The thousand paper cranes fluttered up and down, their flight slowed by the rain. Sam and Stuart squeezed through a group of Catholic students and turned through one of the entrances leading under the stands.
"This is a British tracking technique I learned. Fortunately, the attacker did not use a curse but instead manipulated the Bludger directly with magic. At the same time, the attacker was arrogant enough not to conceal their magical trajectory at all. So, even though I'm just a beginner, I can still use this spell to locate them," Sam explained to Stuart as they ran.
"Then what should we do when we find them? Report to the professor?" Stuart asked.
Sam dodged around a pillar and replied, "That would take too long. By the time we find a professor, the Bludger might have already cracked Harry's skull. We have to handle this ourselves. Luckily, we've practiced plenty of magical combat. This will be my first real fight."
At that moment, the thousand paper cranes suddenly stopped midair, signaling that the attacker was just ahead, hidden in the shadows.
Seeing Sam halt and draw his wand, Stuart did the same, pulling his wand from his pocket. Then, he pointed at Sam and mouthed, "Here?"
Sam nodded and quickly wrote on the dusty wooden floor behind him: Follow me. When you see them, cast the Disarming Charm immediately. Don't hesitate—this person is trying to kill our classmates.
Stuart nodded firmly. Sam then dashed forward, with Stuart close behind.
As they rounded the corner, they spotted a small creature with bat-like ears and an old, tattered pillowcase. It was waving its hands in the air as if directing something.
"Expelliarmus! x2"
Two red lights shot forward, striking the creature in succession. It stumbled forward and collapsed to the ground. Sam rushed over, grabbing the creature by the neck and pointing his wand at it.
"Why are you trying to kill Harry?"
Stuart approached, noticing through a gap in the stands that the entire Quidditch pitch was visible from this vantage point.
"Sam, the Bludger isn't chasing Harry anymore—we got the right culprit," Stuart observed, then leaned in to take a closer look at the small creature.
"This looks like Dr. Zombie Bruce—the house-elf Harry told us about. The one trying to stop him from returning to school. Let's not hurt him too badly. We should question him first."
"Fine." Sam loosened his grip slightly but still held Bruce by the shoulder. "Why are you trying to kill Harry?"
"You are friends with the great Harry Potter, but you cannot stop me from saving him!" Bruce argued.
"Saving him?" Stuart scoffed. "How does smashing his head with a Bludger or knocking him off his broom count as saving him? As far as I know, house-elves follow orders. Who sent you? Was it Tim Hortans?"
Bruce's eyes darted between them nervously. "Bruce is only trying to protect Harry Potter!"
"But why? What is this danger you keep mentioning?" Sam pressed.
"Bruce is very happy that Harry Potter has such brave friends. But Bruce must leave now!"
Before Sam could react, Bruce snapped his fingers and vanished.
"Isn't Apparition forbidden on campus? How did he do that?" Stuart asked in surprise.
"I think that rule only applies to humans," Sam muttered, then shot Stuart a curious look. "Didn't you feel sorry for Bruce before? Harry always said he was pitiful. Why didn't you hesitate to attack him just now?"
"Pity? Are you insane?" Stuart shot back. "That thing just tried to kill our classmate! Why would I feel sorry for him?"
Before Sam could reply, Stuart peeked back through the gap and gasped.
"Oh no! Bruce is attacking Harry again!"
Sam quickly conjured another set of thousand paper cranes. Once again, Bruce's magical signature was glaringly obvious. But this time, the location was different—he was now on an abandoned tower opposite the stadium.
Gasping for breath, Sam and Stuart sprinted up the winding staircase of the tower. Sam fired a stunning spell the moment Bruce came into view, striking him mid-spell. Bruce wobbled, looking dazed, but managed to snap his fingers before he hit the ground, disappearing once more.
"Damn it!" Sam cursed.
Still, the spell had weakened Bruce's magic, delaying the Bludger's movements for a few minutes. Sam barely had time to catch his breath before the Bludger started acting up again.
"Forget it," Stuart said, grabbing Sam's arm. "Look! The match is over."
Sam followed Stuart's gaze and saw the Bludger plummeting toward the field. Before it could cause any more damage, someone shattered it with a well-placed spell.
By the time they reached the edge of the field, they found Plunket stepping out of the crowd. She quickly filled them in on what had happened.
Since the Bludger was malfunctioning, Harry had made a last-ditch effort to grab the Snitch. He succeeded, but in doing so, he fell from his broom and knocked out several teeth.
After the match, Ian Bell had attempted to heal Harry's teeth. But before he could finish his spell, the Bludger launched itself at him, dislocating his shoulder. In the end, Mrs. Overton had to step in and destroy the rogue Bludger. Both Harry and Ian Bell were taken to the hospital wing.
Just then, Sam received a notification—he had earned five offset points.
By the time Sam and Stuart arrived at the hospital wing, they found the room in chaos. A group of girls had gathered around Ian Bell's bed, chattering excitedly. Harry, on the other hand, had only Ron and Colin for company.
"What were you two doing? Where were you this whole time?" Ron demanded, scowling.
Sam glanced around. Madam Cummins was busy ushering the girls out of Ian Bell's room, and no one else was paying attention to them.
Quickly, he whispered an explanation of everything that had happened.
After hearing the story, Harry frowned. "Bruce has been trying to drive me away from Hogwarts, saying the school is dangerous. But nothing has happened this year—aside from the danger he caused himself! That must mean someone doesn't want me here. Maybe they think Hogwarts is too well-protected under Dumbledore."
Sam resisted the urge to correct him. Harry's conclusions were completely off-track.
Just then, the Gryffindor Quidditch team arrived. Madam Cummins shooed them away, stating that Harry's dental treatment would be painful and that he needed to rest overnight.
With nothing more to do, Sam and Stuart left, still pondering the mystery of Bruce and his strange warnings.
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