Chapter 231. Shocked Teammates
Seeing the clothes in front of him, Adrian Wesson was certain that Black had already slipped past the Dementors and entered Hogwarts grounds.
This result did not surprise him; after all, those drifting Dementors were hardly dependable.
"I've got to tell Dumbledore," Hagrid said quickly. "Maybe that bloke's already lying in wait near the castle, just biding his time to go for his target."
Hagrid's report was soon confirmed.
The next day, the Ministry of Magic sent another important message: a Muggle near Hogwarts had been stripped naked and dumped at the door of a stranger's house.
Together with the clothes Hagrid had found, there was only one conclusion—Black had nicked that poor Muggle's clothing.
In response, Dumbledore moved swiftly. Over the coming period, the professors would patrol the Forbidden Forest at regular intervals, and the Dementors would remain stationed long-term around the Forest and at its entrances.
In the blink of an eye, it was the first Thursday in October.
It had been a week since signs of Black had been found in the Forbidden Forest.
As expected, neither the patrolling professors nor the Dementors had sighted Black.
That was normal enough; the Forbidden Forest was vast, with plenty of places to hide. Not finding Black was only to be expected.
While the professors stayed on edge, the students gradually lowered their guard.
In fact, at first some students really had been frightened, but after a month that was no different from usual, they shoved the matter to the back of their minds.
For Harry, today was a special day.
The Quidditch season was approaching, and practice started today. He had been waiting a long time for this.
From the start of term until now, he had kept the Firebolt hidden under his bed, all so he could give his teammates a massive surprise today.
At dusk, Harry carried his Firebolt to the changing room beside the Quidditch pitch.
When he arrived, Wood was already talking to his team.
Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Harry had to admit Wood was utterly obsessed with Quidditch—far more than he was. The moment he saw Harry, Wood shouted, "Harry! You're a full ten minutes late!"
Hands on hips, his face full of displeasure: "This is our first meeting of the term."
"Sorry." Harry hurried to stand with the team.
"What could be more important than practice—" Wood suddenly froze, staring at the long, cloth-wrapped object in Harry's hand. "Why have you wrapped up your broom?"
At that moment, one of the twins—probably Fred—bounded out of the line.
He said excitedly, "Harry! Don't tell me you've brought that thing."
Harry nodded. The twins knew he had the Firebolt; it seemed they hadn't told the other teammates.
"Hurry up and get it out," Fred said, rubbing his hands, then turned to Wood. "Wood'll definitely forgive you for being late."
Everyone's curiosity was piqued. All eyes turned to Harry, Wood's included.
The corners of Harry's mouth lifted in a secretive smile. Under the team's expectant gaze, he slowly lifted the cloth covering the broom.
The Firebolt gleamed dazzlingly under the dim lights.
A chorus of gasps burst through the changing room.
Everyone present was at least a Quidditch enthusiast; in an instant, they all recognised this astonishing broomstick.
"Merlin's beard!" Wood's voice even changed pitch. He lunged forward, stretching out a trembling hand but not daring to touch it. "Is… is that a Firebolt?! The newest model?"
Angelina Johnson gave a sharp whistle. "Harry, when did you get your hands on that beauty?"
"A present." Harry tried to act calm, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face.
Envy flashed across everyone's eyes.
What kind of person gives a priceless Firebolt as a gift?
The twins slung their arms over Harry's shoulders—left and right—and shouted to their captain, "Wood, I think the Quidditch Cup's in the bag this year."
For a moment Wood just stood there, stunned.
Yes—Harry was already a superb Seeker, and now he had a Firebolt, a deadly weapon. This was absolutely their best chance at the Cup in years.
They had won once two years ago, but who ever complains about too many trophies?
Wood finally came back to himself. He drew a deep breath, then suddenly turned and addressed the team sternly: "Listen up, lads! Now that we've got a Firebolt—"
A feverish light flickered in his eyes. "We must win the Quidditch Cup this year! I want everyone to double their training load!"
"Oh, don't do that, Wood!" the team groaned, but their faces were alight with excitement.
Wood ignored their protests and urged at once, "Before it gets dark, Harry, give your new broom a try. But take care—don't let anyone else see it. Until our first match, we have to keep your Firebolt hidden. It's our secret weapon."
"I'll go get the practice Snitch." George dashed out of the changing room, and the others followed Wood onto the pitch.
Truth be told, Harry himself could no longer hold back his excitement.
Since getting the Firebolt, he had only tried it when no one else was in the dormitory—he had nearly put a hole through the ceiling.
Now, at last, he could properly try out the most powerful broomstick on the market.
"Ready?" Wood stood at the centre of the pitch, holding a practice Golden Snitch in his hand. "Remember, get used to the broom's handling first. Don't rush—"
Before Wood finished speaking, Harry gave a light push off the ground.
The Firebolt exploded with staggering acceleration. Harry felt a powerful thrust hurl him skyward; the wind roared in his ears and the world blurred before his eyes.
Honestly, the Firebolt was even faster than he'd imagined.
How many times faster than the Nimbus 2000?
Harry wasn't sure, but he felt that if he faced Slytherin's Seeker again, the other bloke wouldn't even catch a glimpse of his backside.
After a few circuits in the air, Harry quickly grew accustomed to the Firebolt's speed.
The practice Snitch had flown for less than half a minute before Harry caught it cleanly in his hand.
Wood was exceedingly satisfied.
He was in seventh year now and dearly hoped to take the Quidditch Cup this term.
After all, he planned to become a professional Quidditch player after graduation.
He needed that championship line on his CV.
Let everything go smoothly…
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