Chapter 66: Art is an Explosion
Chapter 66: Art is an Explosion
Compared to the troubled Slytherins, the Gryffindors were in high spirits, especially after seeing Rochel storm out of the Great Hall. They laughed even louder, relishing the sight.
"George, is this the Lightening 2000?"
As soon as the last of the Slytherins left, a boy with dark skin and long, braided hair eagerly approached the twins, urging them, "Come on, let's see it already!"
His words were instantly met with agreement from the others. "Yeah, open it up and let us have a look."
"By Merlin's beard, this must be the best broomstick out there. Even professional teams might not have their hands on the Lightening 2000 yet."
However, despite the pleas from their peers, Fred and George showed no signs of unwrapping their package.
George glanced at his side with disdain and said, "Hey, Jordan Lee, I'm Fred. Can't you tell us apart by now?"
"Sorry, Fred, I can see..."
"No, I'm Fred," the other twin interrupted.
The real Fred hooked his arm around his shoulder and said, "You fell for such a simple trick? Honestly, I'm starting to doubt if you're really our best friend."
Poor Jordan Lee was completely bewildered. He looked at the two identical faces next to him and couldn't find any distinguishing features.
They might as well be clones.
"Fine, Fred and George, I apologize." Jordan Lee shook his head and took a deep breath. "Regardless of who you are, can I just take a peek at the Lightening 2000? Just one glance, please.
I'm begging you."
If it were any other day, Jordan Lee would have poked fun at the twins, ridiculing their tedious prank and throwing a few choice slang phrases their way.
But today, he not only refrained from doing so but also directly apologized, showing an uncharacteristic meekness.
He had no choice. As a die-hard Quidditch enthusiast, the allure of a brand-new broomstick that wasn't even on the market yet was simply too great. If he didn't get to lay eyes on it, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep a wink that night.
"What's this Lightening 2000 you're talking about?" Fred gave him a sideways glance. "The broomstick we have here is clearly the old-fashioned Sweeping Five Stars."
"I know you want to keep it a secret..." Jordan Lee glanced around. "But now that the Slytherins are gone and we're among friends, one quick look won't hurt..."
Fred and George remained silent.
"Why don't we head back to the common room?" someone suggested. "It'll definitely be safer to take a look there."
"You can't do this..." Some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws objected. "We want to see it too."
But their opinions didn't carry much weight at the moment.
The Gryffindors surrounded the twins and rushed out of the Great Hall in a swarm.
However, when they reached the Fat Lady's portrait, they realized that Fred and George had disappeared.
"They must have slipped away while we were climbing the stairs."
Jordan Lee was indignant. "How despicable! They're even wary of their own housemates!"
By noon, the atmosphere at the Slytherin table remained heavy.
After searching the entirety of Hogwarts for the entire morning, they hadn't caught so much as a glimpse of Fred or George. It was as if the twins had vanished into thin air.
Additionally, those who had sent letters home had received no fruitful responses. Some irritable parents even replied with angry rants, chastising their children for being preoccupied with unrealistic fantasies and urging them to focus more on their studies.
Rochel was one such unfortunate recipient.
"Lightening 2000? I've got a Lightening 2100 if you want it!"
He crumpled the letter in his hand, about to throw it away, when he suddenly paused, a new thought occurring to him. He retracted his hand and angrily demanded, "Still no news?"
Those around him exchanged glances, remaining silent.
"Captain, I've found out something." Marcus Flint said, baring his large buck teeth. "When I passed by the Quidditch pitch, I saw the Gryffindor team there. They must be planning to test out their broomstick's performance while we're having our meal in the Great Hall."
Rochel looked up, his eyes narrowing.
Indeed, none of the Gryffindor team members were present in the Great Hall.
"Captain, shall we go and take a look?" Marcus asked tentatively.
"Let's go!"
Without hesitation, Rochel led a group of Slytherins toward the Quidditch pitch.
Just as Marcus had said, the Gryffindor team was indeed there, but instead of training or testing their brooms, they were... fighting? To be precise, the Weasley twins were brawling, while the others tried to restrain them.
Upon witnessing this, Marcus exclaimed with glee, "Internal conflict within Gryffindor?"
With the match scheduled for the afternoon, this was fantastic news for Slytherin.
Additionally, Rochel noticed that the package delivered by owl that morning was placed near the passage where they were standing.
And there was no one guarding it.
...
A minute later, the Slytherins left the Quidditch pitch, huddling together to shield the person in their midst.
They didn't return to the Great Hall to continue their meal or go back to their common room. Instead, they randomly chose an empty classroom and entered.
After closing the door securely, they dispersed, revealing the person who had been hidden in their midst... along with the slender package he was holding.
"Captain, is this a good hiding place?" Marcus asked anxiously. "I think we should just put it in the common room instead..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Rochel kicked him.
He wasn't planning to steal the broomstick; he just wanted to hide it before the match so that the Gryffindors couldn't use it.
The idea of putting it in the common room was ridiculous—what if someone accidentally let the secret slip?
If word got out that Slytherins had stolen a broomstick, Professor Snape would be the first to give them hell.
Rochel scanned the room and noticed that the tables were covered in a thick layer of dust, indicating that the room had been abandoned for quite some time.
"This place will do. Just make sure it's well hidden," Rochel instructed.
However, no one moved, and they all stood there, their eyes fixed on the person holding the package.
After a long silence, someone suggested, "Why don't we open it and take a look? What if it's not a broomstick? Then we would have wasted our time."
The others nodded in agreement.
"No, we can't open it."
Rochel firmly rejected the idea and snatched the package away, placing it aside.
He knew the Gryffindors well enough to understand that if the information was false, the package definitely wouldn't contain anything pleasant.
It was best to leave it untouched.
"Hehehe, clever little rascals."
Suddenly, a small, milky-white goblin appeared outside the window.
"Scram, Peeves!" Rochel growled.
"Impolite little rascals, you shall be punished!"
Peeves smashed the window, tossing a water balloon into the room.
The balloon didn't hit anyone but landed precisely on the package.
Whether it was due to the water or some other reason, the package began to swell rapidly.
"I knew it... Damn Peeves!"
Rochel turned to leave, but the door was stuck, impossible to open from the inside.
He drew his wand, about to cast a spell, "Bombarda–"
"BOOM..."
With a deafening blast, the package finally exploded, filling the entire classroom with an overpowering stench.
(End of Chapter)
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