Seeing the tattered, mud-stained clothing spread out in front of him on the table, Adrian was certain that Black had indeed evaded the supposedly impenetrable guard of the Dementors and successfully entered the grounds of Hogwarts.
This troubling result didn't surprise him in the least—after all, those erratic, soul-sucking Dementors really weren't very reliable when it came to tracking a target who had both the intelligence and motivation that Black clearly did.
"I need to tell Dumbledore about this immediately," Hagrid said quickly, his hands carefully wrapping the torn prison clothes as if they were evidence in a murder trial. His usual jovial demeanor had been replaced by grim determination. "Maybe that fellow is already lying in wait somewhere near the castle, just waiting to strike at his target. We can't afford to take any chances."
Hagrid's urgent report was soon confirmed.
Because the very next day, the Ministry of Magic sent another important message via urgent owl post. A Muggle living in the village near Hogwarts had been stripped of his clothes during the night and left unconscious at a stranger's doorstep, with no memory of how he had gotten there.
Combined with the prison clothes Hagrid had discovered in the forest's depths, there was only one logical conclusion—Black had stolen that unfortunate Muggle's clothing to replace his own tattered prison clothes.
In response to this escalating threat, Dumbledore quickly made decisive arrangements that would affect everyone at Hogwarts.
For the coming period, the professors would patrol the Forbidden Forest regularly in coordinated shifts. Meanwhile, the Dementors would be permanently stationed around the forest's perimeter and all major entrances.
In the blink of an eye, autumn had fully settled over the Scottish Highlands, and it was the first Thursday of October.
A full week had passed since Black's traces were first discovered in the Forbidden Forest, seven days of heightened alert and constant vigilance that had left everyone on edge.
As expected, neither the patrolling professors nor the stationed Dementors had spotted so much as a shadow of the elusive Black. The man seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving behind only the memory of his presence like a ghost that haunted Hogwarts.
But this frustrating lack of results was entirely normal—after all, the Forbidden Forest was vast and ancient, stretching for miles in every direction, with countless hidden caves, and forgotten ruins where even the most skilled tracker could lose their target.
It was only natural that Black couldn't be found easily.
Though the professors remained on high alert, the students had gradually begun to relax their guard.
In fact, some students had initially felt panic when news of Black's nearness first spread through the castle. But as this month had passed with no dramatic incidents or attacks, life seeming to continue no differently from usual, the students had gradually put the matter behind them.
For Harry, today was a particularly special day, one he had been anticipating with growing excitement for weeks.
The Quidditch season was finally approaching, and team training would begin today.
From the very start of term until now, he had kept the Firebolt carefully hidden under his bed. He had been saving it for this moment, just so he could give his teammates the surprise of their lives when they gathered for their first practice session.
That evening, as the sun began to set behind the castle towers, Harry carried his precious Firebolt toward the changing rooms beside the Quidditch pitch.
When he arrived at their team headquarters, Oliver Wood was already deep in conversation with his teammates.
Wood was the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He was a seventh-year student who had dedicated his entire Hogwarts career to the pursuit of Quidditch excellence.
Harry had to admit that Wood was someone extremely obsessed with and passionate about Quidditch, far more intensely than himself or perhaps anyone else in the school. When Wood spotted Harry approaching, he immediately shouted at him.
"Harry! You're ten minutes late!"
Wood stood with his hands firmly on his hips, his face full of displeasure and disappointment. As captain, he expected nothing less than military precision from his team members. "This is the first meeting of the term, and punctuality sets the tone for everything that follows."
"Sorry," Harry said quickly, hurrying to join the group gathered around their captain.
"What could be more important than training—" Wood began his lecture, but suddenly paused mid-sentence, his eyes focusing with intensity on the long, cloth-wrapped object in Harry's hands. His head tilted slightly, "Why did you wrap up your broom like that? What's wrong with your Nimbus?"
At this moment, one of the Weasley twins—probably Fred, though it was always difficult to tell them apart jumped out from the group with excitement.
"Harry!" Fred said with gleeful anticipation, rubbing his hands together like someone about to witness a spectacular show. "You didn't bring that thing, did you? Please tell me you actually brought it!"
Harry nodded solemnly, though his eyes sparkled with mischief. The twin brothers knew he had the Firebolt, and it seemed they had managed to keep this explosive secret from the other teammates—it was no small feat for the usually talkative pair.
"Come on, take it out," Fred urged, his voice rising with excitement as he turned to address their captain. "Wood will definitely forgive you for being late once he sees what you've got there."
Everyone's curiosity was immediately piqued by this cryptic exchange, and all eyes turned to Harry with intense interest, Wood included.
Harry's lips curved into a mysterious smile. Under the expectant gazes of all his teammates, he slowly lifted the cloth covering the broom.
The Firebolt gleamed with absolutely dazzling light in the dim lamplight of the changing room and the room instantly erupted in gasps of amazement and disbelief.
Everyone present was at least a serious Quidditch enthusiast, and in an instant, they all recognized this remarkable broom.
"Merlin's beard!" Wood's voice cracked with emotion. He rushed forward with a leap, reaching out with trembling hands but not quite daring to touch the precious broom in front of him. "This... this is actually a Firebolt?! The latest model?"
Angelina Johnson let out a loud, appreciative whistle. "Harry, when did you get this absolute beauty?"
"A gift," Harry tried to appear calm and nonchalant, but the smile spreading across his face couldn't be hidden no matter how hard he tried.
Everyone in the room immediately showed envious looks.
What kind of person would give away a precious Firebolt as a casual gift?
The twins immediately put their arms around Harry's shoulders from both sides.
"Wood," They shouted in unison to their captain, "I think this year's Quidditch Cup is definitely in the bag!"
Wood was momentarily stunned into silence.
Yes, Harry was already an excellent Seeker, probably the best the school had seen in years, and now with the Firebolt as such a powerful weapon in his arsenal, this year would definitely be their best chance to win the Quidditch Cup.
Although they had won the championship once, two years ago, who would complain about having too many trophies gleaming in the Gryffindor common room?
Wood finally snapped out of his shock-induced trance, shaking his head as if waking from a dream. He took a deep breath, his chest expanding as he gathered his thoughts, and suddenly turned to address all the teammates with serious expression.
"Listen up, everyone! Now that we have the Firebolt—" His eyes gleamed. "This year we absolutely must take the Quidditch Cup! I'm demanding that everyone double their training intensity, and I mean everyone!"
"Oh, come on, Wood!" the teammates groaned in unison, but their faces all wore excited smiles that showed their true feelings.
Wood paid absolutely no attention to his teammates' half-hearted objections and immediately urged them toward action. "Before it gets completely dark, Harry, I want you to try out your new broom. But be extremely careful not to let others see it—especially not the Slytherin team. Before the first match arrives, we must keep your Firebolt completely hidden. It's our secret weapon, and surprise will be half the battle."
"I'll go get the practice Snitch," George announced, hurrying out of the changing room. The others followed Wood toward the pitch, their excited chatter filling the evening air.
Actually, Harry himself could barely contain his inner excitement.
Since he'd gotten the Firebolt, he'd only tried it briefly in the dormitory when no one was around—and he'd nearly punched through the ceiling with his first tentative acceleration.
Now, finally, he could properly test the most powerful broom on the market.
"Ready?" Wood called out, standing in the center of the pitch like a referee preparing for a championship match. He held up a practice Golden Snitch. "Remember, get used to the broom's performance first, don't rush to—"
Before Wood could finish speaking, Harry had already gently pushed off from the ground.
The Firebolt instantly burst with amazing acceleration. Harry felt a powerful thrust propel him violently into the air. The wind roared in his ears with the fury of a hurricane, and the scenery before his eyes became a blur of color and motion.
Honestly, the Firebolt was much faster than he had ever imagined, faster than his wildest dreams had dared to suggest.
How many times faster was it than his old Nimbus 2000? Harry wasn't entirely sure, but he felt that if he faced off against Slytherin's Seeker again, he could definitely leave his opponent unable to even see his backside, let alone compete for the Snitch.
After circling in the air for a while, his teammates looking like tiny figures far below, Harry quickly became familiar with the Firebolt's incredible speed and responsive handling.
The practice Golden Snitch had only been flying for less than half a minute before Harry caught it firmly in his hand.
Wood was extremely satisfied with this demonstration.
He was already in his seventh year, his final year at Hogwarts, and he very much hoped to win the Quidditch Cup this last term to make it truly memorable.
And beyond that, he also planned to become a professional Quidditch player after graduation. So, he also really needed this championship to add to his résumé.
Hopefully everything would go smoothly...
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