Chapter 221: Wood in the Rain
At this moment, there weren't just a few dozen of those ugly creatures; there were at least a hundred of them! They drifted silently below the Quidditch pitch. The players who had been gathered on the field quickly got on their brooms and flew into the air, trying to get away from them.
But because of the Dementors, they were still in the middle of the game and couldn't leave the pitch directly. This caused them to have to both avoid the Dementors and try to continue the match.
Their flying postures were becoming chaotic and even distorted. Dylan saw that Harry was naturally the most affected. His emotional state would always change drastically when he faced a Dementor. And he seemed to be having an even more intense reaction than the first time he encountered one on the Hogwarts Express.
Dylan raised an eyebrow. He had given Harry an amulet before. With the amulet, while it couldn't completely prevent Dementors from bothering Harry, it should at least help him stay a little calmer. But it seemed that because of the match, Harry hadn't worn the amulet Dylan had given him.
Hermione, standing in front of Dylan, looked worried. "I feel like Harry..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Harry plunged headfirst from his broom. His broomstick spun wildly in the air, its twigs at the end twisted and scattered by the strong wind. In an instant, it shot into the churning rain as a blur, leaving a few fleeting trails of vapor that soon vanished without a trace.
"Ah!"
Hermione cried out, her scream piercing the downpour. "Someone save him!"
Dylan squinted slightly, raising his wand. "Expecto Patronum!"
In a flash, a silvery-white substance gushed out. The Dementors in the field seemed to be startled by this power and began to tremble violently. The black smoke under their robes churned wildly, and they twisted their bodies, desperately retreating. A flash of silver light passed through, and a Poro with a Pixiu outfit leapt from the light. It was round and adorable. It flew straight and fast into the field, circling the unconscious Harry and stopping his descent.
Just then, an even more powerful force swept over them. It was a spell cast by Dumbledore. As the old man angrily waved his wand, a silvery-white light exploded like a surging wave! Although Dylan couldn't see the Patronus Dumbledore had summoned, the sheer vastness of the silvery-white matter could be considered a Patronus in itself. This made the silvery-white cloud Dylan had summoned instantly pale in comparison.
Dylan blinked. He knew it; he had only summoned a Poro, so why did the Dementors look like their parents had died? They didn't even have parents! It was because of the furious old Dumbledore. These Dementors had consciousness and intelligence, and they could easily tell who was not to be messed with.
Whoosh! The giant silver wave, with the force of a powerful lightning strike, tore at the Dementors and blasted them out of the Hogwarts boundary.
As the wave passed, Harry's body was also lifted. The Poro, who had been trying to lift Harry with its tiny hands, suddenly felt the weight above it lighten and froze. It raised its head blankly and saw that the person it was supposed to lift had been carried away by another force.
The Pixiu Poro blinked. It turned its head to look at Dylan. Dylan also waved his wand, retracting his power. The Poro immediately understood its master's meaning. It flew towards Dylan and disappeared into the tip of his wand.
Hermione looked on, dumbfounded. "You... you can already summon a Patronus?!"
Dylan shrugged. "Yes." After some time of study and experimentation, as well as a subtle change in his state of mind, he could now summon a Patronus almost at will.
"Fudge, I think you've truly forgotten what I told you," old Dumbledore muttered to himself in the stands. After blasting all the Dementors away, he turned around, his robe making a sharp arc.
Dumbledore looked at Harry, who had been brought over by his magic. His usually kind face was now as if it were coated in ice. His lips were straight, with no hint of a smile.
Fortunately, someone else had used the Patronus Charm to save Harry before he could even react. As a result, Harry was neither physically harmed by falling from the sky nor psychologically and mentally traumatized by excessive contact with the Dementors.
After this whole ordeal, the game naturally couldn't continue. Or rather, it had already ended.
Because...
Cedric had a Golden Snitch in his hand.
Hufflepuff won.
The players on the field also landed. Cedric looked a little dazed. He didn't even know how he had caught the Golden Snitch. Harry was the one who had spotted it and was about to catch it, but then... In any case, they had won.
But given the current situation, did they really win? Cedric's expression was confused.
The professors all rushed towards Dumbledore. Dumbledore's eyes were cold. His wand trembled slightly, and a series of fine, silver-blue ripples appeared in the air. A simple medical stretcher instantly appeared, floating in mid-air. He then used a spell to lift Harry and place him on the stretcher. Then, he turned around, and the stretcher naturally followed him.
"Carry on, Rolanda, do your job," Dumbledore said to Madam Hooch, who looked worried. "I'll take Harry to get treated. I'll leave this to you."
Madam Hooch nodded. She quickly tidied her rain-soaked referee's uniform. She then raised her wand to amplify her voice. "Everyone, calm down! Do not get agitated! I hereby announce that the Hufflepuff team has won this Quidditch match!"
As Madam Hooch's words fell, cheers erupted from the Hufflepuff side. But just then, something unexpected happened.
Cedric jumped off his broom. Rain ran down his golden hair and dripped from his jawline. He looked at Harry, who was being carried away on a stretcher, and the joy of victory slowly cooled in the icy rain. After a moment of silence, Cedric took a deep breath. He took three quick, steady strides and stood in front of Madam Hooch.
Madam Hooch was surprised. "What is it?"
"Madam Hooch, as the Captain of the Hufflepuff team, I request a rematch on behalf of Hufflepuff!" Cedric's voice was still clear despite the heavy rain.
Madam Hooch was stunned again. "Why?"
"Potter fell because of Dementor interference, as everyone saw. I believe a true match should not end this way. Gryffindor deserves a fair duel, and the honor of Quidditch should not be tarnished."
After saying this, he nodded slightly, quietly waiting for Madam Hooch's response. His decision caused the cheering Hufflepuff students to slowly fall silent. They looked at each other but didn't object to Cedric's idea. No one raised any opposition.
However, while Hufflepuff had no objections, Madam Hooch found herself in a difficult position. As the referee, she had already announced the result. Although it was only the first match and not the entire season, she had never experienced a situation like this in her refereeing career.
If Hufflepuff hadn't made this decision, it would have been one thing. But since the winning team was requesting a rematch, she wasn't sure if she should announce another match. After all, the rules of Quidditch never specified how to properly handle a situation where a player was affected by Dementors and their team lost, in order to maintain fairness.
Madam Hooch's wand spun halfway in her fingers, then stopped. Rain ran down the brim of her referee's cap, hitting the ground below her hesitant gaze. Just as she was about to speak, Wood suddenly pushed through the crowd and stepped forward. His drenched Gryffindor robes were still dripping. He swallowed with difficulty and forced a smile that was uglier than a frown, but his voice was clear and resolute.
"Madam Hooch, I don't think a rematch is necessary. Hufflepuff won fair and square."
As he said this, his knuckles, clutching his old broom handle, were turning white. The moisture on his eyelashes was either raindrops or tears; it was impossible to tell.
"I think even Harry would want us to... follow the rules." Wood let out a heavy sigh. The wind carried the damp air, dispersing his breath. The boy's trembling shoulders and his firm words created a sharp contrast.
Madam Hooch looked intently at Wood, then at Cedric, who was also frozen in place. Finally, she pursed her lips and gave a slight nod. "Very well, you've done well. In that case, the results of the match will stand as is."
Madam Hooch waved her wand again, making her voice echo throughout the Quidditch pitch. "Hufflepuff wins! Now, everyone, listen. The Gryffindor students go first. Go back to the castle!"
"Next, the Hufflepuffs, and finally, the Slytherins and Ravenclaws. Do not push, and return in an orderly fashion!"
"All prefects, lead your students! No stampeding!"
Madam Hooch directed the situation, quickly turning the chaotic scene into an orderly queue. The rain continued to pour, but under Madam Hooch's calm guidance, the students began to walk back towards the castle, stepping through puddles and pulling their cloaks tight. Soon, the Quidditch pitch was mostly empty.
Wood, however, remained standing in the center of the wet grass, letting the rain soak his fiery red robes. He tilted his head back, looking up at the swirling dark clouds. Rain streamed down his eyelashes. It was impossible to tell which were salty tears and which were raindrops.
The other Gryffindor Quidditch players also stayed. How could they leave when their captain hadn't? But they didn't get close to Wood either. They just stood under umbrellas in the distance, their eyes filled with worry as they watched their captain.
—No one knew better than they did how many nights Wood had spent on the training field for this match, or how much effort he had put into training. They were all exhausted from his training, but their captain was even more so.
In the stands, Hermione and Ron paused, wanting to leave to check on Harry, but they were unsure if they should leave right now. Dylan shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I think he'll be able to get over it. You guys go back and check on Harry. I'll go see what Wood is up to." Hermione and the others looked at each other, then nodded and hurried out of the stands.
Dylan also walked down towards the field. When he got closer, Fred finally took a few steps forward and went to Wood's side. "We were only one hundred points behind."
Beside Fred, George also followed. He nodded. "Yeah, if Ravenclaw can beat Hufflepuff..."
"And we win our remaining two matches! Defeating Ravenclaw and Slytherin..."
"...we can still be the final winners!"
Fred and George spoke at the same time. They stood by Wood's side. The crisp sound of their palms hitting each other could even be heard through the rain. Then, the two of them carefully looked at Wood. But he still only showed them his statue-like back. The captain, who was always so full of life, now looked as if he had been frozen by a spell, as if even the hem of his robe was fixed in the wind.
Fred elbowed Dylan. George also looked at Dylan with his eyes, asking what to do now.
Dylan shrugged. Some obsessions were like swords being forged. The more battered they were, the more they had to hold onto their purity amidst their regrets.
"I think he's not drowning in sorrow; he's waiting for his belief to be reborn from the ruins."
Fred and George were confused. "What do you mean?"
Dylan rolled his eyes. "I mean, go prepare some stimulating potions and ginger tea. The way he is, he's definitely going to have a fever tomorrow morning. You don't want your captain to turn into a feverish mess, do you?"
"Huh?!"
Fred and George's bodies stiffened. They then quickly ran towards the castle. Dylan also shook his head, following the last of the students. As he passed the other Gryffindor Quidditch team members, he added, "Didn't any of you use a spell to keep the rain from hitting him?"
Finally, someone realized. That's right, if the captain was getting rained on, why didn't they just stop the rain? What were they doing standing there with him getting rained on?
....
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