"What's up, mate?" Fred called as he and his twin emerged from the changing room in haste.
He understood Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, wasn't exactly known for his patience.
That, however, wasn't a problem. He didn't plan on taking more than a few seconds.
"Your Pokéballs... let me have them."
Having not seen the two Eevee around, he had deduced the twins had used their Pokéballs.
The two reached within their Quidditch robes and handed him the pair of identical yellow spheres.
Magnus turned to look around. They were well shielded, and no one was coming their way.
"Release them. I want to check something while you guys are training."
The two looked reluctant for a second. Maybe they thought he wanted the attention that people had for Fweg, but if anything, he was hoping he could avoid it.
They, however, broke out of it and summoned the Eevee. The two Pokémon pounced gracefully onto the ground and began playing around their owners.
Magnus' Zorua jumped from its spot on his shoulder to join the rest with a delighted squeal.
"You have something in mind?" George asked, seeing his thoughtful expression.
"Fred, George, get in... "
Oliver, who had poked his head out of the door, stopped when he saw the color on Magnus' robes.
"And what the hell is a Ravenclaw doing here? We booked the field for today!" he roared, now coming toward them.
"Easy, Oliver," Fred told his burly captain. "He's cool," he added, pocketing the Pokéball.
"Be polite, Oliver," George chimed in. "Not everyone outside Gryffindor is an enemy spy."
Wood glared at him like he had infrared vision that could see past his skin and bones to his intentions.
"You guys should head back. I will take good care of them."
He could see the twins had still been expecting some sort of explanation, but now with Wood's arrival, there was no room for that.
"Well, see you later... Stay, boy..." Fred said to his Pokémon, which had begun following him as he turned to leave.
Fweg looked at him for some seconds before turning and rejoining the others.
"Stay," George said to his Eevee before turning to follow Wood and his brother.
"George... wait."
Magnus closed the distance and whispered something in his ear.
For several heartbeats, George stared at him like he had lost his marbles.
"What!... That is nuts... " he began protesting, but Magnus wasn't about to give him the chance.
"Trust me. I know what I'm doing," he said to the confused Gryffindor.
Fred had already disappeared inside the changing room, but Wood was still waiting at the door.
"George!" Oliver called impatiently.
George threw one last doubting look at him, as if he expected Magnus to suddenly declare it was all a joke.
But when Magnus remained steadfast, he breathed a defeated sigh.
"I sure hope you know what you're doing," he said as he turned and jogged after his captain.
Magnus waited until they had gone inside before leading the three Pokémon away.
He had been around the Eevee for a while now, and getting them to obey him wasn't a problem.
The irony, however, was exercising the same discipline on his own Pokémon.
Zorua's nature was both playful and full of mischief. Despite all his efforts at taming it, all that would seemingly disappear as soon as it met its friends.
There were times it behaved extremely well, though Magnus had come to believe that during those times, Zorua was trying to appease him for earlier mischief.
As soon as he emerged into the open space, Ron waved him toward them.
They were, however, too far up on the stands. While that was the best position to observe the game without strain, it simply would not serve his purpose.
He needed to be somewhere close to the Quidditch pitch.
He instead waved for them to join him as he walked into the lower stands.
Just like George had said, he too hoped he knew what he was doing. Though heavens knew he didn't.
Even he, with all his knowledge on Pokémon, couldn't tell how his plans would unravel. It was purely a swing in the dark.
If it went south... well, there was no need to linger on that now. He had done his best to this point. Now, it was out of his control.
"Hey, what's with you?" Ron called as the two joined him. "We had saved you a seat, and that was the best position to observe the practice."
"Sorry," he mumbled, with his eyes on the ground, where the team had now left the changing room and were streaming into the pitch.
"What's up with them anyway?" Hermione asked, indicating the Eevee that were playing on the empty seats in front of them.
She looked around to ensure there was no one close.
"I thought they used the Pokéballs."
Magnus could see they clearly would not be alone for long. Despite the fact that most of the students present had preferred the higher seats, Hermione's Pichu as well as the Eevee made them compromise.
He could already see others heading toward them.
"I asked them to release them."
He could see the look Ron was giving him. It was similar to the one Fred had thrown at him earlier. He too thought he was seeking attention.
He didn't have time to explain.
"But you have something in mind, right?" Hermione insisted.
Magnus nodded just as the first group of snickering Gryffindor and Ravenclaw girls joined them, saving him from having to explain something he himself wasn't entirely sure about.
As soon as the team mounted their broomsticks, screams and cheers rose as the Gryffindors applauded their team and Seeker.
In all honesty, Harry was truly a natural.
Just looking at how he zigzagged above them, scanning for the Golden Snitch while barely paying attention to his grip on the broomstick, was proof enough.
Magnus watched in tense silence as the two Beaters smashed the Bludgers at each other. The team had split into two for the purpose of training.
His eyes were glued on George.
He hoped the guy wouldn't get cold feet at this point.
The entire plan was in his hands now.