Chapter 113
The days passed, and the match against Ravenclaw drew nearer. And along with that, the hype of the match increased as well. It was because Axel's fame was skyrocketing rapidly due to a variety of reasons.
First of all, his skills. They were unquestionable, since catching the snitch is equally difficult whether it's a league match or a school match. No one else had ever come even close to the level of skills he had shown. Before this, no player had the power to decide the outcome of the match single handedly. Especially not after the rules had changed to make the snitch worth only 50 points.
Quidditch was arguably the most popular sport among the wizards and even those who didn't always watch it were still inevitably aware of the happenings of the sport. So, when Axel came along having such high skills, he was bound to cause massive waves.
And then there is the way he used those skills. In the first match, he had played with a vengeance against Gryffindor, thoroughly destroying them while breaking 22 world records. The whole match had so many wow moments that those who watched it live thoroughly enjoyed it as the best match they'll ever get to watch, especially the moment when Axel fired the bludger back using his bare hands.
And in the second match, he caused an even bigger commotion, when he first played in a way that made it also impossible for anyone else to even move, let alone play, showing absolute dominance on the field. And then he did the whole flipping off and walking out mid-game, something which was quickly becoming iconic.
Lastly, there were his quirks. Axel has a unique character. To put it in one word, it would be Savage. He hasn't given any interviews and when the reporters tried to be forceful he has made them regret it without fail. He would achieve impossible feats and get away with them.
Some examples would be, making a bet with Rose—the previous best player, actually winning and making her his slave, getting revenge against the Weasleys, getting engaged with Martina Valentino and beating Maksmilian to a pulp, and finally giving the finger and getting away with it. Pulling these kinds of feats, it's no wonder that people would be curious to find out about all of them after knowing a few.
So, all these things combined make him have one of the fastest rises in Wizarding History. It was to the point that he had his own fanclub or cult called the Savage Hunters, whose member count was increasing at an alarming rate everyday.
But, this is where the problems began.
If someone becomes successful, it is only human nature for others to try and bring him down. Especially if someone rises as quickly and effortlessly as Axel.
It's not a big deal if you were a small fish. But as you rise above a certain level, your every action is viewed under strict scrutiny. Everything you do will be observed and judged. And if you leave an opening, the sharks are always there to bite.
The same thing happened with Axel. He rose up too quickly, and ruffled too many feathers. So, people began trying to bring him down.
It started with a big media company publishing an aggressive Article on Axel, highlighting many of his actions and characteristics in a negative light. And before it could be taken down, it had already gone so viral that it had been shared many times, resulting in many more to appear in traction to take reference from it.
"The article was titled: Axel Hunt: Ban Or Not?"
"Recently, a boy named Axel Hunt has been enjoying a massive rise in popularity throughout the Wizarding world. It is to the point that he has surpassed many major celebrities in all fields, going on to become the most popular Wizard of the year at just the age of 12.
And, we find this a bit concerning.
If he is being discussed all over the world and influencing hundreds of thousands of lives, we have to question: Is it really okay to let this happen?
Here are a few things about Hunt that we find concerning and are bound to have a negative influence on the wizarding population:
Hunt has grown up in a muggle orphanage among unruly children, and never really received any proper education on basic manners and etiquettes. Which might be the reason why his behavior is so questionable.
Hunt has been known to be highly vindictive, violent and reckless. The cases include injuring one Draco Malfoy multiple times, giving a severe head trauma to the Gryffindor team beater, destroying the face of Mikhailov Heir, and putting his own and the other players lives' in danger by flying at unimaginable speeds during a game, just to name a few.
From these actions, it can be seen that Hunt is a highly unstable individual who would resort to violence no matter who his opponents are.
Maybe due to his rough childhood in the Muggle Orphanage, Hunt is also extremely wild and unlawful. There are past cases of him being rude to his professors and reporters, blatantly skipping classes, using crude words in his classmates' company, and showing the obscene gesture on an international broadcast.
Aside from this, Hunt is also quite frivolous and avaricious, as explained by his close relationships with many Heiresses, which include Martina Valentino, Rose Potter, Akiko Matsushima, Patricia Afonso, and Daphne Greengrass.
And such a person is now being idolized by the Wizardfolks all around the world.
Influenced by Hunt's character, many impressionable witches and wizards, mostly young adults, have begun performing violent, reckless, and impertinent actions, thinking there will be no consequences. It has led to the formation of a group called the "Savage Hunters", who have begun filming themselves doing these actions in the name of being a "Savage" like Hunt.
One of the victims of such attempts was the renowned Adventure and the current DADA Professor at Hogwarts, Gilderoy Lockhart, when a few students left his class after blatantly disrespecting him. It has to be noted that Hunt has previously seriously injured Lockhart as well after a match, for which he has gone unpunished.
Lockhart has posted a response to this in his Hoot on Hooter, saying, "When you are nice to the world, they forget who you are. But I shall not take the easy way and become uncouth and savage," Lockhart mention in his Hoot, which got a lot of traction, clearly referencing Axel Hunt and his behavior.
Here's what the all rounder Gottfried Duncan, the World's current No. 1 player on the International Player Rankings, had to say on the matter. "Axel Hunt has disrespected Quidditch itself by doing what he did. He has no respect for the sport. And that is something I can neither accept nor support."
Lockhart and Duncan are not the only celebrities to comment on the rising star's fame. Many other high profile personages have also expressed their concerns on the younger geniuses' rise.
Thus, we return to our previous question: Is it really okay to let this happen?
Clearly, it's not. Such an individual is undoubtedly harmful to the Wizarding society. Fortunately, no serious damage has been caused yet, but it is apparent that Hunt needs to be stopped before he makes a major impact on our society and causes irreparable harm."
This article went on the trending list for a while, and even after it was taken down quickly, the damage had been done. Many high profile individuals, most of whom were jealous of his quick success, took the opportunity to take shots at Axel.
Even though the Savage army and a lot of people did it's best to defend Axel, alas, many were inevitably swayed by the opinions of so many big shots and so many negative comments.
Petitions and demands asking for Axel to apologise for his rude gesture in the last match and to improve his conduct began to be issued all over the World, supported by many people.
Even in the Muggle sports like NBA and football, doing what Axel did would definitely come with repercussions, so it was not really a surprise that this was happening. Some people were just too stuck in the mud and stickler for old traditions.
Now the people had only one question: Would Axel apologize or not?
...
Bellatrix finished reading all the current news on Axel and her brows furrowed.
"Morgana's stinky CUNT!" she cursed, throwing away the Magi-mirror. "I go away for a little while, and all this happens?!"
"What happened?" Asked Jacob Gorski, Axel's previous History professor who was secretly an Atlantian. He was still in chains, even though his prison cell had been updated to a rather spacious and luxurious living space with all facilities. If there was one thing to compain, it would be the blockage of everything currently happening in the outside world.
Bellatrix shook her head. "None of your business. How's your plan coming along?"
The Organization is usually cut out from the outside world, only checking the happenings once in a while. And with Gorski's help, Bellatrix was planning to lure them out, to get started on her quest for their destruction.
Gorski gave her a nod. "It's going well. We will be able to lure them out soon enough."
Bellatrix nodded, feeling a bit worn out. "Good."
To be honest, it had been more than a decade since her last encounter with Tristan, and by now, she lost most of her anger towards this Organisation. But Life d
Debts are what they are, and they must be paid back in full.
'Especially now,' she thought, clenching her fist. If not for herself, she has to take down the organization to avenge the boy who had lost a bright childhood due to it. Ever since meeting Axel, her old resolutions had been awakened again, but this time not for herself, but for achieving justice for Axel Hunt, Tristan's last vestige left in the World.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" She asked yet again.
Gorski sighed. "Even though I may not look it, my position in the organisation was not ordinary. Once I reveal my whereabouts, they'll be on us like hungry wolves. Though..."
"Though? Though what?"
Gorski seemed to be deep in thought. "Just my intrusive thoughts, but there's another way to lure them out, another person that the organization would love to get their hands on. He's a much easier target, so the Organization won't be sending as much fire as they will for me, and that way, I won't be putting myself into danger. But..." he just shook her head, blinking his eyes, as if coming out of his thoughts.
"No, never mind. We're not doing that."
Bellatrix HATES it when someone pulls this type of shit. "Who is it? Why not? And why, in Merlin's name, are you only mentioning it now?!" She asked, pulling her wand.
But Gorski just shook his firmly. "No. That is NOT an option. Don't start torturing me again, for Poseiden's sake..." he said in exasperation.
Bellatrix's wand glowed dangerously as she pointed it at Gorski's head. "Gorski, if there are any tricks you're playing..."
Gorski was not intimidated at all. "Relax, minister. You and I have the same goals. And if you're willing to use your entire country's resources to help me, I'm not foolish enough to stab you in the back," he said calmly.
"And besides, I'm already putting myself into danger. If the option was really viable, don't you think I would have mentioned it sooner? Just forget. You might succeed, but it won't be worth it." He reasoned, causing Bellatrix to slowly move away her wand.
Gorski sighed. Truly, using Axel as a bait would be so much easier... but he does not want to go there. He had taught him personally, and Gorski knew that he was a good lad.
"I wonder how he's doing now?" He wondered. While in captivity, he had been cut off from the outside world, so he had no way of knowing how Axel was doing.
He just hoped the boy had taken his advice and kept a low profile. After all, once they start their plan, the organization would at least do a general research on Britain. Though he didn't think much of it. That boy, his existence is already difficult to notice as it is. What major could he have done in just a few months?
....
A.N.: Powerstones
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