Raised By Wolfstar: Slytherin Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

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(I'm alive, things have just been very busy so continue to expect irregular uploads. One thing that has happened since my last chapter is The-Game-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named has released, and I want it to be very clear that I don’t consider anything from that game to be canon, nor do I want it or its characters mentioned under any of my posts.)

Chapter Twenty: Blood Boils

Harry felt as though he were carrying some kind of talisman inside his chest over the following two weeks, a glowing secret that supported him through Umbridge’s classes and even made it possible for him to smile blandly as he looked into her horrible bulging eyes. He and the D.A. were resisting her under her very nose, doing the very thing that she and the Ministry most feared, and whenever he was supposed to be reading Wilbert Slinkhard’s book during her lessons he dwelled instead on satisfying memories of their most recent meetings, remembering how Neville had successfully disarmed Tracey, how Colin Creevey had mastered the Impediment Jinx after three meetings’ hard effort, how Allison had produced such a good Reductor Curse that she had reduced the dummy she was practicing on to dust.

He was finding it almost impossible to fix a regular night of the week for D.A. meetings, as they had to accommodate four separate Quidditch teams’ practices, which were often rearranged depending on the weather conditions; but Harry was not sorry about this, he had a feeling that it was probably better to keep the timing of their meetings unpredictable. If anyone was watching them, it would be hard to make out a pattern.

Tracey soon devised a very clever method of communicating the time and date of the next meeting to all the members in case they needed to change it at short notice, because it would look so suspicious if people from different Houses were seen crossing the Great Hall to talk to each other too often. She gave each of the members of the D.A. a price of scrap paper with a smudge of in on it.

‘To those who are not in the loop, this paper will only look like scrap to make notes on,’ Tracey said, holding one up for examination at the end of their fourth meeting. The paper had a slight yellow tint and was only about size of the palm of one’s hand. ‘When a new date and time for a meeting has been determined, the note will give off hot air to get the carriers attention and when the carrier touches the ink spot writing will appear. We’ll each take one, and so when Harry decides a date for a meeting he will write it on his paper, and because I have enchanted each with a Protean Charm, they’ll all change to show the same message.’

A blank silence greeted Tracey’s words. She looked around at all the faces upturned to her, rather disconcerted.

‘Er, um—at least, I thought that was the best choice,’ she said uncertainly, ‘Because even if someone like Umbridge finds one it’ll look just like junk. However if you all think there might be a better way..?’

‘You can do a Protean Charm?’ said Terry Boot.

‘Yup,’ said Tracey.

‘But that’s...that’s N.E.W.T. standard, that is,’ he said weakly.

Tracey gained a little pink in her ears, ‘Er, I guess that it is.’

‘How come you’re not in Ravenclaw?’ he demanded, staring at Tracey with something close to wonder. ‘With spell mastery like yours?’

‘I like to cause trouble to much I guess,’ she said with a bright smile. ‘So do we all agree that the note paper is the best bet we have for more covert communication?’

There was a murmur of assent and everybody moved forward to collect one from the basket. Harry looked sideways at Tracey. ‘You know what these remind me of?’

‘Possible, but go on.’

‘The Death Eaters’ scars. Voldemort touches one of them, and all their scars burn, and they know they’ve got to join him.’

‘You’ve be right then,’ said Tracey quietly. ‘That’s where I got the general idea from. But I only but the date and time on a piece of paper, and not a part of their body.’

‘Yeah...I prefer your way,’ said Harry, grinning, as he slipped his

paper into his pocket. ‘I suppose the only danger with these is that we might accidentally write school notes on them or throw them out.’

‘I made tones of extras just in case, and the writing erases after an hour anyway.’

Terence came over and gave Tracey a big hug, ‘my brilliant girlfriend, talented and beautiful. I’m the luckiest man alive.

And Harry couldn’t help but smile at their happiness.

As the first Quidditch match of the season, Slytherin versus Gryffindor, drew nearer, their D.A. meetings were put on hold because both Terence and Angelia insisted on almost daily practices for their teams. The fact that the Quidditch Cup had not been held for so long added considerably to the interest and excitement surrounding the forthcoming game. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were taking a lively interest in the outcome, for they, of course, would be playing both teams over the coming year; and the Heads of House of the competing teams, though they attempted to disguise it under a decent pretense of sportsman-ship, were determined to see their side’s victory. Harry realized for the first time how much Professor Snape cared about beating Gryffindor when he gave much easier assignments in the week leading up to the match and helped Terence book the pitch for the most convenient times.

‘I didn’t enjoy handing over the Quidditch Cup two summers ago,’ he said coldly to Harry, Allison, and Malfoy. ‘I want to see you put all your effort into winning it back or you might not find me so pleasant.’

If this was Snape being “pleasant” Harry did not wish to see him be unpleasant. This only gave them further motivation to win.

Harry soon got to see what Terence meant by he wanted to be a better captain than Marcus Flint had been. In the past, leading up to matches some members of their team and their goons would pull harmful pranks on members of the apposing team in the hopes to have them not be able to play. Harry, Allison, and Terence had never participated in this, and had told off those that had, but there was often little else they could do. That is until now.

News broke out that Cassius Warrington and Draco had attempted to blind Alicia Spinnet, and while Snape ignored the report from the Gryffindor team, Terence did not. He called an immediate mandatory meeting of all team members.

‘At the start of the year I made myself bloody clear that the harassment on the other teams was over! What were you two roaches even thinking?’ he yelled, his freckled face engulfed in red fury.

‘Just evening our odds,’ said Cassius with a smirk, showing zero regret. ‘We have a better chance at winning if they’re weakened.’

‘No, we have a better chance at winning if we go through superior training, which we have thanks to me. What you two did was try and cripple the other team before the game even began, it’s not a competition if the opponent isn’t at its best, how do you two not see that?!’

A little shaken, Malfoy took a step forward, he was more pale then normal.

‘We’re Slytherin, Higgs, you seem to forget that. Cunning is in our nature.’

Terence had always been a bit taller than Harry, but in that moment it was as if he had grown several feet as he now stared down the two saboteurs. Malfoy retreated back a couple feet.

‘What you two did and have done in the past isn’t cunning, what you have done is be cowards. Cunning is not doing what your opponent expects, cunning is solving a problem not the logical way but by think outside the box, cunning is having a plan that others can’t figure out. You two just take the easy way out instead of actually being creative. This is your last chance before you are off the team.’

Malfoy now looked terrified, but Cassius still didn’t look convinced.

‘You wouldn’t actually get rid of me, out of those that tried out I was the best Beater. Replacing me would only make this team weaker.’

Darkness filled Terence’s eyes that even gave Harry a shiver, this really was getting intense.

‘You may want to get your eyes checked, Warrington. Flint isn’t standing before you, I am. Flint solely cared about physical strength, whereas I care about that as well as character strength, and I am more than willing to sacrifice a small amount of physical strength to gain a ton more character strength. I’d find some character strength if I were you or you’ll leave Hogwart’s stripped of both your Prefect badge and your Quidditch position.’

While he didn’t seem to fully convince the bully, he did get him to retreat, both Cassius and Draco left the meeting looking as though they were dogs with their tails tucked between their legs. The moment they were gone though, Terence fell backwards onto a bench, looking pale as a ghost.

‘I think I’m going to pass out,’ he said dizzily, ‘that was exhausting.’

But as Harry helped his friend up he couldn’t help but smile.

‘That was amazing Captain.’

Harry felt optimistic about Slytherin’s chances; they had, after all, been training more intensely then they ever had under Flint. Admittedly there team had three rookies amongst them, but despite their limited time Harry had seen them make some truly spectacular progress.

October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces. The skies and the ceiling of the Great Hall turned a pale, pearly gray, the mountains around Hogwarts became snowcapped, and the temperature in the castle dropped so far that many students wore their thick protective dragon skin gloves in the corridors between lessons.

The morning of the match dawned bright and cold. When Harry awoke he was filled with excitement for the first game of the season and quickly dressed and made his way to the common room where he found Allison talking to a rather pale looking Scarlett Lympsham.

'She alright?' Harry asked.

'Just pre-game nerves,' replied Allison. 'Some breakfast will help Scarlett, lets go.'

Before they left though, Harry couldn't help but notice many of their fellow Slytherin's were wearing something in addition to the usual green-and-silver scarves and hats, silver badges. He didn't get a good enough look though before they began climbing the stairs out of the dungeon.

The Great Hall was filling up fast when they arrived, the talk louder and the mood more exuberant than usual. The Slytherin table was ablaze with chatter, but Harry paid it no mind as he wanted to focus on getting ready for the match. As soon as Harry and Allison sat down their was a rousing welcome at the Slytherin table, where everyone was wearing emerald and silver, this continued to raise Harry's spirits and he dug into his traditional pre-game breakfast, toast and juice.

‘Morning Harry,’ said Canini’s cheerful voice as she approached from her table, Harry turned to great her.

‘Morning Cani, it’s a good day for a game, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, best of luck big bro, I’ll be cheering you on. Can’t wait to see the first game in over a year!’

She walked off to join her friends, but before Harry could get back to eating he was interrupted again.

‘Hello,’ said a vague and dreamy voice from behind him. Harry turned in the other direction: Luna Lovegood had drifted over from the Ravenclaw table. Many people were staring at her and a few openly laughing, booing, and pointing; she had managed to procure a hat shaped like a life-size coiled up snake, which was perched precariously on her head.

‘I’m supporting you and your team,’ said Luna, pointing unnecessarily at her hat. ‘Look what it does...’

She reached up and tapped the hat with her wand. It opened its mouth wide and gave an extremely realistic hiss, forked tongue and all.

‘It’s good, isn’t it?’ said Luna happily. ‘I wanted to have it’s tail crushing a tower, you know, to represent Towler, but there wasn’t time. Anyway...good luck, Harry!’

She drifted away. They had not quite recovered from the shock of Luna’s hat before Terence came hurrying toward them, he looked pale as a ghost. He grabbed hold of Harry’s arm.

‘Harry, what am I going to do, they’re everywhere. This is a disaster.’

Harry didn’t understand, ‘what’s wrong, what’s everywhere?’

‘The badges, look!’ he said, pointing to the crowd of Slytherins.

Harry for the first time took a good look at the oval silver badges many of those in his house where wearing, they read in bold letters:

“Ronald Jumbled Weasley”

Terence was right, this wasn’t good. Out of all the sabotages Malfoy and Warrington had performed this would probably be the most effective. Harry had learned from Ron that he had become Gryffindor’s new Keeper, and being so new he probably isn’t used to the psych-out from apposing teams that players with a few years under their belt had. This prank could cause the apposing team’s Keeper to not guard the post to the best of their ability.

‘Who distributed the badges?’ Harry asked, feeling heat rising to his cheeks. ‘It was Malfoy, wasn’t it?!’

‘No, it wasn’t him, it was Warrington. I only learned about the badges because Draco came running to me in a fit saying he was innocent and that I couldn’t kick him off the team, I had to actually stop him and get him to explain what he was innocent from. It was definitely Warrington and I can’t find him anywhere.’

‘Well when I find him I’ll show him what an experienced Beater can do with her bat,’ said Allison darkly.

'Hold off the assassination for now, I have to go do damage control. I'm going to go apologize to Angelina Johnson, as well as Ron if I see him, and then I am going to try and find Warrington,' said Terence, very frustrated. 'I need you two and anyone else that'll help to get as many Slytherins to remove as many badges as possible before we have to get ready for the match.'

Harry stuffed the rest of his toast in his mouth and did as he was told. Convincing first year Slytherins to take them off was easy, but it took much more effort for older Slytherins more set in their ways, many just straight up refused. In the end Harry and Allison managed to collect thirty before they had to hurry across the entrance hall, down the stone steps, and out into the icy air.

The frosty grass crunched under their feet as they hurried down the sloping lawns toward the stadium. There was no wind at all and the sky was a uniform pearly white, which meant that visibility would be good without the drawback of direct sunlight in the eyes. As they reached the stadium Harry could hear Terence's yelling from within the Slytherin changing room, he and Allison quickly rushed in.

'You're done Warrington, that was the final straw! You aren't our Beater anymore!'

Terence looked as though he was about to explode, he was that mad, but Warrington however just looked smug. Before Harry and Allison could step in, Warrington responded.

'I don't think so, not yet anyway. Unless you want to call off the match we're about to play, seeing as you need seven players to compete.'

Terence's face dropped. Allison stepped between the two.

'Get out of here Warrington, or I'll stick my bat right up your-'

'-Alright, I'm leaving you brute, but I'll be back for the game.'

Once he had left the changing room they both turned to their captain who simply looked defeated.

'He's right, unless I want to forfeit the match he has to play. But I meant what I said, after today he is off the team.'

'We know Terence,' said Harry, 'don't worry.'

Soon the others arrived and after everyone was changed and Warrington returned Terence gave his pre-game speech as well as clarified their battle strategy for the match. As the speech went on, the babble of voices outside grew steadily louder as the crowd came pouring out of the castle toward the pitch.

They could hear hundreds of footsteps mounting the banked benches of the spectators’ stands now. He was starting to feel nervous, but hopefully they would give him the adrenaline to perform well.

'Ok, lets go throw shapes how good we are out there,' said Terence, looking at his watch. 'Play hard, win fair!'

The team rose, shouldered their brooms, and marched in single file out of the changing room and into the dazzling sunlight. A roar of sound greeted them with cheers and whistles.

The Gryffindor team emerged moments later. After training in the D.A. with Angelina Johnson Harry was quite happy to see her walk proudly onto the field as Gryffindor's Captain. Someone who didn't look so proud though was Ron, he was pale and almost looked like he was shaking, Harry and Allison must have failed in there mission to remove as many badges before he could see them.

'Captains shake hands,' ordered the umpire, Madam Hooch, as Angelina and Terence reached each other. Harry could tell that Angelina was a little mad at Terence, but she still took his hand. 'Mount your brooms...'

Madam Hooch placed her whistle in her mouth and blew.

The balls were released and the fourteen players shot upward; out of the corner of his eye Harry saw Ron streak off toward the goal hoops. He zoomed higher, dodging a Bludger, and set off on a wide lap of the pitch, gazing around for a glint of gold; on the other side of the stadium, the Gryffindor Seeker Kenneth Towler was doing exactly the same.

'And it’s Gryffindor Captain Angelina Johnson, Johnson with the Quaffle, what a player that girl is, I’ve been saying it for years but she still won’t go out with me—'

'JORDAN!' yelled Professor McGonagall.

'Just a fun fact, Professor, adds a bit of interest—and she’s ducked Runcorn, she’s passed Malfoy, she’s—ouch—been hit from behind by a Bludger from Warrington...Urquhart catches the Quaffle, Urquhart heading back up the pitch and—nice Bludger there from George Weasley, that’s a Bludger to the head for Urquhart, he drops the Quaffle, caught by Katie Bell, Katie Bell of Gryffindor reverse passes to Alicia Spinnet and Spinnet’s away—'

Lee Jordan’s commentary rang through the stadium and Harry listened as hard as he could through the wind whistling in his ears and the din of the crowd, all yelling and booing—

'—dodges Runcorn, avoids a Bludger—close call, Alicia—and the crowd are loving this, just listen to them, but what is going on by the Gryffindor goal post—'

And as Lee paused to listen so did most of the crowd, which just barely allowed Harry to understand what was going on. Warrington had left his position and was now hovering by Ron and chanting a rhyme as loud as he could:

'Ronald jumbled Weasley,

He's looking quite queasy,

And the broom that he rides,

Is going to let the ball get by!'

'—and Alicia passes back to Angelina!' Lee shouted, and as Harry swerved, his insides boiling at what he had just heard, he knew Lee was trying to drown out the sound of the chanting. 'Come on now, Angelina—looks like she’s got just the Keeper to beat!—SHE SHOOTS—SHE—aaaah...'

Their new Keeper, Scarlett Lympsham, had saved the goal; she threw the Quaffle to Terence who sped off with it, zigzagging in between Alicia and Katie; Warrington's chanting got louder and louder as Terence drew nearer and nearer to Ron—

'Ronald jumbled Weasley!

He's looking quite queasy!

And the broom that he rides!

Is going to let the ball get by!'

Harry could not help himself: Abandoning his search for the Snitch, he turned his Firebolt toward Ron, alone at the far end of pitch expect for Warrington, hovering before the three goal hoops while Terence reluctantly charged towards him.

‘—and it’s Slytherin Captain Terence Higgs with the Quaffle, Higgs heading for goal, he’s out of Bludger range with just the Keeper ahead—‘

Warrington just belted as loud as his lungs would allow;

‘—Is going to let the ball get by!—‘

'— so it’s the first test for new Gryffindor Keeper, Weasley, brother of Beaters, Fred and George, and a promising new talent on the team—come on, Ron!'

But no cheers came from the Gryffindor end: Ron had dived wildly, his arms wide, and the Quaffle had soared between them, straight through Ron’s central hoop.

'Slytherin scores!' came Lee’s voice amid the cheering and booing from the crowds below. 'So that’s ten-nil to Slytherin—bad luck, Ron...'

Cassius Warrington chanted louder, some Slytherin's in the crowd were now joining in:

'Ronald jumbled Weasley!

He's looking quite queasy!

And the broom that he rides!

Is going to let the ball get by!'

'—and Gryffindor back in possession and it’s Katie Bell tanking up the pitch—' cried Lee valiantly, though the chanting was now making it harder to hear his voice.

'—Ronald jumbled Weasley, he's looking quite queasy!—'

'Harry, get back to finding the Snitch!' screamed Terence, soaring past him to keep up with Katie. 'The sooner the game ends the sooner we can deal with Cassius!'

Harry realized that he had been stationary in midair for more than a minute, watching the progress of the match without sparing a thought for the whereabouts of the Snitch; horrified, he went into a dive and started circling the pitch again, staring around, looking for any movement where there shouldn't be any. For a moment Harry thought about just letting Towler find the Snitch as an apology to Gryffindor for Warrington's behaviour, but quickly remembered what Terence had said about wanting a fair match and it wouldn't be a fair one if Harry just let them win.

However there was no sign of the Snitch anywhere he looked; Kenneth Towler was still circling the stadium just like Harry. They passed midway around the pitch going in opposite directions and Harry heard Kenneth say:

'You really were a Snake the whole time, Harry.'

'—and it’s Higgs again,' bellowed Lee, 'who passes to Urquhart, Urquhart’s off past Spinnet, come on now Angelina, you can take him—turns out you can’t—but nice Bludger from Fred Weasley, I mean, George Weasley, oh who cares, one of them anyway, and Urquhart drops the Quaffle and Katie Bell—er—drops it too—so that’s Malfoy with the Quaffle, and he’s off up the pitch, come on now Gryffindor, block him!'

Harry zoomed around the end of the stadium behind the Slytherin goal hoops, willing himself not to look at what was going on at Ron’s end; as he sped past Scarlett, he heard chanting within the crowd below:

'—RONALD JUMBLED WEASLEY—'

'—and Malfoy’s dodged Alicia again, and he’s heading straight for goal, stop it, Ron!'