But, I didn't think Rias would do that, knowing how much I cared about the girls in my life.
But I couldn't turn back now to go and check. Hermione had done exactly what we'd planned-drawing Rias away and giving me the perfect opening. I'd managed to slip unnoticed deeper into Sona's forest territory, quietly moving through the trees toward their flag.
To my surprise, when the flag finally came into view, it wasn't guarded by Sona or even one of Rias's peerage members. Instead, standing in the middle of the moonlit clearing was Luna Lovegood, flanked by three other regular human Ravenclaw students Sona had picked for her team.
I frowned. Where was Sona? I'd fully expected her to be guarding the flag herself, not leaving it with a bunch of students she barely knew. And Luna.
Something must have distracted her.
I guess that worked out well for me then.
Luna suddenly tilted her head toward my hiding spot. Her wide eyes stared directly into the darkness, meeting mine perfectly even though there was no way she should have seen me. "Hello there, Harry Sitri!" Luna called out cheerfully, her voice was soft, friendly, and as dreamily detached as ever.
The other three Ravenclaws around her jumped in shock, whirling around and pointing their wands frantically, casting beams of pale wandlight in all directions.
"Where is he, Luna?" one boy demanded, voice trembling slightly. "Did you actually see him?"
Luna hummed thoughtfully, tapping her finger gently against her chin. "Oh no, not at all," she answered. "But Harry is definitely here, hiding somewhere nearby. He's rather good at sneaking, you know. And he's watching us quite intently..."
Of course Luna would be the one to blow my cover. I was fairly sure she could straight up see the future. An incredible gift, and a dangerously valuable one. It would honestly be a good thing for her to join mine or Sona's peerage sooner rather than later for protection if nothing else.
I stepped out from behind the tree trunks and moved into the clearing, deciding there was no point in hiding any longer.
All four students tensed as I emerged, raising their wands in shaky grips. The same Ravenclaw boy who'd spoken earlier stepped forward bravely, though I noticed his wand tip shaking slightly as he spoke. "Sona Sitri trusted us to guard her flag, and we won't let her down!" he declared firmly. "Professor Flitwick promised us extra credit if our team wins!"
I sweatdropped. Of course that's how you motivate Ravenclaws.
I wondered how the rest of my team was doing so far? Hopefully they could distract Rias' peerage along with Sona and Tsubaki for a few more minutes.
— Daphne —
'WHY IS THIS SHORT GIRL SO SCARY!?' Daphne Greengrass thought frantically, her heart pounding wildly as she ran desperately through the moonlit darkness of the Forbidden Forest.
Tracy and Astoria dashed beside her, all three girls stumbling and scrambling to evade their relentless pursuer. Daphne wasn't accustomed to running or physical exertion-especially right after she'd eaten a sizable dinner in the Great Hall. The stitch forming sharply in her side only heightened her miserable mood.
Daphne glanced quickly over her shoulder, blonde hair whipping across her flushed face. Her eyes widened in horror.
Koneko Toujou-the tiny, deceptively adorable transfer student-charged after them.
For a girl so petite and delicate-looking, Koneko moved with impossible, unnatural speed. She bounded effortlessly forward, leaping over tree roots and shrubs as though weightless.
Daphne shivered, recalling how she'd watched, wide-eyed and terrified, as the seemingly frail girl had punched a fully grown tree cleanly in half with nothing but her small, slender fist moments ago.
What kind of crazy family magic was that!?
"Sweet fucking Morgana-how is she this strong!?" Daphne gasped breathlessly, her lungs burning fiercely with every frantic breath.
Tracy Davis laughed shakily beside her. Tracy was annoyingly athletic and fit, she'd always had far more stamina than Daphne. But even Tracy seemed uneasy now. "Bloody hell, Daphne! All the transfer students this year are absolute monsters. Where on earth does Hogwarts even find these freakishly strong and powerful transfer students?"
Daphne had been elated when Harry Sitri had asked her-and by extension Tracy to join his team for tonight's "Rating Game." And to make him more indebted to her, she even dragged her younger sister into it as well!
After all, Daphne desperately wanted to become closer to Harry. He was incredibly handsome, absurdly wealthy, and held influential connections stretching who knows how far across the world! Daphne needed those resources. Her family-the proud and ancient Greengrass line-had been suffering silently for decades beneath a powerful blood curse. Without help, without money and powerful connections, she and Astoria would both eventually succumb to its terrible, life-draining effects!
But right now, Daphne wasn't thinking about the Greengrass curse, or even her growing affection for Harry. No-she was far more concerned with not being pulverized into a fine powder by a tiny, deceptively adorable white-haired girl with inhuman strength!
Astoria Greengrass stumbled slightly beside Daphne, panting heavily. Daphne cast a worried glance toward her younger sister. Poor Astoria was only eighteen-just barely old enough to participate tonight-and the younger blonde had clearly not expected to be chased through the forest tonight!
Tracy turned to Astoria with pleading eyes. "Astoria, darling-listen! You and Koneko are both third years, aren't you? You even share most of your classes together. Maybe you could distract her or something-just for a moment-so Daphne and I can catch our breath?"
Astoria gasped indignantly, her face was also flushed and sweaty beneath strands of damp, tangled blonde hair. "Th-that doesn't make us friends, Tracy!" she whined breathlessly. "I've barely even spoken to Koneko before tonight, even though I'd really like to. Everyone in our year is completely terrified of her-and now we all know exactly why!"
A sudden, bone-shaking crunch interrupted their frantic conversation, followed by a loud, ear-splitting cracking sound as another enormous tree was torn violently from the earth.
All three girls whipped their heads around in horror-just in time to see an entire tree stump sailing straight toward their heads at alarming speed.
"Kyaaaa!" Astoria shrieked shrilly, ducking quickly. Daphne and Tracy also dove instinctively to the ground, feeling the rush of air as the heavy wooden projectile narrowly missed crushing them, crashing violently into a cluster of bushes beyond.
"Less talking, more fighting!" Koneko's soft, deceptively calm voice called casually from behind them. Daphne could've sworn she heard amusement lingering beneath the tiny devil's seemingly emotionless words.
Daphne's eyes widened incredulously as Koneko emerged from the shadows. "You-you're insane!" Daphne gasped breathlessly, her chest heaving as panic surged anew. "How can someone as cute as you be this absolutely terrifying!?" Daphne threw a frantic glance over her shoulder as she continued running, desperation clear in her voice. "Harry owes us a date for this ridiculous nonsense! A proper, expensive, romantic date-one that completely makes up for this absolute nightmare of an evening!"
— Ginny —
Ginny moved swiftly through the shadows of the Forbidden Forest, her wand gripped tightly in hand as her brown eyes scanned the darkness for any sign of movement. She loved a good competition-especially one that she intended to win-and tonight's Rating Game was the perfect opportunity to finally impress Harry and take things to the next level between them.
Her mind wandered briefly to Harry-his confident smirk, that magnetic charm of his, the effortless way he seemed to have girls lining up for his attention. Ginny had been crushing on and flirting with Harry Sitri for far too long now, and tonight she was determined to make sure he finally saw her as something more!
If she could score some solid victories here, then she was sure Harry would be happy to-
Ginny shook herself from her vivid daydreams and cast a quick, annoyed glance toward Jasmine McKinnon, who was walking cautiously alongside her with eyes wide and anxious behind her round glasses. Jasmine had a cute, heart-shaped face with a small button nose and delicate lips-the sort of innocent, sweet appearance that made guys weak in the knees. Her wild, messy brown hair framed her face, making her look even more endearing. Jasmine was exactly the type of delicate, adorable girl boys fell over themselves to protect and cherish-and Harry clearly felt at least some affection for her, which made Ginny clench her teeth irritably.
As if Jasmine herself wasn't enough of a problem, she also had those two slutty best friends, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. Ginny had noticed the trio making frequent eyes at Harry-always giggling together as if sharing some secret joke. It drove her crazy how blatantly interested they all seemed in him.
Ginny tightened her grip on her wand, determination and jealousy flaring hotly in her chest. There was absolutely no way she was going to let Jasmine or her two clingy friends get anywhere near Harry before she had him first.
Suddenly, Ginny spun around to face Jasmine, startling the girl slightly.
"Listen carefully, Jasmine," Ginny declared firmly, her voice filled with confidence and determination. "Tonight, I'm going to single-handedly take down Sona Sitri's entire team-and when I do, I'll be the one jumping into Harry's bed first, got it?"
Jasmine sputtered in shock and embarrassment at Ginny's bold declaration, her cheeks instantly flooding crimson as she stammered helplessly. "W-what!?" she squeaked, fumbling awkwardly to adjust her glasses. "Ginny-what are you even talking about!?"
Ginny smirked wickedly, taking satisfaction from Jasmine's cute, flustered reaction. She leaned in slightly closer, her voice dropping to a more intimate, suggestive tone. "Oh, please," Ginny teased mockingly, arching an eyebrow at the blushing brunette. "Don't act so innocent, four-eyes. I've seen the way you look at him, the way you and your friends drool whenever he's around."
Jasmine's blush deepened even further, the tips of her ears turning pink as she shifted nervously on her feet. "Ginny, I-I don't-"
Ginny cut her off sharply, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Save your denials, Jasmine," she purred playfully. "It's clear as day you want him too. But I'm not about to lose this competition-not on the field, and certainly not in the bedroom." Ginny tilted her chin upward, defiant and proud. "I've already decided. I'm getting my cherry popped this year, and Harry Sitri will be the one doing it with me first since I met him before you three did! And there's no way I'm letting you or those two sluts Lavender and Parvati take that from me."
Jasmine bit her lower lip nervously, her eyes wide and flustered as she tried and failed to formulate a response. Ginny smiled smugly, thoroughly enjoying how easily she'd thrown the other girl off balance. Jasmine might be sweet, shy, and adorable-but Ginny wasn't about to let that stop her from getting exactly what she wanted.
"Awawawah! That's so bold!"
Ginny whipped around sharply at the unexpected, high-pitched squeal. Beside her, Jasmine let out a startled gasp, her round glasses slipping slightly down her nose as both witches raised their wands quickly, bathing their surroundings in bright magical torchlight.
At first Ginny saw nothing but trees and shifting shadows, but then a pair of wide, gleaming ruby-red eyes emerged from the darkness, blinking curiously at them from behind a cluster of leaves.
Stepping carefully into their wandlight was Gasper Vladi, the adorable transfer student who'd joined Hogwarts this year alongside Rias Gremory's other stunningly beautiful friends.
Ginny narrowed her eyes slightly, studying the boy standing shyly before them.
Gasper was dressed in a full set of girls' Hogwarts robes-complete with a short, pleated black skirt that ended several inches above his delicate knees, revealing slender legs covered in sheer black stockings..
Despite Gasper being a boy-somehow?-his soft, round face framed by delicate locks of silky platinum-blond hair gave him an unquestionably feminine, almost doll-like beauty. Big crimson eyes blinked innocently from beneath thick, delicate lashes, and his pretty mouth was pursed into an adorably nervous pout.
Ginny fought the urge to roll her eyes. Half the boys in her year had practically fallen over themselves trying to ask Gasper out when he'd first arrived earlier this week-completely smitten by his sweet, feminine charm.
The hilariously awkward moment when they discovered he was actually a boy was one of Ginny's fondest memories of the term so far.
But shockingly, even after the truth had spread, there were still numerous boys openly pursuing him! Well, not actually that shocking since same sex relationships aren't really frowned on in the magical world, unlike the muggle world.
Jasmine quickly recovered from her surprise, stepping forward bravely and pointing her wand firmly toward Gasper. "Sorry, Gasper," Jasmine declared, her voice steady despite the slight tremble betraying her nerves. "Harry is counting on us tonight. We have to win!"
Ginny's wand aimed directly at the pretty boy standing before them. "That's right!" she proclaimed with fierce confidence. "You're going down, Gasper!"
Gasper, however, seemed utterly unafraid despite the two powerful witches facing him down. Instead, the slender boy merely tilted his head apologetically, his ruby eyes widening sweetly as he clasped his delicate hands together in front of his chest. "I-I'm really sorry about this, Ginny... Jasmine..." he whispered softly, his sweet voice filled with genuine remorse.
Before Ginny could even process the sincerity in Gasper's apology, his wide ruby-red eyes glowed softly, shimmering with an unnatural crimson light.
She opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly found she could no longer move.
— Blaise —
"I'm pretty sure we were supposed to be fighting or something," Blaise said to Kiba. The two of them were just walking through the woods holding hands. "My mother will probably be disappointed, wanting me to get closer to the famous "Boy-Who-Lived," Blaise added.
"Do you want to fight me?" kiba asked, giving Blaise a smirk.
"No, I'm good," Blaise said to his maybe boyfried...?
— Harry —
Luna chose not to fight, though honestly, I wondered if that sweet, strange girl even knew how to fight at all? She'd simply stood there with a gentle, dreamy smile as I effortlessly incapacitated her three Ravenclaw teammates, one after another, with well-placed stunning spells.
