HP: She married Malfoy after becoming an exchange student.

The new Quidditch season has begun, and it's still Slytherin versus Gryffindor.

The sky on the day of the final was a cold, washed-out gray, with heavy clouds pressing down on the edges of the stands' roof. The wind was strong, whipping the Slytherin silver-green flags around with a muffled rustling sound.

High in the stands, Lucius Malfoy stood ramrod straight, his impeccably tailored black robe motionless, exuding elegance and nobility.

Draco stepped forward, his brand-new Quidditch uniform gleaming with a dark green sheen.

Lucius's gray eyes lingered on his son for a moment, then he nodded slightly and said in a calm voice, "Show the results of your training, Draco. Malfoy's honor is with you." His gaze then turned to the field, lingering for a moment on the dazzling red of the Gryffindor stands, the meaning of which was self-evident—especially when the opponent was Potter.

"Yes, Father." Draco raised his chin even higher.

He turned around and found Elias at the noisy entrance.

The place was bustling with noise, a cacophony of cheers and boos.

Elias leaned against the stone wall of the archway, his tall and slender figure causing the noisy crowd to automatically avoid his small area. Draco walked straight over, the broom handle burning hot in his hand.

"Wait," Draco's gray eyes blazed with burning passion. "I'm bringing the Golden Snitch back, in front of everyone!"

Elias looked at him, said nothing, but raised an eyebrow very slightly. Then, he casually turned up the collar of Draco's jersey, which had been slightly tucked in due to his haste, and smoothed it out.

His movements were natural; once he finished, he withdrew his hand and put it back in his pocket.

"Go," he said.

-

The battle raged fiercely in the air above the arena.

Slytherins used their broomstick advantage to gain the upper hand, but Gryffindor fought fiercely. Harry and Draco narrowly missed each other several times in the air, each able to see the undisguised hostility and determination in the other's eyes.

Every interception or pass elicited a tsunami of cheers from their own stands and deafening boos from the opposing team. Ron Weasley yelled and screamed from his Gryffindor goalie position, while Neville was so excited he almost fell off the stand.

The decisive moment came suddenly.

The Golden Snitch flashed near the Slytherin goalpost. Harry and Draco, like two cannonballs launched from a gun, simultaneously swooped down with terrifying speed!

The wind howled sharply in my ears, and the ground rushed rapidly into view. The two brooms were neck and neck; either could grab one, and either could crash into the ground first.

The wind was so strong that Draco could barely open his eyes; all he could hear was the roar of his own blood rushing to his ears and the creaking of the broom under its strain. He could see the golden-red shadow beside him; Harry's arm was outstretched, his fingertips almost touching the Golden Snitch.

I cannot lose.

This thought overwhelmed everything. Draco suddenly pressed his body down another inch, his right hand gripping the broom handle tightly, while his left hand, trembling violently, instinctively pressed hard against his chest. The mithril box pressed against his skin instantly became scalding hot.

In my field of vision, the texture of the grass on the green field magnified rapidly, becoming frighteningly clear.

Just as the impact seemed inevitable, Draco closed his eyes, and a name silently exploded in his mind.

"Elijas!"

The swirling wind, the terrified screams that nearly blew the roof off the entire venue, and Harry Potter's astonished face so close to his—all vanished in an instant.

Space underwent a momentary distortion and deformation.

Then came the tangible sensation of touch. Draco stumbled into an embrace, the force of his fall gently absorbed and neutralized. The noise vanished instantly, separated by an invisible membrane; all he could hear was his own rapid heartbeat and another steady breath close at hand.

Draco looked up, his gaze flickering and focusing. First, he saw the wooden railing at the edge of the stands, then Elias's lowered eyes—he had been teleported directly into Elias's arms!

Those silver-gray pupils clearly reflected Draco's pale, sweaty face, and... his pupils constricted in fear.

Elias hadn't loosened his grip on Draco's arm yet, and with his other hand, he raised it very naturally, wiping the sweat from Draco's forehead with his fingertips.

"Did you catch him?" he asked, his gaze falling on Draco's tightly clenched left hand.

Draco froze, then slowly and somewhat stiffly loosened his fingers. A small creature fluttered its wings, trying to escape—it was the Golden Snitch.

Below the stands, the referee's whistle blew sharply, accompanied by commentator Lee Jordan's distorted shouts: "Merlin! The Golden Snitch—it's not on the field! It vanished with Malfoy! No… wait! It's in the Slytherin stands! Draco Malfoy caught the Snitch! In a way… we've never seen anything like it!"

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

Pansy and the others sitting behind the stands were too shocked to speak—Merlin, what on earth are Draco and Elias doing?! Sitting on each other in public like that!

The other young wizards, unaware of what had happened, were utterly horrified, their bodies seemingly melting into the air. This had never happened before since Hogwarts was founded!

The most bewildered of all was Harry Potter. He was still hovering on his broom, staring wide-eyed at Malfoy, who had just been competing against him on the field, when in the blink of an eye he appeared in the Slytherin audience, embracing the German.

The professors were the first to react, hurrying towards the audience, their robes billowing and rustling behind them.

Professor Snape, leading the group, looked even more somber than usual, his lips pressed into a stern line. Professor McGonagall followed closely behind, shock and professional scrutiny flashing alternately behind her glasses. Professor Flitwick, on the other hand, seemed more curious than reproachful, his sharp gaze sweeping over Draco.

The commotion in the stands subsided into a low murmur as the professors approached. Lucius Malfoy had risen, his cane gripped tightly, his expression inscrutable as he gazed down below.

Draco was still leaning against Elias, holding the struggling Golden Snitch and the slightly warm mithril box in his hands, somewhat bewildered as he met the gazes of the entire audience.

Seeing that Draco hadn't gotten down from Elias's arms, Snape's face twitched, and he spoke first: "Mr. Malfoy, please explain, Apparate is forbidden at Hogwarts." His sharp gaze pierced Draco's bewildered face.

Draco's Adam's apple bobbed as he tried to organize his thoughts. Elias, who was being cushioned, remained completely unperturbed, calmly patting Draco's buttocks to signal him to get down.

Draco realized his inappropriate behavior and blushed slightly. He quickly climbed off Elias and stood obediently to the side.

Snape watched the two interact, his face beginning to darken.

Elias, ever the astute judge, explained, "It's not Appamination, Professor. Please allow me to clarify, it's simply the most basic survival mechanism of an alchemical artifact."

Elias pointed to the small box in Draco's hand. "It's programmed to only passively trigger a one-time short-range coordinate fold when the wearer is about to experience an irreversible, fatal impact, forcibly sending them to the nearest preset safe point—which is here. The entire process is completed by the device; Draco himself has no control over the start, process, or landing point."

Elias then looked at Professor McGonagall and Mrs. Hodge, his tone certain: "Its only purpose was to 'move' Draco off the ground just before the impact. The alchemy device didn't add any speed to him, didn't extend his arm by an inch, and didn't interfere with any ball or opponent. The fact that he caught the Golden Snitch was entirely due to Draco's own judgment."

Professor Flitwick peered curiously in: "That legendary advanced application..."

"That would require Draco to possess a level of magical control and connection far exceeding his current strength," Elias shook his head slightly, his tone frank. "Right now, this is just a charm that has exhausted its energy. That's all."

Based on this, Mrs. Fokke declared the capture valid.

Amidst the cheers of Slytherin's victory, Professor Snape gave Elias a deep look, said nothing more, flicked his black robes, and tacitly approved of the result. Lucius, watching from the stands, also wore a satisfied smile.

This time, the championship belongs to Slytherin.