Seeker and Chaser

"Mr. Moriarty, Mr. Jericho, how could you dare? And Miss Peverell? You could have broken your necks!" Professor McGonagall had arrived as well, and she looked especially furious.

The three of them silently landed on the ground. Professor Snape stepped before them, his eyes blazing. "Blanche, Peverell, thirty points from Slytherin!"

But when he saw that Moriarty and the others were unharmed, he put away his wand. Professor McGonagall also let out a relieved breath, then a glint appeared in her eyes. "Though I don't want to say it, Mr. Moriarty just dove from one hundred feet in the air and performed a Lanski Feint!"

After Professor Snape whispered a few words to Professor McGonagall, he snorted at Moriarty. "Come with me, Mr. Slytherin. You too, Blanche!"

He strode toward the Castle, with Moriarty and Jericho following behind him.

Lilith's heart leapt into her throat. She hurried after Professor Snape. "Professor, they shouldn't be expelled. It was me—it was me who asked Moriarty to take me flying..."

"Miss Peverell—" Professor Snape suddenly turned and roared, "Write an essay on school rules! No less than twenty inches! Hand it in before the next Potions class! Go, now!"

Lilith showed no fear at all. When it came to school rules, she knew them best—but Moriarty and Jericho...

She bit her lip and remained where she was.

Professor McGonagall gave her a sympathetic glance. "Oh, don't worry. They won't be expelled; you've got the wrong idea. Perhaps I ought to go find Charlie. This year's Slytherin is even harder to deal with..."

Professor McGonagall walked away muttering, leaving Lilith deep in thought as she watched Moriarty enter the Castle.

Professor Snape led the two of them to the entrance of a Potions classroom.

"Creak!" Professor Snape shoved open the classroom door. "Romot! Come out! I've found you a Chaser and a Seeker!"

William Romot was the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch Team. He came out, and his eyes lit up when he saw Moriarty. "Professor, are they the ones?"

"Let's hear what our geniuses have to say," Professor Snape said expressionlessly. "To find you a Seeker, I wasted an entire cauldron of Skele-Gro! If you can't settle this quickly, your potion will be out of the question as well. Don't say I didn't warn you, Romot."

Only then did Moriarty realize that Severus Snape had been teaching a seventh-year Potions class just now. Though he would never admit it, Moriarty could tell that he had come out because he was worried about Moriarty and Jericho's safety.

Since the matter had begun because of Moriarty, he would not stand by and do nothing.

"Professor Snape," Moriarty said, looking at him, "I can brew you a cauldron of Skele-Gro. Of course, there will be a portion for Prefect William as well, to make up for the time you both wasted."

Snape met Moriarty's gaze with an intimidating stare. It was as though he saw a calm, unfathomable sea; for an instant, he felt himself about to sink into it. But his Occlumency was profound.

Professor Snape withdrew his gaze. "No one will stop you from brewing a potion that even seventh-years find difficult, but you'd best keep your mouth shut, lest your potion turn your brain into that of a Troll!"

He entered the classroom and slammed the door shut.

Moriarty smiled. He knew that Severus Snape's words meant he had agreed.

"Professor Snape may always seem cold, but in truth, he cares about us quite a lot," William explained kindly, afraid that the two first-years might be upset. "Come with me. This way—we can talk as we walk."

Since Skele-Gro was tied to whether one could pass the N.E.W.T. exams, William took Moriarty's words very seriously. After asking him about it and receiving Moriarty's affirmative answer, William generously lavished him with praise.

"Actually, don't rely too heavily on Skele-Gro," Moriarty advised after William had finished praising him. "After taking the first dose, your mental capacity will improve significantly. After the second, there will only be a slight improvement. And by the third, you'll find it tastes like swill and want nothing more than to pour it all down the toilet."

"Your knowledge is admirable," William said happily, taking the advice to heart. "With you helping me brew potions, I'll have more time to practice Quidditch. But tell me, what exactly did you do to make Professor Snape break convention for you?"

William led them into an empty classroom and studied them curiously. "Since Professor Snape sent me to speak with you, he must already be prepared to go to Professor Dumbledore.

"Tell me, then. If nothing unexpected happens, our team will be getting the youngest Seeker and Chaser of the century."

At that, Jericho's eyes lit up. Starting from the beginning, he told William all about their ideas and everything they had done.

"Hey! You two—" When he heard that Jericho and Moriarty had pulled off two world-class Quidditch moves, William could barely contain his excitement. "There's no need for tryouts. You're the most suitable players!"

And when he heard that Moriarty had performed a Lanski Feint after diving from one hundred feet in the air, he was stunned.

"Mr. Moriarty, are you really only eleven? I always thought you were merely an academic genius, but you—you're also an athletic genius?" William paced excitedly around the classroom. "There's no need to choose. It's decided: Mr. Moriarty will be our Seeker, and Jericho, you'll be our Chaser! You don't object, do you?"

"Of course! Of course not!" Jericho said loudly.

But Moriarty shook his head. "We have no objections, but others certainly will.

"Breaking convention is no small matter, especially when it means two first-years joining the team at once. We'll be under intense scrutiny, and there may be even more dissent within the team. For instance, Marcus Flint in the second year has always had his eye on the Chaser position.

"We might as well hold an open tryout and let everyone see our ability. Then they'll naturally be convinced."

"I completely agree with you, but there's no time. The match against Gryffindor is about to begin." William shook his head regretfully, then his expression hardened with resolve. "You are the new players—I'll announce it tonight! If anyone has objections, let them come to me!"

Moriarty looked at him appreciatively. There were not many people in Slytherin who maintained a firm stance. William was undoubtedly a man of courage and resolve. Perhaps it was precisely this resolve that allowed him to suppress Leon and lead the team to three consecutive Quidditch championships.

When they parted, Moriarty said to William, "If anyone objects to your decision—whoever it may be—please be sure to tell us. We'll defend this honor with our strength."

William smiled. "Don't worry. In fact, I'd wager Merlin that news of your dive from one hundred feet has already spread throughout the school. Everyone will only admire you."

"So that means they'll only object to me?" Jericho curled his lip.

William patted Jericho's right shoulder encouragingly. "You remind me of Gryffindor's Charlie Weasley. When he joined the Gryffindor Quidditch Team two years ago, people were full of doubts about him too, but he quickly proved himself. I believe you won't be any worse than him."

"And Mr. Moriarty," William said with a sigh, "if you are ever selected for the national team, be sure to let me know. I'd be more than happy to get your autograph."

After chatting for a while, they parted ways. Jericho said to Moriarty, "There's still some time before dinner. How about the library? We should study Quidditch in depth."

"Good idea, but I also need to borrow some Potions books." Moriarty quickened his pace. As his classes increased, his list of plans had filled with even more items.

For instance, the Skele-Gro he had promised Severus Snape—Moriarty had decided to brew it in the Room of Requirement. He already knew the recipe and steps by heart; all he lacked was time.

And with the help of Tonks in the Room of Requirement, he could greatly shorten the preparation process.

By the time they entered the library, there were not many people left, but Moriarty spotted Penelope.

The young girl was carrying a stack of books as she hurried out. They had not seen each other for only two days, yet Moriarty felt as though she had grown thinner.

Penelope's hurried manner made Moriarty choose not to disturb her. In fact, they had a Charms class together with Ravenclaw tomorrow morning.

By the time Moriarty and Jericho left the library with the books they had borrowed, it was completely dark. They headed toward the Great Hall.

The moment they entered the Great Hall, the previously noisy crowd fell silent. Everyone's eyes landed on Moriarty, and quite a few were staring at Jericho as well.

Just like on the day of the Sorting, all the professors and Dumbledore were present. When they saw Moriarty and Jericho take their seats at the Slytherin table, Dumbledore rose to his feet.

"I think you've all heard," Dumbledore said with a beaming smile as he looked over the students.

Most of them answered with grins. "Yes, Professor." "We heard!" "That's right!"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, yes. Mr. Moriarty and Mr. Jericho have become the Seeker and Chaser of the Slytherin Quidditch Team!"

The young snakes burst into applause, but Dumbledore did not stop. "It is not without precedent for first-year students to become players, but we would have to go back a century to find such a case! Therefore, no matter how outstanding these two young gentlemen may be, I ask that you make sure they stay safe."

Moriarty raised the goblet on the table and smiled at Dumbledore in acknowledgment. Whatever kind of person Old Dumbledore truly was, at least for now, he was sincere.

The N.E.W.T. exams were the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests.