Chapter 208: Sirius Appears
It was Saturday—the day of the long-awaited Quidditch final between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.
With the holidays just around the corner, hardly anyone had read the Daily Prophet yet. Most students would wait until Monday to catch up on news at home.
To keep Harry Potter focused, no one told him that his godfather, Sirius Black, had appeared in the newspaper that morning.
In the farthest seats of the stadium, Alexander Smith and Hermione Granger sat quietly, waiting for the match to begin.
Not far away, a figure caught Alexander's attention—it was Sirius Black himself!
He sat near the front, eyes locked on Harry, who was still preparing on the ground. Though Sirius wore a long black wizard's robe that concealed his entire figure, Alexander could tell something was different.
In that morning's Daily Prophet, Sirius had appeared gaunt and disheveled—his long black hair wild, his face sunken.
But now, Sirius looked completely transformed. His hair was short and neat, his appearance clean and composed, and his cheeks were fuller. He looked much more like the younger version of himself—the one from the old Hogwarts photos.
With a sharp whistle from Madam Hooch, both teams launched into the sky.
The match was exhilarating, and besides the players, another figure began drawing attention—a tall man howling like a wolf every time Ravenclaw scored or Harry Potter made a smart move.
Even Lee Jordan, the match commentator, couldn't ignore it.
> "And… uh—what's going on with that upperclassman in the black robe? He's really into this match…"
Strangely, Professor McGonagall didn't intervene. Normally, she would have been the first to demand order and silence.
Some students whispered that McGonagall didn't care anymore since Slytherin had already lost their chance at the Quidditch Cup. Regardless of the outcome, Slytherin would place second.
But only Alexander Smith knew the real reason—Sirius Black, one of McGonagall's favorite former students, had returned.
Sirius's emotional wolf-howls, combined with Harry soaring through the air and looking so much like James Potter, had clearly brought up memories for her. If the former Marauders—Remus and Peter—were to appear as well, Alexander suspected McGonagall might become so overwhelmed she'd fall right off the platform.
The game ended swiftly.
Ever since facing Voldemort, Harry's reflexes and observational skills had dramatically improved.
He spotted the Golden Snitch almost immediately. If not for Fred and George Weasley distracting him early on, he might have caught it within minutes.
But the twins were Gryffindors—not Slytherins—and wouldn't dare sabotage Harry outright. After just 20 minutes of fierce play, Harry caught the Snitch, clinching the victory for Ravenclaw.
Flying above the pitch, Harry heard the deafening cheers of the crowd. He clutched the fluttering Snitch tightly in his palm.
Overwhelmed, Roger Davies rushed to Harry and embraced him, sobbing into his shoulder. Dennis and Woody crashed into them in celebration, nearly knocking them over.
> "We won the trophy! We won the trophy!"
—shouted Phoenix, Henry, and Ero, the recently named goalkeeper.
The Ravenclaws erupted in cheers as they landed. Waves of sky-blue supporters surged onto the pitch, breaking past barriers and mobbing the team.
Harry was hoisted onto shoulders, surrounded by noise and joy.
From the crowd, he saw Hagrid, waving a sky-blue wreath with teary eyes.
> "Great, Harry! Really great!"
Though Hagrid wasn't crying like the day before—after learning Voldemort still lived—his eyes were still red.
Captain Johnny, blocked by the crowd, jumped up and down like a madman, his usual stoic demeanor forgotten.
Ron and Draco pushed their way toward Harry, both too thrilled to speak but grinning ear to ear.
Harry approached Dumbledore, who stood near the trophy pedestal with the Quidditch Cup in hand. Harry accepted it from Roger and raised it high, triumphant.
Suddenly, a loud wolf howl echoed again, and Harry almost dropped the trophy in shock.
Scanning the crowd, he spotted a tall figure in a black robe. Judging by his height, he must've been a seventh-year student—maybe Arrow, or one of Dennis and Woody's friends?
Harry's chest tightened.
> It's their last match, he realized.
Next year, the team would lose Captain Henry, Beaters Woody and Dennis, and Goalkeeper Ero. Harry had to suppress the lump in his throat and force a smile as they brought the trophy to the display case.
> "Let's leave it here," someone suggested. "This is where it belongs."
As Harry began walking back toward the Ravenclaw dormitory, a commotion nearby caught his attention.
> "Boy! Give me that rat!" a voice snarled.
Harry turned sharply. A man in black robes stood with his wand raised—pointed directly at Ron Weasley.
Harry instinctively reached for his own wand, but before he could draw it, dozens of wands were already pointed at the man—from Ravenclaw, and even students from other houses.
> "What are you doing?! Don't point your wand at a Weasley!"
—yelled Percy, fuming.
The Weasley twins, still bitter about the loss, looked ready to duel.
> "Put your wands down!"
—shouted several prefects.
Professor McGonagall arrived, eyes wide and worried, expecting Slytherin to have started a post-match fight.
But instead, she stopped abruptly.
> "Oh… Sirius, what are you doing?" she asked, her voice warm and shocked.
> "He's trying to steal Scabbers!"
—Ron said angrily, gripping his terrified pet rat.
> "Is he… Sirius Black?"
—Draco blurted, staring at the black-robed man.
He then glanced down at the twitching, panicked rat on Ron's shoulder. Scabbers squirmed frantically, trying to burrow into Ron's neck.
> "That rat—could it be…?"
—McGonagall muttered, her eyes narrowing.
She slowly drew her wand.
> "Yes! He's the traitor!"
—Sirius cried, casting aside his robe and revealing a face twisted with fury and desperation.
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