An invisible force enveloped Anthony's entire body, lifting him slightly upwards until he stopped about ten centimeters from the ground.
Anthony gasped for breath, his nose filled with the fishy smell of mud and grass, and the feeling of surviving a disaster sent chills down his spine.
"Mr. Vizette Goldstein?" Professor McGonagall's stern voice rang out. "What… what's happened to your flight class again?"
Let's go back three minutes.
"Professor McGonagall, after the Quidditch selection tomorrow, may we use the Quidditch pitch?"
"Harry is only a first-year student; he needs to practice teamwork with us more," Oliver Wood asked, following behind Professor McGonagall.
As captain of the Gryffindor team, he had always aimed for the Quidditch trophy.
With Charlie Weasley's graduation, this goal seemed to drift further and further away until Professor McGonagall recommended Harry Potter to him.
"I can discuss this with Professor Snape; he applied to requisition the stadium the day before yesterday," Professor McGonagall nodded.
Wood was getting impatient. "How about we make them practice for two hours less? Half the time for each side would be perfect!"
"I'll give it a try." Professor McGonagall turned around and looked at Wood with a serious expression. "I know you're anxious, and I'm anxious too, but the course is for everyone."
Seeing Wood's anxious expression, she suddenly realized something was wrong. "Mr. Wood, it's class time. Why aren't you in the History of Magic classroom?"
Wood instantly broke out in a sweat, his eyes darting around aimlessly, trying to find something unrelated to distract Professor McGonagall.
"Professor McGonagall, look! There seems to be another accident during a flight lesson over there!"
Professor McGonagall remained unmoved. "Mr. Wood, I hope you can answer my question directly!"
As the head of Gryffindor, she knew Wood all too well; as long as it didn't involve Quidditch, Wood was quite law-abiding.
Whenever anything related to Quidditch happens, Wood becomes a completely different person, turning into an unusually fanatical individual...
Just like it is now.
"Incredible speed! Beautiful dive, so agile! How can it be like it was born to fly? This is the Meteor! A relic from 1955! There are so many problems..."
Wood spoke at an astonishing pace, rattling off a string of words, "So they were rescuing someone... they should be able to save him... wait! Professor McGonagall, someone's about to fall!"
Professor McGonagall turned her head quickly, and when she saw Vizette piloting a flying broomstick to swoop down, and a student falling toward the ground, her pupils instantly shrank to the size of pinpoints.
She quickly drew her wand, and just as she was about to turn the lawn into an air cushion, Vizette's wand burst forth with a silver-blue light, halting the student's fall.
Professor McGonagall breathed a sigh of relief that neither of them was injured and quickly walked towards them. "Vizette? Mr. Goldstein? You... what happened to your flight lesson again?"
"Merlin's beard!" Madam Hooch finally arrived, panting. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? I'll take you to Madam Pomfrey!"
"This is really too much! Yesterday, a kid broke his wrist because he was being competitive, and today the flying broom malfunctioned... Why is it always like this lately?"
"Madam Hooch, you're too nervous." Professor McGonagall adjusted her glasses. "Accidents are quite common in flight lessons, please don't worry about it."
"Mr. Vizette, Mr. Goldstein, are you feeling unwell? Should we take you to the school clinic?"
"It's okay, it's okay!" Anthony waved his hands repeatedly. "It was pretty exciting! I almost thought I was going to die!"
"Stop talking!" Madam Hooch clutched her chest. "Two problems like this had occurred for two days in a row. Professor Trelawney was right, I'm having a run of bad luck lately!"
"Professor Trelawney?" Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow and coughed lightly. "You really don't need to worry about it. It was just an accident."
Wood picked up the malfunctioning flying broom and examined it. "It was definitely an accident. The branches were too old to be used... Even if it hadn't happened today, it would have happened someday."
"These flying brooms were antiques that were forty or fifty years old. It's best to replace them sooner rather than later. If we continue to use them, many promising talents may be buried."
"Madam Hooch, you should go back to class! I'll submit an application to replace a batch of flying brooms," Professor McGonagall said. "Wood, you should go back too!"
Madam Hooch led Vizette and the others away, and Wood's expression became very conflicted. "Professor McGonagall, can Vizette join our team?"
"Although I haven't seen Harry's true strength yet, I have witnessed Vizette's! If they both join the Gryffindor team..."
"I'm definitely going to win this year!" His eyes seemed to sparkle with anticipation. "If I don't win, I'll eat spaghetti upside down!"
"Mr. Wood, you'd better get back to class!" Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows. "Otherwise… I'll have to deduct points!"
Watching Wood's hasty retreat, Professor McGonagall covered her forehead. "I also want Vizette to join the team, but unfortunately he's with Ravenclaw."
-------------------------------------
Late at night, in the Hogwarts Headmaster's office.
Dumbledore flipped through a copy of "Transfiguration Today," and asked, "A week has passed. How do you feel?"
Snape paced back and forth in the headmaster's office, his tone as drawn-out as his steps. "Terrible! Terrible! Just as mediocre and arrogant as his father."
"He enjoyed breaking rules and had the same obsession with showing off. He just loved attracting other people's attention, yet he didn't understand anything. It's ridiculous!"
"Severus, you may only see what you want to see," Dumbledore said softly. "The other professors all say he is humble, easy-going, and talented; he's a likable boy."
"Oh, so what?" Snape replied expressionlessly.
Dumbledore put down "Transfiguration Today" and said, "And what about the other child? There was once someone who was similar to him, equally gifted, and more handsome."
"He possessed an extreme thirst for knowledge and was also favored by professors, especially Professor Slughorn back then, who even got him into the Slug Club."
"I've also heard a rumor that you gave Ravenclaw five points. Achieving that was no less difficult than joining the Slug Club..."
Snape seemed to be thinking of something bad, his face turned even more grim, and he even stopped pacing.
Dumbledore continued, "Severus, what do you think of him?"
Snape's jaw twitched, and his voice gained a few more inflections. "Since you've noticed the similarities, you can nip it in the bud. You don't need to ask me!"
...
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