On the day of the Quidditch match, the Hogwarts stadium was packed with people, and the atmosphere was so heated it was nearly boiling.
The gold and red banners of Gryffindor and the green and silver banners of Slytherin waved in the wind as shouts, cheers, and whistles intertwined, echoing through the skies.
The stands were packed to capacity, with students waving cheering signs and shouting loudly for their respective house teams.
Baelon sat at a clear vantage point on the Ravenclaw stands, his fingertips lightly twirling a Breath-Hiding Leaf gifted by Professor Sprout as he gazed calmly at the pitch.
Inside the Undetectable Extension Bag in his pocket, Yangyan lay quietly, moving slightly as if sensing the commotion outside.
Lee Jordan stood at the commentary booth, holding a magical megaphone, his spirits high and his voice booming across the field.
“Students!
Professors!
Welcome to this year’s most exciting Quidditch match—Gryffindor versus Slytherin!
Today’s match is destined to be explosive!
Gryffindor seeker Harry Potter is riding the school’s most talked-about Nimbus 2000, while the entire Slytherin team is equipped with top-tier Comet brooms; their strength is not to be underestimated!”
The whistle blew shrilly, and the match officially began!
The referee threw the Quaffle into the air, and the Chasers from both teams lunged forward instantly, chasing and grappling in the air like arrows shot from a bow.
The Slytherin players had always been skilled at tactical fouls, their movements fierce and cunning.
From the very start, they constantly collided with the Gryffindor players, using elbow strikes, broom positioning, and malicious blocking in an endless stream of tricks.
“Slytherin Chaser foul!
Maliciously blocking the Gryffindor player!” Lee Jordan’s voice was full of indignation.
“They aren’t playing a game; they’re in a fight!”
The Gryffindor players resisted with all their might.
Captain Wood shouted commands, and the Keeper defended with everything he had, blocking Slytherin’s shots time and again.
The Gryffindor students in the stands stood up and shouted their support, the atmosphere tense to the extreme.
Harry rode his Nimbus 2000, weaving nimbly through the high air, his eyes sharply scanning the field for any sign of the Golden Snitch.
He was agile, his hands gripping the broom handle tightly and his body pressed low against the Wood, moving as fast as lightning.
The Slytherin seeker, Malfoy, followed closely behind Harry, his eyes sinister as he constantly tried to interfere with Harry’s vision, even deliberately flying his broom close to Harry, nearly knocking him off.
“Malfoy is interfering maliciously again!
That’s a blatant foul!” Lee Jordan roared.
On the field, the Quaffle zipped back and forth, and the Bludgers were struck hard by the Beaters, whistling through the air in a series of perilous moments.
The Slytherin Beaters intentionally aimed the Bludgers at Harry to distract him from finding the Snitch, but Harry relied on his agile movements to narrowly avoid them every time.
In the stands, Baelon’s gaze wasn’t entirely focused on the match; instead, he discreetly scanned the staff table.
Dumbledore sat regally in the center, holding a Lemon Sherbet with a composed expression; Professor McGonagall had her arms crossed, her sharp eyes fixed on the pitch, constantly monitoring the students’ safety; Snape was clad in his black robes, his face cold and somber, radiating a low-pressure aura; and Professor Quirrell was huddled in a corner, his turban pressed very low, his body stiff, his lips moving silently beneath the fabric, and his wand hidden in his sleeve, pointed directly at Harry high above.
Baelon’s eyes turned slightly cold.
He saw it clearly—the one actually cursing Harry was Quirrell.
High in the air, Harry finally spotted the Golden Snitch!
The tiny golden figure flashed for an instant in the sunlight.
Harry’s spirits rose, and he dove the Nimbus 2000 downward at extreme speed, the wind whistling past his ears.
Malfoy followed closely behind, chasing frantically and constantly trying to block his path.
Just as Harry was about to reach the Golden Snitch, a sudden change occurred!
The Nimbus 2000 beneath him began to shake and buck violently without warning.
Harry gripped the broom handle so hard his knuckles turned white; his body was nearly thrown off, and he could only curl up tightly against the broom, letting out a startled cry.
“Harry!” Ron stood up abruptly in the stands, shouting in alarm, his face pale.
Hermione was also frantic, staring fixedly at the sky, her heart pounding wildly.
The crowd gasped, the cheering stopping instantly and being replaced by a wave of terrified murmurs.
Lee Jordan’s voice was filled with panic: “Harry’s broom is out of control!
The Nimbus 2000 has gone mad!
What on earth is happening!”
Hermione’s gaze was fixed on the staff table, where she happened to see Snape looking down in concentration, his lips moving slightly and his wand held beneath the table.
She immediately decided it was Snape’s doing, completely failing to notice Quirrell’s even more suspicious movements in the corner.
Without hesitation, she pulled out her wand, ducked behind the stand’s railing, aimed at Snape, and whispered the Fire-Making Spell: “Incendio!”
A small but precise flame shot out, instantly igniting the hem of Snape’s robes!
*Whoosh—*
The flames flared up instantly.
Snape was startled and instinctively stood up from his chair in a hurry, frantically batting at the flames on his person with sharp, panicked movements, causing him to stumble.
As he lunged, he happened to collide with Quirrell, who was curled up beside him!
*Bang!*
Quirrell had been fully focused on chanting the curse; when he was struck, he fell directly to the ground, his turban knocked askew, and the incantation was abruptly broken and misspoken.
“Ugh—!”
Once the curse was broken, the Dark Arts controlling the Nimbus 2000 high in the air instantly failed.
The broom beneath Harry immediately stopped shaking and gradually steadied.
Baelon took it all in and discreetly withdrew his gaze.
It wasn’t Snape saving the day—
It was Hermione burning Snape, Snape knocking over Quirrell in his panic, and Quirrell being forced to break the curse that saved Harry.
Harry, still shaken, took a deep breath and locked his eyes on the Golden Snitch nearby once more.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he dove his broom again, released the handle with one hand, and lunged forward with all his might!
The moment his fingertips touched the Golden Snitch, he clutched it tightly in his hand!
“The Golden Snitch has been caught!” Lee Jordan’s voice broke the sky, so excited it cracked.
“Harry Potter has caught the Golden Snitch!
Gryffindor wins!”
The entire stadium erupted instantly!
The Gryffindor students cheered and danced, hugging each other and weeping for joy as the shouts, applause, and cheers became deafening.
Ron and Hermione hugged excitedly, crying with relief.
Harry circled in the air on his broom, holding the Golden Snitch high, his face beaming with the joy and pride of a narrow escape.
Snape clumsily patted out the fire, the hem of his black robes now a charred mess.
With a dark expression, he glared fiercely at the stands, then glanced coldly at Quirrell as he scrambled up from the ground, before turning and walking away quickly without a word.
Quirrell was trembling as he hurriedly straightened his turban, sensing Lord Voldemort’s suppressed rage from the back of his head.
He didn’t dare react, only shrinking into the corner, pretending to be frightened as he slipped away in the chaos.
After the match, Harry squeezed through the cheering crowd and ran over to Baelon, looking excited and full of gratitude: “Baelon, I won!
If you hadn’t helped me fix my broom before the match, I wouldn’t have been able to hold on until the end!”
Ron also followed, his face showing a mix of excitement and guilt: “Thank you so much!
And…
about the dragon, I’m really sorry.
I didn’t mean to let it out.”
Hermione stood to the side with a sincere expression, nodding gently with eyes full of apology.
Baelon looked at the three of them, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Congratulations.”
Ron lowered his voice, his eyes full of anticipation and a bit of caution: “When the security in the Forbidden Forest loosens up, can we…
can we take a look at Yangyan from a distance?
Just one look, we definitely won’t bother it, and we’ll keep your secret!”
Harry quickly added: “We’ll help you keep watch and look out for the Professors.
We won’t cause you any trouble.”
Baelon was silent for a moment, looking at the distant Forbidden Forest painted red by the setting sun, and then he nodded gently.
“Alright.”
The sun set, painting the towers and stadium of Hogwarts in a warm gold.
Baelon raised his hand, lightly pressing it against his pocket, feeling Yangyan’s quiet movements.
The secret had spread throughout the school, danger was approaching step by step, and darkness still lurked in the corners, but he was no longer alone.
He would continue to practice the Shield Charm, Expelliarmus, Blasting Curse, and Multi-Casting to make himself even stronger.
He would protect Yangyan, protect his original intentions, and protect everything worth guarding in this Castle.
The wind swept over the pitch, carrying the determination and courage of youth toward the distant Forbidden Forest and the vast world that belonged to the dragon.