Slytherin's Glorious Victory

Just as the two of them were getting closer and closer to the Golden Snitch, Harry's new broom suddenly became especially restless.

It darted up and down, swayed from side to side, and even spun three hundred and sixty degrees. It looked like an unbroken wild horse trying to throw its rider from the saddle.

Aaron noticed this and frowned. He even stopped chasing the Golden Snitch. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know. My broom's stopped listening to me. This is the first time I've ever run into something like this." Harry sounded close to tears. This was no longer a question of whether he would lose the match—it was a question of whether he could keep his life.

"That shouldn't be possible!" Aaron's expression turned strange. This was a Nimbus 2000; under normal circumstances, something like this should never happen.

Besides, Harry was practically a professional Seeker by now. A mistake that only beginners made should never have happened to him.

Aaron was not the only one who noticed the problem. Quite a few people in the stands had noticed as well, pointing at Harry Potter as he was tossed about on his Flying Broomstick in the sky.

"How did Harry's broom end up like that?" Hagrid said in astonishment.

Holding up her large binoculars, Hermione watched Harry. As her gaze followed his movements, she unexpectedly caught sight of someone in the stands intently muttering a spell.

Something about it felt strange. She adjusted the binoculars and discovered that it was Snape. His eyes were fixed on Harry Potter without even blinking.

"It's Snape. He's casting a spell," Hermione said in surprise. Though she did not want to believe that Snape, who had saved her life, would do such a thing, she could not deny the facts before her.

"He's casting a spell?" Ron looked toward Snape as well and saw that it was true. "Then what do we do?"

"Watch me!" Hermione stuffed the binoculars into Ron's hands, left the stands, and hurried toward the platform where Snape was standing.

Harry's broom shook even more violently, growing increasingly crazed. It had only been flipping sideways before, but now it had begun flipping vertically.

After two rotations, Harry was nearly thrown off. He could only grip the broom handle with one hand, hanging painfully in midair. But anyone could see that he would not be able to hold on for much longer.

The Nimbus 2000 continued swaying from side to side. Harry grabbed on with his other hand as well, not daring to let go no matter what.

Naturally, the Seeker's trouble affected Gryffindor's morale. Slytherin would not miss this opportunity, scoring two Quaffles in quick succession within just a few minutes.

The score became ten to twenty, with Slytherin overtaking Gryffindor.

"Uh-oh! Looks like things are more serious than I thought." Aaron flew over beside Harry. In full view of the entire crowd, he somewhat reluctantly extended his right hand to him. "If you don't want to fall...

A friendly reminder: this isn't a problem with the Flying Broomstick. No broom would be this disobedient. Someone is definitely trying to harm you."

Harry hesitated for a moment, then caught Aaron's right hand amid the violent tossing and was pulled onto Aaron's broom.

The Nimbus 2000 also seemed to have lost its target. It gradually settled down and hovered in midair.

Both Gryffindor and Slytherin widened their eyes at the sight. Most people showed Aaron admiration, believing that he had not taken advantage of Harry's misfortune. A small number, however, were frustrated by his refusal to seize such a perfect chance to win.

Aaron had no idea what they were thinking, and even if he had, he would not have cared. After pulling Harry onto his broom, he immediately began flying rapidly around the pitch, not daring to waste a moment for fear of suffering the same fate as Harry Potter.

"Thank you!" Seeing that his broom had calmed down again, Harry knew Aaron had been right and awkwardly expressed his thanks.

"You could have won," Harry said in confusion. Aaron had spotted the Golden Snitch before him. Even if Harry's broom had not malfunctioned, there had still been a strong chance that Aaron would have seized the Snitch first.

"I have my own principles. I can lose with dignity, but I can't win without knowing why." Aaron said calmly. "My condition for joining the House team was that whenever I played, no one on the team was allowed to commit any fouls.

But if I had caught the Golden Snitch just now, then I would have been the one breaking the rules."

Meanwhile, Hermione had already pushed through the crowd and hurried over to the platform where Snape was standing.

Just as she was about to draw her Wand and interrupt Snape's spell, she unexpectedly saw Harry climb onto Aaron's broom.

"How did that happen?" Hermione murmured softly. With her clever mind, she quickly figured out what had happened. Looking at Aaron flying through the sky, the corners of her lips could not help but rise slightly.

"What are you doing here?" Snape looked at Hermione Granger, who had appeared behind him at some point, his face so dark it seemed ready to drip water.

"Ah!" Hermione jumped, then immediately came back to herself and forced herself to remain calm. "I thought I could see more clearly from here."

"Is that so? Then was it necessary to draw your Wand?

Miss Granger, I suppose you think Gryffindor has too many points and want me to deduct some more?"

"No!" Hermione hurriedly put away her Wand and stammered, "It, it's..."

"I told her to come here." Professor Flitwick hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. "Miss Granger had a few spells she did not understand, so I told her to come find me after the Quidditch match.

Perhaps she was simply a little too eager. You know Hermione has always been a young witch eager for knowledge."

Hermione froze for a moment, then nodded repeatedly.

Snape gave Hermione a long look, then shifted his gaze to Professor Flitwick. He snorted softly and turned his head away.

Professor Flitwick secretly breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Hermione to his side, keeping her as far from Snape as possible.

"What am I supposed to say to you?

Many Gryffindors dislike Professor Snape, but not one of them has ever tried to play a prank with a Wand in hand like you did.

Hermione, you're only a first-year student. You still have seven years before graduation. Are you sure you want to offend a Potions Class teacher who will be teaching you for seven years in your very first year?"

"I..."

"Say no more, child. Promise me that you won't do something so impulsive again, all right?"

Hermione felt somewhat wronged. She wanted to tell Professor Flitwick about seeing Snape cast a spell, but without evidence, she could only nod helplessly.

"That's more like it. Watch the match!

Aaron is even more outstanding than I thought. That excellence isn't in his talent, but in his character.

Of course, his talent is quite good as well." Professor Flitwick smiled.

Hermione came back to her senses and turned her attention to the pitch.

Aaron circled the pitch once. Thinking that whoever had harmed Harry would not dare cast another spell under so many watchful eyes, he simply sent Harry back to his Nimbus 2000.

"The match continues. From here on out, I won't hold back," Aaron said.

Harry nodded as well, gripping his broom tightly with both hands. He quickly adjusted himself and searched the pitch for that golden streak of light.

This time, he was fully focused, but Aaron still spotted the Golden Snitch first and gave chase.

Harry followed close behind and soon collided with Aaron.

As they chased the Golden Snitch, the two kept ramming each other with their elbows, trying to throw the other into disarray. Yet neither could do anything to the other.

The Golden Snitch began racing toward the grass below, and the two of them started diving after it.

The Nimbus 2000 was slightly faster, but with his head pointed toward the ground, Harry did not dare fly at full speed. He maintained the same pace as Aaron the entire time.

Finally, when he could clearly see the blades of grass on the ground, Harry did not dare continue diving. He abruptly pulled up his broom and came to a sharp stop.

But Aaron continued downward. Just before he hit the ground, he stretched out his right hand. His fingers skimmed swiftly over the grass, leaving three shallow furrows in the turf.

Then he lifted his right hand, pulling up a little dirt as he caught the Golden Snitch flying just above the grass.

"Aaron Gaius has caught the Golden Snitch! He gains one hundred and fifty points and ends the match!" Lee Jordan announced. "The score between Gryffindor and Slytherin is ten to one hundred and seventy."

Professor Hooch blew her whistle and loudly announced, "Slytherin wins."

Slytherin's cheers instantly flooded the entire pitch. The professors in the stands all applauded this thrilling match, though Professor McGonagall looked more dejected than the others.

She had thought that with the exceptionally gifted Seeker Harry Potter, Gryffindor could finally hold its head high and sweep away its former decline. She had not expected Slytherin to possess a trump card like Aaron Gaius as well.

Yet she could not find the slightest fault with it. In the past, she could at least say that they had won unfairly and frequently committed fouls, but this time, she truly had no way to console herself.