Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 59 Magical Waves in Quidditch Matches

"Gryffindor versus Slytherin?" Rice put down the maple syrup cake in his hand; Daphne's words had successfully piqued his interest.

Daphne looked at him with a look of utter disbelief.

"You're only just hearing about this?! Everyone's been talking about this match for ages!"

"Uh..." Rice has been incredibly busy lately, attending classes during the day and brewing potions in the secret chamber at night, and he also has to teach Daphne on weekends. He's so busy that he's even considering skipping Professor Quirrell's Defense Against the Dark Arts course.

If only Professor Quirrell, who taught the class, were really as incompetent as he appeared, but unfortunately he wasn't. Rice was quite certain that Quirrell was playing dumb, his turban concealing a terrifying evil.

However, to be fair, Quirrell's teaching was truly terrible! What angered Rice even more was that Quirrell wasn't incapable of teaching; he was deliberately slacking off. His attitude was even more despicable than his ability!

In Rice's view, with a teacher like Quirrell teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, how could the young wizards possibly defend against the Dark Arts?

However, judging from the students' expressions, they didn't seem to have much of a problem with Professor Quirrell, which made Rice sigh inwardly: the environment was too comfortable. A thousand years ago, a teacher like that would have been kicked out of the castle by the students the very next day. Back then, students cared deeply about learning useful magic that would allow them to make a living. Now, students only care about how much homework a professor assigns and how difficult the exams are.

This is a reflection of peace in the magical world, but also a sad reality.

But he could just bear with it and it would pass. After all, someone like Quirrell, who carried a secret, was unlikely to stay at Hogwarts for long. In addition, given that curse that Rice found somewhat outrageous, he believed the school would get a more reliable Defense Against the Dark Arts professor next year!

Based on Quirrell's unusual behavior, Rice was certain that he was after something Dumbledore had hidden in the fourth-floor corridor. Intrigued, he decided to investigate once he finished his current tasks.

"Hey, at least pay attention to what's going on at school lately!" Daphne really wanted to complain about Rice's "oblivious to what's going on around her" attitude.

Thankfully, she's there; she can share the latest gossip with Rice!

Feeling she had played a positive role, Daphne proudly raised her chin and told Rice that she had heard that Potter had become Gryffindor's Seeker.

Gryffindor clearly intended to use Harry as their secret weapon. Wood decided to keep Harry's participation in the competition a closely guarded secret, but the news that Harry would be the Seeker still leaked out, even reaching Slytherin, the house that should least know.

Rice: Oh.

Isn't that normal? Potter flew really well that day, so it makes sense that he was chosen for the Quidditch team. But why wasn't Malfoy chosen for Slytherin? Was it because their Seeker was better?

Seeing that Rice had completely missed the point of the message, Daphne felt like she had punched a cotton ball.

"This is the youngest Seeker in a century!" she said through gritted teeth.

"A century, so there were Seekers just as young as him, or even younger, a hundred years ago, right? What's so surprising about that?" For Rice, if one appears in a century, then there have been more than a dozen in Hogwarts' history, so it's not surprising at all.

Daphne was stunned.

Most people discussing this topic marvel at Harry becoming "the youngest Seeker in a century," but Rice stands out with this perspective. Thinking about it that way, Harry being recruited into Gryffindor doesn't seem so remarkable after all.

"So where did Gryffindor's original Seeker go?"

Upon learning that the previous Seeker, Charlie Weasley, had graduated and the Seeker position was temporarily vacant, Rice gave a "I knew it" look.

Harry's entry into the team was mainly due to a combination of favorable timing, location, and circumstances; he simply seized the opportunity. If his situation were reversed with Malfoy's, Draco Malfoy could also become the youngest Seeker in a century.

One's destiny depends on one's own efforts, but the course of history must also be taken into account.

Daphne fell silent.

Gemma, the prefect who was standing nearby, overheard their conversation and was greatly encouraged. With a smile, she began to analyze the situation of the competition for her juniors.

"Our house is guaranteed to win this match. Slytherin has three wins and Gryffindor has three losses. Our players are battle-hardened and their teamwork is almost perfect. As for Gryffindor, Potter has only been with the team for a few days. How could he possibly coordinate with his teammates? Most of our players have grown up riding broomsticks since they were little. On the other hand, several Gryffindor players didn't fly for the first time until they were eleven years old. In addition, with the overwhelming advantage in terms of equipment, I don't think we can lose."

After listening to Prefect Gemma's speech, Rice was overjoyed: Godric, I admit you are slightly better at riding brooms, but my students are better at flying than yours. This time, I win!

"Anyway, beating Gryffindor on the field is a good thing." Rice was in a good mood.

The match day arrived quickly, and the stands around the Quidditch pitch were filled with students, many of whom had brought their own binoculars to better see the game.

"Here, I have an extra one." Daphne noticed that Rice didn't have a telescope, so she offered to lend him her spare one.

"No need, the Eagle Eye Charm is enough." Rhys pointed his wand at his eyes, greatly enhancing his vision. After using the spell, Rhys could even read the lip movements of the young wizards in the Gryffindor stands opposite him.

As expected, once the match began, Slytherin's team gained the upper hand, scoring several goals in a row using Quake.

Just as Rice was applauding goalkeeper Blaise's brilliant save, an unexpected incident occurred—Harry's flying broom suddenly jerked violently, as if it were trying to throw him off.

Rice stopped clapping and squinted.

He discovered that someone was casting a spell on Potter's broom!

Despicable! Slytherin does not need to win through such underhanded means; such dirty tactics tarnish the honor of the House.

He immediately began searching for the source of the curse, and soon he focused on Professor Quirrell. In the process, he also noticed Professor Snape trying to stabilize the broom in the sky with a spell.

This is the real Slytherin! After giving Snape a thumbs up, Rice didn't hesitate to take action.

His magic collided with Quirrell's spell in mid-air, instantly shattering Quirrell's curse and restoring the broom to stability. Having learned from his flying lesson, he restrained the intensity of his spell this time, not using excessive force, but he still routed his opponent.

However, Quirrell's spell returned as soon as it was broken, this time with an extremely evil aura attached to it.

"Oh? Is this the real deal?" Rice raised an eyebrow and confidently went all out. However, just as the two magical forces converged, the magic originating from Quirrell suddenly disappeared. Rice and Snape's spells merged, working together to firmly fix Harry's broom in the sky.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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(End of this chapter)