However, what left Eisen speechless was that even with Professor Snape as the referee, the Weasley twins remained true to their nature.
Because not long after the match started, George, one of the Beaters, directly hit a Bludger towards Snape. It was unclear if he did it intentionally, but afterward, Snape awarded a penalty shot to Hufflepuff.
But Eisen felt George must have done it on purpose. Yes, Fred and George's penchant for mischief was ever-present. Watching them prank others was entertaining, but being the target of their pranks would be quite a headache.
However, perhaps as retaliation for George's action, or simply because he didn't want Gryffindor to win, a few minutes later, Snape awarded another penalty shot to Hufflepuff, this time without any reason.
Subsequently, cheers and boos rang out from the stands. Clearly, the boos came from the Gryffindor students, while the cheers were from the Slytherins.
"Professor Eisen, look quickly—" Suddenly, Hermione let out a shriek that made Eisen shudder, thinking to himself that a little girl's pitch was indeed high.
"Yes, I see it. Harry is diving down; it seems he's spotted the Golden Snitch." Evidently, Harry's graceful dive not only made Hermione shriek but also drew exclamations and cheers from the audience.
"Go, Harry—" Hermione crossed her hands, then stood on her seat, muttering as if praying to someone.
Eisen saw clearly that Harry was charging towards Snape's position. Could it be that Harry intended to knock Snape off his broomstick to get revenge for the last incident? Eisen had a strange thought.
Snape had just kicked off his broomstick in the air when a golden blur whooshed past his ear. Then, Harry followed closely before pulling out of the dive.
Quite abruptly, Harry suddenly raised his arm, the Golden Snitch tightly grasped in his hand. The match was over!
Once they realized what had happened, the stands erupted. Because this was an unprecedented record—no one knew of any previous match where the Snitch had been caught in such a short time.
"Ah—Harry won! We won! Gryffindor is in the lead!" Beside him, Hermione joined the crowd in cheering and screaming.
On the pitch, Harry, clutching the Snitch, jumped off his broomstick from a foot above the ground. Although he had ended the match personally, even now, he couldn't believe he had actually succeeded and achieved victory within five minutes.
When the Gryffindor students poured onto the field, Harry noticed Snape's sour expression, his lips tightly pursed as he stared at him intently.
"Well done, Harry Potter. I'm pleased to see you haven't been obsessing over that mirror; it's wonderful you've been keeping busy." A hand suddenly landed on Harry's shoulder, and turning around, he saw it was Dumbledore speaking to him.
"Professor Eisen—" Seeing the Gryffindor students pouring onto the field, Hermione looked at Eisen beside her.
"Oh, of course, go join Harry and celebrate the victory!" Seeing the anticipation and longing in Hermione's eyes, Eisen nodded in support of her desire.
Immediately, the entire Quidditch pitch seemed to turn into a celebration. Harry was hoisted onto the shoulders of the Gryffindor students amid cheers. Meanwhile, Hermione and Ron were jumping and cheering excitedly on the side.
Perhaps many people didn't understand why so many were celebrating just a single victory. But if they knew that this win would allow Gryffindor to end Slytherin's seven-year streak of winning the House Cup, they would understand the reason behind their actions.
After all, for Gryffindor, this was a hard-earned victory.
An hour after the match ended, Harry finally escaped the crowd and left the changing room alone, intending to return his Nimbus Two Thousand to the broom shed.
Before entering the pitch, Harry's mood had been oppressed, but now, he felt happy. Because he had truly done something remarkable, Harry thought, and Snape could no longer say he was just a famous name.
Walking on the grass, although Harry felt some dampness underfoot, the good mood made the night air taste exceptionally sweet.
After returning the Nimbus Two Thousand to the broom shed, Harry leaned against the wooden door, gazing at Hogwarts. He had succeeded! Most importantly, Gryffindor was in the lead.
Truthfully, Harry had been tormented by Snape the entire term, so being able to achieve a resounding victory right in front of Snape, who was even the referee, filled Harry with an intoxicating sense of satisfaction.
As Harry leaned against the door, lost in thought, a figure suddenly caught his eye. He saw a hooded figure slink down the front steps of the castle and quickly sprint towards the Forbidden Forest.
Watching this, Harry's joy from the recent victory diminished. Because he recognized the gait of that figure—it was Snape.
Harry didn't expect Snape to sneak out while everyone was distracted. What was he going to the Forbidden Forest for? Filled with confusion, Harry didn't have time to ponder further; he retrieved his broomstick, mounted it, and silently glided over the castle, following Snape into the Forbidden Forest.
However, due to the dense trees in the forest and the late hour, Harry couldn't see where Snape's figure had gone. As Harry descended lower, skimming the treetops, he finally heard faint voices.
Hearing the voices, Harry was instantly alert, slowing his breathing and sneaking closer to land in a wych elm.
Carefully grasping the branches, Harry peered through the gaps in the leaves and spotted Snape in a shadowy clearing below. But to Harry's surprise, Quirrell was there too.
"D-Don't—Don't kn-know why—why you wanted t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus..." Harry noticed Quirrell was stuttering worse than ever.
About to uncover Snape's secret, Harry focused intently, eager to hear what Snape would say.
"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private. Students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher's Stone, after all." Snape's voice was icy cold, but the information he revealed left Harry stunned.
(End of chapter)