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After a night of heavy rain, the next morning dawned with a sky so clear it seemed as if it had been scrubbed clean by house elves. The sun climbed slowly over the eastern horizon, its golden light slicing through the lingering wisps of mist, bathing the Hogwarts grounds in a warm, ethereal glow.
During the rather uneventful morning Flying lesson, Ian could still catch the crisp scent of damp earth and fresh blossoms in the air, a distinctive fragrance left behind by the rain. Though Madam Hooch had finally permitted them a little more altitude, Ian, who had already tasted true speed and exhilaration, found the lesson underwhelming.
He watched in silence as Aurora earned five points for Slytherin, while he himself performed Madam Hooch's assigned flying techniques with precise but unremarkable execution.
House points mattered enough to the other Ravenclaws, but Ian paid them little mind. Compared to most Slytherins, Ravenclaws grasped new skills much more quickly, something he had observed time and again.
"Did you see Rebecca finally take off? I'm really pleased for her." Michael, ever fixated on the petite Slytherin girl, grinned. Though his own progress wasn't hampered by his distraction, his flying abilities were clearly no match for William's. The latter came from a long line of skilled fliers, and it showed.
"My friend, you're practically built for Quidditch." Ian couldn't help but give William a thumbs-up. The green-haired boy even demonstrated a daring aerial maneuver that left Madam Hooch somewhat alarmed, his ability to execute unpredictable, almost unnatural turns mid-air was uncanny.
Madam Hooch sternly warned him against such reckless flying, but William later confided to Ian that this technique was excellent for dodging jinxes, and was, in fact, the reason he and his father were even alive today.
"I still prefer enchanted cloaks for flying." Ian had long mastered the craft of spellwoven flight cloaks, though he was frustrated that Hogwarts didn't stock them for purchase.
"My family has a number of Invisibility Cloaks. If you need one, I can ask my mum to send one over." William offered without hesitation. Too shy to strike up conversations with Aurora, he often sought to win Ian's favor instead.
As he saw it, this was a far wiser investment of effort than trying to impress Aurora, a classic example of Ravenclaw logic at work.
"Invisibility Cloaks, plural? I thought you said your family was skint."
Ian raised an eyebrow at his roommate. After all, crafting a single Invisibility Cloak required more than one Demiguise pelt, and those creatures, found in the Far East, were both rare and prohibitively expensive. When threatened, a Demiguise could turn invisible, and only those skilled in tracking them could even hope to capture one.
"We know how to make them, but my grandfather refuses to let us profit from the craft. Mum agrees, it's safer for us to live modestly." William muttered, half exasperated, half resigned. Truthfully, such a lifestyle was probably the wisest choice for his family.
Given their complicated past, both in the wizarding world and in Muggle society, avoiding scrutiny was paramount.
"If possible, I'd love to study one. Just one would do." Ian's curiosity about the legendary cloaks was insatiable. While it wouldn't be 'the' Invisibility Cloak of the Potter lineage, it was still a tightly controlled trade, and understanding its enchantments was no small feat.
"Alright, alright, I'll ask Mum to send one, along with our family's alchemy texts." William agreed without hesitation.
"It would be brilliant if you could be invisible 'while' flying," Michael mused, offering an intriguing suggestion that set Ian deep in thought.
Such an enchantment would require complex spellcraft, and layered magic, not as simple as stitching two spells together. But if perfected, it could be a formidable tool for stealth and strategy.
"Yes, and I'd want it to work on command. I should be able to vanish at will, and when I 'don't' want to be invisible, the cloak should glow." Ian hadn't lost sight of his original ambition, to craft the perfect flight cloak.
Soon enough, the Flying lesson drew to a close.
Since there was a Quidditch match scheduled for the morning, Madam Hooch took care to clear the pitch after class, and the younger students decided to remain outside rather than return to the castle for lunch.
After all, it was only a little past ten.
Starting this week, the students would have two classes each in the morning and afternoon, and on match days, the school thoughtfully left the schedule open so everyone could attend the games.
Excitement buzzed through the air for today's match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. As long as Slytherin wasn't playing, the outcome of inter-house Quidditch games at Hogwarts remained thrillingly unpredictable.
Ian had originally planned to spend the time in the library.
But a few familiar faces warmly intercepted him. Not only William and Michael, but even Cho Chang radiated enthusiasm for Quidditch.
After all, it was the wizarding world's most beloved sport.
Cho Chang's excitement easily surpassed that of her peers. She was an exceptional flyer, consistently earning points for Ravenclaw in Flying lessons.
"You're bound to make the Ravenclaw Quidditch team one day." Madam Hooch had praised Cho Chang on multiple occasions, and Ian had no doubt that her prediction would soon come true.
Cho beamed for the entire lesson, glowing with pride.
"I reckon you'd make an excellent Seeker. When that happens, don't forget to treat us to a celebratory feast, perhaps roast hippogriff?" Ian teased, catching Cho in such high spirits that she cheerfully agreed before realizing what she'd promised.
It was a perfect demonstration of his talent for minor 'prophecies.'
His classmates were completely unsuspecting.
Having successfully secured a future feast, Ian was in an excellent mood as he was swept along with the chattering crowd towards the stands. Nearby, Aurora stood in the midst of a group of Slytherins, looking just as unenthusiastic as Ian felt. Neither of them seemed particularly taken with Quidditch.
In the throng of students.
Ian felt somewhat out of place among the eager spectators. Nearly the entire school had flocked to the pitch, and those further back had even brought Omnioculars. Though Hogwarts had only a few hundred students, the stands were packed to the brim.
Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor students mingled freely, while the ever-independent Slytherins remained apart in their own section.
"Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw! This is going to be a great match!"
"No, no, it's Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff!"
"I just want to know if the Weasley twins have set up a betting pool. I've lost a fortune already, and now I'm just hoping to win enough to recover!"
...
The stands buzzed with conversation. Ian spotted Penelope Clearwater among the older students, holding a banner emblazoned with 'Ravenclaw Will Triumph!' as she and the others cheered toward the locker room.
It was almost startling to see the usually reserved upper-year students so caught up in the excitement. Not to be outdone, Hufflepuff's banners featured an animated badger baring its teeth in challenge.
Some younger students had even crafted their own flags.
"Hm? Why does your flag have Dumbledore's face on it?"
Ian squinted at the banner William was waving, which looked suspiciously like it had been fashioned from underclothes.
Of course, that was still better than the unfortunate student who had sewn an eagle onto his sister's actual undergarments and was now fleeing for his life as she chased him around the stands, because, unlike with Dumbledore, no one would hesitate to curse 'him' on sight.
"Here they come! They're here!"
"You've got this, Cedric! You're a legend!"
"Ravenclaw for the win!"
As the players from both teams emerged from the locker rooms, the stadium erupted in cheers. Even Ian couldn't help but feel swept up in the excitement.
For a school of only a few hundred students, they managed to generate the energy of a World Cup final. The players held their heads high, basking in the enthusiastic support of their houses like true stars of the game.
The Hufflepuff player who caught Ian's attention most was the young wizard leading his team onto the pitch, a boy with neatly groomed brown hair.
His features were striking yet soft, with a straight nose and a refined jawline. He was a talented, determined, and fiercely fair-minded student, a star both on and off the pitch, possessing charm and intelligence in equal measure.
Cedric Diggory.
(To Be Continued…)