Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

Chapter 272 Don't you think Harry's gaze towards Cho seems a little different?

Harry paused subconsciously.

He could see Qiu Zhang's tightly pursed lips, disheveled hair, and pale cheeks.

It looks like he's enduring pain.

However, it was only a half-second pause.

The golden thief darted into the sky with a whoosh and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Harry!!"

Oliver Wood roared from the other end of the court.

He was clinging tightly to the goalpost, the bronze shaft creaking and groaning under his grip.

"This isn't the time to be a knight! If she's in my way, just ram her! Knock her off the broom!"

Wood's tone was anxious as he watched Harry miss the golden snitch. Despite not being hot, beads of sweat streamed down his face, and his neatly combed hair, which he had styled before the game, was now a mess.

Upon hearing this, Dylan, standing in the stands, couldn't help but shake his head and reached into his pocket to pull out a rose pie.

— He just grabbed it from the dining table this morning.

Since it was a new product, Dylan thought it looked a lot like the flower cakes he ate in his previous life. He tasted it and it was pretty good, so he took a few more.

Not much, they just took the whole plate away.

The pie was still a little warm at this point.

He took a bite; it tasted sweet, but not cloyingly sweet; rather, it was a light, pleasantly sweet flavor.

This flavor is quite addictive.

He planned to have Ravenclaw figure out how to replicate the pie after he returned to his suitcase that evening.

Dylan said to Cedric beside him, "I feel like Wood's temper means he'll never find a girlfriend in his life."

"Look at him, all he sees is Quidditch, Quidditch. He'd probably be better off spending his life with his goalpost."

Cedric's lips twitched, but he didn't reply.

His gaze remained fixed on the field, his fingers occasionally tapping lightly on the stone railing.

Dylan turned to look at him, suddenly remembering the topic from earlier, and handed him another pie.

"By the way, Cedric, if you were facing Cho Chang and she was standing between you and the Snitch, would you do what Wood said and just run into her?"

Cedric took the pie, took a small bite, and raised an eyebrow slightly: "Of course, and without the slightest hesitation."

He looked at Dylan with a serious expression.

"Qiu is a top-notch seeker, and she would never want her opponents to go easy on her out of pity."

Cedric chuckled. "If you let her have her way, she'll just think you're insulting her abilities."

"So clear? What's the story?" Dylan raised an eyebrow.

"—During the last practice match, I deliberately slowed down and waited for her. As a result, when she came down, she poked my chest with her wand."

“I felt like she really wanted to smash me to pieces; it took me ages to calm her down.” Cedric finished the pie in a few bites. “This was a fresh pie this morning, wasn’t it? You even brought some out? I’ll bring some out next time too.”

Dylan blinked, shrugged, and then turned to look at the field.

Qiu Zhang was riding a broomstick, circling high in the sky.

The sunlight shone on her blue team uniform, as if it had melted into the sky.

She adjusted her posture from time to time, her sharp gaze sweeping across her surroundings, showing no trace of the strangeness she had when Harry had let her pass.

Dylan tilted his head and stuffed the rest of the pie into his mouth: "Well, you guys definitely have a different thought process when it comes to Quidditch."

He remembered what Harry had told him last week.

Qiu Zhang was injured during training and had to rest for a while before he finally recovered.

However, judging from her sudden turn just now, Dylan could not tell that she had been seriously injured at all.

What kind of way is Harry giving way?

Dylan then thought that it was also thanks to the powerful medical potions of the wizarding world.

Potions like Bone Spirit Cold Jade can be applied and, if left untreated, allow the bones to heal in three days.

In the Muggle world, if a bone is fractured or broken, one would probably be bedridden for six months.

Let's leave aside Qiu and just talk about Malfoy.

That kick.

I estimate I'll need to lie in bed for a year.

It's simply impossible to recover that quickly.

"However, Dylan..."

Cedric stopped tapping on the railing, his gaze, which had been wandering aimlessly around the field, suddenly falling on Harry, and his brow furrowed slightly.

"what?"

"Don't you think the way Potter looks at Cho is a little strange?"

"Uh"

Dylan paused, recalling his earlier guess, and followed Cedric's gaze.

Harry was riding a Firebolt, circling near Cho Chang.

This time, he wasn't as eager to find the thief as he had been before.

Instead, he would occasionally glance at Qiu.

The pause when he was blocked was less a display of gentlemanly conduct.

Rather, it was more like a subtle hesitation, as if he was afraid of actually bumping into her.

Dylan blinked, then looked away, pretending to adjust his cuffs.

"Really? I didn't notice."

However, although he said that, he knew perfectly well what was going on in his mind.

—Ever since last year's Christmas ball, Harry's gaze toward Cho has been slightly different.

Every time the Ravenclaw Seeker is mentioned, this guy's ears turn slightly red.

This kind of thinking is probably only realized by someone like Wood, whose mind is entirely focused on the game.

Of course, they might not even realize it afterward.

However, Qiu is now with Cedric.

Presumably, Harry has some different feelings for Cho.

First of all, he may not even understand what this feeling is right now.

Secondly, Harry is a very moral person and would never steal someone else's love.

Just then, a gasp came from the audience.

Dylan looked up and saw Harry shooting upwards like an arrow released from a bow.

Qiu and Zhang reacted almost simultaneously.

Riding Comet 260, they followed closely behind.

Two figures traced two arcs, one red and one blue, in the sunlight as they disappeared into the depths of the clouds.

—Clearly, the Golden Snitch has reappeared.

The murmurs in the stands immediately subsided.

All eyes followed the two figures, even Professor McGonagall leaned forward and gripped her wand tightly.

The air above the Quidditch stadium was still sweltering.

The score between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw remains tied at 80 to 30.

Harry hovered in the air on his Firebolt, his eyes constantly watching Cho Chang not far away.

—Ever since she had blocked the Golden Snitch's path, Harry had figured out her tactics. Whenever he made any unusual movement, she would immediately follow, trying to use Comet 260's agility to interfere with his capture of the Snitch.

Harry tapped his fingers lightly on the handle of the Firebolt, an idea forming in his mind.

He first casually adjusted his posture, his gaze sweeping over the Ravenclaw goal area.

He then abruptly lowered the broom handle, causing the tip of the fire bolt to sink instantly, like a stone being pulled by gravity, plunging towards the ground.

The wind whistled in my ears, and the surface of the broom was slightly hot from the high-speed friction with the air.

The distance was low enough that he could even see the messy footprints left by the players on the grass.

at this time.

Sure enough, I heard the rapid sound of a broom slicing through the air behind me.

Harry knew without turning around that Cho Chang had taken the bait.

He could even picture what she looked like right now.

His brows were furrowed, his hands gripped the broom handle tightly, and the hem of his blue team uniform was lifted by the wind.
When he was less than ten feet from the ground, Harry suddenly jerked the broom handle.

The fire bolt immediately stopped falling as if it had been frozen in place, pulled back by inertia.

It then climbs upwards at an almost vertical angle.

The wooden handle left deep marks on his palm.

The muscles in my arms also felt slightly sore from the sudden exertion.

But none of this made Harry pause in the slightest.

A gasp came from behind; Qiu Zhang's Comet 260 had clearly failed to keep up with the sudden turn.

They were left at least three body lengths behind.

Cho Chang steadied herself in mid-air, watching Harry's fire bolt fly further and further away like a red lightning bolt, and couldn't help but bite her lower lip.

She knew it wasn't a technical problem on her part.

Comet 260 is already far inferior to Fire Arrow in terms of speed and sensitivity.

During that sharp turn, her broom had already exerted its full sensitivity, even emitting a "creaking" protest.

The old wound on her wrist also started to ache faintly.

However, she took a deep breath, not giving up completely, and turned around to chase after them.

Harry didn't look back at the distance that had been created.

His attention was drawn to a faint golden light diagonally in front of him.

The golden light was brighter than before, and it stopped at the top of the Ravenclaw goalpost. The frequency of its wing flapping also slowed down, as if it were taking a rest.

It's now!

Harry's heart skipped a beat, and he slightly squeezed his legs against the broom. The Firebolt immediately understood and propelled him at full speed toward the golden light.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the golden thief, a short exclamation suddenly came from behind him.

It was Qiu Zhang's voice, with a hint of barely perceptible panic.

Harry instinctively turned his head and looked in the direction she was pointing.

—In the shadows of the stands at the edge of the stadium, three figures draped in black cloaks stood silently.

The edges of their cloaks trailed on the grass, obscuring their faces and revealing only the empty cuffs beneath.

The air around them seemed to grow cold because of their presence, and even the sunlight seemed to have its warmth sucked away from them.

It's a Dementor!
Harry's pupils contracted sharply, and a chill ran down his spine.

The memory of being attacked by Dementors on the Quidditch pitch last time instantly flooded back.

A chilling sense of despair, a suffocating oppression, and the agonizing screams of parents before their deaths...

Almost instinctively, he pulled his wand from his robe pocket with his right hand, his knuckles turning white from the force!
"Expecto Patronum!!"

A clear incantation came from his mouth.

The tip of his staff immediately emitted a dazzling silver-white light.

The light condensed and took shape in mid-air, transforming into a lithe stag.

The antlers shimmered with a soft luster in the sunlight.

The stag raised its head and let out a clear cry, then took off charging straight at the three Dementors.

The silver hooves trod through the air, leaving shimmering trails of light.

Having confirmed that the Patronus had charged toward its target, Harry immediately looked away and refocused on the Golden Snitch, which was still hovering atop the goalpost.

The earlier delay caused the thief to start flapping his wings restlessly again, seemingly preparing to escape once more.

Harry no longer hesitated; this time he wouldn't let this guy get away with it!
He leaned forward, pushing the speed of the fire crossbow bolt to its limit, the wind it generated stinging his cheeks!
The distance is getting closer.

Harry could even see the fine golden down on the Snitch's wings.

Do it!

Just as the Snitch was about to leap up again, Harry stretched out his left hand, which was still holding the wand, and with his five fingers forming a claw, he precisely covered it!

The cold metallic touch came from his fingertips. The thief struggled wildly in his palm, its wings flapping and hitting his knuckles, making a series of "buzzing" sounds.

But Harry's fingers were tightly clenched together, like an iron clamp, firmly gripping the ball that would decide the outcome in his palm.

Almost at the same time.

Mrs. Hooch's signature sharp whistle pierced the noise of the stadium.

A deafening cheer erupted from the Gryffindor stands.

Lee Jordan's voice boomed through the magic megaphone.

"Got him! Haha, Harry Potter has caught the Golden Snitch!! Gryffindor wins—! The score is 280 to 30!"

As the match ended, Harry released his grip on the Snitch's hand.

As the little golden ball settled in his palm, he couldn't help but smile broadly.

He turned his broom around and flew towards the Gryffindor players.

Wood was the first to rush over, grabbing Harry's shoulder with such force that he almost pulled him off the broom. Sweat dripped from Wood's face onto Harry's hair, mixed with his excited shouts.

"Well done! Absolutely brilliant—!! Harry! I knew you could do it!"

In the stands, Cedric couldn't help but applaud vigorously.

“Congratulations, Gryffindor has won! You can continue the competition and fight for the final victory.” Cedric turned to Dylan and said, his tone filled with sincere admiration.

"However, Ravenclaw lost, and my girlfriend is probably not too happy, so let's skip the celebration for now. See you next time!"

After saying that, he quickly walked down from the stands and ran towards the direction where the Ravenclaw team was located.

— Qiu Zhang is sitting alone by the broom, head down, lost in thought.

Dylan watched Cedric's retreating figure as he hurriedly left without even a word from him, and pursed his lips.

Then, he turned his gaze to the center of the field, where Harry was surrounded by his teammates.

They couldn't squeeze through.

—This caused many Gryffindor students to squeeze down.

He didn't want to go and experience what it meant to be shoulder to shoulder with people.

At the same time, his gaze was drawn to the commotion on the other side.

—Professor McGonagall’s angry voice came from there, and you could feel the anger in her tone even from a distance.

"How dare you! It's unbelievable, how could you do such a thing?!"

Professor McGonagall's robes fluttered slightly with anger.

She pointed at the three writhing black cloaks on the ground, her voice full of contempt and reproach.

(End of this chapter)