Professor Flitwick's Conclusion

"What's happening!"

The sudden turn of events on the pitch left the players flying in the air somewhat dazed.

"Quick! Everyone! Scatter!"

Captain Bruce was the first to react, shouting loudly to urge his teammates to steer clear of the Flying Broomstick emitting black smoke.

Fortunately, the players on the field were well-trained Quidditch athletes; they reacted to their captain's call, immediately accelerating to put distance between themselves and the broomstick.

At this moment, Scott stood in the stands with a face as dark as water.

Roger's broomstick was still darting wildly through the air, sticking close to the second-year Chambers, leaving him unable to shake it off.

The black smoke pouring from the Flying Broomstick grew thicker, and sparks even began to fly from it.

"Merlin!"

Chambers cried out in a panic.

"Don't panic!"

Bruce, acting as both captain and Beater, stepped up, accelerating toward Chambers in an attempt to knock the broomstick away with his bat.

"Scott!"

Roger, who had already landed on the grass of the pitch, looked up and shouted.

Scott chanted a spell and swung his wand forcefully, pointing it at a long wooden bench in the front row of the stands.

A piercing eagle screech rang out, shattering the air; the wooden bench instantly transformed into a Giant Eagle that took flight, streaking through the sky like lightning and reaching Chambers and Bruce in the blink of an eye.

The sharp talons of the eagle accurately grabbed the out-of-control Flying Broomstick, and the eagle flapped its wings, carrying the broomstick high into the air.

"Well done! Scott!"

Roger jumped up and shouted in excitement.

"Good job!"

Bruce also raised his fist high.

"That was amazing!"

The players were just about to applaud... Bang!

Accompanied by a deafening blast, and to the horror of everyone watching, the Flying Broomstick exploded violently, and the eagle Scott had created with Transfiguration was blown into pieces along with it.

The Transfiguration spell immediately lost its effect. The eagle turned into countless wood shavings, which drifted down from the sky along with the debris of the Flying Broomstick.

"Merlin's beard!"

Roger stared at the scene, dumbfounded, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"Bastard! Who the hell was it!" Bruce was thoroughly enraged, "This is murder! This is an attempted murder against our players!"

The others realized the gravity of the situation and began to land their brooms on the ground.

Scott also ran down from the stands with Milton.

"Wh... why would something like this happen!" Milton ran until he was panting, his eyes red and still trembling with lingering fear, "It's... it's a good thing you were here, Scott, it's a good thing you were here..."

"Scott!"

Roger rushed over and gave Scott a hug. He was uncharacteristically incoherent.

"Oh! I don't know... how I can thank you, my brother! You saved my life!"

"And mine and Chambers'!"

Bruce walked over and patted Scott hard on the back.

"Thank you." Chambers, looking pale, also thanked him.

"You're welcome." Scott patted Roger on the shoulder twice, then pushed him away.

He strode forward and picked up a piece of the Flying Broomstick debris from the ground.

"I think someone should go notify our Head of House now," he calmly suggested to the group, "and the rest of you can collect these fragments to hand over to Professor Flitwick for inspection."

"Right! Exactly! We must drag that bastard hiding in the shadows out into the light!"

Bruce was the first to respond.

"Cho! You go! Tell Professor Flitwick what happened here!" he said to Cho Chang, "Take your broom, don't worry about losing points!"

"No problem!"

Cho Chang managed a forced smile, mounted her broom, and flew toward the castle.

"Now, let's collect as many broom fragments as we can!" Bruce instructed the others, "Remember, don't use magic! We don't want to interfere with the Professor's judgment!"

The group responded in unison and began diligently scouring the grass.

"What do you think?"

Roger crouched beside Scott and asked in a low voice.

"Have you calmed down?" Scott was still looking down, picking up broom fragments, "Now that you've calmed down, don't you think this matter isn't as serious as Bruce made it out to be?"

Roger said affirmatively, "That's right. Now that I think about it, there was an interval of more than ten seconds between the black smoke coming out of the Flying Broomstick and the explosion. In that light, the black smoke seems more like a warning."

Scott said, "The guy who did this still has some sense of restraint; he probably doesn't want to be locked up in Azkaban yet."

"He?" Roger was stunned for a moment. "You seem to know something, Scott."

"I don't have any evidence right now." Scott smiled. "But I believe the evidence will be found soon."

"Fine." Roger sighed. "I trust you."

"Are you all alright!"

Professor Flitwick's shrill voice rang out.

Cho Chang descended from the sky with him, both riding on a broomstick.

"Professor!"

"Professor..."

The students immediately crowded around, all talking at once to explain what had happened.

"Alright!" Professor Flitwick waved his hand. "Quiet, everyone! Davis! Trollope! You two come here first!"

"Yes, Professor."

Scott and Roger stood up together and walked in front of Professor Flitwick.

"Professor, these are the fragments of Roger's broomstick."

Scott handed him a few larger pieces of the broomstick wrapped in a handkerchief.

"You did very well, Scott!" Professor Flitwick reached out to take the fragments wrapped in the handkerchief. "You accurately sensed the problem with this broomstick, and you remained calm under pressure, using excellent Charms and Transfiguration to resolve this crisis!"

He waved his hand emphatically.

"For this, I am awarding Ravenclaw fifty points!"

"Well done!"

The others began to cheer and applaud for Scott.

"Very good." Once the applause died down, Professor Flitwick began to examine the broomstick fragments everyone had collected.

He pulled out his wand and cast several spells of different colors onto the pile of debris.

"This is difficult," he said, almost to himself. "After all, the broomstick has already been blown to pieces; detecting what kind of tampering was done to it is a difficult task."

Although he said this, Scott and the others watched his movements intently, waiting for his conclusion without a shred of doubt.

"Let me think."

Professor Flitwick pondered for a moment, then cast several more obscure spells in succession.

Scott carefully identified the incantations he was chanting, only to confirm that he had never even heard of them before.

"Very good, that's it!"

Professor Flitwick shouted.

Scott could sense the residual magic on the pile of fragments beginning to change.

"This wasn't caused by a charm, nor is it any kind of Dark Arts spell." Professor Flitwick stared intently, examining them closely. "If I am not mistaken, someone used a magical object imbued with a powerful Curse to tamper with this broomstick."