Chapter 29: Post-Match Analysis
Chapter 29: Post-Match Analysis
When Liam and Hermione hurried back to their seats, they found the match had already ended. According to Ron's account, a few minutes after they disappeared, Harry's broomstick had returned to normal. He made a dive and caught the Golden Snitch, ending the match with Gryffindor winning 170 to 60.
At that moment, Liam also received a System Notification:
—Altering the course of the match, causing Hermione to suspect Quirrell. Earned 2 Deviation Points.
Well, that's a nice bonus, Liam thought happily as he called out to a few friends to head back together.
As Liam, Hermione, and Ron were preparing to return to the castle, they happened to run into Harry, who was on his way to Hagrid's for tea. The four of them decided to head to Hagrid's hut together.
A few minutes later, the four of them were sitting by the warm fireplace, each holding a cup of rich, aromatic tea.
"It was Snape", Ron explained to everyone, "I saw him. He was muttering a curse at Harry's broomstick, his eyes fixed on Harry the whole time."
"No, it's not just Snape who's suspicious", Hermione added. "Liam and I saw Quirrell, who was sitting behind Snape, also muttering a spell."
Liam chimed in, "One of them must have been cursing the broomstick, while the other was protecting Harry. Otherwise, Harry wouldn't have lasted as long in the air."
"Nonsense", Hagrid said, "Why would professors do such a thing?"
The four of them exchanged glances, and Harry gestured for Liam to explain.
"Because both professors are connected to the incident before Halloween", Liam said carefully, choosing his words. "The troll was Professor Quirrell's, and the story of how it got loose is all from Professor Quirrell's account, with no witnesses to back him up."
At this point, Harry couldn't hold back any longer. "I found out something about Snape. On Halloween Eve, he tried to get past the Three-Headed Dog. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever the Three-Headed Dog is guarding..."
Hagrid slammed the teapot down.
"How do you know about Fluffy?" he demanded.
"Fluffy?"
"Yes—Fluffy is mine—I bought it from a Greek guy I met at a pub last year—I lent it to Dumbledore to guard—"
"What?" Harry asked urgently.
"Enough, no more questions", Hagrid said roughly. "That's top-secret, understand?"
"But someone is trying to steal it", Harry insisted.
"Nonsense", Hagrid said again. "Snape and Quirrell are Hogwarts professors; they wouldn't do such a thing."
"Then why is someone trying to kill Harry?" Ron asked loudly.
"It might just be a coincidence, you misunderstood", Hagrid said, growing more agitated.
"I don't know why Harry's broomstick acted that way, but professors personally chosen by Professor Dumbledore would never try to kill a student! Now, listen to me, all four of you—stop meddling in things that don't concern you. It's dangerous. Forget about the Three-Headed Dog, and forget about what it's guarding. It's between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel—"
"Ah ha!" Harry said, "So it involves a person named Nicolas Flamel, does it?" Hagrid was furious, more with himself than anything else.
Soon, the four of them were hustled out of Hagrid's hut. They returned to the Common Room, where Harry had to deal with a crowd of people congratulating him. When he finally managed to break away, he saw Liam and the others in a quiet corner, discussing something.
Harry leaned in, and Ron, seeing him, said, "I think Snape is the mastermind behind this, but they think both Quirrell and Snape are suspects."
After hearing Ron's concerns, Harry turned to Liam and Hermione and said, "I think it's more likely to be Snape, because I can feel his hatred towards me."
Liam silently rolled his eyes, thinking, _Who asked you to look exactly like your father, who stole his love?_ He then stopped Hermione, who was about to argue with Ron, cleared his throat, and said, "Right now, who wants to steal the object is not the most important question. Today, we got a lot of information from Hagrid."
"We now know that the Cerberus is named Fluffy, and it belongs to Hagrid. Dumbledore borrowed it to guard something. And this object is somehow connected to a person named Nicolas Flamel."
"Also", Liam added, "the Troll that chased us was carrying a weapon well-suited for it. According to what I read in _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_, some intelligent Trolls can be trained as guardians. This suggests that the Troll was supposed to guard something, not just be a prop in a Dark Magic Defense class."
"That means", Hermione caught on, "there's likely a large space under the Trapdoor guarded by Fluffy, and there are multiple layers of protection."
"Alright", Harry interrupted Hermione and Liam's speculation, "what we need to know now is who Nicolas Flamel is."
"I don't know." "Never heard of him." "Wait, I think I remember something. My father might have mentioned him."
The other three turned their gaze to Liam, and Ron was the first to ask, "How is that possible? Your family isn't even part of the Wizarding world."
"Not all Wizards are known only in the Wizarding world. For example, Merlin is also famous in the Muggle world. My father is a writer and researches a lot. If Nicolas Flamel was well-known and lived in the Muggle world for a long time, my father might have come across his name while researching."
"By that logic, Nicolas Flamel couldn't have been alive in the last two hundred years, given how strictly the Secrecy Act has been enforced. But it's possible there's a Muggle with the same name", Ron pondered.
"Could you write to your father and ask?" Harry suggested.
"I think it's better to wait until Christmas. If a professor is trying to steal the object, they might intercept our letters."
Hermione, noticing the somber mood, said, "How about this: we use our free time to research Nicolas Flamel. Hagrid mentioned that it's something between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel. Even though he didn't finish his sentence, we can infer that Professor Dumbledore knows Nicolas Flamel. Let's start by looking into Dumbledore's contemporaries."
"Hmm, that's a good idea", Harry agreed. "I don't have any matches until Christmas, so we can use this time to search the Library. After Christmas, when Liam asks his father, we can plan our next steps."
Seeing that everyone had finished talking, Liam stood up and said to Harry and the others, "Alright, today is our Quidditch team's first victory and Harry's first win." He then pointed to the noisy crowd in the common room. "So, let's put off any serious discussions until tomorrow. Right now, it's time to celebrate."
(End of Chapter)
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