章 206: 0205 Chill
The opening match of the annual Quidditch competition was about to begin, but the weather was still dreadful. Dark, layered clouds flashed with frightening lightning from time to time, and the rain poured down like a waterfall, soaking the ground and creating puddles. However, the wind was much weaker than yesterday, which was a relief. If it was as strong as before, even Hagrid, the half-giant gamekeeper, riding a flying broom would be blown into the Black Lake.
Despite the storm, the young wizards from the four houses - Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff - gathered together in groups of twos and threes, holding umbrellas, and rushing to the stadium against the wind. They wanted to grab a good position to watch the game, between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Their heated discussions about the players, the tactics, and the odds almost drowned out the howling wind and rain.
Wood, the captain of the Gryffindor team, was anxious all night. He got up early and went to the hospital wing to check on Harry, who had an 'accident' in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class yesterday. He also brought him some porridge and sausage for breakfast, but he couldn't eat a bite himself. He was too nervous about the game, which could determine the fate of the Quidditch Cup.
When Wood walked into the hospital wing, He was relieved to see Harry, who was already wearing a bright red uniform and moving his limbs.
"I was thinking last night," Wood handed Harry the breakfast and said, "If you can't play today, I'll rush into Professor Watson's office and hex him."
Harry had finally defeated Slytherin yesterday, and he was in a good mood. He smiled and said,
"Wood, don't be silly. Even if you drag us all up, Professor Watson will alone beat us. I wonder if he will go to watch our game."
"I hope he doesn't." Wood said sullenly. "I've found out that no good things will happen wherever he appears."
In fact, Bryan, had no intention of watching the game. He had been in the Wizarding world for so long, but he didn't have much interest in this sport that was popular throughout the Wizarding world. It was not because he was not good at flying brooms. In fact, Bryan, who had been traveling around for years, could fly a broom faster than anyone else in his team. During the mission, if the journey was far, he would usually use flying brooms and apparition alternately on the road.
Squeak– Bryan pushed open the door of his office and stopped at the door. He glanced at the wall where the crowds were gathering outside the castle, and after finding nothing unusual, he walked slowly to the camp bed in the room. He looked at Remus, who was lying on the bed, pale and sickly.. He curled his lips and put the plate with sausage and bread on the floor under the edge of the bed and said,
"Here, have breakfast."
"Bryan–" Looking at the mischievous Bryan, Remus smiled weakly. "I ate on the ground yesterday because I was a werewolf then, but that doesn't mean I like to do that."
"Oh!" Bryan scratched his head pretending to realize. "Sorry, I forgot about that!"
'I believe you!'
Remus struggled to sit up and trembled his drooping eyelids. He knew that Bryan was Snape's proud student, and he must know some of the past grudges between them. That's why he was not surprised that Bryan liked to tease him from time to time.
After making a light-hearted joke, Bryan looked at Remus with sympathy. Remus was as frail as a candle in the wind, a victim of a cruel fate that turned him into a werewolf against his will.
In the previous chat, Bryan learned that over the years, every full moon night, in order not to hurt others, Remus would find a deserted wilderness, set up spells to prevent accidental intrusion and limit his own actions, and secretly transform into a werewolf.
But in that situation, Remus, who lost his reason and could not suppress his attack desire, had to bite himself. He lacked galleons, to buy healing potions, and his injuries recovered very slowly. When he finally healed, he would welcome another full moon. After entering Hogwarts again, Remus finally got to drink the wolfsbane potion, which was hailed as the werewolf's gospel. But to be honest, this potion was not a good thing either.
Bryan was not a master of potions, but he had a good grasp of the basics. He had more talent and interest in curses, which he studied avidly. He had once researched the wolfsbane potion, which was a rare and ingenious invention by the few remaining potion masters in the magical world. The potion worked on werewolves by fighting poison with poison, using another kind of opposing poison to suppress the wolfsbane that was raging in the werewolf's body due to the special magic tide caused by the full moon. The potion reduced the werewolf's aggression and allowed them to retain some of their human mind.
The potion did not cure lycanthropy, but rather eased the condition's psychological symptoms, allowing one to hold on to their mental faculties after transformation and thus retain their human consciousness whilst in animalistic physical form.
However, the potion also had a serious drawback. Wolfsbane was a kind of magical virus, which was entangled with the individual's magic. The wolfsbane potion would not only poison the carrier's physical health, but also consume the carrier's magic.
Drinking the wolfsbane potion, the werewolf would fall into weakness after the full moon period. In other words, drinking too much of this potion would shorten one's life.
"Speaking of which–" Lupin said, after eating breakfast. He supported his sick body to the window, but he didn't dare to open it. He was afraid of the wind and rain. He listened carefully through a piece of blurred glass. The Quidditch stadium was full of ups and downs of calls, which stirred his buried memory. Unconsciously, he thought of his old friend who was praised as a Quidditch genius. He recalled the carefree happy times in school, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Even Professor Dumbledore came out of his office to watch the game. Why don't you–"
"I'm only interested in things that can improve my strength."
Bryan replied calmly. He was sitting at his desk, working on the theoretical research of the curses. He had a pile of books and scrolls on his desk, and his quill was scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment. He looked like he was completely absorbed in his work, and nothing else mattered to him.
"You're too harsh on yourself, Bryan." Lupin leaned against the cold glass, facing the frowning Bryan who was immersed in the world of knowledge and not moved by external things, He felt a bit of admiration for him. Bryan had that level of strength at his early twenties that even Dumbledore praised. Talent alone could not explain everything.
The dry wood in the scorching fireplace made a crackling explosion. The flames cast a warm glow on the room, but they could not dispel the chill that lingered in the air.
Lupin was a little afraid of the cold. He slowly moved to the window sill in front of the fireplace. He listened to the rising and falling calls outside the window. He looked at the front page of the latest issue of the Daily Prophet. The impassioned Minister of Magic was telling everyone how 'amazing' achievements they had made in capturing Black.
The headline read: "BLACK CORNERED AT LAST!" and there was a large photo of a group of Aurors surrounding a dark figure in a hooded cloak.
Lupin's face sank as he thought of Sirius Black, who had entered Hogwarts in a mysterious way not long ago. He turned his back to Bryan and faced the window, looking in an unknown direction. He clenched his fists and bit his lip, trying to suppress the turmoil in his heart.
'How did Black get into Hogwarts?'
Everyone in Hogwarts, including Albus Dumbledore and Bryan Watson, who was immersed in magical research behind him, were guessing about this. They wondered if Black had used some secret passage, or some dark artifact to bypass the security measures of the castle.
Lupin pretended to be as puzzled as everyone else, but deep in his heart he had a vague guess. He knew that the guess was close to the truth, but he couldn't face the answer, nor had the courage to say it. The answer meant that he had betrayed Albus's trust.
"It may not be the case," Lupin murmured in a voice that only he could hear. His face was as bad as the weather outside. "Maybe he learned a few tricks from Voldemort."
Perhaps he was too weak after the transformation. The cold air from the window crack made Lupin shiver. He backed away a few steps and walked to the hearth. He put his cold hands near the fireplace, but it seemed to be of no use. The bone-eating cold still penetrated everywhere, making Lupin vaguely feel a sense of despair. He wrapped his cloak around him, but it felt like a thin sheet of paper.
A trace of white frost spread from the window crack like the stimulated devil's web tentacles. The dark magic raged in the room. Lupin could feel it pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe.
At some point, Bryan, who was deeply engrossed in his desk, had raised his head. He glanced at Lupin, who was leaning on the fireplace with a pale face and shaking. His light purple eyes showed anger.
"You dare to come here? Are you tired of living?"
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章 207: 0206 What is that?
Harry had never played Quidditch in such dangerous weather before. The sky was a dark gray, and the air was heavy with mist. The gale hurled icy droplets that stung his cheeks like tiny bullets. The dark sky was occasionally lit up by terrifying blasts of lightning, and nothing seemed to exist between sky and earth except wind, rain, thunder and lightning. Harry felt like a small boat struggling in the boiling sea under the typhoon, ready to capsize at any moment. He could barely see the other players or the hoops, and he had to rely on his instincts and reflexes to avoid collisions and injuries.
Tightening his grip on the frozen handle of his broom, he quickly pulled it up to dodge the incoming bludger that was aiming for his head. He heard a loud clang as the iron ball hit the tail of his broom, sending a jolt of pain through his spine.
"Sorry, Harry!"
The Weasley twin's apology reached his ears through the raging wind, but he had no time to reply. He was too busy trying to keep his balance and his eyes open. He squinted through the rain and saw a flash of yellow. Cedric Diggory, the captain of Hufflepuff, broke through the rain curtain and whistled past him. He was flying on a sleek and shiny broom that looked much faster and smoother than Harry's.
"It's not easy, is it!"
Cedric flashed a friendly smile at Harry as he flew past him and headed to the back. He seemed to enjoy the challenge of the weather, and his face was glowing with excitement and determination.
"If we both can't catch the snitch, this game might last until midnight!" he called out over his shoulder, his voice barely audible over the thunder.
"If Wood agrees with you!" Harry shouted back, but Cedric had already flown far away, and didn't hear him clearly.
However, the poor visibility and the howling storm made the game very unwatchable. The dim sky dyed the robes of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff players gray, and most of the students crowded on the stands couldn't tell which house the players in the sky belonged to, but that didn't stop them from cheering and shouting. That was the charm of Quidditch.
Influenced by this cheerful atmosphere, Dumbledore, who rarely went out, was always smiling in the center of the stands. He didn't mind getting wet with the students, and gave more space under the umbrellas to Professor McGonagall, who kept making nervous calls.
"Harry!" Suddenly, Wood, who was guarding the Gryffindor goal, caught everyone's attention. He had spotted something that no one else had seen. At his reminder, everyone looked up and saw a faint golden flash in the middle of Harry and Cedric. The enthusiastic atmosphere reached its peak, and the sudden burst of shouts shifted the slanting rain. In the next few moments, a lot of things happened.
Neville, who only had one hand to balance, was knocked off his wand by Hermione, who suddenly stood up. She jumped up from her seat, and screamed Harry's name, but in doing so, she accidentally hit Neville's wand, which flew out of his hand and landed on the ground. Neville, who was already nervous and clumsy, lost his balance and fell off the bench, landing on top of a group of Hufflepuff students, who were not very pleased.
Professor McGonagall, whose heart jumped to her throat, grabbed Dumbledore's right hand in a panic. She clutched his hand tightly, as if to convey her fear and urgency.
At the top of the stands, a black dog curled up behind a wooden pillar under the roof suddenly stood up. It seemed to want to escape, but the fear that was almost bound to its soul made its limbs tremble. It accidentally fell from the high platform into the muddy ground. He wanted to run away, but he was paralyzed by fear. He lost his balance and fell, and he felt a sharp pain in his ribs.
The pain from his internal organs made him slightly get rid of the stiffness. He didn't hesitate to step forward and try to escape, but before that, he saw a small black shadow floating not far from him.
Silence fell over the world, and a mass of dark ink spewed from the big iron gate at the school gate at an astonishing speed, staining the world with rainwater. The bone-chilling cold crept silently. Time seemed to stop, and in the blink of an eye, the happy expressions on the faces of the students froze, and they watched Harry's body fall weakly from the air. Ron and Hermione's eyes showed despair.
Dumbledore's deep blue pupils showed icy anger. He weighed the priorities of driving away the dementors and saving Harry in his mind, and made a decision in an instant. He shook his right hand, trying to pop out the wand in his sleeve, but when he did, he found that his arm was firmly pinched by Professor McGonagall and couldn't move. She was still holding his hand, and she was too scared and shocked to let go.
A trace of helplessness flashed in Dumbledore's eyes. In the nick of time, he stretched out his left hand and pointed his slender index finger at Harry. He muttered a word under his breath, and Harry quickly slowed down his falling speed.
And when he was about to take back his right hand and drive away the dementors that were trying to get close to Harry, a surge of magma-like magic made Dumbledore's body pause, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Boom!
The roar of Bryan blowing open the windows of his office was the only sound in this silent world. The sudden burst of magic made the rain curtain sway, and a white light like a wave exploded from the office door and window, and rolled over after expanding. The countless raindrops that solidified in the air were instantly cleared, and the world was clear! The mist and the darkness were dispelled, and the Quidditch pitch was revealed in all its glory.
Gazing at the dozens of dementors hovering in the air, Bryan's expression was calm, but his eyes were like electrifying. He was not afraid of these foul creatures, and he was not intimidated by their numbers. He lifted his robe, stepped out of the blasted window, and turned into a shadow, crossing a mile in an instant, and standing on the tall hoop of the Quidditch pitch!
RUMBLE------------CRACK!
A blue-purple lightning tore through the sky and struck the muddy ground. In the dark world, the dazzling thunder light illuminated Bryan's stern side face. This scene would be unforgettable for all the teachers and students present!
"What is Professor Watson trying to do?!" The Hufflepuff players, who were still floating in the air with a bewildered look, asked each other. Meanwhile, the Gryffindor players, the Weasley twins, had rushed to the ground to check on Harry. In the distance, Hermione and Ron, who were running to the pitch, also stopped their steps. They looked up at Professor Watson, who stood above, like a god of thunder. They were shocked and confused, and they couldn't suppress the questions in their hearts.
"Send them back to where they belong, Bryan." On the stands, Dumbledore, who was also angry, said in a loud voice amplified by magic.
Bryan nodded slightly, he raised his head, and looked coldly at the dozens of dementors who were like shadows of grim reapers and reluctant to leave. He raised his wand and exploded at the tip, as if opening a dam, a silver torrent of water rushed out like a raging river, and in a moment, in the dim world, a bright moon rose slowly,
Plop——
"What is that-"
Looking at the huge silver body that filled the sky, like a winding mountain range, surrounding the entire Quidditch pitch, Fred's hand went limp, and he threw his broom into the mud and muttered to himself,
"What the Hell is that." He was stunned, speechless, and scared.
Plop– Hermione's weak legs could no longer support her body, she knelt in the mud, her body trembling with fear. Ron beside her wanted to give her some help, but his trembling legs made him unable to bend down.
Whoosh! The giant snake flapped its white wings, sprinkling billions of silver silk mist on the ground, freeing the students from the influence of the dementors, but it didn't make the atmosphere cheerful again.
After Bryan's patronus appeared, the Quidditch pitch fell into a more complete depression. Every student who looked at the towering figure felt that they couldn't look directly at it, and the pressure from the soul made everyone on the verge of collapse!
"How-" Snape whispered in a raspy voice from the stands, staring at the creature in disbelief, "-Did it get so big?"
"Have you seen Bryan's patronus, Severus?" Dumbledore, who also felt a slight pressure, withdrew his solemn gaze and asked solemnly.
Snape's lips moved, and under Dumbledore's pressure, he hesitated and said, "I gave him some guidance when he was learning the patronus charm, but… At that time, this creature looked normal."
"What on earth is this, Albus?" Professor McGonagall gasped, clutching her chest in shock, "Patronus, is that a Patronus?"
"It's a- a snake? ....The Feathered Serpent - Quetzalcoatl?, professor, a rare magical beast that went extinct ages ago, from the time of the ancient wizards!" Hagrid exclaimed, his voice trembling as he explained to everyone.
And above the hoop, Bryan, who had conjured such a remarkable patronus, also frowned. . .
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