HP: The Arcane Thief
chapter-119

The next day, in the room of requirements. Martina looked around the place. The room had been shifted to be a spacious hall, with all types of training equipment. Training dummies lines another section, most of them in various states of disrepair.

"So, you wanted to meet?" She asked Axel, who was currently practicing his knife technique. The Room of Requirements can turn the way one wants. And this was, of course, how Axel usually pictures the room.

Axel nodded, pausing his training as he wiped the sweat off his brows. "Oh, yeah. I need to clear up the misunderstanding about our engagement."

Martina's face blanked for a moment as she processed the information. "Oh... " she said eloquently.

"I… I thought you didn't care…?" she asked tentatively.

Axel shrugged. "Well, it's causing me problems now," he replied. If Daphne feels uncomfortable about his engagement, it's going away.

Martina hesitated. "But.... didn't you say it'll cause more problems if you try to clear it up?"

That was true. Just imagine it. First Axel's engagement with Margina was announced. And then, the details about his background and past were revealed. At that time, if he and the Valentinos had claimed that the engagement was fake, everyone would think that the engagement was cancelled because of Axel's lowly background. And that was just one of the problems.

Axel shrugged. "It is indeed troublesome. But, I have to clear this. It's important."

Martina had a blank expression on her face. "Oh... okay... Well, it was always your choice."

Martina was feeling was strange feeling right now. And she realized that, she did not like it.

She had thought that she didn't really care about all these things, but right now, she didn't feel good.

She couldn't help but think that she was being dumped.

'Is this what it feels like?' She wondered. Because even if it was fake, the two of them were indeed engaged. And she had had no problems with it.

Seeing Martina's strange expression, Axel frown. "What's up with you? Are you not happy about no longer being engaged? You hate all these things, right?"

Martina looked down. That was indeed the case. Both of them were people who cared little about these matters.

But...

"Actually, I was alright with it..." she murmured in a low voice. She really did hate the idea of the being engaged. But with Axel, strangely enough, she was alright with it.

"What?" Axel didn't quite catch what she said.

Martina just smiled. "I said, I didn't really hate it. After all, it did drastically decrease the number of suitors bothering me."

"Oh," Axel shook his head helplessly. "Nothing I can do about that."

"Anyways, how are you going to clear it up?" She asked, hastily changing the subject.

Axel recalled what Dumbledore had in mind and couldn't help with sigh at the chaos he was going to cause. "Well, there's this event..."

....

In the outside world, the news of Axel's participation had yet to be known. The Match between Hogwarts and Mahoutokoro had been advertised heavily. It being an unrestricted format, and a match between two great schools, there was no doubt that it was going to be watched by many.

But, it was clear that the viewership was still going to be considerably less than Axel Hunt's matches.

That's because even if unrestricted matches were rare, they still happen from time to time. And players have already used all types of magic there. So, even though it was going to be fun, there wasn't going to be anything new.

With Axel Hunt's matches on the other hand, things were completely different. He was not simply a breath of fresh air, he was like a hailstorm of fresh winds in the Quidditch World. Everyone knows… that what Axel is doing, they'll never see anyone else replicate on the pitch.

The same could not be said about this match, which had a lot of precedents.

All the forums related to Quidditch also held the same discussion.

"Anyone going to watch the match between Hogwarts and Mahoutokoro?"

"Well, I don't really want to anymore. Hunt won't be there."

"I'll check it out if I have the time. Not really that much of a thrill to watch school matches."

"It is an unrestricted format though…"

"Yeah, that's why I'm even bothering to check. But how much would school kids even do with magic? I bet most things would be banned for "safety concerns". The brutality of usual unrestricted matches won't be there."

"Yeah man, wish Hunt was playing."

"Don't we all?"

"The guy was already so brutal in normal format. Just imagine what he'd do in the unrestricted format."

"Well, he's only in his second year, so I don't think he'd be able to cast the real spells yet."

"Maybe that's the reason he quit, didn't he? It would be a pain in the ass to deal with the magic of Mahoutokoro, even with his skills. Especially since he's only in his second year."

"Of course he quit. You might not know this, but the Mahoutokoro students are currently out for Axel's blood. Because the guy has some sort of relationship with their best student and school belle. Before Hunt, no one had even been able to exchange a few words with her, let alone wooing her. So, if Hunt had played, he was dead for sure."

"Yeah. Though no one can blame him for not being able to fight with magic. He's only in his second year after all. I could barely do first year charms in my second year."

"Ignorant people, he's Savage Axel! Mere mortals like you can't predict how he'll fare against his opponents."

"Yeah, with all these people calling him a coward, I half expect Savage Axel to come back just to shut everyone up lol."

"Well, the savage army is trying it's best to bring him back."

…

Such types of discussions were going on everywhere.

Petitions to bring Axel back were being issued all over the world. Many videos and articles were made on how big of a loss it was to the Quidditch world that a person with such skills was not playing quidditch.

During this time, many big shots once again stepped forward to speak on the matter, but this time, they were speaking in Axel's favor. Even some of the sensible ones who had previously thoughtlessly spoken against him had issued their apology.

But due to the circumstances of the next match, people were now even more doubtful about his return. With his relationship with Akiko, Hunt already had a huge target on his back. Why the hell would he even bother going to his own funeral by playing in the next match?

So, most people had already given up hope of seeing Hunt in the near future.

At this time though, a simple and unassuming post quietly appeared on all Hogwarts' official handles and websites. On the surface, there wasn't anything special about the post. It was just a list of the players who will be representing their respective schools in the Hogwarts vs Mahoutokoro match. So the post was ignored by almost everyone for a while.

Until, someone noticed it.

—Hogwarts forum—

Psychowiz111 (@psychowiz111)

"Just saw the Hogwarts official list of players representing the schools. Look at the ss. Lol, they forgot to remove Hunt's name from the list xD."

This guy only thought that management had made a mistake in their post and was trolling them.

But, it was enough to bring other people's attention to it.

"What the…?"

"Hey, am… am I seeing this right?"

"Yep, it's definitely there."

"Does this mean… what I think it means?"

"What else could it mean?"

"FUCK!!!"

"IS THIS REAL?!"

"That madman... He actually returns when no one expects him to!"

"HOLY SHIT! I'M DANCING RIGHT NOW!"

Psychowiz111 (@psychowiz111)

"Hey, wtf are you guys talking about?"

"@psychowiz111, these are official posts. They are reviewed a hundred times before being posted, meaning there can't be a mistake. So, if Hunt's name is in the player list, then, in the next match... WE MIGHT SEE HUNT!"

Psychowiz111 (@psychowiz111)

"F"

"Damn, everyone was saying he quit because of this match and boom! He is suddenly on the list."

"Yeah, it's like he came just to show that he can lol."

"Damn, that's Savage Hunt for you. He doesn't fear shit."

"Hahahaha you can never be sure about anything with this guy. Now I just hope that Hogwarts is not playing some sick joke with us."

And that was it. Within the next few minutes, the player list posted by Hogwarts was already shared thousands of times, as the whole Wizarding world once again experienced the Hunt effect.

All forms of media began reporting news about Axel's return and many people were already celebrating.

And just when they thought things couldn't blow up any further, something else happened.

A new post appeared on Hogwarts' Official handle. And unlike the last time, this one was fancy. The same post was shared by Mahoutokoro as well.

It was an announcement in Bold Cursive.

"HOGWARTS AND MAHOUTOKORO PRESENTS"

"THE MEETING CEREMONY"

Below were the pictures of Patricia and Axel from Hogwarts, and two of the players of Mahoutokoro.

"ON MAY 1st 1993!"

That was it. The post was like a teaser, with no extra details.

But still, the post rose up like a tsunami wave, taking over the internet in a matter of minutes. Because... in the Wizarding world, a Meeting Ceremony is like a press conference that's usually held before important matches.

In these ceremonies, the representative players meet up and exchange a few words, sometimes ending up in heated back and forths, after which the reporters can ask them inquisitive questions to provocative ones.

And... in such a press conference, there was a picture of Axel Hunt attached… what could it mean besides the obvious?

Axel Hunt... in an interview? Did the all-reclusive Hunt actually agree to finally speak in public? And that too... in the most exciting and exclusive type of interview?

Everyone had an unquenchable amount of curiosity towards Axel. The more information they get about him, the more curious they get about his life. How did he end up in a muggle orphanage? Were his parents really muggles? What did he do after running away from the orphanage? How did he get his scars? The list went on and on and on.

But Axel was an extremely private person. And the guy wouldn't give any reporter or tv show the time of the day. He had already rejected so many offers for interviews until now that it would be difficult to count them. Which was why, everyone was quite frustrated with him. But now, the guy is finally speaking?

This was atomic news. People were having difficulty even believing such a thing. As a result, the news was also received with a healthy amount of skepticism.

"AXEL HUNT: BACK?"

"Lately, the Quidditch world has been mourning the unexpected withdrawal of Axel Hunt from Quidditch. But, like a small spark in the absolute darkness, a new hope has been ignited that perhaps, we might get to see the unseen Quidditch Prodigy play again.

Yes, dear readers, Axel Hunt's previous iconic match might not be the last time we see him play Quidditch. And that's because his name has been included among the list of players representing Hogwarts in the upcoming match between Hogwarts and Mahoutokoro. Here is the picture of the post shared by the Hogwarts official website. Hunt's name can be clearly seen among the list of players playing in the match.

And to take the matters further, the school has also announced a Meeting Ceremony concerning the match which, surprisingly, Hunt is also going to attend. It has to be noted that Hunt has never given any sort of interview, always either ignoring any questions asked or, if the questionnaire is rude, punishing them with a brutal response. Thus, the whole world has been thirsty for any more information on the most famous person of the year.

And the school has claimed that such a person is going to be attending the Meeting Ceremony, it can be understood how big a claim this is.

The management has yet to take down the post, meaning that we can be assured that it is not an error by the administration.

However, does this really mean that Axel Hunt will play? Not necessarily. Hunt's name carries a huge influence. So there is a chance that this is just all a ruse to create hype for the match and get free publicity by borrowing his name. They can later give out a simple excuse about his non-participation like an injury, successfully increasing their viewership by multiple folds. Thus, it is too early to be counting our dragon eggs and it's better to take this news with a grain of pixie dust.

…

Articles and videos like this were trending everywhere. Yes, even though Axel's name was in the list of players, it doesn't mean that he would be playing in the match. But even with all that, the hype for the event was huge.

Whether Axel will be returning or not will be cleared at the Meeting Ceremony press conference. So no matter what, everyone will be tuning in to the broadcast.

On the other hand, Axel himself once again became a rare sight at Hogwarts. You would only see him at classes, and with the savage army directed by Patricia, no one would be able to bother him.

Everyone wanted to know whether the news about him playing in the next match was true or not but few people could actually get the opportunity to ask him. And Axel would simply ignore every question since he didn't care enough to answer, unwittingly keeping everyone in mystery. His participation was only confirmed with a select few people.

One of them was, of course, his team Captain Patricia Afonso.

In an empty classroom room, the Slytherin Captain stood stiffly with her arms folded. She had a complicated expression on her face.

"Are you really sure about this?" She asked yet again.

Casually leaning against the door frame, Axel shrugged. "Of course. Though, I thought you would be happy about my return," he commented.

"Oh believe me, no one would be happier than me. But... can you not see the situation? The Mahoutokoro will come at you with everything they've got," said Patricia, unconsciously running her fingers through her long onyx hair, something she does whenever she's worried.

Patricia sighed. On one hand, she was ecstatic to know that Axel would be playing again. But the new match was in an unrestricted format, and with the Mahoutokoro being out for Axel's blood, she couldn't help but think that this was not the right time.

Axel looked at her quizzically. "This is not like you. Shouldn't you be looking at the benefits? Or do you not want me to come back?" He asked. No offense, but inside the charismatic and charming exterior, Patricia Afonso was actually a cold hearted ambitious bitch. She wouldn't care about minor stuff if things benefit her overall.

Patricia took a long moment to think, after which, she shook her head, as if clearing her thoughts. "Just forget it," she said as she smiled.

"My star player, I welcome you back to the team," she said, spreading her hands.

"Though, I do hope you attend the training sessions this time. We'll be practicing magical tactics, so it might be beneficial to you."

Axel tilted his head, looking at Patricia with his one eyebrow raised. "Captain, you doubting my abilities again?" He asked, and Patricia was once again reminded of the time when he showed her levels in this very same classroom in their very first meeting, when he had caught one snitch and hit the other one with it.

Patricia shivered, shifting her legs. That was a memory she could never forget.

Looking at the slight smirk of confidence tugging at the corner of his lips, she realized that she might actually have nothing to worry about.