"You're both young and prone to make mistakes. It's part of growing up. You're both stuck dealing with impossible odds. You have countless enemies that you have not made on your own. You both grew up in... unfavorable unconditions instead of loving homes. The two of you have more in common with each other than possibly any other young wizard in this castle," Professor Lupin explained to Harry and I after dinner on Monday. Full moon was two days ago, and dinner that day was the first time I had seen the man since then. He taught classes earlier that day, but he didn't attend breakfast or lunch in the Great Hall since he was still recovering.
I was about to head to the library once the meal ended to complete an assignment before curfew, but Lupin came over to the Ravenclaw table and asked the two of us to follow him. My roommate and I both sat in front of his desk with quite a bit of distance between us - we weren't even looking at each other.
Lupin told me he'd try to get us to reconcile on Friday, and it seemed he tried to do it by pointing out how much we - and in turn our origins - were similar to each other.
"Harry. You might not have known them, but your parents were lovely people who would have cherished and loved you without question. Can you see that Talion is going through something terrible as he has to face the fact that his father is nothing short of a... monster?" Lupin asked as he subtly looked at me to see if I agreed. He seemed a little relieved when I nodded and continued while looking Harry into his eyes, "All of our society judges him for something that he cannot influence after it came to light. I'm sure Talion would have liked having a friend to vent when that happened to him."
Harry didn't say anything, and it seemed Lupin wasn't suddenly on my side and against his best friend's son when he looked to me and said, "Talion. You know that many things changed for both of you this last year. I'm not trying to put words in your mouth, but some of it has to have been a little overwhelming at times, no?" I nodded again, and he gained an emphathetic smile as he nodded, too, "Everyone's different. You seem to have been coping quite well, at least outwardly. But two people can react to similar change in their own way. Harry's a smart boy from all I've seen, but he still has flaws. He isn't perfect, nobody is. The privilege, no, the sad reality and the bittersweet truth behind growing up is that you will make many mistakes. The privilege young children have is that you will grow with these mistakes instead of having them break you. Very few of your mistakes are bound to have permanent consequences."
Lupin's smile suddenly turned a little forced as he muttered under his breath, "...ideally."
The three of us sat in silence for a minute until Lupin coughed into his hand and asked, "Well?"
"You didn't deserve waiting at the ice cream parlor on our birthday. That was a low move," Harry said in a quiet voice while looking at Lupin's desk instead of either of us.
"...you didn't deserve to learn that I'm the better seeker between the two of us in an official match," I pointed out with a serious expression when it was my time to share where I was wrong.
Lupin looked confused as Harry's eyes widened and his head snapped at me. Seeing me suddenly smirk at him, he whispered 'prat' under his breath and thinned his lips.
"You deserved me being more open with you where you were part of my goals, I suppose. Though, I reserve the right to still call you out when you're plain wrong. Like anything about me gaining something from Sirius' freedom or that thing with your house elves. Any gain I got from that, in the case of Sirius getting out of Azkaban anyway, was secondary compared to my actual goal - helping you for the sake of... well, helping you," I added before the other two wizards called me out for being an entitled asshole.
My declaration didn't mean I'd become buddy-buddy with the boy savior once more anytime soon - but it could mend at least some part of the rift between us. He stood me up on our birthday for a few hours, not kill my dog or something.
"Okay... being the only adult in the room, I guess it's time for me to send you kids back to your common room before curfew starts?" Lupin asked with an awkward smile.
"I'm emancipated," I corrected as I stood up. Lupin's awkward smile did not lessen hearing my clarification.
"You don't have to be a dick about it," Harry reprimanded with a shake of his head.
"If you knew how the hearing went, I think I have a right to be a dick about it," I countered with a condescending smirk.
"Oh? Tell me, then," Harry ordered, and the two of us made our way out of Lupin's office.
I actually told him about the hearing as we made our way upstairs to the Ravenclaw common room, but back up there, we still went our separate ways.
Lisa gave me an unreadable but rather unkind glare as we entered - but I ignored her in favor of sitting next to Luna.
"You have a twig in your hair," I pointed out as I took out a book from my pouch.
"Thank you for noticing," Luna proudly thanked as she didn't look up from her charms textbook... and made no effort taking it out. Apparently, it was there on purpose?
"Need any help with charms? Not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty okay at charms," I offered as I saw Luna scrunch up her brows.
"Uhh... yeah? Here, I don't quite get what it means when it says: 'The root of all spell variants comes from a magical's intent. Spellcrafters everywhere give birth to a spell variation through intent first, the amended spells come second...'"
From there, I helped Luna understand intent in variant spells a little better and was eventually joined by the other first year Ravenclaws who were sitting close. Of course, the topic didn't involve actual spellcrafting because not even I started working on such an advanced topic, but intent was an important foundation in casting spells.
Most first years were still a little awkward around the quirky blonde, but Flitwick's threat seemed to have worked. Nobody made an effort involving her in their little study groups, but the firsties didn't go out of their way to ostracize Luna either.
Plus, a few of them heard from other older students about how many house points I earned last year by helping other students when DADA was done through free study sessions. So hearing me explain one of the harder concepts of the first year, they were quick to join my small teaching session, and maybe to find out my secret and potentially copy my achievement with the house points.
I didn't mind either way.
-----
Harry and I were a lot more civilized with each other, but we still hardly talked outside of polite greetings, and when we talked about our owls. The fact that Roger Davies chose to ask Harry to be his second Quidditch team mate over me to take to the flying lesson of the first years where two Quidditch players of each team helped Madam Hooch didn't help. Clearly, I was the best player on our team, objectively speaking anyway - but Davies was a narcissistic young man who didn't like his spotlight getting stolen.
So I couldn't really be too cross with Harry - it wasn't him who asked to be chosen. And declining wouldn't have made Davies choose me - or help Harry.
When it was time for our first team meeting later that day, I sat next to the two beaters and watched Davies swagger in the classroom we had chosen to meet in with Harry, Cho Chang, and the third chaser from last year, Jeremy Stretton, following behind him like little ducklings. Grant Page, our reserve keeper from last year, another sixth year whose name eluded me for the moment, and a very shy first year were gingerly entering behind them without saying a word as they sat in the far back.
"Alright. Time for our first team meeting. We have a big task ahead of us defending our title this year, so we need all of us to pull together. It's time to decide on our roster," Davies said with a cocky smirk, and I frowned, thinking that the boy liked the attention of being team captain way too much. "Samuels, Inglebee. You're both set as beaters if you want to stay on the team. There's no need to rock the boat, and you both have an amazing track record and synergy."
"It's our O.W.L. year, but we don't mind. Training was a huge help in relaxing between study sessions the last two years," Jason Samuels answered for both.
"Great. That's great," Davies breathed out in relief. Chasers were different from beaters. Since he had no stock in the role, he wanted the solid players to stay and help him shine. "That brings us to the question of who to use as keeper. Page, were your grades good enough to appease your mum?"
The wizard who sat in the far back gained a wry smile. Last year, he told our captain he couldn't stay on the team and only remained as a reserve player because his mother scolded him for his 'abyssmal academic results' during his O.W.L. year. I learned later that he 'only' reached A for acceptable in three core subjects while the rest of his marks were an O for outstanding. A stellar result for many other parents - but Mrs Page didn't seem to agree.
"I'd probably get away with it, but staying as a reserve player would probably be in my favor," the young man answered with a sheepish smile.
I raised my hand and got Davies' attention quickly as he pointed to me with a finger to call on me, "Yes, Talion?"
"I'd like to play keeper if you don't have anybody else," I requested.
"Oh? Did playing me with me as a chaser bore you or something?" Davies asked with a small frown.
'Ugh, how is he making this about him? I want Hilliard back as captain,' I inwardly groaned as I took a deep breath.
Breathing out, I answered, "I'm still convinced Quidditch is a flawed game. Playing chaser is boring me in general despite me creating a secondary role with the chaser-beater. Beater is taken by our great duo, and I want a challenge. Plus, we need a keeper, and I'm interested in setting another record."
"Which one?" Asked Inglebee before Davies could answer with his decision.
"Least points scored against," I offered with a grin.
Samuels gave me a thumbs up and said, "I'd say you can get it done. What's the record?"
"Only allowing seven goals by some Slytherin in the eighteenth century. But their games ended really quickly, which is why he got it despite not winning the cup that year," I explained with a small sneer.
In fact, Slytherin lost two out of three matches that season when both games ended way before they really even started. It wasn't on my level where I ended the game in under half a minute last year against Hufflepuff, but still, the Slytherin keeper kept that record without any skill to back it up.
"Okay," Davies said with a clap to gather the attention in the room back on him. He leveled a scrutinizing stare in my direction, and it looked like he wasn't very pleased with my decision. In the end, he still gave me a nod and said, "If that's your wish, that's fine. If you're anywhere on the same level as a keeper as you were with your unconventional chaser-beater, the chances of us defending the cup are quite high."
He turned to Cho and said, "That means you're in as third chaser," Davies then looked at the first year and bluntly pointed out, "also means you're out, Pecking. You can still choose to stay with us for training if you want. Be a reserve player like Page and Woodall so that you can get a starting position next year if possible."
Oh, so that sixth year's name was Woodall. Good to know.
Davies once more clapped and ordered, "Be on the pitch tomorrow at six. Chasers will run formations. Beaters, do that pingpong training Hilliard did with you two last year."
Samuels looked at me with a wide grin as he playfully drawled, "Ready for some bruises, Macnair?"
I scoffed and countered with a playful sneer, "You think I can't dodge a bludger you hit my way with your twig arms? Mate, you better watch out that I don't kick it back in your face."
Inglebee laughed and slapped his partner on the shoulder.
"Remember the Slytherin team from last year. I won't scrape you off the floor just because you piss him off," Inglebee added as he stood up.
Davies shook his head with a displeased scowl and dismissed us.
That immature brat really hated not being the center of attention. Wow.
-----
"Is it possible that your reflexes became even better?" Inglebee asked after practice the next day.
'Pingpong' practice was something Hilliard created as a training exercise - or at least he claimed to have been the one to come up with it. During that practice, the beaters would slap the bludger back and forth while trying to hit the keeper, who had to fly around and dodge the iron ball while simultaneously trying to at least touch it. It trained reflexes and situational awareness for the keeper while building synergy between the beaters... and it was an okay exercise if a bit one-dimensional.
I didn't mind because, just like Inglebee said: my reflexes were pretty much superhuman. Most of it came from my crazy training regime, I was put under by Flitwick, but my bloodline played a big part of it still. As such, I chose to be a keeper this year because I didn't really need any training.
Well, in my opinion anyway.
"I'm more comfortable on a broom after a year, I suppose," I offered with a shrug.
"As long as Harry finds the snitch in a reasonable time, I don't think the chasers on the other teams are gonna have a good time against you," Samuels said with a wry smile as he put away the bludger in the lockbox.
All three of us turned to look at Harry chasing the snitch with Cho hot on his heels to give him competition. Since she was the original seeker of the team in canon, it came as no surprise to me that she was still interested in the role despite Harry being in Ravenclaw. But looking to the stands where Lisa sat with narrowed eyes as she watched the two, I shook my head.
Cho was still very openly trying to become Harry's girlfriend.
And I still didn't find out how or why whatever happened at Longbottom's birthday party happened.
... maybe I could ask Hermione. She was involved.
"I could just catch the snitch again if my record is in jeopardy," I pointed out, and both young wizards gave me an exasperated sigh.
"I thought the two of you were finally almost on speaking terms again," Samuels asked as he shook his head.
Inglebee sighed and added, "Surely you don't dislike him enough to repeat that. Once was a blow and could be excused as you somehow getting the snitch on a fluke. Doing it twice is just cruel."
"Especially if you do it deliberately," Samuels said in agreement and had Inglebee pointing at him with a nod.
"We'll see how it goes, I suppose," I said and got back on my broom after giving the captain a short wave.
Instead of walking all those stairs, I enjoyed a short broom ride up to the common room where I knocked on the window and had an upper year open it for me to enter. Technically, I should have taken a shower first before going back. But I still needed to endure getting my ass handed to me by Flitwick during a training session later.
Through all my hubris, I still had to acknowledge that my dueling mentor could woop my ass in a fair fight. But at least the gap was closing.
Just much less slowly than I would have liked. I was starting to think Flitwick shook off quite a bit of rust the more he trained me, who was starting to get much, much better over time.