Harry Potter and the Way of Reason

Chapter 116: Aftermath: Something Worth Guarding, Part 0

At first Anna was very satisfied to see that the Quidditch final lasted so long - as a Gryffindor, she was a bystander to the House Cup battle, and Gryffindor had never won anyway.On the contrary, last year her family bought very expensive tickets to watch the Quidditch World Cup, but the game was over in 10 minutes, which was really bad.Modern Quidditch games have become too short, as the Snitch is always caught too early.This question has been widely discussed among Quidditch fans: broomstick spells are getting more advanced, but the Snitch's required speed remains the same, with the result that Quidditch games are getting shorter and shorter.Professional-level Quidditch has degenerated into a race to fund the development of Seekers' broomsticks, and the rest of the players are no different than sitting in the stands.

We all know something has to be done, this situation has been getting worse for centuries, and now it is unbearable.Yet the International Quidditch Federation fell into its usual chokehold, with the Germans and Bulgarians arguing at the top of their lungs, and then somehow no one could agree on how to change the rules.The correct solution to Ana seemed obvious, making the Snitch fast enough to bring Quidditch back to the four to five hours of Quidditch's golden age in the 19th century.Whereas the Belgians feel like professional games should be two hours long like they once dominated the golden age of football, the crazy Italians want week-long games like the [-]th century, and some crazier British Pure-bloods will always talk about those occasional Quidditch matches that last a day, as evidence that the broomstick has not really improved, after all, everything is good in ancient times, which is not in line with Merlin. How the ban works.

She agrees 100% with Harry Potter: it's time for Hogwarts to ditch the talkers and change the rules themselves, here and now.But it's not that you don't want the Golden Snitch, otherwise you will go back to Kuwait Chi in the eleventh century.The new idea came from Headmistress Hufflepuff because one of her students wanted to compete but didn't fit into the usual positions, but that's beside the point; the Snitch became popular around the world because it was more exciting, The game could always be over in the next second.

For the past three or ten minutes, Anna was expounding her point of view hoarsely, completely forgetting to care about the game.It was a lucky coincidence to be seated next to the Boy Who Lived and his placard so she could make her position clear from the start.

She realized subconsciously that if the rules of Quidditch were to change here and now, it would be the most important thing she would ever do.She could almost feel the pressure of time bending around her, as if the fate of the game of Quidditch would be decided on this day, and she was near the center...but of course Her divination scores were not high enough to really predict something like this.

She barely noticed that at one point the Boy Who Lived got up to go to the bathroom.

But the Boy Who Lived lumbering back did catch her attention; Harry Potter looked a little tired and unsteady on his feet, though his school uniform looked as clean as if it had just been changed.

When her attention was drawn to him again half an hour later, Harry Potter looked a little wobbly, hunched over, and put his hand over his forehead; it looked like he was poking at the scar on his forehead.The thought made her a little worried; everyone knew there was something weird about Harry Potter, and if Potter's scar started to hurt it was likely that the sealed terror was about to burst from his forehead and consume everyone .But she dismissed the idea and continued explaining Quidditch to those who didn't know the history at the top of her voice.

She definitely noticed that Harry Potter was standing up, his hand still on his forehead.He then lowers his hand to reveal his famous lightning scar, which is now swollen and glowing red.It was bleeding, blood was running down, dripping from Potter's nose.

She stopped before finishing her sentence.The others turned their heads to see what she was staring at.

"Professor McGonagall?" Harry Potter's voice sounded trembling.Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes, which surprised her; the Boy Who Lived didn't seem like the type to burst into tears.Harry Potter raised his voice, as if speaking was difficult for him: "Well, Professor McGonagall?"

Professor McGonagall turned away from arguing with the Hufflepuff Quidditch team.The Head of Gryffindor's eyes widened in shock, and she pushed her way through the crowd, almost running. "Harry!" she said, "your scar!"

Silence spread like an expanding circle. "I feel," said Harry, still trembling, but louder, "I feel he's back. I feel I'm looking - looking through Voldemort's mind -"

Anna took a step backwards at the sound of Voldemort's name, nearly falling over the grandstand seats.An older boy next to her let out a yell of alarm, and Harry Potter's voice grew louder and shriller. "He's killing them!" screamed Harry Potter.

Half the Quidditch pitch turned to look at him. "The ritual!" cried Harry Potter, "the servant's blood! Blood, life! He summoned them, took their heads, their blood, their lives—the Dark Lord was reborn, Voldemort is back!"

Mrs. Hooch blew a sharp whistle, and the brooms that hadn't stopped in mid-air began to slow down.She herself wasn't quite sure if it was a joke; if it was, he'd be in more trouble than she could have imagined, Boy Who Lived or not.

Professor McGonagall raised her wand to cast the Silencing Charm, but Harry Potter grabbed her hand.

"Wait—" Harry took a breath, and his voice dropped, but it was still loud enough for her and those around her to hear clearly. "He can be stopped - I can see his mind, his mistakes - stop him now - this method is still possible! She is following him! The girl who was killed by Voldemort!" Anna's Mouth opened wide in sudden confusion, Harry's voice grew louder. "Come back! Come back, come back, come alive and stop him! Stop him, Hermione!"

Harry fell silent then, turning his head to look at the crowd staring at him.

Just when she was about to decide that this must be an unbelievably wicked prank, a distant but sharp explosion sounded through the sky.

Harry Potter staggered and fell to her knees, her heart pounding in her throat.A burst of excited discussion suddenly exploded around them.

She heard the words coming out of Harry Potter's mouth as Professor McGonagall knelt beside him. "It worked," gasped Harry Potter, "she did it, and he's gone."

"What?" cried Professor McGonagall, looking around. "Quiet! Y'all be quiet! Harry, what's going on?"

Harry Potter spoke quickly and loudly: "Voldemort - tried to resurrect - he summoned the Death Eaters and killed them, stole their blood and life - there's Hermione's body, I don't know why, maybe Voldemort was going to use it for something - Voldemort came back to life, he brought himself back to life, but Hermione came back with him, destroyed him, he died, and it was over. It happened in a cemetery very close to Hogwarts, and it was in—" Harry stood up, still shaking a little, "I think it's in that direction." Harry Potter pointed in the general direction of the explosion, "I'm not sure how far. It took the voice 20 seconds to get here, so it's about 2 minutes on the broom—"

Professor McGonagall stood up, waved her wand so smoothly it seemed subconsciously, and said, "Call for protection!" She said to the silver cat who appeared: "Go to Albus, tell him he must come right away— —”

"Dumbledore's gone!" cried Harry Potter. "The Headmaster is gone, Professor McGonagall! The Dark Lord trapped him, he flipped some kind of trap set by the Headmaster and Dumbledore was caught out of time, and he's gone!"

The fear-filled discussion around them suddenly took on a higher tone.

"Go to Albus!" said Professor McGonagall to her Patronus.

The moonlight-colored cat just looked at Meg sadly, and Anna gasped because of the sudden fear, feeling like someone had just hit her in the stomach.It's true, it's all true, it's not a joke.

"Professor McGonagall, Hermione is alive!" Harry Potter raised his voice again. "She's really alive, not a ghost or anything, and she's still in that cemetery!"

"Broom!" cried Professor McGonagall.She turned to the players hovering motionless above the court. "I need a broom, right now!"

Despite all of this, Ana held up a hand in silent protest, then stopped herself as the Ravenclaw and Slytherin Seekers charged (which makes perfect tactical sense, After all, they didn't actually do anything).

Harry Potter had already started pulling another broom out of his Mokpouch, a multiplayer broom.

Professor McGonagall saw it, and then nodded heavily. "You stay here, Mr. Potter, unless there is a very important reason for you to be there. I will go now."

"You must not go!" shrieked Professor Flitwick, pushing his way through the crowd, occasionally slipping under someone's legs.His eyes were wide and he looked as if he was about to pass out. "You must stay at Hogwarts, Minerva! You - you are -" Professor Flitwick broke off.

Professor McGonagall turned to Professor Flitwick, then paused, the color faded from his face and turned pale.

Then she snatched the broomstick from Harry Potter and gave it to the little, half-elf professor. "Felius," she said dryly.All the initial panic was gone from her voice, and she was now back to her crisp Scottish accent, as if in class last Monday. "Find the cemetery Mr. Potter said, and find Miss Granger. Take her to Apparate to St. Mungo's and stay with her there."

"I think—" said Harry Potter hoarsely. "I think the fighting there might have involved Transfiguration—Professor Quirrell tried to fight Voldemort—needs protection—"

Professor Flitwick nodded, but didn't stop stepping on his broomstick.

"Professor Quirrell is dead!" Harry Potter wailed.The great pain in his voice was clear, "He's dead! The Dark Lord killed him! His body—" Harry Potter choked up, "There, in the graveyard."

She stumbled back a step, feeling like another punch in the stomach.Professor Quirrell was her—one of her favorite professors, one of her favorites so far, and he made her start rethinking her ideas about Slytherins, and she knew vaguely that he might die soon, but Hearing that he was really dead, beyond a shadow of a doubt...

The Boy Who Lived sat down in the chair, as if his legs could no longer support his weight.

Professor McGonagall turned to the crowd and touched her throat with her wand, "The Quidditch match is over," her magically amplified voice sounded like thunder, "Go back to your dormitory—"

"No!" Harry Potter screamed.

Professor McGonagall turned to look at him.

Tears rolled down the Boy Who Lived's cheeks, and he looked like everyone else, taken aback by interrupting Professor McGonagall himself. "This is Professor Quirrell's last secret project," said Harry Potter, choked up.The Boy Who Lived looked at the Quidditch players flying nearby, as if addressing them directly, "His last secret plan."

Harry Potter was floated by Professor McGonagall and sent to the school hospital.The other professors were all running around, leaving only Professor Sinista and Mrs. Hooch.Rumors swirl at the stadium; Ana recounts as best she can.Dumbledore had an accident, some Death Eaters were summoned and slaughtered (no, Harry Potter didn't say which ones), Professor Quirrell went out to face the Dark Lord and died because of it, You-Know-Who was resurrected and died again Yes, Professor Quirrell is dead, he is dead.

Eventually most of the students walked slowly back to their dormitories and went to sleep, if they could.

Ana stayed in the gym and watched the rest of the game, ignoring her body's thirst for sleep and her eyes often clouded by tears.

Ravenclaw played heroically.

But no Quidditch team could beat the Slytherin team that day.

Slytherin won the final, the Quidditch Cup, and the House Cup when the sky was tinged with morning light.