Chapter 405: Malfoy and Harry
Chapter 405: Malfoy and Harry
After leaving the eighth-floor corridor, the two of them intended to head back to the common room via the stairs.
But the next second, Kyle suddenly spotted Professor McGonagall exiting the Gryffindor common room.
This in itself wasn't unusual; as the Head of Gryffindor House, it was only natural for Professor McGonagall to be there.
However, Kyle noticed that she was holding an exquisite broomstick in her hand.
The sleek, curved handle of white beech, and the slightly upturned birch twigs at the end, could only belong to one broom...
The fastest broom in the world – the Firebolt.
Professor McGonagall looked cheerful, a broad smile spread across her face.
"Good afternoon, Professor McGonagall," Kyle greeted, with Connor beside him doing the same.
"Good afternoon..." Professor McGonagall nodded, a smile still playing on her lips as she asked, "Have you seen Potter? I have some good news for him."
"No," Kyle replied, "We've been practicing the Patronus Charm in an empty classroom and haven't paid attention to what's going on outside."
"I see," Professor McGonagall turned to Connor, "How's your progress then?"
She had already heard from some Hufflepuff students that it was Kyle who had cast the jellyfish Patronus during the Quidditch match, so naturally, she directed her question to Connor.
"Almost there," Connor replied, brandishing her wand.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A ball of silvery light, no larger than a fist, flew out of her wand and began to whirl around her continuously.
"Oh, you're setting your expectations too high for yourself," Professor McGonagall exclaimed in surprise, "For a fourteen-year-old student to be able to conjure a proto-Patronus is already an impressive achievement.
And don't just compare yourself to Kyle, that's not a fair assessment."
Professor McGonagall's mood seemed genuinely upbeat, as she not only gave Connor ample affirmation but even cracked a small joke to comfort her.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. The Patronus Charm won't be part of any exams, and it's not something you'll need anytime soon..."
Professor McGonagall continued, "Professor Dumbledore has taken care of the matter. Unless Sirius Black's whereabouts are confirmed, those Dementors will not dare to set foot inside the castle again."
Connor nodded in response.
After Professor McGonagall left, she turned to Kyle and whispered, "Looks like we're in for a tough match next week."
"Yeah," Kyle agreed, running a hand through his hair.
The fact that Professor McGonagall had appeared with the Firebolt, intending to find Harry, clearly indicated that she was there to return the broomstick to him.
Given her obsession with the Quidditch Cup, she wouldn't be this cheerful if there had been a problem with the broom.
The two of them quickly returned to the common room and shared the news with the others.
The once-boisterous crowd immediately fell silent, as if they were back in one of Snape's Potions classes.
This was especially true for Cedric and the rest of the team...
Even though they had already guessed what the outcome would be, the confirmation of the news still left them feeling a little lost.
And so, Cedric dragged Kyle off to the pitch for some extra practice.
The other team members also hurried back to their dorms to retrieve their own brooms.
It was bitterly cold outside, with the biting wind seeming to penetrate every inch of their bodies. Even a training enthusiast like Wood didn't want to linger in such weather.
But with the warming badges that Kyle had provided, the Hufflepuffs didn't have to worry about the cold at all.
From the afternoon until almost dusk, the Gryffindor team finally arrived.
Now that many people knew about the Firebolt, Wood saw no point in continuing to hide it.
Riding the Firebolt, Harry looked like a gust of wind, effortlessly catching every stone Wood threw, no matter how tricky the angle.
Even when several players threw stones from different directions, not a single one hit the ground.
Gradually, the Hufflepuff players lost their focus and kept glancing over involuntarily.
Finally, Cedric ended the practice early.
Kyle carried his broomstick and walked out of the dim Quidditch pitch alongside Cedric.
The atmosphere was somewhat gloomy.
Having only heard about it before, actually witnessing the speed of the Firebolt made them feel even more hopeless about their chances of winning.
"It's alright..." Cedric tried to liven up the mood, "Stones are different from Golden Snitches. To be honest, even without the Firebolt, I could still do what Potter just did... If you don't believe me, we can find a place to try.
If I miss even one, I'll treat everyone to Honeyduke's sweets; you can choose whatever you like."
"Of course, we believe you, Captain," Mickel suddenly laughed, "We were just... hungry and too lazy to talk earlier."
"That's right, that's what it was..."
"Yeah, my stomach has been growling since earlier..."
"I heard there's pudding today. I can't wait for dinner..."
The previous gloomy atmosphere seemed to have vanished, and everyone walked into the castle, chatting and laughing.
The Great Hall was as lively as ever, and by the time they put away their brooms and came over, the Gryffindor students had also arrived.
The Firebolt was placed in the center of the dining table, face-up, and many people gathered around it, congratulating Harry on getting such an excellent broomstick to replace his Nimbus.
However, Malfoy seemed a little unhappy.
As Kyle walked into the Great Hall, he happened to see Malfoy approaching Harry with his two cronies.
"This broomstick has a lot of special features, doesn't it?" Malfoy said with a hint of malicious intent in his eyes, "It's a shame it doesn't come with a parachute in case you get too close to a Dementor."
Crabbe and Goyle snickered.
Harry ignored them and continued talking to Fred, which made Malfoy's expression turn even uglier.
Kyle watched from the sidelines and found the situation a little amusing.
Ever since the last time Malfoy unintentionally saved Harry, the two hadn't spoken to each other in a long while.
Kyle had thought that Malfoy would seize the opportunity to mock Harry relentlessly, but he didn't. Instead, he seemed to view saving Harry as a disgrace and never brought it up.
This time, he was back to ridiculing Harry for being afraid of Dementors.
When Harry didn't respond, Malfoy coldly huffed, narrowing his gray eyes, and strode away.
However, as he passed by Kyle, he still shouted in a loud voice, "I think you should invent an anti-fall robe. Gryffindor will definitely pool their money to buy one for their Seeker..."
Then, without waiting for Kyle's reply, he walked over to the other Slytherin players.
They huddled together, seemingly asking Malfoy about the authenticity of the Firebolt.
(End of Chapter)
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