Chapter 20
Not long after Halloween, the Quidditch House Cup for Harry Potter's first semester began.
Although the weather was still cold, the students' enthusiasm was enough to withstand the biting wind, especially the Quidditch players.
"Today's match features Gryffindor and Slytherin, and the players from both teams have taken to the field."
With the commentary, the Quidditch players flew out on their broomsticks, first circling the pitch and then forming a circle in mid-air.
Madam Hooch appeared carrying a box; she was the referee for the Quidditch match and also the flying instructor.
"I hope this is a fair match; everyone must adhere to the rules," Madam Hooch said as she kicked the box.
"The Bludgers are in the air, and next up is the Golden Snitch. Remember! Catching the Golden Snitch earns 150 points, and once the Seeker catches it, the match ends."
After the Golden Snitch flew away in an instant, Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle high into the air, signaling the start of the match.
Regulus attitude towards Quidditch was like the words he used to silence Snape earlier.
Quidditch was a savage, brutal, and injury-prone sport, not suitable for noble activities.
Therefore, when Snape invited him, Regulus initially refused. However, under Snape's persistent requests and even threats, Regulus had no choice but to accompany him to watch the match—or rather, to endure the cold wind.
Regulus knew that Snape's insistence on having him accompany was mostly for the protection of the Philosopher's Stone, which was indeed a burden for him. He originally only needed to keep an eye on Quirrell, but now he also had to include himself as an assistant.
The refreshing cold wind brushed against his face as Regulus looked around in boredom. Many students around him hadn't used warming charms, and a lot of them were bundled up like zombies. They didn't consider that the two teams flying above were dressed much lighter than they were! Had they never thought about the reasons behind this?
From the attire of the four students, it was evident that Slytherin and Ravenclaw had mostly used warming charms, while some warming clothing was just for show. The Hufflepuff students were about halfway there, but only Gryffindor students were bundled up like bears. Although they bore the name of the lion house, their essence was that of rowdy children.
Their guardian nearby was the half-giant Hagrid, making the area look like a bear den!
As the two teams exchanged plays, Regulus was internally mocking them when it seemed that Gryffindor was leading in points.
Then! Their captain, Wood, was knocked down by a Bludger from the opposing team, which was definitely a heavy blow; he had lost consciousness and was in a coma.
Oh! What a unfortunate kid, but Regulus still admired this Quidditch captain.
"I'll go check on that kid! I hope he's not seriously hurt."
Regulus Black seized this good opportunity; there was no reason not to use this incident as an excuse to leave!
Leaving the professor's area, Regulus did not immediately go to visit the injured player; after all, that was Madam Pomfrey's domain, and the reputation of Hogwarts' three great witches was no joke.
In the sky, Harry Potter experienced the thrill of galloping; his beloved Nimbus 2000 had turned into a wild horse, completely out of control, bouncing up and down and swaying side to side, freely performing somersaults.
Everyone had just been drawn to Wood's exit when their attention was once again captured by Harry Potter's unusual antics. No one saw how it happened; curses were definitely being cast, and many protective spells were also being uttered.
If one were to find a suitable analogy for this situation, it would be the stability training of astronauts; not only was the main character in the chair trying to stabilize the roll, but everyone else was also attempting to stabilize it, resulting in an even more unexpected roll.
In fact, at this moment, even if Quirrell stopped casting curses, Harry Potter would continue to roll thanks to the help of a group of well-meaning people.
Regulus maliciously glanced at the ground of the playing field; sure enough, the layered protective effects had transformed the entire surface to resemble granite. May Merlin bless Harry Potter.
"What on earth is going on? Who will help Harry?"
Ron saw that his friend was clearly in trouble, but all he could do was anxiously wait below.
"Clearly, someone is casting a curse on Harry."
Although Hermione didn't want to pay attention to the foolish Ron, as a classmate, she still felt obliged to share her findings.
Handing the telescope to Ron, Hermione pointed to one of the professor's seats across the way, where Snape was intently staring at the sky, mumbling something with a tense expression.
"I got it! That old bat is cursing Harry Potter; we have to do something."
Ron looked at Hermione as if to say, "What are you still doing here?" with a disapproving expression.
Hermione really wanted to pull out her wand and cast a spell on Ron, but with Harry still in danger above, Ron was just a waste of space; facing the reality, Hermione had to solve the problem herself.
Running quickly, Hermione reached Snape's seat and was just about to set the bat cloak on fire when she was grabbed by a pair of arms.
"Good kids shouldn't do bad things!"
Releasing the pleasantly feeling little girl, Regulus shook his finger.
"Professor Snape is cursing Harry Potter."
Hermione hadn't wanted to be discovered; even coming to roast the bat was intended as a quick getaway. Now that she had been caught in the act, she had to share her findings in hopes that the teaching assistant could help her.
"As far as I know, Professor Snape has no reason to harm Harry Potter."
Regulus expressed disbelief in her words.
"But I saw Snape casting a spell with my own eyes."
Little Hermione also stated that she didn't believe the other's judgment.
"If that's the case, let's listen together."
Regulus waved his wand and used a spell with the opposite effect of 'surditas,' called 'acrem auditum .'
The two were underneath the professors' seats, where they couldn't see anything, and even if they could see through, the first thing they'd notice would be someone's backside.
However, they could hear everything clearly; they could even discern who was saying what within the entire seating area of the professors.
Indeed, someone was casting a curse, but it was definitely not Professor Snape, because Snape was casting protective spells; two others were also casting protective spells, meaning Hermione had indeed targeted the wrong person.
"Who is casting the curse?"
Hermione was sure she had never heard that voice before and could only turn to the teaching assistant beside her.
"Who it is doesn't matter right now."
Regulus pulled out his wand and struck the column beneath Quirrell hard, breaking it.
The seats above immediately became unstable, and after a tremor, everyone was affected; both Quirrell and Snape had to stop their curses and protective spells.
Harry Potter went from being dangerously tossed around to safely rolling, landing on a solid protective spell, but he broke his left arm.
"Slytherin has captured the Golden Snitch, the game is over!"
In this Quidditch Cup, Gryffindor lost the match at the cost of their injured captain and seeker, with Slytherin emerging victorious, but Dean Snape seemed anything but pleased.
"It's all your fault that Harry Potter fell."
"It's not like I cursed him, and the one casting the curse isn't Professor Snape."
"Why don't you just join Slytherin already!"
Facing an unreasonable brat, Hermione felt deeply rejected, her tears uncontrollably welling up as she wanted to cry. However, maybe this time she could seek comfort from the teaching assistant; he would surely understand her.