https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-35-Wishing-You-a-Fun-Day-Tomorrow/13456646/
Chapter 34: Unlucky Harry
Chapter 34: Unlucky Harry
October arrived.
The weather had gradually turned cold.
It had been raining heavily for the past few days, drenching the entire castle and causing a drop in temperature that left many young wizards and witches with sniffles and coughs.
A warm fire was burning in Sherlock's office, and he wasn't the only one in the room today.
Harry had been assigned to work here as punishment by Professor Mcgonagall for using a flying car at the start of the school year.
Harry's time with Sherlock was actually quite pleasant.
All he had to do was copy the past O.W.L. Defense Against the Dark Arts exam questions onto parchment, and once he had completed three years' worth, he could leave.
Compared to Ron, who had been tasked with helping Filch polish the trophies in the cold trophy room, Harry didn't feel this was much of a punishment at all.
Sherlock's office even had snacks for him to enjoy, making it more comfortable than the Gryffindor common room.
Finishing the last letter, Harry put down his quill, stretched his slightly aching wrist, and then handed his morning's work to Sherlock for inspection.
"Your handwriting is quite good. If you weren't being punished, I might even award Gryffindor a few points."
Sherlock quickly glanced over Harry's work and gave a faint compliment.
While Sherlock was speaking, Harry reached over to the snack tray on the table, grabbed a milk toffee, and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling indistinctly.
"Can I go now, Professor? Wood is waiting for me to start Quidditch practice."
Sherlock turned to look out the window at the heavy rain and asked, "You're still training in this weather?"
"Malfoy's father got the Slytherin team the latest brooms. Wood is really worried. Our equipment isn't as good, so we have to focus on tactics and skills."
Harry chewed the toffee and swallowed, making his voice clearer.
Sherlock waved his hand dismissively. "Go ahead. I'll tell Professor Mcgonagall that your punishment is complete. Be careful on the pitch today, and good luck."
Harry jumped up from his chair and bowed to Sherlock. "Thank you, Professor Forrest."
He then ran out of the office, making sure to carefully close the door behind him.
Sherlock shook his head at the stormy sky, muttering, "Being young is great", before continuing to write advanced exam materials.
Harry braved the rain and made his way to the Quidditch pitch, where Wood and the other team members were already waiting for him.
"Hey, did Professor Forrest give you a hard time, Harry?"
The Weasley twins swooped down from the sky on their broomsticks and landed in front of Harry.
Harry mounted his broom and began to rise, responding casually, "No, Professor Forrest just had me copy exam questions. Ron, on the other hand—"
Before he could finish, a black iron ball with small wings suddenly swooped toward Harry and struck him in the abdomen!
The force of the Bludger's impact knocked Harry off his broom, and he fell to the ground like a kite with a broken string.
"Harry!"
The other Gryffindor players on the pitch cried out in alarm.
Captain Wood, Katie, Angelina, and Aleia all rode their broomsticks over to Harry's side.
Harry was staggering to his feet from the grass, his body covered in mud, and he was clutching his stomach, retching.
"George! Fred! Keep an eye on those Bludgers! Luckily, Harry wasn't flying too high, or he'd have been in the hospital wing for at least half a month!"
Wood angrily scolded the Weasley twins. As Beaters on the team, their job was to watch the Bludgers and prevent them from attacking their teammates. However, they had come down to greet Harry, leaving the Bludgers unattended.
George and Fred grinned sheepishly and apologized to Harry, who, having caught his breath, waved them off and climbed back onto his broomstick.
"Do you want to see Madam Pomfrey, Harry?" George asked, trying to make amends for his mistake.
Harry, now airborne again, shook his head, his face pale.
"I'm fine. I can continue training."
However, his performance during the rest of the practice did not back up his words.
The Gryffindor players practiced from noon until dusk, and Aleia and the other Chasers had already scored over thirty Quaffles. Harry, however, had not even caught a glimpse of the Golden Snitch.
In the usual training sessions, Harry would spot the Snitch within the first hour, if not catch it. But today, he was still wandering in the sky, not even seeing a hint of gold.
Wood could see that Harry was clearly not in the right state, so he disappointingly called an end to the practice before it got too dark, and everyone went back to rest.
Harry put his broomstick back in the broom shed and walked toward the castle, his face grim and his stomach aching.
He didn't know what had happened to him that afternoon. Ever since he left Sherlock's office, he had been out of sorts.
Dragging his wet, mud-covered robes into the castle, Harry hadn't even had the chance to wipe the rain from his face when a clumsy figure collided with him, knocking him to the ground.
"Ouch!"
Harry cried out in pain, then watched the figure running up the stairs as if in a hurry to escape. He called out, "Watch it, Neville! There's no Snape chasing you from behind."
Before he could even stand up, Nearly Headless Nick, the resident Gryffindor ghost, drifted by.
"Hello, Harry."
"Hello, Nick."
Nick seemed troubled by something but still warned Harry, "You'd better leave quickly. Filch is just down the corridor, and he's not in a good mood because he has a cold. He'll definitely punish you for getting the floor dirty."
Harry had already seen Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, with her lantern-like yellow eyes, appearing at the corner of the corridor.
"You're right. I need to go now", Harry said.
He backed away from Mrs. Norris's accusing gaze, but it was too late.
There seemed to be some mysterious connection between Filch and his detestable cat. Filch suddenly emerged from behind a tapestry on Harry's right, his neck wrapped in a long scarf, his nose unusually red, his eyes bulging, and the flesh under his chin quivering.
"Filthy mess! I've had enough of you, Potter! Mud everywhere! Absolute chaos! You're coming with me!"
Harry looked dejected as he followed Filch, muttering to himself, "What a terrible day."
Suddenly, a whispering voice sounded in Harry's ear.
"Hungry... so long... kill them... eat them..."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
