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To Bernard's disappointment, the Black Lake was frozen enough for skating until November, and nothing strange occurred at Hogwarts.
"Mark, Bernard is fine. Why are you so disappointed?"
It was rare for the five of them to have lunch together in the Great Hall. Stein looked at Mark beside him in disbelief. Mark had just said, "What a pity," after Bernard's complaint!
"The troll must have been brought into Hogwarts by someone. That person likely had a purpose. Since nothing else has happened for so long, either they've achieved their goal or they're still planning in secret."
Uther cut a piece of sausage and took a bite.
Mark nodded in agreement.
"Hmm..."
Stein scratched his head. He knew his roommates were right in their analysis, but...
"Maybe Professor Dumbledore took care of it? After all, he's the greatest wizard of this century!"
"...That's true. If Professor Dumbledore solved the problem, he probably wouldn't tell us."
Uther nodded.
"What do you think, Adam?" Mark looked at Adam.
"Me?"
Adam raised his eyebrows. If Mark agreed with Uther, why ask him? Did Mark notice something?
"I think it's not over yet... Of course, just a guess."
"I think so too... It's just a feeling."
Mark had begun to open up more with them but rarely shared his feelings like this. The others sat in silence for a while.
"...Oh, no matter what, Professor Dumbledore will handle everything, right? Let's think about something more cheerful, like the Quidditch game tomorrow!"
Stein broke the silence:
"Has everyone heard? Gryffindor's Seeker this year is a first-year—the savior, Harry Potter!"
"Gryffindor vs. Slytherin... To be honest, I don't think this match will be that exciting."
Uther quickly changed the subject:
"Hannah and the others say Slytherin loves to play dirty during games and will do anything to win. Even if Harry Potter's talented, he may not win—unless he catches the Golden Snitch right away."
Though skeptical, everyone still gathered in the Quidditch stadium stands the next day.
"This is the first time I've watched Quidditch from this angle!"
It was noisy, and Bernard had to raise his voice.
"Actually, it's the same for us."
Stein leaned on the railing, visibly excited.
"Look, they're entering the field!"
Adam glanced down; the distance made it hard to see. The shortest player in red had to be Harry.
They'd met briefly during the Sorting, but they hadn't had much interaction since. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff only shared astronomy and history of magic classes, and Adam kept a distance from them.
A sharp whistle—the sound of Mrs. Hooch's silver whistle—signaled the start as both teams soared high into the sky.
"Wow~"
The stands erupted with excitement, especially from first-year students seeing a proper Quidditch match for the first time.
The Quaffle was fiercely contested between the Chasers, the Keepers guarded their goals, the Beaters shielded their teammates from Bludgers, and the Seekers...
The two Seekers hovered around the edges, the Golden Snitch still elusive.
"Despicable!"
Stein slapped the railing—he wasn't the only one—after a Slytherin Beater aimed a Bludger at a Gryffindor Chaser, nearly knocking them off their broom.
"Isn't that a foul?"
Bernard's eyes widened in disbelief. Such behavior would be unimaginable in the Muggle world.
"Not really. It's within the rules. No one can control where a Bludger might land."
"Well, when you put it that way..."
But the match quickly escalated. The previous play seemed like a signal, as the Slytherin team began playing on the edge of foul play with flexible morals.
Mrs. Hooch's whistle blew repeatedly, but rather than awakening Slytherin's sense of sportsmanship, it seemed to make their tactics more subtle, harder to call out.
Even Adam couldn't help but grumble:
"These guys should trade their snake emblem for a pirate flag—completely shameless!"
"That's just how Quidditch rules work. Too many gray areas for people willing to bend them."
Adam and his friends crowded around the railing. As the match progressed, more students crammed in. Cedric, who had joined them, sighed:
"That's why Hufflepuff has such a tough time winning... We prioritize the fun of Quidditch, but it seems we're the only ones."
If Hufflepuff played purely to win, Cedric's talent alone would have secured him a spot on the team by now. But Hufflepuff never sacrificed its values for victory.
Ravenclaw, on the other hand, had a different approach. They wanted to win but wouldn't let training interfere with their personal lives, resulting in unpredictable team performances. Their frequent competition with Hufflepuff for third and fourth place reflected this inconsistency.
As for Slytherin, their gameplay was more akin to a team of tricksters.
"Look at the field!"
Stein's shout grabbed everyone's attention. Harry was struggling to control his broom, which had started bucking wildly in the air, twisting and turning.
"What's going on? Is Harry Potter's broom broken?"
Stein rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I've heard the school's flying brooms are pretty outdated..."
"The old ones are for flying lessons. The competition brooms are high-quality. Usually, only dark magic can mess with them."
Cedric's expression grew serious.
"But dark magic? Surely not from Slytherin..."
Last year, Slytherin's worst offense was knocking people off their brooms. What was next, dueling in the sky with spells?
"I remember that curses only work when the caster is focused on the target while reciting an incantation. Let's find out who's behind this!"
Stein pumped his fist.
But as they scanned the crowd, none of the Slytherins seemed to fit the description.
"It looks like the worst-case scenario—the curse caster is in the stands!"
How could they possibly locate the culprit in such a massive crowd?
Or, worse, how would the Hufflepuff team respond to this situation?
"Maybe it's even worse—"
Mark suddenly spoke, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Harry, who was still ascending uncontrollably.
"Maybe the person cursing him isn't doing it to help Slytherin… they just want to hurt someone."
Uther was startled, recalling what Mark had said the day before.
"You think... the same person who brought the troll into Hogwarts?"
Mark nodded.
( End of the chapter)
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