Early the next morning, after enjoying Mrs. Weasley's heartfelt breakfast, Eda returned to Hogwarts.
The people at school had no idea what had happened the night before; everything seemed unchanged. It wasn't that nothing had changed—only that the students didn't know. The Dementors in Hogsmeade had all been withdrawn, leaving only a few Aurors in the small village.
Sirius had turned into a big black dog and spent the night in the boys' dormitory. Everyone thought Harry had gained a new pet, never suspecting that this dog was the escaped criminal wanted by the Ministry, nor that this so-called criminal was actually innocent.
Professor Lupin spent the night of his transformation in the familiar yet unfamiliar shack and was extremely weak. Fortunately, it was Easter, so he didn't need to take sick leave and could rest properly during the holiday.
And his friend, the big black dog Sirius, would keep him company. They could even take walks by the Black Lake together, reminiscing about the past. By the Black Lake—a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and a prisoner of Azkaban—this combination felt oddly familiar to Eda.
Wasn't this just like Glover Cecil? Fortunately, this time there were two of them. If it had been just one, Eda felt she might have had the urge to throw the person into the Black Lake.
After a night's adjustment, Snape had returned to normal and was no longer in that lifeless state.
But it seemed the Potions professor had recovered a bit too well. Quite a few Gryffindor students fell victim to Snape's harshness, and Gryffindor's house points dropped rapidly. For a time, Filch's office was packed, crowded with Gryffindor students.
Watching the dwindling number of red gemstones, Professor McGonagall very much wanted to reason with Snape. But when she saw a black dog dash out of the castle like the wind, she abandoned the idea.
Snape was also a pitiful man, even though he often came across as hateful. This time, not only did he fail to avenge his great grudge, he had almost made a terrible mistake. The fact that he managed to return to normal in just one night was already no small feat.
If there was any change in the castle during the remaining days of the holiday, it was probably the several clashes between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
On the first Saturday after the holiday, the winner of the Quidditch Cup would be decided between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Facing their direct rival for the championship, it was only natural that both sides found each other unpleasant.
Normally, with Eda keeping things in check, Slytherin wouldn't dare stir up trouble. But now that their own Head of House was leading the charge, the little snakes were greatly encouraged. Anger rose in their hearts, and with it, boldness—and so verbal clashes between the two houses began.
On the training field, however, things were relatively peaceful. Not only was the Gryffindor Quidditch team under Eda's protection, but with that big black dog by the sidelines, the Slytherin players didn't dare act rashly. They could only glare fiercely at the Gryffindor team.
Back in the castle, there were far fewer restraints. With so many Gryffindor students, Eda couldn't possibly look after all of them, and verbal disputes soon escalated into physical fights.
Wherever students from the two houses went, they moved in groups, afraid of being isolated and surrounded by the other side. Slytherin students were itching for trouble, looking for excuses to fight, while Gryffindor responded with equal hostility, practically wishing to strangle their opponents.
A full-scale brawl between the two houses seemed ready to erupt at any moment, and small skirmishes could break out in the corridors at any time.
In the worst incident, a fourth-year Gryffindor and a sixth-year Slytherin both ended up in the hospital wing—with chives growing out of their ears.
As a key person under protection, Harry received collective care from all of Gryffindor. Some students voluntarily acted as his bodyguards, surrounding him wherever he went, while others even insisted on testing his food first, afraid that Slytherin might poison it…
This was probably the kind of treatment reserved for national treasures… except for those in Australia. Ever tried kangaroo meat, mate?
The reason the conflicts remained small-scale and controllable was that Eda wasn't around. Not only was their main force, Eda, absent—even the twins were unable to take part in the clashes.
After returning to school, Eda didn't receive any praise from Professor McGonagall. In fact, before she even figured out what was going on, another stack of essays was placed in front of her, with the same old requirement: memorize the entire text with feeling.
She hadn't even finished the previous ones yet, and now there was another pile—what a nightmare!
Fred and George didn't fare any better. The two of them were given detention for secretly keeping dungbombs.
Eda was on one side reciting essays, while Fred and George were on the other copying A Guide to Transfiguration. The twins ended up spending their birthday in detention.
By cutting the problem off at its root, Professor McGonagall resolved the situation before it could escalate further. She certainly didn't want Eda leading the twins to block the entrance of the Slytherin common room and taking down anyone who came out.
Besides, judging from the current "state of battle," Gryffindor hadn't exactly suffered losses—there was no need to deploy any large-scale destructive measures.
Just look at Professor McGonagall's sense of the bigger picture. Some people should learn from her—yes, you, Severus Snape!
And so, in this tense atmosphere, the Easter holiday came to an end. On the night before the match, all usual activities in the Gryffindor common room ceased, and everyone focused on cheering on the Quidditch players.
On the day of the match, not a single breeze stirred the treetops of the Forbidden Forest—perfect weather for a game.
When the Gryffindor players entered the Great Hall, they were met with enthusiastic applause. Students at the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables also clapped for them. The Slytherin players, on the other hand, received the opposite treatment—when they passed by, the hall erupted in deafening boos.
They say fierce beasts walk alone while cattle flock together—but when your popularity is this bad, Slytherin really ought to reflect on themselves.
From top to bottom, almost everyone was constantly offending others—Snape and Malfoy were just the more typical examples.
As eleven o'clock approached, the entire school gathered in the stands around the pitch. Three-quarters of the spectators wore bright red roses and waved red flags emblazoned with the Gryffindor lion.
Seeing the overwhelming disparity in support, Snape's face darkened. And when he spotted Lupin and the big black dog beside him, his expression grew even darker—blacker than the bottom of a pot.
Fourteen broomsticks shot into the air, and the cheers from the crowd rose wave after wave.
Slytherin's matches had always been a mix of rough play and fouls, but when facing Gryffindor, they restrained themselves somewhat. No other reason—the boss lady was watching from the stands!
Losing the match at worst meant feeling upset and getting scolded a bit. But if their fouls went too far, the boss lady's wand would be no joke.
The result of this was a completely one-sided game. Gryffindor was already the strongest team, with players in every position nearly at professional level. Without resorting to dirty fouls, Slytherin simply had no chance.
Slytherin's only hope lay with Draco Malfoy. As long as the point difference stayed within fifty, even if they lost this match, Slytherin could still take the Cup based on goal difference.
Unfortunately, Draco Malfoy couldn't shoulder that responsibility. Young Master Malfoy was no match for Harry Potter—throughout the game, he could only trail behind Harry, eating the tailwind of the Firebolt.
If the Firebolt even had a tailwind. If not… well… you can imagine it yourself.
When the point difference widened to over fifty, Malfoy actually grabbed onto the tail of Harry's Firebolt, preventing him from breaking free to catch the Golden Snitch. A massive wave of boos erupted from the stands, even drowning out Madam Hooch's sharp shouts.
But in the end, Gryffindor proved superior. When the score reached eighty to twenty, Gryffindor held a sixty-point lead—and at that very moment, Harry caught the Golden Snitch.
The match was over! After the 1991–92 school year (since the 1992–93 Quidditch season had been canceled in the second term due to the Chamber of Secrets), Gryffindor lifted the Quidditch Cup once again after a year's absence!
A red tide flooded onto the pitch—no one ever complained about having too many championship trophies! The young lions hoisted all the players onto their shoulders and carried them all the way back to the castle, where an even grander celebration awaited!
April of 1994 was more than just winning the Quidditch Cup for Harry. The very next day, the headline of the Daily Prophet read: Sirius Black—Devil or Hero?
Double happiness arrived together.
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