A hand touched the Golden Snitch.
And it held it tightly.
It was Draco!
He had caught the Golden Snitch!
The green figure struggled to pull his broomstick out of its vertical dive, skimming the wet grass and mud before soaring straight back into the sky.
"...Draco Malfoy has caught the Golden Snitch. Slytherin wins."
The final words of the match were delivered in Lee Jordan's reluctant voice from the commentary box.
The stadium fell silent, the only sound remaining was the rain pelting against the ground and objects.
Then came the deafening cheers and applause.
Slytherin had ended the match with a staggering 300-point lead!
High above the field, Draco gasped for air, holding the now-motionless Golden Snitch high in his hand. Even under the overcast sky, it shone brilliantly.
The Slytherin team cheered as they flew up on their broomsticks to join him.
On the ground, Harry stood motionless on the pitch, his face pale with frustration. He knew he had done his best, but it hadn't been enough.
Damn it!
Out of breath, Harry felt dizzy from the lack of oxygen. He stumbled a few steps, barely managing to steady himself with the help of his broomstick.
But his vision remained dark and blurry.
Around him, voices began to rise—George's, Wood's, and even Ron's unmistakable voice from the stands.
"What are they saying?" Harry's mind was foggy; he couldn't make out the words.
"Something like… watch out?"
And then, everything went black. Harry felt a sharp pain at the back of his head before losing consciousness.
Hermione, her face flushed, finally stopped her magical output and collapsed into Glenn's arms.
"...Hermione." Glenn looked at the unconscious Harry, who had been struck by the rogue Bludger amidst the crowd's gasps. His heart ached for the young girl in his arms.
Hermione was barely holding on herself. After enduring the triple strain of magical, physical, and mental exhaustion, it had taken all of her remaining strength to slow down the Bludger that was hurtling toward Harry's head.
Yes, Hermione had held out until Draco caught the Golden Snitch and the match ended before ceasing her interference with the entity controlling the rogue Bludger. This had far exceeded Glenn's expectations.
What he hadn't anticipated was that the house-elf would continue controlling the Bludger even after the match, sending it hurtling toward Harry's head at an even faster speed.
If it had hit him at full force, Harry would have been confined to the hospital wing for at least ten days. After all, potions for treating concussions weren't particularly effective.
Glenn's first instinct had been to block Hermione's view, knowing she might intervene if she saw what was happening. But he was a step too late. Hermione had already cast a precise Impediment Jinx, slowing the Bludger's speed. As a result, the blow to Harry's head was enough to knock him out but wouldn't cause any lasting damage.
"...You didn't have to do that. Even if you hadn't intervened, Dumbledore wouldn't have let Harry suffer such an injury."
Glenn's words weren't wrong. Both he and Dumbledore had noticed the Bludger's sudden movement at the same time. While Glenn had tried to stop Hermione from casting, he had failed because her attention had been locked onto the Bludger.
Dumbledore, on the other hand, had already risen to his feet. His hand was just now lowering, seemingly puzzled that someone else had interfered with the Bludger before he could, and so he hadn't cast his spell.
Of course, this still meant Harry had taken a hit.
"Hehe, I just couldn't help myself when I saw it happen. My brain was telling me to stop, but my body moved on its own," Hermione said, giggling foolishly in Glenn's arms. Her usual composed demeanor was replaced by a flushed, silly grin. "Don't be mad, okay…"
The young girl's small hand reached up to touch Glenn's cheek. Her brown eyes stared into his, fully absorbing his frustration, worry, and confusion.
Glenn didn't understand Hermione's actions. To him, her selfless help brought her no reward and held no value. Worse, it had left her in a weakened state.
"I'm not angry," Glenn said, his expression calm.
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"Fine, I am—because I didn't stop you in time."
"?" Hermione was taken aback, then burst into laughter.
Glenn had told her earlier that he would ask her to stop casting when the time was right. Now, he felt frustrated and guilty for failing to stop her, allowing her to continue casting spells.
Glenn handed Hermione a bottle of magic-restoring potion. She drank it without a word, and the two sat quietly under the umbrella, shielded from the rain and the noise around them.
"Will you do this again?" Glenn asked as he sensed Hermione's condition gradually improving.
"Hmm… I think if I see something like this happen again, I probably won't be able to stop myself from helping…" Hermione answered honestly, not wanting to lie to Glenn or deny her true feelings.
She averted her gaze, her voice soft and hesitant.
Hermione understood Glenn's perspective. She knew he didn't approve of her actions and that she was in the wrong, but she still wanted to speak her mind!
Hermione-hands-on-hips.jpg
"Sigh…"
For the first time, Glenn let out a sigh, a white mist escaping his lips.
"I see. Then I'll respect your choice…" Just as Hermione had respected and tried to understand him, Glenn decided to try to understand her and respect her decision.
"...But I still don't approve of your self-sacrificing behavior, so I'll do everything in my power to stop you from acting on it."
In Glenn's mind, respecting Hermione's choices didn't mean he couldn't prevent her from acting on them. If he could extinguish her thoughts before she acted, or stop her outright, the problem would be resolved.
If the problem couldn't be solved, then he'd solve the person causing the problem.
Logical. Efficient. Problem solved.
Conclusion: Feasible.
"Hey." Hermione was speechless for a moment. She had felt a flicker of excitement, thinking Glenn had truly understood her, only to see her hopes dashed. She pouted, exasperated. "I—mmph…"
Glenn pinched her lips shut.
"I'm still angry. You're not allowed to talk," Glenn said, his expression blank and his tone unusually firm.
But to Hermione, he looked like he was throwing a childish tantrum.
Oh well, as the older sister, she decided she'd let it slide.
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