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Chapter 141: Driven to Desperation
Harry had no time to pay attention to anything—let alone Malfoy. Between dodging the murderous Bludger, he continued desperately searching for the Golden Snitch.
Perhaps fate finally took pity on him after everything he had endured.
He saw it.
The Golden Snitch was hovering right above Malfoy's head, while Malfoy himself remained completely oblivious, too busy mocking Harry.
Harry immediately began thinking of a way to get close to the Snitch without alerting Malfoy or letting him catch it first.
But the moment he focused on the plan, he forgot that he was still in danger.
The rogue Bludger finally slammed into him.
Crack!
It smashed directly into his arm. Harry heard the sickening sound of bone breaking, and a burst of searing pain nearly made him black out.
His mind went blank. Instinctively, he accelerated again to avoid the Bludger's next attack.
"Ooh… that had to hurt." Even from a distance, Malfoy felt his teeth ache sympathetically. He was fairly sure he had heard the impact from all the way over there.
"What a shame," Malfoy muttered viciously. "If only it had hit his neck."
But he quickly lost the luxury of casually enjoying the show.
He suddenly saw Harry hurtling straight toward him.
That idiot's been knocked senseless, Malfoy thought. He can't even see where he's flying!
As Harry's face rapidly closed in, Malfoy panicked and jerked his broom aside at the last second to avoid crashing into him.
Harry shot past him in a blur.
At that instant, his only functioning hand released the broom handle and snatched at the air.
He felt it.
The cold metallic touch of the Golden Snitch landed in his palm, struggling desperately to escape.
Harry clenched his fist tightly around it.
But with his only usable hand off the broom, he instantly lost control.
Both he and the broom plummeted toward the ground.
He barely managed to cling onto the broomstick before blacking out completely.
Dimly, he heard Hermione screaming his name.
"Harry! Wingardium Leviosa!"
Hermione was the first to react.
The moment the Bludger hit Harry, she had practically sprinted onto the field, with Ron grabbing at her in alarm. During those frantic minutes, she had run halfway around the stadium just to get closer to Harry.
And now, seeing him falling from the sky, she rushed forward without hesitation.
Drawing her wand instantly, she cast the Levitation Charm and slowed Harry's fall.
Harry felt the world spinning around him before darkness swallowed him whole.
Voices calling his name echoed faintly in the distance as he slowly regained consciousness.
"We won…"
Harry weakly touched the hand that still held the Snitch.
The Golden Snitch remained tightly clenched in his fist.
Turning his head, he stared at it in a daze.
"You absolute idiot," Hermione snapped, not looking amused in the slightest.
If she hadn't caught him just now, he might have died. And the first thing he said after waking up was still about the game.
Wood shoved his way through the crowd, unable to stop grinning.
"We won, Harry! Thanks to you! That was incredible—I've never seen a performance like that in my life!"
"Stop talking about the match," Hermione shot back furiously. "He needs to go to the hospital immediately!"
Looking at Harry's teammates, she felt they were just as responsible for his injuries.
"Yes, yes, hospital first," Wood agreed cheerfully, far too delighted by the victory to care about Hermione's anger.
"Allow me, allow me!" Lockhart hurried over as well, pushing through the students dramatically. "This is simple. I've treated injuries like this countless times."
"No—don't touch me! Leave it alone!" Harry shouted in panic.
Lockhart ignored him completely.
He pulled out his wand and grandly motioned for everyone to stand back.
Then—
Splash!
He suddenly fell flat on his back straight into the mud.
Dirty water splattered across his expensive robes, completely ruining his composed appearance.
Stunned, Lockhart looked up to see a small figure standing over him proudly.
Hermione herself stared at her own hands in disbelief.
She had just done something she had never imagined herself doing.
She had shoved a professor—Gilderoy Lockhart—straight into the mud.
But she quickly regained her composure.
Planting her hands firmly on her hips like a protective mother hen, she stood directly in front of Harry.
"Someone bewitched that Bludger to kill Harry. He's going to the hospital wing immediately. Nobody touches him except Madam Pomfrey."
Before Lockhart could recover, Hermione and Ron had already helped Harry up and hurried away toward the hospital wing.
Madam Pomfrey was furious.
"Are you people playing Quidditch or trying to murder one another? Every time there's a match, either the balls are broken or the students are!"
Hermione immediately agreed.
"They're all insane barbarians. Some of them are willing to kill to win, and the others are willing to die just to keep playing."
Harry gave a weak, embarrassed smile but wisely chose not to argue.
"Fortunately, the injury isn't too severe," Madam Pomfrey said while setting Harry's broken arm with splints. "I'll mend the bone and give you some Skele-Gro. You'll be recovered by tomorrow."
Harry howled in pain as she adjusted his arm.
"If it hurts this much, perhaps next time you'll remember not to get injured," Madam Pomfrey scolded while handing him a steaming potion.
As she lectured Harry about the dangers of Quidditch and the incompetence of the teachers who allowed it, Hermione enthusiastically supported every word, loudly condemning both the brutality of the players and the laziness of the staff.
Once Harry's treatment was finished, Madam Pomfrey left to care for the other patients.
"We won again," Ron said excitedly once she was gone. "Honestly, luck helped us a little this time."
Slytherin's broom advantage had been overwhelming, allowing them to build a massive lead early on.
Fortunately, the heavy rain had also affected their speed and visibility. Combined with Wood and Fred's desperate defense, the score difference never exceeded one hundred and fifty points.
Otherwise, even after Harry caught the Snitch for one hundred and fifty points, Gryffindor still would have lost.
"Malfoy looked absolutely furious after you caught the Snitch," Ron said gleefully. "Honestly, his expression looked murderous."
"He still has the nerve to be angry?" Hermione snorted coldly. "I'm the one who wants to kill him. I'd love to know who was controlling that Bludger."
"At least it hit your arm instead of your neck," Ron said with some relief. "That could've been much worse."
Then he lowered his voice thoughtfully.
"We'll remember this. Once we've brewed the Polyjuice Potion, we can question him ourselves."
(To be continued.)