Early the next morning, Sean woke up groggily and slowly changed into his robes before leaving the dormitory.
The moment he stepped into the common room, however, he immediately froze.
Snape was already there.
The Potions professor sat stiffly on the sofa like an enormous black bat, his dark eyes fixed on Sean the instant he appeared. A moment later, Snape's gaze slowly shifted upward toward Higgs, who was still hanging upside down from the ceiling.
Higgs looked utterly miserable.
After an entire night suspended in the air, his face had turned pale and swollen. His hair hung downward in a tangled mess, and the humiliation in his eyes was almost unbearable.
Snape stared at him for several seconds before speaking coldly.
"A very creative method of punishment, Mr. Sebastian."
Sean immediately smiled.
"I'm honored by the compliment, Professor."
Snape ignored the grin entirely.
"Perhaps I'll have the opportunity to use the same method on you someday."
His tone was as gloomy as ever.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"I also noticed something else. I haven't seen the Slytherin Quidditch team practicing once this entire month."
The common room instantly grew tense.
Snape's voice became colder.
"So you'd better hope we don't lose today's match."
His black robes swayed slightly as he stood.
"Otherwise, the person hanging from the ceiling tomorrow will be you."
The moment Sean heard that, all traces of sleepiness vanished completely.
He immediately stepped forward with a cheerful smile.
"Professor, why don't we make a little wager instead?"
Snape's eyes twitched faintly.
Sean continued shamelessly.
"I mentioned it before, remember? One bottle of Felix Felicis."
"Not a chance."
Snape rejected him without hesitation.
"Now hurry to the Quidditch pitch."
After speaking, Snape turned and strode away at remarkable speed, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation for even another second.
Sean watched his departing figure and chuckled softly.
He knew perfectly well Snape hadn't come just to wake everyone up.
Dumbledore had definitely sent him here to observe how Sean intended to handle Higgs.
…
At the Quidditch pitch, the stadium was already beginning to fill with students.
High above the field, Snape quietly leaned toward Dumbledore and muttered something into the Headmaster's ear.
Dumbledore immediately burst into laughter.
"Is that so?" he said with amusement. "That truly is unique. I honestly expected him to use Transfiguration and turn Mr. Higgs into a rat."
Snape's expression remained completely blank.
"I sent the students who woke up early directly to the pitch," he said calmly. "They all insisted on waiting for Sean before entering."
His tone became oddly irritated.
"That boy acts more like a professor than I do now. Half the Slytherins are less afraid of me than they used to be."
Dumbledore smiled gently and patted Snape's shoulder.
"At the very least, Sean respects you."
Snape snorted softly.
"I think you actually have more influence over those children now than you realize, Severus," Dumbledore continued. "Sometimes you simply need to look at things from a different perspective."
Snape didn't answer.
At that exact moment—
DING! DING! DING!
A massive bronze bell rang throughout the stadium.
The noise instantly captured everyone's attention.
Students rushed into the stands waving banners and scarves in their House colours while shouting at the top of their lungs.
Snape quickly returned to his seat beside the other professors.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore stood up and tapped his throat lightly with his wand.
"Sonorus."
His voice instantly thundered across the entire stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Dumbledore announced warmly, "welcome to this year's Quidditch competition!"
Thunderous cheers exploded from the stands.
"This year's matches will feature Gryffindor versus Slytherin, and Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw!"
The students erupted again.
"Now then," Dumbledore continued with a smile, "let us all look forward to a spectacular performance from our players."
He raised one hand dramatically.
"Begin!"
The entire stadium exploded with noise.
Students waved flags wildly while chanting the names of their Houses.
Sean sat in the front row among the Slytherins, calmly watching the Gryffindor team enter first.
Then Slytherin appeared.
The moment the team walked onto the field, the crowd immediately erupted into deafening screams.
Every single Slytherin player carried a gleaming new Nimbus 2000.
After Lucius Malfoy arranged for Draco to join the team, he had directly purchased seven Nimbus 2000 broomsticks as "sponsorship."
And according to rumor, he'd also promised that the Slytherin Quidditch team would always receive the newest broom models available in the future.
The seven Slytherin players strode confidently into the stadium holding their identical brooms.
The sight alone was intimidating.
"Slytherin!"
"Victory!"
"Slytherin!"
"Victory!"
The Slytherin stands roared like thunder. Many younger snakes were already red-faced from screaming so loudly.
Soon, both teams mounted their brooms and rose into the air.
Madam Hooch floated between them, Quaffle tucked under one arm and whistle held tightly between her fingers.
The players circled overhead, tense and ready.
Then suddenly—
Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle high into the air.
"BEEEEEP!"
At the exact same moment, Lee Jordan's voice exploded across the stadium commentary box.
"And the match has officially begun!"
His excitement practically shook the stands.
"Merlin's beard! Every Slytherin player is riding a Nimbus 2000! For the first time in my life, I genuinely think Quidditch might not be fair!"
The crowd laughed loudly.
"Gryffindor gains possession first! Excellent play by Oliver Wood!"
High above the field, Wood darted forward carrying the Quaffle at high speed.
"Oh no! Slytherin immediately double-teams him!"
Two Slytherin Chasers slammed directly into Wood from both sides.
The Quaffle flew loose instantly.
"That looked suspiciously like a foul," Lee Jordan shouted excitedly, "but Madam Hooch isn't stopping play!"
The Slytherin Chasers passed the Quaffle flawlessly through the air.
"And now the ball reaches Marcus Flint!"
Lee Jordan's voice grew even louder.
"We all know Flint's an experienced veteran player—wait! Fake pass! He dodges left—shoots—AND SLYTHERIN SCORES!"
The Slytherin stands exploded.
Fifteen points instantly appeared beside Slytherin's score.
Sean watched calmly from the stands with clear satisfaction in his eyes.
After months of brutal training inside the training room, the Slytherin team had become terrifyingly coordinated.
Compared to ordinary school teams, they practically resembled professional players.
Against Gryffindor, this level of skill almost felt unfair.
Most Gryffindor players hadn't even reacted during the first attack before the Quaffle had already entered their goal.
Lee Jordan continued shouting rapidly.
"Back to the game! Gryffindor regains possession—and this time they're clearly prepared for Slytherin's aggressive tactics!"
The Gryffindor players immediately shifted into a defensive formation.
But the instant Slytherin stole the ball again—
The entire stadium fell silent.
"What in the world is that?" Lee Jordan screamed.
All six Slytherin field players suddenly gathered together at incredible speed.
Then they charged.
The players formed a sharp triangular formation like the tip of an arrow, smashing directly into Gryffindor's defense with terrifying momentum.
One Gryffindor player reacted too slowly and was struck head-on.
The poor boy immediately fainted and nearly fell off his broom before the teachers rushed forward to catch him.
The crowd erupted into chaos.
Boos, screams, and cheers mixed together wildly.
"My God!" Lee Jordan shouted in disbelief. "That's the famous English Arrowhead Formation!"
Another Slytherin player shot the Quaffle cleanly through the goal hoops.
"Another fifteen points for Slytherin!"
The Slytherin section went absolutely insane.
Lee Jordan groaned dramatically into the microphone.
"I officially dislike the English now."
Sean leaned lazily against his seat and smiled faintly.
"I agree with Lee on this one," he muttered quietly. "Men wearing skirts really are difficult to respect."
.....
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