Hogwarts' John Wick

Peter Pettigrew disappeared without a trace after leaving Azkaban. Unlike Sirius, this time Peter Pettigrew just disappeared from the face of the earth.

With the Ministry of Magic in chaos and leaderless, Pettigrew seized the perfect opportunity to slip away.

Piers was deeply worried that this incident might jeopardize his position as Head of the Auror Office.

"Don't worry, this won't affect you."

Hearing the comforting words of Johnny Silverhand, Piers finally relaxed.

In truth, this situation wasn't directly related to him anymore. The matter had already been handed over to Azkaban. The Aurors had fulfilled their duty; if anyone was to be blamed, it would fall on the Dementors overseeing the prison.

Recent events had already shaken public confidence in the Dementors—especially the attack on students earlier.

Now, with Peter Pettigrew's escape, doubts over the Dementors' ability to guard Azkaban reached an all-time high.

Replacing them, however, would have to wait until a new Minister of Magic was elected.

In the meantime, the Ministry was doing everything it could to shift the blame onto the Dementors.

Rita Skeeter, whose recent hard-hitting articles had garnered significant attention, had just secured herself a promotion to editor-in-chief at The Daily Prophet.

With greater influence and a larger platform, Rita's ability to steer public opinion was now unparalleled.

At John's subtle encouragement and under the Ministry's tacit approval, Rita launched a scathing exposé.

Her article, "Are Uncontrollable Dementors Still Fit for Duty?" pinned the entire fiasco of Peter Pettigrew's escape on the negligence of the Dementors.

The article ignited a storm of public outrage.

The wizarding community engaged in fervent debate, with angry letters pouring into the Ministry, demanding the immediate dismissal of the Dementors.

The Ministry of Magic received all the letters of complaint, but how to address them would ultimately fall to the new Minister once appointed.

This wait-and-see attitude further exacerbated public dissatisfaction over the Dementor issue.

If not for the news of the upcoming Quidditch World Cup diverting attention, there might have been a mass movement demanding the immediate dismissal of the Dementors.

By leaking the news, Bartemius Crouch managed to reestablish his presence on the political stage. He now had to coordinate with magical ministers from other countries about the World Cup arrangements.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Magic representatives were particularly insistent on securing better seats, forcing Crouch to send them packing after much negotiation.

Oddly enough, he felt somewhat grateful for his current position. While not at the core of power, it placed him in the perfect spotlight for the moment.

By comparison, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement wasn't faring nearly as well.

No one seemed to care about anything Amelia Bones was doing these days.

Leveraging the buzz around the Quidditch World Cup, Crouch quickly returned to public attention.

...

Heinrich walked into the Johnny Silverhand Specialty Store, his expression so grim that John thought twice about making a lighthearted remark. He had considered asking if Heinrich had enjoyed his time at Ilvermorny, but the sight of that gloomy face stopped him.

"How's it going with Kim?" John finally asked, breaking the silence.

Heinrich visibly tensed at the mention of the name, taking a deep breath as if trying to calm himself.

Now John was curious—he had never seen even the twins irritate Heinrich to this extent.

"I hate that guy," Heinrich muttered through clenched teeth.

Kim Ledisley was like Heinrich's complete opposite, a personality diametrically contrary to his own.

If Heinrich was darkness and restraint, Jin was a blazing sun, radiating light at all times. For someone like Heinrich, who abhorred brightness, Kim's presence was nothing short of blinding and unbearable.

Worse still, Kim had an uncanny knack for showing up wherever Heinrich happened to be.

No matter how far Heinrich thought he had escaped, Kim would always appear in the next moment, cheerful and persistent.

Time spent with Jin was, without a doubt, Heinrich's most irritable.

"Oh?..."

John hadn't anticipated such extreme incompatibility between the two. Casually glancing at the letter Kim had sent him earlier, he noted with amusement how Kim described his time with Heinrich as "fun," even calling them "good friends."

"Did you duel him?" John asked, knowing Heinrich's disdain for weakness. He suspected a fight might have been the cause of all this frustration.

And he was right. Heinrich and Kim had indeed fought.

Just as expected, the two were polar opposites in every sense.

Heinrich specialized in dark curses and all manner of dark magic, while Kim Ledisley was a top student in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Heinrich's forte was fire spells, but Jin's best spells were extinguishing charms.

This inherent clash made Heinrich feel stifled and frustrated, as if constantly countered at every turn.

It only drove Heinrich to train harder, determined to improve.

Watching him, John sighed and offered, "Alright, but I've got Quidditch World Cup tickets. Want to come along?"

John extended an invitation to Heinrich, but Heinrich, with a barely concealed look of distaste, replied, "...That guy already gave me a ticket."

Alright then, it seemed the extra ticket John had might be harder to give away than expected.

He started thinking about the people he knew.

Fleur would be going to the World Cup with the Beauxbatons delegation.

Hermione and Harry had already arranged to attend with the Weasleys.

Luna was going with her father.

Neville would be staying with his parents at the hospital.

Cedric would be attending with his father.

As for Draco Malfoy, the moment he got his ticket, he had broadcasted it to everyone he knew.

Going down the list, John eventually thought of Daphne.

Taking out his badge, John tapped it lightly, and eight names floated to the surface.

Selecting Daphne's name, he sent her a message.

It wasn't long before Daphne replied, though her writing seemed a bit rushed:

"This is wonderful, John! I've been wanting to go. Thank you for the invitation."

"See you at the Quidditch World Cup, then."

...

"Haah~ Can't believe he invited me!"

"He.. hehe.. hehehe~"

Reading John's words on the badge, Daphne couldn't help but roll around on her bed, excitement bubbling over.

With her face buried in her pillow, she kicked her feet back and forth, her pajama-clad frame wriggling in delight.

Her younger sister, Astoria Greengrass, opened the door just in time to witness this lovestruck display.

Astoria tilted her head, staring at Daphne with a mix of curiosity and bemusement, catching her sister in the throes of giddy, girlish excitement.

"Sis, Mom and Dad already have Quidditch World Cup tickets," Astoria said.

"Ah?"

Daphne abruptly stopped rolling around. Pulling the pillow off her face, she replied with a deadpan expression, "Tear them up!"

Astoria blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

...

After graduating, Percy Weasley entered the Ministry of Magic and secured a position working under Bartemius Crouch.

Initially, Crouch had some doubts about Percy, but as Percy consistently completed his tasks ahead of schedule, Crouch began to change his opinion.

For the upcoming Quidditch World Cup, Crouch decided to bring Percy along to assist with the event.

Percy was thrilled by the opportunity and eagerly shared the news with his family.

Molly Weasley, who was busy sticking stamps onto envelopes, paused to add a few more stamps as Percy spoke.

If there was anyone prouder of Percy's achievements than Percy himself, it was undoubtedly Molly Weasley.

But upon hearing about Percy's involvement in the World Cup, she expressed concern, "Does this mean you won't have any time to watch the match?"

Percy reassured her in a loud, confident voice, "Don't worry, Mum. Mr. Crouch gave me light duties. I'll still get to watch the game."

Arthur Weasley's face lit up with a smile. "That's wonderful!"

The couple was overjoyed at the thought of Percy working and enjoying the game at the same time.

Meanwhile, Ron and the twins rolled their eyes so hard they might as well have been looking at the back of their heads. In Molly's eyes, Percy was becoming the golden child.

Ginny was lost in a daydream, imagining herself living in a house with Harry. Her face turned bright red with embarrassment.

As this happened, Molly Weasley kept adding more stamps to an envelope, covering it in a nearly absurd number of stamps. This particular letter was addressed to the Dursleys.

Arthur Weasley was planning to pick up Harry to take him to the Quidditch World Cup, and sending the letter in advance seemed like a good idea.

Originally, Sirius Black had wanted to fetch Harry himself, but with his face still swollen, he had reluctantly left the task to the Weasleys. Of course, Sirius planned to attend the World Cup regardless.

What none of them realized was that only one stamp was needed to send the letter.

"Oh, by the way, Ron, isn't your classmate John Wick staying near Harry?"

Arthur Weasley suddenly asked, recalling the extra ticket they had and not wanting it to go to waste.

Ron froze, confused for a moment before replying, "He lives right across from Harry."

"That's fantastic! We could bring him along to the World Cup," Mr. Weasley said enthusiastically. "He's your good friend, isn't he?"

"But John probably doesn't need a ticket," Ron muttered reflexively. "He's rich."

Percy nodded in agreement. "Ron's right. John already has tickets. He'll be there."

"What a shame," Mr. Weasley said with disappointment. "I heard he was really interested in my car."

The mention of the car immediately darkened Molly Weasley's expression.

Mr. Weasley, sensing the danger, wisely decided to drop the subject. Instead, he turned his attention to Percy and asked curiously, "Percy, are you close with John?"

Ron could somewhat understand being mentioned in connection with John, but Percy? Percy and John were several years apart in school, and yet Percy's tone suggested the two were quite familiar with one another.

Ron realized this too—he couldn't recall any instance where Percy and John had interacted.

The twins turned their sharp, inquisitive gazes on Percy, clearly just as skeptical.

Percy, however, raised his chin and puffed out his chest with pride. "We're in the same society. Mark my words, he's destined to become someone important."

Society?

Ron was utterly clueless about this.

Percy tapped the meticulously polished badge he cherished so dearly, "The Constellation Society."

_________

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