Time flies when you're busy, and drags when you're not. Several weeks passed ufully, but ohing's excitement tio build.

  The Quidditch season, eagerly anticipated by all young wizards, was about to begin.

  This wasn't just because they loved this thrilling wizard sport. It could also affect the House points standings at the end of the term. This year, with Gryffindor and Slytherin ned neck, both houses took the match even more seriously than usual.

  The already antagonistiakes and Lions were now at daggers drawn. Both teams' training regimens became increasingly "brutal". Gryffindor's you Quidditch pyer, their new Seeker Harry, was subjected to special training sessions by Captain Wood, aiming to familiarize him with flying and his role before the match. This left Harry exhausted, colpsing into bed upourn to the dormitory.

  The pressure on him was immense. Never before had a first-year student, fresh to Hogwarts, beeed for the Quidditch team, let alone as the crucial Seeker.

  Harry had set a pret, being the you Seeker in history.

  This weighed heavily on him, leaving him uo eat breakfast on the day of the match.

  Moreover, besides the Quidditch match, another matter lingered in his mind:

  — Snape's injured leg.

  During a detention in Snape's office after Potions css, Harry had actally witnessed Snape having Filch bandage his bloody, mangled right leg.

  "Bsted thing," Snape had cursed, apparently recalling something painful, "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"

  Then his eyes had met Harry's green ones peeking through the door crack.

  Awkward moment, Harry-san. You've seen me in a promising position.

  "Get out!" Snape had roared, fetting about the detention.

  Harry had fled quickly, then shared what he'd seen with his best friend Ron.

  They immediately ected it to the monster behind the fourth-floor corridor door, though they wereirely certain.

  A three-headed monster? What could that be?

  Even Ron, raised in the wizarding world, was unsure.

  The boys finally thought to ask Hagrid, the magical creature enthusiast. Even if he couldn't tell them what was on the fourth floor, he might know what kind of creature had three heads.

  Harry and Ron agreed to question Hagrid about this after the Quidditch match.

  Well, well, it never occurred to them to check the library for information.

  With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Harry found it even harder to swallow his bread. Moreover, since overhearing Snape's words, the old bat's cold gaze seemed to g to him like a leech, making him deeply unfortable.

  Harry stole a gnd found Sill watg him, smirking coldly as if plotting something sinister.

  The boy shuddered, the half-chewed bread in his mouth falling onto his trousers. Harry disgustedly picked it up and pced it on his pte, finally giving up oing.

  He could; he eve nauseous.

  Ugh~

  This first match of the Quidditch season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin, was set for eleven o'clock. The entire school gathered in the Quidditch stands, awaiting the teams' entrance.

  Hermio at the highest point of the Gryffindor se, armed with binocurs and "Quidditch Through the Ages" tucked in her robes. She was eagerly p over it, as this was her first magical world sports event. Her curiosity about the unknown had heightened her expectations siderably.

  She was expining the rules to Glenn i detail. Glenn listetentively but wasn't particurly ied ich.

  He still wore his bck silk blindfold and didn't want to waste his limited daily supersensory time on watg the game. He was here solely to apany the young girl.

  They were still surrounded by Gryffindirls. It couldn't be helped; the November wind cut like a knife, and the cold air seeped through every gap in their clothes.

  If not for this Quidditch match, what fool would sit in the high stands enduring the cold wind?

  Thank goodness for you, our Hermione!

  The girls had gradually grown aced to the presence of the blindfolded, quiet Slytherin boy o Hermione, his face obscured by bck hair, barely noticeable. Though they all suspected some secret betweewo, they refrained from teasing them in public to avoid upsetting the easily embarrassed young girl and losing their warm spot.

  After all, ba the dormitory, they could gang up on her and interrogate her to their hearts' tent. She'd have to submit to their "violence" and ply, hehehe.

  If she didn't cooperate, they could always resort to hands-ohods, which suited them just fine, hehehe.

  Hermione, engrossed in reading the Quidditch rules, sneezed several times and tightened her clothes.

  Why did she feel several chills? Had the magic stored in her charm run low?

  She took out the charm aly grabbed Glenn's hand from inside his pocket, iwining their fingers within her sleeve, silently asking him to replenish the magic.

  Glenn obliged, though he felt the charm still had plenty of magic. But sihe little girl asked, he'd top it up again.

  As Glenn began charging the charm, Madam Hooch signaled for the two teams to ehe field.

  The red and green teams appeared together, mounting their brooms and flying into formation high above.

  The two teams had only ohing in on: their fighting spirit was high.

  Oh, perhaps one more thing — they were all shivering.

  Harry sniffled and ed his robes tighter. The air temperature at that height was colder than he'd imagined.

  But he saw his friends in the Gryffindor stands, holding up a bedsheet with encing words, cheering for him despite the cold wind.

  Seeing Harry look their way, Ron, Neville, Seamus, and others waved excitedly. This warmed Harry's heart, easing his nervousness.

  He smiled slightly and gave them a thumbs up.

  With Madam Hooch's whistle signaling the start, the first Quidditch match officially began.

  Gryffindor's chatterbox, Lee Jordan, was surprisingly the matentator. Although his entary was btantly biased tryffindor, stantly disparaging the Slytherin team, it was generally acceptable.

  The intemosphere of the matfected the spectators, making their blood boil with excitement. They stantly cheered for their favorite teams, the excitement in their bodies dispelling the cold. Everyone was eted.

  Damn, it's gettied!

  Professonagall, a Quidditthusiast, abandoned her usual stern demeanor and fervently cheered fryffindor. Though she occasionally reprimanded Lee for his biased entary, she secretly agreed with him.

  Because the Slytherin Quidditch team's tactics were truly dirty!

  It seemed as if the previous beatings from Glenn had given the Slytherin pyers new ideas for fouls. They turheir entire bodies into ons, pung and kig without restraint. Otle snake eveed a spinning ki his broom, pletely bewildering Gee Weasley, one of Gryffindor's Beaters.

  Everyoiced Slytherin's signifitly mgressive style. The Slytherin pyers, transformed into mad dogs, scored frantically, gradually widening the point gap. Harry, as Seeker, grew increasingly anxious, flying high above, desperately searg for the rapidly moving Golden Snitch.

  The match below grew more intense, but due to Slytherin's ferocious offensive, Gryffindor's score showed no improvement.

  Had all the Slytherins gone mad? Why were they so agitated, as if venting some frustration?

  "Achoo!" Glenn sneezed, silently snuggling closer to Hermione, tinuing to rest with his eyes closed.

  Marcus Flint, Slytherin's prefed Quidditch team member, seized the moment when Harry was distracted and charged towards him.

  "Eat my righteous flying kick, stupid lion!" he roared, separating from his broom, gripping it with both hands, aending his body for a flying kick.

  What kind hteousness is this, you idiot!

  Harry, his Nimbus 2000 struck, spun out of trol. But in that moment, his peripheral vision caught a fsh of gold!

  That was...!

  Damn... false arm, it was just the refle from Fred's watch.

  No, wait, beside it was... the Golden Snitch!

  He grew excited, preparing to dash towards the Snitch.

  Suddenly, his broom began to vibrate violently, as if trying to escape his trol and throw Harry off!

  Frightened, Harry quickly lowered his body, tightly hugging the broomstick.

  As Harry was at the highest point, not many people noticed his predit.

  Ron was clearly not one of them. As Harry's best friend, he had been watg his buddy closely and was the first to notiething amiss in the air. He spoke urgently to his panions, looking around, then snatched the binocurs from Hagrid's hands and sed the area, finally fixing his gaze oeachers' stand.

  Of course, the sharp-eyed Hermione also noticed something was wrong: "Glenn, look at Harry, his broom seems out of trol." Although she didn't get along well with that group, they were still Gryffindor housemates, and she didn't want to see Harry fall from the sky and bee Harry-paste.

  As she spoke, Hermione's gaze swept around, stantly passing over pces she found suspicious. Beflenn could activate his supersensory ability to check the situation, the observant girl noticed Ron not far in front of their seats, gritting his teeth and staring at the teachers' stand through binocurs. Following suit, she also raised her binocurs to look in that dire.

  Hermione's expression suddenly ged.