Chapter 107 The Showdown Between Vaughn and Harry
Although the twins argued that the time was too short.
However, as the service provider, they still couldn't win against the powerful client, Warn.
What Vaughn was really hoping for was that the twins could come up with a solution to replace electricity with magic.
However, this project is a bit complicated, and it is estimated that it will be difficult to achieve results in a short period of time. Vaughn is also unsure whether the twins' free-spirited nature will allow them to endure the loneliness.
The reason they are having them modify the camera is that Vaughn hopes this Muggle product, which is rarely seen in the magical world, will pique their interest.
So far, the results seem good.
After hearing the progress and assigning the new tasks, Vaughn didn't let the twins leave. Instead, he kept them behind, frowning as he pondered.
His thoughtful expression made the twins exchange glances and look at each other.
After a moment's consideration, he asked, "Can I ask you a question? It might be difficult to answer, but you can just tell me based on your intuition."
The twins immediately shouted:
"Difficult to answer? We're using the word 'difficult' even between brothers... Oh no!"
"You guessed right, George, it's definitely because of the money!"
"Merlin, is it not enough for us to give him half of the Weasley Company to satisfy his greedy appetite?"
"What?" Fred exclaimed in shock. "Give him half of the Weasley Companies? When was that decision made? What gives you the right to make such a decision?"
"What else could it be? Of course, it's because—"
The twins suddenly burst into laughter, exclaiming in unison, "Because he is our benefactor!"
Then the two looked at Vaughn expectantly.
Vaughn asked calmly, "Finished acting?"
"...Why aren't you excited at all?"
"That's right, that's right. We thought about it for a long time before we came up with this reasonable distribution plan. We just haven't told you yet. It's not just one Weasley Studios, Weasley Electric Company, Weasley Pictures or anything like that. It means that you will have half of every one of our companies from now on!"
Fred and George's eyes sparkled. "Are you moved? Surprised? Unexpected?"
"...Tsk!"
He's a born businessman; he's a natural at making empty promises.
Vaughn gave a reserved yet warm smile: "I'm not moved. I've always thought it would be more reasonable for me to own 80%-90% of the company you founded."
The twins: "...Why don't you just rob it?"
"Robbing is too much trouble, it's much easier to suck your blood."
I made a few jokes.
But in the end, the twins said seriously, "Our initial plan is 50% of all companies. If you are not satisfied, we can discuss it in more detail later. We are brothers, and George and I will definitely prioritize your interests in any case."
"That's right. You've been the only one helping us all these years… Fred and I both understand that although you always talk about fair trade and investment, you're actually helping us in essence. After all, your money didn't come from thin air. Why invest in us when you could do other things?"
"Yes, over the years, you're the only one who hasn't disliked our mischievousness and has always supported our silly ideas. This time, you even supported our transformation... Are you under financial pressure because you seem to be in such a difficult situation today?"
George sighed. "2000 Galleons. You said you could earn that in less than two months, but Fred and I thought about it, how is that possible? You don't sell Wolfsbane Potion, you're just relying on those beauty potions? What kind of fool in the world would buy beauty potions at such a high price?"
Ah, this...
Vaughn hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Looking at the twins whose eyes were starting to redden, he suddenly didn't know how to start the conversation.
He originally intended to ask them how they, as alchemists, viewed the world, or how they viewed the relationship between ether and reality.
Because it was uncertain whether the twins possessed a mature and clear worldview, Vaughn said it might be difficult to answer and hoped they would follow their intuition.
Now, this question is definitely something I can't bring myself to ask, and I don't even know how to respond.
Should I pull out the price list from the pharmacy two days ago and tell them that a bottle of "Vorn Beauty" series is now being sold for 6 Galleons?
Should we tell them that for the past few months, Knockturn Alley has been frantically trying to contact him through Professor Snape, attempting to recruit this newly minted Potions Master? A shop has already offered 50 Galleons for a bottle of high-grade potion that he personally brewed.
Young man, there are far more fools in this world than you can imagine...
Seeing the two of them so moved, Vaughn felt that he might... maybe... perhaps he shouldn't feel a little embarrassed?
Vaughn shook his head almost imperceptibly, a very small movement that looked like a nod, yet seemed to carry a sense of unspoken words.
From the twins' perspective, this meant that the younger brother was admitting to recent financial pressure.
The two sighed, "No wonder you always push us to produce results... Sigh, we just called you a capitalist, we really didn't understand your difficulties. Don't worry, little brother, George and I will work hard to get the camera sorted out for you, even if it means staying up all night!"
"Yes, it definitely won't interfere with your important business!"
After saying that, the two of them ran out as if they had been injected with chicken blood, and the frustration of having their artistic taste and technical approach rejected by Vaughn had completely disappeared.
Watching their figures disappear into the distance, Vaughn rested his chin on his hand and blinked.
It's really...it's quite unexpected, in every sense of the word...
Although I didn't ask about the homework Dumbledore assigned, it was still nice to hear their heartfelt words...
...
From that day on, Fred and George became increasingly elusive.
If it weren't for the pressure of final exams, the two of them would have even considered skipping classes and devoting all their time to research.
Unfortunately, such a thought is absolutely impossible in reality.
It wasn't just the classes that distracted them; Quidditch was another problem.
The two were engrossed in their research for only two days before Wood threatened suicide – it was Thursday, and Wood actually climbed up to the observatory and swore to the young wizards and professors who had come to watch that if Fred and George did not participate in the training, he would jump off the observatory.
Although Malfoy mocked Wood for perhaps forgetting that this was Hogwarts, and that there were a whole bunch of wizards around who could chant "Shock Stop," so no one would die from a fall.
But the twins can't just stand by and watch Wood fall half to his death, right?
Furthermore, they were also responsible for installing cameras on the brooms used in Quidditch matches, something that both Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape had agreed to.
It is also related to Vaughn's "alleviation of economic pressure".
The twins have finally rejoined the team. Harry, who has been thinking about filming lately but couldn't find the twins, has finally seen them again.
Unfortunately, their busy training schedules left them with almost no time to spend together privately, and the days flew by.
Before you know it, Sunday has arrived.
Quidditch arrives on the second Sunday of May; this is the last Quidditch game of the year.
When Hermione woke up in the early morning, the sky in the distance was still dark, without the color of dawn.
In the dark dormitory, the quiet breathing of several other girls echoed. Hermione listened to the sounds, spaced out for a while, and then got up.
After putting on her robe in the dark, she took out her wand, whispered a spell, lit a candlestick with magical flame, and carried it into the washroom to brush her teeth and wash her face to take care of hygiene.
When she came out again, Hermione took a special look at the sky. Although there was a hint of dawn, it was still gloomy.
"The weather isn't very good today..."
She murmured, a hint of worry in her voice.
Today is the last Quidditch match of the school year, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, which is highly anticipated and captivates the hearts of everyone in all four houses—barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will almost certainly determine the winner of the House Cup a month from now.
Gryffindor, having not won the Academy Cup for seven years, is, according to Oliver Wood, closest to the title this year and has a very good chance of winning.
Hermione, like the other lion cubs, was worried about whether Gryffindor could redeem itself, but unlike the others, she was more concerned about her boyfriend, Vaughn Weasley, who was currently on the opposing side!
She leaned against the bay window and observed the weather for a while. She saw that the dark clouds in the sky did not dissipate at all. In the vast forbidden forest, which seemed to connect with the sky, large swaths of water mist floated like clouds in the forest and in the air. Just looking at it from a distance, one could almost smell the fishy smell of the approaching rain.
Hermione returned to her bed, opened the bedside storage cabinet, and took out the items inside one by one, which were things like rainproof goggles and waterproof linings.
These are all Muggle products that she recently had her family mail to her. She initially thought that the Scottish Highlands have a humid and changeable climate in the summer, and that she might need them for Vaughn's match sometime.
After putting them into her bag, Hermione glanced at Parvati Petit and Lavender Brown, who were still fast asleep in their dorm room, and tiptoed out without waking them.
The Gryffindor Tower was quiet in the early morning, far from the noise of other times of day. I walked down the stairs, past the empty common room, and through the ever-changing staircases.
When we arrived at the restaurant, breakfast was already laid out on the long table.
Speaking of which, Hermione had always been curious about who made the food at Hogwarts every day. She used to think it was created by magic, but later, in Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall explained the Gump Transfiguration Law, and she realized that magic cannot create things out of thin air, nor can it change the nature of objects.
Normally, when she got up early like this and no one was around, she would curiously examine it, but today she wasn't in the mood. She sat at the Gryffindor table, slowly eating her food while waiting for Vaughn to come over.
Around 6 o'clock, she waited for Ron and Harry first.
"Hermione, good morning." x2
"Good morning."
Harry rushed to Hermione's side, grabbed two slices of bread, sandwiched a piece of fried cod between them, and stuffed it into his mouth.
Ron, who was standing next to him, wished he could bury his head in the plate.
Hermione then noticed that her two friends didn't seem to have just gotten up; their hair was wet with dew.
"Harry, when did you get up?"
"Uh... around 3 or 4 o'clock?"
"Pre-match intensive training?"
"Yes, Wood said that a quick warm-up on the day of the competition is very helpful in improving performance."
"It wasn't just us!" Ron finally lifted his head from his plate, his mouth smeared with pumpkin juice. "Slytherin was there too. We almost got into a fight early this morning over who got to use the pitch first. It's a shame you weren't there, Hermione, otherwise you would have seen how funny Flint looked when I pointed my wand at him!"
After saying that, he and Harry burst into laughter.
Ron found it very rewarding to be able to defeat Slytherins, something he felt was worth sharing with his friends.
But Hermione looked worried: "A fight? Is Vaughn alright?"
"..."
Ron felt a little upset. "Why didn't you ask me and Harry if anything was wrong?"
"You guys have such good appetites, I don't see anything wrong with it." Hermione ruthlessly extinguished Ron's last shred of hope for friendship.
He said angrily, "I should have cursed him this morning and made him vomit snot all day!"
Then he saw a bright smile suddenly bloom on Hermione's face, followed by a hand patting his shoulder.
Ron turned around stiffly, while Vaughn looked down at him with a smile and asked, "Who do you want to vomit snot all day?"
"..." Ron stammered for a while before whispering, "Nobody... was just kidding..."
Harry, who was glancing sideways at us, tried to hold it in for a long time, but couldn't help it and burst out laughing.
Ron blushed, feeling both ashamed and afraid that Vaughn would cause him trouble.
Fortunately, Vaughn just patted him on the head, then went around to the other side of the long table and sat down next to Hermione. The two began to whisper to each other, oblivious to everyone else.
He saw Hermione, who had been so indifferent to him and Harry just moments before, now busily preparing food for Vaughn with a cheerful smile, and opening her bag to take out goggles and other items, nagging Vaughn on how to put them on.
Ron suddenly felt a spasm in his stomach and felt like vomiting.
"She's never been this nice to us before!"
"They're boyfriend and girlfriend, we're just friends, Ron!" Harry also felt that the breakfast setting was a bit too sweet and cloying, but he wasn't too opposed to it.
"Don't you think she's incredibly disloyal? Anyway, if I ever have a girlfriend, I definitely won't act like her. Our friendship is the most important thing, and you definitely feel the same way, right, Harry?"
"...Uh, maybe..."
"?" Ron stared wide-eyed at Harry's stammering, then glanced at Hermione, who was busy whispering to Vaughn.
My chest suddenly hurts a lot.
After a breakfast that was a mix of pleasant and frustrating moments, as time passed, the dining hall and even the entire Hogwarts gradually became lively.
The spot where Harry and Vaughn sat gradually became the focus of attention for the young wizards.
Today, no one worried about the exams that were just over a month away, and no one hurriedly grabbed a few pieces of bread and ran to the library as usual. Instead, they passed by frequently, offering words of encouragement to Harry and Vaughn and chattering about their ideas.
Everyone's focus today is on one thing: Quidditch!
Amidst all this commotion, it was 9 a.m. when Marcus Flint and Oliver Wood appeared at the restaurant entrance at the same time.
"Mr. Vaughn Weasley!"
"Harry!"
The noisy Gryffindor table fell silent immediately.
The young wizards watched as Vaughn and Harry stood up, and Hermione also stood up, clutching the pile of rain gear in her arms.
The match is about to begin.
Harry and Vaughn exchanged a glance and walked back to their respective groups.
Before parting, Vaughn held out his hand to Harry: "Good luck!"
Harry suddenly had the illusion that time had gone back to a few months ago, when the two of them first competed as opponents, and the scene was similar.
"You too, Vaughn!"
They shook hands, just like they had done months before, and then parted, Harry's eyes gleaming with a burning desire for victory.
No matter how much he tries to accept it, the reality is that he lost a few months ago, but this time, he is confident that he will never lose again!
He's not the Harry Potter he was a few months ago!
At 10 a.m., the sky, which had been overcast for a long time, finally began to drizzle.
The temperature dropped rapidly, and the damp, cold wind, carrying a drizzle, made one feel as if they were back in early spring.
Such weather is undoubtedly very unfriendly.
But neither the participants nor the spectators wanted to back down because of a rain shower, so the Quidditch pitch at 10 p.m. was already bustling with activity.
Lee Jordan's excited voice echoed throughout the entire stadium:
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your dear Lee Jordan. It is an honor to commentate on this highly anticipated match. As we all know, this match could very well decide the outcome of the House Cup. If Slytherin wins, then unless Merlin rises from his coffin, Slytherin will have secured the House Cup early, which would be terrible..."
"Jordan!"
"Sorry, Professor, I forgot to introduce you all. Today, my dear Professor McGonagall is once again supervising my commentary, which is quite nerve-wracking... Just kidding, Professor, haha... Also, please pay attention to the Gryffindor stands. Look, our beloved Headmaster Dumbledore is here today, holding his favorite sweets."
Dumbledore smiled, bowed slightly, and waved, eliciting deafening cheers from the surrounding stands.
Also in the Gryffindor stands, Ron, sitting next to Hagrid, watched Dumbledore's figure on the other side, and his tense heart finally relaxed a little.
Because Quirrell was sitting not far from him!
God knows how nervous he was when he discovered Quirrell had actually come to his vicinity; according to Hermione's analysis, Quirrell was most likely the Man in Black.
Ron wasn't a magic novice like Harry; he knew very well how ruthless a dark wizard who dared to cast the Killing Curse at Hogwarts was.
Ever since learning Quirrell's "true identity," the trio has generally tried to avoid alerting him, but unfortunately, they were out of luck today.
After confirming Dumbledore's location once again, ensuring that he could quickly and accurately find the old man for protection should Quirrell suddenly resort to dirty tricks, Ron turned his attention to the upcoming match.
When I came to my senses, I overheard Lee Jordan introducing the camera:
"...In order to promote the advancement of Quidditch at Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape have jointly approved the use of some magically modified Muggle cameras in this match... Yes, yes, it seems some students have already noticed the machines attached to the players' brooms and those floating above the arena; they can record the match..."
Listening to Lee Jordan's explanation, many young wizards from wizarding families who had little prior exposure to Muggle matters craned their necks in curiosity.
The young wizards from Muggle families, on the other hand, were finally seeing Muggle things in the magical world, and they excitedly explained to their classmates who didn't understand what a camera was.
Although they themselves may have never seen it before.
Hagrid craned his neck, straining his small, dark eyes to widen them, and exclaimed, "Ron, is that the camera you told me about last time? It's amazing! Muggles can actually make movies with such a tiny thing. I've been to the Muggle community to see movies before, and apart from the seats being too small to fit in, everything else was fantastic!"
Ron was about to answer when he saw Hermione squeeze through the crowd. She had been with the Slytherin team the whole time, so her arrival meant the match was about to begin.
Sure enough, just as Ron winked at Hermione, warning her to watch out for Quirrell and not to say anything out of line, he heard Lee Jordan yell:
"Now, let's welcome the two teams for this match, Slytherin, and—Gryffindor!!!"
The entire stadium erupted in thunderous cheers.
The massive roar of thousands of people seemed to momentarily deflect the trajectory of the falling rain.
The lively atmosphere completely dispelled the damp chill of the rainy season. Some people set off fireworks, while others waved magic wands to summon huge monster projections—snakes and lions.
They roared in the air and pounced on each other.
More young wizards were either in their seats or rushed to the fence, shouting for their preferred team, Gryffindor or Slytherin, but even more were shouting for Harry and Vaughn!
Ron couldn't help but shout at a slowly rising red figure in the arena, tearing at his hoarse voice that was starting to change as he yelled, "Go Harry! Take down Slytherin!"
Perhaps his voice was too loud, because Harry, riding on his broomstick and rising into the air, waved in their direction.
This move drew even more enthusiastic cheers from the Gryffindor stands.
On the other hand, Vaughn's treatment was equally impressive. He had a wider range of supporters, not only from Slytherin, but also from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, who were already out of the House Cup.
Of course, this only applies to him personally; nobody likes Slytherin House.
Hearing the cheers rising higher and higher all around, Lee Jordan's voice became more and more passionate and excited: "Listen, these are the two strongest and most popular teams at Hogwarts, and the two best Seekers who have served them in recent years!"
"Harry is undoubtedly a savior. I'm not saying he defeated the Void, but he saved Gryffindor. It's because of him that Gryffindor has been able to achieve such outstanding results this season."
"And Vaughn... while I'm not entirely comfortable with a Slytherin, I have to be fair, he's a great guy. That damn Sorting Hat must have malfunctioned, I..."
"Jordan!"
"Excuse me, Professor... Well, Mrs. Hooch has blown her whistle. The match is about to begin. Will Vaughn Weasley and his Slytherin continue their reign, or will Harry the Savior pull off a stunning comeback? It's something to look forward to!"
Lee Jordan was so flattered by Harry that he blushed.
But a sense of mission also subtly surfaced in Harry's mind.
Gryffindor finished last for seven consecutive seasons, while Slytherin dominated the top spot during those seven years.
The three houses have been suffering under Slytherin's thumb for far too long!
He embodies everyone's expectations and hopes.
We must win!
The wind and rain intensified.
At Madam Hooch's loud whistle, the Quaffle was tossed high into the air, flying against the rain curtain. Harry gripped the broom handle tightly, wiping the rain off his face as he watched the Quaffle's trajectory.
At one point, he noticed Vaughn across from him.
That's a completely different art style—
Everyone was in a sorry state in the rain, soaked to the bone, and had to curl up to resist the cold wind.
Only Vaughn, wearing goggles and a waterproof lining, sat upright on his broom, his robes fluttering in the wind.
For a fleeting moment, Harry suddenly understood Ron's jealousy...
Perhaps it was her appearance and looks that made her unlucky.
Gryffindor lost on the first goal of the game.
"Angelina failed to steal the ball, and Flint, with his gorilla-like arms, easily scooped it into his arms. Derian Pursey reacted quickly, swiftly closing in on the burly captain to help him alleviate the attack from Angelina and Arya... Merlin! They knocked Arya away, those two rude bastards—"
"Jordan!"
"I'm sorry, Professor, please forgive my indignation... Fortunately, the Weasley twins reacted quickly. Fred... George... well, never mind, one of the twins stayed behind to hold off Derek and Boll (the batter), while the other swung his bat and charged into the fray."
"The tackling is fierce! The addition of one of the twins compensates for Angelina and Arya's lack of strength. It seems the Gryffindor team has been training specifically after their last defeat... That's it! Using numerical superiority to surround Flint, constantly pressing him... Wait, what am I seeing—"
Amid gasps from Lee Jordan and the other spectators, a streak of dark green lightning mixed with silver suddenly cut into the battlefield from high above.
The swift momentum created air currents that immediately disrupted Gryffindor's pressing formation.
Arya, who was at a disadvantage in terms of size, was almost pulled off the broom.
At the same time, cheers erupted from the Slytherin stands.
"It's Vaughn Weasley! That handsome guy who's the envy of everyone, just like a few months ago, using the broom's excellent performance and his own superb reflexes to weave and disrupt the Gryffindor formation. Bole has also caught up, hitting the wandering ball to coordinate with him. This is Slytherin's infamous disruptor tactic..."
"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall roared in fury.
Lee Jordan quickly apologized: "Sorry, Professor, I was just too excited, and 'troublemaker' isn't a derogatory term..."
But Professor McGonagall clearly didn't want to hear his explanation: "If you continue like this, I'll disqualify you from commentating!"
Ron in the Gryffindor stands wholeheartedly agreed.
"Professor McGonagall should kick him out right now, that big mouth!"
Hermione looked at Ron in surprise: "How strange, you're actually speaking up for Vaughn?"
"How could that be? I would never speak up for him in my entire life."
"Then why..."
Ron snorted: "Think about it, if Vaughn is a troublemaker, then what are Harry and the others?"
Hermione: "..."
This perspective... was something she hadn't considered...
As he spoke, cheers erupted again from the surrounding stands.
Thanks to Vaughn's aggressive attack, Flint and Pryce were able to break free from Angelina and Arya's clutches, and the two exchanged possession of the ball back and forth, taking turns attacking the Gryffindor goal.
Even if Wood tried his best to block, with the defense in front of the goal collapsing, he, as a goalkeeper, had no chance of stopping the Slytherin team's attack unless he had three heads and six arms.
"Goal! Slytherin leads 10-0... It's a real shame that Gryffindor executed their tactics very well at the start. They were trying to make up for their weaknesses from a few months ago and learned from Slytherin's strategy of having a numerical advantage, but they still suffered a setback because of Vaughn Weasley."
"That's the impact a good Seeker can have on the game. So the question is, where's Harry? Where is Harry?"
Harry's fighting too!
After their previous defeat, the Gryffindor team carefully analyzed the reasons for their loss.
While Angelina Johnson and Arya Spinnet certainly bear some responsibility, Harry's share of the blame is equally significant. It's clear to everyone that Gryffindor completely lost to Vaughn's flanking maneuvers in that match.
Throughout the match, Gryffindor faced the predicament of Vaughn drawing away the ball and disrupting their formation, both offensively and defensively.
Therefore, in the post-match review, everyone agreed that in order to break down Slytherin's powerful offensive capabilities, they needed to find a way to limit Vaughn.
But the chances of that happening are too slim. Even if Harry is very confident, he doesn't think he's a match for Vaughn. In their first match, they were both newcomers to the team. Harry could only watch from the air, while Vaughn was able to participate in the team's attack.
The difference lies not only in physical athletic talent and broom performance, but also in Warn's superior ability to read the game.
Since the Seeker's one-on-one, head-to-head approach isn't working, let's try a different method—for example, have Harry join the flanking battle and work with his teammates to reduce the number of Slytherins!
Just as everyone's attention was focused on the battle ahead, Harry, just like a few months ago, soared high into the sky at the start of the game and quietly swooped down towards the batters' battlefield.
"Harry... what is Harry doing? My God, he's diving at Derek! Slytherin has been tricked! During the attack just now, Boole stayed behind to help Derek in order to coordinate with Vaughn Weasley. Now he's all alone, while on the Gryffindor side, it's Harry and one of the twins, two people!"
"Harry! Harry! That cunning fellow, he's going to knock Derek off his broom and reduce the number of Slytherins!"
"It's so bloody! So cruel! It's downright morally bankrupt! But I really love it, keep it up, Harry Potter—"
The wind and rain howled past me, and at their maximum speed, even the smallest raindrops stung my face.
In footage captured by cameras around the stadium, Harry swooped down like a red shooting star.
"oh--"
The violent wind distorted everything, and the deafening cheers around him were stretched into strange noises. Harry struggled to keep his eyes open, even though his vision was already warped.
He could barely make out two figures, one orange-red and the other dark green, intertwined in the rain below.
Whether it was Fred or George, they had already contained Derrick. All he needed to do was rush over and ram him hard, knocking him off his broom and eliminating him from the team. Even if it meant incurring a foul, it would be worth it.
As the red shooting star rapidly approached, cheers erupted from the stands, and Slytherin, who had just scored, finally realized what was happening.
But to the Gryffindor players' surprise, they remained calm and showed no panic. In fact, when Vaughn whistled, Flint, Puse, and Bool rushed at them like madmen.
Vaughn then swooped down diagonally.
Meanwhile, Harry had already rapidly approached Derek!
Just as he was struggling to control the broom, preparing to adjust its direction and knock Derek down with the broom's tail.
A faint whistling sound came from afar, and then something unexpected happened.
Derek, who had been eager to get away, suddenly jumped off the broom and pounced on one of the twins.
Poor broom, how could it possibly support two people?
To Harry's astonishment, it suddenly flipped over, and the two who were embracing each other plummeted downwards.
broken!
Just as Harry was filled with terror, Lee Jordan's exclamation echoed throughout the stadium: "Oh no, Derek is a trap, a trap to lure Harry into participating in the attack!"
Harry's mind went blank.
Under the intense shock of terror, his perception of time seemed to stretch out, and everything in his field of vision slowed down. He saw raindrops streak past his eyes, and he saw Fred or George being held tightly by Derek, tumbling and falling in mid-air.
I also saw myself reaching out, trying to grab them, but it was all in vain.
Everything was a replica of last year, except that back then, it was he who fell off the broom.
Why did things turn out this way?
A sense of confusion surfaced amidst their chaotic thoughts. Everything had been progressing well before. Over the past few months, in order to defeat Slytherin, they had reviewed their previous failures over and over again, including their subsequent matches against Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.
Everyone on the team knows that Slytherin is very strong!
The strength here refers not only to Vaughn, but also to the overall quality of the Slytherin team.
Based on the head-to-head analogy, apart from the twins who are batters and the goaltender Wood, the other three members of the Gryffindor team have no confidence in competing with their opponents in the same position.
To defeat such a strong team with superior overall quality, we cannot engage in traditional offensive or defensive battles. Instead, we must find a way to achieve victory by taking a surprise approach and weakening their advantage!
So Wood later devised a tactic of attrition warfare.
This was designed based on the Slytherin team's style.
Wood had been studying the Slytherin team for a long time and he discovered that the Slytherin team loved to attack and rarely played defensively.
Since Vaughn joined the team this year, he has further intensified the Slytherin team's offensive tactics. He has practically turned the Seeker position into a super libero, relying on high-performance brooms and quick reflexes to support his weaving tactics, like a shuttle weaving through cotton thread.
That relentless attack was incredibly oppressive and seemed impossible to counter.
However, in Wood's view, there is no truly perfect and unsolvable tactic in the world; it also has weaknesses. While Vaughn's fast-paced offensive waves are indeed intimidating, they also force his teammates to accelerate at full speed during the offense in order to keep up with his pace.
In other words, once a targeted arrangement is made, even a slight obstruction to one of them will disrupt that person's rhythm, pull them out of Slytherin's attack sequence, and effectively isolate them.
The tactic of attrition warfare emerged as a result.
In fact, today's match initially went as they had anticipated, with Slytherin displaying a strong offensive from the start.
Angelina lost the fight to Aria, which was expected.
Harry, who was out on the sidelines, saw the twins holding off Derek and Boole, saw Vaughn once again employing his flanking maneuver, saw Boole abandon Derek to help Vaughn, and saw one of the twins holding them off almost imperceptibly.
Everything went according to plan and rehearsal over the past few months, but... why did something suddenly go wrong at the last minute?
Harry couldn't figure out what the problem was; he hadn't even realized it yet.
He didn't know what to do if the enemy suddenly decided to commit mutual destruction during the execution of the tactic.
With his mind blank, before he could even grab one of the twins, he instinctively slammed down the broom and swooped down!
Gryffindor will never abandon their teammates...
He wanted to save people!
"Good heavens, Harry didn't catch Fred... George... Ah—damn, which one is he? Never mind, it's obvious that Harry and Wood's tactics failed, Slytherin figured out their tactics and planted Derek as bait."
"Oh—Harry swooped down to save someone… Damn it, Derek was sacrificed; he was clinging tightly to one of the twins. If Harry wants to save someone, he'll have to save both of them, which will obviously slow him down significantly!"
"Vaughn? Where is Vaughn Weasley?"
As the question was asked, Lee Jordan and the others on the court had already caught a glimpse of a dark green figure flashing with silver patterns as it sped past.
He was so fast that the rain was parted, leaving ripples in his wake.
It quickly stopped below and raised its head.
Hermione's gift of rain goggles allowed Vaughn to have a clear view without being disturbed by wind and rain.
He noticed Harry overhead, like a fiery shooting star, chasing after Derek and one of the twins who were falling together, and a smile crept onto his lips.
Everything is going according to plan—Flint's poisoned bait plan!
He wanted to retract his previous assessment of Flint. The guy was indeed ugly and stupid, but in Quidditch, Flint was truly a genius!
Wood discovered Slytherin's weakness, but Flint had noticed it even earlier. However, the cunning Slytherin captain had never changed his tactics in previous matches.
Instead, in game after game, they attacked, kept attacking, and even deliberately strengthened Vaughn's tactical position, making the pace faster and faster, creating the impression that the Slytherin team had gone mad on the offensive end.
If Gryffindor takes this impression seriously, then the only tactic they can use with the highest success rate is "fouls and eliminations".
Flint had long since developed a two-headed offensive formation (Flint and Pryce handling the ball, Vaughn setting screens), in which Derrick and Boll were largely ineffective, thus naturally becoming the bait.
This attracted Harry to join the ambush!
Of course, in the original plan, Derek or Boor was responsible for taking Harry down with them, but in the actual game, things can't always go according to plan.
Success is achieved as long as you can drag someone down with you.
The most important aspect of the poison bait plan was that it accurately predicted the reckless, impulsive, and loyal nature of the lion cubs. Both Flint and Vaughn knew that it didn't matter whether Harry or the twins were dragged into it.
The Gryffindor team will never abandon their teammates; they will definitely find a way to save them!
"What is Vaughn doing? Is he trying to save Derek? Or is he going to save Harry or his brother like last time?"
"He moved... no—Vaughn brushed past them!"
The wind whistled in my ears.
The reactivated Vaughn was like a bolt of lightning streaking across the sky!
They passed by Derek and one of the twins, who were falling and still struggling, as well as Harry.
Then it turns around and spirals out of control!
From a distance, it looks like a giant python, dark green and silver, circling the falling meteor.
Lee Jordan roared passionately, "Vaughn Weasley, what is he doing? He doesn't seem to want to help his teammates, Harry, or his brother. He's waiting, waiting... Look, someone's coming from the other side too, one of the twins, and—"
Soon, Lee Jordan will no longer have to worry about which of the twins is who.
Because they were now almost at the height of the stands, everyone could vaguely hear the guy who had just flown in shouting, "George—Harry—I'm here—"
"It's Fred, and Bohr is following behind him… Merlin, I really hope he didn't catch up. I already know what Vaughn is waiting for!"
Lee Jordan said in despair.
Chapter 108 The Champion's Banquet and Power
The cruel Flint, in devising his poison bait tactic, never intended to poison only a small lion.
If Gryffindor cannot decisively cut off his arm to save his life, then George, who was taken off the broom by Derek, will become the real poison bait to lure them to their deaths one by one.
The so-called poisoned bait poisons emotions and catches people's hearts.
Of course, Vaughn would never admit that the part of this tactic that is similar to "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" actually involved his own planning.
He's just an ordinary Slytherin player, responsible for executing tactics, not for taking the blame!
Seeing Fred chasing after them, Bol followed closely behind.
Amid Lee Jordan's desperate cries, Vaughn shoved his broom aside and turned to charge at Fred.
Lee Jordan screamed, almost covering his eyes: "Sure enough, Vaughn turned and charged at Fred. Poor Fred, he was sandwiched between them... He tried to dodge and go around, but he couldn't escape at all. Vaughn and Boll flew past him in a crisscross pattern."
"It was too fast! I couldn't even see what happened. I just saw Fred fall off the broom... Merlin, there's no second Harry in the arena. Fred could only fall in despair."
"To make matters worse, Harry couldn't save George. He caught them, but the three of them were just too heavy, and Derek, that madman..."
"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall's stern voice, barely containing her anger, rang out.
Lee Jordan snorted twice indignantly, but didn't continue to curse: "...Derek held George tightly, and George had to let go so as not to affect Harry."
"Oh—look, everyone! Headmaster Dumbledore himself stood up and recited'Shock Stop'. Thanks to his powerful magic, Fred and George are unharmed. But I'm not happy at all because they were eliminated by the despicable Slytherin!"
This time, Professor McGonagall didn't stop them. The Vice-Headmistress was furious. Slytherin had played dirty, and what angered her even more was that Gryffindor's tactics weren't much cleaner.
These people are defiling the sacred Quidditch in her heart!
While such tactics of aiming to reduce the number of players are common practice in official matches outside of school—modern Quidditch is much more conservative, and in the past, fouling tactics were even more terrifying, looking almost like murder, such as using magic to turn opposing players into weasels, or trying to chop off the goalkeeper's head...
Of course, the students weren't too happy about it, especially the Gryffindors. The little lions booed loudly from the stands, and some angrily threw things into the air, seemingly trying to knock the Slytherin team down.
The Slytherin stands weren't to be outdone, throwing all sorts of random things at the little lions.
If Dumbledore hadn't stood up again and shouted at them with a powerful, almost cursed voice, the fine tradition of England fans would probably have been repeated in the stands today.
Once the commotion subsided, Lee Jordan resumed his commentary: "There were a few minor issues with the audience just now. Now, let's get back to the game. Mrs. Hodge has made her ruling."
"Derrick committed a malicious foul and is disqualified from this match. Gryffindor is awarded two goal kicks. Bor committed a charging foul and is awarded one goal kick to Gryffindor."
"These rulings cannot soothe our pain, nor can they make up for Gryffindor's current disadvantage. Although Slytherin committed a foul, according to the rules, Fred and George have lost the possibility of returning to the field... Damn it, Mrs. Hodge should also send Boll off!"
Lee Jordan shouted indignantly.
But everyone knows that he can only talk big like that. After all, when Vaughn, Bohr and Fred passed each other before, although he couldn't see them very clearly, he could still judge their tactical movements.
They did not make any malicious actions such as pulling or kicking.
Most notably, the camera that was on the field for the first time provided strong evidence for Mrs. Hooch's ruling. The camera on Fred's broom clearly captured the image of Bor hitting Fred's broom handle with the tail of his broom.
There was no physical contact, so it was just a collision foul.
Looking at the images projected onto the giant screen in one corner of the stadium, Ron, who had just been competing with the Slytherins to see who could shout the loudest, cursed hoarsely, "Despicable Slytherins, and despicable Vaughn..."
"Ronald!" Hermione glared at him, annoyed. "Vaughn was just following Flint's play. Look, he didn't commit any fouls on the replay!"
"That's because Bol has already done it. I don't believe he's some innocent fool. I bet if Bol hadn't succeeded in seduce Fred, he would have resorted to dirty tricks!"
Ron snorted, "Foolish little girl, she's blind to think Vaughn is some kind of good person."
What annoyed him was that there were too many silly little girls around him. For example, Hermione's roommate, Lavender Brown, had a big argument with Seamus Finnigan, insisting that Vaughn was so handsome that he must be a gentle boy who respected his older brother and cared for his younger brother, and would never do something as outrageous as that.
vomit!
I feel nauseous!
Amidst the commotion, the whistle blew again.
"Alright, the ruling is over. Mrs. Hooch has blown her whistle. Sigh, hopefully Gryffindor can recover their composure quickly..."
Lee Jordan's roused commentary, tinged with concern, prompted Mrs. Hodge to blow her whistle again, signaling the game to continue.
Once back in the air, the Gryffindor team members all looked grim and serious.
They glared angrily at their opponents, including Harry, who was also staring intently at Vaughn.
No one expected that after months of preparation, they would be beaten like this. Harry was so remorseful that his eyes welled up with tears.
The scene of George being thrown down by Derek not long ago kept flashing before his eyes.
He kept thinking, if only he could have been faster, even faster.
Does that mean I can knock Derek over? Does that mean I can stop George?
But reality doesn't offer "what ifs".
The reality is that the tactics he and Wood had devised over a long period of time were a complete failure, a failure from the very beginning. When he swooped down on Derek, when he instinctively tried to save George, their tactics had already become a joke.
It was all because of him. He was tricked, and it was his subconscious action that led to Fred's elimination. Harry already understood why Vaughn flew around him back then. It was an offensive posture. Vaughn used that method to force someone from the Gryffindor team to come and save him.
Because he's the Seeker, he's more important than anyone else!
Looking at Harry across from him, whose eyes were red-rimmed, Vaughn had some doubts:
Did I make Savior cry?
Flint, you are truly wicked!
Flint, grinning with his buck teeth, had no idea that he had been unfairly blamed again.
He was still grinning smugly, his arrogant demeanor making it no wonder that Vaughn habitually shifted the blame onto him—he was just too hateful, with a naturally mocking face.
Seeing his smug expression, everyone in Gryffindor was holding their breath.
When Lady Hooch blows her whistle for the third time, it signals to Gryffindor to begin taking the three goal kicks (similar to a penalty kick).
Angelina, Aria, and Harry each get one chance.
In reality, besides goalkeeper Wood, there were only three of them left...
The three, their chests brimming with rage, didn't waste a single opportunity, swinging their fists and slamming the Quake into the Slytherin goal.
Gryffindor leads 30-10.
However, Gryffindor's supporters and commentator Lee Jordan were far from optimistic: "Gryffindor is out of options. They were already at a disadvantage against Slytherin, and now they've lost two batters. Their numerical disadvantage will only increase the difficulty of their defense and may even completely stifle their offense."
"Now we can only hope that Harry catches the Golden Snitch as soon as possible!"
Harry understood that his only hope for victory now was to catch the Golden Snitch and get 150 points directly.
He was also holding his breath, wanting to turn the tide.
But it was only after the competition resumed that he truly realized how painful it is to have one less player on your side in team competitions.
That damn Bolt was flying right next to him the whole time, occasionally hitting the ball to distract him, and Angelina and Aria couldn't spare any energy to help him.
Although he was the first to spot the Golden Thief 30 minutes later, he was unable to escape because he was constantly harassed by Bor.
He could only watch helplessly as Vaughn leisurely tore through the goal defense, helping Flint score another goal before turning around to chase the Golden Snitch, catching it without any pressure, and ending the game.
Final score:
[Slytherin 260: Gryffindor 30]
Shocking, a bloodbath!
For all Gryffindor supporters, those 30 minutes, and Gryffindor's stellar 30 minutes, were agonizing torture.
They witnessed firsthand how Gryffindor, down to one man, was toyed with like pets by their arch-rivals Slytherin, who tore through their paper-thin defenses in all sorts of fancy ways and scored goals in various spectacular fashions.
Watching Wood struggle to get a chance to attack, and seeing Angelina and Aria, the two girls, barely getting any chance to attack, they could only become goalkeepers number 2 and 3, running around tirelessly.
And Harry was also running around like a headless fly!
This was the most desperate game they had ever seen, but no one could blame the Gryffindor team.
The two girls were so exhausted they were almost fainting.
Wood and Harry weren't much better off; they were soaked to the bone, it was hard to tell if it was rain or sweat, and when Mrs. Hooch blew the final whistle, the two of them almost slipped off their brooms.
A cacophony of sighs erupted from the Gryffindor stands, while cheers erupted from the Slytherin stands. Someone called out Vaughn's name, and gradually more and more people joined in, including Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.
Amidst the enthusiastic cheers and stares of the crowd, Vaughn slowly flew to Harry and extended his hand: "Are you alright, Harry?"
Harry would have given any other Slytherin a cold shoulder, but he couldn't bring himself to hate Vaughn; he just felt exhausted.
It's as if all the energy I've mustered over the past few months has suddenly vanished, leaving me listless and unsure of what expression to make.
He simply squeezed Vaughn's hand gently: "I'm alright..."
He paused, trying to appear more poised and magnanimous, and then, like an adult on TV, say something like, "Congratulations on winning the championship."
But Harry realized that he actually felt wronged and depressed and wanted to cry.
Then, he actually shed tears...
Vaughn watched as Harry, who was sobbing uncontrollably with tears streaming down his face, instinctively turned to look at Marcus Flint, who was waving his gorilla-like arms and grinning at the surrounding stands.
They really made the savior cry!
This is something even Voldemort couldn't do, Flint, you are truly... heinous!
...
Harry, who couldn't stop crying, was eventually dragged away by the twins—they were the only two in the entire Gryffindor team who still had energy because they had left the field early.
After the competition, Angelina and Aria were so exhausted that they couldn't even get off their brooms.
Professor McGonagall, feeling sorry for them, used magic to catch them and then arranged for the girls to help take them to the school hospital.
As for Wood.
This "veteran" whose dream was shattered for the third time (Wood should have started as a goalkeeper in his third year) was left alone on the Quidditch pitch as the crowd gradually dispersed, getting soaked in the increasingly heavy rain, seemingly trying to drown himself.
No one cares about the various behaviors of the losers. Gryffindor, who are also losers, used to argue the loudest, but now they have fallen silent.
Most people can only see the winners.
All the little snakes spontaneously gathered around Vaughn and the others, and joyfully escorted them back to their Slytherin "sea view house." Then, the wealthy and powerful folks began preparing for the banquet.
For example, Malfoy!
This guy, who usually acts like a mouse before a cat whenever he sees Vaughn, walked arrogantly beside Vaughn today, boasting to everyone about his relationship with Vaughn.
In fact, what he said did have some basis in fact. Since Vaughn entered Slytherin, apart from the team members and the unfortunate prefect who was knocked unconscious on the first day and didn't even deserve to be named, he was the only one who had the most contact with Vaughn.
Vaughn would even affectionately call him "Draco," a real honor among the Slytherins who didn't even deserve to have names!
Malfoy donated all his pocket money today, about 50 Galleons, to the upperclassmen to prepare sweets and drinks for the dinner party at Hogsmeade.
He was also very obsequious, and with a hint of ill intent, he said, "Vaughn, should I go and call Potter and Granger over too?"
Looking at this handsome, outwardly refined fellow, Vaughn almost wanted to dissect him to see if there was anything rotten inside.
That's too cruel. Harry was already crying from the beating, and you're still rubbing salt into his wounds?
What a beast!
The soft-hearted Vaughn naturally rejected this outrageous suggestion, only instructing, "No need to call anyone, just send a portion of the food to Harry; he probably won't be in the mood for dinner tonight."
Upon hearing this, Malfoy beamed with joy.
It doesn't matter whether Harry comes or not, as long as he can go up to the other party and mock him, he will be satisfied!
Malfoy left in high spirits, planning how to humiliate Potter later.
The other happy little snakes continued to huddle around Vaughn.
Whether it was genuine or feigned to please, at least they appeared to be having fun.
Vaughn was also very happy.
If he wins the match, barring any unforeseen circumstances, his main quest will be completed in a month. After a year of hard work, he will finally be able to improve his talent again.
Harry felt like he couldn't breathe.
Gryffindor failed, and although everyone knows that no one was at fault, from another perspective, one could say that everyone was at fault.
Although no one blamed him, their words of regret and pity pierced Harry's heart like knives.
"The fault doesn't lie with Harry. We can all see that his reflexes are inferior to Vaughn's, his broom is less efficient, and his physical abilities are even worse. Harry is too thin and small, while Vaughn is tall and strong..."
"Yes, Angelina and Aria can't fight against Flint and Psy either. There's nothing they can do about it. They've been trying their best to make amends, but the results aren't ideal."
"It's not a big deal if the tactics fail. Over hundreds of years, how many tactics have been developed among all the Quidditch teams in the world? It's just a pity that we had such a good chance this year..."
Whispers like these could be heard constantly in the Gryffindor common room.
Before today, everyone always praised Harry's small stature, saying he was the perfect traditional Seeker.
They praised Angelina and Aria's agile movements on the court, saying they were as nimble as falcons.
These words from the past suddenly vanished on this night of defeat. Everyone whispering among themselves seemed to have transformed into Quidditch experts, picking out the mistakes that had previously gone unnoticed as evidence of the failure—the players' individual physical abilities were insufficient, their tactics were predictable and countered… It seemed perfectly reasonable that such a team couldn't win!
Harry wanted to cover his ears, not wanting to hear those words anymore.
But he dared not.
He dared not show his vulnerability and resistance. His previous crying on the court was already outrageous and shameful enough. He could not leave people with the impression that he was cowardly and escapist.
Because he is Harry Potter, the boy who survived, a hero and warrior in everyone's eyes!
But Harry actually avoided it; he sat on the sofa facing the fireplace so he wouldn't have to look at the people talking behind him.
The brain lock technique he had painstakingly learned over several months finally came in handy—it helped him quickly clear his mind and shift his focus.
"If Vaughn knew that I was using the Occlumency technique that he painstakingly taught me, he would be very angry."
Harry thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile, then the name Vaughn that popped into his mind made him feel a pang of sadness.
Their opponents orchestrated their defeat, shattering Gryffindor's hopes of winning the House Cup again after many years—this is the main reason for the widespread discussion and a significant factor in Harry's earlier emotional breakdown on the pitch.
Even now, Harry still feels empty inside. He had worked hard for months and even saw hope, but it all vanished in the end. It's a feeling that's hard to describe.
Harry sat there in front of the cold fireplace. When someone came to talk to him, he would reply with a few words. When no one came, he would just sit there in a daze. During this time, he seemed to hear someone say that Malfoy was loitering outside Gryffindor and wanted to invite him to some kind of dinner party.
Harry ignored him. The room was filled with utter disappointment. The little lion, desperately wanting to vent his anger, would teach the foolish Malfoy what anger was!
He sat there in front of the fireplace from day to night.
As darkness fell, he overheard some classmates saying, "Slytherin is having a party, those wretched creatures!"
Harry, lost in thought, suddenly remembered the small party the school held to welcome him when he first joined the Quidditch team last year.
That was the most glorious moment of his life in the past ten years. He enjoyed that feeling, not because of vanity, but because for the first time in his life, he realized that he was not a piece of trash that was despised, and that he could be needed.
Harry's obsession with victory likely stemmed from this. In essence, Harry didn't consider himself a competitive person; otherwise, he wouldn't have spent his days slacking off with Ron and ending up at the bottom of the class.
His desire to defeat Slytherin and win the House Cup probably began on that day.
It's a pity, all hope has been shattered.
I wish I could turn back time and start all over again.
Harry thought unwillingly, "Is there any way to make amends?"
He continued to stare blankly until Ron and Hermione returned from the restaurant, bringing him some fried cod, chips, and pies.
Hermione brought over the food she had brought back and urged, "Harry, have some. You didn't eat lunch."
"I'm not hungry."
"Eat a little bit. Do you want to be like Wood? Angelina said he sat on the field all day and fainted from hunger in the evening. He had low blood sugar, and Mrs. Pomfrey gave him a whole bottle of magic potion."
Madam Pomfrey's potions were still quite intimidating. Harry took the fried cod and mechanically stuffed it into his mouth.
Seeing his friend's lifeless appearance, Ron tried to cheer him up by talking about Malfoy's misfortune: "Malfoy is finished this time. Harry, that stupid pretty boy, actually dared to come to Gryffindor to provoke them. I don't know which upperclassman put a Confusion Charm on him, but he went to Quirrell's office and made a huge scene."
"I heard that Quirrell smashed his medicine jar. Quirrell was furious, and Professor McGonagall was furious too. As punishment, they sent Malfoy to Quirrell's place for community service. It's a great relief!"
At this point, Ron sneered, "If Quirrell, that man in black, could cast a curse on Malfoy, that would be even better!"
Harry, who had been lost in thought, suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
He quickly swallowed the tasteless cod in his mouth, looked around, pulled Ron and Hermione to sit down beside him, and whispered, "I suddenly wondered, if we stopped Quirrell from stealing the Philosopher's Stone, would that count as protecting school property?"
Hermione was a little confused, but she still nodded: "Of course it counts."
"Well…" Harry swallowed nervously, "Since we protected school property, shouldn't the school give us some kind of reward?"
"..."
Hermione was at a loss for words, but Ron's eyes lit up at the mention of a reward: "Yeah, I didn't even realize it until you told me. The Philosopher's Stone is so valuable. Even if we don't mention its ability to grant immortality, its ability to turn stones into gold is amazing. If we protect it, the school should at least give us a reward, right?"
"I don't ask for much, just a few hundred ounces of gold will do!"
"Stop dreaming." Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron, speechless.
He frowned at Harry and said, "Why did you suddenly think of that? Your vault is probably full of Galleons!"
Now it was Harry's turn to be confused: "How did you know?"
He's not one to flaunt his wealth; he'd only casually mentioned to his friends before that he'd inherited some money.
Hermione's expression was calm: "Vaughn said that the Potters are very rich. Potter shampoo was developed by your grandfather. He sold the company for a large sum of money before your father was born, enough for several generations to live a very wealthy life."
Ron watched with envy.
Listening to Hermione's words, Harry suddenly realized that he knew less about the Potter family than others did.
However, that's not the focus right now.
Harry lowered his voice: "The reward I want isn't money, but something that money can't buy, like... having Dumbledore add a few hundred points to Gryffindor, that shouldn't be too much to ask, right?"
"No, absolutely not!"
"I was just making a suggestion, an idea, Hermione. Don't you think several hundred points is too much? We can discuss what would be a more reasonable score..."
"This isn't about dividing the spoils too much or too little!"
At this moment, the trio was locked in a stalemate by the Black Lake.
When Harry realized that Hermione disagreed with his ideas, he quickly pulled her out of the castle to prevent them from arguing and letting everyone inadvertently reveal the truth in public.
Harry was puzzled as to why Hermione disagreed: "If it's not because it's too much, what else could it be?"
Hermione's originally fair face flushed red as she tried to defend herself, saying, "Harry, Quirrell is a bad guy, he did bad things. On the contrary, exposing him is doing a good thing. How can doing good things... how can they be mixed with self-interest?"
Harry and Ron exchanged bewildered glances, not quite understanding.
In truth, Hermione couldn't articulate a very clear reasoning; she was just a child, as she herself said.
Quirrell is a villain who does bad things, so opposing him is naturally doing good.
A typical black-and-white view of good and evil, a simple and honest view of right and wrong.
In Hermione's simple-minded view, good deeds should be pure and free from any self-interest, but she felt it was inappropriate to apply that standard to Harry and Ron.
Unable to articulate a reason, and lacking the confidence to refute, the atmosphere became somewhat tense for a moment.
In the end, Hermione was defeated by Harry's attempt to play the victim.
Under the bright moonlight, Harry said sincerely, "Hermione, what I want is not any benefit, but just house points. You saw it today, everyone is in low spirits. Gryffindor hasn't touched the House Cup in seven years."
"For us, this is only the first year, so we don't have a deep understanding yet, but what about those upperclassmen? They've come through year after year of disappointment, especially the seventh graders, who have experienced seven years of desolation... Hermione, I don't want them to leave school with regrets!"
In the end, Harry was moved by his own words, even though that was truly what he thought.
"..."
Hermione was silent for a moment, finally giving up, but she also raised another important question: "Have you thought about how to expose Quirrell? Before, we didn't care when Quirrell actually stole the Philosopher's Stone, but what about now? What if he keeps holding back, until summer vacation, until we're in our second or third year? What are you going to do then?"
"Uh…" Harry was dumbfounded, and Ron was also stunned.
They hadn't really considered this issue.
If Quirrell is really that patient, even if he exposes it, it won't matter this year. Who knows if he can get this close to the Academy Cup in the future?
"snort!"
Hermione snorted coldly. She had long seen through Harry and Ron; they thought about things based solely on passion, with almost no brains involved.
After racking their brains for a long time, the two still couldn't come up with a good solution.
Harry stared blankly at the dark lake under the night sky, while Ron muttered, "We're not Quirrell's worms, how would we know what he's up to? Sigh, if only we could tell fortunes!"
Harry had another flash of inspiration: "Wait, divination...?"
Ron, already used to Harry's ignorance of magical "common sense," explained, "There are real prophets in the wizarding world, like Harry, such as Trelawney, the Divination teacher at Hogwarts, whose ancestors were world-renowned prophets."
But this time it was beyond his expectations.
"I know about fortune telling, Ron," Harry said. "I've read about it in books."
Hermione and Ron stared at Harry in surprise. Although they didn't say anything, their meaning was clear—you can actually read books?
Ha, pretending not to see, covered up his embarrassment and said, "Besides, I know where to find a fortune teller!"
"where?"
Harry rose and looked towards the distant forest, edged with silver by the moonlight, which only made it appear even darker:
"In the forbidden forest!"
...
The Slytherin celebrations continued into the night.
Nearly 80% of Slytherin's students come from pure-blood families. In the modern wizarding world, pure-blood families, once synonymous with power, may not necessarily still retain their power and authority, but they are certainly wealthy.
A group of wealthy heirs used money to pave the way for a lavish banquet.
They ordered a large quantity of magical fireworks from Zoko's Joke Shop, then lit them in Slytherin's Great Hall. Several phantom fire dragons, their bellies constantly exploding with flames, flew around the Great Hall, serving as lanterns.
A group of sparkling sparklers danced enthusiastically or comically on the table.
There's also butterbeer and pumpkin juice, which are always a staple at parties, and some upperclassmen even secretly buy alcohol (butterbeer is a beverage).
Everyone had a great time.
Of course, for some students, the purpose of organizing this celebratory dinner was not for fun.
"...The wolfsbane potion can be considered the most important magical achievement of the 20th century. For thousands of years, the problem of werewolves has plagued the magical world. It was not until you developed the wolfsbane potion that we saw hope for a solution to this age-old problem."
"And the 'Werewolf Affairs Committee' unites the werewolves, a feat no one has accomplished in a thousand years. I must say, the Order of Merlin, Level 2, is simply not worthy of your actions and achievements."
In the center of the auditorium, several seventh-grade students, holding wine glasses, surrounded Vaughn, spouting the kind of sycophantic flattery typical of adult society, acting like elite aristocrats attending a cocktail party.
In seventh grade, at 18 years old, according to the English concept of coming-of-age ceremony at 16, this age is no longer considered a child. Once they graduate from school, it means they will officially leave the ivory tower and enter a completely different level.
From then on, their world was no longer just about studying; they had to consider survival, work, and starting a family.
So, although they haven't graduated yet, the mindset of these seventh-grade students has already begun to change.
Previously, Slytherin graduates had only two paths: one was to follow the family's arrangements and enter the family business to study and strive. The drawback of this path was that it was difficult to stand out, as the magical world had limited market resources, and not all of them were from the direct lineage.
Apart from individuals like Draco Malfoy, who have been the only son in his family for generations and have no competitive pressure, most students with pure-blood backgrounds actually only have that background; they are still at the bottom of their families.
Another option is to apply to the Ministry of Magic, which sets aside some positions each year to recruit graduates from Slytherin House.
This can be considered an unspoken rule that emerged after the peaceful evolution of 1707: pure-bloods would voluntarily dissolve the Wizarding Council, allowing the Ministry of Magic to rule the wizarding world, with pure-bloods cooperating in the rule and then sharing some of the power—a win-win situation!
This path was also the mainstream choice for Slytherin graduates in the past.
Compared to wallowing in family affairs and wasting one's life, the Ministry of Magic at least offers a chance to rise to prominence.
But now they've realized there's a new option!