While Hermione had quieted down, the Gryffindor team on the field was anything but calm.
Wood and Alicia were locked in a heated argument over Harry's situation, leaving the rest of the team feeling utterly exasperated.
"We can't lose to Slytherin because of a rogue Bludger! Don't worry about me—I won't give up on the match, even if it kills me!" Harry interrupted their discussion, his voice firm and resolute.
"This is unacceptable!"
George and Fred glared angrily at Wood. If it weren't for the immense pressure he had placed on Harry, Harry would never have uttered such reckless words.
After all, the rogue Bludger was clearly aiming for Harry's head. If it hit him, Harry would face the very real danger of losing consciousness and plummeting from the sky.
The twins wanted to argue further, but Harry's determination was unwavering.
"What on earth are they doing?" Over on the Slytherin team, Draco frowned. The rogue Bludger relentlessly chasing Harry was plain for him to see as a fellow Seeker. As soon as the match was paused, he immediately brought it up to his teammates, asking if anyone on their side had tampered with it.
If they had, their strategy could shift to targeting Harry first. Once he was out of the game, they could slowly dismantle Gryffindor, leaving their rivals without a decisive weapon. Of course, they'd have to keep the tampering a secret.
If not...
Then they'd need to figure out how to deal with that rogue Bludger.
The Slytherins prided themselves on not relying on outside interference to secure victory.
After asking around, Draco received a unanimous denial.
The Slytherins exchanged glances, silently confirming the shared information. Draco then took the initiative to approach Madam Hooch.
"The Slytherin team believes there might be a malfunction with the game equipment. We request a replacement set," Draco said with a blank expression.
His unexpected words left Madam Hooch surprised. "...I'll need to consult with the Gryffindor team."
Madam Hooch relayed Draco's request to Harry and his team, leaving the Gryffindors equally astonished.
"Is that Slytherin? Is that Malfoy?" George stared wide-eyed at Draco, then rubbed his eyes, wondering if he hadn't woken up properly that day.
Then he saw Draco's scowling face.
The Gryffindor players looked at the Slytherins with complicated expressions. Their long-time rivals suddenly seemed so unfamiliar, leaving them unsure of how to react.
Naturally, the Gryffindor team agreed to the Slytherin team's suggestion. Madam Hooch promptly locked away the rogue Bludger and the other balls in a chest, bringing out a fresh set of equipment.
She released the Golden Snitch, the Quaffle, and the Bludgers, and the match resumed.
"Glenn, look! That silver magical thread has appeared again!" At Hermione's insistence, Glenn had enabled sensory sharing for her. Thanks to this, Hermione could now see the manifestations of magical energy in the outside world.
As the new Bludger was released, the young girl noticed the reappearance of the silver magical chain, which had vanished when the previous rogue Bludger was put away. This realization, just when she thought the problem had been resolved, left Hermione feeling troubled again.
"If you want, you can try disrupting that strange magical force," Glenn suggested, noticing the distressed look on Hermione's face as she nestled in his arms.
Hermione froze. "Can I? Wouldn't that be against the rules?"
Glenn remained noncommittal.
"As always," he replied.
The young girl understood instantly. "If you don't get caught, it doesn't count as breaking the rules"—this principle was now firmly etched in Hermione's mind.
"It's all your fault for always leading me astray," she muttered, though her actions betrayed her words. With her wand in hand, she eagerly focused on the silver magical chain. In her hand, a Hover Charm was already prepared.
All she needed to do was slightly alter the Bludger's trajectory before the silver magic could take hold!
Hermione, curled up like a cat in Glenn's embrace, asked him for a coat to cover herself. Hidden beneath the fabric, she discreetly extended her wand through a small gap and began her silent duel with the unknown adversary.
Glenn, uninterested in watching Hermione's confrontation with the house-elf, turned his gaze toward the professors' stand. Dumbledore, sensing something, also turned his head. Their dark and blue eyes met across the distance.
Expressionless, Glenn pointed to the rogue Bludger in the sky and then to the bundle of fluff in his arms, silently signaling Dumbledore to help conceal Hermione's magical activity.
Dumbledore clearly understood Glenn's message. After a moment of hesitation, he gave a small nod of agreement.
As Glenn had expected, Dumbledore knew everything but chose not to intervene, content to watch from the sidelines.
"Is Dumbledore orchestrating another scheme?" Glenn mused. "Is this another trial for Harry?"
"There's a lot going on behind the scenes..."
"Well, I'll use your setup to train Hermione. I trust you won't mind?"
"Otherwise, I'll expose you."
This was Glenn's thought process and the message he aimed to convey to Dumbledore.
Satisfied, Glenn leaned back, holding the young girl in his arms, and settled in to watch the show unfold.
Hermione, meanwhile, was already sweating slightly. She hadn't expected the entity controlling the Bludger to be so powerful—it was actually overwhelming her.
Fortunately, her goal was merely to disrupt the entity's control over the Bludger, a relatively simpler task. This allowed her to barely maintain the upper hand.
This magical confrontation felt like a challenging puzzle laid before Hermione, successfully piquing her curiosity and competitive spirit. The tougher the challenge, the more excited she became.
Fueled by adrenaline and other hormones, Hermione's control over her magic became increasingly precise. Her micro-adjustments to the rogue Bludger's trajectory grew more refined. For a moment, she even gained the upper hand in the duel.
Now, it was her opponent's turn to panic.
The higher Hermione's magical control, the greater her advantage. The greater her advantage, the happier she became. The happier she became, the better her magical control.
Caught in this positive feedback loop, Hermione grew more and more confident. What little influence her opponent had over the Bludger was now completely neutralized under her control.
The young girl handled the situation with increasing ease.
...
...
Beneath the stands, hidden in the shadows, the house-elf Dobby was stifling his sobs, repeatedly banging his head against the ground.
"Bad Dobby, bad Dobby! Look at what you've been protecting!" he cried.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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