Chapter 96: Wood's Wish
"You're the youngest house team player in a hundred years. I know, I know." Colin didn't care what Harry said at all. Just thinking about anything related to Harry made him excited.
"You must be the best player. I've never flown before—I wonder if it's difficult. Is this your broom? It's so beautiful." Colin jogged alongside Harry, chattering nonstop, occasionally bursting into excitement over anything new he noticed.
Harry felt completely helpless, yet couldn't think of any way to shake him off. It was like being followed by a talkative shadow that never stopped rambling.
"I've never seen a Quidditch match, but I heard there are four balls, and two of them fly around trying to knock people off their brooms?" Colin kept talking. Even when Harry didn't respond, he happily continued, "I really hope I can get a signed photo of you playing."
"There are two Bludgers in a Quidditch match," Harry sighed helplessly, deciding to explain the rules to keep Colin from bringing up the signed photo again. "Each team has two players whose job is to hit those balls away from their teammates. They protect the team—Fred is one of Gryffindor's Beaters."
"Oh, that's amazing! What about the other balls?" Colin immediately forgot about the photo and focused on Quidditch.
"There's a large red ball called the Quaffle. It's used for scoring. Three Chasers pass it between themselves, dodge the opposing team, and try to throw it through one of the hoops on tall poles."
"Are there any others?" Colin asked eagerly.
"The last one is the Golden Snitch." Harry's voice lifted slightly—this was the ball he was most familiar with. "It's the smallest one, about the size of a walnut. It's very fast and hard to catch. But it's the most important—once the Seeker catches it, the match ends. Catching it earns the team one hundred and fifty points."
"I know—you're Gryffindor's Seeker, and you led your team to victory!" Colin looked at Harry with admiration. In the past century, only Harry had joined the team as a first-year and helped win matches.
"Victory belongs to everyone," Harry replied seriously. "Quidditch is a team sport. The Seeker may be important, but everyone matters. Oh, and there's also a Keeper who guards the hoops."
They walked through the castle and across the grass, their shoes and trousers damp with morning dew.
All the way to the pitch, Colin kept asking questions. Thankfully, he didn't ask for a signature again. It wasn't until they reached the changing rooms that Harry finally managed to shake him off.
"Thank goodness," Harry thought as he went inside.
"Harry, I'll go find a seat in the stands!" Colin called from outside, then ran off toward the spectator area.
The rest of the Gryffindor team was already in the changing room, all looking half-asleep—except for Wood, who was wide awake.
Fred slumped in a chair, his eyes red and his hair a mess. Beside him, fourth-year Alicia Spinnet leaned against the wall, her eyelids twitching. The other Chasers, Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell, leaned on each other, yawning nonstop.
Harry, who had already been worn out by Colin, now felt even sleepier seeing his teammates like this. "Wood, how did you even wake the girls up from their dormitory?" he asked.
Of course, Wood couldn't enter the girls' dormitory—even if he wanted to. Earlier, he had already caused a stir just by shouting their names in the common room.
But he didn't care. Right now, Wood was completely consumed by Quidditch. He was full of energy while his teammates could barely keep their eyes open. In his hands was a large board with a diagram of the Quidditch pitch, covered in lines, arrows, and symbols in different colors.
He tapped the board with his wand, and the arrows moved like ants, demonstrating his tactics. Wood excitedly explained his new strategy, constantly shifting key points as he spoke.
Fred started snoring, and Harry wasn't any better.
The first explanation lasted nearly twenty minutes, but Wood quickly moved on to the second and third rounds. Harry completely lost track—he only knew one thing: he had to catch the Golden Snitch.
Wood kept talking in a steady, monotone voice, and everyone fell asleep.
"And that's it!" Wood finally snapped back to reality and ended his speech.
At that moment, everyone suddenly woke up, as if triggered by those words.
It was incredible—when Harry heard "that's it," he instantly felt alert, even though his eyelids had felt as heavy as mountains just moments before.
"Did everyone understand? Any questions?" Wood asked loudly, finally noticing no one had really been listening.
"Wood, I have a question," Fred said, now fully awake. "Why didn't you tell us all this yesterday when we were actually awake?"
Wood's expression turned serious. "Guys, last year was the first time in seven years we won the Quidditch Cup. This year we have an even better chance to defend the title—but the other teams won't give up easily."
Wood was in his sixth year. Next year would be his last, and he'd be graduating and looking for a job. As expected, he would leave the team then. Last year had been his only championship since joining, and this year might be his final season.
More than anyone, he longed for victory—to end his time on the house team with a perfect memory.
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