[From the diary of Hermione J Granger]
<25 April 1996>
Dear diary,
rumors have popped up that Natalie Rosier somehow became Talion's girlfriend. I didn't have the courage to ask him, but Isobel did. But Talion didn't give her a straight answer.
Ugh, I don't even know why I care. Talion made it pretty clear he didn't want to be more than friends.
Stupid crush!
—
<02 June 1996>
Dear diary,
exams are swiftly approaching. I should be freaking out like usual, but an odd sense of calm has washed over me. Talion, that infuriating boy, just came back from the ministry. As a second year, he was granted the opportunity to get special admission to take his herbology O.W.L. exam early. Just like I suspected, he aced the practical part and the written exam. Professor Sprout loudly announced that the ministry gave him a particularly nasty magical plant to prune–something fit for N.E.W.T. level students–and he still managed to do so perfectly.
His success in the face of unfair odds is awfully reassuring.
I know I'll do better than him in anything related to theory, and I know I can cast all the spells we learned this year just fine. Even one of my weakest subjects from last year, Defense Against the Dark Arts, has seen tremendous improvements thanks to Professor Lupin. With Talion earning his O.W.L.s in herbology and from comparing our progress all year, I am finally at ease.
I'll crush the exams and become the best student this year for sure!
—
<05 June 1996>
Dear diary,
I shouldn't be surprised, or sad. But I saw Natalie in Talion's lap today… she looked really happy.
—
<13 July 1996>
Dear diary,
It has been a rough few weeks. But I'm home now and achieved first place among all second year students!
Talion and Harry secured the Quidditch cup and with those extra house points, we barely clutched a second House Cup in a row. Talion broke yet another school record, this one as a keeper. I looked it up, the record for least goals scored against had belonged to a Hufflepuff witch despite what everybody else thought. In 1659, Agatha Widehowl finished a Quidditch season with two losses and one win but only seven goals against her. Talion finished with three wins and three goals scored against him. His saves all year were mind-boggling! His raw athleticism is a magic all on its own. He is a ridiculous daredevil and I'm glad he hasn't hurt himself with his reckless stunts. I was close to a heart-attack all game every game.
Professor Flitwick was very excited about both wins, we all were, too. I'm sure our head of house will use this opportunity to make Penelope Head Girl next year, I'm rooting for her! She has certainly earned his honor!
Now, I'm packing my things. This year, I swore I'm watching Talion's duel tournament! Mum and dad bought the plane tickets and I've already read up on the magical society over there. Hopefully Talion and the professor will take some time out of their busy schedule to explore the magical places over there with me!
—
<19 July 1996>
Dear diary,
Natalie and Isodora came to Egypt, too. I saw Talion with them and lost all courage to call out to them when I saw the two of them holding hands.
—
<27 July 1996>
Dear diary,
Talion's wins were overwhelming. He looked a little bored, and honestly I don't blame him. The only one who even remotely managed to get any sort of effort out of him was Ekatarina from Durmstrang. The one who was also the other finalist last year.
I didn't like the look she gave him when he manhandled her despite her clearly superior skill. But wow, Isobel looked at her with even more loathing. I think I overheard her plead with her father for a dueling tutor.
Professor Flitwick mentioned that Ekaterina used to have a similar streak going for her before Talion came along. And that maybe they can plead with the organizers that Talion can move up the age bracket next year and compete with the 18-21 year olds.
I'd say he would still win effortlessly.
—
<01 August 1996>
Dear diary,
I know we had a lot to make up for because we neglected him last year, but I think we did alright. Isobel, Luna, Lara, and I met Talion in Leeds for pizza of all things. It might have been to spite Harry. Pizza is his favorite food, after all. Honestly, I'm still sad that there's such a rift between what I can only assume would have been best of friends, maybe for life.
Now Harry and Talion rarely talk. I think. They still share a room, so there is bound to be some talking, right?
Anyway, Talion mentioned we were eating there because the chef had really hairy arms. He's such a weirdo sometimes… but the pizza was actually really, really good.
I'm glad he liked my present. I tried to emulate his mum's notes and gave him a copy of my notes this year to make up for what he lost in the last school year. I'm still blushing about giving him something handmade. His last gifts for me were all so thoughtful, I wanted to return the gesture.
Sadly, when we wanted to visit his home, he politely declined. Said it wasn't yet worthy of showing off. That he would show us next year, maybe.
His hesitant tone made me feel like something was off.
I hope I'm just overthinking.
—
<04 August 1996>
Dear diary,
I saw Natalie and Isodora while shopping for school supplies. Natalie looked really, really sad. Maybe those two broke up?
—
<02 September 1996>
Dear diary,
that prat!! That insufferable, bloody… prat! I cannot believe Talion would switch schools! He didn't even say anything! I wanted to take Arithmancy and Runes with him!
Ugh, I can't believe he would do this to us!
If he ever comes back, I'm giving him a piece of my mind!
—
<04 September 1996>
Dear diary,
Nyx, Talion's beautiful owl, tapped my window this morning.
She didn't even bring a letter from him. She just sassily flew in and looked at me like I owed her treats. Like the last time I watched her when he was in Italy between the first and second year.
Thankfully I still had some in preparation for when I would meet her randomly.
I guess Talion didn't take her with him? I'm just watching his owl for him this year?
Can't he ask me? Tell me that he planned to be away? For a whole school year!?
—
<08 September 1996>
Dear diary,
Professor Babbling and Professor Flitwick looked mad all week. Our Runes professor gave us extra homework for both lessons. I asked Lara, she said they had much less to prepare for the first lessons…
But we finally learned why Talion left the country. Well, it turned out our head of house knew all along. Still, Talion could have just told us!
He's so annoying!
And, so far, Professor Snape has been the absolute worst DADA professor we ever had. It's like he is mad at every student and forgot that he chose to teach this class of his own free will!
I wish Professor Lupin had remained at Hogwarts...
—
<21 September 1996>
Dear diary,
two days since my birthday. Mum and dad were able to make it to Hogsmeade and we spent a nice long day wandering around, eating cakes at Madam Puddifoots. Dad wouldn't stop nagging about all those overly sweet treats. But one of the waitresses explained to him that they used a special kind of sugar that would never lead to cavities.
We spent two hours in a bookstore after that to find books about magical dental hygiene… though, I am rather glad that my dentist parents would find something so relatable, something that we could talk about now that I am magical. It's a rather fascinating topic, honestly. Mum and dad had been beside themselves when they saw me without my buck teeth for the first time. They hadn't believed that Madam Pomfrey fixed that with a simple wave of her wand. But a magical ingredient that tasted like sugar and was sugar, somehow, but had antibacterial properties? That they could understand?
And I swear I'm not smiling… but Talion thought about me! His elf, the grim-looking, scarred little thing, found me in Hogsmeade. Told me I should have allowed 'Nyx, the lazy ox' to fly out. I would have received my present two days early, on my birthday. That his master had prepared a gift for me with very specific instructions.
I was half a mind to just toss it, but I couldn't do that. I knew it was a book. I can't just throw out a book.
But when I unwrapped it with an eager and nosy Mandy looking over my shoulder in our dorm… It was a muggle English-Italian dictionary. The last few books he gave me were all rare and niche magical books that were hard to come by–what does he mean with that???
Does he want me to follow him to Italy? Is this his way of confessing????
But Professor Flitwick said that he would come back next year… Do I go to Stati Magia for the second half of the school year???
Couldn't that prat have left a note to explain this gift!?
—
<23 September 1996>
Dear diary,
Lara spoke sense. Obviously a dictionary was not his way of confessing. We still don't know what Talion meant with the gift, but I'm starting to read it.
Maybe he will send me letters in Italian and wants me to be able to understand them?
—
<13 February 1997>
Dear diary,
Luna turned 16 today, we had a small gathering for her. I swear I'm not jealous, but Patrick, Talion's elf, entered Hogwarts for her to deliver the present. I hadn't even locked up Nyx this time around.
Anyway, I'm not jealous.
But Luna received an ornate crescent dagger with a gem-crusted hilt in her eye color. It was even enchanted by Talion, according to the note.
I am not jealous.
I. am. not. jealous.
Okay, I'm a little jealous. That dagger looked like it was made with great care and only the most expensive materials…
—
<14 February 1997>
Dear diary,
I'm officially jealous. It's Lara's birthday today. Patrick came into our common room again. I got a dictionary last year. A dictionary!
Lara? Lara got a magical tome from the 3rd century that Talion stole on a raid that had been lost to time because 'Templars kept it from our kind'!? He goes on a raid in Italy!? Templars!? How? Where? What for? Why???
I love Lara like a sister and she promised we would study this thing together. But I'm still so green with envy!
—
<28 February 1997>
Dear diary,
I take it all back. Talion is amazing. There's such a thing like Olde English, obviously. But even the Italian language developed significantly over the centuries. Just knowing Latin and Italian would have helped Lara and me to grasp most of the magical tome she got from him, but Talion's dictionary included a full extra chapter on the evolution of Latin to Italian in the back. English scholars called that proto-Italian 'Vulgar Latin'. Talion prepared me for Lara's gift!
We also finally learned that he had enchanted the dictionary. Tipping your wand on the third page of that 'Vulgar Latin' chapter unfurled a giant map in his hand writing. It wasn't topological, but a map for word clusters and word evolutions. In Talion's handwriting.
Talion is amazing!
And that wasn't even the most amazing part, honestly. That tome Lara got, it was written by a spell-crafter who could track his lineage back to court officials from the time of Julius Ceasar! According to the foreword, Abiesar, the author, was the first scholar to convert all the teachings of his masters and masters' masters into one book from scattered scrolls. Abiesar had been favored by half a dozen magical scholars who had all managed to rescue bits and pieces of the legendary library of Alexandria. Four hundred years after that tragedy, he wanted to preserve their wisdom for eternity.
Some of Abiesar's masters were founders of Stati Magia! Abesiar later became Stati Magia's longest living librarian, I found in a history book in Hogwarts. He lived for two hundred thirty years. Most of them spent turning scrolls into books. What a legend!
And Abiesar developed the preservation enchantment. A spell that is still used for books today!
Lara and I, we were beside ourselves once we deciphered those passages and finally understood what we held in our hands.
Talion is crazy for gifting us something like this.
—
<19 April 1997>
Dear diary,
Professor Flitwick had been seen grinning from ear to ear for weeks after Lara and I invited him to study Abiesar's book with us.
That all stopped today. Our Quidditch team, with Talion missing, lost its second match today.
No more Quidditch cup for us, the chances had been slim from the start unless Harry became the best seeker in the school. Well, he did that, I guess, but it wasn't enough.
—
<02 June 1997>
Dear diary,
I got a package in the mail today. It was really thick, Nyx struggled to carry it to the table. It seemed Patrick didn't bother with the feather-light charm. Maybe the two of them have a feud going on?
Or they both miss their master and started lashing out at each other?
I know I never stopped missing Talion…
Anyway, inside the package was a copy of Talion's notes for the year. All in Italian, the dictionary was of great help again.
Talion was allowed to finish his exams early to travel to Brazil for the upcoming dueling tournament, where I'm sure he will obtain his third overwhelming win in a row. Professor Flitwick said that one of Talion's patrons, the older brother of Italian Minister of Magic Veneziano and professor for herbology at Stati Magia, had arranged for him to spent a few weeks at Castelobruxo.
… I wish I could follow him. Not even to be with him, but just to roam around those other schools. When we see him next time, he must have so many amazing stories to tell.
— — — — —
[Excerpt from [[Memoirs of a Scholar, Fencer, Teacher, Friend]] by Filius Flitwick, written August 2011]
I suppose it is weird to dedicate a chapter to a successor this early in my autobiography. There were many things that happened between my years at Hogwarts and my eventual meeting with him. But seeing his obsession with the number three, I wager that it is only fair, only right.
After all, no student would ever or will ever come close to my prized apprentice, pupil… friend.
[...]
Talion Macnair had no easy life growing up. We didn't always see eye to eye either. Early in life, once he knew he had my undying support and loyalty, Talion had been a stubborn and downright infuriating troublemaker. He knew just how much he could push me before I blew off my top and still sometimes went beyond it.
And I could still never be as proud of a student as I was and am of him.
I am forever grateful that the Sorting Hat put him in my house, because he clearly would have fit right in with them all. Among his fellow students, no soul was braver and readier to jump into fire for his friends. No child would ever have so much empathy for the innocent, such bright desire to help those less fortunate than him. No student-aged duelist would ever crush an opponent with so much cunning and calculation.
And none would yearn for wisdom as brightly as him, if it meant he understood his world and his interests just a little better.
Sure, many came close and I am more than biased, but Talion Macnair embodied everything Hogwarts asks of their students. And sure, I was beside myself with anger when he chose to attend a different school in his third year without discussing it with me first.
But his headstrong nature was what led to my second proudest moment that I have of him. After this third school year he spent in Italy, Talion was allowed to attend the 18 to 21 age bracket as a 16, almost 17 year old.
And won without a focus.
Yes, I didn't teach him that, that win was not my achievement as his teacher, not truly.
If you haven't yet watched a magical recording or read any of the reports, I highly suggest you do. But I will recapture the magic of his final fight against Fleur Delacour regardless.
The twenty year old French witch had been a clear favorite before Talion's advancement to the second age bracket was announced. She had narrowly clenched out a tournament win in her bracket the year before. But that was without Talion's participation.
In the final fight of the bracket of this year's tournament, Talion no longer had the element of surprise. Sure, foci such as talismans, rings, and staves were not unheard of. Still, the vast majority use wands.
Talion?
He only painted runes on his arms and torso and activated spells with sheer will.
It was magnificent!
Talion's frankly inhuman athleticism had allowed him to dodge every single spell in the tournament, even wide-area transfiguration from one of the German contenders that bordered on mastery of the magic branch. That year, in Porto Alegre, Talion took that agility and battle experience of his to the next level.
Then, combining Old Norse runes, Roman alchemy, and Japanese hand signs, Talion put on a show none of us would ever forget. I certainly won't.
His arms and torso were littered in temporary runic tattoos, painted with alchemic ingredients in preparation of something I still don't fully understand. Forming a seal with his hands, sometimes both, sometimes just one, he would instantly activate one of the spells according to the corresponding runes.
They were instant, sure. But they were also less powerful. Less varied.
Predictable. Mind-numbingly predictable to the level that he could pull off the most outlandish combinations that would leave his opponents stare blankly at a wall for an hour after their losses.
Against Fleur, none of those previous combinations worked anymore. She had seen them all before. Her father had studied Talion's matches, we all did.
We all treated it as a lesson for us old-timers of how a young man can innovate a millenia old sport.
Talion's answer to Fleur's preparation? He didn't cast a single spell against Fleur for two minutes. His side of the dueling platform was destroyed, aflame, a hazard to all living things. And he just brightly laughed as her exhaustion and frustration grew.
Fleur was a witch of tremendous focus and self-confidence. A confidence that was earned, to be certain. Had I not met a once-in-a-lifetime genius like Talion, I could not have taught a better duelist.
But that laugh two minutes into her onslaught finally caused her to slip up. A rune cluster on Talion's neck lit up when she seemingly missed a one-handed seal of his. A loose rock floated under foot as she took a step. It went wide the moment she put weight onto it. A glue charm of some kind was layered on top of it.
Fleur was almost made to do the splits in front of everyone. Her previous indignation cost her a precious moment of clarity. An error she would not recover from.
A conjured feather permanently stuck in front of her face, robbing her of her vision while she stopped Talion from controlling the floor. As she cleared that feather up, still with one knee toward the ground, Fleur managed to shield herself from a stunning hex. That made her miss Talion's brilliant use of the summoning charm.
That stone still glued to her sole?
The one Talion no longer controlled because Fleur's counter-charm got rid of Talion's Leviosa-family control?
It now dragged the witch toward him, earning the boy a coquettish yelp from the blonde. But where others would have lost their mind to her allure, Talion merely grinned like he already won.
With a last magical tug at her robes–another absurd spell that should not have worked if she had her full concentration still on the fight–Fleur landed in Talion's half of the dueling platform.
Exhausted, my boy fell onto his posterior, Fleur right in front of him, defeated because she entered his half of the platform. He raised both hands into the air with a wide grin and fell back, his arms still stretched above his head. Mind you, dear reader, the floor was still destroyed from his opponent's earlier onslaught.
And so, Talion's opponent–for the first time he attended a dueling tournament–drew blood. The second time it happened in an official duel, of course, had been Talion's first draw five years later in the adult bracket, but last I met Fleur, the witch still rightfully claimed to have been his first.
Oh the blessings of youth~.
— — — — —
[A conversation between Fabio Veneziano, Herbology Professor at Stati Magia, and his brother Niccolo Veneziano, Italian Minister of Magic. Recorded and translated 01 August 1997]
"Has the red sparrow worked?" Niccolo asked his older brother with an expectant smile as he leaned back in his old but comfortable leather chair.
Fabio sighed and shook his head. "No brother. I didn't need to encourage any of the young ladies at school. They saw him for what he was; an influential, charming, and brilliant wizard. Many tried to woo him before I could plot it. None came close."
Niccolo wistfully turned around to look out of the window.
"The boys?" He asked after a long drawn-out moment of silence.
"I assure you, Talion does not play for the same team. I got the impression that he had someone waiting for him on the isles," Fabio answered with a deliberate chuckle.
"Then we can do nothing to keep him in Italy?"
"We must be content with the fact that he came at all," Fabio answered with a thin-lipped smile. "I mean, I barely taught him anything. If I hadn't helped his loyalists to get wands from the Taglieri family at the start of his school year through our family's connections, I would have had no opportunity to gain his favor."
"You're still a respected teacher and a master of your field," Niccolo protested softly.
Fabio nodded, "He did respect me. But clearly with his O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. certification in herbology achieved, he merely had a singular focus for poisonous plants. For many reasons, we don't grow them in a wide variety at Stati Magia. We had our talks, sure, but he mostly spent time with Professor Cagnazzo to learn enchanting."
"Maria is still single and young enough. Did she not catch his eye?"
Fabio laughed loudly, wiping away an imaginary tear away shortly after.
"Maria Cagnazzo is too proud for a boy fifteen years her senior. You of all people should know," the older brother taunted with a gloating smirk.
"Pah, I'm young and highly regarded. I will find a wife soon enough. Maria's refusal was merely the beginning."
"Of what? Your life as a life-long bachelor?"
Niccolo drew his wand and silent-cast a mustache-growing hex on his brother. Fabio didn't even try to dodge, knowing that there would be no permanent harm. And knowing, of course, that simply looking at his brother with a disdainful smile would rob Niccolo of any satisfaction from the retaliatory 'prank spell'.
"Argh! Infuriating! You even look nice with a handle-bar mustache!"
Fabio twirled it tenderly, explaining, "Well, in any case, not even beautiful Maria Cagnazzo managed to keep Talion in our beautiful country. Not that she tried."
Niccolo, who had long stashed away his wand again, tapped the desk in front of him.
His voice grew quieter, as if afraid the privacy charms would fail, and asked, "Any word from the Templars on your end?"
Fabio shook his head, prompting his brother to lean forward with a heavy expression.
"A year ago, they lost a fortification and an artifact of untold value. They haven't told us what even now... Right around Christmas, two highly ranked members of their muggle front were poisoned through magical means and their hidden libraries ransacked…" Niccolo sighed into steepled hands. "I had Minerva Rossi divine a name… Talion. Just what grudge does that boy have with them?"
Fabio clenched his jaw, asking, "Have you shared the name with them?"
"Of course not!" Niccolo immediately blurted out. "They don't know about Madame Rossi!"
Fabio shook his head with a frown, reminding, "They helped you get the seat. Keeping this from them… I'm not sure your career will survive it if they find out. If you will survive it. And Niccolo, they will find out."
"They haven't learned of Talion's deeds in a year, why would they get any wiser now?" Niccolo asked with a scoff. "Talion isn't even in Italy anymore."
"They have global reach, you know that."
The minister studied his older brother for a while before grinning, "Man, am I glad mother made us swear loyalty oaths when we were kids."
"What? Afraid I'd sell you out?"
Niccolo shook his head. "Never."
"Good," Fabio said with a pleased nod. "Those Templars give me the creeps anyway. How do they have so many squibs in their employ? Italy's magical families rarely exile their magically inept. So many of their elites know about the magical world despite the Statute of Secrecy."
"Careful breeding," Niccolo explained with no small amount of distaste in his voice. As progressive as he was, he still earned his position of power through their favor. One of the first things he had to do for them was cover up the kidnapping of squib children. A case that had been open in Italy since the First World Muggle War.
Templars brainwashed them, carefully married those squibs off and then magically stunted their children on purpose. Not all of them, but enough that their ranks were filled with squibs that would allow them to circumvent enough of the secrecy laws that the ICW was none the wiser.
— — — — —
[Assorted Daily Prophet articles throughout 1996]
Yesterday, we reported the conclusion of thirty-two cases that had made the news these past few months after Head Auror Amelia Bones arrested droves of upstanding citizens.
But were they really so upstanding?
With confirmed leaks, we at the Daily Prophet have reported the truly heinous crimes these men and women have committed – even against fellow magicals! It came as no surprise to this office then, that dozens of outraged readers have contacted us to tell us about their misgivings. We can only assume how much negativity has reached the Minister's office.
[...]
—
I am writing to you, dear readers, a day late to make sure there can be no mistake. This is not a prank. But we have been taken for fools for quite some time.
After almost two years of intense scrutiny, investigation and diligence, I was able to uncover a truth so big, so incomprehensible, so scathing… I had to put it in a book.
Available now at Flourish&Blotts for just one galleon and seven sickles, you can find what I consider to be my life's work: The Darkness of the Lord of Light.
I will be available for an exclusive book signing for my loyal readers at Flourish&Blotts on the fifth, be sure to get your signed copy then!
Remember those dreadful pictures after the Quidditch Massacre? 'They Are Lying to You,' was written on them. I desperately wanted to uncover who 'they' were and it turns out, without question, that our 'Esteemed Leader of Light' is one of them!
Buy my book to learn more about the secret life and lies of Albus Dumbledore!
—
After Minister Cornelius Fudge resigned in disgrace and fled the country, Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt took over the minister's duty under the orders of Chief Warlock Dumbledore. Many have had their reservations about the nomination and the esteemed Headmaster of Hogwarts has taken an enormous hit to his influence recently.
Despite those unsavory rumors and truths coming to light, we must still elect a new minister to get to a place of normalcy. Five highly regarded wizards and witches have been nominated by the Wizengamot and will be available on the ballot.
These are their names, history, and policies:
Starting with temporary minister Kingsley Shacklebolt, [...].
—
It should not surprise you, dear readers, that I am skeptical of a man appointed by disgraced Headmaster Dumbledore.
Though, this witch must admit that it was delightful to see Albus Dumbledore lose one of his many titles. The Wizengamot has introduced a vote of no confidence after Minister Shacklebolt was sworn in, ousting secret Dark Lord Dumbledore from his position as Chief Warlock. A new master of ceremony will be voted on by the Wizengamot during its next session, though we suspect the title will fall to Regent Longbottom.
With her grandson Neville soon being able to relieve her of her duties as regent. Augusta Longbottom had long remained second in command of the Light faction, her popularity among the ranks of Light and Grey remains high despite the revelations about Albus Dumbledore.
The dark faction is still recuperating and is in no position to gain enough votes. The grey faction is split after the public falling out of Lord Gamp and Lady Bones. You must remember my last article a week ago where Lord Gamp openly called her a weak-willed hypocrite during the Wizengamot session before the election.
Sadly, the young lord was still unavailable for a comment, we can only speculate what he meant by that.
In tomorrow's edition, I will dive deeper into what it would mean for Augusta Longbottom to become Chief Witch.
—
If you followed the recent two seasons of Hogwarts Quidditch, you already know that there is a highly unusual new player. Talion Macnair or Lord Gamp, whatever you must call him, has shown again and again that he is not to be underestimated.
The 'bicycle kick', now coined Macnair Aerial, had been used to varying degrees of success even at last year's World Cup. For a Hogwarts first year to have a Quidditch move named after him is no small honor and shows just what special kind of player he is.
I, myself, had been lucky enough to be his captain in his first year. Call me biased, I stand by my former teammate and my high opinion of him.
It seems, however, not every remaining Ravenclaw Quidditch team member would share in my enthusiasm. Talion Macnair, out of laziness or ambition to break more records–possibly both–inherited my spot as the team's keeper.
You might remember that Ravenclaw broke several long-standing records last year. Some could argue that most of them were earned through Talion's efforts specifically. I certainly wouldn't argue against it.
As keeper, Talion has now broken two more records. Fastest snitch catch by a keeper and least goals scored against all season.
Just for the record, the first record had been fifteen hours, twelve minutes and two seconds and was held by Jeb Lestrange, a Slytherin keeper who fell off his broom due to exhaustion in 1931 and landed on the snitch that had a failed enchantment that caused it to fall to the pitch and dull its color.
The second record was now beaten and will seemingly remain Talion's for the future ahead: Only three goals were scored against Talion.
A truly phenomenal record.
Sadly, the team-spirit has never been lower. Only the two Ravenclaw beaters are still on speaking terms with their record-breaking teammate. Tensions arose quickly after the match despite having won the Quidditch cup. It seems next year will be a less interesting season without Macnair in it.
—
We've all read the stories about Lord Gamp. Holder of multiple records at Hogwarts Quidditch. Youngest wizard to achieve O.W.Ls in herbology with the grade Outstanding with Distinction. A young lord who keeps gaining influence in the Wizengamot despite his outspoken and brash nature.
And who could forget last year when he became Magical Britain's youngest champion at an international dueling tournament in overwhelming fashion? Certainly no fan of the sport!
This year was no different. Talion Macnair was still the youngest attendee and he still smashed through his opposition with clean, methodical focus. Only tournament favorite Ekatarina Vaniye from last year, who once more met Talion in the finals, was able to put up a meaningful fight. And still, Talion dispatched her without breaking a sweat in a clean two-minute duel that had the excitement and skill of a duel from the 'adult' bracket.
First, Ekatarina opened with [...]
—
Champion Duelist and pride of the isles, Lord Gamp, has shocked the faculty and students of Hogwarts. Unrest broke out on the platform when the young lord seemingly missed the Hogwarts Express this year. It only grew, when he did not attend the opening feast.
Everyone assumed the worst. He does have many enemies, after all!
Rest your worries, dear readers, because I have spared no effort to learn of Talion Macnair's fate! And it turned out to be much more reassuring but also disheartening at the same time.
With tensions between Lord Gamp and the Grey Faction, as well as the Minister Shacklebolt and Headmaster Dumbledore riding high, the young lord chose to spend the year at a different wizarding school!
While he attends the mysterious and storied school Stati Magia in Italy, we in turn must ask ourselves: Has Dumbledore lost his touch? Does he still deserve to remain headmaster at Hogwarts? Why was nobody able to stop Lord Gamp from such a drastic measure?
[...]
—
Though he is not on the isles for his education this school year, Lord Gamp put forth his name to sponsor the ascension of a new potion mistress. Bernice Derrick, who was reported missing by her family over a year ago, was able to earn her Potion Mistress accreditation at the ministry in a quiet examination that would not have drawn any attention if Miss Derrick hadn't used Lord Gamp's name to gain the opportunity.