Buddy System (S3E23)

Buddy System is the twenty-third episode of the third season of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It aired on October 12, 2021.

## Synopsis

In the hospital wing of Hogwarts, James, Albus, and Lily Potter, along with the members of SWOFF gather together. Lily catches James and Albus up on what has happened. Lily tells them that their dad was taken and that she punched and yelled at Ashley. Olive wonders if Harry went willingly to infiltrate the enemy. Barney says he saw Harry get hit by a Stupefy or Petrificus Totalus and then the masked figures grabbed Harry and disapparated. Masie tells them that she was with Harry and the masked figures and the students that seemed to be in a trance, and she saw them disapparate with Harry. Alex thinks that what Masie saw must have happened after what Barney saw. Albus asks why the masked figures would go to the Room of Requirement. Masie says that she thought apparating wasn’t possible within Hogwarts. Alex explains that the wards were taken down. Alex theorizes that the praying mantis masked figure had the students under a spell. Albus asks again why the masked figures would go to the Room of Requirement. Masie mentions the book she saw. Clem thinks that the masked figures might be using Polyjuice Potion, and she connects this to the Polyjuice Potion that was used in their second year by someone who pretended to be Clem. Olive asks Clem if she means that the masked figures used Polyjuice to make a decoy Harry. Olive then theorizes that maybe the Aurors used Polyjuice to make a decoy Harry for Harry’s protection. Olive suggests going to the Room of Requirement and requesting to see the room as it was when the masked figures were there. Alex asks about the book that Masie saw. Masie says the book was covered, big, and heavy with runes on it. Olive asks Masie to draw the runes as best she can and asks James and Albus if either of them took runes. They both say no, but Albus says that Scorpius did. Alex mentions that the professor of Ancient Runes is in the hospital wing. Olive wonders aloud if Ashley knows something. Lily scrunches up her face and furrows her brow, convinced that Ashley knows something. Alex asks Olive what she found out from spying on Ashley. Olive tells them about Ashley’s muggle parents and boyfriend. Olive wonders if Ashley lied about having a boyfriend. Alex wonders why Ashley asked where her parents were, and he wonders why the masked figures would want muggles, and if they’re potentially holding Ashley’s parents hostage. Alex asks James about the Room of Requirement’s abilities, specifically if the room could track or find a person. James says no, but pulls out a folded piece of parchment that he got from his Uncle Ron who got it from Harry who got it from his other uncles (Fred and George). Alex recognizes the parchment from when he paid James to help him get past Mrs. Nanny Buckland, calling it an escort service. Masie questions Alex if he went on a date with James. Rosie thinks James is coming out. James asks Albus to make sure no one can see, and he asks them to turn around. James says, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.” Ink begins to move along the parchment as a map of Hogwarts and an illustrated drawing of the castle begins to appear. On the front, there is writing that says, “Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, purveyors of aids to magical mischief makers, are proud to present the Marauder’s Map.” James opens the map, and they can all see little names all over the map, which includes the Owlery, the viaduct, the boathouse, Hagrid’s hut, the lake, and the Whomping Willow. Rosie calls it an invasion of privacy. Olive runs into the hall. Alex calls it a spy satellite. Olive runs back to them and asks them if her name moved on the map. They say yes. They look closely at all the names on the map. They recognize their fellow students and professors, but they also notice a name that they don’t recognize by the Whomping Willow that says, “Alberto Vasquez.” Rosie thinks that this is the name of the Whomping Willow, but they explain to her that it’s the name of a person. Masie recognizes the name from an article she read in the paper about a naturalist from South America who was visiting the UK named Alberto Vasquez. The name disappears from the map. Masie tells them about the article she saw in the paper. Alex makes a connection between Alberto in South America and Moot in Argentina. Alex asks how people disappear from the map. James says they would have to leave the school grounds. Alex supposes that Alberto disapparated, but Olive remembers that the headmistress put up temporary wards, so that shouldn’t be possible. Masie remembers seeing a picture of Alberto in the article. He looked dark skinned and had some claw marks on his face. Masie asks what Colin Moot looks like. Alex says he’s seen him recently. Masie asks how recently. Alex tells her that Moot was in the school wearing a mask. Masie is shocked. Masie asks if Moot had anything on his face besides the mask. Alex tells her that Moot had a lot of runes that looked like they were burned onto his skin. Olive asks James if there’s any way to leave the Whomping Willow without apparating. Lily remembers a story her dad told them about the Whomping Willow having a passage underneath. Alex asks how to get past the Whomping Willow without getting whomped. Olive looks at James. None of the Potter kids remember anything about how to get past the Whomping Willow. Olive suggests that they all could cast Immobulus at the same time and that might be strong enough to work. Barney slowly raises his hand and asks why they’re going to the Whomping Willow. They say that they’re trying to find Harry Potter. Masie wonders if they should tell the headmistress. Olive says they can’t tell her without revealing that they have the map. Masie offers to lie and say that she saw them in the school and recognized them from the paper. Alex says that the Council want to do something in the school and if they tell the professors that they’re not here, they’re going to wait for the Aurors to arrive, and that’s a lot of time. Alex suggests they could go now and do something. Masie notices that the headmistress is not in the hospital wing. Olive asks if they trust Professor Longbottom to go with them. Masie says yes right away. Clem says no. Alex is hesitant. Olive asks Alex if there’s a way for Benny to send someone a letter but not right away. Alex says that Benny left with Olive’s letter already. Masie says Humphrey could do it. Olive suggests writing a note to let Professor Longbottom know where they went and Humphrey could deliver it in however many hours that they think they should be back by. Masie and Clem both think Olive’s plan is a good one. Olive checks with Lily. Lily, James, and Albus determine that they’re going. Masie asks if they really think Ashley is speaking to the masked figures. Alex asks why Ashley asked where her parents were. Olive remembers seeing Ashley in the Restricted Section of the library and suspects that Ashley might not be innocent. Alex remembers the cursed costumes and wonders if that was the masked figures testing out how to control students. Masie wonders if the masked figures are controlling Ashley. Alex isn’t sure whether Ashley is being controlled or not. Masie asks if one of them should look like Ashley when they go through the passageway under the Whomping Willow. They ask how, and Masie asks James to cover his ears. James mishears her and thinks she’s told him to close his eyes, so he does so. Masie tells the rest of the group about the Polyjuice Potion she made and how she and Lily had been planning to use it to prank James or to pose as a prefect if necessary for SWOFF business. James takes his hands off of his eyes and asks why he had to cover his eyes. Masie thinks that she accidentally said eyes instead of ears (not realizing that James misheard her). James says he doesn’t care because he has Polyjuice Potions of several prefects. Olive checks with the Potters, wanting to make sure that they are okay with the plan of getting Ashley’s hair, using a Polyjuice Potion, and going to the Whomping Willow since it’s their dad who is in danger. The Potters indicate that they’re okay with the plan. Olive suggests using a buddy system for safety. Rosie asks for a buddy. Olive offers to be Rosie’s buddy. Olive asks Masie, who asks to go last. Olive asks Clem, who says she’ll go with Lily. Olive asks Alex, who chooses Masie. Olive asks Barney, who looks at James and Albus. Alex realizes that they’re an odd number. Olive says that they could be a trio. Rosie checks her pockets to see if she has a piece of Ashley’s hair, but she doesn’t. Masie asks if Rosie has one of her hairs. Rosie says no, and Masie can tell that she’s telling the truth. Clem says either Olive could go talk to Ashley or she could go yank a hair from Ashley. Alex suggests perhaps getting a hair from Alberto instead. Masie asks Clem and Rosie if they have their phones, and they both say yes. Masie says they could use it to take a photo. Alex wonders if their muggle technology is working because the wards came down. Rosie takes a picture with her phone and has no technical issues. Rosie tries calling her dad. Alex wonders if Harry has a phone. Rosie’s phone rings and her dad answers. They have a brief conversation, which Rosie ends by joking that she sees a dragon, which alarms her dad. Alex starts brainstorming how they could use this to their advantage. Clem starts googling Colin Moot but finds nothing. Rosie calls Clem on the phone. Alex asks James if Harry or any of his friends have phones, and James says yes. Alex wonders if they can use the Find My Phone app, but Clem says that it has to be activated. They ask the Potters if they remember their dad’s phone number. They don’t remember. Lily remembers that she has it written down, but that the note is in her room back at home, not at Hogwarts. Clem says she’s going to go get a hair from Ashley. Alex doesn’t think it’s worth it. Masie looks for Ashley Indigo on the map and sees that she’s in the Headmistress’s Office with the headmistress and Professor Pinescrew. Alex wonders if perhaps his dad is acting as a translator for muggle stuff for the headmistress. Alex suggests leaving Clem’s phone with someone so that they can use Rosie’s phone to call if they need help. Masie suggests Hagrid. Olive suggests Jacinth. Rosie calls a pizza place and starts ordering a pizza. Masie takes Rosie’s phone and points her wand at it. Rosie tells her that she hung up already. Masie returns her phone. Rosie offers to give Jacinth her phone. Clem suggests that they all go together to drop off the phone and then head to the Whomping Willow. James suggests that they all go get supplies and then meet back up in one of the classrooms in the Transfiguration Corridor. Masie tells everyone to bring any potions they have. Barney hesitates. Clem tells Barney that he doesn’t have to come if he doesn’t want to. Barney looks out of the corner of his eye toward Rosie and says he’s going. Clem says that anyone who doesn’t want to go doesn’t have to, and it wouldn’t make them any less SWOFF. Everyone decides to go. As they all walk out of the hospital wing, they run into Scorpius. He almost bumps into them. Scorpius addresses the Potters and asks if they’re alright because he heard what happened. Albus tells him that they’re going to rescue his dad and, after a nudge from James, asks if Scorpius wants to help. Scorpius says, “If you’ll have me.”

The group returns from their common rooms, having obtained several items, and they meet up near the Middle Courtyard with gear in hand. Rain starts to fall. James has a pack on one shoulder and is wearing darker clothes. Lily, Albus, and Scorpius are also wearing black. Masie is wearing practical shoes, trousers with cargo pockets, and a black cloak. Rosie is wearing a sundress with shorts and pockets, her hiking sandals, and a cloak. Rosie checks her phone and finds several missed calls and texts from her dads (e.g., “Dragon??? Hello??”). Rosie texts back and says it was a joke. Clem is wearing combat boots, dark grey ripped jeans, and a black hoodie with her wand in her back pocket. Olive is dressed in black from head to toe. She is wearing a poorly crocheted black beanie that she made herself, black long sleeve pants, sensible shoes, and her second year robes that are a bit snug. Alex is wearing a black hoodie, dark black/greyish jeans, and dark waterproof winter shoes. Barney is wearing dark clothes. James hurries everyone into the Transfiguration classroom because Mrs. Nanny Buckland is nearby. James closes the doors and then casts Lumos. They review the plan: go to the Whomping Willow, cast the Immobulus spell all together, and go underneath. Alex asks James how his Revelio spell is. James says his specialty is Charms, but he could cast Revelio. Alex says that could be useful against magical traps. Olive suggests having a meeting spot in case something goes wrong and they get separated. They decide on Hagrid’s hut. James buddies up with Barney and assigns Albus and Scorpius as buddies. By this time, Clem’s ribs have healed, although she still has a bit of lingering pain. They head out of the Transfiguration classroom toward the Whomping Willow. James periodically stops them and then rushes them along as he uses the map to monitor the professors and Mrs. Nanny Buckland, who are patrolling the school grounds. They see the Whomping Willow, one of the limbs still swollen from Rosie’s Swelling Potion. They all cast Immobulus and then James yells, “Run! Go!” The branches stop for a moment. Albus and Scorpius are the first to arrive at the roots of the Whomping Willow. Albus looks back while Scorpius rushes underneath. Two of the limbs begin to shake. Alex sees Clem and Olive’s wands fly from their hands and points it out to Masie. Masie hops on her broom. She weaves nimbly between the two limbs that haven’t been completely immobilized, dodges between them, and grabs Olive’s wand out of the air. She sees that one of the tree branches is headed toward Rosie. Olive, who is holding hands with Rosie, pulls them both down to duck. Lily casts Immobulus on the branch and it stops. Alex casts Accio on Clem’s wand, catches it, and then tells them all to run. Olive helps Rosie up and starts running. Clem grabs Lily by the hand and starts running. Alex runs and Masie flies on her broom. They all make it beneath the Whomping Willow. Alex gives Clem her wand. Olive hugs Rosie and apologizes for pushing her to the ground. Masie is the last to enter, flying in on her broom and hopping off as it’s still moving to give Olive her wand. James casts Lumos. It’s dark, creepy, and muddy under the Whomping Willow, and seems larger than it should be. Masie pulls out a cloth from her cloak and starts drying Rosie down. Olive checks her Sneakoscope and finds that part of it has broken. Masie asks what’s wrong, and Olive says she was just checking that she had everything. Masie notices that Olive is feeling uneasy, nervous, and really anxious. Masie also recognizes the Sneakoscope and realizes that Olive was planning to use it. Masie asks to see it. Olive tells Masie that it’s broken. Masie casts Reparo, which is revealed to be her signature spell, on the Sneakoscope and fixes it. Olive turns it on, and it lights up and starts beeping. Masie asks if they can see it on the map. James says he thinks they’re outside of the area on the map. Olive says that the Sneakoscope doesn’t have a large range, so she suspects that it’s someone nearby. Clem asks if Olive means that it’s one of them. Olive says yes, unless there’s someone hiding nearby. Masie notices that there’s remaining magic. Olive grips Rosie’s hand really tightly. Masie grabs Alex’s hand. Barney looks around, panicked. James looks around and casts Revelio. Unfolding from the darkness below the tree are spider webs. Alex notices spiders crawling on the underside of the roots above them, spreading out and around. Alex tells them that they should go. James casts Ventus, and a gust of wind blows forth from his wand, pushing the spiders. James yells at them to go. Albus and Scorpius rush over to help by casting spells like Incendio and Bombarda at the spiders. They all rush forward. Alex casts Incendio at the spiders, but his spell ends up being a fireball blob instead of a spray of flame. It also accidentally hits Clem, who loses hold of Lily and falls. The spiders head toward Clem. Clem puts out the fire on her. Lily rushes over to Clem. Clem tries to get up. Lily tries to cast a spell, but a spider lands on her wand and she flicks it away out of panic, accidentally injuring herself. Meanwhile, Olive casts Incendio at the spiders and clears a partial path for herself and Rosie. Rosie casts Flipendo at the spiders crawling toward Clem. Several spiders smack against the wall. Meanwhile, Masie casts Carpe Retractum and grabs Clem while Lily smacks her wand on a gnarled root to get the spider off. James waves all of them over. Clem and Rosie are slipping in the mud as they move forward. Clem is a bit wobbly. Spiders begin to crawl up Clem’s pant legs. Several spiders land on Rosie’s back. Up ahead in the dark muddy passage they can see some flickering light. Rosie casts Accio on one of the roots. A bunch of dirt flies toward her, but she does get a grip on the root. Masie casts Incendio at the spiders that are crawling on and around Clem and Rosie. She burns many of the spider webs as well. Some of the spider webs, however, do stick to them as they move forward. They go up and find a ladder. James is at the bottom of the ladder, waiting for them, Barney, Albus, and Scorpius having already gone up. James tells them to hurry. They go up the ladder. Albus and Scorpius help them up the trap door. They can still hear the sounds of rain pattering outside. They’re surrounded by old, splintered wood and cobwebs. Rosie treats Clem’s wounds with some homemade salve that she made with chocolate and some medicinal herbs. James reminds them to be quiet and then asks Lily where they are. Lily says the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade. Olive suggests checking for traps. James says that’s a good idea and reminds everyone to stick with their buddy. He also tells them to cast Lumos if they see anything dangerous or strange. The building is dark, but there’s some flickering candle light. Strangely enough, there are two candelabras with melting candles that are lit, one by the trap door that they came through and the other in a small living room area. They notice that the place is a mess, and they see scratch marks and claw marks against the wall, tattered, broken furniture, cobwebs, and burn marks. The inside looks gray, brown, and a bit moldy. They all feel uneasy. They break up into pairs and start looking around. The place isn’t that big. However, there’s a staircase with half-missing stairs. They notice slatted shutters and boarded up windows. Barely any moonlight is coming through the windows. Alex and Masie check the room they entered into for hidden doors, signs of muddy footprints, etc. Olive and Rosie stay downstairs. Clem and Lily go upstairs. Albus, Scorpius, James, and Barney head upstairs.

The stairs creak as Clem, Lily, Albus, Scorpius, James, and Barney walk up. James and Barney continue up the stairs to check the top floor. Albus and Scorpius stay with Clem and Lily. Clem notices that this floor is bigger than downstairs and realizes that the house is strangely shaped. Clem sees even more cobwebs and notices that there’s no light upstairs except for the light from James’s wand as he and Barney continue up the stairs. Albus and Scorpius move off to the right while Lily and Clem go left into what looks like an old bedroom with a dilapidated, ruined, and moldy bed and ruined bookshelves all around. Clem notices claw marks on various pieces of furniture. Clem approaches the room like a detective clearing an area, checking any closets and windows, using the sleeve of her hoodie to wipe the grime off the windows to get a better view. Clem looks for any remaining magic but doesn’t see any. In a closet, Clem finds ruined bits of clothing that have been torn, shredded, and molded. She notices more claw marks in the clothing. Clem checks under the bed and sees something scratched into the floorboards. It looks like something is written or carved into the wood. Clem asks Lily to help her move the bed. Albus and Scorpius hear them and ask if they found something. Clem tells them that she found writing under the bed. Albus and Scorpius walk over. Clem reads the writing, which says, “Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs”, which they recognise from the map.

Meanwhile, Masie, Alex, Rosie, and Olive investigate the downstairs floor. They notice that part of the wall is missing. They find a somewhat new-looking candelabra resting on a broken table, a ruined couch, several chairs, a broken-down piano, ruined bookcases, and claw marks all about.

Alex notices muddy footprints of all different sizes all over the floor. Alex and Masie approach a bookcase. Alex notices claw marks on the furniture, both old and fresh marks. He also notices some of the titles of the ruined books. Several of them are related to phases of the moon and werewolves. Alex confirms with Masie that she saw claw marks on Alberto’s face in his picture in the paper. Alex casts Lumos.

Meanwhile, Rosie and Olive approach the opposite side of the room, the side with the candelabra on the table and the piano. Olive pulls out the Investigatorium and tells Rosie not to touch anything before they make sure it’s okay. Olive remembers that to look for curses, the first and fifth lenses have to be aligned just right. Olive notices waves of color in various forms coming off of the piano, indicating that there is a curse that someone put on it as a trap. Olive also notices detection spells all around them. Olive also notices bits of hair left behind.

Alex frantically waves his illuminated wand by the stairs. Olive tells Alex and Masie that there are protective spells. Alex says there’s a werewolf. Olive says that the werewolf will know they’re in the room, and they suddenly hear a growl.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Wacksteven - Headmaster of Doom
* Helloitskolo - Masie Skyler
* LuxieGames - Rosalina Earthcloud
* Mirggles - Clementine Goosanders
* Negaoryx - Olive Everglade
* Zcotticus - Alexander Pippin

## Characters

* James Sirius Potter
* Albus Severus Potter
* Lily Luna Potter
* Olive Everglade
* Masie Skyler
* Alexander Pippin
* Clementine Goosanders
* Rosalina Earthcloud
* Barney Dogwood
* Harry Potter (mentioned)
* Ashley Indigo (mentioned)
* Wolf Mask Figure (mentioned)
* Praying Mantis Mask Figure (mentioned)
* Colin "Fox" Moot (mentioned)
* Scorpius Malfoy
* Ron Weasley (mentioned)
* Fred Weasley (mentioned)
* George Weasley (mentioned)
* Mrs. Nanny Buckland
* Moony (Remus Lupin) (mentioned)
* Wormtail (Peter Pettigrew) (mentioned)
* Padfoot (Sirius Black) (mentioned)
* Prongs (James Potter) (mentioned)
* Alberto Vasquez / Werewolf?
* Headmistress McGonagall (mentioned)
* Professor Longbottom
* Benny (mentioned)
* Humphrey (mentioned)
* Floyd Earthcloud
* Professor Pinescrew (mentioned)
* Hagrid (mentioned)
* Jacinth Hindle (mentioned)
* Philip Earthcloud (mentioned)

## Trait Changes

* Masie: Clumsy moved down
* Rosie: None
* Olive: None
* Clem: None
* Alex: None

## Relationships

* Masie: +1 Alex
* Rosie: +1 Masie
* Olive: +1 Clem
* Clem: +1 Masie
* Alex: +1 Masie

## House Points

### Players

* Masie: +10 points, rolled 14
* Rosie: +5 points, rolled 8
* Olive: -5 points, 5
* Clem: +5 points, 7
* Alex: +5 points, 9
* Lilian: -5 points, rolled 6
* Cornelia: +5 points, rolled 8

### Total

* Gryffindor: 335
* Hufflepuff: 200
* Ravenclaw: 310
* Slytherin: 220

## Downtime Moves

* Masie: Job (2d6), 8 Galleons
* Rosie: Potions (Mind), 7 (partial success), Dragon Scale Potion (kind of)
* Clem: Club (Soul), 6 (fail)
* Olive: Potions (Mind), 6 (fail)
* Alex: Spellcasting (Magic), 9 (partial success)

## Quotes

* Alex: I saw that before when I paid you for your escort service. Albus: You did what now? Olive: What? Alex: I paid James for his escort service. Rosie: You paid him? Alex: Yeah. Rosie: Did he hold your hand and walk you across the halls? What’s happening? James: Albus, can you just make sure that no one can see. Masie: Did you go on a date with James? Alex: What? Rosie: I think James is coming out! James: No! Masie: What? Rosie: I think he’s written us a letter about coming out. Masie: Out where?
* Zcotticus: Does she get a plus one for her relationship with - Wack: Ashley? Luxie: With hair? With hair? I have a relationship with hair? Negs: [*laughing*] With hair! I can’t! Wack: Do you have a relationship with hair?
* Mirggles: [*rolls a 6 for her downtime move*] Rosie: My, my, how the turn tables. Mirggles: How the tables do not, in fact, turn. Wack: How the turn tables, indeed. Kolo: How the tables remain to be tables. Mirggles: [*laughs*] I am a table. Hi. I’m Mirggles. I am a table.

## Fun Facts

* Wack announced that there was one episode left until the end of the story for Year 3 and that they will have a special interlude (special arc) for Year 3.

## Notes & References

1. ↑ https://youtu.be/x8Sv-I4OTM8?t=518
2. ↑ Sounded like Floyd (American accent)
3. ↑ Negs said that Olive and Rosie would've checked out an adjacent room on the same floor, but later Wack said that the ground floor was only room.
4. ↑ https://youtu.be/x8Sv-I4OTM8?t=9847
5. ↑ Not 330 because last week's should have been 325. 325+10=335
6. ↑ Failed Invisibility Potion. Just water.
7. ↑ https://youtu.be/x8Sv-I4OTM8?t=1595
8. ↑ https://youtu.be/x8Sv-I4OTM8?t=3356
9. ↑ https://youtu.be/x8Sv-I4OTM8?t=10540
10. ↑ https://youtu.be/x8Sv-I4OTM8?t=10713