Chapter 271 Carnival Party And Preparations For Departure
Under the cheers of the Gryffindor students, Harry and the rest of his team descended on their brooms. They gathered in the air and landed in complete disarray.
Harry smiled happily, and amid everyone's applauds, Alicia, Angelina, and Katie had all kissed him.
He timidly turned and saw Evan and Hermione standing at the edge of the field, trying to make their way through the crowd, waving at him.
Before Harry had time to greet them both, he was surrounded by Gryffindor followers.
"Yes!" Ron seemed to recover from the shock he had just experienced. He grabbed Harry's arm and lifted him in the air, shouting, "Yes! We won!"
"Well done, Harry!" said Percy, looking delighted. "Ten Galleons for me! I must find Penelope, excuse me..."
"Wonderful, Harry!" exclaimed Colin. "I captured a photo of you the moment you caught the Snitch."
"Brilliant!" boomed Hagrid above the heads of the Gryffindor students.
"Your father was an excellent Seeker too. He would be so proud of you, Harry!" Sirius was pleased to say that as he approached with a surprised and happy expression. "Your Patronus is exactly like James'."
"The Dementors didn't affect me at all, Sirius, I felt nothing!" said Harry excitedly. "After successfully conjuring the Patronus, maybe I've managed to adapt to them..."
"Oh, that's because they weren't Dementors, but disguised people," said Sirius. "Come on, I want to see who they are!"
He led Harry away from the crowd until they could see the edge of the field.
Evan and Hermione, who had just made their way through the crowd, hurried over. They first congratulated Harry on catching the Snitch and then discussed the Dementors.
"It was Malfoy, Goyle, Crabbe, and Marcus Flint. The four pretended to be Dementors to scare you," Hermione said with a smile. "But they miscalculated; Malfoy probably didn't expect to encounter so many Patronuses. He was terrified."
In front of them, Professor McGonagall was angrily berating Malfoy and the others, and Snape stood by her side, with a slightly uneasy look on his somber face.
It never occurred to her that the students of her House could be so foolish!
"A despicable trick!" shouted Professor McGonagall. "A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker! Detention for all of you and fifty points deducted from Slytherin! I will speak with Professor Dumbledore about this, and yes, I will tell your parents what the four of you have done!"
Malfoy trembled and sought help from Snape.
Snape looked at him sternly and turned away, about to intercede for Malfoy, but Professor McGonagall didn't give him a chance. She didn't even look at him.
If anything could seal Gryffindor's victory, it was this.
They watched Professor McGonagall disregard Snape and the panicked Malfoy. Behind him, Goyle and Crabbe's heads were still shrouded in robes, laughing uncontrollably.
Colin took photos of the scene rapidly and frantically.
"I dare say this is enough to keep us happy for a year!" said Ron, who had managed to make his way to Harry's side.
"This is the happiest day of my life!" Harry replied.
"Come on, Harry!" Fred and George also made their way over to him. They shouted in unison, "Party! Gryffindor Common Room, now!"
Gryffindor House had not been so lively in a long time. Harry and the rest of the team led the way, still in their scarlet robes, leaving the stadium and returning to the castle.
Everyone followed, and it seemed as if they had already won the Quidditch Cup.
All crowded into the Gryffindor Common Room, and even Sirius was there. The party continued all day and well into the night.
When the house-elves brought dinner, Fred and George Weasley disappeared for a couple of hours and returned with loads of bottles of butterbeer, pumpkin juice, and several bags filled with sweets from Honeydukes.
Everyone was in high spirits, and the atmosphere in the tower was at its peak.
Only two people did not join the celebration. Firstly, Hermione, unbelievably, was seated in a corner, attempting to read a book titled "The Civilization and Customs of the Centaurs," which had a thousand pages and seemed imposing.
Beside her, Evan was sketching the trajectory of Mars in a notebook.
Unlike Hermione, he had initially planned to partake in the party.
But he pictured how it would feel to watch people have fun while he worked alone.
In short, halfway through the party, Evan honestly had to sit next to Hermione and study the astrology she had recorded that semester.
Occasionally, everyone would cast strange glances at the pair. After glimpsing Hermione's expression, they were wary of approaching. No one wanted a scolding.
As everyone began to pay attention to Fred and George starting to juggle the bottles of butterbeer, Harry took three sips and approached them.
"Relax, Evan, Hermione!" said Harry. "You've been sitting and reading since the end of the game, and I don't understand..."
"Obviously, if you and Ron were a bit more concerned, none of us would be so tired!" Hermione said sharply, slamming the book shut and glaring angrily at Harry. "In a few hours, we'll be heading to the Forbidden Forest, in search of the Centaurs. I can't believe you're still partying, not even thinking about getting ready!"
"This..." Harry shook his head, realizing that existed.
He was thrilled for the adventure that night, but he was overwhelmed by the joy of winning the game and the cheerful atmosphere that followed and had forgotten about it.
Ron seemed almost the same. He appeared to have completely forgotten.
"I don't think we should worry. Sirius will be there, and we..." Harry stopped himself.
"He's more over-the-top than you and Ron. I doubt he even remembers what we're going to do tonight." Hermione glared angrily at Sirius, who was arguing with several older students. "He's plastered. Is he going to lead us to the Centaurs' colony like this?"
Harry didn't know how to respond to Hermione and looked to Evan for help.
Evan gave him a look of helplessness. He knew Hermione was too anxious about going to the Centaurs' colony, so she was a bit on edge.
Faced with Hermione in that state, he didn't know what to say either.
Furthermore, with the unknown adventure of that night looming, he too was feeling nervous.