The Hufflepuff Schism
Bell was too far away from Remington and his friends for them to overhear what she had said, but word of it crept down the table. It stung the Seventh Years to know that the younger students looked, not to them, but to Liam Wren as their leader.
Later that night, Deena Price and Alice Snowden were overheard talking in the Hufflepuff girls’ dormitory. Deena said, “What did I tell you? There’s one prefect every year where the title just totally goes to his head. I knew this year it was going to be Wren.”
“Remember a couple years ago at the End of Year Feast?” asked Alice. “We had worked so hard, but for Wren, it wasn’t good enough. We should have won more games, gotten more points. He just crapped over everything we did!”
“Yes!” said Deena. “He was still a Third Year, then. I was thinking, ‘Who does he think he is? Cedric f-ing Diggory?’”
When Stacy and Stephanie relayed these words to Liam the next morning, he laughed, but there was a glint of cold steel in his eyes. “That’s been my goal, did you know that? Ever since I was a First Year – to be the greatest Hufflepuff since Cedric Diggory. Sounds like I’m right on target.”
All the Sixth and Seventh Years rallied around Remington. They felt Liam was being disloyal, that he had overstretched the bounds of his authority by not just actively campaigning to be Quidditch Captain but acting as if he already was the Captain.
The only exceptions were Carol Kilgress and Mary Leary. The two girls kept their feelings mostly to themselves, but they did speak to each other about it. “I understand how Deena is feeling,” said Carol. “It’s hard when you’re a Seventh Year to see a younger student asserting himself like that. If you didn’t know Liam, it would look like peacocking. And Martin is really a great flyer. He was our top scorer last year. From that point of view, he was an obvious pick to be captain.”
Mary nodded. “The truth is, Marty is a great Quidditch player, but Liam is a great leader. All the younger students love him and look up to him.”
“They don’t just love him,” said Carol. “They believe in him.”
With the Fifth Years and below, there was no dissension, even in private. Bell spoke for all of them when she said Liam was already their captain. He was their hero, and they fully expected him to bring the Hufflepuffs back to greatness. In a house known for its tight knit community, one that valued loyalty to one another above all else, there was a schism growing.
Liam threw himself into his next task – to be the self-appointed coach of the Hufflepuff Second Team. In every class, while he was waiting for the teacher to take roll and begin, he pulled out his new Quidditch book and reviewed defensive diagrams. He was drawn to one cheekily referred to as the Berlin Wall, as it was used by the German national team for many years. It was a formation designed to neutralize the attack of a star Chaser.
We should try this against MacDougal and the Slytherins.
It was Tuesday afternoon of that first week back, during Ancient Runes. When Liam set the Quidditch book on the corner of his desk, Umberto said, “That looks like an interesting read. May I see it for a moment?”
“Sure.”
Umberto picked it up and opened to the dedication page. He had only glimpsed this page previously and thought the handwriting looked familiar. Staring down at the words and the flowing cursive “Wen,” his suspicions were confirmed.
“Morwena gave this to you?” he asked in what he hoped was an innocent, curious voice.
“Yes,” said Liam. “I guess she liked the cookies I sent out.”
“I guess she did,” said Umberto. He handed the book back to Liam.
Later that evening, as the Slytherins were walking back to the castle from the greenhouses, Umberto called out, “Morwena! A word, please.”
It was quite cold outside, with snowflakes swirling in the wind. “Can’t this wait until we’re inside?”
“I’d rather talk privately while we have the chance.”
Morwena gave an irritated sigh. With a wave, she motioned for the rest of the girls to go ahead. Tess and Pauline pressed on, walking shoulder to shoulder, their arms crossed over their chests. Rhiannon waited loyally by Morwena’s side; Gordon was beside Umberto.
The walk towards the castle continued. Umberto said, “Why on earth did you give Liam Wren that Quidditch book?”
“He seems to like it,” answered Morwena. “Every time I look over, he has his nose in it.”
“This may seem like a trivial matter, Morwena, but you don’t have to compete against him. You could be setting our House up for a big loss!”
“When will you be competing against Wren?” asked Morwena, letting the irritation back into her voice. “The last I checked, Anita Soulspring was still our Seeker.”
“I’ll be Seeker soon enough,” answered Umberto. “I’ve heard him talking to Bendrix. He’s going to be coaching the Second Team. He’ll be teaching right out of that book. He’s got a defence picked out called The Berlin Wall. It’s intended to neutralize a strong attack from the wings.” Looking at Rhiannon, he added, “Designed specifically for someone like you.”
“You’re getting very worked up over something that might happen,” said Morwena. “Yes, I gave him the book. I wanted to pay him back for the kindness he has shown me last term. I thought a book would be appropriate. Philip knew just the title. If I didn’t give it to him, Philip well may have.”
“Still, you shouldn’t be so quick to give your rivals an advantage. Liam Wren may be a Hufflepuff, but when it comes to his House, he’s as ambitious as any Slytherin.”
“That is precisely what I admire about him,” said Morwena. They had reached the castle steps. The foursome swept into the Entrance Hall and down the straight stairs to the level of the Halls. Once inside, their conversation ceased. None of them wished to be overheard.
In the dormitory, the other girls were getting ready for bed. “What did ‘Berto want?” asked Tess.
“It was nothing,” answered Morwena. “He was being overly paranoid, even for him.”
Rhiannon, still at Morwena’s side, said with a wry grin, “The Berlin Wall. I’d better get a copy of this book, so I know what’s coming.”
The next day, Rhiannon dropped a few coins, along with a paper order form, into the leather pouch of a school owl. Friday afternoon, the book came wrapped in brown paper and protected further from the elements by spells. She spent Friday evening reviewing it from the comfort of her bed, paying close attention to the chart that described The Berlin Wall.
Saturday morning was icy and clear. The distant sun brought a bright glare off of the snow but no real warmth. The Hufflepuff Quidditch team walked out from the castle to the Quidditch stadium for practice.
The group had lingered in the common room for ten minutes, waiting for Alice and Deena to emerge from the girl’s dormitory. Liam stood by the door with his arms crossed over his chest.
Stephanie, standing near him, hissed, “Typical of those too to get all passive-aggressive on us.” Stacy nodded in agreement. Under her arm, she held one of the Quaffles.
Finally, Liam said, “Remington, we’re going on ahead. See you on the pitch.” Remington nodded.
Liam went first through the barrels, followed by the twins, Stacy and Stephanie, and the Third-Year boy named Cosmo. Fortney and Mike carried the box with the bludgers. Philip brought up the rear. When everyone was out in the hallway, Liam led them up the stairs and out into the cold morning.
The lane to the stadium was clear, but snow was high on either bank. The drifts came to Liam’s shoulders. It was well above the heads of the Third Years. Bell, right at Liam’s heels, wore a bright pink wool hat with a pink and white pom-pom. Her brother’s was plain blue. The hats were gifts from one of their aunts. Ben’s hat had a blue and yellow pom-pom when he received it, but he had since removed it.
Bell observed this and remarked, “You should have kept your pom-pom. It was cute. Now, you look like a striking dock worker.”
“I thought the pom-pom made me look silly.”
“Well, if you’re not going to listen to me,” said Bell, “you should have at least run it by your girlfriends first.”
“Should I have taken a survey? Posted a picture of the hat and asked the Witchterverse if I should keep the pom-pom or not?”
“Yes! I’m sure you would have gotten a hundred answers,” said Bell with a laugh.
Liam reached the stadium and waited while the others caught up. He clapped his hands together. “Alright, let’s get started. We’re going to fly some laps around the pitch. Three times around and then stop right back here.”
Everyone mounted their brooms. No one asked if they should wait for Remington and the others. They were all on Liam’s side of the schism.
Liam pushed up into the air and took off with a burst of speed towards the far end of the pitch. His Comet-R had terrific straight-line speed but turned only with reluctance. He forced it, two-handed, into the curve. As he rounded the curve and began to accelerate once more, Bell swept past him on her Falcon.
He bore down and drew even with her, but at the next curve, she pulled farther ahead. His competitive spirit was fired, but inside, he was pleased, too. Atta girl, Bell. Fly as fast as you can.
She finished the three laps in first place. Liam was next, followed by Michael, Ben and Fortney. They settled on the icy grass to wait. Philip trailed behind with Cosmo. Cosmo’s broom was a refurbished Nimbus 1999. It quivered and shook as it flew, and in the corners it was twitchy and prone to over-correction.
“I had to stay with him,” said Philip. “The way the broom was shaking, I was afraid he would fall off of it.”
“How old is that thing?” asked Liam.
“I dunno,” answered Cosmo. “It belonged to a famous Quidditch player once, but I think it was in an accident.”
“We may have to get him a school broom,” said Liam.
Carol Kilgress came walking up the path. She called out, “Hullo all. I saw you flying. You looked great up there!” She and Philip went off by themselves, tossing a bright yellow golf ball between them.
Remington’s group walked past Liam’s group and into the stadium. A Sixth-Year boy was there, along with Remington, Olmstead and the two girls. They set up by one set of hoops and began to run two-on-two drills. No one had as much as said one word to Liam or the others.
Liam turned to Stacy and said, “Let’s get warmed up. Start tossing around that Quaffle.”
Stacy motioned to the Third Years. “Come on! You’re with us.” She and Stephanie, along with Bell, Ben and Cosmo, formed a circle in the air. “Let’s make a star with the Quaffle!” she said. She tossed the ball across the circle to Bell, who tossed to Stephanie. The Quaffle flew next to Ben, then Cosmo, and back to Stacy again.
Liam said to Mike, “Get that Bludger unstrapped. Let me have a few strokes, just to get the feel back. Then I’ll have Fortney take over for me, and I’ll get that lot running drills.”
Liam’s mind was full of ideas from the book he’d been reading. The Bludger, however, took his full concentration. It kept veering off towards the flyers playing catch. It took several long strokes by Liam and Michael to bring it under control.
After one last swing of his bat, Liam motioned to Fortney. “Come on, now!”
Fortney flew up and took the bat from him. He steadied himself just in time to receive the return volley from Michael. Fortney took quickly to the Beater position. He and Michael had been practicing all summer.
Liam flew over to the circle. “All right. Let’s do some two-on-two drills.”
Stacy said to Ben, “How about you and me against Bell and Steph?”
“What about me?” asked Cosmo.
“You’ll be with me, kid,” said Liam. “Help me keep goal, and run after loose balls.”
Liam set up in front of the center hoop, with Cosmo beside him. Stacy had the ball at mid field. She flew forward, drawing Stephanie closer to her, then tossed the Quaffle to Ben. Bell flew right up to her brother and tried to get the ball away from him. Stacy and Stephanie laughed to see her aggressive spirit.
“I think there was a foul in there somewhere,” said Stacy.
Liam flew over to the twins. “I like it,” he said. “We haven’t been aggressive enough on defence. Get close, try to force a turnover. But, you’ve got to play the ball, not the man.”
“He’s not a man,” said Bell, laughing. “He’s a boy.”
Liam ignored that comment. To Ben, he said, “Hold the ball up like you’re gonna pass it. Now, he’s entitled to the space he needs to throw the ball. You can’t hit his arm or knock into his broom. But you can snatch the ball out of the air when he throws it. If you can, swing behind him and knock the ball right out of his hand.”
Bell laughed again. Ben flew forward a few yards, then reared up for a pass. Bell swooped passed him and slapped her hand right into his. “Ow!” cried Ben. “That’s a foul.”
“Good try, though,” said Liam. “Get the ball, not the hand. Try it again, this time on me. Toss me the ball.” Ben flipped it overhand to Liam, who cradled it under his left arm. To Bell, he said, “Now, I’m left-handed, just like MacDougal.” At the mention of Rhiannon’s name, Bell’s eyes grew wide. “I’m gonna fly towards the left hoop. When I get closer, I’ll rear up and take a shot. You come behind me and knock the ball out of my hand.”
Liam took off with a sudden burst of speed towards the left hoop. Cosmo skittered over to protect the hoop. As Liam reared back to throw, he felt the rush of wind and heard the slap as Bell’s fingers struck the Quaffle. It rolled off his fingers and floated away from him. He flew over and picked it up. As she came around again, he tossed the ball into the open center hoop. Cosmo fluttered after it.
“That’s good!” said Liam. “I want you to do that at least once a game.”
“But I’m not on the team,” said Bell.
“You’re on this team. We’ll challenge the Gryffindor Second Team to a match. I want you to play my brother as tough as you play your own.”
“You got a deal!” said Bell.
Liam stayed in front of the hoops and watched the four flyers play. Occasionally, someone would get off a shot. Liam reacted instinctively to the moving ball, but his broom was slow off the mark. Too often, he failed to make the save.
Good thing I’m not keeper yet.
After an hour, he took a break. He wanted to see how the First Team practice was going. He flew to mid-field, but there was nothing to see. Remington and the others had already left.