The Quidditch pitch was shrouded in a raging storm, and the flags in the stands snapped violently in the wind.
Cho Chang took a deep breath of the cold, damp air and tightened the high ponytail behind her head.
Looking up, she saw the grey sky seemingly torn apart as rain poured down relentlessly.
Yet the raindrops, enough to soak someone instantly, strangely slid away about five centimeters from her body, as though blocked by an invisible barrier.
Cho subconsciously tightened her grip on the waterproof bracelet around her wrist.
Thanks to Lucien's masterpiece, Quidditch players could stay completely dry even in a torrential downpour.
But the problems caused by heavy rain went far beyond that.
The pounding rain itself, along with the dense mist rising from the ground, severely obstructed visibility.
For a Seeker who needed to catch the Golden Snitch, this was a massive disadvantage.
The Golden Snitch was already tiny and difficult to track in clear weather with good lighting, let alone through this hazy curtain of rain.
"If only the rain would stop…"
Cho murmured almost inaudibly before shaking her head with a self-mocking smile.
The storm was far too large in scale. By all reasonable estimates, it would continue for at least another half day.
So the thought was completely unrealistic.
For some reason, Cho's gaze drifted toward the Ravenclaw stands.
Through the blurred rain and the swaying blue banners, Lucien was there.
Cho unconsciously tightened her grip on the Eurus broom in her hand. After a brief yet astonishing test flight, she had been completely won over by it.
Although the Eurus had already displayed incredible performance during the Slytherin versus Gryffindor match a few days earlier, only after personally riding this finalized version did Cho truly understand the overwhelming gap between it and ordinary brooms.
In terms of speed, stability, responsiveness, and magical conductivity, it completely outclassed every Comet, Cleansweep, and Nimbus broom she had ever ridden before.
Cho's admiration for that junior student rose to an even greater height.
"It's okay."
She quietly encouraged herself.
"With the Eurus, our chances of winning today are very high!"
Just as she steadied herself and prepared to greet her Hufflepuff opponents under Madam Hooch's guidance..
Boom!
A strange and tremendous sound, distinctly different from thunder, tore through the curtain of rain, momentarily overpowering the roar of the wind and storm.
Immediately afterward, a dazzling cluster of magical light, shimmering with countless strange colors and so bright it was almost blinding, shot out from the Ravenclaw stands like a giant fish swimming upstream. Dragging a brilliant trail behind it, it crashed straight into the dense storm clouds overhead!
What was that?
Everyone who witnessed the scene was stunned.
A dozen seconds later, Cho suddenly realized that the raindrops striking the invisible barrier around her had become noticeably fewer.
When she looked up at the sky again, the sight before her was astonishing.
The dark clouds, once as heavy as molten lead, were now being pierced and torn apart from within by countless silver bolts of lightning. The thick cloud layer visibly thinned and scattered at a speed the naked eye could follow.
Not long after, the rain actually stopped.
A faint beam of sunlight finally struggled through the gaps in the clouds, spilling onto the drenched Quidditch pitch.
Sensing something, Cho abruptly turned toward the Ravenclaw stands again.
Through the fading mist and lingering rain, she vaguely saw Lucien waving in her direction. Beside him stood what appeared to be a black cylindrical object.
In the Ravenclaw stands, Lucien calmly slipped the alchemical device into the pocket that had been expanded with an Undetectable Extension Charm.
He glanced toward the edge of the clouds, where the golden-yellow figure of the Thunderbird, Aether, flashed past.
"Ding. Congratulations to the host for stopping a storm. The Basic Elemental Lightning Rune (Weekly Loan) has been repaid."
Phew. With the alchemical device and the Thunderbird working together, stopping a storm really wasn't that difficult.
The young wizards around him, however, had already exploded into complete shock and confusion.
"What just happened? The rain was pouring down a second ago!"
"Lucien pulled out a huge black cannon!"
"He fired it!"
"Merlin's beard! The rain stopped! It actually stopped!"
Discussions and exclamations rose one after another as every gaze focused on Lucien.
Although the small gadgets and potions Lucien had created before were already magical and fascinating, they were nowhere near as shocking as what everyone had witnessed today.
This was changing the weather itself!
...
On the Quidditch pitch, now free of the storm.
With Madam Hooch's whistle, the match officially began!
From the commentary box, Lee Jordan's energetic voice rang out across the entire pitch, amplified by magic.
"The match has begun! Look at Ravenclaw's Seeker, Cho Chang! The broom she's riding may look a little different from its last appearance, but that astonishing speed and those smooth, beautiful turns leave no doubt that it's the Eurus broom!"
"Oh! The talented Lucien designing the broom, the beautiful and elegant Cho soaring across the field, the 'cooperation' between junior and senior students, truly a wonderful story for Ravenclaw!"
"It seems Ravenclaw's strength is genuinely terrifying now!"
Cho, who was fully focused on searching for the Golden Snitch, nearly lost control of her broom when she heard the commentary.
What exactly was that Gryffindor commentator talking about?
Cho felt her face heating up. Fortunately, she was high in the air, so no one could see it.
Remembering that this was still a match, she quickly forced herself to calm down, steadied the broom, and refocused her attention on the tiny, nimble Golden Snitch.
In the Gryffindor stands, Ron stood on tiptoe, stretching his neck toward the Ravenclaw side, trying to catch another glimpse of the black cylindrical object Lucien had put away.
"Harry, did you see it too? That loud bang was definitely Lucien's doing, right? He stopped a storm?!"
Hearing Ron's question, Harry spread his hands helplessly.
"No, I only heard the bang. Besides, isn't this the magical world? Can't storms be stopped with magic?"
Although he had spent a year at Hogwarts, Harry's understanding of magic was nowhere near as deep as Ron's, who had grown up in a wizarding family.
Seeing that Harry and Hermione both seemed unable to grasp the significance of changing the weather with magic, Ron scratched his head, struggling to explain it clearly.
"Anyway, it's seriously unbelievable. Sigh… looking at it this way, my air gun is still way too simple. Lucien's was incredible. One shot and the clouds scattered…"
"Ahem. Harry, you and that Ravenclaw Lucien are pretty close, aren't you?"
A voice suddenly interrupted Ron's "science lesson" for Harry and Hermione.
Harry turned around and blinked.
"Wood? Do you need something from Lucien?"
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