Chapter 56 Perverted Chilo.

The Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had captured the attention of nearly the entire Hogwarts.

On one hand, Harry's performance and the unexpected events in the previous match between Gryffindor and Slytherin had been highly publicized. Word spread rapidly among the houses, sparking significant interest in Gryffindor's team.

On the other hand, under the "relentless efforts" of Headmaster Snape, Slytherin had won the Hogwarts House Cup for seven consecutive years. The other houses were eager to dethrone Slytherin this year and were determined to prevent them from winning the championship.

Thus, Gryffindor's match was crucial, as the highest score among the four teams would play a significant role.

Since Quidditch matches are scored based on points, some even encouraged Hufflepuff to work with Gryffindor to boost their scores to a level unattainable by Slytherin. This way, Slytherin's chances of winning the House Cup would be reduced if they did not win the Quidditch Cup.

Of course, this unethical idea was rejected by the honorable Hufflepuff team captain.

On the day of the Quidditch match, nearly everyone in Hogwarts flocked out of the castle, heading towards the Quidditch pitch in a massive crowd.

The Hogwarts castle became empty and desolate, with the normally bustling corridors devoid of people, leaving only the torches on the walls burning persistently.

No one noticed a figure in a purple scarf sneaking out of the office, moving through the deserted corridors, and entering an abandoned girls' lavatory on the third floor of Hogwarts Castle.

...

The Quidditch pitch was alive with noise, with countless yellow and red flags waving and cheering for their respective teams.

Outside the Gryffindor team's locker room, Ron and Hermione were wishing Harry good luck.

Harry sighed inwardly, aware that his friends were actually worried about him, fearing he might not return alive.

Lost in these thoughts, Harry donned his gold and red Quidditch robes, picked up the Firebolt 2000 that Professor McGonagall had given him, and stood among his teammates, listening to Wood's pre-match pep talk.

But his anxiety made it difficult to focus on anything.

Noticing Harry's distracted state, Wood pulled him aside.

"I don't mean to put pressure on you, Potter, but we need to catch the Snitch as quickly as possible today. We need to end this swiftly and prevent Snape from overly favoring Hufflepuff." Wood patted his shoulder firmly. "Don't worry about safety. Fred and George have brought Professor Dracula; he'll save you just like last time!"

Harry managed a stiff smile, feeling certain he was bound to fall off his broom…

"All the students are out!" Fred exclaimed, peeking outside the door. "Even… Oh my gosh! Dumbledore is here to watch the match!"

Harry's heart skipped a beat.

"Dumbledore?" he said, hurrying to the door to confirm with his own eyes.

Fred was right; that long white beard could only belong to Dumbledore.

Harry saw Dumbledore sitting in the sunlight on the west side of the pitch, cheerfully waving at the students below, while Professor Dracula sat in the shadows on the east side, seemingly chewing on a lollipop and looking rather impatient.

Harry felt an immense sense of relief and a smile spread across his face.

He knew he was safe now.

Though reluctant to admit it, Snape as a referee had indeed given him some psychological comfort. If one Snape wasn't enough, the presence of Dumbledore and Professor Dracula was like a shot of confidence, completely easing his mind.

'If such an impressive lineup can't keep him on his broom, Hogwarts would hardly deserve to be the safest place in the world!'

With this thought, Harry confidently stepped onto the Quidditch pitch, waving cheerfully at the surrounding spectators.

The match began.

However, to Harry's surprise, the situation on the pitch turned unfavorable for Gryffindor right from the start—

Snape blew the whistle and, without any pretense, began to issue a series of high-frequency and unreasonable penalties against the Gryffindor team.

Fred and George immediately protested to Snape, only to be penalized further for "arguing with the referee," resulting in more penalties for Gryffindor.

With Snape's diligent efforts, the score gap between the two teams widened quickly.

"Harry, you need to focus!" Wood called out anxiously to Harry.

Listening to his captain's urging, Harry felt helpless as his recent goodwill towards Snape vanished completely.

Just as he was growing more anxious, a glimmer of gold reflected off his glasses.

Harry's eyes lit up, and he made a swift and impressive dive, heading straight for Snape.

The crowd erupted in cheers and gasps, with Lee Jordan, the commentator, shouting for Harry to knock some sense into the old bat!

Snape sneered disdainfully and turned on his broom to face Harry, preparing to penalize him for "colliding with the referee."

'This not only ensures Gryffindor's loss but also keeps Lily's son safe—two birds with one stone!' Snape thought smugly.

Then he saw a golden object zoom past his ear, mere inches away.

Immediately, Harry pulled up from his dive, triumphantly raising his arm. In his hand was the golden Snitch!

Snape stared in shock, forgetting even his duty to blow the whistle.

"Whistle—whistle—whistle—"

Three whistles signaled the end of the match, and Madam Hooch flew up on her broom, glaring furiously at Snape.

Clearly, she regretted assigning the referee position to Snape.

Harry jumped off his broom from a height of one foot, his face filled with disbelief. He could hardly believe he had succeeded—especially since the match lasted less than five minutes!

For the spectators, most had barely realized what happened before the match was over.

Except for the increasingly cheering Gryffindor supporters, the students from other houses left the Quidditch pitch with disgruntled faces, heading back to Hogwarts Castle.

What about the unexpected events involving Harry? What about Snape's controversial refereeing? Why did the wait time in the stands seem longer than the match itself?!

They were now angrily wanting to raise their arms and shout:

"Refund!"

...

Meanwhile, in the abandoned girls' lavatory on the third floor of Hogwarts, Quirrell had not yet had time to thoroughly check the surroundings when footsteps began to echo.

Surprised, he peeked out from the lavatory.

Then, a scream pierced the air:

"Pervert—"