Chapter 438: Resignation of the School Governor

The day before Easter, tensions between the two teams and the two houses reached a breaking point.

Minor brawls broke out in the corridors; in the worst incident, a fourth-year Gryffindor and a sixth-year Slytherin were sent to the hospital wing, both with leeks growing out of their ears.

Harry’s days were especially hard.

Every time he went to his last class, Slytherin students would stick out their legs to trip him;

Wherever he went, Crabbe and Goyle would appear, and upon seeing him surrounded by Jia Jia Siting and others, they would sulk away.

Wood was grateful that Harry had such good companions to keep the Slytherins from preventing him from playing.

The match was about to begin.

Jia Jia Siting anxiously used the two-way mirror, but received no replies.

He and Hermione could only turn their attention to the pitch, where Harry looked ready to eat Malfoy alive.

Ron was shouting himself hoarse for him, roughly meaning Malfoy must pay.

The Gryffindor team emerged from the locker room and headed for the pitch, greeted by a wave of noise.

Three-quarters of the crowd wore bright red roses, waved red flags emblazoned with the Gryffindor lion, or held banners reading “Go Gryffindor!” or “Lions Catch Snakes!”

Two hundred people behind the Slytherin goalposts wore green ornaments, their flags gleaming with silver serpent emblems.

“The Gryffindor team is on the field!”

Lee Jordan, as usual, shouted the commentary,

“Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, the Weasley brothers, and Wood!

After Ravenclaw lost their absolute core, this is widely considered the best team Hogwarts has seen in years—”

Lee’s commentary was drowned out by a chorus of boos from the Slytherin side.

“The Slytherin team is on the field, led by Captain Flint. He’s made some adjustments, seemingly favoring size over skill—”

The Slytherins booed louder, but Harry thought Lee had a point.

Malfoy was clearly the shortest on their team; the others were all tall and bulky.

“Captains, shake hands!”

Madam Hooch said.

Flint and Wood stepped forward and gripped hands tightly, as if each aimed to crush the other’s fingers.

“Mount your brooms!”

Madam Hooch said,

“Three… two… one…”

The battle erupted instantly.

“Gryffindor has possession. Gryffindor’s Alicia Spinnet is charging with the Quaffle toward Slytherin’s goal—looking good, Alicia!

Oh no—Quaffle intercepted by Worthington. Slytherin’s Worthington is racing down the field—wow!

—George Weasley delivers a perfect Bludger strike; Worthington drops the Quaffle, and it’s caught by—Johnson! Gryffindor regains control!

Go on, Angelina—beautiful move past Montague—watch out, Angelina, Bludger!—She scores! Twenty to zero, Gryffindor leads!”

Lee Jordan continued his passionate commentary.

Angelina glided along one end of the pitch, waving her fist triumphantly; below, a sea of red erupted in cheers—

“Ow!”

Angelina nearly fell off her broom as Marcus Flint slammed into her hard.

“Sorry!”

Flint said amid the crowd’s boos,

“Sorry, didn’t see her!”

Later, Fred Weasley swung his bat and cracked Flint squarely on the back of the head.

Flint’s nose smashed into his broomstick and began bleeding.

“Enough!”

Madam Hooch barked, shooting between them,

“Unprovoked attack on a Chaser—Gryffindor penalty! Intentional harm to a Chaser—Slytherin penalty!”

“No, Madam!”

Fred shouted, but Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and Alicia flew forward for the penalty.

“Go on, Alicia!”

Lee shouted loudly as the crowd fell silent,

“Good! She outmaneuvers the Keeper! Gryffindor leads thirty to zero!”

Harry swiftly turned his Firebolt, watching Flint, still bleeding from the nose, fly forward to take Slytherin’s penalty.

Wood stood before the Gryffindor goal, teeth clenched.

“Of course, Wood is an outstanding Keeper!”

As Flint waited for Hooch’s whistle, Lee Jordan told the crowd,

“Outstanding! Hard to beat—impossibly hard—good! Unbelievable! He saved it!”

Harry exhaled in relief, shot upward, scanning for the Golden Snitch, yet still listening intently to every word of Lee’s commentary.

Taking advantage of the distraction, he elbowed Malfoy hard to keep him from reaching the Snitch.

Harry would keep acting until Gryffindor led by more than fifty points.

Malfoy was still dazed when Harry’s second elbow struck.

“Good job, Harry! That’s it!”

Ron below was practically jumping out of his seat.

Hermione and Jia Jia Siting watched anxiously as Harry and Malfoy’s movements grew increasingly aggressive, as if they were dueling.

A duel, with a game of Quidditch tacked on.

“Gryffindor in possession—no, Slytherin has it—no!—Gryffindor takes it back again, it’s Katie Bell, Gryffindor’s Katie Bell with the Quaffle, racing across the field—this is deliberate!”

Slytherin’s Chaser Montague moved in front of Katie—not to grab the Quaffle, but to grab her head.

Katie flipped sideways in midair, barely staying on her broom, but lost the Quaffle.

Madam Hooch’s whistle sounded again. She flew toward Montague and began berating him.

A minute later, Katie scored another goal.

“Thirty to zero! Learn your lesson, you despicable, dishonorable—”

“Jordan, if you cannot give a neutral commentary—”

“I’m just stating facts, Professor!”

It seemed the commentary booth was in chaos too.

Far away, Xiang Xiang Xien watched quietly, seeing Harry “elbow away” Malfoy, nearly catching the Golden Snitch.

His magical mirror soon showed Jia Jia Siting’s face; Jia Jia Siting’s anxious mood instantly calmed.

“Did you see my message, Xiang Xiang Xien? You’ve always known about this, haven’t you?”

Jia Jia Siting asked carefully.

“Mm.”

Xiang Xiang Xien replied.

He and Headmaster Dumbledore had never let up on investigating the Malfoy family, and recently, they’d finally uncovered small but significant clues.

Though not enough to send Malfoy straight to prison, forcing him to resign as a school governor and subjecting him to a prolonged investigation—enough to keep him from causing further harm—was easily within reach.

On the pitch, Harry burned with rage;

Off the pitch, Xiang Xiang Xien stood beside Dumbledore, calm.

“I’m glad you know how to use the rules.”

Dumbledore smiled.

“Just a different method, Headmaster.”

Xiang Xiang Xien murmured.