Dark Cumulus pt 2

You dropped your school bag off in your room and, while everyone else was heading to lunch, made your way up to the training grounds for your ‘tutoring session’ with Gemma.

Unfortunately, when you made it to the grassy courtyard outside the Herbology greenhouses where you had your first flying lesson… you found that it wasn’t Gemma Farley waiting for you… but Marcus Flint.

“What’re you doing here?” you inquired as you cautiously approached your Quidditch Captain.

“I already lost one Keeper… I’m not losing another,” Flint stated

“Are you… looking out for me?” you questioned in surprise.

“You’re the idiot who painted a giant target on his back and then announced where to find you mostly alone,” Flint berated you, “If someone wanted to take you out ahead of the match… they’d know exactly where to go. I still don’t know who took out Bletchley but with how you were taunting Parkin and the Ravenclaws about that Nimbus… you were all but asking for it!”

Personally, you thought sabotaging the other team and taking out an important player right before the match was more along the lines of something an opportunistic Slytherin like Flint or Farley would do. But you also had a set class schedule, so if anyone really wanted to jump you, they could’ve taken advantage of that - like Lysandra did earlier.

Flint grabbed you by the collar with both hands and - easily - hoisted you up so you were eye level with him. And since Flint was a few inches over six feet that meant your legs were dangling a full foot off the ground as he glared at you.

This was the closest you EVER wanted to be with Marcus Flint. Apparently, no one ever taught him the Breath Freshening Charm. “Now you’re gonna tell me what the hell you were thinking when you ran your mouth to Parkin and goaded her about that ‘shutout’.”

But as you focused on taking long slow breaths through your nose, you realised that the perfect opportunity to use your Serpent’s Gaze on Flint fell right into your lap. You were originally planning to pull him aside during practice later that night… but you were already alone and Flint was definitely making eye contact as his angry gaze bore into yours.

Since this was premeditated, you already composed the wording of our compulsion last night.

You felt the familiar pulse of magic behind your eyes as you maintained eye contact with Flint, “You’ve come to realise that Marvolo Gaunt has a sound mind for Quidditch strategy and his opinion often has merit.”

Flint slowly blinked as your command sank in. Now to see if it worked by talking your way out of your angry captain’s **** grip.

“I was playing mind games,” you informed Flint, “I was originally just trying to get in Mateo’s head since she’s the one I'll be going head-to-head with tomorrow. But Parkin ran over and actually responded to me so she ended up getting caught in it too. Between Mateo, Davies, and Stretton… Mateo’s the biggest threat. She’s been on the team the longest and she has an effective signature maneuver. Like it or not, her five goals are what put Ravenclaw in first place ahead of Gryffindor last term. I’m fully aware of how important this opportunity is for me… and I know that if I want to keep playing Keeper then I need to prove myself. I figure the best way to do that is by shutting out a veteran Chaser like Mateo with the whole school watching.”

“...” Flint blinked and kept staring as he slowly lowered your back to the ground. He wasn’t yelling at you so that meant he was at least listening. A sign that your command was working.

“And you want me to shut out Mateo too,” you continued. “You’ve been telling us since the new term started that our goal in this match is to take advantage of their rookie Chasers and Keeper and run up the score as much as possible so that even if Parkin actually does catch the Snitch… it won’t be enough for them to win the match. That’ll be easier to do if I can keep Ravenclaw’s score at zero and rid them of any hope of closing the gap.”

“How’re you gonna do that when you showed ‘em your secret weapon a full day in advance!?” Flint demanded as he folded his arms across his chest. An infinitely better place for them than on your collar holding you off the ground.

Just because you told Flint your opinion ‘often has merit’ didn’t mean he had to instantly agree with it. Making him automatically agree to your ideas would be a fundamental change in his personality and you didn’t even know if you could pull that off. Instead, you were using a more indirect and roundabout approach like you had with your Fluffy essay. That would, hopefully, make your compulsion harder to spot… both by Flint and by any outside observers.

“Because this time Parkin screwing us over with the pitch booking is working to our advantage,” you explained. “I’m already a wild card going into the match since they’ve never seen me play and they don’t know what I can do. Throw in a brand new, quality broomstick and now I’m an actual legitimate threat. And it’s too late for them to do anything to prepare for me because WE have the pitch booked for tonight! They might come up with some ideas and strategies… but they won’t have any time to practice them. They’re Ravenclaws. If anything, they’re likely to OVERTHINK things.” You paused for a beat and knew you needed to appeal to Flint’s savage and violent side if you want your point to really register, “I’m a first year. I’m not going to be able to beat them physically. But why should I resort to that when it’s your strong suit? What I can do is mess with them mentally. I can get in their head and throw them off their game. Just imagine how embarrassed Mateo will be when she finds herself being regularly stopped and blocked by a rookie first year. That’ll be hard to live down. And the more goals I block… the worse it will be. Meanwhile, you’ll throw your weight around and clobber their Chaser line which means we’ll be attacking them on two fronts. And by the end of a long, drawn out match where we boost our score as much as possible while keeping theirs low and thereby render Skye Parkin irrelevant… we’ll have won both a physical AND mental victory over the brainy birds.”

“...” It was quiet but Flint eventually gave you one of his ugly vicious grins, “You know, Gaunt… I’m starting to see your value. You might be a puny first year… but you’re a sharp one. It’ll be useful to have a player who can outsmart a Ravenclaw.”

He still didn’t seem to fully appreciate you for your skills as a Keeper… but now that you had your compulsion to ensure that Flint would at least listen to you… your cunning mind and natural persuasiveness would make your violent and often narrow minded captain much more easy to manage going forward.

“There is one thing I’ll need your help with,” you confessed. “Mateo’s corkscrew. You’re in her year so you’d know better than anyone how often she uses that maneuver. The way I hear it… it’s not a matter of IF she’ll use her signature maneuver in the match tomorrow… but HOW MANY TIMES. If I’m going to shut her out… I’ll need a proper counter for it.”

“I already have a counter for it,” Flint insisted. “Ram into her. She’s right handed. So I’ll aim for her right side so I can weaken her throwing arm.”

The idea had some merit… but you saw a major flaw in it. Flint couldn’t hit her if he couldn’t catch her. You knew just from watching her in one match that Mateo was a MUCH FASTER flier than Flint. Especially when you compared their brooms. Mateo’s Comet Two-Sixty was a great deal faster than Flint’s Oakshaft Eighty-Nine. The Oakshaft’s key feature was its stability and carrying capacity. It was ideal for a large player who favored a rough play style. Perfect for Flint. But you knew that if Mateo caught the Quaffle with a head start… Flint would never catch her.

Of course, you knew better than to mention that to Flint. It would only piss him off.

“Ramming into her might work for you,” you said instead, “But what happens if Madam Hooch calls a foul and I have to face her one-on-one?” With Flint’s rough counter to Mateo’s signature maneuver… you both knew that was very likely to happen. “I think I’ve proven that I’m normally pretty good at blocking penalties… but that’s only if I’m not caught off guard by a trick shot. So, in the interest of performing to the best of my ability tomorrow and potentially securing the shutout victory that you and I both want, I’d greatly appreciate it if we could dedicate some time to defending against that maneuver during practice tonight.”

“Could be useful…” Flint admitted, “Pucey might be able to pull it off.”

“If he has trouble… I could swap brooms with him and let him try it with the Nimbus,” you offered. “Now that I have access to a Nimbus Two Thousand… that means the team has access to a Nimbus Two Thousand. I already told Draco last night that I’d let him have a go on it. If you want to pit Higgs against him while he’s having his go on the Nimbus… I think that would be a perfect way to prepare him to go against Parkin and her Nimbus.”

Flint let out a grunt of acknowledgement but didn’t say anything either way.

“Everything alright here?”

You both turned to see that Gemma had finally arrived. The prefect had donned trousers for the flying practice and was carrying two broomsticks as well as a bundle of sandwiches.

“This little idiot decided to run his mouth in the middle of the Great Hall,” Flint stated and quickly shifted away from showing any signs that he valued your opinion. “I’m already down one Keeper. I don’t wanna lose another one.”

You suddenly remembered the reason you used your Serpent’s Gaze on Flint in the first place. “And I was pointing out that if we want to get that shutout that I taunted Parkin about… then I’ll need to have a proper defense for Mateo’s corkscrew…” You paused for a beat then grinned, “Say, Gemma, while you’re testing out your new Nimbus… could you pull off a corkscrew?”

”I suppose I could use a warmup before we get started,” she reasoned. She tossed you the wrapped sandwiches - which you easily caught - then came closer and handed you her Cleansweep Seven. “Anything is better than one of those Shooting Stars you’ve been flying. But I want you to be able to tell the difference between a Cleansweep and a Nimbus before we’re done here today. Mount up and join me in the air when you’re ready.”

Gemma threw her leg over her Nimbus Two Thousand and shot up into the air. She started off by doing laps around the training ground. Each one was faster than the last. She seemed to be trying to coax out as much of the Nimbus’ famous speed as possible. Of course, if its top speed really was over one hundred miles per hour like Gemma mentioned in the Great Hall… it simply wouldn't be possible for her to reach it in such a small courtyard.

You glanced down at Gemma’s old broom while she put her new one through its paces. You could instantly tell that the Cleansweep Seven had seen years of use but, despite that, it still appeared to be well maintained. It was properly polished and all the twigs for the tail were in place… although they did appear to have a bit of wear on them. Instead of the rich mahogany of the Nimbus… the Cleansweep appeared to have been carved and crafted out of a fancy breed of quality oak. And instead of having the full name of the broomstick written across the handle like with the Nimbus, the Cleansweep simply had a Roman Numeral ‘VII’ carved into the shaft.

Suddenly, Farley pulled an about face and went shooting across the training ground in a tight spiral that reminded you of one of Mateo’s signature corkscrews.

You let out an appreciative whistle and eyed Flint who was watching Gemma fly on the new Nimbus as well. “You know… she could make a good reserve…”

Flint turned and glared at you, “No girls on the team.”

“Are you sure?” you pressed him, “Because she’s going to be there anyway. It’s her Nimbus now and I’ll need her permission to use it.” You held up the Cleansweep, “And as you can see, she comes with two quality brooms.”

“I don’t care if she has SEVEN!” Flint insisted. “NO GIRLS ON THE TEAM!”

There was that infamous, troll-ish, stubbornness.

You still didn’t know WHY Flint was so against having a girl on the team. But you knew asking him about it now would only make him angrier. So you abandoned your logical argument and instead focused on appealing to the blood-thirsty Captain Flint’s viciousness.

“That’s surprising,” you remarked then lowered your voice so only Flint, who was standing right beside you, could hear you, “Because just last night you told me yourself on our way to see Professor Snape that ‘anyone underhanded enough to have someone poisoned so they can make the starting lineup is someone I want on my side.’”

Flint’s eyes went wide as the implied point registered.

“Obviously, I can’t actually say whether she did it or not,” you admitted, “I promised her when she took me to the Owlery yesterday that I wouldn't mention her involvement with the incident at lunch yesterday with anyone who didn’t already know about it.”

Of course, by mentioning the promise you’d basically done just that. Also, Flint likely hadn’t considered Yaxley and Rowle’s involvement. He probably jumped to the conclusion that Gemma was the only one involved. Which was good, because that was the conclusion you were trying to guide him to.

Flint looked back up in the air and appraised the Poison Prefect with a different eye than he had been using seconds ago. As you’d hoped… he didn’t even seem to care about the housemate she poisoned. He was completely focused on the underhanded act itself.

“I’m here right now because she wants us to beat Hufflepuff even more than you do!” you said. Flint huffed and didn’t look like he believed you. “It’s true. You want us to win at all costs and capture the cup. She doesn’t just want us to win… she wants us to CRUSH THEM. She even went as far as to place a bounty on Tamsin Applebee’s head and offered me a very special reward if I shut her out. As far as she’s concerned, me playing Keeper against Ravenclaw tomorrow is meant to be practice so I can work out any nerves and first match jitters and then play AT MY BEST against her real target in the match against Hufflepuff in May where we’ll be playing for the cup.”

You paused for a beat and could tell that you had his attention. He hadn’t outright rejected the idea so you knew now he was at least listening. Time to go in for the kill. “You’re a sixth year… so that means you’ve been here at Hogwarts to witness the entirety of their rivalry. If she was willing to go that far to give me a chance to take Tamsin Applebee down… what do you think she’d be willing to do if she had the chance to face that mudblood herself?”

Normally, you didn’t like to use the m-word but you knew the benefit of appealing to your audience and recognised that the slur would register with a pureblood thug like Flint. You also knew that while beating Tamsin Applebee wasn’t Gemma’s main reason for getting you into tomorrow’s match… it was the reason that Flint would understand the most.

“You think I’m out to prove myself?” you continued, “She’s got two and a half years’ worth of anger and resentment bubbling under the surface from never even getting a chance to even tryout for the Quidditch team. But if someone were to be so generous as to finally give her that chance… then who do you think she’d take all that anger and resentment out on?”

You paused for a beat and added your coup de grâce as you paraphrased Flint’s words from yesterday, “‘Cause if that’s what she does to a housemate that’s in her way… then I wanna see what she does to the other teams.”

A sadistic smile slowly spread across Flint’s face as very violent visions played in his mind. You knew instantly that you’d convinced him. “After what happened to Bletchley… no one would really question it if you added another reserve to the team. Especially when they consider what I told you earlier… that she’s already going to be there to loan me her broom. You’re a Slytherin so I know you’re resourceful enough to take advantage of a prime opportunity like this when it presents itself.”

Flint smiled, “You may have a point. I think I’ll pay a visit to Madam Hooch’s office and take a look at the team roster. Adding a new player to the team… even a reserve… so close to a match needs to be approved by her.”

He stomped off in the direction of the grounds and Madam Hooch’s office. You smiled to yourself, pleased at how you’d turned a conversation which had started with a threat of bodily arm to one that majorly benefit you and your Quidditch agenda.

You set the sandwiches off to the side and straddled Gemma’s Cleansweep Seven and SHOT up into the air. A rush ran up your spine as you accelerated easily TEN-TIMES faster than you ever had on a Shooting Star. You rocketed up past Gemma then flew a series of high speed laps around the top of the courtyard and marveled over how ridiculously superior a modern broom was compared to one of the ancient school brooms. And the Nimbus Two Thousand was EVEN FASTER than this!

You finished your laps and flew over to Gemma and hovered beside her.

“And that is the difference between a school broom and a racing broom,” she stated, “But then again, neither of us are going to reach top speed if we stay restricted in this courtyard. So what do you say we do some proper flying and have a little race so we can actually test them?”

“I’d say you’d have an obvious advantage with the newer broom,” you pointed out.

“It’s not about winning the race,” Gemma told you. “It’s about properly demonstrating and understanding the strengths of each broom. We’ll race to the Quidditch pitch… do a lap around it… then fly back and finish here. And since you feel like you’re at such a disadvantage… I’ll let you start us off.”

You swiveled your broom around so you were facing in the direction of the Quidditch pitch. Gemma drifted to the side so she was facing the same way.

“One… two… three… GO!” You shot off as soon as you said the word ‘GO’ and left the courtyard behind then flew over the covered bridge. You pushed your broom as fast as it would go and were soon hurtling across the grounds at top speed. The Gamekeeper’s hut was off in a distance on your right… tucked back against the edge of the Forbidden Forest but you quickly passed it as you streaked towards the Quidditch pitch.

You cast a glance back over your shoulder and saw Gemma gaining on you. You’d definitely gotten the faster start but you knew the second she reached her broom’s top speed because she went whizzing by you and reached the Quidditch pitch first.

Thankfully, she wasn’t able to maintain her broom’s superior top speed since she had to slow down a little to begin her long loop around the pitch. You reached the pitch seconds later and were **** to sacrifice a similar amount of speed as you flew around the outside of the pitch in hot pursuit.

You weren’t able to close the distance between when you were going around the pitch. But as you came out of the last bend for the return trip back to the courtyard you quickly pushed your Cleansweep back to its top speed and caught up with Gemma enough that you were able to reach out and tag her. “Gotcha!”

“Hm,” Gemma smirked at you as she finished accelerating and then shot off for the courtyard at HER top speed and you knew that you would never able to catch up.

That was the difference. Acceleration versus Speed. The Cleansweep had superior acceleration but a slower top speed which meant you were able to reach your peak speed much faster than Gemma could on the Nimbus. It took a few seconds longer for the Nimbus to reach its superior top speed but, once it did, there was nothing you could do to close the gap. At least not on a straight stretch like the one you were on.

You resolved to at least finish the lost race and flew after Gemma toward the courtyard but as you did you glanced up at and caught sight of a low-flying cloud. A cumulus cloud. A cumulus cloud shaped SUSPICIOUSLY like Evanora Rowle’s mole.

Was it a coincidence? Or was it a sign? Lysandra mentioned at the Owlery yesterday that Divination was about interpreting various signs and that she’d interpreted her roommate’s mole as a sign that she’d gotten too much sun. But what did it mean when you saw a cloud that was the EXACT SHAPE of the mole in question?

“We both knew you were going to lose… but I didn’t expect you to just give up,” Gemma remarked upon your return. You’d admittedly slowed down a bit while you were staring at the mole-shaped cloud.

“Sorry, I got distracted,” you apologised and pointed up at the puff white cloud that resembled Evanora’s cloud-shaped mole. “That cloud up there looks like Rowle’s mole.”

“Well you can’t get distracted,” the fifth year scolded you. “Everything’s riding on you performing well tomorrow.” She angled her Nimbus upward and shot into the air then started spinning in a tight spiral as she soared up to the cloud and speared through it.

The cloud burst apart as Gemma spiraled through it and sent bits and pieces of white fluff flying off in various directions.

“AH!” you gasped as you had a sudden epiphany. Lysandra mentioned that they tried various healing potions to rid Evanora of her mole. Cure for Boils. Topical Bruise Remover. Burn Paste. But none of those worked because they weren’t designed for moles. But what if you took various properties from those different potions and mixed them together to create a NEW potion specifically designed to cure moles and other blemishes?

This was something you HAD TO look into! All the signs you’d seen today pointed toward you creating a cure for Evanora’s mole!

You dove for ground and laid Gemma’s Cleansweep in the grass and snagged the wrapped sandwiches then raced for the school.

“GAUNT! GAUNT!” Gemma shouted after you. But you didn’t stop. You couldn’t stop. You needed to strike while the iron was hot and you were still inspired. You’d apologise to Gemma later. You had a potion to brew!

You ran down the stairs to the dungeons and returned to the common room. It was empty since everyone was at lunch. You retrieved your school bag from your dorm room then raced back out and were soon hurtling through the dungeons to the student Potions labs. They were all empty so you claimed your favorite one, cast a quick ‘Colloportus!’ to lock the door behind you, and were soon buried in your new project.

Eventually… you had a simmering green potion that was slowly coagulating into a paste in its final step.

The paste-like consistency was due to the potion being modeled after the Burn Healing Paste you learned to brew in Potions that very morning. But that potion was orange. The starkly different green color was similar to a finished Wiggenweld Potion due to the salamander blood and dittany used in the final stage.

Three boards each containing a different potion recipe were propped against the back of the desk on the side of the room meant for ingredient preparation with a fourth bigger board in the middle of them depicting the recipe for the new potion you created.

“Now I need a mole to test it on…” you mumbled to yourself.

“Alohomora!”

You turned around at the sound of the door being magically unlocked and then pulled open to reveal that Millicent had tracked you down for the second time in one day.

“Oh, thank Merlin you’re here,” she gasped as she stepped into the small room and shut the door behind her.

“What’s the matter? I thought everyone knew I was going to miss lunch?” you questioned. At one point you’d taken a break and eaten both the sandwiches that Gemma had brought to your abandoned flying lesson.

“Marvolo... dinner’s started,” Millicent informed you, “You’ve been missing all afternoon!”

You blinked in surprise. You hadn’t checked the time since you started your project. But it turned out you’d been locked in the lab for HOURS. “Oh… so I missed History of Magic and Herbology...”

“Well… Binns doesn’t take roll so he didn’t notice you were missing but Professor Sprout realised you weren’t in Herbology. We didn’t want to lose points so we told her you were sick… I might have implied that you were very nervous about the match tomorrow. Professor Sprout didn’t press too much after that but the Ravenclaws were pleased to hear that you were cracking under all the pressure you heaped upon yourself at breakfast. I made sure to take care of your rose bush while you were gone.”

Professor Sprout had your joint Slytherin and Ravenclaw class plant rose bushes the first lesson back from the winter break. The point of the lesson was to show the extra potency of magical fertiliser made from mooncalf dung as opposed to muggle fertiliser produced by normal, non-magical cows. Roses normally took six to eight weeks to bloom. But with the added magical boost of a fertiliser made from a magical creature the roses were on schedule to be in full bloom in HALF the normal amount of time and would be at full blossom in FOUR weeks… right in time for Valentine’s Day.

“It was probably better off with you looking after it,” you admitted. Despite your talent for rendering plants into potions… Herbology was one class where Millicent usually outperformed you.

“Flint noticed you were missing at dinner and confronted all of us,” Millicent continued, “He said if you didn’t show up for practice tonight… then he’d play Farley as Keeper. After Draco confirmed your school bag was missing from your room… we all split up to try and find you. Malfoy took Crabbe and Goyle with him to the Quidditch pitch to see if you were out there practicing. Blaise and Theodore went to check the library. Daphne and Tracey said they were going to check the Hospital Wing and then the Astronomy Tower to see if they could spot you somewhere out on the grounds. Pansy and I went to confront Farley at dinner since she was the last person you were seen with and had the most to gain from you disappearing. She denied having anything to do with your disappearance and said you ran off on her at lunch and, obviously, wasn’t going to waste time trying to find you.”

“I reckon she’s understandably cross with me,” you admitted, “She skipped lunch to give me that extra flying lesson and just finished telling me not to get distracted… and then I immediately got distracted and ran off. I’ll apologise to her later.”

“Pansy’s camped out in the common room in case you came back and I decided to search your other most frequent Gaunt haunts,” Millicent concluded, “This was the only Potions lab that was occupied… and I know you warned me just this morning about barging into occupied broom closets… but I had a good excuse and it turns out I was right.”

All the Slytherin first years went searching for you… and Millicent was the one who found you. More evidence that she really was your best friend. Or at the very least knew you the best.

Millicent eyed your work, “Have you really been in here all afternoon?”

“Yes,” you answered, “But not without anything to show for it! I was struck by a bolt of inspiration and came here to work it out. Come see! Come see!” You grabbed her arm and pulled her over to your board so you could show off your creation. “Did you know there’s no potion that can remove moles?”

“There isn’t?” Millie asked.

“Not according to the older girls,” you said, “There are various concealers… but no actual cures. After watching Gemma do a corkscrew to burst a low-flying cloud I was inspired to mix together different aspects from the various healing potions we’ve covered this year and made a new one specifically designed for mole removal!”

“You made a new potion?”

“I believe I have,” you lightly boasted, “My theory is sound and my recipe is solid… I just need a mole to test my remedy on to see if it actually works.”

“I’ve got a mole,” Millicent offered.

“Really?” you inquired. That was convenient.

“It’s on the back of my neck,” Millicent informed you as she turned around and brushed her hair to the side then pulled down her collar to reveal a large brown splotch on the back of her neck. “The Bulstrode family manor is on a marsh. When we visit over the summer, I’ll usually tie my hair up and spend the afternoon out in the marsh trying to catch frogs, toads, newts, and snakes with my cousins.”

Millicent Bulstrode definitely wasn’t a ‘girly-girl’. You could never imagine a girl like Pansy frolicking out in a marsh and catching small slimy creatures.

“And you wouldn’t mind getting rid of it?” you asked as you eyed the brown oblong blemish.

“It’s behind my head,” Millicent reminded you with a shrug, “I rarely ever see it. I won’t miss it.” She looked over at your potion. “Are you sure it’ll work?”

“I know how it’s supposed to work,” you stated, “But the point of testing it is to confirm that.” You thought of Professor Snape’s threat about experimentation in that detention you had with him back in September. "Erm… Professor Snape would probably skin me alive if we tested it without at least letting him look over my recipe first. Why don’t you stop by the common room and tell Pansy that you found me so she can get word to the others to call off the manhunt. And while you’re there change into a neck-baring shirt so we don’t have to worry about getting green potion paste on your uniform. Then fetch Professor Snape from the Great Hall and bring him back here so he can supervise. In the meantime, I’ll scoop it out of the cauldron and put it in a vial.”

“Alright,” Millicent agreed, “But don’t get lost again.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” you assured her.

She left the room and you took your new mole removal potion off the low flame and began scooping the warm green paste out into a vial. You’d designed the potion recipe to yield one full vial of paste… much like most of the other healing potions you used. But the thing you learned about healing potions, especially ones that needed to be applied directly to the affliction like the Cure for Boils, Topical Bruise Remover, and Burn Healing Paste, was that they didn’t require an entire dose of potion to cure one boil, bruise, blemish or burn. You only needed enough to cover the blemish itself.

Halfway through, you decided to fill two vials halfway instead of fully filling one. That way, if your test with Millicent’s mole proved to be successful, you could slip one vial to Evanora Rowle so she could finally be rid of the potion-inspiring mole that was causing her so much anxiety and then keep the other vial for yourself to study. You placed the two vials of green paste in a rack then pulled out a roll of parchment and transcribed your recipe from the board so you could study it alongside the potion.

The door opened a few minutes later and Professor Snape stalked in with Millicent behind him. She had taken off her white collared button-up blouse and her green and silver Slytherin tie and was now wearing just her v-neck Hogwarts jumper under her school robes.

“Gaunt!” Professor Snape immediately barked at you, “You missed two classes this afternoon.”

“I apologise, professor,” you replied, “I was fully engrossed in a project. I didn’t realise how much time had passed until Millicent found me and told me.”

He scowled at you, “Your apologies are better directed at Professor Sprout and Professor Binns for missing their class.”

You translated the Snape-speak to ‘you will apologise to your professors OR ELSE’. But then you bristled at the thought of being **** to apologise to a ghost professor who didn’t even know who you were.

“Do I really need to apologise to Professor Binns?” you asked. “I’d wager he didn’t even notice that I was missing.”

Your Head of House wasn’t having it. “You disrespected two professors by not attending their lesson and you will issue a public apology to both of them.”

“Yes, sir,” you reluctantly agreed. You needed his help with your potion.

The Potions professor glanced past you to eye your recipe board and your two half-filled vials of green paste. “Miss Bulstrode tells me you believe you have created a new potion. Let’s see if you were at least productive while you were skiving off of classes. Present your potion.”

You weren’t expecting to have to give an actual presentation but you had been prepared to explain your process when you instructed Millicent to retrieve Professor Snape.

“Well… yesterday some of the older Slytherin girls informed me that there was no potion for removing moles and that other healing potions wouldn’t work because they had been designed to cure other types of blemishes. So, with that in mind, I set out to combine different aspects of the healing potions I’m familiar with in order to craft a potion that could remove a mole.”

You pointed to the first small board upon which you inscribed the recipe for the Burn Healing Paste you brewed in class today.

“I based the foundation of my potion on Burn Healing Paste,” you continued, “Both in order to achieve that kind of consistency but also because I was trying to craft a potion that worked in multiple stages. Only unlike the dual-stage potion we covered in class today… mine works in three stages. The first of which acts like the first stage of Burn Healing Paste and sears off the top layer of marked skin. It centers on the usage of Ashwinder skin as the first of four active ingredients.”

You pointed to the second board.

“The second stage is focused on cleaning the affliction that is underneath the layer of seared off skin. I originally attempted to use the Cure for Boils as a model for this stage… but as I learned in our first day of class… the active ingredient in that potion is the porcupine quills and those are far too volatile to cooperate with the ingredients in the other stages of the potion. So I consulted Magical Drafts and Potions and found a simple potion for curing acne. An essential remedy for teenage witches and wizards. The active ingredient in that potion is bubotuber pus which is much, much, much more stable than porcupine quills. And so I used that as my second active ingredient.”

“It’s only less volatile if it’s treated bubotuber pus,” Professor Snape informed you, “Raw bubotuber pus can cause boils and should be handled with dragon-hide gloves.”

You nodded, “I read that about the bubotuber plant in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi when I was researching that new ingredient. I wanted to have a full knowledge of it before I used it in my potion. Also, my Potions kit has the treated kind and it was in a bottle so I never had any skin contact with it.”

Professor Snape gave a short grunt of acknowledgement at your thoroughness then nodded, “Continue.”

“Right, so the third stage of my mole potion works like the second stage of Burn Healing Paste and heals the seared off and cleaned portion of skin. I modeled that part after the Topical Bruise Remover and used the healing properties of dittany, the active ingredient from that potion, as my third active ingredient.”

“You showed in class that you were aware of the volatile relationship between Ashwinder skin and dittany and why the second stage of the Burn Healing Paste uses aloe vera instead.”

“Yes,” you replied, “But both those volatile ingredients are separated by the second stage AND that’s where my fourth active ingredient comes in. Much like with the Wiggenweld Potion, I used salamander blood to temper each of my other three active ingredients when they were added. My initial foundation was red… much like the foundation of Burn Healing Paste. After I added the Ashwinder skin, I added four drops of salamander blood and stirred until it turned yellow.”

“Only four drops?” the Potions professor pressed you. You realised he probably already knew the answers to these questions but was making you explain yourself to demonstrate that you had a full working knowledge of your new creation.

“Four drops was enough to temper the Ashwinder skin without neutralising the effectiveness of that ingredient. It took a fair bit longer to change colors than in a Wiggenweld Potion. A full four minutes of stirring. Maybe one minute for each drop? I added the bubotuber pus in stage two and another four drops of salamander blood to temper it then stirred until the potion turned blue. Again, it was a full four minutes. And then in stage three I added the dittany, tempered it with another four drops of salamander blood, and stirred for another four minutes until it turned green. Then I added a dose of boom berry juice, lowered the heat, and left it to simmer until it coagulated into a paste.”

“Hold on…” Millicent chimed in as she leaned closer to eye the board for the recipe for Topical Bruise Remover. “This recipe isn't right. You added too much dittany.”

You grinned and were proud of your best friend for spotting your personal alteration to the recipe. Spending last term doing Potions assignments with the top Potions student in her year had paid dividends for Millicent.

It seemed Professor Snape was pleased with her Potions knowledge too. “Bulstrode, take two points to Slytherin for having a thorough knowledge of the Topical Bruise Remover and being able to notice minor alterations to the recipe.”

“That’s my recipe for Topical Bruise Remover,” you explained. “I added extra dittany to make it faster acting. The side effect is reduced potency and lingering soreness after treating larger, deeper bruises like the ones you’d get if a large sixth year barrels into you on a broomstick. But it works fine on simple blemishes like the one I had on my neck this morning. And since this is a potion designed to treat a skin condition… I went with my version. Even with the extra dittany it was still proportionate with the amount of Ashwinder skin and bubotuber pus that I used in the two previous stages.”

“Yet you didn’t offer any to Mr. Zabini,” your Head of House chided you, “He’s still walking around with those marks on his neck.”

“I did offer,” you insisted, “He declined. He’s proud of them. And arguing about it would’ve made us late to class.”

Professor Snape tsked and leaned forward to eye your recipe board, “Your theory is grounded, your ingredients are well researched, and you’ve demonstrated a thorough knowledge of your creation. You rightfully kept your doses of your active ingredients even in order to achieve symmetry between the three stages. Uneven quantities of active ingredients can cause unexpected fluctuations in the brewing process which offset the balance of the potion and cause dangerous reactions. However, that is not the case here. I see no glaring flaws that should be cause for concern. You may proceed with testing your potion... provided Miss Bulstrode hasn’t changed her mind about allowing you to test it on her.”

You retrieved one of your dragon hide gloves from your school bag then grabbed one of the half-full vials of the rack and held it up as you turned to face Millicent. “You still game?”

“I was ready to try it before I knew all the effort you put into making it,” she replied as she removed her school robes and laid them on the desk so she was standing her jumper and long skirt. She once again reached back to brush her hair away from her neck which was now bare thanks to the low collar of her v-neck jumper and gave you a clear, unobstructed view of her mole.

“You’re four inches taller than me,” you reminded her, “I’m going to need you to lean forward and brace yourself on the deck so I can reach your neck.”

Professor Snape stepped back to the far side of the room to supervise and called out a warning. “You will likely feel a burning sensation at the start. That’s standard with Burn Healing Paste.”

Millicent leaned forward and braced her elbow on the desk on top of her robes. You stepped up behind her and removed the stopper from the vial then dipped one of your glove coated fingers into the vial and scooped out the green paste and applied it to the brown, oblong mole on the back of Millicent’s neck. You needed four scoops to ensure the long mole was fully covered.

“Hhsssss…” It wasn’t Parseltongue but Millicent let out a low hiss as she felt the burning sensation Professor Snape warned her about. You shifted the vial to your gloved hand and placed your bare hand on her shoulder as a sign of reassurance.

“It’s not painful is it?” you questioned with concern.

“No, it just stings,” Millie reported.

“Did you calculate the time it would take for the potion to be effective?” Professor Snape asked.

“Erm… no,” you confessed, “I thought that was the point of testing it.”

The Potions professor scoffed and offered his expertise, “Burn Healing Paste normally takes several minutes to function but ultimately depends on the severity of the burn. As opposed to your fast acting Topical Bruise Remover which can heal a surface level blemish in seconds. But since you chose to use the Burn Healing Paste for your foundation you can expect the time frame to be more along the lines of the former. I would initially estimate it at three minutes… one for each stage… but because of your four active ingredients, your four drops of salamander blood, and your four minute intervals of stirring… I suspect it will take more along the lines of four minutes to reach the full effect. If you take Arithmancy in your third year you’ll come to learn the magical significance of different numbers. That knowledge can be used to better calculate formulas for potion recipes.”

You translated the Snape-speak at the end to ‘Take Arithmancy in third year. It will help you significantly with Potions.’

“We’re a little over a minute in now,” you noted, “How’re you feeling, Millie? Is it still burning?”

“A little,” she responded, “It’s not as bad as before. And even that wasn’t incredibly painful.” You rubbed her shoulder to comfort her and felt it when she suddenly shivered. “Oh! It stopped. Now I feel a cooling sensation.”

“That must be the second stage starting,” you realised. “Now that the top layer of skin has been seared off… it’s cleaning the affected area.”

“One minute twenty seconds exactly,” Professor Snape informed you.

You weren’t sure how he kept track of the time but that meant his estimation of four minutes was on track.

Another eighty seconds later, Millicent reported another change. “The cool sensation stopped. Now it feels kind of prickly.”

“That’s the third stage with the new skin regrowing,” you explained, “The Burn Healing Paste may use an Ashwinder skin as an active ingredient but one of the main ingredients in the foundation is the shed skin of a coral snake. I think that’s because snakes are creatures that are known for shedding their skin. The coral snake skin combines with the dittany to form the new layer of skin when the potion reaches the third stage.”

“I feel like I should be taking notes,” Millicent remarked, “No offense meant, Professor Snape, but I think I’ve learned more about Potions from Marvolo this year than I have in class. When we brew in class… I learn what to do and how to do it… but it’s after class when I’m doing homework assignments with Marvolo that I learn why I’m doing it. He’s really good at figuring out what purpose each ingredient serves in a potion.”

If a Gryffindor had said that… Professor Snape would have gotten angry and taken points. But, thankfully, Millicent was a Slytherin. “Your time spent doing your assignments with Mr. Gaunt shows in the strength of your essays.” Wow. Instead of an angry insult… Millicent got a rare compliment from the grouchy Potions professor. “That’s four minutes.”

You reached up with your gloved hand and wiped away the green residue to reveal smooth, shiny, unblemished skin beneath it. You were aware of Professor Snape stepping closer to inspect your potion’s work.

“How’s it look?” Millicent asked.

“Your mole’s gone,” you told her, “The new skin looks a little shiny but, other than that, it blends in with the rest.”

Millicent reached back and ran her fingers over the cured patch of skin. “It feels extra smooth.”

“It’s new skin but that will fade in time,” Professor Snape informed her. “Simple things like your hair blushing over it or water raining down from the shower faucet will weather it.”

“Thanks for volunteering, Millie,” you said as you corked your vial and returned it to the rack then removed your glove and went back to your parchment and quill with your recipe. You took several seconds to add the additional information you’d learned about how long it would take for the potion to function and the sensations your ‘test subject’ felt during each stage.

“Gaunt,” Professor Snape called out, “Take twenty points to Slytherin for controlled innovation in Potions and for fully understanding your creation. You will likely need those extra House Points if Professors Sprout and Binns decide to punish you for missing class.”

That brought you up to one hundred thirty!

You grinned widely and felt a great sense of personal pride and accomplishment as you turned to the Potions professor, “So what comes next, professor? If I really have invented a new potion… what’s the next step?”

“The next step will be continued testing,” Professor Snape answered, “You will need to ensure that this wasn’t just a fluke and that anyone can brew this potion by following your recipe. You will also need to test the full capabilities of your potion. Once you have all that information catalogued and prepared… you will need to present your potion to the Educational Review Board at the Ministry so you can get it patented. Have you come up with a name for your potion?”

“Erm… I hadn’t thought about that,” you admitted.

“How about ‘Gaunt’s Magical Mole Remover’?” Millicent suggested. You could call it vanity... but you did like having your name tied to your creation. And you liked the sound of the double ‘M’ and then the third ‘m’ in ‘remover’.

“Let’s go with that then,” you decided as you wrote the name at the top.

Professor Snape continued with his ‘next step’ lecture. “After getting the patent you will own the rights to your potion and will be able to decide who you want to share it with and how you want it to be distributed. A mole remover has the making of a cosmetic potion. Would you want to submit it to the Ministry archives for public use? Would you want to donate it to a magical hospital like St Mungo’s so they can use it to treat moles and minor skin conditions? Or would you want to work with a distributor who could sell it privately as a cosmetic potion which would allow you to make a commission off of every bottle sold? As the owner of the patent... it will be your decision who to distribute you recipe to.”

“That’s… that’s a lot,” you said. You hadn’t even considered how to sell the potion. There were probably more people than just Evanora who had embarrassing moles that they wanted gone. But the thought of doing all that seemed overwhelming and your proud smile faded a bit.

“As your Head of House and the school’s Potions Master, it’s my job to aid you with those tasks,” Professor Snape stated. Although, you had a feeling he wouldn’t be nearly as helpful if a Gryffindor had created a mole potion. “I can take one of your samples and make a copy of your recipe and begin the testing phase. Once that’s completed I can contact the review board to arrange your presentation. I’m also aware of numerous venues that would be willing to pay you a hefty price in exchange for exclusive distribution rights for ‘Gaunt’s Magical Mole Remover’.”

You gave a sigh of relief, “Oh… thank you, professor.”

Your Head of House drew his wand and flicked it at your recipe and the parchment jumped and split into two identical copies. He took the unused vial and wrapped the parchment for the recipe around it then slipped the cylindrical bundle into his black robes.

“I will keep my copy and my samples secure in my office as I conduct the testing. Be careful who you share your recipe with. Especially with members of your own house. There are a number of ambitious Slytherin who wouldn’t hesitate to steal your idea in order to get ahead. If anyone does acquire your formula… you can rest assured that they did not get it from me.”

Professor Snape turned to the door, “Clean up after yourself. And I expect to hear that you issued a public apology to both Professor Sprout and Professor Binns at dinner tonight.”

“Thank you, professor!” you called after him as he left.

“I’ll help you clean up,” Millicent was quick to offer.

In short order you had your Potions equipment cleaned and packed away, your recipe for Gaunt’s Magical Mole Remover tucked into your school bag, and your House Point ledger updated with the twenty house points you’d earned from your creation. While you were doing all that, Millicent wiped the four boards clean.

“One last thing,” she said as she wet her hands in the sink in the corner. “Your hair’s a mess. If you walk into the Great Hall with it like that… people will think you’ve gone mad.” Her face went bright red as she placed her wet hands on your head and ‘groomed you’ so your dark hair laid flat on your head the way you usually kept it. “There you go. That’s better.”

You finally left the Potions lab with your school bag over your shoulder, a half-full vial of your new potion clasped in your hand, and your other arm linked at the elbow with your best friend’s.

“Thanks again for all your help there, Millie,” you said.

“It’s no bother,” she assured you, “Now I’ll get to be a footnote in history as the first witch the great potioneer Marvolo Gaunt tested his first of many original potions out on. I still can’t believe you invented your own potion in only your second term as a first year. I wish I was good at a subject as you are with Potions.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” you reassured her. As a half-blood in a house that valued blood purity Millicent Bulstrode had issues with her self-worth so you did your best to bolster her. “You’re better at Herbology than I could ever hope to be.”

“Daphne’s better,” Millicent objected.

“Daphne has a family affinity for plants,” you replied, “It’s in her name. Instead of having a green thumb she has green blood. But you have something special too. Or haven’t you noticed that Blaise, Theodore, and I hold off on tending to our plants so we can copy what you do with yours? The three of us put our heads together last term and tried to figure out why no matter what we do your plants are always bigger and healthier than ours. And I think I’ve finally figured it out.”

“What?”

“It’s your heart,” you explained. “Intent is the key to most magic. Even the kind that doesn’t involve a wand. You genuinely want your plants to grow and flourish and your magic helps them do that. That’s something that the morbid Blaise Zabini, the closed off and quiet Theodore Nott, and the Potions prodigy Marvolo Gaunt will never be able to copy. In that class, being a Potions prodigy works against me because I go into Herbology with a Potions mindset. Instead of seeing a living entity that I need to care for… I can’t help thinking of the plant’s magical properties and what kinds of potions I can use it in. I think my plants can sense that so even if I do everything exactly the same as you do with yours… my plants will never be as lush and healthy as yours because they somehow KNOW that I’m only growing them so they can be harvested and rendered into Potions ingredients. Even with the roses we’re growing now… I’m already thinking of plucking mine and turning them into a bouquet. Daphne’s not going to be the only witch I’ll be giving roses to on Valentine’s Day. Honestly, forty-five minutes of you tending to my rose bush instead of me was probably the best thing to ever happen to it.”

Millicent’s face had gone bright red again. She really needed to get better at accepting praise. “I named him ‘Germain’.”

“You see? I have never named any of the plants I’ve worked with.“ You lightly bumped your shoulder against hers as you made your way up the stairs from the dungeon, “So buck up. Everyone’s magic is different. And everyone has their own special magical talents. I was lucky to find my talent early on. But, like plants, some people’s talents need more time to cultivate and grow before they’re ready to bear fruit. Keep doing what you’ve been doing and you’re sure to blossom.”

The two of you reached the Great Hall and were greeted by the sound of Blaise Zabini cheering, “HE’S ALIVE!”

The first years had returned from their searches and were gathered at the end of the Slytherin. “Hey,” you greeted them as you walked over. “Sorry if I worried anyone. I was locked in the Potion’s lab inventing a new potion.”

“Inventing a new potion?” Draco repeated.

“Indeed,” you chirped glibly as you held up your half-filled vial of green potion. “I took aspects of two healing potions we’ve learned as well as one we haven’t, mixed them together, and managed to make an entirely new healing potion. Professor Snape said he’d help me test it and if that goes well I’ll have a meeting with an Educational Review Board to get my potion patented.” You patted Millicent - who was still wearing her jumper under her robes - on the shoulder, “Millicent volunteered to be my first test subject. I’m sure she’ll be happy to tell you about the experience. In the meantime, Professor Snape insisted that I issue some public apologies for missing class. So I’m off to do that now.”

You broke away from your yearmates and made your way along the gap between the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables. It was easy to spot Marcus Flint sitting with fellow sixth years Higgs and Burke midway down the table.

“Ahoy, Captain!” you greeted him, “No need to worry. I’m safe and sound. I assure you, I will be at practice tonight.” You felt confident in saying that because, at this point, it was too late in the day for one of the professors whose class you missed to assign you detention. And while you would gladly attend a detention after the match tomorrow or on Sunday… they wouldn’t assign one for tonight when it was already evening.

Speaking of sixth years, you glanced over the Hufflepuff table at the Ravenclaw table and spotted Jessica Mateo sitting with Artemis Fawley. You smiled and gave the Ravenclaw Chaser a wave. “Hey Mateo! In case you heard the rumors that I’d disappeared… I wanted to assure you that I am fine. I wouldn’t miss our date on the Quidditch pitch tomorrow for the world!”

Mateo rolled her eyes and shook her head while, across from her, Fawley started giggling.

You continued along your table and saw Gemma, Lysandra, and Evanora sitting in the same spots they had been occupying during breakfast. You leaned in between Yaxley and Rowle so you could address Farley.

“Gemma, sorry for running off on you earlier,” you apologised. “I can’t take Divination until third year but throughout the morning I kept seeing signs that reminded me of a certain problem. And then when I watched you corkscrew through that cloud… I had a sudden epiphany of how to solve that problem.” While you said this… you discreetly slipped your half-full potion vial into Evanora’s lap and felt the fifth year grasp the glass vial. “Like I told you yesterday, I live in the present. When I encounter a problem I do my best to try and solve it myself. So I locked myself in the Potions lab until I managed to brew my solution. But speaking of solving problems… make sure to bring both of your brooms to Quidditch practice tonight. And wear trousers. You’ll be flying.”

You pulled back and turned your head to whisper in Evanora’s ear, “It works like a Burn Healing Paste. Give it four minutes to run its course but expect a stinging burn for the first eighty seconds. It’s designed to sear off skin so make sure you’re wearing a glove when you apply it.”

Professor Sprout was sitting close by in a position at the Staff Table that gave her a proper view of her Hufflepuffs so you approached her first.

“Professor Sprout,” you addressed the Herbology professor, “I would like to offer you a public apology for missing Herbology. I was informed that my fellow Slytherin first years told you I was sick… but that wasn’t really the case. I was missing all afternoon and they didn’t actually know where I was. I hope you won’t hold their loyalty against them. They were covering for me and trying to keep me out of trouble. The truth is… I was locked in a Potions lab inventing a new potion and lost track of the time.”

“Inventing a new potion?” Professor Sprout inquired, “My former Potions prodigy Penny Haywood didn’t invent her first potion until after she took her O.W.L. Exams.”

“I won’t pretend I made something revolutionary or especially groundbreaking,” you confessed, “It’s a cosmetic potion at best. I learned yesterday that there was no potion for removing moles. So I combined different aspects of three other healing potions and made Gaunt’s Magical Mole Remover. Millicent was good enough to let me test it on a mole she had on the back of her neck and even came up with the name. It worked as intended. Professor Snape has my sample in his office and is going to be brewing a batch of his own to ensure that my recipe works. So if you know any Hufflepuff students who need a mole removed… send them his way and he’ll remove them free of charge in order to further test it.”

“What about Hufflepuff professors?” Hufflepuff Head of House asked as she pulled up her left sleeve to reveal a large brown splotch on her forearm. You supposed it made sense that the Herbology professor who spent a great deal of time outdoors or in greenhouses tending to plants would have gained a few sunspots over the years. “I’ve had this one for over twenty years.”

It seemed that not only would you potion appeal to self-conscious teenagers trying to hide embarrassing blemishes but also aging adults who gained extra spots through the years.

“That’s a lot bigger than Milicent’s,” you admitted, “But I’m confident Gaunt’s Magical Mole Remover can get rid of it for you… if you do indeed want to be rid of it.”

“I’ll make you a deal, Gaunt,” Professor Sprout decided, “if your potion works, I won’t take any points. This is a school. And successfully inventing a new potion will prove that you at least learned something and used your time out of class productively.”

That sounded fair. And it would ultimately mean you would escape without a punishment.

“I will gladly accept those terms, professor,” you agreed. “And let’s be honest… forty-five minutes with Millicent probably did Germaine more good than the ninety minutes he’ll have with me on Monday.”

You stepped back from the Staff Table and glanced back over your left shoulder to see Rowle and Yaxley leave the Great Hall. Without her curtain in front of her, Gemma’s sapphire gaze was locked on you. There was an amused smirk on her face. You hope that meant she forgave you for running off on her. She wasn’t someone you wanted to have a grudge against you.

There was still one last apology to issue and it was the one you were most **** to make. You trudged along the Staff Table until you reached Professor Binns. Dinner was the only meal the ghost professor actually attended. Not to actually eat or interact with anyone but because it was part of his daily routine. He was simply staring blankly at the empty plate in front of him.

“Eh-hem,” you cleared your throat but the History of Magic professor continued to stare blankly at his plate. “Professor Binns.” You addressed him directly and he finally looked up. “I would like to apologise for missing History of Magic today. I was working on a project and lost track of time.”

“Oh… I am very disappointed in you… erm…” he trailed off and you felt a spike of irritation. No name. No recognition. He had no idea who you were! “Ten points from Slytherin.”

You tilted your head to the side and fought to keep your voice calm and level, “Do you even know who I am, professor?”

“I am your History of Magic professor… and you are a Slytherin student,” he stated.

“How about a wager, professor,” you offered, “Double or nothing. If you can tell me my name… you can take an additional ten points from Slytherin for a total of twenty.” Which was how many Professor Snape had awarded you for brewing your potion. “Not my first name. I don’t expect you to know that. My surname. Something every other professor sitting at the Staff Table would know. Get it right and you can take off double points. But… if you get it wrong… I want those ten points back because you will have proven that you not only don’t know who I am but also that you didn’t even know I was missing until I brought it to your attention just now.”

“Very well… …Rackham.”

You blinked then shook your head. Your very low opinion of the History of Magic professor somehow managed to get even lower. “Not even close, sir. But, I’ll tell you what, I’ll give you a sporting chance. You can have two more tries to guess since now we know that you don’t actually know.”

Professor Binns leaned closer and stared at you, “Riddle.”

Professor Quirrell, who was sitting next to Binns and on the opposite end of the table from where Professor Snape usually sat, suddenly coughed and knocked over his goblet.

“You alright, professor?” you asked the startled Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

“Y-yes, qu-quite alright,” he stammered, “Erm… you.” Unlike Binns, you knew full well that he knew your name. But even startled and flustered he at least had the sense not to use your name and give the game away.

You returned your attention to Professor Binns. To his credit, he was closer this time and had at least guessed a relative of yours. “I’m afraid you’re fifty years too early, sir. The last Riddle to attend this school graduated back in 1945. Last chance, professor.”

The ghostly professor rose from his seat and floated through the table to stand directly in front of you as he studied your face. You smirked at him and awaited his final guess.

“Rosier!”

You smiled in triumph, “Wrong again, sir. And my name isn’t Rumpelstiltskin either. I’m not sure why you decided to guess ‘R’ names. That’s not even the right letter. It’s Gaunt, sir. Marvolo Gaunt. The last of the Gaunts. And in case you don’t know which class I missed… I’m a first year.”

“...” Binns stared silently at you.

“Can I have those points back?” you inquired. “You accepted the terms of the wager when you made that first incorrect guess.”

“Fine,” Professor Binns conceded, “Ten points to Slytherin. But I have my eye on you now… Gaunt. If you miss class again from now until you graduate… I will know.”

“Very good,” you replied. This was Hogwarts’ least competent and least interesting professor. Why would you be worried that he was going to be paying special attention to you? “As any other professor would as well, sir. See you next Thursday.”

That still counted as an issued apology, right? Either way, you knew Professor Snape would hear about it.

Compared to inventing a new potion and invoking a vendetta from a ghost professor… the rest of your evening was lackluster. You were finally able to sit and eat a meal in the Great Hall then you returned to your dorm room and dropped off your school bag while you changed into your green Darren O’Hare Irish National Team robes that you wore for Quidditch practice and headed out to the Quidditch pitch with Malfoy who was wearing the green robes of Aidan Lynch. You didn’t bother retrieving a school broom from the broomshed and instead went to the pitch and waited for Gemma to arrive with her brooms.

The shocked expression on Farley’s face when Flint announced her as the new reserve caused you to chuckle. It was mirrored by the rest of the team. While he’d told your fellow first years that he’d replace you with Farley if you didn’t show up for practice… he’d seemingly put off telling Gemma she was on the team until the literal very last minute.

“I’ve decided to make Farley a reserve,” he announced, “She’s gonna be here anyway to loan Gaunt a broom so we might as well make use of her. And it’ll pay to have an extra player in case someone else gets poisoned or pranked or Gaunt runs his mouth off to the wrong person.”

And that was how you found yourself hovering in front of the hoops on Gemma’s Cleansweep while Gemma took runs at you on her new Nimbus while trying to perform Mateo’s corkscrew. Based on what you learned in your abandoned flying lesson, the Cleansweep’s better acceleration was better suited to your needs as a Keeper who flew in short bursts to block shots at the hoops while the Nimbus’ much faster top speed would better serve Gemma as she flew all around the pitch and chased the Quaffle. The Nimbus Two Thousand gave the new Reserve Chaser all the speed she needed to pull off Mateo’s signature spiraling maneuver.

Eventually, you figured out the pattern in the corkscrew. The shot would be for the left or the right hoop when she came out of the spiral. Never at the middle hoop. The trick to predicting which hoop she was aiming for was based on the position of her throwing arm when she came out of the spiral. If her right arm was tucked in close to her side then she would be shooting at the right hoop - the one on your left. And if her right arm was looser then she was preparing to make a crossbody shot at the left hoop - the one on your right. The same pattern emerged when she threw while upside-down and halfway through her last spin.

Flint seemed pleased with your progress and allowed you and Gemma to take a break while Malfoy borrowed the Nimbus Two Thousand to race against Higgs. Farley shot you bewildered looks and still seemed a little shocked that you’d made good on your end of the deal and gotten her on the team.

“You might want to buy an Irish Quidditch uniform,” you advised as you eyed her assortment of black and yellow Wimbourne Wasps regalia, “Flint says I’m not going to get my Slytherin Quidditch robes until the day of the match. If you show up wearing Wasps gear again when we start training in the Spring… Flint might intentionally mistake you for a Hufflepuff. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

Meanwhile, now that he was armed with a superior broom, Malfoy finally managed to BEAT the larger and more experienced Terrence Higgs to the Snitch.

Flint looked annoyed… but you cautiously approached him to offer some advice, “I learned today at lunch that a Nimbus Two Thousand’s top speed is at least twenty miles per hour faster than a Cleansweep Seven. You’re gonna need to come up with some way to close that gap. If the Snitch is close by… Higgs will have the edge in terms of acceleration. But if they’re racing for the other side of the pitch and Parkin manages to reach her top speed tomorrow… there’s nothing Higgs is going to be able to do to catch her.”

Your Quidditch Captain growled to himself and had a word with Bode and Derrick then sent the Seekers after the Snitch again. But this time, the Beaters went after Malfoy like he was Skye Parkin. Your roommate was left frantically dodging both Bludgers while Higgs searched for the Snitch unimpeded. And to Flint’s credit, Malfoy had trouble reaching the Nimbus’ top speed when was constantly **** to slow down or weave to the side in order to avoid Bludgers.

It seemed Flint had found a somewhat effective strategy for neutralising a Nimbus Two Thousand’s speed. Because after suffering from a near constant barrage of Bludger attacks… Malfoy lost to Higgs in the final race for the Snitch. The only flaw you could see in Flint’s ‘pressure the Seeker’ plan was that during a match there would be opposing Beaters who would be competing against your Beaters who would be both defending Parkin and sending Bludgers of their own after Higgs.

But that was their problem.

Overall, it had been a solid practice and Flint seemed pleased with your team’s chances going into the match against Ravenclaw. He ordered all of you to run a lap around the pitch to end practice and reminded you that whoever finished last would have to run a penalty lap.

The powerhouses Flint, Bode, and Derrick were quickly left behind by the faster, more agile members of the team as the nine of you raced around the pitch. After nearly exhausting yourself following the ‘Fluffy Flashback’ two weeks ago, you would normally just coast and finish at the middle of the pack. You spotted Gemma up ahead of you. It appeared that she was using a similar strategy.

But where was the fun in that? This was Gemma’s first practice. Perhaps you should help her give a better impression? You grinned and made a point to bump the new Reserve Chaser as you passed her. “Not so fast down here, are you!?”

“You little brat!” she snapped as she chased after you. You weaved around Malfoy and Higgs, who were both looking extra tired following their two recent races for the Snitch, then glanced back over your shoulder and smirked at Gemma. She was bouncing. Something that caused Malfoy’s pale face to go BRIGHT red when she ‘bounced’ passed him.

You laughed and called back to her, “Maybe if you were more aerodynamic you would be able to catch me!”

“Ooh… you’re gonna pay for that one!” she growled as she raced by Higgs.

On the ground, you were significantly faster than the curvy fifth year so you weren’t overly worried about her catching you. In this case it was like you were on the Nimbus and she was on the Cleansweep. On top of that, you were more used to running laps around the pitch so you had better conditioning than the new reserve who was attending her first Flint-led Quidditch practice.

Warrington and Pucey were way ahead. Perhaps the presence of a fourth Chaser at practice made them nervous about their own positions on the team? Because they were both putting a significant amount of effort into finishing first.

You weren’t going to kill yourself trying to catch the two Chasers. A third place finish would be fine.

Gemma tailed you through most of the lap but it wasn’t until you were rounding that final bend and watched Pucey beat Warrington across the finish line that Farley stuck.

“Colloshoo!”

“GAH!” You yelped as your Quidditch boots were stuck to the ground. “THAT’S CHEATING!”

“He never said any rules other than ‘don’t come in last’!” Gemma taunted you as she tucked her wand away while she ran past. “I told you back in September that learning the Stickfast Hex would be useful!”

You reluctantly admitted that she had a point about the lack of rules in the race… but you actually did learn the Stickfast Hex. You’d even used it on Potter back in December. That also meant, you knew a counter to it.

You reached down and unlaced your boots and hastily yanked your feet out of them then chased after Gemma in your socks. The sapphire-eyed saboteur looked genuinely surprised to see you coming after her as you came around the bend and reached the home stretch. You pushed into a full sprint and managed to close the gap a bit but the Poisoned Prefect had chosen her moment to strike well and made it across the finish line before you could completely catch her.

“Fourth place!” Gemma teased you as you crossed the finish line, “If we were competing for the House Cup that’d make you last.”

“Says the one who cheated so she could finish third,” you retorted.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over your griping,” she countered, “Go get your boots.”

You grumbled to yourself and stomped back to the bend where your boots were still stuck to the pitch. Higgs and then Malfoy passed you going in the other direction. Despite the fact that they were both tired, the sixth year’s height and longer legs gave him a much longer stride which meant Draco had to take extra steps and push himself even faster to keep pace with him. The already tired Reserve Seeker was looking utterly exhausted as he went into the final stretch.

“Hggnnn…” you grunted as you grabbed your right boot with both hands and pulled as hard as you could. It felt like it was stuck to the grass with sticky sap or glue. You eventually managed to peel your glued boot off of the pitch.

The sound of huffing and wheezing told you Bode and Derrick passed you while you were removing your left boot but then a shadow fell over you as you were stuffing your sock-clad feet back in your recovered footwear. You looked up to see your Quidditch Captain towering over you.

“Erm… Gemma pointed out that you didn’t actually set any rules beyond not coming in last,” you informed him, “I figure you’d appreciate having a player who’s willing to go to underhanded means in order to get ahead. That certainly fits your play style.”

Flint grunted in acknowledgement, “Good call finishing your lap before going back for your boots.” He trudged off to complete his own lap. Last place again. More often than not, Flint was the one to finish last in your end of practice lap. He was the biggest and strongest player on the team but also the slowest. He didn’t seem to mind taking the penalty lap on his own. You personally thought he used that extra time to gather his thoughts and go over what happened during practice. Marcus Flint wasn’t exactly a deep thinker but if running helped him do that then you were glad he found something.

The rest of you broke off and went to return your brooms to the broomshed. It was dark when practice started and it was even darker hours later when it ended. It had gone from evening to full-blown night. You hung back with Gemma and waited until everyone had put their brooms away then followed her inside so you could see which locker she was going to use.

The Hogwarts Broomshed was a long narrow room. On one side was an open rack where the school brooms were kept out in the open for anyone to use and on the other side was a row of password protected lockers where students with their own brooms could securely store them. The lockers were typically reserved for members of the Quidditch teams which was why Gemma previously kept her broom in her dorm room.

There were ten lockers in a row but there was also a wheel at the end that could be rotated to shuffle between four different rows. There was an unspoken agreement between the four Hogwarts houses that Gryffindor had Row A which consisted of lockers 1-10, Ravenclaw had Row B which held lockers 11-20, Hufflepuff had Row C which was for lockers 21-30, and Slytherin had Row D with lockers 31-40.

Gemma pulled open the locker with a green 36D label - the green color revealing it wasn’t in use. She placed both her Cleansweep Seven and the new Nimbus Two Thousand inside then intoned a password when she locked the door.

“Gemma Gaunt.”

The 36D label turned red to show that the locker was occupied. You raised an eyebrow at the scheming fifth year’s choice of password. “Just because you repeat something a bunch doesn’t mean it’s actually going to happen... Gigi.”

“You and I both know that’s a long term plan,” she replied with an unconcerned shrug, “If you think that plan has changed after you managed to bend Flint’s ear and invent a new potion today... then you’ve got another thing coming. I’ve got plenty of time. You’ll come around eventually. Otherwise, once your of age, I’ll actually start trying.”

You left the broomshed and found Draco loitering outside. He was still looking winded. You remembered how he kept an eye on you when you exhausted yourself during the final sprint two weeks ago… so you decided to return the favor and ensure he made it back to the castle.

“Are you doing alright?” you asked as you threw your arm across his shoulders to steer him. “You’re looking a bit peaky. I think you might’ve overdone it.”

“Hng…” he grunted. It seemed the infamous Draco Malfoy was so tired that he didn’t even have the energy to complain.

“How’d you like the Nimbus?” you inquired. “You managed to beat Higgs to the Snitch tonight. How does it compare to your Comet Two-Sixty?”

“Faster,” he answered.

“It’s a good broom for a Seeker,” you admitted, “Especially if you go into long dives. If your father comes to the match tomorrow, maybe you can have a word with him about ordering one for you to use next season? I’m actually favoring the Cleansweep because of its superior acceleration. I don’t need the Nimbus’ insane top speed when I spend the match hovering around the hoops. I might actually opt to use the Cleansweep tomorrow instead of the Nimbus. I know it seems crazy to go through all that trouble to get a new top-of-the-line broomstick here and then NOT use it. But I really do want to get that shutout and I think I’ll have a better shot at that with the Cleansweep Seven. Maybe your father will get to see Skye Parkin use her Nimbus?”

“Tame it,” Draco said.

“Sorry?”

“Make it accelerate faster,” Malfoy stated as he finally started to catch his breath, “Skilled fliers… can coax faster speed… and better acceleration out of their brooms. It’s how we got by with those Shooting Stars… until now. You’re the wizard. It’s a broom. Push it to pick up speed faster. If it’s your broom it will eventually get used to what you want it to do.”

“I suppose I could give that a shot,” you admitted, “I’ve only had it for a day…”

Draco seemed to recover by the time you reached the covered bridge and he made it down the stairs to the dungeons without any trouble.

But as you were approaching the common room… a hand snagged the back of your Irish Quidditch robes and you were yanked into a broom closet.

A soft body slammed into yours and you suddenly found yourself pressed against the closet door by a very excited fifth year.

“It’s gone! It’s really gone!” Evanora Rowle cupped your cheeks and peppered your face with a barrage of very enthusiastic kisses. “You actually did it! You bloody genius!”

You could just barely make out the blonde girl’s beaming smile from the dim torchlight coming into the dark closet from underneath the door. You also noted that she was wearing her uniform but not her robes.

“So I assume that Gaunt’s Magical Mole Remover worked?” you asked.

“It did!” Evanora confirmed, “Wanna see?”

She was offering to show you her bum? That was certainly a change from yesterday.

“Erm… sure.”

Rowle stepped away from you and turned around then grabbed the waistband of her long skirt and pushed it down to her ankles. She was wearing a green thong which bared her tanned, unblemished butt cheeks and showed off the full extent to her bare legs. They weren’t long like Lysandra’s but they were shapely with pronounced thighs. “You can look. But don’t touch.”

You drew your wand and cast, “Lumos!” And with the extra light from your wand, knelt down behind Evanora to study your potion’s handiwork. The thin strip of green fabric from Evanora’s thong did nothing to cover her full round cheeks. You noted that there was no shiny patch of skin like Millicent had when you treated the mole on her neck. The skin of Evanora’s left buttcheek was perfectly even and smooth. The thumb nail sized spot of seared off, cleaned, and regrown skin perfectly blended in with the rest of the tanned round globe. If you didn’t already know that she had a large mole shaped like a cumulus cloud there you never would’ve been able to tell.

“Did you have a shiny patch of skin there after you used the potion?” you inquired.

“Yes,” Evanora answered, “But even though my thong doesn’t cover my cheeks… my skirt does. The simple act of sitting on my bum was enough to rub off that new sheen. That potion was brilliant! You can’t even tell it was there!”

“I’m glad I could help,” you replied with a proud grin.

Evanora looked back over her shoulder and smiled at you then raised her arms up over her head and SHOOK HER ASS. Your eyes shot wide open as her thick thighs wiggled back and forth and large fleshy cheeks jiggled and shook in front of you. This witch was definitely proud of her unblemished bum.

“Turn your light off,” she eventually instructed, “I’m going to give you a present before I snog your brains out.”

Needless to say, you were quick to extinguish the light from your wand. “Nox!”

Your breath caught in your throat as the blonde eighteen year old fifth year grabbed the waistband of her thong, tugged it down, and let it drop around her ankles. The light in the closet was dim but you were able to see the crevice between the bottomless witch’s twin cheeks. But the view got better when the older girl lifted her legs one at a time and stepped out of her skirt and thong. It was only a quick shot in very faint light but you got a quick glimpse at the crinkled ring between the round full cheeks.

“Eck,” you squeaked as Evanora BENT OVER to pick up her thong. Her thighs pressed together which caused her big round arse to jut out in front of you. But below those twin globes and tucked between the apex of her thighs were a smooth pair of lips. Unlike with Lysandra, there was no unruly nest of wild dark pubic hair to block your view. In fact, due to a combination of the pale color of her blonde hair, the faint light in the closet, and your view from behind… you couldn’t tell if Evanora had ANY pubic hair.

Your jaw dropped as you found yourself staring at a real live vagina.

But then Evanora stood up and it was gone.

You could see the flush on Evanora’s face even in the dim light of the closet as she turned around and held one of the tails of her white button up uniform blouse that was peeting out from under her jumper in front of her crotch. Yeah… between the blush and the covering… the bottomless witch knew exactly what kind of show she’d just given you.

“For you,” she said as she held out her green thong with her other hand. “I picked emerald green specifically for you. If green isn’t your favorite color, it’s at least a close match to the color of your miracle mole remover potion. I’m happy to give you another one of my thongs because you’re the reason I can wear them again without worrying about exposing that ugly mole.”

“...” You didn’t respond. Because after what you had seen you weren’t capable of a coherent verbal response at that moment.

Evanora’s emerald thong hung limply in your hand as she used her free hand to grab you and lift you from your kneeling position. Once you were no longer at crotch-level, she raised her other hand and pushed you back into the door then stepped closer and pressed her bottomless body flush against yours.

“Snog time,” Rowle announced, “You know what that means!” She raised her wand and pointed it at your mouth.

You really needed to learn the Breath Freshening Charm. Evanora cast the spell and a new cool, minty flavor washed through your mouth. “What flavor is that?” Your mind was slowly restarting now that you were no longer staring at a girl’s bits.

“Wintermint,” Evanora answered. That was interesting. All three of the fifth years had used a different minty flavor. Gemma used sweet spearmint, Sandra did sharp peppermint, and Nora made cool wintermint. You knew that Daphne liked mint so those three flavors were all good to know.

It seemed that Evanora giving you her knickers and intentionally flashing you her bits was her way of paying you back and making things even for the mole removal potion. Now she could still collect on the snog you owed her for teaching the first year girls the Skirt Obscurus Charm.

So when Evanora leaned in, you tilted your head and met her lips with yours. This kiss was nothing like the one from yesterday where you were trying to calm and reassure her. Instead, it was eager and enthusiastic. Even though your Parseltongue kisses were the ones that used magic to transfer feelings and emotions to your partner… you could actually feel the gratitude flowing off of Evanora and into you.

You did your best to match her enthusiasm and parted your lips to slip her some tongue. You began to hiss as you swiped your tongue along hers. §KiiiiSSSSssssSSSS§

“Mmmmmmm…” Evanora moaned into your mouth as she rocked against you and ground her crotch against your thigh. “Mmmmhhhmmmm…”

This was a new response. You wrapped your arms around her lower back and held her close as you gave another enthusiastic hiss. §KiiiiSSSSssssSSSS§

“Mmmmmmm…” Rowle continued to grind against you. She momentarily broke your liplock as she brought her hand up and stuffed it between you. You felt the back of her wrist start to rub against your leg.

Was she…

“Mmooorreee…” she groaned hoarsely as she sealed her lips to yours again upped her intensity.

You were starting to feel a little uncomfortable but you still obliged and gave her another charged surge of enthusiastic Parseltongue. §KiiiiSSSSssssSSSS§

“Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!” Evanora’s muffled moans became short grunts as she continued to writhe against you. She REALLY worked up. Almost in a frenzy. You gave her a final jolt to help her along.

§KiiiiSSSSssssSSSS§

You felt the shiver go through her and cracked your eyes open in time to see her face contort and eyes roll back as she clung to you let out a muffled moan into your mouth. “MMMMHHMMMM!!” She eventually went still and broke your lip contact as she slumped against you and panted.

“Are you alright?” you asked with concerned.

“I’m wonderful,” she responded in a breathy gasp. “Just erm… hold onto me for another couple minutes. I feel like I got hit by a Jelly-Legs Curse.”

“Well… since I’ve got you here…” you said, “Lysandra initiated me into the Broom Closet Club this morning. She said you’d be the one to ask if I had questions.”

“M’kay,” she said as she nestled her cheek against yours. “What do you wanna know?”

“Erm… where do I get my badge?”

She giggled, “You already have it… except you don’t have it now. You earn your badge as soon as you snog someone in your first broom closet. You can retrieve it from inside of your Hogwarts uniform. If you were wearing Slytherin Quidditch robes… those would count as a uniform too. But an Irish National Team uniform doesn’t make the cut. Of course, the catch is that the badge will only appear inside a Hogwarts broom closet. Even if you have it in your hand, it will vanish as soon as you step out of the closet.”

She reached up and you spotted a wet sheen on her pointer and middle finger as she stuffed her hand into her jumper and pulled out a round patch that was identical to the one Lysandra had shown you earlier.

“The most important part is actually the back,” Evanora informed you as she turned the round patch over to reveal rings of glowing dots on the back. “The white ones are common. The broom closet we’re in now is this one…” She raised her other hand to point to one of the glowing white dots around the edge. There are twenty-four in total.”

“Sandra said she found all of them,” you recalled. Evanora only had about twelve of the ‘common’ broom closets. But you noted a smaller, incomplete ring of eight purple dots inside the white ring.

“The purple ones are the rare ones,” Rowle continued, “Those are harder to find. For example… there’s one in each of the house common rooms. So to get all four of those… you’ll either have to sneak in with a partner… or date someone in another house and convince them to let you in. There are twelve of them in total.”

“Sandra also said you thought there was a grand total of forty… so that leaves four,” you mused as you eyed the lone blue dot within the purple ring.

“Those are the legendary closets,” Evanora explained. “They’re really hard to find or access.”

“How’d you find that one?” you inquired.

“It’s in the Grand Staircase on a landing that none of the staircases will go to. I can’t tell you how I got there. Gemma and I were wandering aimlessly one afternoon last year and by random happenstance ended up in front of it. I haven’t been able to get back since.”

You blinked as you remembered Daphne and Tracey chasing you through the Grand Staircase and how you somehow ended up running upside down beneath them.

Wait a minute… you recounted what Evanora just said.

“Wait a tick… does that mean you snogged Gemma?” you asked.

Gemma’s second cousin on her mother’s side nodded, “When it comes to the Great Game… sometimes you have to snog whoever’s available. My boyfriend broke up with me because of it.”

“Wait… really?”

“It’s something of a cautionary tale,” she said, “I started dating Damien Perriss back in third year. Most of the broom closets on my badge are ones I found with him. Except for the blue one. These badges are a double edged sword. They track your progress… but if your significant other is aware of how many closets you’ve found and suddenly sees you with extra… then they’ll know you’ve snogged someone else. He thought I was cheating on him. I tried to explain but no matter how hard I tried we couldn’t get back to that landing with the legendary closet. You’re the first person I’ve snogged in a broom closet since the break up.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” you apologised as she tucked her badge back into her jumper. Not that you had anything to do with the incident.

She gave a soft sigh, “It hardly matters anymore… Gemma and Damien both play for the other team now.”

“Er… what?” That instance where they briefly became ‘kissing cousin’ aside, you had it on good authority that Gemma liked boys. Specifically ones named Marvolo Gaunt.

“They’re prefects,” she clarified. “That means they’re the opposition. This is a school. The staff can’t have students running wild and shagging all over the place. So one of a prefect’s main jobs is to patrol the school and catch students that are engaging in what can be considered ‘underaged sexual contact’. I think there’s a spell on their badges that alerts them if any illegal activity is going on nearby. This closet’s near the Slytherin common room. If you actually grabbed my bum and made skin-on-skin contact with one of my naughty parts... I can assure you that in less than thirty seconds one of the six Slytherin prefects would have been here pulling the door open. I think they get some kind of a reward for each couple they catch. Maybe house points?”

This ‘Great Game’ known as the Hogwarts Broom Closet Club was starting to sound really interesting. A school-wide competition where you had to find and snog in rare broom closets without being caught? That sounded like something right up an aspiring Slytherin’s alley!

You were DEFINITELY telling Daphne about the club. Once you started dating anyway.

“Well, I’m glad I could at least make this an enjoyable experience for you,” you remarked.

“Very enjoyable,” she said as he gave you a quick peck on the cheek. “You can definitely call me Nora now.”

Nora seemed to have recovered the feeling in her legs and stepped back from you and turned around. You were granted another good glimpse at the bottomless girl’s blemish-free bum as she picked up her skirt and put it back on. You hastily stuffed her thong into your pocket.

“Let’s get you back to the common room,” Evanora resolved. You stepped away from the door and she pulled it open and peered out in the dungeon corridor then led you out of the closet.

“Eh hem.”

You both jumped and turned around to see Gemma sitting at the bottom of the stairs at the end of the corridor.

“I didn’t do anything!” Evanora exclaimed then abruptly fled for the common room.

“Well I know that’s a lie,” Prefect Farley stated as she stood up and held up her prefect badge. “Got a ping on my badge that something was happening in that closet. I bet the horny bint was humping your leg.”

You blinked in surprise, “How’d you know that? Did your badge tell you what was happening?”

She pointed down at your leg and you spotted a wet patch on the left thigh of your trousers. Right where Evanora had been grinding against you. And you knew she hadn’t been wearing knickers. “Oh.”

“I trust that Nora told you the rules of the Great Game?”

You flashed her a cheeky grin, “She told me about that legendary closet you helped her find.” The prefect responded by flicking you on the forehead. “Ow!”

“I’ve decided to give you a free pass on this one,” Gemma informed you, “Because I know you owed her a ParselSnog, that she’s been suffering from a nearly year-long dry spell, and how much that mole bothered her.”

Then why did she embarrass her friend by telling you about it? She couldn’t have actually thought you’d create a cure. YOU didn’t even know you were going to do that until you went and did it!

Gemma tossed you a wet rag. You weren’t sure where she got it from. For all you knew, she conjured it. “Smarten yourself up. You’ve got her lipstick all over your face.”

You rubbed the wet rag against your cheek and then all the other places on your face where Evanora had kissed you early on in your encounter. When you finished, Gemma was standing directly in front of you with her arms folded under her chest.

“I can’t believe you just gave her that potion,” she said. “She would’ve paid you a small fortune for it. Forget giving you her knickers… she probably would have agreed to get completely naked for you.” Perhaps there was truth to that? Evnaora had gotten half naked all on her own with no prompting on your part.

“Maybe,” you said, “But perhaps that’s where you and I differ? I saw how much that mole bothered her and then I saw all the signs that maybe I might be able to come up with a solution... so I did. I wasn’t doing it for a snog, or knickers, or a favor, or for money. I was doing it because I could. I didn’t give it to her expecting any kind of reward… I gave it to her because I knew how relieved she would be to be rid of that thing.”

“That’s not how a successful Slytherin operates,” the Poisoned Prefect scolded you.

You shrugged. “Maybe not. But I would have helped you with your problem for free too. I adored you and I know how much playing Quidditch means to you. If you had asked me to help you get on the team… I would’ve done it. And I wouldn’t have asked for anything in return. No snog. No knickers. No favors. I would’ve been happy knowing that I did something to make you happy. You were one of my favorite people. But now…” you shrugged, “Now I don’t really know how to deal with you.”

“...” she didn’t respond. Maybe the past tense registered?

“Thanks for your help,” you said, “And thanks for the free pass.”

You turned away and headed for the common room. Upon entering, you were surprised to find Millicent, Daphne, Tracey, Blaise, and Theodore gathered in chairs by the fire.

“Marvolo’s back,” Tracey announced as she rose from her chair. “I’m off to bed now.”

“Glad you’re still not dead!” Blaise called out as he got up as he headed for the boy’s hallway. Theodore looked like he was content to sit and read for a little longer.

“Were you all waiting up for me?” you asked.

Millicent closed her Herbology book and set it in her lap. She hadn’t put her button-up blouse back on and was still wearing her jumper under her robes. “After you went missing twice today… I thought it best to make sure you made it back from practice. Y’know… in case we needed to form another search party.”

So the wait up was her idea?

You gave her a fond smile, “If that was the case… I’m sure you would’ve managed to find me a third time too.”

Daphne stood up and approached you, “Draco and the rest of the team came back a little while ago. We decided we’d start searching if Flint got back before you.” Probably a good call. Not only was your Quidditch Captain running an extra lap on the pitch but he was also responsible for returning the equipment to Madam Hooch’s office. “But then Rowle came running in a minute ago so we concluded that you likely got pulled into another broom closet.” She glanced down, “Why are your pants wet?”

“Erm… something dripped on me,” you half-lied. More like someone.

Daphne’s face scrunched up as she gave a sniff, “That doesn’t smell like water…” Grand. Trust the girl with the plant affinity to know her scents and ‘fragrances’. “The smell of your dried sweat is masking it a bit.” She shook her head. “I don’t think I want to know what it is. Go take a shower. I’m turning in.”

As Daphne departed your eyes drifted to the broom closet in the corner of the common room. You debated telling her about what you’d learned today… but decided to hold off. You’d have plenty of time to discover common, rare, and legendary broom closets with Daphne after Valentine’s Day. She loved myteries. You could save her introduction to the H.B.C.C. for a special Valentine’s Day surprise.

So instead, your eyes went to Millicent. Millicent who tracked you down twice in one day, covered for you in Herbology, and even let you test a new potion on her. You went around behind her and placed your hands on her shoulders then leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Don’t go to bed yet. And don’t change out of your uniform. I’m going to shower and change… and then I’m going to come back and give you a proper ‘thank you’ for all your help today.”

Her face went pink, “Are you going to wear your cute snake pajamas?”

You hadn’t planned on it… but if she liked them… “Sure. Why not? But I may need to wear my Hogwarts jumper over them.”

After showering, changing, and stashing Evanora’s emerald thong, you gave Millicent a proper introduction to the Hogwarts Broom Closet Club. And when you both pulled your badges from your respective jumpers and turned them over you were pleased to see that they both had a glowing purple dot to signify snogging in your first ‘rare’ broom closet.

Marvolo Gaunt had entered ‘the Great Game’. And you intended to win! Gaunt was going to run the Gaunt-let!

---

Marvolo Gaunt House Point Ledger

Severus Snape: +20

Cuthbert Binns: -10

Cuthbert Binns: +20

New Total: +140

Points awarded by: SS, RH, QQ, CB