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Chapter 199: Who is Snape's Most Disliked Person?
Chapter 199: Who is Snape's Most Disliked Person?
After a two-day stretch of gloomy rain, the atmosphere in the castle grew lively as everyone eagerly anticipated the second Quidditch match.
"Our next opponent is Gryffindor," Harris informed his team gravely during a practice session. "They're a much stronger team than Ravenclaw, with hardly any weaknesses. And I've noticed that their new Seeker, Harry Potter, is a talent not to be underestimated. He always spots the Golden Snitch quickly."
"Dean, Ron..." Harris addressed the two Beaters on his team. "You two focus on Potter and ignore Angelina. He's their key player."
"What about you and Kyle, then?" One of the Beaters frowned. "The Weasley brothers are skilled; they'll definitely use the Bludgers to disrupt your game."
"Don't worry about us," Harris replied. "We have two Chasers. Even if we're hindered by the Bludgers, we'll still score points."
"But that means we won't be able to pull ahead quickly," someone else pointed out.
"In fact," Harris mused, "even without interference, it's unlikely we'll be able to build a large lead. Wood is different from the other Keepers; he has the potential to become a professional player. The tactics we used against Ravenclaw won't work on him."
"I'm sure the outcome will depend on the Golden Snitch."
Harris turned to his Beaters once more. "So, you two must do your best to support Cedric. In case... I mean, if Potter spots the Snitch first, you must find a way to stop him. If necessary, you can even use a Bludger to change the Snitch's direction."
"Don't worry, Captain..." Cedric assured him. "I will be the first to catch the Golden Snitch."
"I have every faith in you," Harris said, patting him on the shoulder. "That's why I'm having the two of you focus on supporting him."
Just then, a commotion arose from the direction of the passageway, and they turned to see Wood leading the Gryffindor team toward them.
"Oliver, what are you doing here? This is our training time," Harris said irritably.
Although he had gotten along fairly well with Wood before, now was not the time for pleasantries.
"It hasn't been your time for the last minute," Wood replied as he approached. "I checked the time and came only after your practice ended."
"Wait a moment..."
Harris paused, glancing up at the darkening sky. "It's getting late. Surely you're not planning to train now?"
"That's none of your concern," Wood said.
Harris frowned. Although he didn't agree with Wood's relentless training schedule, he couldn't say much since the Gryffindor players themselves didn't seem to mind.
"Be careful not to overdo it, Wood," Harris cautioned quietly before leading the rest of the Hufflepuffs away from the Quidditch pitch.
As they left, Fred and George shrugged helplessly at Kyle, their expressions filled with envy as they departed the pitch.
As soon as the Hufflepuffs were gone, Wood wanted to start training immediately.
"We have one hour left! Let's make the most of it!"
"Ohhh..." the others groaned in response, lacking enthusiasm.
Even Harry couldn't muster much excitement.
The frequent training sessions over the past few days had taken their toll. Lately, he had either been in class or on his broomstick, and even his meals had become rushed affairs, gobbled down hastily.
All he wanted now was to return to the warmth and comfort of his bed and sleep.
But at Wood's urging, the team reluctantly took to the sky.
Upon hearing this, George actually fell off his broom.
"Snape's the referee?" He spat out the dirt from his mouth and asked, "I thought he wasn't interested in Quidditch? He rarely comes to watch the games!"
The other players also landed next to George, voicing their complaints in unison.
Harry, in particular, turned as pale as a ghost, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
Ron and Hermione had mentioned before that Snape had jinxed his broom during the last match.
If Snape did it again, no one could stop him.
After all, Hermione couldn't exactly come onto the pitch.
"Harry, you don't look so good," Angelina said concernedly.
"I'm... I'm fine..." Harry shook his head. "Wood, don't worry about me in the next game. Just focus on scoring as many points as possible."
"That's out of the question!" Wood frowned. "The Golden Snitch is worth one hundred and fifty points! We'd have to score a ton of goals to make up for that!"
"But Snape will definitely target me." Harry said anxiously. "I'm worried..."
"You don't need to worry at all, Harry," George interrupted, standing up and patting Harry's shoulder. "We just remembered who our next opponent is—Hufflepuff. There's nothing to be nervous about."
Harry was baffled. He wondered if George had knocked his head and mixed up Hufflepuff with Ravenclaw.
"I'm serious," Harry said gravely. "Snape hates me. Even when I don't do anything wrong in Potions class, he deducts a lot of points from me."
"Chill out, it's normal," Fred said. "He deducts points from a lot of people."
Fred grinned and asked, "By the way, how many points have you lost at most?"
"Fifteen," Harry mumbled.
He was worried that the others would be angry with him, thinking that if he hadn't lost so many points in Potions class, Gryffindor wouldn't be in last place.
But to his surprise, Fred didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, he nonchalantly said, "I thought it was more than that. Fifteen points is nothing."
Harry was even more bewildered. What did he mean, "only fifteen points"? That was already a lot!
Could it be that George had knocked some sense into Fred's head when he fell?
But... he had never heard of the twins having that kind of connection.
Fred laughed and continued, "Do you know how many points Kyle has lost in Potions class?"
Harry shook his head, unsure why Fred was asking this. In his opinion, an excellent student like Kyle would probably gain extra points instead.
"Fifty..." George held up a hand and calmly said, "The most he's lost at once was a full fifty points!"
"And even on regular days, Kyle loses around twenty points for various reasons."
"If it weren't for Connor making up some of those points, Hufflepuff would have taken our place as last a long time ago."
Harry was utterly shocked and speechless. He never imagined that Kyle, such a good student, would lose so many points.
It was as unimaginable as Hermione forgetting to do her homework.
Fred continued, "So, relax. When it comes to Snape's most disliked person, you're far behind Kyle."
"With him around, we'll definitely be safe."
Fred and George exchanged a mischievous glance, their laughter ringing out in unison.
(End of Chapter)
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