After Christmas, the results of the Quidditch season began to take shape.
Hufflepuff, despite having a fairly competent captain, couldn't break their streak of finishing at the bottom of the rankings on his own. In comparison, the fact that Draco had managed to single-handedly bring such a drastic transformation to Slytherin was truly remarkable.
Ravenclaw's strategies were certainly unique, but when stacked against Gryffindor—who had the exceptionally gifted Seeker Harry Potter—and Slytherin—with its unstoppable tactics and trump card Draco—their competitiveness didn't quite measure up.
So, in terms of visible strength, only this year's Gryffindor, now reinforced by Harry Potter, seemed capable of knocking Slytherin off the top spot...
Still, this was a school for learning magic, not a training camp for professional Quidditch players.
Naturally, the Quidditch schedule wasn't overloaded, and there were no playoffs. Every match was scheduled on the weekly day off, so time was limited.
Typically, each house would only face another house twice in a season.
As the season neared its end, Draco's Slytherin team remained undefeated. Unless something unexpected happened, this year's Quidditch Cup was likely headed to Slytherin once again...
That's why Gryffindor, the only team to have lost solely to Slytherin, became the one everyone pinned their hopes on.
If they could keep winning and close the gap with Slytherin in the final match, the championship outcome would be anyone's guess.
For this reason, Oliver Wood, driven by his desire to take revenge on Slytherin, had been training relentlessly.
According to what Draco had heard, Oliver Wood hadn't just been running drills in wet and muddy conditions—he even kept pushing his teammates during heavy snowfall, not to mention the constant rain. He was clearly taking into account all possible weather scenarios.
Even with such grueling training, Oliver Wood's determination showed no signs of wavering. Despite complaints from the rest of the team, he refused to ease up.
What's more, after Slytherin defeated both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw in quick succession, Oliver Wood's training became even more intense.
In that sense, Draco couldn't help but respect the guy's grit.
Ruthless with others, even more ruthless with himself...
But before thinking about taking the championship or getting revenge, Gryffindor first had to win tomorrow's match against Hufflepuff—a team that had just lost to both Ravenclaw and Slytherin.
At first glance, it didn't seem like beating Hufflepuff would be much of a challenge.
But Gryffindor wasn't letting its guard down.
Not because Harry Potter's new broom still hadn't turned up, nor because Hufflepuff had suddenly added a third exceptionally talented player to their roster.
It was simply because the referee for the next game would be Professor Snape…
Quidditch Pitch.
Unlike when he was on the field, this was Draco's first time truly experiencing the enthusiasm of the fans up close. The deafening cheers, the creatively made support props, and the intriguing magical binoculars in his hands—it was all a new experience for him.
As he curiously inspected the magical device, a pleasant scent wafted to his nose. It was Pansy leaning in close.
Probably because of how loud the surroundings were, Pansy was standing unusually close—almost close enough for their faces to touch.
Come to think of it, Pansy had been oddly aggressive lately...
"Draco, since when did Professor Snape start caring about Quidditch?"
"Or is he just trying to give Harry Potter a hard time?"
Knowing the relationship between Draco and Snape, Pansy had some understanding of what kind of wizard Snape was. Besides potions and mocking Harry Potter, she honestly couldn't think of anything else he was interested in.
Right now, she looked eager, clearly hoping to hear something juicy from Draco.
Seeing her flushed, excited face, Draco glanced in Snape's direction before slowly shaking his head.
Recalling what he had witnessed earlier, Draco had a pretty good guess as to why his godfather had volunteered to be the referee...
"No, I don't think it's what you think. And don't you find it odd?"
"Huh?"
"Why is it that it just so happens to be a match with the Chosen One?"
"Now that you say it... that is kind of suspicious."
As much as she disliked Harry, Pansy didn't think Professor Snape would go that far.
But Draco remembered the strange expression his godfather had when Harry fell off his broom. That was when it clicked—Snape had probably volunteered to referee just so he could be close enough to protect Harry if anything went wrong.
That kind of love-hate contradiction... Draco was starting to find his godfather harder and harder to understand...
Just then, a scream erupted from the students at the sidelines.
"Is that... Dumbledore?"
The greatest wizard of all time, naturally drew a lot of attention. The moment Dumbledore appeared, the young witches and wizards burst into cheers.
The loudest cheers, unsurprisingly, came from the Gryffindor section.
"Looks like godfather's plan just went out the window."
Noticing the sour look on Snape's face, Draco silently mourned for him in his heart.
Dumbledore, who rarely showed up at Quidditch matches, was now standing on the high platform at the edge of the pitch. With him there, even if the stadium came under attack, there'd be no need to worry—let alone about a few out-of-control broomsticks.
Snape's effort had all been for nothing.
Maybe, for Harry Potter, this was the only piece of good news today…
...
[Upto 50 chapters ahead for now]
[email protected]/BlurryDream