Chapter 334: Quidditch in the Storm (Edited)

The broom had not been used for a long time and had a fine layer of dust. Tom sat in a common room armchair, meticulously wiping the broom's dust with a cloth. He could have used magic, of course, but today he didn't want to, and the process of cleaning the broom slowly gave him a greater sense of peace.

He was determined to win today's match. Even though he was a substitute and hadn't trained with the team for over a year, and even though the match's outcome wouldn't have a big impact on him, waking up early in the morning and arriving in the common room with his broom, he felt the desire to win.

He was very curious about what the mysterious system reward was. Besides, it made no sense to risk flying in the rain for at least an hour if he was just going to lose.

If he was already here, he should take it seriously.

The broom was clean and waxed, looking as good as new.

It was an old broom, but it was the "Improved Seven-Star Sweeper," a broom that Professor Flitwick had optimized to no longer be an ordinary old broom but a weapon Tom could rely on.

Just after finishing fixing the broom, Tom felt something brushing against his leg. He bent down and picked up Crookshanks, who was passing by.

"How are we today?" He patted Crookshanks on the back.

"Miau~" Crookshanks responded comfortably.

"That's good," Tom said, holding Crookshanks in his arms as he reclined in the armchair, lost in thought.

A cat, a man, a fireplace, an armchair. If it weren't for the match, this would be a wonderful Saturday morning.

After a while, the other team members began to appear one by one in the common room. Captain Richie handed him a waterproof cloak from the Ravenclaw team. Once everyone changed into their uniforms, they headed together to the Great Hall.

The joint appearance of the seven members of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team in the Great Hall commanded a strong presence and far exceeded that of the Gryffindor team. The Gryffindor members, scattered and without uniforms, were only there for breakfast. Therefore, the seven from Ravenclaw immediately captured the attention of everyone in the Great Hall.

Immediately afterward, applause from the long Ravenclaw table was heard, interspersed with some cheers.

This left Wood, who was still behind the Ravenclaw team, in an awkward situation. Finally, with clenched teeth and facing the stares of others, he quickly crossed the Great Hall to his house table. Once he sat down, he noticed Tom among the seven, which left him dumbfounded.

"Just some fancy tricks, that's all Ravenclaw can do," Alicia reassured Wood, but he was clearly more concerned about Tom.

"I didn't think Yodel would get involved, didn't he leave the Quidditch team a long time ago?" He muttered somewhat uneasy to himself, "Is he Ravenclaw's secret weapon?"

"No," Fred and George replied in unison, "Last night, we saw Roger from Ravenclaw go into the school hospital, probably injured, and he was still there this morning, which means Tom was brought in as a temporary substitute."

Upon hearing this news, Wood stopped frowning, instantly feeling relieved. But soon he realized a strange detail.

"Last night, I saw them go into the dormitory, and they didn't come out until I went to sleep. So, how did they know about Roger's injury?" Wood found a hole in the Weasley twins' story.

Fred's expression froze on his face since they knew they knew this information thanks to the Marauder's Map, a magical map that allowed them to see the movements of everyone at Hogwarts. Last night, they had seen Richie and Madam Pomfrey take Roger to the infirmary, and he was still there this morning.

But the Marauder's Map was not something they could share with others. If they said they had found out about it by chance, it would be hard to explain how they knew that information without revealing their possession of the map. Therefore, there was no way they could explain the source of their information.

"So, let's eat first!" He took a piece of bread and rushed off.

Anyway, Fred brought some good news that whetted Wood's appetite. He managed to eat two pieces of bread and a few slices of bacon. Usually, Wood used to be too nervous before matches and could hardly eat.

People in the Great Hall were gradually gathering, even Hermione emerged from the common room with Crookshanks in her arms. She wore a hat that could wrap around her hair and was wrapped in a thick cloak that covered almost every inch of her skin. Her outfit today seemed to be the result of hundreds of complaints and corrections, as if wearing a military coat could be even more conservative than her current appearance.

"High five!" She said, giving Tom a high-five while raising Crookshanks' paw.

"I hope it brings you good luck, even if they're not rabbit's feet, according to the belief in many places in Europe, Africa, and America, rabbit's feet are a good luck charm. If rabbits could talk, they would surely refute that," Hermione said, laughing.

"It's time to go." Richie looked at the time, finished his bowl of meat and bread soup, and stood up, leading his team onto the field.

The popularity of Quidditch could be seen from today's weather and attendance at the field. Hogwarts' field was an open one, and spectators had to bring umbrellas to watch the game in the rain. However, even with today's weather conditions, the field was filled with spectators. On the way to the field, Tom could see students walking in the rain with their umbrellas toward the field.

The rain became heavier, drops hitting the ground forcefully, forming a curtain of rain on the edges of the young wizards' umbrellas.

"The weather is horrible," Tom said, looking at the sky that showed no signs of clearing.

"It's a good thing. The worse the weather, the more advantage we have," Albert, the team's seeker, said, looking at his mask with some delight. "Probably the Gryffindor players are already soaked to the bone, don't you think?"

Indeed.

Wood hadn't thought about equipping his team with waterproof cloaks, so now they were struggling in the rain. They were all completely soaked.

Harry raised his head and looked at the sky in frustration. It seemed that since the beginning of this year's summer vacation, everything had gone wrong for him, even playing Quidditch didn't have good weather.

The weather, it seemed, was exactly the same as his mood.