Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 197 The Darkest Day for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team

"I've got a great idea!"

After a DA gathering, Hermione stopped Harry and Ron, who were trying to sneak back to their dorm, and took a gold coin out of her pocket and handed it to them.

"Oh my god! Hermione, is this really for me?" Ron snatched the gold coin and played with it in his hand, his face full of excitement.

"This isn't a real gold coin, Ron," Hermione said, handing Harry another one and saying, "Look at the numbers on the edge of the coin..."

"The real Galleon here is just a number, but I used a transformation charm on it, so it can be changed. Once you've determined the time of the gathering, just change the number."

"The coins get warm when the numbers change, and you can definitely feel it when you put them in your pocket."

"This is fantastic!" Harry exclaimed, clearly delighted. "I've always felt it was too much trouble and unsafe for the three of us to be the ones notifying everyone about every gathering. You've been a huge help!"

"It's not over yet, Harry." Hermione smiled, a rare occurrence, and pulled out another stack of parchment. "I think everyone who participates in the DA needs to sign this contract. I've placed a curse on it: if you reveal the secrets of the DA, you'll be covered in goosebumps..."

"On your face too?" Ron asked.

"It's on your face too!" Hermione nodded, then, seeing Harry's troubled expression, explained, "Harry, like you, we both believe no one has been exposed. Being a traitor is just a precaution..."

"Okay..." Harry thought for a moment and finally agreed, "Then we'll distribute these to everyone at the next gathering."

At the gathering a few days later, when Hermione distributed the parchment and gold coins to everyone, she received unanimous praise, and no one questioned the signing of the contract; everyone was very open-minded.

It's quite surprising how skilled Hermione is with magic. The Transmutation Charm on the coin is NEWT's level, and for her to be able to do that in fifth grade is truly remarkable.

However, Stuart and his group were not among those who were amazed; they had seen far better people, and to that person, these were merely second-year level.

After collecting their coins, the training began. Everyone was self-disciplined, finding their spots and casting spells at the targets.

Even Hermione was meticulous. Although she was the best trained of them all, the gap between her and the second best was not significant.

After the assembly ended, Harry organized one more before pausing, as he needed to focus his energy on the match against Slytherin. The new captain, Angelina, was very responsible, scheduling training almost every day, filling his schedule with activity, leaving Harry with virtually no free time.

Last year there were no Quidditch matches all year, and everyone was itching to play, especially the classic Lions vs. Snakes match, which no one wanted to miss. This undoubtedly put even more pressure on Gryffindor, which had undergone significant personnel changes.

Harry, in particular, felt even more nervous every time he saw Ron's performance during training, as the newly appointed goalkeeper was Ron. The game proved this to be true.

From the start, Ron was visibly nervous; his movements were stiff, and his reactions were always a beat slow. Gryffindor quickly fell behind by 30 points.

Harry was very anxious. He knew he had to catch the Golden Snitch as soon as possible, or the scene from the Quidditch World Cup final would repeat itself—the team that caught the Golden Snitch would ultimately lose the game.

Fortunately, Harry succeeded; he caught the Golden Snitch before Malfoy could, and Gryffindor emerged victorious.

However, this victory did not make Harry happy. Crabbe's final Quake hit him hard, sending him sprawling to the ground. Afterwards, Malfoy made a vicious taunt at the two of them, which made Harry furious. Without thinking, he swung his fist, and the twins beside him pounced on him as well.

Although it was quickly stopped, they paid a heavy price for it—they were banned again, this time for life.

It was clearly Umbridge's doing; she barged in while Professor McGonagall was disciplining Harry and the twins. Because of Education Decree No. 25, even if Professor McGonagall was unwilling, she couldn't change the fact that the three were suspended from competition.

This incident further fueled Harry's dislike for Umbridge.

After leaving Professor McGonagall's office, they returned to the common room. The news instantly silenced the cheering crowd; everyone looked as if the sky had fallen, especially Angelina.

"This is a dream, this must be a dream..." Angelina stood up from the sofa, disoriented, and was helped back to her dormitory by her roommate.

The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only Hermione with Harry. The two sat by the fireplace, warming themselves, without exchanging a single word.

With a creak, the door opened, and Ron returned, looking dejected. He had quietly left alone after the game and only returned now, still wearing his team uniform.

"Where did you go?" Harry asked.

"Let's go for a walk," Ron muttered, head down, as he sat down in the chair furthest from Harry. After a moment, he said softly, "I'm sorry, Harry, I'll go talk to Angelina first thing tomorrow morning and ask to leave the group. I'm just too..."

"If you leave the team, there will only be three of us left!" Harry said irritably. "Fred, George, and I are suspended!"

Harry recounted what had happened, which only made Ron more distressed, and he kept apologizing. Harry, seeing this, became somewhat annoyed and began to argue with Ron. As they talked, they started to quarrel.

"That's enough! Can't you stop?" Harry suddenly exploded. "Things are bad enough already, and your self-blame won't make things better!"

Ron kept his head down, staring blankly at his toes, not knowing what to say. Harry also clutched his head in anguish and slumped onto the sofa.

The lounge fell silent for a moment, no one speaking. Hermione, who had quietly slipped to the window, coughed lightly to draw their attention, and calmly said, "Alright, let's not think about this anymore. We can talk about something happy. I have some news that I think will cheer you up."

"I don't think there's any news that can make me happy..." Ron looked up, still looking dejected.

Hearing this, Harry glared at Ron before turning to Hermione by the window and saying, "Well, I think we do need some good news right now. What is it, Hermione?"

Hermione smiled and pointed out the window, saying, "Hagrid is back; the lights are on in his cabin."

Suddenly, Harry and Ron rushed to the window and looked at the little house in the distance, where the lights had been turned on at some point. Smiles returned to their faces.

"Let's go find him!" Harry exclaimed excitedly. "Five minutes! We'll meet here again in five minutes!"

"Okay, five minutes." Hermione nodded and smiled.

very nice.

(End of this chapter)