A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

But Aaron was still flying downwards. Just before he hit the ground, he stretched out his right hand and quickly ran his fingers across the grass, leaving three shallow furrows in the lawn.

Then, with a swift movement of his right hand, he pulled out a bit of soil and caught the golden snitch flying above the lawn.

"Aaron Gaius caught the Golden Snitch, scoring 150 points and ending the match," Lee Jordan announced. "The score between Gryffindor and Slytherin is now 10 to 170."

Professor Hodge blew her whistle and announced loudly, "Slytherin wins."

The cheers from the Slytherins instantly filled the entire stadium, and the professors in the stands also applauded the exciting match, although Professor McGonagall seemed a bit more dejected than the others.

It was thought that with the exceptionally talented Seeker Harry Potter, Gryffindor would finally be able to turn their fortunes around and shake off their previous slump, but unexpectedly, Slytherin also had a trump card in Aaron Gaius.

But she couldn't find a single fault with it. In the past, she could say that the other party won unfairly and often broke the rules, but this time she really couldn't console herself.

Chapter 34 Showing off comes at a price.

On the court, Aaron, holding the Golden Snitch, shared the joy of victory with the rest of the academy team.

Harry lowered his head with some guilt, not daring to look at Wood, who had placed high hopes on him.

"I'm sorry, if I could have tried a little harder just now..."

There's no need to apologize; you've already done your best.

"At least this time we're convinced," Wood comforted them. Although he was also quite disappointed, as a competent captain, he knew how to alleviate the pressure on his team members.

“That’s right.” The Weasley twins were also quite surprised. “This match is very unusual.”

The other twin brother emphasized, "It was particularly unusual that Slytherin didn't break any rules; they actually played to their potential."

“I know that. It seems to be one of the conditions Aaron was on when he joined the house team. He doesn’t allow Slytherins to break the rules during matches,” Harry said, raising his hand. This was the only valuable piece of information he had obtained.

Wood raised an eyebrow. "Looks like he really loves Quidditch, and he's quite remarkable to be able to keep six unruly players in check."

That makes sense, though. Slytherins respect the strong; if Aaron were mediocre, Marcus would never have agreed to this condition.

“That’s not all,” Angelina said. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I have.”

“What did you find?” Harry asked.

“Aaron’s finger,” Angelina pointed to Aaron not far away, “his finger is still bleeding.”

Several team members looked over at the same time and saw that blood was dripping from Aaron's right hand behind his back. They all gasped in shock.

Wood sighed and forced a smile. "Harry, to be honest, it's not shameful to lose to him."

I've never seen an eleven-year-old player do that; it must hurt a lot.

Harry nodded silently. He felt a little better knowing that no one blamed him.

......

After everyone left, Draco reluctantly returned the cat to Aaron, saying, "Aaron, you were so cool just now. That was the most beautiful victory we Slytherin have ever had, beating Gryffindor by a full 160 points."

"Right! But I'll never play like that again."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because showing off comes at a price." Aaron smiled bitterly and opened his right hand, which was already stained with blood.

"You're injured?" Draco's eyes widened.

Abe showed the same care a pet has for its owner by biting off a piece of its scarf and using it to wrap Aaron's fingers as best it could.

Then she took a candy out of her pocket and held it to Aaron's mouth with her soft, sticky paw.

This move completely stunned Draco. As the heir of the Malfoy family, he had seen all kinds of pets, but only rare magical creatures could be as sensible, loyal, and intelligent as Abel.

“Sometimes I really doubt it’s a cat,” Draco said in surprise, then looked at Aaron’s wound. “Let’s take it to the infirmary first!”

"It's nothing serious, just a scratch." Aaron rubbed Abe's head. "Although there was a little blood, no bones were broken. A simple bandage will do."

With the potion I brought, I'll be fully recovered after a couple of days of rest.

On the other side, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid walked together.

Hermione explained to Harry and Hagrid what Snape had done with the spell on the pitch, while Ron testified on the sidelines.

"Nonsense! Why would Snape cast a spell on Harry's broom?" Hagrid said, expressing disbelief. Would a professor harm his own student on the field?

Obviously not.

"Who knows, but my broom really is out of control."

Aaron also said that someone was trying to harm me, and now it seems that person is very likely Snape.

He's been hostile towards me since the first day of school; he must have some secret he's hiding.

"Haha!" Hagrid laughed loudly. "Harry, everyone has their own secrets, and so do I. I also keep a lot of pets at school."

“Pets?” Ron paused for a moment. “I suddenly remembered the three-headed dog that the three of us saw in the room on the right side of the corridor on the fourth floor of the school.”

"Have you seen Mao Mao?"

"It even has a name." Hermione was somewhat taken aback. "That monster really was your pet?"

"Of course, I bought it from an Irishman in a tavern last year, and then lent it to Dumbledore to keep watch..."

"Guard what?" Harry asked immediately.

“I can’t say.” Hagrid’s voice suddenly lowered, then he stared at the three of them with wide eyes and said sternly, “Don’t ask any more questions. This is top secret.”

In short, this has nothing to do with you; it's dangerous.

The dog was only guarding the things belonging to Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel.

“Nico Flamel?” Harry’s lips curled up slightly, as if he had discovered a new continent.

Hagrid opened his mouth, then walked towards his hut with a hint of shame, muttering to himself, "I shouldn't have said it, I really shouldn't have let it slip, I really shouldn't have let it slip..."

“I have a feeling,” Harry said, turning to Hermione and Ron. “Snape’s purpose might be related to what Moose is guarding.”

“Harry, Snape did cast a spell on your broom, but that only proves he wanted to harm you, and probably has nothing to do with what Moose is guarding,” Hermione said. “That’s too far-fetched.”

“No, there’s a connection.” Harry suddenly realized something. “The things that Moose was guarding were taken from Gringotts by Hagrid and me. Snape is a professor at the school, so he must know about this.”

Perhaps he thought I knew what was in that bag, which is why he was hostile towards me and tried to sabotage me during the competition.

I can't think of any other reason besides that. After all, I have no grudge against Snape, and he has no other reason to harm me.

Ron and Hermione exchanged bewildered glances. They had to admit that Harry's speculation was somewhat plausible, and they reluctantly began to believe it.

Does any of you know this Nicolas Flamel?

“I don’t know,” Hermione said, “but we can look it up in the library when we have some free time.”

......

The stadium was bustling with noise the next day.

Aaron left the college team after the first game, and Terence took over as Seeker.

Even so, Slytherin's strength should not be underestimated.

Because Aaron had defeated Harry Potter, Snape was in a particularly good mood and allowed him to sit on the teachers' platform to watch the game.

After all, it was the headmaster's good intention, and he couldn't very well refuse. It was still very necessary to build a good relationship with the headmaster and Potions Master at Hogwarts.

“You seem a little unhappy!” Snape asked casually.

“What do you think, Professor?” Aaron yawned as he hugged Abbe. “Not everyone enjoys watching games, especially during their afternoon nap.”

“Mr. Gaius, there may be some problems with your thinking.”

Some matches you can skip, but this one is Slytherin versus Ravenclaw. As a member of Slytherin, and the star who defeated Harry Potter yesterday, it would be a real shame not to come and cheer them on.

"Don't make it sound like I'll lose if I don't come to Slytherin. I still miss my bed in the dorm more."

"Besides, I promised you and I kept my word. We're even now. Giving up my precious nap time to watch a game with you is already giving you a lot of face," Aaron said, then met Snape's cold, sidelong glance.

Gulu!

Aaron's Adam's apple bobbed, and then he glared back.

Regardless, he couldn't afford to lose face; he knew perfectly well that Snape would never deduct points from Slytherin's grades just because he disliked him.

Gradually, both of their eyes became a little sore, until Madam Hooch blew her whistle and announced Slytherin's victory. Only then did they blink and turn their heads away at the same time.

As they were leaving, Hermione ran over and stopped Aaron.

“Miss Granger, don’t tell me you’re here to ask Professor Flitwick about spells again today.” Snape looked at Hermione coldly. He had felt something was wrong yesterday. Flitwick’s acting was obviously improvised, and his clumsy and stiff acting could not fool someone who had been acting for more than ten years.

However, he didn't have time to investigate the matter in detail at the time because it concerned Harry Potter's safety. But this time, Hermione Granger delivered herself to his door. If he didn't find a reason to deduct a few points from Gryffindor, then he would have been the head of Slytherin for nothing.

"Ahem! Miss Granger, because..."

“Hermione, you’re right on time,” Aaron suddenly said, catching Snape off guard and causing him to swallow back what he was about to say.

He stared blankly at his student, hoping he could give him an explanation.

"Um... Professor, Hermione and I have something to discuss, so I asked her to come over."

You've always been very magnanimous; you probably won't hold it against me!

Snape's lips twitched involuntarily, but he mustered his composure as the headmaster and gritted his teeth, saying, "No."

After saying those two words, Snape walked down the platform. He paused as he passed Hermione and lowered his voice, saying, "Miss Granger, I won't say I hope there won't be a next time, because there are just too many incorrigible people in Gryffindor."

What I'm trying to say is, you'd better hope that someone will cover for you next time.

Chapter 35 Snape is a good person, just not obviously so.

"Don't be silly, Professor Snape is already gone." Aaron looked at Hermione, who was standing there in a daze, and found it somewhat amusing. "What did you need me for?"

“Oh right, I almost forgot,” Hermione said suddenly. “Come with me first. This is the Quidditch pitch, not a place to talk.”

"So mysterious." Aaron shrugged, picked up Abe who was slumped over the seat, and followed.

The two began to walk along the campus, gradually moving to a less crowded area.

"That's enough! We'll reach the restroom soon if we walk any further."

Even if it's a date, let's find a decent place!

Hermione blushed. "Who wants to go on a date with you?"