Chapter 176: Gryffindor Deduction of Points
Chapter 176: Gryffindor Deduction of Points
As November arrived, the weather turned bitterly cold, and frost covered the ground each morning.
The Black Lake seemed to have frozen overnight, forming a thick, hard layer of ice, and many people were playing on it.
As soon as Kyle and Cedric left the warmth of the castle, they felt a gust of cold wind hit them.
"Brrr... It's freezing!" Cedric shivered, "Luckily, I changed into my thick robes a few days ago. Otherwise, I'd definitely catch a cold in this weather."
Last year, he had failed to change into his winter robes in time, and as a result, his head had steamed for three consecutive days.
Madam Pomfrey's potions worked quickly, but they always had some strange side effects.
"We'll probably warm up during training later," Kyle tightened his collar and unconsciously quickened his pace.
"You're right."
...
The two of them walked across the grounds and arrived at the Quidditch pitch.
They were relatively early, and at that moment, Harris was carrying a chest containing Quidditch balls out of the pitch.
Kyle also spotted Hagrid, wrapped in his long mole-skin coat, defrosting the flying broomsticks.
Upon seeing Kyle, Hagrid waved enthusiastically, "Hey, Kyle! Are you guys training today?"
"Yes, Hagrid."
Kyle walked over and took out his wand.
"Cleansing Charm!"
In an instant, all the frost on the broomsticks was cleaned off.
"So convenient..." Hagrid looked at Kyle's wand with a hint of envy and subconsciously glanced at the pink umbrella in his pocket.
His wand was hidden inside that umbrella, but for some reason, he couldn't use it in front of others.
"Do you need any more help?" Kyle asked.
"No, thank you. I'm good," Hagrid picked up the broomsticks and smiled, "If you ask me, you should have trained after lunch when the weather was much warmer."
"There's no choice. Today is the last weekend before the match, and all three houses are training," Kyle shook his head helplessly.
If he could, he would have preferred to train in warmer conditions, but Harris was too honest. After a bit of persuasion, he agreed to let the others use the pitch last.
As a result, Ravenclaw had the pitch from 10 o'clock onwards for four hours, and then it was Gryffindor's turn. They had to train at this time.
"It seems like everyone is taking this year's match seriously," Hagrid said, "But I believe you will win. After all, Hufflepuff was last year's champion."
"Of course, I think so too."
At this moment, the other team members arrived at the pitch one after another. Kyle bid farewell to Hagrid and quickly joined the others in their training.
Since it was a regular training session and not a tactical study, Harris didn't restrict access to the pitch.
About half an hour later, the stands began to fill up with spectators.
Most of them were young wizards who loved Quidditch, and upon discovering that they could freely enter the pitch, they were more than happy to get a taste of the action before the official match.
As soon as 10 o'clock struck, Harris, who had been training for two hours, descended from the sky with the others, handing over the pitch to the Ravenclaw team, who had been waiting early.
Kyle followed the crowd back to the castle.
Soon after, the spectators in the stands also left, and it was clear that their moods were not the best.
Fortunately, this wasn't the first time such a situation had occurred. After a few quiet complaints, they rubbed their shoulders and quickly returned to the castle.
Kyle gazed thoughtfully at them, prompting Cedric to notice and inquire, "What's on your mind?"
"I was thinking about making warming props," Kyle replied, gesturing towards the shivering students. "The temperature has been dropping rapidly these past few days, and it'll likely be even colder during the Quidditch match. If we introduce a convenient warming prop, it might be well-received."
"That..." Cedric hesitated, considering his words. "You make a valid point, but there's something you might not know."
"Last year, to counter the harsh weather, we used the Hot Wind Charm and Warming Charm in advance. Both spells are taught in third year."
Kyle was unconcerned about Cedric's concerns. His target audience wasn't the upperclassmen; there were still first and second years to consider. That would be sufficient.
After sharing his idea, the two quickly found Conna and the twins, discussing the matter in an empty classroom until noon.
"It's settled then, Kyle!" Fred exclaimed at the door, excitement in his voice. "After waiting for two months, we can finally take action."
"I've been anticipating this since the start of the school year," George added, waving his hand.
"It seems I've overheard something interesting."
Suddenly, a gloomy voice interrupted from a nearby distance.
Fred and George were startled and turned to see Snape and Filch at the corridor corner, eyeing them with ill intent.
"You two again, caught red-handed this time..." Filch glared at Fred and George, relishing the moment. "Repeatedly breaking school rules without remorse."
As he spoke, he glanced at Snape beside him.
"To teach them a lesson, how about locking them up in the dungeon? I've been maintaining those chains, ready to use at any time."
Snape remained silent, his expression darkening as he noticed Conna standing next to Kyle.
"Creating a ruckus in the corridor, Gryffindor loses ten points."
Snape limped towards Kyle, his voice cold. "Now, tell me what foolish idea you've concocted."
If looks could cast spells, Kyle might have witnessed several Sectumsempra curses flying towards him.
"I believe you've misunderstood, Professor," Kyle said, rubbing his shoulders uneasily. "We were merely discussing our anticipation for the upcoming Quidditch match."
Snape narrowed his eyes. "I hope that's the case. If I catch you lying or breaking any rules, I assure you, I'll have you expelled."
Kyle forced a smile, feeling a twinge in his teeth. He couldn't understand why Snape was still fixated on him. Shouldn't he be seeking attention from Harry?
"Why aren't you speaking!"
Snape frowned at Kyle's silence. "Disrespecting the professor... Gryffindor loses another ten points!"
End of Chapter
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