as well.
Initially, Maverick had been adamant that she experience life at Hogwarts normally, like any other student. But with the alien invasion and her aunt Ororo being part of the team on the front lines, she seemed to have changed her mind as well, saying she wanted to be ready for anything.
Of course, that wasn't the reason Maverick had agreed to let her join the trio in training, but it had been Ororo who, on the first day of school, gave him a call and asked him to allow her to participate, insisting on it quite persistently.
Maverick had no doubt that the little witch was one hundred percent behind it, making Ororo convince him and likely even feeding her what to say. Sly little bird. But anyway, she had already spent a semester like any other student, which was probably enough, and coupled with Ororo's personal insistence, he agreed in the end without much argument. Besides, it wouldn't be him personally instructing her, but the trio, who by now were more than capable of handling it, at least for the basics, until she could catch up with them.
As for their performance, starting with the trio, Hermione and Ron were still behind Harry, and Potter, the son of luck, proved to be an absolute genius when it came to duelingâsomething Maverick had firmly recognized by now.
A little slow, yesâevery time Harry learned new spells it took him some time, slower than Miss Know-It-Allâbut once he got the hang of them, applying them to practice came almost naturally to him.
Their magical energy was also growing due to the high-intensity training they were undergoing, and Maverick was certain that by the time they graduated, at least Potter, Granger, and Jean would successfully advance from mage apprentice to magus.
Jean, perhaps even sooner, for among all of them, her magic was the most potentâor more accurately, there shouldn't be anyone her age more magically gifted than her. Given, after all, she was an avatar of a walking, talking creature of cosmic myth. Fortunately, until now at least, there hadn't been any sign of her sleeping powers trying to take over.
January, as well as February, passed just like that, with some frenzy at the beginning but eventually settling into a quiet rhythm. The harsh winter winds gradually softened, and the heavy snow gave way to occasional patches of sunlight breaking through gray skies, hinting at the coming spring. Then, once again in March, excitement returned to the school, stirring the corridors and classrooms with renewed energy.
The second round of the interschool Quidditch tournament began early in March, and once again, the team set off, flanked by Coach Steven, McGonagall, and Hooch, bound for the host country. Maverick chose to stay behind for this round as well, though he planned to join them if the team made it to the finals.
The castle buzzed with sportsmanship throughout the week. Huge screens were set up in the Great Hall, and even the house-elves prepared feasts with extra treats for the occasion so that everyone could watch the games. Class schedules were adjusted as well, ensuring that whenever Hogwarts played, no student would miss a match, allowing everyone to gather and cheer together.
This round featured three schools, each playing two games, making a total of three matches. In the past two years, thanks to a combination of luck and talent, Hogwarts had advanced through this round and even reached the finals, claiming the championship once. Unfortunately, this year was not their year.
In the first game, they lost after a neck-and-neck battle against Igor Karkaroff's team of Durmstrang barbarians, falling short by just two goals when Durmstrang reached 150 points first.
The second game was simply a matter of bad luck, as the opponent caught the Snitch within the first five minutes, before Potter even had a chance to catch his breath. The son of luck had simply not been fortunate in either game.
But that's the nature of Quidditch. Often, if luck is not on one's side, the outcome can be harsh, and it can change in an instant. Unless the International Quidditch Association decides to change the strange rules surrounding the Snitch, it will remain that way. Yet that unpredictability is also part of what sets Quidditch apart from Muggle sports.
Magic and luck are inseparable, after all. This was also why Maverick chose not to propose changing the Snitch rule in the tournament, limiting adjustments only to the total points instead.
It was a miserable evening at Hogwarts. The whole school returned to their dormitories as if they had been taught a hard lesson, long faces everywhere. Still, no one blamed the team, as it was clear their loss in qualification had come down to bad luck.
When the team returned, however, the school greeted them with as much fanfare as if they had won. Much of the credit went to old Dumbledore, who lifted everyone's spirits with his signature Dumbledory talk-no-jutsu, reminding them that both winning and losing are part of the beauty of the game.
On the bright side, though, now that the school would no longer participate in the tournament for the rest of the year, the students of the All-Star team got to play in the school's house competition. The teams were readjusted, and in the end, Quidditch frenzy continued with the same hype, if not more, than before.
---
Weeks melted away, and suddenly, March was also behind, leaving only faint memories of its passing. The bitter winds of winter had softened, replaced by shafts of warm sunlight cutting through lingering clouds. Snow patches clung stubbornly to the grounds but were slowly retreating, revealing streaks of green that hinted at spring's quiet return.
One weekend, after dinner and past curfew, Maverick wandered the empty corridors and once again, for the umpteenth time this semester, found himself standing before the gargoyle statues guarding the entrance to the Headmaster's office.
It wasn't a random stroll, though, and before he could even mutter the silly name of a dessert he would rather feed to Goose, the statues stepped aside, granting him permission to enter.
From inside, the old wizard greeted him with his signature twinkle, but tonight his expression carried something more, a sense of anticipation and eagerness for what was to come.
"I must say, Professor, I did not anticipate you finding it so quickly," Dumbledore said, his voice carrying both surprise and delight. "I reached out to every friend I could think of, and not one was in possession of it. I had begun to fear we might have reached a rather unfortunate dead end."
Shrugging lightly, Maverick raised his hand, and a small wooden box materialized in his palm. He extended it toward Dumbledore. "You might want to thank the Sorcerer Supreme," he said with a small smile. "After this is over, it would be wise to pay her a visit."
Dumbledore only raised a brow, his knowing look giving nothing away, and nodded before carefully opening the box.
After a beat, he closed it again, and in the next moment, the box vanished into his own storage ring. "I shall pay her a visit," he said softly, then turned toward the fireplace. "Come along. Everything else is prepared for the last ritual."
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Author's Note:
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