yasinovel Chapter 156, page 155: The Grand Event Ends, Pre-Exam Intimidation
Chapter 156, page 155: The Grand Event Ends, Pre-Exam Intimidation
Chapter 156, page 155: The Grand Event Ends, Pre-Exam Intimidation
early morning.
The brilliant sunlight shone on Hogwarts, making its ancient outline shine. The bright and beautiful weather seemed to be giving face to the young wizards who had been waiting for so long.
When the castle gates were opened, the young wizards, whose classes were temporarily suspended, immediately filed out, chatting in groups about their favorite school players.
Both older and younger students were very excited.
Everyone's face was beaming with uncontainable excitement and joy.
"I barely slept at all last night, I was thinking about today's score."
"Oh? Then it's obvious you bet a lot, wagering all your remaining pocket money, right?"
"Not only that, I also borrowed a lot of student loans from Grindelwald. Although the interest rate is a bit high, if I win, I won't lack pocket money for the next seven years."
"Hiss, you dare to lend money to that little witch? Aren't you afraid that if you can't pay it back, your whole family will be forced to work to pay off the debt? I heard that her elder has recently been featured in interviews in major newspapers around the world."
"I was thinking of borrowing that Ravenclaw wizard's Ian Loan, but he said he wouldn't lend money to gamblers. What can I do? This is the only chance to make a fortune in a year."
"Hiss, it seems our little professor is more conscientious... But I've also heard that the little Grindelwald before he played with the little professor wasn't this cunning."
……
There was constant discussion among the crowd.
The so-called grand event was actually the final match between the Quidditch schools, which is why Ian still took the time to go back to the Room of Requirement to water the tree, without much emotional fluctuation or sentimentality.
no way.
Perhaps this was a rare spectacle for the other Hogwarts students, but Ian had never been interested in Quidditch, a sport that was hardly fair.
If Ian hadn't consistently adhered to the principle of integrating himself into the group as much as possible, and hadn't placed a five-Gallon bet on the twins' betting odds, he really wouldn't have wanted to watch the so-called finals with the other young wizards. The latter reason accounted for a slightly larger percentage than the former.
"Making me watch Quidditch is like making the Brazilian president watch the Chinese national football team." Ian couldn't quite understand why his two roommates seemed so eager and excited.
Despite Ravenclaw being eliminated last week, William and Michael remain passionate about Quidditch, and the two even held up banners in support of Hufflepuff.
Ian found it hard to empathize with the tension and excitement on Ian's face.
Perhaps they've staked a lot of their fortune on this match? Well, in Ian's opinion, the most exciting part of these kinds of matches is probably the betting odds run by a few troublesome Gryffindor students.
"To be honest, Ian, we just can't understand why you don't like Quidditch, given how amazing your flying skills are. You could have achieved tremendous honor and success in this sport." William held up a two-foot-long canvas with the Hufflepuff emblem painted on it using magic.
The badge glitters and looks very pretty from a distance. It was made by Ian at the request of his two roommates, so it naturally stands out more than the other people's banners.
"Yeah, yeah, Quidditch players enjoy priority in finding a partner on campus." Michael always seemed more mature than the other young wizards in this respect.
It could also be because his little black girl has recently become obsessed with a certain Slytherin player—the final of this school tournament is between Slytherin and Hufflepuff.
"I don't think Ian needs any right to choose a partner," William muttered quietly beside him. This wasn't flattery, but a heartfelt sentiment.
After all, even the upperclassmen wanted to make a move on this young wizard whose looks and abilities were impeccable, so Ian certainly couldn't have the same emotional troubles as Michael and him.
"If Quidditch could be reformed, I think I would still be somewhat interested in it." Ian had indeed presented Mrs. Hodge with a Quidditch reform plan.
however.
His plan, which took him a full ten minutes to come up with, ultimately disappeared without a trace. Wizards are a conservative group, and this is especially true in the case of Quidditch.
This can also be seen in William and Michael.
"It's perfect enough, Ian. There's no need to add any new elements." Michael looked at Ian, who was walking a short distance ahead, with a puzzled expression.
"Yes, yes, Quidditch has been like this for so many years," William agreed. They couldn't even imagine how Quidditch could be reformed any further.
"If you analyze the Quidditch data from the past fifty years, I mean globally, you'll find how much unfairness is hidden in those nearly a thousand matches."
"On average, I can make about fifteen Quakes in each game, which is about 150 points. It's almost impossible for the score difference between the two sides to be more than 150 points."
"In the recorded matches, there have been fewer than sixty matches in which the score difference between the two sides has been so large, which means that whoever catches the Golden Snitch almost always wins."
"No matter how many points behind the opponent is, or how good their tactics are, in nearly a thousand games, the outcome of 856 games depends on which team catches the Golden Snitch."
"What does this mean? It means that in more than 95 percent of the games, the final outcome is decided solely by the Seeker. I think the inventor of this sport must have been a Seeker himself."
"In my opinion, given this situation, why not just abolish all other rules and methods of movement, and simply let everyone work together to catch the Golden Snitch?"
Ian spoke eloquently, his words filled with detailed data, leaving his two roommates speechless, as if their love for Quidditch had suddenly diminished.
They were rational Ravenclaw students, so they were better able to understand what Ian meant. After pondering the data, they also found it quite incredible.
obviously.
Before Ian, no one had ever done any statistics on this.
"Now that you mention it... it seems I need to work on becoming a Seeker, otherwise it'll definitely be a tragedy." William sighed, looking like a little old man.
"Perhaps the first Seeker in history was Merlin's youngest son, whom the inventor of Quidditch wanted to please," Michael said, venturing into his quirky thoughts.
"Why would you be so bored as to do Quidditch statistics?" William looked at his roommate in front of him with curiosity. In his memory, Ian was not someone who would be interested in Quidditch.
"To write a paper."
Ian remained true to his original intention of publishing his paper, and it was only because the paper did not involve any scary magic that the dean of their academy, Philius Flitwick, agreed to help him revise and publish it.
In fact, Ian had also approached Professor McGonagall, but when Professor McGonagall heard that his research topic was a fruit tree modified by Transfiguration, and wondered whether the fruit it bore could be eaten, she immediately stopped Ian's actions. She was clearly afraid that such a paper would mislead many wizards if it were published.
After giving Ian several lessons in Transfiguration, the Gryffindor headmaster gradually realized that Ian's Transfiguration was somewhat bizarre and difficult to understand.
"Okay, but even if you say that, I still hope Hufflepuff can win the match." Michael isn't particularly interested in publishing his paper yet.
He was more concerned about whether he could have enough money to buy his little black girl a decent end-of-term gift. Michael hadn't bet a lot, but even one Galleon was the result of his frugal living.
"Yeah, as long as Slytherin doesn't win." How much William bet is a mystery, but judging from his usual behavior, he doesn't seem like he can afford to spend much pocket money.
"I don't really care."
That's Ian's honest opinion.
Indeed.
The winner between the two colleges will not only enjoy honor and applause, but will also gain a huge boost in points for their own college. However, this will not have much impact on the outcome of the College Cup.
after all.
Just by walking up to the score hourglass of the College Cup, even students who aren't good at math can realize that even if they win Quidditch, it will be difficult to change the outcome of this year's College Cup.
No matter which house wins Quidditch, it won't shake their overwhelming advantage.
In Ian's words.
Ravenclaw is full of talented people, all of whom are eager to learn. This is the normal situation for a college. Most of the first-year wizards actually believed his statement.
however.
The upperclassmen, however, were utterly bewildered. They couldn't understand why Ravenclaw seemed to be on drugs, with their house grades so drastically higher this year. Of course, due to their unwavering faith in Hogwarts' authority, they preferred to accuse the professors of favoring high-achieving students rather than considering the possibility of cheating.
Professor McGonagall breathed a sigh of relief. As the only professor besides the headmaster who knew the truth, she had already been taking extra care of the young wizards from other houses during her teaching sessions. However, she still found that the score gap between the houses was widening, and in the end, she had no choice but to give up and give up.
to be frank.
Professor McGonagall had hinted to Ian not to go too far, but unfortunately, Ian thought she was referring to his secret tutoring of others. The nonsensical conversation left Professor McGonagall feeling helpless.
So much so that she couldn't muster any interest in her favorite Quidditch match—perhaps also because Gryffindor hadn't made it to the finals and was taking a break.
"Look! Ian! That's Cedric! A hero!" William exclaimed excitedly upon seeing his favorite player.
I rediscovered my love for Quidditch.
After watching a few of Cedric's matches, William bought a pair of Cedric's underwear, which shows his admiration and love for Cedric.
"I heard he might join the national team in the future, but I think he should become an Auror who punishes evil and upholds justice." Michael wasn't as excited as William.
However, he clearly also had high praise for Cedric.
There are quite a few people at Hogwarts who like Cedric, the Hufflepuff boy. Even Ian had to admit that this gentle and refined senior had rare and excellent qualities and personal charm.
"In other words, we were born in the wrong era."
Ian's feelings are perhaps only understood by himself. If A.K. Rowling had lived in an era of wish-fulfillment novels, perhaps Cedric would have been the destined protagonist she chose.
after all.
Cedric embodies all the traits of a protagonist in a wish-fulfillment novel—Ian had also interacted with this senior a few times and had developed a fondness for the helpful Hufflepuff senior.
This is why he bet on Hufflepuff to win.
On the Quidditch pitch.
The players have entered the locker room to prepare.
As time went by, the once empty stands gradually filled with people, their expectant eyes fixed on the locker rooms of both teams.
Ian looked around.
Aurora didn't come.
I don't know if he was busy promoting the student loan business in the castle, but after hearing that Aurora was doing this kind of business, Ian couldn't help but sigh for a while about the difference between himself and a real third-generation gangster.
"That's true. People from families with a history of involvement in organized crime, who doesn't make money this way?" Ian knew Aurora was making money through shady means, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with student loans.
Aurora is even darker.
She couldn't outmaneuver the Muggle banks. At least Aurora didn't take away anyone's wand or send threatening letters to their family when they couldn't repay their loans.
The rumors about working illegally at school are all false. In Aurora's words, as long as everyone owes her money, there will always be a time when she can use that relationship.
Perhaps Ian thinks it's a case of foolishness and greed, but who knows if it's actually a long-term strategy to catch a big fish, which is somewhat similar to Ian's "Ian Loan".
Good morning, everyone!
"I'm Steve Zhou, the commentator for this match. Today is the last exciting Quidditch match of the school year. Let's look forward to a thrilling and intense battle."
There might be a reason why the commentator might be replaced by another little wizard next year. Although this year's commentator's intonation was quite expressive, it was hard to ignite any passion in the audience.
The wording is too simplistic.
of course.
The cheers from the crowd remained enthusiastic.
This pleased the commentator named Steve Zhou. As the players from both sides took to the field, the match officially began, and Ian had already calculated how many young wizards hadn't come to watch the final.
"Forty-seven."
Clearly, despite Quidditch being the most popular sport in the wizarding world, many students chose to miss this so-called grand event during the final stages.
In particular, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, who failed to advance to the finals, were not particularly affected. Gryffindor did not want to see Slytherin gloating, so only some students who had opened betting odds and participated in gambling came to the event. Ravenclaw, on the other hand, wisely chose to manage its time better after being eliminated.
After all, it's close to the end of the semester.
With their own college failing to reach the finals and the College Cup scoring no longer in doubt, everyone will naturally spend more time preparing for their final exams.
Half of the 47 absent students were from Ravenclaw, especially fifth and seventh graders who were facing more rigorous and important exams.
Spending an extra hour in the library, or an extra hour studying, could increase their chances of success. The young eagles have their own scales in mind when it comes to making the right choice.
"Goal! Hedgehog has scored!"
"Damn it! What's that Slytherin Seeker doing?!"
"Foul! Why isn't he being punished? This is a rip-off!"
……
Even if they are not rival colleges.
But the Quidditch matches between Slytherin and Hufflepuff were also very intense. That's how athletes are; their competitive spirit drives them to do everything they can to win on the field.
Slytherin's methods of achieving victory are just as people perceive them to be: somewhat ruthless. They can always find loopholes within the rules.
In less than ten minutes, the battle on the field became quite fierce, especially with Marcus, who was like a fly, maliciously knocking down others and then letting out a mocking laugh.
This instantly ignited the Hufflepuff players' anger. Although he wasn't a big fan of Quidditch, Ian was thoroughly enjoying the game, mainly because he liked the feeling of the two houses starting to fight.
"My suggestion is to give each of them a knight's lance, and forget about baseball bats." Ian's hilariously absurd joke perfectly illustrated just how intense the two academies were on the field.
Naturally, no one adopted his suggestion.
Seeing the situation becoming increasingly dangerous, Professor McGonagall immediately ordered a timeout for a few minutes, giving both teams a chance to reflect and calm down.
Perhaps this was the imposing presence of the vice-principal; after the second half began, Slytherin toned down their game considerably, which caused the Quidditch match, which was now on track, to lose its appeal to Ian.
After a very long time.
Under Ian's bored gaze, which was filled with endless yawns.
"Cedric! Cedric has spotted the Golden Snitch! He's accelerating! He's closing in on the Golden Snitch!" The commentator's voice was a little hoarse.
However, his emotions became increasingly agitated.
"Oh! It's not far from Cedric, but it seems the Slytherin have also discovered the Golden Snitch's presence, and they've started interfering with Cedric's plans!"
"He's broken through! Cedric has broken through the interference!"
"Both Seekers have their eyes on the Golden Snitch! The game has reached its most exciting moment!" It must be said that this commentator's vocabulary and sentence structure are rather limited.
However, he did indeed have a deep love for Quidditch. The atmosphere in the stands was extremely tense; Ian even saw Professor McGonagall squeeze the hand of the Hufflepuff Headmaster next to her.
Obviously.
She also secretly favored him.
"Could it be that Professor McGonagall is also a huge fan of Cedric?" Ian thought about how much Professor McGonagall loved Quidditch, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
As time passed by, second by second.
The competition was finally coming to an end.
"Oh my god! It's Cedric! It's him! It really is him! How could it not be him! He successfully caught the Snitch by dodging another Slytherin interference with an extremely clever angle!"
"Cedric Diggory! He's created another miracle!" the commentator shouted hoarsely, while the Slytherin players and students looked rather grim.
however.
The facts are clear.
Despite their resentment, they weren't sore losers. The crowd in the stands began to erupt in cheers, and countless yellow banners and flags were magically lifted into the sky.
"Bang!"
Some students with less-than-stellar magical skills managed to blow up the flags, but the billowing smoke did not dampen the enthusiastic atmosphere, as countless little badgers screamed and tried to climb out of the stands and rush onto the field.
They also have a wild and unrestrained side. Cedric was lifted into the air by a group of excited students, receiving hero-like treatment, which made Cedric very happy.
Besides the Slytherin students being in a bad mood, the young wizards who lost their bets were also in a bad mood. Ian looked around and couldn't help but worry about the Hogwarts Tower tonight.
"That's what a gambler is like."
Ian thought Snape must have placed a lot of bets as well. Snape himself looked the worst in the entire stadium, and after the match ended, he tossed his robes and left the stadium early.
"Thank you to the Hufflepuff players! And thank you to the Slytherin players! They gave us a fantastic, unique, and intense match!"
"Let us celebrate Hufflepuff and express our regret for Slytherin." After the match, the Vice-Headmaster gave a speech that seemed impartial, but Professor McGonagall's beaming smile made it hard to say that she truly felt sorry for Slytherin.
……
After the Quidditch match ended, life at Hogwarts returned to normal. Everyone discussed things, attended classes, and it seemed no different from before.
Only those who help Filch and other wealthy young wizards, doing dirty and tiring jobs for meager rewards, still prove how many people have "fallen from grace" due to Quidditch.
In other words, Filch has been obsessed lately, blowing himself up every day and going to the hospital frequently, so that these young wizards can get paid labor from him.
"Perhaps this can also be considered a meritorious deed of mine."
Ian's preparations for the final exams are nearing completion, and the professors have prepared a separate set of exam questions specifically for him, which makes his whereabouts somewhat tense.
Especially after seeing Grindelwald somehow acquire an Ironbelly of Urkland, the young wizard's tension and anxiety about the final exams reached new heights.
of course.
This unease and tension wasn't due to any awe of Urkran Ironbelly, but rather because he had casually asked Grindelwald a question when he saw him magically transforming Urkran Ironbelly in his dungeon.
"Is this my final exam?"
The little wizard could even curiously approach and kick the furiously glaring Ukrainian iron belly a few times.
however.
Grindelwald's answer, however, instantly killed his interest in the hybrid dragon.
"These are test questions prepared for the other students."
The cunning Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's smile was quite intriguing.
"I have another test for you. Remember to eat less before the test, otherwise I will take a picture of you vomiting and show it to all my students."
It's practically a death sentence for the community.
This caused Ian to lose sleep for several nights.
Until the day of the exam.
He was trying to figure out what kind of test Grindelwald wanted him to take.
(End of this chapter)