Chapter 36: I've Earned Points for the House... I've Contributed to the House, I Want to See Professor Dumbledore!
Anger is anger, but as a principled spy, Quirrell quickly regained his composure after realizing he had lost his cool. He spoke in a low voice, trying to justify himself.
"Sorry, I'm too tired now. I want to sleep for a bit." With that, Quirrell pulled up the hood on his cloak to cover his head and closed his eyes in a strange, forward-leaning position.
"Alright", Ivan promptly shut up, no longer provoking Quirrell. After all, his goal had already been achieved.
He dared to tease Quirrell because he knew that Quirrell wouldn't resort to violence over such a minor conflict. In the original story, the Weasley brothers had thrown a snowball at the back of his head, right where Voldemort's snake face was located.
Such a direct insult to Voldemort's face didn't even make Quirrell lose his temper, which showed that obtaining the Philosopher's Stone was their top priority, and everything else could be tolerated.
As for settling scores later?
Forget it. By then, Quirrell would be nothing but ashes, and the fleeing Voldemort wouldn't care about such a minor character.
Seeing that Quirrell was genuinely closing his eyes to sleep, Ivan shifted his attention to the Quidditch match, which had entered a heated phase. Both teams were engaging in all sorts of small tricks and maneuvers.
A Slytherin Chaser swung his bat to send a Bludger flying toward George, who narrowly avoided it thanks to a quick reaction.
"Slytherin is fouling! That's a foul play!" Lee Jordan, the seasoned Gryffindor commentator, loudly condemned the Slytherin foul, his words so sharp that Professor Mcgonagall frowned repeatedly.
On the field, George didn't back down. He and Fred joined forces to attack the Slytherin Beater from both sides, nearly causing him to crash into the stands.
But Lee Jordan ignored the actions of the Weasley brothers, occasionally praising their flying skills instead.
This double standard naturally infuriated the Slytherin young wizards, especially those who had bet on the game. If not for the professors watching, dark magic would have been flying all over the place.
Even so, many Slytherin students who were close to the stands threw various objects at Lee Jordan.
"The commentary is interfering with the game! This isn't fair!"
"Corruption! This is corruption!"
"We demand a new commentator or a rematch!"
Lee Jordan dodged cans, paper, and even undergarments while continuing his commentary. Finally, Professor Mcgonagall had enough and had two students drag Lee Jordan away, replacing him with Cedric from Hufflepuff as the temporary commentator.
Lee Jordan clung to the railing of the platform but was ultimately overpowered and dragged away, his defiant shouts still audible from a distance.
"I've earned points for the house! I've contributed to the house! I'm innocent! I want to see Professor Dumbledore!"
Professor Mcgonagall cast a Silencing Charm, and the world finally quieted down.
From a distance, Ivan watched Lee Jordan as if he were a drama queen, pulling at the corners of his mouth but not worried that anything would happen to him.
After all, Lee Jordan didn't know about their secret betting; he was just fueled by his own passion and had forcefully criticized the Slytherins.
This little incident didn't distract Ivan much, as the outcome of the match still depended on whether Harry could catch the Golden Snitch.
And Harry was also performing exceptionally well. The moment he spotted the Golden Snitch, he immediately took the lead, swiftly evading the two Slytherin players who tried to block him. He stretched out his hand to grab the Golden Snitch, which was just within reach.
At that moment, the Broomstick beneath Harry suddenly started to vibrate violently, as if trying to throw him off. Harry had to struggle to hold on tightly to the Broomstick to prevent himself from being shaken off.
The sudden change caused a commotion in the stadium. The Weasley brothers suspected that one of the Slytherin students might have cast a spell to prevent them from losing the bet.
Both of them anxiously looked at Ivan, who, according to their previous agreement, was responsible for handling any issues outside the game.
Ivan was also taken aback. He quickly turned to look at Quirrell, who was huddled in a corner, seemingly asleep. However, Ivan's keen eyes noticed that the mouth under the hood was moving slightly.
Wandless and Non-Verbal Casting
Ivan's expression turned serious. He hadn't expected Quirrell to actually dare to play tricks under his nose, and to use such an advanced technique.
Although the spell might not have been a high-level one, this skill alone indicated that Quirrell was far more capable than he appeared in the original story. His role as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor was well-deserved. Whether or not he was using the Dark Lord's power, Ivan couldn't be sure.
After re-evaluating Quirrell's abilities, Ivan found himself in a bit of a dilemma. How could he "wake up" the "sleeping" Quirrell?
It's just acting, who's afraid of who?
Ivan gritted his teeth, put on a worried expression, and began shaking Quirrell's legs frantically with both hands.
"Quirrell Professor, look quickly! There seems to be something wrong with Harry's Broomstick. He's about to fall from the sky! You have to think of a way to save him!"
Under Ivan's vigorous shaking, Quirrell's hood fell off, revealing a bewildered face and a mouth that was still open.
"Unfortunately, Professor, you missed it. It was really intense just now!" Ivan quickly removed his hands from Quirrell's legs when he saw Harry regain control of his Broomstick, his face showing a look of lingering fear.
In the stands, many others were as concerned about Harry as Ivan. Among them, Malfoy stood up from his seat, eagerly hoping that Harry would fall from the sky.
If that happened, the accursed Ivan would have to hand over all his savings and live a poor life for the rest of the semester.
Given that he didn't consider himself a match for Ivan, this was the only way Malfoy could think of to get back at him.
Especially since he had heard that Ivan had set up a betting pool to earn Galleons, and might even be in debt. As Malfoy became increasingly excited with these thoughts, Harry's Broomstick suddenly stabilized again.
Malfoy had to sit back down, disappointed.
"Draco, look, Potter is really falling!" Goyle shouted, pointing to the sky. It turned out that Harry had been knocked off his Broomstick by the Slytherin Seeker while trying to catch the Golden Snitch.
Malfoy immediately stood up again, reliving his previous thoughts in a flash.
It wasn't until Harry managed to spit out a golden ball and hold it high in his hand that the excited Malfoy sat back down.
Because that was the Golden Snitch.
(End of Chapter)
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