Chapter 400: Firebolt
Chapter 400: Firebolt
The first day of term at Hogwarts was always the toughest to endure, and it wasn't just a select few who felt this way. Aside from a handful of individuals, the majority of students couldn't help but feel a bit glum on this day.
Not only did it signal the official end of enjoyable holidays, but it also meant an all-nighter spent catching up on homework... In almost every House common room, lights burned through the night.
But this year was different.
On the very first day of term, a notice on the bulletin board by the Great Hall made everyone momentarily forget about their woes.
Professor Lupin's Patronus Charm Club was finally commencing, and it was scheduled for the following evening at 8 p.m. sharp, in the same location as last year—the Great Hall.
"I can't wait..."
"I wish it were starting right now..."
"Why not tonight..."
The students buzzed with excitement.
Even though sightings of Dementors on campus had become rare, the incident at the Quidditch pitch last time was simply too impressive to forget.
Especially those shimmering, silvery Patronuses, like fairies, that had captured everyone's imagination.
"Oh, is it finally happening?" Cedric was equally thrilled.
He had been stuck on the final step of the Patronus Charm, unable to coalesce the silvery light into an actual Patronus no matter how hard he tried.
"Are you going, Kyle?" Connie asked. "Or are you staying in the common room?"
"Let's go together. It'll be like an advanced study session." Kyle replied, "I doubt there'll be many left in the common room tomorrow anyway, and it'd be boring to be there alone."
Large-scale events like this were a rarity at Hogwarts, and one certainly wouldn't want to miss out.
"Harry, look! Professor Lupin is going to teach us the spell to counter Dementors!"
At that moment, an excited voice piped up from Ron, who was standing nearby.
"...and once you master that spell, coupled with the world's best broomstick, the Firebolt, you'll be able to trounce the other Houses..."
Hmm?
Cedric's ears perked up, and he quickly honed in on the crucial part of Ron's statement.
He whipped his head around and asked, "Ron, did you just say Harry got a Firebolt?"
"Ah, no..."
Ron was startled and quickly denied it, "You must've misheard me. I didn't say anything."
He then recalled that Wood wanted to keep the Firebolt a secret weapon and had instructed them not to tell anyone about it.
And as it happened, Gryffindor's next match would be against Hufflepuff, Cedric and Kyle's House.
In other words, this secret weapon was meant to be used against them.
Ron quickly thought up an excuse to wriggle out of the situation.
But before he could utter a word, Harry, standing beside him, spoke up,
"It wasn't bought. I couldn't afford such an expensive broom. The Firebolt was a Christmas gift."
"Hey, Harry!" Ron tugged at Harry's sleeve discreetly and murmured, "Are you sure it's okay to just tell them like that? Don't forget, our next match is against Hufflepuff."
"It's fine, Ron." Harry shook his head gently, "The Firebolt is the fastest broom there is, and even if they know about it, I won't lose."
"Alright then..." Ron sighed.
On the other hand, upon learning that the Firebolt was a Christmas gift, Cedric sucked in a breath, his face filled with envy as he said,
"I thought you lived with your aunt and uncle? They're really good to you..."
"You've got it wrong."
At the mention of his aunt and uncle, Harry's smile vanished, and his expression turned sour, as if he'd just laid eyes on a sneering Snape. He quickly explained,
"They wouldn't even get me a regular broom for cleaning, unless it was broken and they didn't want it anymore."
"Not your aunt and uncle? Who else would send you such an expensive gift..." Cedric was perplexed.
"I have no idea.
Ron's ears turned red from anger.
"And even Professor McGonagall believed that nonsense! She even said she wanted to take the Firebolt apart. Take it apart? That's ridiculous!"
Kyle noticed that Hermione was indeed not with them, and the usually inseparable trio was unusually apart.
"It's not impossible," Cedric shrugged. "For a gift with an unknown origin, no matter how precious it is, a thorough inspection is necessary.
It's just to put one's mind at ease. Don't forget that Harry will be flying up to fifty feet in the air. If there's a problem with the broom at that height, it could be dangerous."
Ron pouted, obviously unconvinced by this possibility, and muttered, "Anyway, the Firebolt has been taken by Professor McGonagall now. You guys must be hoping that there's something wrong with it, so that..."
He continued muttering, but his voice was too soft for anyone to hear.
Harry looked a little embarrassed. "Don't get me wrong, that's not what Ron meant."
"I understand," Cedric didn't pay much attention to Ron's words.
"He's not wrong. If I say that I don't have such thoughts at all, even I wouldn't believe myself.
But Harry, losing the game is still better than falling from the sky again.
Besides, there's plenty of time before the game, enough for Professor McGonagall to finish her inspection."
"Yeah, I know," Harry said.
The conversation ended there.
Before leaving, Kyle suddenly looked at Ron and asked, "What if the broomstick really was sent by Black?"
"Then I'll apologize to Hermione and Professor McGonagall," Ron said, "but that's impossible."
"I hope you're right," Kyle said.
As Kyle walked past Ron, Harry seemed like he wanted to say something more, but in the end, he remained silent.
Upon returning to the common room, Cedric suddenly slapped his thigh and started pacing aimlessly.
Although he didn't say it, he was quite concerned about Gryffindor's acquisition of the Firebolt.
He had looked into it, and the Firebolt could accelerate to 150 miles per hour in just ten seconds, with a top speed of 300 miles per hour.
His Cleansweep 1700 could barely reach 100 miles per hour, so it stood little chance against the Firebolt. Unless he could catch the Golden Snitch before Harry reacted, which would be difficult.
This was made even more challenging by the fact that Harry was a talented Seeker, and they had been rivals for three years.
Cedric knew Harry's abilities well.
He was an excellent Seeker, and it was unlikely that he would make such a mistake. If it were Malfoy from Slytherin, there might be a chance.
He didn't want to lose this year.
"Kyle..."
After pacing for a while, Cedric suddenly asked, "What do you think? Do you think there might really be something wrong with the Firebolt?"
"Not likely," Kyle replied after a moment's thought. "It's not easy to tamper with a broomstick, especially the Firebolt, which is coveted by all professional Quidditch teams. Its safety features are of utmost importance.
Moreover, it doesn't make much sense to do so. There are professors present at every Quidditch match at Hogwarts, so even if Harry fell, he wouldn't be in any real danger.
Black used to study here, he has no reason to be unaware of that."
"Oh..."
Cedric sighed softly after hearing Kyle's analysis and continued pacing.
He needed to think of a way to counter the Firebolt.
(End of Chapter)
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