Chapter 404: Conna's Patronus
Chapter 404: Conna's Patronus
In the second week after the start of the school year, the rematch between Gryffindor and Slytherin began, and Slytherin emerged victorious.
According to Fred and George, Harry had initially wanted to ask Professor McGonagall for his Firebolt, but she refused.
Even though this match was crucial for Gryffindor's chances of winning the Quidditch Cup, Professor McGonagall wouldn't allow Harry to take his Firebolt for safety reasons.
Harry's Firewheel 2000 was still under repair, so he had no choice but to ride an old Meteor broomstick onto the pitch... a vintage product from the Hogwarts broomstick shop, specifically for first-year flying lessons.
To be honest, the biggest advantage of this broomstick is that you don't have to worry about damaging it; after all, it's not something you'd feel bad about if it breaks.
When Kyle saw the broomstick Harry was holding, he knew Gryffindor had lost for sure.
As it turned out, Slytherin won by a landslide, and while Malfoy caught the Golden Snitch, Harry was still struggling to move forward.
The Slytherin stands erupted in deafening cheers, while the Gryffindor stands remained silent.
Oliver Wood, without looking at Marcus' triumphant face, silently left the pitch with his broomstick, and the other team members followed behind him.
Although it might seem a bit unfair, this was good news for Hufflepuff, or rather, for the remaining three houses.
If the Firebolt wasn't an issue, Gryffindor would undoubtedly be an invincible team with the fastest broomstick in the world.
However, today they only scored thirty points, almost as if they had missed a game, which undoubtedly gave the other teams a chance to catch their breath.
"The next match is crucial. No matter what, we can't let them pull ahead too much in points!"
In the common room, Cedric excitedly said, "Even if we lose a game, it doesn't matter. As long as we surpass Gryffindor in the final overall score, we can still win the championship!"
"Are you too nervous, Cedric?" Michael said nonchalantly, "The Firebolt has issues, it's just an old Meteor... I dare say Gryffindor will be the last-place team this year."
"It's not an issue, just a suspicion. The professors are checking it," Cedric corrected.
"Moreover, Professor McGonagall looked displeased today. This process might end early."
"At least by the time we play Gryffindor in the next match, the result will definitely come out, and most likely, it will appear on the pitch."
Michael sat up slightly, "Is that reliable?"
"Think about it carefully," Cedric glanced at him, "Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Madame Hooch, what kind of curse could escape their notice... If there was an issue, it would have been discovered long ago.
The reason it's taking so long is that the professors want to ensure there are no mishaps."
"Then..." Michael frowned, "I'll keep an eye on Potter and interfere with his pursuit of the Golden Snitch."
"No!"
Cedric shook his head.
"If it was the Firewheel 2000, but the Firebolt... to be honest, the Bludgers can't keep up with its speed.
As far as I know, the Quidditch World Cup has already created new Bludgers and Golden Snitches due to this broomstick, but these are for matches only. The school definitely doesn't have them."
"Then what should we do? Just watch him go for the Golden Snitch?" Michael pounded the sofa.
"My plan is that, except for me, everyone should abandon the pursuit of the Golden Snitch. You and Will..." Cedric looked at the other Beater, and said in a low voice, "You two don't need to worry about me at all. Just protect Kyle and help him score points.
No matter what, make sure the Bludgers don't get within five feet of him."
Abandoning the Golden Snitch...
When the Seeker Cedric spoke these words, everyone fell silent.
This meant that they would abandon the rhythm of the match, hand over the initiative to the other side, and completely fall into a passive situation.
It's fine if they have the advantage, but if not, then Gryffindor can score points at will, and even lock in the win with just one match.
If that's the case, they dare not think what will happen...
"Isn't that too risky?" The Beater, Will, frowned.
"This is the only way we can win."
Cedric said, "I believe in Kyle, he's the best Chaser in all of Hogwarts, without a doubt... I'm willing to take a risk."
The team fell silent again.
"I hope there's a problem with that Firebolt..." Grace, the newly joined Chaser, suddenly said softly.
Sitting at the very edge, Kyle took a deep breath and said nothing.
The pressure is a bit overwhelming...
Because of this, Kyle will definitely not be able to escape the three training sessions a week, plus the Charm and Transfiguration Clubs, his schedule is packed.
Even the Patronus Charm training with Conna had to be moved to Saturday morning.
After Cedric learned the news, he also tagged along a few times, but just as Kyle said before, the Patronus Charm is of no help to him now.
After trying a few times, he gave up.
Unconsciously, February arrived, and the bone-chilling weather remained unchanged. The match against Gryffindor was drawing near, and Professor McGonagall still hadn't returned the Firebolt to Harry, but she also didn't take it away.
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Hannah and Susan, both in their third year, helped to investigate...
They said that after every Transfiguration class, Harry would ask Professor McGonagall about the Firebolt.
They paid attention to Professor McGonagall's responses, and so far, most of the common Charms had been tested, and it seemed that only a Throwing Charm was left.
This can't be considered good news.
However, Conna's special training was a different story. Her Patronus Charm improved rapidly, and by the fourth time, she had already caught up with Cedric.
In the Room of Requirement, two silver lights, one large and one small, were chasing each other.
The larger one was Kyle's Patronus, and the smaller one was naturally Conna's.
Her Patronus was only the size of a fist, and although it was just an outline, the wings and antennae could already be seen clearly.
"It seems to be a butterfly..."
Kyle said, "Of course, it could also be something else, like an insect with a death's-head hawkmoth design..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a book flew over.
Conna glared at Kyle.
She had seen that creature in a book.
Judging by its appearance alone, it was no less intimidating than a Dementor, especially with its skull-like stripes. Conna felt uncomfortable just thinking about it.
If that were the case, she would rather have her Patronus be a toad or a caterpillar.
Kyle laughed, he was obviously joking before, and from the size of the wing outline, it could be confirmed that it was a butterfly.
By this time, the special training that had lasted for nearly a month was basically over, and the next step for Conna was to face the same problem as Cedric: how to turn the outline into a real Patronus.
This was also the most difficult step, and Cedric had worked hard for a month with almost no progress.
But if it was just to deal with Dementors, it was enough now, and this ball of light was enough to make them run around in chaos.
So Kyle put away his Patronus and left the Room of Requirement with Conna.
...
(End of Chapter)
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