Chapter 177: Blue Bellfire Curse
Chapter 177: Blue Bellfire Curse
Snape limped away, leaving Filch to follow with a disappointed sigh. He had thought that this time, he would finally be able to reopen the dungeons, but once again, his hopes were dashed.
"That's not fair!" Fred pouted in the direction Snape had left, complaining, "There were three Hufflepuffs, yet he only deducted points from Gryffindor. Why?"
"He probably just said the first thing that came to mind. Don't pay too much attention to those details." Kyle patted him on the shoulder and said solemnly, "Here, on behalf of all the Hufflepuffs, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Gryffindor."
Fred placed his hand on Kyle's arm and said solemnly, "As a return, Gryffindor would like to make a request."
"No." Kyle refused without hesitation.
"Hey, I haven't even said what it is yet..."
"Nothing will do!"
"We'll talk about this later..." Cedric frowned and said, "Have you noticed that Professor Snape seems to have injured his leg?"
"We've known for a few days now." George shrugged. "During our Potions class, he barely moved from his spot, not even once. That's something he would never do before."
"That's when we started suspecting that his leg might be injured."
"And we found bloodstains on the floor of the Potions classroom, but none of the young wizards were injured that day."
Fred and George took turns filling in the clues they had found.
"No wonder we rarely see him lately."
Cedric wondered, "But don't you find it strange? This is Hogwarts. Why would Professor Snape be so badly injured?"
"Who knows." Fred thought for a moment. "Maybe he went into the Forbidden Forest. I heard he often goes there to collect potion ingredients. Perhaps he encountered some dangerous magical creature."
"Or maybe he went to a restricted area." George reminded them, "Don't forget that on Halloween, all the professors were looking for the troll in the castle. Maybe he went there and was bitten by the three-headed dog."
As they spoke, they left the corridor.
Snape and Filch had already left, but no one knew if they might suddenly turn back.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, it was better to stay away from this area.
The twins were headed back to the Gryffindor tower, so the group parted ways at the staircase.
Kyle and Cedric went downstairs and made their way towards the Hufflepuff common room.
As for Kona, she said she had something to do in the library and left midway.
...
In the following week, Kyle became even busier, as did the others. They spent at least an hour each day in the empty classroom, tinkering with new products.
Finally, in the second week, the Quidditch match was about to begin.
That morning, the weather was clear and cold, and the dining hall was filled with the enticing aroma of roasting sausages. Everyone was eagerly anticipating the Quidditch match, chatting excitedly at the breakfast tables.
"The first match is between Gryffindor and Slytherin."
Cedric, munching on a piece of bread and looking at the schedule he had organized, said, "They're up first, and then it's our turn against Ravenclaw."
"Gryffindor..." Mike, sitting next to him, listened thoughtfully and asked, "Isn't their Seeker that first-year student named Potter?"
The discussions varied, with some predicting a stellar performance and others dismissing it as a flop.
Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin, had publicly voiced his intention to bring mattresses to the game, claiming they would catch Harry if he fell from his broom.
While others focused on Harry's potential performance, Malfoy seemed solely concerned about his safety.
A match made in heaven, perhaps?
Everyone looked up, their gazes landing on the Gryffindor table.
Harry sat there, looking irritated, surrounded by a group of friends urging him to eat, with sausages and toast in hand.
"He looks nervous," Mick commented.
"It's normal for a first-timer... Well, for most people, at least," Cedric said, his eyes drifting to Kyle, who was calmly munching on his toast as if it were any other day.
Just then, Fred and George entered the Great Hall but didn't sit down for breakfast. They merely circled the hall before leaving.
Upon seeing them, Kyle, Kona, Cedric, and Cho from Ravenclaw quickly finished their meals and left the hall, following in the twins' footsteps.
They made their way to the entrance of the Quidditch pitch, where a wooden rack had mysteriously appeared, adorned with neatly arranged blue-glowing cheer props.
There were bottles that could emit a lion's roar and serpent-shaped glow sticks that could dance in the air, emitting a mesmerizing blue light that seemed to ward off the cold.
The flickering blue lights created a cozy atmosphere, a stark contrast to the chilly corridor.
"Blue Bellfire Curse... pure genius," Fred said, running his hand along the rack. "Those little wizards won't have to freeze during the games anymore."
The Blue Bellfire Curse was a magical spell that, despite its name, didn't burn hot. It maintained a comfortable temperature of around 50 degrees Celsius, making it safe to hold in one's hand.
And it was beautiful, resembling a cluster of blue bellflowers.
"Everything's here," George said. "We'll need to head to the pitch early, so we might not be able to help out later."
"Don't worry, we'll handle it," Cedric assured them with a smile.
They hadn't planned on relying on the twins' help that day anyway, but the twins insisted on being a part of it.
Cho found a spot near the rack and sat down, a look of pure bliss on her face. "I have to admit, it's quite nice here."
In that moment, she understood why Kyle had chosen this spot for their sales.
The warm, dancing blue flames dispelled the cold, creating an entirely different world from the harsh, wintry corridor outside.
Before long, it was time for the match to begin.
Fred and George were summoned by Wood to the changing room, and young witches and wizards began to trickle in from a distance.
They had left the Great Hall and were now making their way toward the pitch.
...
(End of Chapter)
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