Snape limped away, and Filch, noticing, could only follow with a sigh of disappointment. He had hoped, just this once, that he'd get the chance to restore the dungeons, but it seemed like another false hope.
"This isn't fair!" Fred exclaimed, scowling in the direction Snape had gone. "There were three Hufflepuffs there, but he only docked points from Gryffindor!"
"It probably just slipped his mind—don't worry about it," Kyle said, patting Fred's shoulder. "On behalf of all Hufflepuffs, I'd like to express our sincerest thanks to Gryffindor."
Fred placed a hand on Kyle's arm, mimicking his serious tone. "In return, Gryffindor would like to make a humble request."
"Not a chance," Kyle replied without hesitation.
"Hey, I haven't even told you what it is…"
"Doesn't matter."
"We'll get to that later…" Cedric interjected, frowning. "Did anyone notice that Professor Snape seems to have a leg injury?"
"We figured that out days ago," George replied with a shrug. "During Potions, he barely moved at all, and he usually walks around a lot. This time, he just stood there."
"From that, we guessed something must've happened to his leg," added Fred. "And we even saw blood traces on the floor of the Potions classroom, but no one had been hurt that day."
Fred and George quickly shared the clues they'd noticed.
"No wonder he's been scarce lately," Cedric said, puzzled. "But doesn't it seem odd? This is Hogwarts. Why would Professor Snape be so badly injured?"
"Who knows," Fred mused. "Maybe he went to the Forbidden Forest. I heard he goes there often to collect ingredients for potions. Could've run into a dangerous magical creature."
"Or he went to the restricted area," George suggested. "Remember on Halloween, when all the professors were hunting down that Troll? Maybe he got too close to the Three-Headed Dog."
As they talked, the group made their way down the corridor. Snape and Filch were already gone, but none of them wanted to risk them suddenly doubling back. To avoid any unnecessary trouble, they decided to head in different directions.
The twins turned toward Gryffindor Tower, while the others split up at the stairwell. Kyle and Cedric headed downstairs to the Hufflepuff common room, while Kanna, mentioning something she needed to do, peeled off to the library.
...
The following week, Kyle became even busier, as did the others, who were now spending at least an hour a day in an empty classroom, working on their new products. Finally, by the second week, the Quidditch tournament began.
That morning, the weather was clear and cold, and the dining hall was filled with the tantalizing smell of sizzling sausages. Everyone was excitedly chatting about the upcoming match, anticipation buzzing through the hall.
"The first match is Gryffindor against Slytherin," Cedric said, munching on his toast as he checked the schedule he'd made. "They're the opener, and then we play Ravenclaw."
"Gryffindor..." Mikel, seated next to him, mused. "Their Seeker is that first-year, Potter, isn't it?"
Hogwarts was never short of secrets, and despite Wood's best efforts to keep it under wraps, word had spread that Harry had been made Seeker. The news that a first-year, the youngest in a century, had been given such a coveted position had made Harry a school-wide topic of conversation.
But opinions were mixed. While some thought Harry would excel, others were skeptical. Malfoy, from Slytherin, had repeatedly sneered that Gryffindor would have to follow Harry around with mattresses to catch him when he fell.
Everyone else was curious if Harry would succeed, but Malfoy seemed only concerned about him falling. Either that, or Malfoy and Harry had a peculiar affection for each other.
The group looked over to the Gryffindor table, where Harry sat with a frustrated expression, surrounded by a group of students trying to get him to eat. Each was offering him a sausage, toast, or something else, as though to make sure he didn't face the match on an empty stomach.
"He looks really nervous," Mikel observed.
"That's how it is for first-time competitors… well, for most of them," Cedric said, breaking off mid-sentence as he noticed Kyle, calmly eating toast as usual. He was also a first-time competitor, yet he looked entirely unfazed.
Just then, Fred and George strode into the hall. Rather than sitting down to eat, they wandered about for a bit before leaving. Noticing this, Kyle, Kanna, Cedric, and Cho from Ravenclaw quickly finished their breakfasts and followed them.
They tailed Fred and George to the entrance of the Quidditch Pitch, where a wooden shelf had appeared, lined with all sorts of cheering props, each glowing blue. The display included bottles that emitted a lion's roar and snake-shaped glow sticks that floated in the air. The pulsing blue light seemed to radiate warmth, dispelling the morning chill. The closer they got to the shelf, the cozier it felt.
"Bluebell Flames Charm… brilliant idea," Fred remarked, touching the shelf. "At least the younger kids won't have to freeze while watching the game."
The Bluebell Flames Charm was a special spell. Despite having "flames" in its name, it was only about fifty degrees Celsius, warm enough to hold comfortably. The flames themselves looked like delicate, glowing bluebells.
"Everything's set," George said. "We need to get to the stadium early, so we probably won't be able to help out here."
"That's fine, leave the rest to us," Cedric said with a grin.
Fred and George weren't expected to help today anyway, as they'd already turned down that role.
Cho took a seat next to the shelf, sighing contentedly. "Honestly, it's really comfortable here."
Only now did Cho understand why Kyle had chosen this spot for their sales. The warm, flickering blue flames created an oasis of comfort, transforming the cold, drafty corridor into something entirely different.
Soon, the match was about to start. Fred and George were called to the changing rooms by Wood, and students began trickling out of the Great Hall and toward the pitch, eager to watch the game.