During breakfast, as usual, Natasha walked over to the opposite side of Adelaide and Cho Chang with her tray, prepared to offer them a few more words of encouragement.
However, when her gaze fell upon Adelaide's face, her expression shifted, and then, as if suddenly struck by a spell, she found herself unable to speak.
There, clearly printed on Adelaide's cheek, was a pale pink lipstick mark; from its clarity and freshness, it seemed to have been left very recently.
Natasha's gaze swept over Cho Chang's face, which was in a visibly good mood, and she clicked her tongue inwardly, thinking to herself, "Cho Chang certainly moves fast!"
Since Cho Chang had already "encouraged" Adelaide on her behalf, there was no need for her to say anything more.
Natasha, the single pringle, curled her lip and moved to sit beside her friend Jessica, starting to act spoiled to seek some comfort.
Meanwhile, Adelaide was completely oblivious to the lipstick mark on her face. She chatted happily with Cho Chang while enjoying the delicious breakfast.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was noon.
Returning from the Quidditch Pitch, Adelaide and Cho happened to run into Hermione, who had just come out of the library and was walking toward her with a look of fury.
Before Adelaide could react, Hermione was already in front of her. Without a word, she slammed a copy of "Quidditch Through the Ages" hard against her.
"I've been in the library for the last two days looking up Quidditch information for you, and not only do you not take it seriously, but you're out here flirting with other girls!"
Hermione's voice was deafening, drawing the attention of many people around them.
Adelaide was startled by Hermione's sudden outburst. She looked at Hermione with a dazed expression, completely unaware of what had happened.
"Don't put on that innocent face; you still have the evidence on your cheek!"
Hermione pointed at Adelaide's cheek, shouting in a fit of rage.
Only then did Adelaide realize, hurriedly wiping her face with her sleeve as she sheepishly explained that it was just a misunderstanding.
Cho Chang, standing nearby, also explained softly, "Little Hermione, please don't misunderstand; it's like this: this morning, Adelaide gave me a Nimbus 2000... You know, it's the same model as the one she uses now—of course, Adelaide definitely didn't have any other intentions. She just thought the Nimbus 2000 is the best flying broomstick currently available, and she wanted to give me the best..."
"I was just so happy that I couldn't help but give her a kiss. It really didn't mean anything else! I was simply expressing my gratitude to Adelaide. I hope you won't blame her; she's been under a lot of pressure these past few days..."
"...It might be because of the Quidditch trials. She's been tossing and turning at night, unable to sleep. Only when I go to her bed to chat with her can she relax and slowly drift off to sleep."
Cho Chang went on with a rare, lengthy explanation, but Adelaide's face turned incredibly pale—one might even say it was turning "green."
Although every word Cho Chang said was the truth—Cho, could you please pay attention to the atmosphere!
At this moment, the expression on Hermione's face was close to that of an angry Dragon, as if she might open her mouth and breathe out raging flames at any second!
However, unlike the volcanic eruption Adelaide expected, Hermione didn't say anything more. She just gave her a cold glare and then turned and left.
Hiss~
This isn't right!
For some reason, Adelaide felt like she was hallucinating a sound: Hermione Granger, darkening points +10.
Hehehe, how could that be possible!
Adelaide shuddered, then comforted herself inwardly that this wasn't a game; how could there be a setting like darkening points!
In the afternoon, to get in line early and represent Ravenclaw, Adelaide and Cho Chang arrived at the Quidditch Pitch early with their Nimbus 2000s.
As they approached the pitch, they saw from a distance that quite a few spectators were already sitting in the stands—this was truly strange!
After all, the Ravenclaw Team had always been the one with the weakest presence among the four Hogwarts houses, and its player trials had never garnered much attention.
Adelaide and Cho had come to watch the fun during last year's trials; back then, only a dozen or so spectators were scattered in the stands, making the scene quite desolate.
Yet now, with a full hour and a half before the trials were set to begin, there were already fifty or sixty spectators in the stands before her. Compared to last year, it was like night and day!
Adelaide and Cho Chang looked at each other; this sudden surge of attention made them feel the pressure mounting.
Adelaide steadied herself and walked straight toward Natasha on the pitch.
She came to Natasha's side and asked in a low voice, "Senior Natasha, is there some special event at the pitch today? Why are there so many spectators?"
An awkward expression appeared on Natasha's face, and she subconsciously rubbed her nose, seemingly unsure of how to answer.
The current Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, standing nearby, couldn't take it anymore. He rolled his eyes and answered for Natasha, "Hmph, if we have this much attention, it's all thanks to Natasha's bragging outside!"
"She's been telling everyone that your skills, Adelaide, are comparable to Gwenog Jones, and that you'll definitely show great prowess in this year's Quidditch matches, using the bludgers to knock the players of other teams off their flying broomsticks one by one!"
Adelaide was stunned; she could hardly believe her ears.
Gwenog Jones, the legendary figure who served as the Beater and captain of the all-female Welsh Quidditch team—the Holyhead Harpies—was actually being compared to her by Natasha. This was simply a case of punching way above her weight!
After all, Gwenog Jones was the dream idol of Quidditch-loving Witches worldwide. Not only were her skills superb, but she had also publicly stated on many occasions that Witches were more suited for Quidditch than wizards—a view that not a single person dared to oppose to her face!
Adelaide's mind went blank. She didn't even want to think about how she would survive at Hogwarts over the next few weeks if she made a mistake or performed poorly later.
She looked at Natasha with a look of despair. "Senior, I have no grudge against you; why must you harm me so!"
Natasha patted Adelaide's shoulder heavily several times and encouraged her loudly, "Adelaide, I've already seen in the previous practice sessions that you are the most talented Beater I've ever met. At your age, even Gwenog Jones was a tiny bit behind you—you have to believe in yourself!"
Adelaide made a shushing gesture; she was afraid that if Natasha continued, she would start receiving razor blades from Gwenog Jones's fanatical fans.
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