Hogwarts: Don't call me Wandmaker

Chapter 246 Harry Outside the Stadium
On Saturday, the highly anticipated Quidditch final finally began.

The weather was nice, with a bit of a breeze that felt refreshing. The sun was a bit bright and might be dazzling, but overall it was still very pleasant.

In the morning, as Harry and his teammates entered the Great Hall, they were surrounded by applause. Gryffindor students rushed forward, patting them on the shoulder and cheering them on.

But the more everyone did this, the more pressure the players felt. Wood kept urging the others to eat more breakfast, but he himself didn't touch anything. Later, he even went out of the auditorium to check on the situation at the stadium.

Ten minutes later, the other team members, including Harry, also left one after another.

Xilun ate his breakfast at a leisurely pace, glancing up at the teachers' section.

As expected, Professor Lu Ping was still absent, but all the other professors were present.

Perhaps because it's the Quidditch final today, even Dumbledore is sitting in the middle of the headmaster's seat, chatting and laughing with Professor McGonagall next to him.

After breakfast, it was almost nine o'clock. Although there was still a long time before the game officially started, everyone was already filled with anticipation and began to leave the castle one after another, heading towards the Quidditch pitch.

Arriving early allows you to secure a good spot, which is quite important... and then more and more people crowd onto the lawn.

Having learned from his previous experience, Ron set off early today, taking Cyren and Hermione with him.

"The match doesn't start for another hour. Isn't it a bit too early to go now?" Xilun couldn't help but ask.

“Not at all. There are at least fifty people ahead of us. If we're any later, all the good spots will be taken.” Ron quickened his pace and said, turning back as he spoke.
"Hermione, remember to put the banner up later... Where's Hermione?"

Helen looked around but didn't see Hermione either, though he remembered that Hermione had been following them when they left the castle.

At that moment, Xiren suddenly had a strange feeling. He subconsciously turned around and looked in the direction of the castle. In the dim light, he seemed to see a shadow flash past a window.

"Sirlen, what's wrong?" Ron walked over to Sirlen and followed his gaze. There were only a few open windows swaying gently in the wind.

"What are you looking at?"

“No, it’s nothing.” Xiren shook his head.

In fact, he had just felt someone watching him.

In addition to turning Siron into a cat, the Animagus transformation also gave him some additional minor changes, such as his hearing, sense of smell, and perception of his surroundings becoming much more acute than before... These are all characteristics of animals.

Just now, Xilun suddenly felt a gaze fixed on him.

Of course, it's also possible that it was just his imagination. Besides, with so many students in the castle, it's perfectly normal for one or two people to occasionally look out the window.

Xiren followed Ron a few more steps forward, but something still felt off; the half-figure he had just seen kept flashing through his mind.

“You go to the stadium first, Ron,” Celen said. “I’ll go find Hermione, I’ll be there soon.”

"Wait, I can't take up too much space by myself."

"It's alright, I can look from anywhere." Xiren waved his hand, and as he spoke, he had already walked into the castle gate.

Although many people choose to arrive early to secure a spot, there are still many students inside the castle who are not fixated on sitting in the front row, so they don't need to arrive so early.

Xiren recalled the location of the windows he had seen and quickly found an empty classroom on the fourth floor.

But there was no one here. The windows were open, but they seemed to have been blown open by the wind, swaying and making creaking noises.

Xilun glanced at the floor and windowsill again.

Here we have to mention house-elves. Sometimes they clean empty classrooms so thoroughly that there isn't a speck of dust on the floor, making it impossible to tell if anyone has been there.

"Maybe it's just my imagination." Xiren walked out of the classroom, feeling that he might be acting a little neurotic.

Could it be because of his prophetic talent? Xilun thought to himself. As far as he knew, all the famous prophets were a bit mystical. Once they saw something unusual, they would assume it was some kind of prophecy or revelation.

I hope I won't be like that...

Xiren suddenly became a little nervous and almost bumped into a statue on the side of the corridor.

Unlike the imposing, armored statues in the castle, this is a statue of a hunchbacked witch with only one eye.

If he remembered correctly, this statue should be the entrance to the Hogsmeade Passage, but he had never walked through it.

As he got closer, he could faintly hear a heartbeat, but the sound disappeared when he got even closer.

"What are you doing!"

Just then, Filch suddenly jumped out from around the corner of the corridor, staring straight at Xilen with his cloudy eyes.

Lady Lorris followed behind him, but upon seeing that the person standing opposite her was Siron, she quickly turned around, kicked her four paws on the floor, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Mrs. Lorris's actions added a touch of humor to the tense atmosphere.

However, only Siron thought so. Filch's eyes turned red with anger. He remembered that the big, stupid cat that often bullied Mrs. Lorris was the pet of the little wizard in front of him.

"Alright, I've caught you!" He approached step by step. "Tell me honestly, what kind of trick are you up to... Are you planning to set up a giant firework filled with a dung ball and make it explode during the competition!"

“You’re really creative, Mr. Filch,” Celen said calmly. “Perhaps you could go to Fred and George; you’ll have a lot in common.”

"Stop changing the subject, what are you doing here!"

“I didn’t do anything, I was just passing by,” Celen said. “Does the school rule say that students can’t use this corridor?”

Filch's face turned pale and then red.

“As far as I know, there is no such school rule,” Celen answered for him. “I’m sorry, Mr. Filch, if there’s nothing else, I have to get to the field. Goodbye.”

Xilun walked past him and calmly went downstairs.

Filch didn't stop him, but he kept a close eye on him from behind, muttering to himself, "Just wait, one day I'll find something on you!"

However, he spoke so softly that Xilen didn't hear him at all... and even if he had, he probably wouldn't have cared.

He walked around the castle again, and it wasn't until just before the match was about to start that Celen left the castle and went to the Quidditch pitch.

The stadium was already packed with people, and fireworks were exploding in the air, clearly visible even in daylight.

Below the fireworks were banners that seemed to have been enchanted, bearing the names of players or academies.

At a glance, most of the banners supported Hufflepuff. Although there were fewer Gryffindor banners, the continuous fireworks made them just as impressive.

As Xilun stood at the entrance, about to go in, he inadvertently saw two people running towards him.

After seeing their faces clearly, Xilun subconsciously rubbed his eyes, but their appearance remained unchanged.

"Harry, Hermione?"

"Why are you here?"

……

(End of this chapter)