While everyone else was happily eating, sleeping, and having fun, there always had to be one person sulking, and this time, that unlucky soul was Allen, trailing at the very back of the group, silently mourning his now-thin wallet that had finally lost its excess "weight."
Technically, students below the third year weren't allowed to leave the school and visit Hogsmeade Village. However, if your mindset doesn't give up, there are always more solutions than problems, or well, maybe that phrase doesn't exactly apply to Allen and his little crew's rule-breaking antics, but who really cares?
After all, whether it was Allen himself or the twin duo and Lee Jordan, every single one of them had a tiny quirk: they weren't satisfied unless they broke at least a few school rules every month. Of course, they operated under one guiding principle, not to burden the hardworking professors and staff any more than necessary. So whenever they did break the rules… they ran.
If there was any difference between them, it would be that Allen was simply a bit more skilled. So far, he hadn't been caught even once.
As for their latest violation? It was very straightforward, they had discreetly tailed behind the back of a legitimate group of little rule-abiding wizards who had submitted the proper permission forms. One of the two stowaways was practically invisible to the naked eye, as if they had melted into the background entirely.
One of them, of course, was Allen, the main financial backer of this particular field trip, and the other, whose very presence blended seamlessly into the surroundings, was Annie, hidden under an invisibility charm cast by Allen. Honestly, maintaining such a complicated spell was no easy task; it drained quite a bit of magic power.
Oh, and worth mentioning, a certain Gryffindor female Chaser, who shall remain nameless, had also managed to sneak in. So all in all, Allen had successfully lured in three Gryffindor Quidditch players. That should count as some contribution to his own House, right?
As for Wood, hopefully he would find enough joy in training a certain savior of the wizarding world to ease the pain of losing his teammates. Not that he'd be disappointed, really, after all, that kid was a natural-born Seeker in every sense.
Allen used to think that his true calling wasn't with the Auror Office at the Ministry of Magic, but rather as a professional Quidditch Seeker. He loved flying that much, so why give up the sky?
The reason Wood allowed his entire team to skip practice that day was because of that very same new player, Harry Potter. Even gold needs to be polished to shine, and Harry… well, Harry was like a diamond finally cut and placed under the sun for the first time, so dazzling it hurt to look at.
It happened on a Thursday evening. While the students were casually eating dinner and complaining about Professor McGonagall's overly complex assignments, a stunning bit of news spread like wildfire among them, sparked by the first-years returning from their flying lesson.
The "Boy Who Lived," who until now hadn't shown anything too remarkable despite all the hopes people pinned on him, had finally delivered. His earlier performances had been… underwhelming. But today? It was like a gem had been cracked open to reveal the brilliance inside.
The first-years who had witnessed it firsthand became instant fangirls and fanboys, excitedly sharing what they saw, a high-altitude battle for a Remembrall. Yes, a battle. They called it a duel. Nobody cared how many school rules it broke.
Draco Malfoy's flying skills did get plenty of praise, but sadly for him, he wasn't the protagonist of this tale.
In the eyes of those first-year narrators, Malfoy became a mere backdrop, a final boss who got thoroughly demolished in both body and spirit. Harry Potter, the dashing main character, had rocketed after him on his broom and, after several spectacular maneuvers, forced Malfoy to the point of nearly falling off his broom. In the end, Malfoy gave up the Remembrall and left in shame.
Harry, on the other hand, soared into the sunlight and ended with a perfect dive from fifty feet in the air, catching the glass sphere with ease.
Yeah, it was ridiculously cool, at least, judging by the green color of Malfoy's face, which now matched the Slytherin crest. He stared at his plate with such venomous hatred he looked like he might bite into it.
If Professor Snape hadn't stepped in with a face like thunder and declared the entire event a blatant rule violation worthy of expulsion, people might've witnessed a Slytherin student short-circuit from humiliation.
But as we all know, Snape's intervention, likely driven by memories of his own departed rival, did little to change the outcome. Harry Potter was free to continue living his life.
So, dear Harry, you just keep flying around chasing balls. Leave Voldemort to me.
Not that Allen wanted to steal the spotlight, he'd simply discovered that defeating Voldemort was the best way to earn experience and level up the system. So big bro, just give me the boss fight, and you can do your thing. Say "nice one" and leave it at that.
As Allen grumbled to himself while shopping, his wallet slowly grew thinner and thinner. Meanwhile, the bag a helpful upper-year had been holding for them was now stuffed full of Annie's desired snacks, sweets, and more sweets, hey, not his fault the place was literally called Honeydukes.
After clearing out the store, the group finally stopped their "rob the rich friend" spree and decided to just wander around for a bit. For many of them, this was their first time walking freely through Hogsmeade.
Allen was just about to take Annie to look at another shop when a deliberately cheerful voice rang out from nearby.
"Oh? Allen! Fancy seeing you here. Mind coming over for a sec?"
It was Percy.
He was wearing a forced smile that screamed something's up, but Allen didn't plan to act suspicious. He forced himself to return a casual grin. "Oh hey, Percy. Nice weather, huh? Are you out having fun too?"
"Yes, yes! The Butterbeer here is absolutely divine. You probably haven't tried it yet, right? How about a cup?"
Still grinning like a salesman, Percy tried to keep up the friendly act.
Allen really wanted to just say no, but Percy was dangerously close to Annie now. Invisibility charms weren't foolproof while moving. They couldn't compare to an actual Invisibility Cloak. And up close? Very risky.
"…Sure, why not," Allen replied with fake enthusiasm, stepping sideways to block Percy's approach.
But just as Percy led him around a corner, an overwhelming sensation of pressure yanked at Allen's stomach, like a hook had latched onto his navel and was violently pulling him forward.
He had a split second to raise a magical defense, but then he saw the shimmer behind him. A teleportation formation.
It was too late. He couldn't protect himself and Annie at the same time, and splitting their destinations would be far worse.
Even though they didn't know where they were being taken, staying here might not be any safer. Allen didn't believe for a second that whoever set this up didn't plan for failure.
Fine then. Whoever's behind this… will pay the price.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••150 Advance Chapters Available on Patreon! Patreon.com/Veltoria