"Harry Potter." McGonagall strode over angrily.
Harry’s heart skipped a beat. McGonagall had probably been in her office when he caught the Remembrall, which meant she must have seen everything.
"Come with me." McGonagall turned towards the castle with a blank expression, and Harry followed guiltily behind her without daring to say a word.
He had no idea what punishment awaited him. Surely he would not be expelled?
"I think your divination may have been rather inaccurate, Vade," Draco said, unable to suppress a laugh. "Perhaps Potter will be gone by tomorrow."
Vade remained unconcerned. "I don’t think he’ll be expelled, though he must be regretting it now."
McGonagall seemed to be in a great hurry, and her pace grew faster and faster.
She led Harry through door after door and along corridor after corridor before finally stopping outside the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. "Excuse me, Professor Quirrell. Could you ask Wood to come out for a moment?"
Quirrell was holding a large lizard as he taught. After fumbling for a moment, he finally stammered, "O-of course."
Soon, a tall fifth-year Gryffindor emerged with a puzzled expression.
McGonagall impatiently brought him over to Harry. "Potter, this is Oliver Wood."
"Wood, I’ve found you a Seeker."
The confusion on Wood’s face instantly turned to delight. "Really, Professor?"
"Really. Potter is a natural.
"I saw it myself just now. He caught a Remembrall the first time he ever mounted a broom, before it could smash through the window of my office."
"The position of Gryffindor Seeker has been vacant ever since Charlie Weasley left, but Harry is more than capable of filling it."
Wood looked Harry up and down. "Light and agile. The ideal build for a Seeker.
"Harry, have you ever watched a Quidditch match before?"
Harry shook his head uncertainly. He had heard many people talk about Quidditch, but he had never actually seen a match.
Although he still did not fully understand what was happening, he was certain of one thing. He was not going to be expelled.
"Professor McGonagall, I think Harry will need some time to train."
"That won’t be a problem." McGonagall agreed on Harry’s behalf without hesitation. "Harry, you had better train hard and help Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup, or I may yet decide to punish you."
"Professor, there’s one more problem.
"Harry is only a first year. According to the rules, first years are not allowed to join the Quidditch team."
"That is not a problem. I will speak to Dumbledore."
After lessons that afternoon, Harry told Ron about McGonagall’s arrangement as they made their way towards the Great Hall. He would begin Quidditch training the following week.
"Seeker? A first year has never been chosen for a House team before. You must be the youngest Quidditch player ever."
"The youngest in a century. McGonagall said so."
"Well done, Harry. Wood told us everything." Familiar voices sounded behind them. Fred and George had somehow appeared beside the two boys.
"Fred and George are on the team too. They’re Beaters."
"Our job is to make sure you don’t get beaten up too badly," George said. "No promises, though. Quidditch is brutal."
"But no one’s ever died. Occasionally, someone disappears."
"They usually turn up again a month or two later."
Harry’s heart gave an uneasy lurch after hearing them.
Quidditch seemed far more dangerous than he had imagined. His excitement at being chosen quickly faded, leaving him much less confident.
"Go on, Harry.
"Quidditch is the best sport there is, and you’ll be brilliant at it."
The moment Harry and Ron entered the Great Hall, Draco blocked their path. "Potter, here for your last meal? When are you catching the train home?"
"You may be disappointed, young Master Malfoy," Vade interjected. "He wasn’t expelled. Instead, he was chosen as Gryffindor’s Seeker."
"What? Why didn’t I know about this?"
"It only just happened. I heard it from one of Gryffindor’s ghosts."
"But he’s only a first year."
"Dumbledore approved it."
"Of course he did." Draco froze for a moment, then gave a knowing sneer. "Dumbledore has always favoured Gryffindor."
"You were lucky this time, Potter."
"You’re much braver now that you’re back on the ground with your two lackeys protecting you," Harry said sarcastically.
Draco clenched his fists in anger, but he did not dare cause trouble in the Great Hall, especially while all the professors were eating at the staff table.
Trading insults was one thing. Starting a fight was another matter entirely.
"Listen, Potter. I’m willing to face you alone at any time.
"We can have a wizard’s duel tonight, unless you’re afraid. Do you even know what a wizard’s duel is?"
"Of course Harry knows," Ron immediately said, stepping forwards. "I’ll be his second. Who’s yours?"
Draco turned to look at Crabbe and Goyle, then fixed his gaze on Vade, who was cutting into a steak with his knife and fork.
In his opinion, a midnight duel was completely pointless, nothing more than trouble invented by people with too much time on their hands.
"I’ve just remembered that I haven’t finished Professor Flitwick’s homework." Vade put down his knife and fork, turned around, and headed towards the doors of the Great Hall.
He had taken only a few steps when two broad figures blocked his path. They were Crabbe and Goyle.
"It’s settled. Moria will be my second."
Did you even ask for my permission?
Vade cursed inwardly and looked at Draco in exasperation. "That joke isn’t funny."
"Much as I hate to admit it, you are slightly better than those two.
"If I asked Nott or Zabini to help with something this trivial, it would make our dormitory look divided."
"Besides, didn’t you say Potter would be my greatest rival at Hogwarts?
"Tonight, I’ll show you that he’s nothing but an overrated fraud. He isn’t worthy of being a Malfoy’s rival."
Harry and Ron both turned towards Vade, their expressions complicated.
They had barely interacted with him since the Sorting Ceremony and had regarded him as an ordinary classmate. They had never expected this.
You truly could not judge someone by appearances. No wonder he had been Sorted into Slytherin.
Vade explained helplessly, "I did say that Harry Potter would be Draco Malfoy’s greatest rival at Hogwarts.
"But that was the result of a divination. I didn’t make any of it up."
Ron scoffed disdainfully. "You claim to know divination, so naturally the result can be whatever you say it is."
(To be continued.)