Outsiders came to watch Hogwarts' Quidditch matches, and quite a few of them, too.
It wasn't just Hogwarts. Whenever any of the eleven major magical schools registered with the International Confederation of Wizards held a Quidditch match, people came to watch. The same went for some unregistered schools that still enrolled students.
More than half were ordinary wizards with nothing better to do. As long as they had no ambition to get ahead, wizards faced practically no pressure in life.
Food, clothes, and daily necessities cost them next to nothing, so plenty of them were bored out of their minds.
The better ones found matches to watch or tinkered with projects of their own. Some of the nastier ones went around tormenting ordinary people for fun.
His dad Arthur's main job was to deal with those people, then clean up their messes.
With everyone that bored, any bit of entertainment was bound to draw a crowd.
Apparently, school Quidditch matches had originally been open to anyone who wanted to come and watch. Then some parents saw their children lose and got so angry they started fighting on school grounds. After that, visitors had to book ahead and pass a screening.
And anyone who caused trouble was barred from entering ever again.
Wizards were a bunch who hated hassle, and the screening process was rather cumbersome. Gradually, fewer people came, and those who did behaved themselves.
These days, some parents still came to watch their children play. The other visitors were scouts from various teams.
Professional Quidditch players were generally discovered while they were still students, then went on to join the professional league. But how did teams know which students had talent?
Recommendations from school flying instructors were one option, but that was too passive. Sending scouts to watch in person was safer.
After all, missing a prodigy didn't just mean losing a chance to strengthen their own team. The real problem was their rivals getting stronger.
At that moment, scouts from several teams were sitting in the stands beside Hogwarts' pitch. Tris didn't recognize them, but Daphne, a passionate Quidditch fan sitting beside him, recognized several.
"Are there usually this many scouts?" Daphne asked excitedly.
"How would I know? This is my first time at Hogwarts, too," Tris replied offhandedly.
Blockhead!
Daphne rolled her eyes at Tris, mentally saddling him with the Gryffindor Quidditch Team captain's nickname.
Tris had no interest in those scouts. He was much more interested in his own Head of House and Quirrell, sweeping his telescope in their direction every so often.
But with less than ten minutes left before the match began, Tris swept his telescope over again and suddenly froze.
Someone had appeared beside Snape. Someone Tris knew.
His shoulder-length black curls gave him a carefree, unruly air. His exceptionally handsome features, paired with a neatly groomed little mustache, positively radiated masculine charm.
His impeccably tailored British-style menswear was clearly made from extraordinary-and extraordinarily expensive-fabric. He might as well have had "tall, rich, handsome older man" stamped across his forehead.
Who else could it be but Sirius Black?
What's he doing here?
Tris was startled at the sight of Sirius, then realized: of course. Sirius had bought Harry's broom, so naturally he knew Harry had joined the team.
His beloved best friend James's son, Harry, who looked almost exactly like James, was playing his first match today. It would have been strange if this terminally bored bachelor hadn't shown up.
But now that Sirius was here, how would Snape react?
Tris shifted his telescope and, sure enough, saw that Snape's already long face had grown even longer. His normally expressionless face was now full of resentment and disgust.
Oh? Now this is interesting.
Tris immediately perked up at the sight. To him, this was far more interesting than a Quidditch match.
He could see Snape's lips moving, apparently saying something. Unfortunately, his telescope didn't come with an audio function, so he couldn't hear a word.
It probably wasn't anything pleasant, though. Tris saw Sirius's cheerful expression quickly turn ugly, and then the two began trading insults.
Tris couldn't hear them, but he could guess that neither was saying anything nice. Just look at the strange expressions and glances from everyone around them.
Tris felt the two might actually start fighting and get thrown out. He even saw Sirius begin rolling up his sleeves.
Oh, if they really fought, this would get even better.
Tris was beside himself with excitement. Unfortunately, just as the two looked ready to come to blows, a hand held Sirius back.
Huh? Someone could actually rein Sirius in that easily?
Curious, Tris shifted his telescope to look at the hand's owner.
The man wore an equally well-made outfit, though its style was much plainer. He was slightly thin and nowhere near as handsome as Sirius, but looked about the same age.
He had light brown hair and a slightly awkward expression. He nodded toward Snape, apparently offering some sort of apology.
Snape clearly didn't like this man much either, but he still turned away, ending his shouting match with Sirius. He simply ignored them both after that.
Lupin!
Tris gave it a moment's thought and guessed the man's identity.
In the films, Lupin hadn't appeared until the third year. Before that, the mainstream wizarding world had rejected him because he was a werewolf, leaving him to lead a destitute, wandering life.
But clearly, none of that could happen here anymore.
Tris had exposed Peter ahead of time, and Peter had been found guilty and imprisoned in Azkaban. Sirius had been cleared of all charges, could appear openly, and had inherited an enormous fortune.
As a close friend from his school days and a comrade who had faced life and death with him as a young man, Sirius naturally wouldn't leave Lupin wandering out there. Bringing him back to his side was perfectly normal.
Judging by Lupin's clothes alone, his life was probably quite comfortable now.
No wonder everyone liked being friends with the filthy rich. Having a rich friend really did make life sweet. Tris couldn't help feeling envious again.
With Lupin there, the bat-versus-dog showdown Tris had been looking forward to never happened, much to his disappointment.
Meanwhile, the Quidditch match he hadn't been looking forward to at all began.
The commentator was Lee Jordan, Fred and George's partner in crime. He had brought a huge spider with him on the first day of school and nearly given Hermione a completely mistaken impression of the wizarding world.
Lee Jordan was a half-blood whose father was an ordinary person, so he knew quite a bit about nonmagical culture, including Black hip-hop culture.
He even performed a live rap during the opening, but Professor McGonagall, standing beside him, cut him off because his language was a little vulgar.
As the Golden Snitch rose into the air, the match officially began.
Daphne and the others beside him stopped paying attention to Tris and focused entirely on the match. Tris held his telescope and pretended to watch the game, while actually keeping his eyes on the opposite stands.
Lupin had dragged Sirius to a seat in the corner farthest from Snape, probably worried the two would start fighting.
Then Sirius kept his eyes fixed on Harry in the air, wearing a smile that struck Tris as a little goofy.
The match continued.
It went much as Tris remembered. Gryffindor held the advantage at first.
Judging by the current state of the Quidditch League, male players still had an edge over female players, both in stamina and reaction speed.
Yet all three of Gryffindor's Chasers were girls, and their precise technique kept Slytherin under pressure early on.
Along with the outstanding performance of their Keeper, Wood, who repeatedly stopped Slytherin's shots, they built a fifty-point lead at one stage, filling the Slytherin stands with complaints.
Over on Gryffindor's side, everyone was naturally delighted. Lee Jordan couldn't resist attempting another improvised rap, but fortunately Professor McGonagall interrupted him again.
Tris was still watching Snape, Sirius, and the others.
Snape remained expressionless, as though he didn't care how the match turned out. Sirius, sitting a little farther away, was the complete opposite, beaming and waving his arms around.
Watching him, Tris thought the man might well have stood up and danced if Lupin hadn't been holding him back.
This guy would get along brilliantly with Fred and George! Tris remarked inwardly. He still remembered those two ridiculous older brothers standing on the table and dancing when Harry and Ron were sorted into Gryffindor, one after the other. Percy hadn't been able to stop them.
Poor Percy really had his work cut out for him.
Quirrell, whom Tris was also watching, was a little surprising. He seemed very interested in the Quidditch match, watching intently, beaming, and even clapping from time to time. There was no sign whatsoever that he intended to use a curse.
Was Quirrell not planning to act this time?
Tris wondered privately. Was it because I caught Voldemort out with the Thought Maze earlier, so he decided to lie low for a while instead of stirring up trouble?
That seemed possible.
If so, there didn't seem to be any point in watching the rest of this match.
He had come for the famous scenes of Harry's "aerial ballet" and Hermione "setting Snape on fire." Without those, this not particularly exciting Quidditch match simply couldn't hold his attention.
Just as Tris was debating whether to leave now or wait a little longer, something suddenly happened on the pitch.
Harry and Terence Higgs-the second-year Slytherin Seeker-had been surveying the pitch from high above. Almost simultaneously, they dived.
"The Golden Snitch! Harry's spotted the Golden Snitch! Oh, Higgs has seen it too! They're both racing toward the Golden Snitch! Who will get there first?" As commentator, Lee Jordan had been keeping at least thirty percent of his attention on the two Seekers high overhead.
Seeing them move, he immediately grew excited.
He wasn't the only one. More than half the spectators became excited too. The Seekers were the most crucial players in the match, capable of determining its course.
With only fifty points separating the teams, whoever caught the Golden Snitch could not only end the match immediately, but decide the winner!
Unfortunately, the two Seekers tussled in midair, getting in each other's way, and ultimately lost sight of the Golden Snitch.
Many spectators sighed in disappointment.
"What a shame. Higgs had a chance just then," Daphne sighed. "If he'd caught the Golden Snitch, we would have won."
"Oh," Tris replied with utter indifference, ready to leave.
But just then, another startled cry rose from the pitch. Tris looked up and saw Harry doing a "cowboy dance" in midair!
His broom was shaking violently, as though trying to throw him off.
Here it comes!
Tris's eyes lit up. He had thought he was going to miss this scene.
Picking up his telescope again, Tris looked toward the opposite stands, then froze.
Naturally, he looked at Quirrell first. But Quirrell was watching Harry nervously, his mouth slightly open. He wasn't chanting a spell...