From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

What a Quidditch madman.

Wood's passionate voice was almost on par with Professor Binns, who taught the history of magic, and perhaps even better at getting Harry to sleep.

“…That’s about it!” Wood tapped the diagram with his wand, and Harry sat bolt upright. “Do you have any questions?”

One of the Weasley twins raised his hand: "Oliver, why didn't you tell us when we were all awake?" Wood was not happy.

“Although everyone says,” Wood said grimly, “we lost bravely last year, I know nobody really wants to see Slytherin lift the Quidditch Cup again. Besides, I have a rumor that Slytherin’s coach from last year, that freshman Ivy Doom, is going to play in OWLs this year!”

"He's only in first grade! That can't be!" Fred exclaimed in surprise.

Aria Spinnet and her good friend Angelina Johnson also started discussing it.

"Whatever method he used, Professor McGonagall told me this herself!" Wood raised his voice, stopping the team's discussion. "This means that our biggest enemy this year, Slytherin, is missing a crucial piece of the puzzle!"

No wonder I haven't seen Ivy for several days; it turns out he's been preparing for OWLs.

Harry recalled the stories Ivy had told him last year about how he had been attending Hogwarts over a hundred years ago while simultaneously stopping a goblin rebellion.

At that time, Ivy said he was a fifth-grade student with the right to attend classes freely. He often wandered through various corners of the Forbidden Forest, rescuing one magical creature after another from the hands of illegal poachers. However, he was sealed in a crystal just before the OWLs exam.

Over a hundred years have passed, and the content of the OWLs exams must have changed significantly. Although he has only been in the wizarding world for a little over a year, Harry already understands the importance of obtaining OWLs certificates, because Percy of the Weasley family has twelve in total! Even Fred and George, who don't usually care much about grades, feel that they must get enough certificates.

May God bless me... no, I'm a wizard now.

Harry thought to himself.

May Merlin bless Ivy.

He felt somewhat disappointed, yet also a sense of relief.

“We have a chance!” Oliver Wood coaxed patiently. “Everyone knows what Slytherins are like. They always wear their arrogance on their sleeves. Winning the Quidditch Cup last year will only make them complacent and neglect their training. Just think about their expressions after they lost the match!”

Which Gryffindor doesn't have a few Slytherin rivals?

These teenagers, still in their adolescence, were immediately swayed by Wood's persuasive words.

"Let's go all out!" Wood waved his arm, and everyone immediately set off for the Quidditch pitch with renewed vigor. Although they hadn't had breakfast yet, courage had become their spiritual sustenance.

"Good morning! The famous Scarhead Potter!" They were greeted not by sunshine or morning breeze, but by Slytherin Quidditch players riding on broomsticks.

Harry stared in astonishment at Malfoy sitting atop a gleaming Nimbus 2001, barely able to speak.

"Ivy isn't playing this year, so I volunteered to teach you a lesson!" Malfoy announced triumphantly.

"I hope your ball skills don't smell as bad as your body odor," Harry retorted instinctively.

Malfoy landed on the ground with a livid face, and the other Slytherin players also stopped.

"What's going on, Malfoy?" Marcus Flint asked.

"Someone has broken into the Quidditch pitch!" Malfoy shouted.

"Break in?" Wood roared. "This is our training time! We got up especially early! You'd better get out now!"

"Your training time?" Flint, who looked like a giant, landed on the ground. "Why do I think you guys are the ones who arrived later?"

“We just went to the locker room to discuss tactics!” Wood retorted, arguing back against Flint. “So you shamelessly stole our court!”

“We have permission,” Flint said with a sly smile. “Professor Snape’s note. I, Severus—Professor Snape, grant Slytherin permission to enter the Quidditch pitch to train their new Seeker. So, where’s your note?”

Clearly, Wood didn't have the habit of asking Professor McGonagall for a note. His chest heaved violently; he was utterly furious.

“This place is huge, Captain Wood,” Flint deliberately drew out his words. “The generous Slytherin team is willing to give you Gryffindor half of the Quidditch pitch, just like they shared the House Cup. Shouldn’t you say thank you?”

The laughter of the Slytherin players echoed throughout the stadium, and the other five monstrous-sized players also descended from the air, eyeing the Gryffindor players with ill intent.

"Don't fall for it, Wood!" Angelina warned in a worried whisper. "He's trying to spy on your tactics!"

“Oh! If you need to consider tactical secrecy, then I’m afraid we’ll have to enjoy this open space all to ourselves.” Flint’s smile grew wider, and Wood became increasingly angry.

He roared angrily and slammed his head into Flint's chin.

However, Flint just grinned and started fighting with Wood.

“Fred! George! Help!” Angelina screamed.

“But we promised Professor McGonagall we wouldn’t deduct any points from Gryffindor!” Fred shouted as well.

"Broom!" George pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at the other Slytherin members, instantly filling the air with a foul stench.

Before they could react, George mounted his Sweeping Seven Stars No. 5 and soared into the sky: "Come and chase me, you idiots!"

"Well done!" Fred yelled to his brother, then mounted his broomstick. "Go tell Professor McGonagall! Harry!"

Although Harry didn't want to be a deserter, a comparison of the two sides' strengths made it clear that they were no match for six Slytherin trolls, not to mention that these trolls had been trained by Ivy.

“You’re really good at escaping, Scarface!” Malfoy followed on his Nimbus 2001.

Harry ignored him and rode his broom into the castle courtyard.

Fortunately, the professors had just finished breakfast and were preparing to take a walk in Professor Sprout's newly opened fourth greenhouse to get some fresh air.

“Mr. Potter, what’s going on…” Before Professor McGonagall could even get angry, Harry jumped off the broom.

"Wood and Flint are fighting! Right here on the Quidditch pitch!" Harry said.

"They started it!" Malfoy shouted at the professors, and Harry then noticed Snape in the crowd.

“I can handle this!” Lockhart, who looked like a blue peacock, exclaimed. “It’s just a minor student dispute; all it takes is a simple smile…”

“Thank you, Professor Lockhart. But I’m afraid Severus and I are the deans.” Professor McGonagall said impatiently, pursing her lips.

"Excuse me, Severus," Professor McGonagall said, turning back after taking a few steps. Professor Snape gave Harry a sinister smile and floated after the vice-principal.

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Harry sat on the steps outside Professor McGonagall's office, head bowed, and sighed dejectedly. Because the report was timely, he didn't have to go in and face the criticism, but he would have preferred to stay inside himself.

The semester has only just begun, but Harry seems to have already struck it a rough patch with bad luck.

Harry felt his hands were wet, as if something sticky was sliding across them.

He looked up and saw a dark shadow squatting in front of him.

Harry was startled and adjusted his glasses, only then realizing that the dark figure in front of him was a large black dog. It had not a single stray hair on its body, and its two bright black eyes were staring straight at Harry.

Seeing that Harry didn't move, the big black dog touched his hand with its wet nose again.

Harry carefully stroked the big black dog's fur and asked, "I've never seen you at Hogwarts. Who is your owner?"

The big black dog obediently moved closer and buried its head in Harry's chest. Its warm breath tickled Harry, making him laugh out loud.

"Good boy." Harry scratched the black dog's ear, then patted himself down for a while, finally realizing, amidst the rumbling of his stomach, that he hadn't eaten anything since he woke up.

“When my friends come out, let’s go to the dining hall together, okay?” Harry asked.

"Harry?" a voice called from behind. Harry turned around and saw Hermione. "Who are you talking to?"

“A dog,” Harry said lightly. Gryffindor didn’t deduct any points for him today, which gave him a lot more confidence when facing Hermione.

"Dogs are not allowed at school." Hermione frowned and began reciting the school rules again.

She came trotting down the stairs and stood in front of Harry: "Where's that dog you were talking about...?"

Harry looked around the corridor for a while but didn't see anything.

Chapter 169 Snake

"Harry foresaw something ominous?" Ivy raised an eyebrow. "Who told you that?"

That day, he was in the library using Scholar's Touch to read through the forbidden books section of Hogwarts when Hermione mysteriously found him and described to him what Harry had seen and heard that day.

Ivy's first thought was that Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban.

As is widely known, his Animagus form is a large black dog. In the original story, when Harry was in his third year, he was in his Animagus form, facing his godson across the street.

However, the Weasleys didn't win the Galleon Prize from the Daily Prophet, and therefore didn't make the front page. Not to mention, Sirius seeing the Weasleys' picture in Azkaban was pure coincidence. If Fudge hadn't impulsively gone to Azkaban, Sirius wouldn't have gotten that newspaper from him, nor would he have discovered that Peter Pettigrew was still alive.

This coincidence could very well be disrupted by the slightest variable. If Fudge had arrived in Azkaban a day earlier or later due to work, the headline of the newspaper in his hand might not have been the Weasley family winning the lottery.

Or perhaps due to the butterfly effect caused by Ivy, the Weasleys never actually won the lottery.

Moreover, this butterfly effect has already begun to affect the magical world. Because Lucius gave Tom's diary to Ivy, he himself did not plot to use it to open the Chamber of Secrets, and therefore Dobby did not betray the Malfoy family.

Ivy has now seen the butterfly effect of losing the diary. Harry wasn't bothered by Dobby during the summer vacation, was able to receive letters from his friends, and Ron even took him to the Weasleys' Burrow the day before Harry's birthday. Then, when school started, the two were able to attend classes normally, without crashing into the Whomping Willow in their flying car.

From this perspective, the main storyline for this year has completely disappeared.

With that in mind, Ivy suddenly decided to immediately enter the secret chamber to check on the basilisk. If possible, she would try to keep it asleep.

“Fred and George told me,” Hermione whispered, sitting across from him. “They both chose Divination, and according to the Divination professor, ‘Ominous’ is a famous omen; whoever sees it will die a violent death soon!”

"So you came to the library to..." Ivy wasn't quite sure what Hermione wanted to do.

“To find information about ‘ominous’!” Ivy glanced at the books Hermione had stacked in front of her: “Ominous Signs: What to Do When You Know Doom Is Coming,” “Seeing the Future Through the Fog,” and “Tyco Dodonus’s Predictions.”

The cover image of "Death Omen" features a large black dog, which is the spirit of the dog that wizards have encountered, also known as "ominous".

“Perhaps Harry really did see a black dog, and not some ‘ominous’ thing.” Ivy shook her head. “Good luck, Hermione, I have other things to do.”

Hermione watched in astonishment as Ivy got up and left the library. In her mind, Ivy had always been a wise and shrewd character, and she had come to him hoping to get some help.

But Hermione didn't expect Ivy to leave like that: "Well... now I know that dealing with OWLs is not an easy thing."

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