Chapter 269 The Folly Of Malfoy

Hermione narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at Cho with vigilance.

Then, she turned to look back at Evan by her side. Because of Luna's words, Evan seemed lost. He stared, with a reddened face, at the Ravenclaw Seeker.

Hermione hummed and, unconsciously, closed the magic book she had in her hands and tapped it against Evan's lap.

With that tap, Evan snapped out of it; he turned his head and looked at Hermione.

Hermione wasn't looking at him; she was conversing with Ginny.

Evan scratched his head, unsure of what was happening.

Seeing his dazed and overwhelmed appearance, Ginny and Luna, who had just witnessed the whole affair, couldn't help but secretly chuckle.

In the middle of the field, after Wood and the Ravenclaw captain, Davies, shook hands, with a whistle from Madam Hooch, the game officially began.

All the players rose into the air, and Evan looked up to spot Harry. He saw a red blur soaring high.

He listened to Lee Jordan's commentary on the game. Jordan was the match commentator. He was a friend of Fred and George, and they were often seen together.

"There they go, and the highlight of this match is Harry Potter flying the Firebolt for Gryffindor!" Jordan exclaimed excitedly. "This is a Christmas gift from Professor Black to Harry. According to 'Which Broomstick,' the Firebolt will be the broom of choice for national teams in this year's World Championship..."

"Jordan, would you mind telling us what's happening in the match?" Professor McGonagall's sharp voice interrupted, audible throughout the audience.

"Of course, Professor...I was just providing some background information. By the way, the Firebolt has an automatic braking feature and..."

"Jordan!"

"Alright, alright, Gryffindor is in possession, Katie Bell of Gryffindor is heading towards the goal..."

Evan quickly glanced at Ravenclaw's goalposts and saw Harry flying towards them, very fast. He was searching for the Golden Snitch.

Cho also noticed and was following him closely.

She was a good Seeker, although not as good as Harry, but she kept intersecting his path, forcing him to change direction.

Due to Cho's distraction, Harry lost sight of the Snitch.

At that moment, Katie managed to score the first goal of the match, and Gryffindor's end of the field went wild, with Evan hearing deafening cheers.

Amidst the applause, Gryffindor's team grew bolder, and the point gap widened more and more.

"Gryffindor leads by eighty points to zero, and see how the Firebolt is performing! Potter is really putting it through its paces now, watch how it turns... Chang's Comet just can't compare, the precision balance of the Firebolt is truly remarkable in this long..."

"JORDAN!" Professor McGonagall said, "ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? CONTINUE WITH THE COMMENTARY!"

The game was very intense. Ravenclaw was making a comeback; they had now scored three goals, putting Gryffindor only fifty points ahead.

If Cho caught the Snitch before Harry, Ravenclaw would win.

Gryffindor's victory hung entirely on Harry's shoulders, but now he seemed a bit restrained, and every time Cho got close to block him, he had to change direction to avoid a collision.

"HARRY, IT'S NO TIME TO BE CHIVALROUS!" Wood roared at Harry's performance. Most of the field could hear his voice. "WE WANT TO WIN THE GAME. KNOCK HER OFF THE BROOM IF NECESSARY!"

Upon hearing his shouts, there was a murmur in the stadium below.

Cho's broom halted in front of Harry, and she smiled as if they had exchanged a few words.

Then, Harry spun the Firebolt and made it soar. Soon he was twenty feet above the field, and all could only watch him flying directly towards the dense clouds.

Cho followed him, having decided to mark him instead of seeking the Snitch herself.

Harry made a feint. He pretended to spot the Bludger and dived again. Cho swiftly turned her broom and tried to follow him. Harry sharply emerged from the dive, and she plummeted down.

Harry swiftly ascended like a bullet, and finally he saw it. The Snitch gleamed high above the field, at the edge of Ravenclaw.

Followed by Cho, who had also spotted the Snitch and was a few meters closer than Harry, both flew forward, racing against time...

The audience held their breath, and the critical moment arrived.

The superiority of the Firebolt was completely demonstrated, and Harry was swift as the wind.

He passed Cho, nearing the Snitch, his fingers were about to touch it, and Gryffindor was on the verge of winning the game.

Just at that moment, Cho suddenly pointed towards the ground. She emitted a surprised cry, as if she had seen something, and everyone looked down.

Distracted, Harry glanced downwards.

In the direction Cho was pointing, three tall hooded Dementors were seen running towards the Quidditch field. They were gazing at Harry.

A cry erupted in the stands, and all the young wizards held their breath.

They did not understand what was happening. The Dementors had been expelled from Hogwarts and returned to Azkaban. Why did they appear on the field?

Instinctively, the young wizards subconsciously felt fear, and the scene turned chaotic.

Because of Cho, Hermione, who had been secretly angry and had no intention of talking to Evan, now found herself subconsciously approaching him, her face tense.

Unlike the others, Evan immediately realized that the three figures below were not Dementors, but Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle!

They must be pretending to be Dementors to scare Harry, to distract him, or to make him fall off his broom out of fear like last time.

Malfoy was foolish enough to carry out such a silly prank. Evan was utterly speechless. He didn't know what to say. He wondered where Malfoy's intelligence had gone.

Last time, he was on the stairway to ambush him. This time, he came up with the idea to dress as a Dementor to scare Harry in front of the School of Magic.

Couldn't he use his brain before acting?!

Amidst the surrounding panic, Evan drew his wand as quickly as possible.

"Expecto Patronum!" he exclaimed, easily summoning his Patronus.

With a dazzling glow, Evan's Patronus swooped towards Malfoy.

Harry did not hesitate. Because Evan had reminded him to carry his wand before the game, he reached into the neck of his robes, pulled out the wand, and aimed it at Malfoy. A huge silver and white stag emerged from the tip of his wand.

The stag glided forward, and Harry did not stop to look.

His body leaned forward, almost leaping off the Firebolt, and his fingers successfully closed around the fluttering Snitch in front of him.

Just as Harry caught the Snitch, the young wizards reacted.

They pointed their wands at the Dementors. Suddenly, several Patronuses appeared from the stands, twice as many as in the previous game.

The scene was spectacular, and the glory of the Patronuses was even more intense than the sun.

With astonishing momentum, hundreds of Patronuses headed towards the ground, and the three Dementors remained in place, watching them approach in awe, and subconsciously retreated. They wanted to flee, but as their legs were weak, they fell to their knees directly on the ground.

The three appeared frightened and unsure of what to do.

Malfoy's heart nearly stopped, his eyes widened, and he gazed in disbelief at the hundreds of approaching Patronuses. It seemed he had just realized how foolish it was to pretend to be a Dementor to scare Harry.