To be honest, Avada was genuinely grateful that Dumbledore hadn't dug into his affairs. Otherwise, there were far too many questions he simply couldn't have hidden.
Why was a second-year student able to lure out Voldemort—someone even the Philosopher's Stone had struggled to draw into the open? Why had Voldemort trusted him so easily? And why hadn't he placed any restrictions on him at all?
More importantly, from beginning to end, Dumbledore hadn't used even the most superficial level of Legilimency on him.
So even if it was only to live up to that goodwill and trust, Avada had to do his best to complete the spell that restrained the wraith—and then deliver Dumbledore a "gift from the heavens."
And so, Avada "honorably" inherited Snape's mantle. For more than a week afterward, he maintained steady contact with Voldemort. Thanks to the Dark Mark implanted on him, Voldemort didn't even need to send messages through intermediaries—whenever Avada felt the Dark Mark heating up, he simply went to attend class at the Defense Against the Dark Arts office.
Just as Voldemort had promised, after Avada released the troll and formally "pledged loyalty" to him, Voldemort began teaching him far deeper and more secret knowledge related to mental magic, patiently answering every difficulty Avada encountered while studying Psychodynamics. Combined together, this pushed Avada's progress in analyzing Voldemort's mental power forward by a huge margin—he was practically on the verge of fully decoding it…
And the Dark Mark itself brought him an unexpected bonus. He successfully cracked the principle behind the Dark Mark's distance-ignoring, real-time synchronization, greatly advancing his understanding of both space and the mind, and gradually giving him inspiration on how to merge Apparition with the Undetectable Extension Charm.
So he really had to speed things up—if this kept going, he'd almost start feeling too embarrassed to make a move against Voldemort.
It was already mid-November. A minor incident like a troll attack should have been forgotten long ago, but thanks to the rumor that "the Savior defeated a troll back in his first year," it was still being talked about enthusiastically. This only strengthened people's belief that Harry Potter was born with unparalleled power, and that his earlier mediocrity had merely been self-sealing to enjoy a peaceful life. Once he encountered real danger and removed those seals, he would sweep everything aside…
In short, all kinds of over-the-top rumors were flying around, to the point that even Avada wondered whether someone from Mahoutokoro School of Magic had secretly infiltrated Hogwarts.
However, with the arrival of another major event, the troll and Savior stories were finally diluted—that year's Quidditch season.
Although under Wood's strict secrecy almost no one had actually seen Harry play, the entire school knew that "Harry Potter joined the team in his first year and became the youngest Seeker in history." This pushed discussion and anticipation for the season to unprecedented heights.
To keep his friends from being at a disadvantage, Avada—after obtaining Harry's consent—had also told Baron, Cedric, and Cho in advance that Harry owned a Nimbus 2000. Baron believed that since they were older than Harry and had trained longer, a Nimbus 2000 could help narrow the gap somewhat. As such, he had no intention of bringing out the Nimbus 2000 his family owned—which greatly relieved Cedric and Cho.
Of course, next year, he planned to use sheer financial power without mercy.
Thus, amid everyone's attention, the Quidditch match finally began. And Avada was at last freed from that pile of complex, tedious symbols, able to watch the players foul each other with a clear mind. Thankfully, Voldemort hadn't assigned him any task like tampering with Harry's broom.
By tradition, the first match was naturally between old rivals—Gryffindor and Slytherin—showcasing the fiercest and most exciting competition.
Fourteen players lined up in two rows, glaring at each other with palpable tension. Madam Hooch stood between them, reading out the rules, though it didn't seem like many were listening. In the commentator's box sat Gryffindor third-year Lee Jordan, with Professor McGonagall beside him, keeping a close watch to ensure he stayed impartial and professional.
"Mount your brooms, please."
Harry swung onto his Nimbus 2000 and looked across at Baron, who was astride a Cleansweep Seven. The two met each other's gaze and nodded slightly.
Madam Hooch blew her silver whistle hard.
Fifteen broomsticks shot upward, soaring high into the air—the match had begun.
Harry immediately climbed far above the main combat zone on his Nimbus 2000, circling the pitch at low speed, eyes narrowed as he searched for any sign that might be the Golden Snitch.
Baron, on the other hand, adopted a completely different strategy. He patrolled directly within the combat zone, also searching intently for the Snitch, utterly unconcerned with Bludgers or Gryffindor's interference—his teammates handled all interceptions for him. This greatly increased the risk of being knocked down, but it allowed him to reach the Snitch faster and use feints to disrupt Harry's judgment from below.
High risk naturally brought high reward.
As Gryffindor and Slytherin each scored several goals, Baron was the first to spot a trace of the Snitch.
He didn't hesitate for a moment, pushing his broom's power to the limit and charging straight toward it. Harry, momentarily thrown off by Baron's earlier feints, froze for an instant. Only after confirming the Snitch's position himself did he dive after it. Players from both sides began interfering with the opposing Seeker, and the clash grew even fiercer.
"Whoosh!"
The Nimbus 2000's performance clearly outclassed the Cleansweep Seven. Harry quickly overtook Baron, who was already at full speed, and steadily closed in on the Snitch…
"Watch out!"
"Hiss—!"
Harry yanked hard on his broom, pulling up desperately and narrowly avoiding a Bludger launched by Slytherin. But that moment of evasion allowed Baron to overtake him once again…
"Sorry, I missed the block!"
Fred swept past him with his bat, shouting an apology. Then, after a feint that shook off a Slytherin Chaser, he seized the opening and smashed the Bludger hard toward Baron. "But I can even things out!"
"Not a chance!"
Marcus, the captain who had been guarding Baron closely the whole time, intercepted Fred's Bludger beautifully and redirected it toward Angelina, who had been trying to sneak a goal. The Quaffle veered away from Slytherin's hoops. Meanwhile, Baron was getting closer and closer to the Snitch—he was just about to touch it…
Whoosh!
Another Bludger tore upward from below, grazing the tail bristles of Baron's broom. He immediately lost balance, spinning several times in midair before stabilizing himself—and by then, the Snitch had vanished.
"It was George!"
Jordan shouted excitedly from the commentary box. "He just used an incredibly risky low-altitude flight to dodge all the blocks, then precisely intercepted Slytherin's Seeker from the ground with the Bludger! Baron's broom's off-balance! Is he going to fall—oh, he's stabilized, what a pity!"
"Jordan."
Professor McGonagall shot him a warning look. Jordan coughed hastily and continued his commentary with a forced straight face.
"Winning isn't that easy, hehe."
George flew past Baron smugly, then turned to slap hands with Fred.
"Tch."
Baron rolled his eyes. After confirming there was nothing wrong with his broom, he continued weaving through the combat zone, carefully searching once more for any sign of the Snitch.
(End of Chapter)