[Note: Read up to Chapter - 134 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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"Aris caught the Snitch?"
"What on earth was he thinking? Ending the game with just a random grab like that!"
"But he's not even part of the match! So who wins now?"
"In this game, only Shafiq's actually won..."
"Look at Mrs. Hooch's face — I've never seen her look so utterly baffled!"
"This match will definitely go down in Hogwarts history..."
For a moment, the stadium fell quiet, then erupted into noisy chatter.
The noise was louder than when Angelina scored earlier. If the Quidditch pitch had a roof, it'd have been blown clean off by now.
Mrs. Hooch urgently blew her whistle to halt the game and called all the players together, clearly to work out some sort of sensible solution.
Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall, who'd just breathed a sigh of relief when Aris was out of danger, now looked intrigued once more.
She glanced up at Aris in the sky — or rather, the Golden Snitch still fluttering in his hand — then at Mrs. Hooch, who was scratching her head on the pitch.
Without wasting time, McGonagall hurried down the stands and strode towards the field.
They needed to sort this mess out sharpish. Otherwise, the whole game would become a bloody joke.
"I've never come across a situation like this before, so I've no idea how to handle it!"
As McGonagall reached the pitch, she heard Madam Hooch explaining the situation to Wood from Gryffindor and the captain of the Slytherin team.
Players from both sides stood nearby, their faces unreadable — or perhaps just full of too many thoughts to show any clear expression at all.
Some folks looked utterly gobsmacked, spreading their hands as if they couldn't quite believe what they'd just seen.
One person was even arguing with Mrs. Hooch, frowning deeply.
Others stood to the side, watching the whole thing like it was a proper show — and Professor McGonagall definitely caught them chuckling.
That pair? None other than the Weasley twins.
They'd probably never come across something this entertaining before, and they glanced at Aris with a mix of smirk and admiration.
"Professor, sorry — it was just a reflex..."
Just then, Aris dropped down from the sky and landed in the centre of the pitch. He looked around at the players and professors deep in discussion, a bit sheepish on his face.
"Aris, well played!" George gave a loud whistle that caught the attention of the hundred or so boys watching.
"I reckon that Golden Snitch catch was the cleanest I've ever seen!" Fred winked at Aris with a grin.
"Alright, that's enough!" Professor McGonagall scolded the twins for interrupting, then furrowed her brow and said, "Rolanda, don't worry — there's always a way to sort this out. And if worse comes to worst, we can just restart the game!"
"That sounds like a good plan!" Wood glanced at his teammates and gave a nod.
"Spot on. I'm not ready to pack it in just yet!" Slytherin captain Flint raised his fist and shot Wood a challenging look.
With the captains of both teams on board, the matter was basically settled.
However, whether they'd finish today or play it out another day still needed sorting.
After all, the Golden Snitch has a knack for reacting to human skin, always flying towards the first person who catches it.
Just now, Aris had caught the Golden Snitch, which meant Madam Hooch had to bring out another one to restart the game.
As Aris was pondering whether to say something more to apologise, a group of young witches suddenly came rushing over.
"Aris, I'm so glad you're alright!"
Hermione and Cho led the way, dashing straight to him and pulling him into a tight hug.
When that out-of-control broom had carried him into the air, both witches had been proper worried.
Now, seeing him land safely, they couldn't hold back their emotions at all.
Nearby, Harry and Ronald watched the three of them hugging and exchanged puzzled looks, scratching their heads.
"When did they get so close?" Harry whispered, sounding a bit baffled.
"Maybe... it was just the excitement from earlier," Ronald shrugged, trying to explain.
"Then why weren't they this worked up when I was in danger?"
"Maybe Aris is just more attractive than you," George chimed in, appearing out of nowhere behind them.
"Or maybe he's just more popular with the little witches!" Fred jabbed at George, grinning.
Harry glanced at the pair, then back at the trio still clinging together.
A sudden look of realisation dawned on his face.
He quickly shut his mouth and stayed silent.
Held firmly by the two little witches, Aris couldn't move a muscle — he had no choice but to give up resisting.
Listening to Harry and Ronald's whispers and the cheers ringing around him, a smile spread across Aris's face.
This feeling was brilliant!
No wonder so many people love being in the limelight — it's bloody addictive!
Nearby, seeing that the rematch issue was more or less settled, Professor McGonagall turned her attention back to Aris.
"Mr. Shafiq, come with me. We need to have a word."
"Righto, Professor!" Aris was ready for it.
After all, they'd been blasting off brooms and blowing up the stands — it'd be strange if McGonagall didn't want a word.
"Goodbye, Aris!"
"I'll teach our Potter how to catch the Snitch in one go!"
Fred and George called out as they waved goodbye to Aris.
He smiled at the pair — those two could make the most ordinary thing sound like a proper laugh.
No wonder they're the top entertainers around.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Aris was led back to the castle by Professor McGonagall.
Whether the game would restart soon or be held another day was up to Mrs. Hooch to decide.
"Do you think Aris will be alright?"
Hermione and Cho watched the backs of Aris and McGonagall as they walked away, worry clear in their eyes.
"He should be fine. After all, he saved me, didn't he?" Harry said, still carrying a hint of fear.
"If it weren't for him, you might not have seen the sunrise tomorrow," Ronald added with a sigh.
"Thanks, but you don't need to remind me..." Harry said, curling his lips in disbelief.
"I reckon we should go and stand up for him!" Hermione suddenly said, her voice firm.
"That's right!" Harry's eyes lit up as if he'd just remembered something. He whispered, "Snape's the one who should be held responsible for this mess!"
"It wasn't Aris' fault the stands blew up. If Snape hadn't been mucking about with a spell on the broom..."
"Wake up!" Hermione shot Harry a sharp look. "It wasn't Snape. He probably wanted to save you. Anyway, I saw Professor Quirrell casting a spell too — and his target was your broom!"
"Aris also said if there's any professor causing trouble at Hogwarts, Professor Snape would be the last suspect… and he seems to think that it's the Professor Quirrell who has some problem with him!"
"Professor Quirrell?" Ronald frowned, looking confused. "You mean he wanted to kill Harry and Aris?"
"Obviously!" Hermione shrugged.
"But he..." Harry frowned, not quite believing it. "Professor Quirrell's usually so timid. How could it be him?"
"I am quite sure that I saw him cast a spell on your broom. If it's not him, so, how do you explain him casting a spell then?" Hermione asked, staring at Harry.
"Maybe he was trying to save me..." Harry said uncertainly.
"I don't think so… Even if you don't believe me, don't you trust Aris?" Hermione was getting frustrated.
"Stop wasting time here!" Cho suddenly interjected. "No matter which professor's at fault, we need to get back to the castle and tell Professor McGonagall or Headmaster Dumbledore everything — before Aris gets expelled!"
With that, she turned on her heel and hurried off in the direction Aris and Professor McGonagall had gone.
"She's right!" Hermione said, quickly following after Cho.
"Or do you fancy staying here and watching Aris get sacked?"
Not long after setting off, she glanced back at Harry and Ronald.
"Course not!" they both said, sharing a look before dashing off towards the castle.
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"Mr. Shafiq, can you explain why you risked your own life to grab Mr. Potter's broom?" Professor McGonagall asked, her expression serious.
"Obviously, if I hadn't done that, Harry would've been dead!"
"But we don't want to see you in danger. I mean..."
Suddenly, McGonagall turned away and covered her mouth, her eyes welling up. It was clear Aris' words had struck a chord.
"No matter what, next time you face something like this, you've got to look after yourself first!"
She soon pulled herself together and fixed Aris with a stern look.
"Also, your disguise was flawless, but that explosive spell — was it really fired at the stands by accident?"
"Professor, do you really think some muppet deliberately fired an exploding spell at the stands?" Aris felt a flicker of surprise.
McGonagall seemed to suspect he'd done it on purpose — a thought he hadn't expected.
"Who knows? Maybe you're after revenge. Snape wasn't exactly friendly to you before. Maybe it'd give you a kick seeing him make a right fool of himself?"
"I swear, I didn't mean it!" Aris spread his hands in protest.
"You shouldn't let so many suffer, especially poor Professor Quirrell, whose turban was nearly singed off..."
"Hehe..." Aris gave an awkward smile.
Well, he figured it out — Professor McGonagall was just guessing.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be speaking to him so kindly now.
I didn't realise she was this sharp before!
How lovely it is to be taken seriously by a smart but slightly adorable elderly cat-woman!
When it comes to sniffing out spies, all we need are Professor Binns and Professor Snape!
Come to think of it, things have gotten pretty serious — so why hasn't Dumbledore shown up yet?
Did he... fall down the loo?
Just as Aris was wondering this, there was a knock on the office door.
In walked Headmaster Dumbledore, clad in moon-white robes and a gardener's hat.
"Minerva, how's Mr. Shafiq doing?"
The silver-haired wizard's gaze immediately settled on Aris as he entered.
"Professor, I'm fine!" Aris stood quickly, a bit guilty.
"Don't be nervous, Albus. I've checked him thoroughly — he's perfectly fine!" McGonagall said, leading Aris into the office for a proper once-over.
Although Aris seemed unharmed on the Quidditch pitch, she was clearly worried.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that."
Dumbledore sounded like he was just asking out of routine, then quickly moved on.
Maybe it was because he trusted Professor McGonagall, or perhaps he trusted Aris as well.
"So, is there anything you'd like to tell me?"
Aris was just wondering when this tedious questioning would end, when Dumbledore fixed him with a thoughtful look.
"What?" Aris didn't react for a moment.
"Well, since there's nothing more to say, let's be off!" Dumbledore decided without even consulting McGonagall.
"Really?"
Aris nearly let his joy slip out, but caught himself just in time.
"I mean, Hermione and the others must still be waiting for me. They probably think I've been expelled!"
"So, I need to explain it all to them!"
"Go on then!" Dumbledore smiled warmly. "Celebrate the joy of catching the Golden Snitch with your mates!"
The silver-haired old wizard gave Aris a cheeky wink.
"Albus, you can't be spoiling him like that!" Professor McGonagall finally couldn't hold back.
"He knows what he's doing, and we should trust him," Dumbledore said with a grin.
Under the watchful eyes of the two professors, Aris quickly strode out of the office.
Once the door was shut, a look of suspicion crossed McGonagall's face.
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"Something's not right. There's something off about old Dumbledore!"
"He didn't ask a single question, didn't even bat an eye about the spell hitting the stands!"
Aris knew full well that with Dumbledore's understanding of him, the old wizard could easily guess that the spell was deliberately aimed at the stands.
After all, when Aris was in the Forbidden Forest, things had been far worse — and even then, he'd shown a calmness and composure beyond any ordinary person.
So why hadn't Dumbledore asked anything now?
Had he already guessed Aris's true intentions?
It seemed... not impossible at all.
He might have sussed out that the one casting spells on the broom was most likely Quirrell.
And that Aris's own spell had just happened to turn Quirrell into a right mess.
"As expected of an old fox!"
Aris couldn't help but sigh, deeply admiring the man.
In fact, Aris was almost glad he'd confessed everything straight away.
Otherwise, he'd have to spend every day thinking up ways to outsmart this old fox.
What a tiring life that would've been!
Just as the boy was lost in thought, head down, a familiar pair of voices called out from ahead. "Aris!"
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 134 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]