The first Quidditch match of the term was scheduled for the first weekend after Halloween, and the opponents were the same old rivals.
Slytherin and Gryffindor—the tension was through the roof.
The pitch had basically been monopolized by the two houses these past few days. Every practice was closed off, with no outsiders allowed in.
Gryffindor's captain, Wood, had originally wanted to keep Harry as a secret weapon, but unfortunately, he had forgotten about Ron, his "useless teammate."
A couple of days ago, Ron had gotten into an argument with Malfoy. In order to mock him, he blurted out that Harry had joined the Quidditch team and become the youngest Seeker in over a century. Now the entire school knew.
Tom stood behind a castle window, watching the pitch.
Harry was circling through the air on his broomstick. Malfoy stood at the edge of the field, while Crabbe and Goyle hunched their necks.
"No matter how far ahead they get, an invisible hand will erase the gap," Tom said.
Andros's voice rang out. "What are you talking about?"
"Quidditch. The first match is Slytherin versus Gryffindor. If Slytherin wins, Potter will be unhappy."
"If Potter is unhappy, Dumbledore will be unhappy. If Dumbledore is unhappy, Snape will have a hard time. And if Snape has a hard time, so will I."
"So?"
"So Slytherin can't win."
Andros fell silent for a moment. "You're helping Gryffindor?"
"I'm not helping Gryffindor. I'm keeping Snape from having a hard time."
Andros said nothing.
Tom turned away from the window, took two steps, then stopped.
"Andros."
"Mm."
"Halloween is coming."
"So?"
"So we have to gather all the materials by tomorrow."
"You have a plan?"
Tom thought for a moment. "Yes."
"What plan?"
"Guess."
Andros was silent for a long time. "I don't want