Chapter 224 The game is in progress
·
Yun Yin Shen
Chapter 224 The game is in progress
Mr. Weasley and the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts were talking about the performance of several children in the magic school,
The two exchanged pleasantries, but somehow the topic turned to MacGuffin Albert.
"Mr. Weasley, do you know about Ron's eccentric friend...McGuffin Albert?"
Gilderoy Lockhart said as he took out a purple candy from his robe, peeled off the wrapper, and chewed it in his mouth.
(Mrs. Weasley feels disillusioned when she sees it)
"It's the little wizard who made a fuss in the [Daily Prophet] a few days ago, and published on the front page of the newspaper that he invented the new [Magic Flying Broom]. Mr. Weasley, do you know?" He continued.
"That's not what he published, it's... the designer of the [Global Light Wheel Company] told the [Daily Prophet] nonsense..." Mr. Weasley explained.
"It's all the same, it's all the same..." Lockhart didn't focus on these things. "I saw that MacGuffin Albert and Ron are also very good friends...how should I put it? This little wizard looks very weird."
"I know, he also stayed at my house during the summer vacation... He is indeed a different child..." Mr. Weasley's eyes were obviously attracted by the strange candy.
"is it?"
Lockhart muttered twice. He saw Mr. Weasley's strange gaze, so he took out a red candy from his pocket and handed it to Mr. Weasley.
"This is the magical candy that I asked [Bibi Multi-flavored Beans] company to produce for me to keep my teeth healthy..." Lockhart showed Mr. Weasley a beautiful and perfect smile with eight gleaming teeth. "This is my secret weapon to keep my teeth shiny and white! Mr. Weasley also asks you to keep this secret!"
"Hahaha!"
"Ah! . . . ah, ah, ah!"
(Mr. Weasley had no choice but to curl the corners of his mouth up, outlining a very embarrassed smile,...he heard Mrs. Weasley, who was next to him, heaved a heavy sigh of relief after hearing Lockhart's explanation.)
"...Would you like one?" Lockhart took a red candy from his pocket and handed it to Mr. Weasley.
Mr. Weasley took over with a smirk and a little embarrassment, and explained to his doubts just now, "I'm really sorry, I'm a bit of an occupational disease...Professor Lockhart, you also know that such a incident at Hogwarts has caused turmoil in the ministry. I have been working continuously for two weeks, confiscating prohibited items on the market day and night, and I am a little suspicious of everything...Occupational disease!"
"Mr. Weasley, what is your job in the Ministry?" Lockhart asked suspiciously.
"The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office...a small department, you're not bad if you haven't heard of it!"
Mr. Weasley did not expect that this sentence started his next "painful journey".
"It's nothing... everyone has their own division of labor in this world! Look at me... fame can also bring huge troubles..."
Next, Mr. Weasley allowed Lockhart to flaunt his reputation and status, unable to intervene, and could only answer occasionally, 'uh', 'um', 'ah', 'yes! '.
Sometimes there are one or two sentences that catch my ears, such as 'fame is a capricious friend, I must act carefully', '... why I am very painful, no one really understands my friends', 'sometimes I am forced to have to put on the airs of a celebrity...'
Time flies slower than a snail.
Thankfully...with the voice of Lee Jordan, the game started.
(If it weren't for Mrs. Weasley still staring at Lockhart adoringly...Mr. Weasley would have made an excuse and left.)
……
"Ladies and gentlemen... you are welcome! You are welcome to watch the Hogwarts Quidditch match—"
"Slytherin vs Gryffindor!"
Lee Jordan's voice was like thunder, resounding throughout the packed Quidditch stadium.
His voice echoed in every corner of the stands.
The audience burst into cheers and applause, and the flags in dark green and yellow and red were waved at the same time, sweeping the entire stands like floating waves, and the scene was very lively.
"Now, welcome - the Gryffindor Quidditch team! And the Slytherin Quidditch team!" shouted Lee Jordan.
Suddenly, a bright firework exploded above the Gryffindor and Slytherin stands——
In the Gryffindor stand is a majestic golden lion—growling with his mouth open, the mane on his neck trembles slightly, the whole picture is lifelike.
A green and shiny giant python also emerged from the Slytherin stands——spreading forward, curling up this huge body, swallowing and spitting out letters, it made people shiver.
At the same time, two teams enter the field and walk to the center of the field.
After Mrs. Hooch's whistle, Lee Jordan called the game on.
When everyone was attracted by Quidditch, some people didn't care.
That's two rows behind Mr. Weasley and Professor Lockhart. The highest position in this stand is the position of Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge.
Sitting next to him was Mr. David Goodman, who obviously had no interest in the game.
Even on this occasion, he was still wearing a black suit, with a serious expression, and was reporting something to the dumbfounding Fudge with a document in his hand.
"Connery, I have already screened all the teachers and students in the school, and found a lot of suspicious things..."
"David!"
"Hmm!" Goodman stared at Minister of Magic Fudge with a serious face.
"Goodman, wait a minute! . . . I can't hear what you're saying anyway."
"Why don't you take a good look at these little wizards' Quidditch matches now? I'm a little curious about Harry's performance,...and didn't that strange little wizard MacGuffin Albert invent a broomstick with 'four different shapes'?"
Fudge said he saw someone coming.
He smiled at Lucius Malfoy who had just arrived here.
"Ah, Lucius is here! Let me introduce you..."
With some fatigue, Fudge took the document from Goodman's hand and put it aside, and introduced him to Lucius Malfoy.
Malfoy didn't come alone, there was a witch behind him, wearing a gorgeous black velvet lady's wizard robe with silver trim, light complexion, blond hair, deep facial features, singing a bit in the style of Eastern Europe.
To be honest, it's still pretty.
It's just that this woman always has a look of disgust, which greatly detracts from her appearance.
"Ha, Lucius, I heard that your son is also in the team below..." Fudge greeted him pleasantly.
"Hello, Fudge," Malfoy walked up to the Minister of Magic and held out his hand, "Yes, the Slytherin Seeker is my son Draco! I don't think you've seen him, have you?!"
"Besides, I suppose you haven't met my wife, Narcissa?"
"Hello, ma'am." Fudge said, and he greeted Mrs. Malfoy with a smile. "Please allow me to introduce you to my good friend, my most capable assistant, and my assistant to the secretary—Mr. David Goodman! Lucius, you two should know each other!"
Without waiting for the two to strike up a conversation.
At this time, a burst of cheers suddenly erupted on the court, attracting everyone's attention.
——It was Wood from Gryffindor who hit the Quaffle with a beautiful roundabout.
The unfavorable situation on the field for Slytherin may be due to David Goodman's overly Muggle-like attire... Mrs. Malfoy's face is even more ugly
Fudge obviously didn't notice it. After looking at the situation on the field, he turned his head and continued, "I heard that Lucius, you just donated a large sum of money to Hogwarts... what did you use it for?"
"Yes,..." Lucius Malfoy's face was a bit unnatural. He played with the silver-encrusted cane in his hand and forced a smile and said, "I spent a lot of money for this game. After all, the scene that Hogwarts presents to the world can't be too poor... just like some people."
He stared disgustedly at Mr. Weasley's back.
Malfoy said in a long voice, "Besides, Hogwarts has too many things this year, and its reputation has been insulted by some young wizards... Fudge, we should adjust the school rules to make the school more efficient and expel some young wizards, so as to curb the increasingly inferior quality of education at Hogwarts over the years..."
"Oh! This, this,..." Cornelius Fudge obviously didn't want to make trouble, and mumbled a vague agreement.
He knew that Malfoy was referring to the [Hogwarts 'catastrophe' event] a few months ago, which was caused by the little boy of Arthur Weasley's family, Ron Weasley.
This incident made him, no,... all the staff in the entire Ministry of Magic happy for more than half a month.
During that time, everyone's jaw dropped from ear to ear when they saw Weasley.
Cornelius Fudge thought in his heart that this was not a serious matter, but an accident caused by a little daredevil.
Even in the depths of his heart, he was a little happy that Hogwarts had such a harmless 'scandal' that made Dumbledore so embarrassing!
"This... this is about Dumbledore and Hogwarts, I can't control it... I can't control it..."
"Lucius, watch the game, watch the game...Which one is your son Draco? I haven't seen it yet!"
Fudge quickly changed the subject and focused on the ongoing Quidditch match.
……
Over the Quidditch pitch,
Malfoy and Harry flew through the air like arrows, looking for the Snitch.
No matter which side of the academy they belong to, both of them have reasons why they absolutely cannot lose today.
Likewise, everyone else on both teams thought so too.
They tried their best to 'collide' and 'fight' on the sky.
"Hi! Scarhead!"
"You don't look good!" Malfoy yelled from below, dashing straight up, passing Harry's shoulders, and stopping above.
As if showing off the speed and performance of your broom.
Harry didn't have time to answer, as he said, things were really bad.
- The difference in broomstick performance did affect the course of the game.
Although Wood's goalkeeping defense was impeccable, the twins were in control of the Quaffle, and Angelina and the rest continued to find ways to score goals,
——But the score gap with Slytherin is still gradually widening.
Although Furtling is not as good as Wood, he undoubtedly maximized their team's most favorable advantage now.
The speed of the broomstick Nimbus 2001, and the precision of decelerating turns... coupled with their own physical rampage, really messed up Gryffindor's tactical arrangements.
(The original tactical arrangements - the eagle-headed triangle offensive formation, the double-piercing S-shaped winding formation, ... these tactical arrangements are undoubtedly made impossible by the practice of deliberately stepping on the line and breaking the rules)
If this continues, the score will get bigger and bigger.
Harry knew he had to catch the Snitch before the gap widened even further.
But Malfoy knew this too.
He was always around Harry, taunting as before, interfering with his concentration, and even deliberately laying the broom horizontally to block his line of sight and slow down Harry's search.
"Ah! Slytherin scored, another ten!" Lee Jordan roared. (Voice full of dissatisfaction)
There was cheers and applause from the Slytherin stands, and the magical fireworks of the serpentine python were displayed in the air again.
"60:10. Slytherin leads!" Jordan continued.
This made Harry even more nervous. He opened his eyes wide and tried to scan every space on the court, looking for the little golden ball.
It started to rain, and the professors stationed in each stand cast spells to summon a layer of transparent semicircular shields to block the rain on the stands.
Harry felt big drops of rain hitting his face and splashing on his glasses.
His hair was drenched with water in a short while, and he had to flick his bangs back vigorously to reveal the scar.
(which makes Malfoy laugh even more)
However, it was Harry's Quidditch uniform that completely kept the rain out and didn't feel the slightest bit of chill.
And because the spell was attached in advance, Harry's glasses were not affected at all.
It's just that as the rain became one piece, it became bigger and bigger. Even if the rain didn't blur the glasses as usual, it was extremely difficult to find the Golden Snitch in this densely woven rain curtain.
Lee Jordan's voice was intertwined with the rolling thunder in the cloud, mixed with the cheers of everyone.
"60:30! The Gryffindor team is catching up!"
Obviously, Gryffindor's usual training and extra equipment played a role, and the score advantage gradually moved back to their side.
——Looks like it's about to catch up gradually.
I don't know how long the game has been, but the rain is getting heavier and heavier, and the sky is so black that there is almost no light, as if the night has come early.
Only the occasional flash of lightning allowed Harry to see clearly where his teammates were on the field.
During the flight, Harry nearly collided with Malfoy.
And what was even more gratifying - Harry saw Malfoy beside him shivering from the cold on his super broom. (This time the guy wasn't in the mood to sneer at Harry either.)
"60:50! The previous score of the Slytherin team has been completely caught up."
Following Jordan's voice fell to the ground.
Harry immediately understood the current situation of the game. He felt feverish all over his body, and he galloped across the field at a high speed, wishing he could catch the Snitch right away.
Mrs. Hooch's whistle blew with a flash of lightning.
Wood flew up to Harry and motioned him to come down to the ground.
"Fertling called a timeout," Wood yelled, "come on down there and wipe your hair...Looks like he knows they won't get much use out of that broom..."
The whole team rode broomsticks under a large umbrella outside the locker room, which was extremely muddy.
Meanwhile MacGuffin came outside with the new broom.
(End of this chapter)
Mr. Weasley and the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts were talking about the performance of several children in the magic school,
The two exchanged pleasantries, but somehow the topic turned to MacGuffin Albert.
"Mr. Weasley, do you know about Ron's eccentric friend...McGuffin Albert?"
Gilderoy Lockhart said as he took out a purple candy from his robe, peeled off the wrapper, and chewed it in his mouth.
(Mrs. Weasley feels disillusioned when she sees it)
"It's the little wizard who made a fuss in the [Daily Prophet] a few days ago, and published on the front page of the newspaper that he invented the new [Magic Flying Broom]. Mr. Weasley, do you know?" He continued.
"That's not what he published, it's... the designer of the [Global Light Wheel Company] told the [Daily Prophet] nonsense..." Mr. Weasley explained.
"It's all the same, it's all the same..." Lockhart didn't focus on these things. "I saw that MacGuffin Albert and Ron are also very good friends...how should I put it? This little wizard looks very weird."
"I know, he also stayed at my house during the summer vacation... He is indeed a different child..." Mr. Weasley's eyes were obviously attracted by the strange candy.
"is it?"
Lockhart muttered twice. He saw Mr. Weasley's strange gaze, so he took out a red candy from his pocket and handed it to Mr. Weasley.
"This is the magical candy that I asked [Bibi Multi-flavored Beans] company to produce for me to keep my teeth healthy..." Lockhart showed Mr. Weasley a beautiful and perfect smile with eight gleaming teeth. "This is my secret weapon to keep my teeth shiny and white! Mr. Weasley also asks you to keep this secret!"
"Hahaha!"
"Ah! . . . ah, ah, ah!"
(Mr. Weasley had no choice but to curl the corners of his mouth up, outlining a very embarrassed smile,...he heard Mrs. Weasley, who was next to him, heaved a heavy sigh of relief after hearing Lockhart's explanation.)
"...Would you like one?" Lockhart took a red candy from his pocket and handed it to Mr. Weasley.
Mr. Weasley took over with a smirk and a little embarrassment, and explained to his doubts just now, "I'm really sorry, I'm a bit of an occupational disease...Professor Lockhart, you also know that such a incident at Hogwarts has caused turmoil in the ministry. I have been working continuously for two weeks, confiscating prohibited items on the market day and night, and I am a little suspicious of everything...Occupational disease!"
"Mr. Weasley, what is your job in the Ministry?" Lockhart asked suspiciously.
"The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office...a small department, you're not bad if you haven't heard of it!"
Mr. Weasley did not expect that this sentence started his next "painful journey".
"It's nothing... everyone has their own division of labor in this world! Look at me... fame can also bring huge troubles..."
Next, Mr. Weasley allowed Lockhart to flaunt his reputation and status, unable to intervene, and could only answer occasionally, 'uh', 'um', 'ah', 'yes! '.
Sometimes there are one or two sentences that catch my ears, such as 'fame is a capricious friend, I must act carefully', '... why I am very painful, no one really understands my friends', 'sometimes I am forced to have to put on the airs of a celebrity...'
Time flies slower than a snail.
Thankfully...with the voice of Lee Jordan, the game started.
(If it weren't for Mrs. Weasley still staring at Lockhart adoringly...Mr. Weasley would have made an excuse and left.)
……
"Ladies and gentlemen... you are welcome! You are welcome to watch the Hogwarts Quidditch match—"
"Slytherin vs Gryffindor!"
Lee Jordan's voice was like thunder, resounding throughout the packed Quidditch stadium.
His voice echoed in every corner of the stands.
The audience burst into cheers and applause, and the flags in dark green and yellow and red were waved at the same time, sweeping the entire stands like floating waves, and the scene was very lively.
"Now, welcome - the Gryffindor Quidditch team! And the Slytherin Quidditch team!" shouted Lee Jordan.
Suddenly, a bright firework exploded above the Gryffindor and Slytherin stands——
In the Gryffindor stand is a majestic golden lion—growling with his mouth open, the mane on his neck trembles slightly, the whole picture is lifelike.
A green and shiny giant python also emerged from the Slytherin stands——spreading forward, curling up this huge body, swallowing and spitting out letters, it made people shiver.
At the same time, two teams enter the field and walk to the center of the field.
After Mrs. Hooch's whistle, Lee Jordan called the game on.
When everyone was attracted by Quidditch, some people didn't care.
That's two rows behind Mr. Weasley and Professor Lockhart. The highest position in this stand is the position of Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge.
Sitting next to him was Mr. David Goodman, who obviously had no interest in the game.
Even on this occasion, he was still wearing a black suit, with a serious expression, and was reporting something to the dumbfounding Fudge with a document in his hand.
"Connery, I have already screened all the teachers and students in the school, and found a lot of suspicious things..."
"David!"
"Hmm!" Goodman stared at Minister of Magic Fudge with a serious face.
"Goodman, wait a minute! . . . I can't hear what you're saying anyway."
"Why don't you take a good look at these little wizards' Quidditch matches now? I'm a little curious about Harry's performance,...and didn't that strange little wizard MacGuffin Albert invent a broomstick with 'four different shapes'?"
Fudge said he saw someone coming.
He smiled at Lucius Malfoy who had just arrived here.
"Ah, Lucius is here! Let me introduce you..."
With some fatigue, Fudge took the document from Goodman's hand and put it aside, and introduced him to Lucius Malfoy.
Malfoy didn't come alone, there was a witch behind him, wearing a gorgeous black velvet lady's wizard robe with silver trim, light complexion, blond hair, deep facial features, singing a bit in the style of Eastern Europe.
To be honest, it's still pretty.
It's just that this woman always has a look of disgust, which greatly detracts from her appearance.
"Ha, Lucius, I heard that your son is also in the team below..." Fudge greeted him pleasantly.
"Hello, Fudge," Malfoy walked up to the Minister of Magic and held out his hand, "Yes, the Slytherin Seeker is my son Draco! I don't think you've seen him, have you?!"
"Besides, I suppose you haven't met my wife, Narcissa?"
"Hello, ma'am." Fudge said, and he greeted Mrs. Malfoy with a smile. "Please allow me to introduce you to my good friend, my most capable assistant, and my assistant to the secretary—Mr. David Goodman! Lucius, you two should know each other!"
Without waiting for the two to strike up a conversation.
At this time, a burst of cheers suddenly erupted on the court, attracting everyone's attention.
——It was Wood from Gryffindor who hit the Quaffle with a beautiful roundabout.
The unfavorable situation on the field for Slytherin may be due to David Goodman's overly Muggle-like attire... Mrs. Malfoy's face is even more ugly
Fudge obviously didn't notice it. After looking at the situation on the field, he turned his head and continued, "I heard that Lucius, you just donated a large sum of money to Hogwarts... what did you use it for?"
"Yes,..." Lucius Malfoy's face was a bit unnatural. He played with the silver-encrusted cane in his hand and forced a smile and said, "I spent a lot of money for this game. After all, the scene that Hogwarts presents to the world can't be too poor... just like some people."
He stared disgustedly at Mr. Weasley's back.
Malfoy said in a long voice, "Besides, Hogwarts has too many things this year, and its reputation has been insulted by some young wizards... Fudge, we should adjust the school rules to make the school more efficient and expel some young wizards, so as to curb the increasingly inferior quality of education at Hogwarts over the years..."
"Oh! This, this,..." Cornelius Fudge obviously didn't want to make trouble, and mumbled a vague agreement.
He knew that Malfoy was referring to the [Hogwarts 'catastrophe' event] a few months ago, which was caused by the little boy of Arthur Weasley's family, Ron Weasley.
This incident made him, no,... all the staff in the entire Ministry of Magic happy for more than half a month.
During that time, everyone's jaw dropped from ear to ear when they saw Weasley.
Cornelius Fudge thought in his heart that this was not a serious matter, but an accident caused by a little daredevil.
Even in the depths of his heart, he was a little happy that Hogwarts had such a harmless 'scandal' that made Dumbledore so embarrassing!
"This... this is about Dumbledore and Hogwarts, I can't control it... I can't control it..."
"Lucius, watch the game, watch the game...Which one is your son Draco? I haven't seen it yet!"
Fudge quickly changed the subject and focused on the ongoing Quidditch match.
……
Over the Quidditch pitch,
Malfoy and Harry flew through the air like arrows, looking for the Snitch.
No matter which side of the academy they belong to, both of them have reasons why they absolutely cannot lose today.
Likewise, everyone else on both teams thought so too.
They tried their best to 'collide' and 'fight' on the sky.
"Hi! Scarhead!"
"You don't look good!" Malfoy yelled from below, dashing straight up, passing Harry's shoulders, and stopping above.
As if showing off the speed and performance of your broom.
Harry didn't have time to answer, as he said, things were really bad.
- The difference in broomstick performance did affect the course of the game.
Although Wood's goalkeeping defense was impeccable, the twins were in control of the Quaffle, and Angelina and the rest continued to find ways to score goals,
——But the score gap with Slytherin is still gradually widening.
Although Furtling is not as good as Wood, he undoubtedly maximized their team's most favorable advantage now.
The speed of the broomstick Nimbus 2001, and the precision of decelerating turns... coupled with their own physical rampage, really messed up Gryffindor's tactical arrangements.
(The original tactical arrangements - the eagle-headed triangle offensive formation, the double-piercing S-shaped winding formation, ... these tactical arrangements are undoubtedly made impossible by the practice of deliberately stepping on the line and breaking the rules)
If this continues, the score will get bigger and bigger.
Harry knew he had to catch the Snitch before the gap widened even further.
But Malfoy knew this too.
He was always around Harry, taunting as before, interfering with his concentration, and even deliberately laying the broom horizontally to block his line of sight and slow down Harry's search.
"Ah! Slytherin scored, another ten!" Lee Jordan roared. (Voice full of dissatisfaction)
There was cheers and applause from the Slytherin stands, and the magical fireworks of the serpentine python were displayed in the air again.
"60:10. Slytherin leads!" Jordan continued.
This made Harry even more nervous. He opened his eyes wide and tried to scan every space on the court, looking for the little golden ball.
It started to rain, and the professors stationed in each stand cast spells to summon a layer of transparent semicircular shields to block the rain on the stands.
Harry felt big drops of rain hitting his face and splashing on his glasses.
His hair was drenched with water in a short while, and he had to flick his bangs back vigorously to reveal the scar.
(which makes Malfoy laugh even more)
However, it was Harry's Quidditch uniform that completely kept the rain out and didn't feel the slightest bit of chill.
And because the spell was attached in advance, Harry's glasses were not affected at all.
It's just that as the rain became one piece, it became bigger and bigger. Even if the rain didn't blur the glasses as usual, it was extremely difficult to find the Golden Snitch in this densely woven rain curtain.
Lee Jordan's voice was intertwined with the rolling thunder in the cloud, mixed with the cheers of everyone.
"60:30! The Gryffindor team is catching up!"
Obviously, Gryffindor's usual training and extra equipment played a role, and the score advantage gradually moved back to their side.
——Looks like it's about to catch up gradually.
I don't know how long the game has been, but the rain is getting heavier and heavier, and the sky is so black that there is almost no light, as if the night has come early.
Only the occasional flash of lightning allowed Harry to see clearly where his teammates were on the field.
During the flight, Harry nearly collided with Malfoy.
And what was even more gratifying - Harry saw Malfoy beside him shivering from the cold on his super broom. (This time the guy wasn't in the mood to sneer at Harry either.)
"60:50! The previous score of the Slytherin team has been completely caught up."
Following Jordan's voice fell to the ground.
Harry immediately understood the current situation of the game. He felt feverish all over his body, and he galloped across the field at a high speed, wishing he could catch the Snitch right away.
Mrs. Hooch's whistle blew with a flash of lightning.
Wood flew up to Harry and motioned him to come down to the ground.
"Fertling called a timeout," Wood yelled, "come on down there and wipe your hair...Looks like he knows they won't get much use out of that broom..."
The whole team rode broomsticks under a large umbrella outside the locker room, which was extremely muddy.
Meanwhile MacGuffin came outside with the new broom.
(End of this chapter)
