At nine in the morning,
Hogwarts, the Headmaster's Office.
"Professor Dumbledore, why did you call me here?"
Audrey now returned to Hogwarts to rest no matter how busy she was.
Otherwise, with Magni's brothers lurking out there, who knew when a sudden revenge attempt might occur?
In Hogwarts Castle, she felt a profound sense of security. She slept well and ate well.
Hogwarts was truly the safest place!
—Of course, that was provided it was the Hogwarts under Audrey's control.
Instead of answering immediately, Dumbledore pushed a delicate little cream cake toward her.
"No rush, no rush. Have some snacks first, and we can talk slowly."
Fawkes the phoenix flew into Audrey's arms, seeking comfort and a hug.
'That old codger! He knows nothing but how to order people around without improving their living standards. He just went through a rebirth not long ago, and he's already working himself to the point of balding!'
Audrey stroked Fawkes, and sure enough, a phoenix feather came off in her hand.
The girl pouted and asked, "Where is my teacher?"
"He used the Killing Curse in broad daylight. Until the Ministry declares Gael Depp innocent, it's better if he doesn't show his face."
Audrey rolled her eyes. The Ministry was practically her own little kingdom; was she really going to let her own teacher be branded as a criminal? Dumbledore was clearly just making excuses.
Perhaps he deliberately sent her teacher away just to meet with her alone!
"Just tell me, what do you want from me?"
Dumbledore lowered his gaze slightly. The girl before him was no longer the same girl from two years ago. He could feel her growing stronger every second; she was no longer a little girl he could manipulate at will.
How could she not grow stronger?
Before the two hundred billion had even been distributed, Comrade AA's reputation for self-sacrifice had already spread throughout Ukraine. The people's expectations and gratitude—these emotions, even from thousands of miles away, continuously transformed into power that merged into Audrey's body.
"Alright, alright,"
Dumbledore sighed. He was quite envious of the close relationship between Gael and this girl. He hadn't expected Audrey to grow so quickly. He had watched her eat, play, and sleep, yet she had matured before he knew it.
He hadn't even had the chance to be kind to her before their positions swapped—he somewhat regretted his actions when he used to tease her. You reap what you sow, and as a result, Audrey's prejudice against him was now quite deep.
"As you know, Barty Crouch Jr. is eyeing Harry. We can't stay on the defensive forever. I'd like you to help search the castle grounds. This matter needs to end soon."
"I am neutral, Professor,"
Audrey shook her head.
"Barty Jr. is Old Barty's son and also my 'father's' subordinate. You should thank your lucky stars I'm not colluding with him..."
She tilted her head. "And now you're asking me to pick a side? You want me to become an enemy of my father?"
Dumbledore raised his teacup and took a sip of red tea.
—There wasn't enough sugar today, so it was a bit bitter. He put the cup back down.
"Sybill Trelawney once made a prophecy about Harry and Voldemort. There were two children in the prophecy, but Voldemort chose Harry. Now, Harry's safety is directly linked to the peace of the British wizarding world..."
"Stop right there, Professor,"
Audrey interrupted Dumbledore. "Voldemort is currently no threat to the wizarding world. He can no longer incite enough power. Back then, the pure-blood families followed him for profit, but now—"
Audrey flashed a meaningful smile.
"No one is going to give up the massive interests they already have for a terrorist, let alone risk their family's bankruptcy to follow him!"
"Money isn't everything, but sometimes, money makes things simple, doesn't it?"
Dumbledore's eyes behind his glasses were no longer as forceful as they were years ago. He pleaded:
"If only for the sake of Harry's life, please help! His parents traded their lives for his. If anything happens to him, I truly won't be able to face his parents!"
'Hah, the ones you can't face aren't just James and Lily—you can't face Snape either.'
"Professor," Audrey stood up, "I believe that under the protection of Professors Black, Lupin, Snape, and McGonagall, Harry will be perfectly safe as long as he stays at Hogwarts. Besides, aren't you here?"
Audrey began to take her leave. "Let's end our chat here for today. I have to go to a test for the England National Team."
She picked up the little cake from the table and tucked it into her enchanted pouch.
"As you know, they wanted me as a reserve, but I wasn't happy about it, so they set up this whole performance."
"I must go, or I'll be late."
"Rather than worrying about Harry's already guaranteed safety, I think bringing glory to the country is more important, don't you?"
*Crack!*
A hilly area near Rhossili Beach in Swansea, Wales.
The training grounds for the England National Quidditch Team were located here.
Lucas Bagshott III, as the head coach of this national team, was under a lot of pressure.
This was because their top star, Chaser Aki Spilla, had been playing some 'stimulating games' with his mistress at home and accidentally had half his body blown off by an 'adult pleasure item'...
—This was common in the wizarding world, but for the England National Team, it was a disaster!
Aside from Spilla, the skill levels of the other players were merely average; they weren't even considered top-tier in their respective leagues!
Audrey Astley was indeed a Quidditch genius, but she was too arrogant!
If she wasn't given a starting position, she wouldn't participate?
Who gave her such confidence? Those greenhorns who hadn't even graduated from Hogwarts?
Any professional player could absolutely crush those rookies!
However, Lucas felt this test was necessary.
Just in case... there's always a 'just in case,' right?
Participating in today's test was, of course, the team's current Seeker, Caris Abahood.
Seventy to eighty percent of the other team members had also shown up. After all, they had never seen a young person who gave so little face to Lucas Bagshott III.
—Lucas Bagshott III's great-great-grandfather, Lucas Bagshott I, was a veteran of English Quidditch. In a match in 1877, the old man had half his teeth knocked out by an opponent.
It had to be said that even if his reputation in history wasn't particularly loud, the Bagshott family's status in the English Quidditch circle was undoubtedly the number one family!
When people mentioned English Quidditch, everyone thought of Old Lucas, who had his teeth knocked out.
Having been born into such a prominent Quidditch family, any wizard aspiring to a Quidditch career would never openly offend Lucas III!
*Crack!*
Audrey appeared in the center of the pitch.
Lucas immediately stepped forward to greet her.
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Astley. I am Lucas Bagshott, the head coach of the England team."
"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Bagshott. Sorry I'm late; I was just called in for a talk with the Headmaster. You know, I'm still a student..."
"Oh, you're not very late at all. In fact, we only just arrived ourselves."
Bagshott pointed to a thin man beside him.
"This is our current Seeker, Caris Abahood. Today's test is a head-to-head drill between the two of you."
Caris gave Audrey a slight nod—it was impossible for him to show her a friendly face. After all, Audrey had publicly demanded the starting Seeker position as soon as she joined the team, which was practically the same as slapping him in the face.
"Shall we begin now?"
Audrey nodded, and Lucas Bagshott immediately brought out the game balls.
"I'll count to three. You'll each fly to your designated positions. Once I release the Golden Snitch, you begin the hunt. Whoever catches the Snitch first wins!"
Audrey and Caris flew into the air as instructed.
Caris said coldly, "The national team isn't like your house teams at school. You have to fight for your life here. If you're afraid of getting hurt, there's still time to quit now."
Audrey tilted her head, watching Caris spout trash talk on his own, with no intention of responding to him.
What was there to say? The results would speak for themselves.
"Little girl, I heard you're a singer. Wouldn't it be better to stay home and sing? Quidditch isn't a meal just anyone can eat!"
*Whoosh—*
Caris was about to say more when Audrey dove down at extreme speed. He hadn't even seen what happened before he instinctively tried to give chase, only to see Audrey already holding her right hand high—
The Golden Snitch was currently sitting obediently in her hand.
"This!"
Lucas and the other team members were stunned!
Had it even been two seconds? Was it even two seconds?
Caris was even more dumbfounded. Was his starting position lost just like that?
"That doesn't count! I wasn't ready just now. I demand another round!"
Audrey gave a light chuckle. "Alright."
Lucas released the Snitch again. This time, Caris stared intently at that blur of gold in Lucas's hand.
Two seconds later, Audrey raised her right hand again. The Golden Snitch had been caught once more.
Caris was getting a bit desperate. "Once or twice doesn't prove anything! In a real match, there are many distractions. The opposing Beaters won't let you succeed so easily! I demand the Beaters join in!"
Audrey still chuckled. "Alright."
This time, with two of the team's Beaters joined in, Caris exchanged a look with them. Clearly, they had years of friendship, and in this round, the Bludgers were definitely going to be aimed solely at Audrey.
But what impact did that have?
This time, it didn't even take two seconds. Audrey caught the Golden Snitch at a speed the Bludgers couldn't even follow.
"..."
Caris knew he was being graceless, but he still shouted with a red face:
"In a real match, there's the noise of the crowd that affects a Seeker's concentration! I demand environmental simulation!"
Audrey: "Alright."
...
Caris slumped to the ground, his eyes vacant.
What kind of little monster was this? Who plays Quidditch like this?
No matter what difficulties were set, the time it took for Audrey to catch the Golden Snitch never exceeded two seconds!
The tail of her Firebolt was even slightly scorched! One could imagine just how fast she was flying!
There was no chance. There was absolutely no chance.
No matter how many times they tried, the result would be the same!
Caris was almost in tears—'Coach, I just wanted to touch the ball once!'
Meanwhile, the Headmaster—the coach—didn't spare even a glance for the defeated Caris.
Lucas Bagshott III's eyes were glowing right now, like a timber wolf that hadn't eaten in a week!
As long as this little ancestor was on the team, who else could the World Cup champion be but England?
Who else?
Half an hour ago, he thought she was an arrogant little girl who didn't know how deep the water was.
Now, she had transformed into the Goddess of Victory!
She...
Was victory!
And now, he needed to sign Audrey at any cost!
"Miss Astley, welcome to the England National Quidditch Team."
He was full of confidence. When the Heaven and Earth Bank was established, his family had received a windfall, giving him a lot of financial backing.
"Whatever salary you want, just name it! My family isn't short on cash!"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]