harleyscars Chapter 14 Quidditch Match
Chapter 14 Quidditch Match
Under the relentless pressure from the three leaders, the kind and naive Hagrid not only revealed the origin and name of Cerberus, but also "accidentally" revealed a clue about the treasure it guarded. Harry was overjoyed. He might not care whether the Cerberus Hagrid bought from the Greeks was named Fluffy, but the secret between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel was a clear direction for their investigation. So they searched and searched, looking through hundreds of books, but still couldn't find his name.
Time slipped away unnoticed. When Professor Flitwick taught the Levitation Charm—Yugardim Leviosa—in class, when Harry began to get used to weekend tutoring, and when Halloween and the first Quidditch match with Gryffindor were fast approaching, our little savior realized that he had already been at Hogwarts for almost two whole months. With the match looming, Ron lost patience again, and the task of finding Nicolas Flamel fell entirely on Hermione's shoulders. She went through *The Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century*, *The Directory of Contemporary Wizards*, *Major Discoveries in Modern Magic*, and *Studies in the Development of Modern Wizardry* several times, but she didn't see Nicolas Flamel's name even once.
……
"A wizard who could know Dumbledore and hide the secret in Hogwarts Castle must have achieved something extraordinary. Logically speaking, he couldn't possibly not be written into a book, right?"
"Ron! Either go get some books to help me find them, or do some studying. Stop playing with your cards all day!"
Ron, who had just opened a box of Chocolate Frogs, shrank back. Of the three, he was indeed the most relaxed one, but even when Hermione helped him turn the pages, she would complain about his inefficiency, which was why he simply gave up after a while.
“Searching blindly like this isn’t a good idea. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of books about wizards in the library. Why don’t we go ask Hagrid later?”
Hermione immediately rejected Harry's suggestion, shaking her head and saying:
“Impossible, Hagrid has been avoiding us lately… Never mind, Harry, you just focus on preparing for Quidditch, leave this to me.”
Feeling clearly treated unfairly, Ron glared at Hermione resentfully, then slammed the card down on the table and remained silent. Still sulking, he hadn't realized that this simple act would become the key to discovering Nicolas Flamel's identity.
"Wait a moment……"
Ron picked up a card and said to the other two:
"I've found Nicolas Flamel, look!"
"Dumbledore's well-known contributions include defeating the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, discovering twelve uses for dragon's blood, and his fruitful work in alchemy with his partner Nicolas Flamel."
"I see!"
Hermione practically jumped off the long table; the last time she was this excited was when her grades for Herbology and Astronomy came out.
"That explains why I couldn't find his name! He's not a modern magician at all!"
Her voice was so loud that it startled Seamus Finigan, who was practicing the Levitation Charm.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Amidst laughter, Harry pulled out his wand and cleaned Seamus's charred robes and blackened face, then replied:
"Scourgify!"
"Reparo!" (Restored to normal)
"Hermione, do you mean he's dead? Or..."
Hermione shook her head as she pulled Harry and Ron up from their chairs, her tone seemingly returning to how she had first met them.
“Harry, I’ve already told you, all the subjects taught at Hogwarts are useful. If I hadn’t borrowed a book on the history of magic from the library, we don’t know how long we would have had to wait to find Nicolas Flamel.”
"I was the one who found it!"
Ron's rather defiant protests were largely ineffective, and soon he and Harry were led back to the common room by Hermione. With less than ten minutes until Monday's first class, Ron turned and muttered to himself as he watched Hermione dash upstairs:
"I feel like we've led her astray."
Harry agreed with this statement, but before he could even raise an eyebrow at Ron, the little witch had already rushed back carrying an enormous old book.
Clang! Swish swish swish!
Hermione's expression was both mysterious and excited, making Harry and Ron hold their breath. After a few dozen seconds, Hermione suddenly leaned down, pointed to a passage in the book, and said in a low voice:
"Nico Flamel is the only known creator of the Philosopher's Stone. Ancient alchemy involved the creation of the Philosopher's Stone, a magical substance with astonishing properties. The Philosopher's Stone can turn any metal into gold and can also be used to create elixirs of immortality, granting those who drink it eternal life. Over the centuries, many accounts of the Philosopher's Stone have emerged in the magical world, but the only authentic and verified one belongs to the famous alchemist and opera enthusiast, Mr. Nicolas Flamel. He celebrated his 665th birthday last year and now lives in seclusion in Devon with his 658-year-old wife, Perenaert!"
"Now everything is clear. The thing that Cerberus was guarding was Nicolas Flamel's Philosopher's Stone! He knew that someone was going to steal it, and he also knew that Gringotts' level of guarding was not safe, so he entrusted it to Professor Dumbledore for safekeeping."
Ron scratched his head, looking somewhat puzzled, and asked:
"But if it's as you say, what does Quirrell want to do with the Philosopher's Stone? Conjure gold? Or make himself immortal?"
Harry recalled the times his scars had stung him, and instinctively touched his forehead, explaining to Ron:
“I’m afraid he didn’t steal the Philosopher’s Stone for himself, Ron… Remember when he was saying some strange things in front of the House of Requirement? I guess his master must be Voldemort. Voldemort wants to use the elixir of immortality or other functions of the Philosopher’s Stone to help himself resurrect.”
Harry's words startled Ron and Hermione. Although they had been through a lot together, no adventure in the world could be more dangerous than Voldemort. Ron swallowed nervously, then suggested to Harry:
“I think we should tell Dumbledore about this. This is not a problem we can solve. It’s better to let the adults handle it.”
"Yes, Harry, go and talk to Professor Dumbledore. It's convenient for you two to meet. You're a student, and the most important thing for you is to study hard at school."
Hermione's attitude was surprisingly consistent with Ron's this time, so much so that she didn't get angry when Ron added, "And Quidditch too."
Harry felt a warmth rise in his chest from the concern of his friends. He looked at Ron and Hermione and nodded solemnly.
……
Autumn had arrived, and after Halloween, the weather at Hogwarts grew increasingly cold. Harry didn't, as he had promised his friends, dump all his problems on Dumbledore. During his time with the headmaster, Harry gained a profound understanding of why the old wizard loved riddles: he preferred to plan carefully before acting.
Yes, thinking about it carefully, even if Quirrell, as they suspect, is a servant trying to help his evil master resurrect, capturing him would only slow Voldemort's return. With Dumbledore's abilities, Harry doesn't believe he wouldn't see the problems with his school's teachers. And if Dumbledore is indeed playing a long game, then meddling might actually backfire. Therefore, the best thing for him to do right now is to focus on his studies, absorbing as much knowledge as possible so that he can defeat Voldemort in the future.
The match day arrived in the blink of an eye, and the banquet hall was already buzzing with excitement. The four houses had differing opinions on the first-year Seeker who was about to take the field. The Gryffindor students naturally believed Harry would play brilliantly, but the Slytherins, led by Malfoy, claimed that the school should send some people to follow Potter around with his mattress. Harry himself was completely unconcerned with these opinions; having test-driven the Nimbus 2000 the night before, he was 100% confident of winning the match.
"Harry, why are you eating so little? Are you too nervous?"
"Yes, Harry, have some more toast, and grilled sausages are good too!"
"Have some more, Harry. You need to keep your energy up. Seekers are always the main targets in Quidditch, and our opponents this time are Slytherin."
Seamus Finnigan, Neville Longbottom, and Andy Thomas each held a plate of food. In their eyes, Harry, the big eater who had only eaten a few bananas and some scrambled eggs, must be too nervous.
"Thank you for your kind offer, Simon, Nave, and Andy, but players shouldn't eat too much before a match, otherwise it will affect their performance."
At eleven o'clock, as the sun's rays finally dispelled some of the chill, the entire school gathered in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Besides various telescopes, there were many oddly shaped cheering props, including a huge banner drawn by the Gryffindor classmates who had urged Harry to eat more that morning. Hermione and Ron, after dropping Harry off in the players' tunnel, followed Seamus and the others to the highest row. They recognized the banner that read "Potter Will Win," drawn on the very sheet that Ron's pet rat, Spotted, had previously soiled. Besides the most prominent lettering, there was also a Gryffindor lion drawn by Dean. Hermione hadn't been particularly interested in Quidditch, but the increasingly heated atmosphere over the past few days had begun to make her appreciate the sport's charm. She pulled out her wand and waved it at Seamus and the others' banner; the previously single-colored paint suddenly began to shimmer with different colors.
Soon, amidst a deafening roar of cheers, the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams took to the field. Harry preferred their bright red Quidditch uniforms to Wood's pre-match speech, which had been ruined by the Weasley twins' jokes in the locker room; it was simply the best-looking color scheme of all the houses.
"Whoa! Roar! Potter will win! Gryffindor will win!"
As the most talked-about first-year Seeker and his Nimbus 2000 entered the arena, a deafening roar erupted from the Gryffindor stands. Judging by their waving arms and cheers, an uninformed observer would have thought Gryffindor had already won.
Standing in the center of the field, Mrs. Hooch raised an eyebrow when she saw Harry's new broom. Clearly, she hadn't expected the Gryffindor team to bring such a big surprise to the game.
"Hello everyone! Welcome to the first Quidditch match of the season at Hogwarts! Today, we'll be watching a thrilling game between Slytherin and Gryffindor!"
The announcer Lee Jordan's voice raised the atmosphere even higher, and even the Slytherin supporters who had just been hit by Harry's Nimbus 2000 began to cheer loudly.
"Now! Both teams are in position, awaiting Mrs. Hooch's whistle for the match to officially begin!"
"Listen, I want everyone to compete fairly and honestly!"
Mrs. Hooch's words were brief. After confirming that all the players were on their brooms, she kicked open the box containing the Quidditch balls. The two Runners and the Golden Snitch, like impatient children eager to escape from home, soared into the air in the blink of an eye.