An entire holiday had passed, and the Quidditch Pitch at Hogwarts had been fitted with a fresh layer of carefully tended, thriving turf. Since Harry Potter had nearly fallen off his malfunctioning broomstick last year, several professors had also worked together to cast a Weak Slowing Charm over this year's turf.
Now, that seemed like a very farsighted precaution, because Harry Potter had nearly fallen off his broomstick again during today's practice-not because his broomstick had gone out of control this time, but because a Bludger had slammed into his lower back.
This unusual occurrence-Harry had not been hit by a Bludger since the middle of last term-naturally caught the attention of Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. As usual, he held individual talks with the players after practice today-the twins were the exception, since talking to them two-on-one worked much better than one-on-one.
However, after the twins produced the excuse, "Give us a break, Wood. Our poor brother Percy, who unfortunately fell and injured his brain after just one night of patrol duty, is still lying in a hospital bed. We're so worried about him. Surely it's normal for us to get distracted occasionally?" Wood had no choice but to let the two jokers, who "obviously wanted to rush off and tinker with prank inventions," leave for now.
Still, the twins were a minor issue that could wait. His main intended conversation partner today had always been the visibly distracted Harry Potter-just look at him. The lad looked even more out of it than he had during practice, still staring blankly at the grass.
"All right, off you two go. Remember to oil your broomsticks, and don't be late for practice tomorrow!" Wood waved them away, his eyes already turning toward Harry Potter.
"Got it, as long