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The Ravenclaw Chaser without jersey lining looked pale. Futilely raised one hand. Tried showing he didn't mean to touch the Golden Snitch. His other hand hung at a strange angle. Loosely rested on the broom handle.
Slytherin's snake pitifully curled above the stands where Slytherins gathered. Unwilling to let its beautiful tail touch messy paint.
Several students—with present professors' tacit permission—held wands threateningly squeezed between other students. Cast a dozen Scourgifies at the flying banner. Just because the banner hung too high, they could only clean the bottom circle.
A student moved near Anthony. Looked at Gryffindors gathered together. Then looked at Anthony and Hagrid standing at the stands' front. Stubbornly pressed lips. Stomped up stairs. Tried cleaning pink, purple, golden paint blocks on silk.
But he futilely raised his wand high. Only cleaned a few paint blocks. Imaginably, among proud Slytherins, very practical household magic like Scourgify wasn't their first choice when practicing.
This student's pale face showed a trace of embarrassed anger. He glared at the banner. Took a deep breath. "Scourgify!"
Under his gaze, a small already-cracked white paint block slowly disappeared partially. Other parts loosely shook. With the gentle breeze, slowly, slowly floated down from Slytherin's banner. Passed the "RAVENCLAW MUST WIN" bedsheet. Fell to the ground. Broke into several pieces.
Gryffindors on high platforms at the stands' back mocked. "Jump higher. Maybe you can reach that brown one. Oh, it looks like a snake. You won't be reluctant, right?"
"Don't talk nonsense. That one's too high. I suggest setting the target as that pink one."
"Need a ladder?" another laughed loudly. "I can conjure one for you. Just say 'please.'"
"Scourgify."
Suddenly, nearby paint all disappeared. In the colorful chaos, a large patch of emerald banner base color suddenly appeared.
Anthony withdrew his wand. That Slytherin student turned around. Gaze quickly swept around. Finally fixed on him. He glared at him. As if "Anthony who deducted all Slytherin's points" suddenly lost his head again. Anthony smiled at him. He woke up as if startled. Muttered "thanks." Hurriedly ran back.
"Henry?" Hagrid said puzzled.
Anthony shook his head. Didn't answer. Not appreciating the giant snake and painted Snitches was one thing. Wildly painting on Slytherin's banner was another.
Even though due to temporary school rules, Ravenclaw students didn't let paint tubes display their linguistic artistry, just threw various colors on this huge exquisite silk, everyone knew these paint tubes' representative phrases—Hogwarts corridor dome's cursive letters shone brilliantly.
"That was a good move!" Flint praised the Beater. Descended from broom. Reiterated to Madam Hooch the rule about "no one except Seekers may touch the Golden Snitch." Pointed out Ravenclaw should be disqualified.
But furious Madam Hooch refused this ruling method. "I already blew the whistle when touched!"
"Whistle only warns of foul. Doesn't mean pause match!" Slytherin players said.
An overly angry Ravenclaw waved a paint tube that failed to fly up—it was whining, simulating takeoff sound effects—dripped a large blue paint block on their Head of House's head. Professor Flitwick didn't care. Hurriedly jumped down stand steps. Confirmed with Ravenclaw players what just happened. Checked their injuries.
"You think your behavior doesn't belong to serious foul?" Madam Hooch said. Sharply looked at Slytherin house team surrounding her. "By strictest penalty, I can directly rule Ravenclaw team victory!"
"I really want to know what they're saying," Ron murmured. Stared tightly at Madam Hooch. "Can't Fred and George make something actually useful?"
Hagrid also asked, "How's it going, Henry?"
Anthony looked around. Everyone was watching Madam Hooch constantly shaking her head. Tall burly Slytherin players surrounded her tightly. Then Ravenclaw people inserted through gaps. Said something indignantly.
"I'll go see," he said. Squeezed through the crowd.
Other classmates discussed this domino-like foul behavior. Some thought if not for Slytherin's hit, Ravenclaw's Chaser wouldn't have touched the Snitch at all. This couldn't count. Others thought ultimately this blamed him for not wearing lining. Could only accept bad luck. If he wore lining, the Seeker just needed to reach into his sleeve to touch the Snitch. Ravenclaw would've won.
Anthony walked near two teams arguing around Madam Hooch. Slytherins surrounded the stands. Seeing him come cleared a path. Snape didn't appear at the Quidditch pitch. Left a group of big and small kids in stands. None dared obstruct a professor wandering around.
The Slytherin senior previously seen through binoculars was leaning on the railing. Craned his neck saying, "Touch rules are the most basic Quidditch foul method."
"I don't need you teaching me what Quidditch rules are, young man," Madam Hooch glared at him. "You think no one thought of such means like you?"
She pointed out a Beater once tried directly hitting opponent's Seeker out. Although he later argued this was because the opponent's bald head made him mistake it for a reflective Quaffle, when formulating rules officials still referenced the Seeker who nearly died on the pitch. Stipulated Beaters may not club any player—
"Any player's head," that Slytherin senior said. "I saw clearly. His hit location was the arm. This is purely accidental, Madam Hooch. I believe our Beater just in the process of rushing toward Bludgers, accidentally bumped this student's arm. He absolutely didn't mean it."
"There was no Bludger in that direction!" the injured Chaser shouted past Professor Flitwick checking his arm.
Madam Hooch also said, "This is very obvious intentional foul!"
"Alright, then I think I might've misunderstood, madam," the senior Slytherin immediately said. Used eye contact to stop Flint who still wanted to argue. "Even so, this is completely different from hitting heads. Penalty shot, right? We accept penalty—as long as touching Snitch also judges by rules."
After experiencing previous match chaos, Madam Hooch obviously studied Quidditch match rules and foul records well. Just Anthony encountered her several times in the archives. Saw this dashing lady covering her head sighing heavily flipping through thick records. Sometimes laughed out loud at some absurd fouls. Drew Madam Pince's dissatisfied gaze.
She quickly cited another foul record. Pointed out once a Beater in a major match hit a passing hedgehog at an opponent. After the hedgehog was thrown out, angry fans threw pincushions and more hedgehogs into the pitch.
Under protest from field management, thereafter match fields within one kilometer couldn't have more than five hedgehogs. And this behavior was stipulated as serious foul.
"But, madam, I remember one team's Beater once hit a wasp nest toward opponent's Seeker," the Slytherin student argued. "People had no doubt about that ruling. Because wasps are that team's name origin."
From Madam Hooch's expression, he was right. She frowned. Looked up puzzled at this Slytherin. Insisted, "But I'm quite sure there's a regulation about hedgehogs."
"Correct," the other agreed. "But I think that's perhaps more because... well, you said that match was a major match?"
Anthony who'd been listening beside asked curiously, "What major match?"
"World Cup final," Madam Hooch said certainly. "Their violation records filled an entire folder."
"When was that?" Anthony asked.
"Uh, first World Cup... late fifteenth century?" Madam Hooch slapped her forehead. "Right, wasps were even before hedgehogs! That team was established in 1312!"
After multiple considerations, Madam Hooch announced Slytherin was penalized a shot. Ravenclaw's Chaser as "interfering object" exited.
"Roger!" After patting the dejected Chaser, Ravenclaw's captain shouted toward stands. "Prepare to enter!"
Roger Davies was sitting in stands discussing rules with classmates. Heard captain's shout. Leaped up from seat. Then blankly turned two circles in place. "Me, Captain?"
"Whoever is Ravenclaw's substitute Chaser, that's who I'm calling," the captain said.
Roger said, "That's me." He looked somewhat doubtfully at Madam Hooch. Still hurriedly ran to locker room to change clothes.
Classmates shouted behind, "Remember to wear lining!" Their paint was used up. Slytherin's giant snake crawled cruising in the clean area at banner's bottom. Coldly watched them.
The exiting Ravenclaw Chaser walked over with a straight face. Arm already healed by Professor Flitwick. Like that hedgehog years ago, he needed to be cleared outside the field.
"Can't replace athletes mid-match!" Flint said. Like a panting bull stared tightly at Madam Hooch.
"Can't replace athletes mid-match due to disability reasons!" the Ravenclaw Chaser preparing to exit said unyieldingly. "This isn't disability reason. Guess why?" He provocatively moved his flexible arm. Glared at the Beater who gave him a hit.
In Slytherin team's cold laugh, his captain shooed him away. Then took his argument to appeal to Madam Hooch. When Roger in full uniform hurriedly ran over, Ravenclaw already won this debate.
"How's it going, Henry?" Hagrid shouted from afar. Hagrid's little friends, that group of first-year Gryffindors, also tightly gripped railings. Anxiously craned necks looking at Anthony.
Ron said loudly, "Look at Slytherin's expressions. They definitely didn't get good! Right, Professor Anthony?"
Anthony squeezed back beside Hagrid. "Continue match! Slytherin was penalized a shot. Ravenclaw's Chaser changed to Roger Davies!"
"Ravenclaw could've directly caught the Snitch!" Seamus hatefully hammered the seat. Startled Hermione reading beside to look up.
Hermione looked at Harry and Ron. Sighed. Turned sideways resolutely with back to them. Turned another page of Hogwarts: A History on her lap. From when Ravenclaw's Chaser touched the Golden Snitch, she snapped open the book. ("I said I should bring some entertainment. Every Quidditch match has some chaos.")
"Boys," she muttered. Reimmersed in her reading about the founders' disputes.
"What, can substitute?" Harry said. "I thought either play alive or die gloriously." He met Anthony's gaze. Shrugged. "Quote from our captain."
Anthony said, "I heard if due to disability reasons can't substitute. But other reasons seem possible." He shook his head. Didn't quite understand this rule.
"Makes sense," Harry said thoughtfully. "Wood told me about a match that lasted several months. Substitutes had to replace teammates. Let them rest a bit."
Anthony nodded. "Madam Hooch seemed to say that too. She mentioned something about a Golden Snitch always flying around swampland."
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