"We can't go on like this." On Friday evening, after finishing the vast majority of her homework, Hermione returned to the Common Room, found Harry and Ron, and said those words before anything else.
For a moment, Harry and Ron didn't quite know how to react.
Harry had just walked Qiu back to her Common Room-Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had played a practice match without Seekers. Neither Harry nor Qiu had taken part, so they had sat together commenting on each other's players.
Ron was still sitting close beside Lavender, and the three of them were discussing the match they had just watched.
Although Lavender didn't play herself, she had a discerning eye for Quidditch. She pointed out that Ravenclaw's Chasers seemed to have become stronger. Even so, they still fell a little short against Ron.
Barring any surprises, Gryffindor could win the Quidditch Cup again that year. If something unexpected happened, however, such as Harry and Ron being expelled by Umbridge, Ravenclaw would probably win the championship.
As for Hufflepuff and Slytherin, there was absolutely no need to worry about the latter. Slytherin was no match for them now.
As for Hufflepuff, although Cedric was an excellent Seeker, the core players from his team two years earlier had either graduated or left the team to prepare for their Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, leaving him unable to carry the team alone. Neither team, therefore, was anything to fear.
Harry and Ron both thought Lavender's assessment was sound.
With such a cheerful topic to discuss, Harry and Ron had both got a little carried away, so when Hermione suddenly came over and said that, neither of them reacted right away.
"What?" Ron asked tentatively.
"I just finished my Defense Against the Dark Arts homework, and I realized it was absolutely useless," Hermione