Chapter 207: Surprising changes on the Quidditch field

In the first few days since classes resumed at Hogwarts, the young wizards were a little worried, worried that Sirius Black would come back and threaten their safety.

However, from that day on, no sign of Sirius was found in the castle.

If it weren't for the portrait of Sir Cadogan still hanging at the door of the Gryffindor common room instead of the Fat Lady, the young and forgetful little wizards would probably completely forget about the notorious wanted criminal.

The visiting professor Remus Lupine is very dedicated. After arriving at Hogwarts, he patrols all over the castle every day, looking for traces of Sirius.

Not only that, he also pointed out many secret passages connecting the castle to the outside world.

These passages were discovered when he was at school with the quartet of James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pedro. Some of them even Filch had never heard of.

The professors agreed that Sirius had entered the castle through secret passages that Filch didn't know about.

Because of this contribution, Lu Ping quickly made good relationships with other professors, except for one person——

Head of Slytherin, Severus Snape.

"I don't think it is a wise decision for you to recruit a new visiting professor, Mr. Headmaster." One night not long after Lupine arrived here, Snape stopped Dumbledore and said to him.

"But I don't think so, Severus. I guess you still have some prejudices against Remus." Dumbledore said calmly.

Snape frowned, his sallow face seemed to be obviously depressed.

"You remember their previous relationship, headmaster?" Snape said. He barely opened his lips when he spoke, clenching his teeth tightly, as if he had some bone-deep hatred for Lupine, "You should also remember his true identity..."

"Remember, Severus," Dumbledore said, with a hint of warning in his voice, "Remus' identity has nothing to do with having him come to the castle to help. We've talked about it, haven't we? "

"However, I can see that he is very likely to tip off Black." Snape said in a low voice. "He will show up in the most conspicuous places in the castle every day when he patrols. This is not only We can see it, and Black outside the castle can also see it."

"It is entirely possible that he is using this behavior to send a message to Blake, telling him that our inspections are strict and he cannot come..."

"I said, I don't believe that Remus would help Black enter the castle," Dumbledore said. "He wants to capture Sirius Black more than we do, and he wants to know the truth about that year."

"You just need to do your job and prepare the potion I gave you. I know the rest."

His tone made it clear that this was the end of the matter, so Snape made no reply.

"I have to deal with those dementors outside the castle," Dumbledore said. "If we don't deal with them, I'm afraid these things will think we are hiding criminals."

"Are they planning to help, Headmaster?" Snape said softly, frowning in disgust.

"Oh, yes, I don't know whether they want to search for criminals or want to suck the happiness of children..." Dumbledore said coldly, "But I'm afraid that as long as I serve as the principal for one day, I will never allow them to cross The threshold of the school.”

…

Compared with the professors who were always vigilant and nervous, the little wizards were obviously much more relaxed.

They had almost forgotten that an escaped criminal like Sirius Black had ever visited Hogwarts Castle, and that they were still in danger.

All they knew was that the first Quidditch match was approaching.

I don't know if it's the influence of the dementors outside the castle, but the weather is getting worse and worse these days.

But in such weather, Gryffindor's Quidditch team trained harder and harder.

Originally, for the sake of Harry's safety, Professor McGonagall did not want him to be exposed on an empty Quidditch pitch to prevent Sirius Black from taking advantage of him.

But because of Harry's firm request and Professor McGonagall's own hope that the Gryffindor Quidditch team could achieve good results, she agreed to the team's request to continue training.

Of course, to be on the safe side, she asked Ms. Huo Qi, who taught flying lessons, to accompany the Gryffindor team to train.

"Listen, our opponent this time is not easy." In the last training before the game, team captain Wood stood on the court and said loudly, "Our opponent this time is Hufflepuff, the defending champion of the previous school year. .”

It was a stormy day, and while Wood was talking, the team members heard thunder rumbling in the distance.

Hearing the name of the college, Harry subconsciously tightened his grip on the broom in his hand.

He remembered that the reason why his playing state was so bad last year was because of Cho Zhang and Hufflepuff's Seeker Cedric Diggory.

Harry didn't know how many times he was indignant about Cedric's relationship with Cho Chang. He felt that Cedric was just a pretty boy with no merit other than good looks. He didn't know how many times he was distracted in class because of this incident. The game went awry.

But now when I think about Qiu Zhang's face, it feels like it's a lifetime ago, and even in my memory, it seems a little unclear.

Harry discovered that what he liked was just the false Qiu Zhang in his heart.

In fact, except for the meeting where Professor Dracula awarded awards to the top students in the three grades, and the meeting where he shamelessly went to Ravenclaw Tower to strike up a conversation, he didn't even know much about her before that.

Whether it was her character, family, character or preferences, they were all his own conjectures. When this overwhelming love turned dull, what was left in his heart was the real Qiu Zhang that he didn't understand. Of course the memory will fade away.

And his evaluation of Cedric as a pretty boy was just a prejudice caused by jealousy.

Cedric is actually polite and friendly, and he always upholds the principles of fair and friendly play on the Quidditch field. His flying ability and ball skills are also quite good, so it's not surprising that girls like him.

In the last game before the Quidditch final last school year, Gryffindor played against Slytherin, Harry made peace with Cedric in his heart, and personally gave a Hufflepuff to win over Slytherin. The opportunity to come to Trin allowed them to win the final championship.

Now, in the first Quidditch match of this school year, Gryffindor happened to meet Hufflepuff, which gave Harry a feeling of destiny.

"Are you listening, Harry?"

Wood's voice interrupted Harry's thoughts. He quickly raised his head and smiled at Wood.

"Are you really okay?" Wood looked at Harry suspiciously and hesitated, "You won't be as out of shape as last school year, right?"

"Don't worry, Oliver, that won't happen again!" Harry smiled confidently, "I'm already another Harry!"

"It's best this way," Wood nodded and continued, "Our opponent in this game is the Hufflepuff team, but we don't know their style at all this school year. Because they have a new captain, Seth Derek Diggory——"

The three Chasers, Angelina, Aaliyah and Katie, suddenly started to giggle.

"What's wrong?" Wood frowned and looked at them, not satisfied with this carefree behavior.

"Cedric Diggory is the tall, handsome boy, right?" Angelina said.

"The strong, soft-spoken one," Katie added.

As they said this, they started to giggle again.

Harry sighed, feeling that it was not surprising at all that Cho Chang fell in love with Cedric.

"He speaks softly because he is not strong enough! What Quidditch needs is real warriors like us!" Fred, who grew up in the same village as Cedric, immediately joked.

"There's no need to worry too much, Oliver, Cedric is just the captain for the first time, and he is definitely not as capable as a 'tyrant' like you!" George also said.

"How many times have I told you, don't underestimate the enemy! What's more, we are facing the defending champion of the previous school year!" Wood shouted loudly to the smiling twins, his eyes appearing slightly protruding. "Digory has organized a strong team, which is no worse than the one organized by the previous captain!"

"In addition, he is also an excellent seeker! I don't know what Harry's current state is, but I know that even if he returns to his best state, he may not be able to suppress Diggory! So we must fight Try our best, we must win!”

"Oliver, don't get angry." Seeing Wood's serious performance, Fred and George hurriedly patted their chests and promised, "We will do our best to deal with the Hufflepuff team, we promise!"

…

The morning before the game was stormy and windy.

The weather was even worse than during training the day before. The corridors and classrooms were pitch dark, so Filch had no choice but to light more torches and lamps.

The Gryffindor common room was high up in the tower, and the pounding of the storm on the windows was louder than the sounds outside.

Harry was woken up early by the thunderstorm and looked at the window that was covered in rain.

He knew better than to count on the game being canceled - wizarding Quidditch matches were never canceled for something as trivial as a thunderstorm.

Even though he had known this for a long time, Harry still felt a little scared, as if there was an ominous premonition lingering in his heart.

He got out of bed and sat in front of the fireplace, thinking.

He thought that seekers in Quidditch games were usually light-bodied and agile people. Diggory was taller than ordinary seekers, but his weight was an advantage in this weather. Because he will not be knocked unsteady by the strong wind.

But Harry didn't have time to think about it all the time, because Hermione's mixed-race cat, Crookshanks, had always been obsessed with Ron's mouse, Scabbers, and often sneaked up the stairs of the boys' dormitory.

He had to stand up from time to time during his thoughts, put Crookshanks' soft belly in his arms and put him back into the common room.

Finally, when it was almost breakfast time, he walked alone to the doorway guarded by the portrait.

"Stop, let's fight, you bad dog!" Sir Cadogan shouted to every passing little wizard as always.

"Oh, shut up," Harry responded with a yawn.

He has become accustomed to this knight who speaks unscrupulously. The curses in the knight's mouth actually only express contempt for the opponent, and there is no malice.

After finishing a large bowl of porridge, Harry felt a little more energetic. When he started eating toast, other members of the team arrived.

"This game is going to be intense," Wood said. He was so nervous that he couldn't eat anything.

"Don't worry, Oliver," Angelina reassured him, "We don't mind a little rain, we train in the rain all the time."

But this wasn't just a little rain, they had never trained in such heavy rain.

However, even with such horrible weather, all the teachers and students of the school still came out in droves as usual to watch the first Quidditch match of this semester. This is enough to prove that Quidditch is indeed extremely popular in the wizarding world where entertainment activities are scarce.

Teachers and students trotted across the lawn to the Quidditch pitch, heads lowered to resist the strong wind - because their umbrellas would be blown away from their hands halfway.

However, there was a pure black umbrella that showed no signs of damage and was quietly opened amidst the roaring wind and rain.

Dracula was walking in the heavy rain holding an umbrella, and all the raindrops that were tilted by the wind would automatically change direction when they were about to hit his robe, and instead drip on the ground.

Therefore, there was no place on his clothes that was wet by the rain, and he looked out of place with the embarrassed little wizards.

"Sure enough, as long as the sun doesn't shine, Professor Dracula is still willing to come to the Quidditch pitch to join in the fun." Harry looked at Dracula's wet-stained robes enviously and thought to himself.

Finally, they walked into the Gryffindor team's locker room despite the wind and rain. The team members couldn't wait to change out of their wet clothes and put on the bright red Quidditch uniforms of the college. They immediately felt better.

...Although it won't take more than a few minutes, when the game starts, their clothes will still be wet.

After changing into uniforms, the players lined up neatly, waiting for Wood's usual pre-match morale-boosting speech as captain.

But no one expected that Wood tried to open his mouth to speak several times, but he only made a weird breathless sound, unable to express any of his previous bold words.

Finally, he shook his head helplessly and waved for everyone to enter the stadium with him.

He has already led Gryffindor to win a Quidditch Cup. There is no need to be demanding in his last year at Hogwarts. As long as he does his best, the result will not be a big deal...

The wind was blowing so hard that the players staggered as they walked to the court.

Amidst the rumbling thunder, even if there were spectators cheering for them, they couldn't hear them at all.

The raindrops hit Harry's glasses hard, and he was already worried about how he would see the Snitch in the storm.

When the Gryffindor team members reached the center of the court, the Hufflepuff team members also wore canary-like yellow uniforms and walked towards them from the opposite side of the court.

The captains of both sides came forward and shook hands with each other. Digory smiled at Wood, and Wood nodded towards him.

The thunder was so loud that the team members on both sides could not hear Mrs. Huo Qi's voice clearly.

Fortunately, the contestants present were quite experienced and knew how to watch her mouth until she seemed to say "get on the broomstick" before they all sat on the broomstick.

Harry pulled his right foot out of the mud on the court and stepped onto Nimbus 2000.

"All--"

Mrs. Huo Qi put the whistle to her mouth and blew hard, making a sharp whistle that barely broke through the thunder and howling wind——

The game begins!

Harry was riding fast, but his Nimbus 2000 was swaying a little unstable in the wind. He held the broom handle as tightly as he could, turned around and rushed into the wind and rain.

…

Dracula held an umbrella and sat on the high platform of the auditorium, looking boredly at the sky above the stadium.

Of all the seats around him, only the one he was sitting in was dry.

"By the way, you guys are watching so intently, can you really see clearly what's going on in the sky?" Dracula casually grabbed a nearby little wizard who was concentrating on watching the game and asked.

This little wizard is obviously an avid fan of Quidditch. Even if it rains heavily, he will keep his eyes wide open and stare high into the sky, for fear of missing any details of the game. Even if the rain hits his eyes, he will not blink.

"Ah, Professor Dracula." The little wizard seemed to have just discovered that Dracula was sitting next to him. He scratched his wet hair with some embarrassment. "Actually, I can't see clearly. I can only see a few little ones." The black spots, I don’t know if they are birds or players..."

"Are you so invested in watching this?" Dracula looked at him speechlessly, "I don't feel any fun from this game at all. Isn't this just torture?"

"You can't say that!" the little wizard subconsciously amplified his voice and retorted, "A Quidditch match in bad weather is the most testing situation for players' willpower and skills. Winning in this kind of game is far better than winning in normal weather. Even more admirable..."

Before he finished speaking, he saw Dracula's unhappy expression, and his tone became a little weak again, "I...I didn't mean to say it so loudly, I'm sorry, Professor Dracula..."

"Forget it, fans are really unreasonable." Dracula shook his head with a smile and lightly snapped his fingers.

All the little wizards in the audience were still trying to keep their eyes open to avoid the rain affecting their vision. However, suddenly, they found that the raindrops in the sky had changed positions and fell, as if they had deliberately avoided their eyes.

Dracula watched as the confused expressions of the little wizards gradually turned into excitement, and he smiled faintly.

Dumbledore, who was also watching the game not far away, glanced at the auditorium where Dracula was sitting in surprise, and an interesting smile appeared on his face.

"You can obviously understand other people very well, why do you usually pretend to be indifferent?" He chuckled and shook his head.

…

High in the sky, Harry was still flying hard, and he didn't know how long the competition had been going on.

He was soaked and frozen, and it was difficult to see his teammates, let alone the little golden snitch.

Galloping over the court, he passed by the red and yellow figures in the lake one after another, completely unable to see the specific situation of the game. In the strong wind, he couldn't even hear the comments from the audience.

Harry was almost knocked off his broomstick by Bludgers both times. The heavy rain blurred his vision, and he couldn't see them hitting them from the opposite direction.

Slowly, his arms began to ache, and it seemed increasingly difficult to keep the broomstick flying in a straight line.

The sky is getting darker and darker, as if the night has decided to come early.

Harry almost bumped into another player a few times, and he didn't know if it was his teammate or an opponent's player. Everyone was soaked now, and the raindrops were so dense that it was impossible for him to see the Golden Snitch clearly...

"Dudu——"

Mrs. Hooch's whistle sounded with the first lightning.

Harry could only see the outline of Wood in the dense curtain of rain. Wood was waving to Harry to come down to the ground.

Then the whole team, splashed with rainwater, descended into the mud on the ground.

"I called a timeout!" Wood yelled to the players amid the sounds of wind, rain and thunder, "Come on, get down there -"

They huddled under a large umbrella on the edge of the court. Harry took off his glasses and wiped them hastily on his soaked robes. They looked even dirtier.

"What's the score?" he asked hurriedly.

"We're fifty points ahead," Wood said, "but the score can't be too big. It still depends on the Seeker."

"I can't see the road with my glasses on, let alone catch the Golden Snitch." Harry said sadly, waving his glasses.

At this moment, Hermione ran over from nowhere wearing a cloak and squeezed under the big umbrella beside the stadium, with a smile on her face.

"I have an idea, Harry!" she said excitedly, "Give me your glasses, quick!"

Although Harry was confused, he still handed her the glasses out of trust.

With the entire team watching in surprise, Hermione tapped Harry's glasses with her wand and said:

“Waterproof and moisture-proof (imperuious!)”

"Okay!" she said, handing the glasses back to Harry, "This is the fire and water invulnerability spell. The rain will not hinder your glasses now!"

After the timeout ended, the players on both sides flew back into the dense rain.

Hermione's spell worked. Even though his hands and feet were numb from the cold and he was soaked, Harry could indeed see.

He cheered up again, made up his mind, and urged his Nimbus 2000 to pass through the turbulent airflow, looking for the Golden Snitch in all directions.

Thunder sounded one after another, followed by lightning of different shapes. The situation in the sky became increasingly dangerous, and Harry knew he had to catch the Snitch as soon as possible.

So he suddenly turned around and wanted to return to the center of the court.

But at that moment, another thick bolt of lightning illuminated the stands——

Harry saw something that completely distracted him: the silhouette of a huge, shaggy black dog, silhouetted against the sky, sitting on a row of empty seats at the top of the stand.

He thought of what the professor of the divination course he took this semester, Sybill Trelawney, said -

"'Ominous', my dear child, 'ominous'!" Professor Trelawney saw his divination in class and shouted in shock, "That big ghostly dog ​​wandering in the cemetery! My dear My child, this is a bad omen...the worst omen...a harbinger of death!"

He thought again of the huge black dog he had seen before meeting Tonks when he ran away from home.

Why did this black dog appear so hauntingly again today? !

Harry's numb hands slipped on his broomstick, and his Nimbus 2000 fell several feet.

He brushed the wet Liuhai away from his eyes, but couldn't help but be distracted. He squinted his eyes to look at the stands, only to find that the black dog had disappeared without knowing when.

"Harry!" Wood's distressed shout came from the Gryffindor goal, "Harry, be serious, look behind you!"

Harry turned around in panic and saw Cedric flying continuously over the court, a small golden patch flickering between them in the rain-covered sky...

It's the Golden Snitch!

In panic, Harry leaned forward on his broomstick and spun towards the golden flash.

"Come on!" He shouted at his Nimbus 2000, letting the raindrops slap his cheeks, "Faster! Faster!"

However, something strange happened suddenly.

The scene that should have been full of wind, patter of rain, and thunder suddenly fell into silence.

Although the wind was still as strong as before, it forgot to roar. It was like an old TV set and someone suddenly turned off the sound; it was also like Harry suddenly became deaf...

He had a premonition that something bad was going to happen!

The next moment, a strange but familiar terrifying cold current hit him, rushing into his body. At this time, he just realized that something was moving in the sky above the stadium...

Harry didn't have time to think, he took his eyes away from the Snitch and looked to the side.

At least a hundred dementors were suspended in the air, their hooded faces facing him. It was as if frozen water rose from his chest, cutting into his insides.

Then he heard the sound he had heard on the train again - someone was moaning, moaning inside his head... It was a woman... This woman's voice was extremely familiar...

"Don't touch Harry. Don't touch Harry...please don't touch Harry!"

"Go away, you stupid woman... Go away, now..."

"Don't touch Harry, please don't, unless you kill me first... Just kill me..."

Harry's brain seemed numb and fell into a white fog...

He subconsciously wanted to help that woman, she was going to die...she was going to be murdered...

At the same time, Harry was still falling downwards, falling in the icy fog.

"Don't touch Harry! Please don't move...have mercy...have mercy..."

A shrill voice laughed, the woman screamed, and Harry knew nothing.

Before he completely fell into coma, he saw a dazzling silver light occupying the entire Quidditch pitch, and a suppressed angry voice resounded throughout the sky, as if the rain and thunder had stopped because of the anger of the voice.

"You disgusting things, who allowed you to enter Hogwarts?!"

…

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