Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Quick Victory and Penelope's Favor
The discussion about Nicolas Flamel ended in disagreement among the four friends.
However, Ron and Harry quickly sought out Alaric, hoping he would come to watch the Quidditch match on the day of the competition.
"Help us out," Ron pleaded with a red face.
"Harry is about to participate in the Quidditch match, and this time Snape has applied to be the referee. He's doing it on purpose, trying to harm Harry. Only you can deal with him; you did it last time."
"I've said it many times, Snape wouldn't harm Harry," Alaric said impatiently, waving his hand.
"Snape has been a professor at Hogwarts for many years, and Dumbledore wouldn't let a dangerous person stay at Hogwarts for so long."
He walked away quickly, leaving behind disappointed Ron and Harry.
"He's doing it on purpose."
Suddenly, Ron exclaimed sharply, "He's afraid of you, Harry."
"He's... afraid of me?"
Harry looked at Ron in confusion.
"He's afraid of your Quidditch skills," Ron said, getting more excited as he spoke.
"He led the Ravenclaw team to two consecutive victories, and the only obstacle left for them is Gryffindor.
Both you and he joined the team in the first year and became Quidditch prodigies. Your Quidditch skills are Gryffindor's key to victory, and he fears you."
"He... wouldn't think that way."
Harry looked at Ron skeptically, but deep down, he somewhat agreed because if this were true, it meant that he, Alaric, was a formidable opponent highly regarded by Ravenclaw as the new rising Quidditch star.
"He hopes Snape will harm you in the Quidditch match, at least break your leg," Ron shouted. "That way, you won't pose a threat to him."
"No, I don't believe he would do that. He's a good person."
Harry shook his head, suppressing the tempting thought.
On the first weekend of March, the match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff began.
Alaric did not attend the match; his newly purchased Nimbus was delivered, and he was currently dismantling it for research in the Room of Requirement with Penelope.
While Alaric had sufficient knowledge of magical runes to create his own broomstick, Penelope, though less skilled, was excited to assist him and hoped to learn something from the experience.
As the Seeker for the team, Cho Chang and the other players watched the match, hoping to identify Gryffindor's weaknesses.
Dumbledore also attended the match, seemingly to prevent any accidents involving Harry from happening again, which relieved Harry immensely.
Snape harbored great malice towards Gryffindor and displayed bias in favor of Hufflepuff as the referee.
Enraged, George Weasley sent a Bludger toward Snape, who seized the opportunity to award Hufflepuff a penalty shot.
However, despite Snape's efforts, Gryffindor could not be prevented from winning. The match ended in just five minutes, with Harry Potter capturing the Golden Snitch.
The stands erupted in cheers; it was a new record, with nobody remembering a match where the Snitch was caught so quickly.
As Gryffindor students flooded onto the pitch, Harry saw Snape landing beside him, his face pale, lips tightly pursed.
An hour later, when Harry left the changing room alone to return his Nimbus 2000 to the broomshed, he suddenly noticed Snape sneaking into the Forbidden Forest while others were having dinner.
Curious, Harry leaped back onto his broomstick and followed.
In the forest, he found Snape threatening Professor Quirrell and mentioning the Philosopher's Stone and Hagrid's three-headed dog.
Now, his suspicions about Snape deepened.
...
While Harry Potter was anxiously investigating Snape's conspiracy, Alaric continued his research on brooms.
These days, he and Penelope skipped all their classes, devoting themselves entirely to the Room of Requirement—they were the best students, and as long as they ensured excellent final grades, the professors tended to turn a blind eye.
The Room of Requirement had transformed into a carpenter's workshop, filled with broom handles, broken twigs, stands, and various broom parts.
To better understand the operational mechanism and practical effects of various curses on brooms, Alaric purchased every model of broomstick available in the market, including outdated versions.
Currently, he sat on a chair, dismantling a Comet with his wand skillfully. Beside him, Penelope labeled all the disassembled parts, categorizing them neatly.
On the wall, various broom handles were neatly arranged, and other areas held various twigs, footrests, broomtails, and more. Penelope arranged them meticulously.
"How much longer is this work going to take?"
Finally, Penelope, somewhat impatient, broke the silence. She re-tied her headscarf—protecting her hair from wood chips—and continued, "I feel like we've been doing this all day."
"This is necessary preparation for research."
Alaric handed another bare broom handle to her and replied indifferently, "I need a large database for comparison to accurately assess the overall impact of curses on brooms. The disadvantage of an inadequate control group is..."
"Okay, okay, I get it."
Penelope, a bit exasperated, interrupted Alaric, who was explaining earnestly. Suddenly, she burst into laughter.
"You're such a serious guy. Don't you know that when we girls complain, we're not seeking an explanation from you; we're looking for comfort? Just say something nice to soothe us during those times."
"Is that so?"
Alaric nodded understandingly.
"Then why ask questions? Why not just say it directly?"
Seeing Alaric like this, Penelope felt both amused and annoyed.
Normally, Alaric appeared very mature in dealing with people, making even her seem childish in his presence. However, when it came to emotions, he was completely clueless.
"Girls are like this; when we complain, we want you to understand without us explicitly stating it. That kind of tacit understanding is what girls find romantic."
"Is that so?"
Alaric nodded in agreement.
"But, isn't Penelope generous, understanding, and considerate? She doesn't seem like someone so shallow."
Just a moment ago, he said he was clueless about emotions.
This didn't make sense.
Penelope looked at the busy Alaric with tenderness in her eyes and a smile of appreciation on her lips.
Yes, for her, ordinary sweet words held little attraction. What truly moved her was Alaric's intelligence and, crucially, his sense of responsibility, demonstrated when he stepped forward in times of need.
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