Chapitre 69: Confinement and the Stadium
When Anthony informed Harry and Ron of their detention, which involved cleaning the Muggle Studies classroom alongside Pansy Parkinson from Slytherin, their expressions reminded him of Mrs. Norris sniffing out Quirinus Quirrell.
"Hermione is going to die laughing," Ron muttered, "Parkinson!"
But this time it was their own choice. Anthony had initially scheduled the detention during the day, but Harry, citing Quidditch practice and classes, requested an evening slot. Ron grumbled but chose to accompany Harry in solidarity.
The initial meeting between the trio was frosty, filled with glares and thinly veiled hostility. Even under detention, Pansy proudly declared that the Quidditch Cup and the House Cup would belong to Slytherin this year – as they had for many years past.
Pansy mocked Harry's solitude and Ron's family's financial struggles, provoking retaliatory insults about her intelligence and appearance. Without a professor present, "students cleaning the classroom" could have easily escalated into "elves repairing the classroom."
If Anthony hadn't been overseeing the detention, he would have called it an entertaining spectacle. Pansy's rag "accidentally" landed on Ron's head ("Oh, I didn't see you there."), and Harry, unable to carry a full bucket of water, doused Pansy's socks ("Oh, I didn't see you either. It's too heavy, Professor."). Ron, while sweeping, knocked over a table and, in his haste to catch it, flung his broom directly at Pansy ("Oops! Sorry, Parkinson, didn't see you.").
However, Harry seemed surprisingly adept at cleaning tasks. When Ron struggled to sweep up dust clinging to the floor, Harry expertly took over, effortlessly pushing the debris to a dry area, as if he had practiced countless times.
When Anthony announced there was only half an hour remaining, the trio silently picked up the pace. From the start, he had divided the tasks: Pansy was to clean the blackboard and windowsill, Ron the floor, and Harry the tables. None of them wanted to be responsible for any remaining mess, so they focused on their own tasks, oblivious to the chaos they caused for each other.
Truth be told, there hadn't been much to clean initially – the house elves did a thorough job – but after their war with cleaning tools, the classroom was strewn with broken chalk bits, broom handles, and mop strands that had mysteriously detached. Chalkdust coated the blackboard, and dead leaves from the windowsill littered the floor.
To Anthony's surprise, half an hour later, the classroom was spotless again, as if the three students had never been there. Their potential for cooperation was astonishing. Harry even picked up Pansy's rag when she dropped it, and Pansy silently moved out of Ron's way as he swept, careful not to impede him with her squeaky, wet shoes.
Finding no fault, Anthony dismissed the three, declaring their detention complete. Harry and Ron left with expressions of relief, while Pansy followed, grimly aware that she faced a week of solitary confinement.
...
Saturday arrived in the blink of an eye. The Quidditch pitch was packed, and the sun shone high in the sky. To accommodate Dumbledore's schedule, the match had been moved to the afternoon.
Anthony sat beside Professor Flitwick. Ravenclaw students were far less enthusiastic about Quidditch than Gryffindors. With no Ravenclaw match today, most of them remained in the castle, each occupied with their own activities, content to wait for the final score.
He had assumed Slytherin would be the same, but the stands were filled with Slytherin students as well. They clearly wanted Gryffindor to lose and weren't shy about supporting Hufflepuff to achieve that goal. Their silver and green attire made them easily distinguishable from the other houses – they never liked sitting with anyone else.
"Wait – is that Snape?" Anthony asked, pointing to the figure holding a broom beside Madam Hooch.
"Yes, he's refereeing today's match," Professor Flitwick replied. His tone suggested that Hufflepuff was destined to win.
Anthony doubted he'd ever witness a fair Quidditch match again. It was quite a hindrance to his understanding of the sport. Glancing around, he realized that many people weren't there to watch the game at all. They were there for the spectacle.
"Snape blows his whistle – alright, Professor Snape – and we're off!" Lee Jordan's voice boomed through the stadium. "Hufflepuff takes early possession of the Quaffle and makes a run for it, dodging and weaving. Very exciting – brilliant! The Weasley twins knock a Bludger to regain control – the Quaffle is now in the hands of Alicia Spinnet, well done to the newest member of the Gryffindor team – hold on, why has the whistle blown?"
Snape signaled a Gryffindor foul and awarded Hufflepuff a penalty. Wood glared at Snape but raised his hands, signaling his players to respect the referee's decision.
Two minutes later, Snape awarded another penalty to Hufflepuff, this time for no apparent reason. Even the Hufflepuff students looked disgruntled. Anthony heard whispers among them: "That's ridiculous." "Completely unfair." The Hufflepuff captain looked at Wood questioningly. Wood took a deep breath and nodded, and the Hufflepuff team continued to play despite their captain's protest.
Slytherin was in high spirits as if they were the ones receiving the unwarranted favoritism. If not for the yellow uniforms on the players, Anthony would have thought he was watching the third Gryffindor-Slytherin match of the season.
Gryffindor's Seeker, Harry Potter, hovered above the pitch. Anthony kept half his attention on him – with Dumbledore present, he was confident that if Potter's broom went rogue, the Headmaster could intervene swiftly and effectively. But he couldn't help but be captivated by the unfolding drama on the field.
Suddenly, Harry leaned forward, and his broom shot off like a meteor – Anthony started and stood up – but the Gryffindor Seeker expertly controlled his broom, his lips pressed together, determination shining in his emerald eyes. He was heading straight for Snape – not to tackle the referee, but because the smallest player in the match had caught the Golden Snitch and was holding it aloft.
Cheers erupted from the crowd. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and even Hufflepuff applauded. The Hufflepuff captain circled in the air, then descended his broom with a grin, giving a thumbs-up to an ecstatic Wood.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone