Chapter 267 The Next Quidditch Match

Evan then told Ron and Hermione about his conversation with Sirius, the treasure key left by Gryffindor preserved in the Centaur colony, his speculations about the Centaurs and the object, and the plans for the following night.

After finishing speaking, both Ron and Hermione reacted like Harry. They were very surprised.

Ron seemed to have been struck by lightning, and Hermione covered her mouth with both hands.

"I can't believe it. We are actually going to find the magical item left by Gryffindor in the Centaur colony." After a few seconds, she lowered her hands and said, "You just said that the Centaurs will ask us to do something. What do we have to do?"

"I don't know!" Evan shook his head. "No one knows what the Centaurs will ask, but I think it's necessary to learn more about astrology."

"I have a whole semester of constellation observations, and I remember in the library..." Hermione was trying to organize the available information upon hearing the need for astrology knowledge.

"Is the magical item preserved in the Centaur colony the secret treasure key left by Gryffindor himself?" Ron asked uncertainly.

He didn't fully believe Evan like Hermione did, even though Evan had repeated it many times before.

But until then, Ron had been skeptical about the Four Founders of the school leaving their treasures.

He thought it was an invention by Evan to divert his attention.

Ron was obsessed with the idea that Evan was studying the Dark Arts, and the more he looked at Evan, the more suspicious he felt. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't calm down.

"I think so. That object was passed down by Gryffindor himself and exactly matches the clues on the Chamber of Secrets wall about the Treasure Keys," said Evan cautiously, "But this is just speculation. There is no guarantee that something will happen until you see it with your own eyes."

"That magical item..." Ron said suspiciously. "Professor Lupin said before that it had great power. Can it help a wizard enhance their magic?"

"It should. It's a legendary magical item."

"When you get it, will you become very powerful?" Ron muttered.

He didn't speak anymore. He looked down and didn't know what to think.

In the stands, Evan and Hermione continued discussing constellations, planetary trajectories, etc. They also speculated about the requirements the Centaurs might ask for.

Time passed as Evan and Hermione talked, and when Harry finished training, night had already fallen.

Madam Hooch urged everyone to quickly return to the castle. Ron did not ride the Firebolt. He followed Harry somberly, listening to him, Evan, and Hermione talk about the Centaurs and the Secret Treasure Key left by Gryffindor...

When he reached the castle doors, he seemed determined.

He took a deep breath and shot Evan a complicated look. He quickly looked away before others noticed.

By the time he entered the Great Hall, he had fully recovered.

In fact, like Ron, it took Harry and Hermione a long time to fully digest the news and gradually calm down.

Harry, in particular, was excited at the thought of his adventure in the depths of the Forbidden Forest the following night, finding it even more intriguing than the upcoming Quidditch match.

Just as he entered the Great Hall, Evan saw Hagrid sitting at the table.

He was talking with Sirius and seemed more excited than everyone else.

He waved them over and approached with a tearful expression, drying his eyes with a handkerchief as large as a tablecloth, and smiled at the four.

"You know, we won the trial!" Said Hagrid happily. "Buckbeak was acquitted. They thought it was an accident. Lucius Malfoy's accusation was dropped."

"Fantastic, Hagrid!" Hermione took a step forward and embraced him.

"Thanks to your assistance, that verdict was reached." Hagrid, in turn, embracing them, wiping away his tears, cheerfully said, "Evan, Hermione, especially to both of you, if it hadn't been for your help, I cannot fathom what the consequences might have been. You saved Buckbeak, and I don't know how to thank you..."

"There's no need for anything. Buckbeak was unjustly treated from the start. We simply spoke the truth."

Upon hearing Evan's words, Hagrid swallowed hard. He was too overwhelmed and hugged Evan so tightly that he could hardly breathe.

The atmosphere of the evening was undeniably pleasant, and everyone, except the gloomy Malfoy, rejoiced in what had transpired with Hagrid.

After dinner, Evan and Sirius conversed for a while and then headed to the library to gather a wealth of information on centaurs and astrology.

It wasn't until eleven o'clock that everyone returned to their dormitories.

The next morning, when Evan and Colin went downstairs for breakfast, nearly all the young wizards in the school were whispering with excitement.

They were gazing at Gryffindor's table and admiring Harry's Firebolt.

It was Harry's first match since acquiring the Firebolt, and they were eagerly anticipating witnessing the broom's effects, with a touch of anticipation and enthusiasm in their eyes.

The Slytherins, on the other hand, seemed astonished because Wood had requested Harry to keep it secret, and they had barely found out about the news.

"Look at Malfoy's face!" Colin said happily and tugged at Evan's sleeve, prompting him to glance back at the surprised Malfoy.

All the Gryffindor students were proud, as if they had already won the game, and even Wood reveled in the brilliance of the Firebolt.

"Place it here, Harry," he said, placing the broom in the middle of the table and carefully turning it so that his name was facing upward.

Students from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables soon gathered around to look. Cedric Diggory came over to congratulate Harry on acquiring such a magnificent replacement for his Nimbus, and Percy's Ravenclaw girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, inquired if she could indeed hold the Firebolt.

"Calm down, Penny, no sabotages!" Percy jovially remarked as she examined the Firebolt closely.

Upon hearing his words, Penelope set the Firebolt back down, thanked Harry, and returned to her table.

"Penelope and I have a wager at stake." When Penelope wasn't paying attention, Percy whispered to Evan and Harry. "Ten galleons on the match outcome! Make sure to win, Harry, I don't have ten galleons..."