[Also I will be posting 8 chapters weekly (12000) words in total). 4 will be free available here, and 4 more can be accessed on my buy me a coffee or the patre-on.

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“You should say something to him.”

“Definitely should. Katie?”

“I think he should.”

“Yeah, yeah. You should, totally,” Fred and George agreed with Angelina and Katie.

Oliver Wood leaned forward, looking at Cloud, “Cloud. Look at him. He’s the new seeker, but he’s nervous as hell. As far as I know…he looks up to you, right? Why not talk to him.”

Cloud silently ate bread, glancing from the corner of his eyes toward Harry, who was nervous that he would break like a twig. He silently scowled since he didn’t want to babysit.

“Go on. Talk to him a bit,” Tifa nudged him, pleading. She would have, but she doubted it would help Harry.

Cloud ate the last bit of bread, standing up, and strangely, the crowd of students around them stopped speaking; some even stopped breathing.

Today, everyone in the Gryffindor was excited about the match, and Cloud was the center of attention as the star player of not only Gryffindor but also of Hogwarts. Everyone from the other houses, especially Slytherin, was scowling at him. Or at least tried to. 

By the time Cloud was in front of Harry, almost all the voices in the hall were quelled. Though Harry felt he was under pressure under those bluish-green eyes, filled with energy.

Cloud contemplated and then declared, “I’ll be in the stands today.”

“What?!” Ron jumped up before Harry could react, and all the halls burst into a discussion. Let alone the other Gryffindor Team Members like Angelina, Oliver, Katie, Tifa, and others stood up, wanting to stop him from even continuing talking.

Even among the roaring discussion, Cloud raised his left arm, forming a fist, “Win this. I know you can.”

Harry gulped, looking towards the fist, and he excitedly stood up, tapping his fist with Cloud’s, holding his excitement in, “Yes!”

Cloud looked at his excited expression and let out a smirk, looking away as he kept his hand in his pockets, walking out of the great hall that was going crazy.

Cloud passed through the corridors of Hogwarts with nothing particular on his mind. He was pulled back right when he was about to enter the grounds, looking over his shoulder, “Eri.”

Aerith hugged his arm, “You don’t wish to play?”

Cloud took off his shoes and socks and stepped on the grass, watching as the grass moved back and forth with the cold winter winds, “I do…so badly that I can’t wait to get on that broom. Even though it’s unfair to them in more ways than one.”

“Then,” Aerith tilted her head, softly smiling as she watched the look of longing visible on his face.

Cloud looked up at the cold, winter sky, “I don’t know.”

Aerith gently hugged him from behind, “You have grown up…Cloud. I am so proud of you.”

Cloud placed his palm on hers, pulling it away as he turned around in her arms, “Aerith….”

“Cloud…you are being silly. If you wish to play, then you should play,” Aerith gripped his clothes, resting her forehead on his chest.

Cloud placed his hand on her waist, closing his eyes, “Not this time.”

Aerith pulled away, blinking, “What is it with Potter? You treat him better than you treat me.”

“It’s not that.”

“Is he like a little brother to you?”

“Not really.”

“Then?”

Cloud, who had picked up his socks and shoes and was walking towards the stands, stopped, “I…hate him.”

“He reminds me of …me. He’s weak…stupid…and can’t even begin to understand how much trouble he is in. His ignorance, his weakness. All of it… I find him…revolting. If there is anything I feel for Harry Potter…it’s hate.”

Aerith took a deep sigh, watching him walk farther away, “Oh, Cloud. What you feel…is not hate.”

She turned her eyes towards the corridor, “Don’t you think so? Professor McGonagall.”

Professor McGonagall walked out of the shadow, unrelentingly watching her, “Gryffindor better not lose because of this stunt.”

Aerith grinningly shrugged, “We can only hope…if not. We always have Tifa, right?”

Professor McGonagall glanced towards the direction that Cloud went, sighing as she shook her head, and walked back inside.

It didn’t take long before she went to the stands, sitting down with Cloud, and the seats around them started filling up. Since most of their friends were surprisingly on Quidditch Team, the two of them were surrounded more by First Years than Third Years.

Especially after Hermione came and sat beside them, with Ron and their other friends sitting around them; however, most of them were jumpy with Cloud, who ignored them all, waiting for the game.

Meanwhile, the situation in the locker room was slightly different than it usually was.

“We are dead. We are going to lose this big time,” Wood was covering his face, “It’s all my fault.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“Right. We just lost Cloud, like the best player that Hogwarts has ever seen since the beginning of time.”

“Shut up, you two,” Oliver Wood shot a look at the twins, who grinned.

Angelina leaned forward, “You know what? I have been looking forward to what we can do without Cloud carrying everything. We lacked a seeker, but now we have Harry. Who knows. He might do just as well as Cloud did.”

“Right, he certainly thinks that Harry could do it. Let’s do our best and believe in what Cloud said. Since he seems to believe in us,” Tifa clapped her hands.

“Right, probably? Anyway, I don't want to lose! So, let's do this! We can do this! We can win!”

Harry breathed in, feeling an unreal burden on his shoulder. He had to fill in the shoes that seemed nearly impossible to fill. He stepped into the field with a loud cheer for them and a booing sound. The only problem was that the cheering came from all the three houses, but Gryffindor and the booing came from the Gryffindor.

Even the other team members felt it was crazy, let alone Harry, who had seen such a big crowd for the first time. His eyes searched around the seats, hoping to find Ron and Hermione, who he was sure would cheer for him, but he couldn’t see them. There was a strange crowd near the front seat; the only person visible was Cloud, with the best view.

He wondered if he went running to him and asked him to play, would he agree to it?

“Harry?”

Harry looked up at the girl with long black hair tied around her waist, a smile on her lips as she made a victory fist to motivate him, “Cloud believes you can do it. If so, I and everyone else will also believe in you. Forget about them, and do your best. Alright?”

She hesitated, leaning forward, whispering to him so that only he could hear her, “If you run away from this, then you will keep running forever.”

Harry parted his lips, closed them, and then shut his eyes. He took a deep breath, gripping the Nimbus 2000, “I won’t run. This is my chance to prove myself.”

Cloud and Aerith could get a good view in the stands, but the others couldn’t since there was a crowd around them. Though, the Professors cleared it.

Though, Cloud was scowling, worrying everyone in the Gryffindor. To the point that Professor McGonagall sat down beside them to know what he thought of the game at every moment.

“Professor?” Aerith blinked. There were multiple seating arrangements. Towers were floating with magic, and at the top were the seats. Every year and every House had one of its own, leading to 28 such seating arrangements and one more for the teachers.

Though, the first years were standing, which was why Professor McGonagall was staring at Hermione, Ron, and a few other first years.

“What are you doing here?”

“Um…” Ron started to panic, and there were another two or three the same, and Hermione was thinking of an excuse.

“Professor,” Cloud leaned forward, “I called them because I needed that.”

“Needed what?” Professor McGonagall found that the first-year students were as blank about the matter as she was, and the only thing they were carrying was a banner, but torn… no, eaten by a rat.

“That? Mr. Strife,” Professor McGonagall was about to talk in a berating tone when Cloud muttered a spell under his breath, causing the banner to transmute into a shorter but much newer banner.

Though this time, a proper message was written on the Gryffindor Banner, and Aerith hastily gestured for them to raise it.

Ron and Neville hastily raised their sides of the banner, causing it to become visible to all that could see, and Harry, who was already looking in this direction, saw it first.

Aerith blinked, looking at the single word with punctuation at the end of the banner. The stiffest she had ever seen on any banner and giggled, “Oof, Cloud. It needs a flair!”

She transmuted the banner again, and big words appeared on it, changing from Enjoy. 

“ENJOY THE GAME!!!”

“Better,” Professor McGonagall nodded, raising her eyebrows to look at the two Third Year students sitting beside her.

“It seems that Mr. Strife, Miss Gainsborough. You don’t show your skills enough. Even I didn’t know that you could transmute so effortlessly.”

“Oh! It’s starting!!” Aerith jumped on her feet, rushing to the front to cheer since others were sulking, wondering that they’d probably lose.

Professor McGonagall turned her scrutinizing gaze towards Cloud, who kept his eyes fixed on the field, and then when he couldn't take it anymore. He shiftily looked away. Luckily for him, the game started.

“AND THE QUAFFLE IS IN THE AIR! Usually, before I get to finish the first sentence, the quaffle finds its way to its rightful place! In Cloud’s arms, and then to the opponent team’s goal! But today, we have a contest! Scratch that! Slytherin is the one that is running with the quaffle!”

“Are they going to score?! And they shot, and it’s going, going, and STOPPED!!!! Tifa Lockhart, ladies, and gentlemen! The ever beautiful!! And the one who made it possible for Cloud to score!! She has stopped it!”

“Not only that, the three girls, Alicia Spinnet, the one who must be a substitute for Cloud, but is in the position that Tifa used to be, on the right. And Tifa is playing front and center—”

“Oh! Look at that teamwork! The three of them effortlessly pass through the Slytherin team members and are in front of the keeper!! Angelina passed to Tifa and Tifa!”

*Gasps*

The commentary stopped for a moment, and then Lee Jordan, who had been commentating, stood up, announcing amidst the cheers and then silence, and then his was the only voice, “What did I see!!!”

“The Brute Marcus Flint was rushing over! On the collision course with Tifa! But she jumped up!!!”

“That girl jumped off the broomstick!! And then vertically rotated until she was face to face with the ball! At that moment! When it looked like she was floating, she pulled back her leg and kicked the quaffle into the hoop! Along with the keeper before landing back on the broomstick!”

Lee huffed, having talked the fastest he ever did in his whole life, “What I am trying to say is!!!! We Still have Tifa Lockhart!!!”

“Mr. Jordan!!!” Professor McGonagall criticized him for being biased when he was commenting, but it took her all she had to not allow the corner of her lips to curve.

“Tifaaaaaa!!!” Aerith cheered, much like everyone else in their stands.

Tifa had a celebratory grin on her lips, and then the game became more one-sided.

There was a reason why Cloud was so popular, more than any other player. It wasn’t his good looks, though, that helped. Or the fact that he helped Gryffindor win and shined so brightly that every other player was overshadowed by him when he was on the field.

It was because he brought a moment of surprise and anticipation. None of the players or the audience had an idea what Cloud Strife would do in this game. Will he hang from a broomstick, stand on it, roll? Do tricks that they hadn’t even seen the professionals do.

It brought a mystery that tickled their heart. The reason why the Quidditch games were still popular wasn’t that they wondered who would win. Everyone seemed to have accepted that Gryffindor would win as long as Cloud played.

The mystery of how he would win brought them out of bed, made them stand in the cold, and still cheer.

That was why his popularity was off the roof, and today, by stopping her broomstick completely and pushing it down so she could use it as a foothold, facing towards the hoop and not the Captain of Slytherin who was coming from behind; and jumping up, making a vertical loop to be face to face with the coming ball, and kicking it the hoop so hard, that the Keeper who tried to stop it was hurled in the hoop as well, AND safely landing on the broomstick.

Tifa did the same thing that brought them to the stands today. What earned Cloud his popularity was why the field was covered in the sounds of cheers coming from even the Slytherin House.

This was above Houses; his was purely about Quidditch and seeing them achieve something that ought to be a supernatural feat even for the Quidditch Players. Something that even the Professional Players might not replicate.

“TIFA!!! TIFA!! TIFA!! TIFAA!!! TIFA!!! TIFAA!!!”

The field was soon overwhelmed by the chants of her name, and the Slytherin Captain who failed grimaced, scowling at her, “What are you waiting for! Attack!”

While the field and stands were still buzzing with chanting, someone was scowling.

“What? Don’t tell me you are so petty that you are jealous of her?” Hermione was excitedly watching the game, looking towards Tifa with eyes filled with admiration, and glanced towards Cloud, only to notice the brooding look on his face.

Because of the loud chanting, Cloud, who had Enhanced Hearing, heard her while the others missed that question, remaining oblivious.

Cloud shot a look at her, a blank one, without any malice or particular thought; yet, it slightly scared her. He didn’t only possess Enhanced Hearing but also sight. But for others to see as far as he was, they need a tool to get a clear view. And so, he turned his eyes towards her scarf, muttering under his breath, and the scarf wriggled, coming off her neck, turning on itself to form a binocular.

If her question hadn’t raised concerns of those around them, then this did.

“Mr. Strife! I would suggest you refrain from using magic so frequently!”

Cloud pointed at his ear, shaking his hand and head, gesturing he didn’t hear her, and moved to gesture in a direction.

While Hermione looked at it, Professor McGonagall was about to shout at Cloud; Hermione’s short worried gasp attracted her. Hermione turned, placing the Binoculars in front of Professor McGonagall, pointing in a direction that Professor had to see.

Only to find that Harry’s Broomstick seemed to be out of control, “Is that?!”

While she took the time to understand what was happening, Hermione told Ron and others. Cloud walked over to Aerith, who was in the forefront, cheering.
By now, even the Commentator had noticed it, and he was bringing the attention of everyone to Harry.

“Cloud.” Aerith could tell it was dark magic. Not only her, Hermione and Professor McGonagall were searching around to find who it was, the source of magic.

“Cast Silence.”

“Where?”

“Teacher’s Stand.”

“It will fall!”

“It won’t,” Cloud slowly blinked at her, silently asking her to trust him, and Aerith did. She didn’t know who was doing it, and she didn’t want to know, and Cloud seemed the same. They had their reasons, but now wasn’t the time to get into those reasons.

Silence was a spell that forcefully sent a person's personal magical field into chaos, leaving them unable to cast magic. But it was a single target spell. After coming here, they were able to change it to affect an area of effect spell using Maxima Spell.

Maxima was more of a modifier than a Magic. It increased its Area of Effect, and when used with Silence Magic, it increased its AOE from a Person to a whole Area. Though these stands were floating because of magic, using it on them would mean the magic would fail, and they would fall. Yet, she chose to trust him.

She took out her wand from the robes, pointing towards the teacher’s stands. Not everyone could interfere with the broomstick; only those with strong dark magic could.

Someone that strong had to be in the teacher’s stands, “Silence-Maxima.”

Her spell caused the whole stand to shake, but Harry’s broom, neighing like a horse, stopped and came under his control. But the stand was about to fall abruptly stopped and kept floating in the air.

Cracks appeared around the wood, which indicated a thumb and four fingers holding it, while veins started appearing on Cloud’s hand as if he was holding something weighty.

Telekinesis was not magic. It came under the psionic powers, and the ability source was different. Though, it had its limitations.

Cloud could only lift things that he could physically lift; even now, his right arm was throbbing, his veins pulsing about to burst apart.

Sweat started building on his arm and neck, and Aerith wished to cut short the duration of the spell, but it was like a double-edged sword. Once done, it remained for some time, depending on the magic power used.

She used the bare minimum, and yet the duration was thirty seconds. She worried and looked towards Cloud, only to observe that he had raised his left hand; his palm was under his right, like a claw holding something. There was another shake on the teacher’s stand, but it stayed still.

Once the thirty seconds passed, the magic on the stand reactivated.

Cloud finally felt a lightness in his arms and wanted to fall back on his seat. Silence was a grand spell but didn’t leave any traces. There weren’t any color or physical signs that gave it away, and telekinesis was invisible. Once he let go, the stand kept floating, but every one of the teachers was sharp enough to know that a force had left them.

Cloud breathed out, wiping his sweat, and Aerith hastily, stealthily helped him. Since Cloud was standing in front of her, no one found out that she did the magic, and when he used Telekinesis, she had placed her hands on top of his to make it look like they were worried.

Though, Professor McGonagall looked at them suspiciously, darting her eyes towards the Teacher’s stand. She was hoping to go there and understand the situation, but her eyes were drawn to Harry, who was holding the snitch in the palm of his hand.

Cloud looked towards the field and turned away to leave, “Let’s go.”

“Right,” Aerith pressed her lips, silently leaving with Cloud before anyone else noticed them, grabbing the palm of his hand, glancing back at the field for one last time.