With Luke's spectacular catch of the soaring Golden Snitch, the game came to an exhilarating end. As he descended to the ground, the excitement of the victory fueled his steps as he made his way over to the enthusiastic Gryffindor crowd.
Cho Chang and Harry bore injuries from the intense match, with Cho Chang's hand and leg both suffering fractures. The severity of their injuries paled in comparison to Ron, who had taken the worst blow. The wooden handle of a broom had struck him squarely in the face, causing a nosebleed that flowed freely. His once tall and proud nose now appeared rather flattened.
"Refreshing!" Luke exclaimed as he approached Ron. He swiftly assisted in cleaning up the blood and offered him a handkerchief.
"Thanks," Ron mumbled in a gruff voice, one hand covering his nose, his eyes brimming with tears due to the painful impact.
Meanwhile, Harry was still tending to Cho Chang, cradling her on the ground. Unfortunately, Cho Chang's leg had not escaped the harrowing experience unscathed. The sheer velocity of the broom's flight had rendered her unable to resist its force, sending her careening dozens of meters away. It was Harry's quick reflexes that prevented her from sliding face-first on the ground.
"Are you all right?" Cho Chang inquired with concern, her gaze fixed on Harry, the man who had famously defeated Voldemort. In a school where nearly everyone knew each other, Harry's iconic lightning scar made him unmistakable. Unexpectedly, the legendary Harry Potter had come to her aid, a fact that left her feeling somewhat guilty about her own lack of control over the broom.
"No... it's fine," Harry stammered, his cheeks flushing as he gazed at Cho Chan's delicate face.
"Would you like me to escort you to the infirmary?" Luke interjected, breaking the tension without any regard for the atmosphere.
"No need," Cho Chang replied, although she couldn't resist taking Luke's friendly hand as she pulled herself away from Harry.
"Your flying skills are exceptional. Are you really a first-year wizard?" Cho Chang praised, recalling Luke's remarkable performance during the training.
"Of course, he's a first-year rookie, and the Weasley twins and I can vouch for that, right?" Li Jordan, the commentator for the match, chimed in with the Weasley brothers following him.
"Hahaha, Luke, I never knew you were this skilled!"
"Would you consider transferring from Slytherin to Gryffindor?" the twins jokingly teased.
Li Jordan's eyes lit up at the prospect of recruiting Luke. He had been trying to secure outside talent for Gryffindor's Quidditch team for some time, and Luke's skills were a golden opportunity.
But Luke shook his head and politely declined the offer. "No, I don't have any plans for that at the moment."
Ron, still nursing his aching nose, interrupted, "Hey, you two, aren't you here to check on your own little brother?"
"Oh, my dear brother Ron, what happened to your nose?" Fred feigned surprise, widening his eyes dramatically.
"Did you get in a tiff with a broomstick?" George added with a mischievous grin.
The exaggerated acting skills of the two had Ron seething with anger, causing him to stomp his feet in frustration.
"Let's take Ron and Harry to the infirmary," suggested Luke. He extended a hand to help Harry, who was sprawled on the ground. Cho Chang, on the other hand, had been whisked away by her captain moments ago.
"Snap out of it, Harry! Cho Chang is already gone," Luke waved his hand in front of Harry's absent-minded gaze.
"Ahhh!" Harry finally snapped back to reality and inquired, "Was that girl Cho Chang?"
"Doesn't your arm hurt?" Luke deflected the question, choosing instead to massage his own arm. After all, Harry's arm had just been dragged quite a distance.
Harry shook his head. "Can't feel it," he admitted, his voice tinged with helplessness.
---
Inside the infirmary, Hermione rushed all the way from the library after hearing about Harry and Rona's mishap on the practice field.
Approaching the two injured boys lying on the hospital beds, Hermione anxiously turned to Luke, inquiring, "How are you? Is there anything wrong?"
"I heard you got dragged for a few hundred meters by Cho Chang and took a beating from a broom," she added, concern etched on her face.
"But these two are the ones injured; I'm fine," Luke pointed to the bedridden Harry, his arm already in a cast, and Ronald, whose face was almost entirely covered in bandages, revealing just one eye.
"That's a relief," Hermione sighed, giving Lee Jordan, who had gleefully informed her about Luke's accident, a disapproving look. She had rushed here all the way because of his information.
She couldn't help but ask, "How did the two of you get hurt? Wasn't today's training with Slytherin and Ravenclaw?" Hermione was slightly baffled that they were injured during a practice that didn't even involve Gryffindor.
"Well, never mind that now. You two focus on recovering," she advised, leading Luke to a small table. "I've come across a potion I'm unfamiliar with. Can you help me understand it?"
With the Weasley brothers and Lee Jordan departing for their afternoon classes, Luke and Hermione were left behind to care for the two injured Gryffindor students. The room was now filled with just the hushed voices of the two of them, and the world seemed to shrink around Harry and Ronald.
"Squeak!"
"Ah, Scabbers!" Ron's eyes widened in surprise as a palm-sized mouse suddenly hopped onto the hospital bed.
"How did you find your way here?" Ron asked, though he knew the mouse wouldn't answer him.
Luke also noticed the sizeable mouse and reached over to catch it.
"This is my pet Scabber, Luke. Please let him down." Ron requested.
"Scabbers?" Luke inspected the mouse in his hand with a smile. "I was looking for you everywhere, and you just show up at my doorstep."
....
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