Mysterious Journey
Chapter 850 The Empress's Lesson
For some mysterious reason, the news of an unofficial training match between the first-year team and the "All-Star Team" spread like wildfire among the students. Before the Hufflepuff tryouts even finished, the stands were already packed with curious young witches and wizards.
Apart from the absence of house banners and cheering paraphernalia, it felt almost like a fast-forward to the Quidditch finals day.
By the time Madam Hooch blew her whistle and fifteen brooms soared into the air, nearly half the student body had arrived. With the exception of the empty staff box, the entire Quidditch pitch was buzzing with the festive excitement of a holiday.
"A pre-season...opening match for Hogwarts Quidditch?"
Dumbledore glanced around at the stands, a hint of resignation in his voice.
"Miss Kaslana, if you intend to have everyone spectate, you could simply apply for a notice on the bulletin board next time."
If he remembered correctly, the official season wasn't scheduled to start until next month. Today was merely the time for house tryouts, with perhaps an added evaluation of the first-year team and returning graduate team's qualifications. However, judging by the lively, almost match-day atmosphere, something he wasn't aware of had clearly transpired.
"Opening match? I don't recall anything about that—"
Aileen innocently spread her hands, drawing her gaze away from the distant crowd and offering a sincere explanation.
"Headmaster, please refrain from interpreting your adorable student from a conspiratorial perspective. After all, whether those two teams qualify still depends on your and Madam Hooch's assessment. I swear, this match was planned and executed in complete secrecy."
The girl winked mischievously, mimicking Dumbledore's most common tone.
"But, you know how it is, secrets always have a way of getting out—"
...
Evidently, in Hogwarts, the most effective way to attract students was certainly not through the bulletin board.
Over the course of a weekend, a certain "unspeakable secret" spread rapidly throughout the castle.
Compared to the house tryouts, which offered little in the way of participation or spectacle, the "All-Star Team" massacring the "First-Year Team" was clearly a more appealing draw. The Weasley twins had even secretly set up a small betting pool, speculating on how long the poor "First-Year Team" could last against the "All-Star Team," and whether they would meet the professors' minimum standards.
Of course, for the sake of fairness, they also offered odds on the first-year team winning.
Unfortunately, apart from the good-natured Neville, who bet a few Galleons on the first-year team, the vast majority of students unanimously sided with the "All-Star Team." The only suspense lay in determining the extent of the disparity.
"It's Charlie, you understand? The architect of Gryffindor's recent Quidditch dynasty—"
George Weasley said earnestly to the Ravenclaw prefect and newly elected Head Girl, "Don't bet on the first-year team. When it comes to Quidditch, you have to trust my judgment—"
"Weasley, what do you think? How should one allocate the bets to make a small profit?"
The Ravenclaw prefect with long, curly hair raised an eyebrow, thoughtfully asking.
However, she didn't look at George, who was speaking, but turned to Percy Weasley, who sat not far from the twins, frowning as if about to scold his two brothers.
"Uh—"
Percy opened his mouth, quickly swallowing the reprimand he was about to utter.
He had initially assumed that the two intimidating girls were there to maintain school discipline.
As the relationship between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor grew closer, many Ravenclaw students, and even some from Hufflepuff, had placed bets with the twins.
As Gryffindor's male prefect, Percy Weasley had almost stepped in to uphold the law by denouncing his own brothers.
"Well, while they're mischievous in many ways, they're actually quite skilled on a broom..."
Percy Weasley cleared his throat, subtly glaring at George, and continued.
"As far as I know, Charlie has been working with dragon conservation and research since graduation. Perhaps other wizards might become less familiar with flying after leaving school, but Charlie is definitely not one of them. George, help Penelope figure out how to allocate the funds to maximize returns and minimize risk."
"But, gentlemen...the other team isn't entirely made up of first-years either, you know."
Meryl Streep crossed her arms in front of her chest, smiling faintly as she watched George help Penelope register her bet.
"I feel obligated to remind you that their coach and Seeker are not simple. One is a highly famous and talented young witch from your Gryffindor, and the other is our house's star player from last year. I still think..."
"Don't worry, you can't go wrong listening to me—"
George Weasley replied confidently without looking up.
"Cho Chang? Oh, she does fly quite well. If she were a Seeker, she might have a chance—but as a Chaser, her opponents are three of the top players this school has ever seen. One of them is that nasty Slytherin who almost won three championships in a row. She can't beat any of them on either offense or defense."
"As for Granger, Quidditch isn't a written exam. A clever mind doesn't necessarily give you an advantage. Otherwise, Ravenclaw wouldn't have gone so many years without winning—ah, I mean, uh, yeah, never mind."
George Weasley, halfway through his sentence, seemed to sense the sudden drop in temperature and awkwardly changed his tone.
"Don't worry, I won't get angry. After all, you're speaking the truth."
Meryl Streep narrowed her eyes slightly, a playful smile on her face.
"From the time I entered this school until now, as I'm about to graduate, our Ravenclaw team hasn't improved at all. Last year, we were even completely dismantled by a team of first-years. It's truly frustrating..."
"Aba aba—"
Cold sweat instantly broke out on George Weasley's back. He looked helplessly at his brothers.
Thanks to the excellent talent within his family's bloodline, George realized the danger almost instantly. Unfortunately, Fred and Percy clearly had no intention of rescuing him and watched the show happily with their arms crossed.
"I'm just teasing, silly. I'm not some childish little girl who needs to be coddled..."
Then, before George could say anything to make amends, 'Miss Peach' couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, of course I trust our Quidditch expert. Although I might feel a little sorry for Cho Chang, I really need some spending money—my entire savings, 67 Galleons, are all yours. Speaking of which, if those students who lose their bets here cause trouble, what do you plan to do? Have you thought about it?"
"Don't worry, we've already considered that. The Weasley family is quite capable."
George Weasley patted his chest with great pride, pointing mysteriously to a corner of the stands.
"That's my eldest brother, Bill. He works at Gringotts now. We specifically used our connections to buy a bunch of contract documents from Gringotts at a low price. They have magical effects. Unless you don't plan on using Galleons anymore, you can't go back on your word."
"Bill Weasley? Your family has so many siblings."
Meryl Streep glanced thoughtfully at the former Head Boy from previous years.
Since Gringotts was supervising, she wasn't too worried. After all, Bill Weasley was also the older brother of her rash, energetic little boyfriend. If something really went wrong, he wouldn't stand by and do nothing, would he?
At the same time, similar conversations were taking place in the corners of Slytherin and Hufflepuff.
...
"Professor Dumbledore, please rest assured, this is just a small lesson..."
Aileen looked nervously at the old man, confirming that the greatest white wizard in the magical world at the moment had no tendency to suddenly attack anyone, before cautiously elaborating on the upcoming arrangements, in addition to explaining the reasons for the "recreational gambling" in each house.
"I'm the Goblin Queen of Gringotts Wizarding Bank, the richest woman in the world, how could I covet the little pocket money in the hands of the students? I plan to use the cruel reality to make them understand to stay away from gambling, this is really a good thing—"
"Okay, I admit there is a little preemptive element in it. But listen to my explanation, it is absolutely impossible to get out of control..."
"Manipulate the results of the game? No no no, how is that possible, what I mean is, even if it gets out of hand in the end, as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, you can announce the ban on illegal activities, confiscate all the gambling money, and return it to each student's parents... This is also in line with your consistent upright and impartial character... Huh, Professor, were you just swearing? Huh, huh..."
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Coo coo