Quidditch Match Part 1

Ever since that talk with Professor McGonagall, Hermione had clearly changed her attitude and manner toward Lin Yue.

For example, now that Lin Yue had finished all her homework, Hermione looked away from the unfinished work in front of her and turned to her.

"Lin Yue, have you finished your homework?"

"Mm, I'm done." Lin Yue nodded calmly.

"Then let's take a walk by the lake and play with the Giant Squid while it's on shore."

Hermione looked at Lin Yue with sparkling eyes full of anticipation.

Lin Yue was just about to say that her study time was not over when Ron spoke first from across the table.

He stared at Hermione in disbelief. "Merlin's sun... Did it rise in the west today? Hermione, you actually want to go for a walk instead of studying in the Library?"

Hermione's brow twitched violently as she shot Ron a vicious glare. "Shut up, Ron!"

"If you and Harry had taught yourselves as much extra material as Lin Yue has by now, I'd suggest that you go take a walk and rest too!"

After saying that, she quickly turned her gaze back to Lin Yue, but it was already too late.

Lin Yue had already entered study mode, and Hermione, who loved studying just as much, simply could not bring herself to disturb her under those circumstances.

The guilt was just too much, so she could only glare fiercely at Ron again. Even Harry beside him did not escape.

Harry, who had been innocently dragged into this, sat in his chair with his head lowered. Feeling Hermione's gaze, he obediently did not even look up.

He was truly wronged... He had not said a single word!

And so the entire afternoon passed. On the way to the Great Hall for dinner, Hermione specifically told Lin Yue to go on ahead without waiting for them.

Lin Yue nodded expressionlessly and hurried off toward the Great Hall.

The moment she left, Hermione's expression changed. The bright smile on her face turned into a savage, teeth-gritted scowl.

She raised the thick book in her hand and gave Ron a light tap with it. It could not be helped—Ron was already... not very smart. She was afraid she might actually knock him stupid.

But while she had gone easy on him with her hand, there was no chance she would go easy on him with her words.

"Honestly... No one would think you were mute if you didn't talk, Ron!"

"Can't you see how hard Lin Yue has been pushing herself to study? I finally found an opening to get her to take a break, and you had to ruin it!"

Seeing the anger on Hermione's face, and thinking of how every time they came to the Library these past few days they found Lin Yue studying, Ron lowered his head guiltily.

"Sorry... I was just too surprised. I didn't think."

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Forget it. We'll find another chance."

Hearing that, Ron hurriedly tried to redeem himself and raised his hand.

"November. It'll be November soon. Harry's first Quidditch Match is coming up then. We can take Lin Yue with us to watch."

Hermione lowered her eyes slightly, considering Ron's suggestion.

A Quidditch Match... It really was an extremely popular sport in the wizarding world.

The Quidditch Matches between the different houses at Hogwarts would probably be quite lively too.

Maybe Lin Yue could feel happiness from all that excitement.

Professor McGonagall had said that perhaps Lin Yue's emotions were dulled because she had spent all her time studying and never had the chance to experience the outside world. Then Hermione would take Lin Yue out into the world—into a world lively enough to make her feel something!

Mm! That was the plan! Hermione nodded to herself, unable to stop the corner of her mouth from curving upward.

Nodding at Ron, Hermione praised him with satisfaction. "You finally came up with a decent idea, Ron. It's a great one. We'll take Lin Yue to watch the Quidditch Match when the time comes."

With that, she turned and headed for the Great Hall to eat dinner in a fairly good mood.

Ron, left behind her, slowly turned to look at his good friend Harry.

"Why don't I feel like she was praising me...?"

Harry held back his laughter and cleared his throat. "Ahem. You're imagining things. She was praising you."

Ron narrowed his eyes at Hermione's retreating back. "All right... I'll just take it as praise, then."

He did not dwell on it any longer and directly dragged Harry toward the Great Hall. When it came down to it, food was the most important thing in the world! Why think so much when two chicken legs would taste far better?

Having decided to bring Lin Yue to the Quidditch Match in November—which was this Saturday, only a couple of days away—Hermione quickly finished dinner and then stood behind Harry and Ron, urging them to hurry up and eat.

Pressed by her, Harry and Ron had no choice but to speed up again. Ron especially was holding a chicken leg in each hand and could barely keep up with eating them.

"But Hermione," Ron said around a mouthful of chicken, hurriedly taking another bite as he spoke, "why are you rushing us so much?"

Harry was bent over his vegetable salad, shoveling it down in huge mouthfuls. When his mouth was finally stuffed full, he found a chance to look up and speak while chewing, covering his mouth with one hand.

"Yeah, why are you rushing us even while we're eating today?"

Hermione turned to look at Lin Yue, who had already finished dinner and left the Great Hall, then turned back to Harry and Ron and spoke anxiously.

"Didn't we just say we were going to take Lin Yue to watch the Quidditch Match? That's why I'm telling you to eat faster—so we can tell her before she starts studying."

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, resignedly picked up their eating pace once more, and finished in a few bites. Hermione then grabbed them and ran out of the Great Hall.

By the time they caught up with Lin Yue, she had already reached the entrance to the Library.

If they had been just a few steps later, she would have sat down and started reading.

Listening to the heavy panting behind her, Lin Yue's expression did not change in the slightest. She did not even turn her head, simply sitting down and preparing to take out a book from her bag.

Hermione did not even have time to catch her breath before hurriedly speaking. "Lin Yue..."

Hearing Hermione call her name, Lin Yue set her book on the table and turned to look at her. "What is it?"

"In a couple of days... on Saturday, it'll be Harry's first Quidditch Match. Come watch it with us."

As Hermione spoke, she patted Harry twice, signaling for him to say something.

Taking the cue, Harry hurriedly chimed in. "Ah, y-yes. It's my first Quidditch Match. If you can come watch, Lin Yue, I'd be really happy."

As he spoke, Harry gave her a sincere, brilliant smile.

Lin Yue felt nothing as she looked at Harry's smile. "Sorry, Saturday is still my study—"

"Oh... Lin Yue." Hermione pursed her lips and put on a pitiful expression. "Just make some time to come watch Harry's match with me. With you beside me, it'll definitely be more fun, and Harry might even perform better!"

Interrupted by Hermione, Lin Yue closed her mouth. When Harry had said it, her brain had not reacted at all. She had merely instinctively wanted to say that it was her study time.

But when Hermione said she wanted her to accompany her to that Quidditch Match, Lin Yue's brain unexpectedly produced a strange thought—just as it had when she learned Hermione wanted to stop Harry from going to the Duel, and when she learned Hermione was in the Girls' Lavatory on the first underground floor. Agree to it. Go with her.

Even if doing so would cut into her study time, forcing her to make it up later by reducing her sleep, and requiring her to punish herself for participating in an extra, unnecessary recreational activity, she still found herself thinking of accompanying Hermione to the Quidditch Match.

So she did not hesitate for long. With no change in her expression, she nodded. "All right. I'll go with you on Saturday."

At those words, Hermione's mood brightened at once. Great! Lin Yue had finally agreed. She was finally going to take a break from studying!

Lin Yue withdrew her gaze, sat calmly in her seat, opened her book, and began reading.

After her excitement faded, Hermione packed up her bag and prepared to sit down and read as well. Harry and Ron immediately put on pained expressions at the sight.

These past few days, they had followed Hermione to the Library whenever they had free time to look for Lin Yue. Once there, they did homework, read books, previewed lessons, reviewed lessons... They were practically studying themselves to tears.

They truly could not study any longer. As though she had sensed the pained looks in Harry and Ron's eyes—

Hermione, in a cheerful mood, looked up at the two of them and waved, signaling that they could leave.

Harry widened his eyes in surprise, pointed outside the Library, and asked with his gesture whether she meant that he and Ron could leave first.

Hermione nodded affirmatively and waved toward the outside of the Library.

Harry instantly felt as though he had been granted a pardon. He grabbed Ron and walked out of the Library.

They had to hurry back and get something fun from Fred and George to play with for a while.

After letting Harry and Ron go, Hermione withdrew her gaze and continued reading. But before long, she could not help turning her head to look at Lin Yue.

When Lin Yue studied seriously, she gave off a stern aura from head to toe. It was very captivating, but for some reason, it also made Hermione feel...

That Lin Yue was not happy while studying. In fact, she seemed even less happy than Harry and Ron did when they studied, as though she was not studying of her own accord.

Rather, something was forcibly making her study, keeping her serious at all times.

Shaking her head, Hermione cast aside that strange thought and returned to reading seriously.

That Saturday, two days later, Lin Yue quickly finished breakfast at the Ravenclaw table. Just as the Little Eagles thought they were about to witness the usual routine—Lin Yue wolfing down breakfast before rushing off to the Library to study—they were surprised to see Miss Granger from Gryffindor House come over to their table.

She directly dragged Lin Yue away, saying that they needed to claim a good spot in the Quidditch stands.

And Lin Yue actually let herself be pulled away without any objection or resistance.

The Little Eagles immediately began discussing it. Lin Yue... someone who absolutely never participated in anything other than studying, had broken her routine for Miss Granger twice already, just from what they knew.

Qiuzhang and Marietta, seated at the table, exchanged glances. As Lin Yue's dormmates, they knew better than anyone else just how devoted she was to studying.

Her daily study hours were unbelievably long, yet she had maintained them without fail for the past two months since school began.

And now she had actually been dragged off by Miss Granger to watch a Quidditch Match?!

Marietta, who had not been as enthusiastic about Quidditch as Qiuzhang and had not intended to watch a match that did not involve her own House, immediately changed her mind. After taking two last bites, she left the Great Hall with Qiuzhang and headed toward the Quidditch Pitch.

At the same time, most of the Ravenclaw Little Eagles also stood up, preparing to watch this match between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

Not for any other reason, but to see how Lin Yue watched a match in person—and whether she would read a book in the stands.

By then, Lin Yue had already been pulled into the stands by Hermione. Sitting there, Lin Yue calmly looked toward the several lofty "rings" hanging in the distance.

According to the book, the two teams' Chasers would soon have to throw the Quaffle through the opposing side's "rings" to score.

Without the slightest change in expression, she withdrew her gaze. The stands were already packed.

Besides Gryffindor red and Slytherin green, there was also quite a substantial amount of Ravenclaw blue.

However, the blue-clad Little Eagles were not looking at the players from the two House teams who were about to take off. Their eyes were all fixed on Lin Yue, who sat beside Hermione.

When they saw that Lin Yue had not taken out a book to read, the discussion among the Little Eagles instantly intensified.

Lin Yue had not taken out a book to read in a setting like this? She was someone who could read while walking!

Naturally, Lin Yue did not notice the Little Eagles' astonishment. She did not sense anything unusual around her at all.

She merely watched the Quidditch players on the ground with an indifferent gaze.

As Madam Hooch's whistle rang out, the Quidditch players from both sides rose into the air together, and the match began.

Lin Yue's eyes closely followed the players from both teams, like a precise electronic eye, missing no detail and holding no emotion.

Before long, she had spotted all sorts of fouls by the Slytherin Team.

Some were called out by Madam Hooch; others weren't even noticed by her.

Watching the scene before her, Lin Yue only felt that the Slytherin Team was somewhat unwilling to follow the rules. She felt no resentment, and her heart remained utterly still.

The furious roars of the Gryffindor House students and the taunts of the Slytherin students failed to stir her in any meaningful way.

As Hermione watched Harry's figure high in the air, she occasionally turned to look at Lin Yue.

Seeing that she was still expressionless, with no emotion in her eyes, the pain in Hermione's heart began to spread again. The small spark of excitement brought by the Quidditch Match quickly vanished without a trace.

Pressing her lips together, Hermione looked at Lin Yue with a complicated expression, but her attention was soon forced elsewhere.

Hagrid, who was using binoculars to watch Harry's performance high in the air, suddenly let out a startled cry.