Chapter 57: Gryffindor verses Hufflepuff
Hugs over, Hoshiko the pony pronked off the balcony, spread her wings and soared heavenward with Kitsu and Lt Mouse right behind her.
“Don’t cross the Quidditch Pitch,” Mouse warned. “The bludgers will go after anything that enters the playing area.”
“Why are humans so violent?” Kitsu asked as they drew near the pitch. Down below the players were just now walking out onto the pitch.
“Can we watch?” Hoshiko asked.
“Follow me,” Mouse offered. “There are platforms under the canopy. I think someone thought they’d be good nest spots but they are too exposed to wind. Great place to watch Quidditch from though.” Mouse tilted about thirty degrees to the right and went into a wide graceful turn. When she had come to the end of the stands she turned left and glided under the canopy about two wing-lengths from the superstructure. The fillies followed. Hoshiko couldn't help but feel excited about what she was doing. The thrill of doing something no one else attending the school could do. Except of course Aerie and Aurora.
They’d gone past two sections, and four large platforms which already had some ponies who were mildly interested in the game when Mouse slowed, wheeled, and popped up onto a platform that looked to have room. Hoshiko recognized a pony who was already there, the gray and brown roan who’d prevented her from going outside at night. Granted that most of the Scottish pegasi seemed to be roans and might very well all look alike to most humans. After six months in Equestria as a pony, Hoshiko knew her ponies.
“Ah, so you can fly… didn’t you have a horn?”
“Hidden,” Mouse informed them as Hoshiko and Kitsu settled themselves in place. “Can’t have a certain human finding out.”
“Ah, the wraith.”
“You’ve seen him then?” Mouse asked wondering just how much the pony knew.
“No, but others have seen it going through the forest at night. I’ve heard it was passing itself off as a man during the day.”
“Fillies, this is Ailena. If you ever need anything let her know.”
“Hi. My name’s Hoshiko Tsuki, and she’s Kitsumi Silverwood.”
"Lady Silverwood's new fosterling?"
"The same."
“Game’s starting,” Kitsu offered after making a polite nod of her head.
Every pony found their preferred spot and lay down to watch the game with Hoshiko and Kitsu letting their front hooves dangle over the edge. Aerie, for her part, flew up on her broom and then lazily circled the pitch. It was on her third trip that she spotted the two familiar fillies. Her mouth opened into a wide grin followed by busting out laughing. She was just about to continue on her way when a beam of magic flew right at her hitting her in the side. It did little beyond surprise her. Nevertheless, she now gazed in the direction where it had come from where a ruckus could now be heard, a look of annoyance on her face. Hoshiko and Kitsu looked down at the stands to discover Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Ron Weasley, and Neville Longbottom in a knockdown drag-out fight. Hermione was nearby with a pair of field glasses which she was using to watch Professor Snape’s every move.
“Should I intervene?” Kitsu asked even as Aurora grabbed Crabbe and Goyle while shouting at them.
“There are members of the staff on their way,” Mouse offered. She watched in curious amusement as Aurora channeled her Earth pony strength to hoist the two boys off their feet and plop them back into their seats.
“Curious,” Hoshiko mused. She’d gone back to watching the game.
“How’s that?” Mouse asked.
“Is Professor Snape favoring Gryffindor? He’s penalized Hufflepuff several times now. And never Gryffindor.”
“That is curious. It does seem that way,” Mouse offered. The smile on her face had little to do with the game though. Crabbe and Goyle now sat in their seats with bewildered and even frightened looks on their faces. Girls were scary.
Ron and Draco were still at it when members of the staff reached them. In fact, Ron, a veteran of many a headlock by his brothers had Draco immobilized and wasn’t quite ready to let go. Ron let go reluctantly when the staff threatened to take more points.
“We taught him that,” George informed Aerie as he glided past her on his broom.
“You alright?” Fred asked as he went past.
“I’m fine. Doubt anything Malfoy throws at me could penetrate my natural shielding.”
Snape had seen the act as well and had called a stop to the game. Audience interference was considered a serious breach of the rules and Gryffindor was given two free shots at the goal hoops. Just one, no, make that two more reasons for people to hate Draco Malfoy. As for Aerie, as soon as the shots were over, she looked over her glasses for that tell tail flare that gave away the location of the Snitch. Sure, her little visual malady was technically cheating, but not likely in any rule books. She spotted the Snitch, and deciding that the Hufflepuff team had suffered enough swooped down and took chase. Naturally, the Hufflepuff Chaser seeing her make her move followed hot on her sweep in an effort to spot the Snitch and somehow manage an upset. Not that it would make any difference at this point. Hufflepuff was so far behind that catching the snitch wasn’t going to make much of a difference. Or would it? The crowd on recognizing that the chase was on in earnest went wild followed by the snitch suddenly making a sharp turn, Aerie attempted to turn with it but was plowed into by the other Seeker. Snape blew his whistle and called a blocking foul on the Hufflepuff Seeker even though they’d simply been unable to react as fast as Aerie had.
The Snitch was gone now.
If the crowd thought Aerie’s flying was a bit subdued from the previous game up to that point they were about to witness that old Aerie take over. Aerie raced down the pitch, the Hufflepuff Seeker hot on her sweep, but soon fell behind as Aerie rocketed skyward in a huge arch. A moment later Aerie was upside down, high up cut off from the view of the ponies where she seemed to just hang there for a moment. Her glasses fell off, she looked about, and dove straight down. A moment later the Hufflepuff Seeker was racing for the same spot and bound to get there first.
The Hufflepuff Seeker did indeed look like they would catch the snitch. They reached out and missed as the snitch made an impossibly tight turn. A moment later Aerie rocketed past.
Aerie tried to pull up, but on realizing she was going to crash did what any pegasus would do. She extended her wings, the broom handle slamming into the ground a moment later. When she’d a moment to think she pulled in her wings and went into a roll.
The audience was stunned, not quite sure what they’d seen, or if Aerie was even still alive as she lay on the ground face down. Slowly she rolled herself over and held up the Snitch. The crowd erupted in cheers and then dropped to a hush when her arm folded. Hoshiko, not knowing what to think, quickly mapped out the location by sensing the local magic, and teleported. A moment later Hoshiko the girl came out from under a stand along the pathway between two stands. She raced out to Aerie even as Professor Snape and the Gryffindor team did with the group meeting. Kitsu the Fox was the next on location.
“Aerie?!” Hoshiko asked in nearly a pleading tone.
“Pym fin,” Aerie said groggily.
“Aerie? Wake up!” She wasn’t really sure why she did it other than she’d often done it to a classmate. Without thinking Hoshiko reached out and thwacked Aerie in the forehead with her middle finger after snapping it off her thumb.
“Owe!”
“It seems to be a sleeper spell,” Snape drawled.
“That little bastard,” Aerie spat out as she sat up.
“Thought you were immune to his spells,” Fred asked.
“Must have been a delayed effect,” George offered.
“Are you otherwise whole?” Snape asked.
“Yes sir. I think what happened is that my autonomic defenses were forced to put everything into keeping me in one piece and it slipped through.
“Just, don’t ever do that again.”
“What, and let Hufflepuff win?”
“I think I prefer having you in one piece,” Wood offered with a cheer.
“If you’re sure you are fine you can go,” Snape offered. “Just one more thing. I’d like to hear your side of that exchange with Malfoy.”
“I saw a pair of cute fillies on one of the rafter platforms. I laughed. Next thing I know he’d hit me with a spell. I thought it had failed.”
“And then Ron belted him,” Hoshiko offered. “I was sitting where I could see.
Snape couldn't remember having seen her in the stands, but then he had been distracted.
Aerie pulled Hoshiko close and whispered, “How’d you get down here so fast?”
“Same cutie mark, remember?” Hoshiko replied in like volume. “Now get up so everyone can praise you.” Aerie got to her feet with Hoshiko’s help, the cheering growing to a crescendo once more as she took a few steps.
“That was one crazy dive,” offered the Hufflepuff seeker.
Aerie stiffened at the sensation of a hand on her shoulder. “Well done,” Dumbledore offered. Of course, it was his hand. “You haven't been looking for that room, have you? I couldn't help but notice you’d given a certain mirror a furtive glance,” He’d kept his voice low, but before she could say a thing she’d been hoisted up onto the shoulders of Fred and George who proceeded to parade her around the pitch.
“Somebody get my broom,” Aerie called.
Hoshiko found the broom with Kitsu’s help, and it was stuck fast. Thanks to Equestrian magic it was intact, but it was a little better than halfway into the ground. Hoshiko lay a hand on the soil and thanked the ground for catching the broom. She lay both hands on the shaft, “Now if you could please let go…” Hoshiko gave the shaft a tug, her grip firm, and imagined herself with the strength of an Earth pony. To her surprise, the broom came loose so readily that she ended up on her backside.
“What’s the matter? You going to cry now?”
“Draco Malfoy!” The boy who’s just taunted her turned his head in alarm to see Professor Snape striding straight for him.
“Professor, I was just going to offer to-owe!?”
Snape had just snatched him by the ear. Which was something Snape almost never did, but when dealing with entitled young whelps like Draco there was a time and place for everything.
“A likely story. You are coming with me.”
“What’d I do?” Draco was honestly confused and alarmed.
“Did you are did you not cast a spell on Aerie Potter? Was it intended to cause her to fall asleep?”
“She was mocking me!”
“She was laughing at a pair of fillies on a platform up in the rafters. Mocking you? I dare say she can’t even be bothered with you. What she ever saw in you I can only guess, but you’ve done your best to see to it that she’ll want nothing more to do with you. Furthermore, if your spell had kicked in when she was at altitude you'd have managed what the Dark Lord failed, and I dare say you are a bit young to be spending the rest of your life in Azkaban. As is you will be spending the next month in detention.”
Hoshiko sat on the ground with the broom in her hands watching the two make their way back to the school. “So he does care.”
“Snape?” Kitsu the fox questioned.
“I’ve known more than a few like him. All stoic and firm on the outside. All emotional and squishy on the inside.”
“Who’s that?” It was Aurora. She’d gone to check on her.
“Snape. You just missed him. He just drug Draco Malfoy off the pitch by the ear. He’s giving him a month's detention. Seems he actually cares. About Aerie if no one else.”
“He sent Aerie an obligatory holiday card. Which I suppose was his way of saying I wish I could have been there for you but I’m at a complete loss at what I should do now.”
“Hey, you alright?” Padma asked as she approached.
“Yes, I just pulled harder than I needed. Just my pride hurt, that’s all.”
“Here, let me take that broom,” Aurora offered as Hoshiko got up. “I let Aerie know that I would take it up to the dorm and clean it up for her. Looks like it’ll be a while before they set her down.” And indeed the team was still parading Aerie about.
“Oh, alright, here.”
“If you find her glasses, I think she might like to get them back,” Aurora offered as she took the broom. From there she went on her way, and in truth, she hoped to be able to disappear for a while. Oh, she knew what Hoshiko and Kitsu had done, but she wanted to do more than get out and fly a little. She’d be using Aerie’s trunk to go check up on Scootaloo and moments like that were perfect. Moments when no one would miss her.
“So now what? We’ve got the rest of the afternoon to ourselves,” Padma asked.
Hoshiko looked at her and smiled. “You don’t mind if I ditch you do you?”
“You want to get in a little more flying I gather.”
“You don’t mind do you?”
“No, that’s alright. You need to exercise those wings.”
“Maybe I’ll spot Aerie’s glasses. Kitzu?”
Kitsu the fox trotted up to her and then the two headed across the field to a stand that had emptied. They turned to go behind the stand and a few moments later a nearly identical pair of fillies flew out over the stands and began to circle the pitch. They made sure the bludgers had been secured before they dared to fly into the playing area. Alice Mouse joined them as they began to circle the area where Aerie had dropped her glasses.
Kitsu was the first to spot the glasses. She spiraled down slowing at the last moment to land, and was quickly followed by the others. It was Hoshiko who picked them up. Knowing that they dare not use their magic in front of the witches and wizards of Hogwarts she used her mouth, and once she was sure she wasn’t going to drop them launched herself to fly over to where Aerie was and landed.
“Alright, let me down,” Aerie protested as the boys still had her up on their shoulders. “And don’t you dare do anything to those fillies.”
“We,”
“Wouldn't,”
“Think of it,” the twins chimed as they set her down. Aerie bent down and took the offered glasses.
“Horse spittle,” Aerie said with a grin as she looked at her sloppy glasses. “Thank you. I am glad to have them back.” The last she offered with a pat on Hoshiko’s head. She leaned in and whispered to her a warning about staying out of the lake, and then straightened out.
“Aerie, there’s going to be a party in the dorm,” Wood offered as Hoshiko the pony trotted off and launched herself up into the air again.
“Can’t. I promised Hagrid that I’d stop by after the game.”
“Your loss then,” Alicia Spinnet offered.
“I might cut the visit short if I can, but I did promise him.”
“Well, don’t expect us to save you anything,” Cormac offered. He’d joined them from the team’s box seats for backup players.
“Given Fred and George have already headed for the locker room to get changed, I’d say you’d best hurry yourself.”
“What? Oh no they don’t!” Cormac took off at a run leaving the girls behind. Aerie couldn't help but laugh at the boy's antics as she watched them go.
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11665483
I'm surprised considering he isn't even technically supposed to have an actual job considering that every job does require you to be able to use magic and he isn't allowed to. Hopefully she sent them off track enough so they won't go after the stone.
looks like Snape is trying to take his duties as a father seriously, but just does not know what to do. maybe theres a book.
Snape is trying and given time he might get the idea of family.
11665509
Well there are books that give advice but in the end it up to you to figure it out.
11665503
Hagrid is the school's groundskeeper and that probably includes Beastmaster. So he does have a job. He learns about magical creatures the hard way mostly.
11665509
Let's just say that I like my characters complicated. JKR really made a lot of the characters two-dimensional.
11665802
now I cant wait to see how you portray Unbridge later on (I really hated her when I read the book and saw the movie)
11665840
Are you taking about Umbridge the statue? Because I'm pretty sure she still is a statue and will continue to be one until leaving her in that state causes more problems than it is worth.
11665942
forgot bout that, been reading a lot of stories, plus a couple other mlp/hp crossovers (if wishes were ponies, magic school days, wizard and a lonely princess, Scoti Alaw Prewet, etc)
11665799
I remember in the books he was just the groundskeeper and until the teacher retired he wasn't able to teach. Unfortunately his love of dangerous creatures didn't win him any fans. I know in this version he gets to do both but I still say he isn't fit to be a teacher because he doesn't think about his actions in long run.
11665840
Umbridge? They... um... might have misplaced her.
11665983
Keep in mind that it was Dumbledore who put Hagrid in charge of teaching about magical creatures. Despite Hagrid's lack of any academic achievements beyond the fourth year, and his abysmal poor judgment.
Whether or not I do the same will depend on if I get that far in the series. I do want to do the Tri-Wizard Cup, but that's still a long ways off.
11666084
My guess head master didn't think that through like the owls considering even in the book those got noticed considering the number and the fact owls are nocturnal usually so many types in one place all going the same way it was luck that them pushing the limits didn't get noticed more.
11666084
I'm sure the girl will much better than the boy who lived and you know who follower who will have trouble with manipulating her. She is a lot smarter than she lets most people know.
11665840
Me too. She was a monster. Nobody with a heart would let her near children.
11666615
Yeah but don't they have that memory cauldron thing. Considering remembering something that happened years ago perfectly would be hard for anyone but when they use the cauldron they might as well been remembering things that happened yesterday.
11666785
They do, but people do tend to remember what they want to remember. The Pensiv is limited to the information it's given. If a person misremembers prior to making a record, that's the memory that gets saved. Large groups of people misremembering the same thing is known as the Mandela Effect.