Chapter 34: The Match and Harry's Discovery
Chapter 34: The Match and Harry's Discovery
The match was drawing near. Although Harry pretended not to care about what his teammates said, he grew increasingly nervous, and the other players were no less calm. The thought of defeating Slytherin in the House Cup Match filled everyone with excitement. In nearly seven years, no one had managed to beat them. But with such a biased referee, could they really succeed?
The next day, Liam, Ron, and Hermione found a spot in the stands. Neville, sitting beside them, found it a bit strange that they were gripping their wands as if preparing for battle.
Hermione kept muttering about the spells they might need, which only added to the tension.
As the match was about to begin, Liam decisively interrupted Hermione's rambling.
"Look at the teachers' stand", Liam pointed. "Headmaster Dumbledore is here to watch the match, so there won't be any safety issues today."
Hermione and Ron both saw Professor Dumbledore's distinctive silver beard and let out a long, collective sigh of relief.
The match began, and just as they were settling in to watch, someone poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Malfoy.
"Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there."
Malfoy grinned at Crabbe and Goyle.
"Potter probably won't last long on his broomstick this time. Anyone want to bet? How about you, Weasley?"
No one paid Malfoy any attention; everyone was too worried about Harry's condition. But Malfoy pushed it further, and finally, Ron couldn't take it anymore and lunged at Malfoy, knocking him down. Liam, in the meantime, used an immature Stunning Spell to hit Goyle.
A brawl ensued, but even the immature Stunning Spell was enough to incapacitate Goyle temporarily. Liam, Ron, and Neville then engaged in a fistfight with Malfoy and Crabbe.
Meanwhile, in the air, Snape had just taken off on his broomstick when he saw a golden object zoom past his ear, missing him by mere inches. Moments later, Harry pulled out of his dive, triumphantly raising his arm. The Snitch was clutched tightly in his hand.
The stands erupted in cheers. This would be a new record; no one could remember a match where the Snitch had been caught so quickly.
"Liam, Ron! Where are you? The match is over! Harry won! We won! The Gryffindor Team is leading!" Hermione screamed, jumping up and down in her seat and hugging Parvati in the front row.
Liam and Ron, both with bloody noses and black eyes, laughed at each other and then joined the celebrating crowd.
Nearly an hour later, as everyone was finishing their celebration and preparing to return to the castle, Harry slowly walked over.
"Harry, where have you been?" Hermione asked shrilly.
"We won! You won!" Ron patted Harry's back, shouting, "Malfoy and his cronies are all unconscious. Liam used magic to knock out Goyle right at the start, and then we three beat them two. Everyone only got a few minor injuries. Now everyone is in the Common Room waiting for you. They're throwing a party, and Fred and George have stolen some cakes and other treats from the kitchen."
"Let's not worry about that for now", Harry said, breathless. "Find a small empty room, and listen to what I have to tell you."
After making sure Peeves wasn't in the room, Harry closed the door and recounted what he had seen and heard between Snape and Quirrell while on his broomstick.
"So, it seems our suspicions were entirely correct. The object is the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape is trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked Quirrell if he knew how to control Fluffy and mentioned Quirrell's 'little tricks'—I think there are other protections besides Fluffy, probably a whole bunch of magical enchantments. It's possible Quirrell has cast some anti-Dark Magic spells, and Snape needs to counter them—"
"Your point is that the Philosopher's Stone is only safe when Quirrell can resist Snape?" Hermione asked, panic in her voice.
Liam, applying an ice pack to his swollen eye, leaned back and said, "No, it’s not that simple. What Harry overheard wasn’t clear, and it could also mean that Professor Snape discovered Quirrell’s mischief and was warning him to behave."
"Forget it", Ron said. "You can’t just assume Snape is good because he’s been giving you higher marks. I think the potions brewed by a few Slytherins weren’t as good as yours, yet Snape gave them Os out of favoritism."
Harry stepped in, "I’m getting confused with all this. But I still think Snape wants to steal the Philosopher's Stone."
In the end, they voted one to one to distrust Snape, with Liam reserving his opinion.
Of course, it was just a reservation. So when Harry and the others were convinced that Snape wanted to steal the stone and Quirrell was the guardian, and they took actions they believed would help thwart Snape’s plans, Liam remained a silent observer.
It started with Harry believing Quirrell was the last line of defense. Every time he met Quirrell, Harry gave him an encouraging smile, and Ron began to persuade people not to mock Quirrell’s stutter. Liam was speechless. He thought Harry would deeply regret this when he finally met Voldemort, who was sharing Quirrell’s body, at the end of the term.
For Liam, the most important thing during this period, aside from the Philosopher's Stone, was preparing for the final exams. As a student, exams were crucial, especially at Hogwarts, where they directly impacted future job prospects.
Hermione also began her exam preparations. When Liam reviewed with her, he noticed her notebook was filled with different colors marking various topics, and she had even created a detailed study plan.
Under Hermione’s nagging, Liam continually revised his study plan. Honestly, he felt this schedule was stricter than the one he had for his college entrance exams in his previous life. But thinking about how a 11-year-old girl could manage this, Liam’s pride forced him to keep up.
However, Harry and Ron were indifferent. One time, when Hermione was nagging, an exasperated Harry retorted:
"Hermione, the exams are centuries away."
"Ten weeks", Hermione corrected, "not centuries. For Nicolas Flamel, it’s just a blink of an eye."
"But we’re not six hundred years old", Ron reminded her. "Besides, why are you even studying? You already know everything."
"Why am I studying? Are you mad? Do you know we need to pass these exams to advance to second year? They’re important. I should have started revising a month ago. I don’t know what I was thinking."
Liam watched them argue, shrinking into his chair and pretending to be invisible. Truly, a top student not only excels but also tries to help the underachievers, even if they don’t appreciate it.
(End of Chapter)
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