"You were the one who insisted on hiring him, Professor Dumbledore."
Severus's words made Dumbledore slightly uncomfortable.
He could have ignored the sarcasm... honestly, given the storms and upheavals he had weathered in his lifetime, Severus's 'witticism' wouldn't stir any real emotion in him.
He didn't care about Ares Delfino's behavior itself, but rather the motive behind it.
He knew very well that Ares Delfino wasn't a simple wizard... ever since that brief conversation with the boy the night he was expelled, Dumbledore had been certain of this.
In fact—
This boy, who had many idiosyncrasies that gave him a subtle sense of unease, was far more complex than Tom ever was. He wasn't pure "Evil" like Tom, but he wasn't exactly "Good" either.
If he had to evaluate Ares's character... this boy, who grew up in the Muggle world, didn't have strong principles or boundaries regarding good and evil. Or rather, he didn't care whether others judged him as "Good" or "Evil."
Such a character could best be defined as—"Unorthodox."
What was the true motive behind Ares Delfino's actions tonight?
Dumbledore's deep eyes reflected Ares's figure and the group of lively young wizards behind him...
He had to admit, being cast as the villain and inciting resistance wasn't a pleasant feeling.
Dumbledore's eyelids fluttered slightly. The beast locked deep within his heart was roaring... telling him he should punish these people... he had the power, and he had the right...
No!
But the moment the thought crossed his mind, Dumbledore snapped out of it.
He exhaled softly, and his flowing beard settled.
"I think you are well aware, Professor Delfino, that I banned first-year students from participating in your imaginative teaching because of—"
"Safety issues."
Ares bowed slightly and smiled.
"But I believe this reason is invalid—you have all seen the competition I designed. To ensure student safety, I made ample preparations. Furthermore—"
Under the gaze of the entire school's staff and students, Ares suddenly turned his head to the crowd and shouted,
"Mr. Potter, come out and help me with something!"
Harry, standing in the crowd, had been nervously watching the standoff between Professor Delfino and Professor Dumbledore... The atmosphere between the two wasn't exactly hostile, but it was enough to make Harry's heart pound.
He hoped Professor Dumbledore would lift the ban, but he absolutely didn't want Professor Dumbledore, whom he liked, and Professor Delfino, who led their operation, fought for their rights, and was very interesting, to... turn against each other.
He hoped the whole thing would have a good outcome and land smoothly.
Harry was internally wishing for all this... and completely didn't expect Professor Delfino to suddenly call out his name.
"Wh—what?"
He froze for several seconds until Neville poked him in the ribs from behind. Only then did Harry 'wake up'. He hurriedly squeezed out of the crowd and asked stammeringly,
"Professor Delfino?"
Ares could feel Dumbledore's suddenly intense gaze, but he kept smiling.
"Tell everyone, Mr. Potter, have you ever tried riding a broomstick?"
"No."
This question wasn't hard to answer. Harry answered crisply, without any psychological burden.
"Good—"
Snap!
Harry saw Professor Delfino nod in satisfaction, then suddenly snap his fingers.
A broomstick appeared out of thin air in Harry's hand... it had a sleek handle and a perfectly trimmed brush.
A Nimbus 2000!
Harry's emerald eyes immediately widened... The first time he went to Diagon Alley with Hagrid, he had seen this model of broomstick outside the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies!
Harry stared obsessively at the broomstick, which could simply be called a work of art, until quite a while later, when he realized the current situation!
"You want... er, me to?"
Harry looked up, stammering as he looked at Professor Delfino—given the current situation, it wasn't hard to guess what the professor intended to do.
Harry looked at the young professor and also noticed that the professor held a red ball in his hand that had appeared at the same time as the broom.
"Exactly what you think!"
Ares nodded. He suddenly threw the Quaffle into the dark night sky.
"Go, fetch it back, Mr. Potter!"
Harry didn't have time to correct Professor Delfino's phrasing ("fetch" like a dog?), nor did he pay attention to Professor McGonagall's shriek of "No, that's too risky, Ares!"... As for the gazes of others, whether shocked or just watching the show, he had even less time to care.
The moment Professor Delfino threw the dark red ball, Harry's emerald pupils contracted. Deep in his eyes, only the thrown ball was reflected!
In a moment of intense focus, the ball's trajectory seemed to slow down in Harry's eyes... Under the night sky illuminated by the firelight from the four towers, Harry saw the ball fly to its highest point, and then, begin to fall—
The next actions were purely instinctive for Harry—he swung his leg over the Nimbus 2000, leaned forward, and pushed off the ground with his feet!
Whoosh!
Like a breeze, Harry left the ground and chased after the ball's trajectory!
It was all over very quickly. By the time Harry realized what he had just done, he was back on the ground. He dismounted softly from the broom, rolled, and stood up, the Quaffle firmly tucked under one arm!
It was as if someone had pressed the mute button on the scene. Except for Dumbledore, who looked slightly surprised, Snape, whose expression was somewhat gloomy, and Ares, who was still smiling beamingly, everyone else wore a dumbfounded expression.
But Harry didn't notice the crowd's strangeness for the moment. He was just happy that he had successfully completed the task... it was very easy. This should be enough to convince Professor Dumbledore that even a first-year who had never touched a broomstick could handle it easily on the first try!
"Here you go, Professor Delfino!"
Harry walked briskly to Professor Delfino, his voice light.
"I got the ball back."
"Well done, Mr. Potter."
"Thanks, your broom is amazing too, Professor!"
"Oh—yes, it's currently considered the best on the market... Want it, Potter? I can sell it to you at a discount, ninety percent new... seeing as you did me a favor."
"Er... how much is that?"
"300 Galleons, no bargaining."
"Um... I need to think about it."
"No problem, come find me directly when you've decided."
Ares said, snatching the broom back from a reluctant Harry.
"So—"
Ares looked at Dumbledore with a light expression.
"I think I've proven something, Professor Dumbledore?"
Riding a broomstick isn't that easy! It's just—it's just that you happened to find a genius to try it!
Many people in the audience were 'roaring' in their hearts.
"I think so."
But shockingly, Professor Dumbledore actually seemed not to notice Professor Delfino's 'good luck'. He just looked deeply at Professor Delfino and nodded calmly.
"I think you have presented compelling evidence to persuade me to change my decision... Professor Delfino, you may allow the first-years to participate—of course, I still insist that the first-years take at least one flying lesson first... Oh, and there should be a professional to assess this... Madam Hooch?"
"Wh—what... Oh, yes, Professor Dumbledore, no problem."
Madam Hooch was still dazed by the clean, crisp scene of Harry controlling the Nimbus to catch the Quaffle. She stammered a few times before coming back to her senses.
Many shrinking young wizards stared at Professor Dumbledore in disbelief!
They actually did it... they actually forced Professor Dumbledore to change his decision with a farcical demonstration?!
Looking at those surprised and tender faces, Dumbledore's eyes held a bit more laughter.
"There are classes tomorrow. I hope your celebration won't last too long."
Dumbledore said. Then, he shook his sleeve to catch his sliding wand, turned around, and flicked his wand at the four burning towers—
Hiss!
The sound of cold water dousing flames—
The flames on the four towers instantly withered as if they had suffered a heavy blow... but after just one breath, the torches flared up again, burning vigorously once more!
Dumbledore frowned slightly.
"I'll 'turn off the lights' after the celebration, Professor Dumbledore."
Ares bowed slightly. He responded to Dumbledore's gaze with a smile.
But internally, Ares still harbored some doubts.
Dumbledore... did Dumbledore really intend to let this farce he started go just like that?
Not even a salary deduction?!
So—
Dumbledore left. On the wind-swept grounds, a group of young wizards looked at each other.
"What are you waiting for?"
Ares put aside his internal 'dissatisfaction' and smiled brightly at the young wizards.
"You can cheer for yourselves now—Oh, Mr. Ron Weasley, business requires integrity. Don't forget to pay me that one Knut as soon as possible!"
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