Chapter 49: Quidditch Match

The match had already been going on for quite some time.

Allen watched in horror as Harry’s broom twisted and spasmed wildly, slowly lifting him higher and higher away from the pitch.

Hermione, who had just been beside him, seemed to have noticed something strange about Professor Snape and had vanished.

Harry’s broom lost control even more severely.

The spectators all stared in shock at Harry’s anomaly.

His broom began spinning and rolling uncontrollably; Harry could barely hold on. Suddenly, it convulsed again, flinging him off. He now clung to the broomstick with only one hand, hanging suspended in midair.

The Weasley twins flew up, trying to pull Harry onto one of their brooms, but failed—they could only circle below him, ready to catch him if he fell.

Allen also cursed himself for not having drawn wings that day; otherwise, he might have flown up and rescued Harry.

But he realized someone had cast a spell on Harry’s broom—intending to kill him through it.

“Hurry up, Hermione,” Ron whispered desperately.

But Allen couldn’t find Hermione anywhere; he could only turn his anxious gaze back to Harry, silently praying for him.

High above, Harry suddenly managed to climb back onto the broomstick. He dove rapidly toward the ground; people saw him clutching his mouth as if about to vomit—he landed on all fours, coughed—and a golden object fell into his palm...

Gryffindor won the match 170 to 60.

But Allen had no interest in the final victory—he saw Professor Snape leaving the stands with a blank expression, while Professor Quirrell behind him stared thoughtfully in Harry’s direction.

Allen suddenly remembered Hagrid’s words during the broom’s malfunction: only extremely powerful dark magic could interfere with a flying broom.

Professor Quirrell must know something! His cold persona clearly had deep knowledge of dark magic—he seemed to have figured something out today. Allen thought silently to himself.

He decided to find out information about dark magic during Quirrell’s one-on-one evening session.

After the match, the four of them followed Hagrid to his cabin, where he brewed them a large pot of tea.

Hermione recounted the entire sequence of how she had saved Harry that afternoon.

Her opinion of Snape had changed drastically.

Even Allen began to doubt whether his memory of Snape as a protagonist had been mistaken.

Maybe that short video he’d watched back then was wrong. He concluded silently in his mind.

The events of today made Allen realize his earlier assumption—that the threat came from outside Hogwarts—was wrong. The source of chaos had already infiltrated Hogwarts.

He couldn’t help but recall Quirrell’s past behavior, suspecting he might be the infiltrated villain—but based on current evidence, Snape was the prime suspect. And if Quirrell were the villain, why would he act like one in front of Allen?

Allen was genuinely uncertain.

In the end, he thought Snape was more likely the villain—because Quirrell only acted like one in front of Allen, while Professor Snape behaved like a villain in front of everyone every day.

But Hagrid refused to believe Snape had done it.

During the subsequent conversation, Hagrid unintentionally revealed a key name—Nicolas Flamel.

Then the four of them bid farewell and returned to Hogwarts Castle.

Allen began preparing the questions he would ask Professor Quirrell that night.

Time quickly arrived at night.

Allen arrived punctually at Professor Quirrell’s office.

Quirrell’s demeanor was unusually cold; his gaze at Allen felt off—Allen’s heart tightened—he feared Quirrell’s change in attitude stemmed from the Halloween Eve incident.

But as the lesson progressed, Allen gradually relaxed, for he sensed Quirrell’s instruction remained as earnest and responsible as ever.

After teaching some spell techniques and ancient runes, the lights in the office dimmed again. Allen knew this was Quirrell’s way of dismissing him.

But Allen still had questions—he didn’t want to leave just yet.

“Professor, you were present at today’s Quidditch match. Do you know what spell affected Harry’s broom?” Allen asked carefully, watching Quirrell’s expression.

Quirrell’s hand paused briefly as he turned a page, then resumed normally. He gave Allen a long, piercing look and said casually, “I don’t know.” The office door opened automatically.

Allen gathered his things and walked toward the door. Just as he neared it, the door slammed shut. As Allen stood frozen, a low voice came from behind:

“It was a powerful dark magic.”

Allen spun around and saw Quirrell had returned to the shadows. His heart surged with excitement—Quirrell had switched to his cold persona, the one with deep knowledge of dark magic.

He pressed urgently, “Professor, please guide me further!”

The shadowed Quirrell let out a cold scoff. “A flying broom is a powerful magical artifact. That dark magic confuses its ability to receive commands and transmits false ones—that’s why Potter’s broom malfunctioned today. The caster has profound knowledge of dark magic!”

Hearing Quirrell’s explanation, Allen recalled Hermione’s suspicion. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to tell him: “We suspect Professor Snape did it.”

“Snape!” Quirrell’s voice grew excited, darkly. “If it’s him, I’m not surprised—he studied dark magic deeply back then!”

“Then why would he target Harry? That doesn’t make sense!” Allen had been haunted by this question.

“Hmph! Snape hated Potter’s father! And Snape was a loyal follower of the Dark Lord! But the exact reason—I can’t be certain!” Quirrell seemed deeply intrigued by the topic; his tone grew eager.

Allen tried to discern Quirrell’s expression in the shadows, but failed. Then a sudden question flashed into his mind—he spoke without hesitation:

“Why did Hogwarts hire Snape, who knows so much dark magic and once followed the Dark Lord?”

This question struck a nerve. Quirrell stood up, stepping out of the shadows, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

“This is a fascinating topic. Snape was brought to Hogwarts by Dumbledore—and it was Dumbledore himself who vouched for him, sparing him from trial.” Quirrell’s mood became highly agitated.

Allen was stunned by these secrets. He hadn’t known Snape had such a past—it clearly fit the mold of a major villain. He couldn’t help but doubt the authenticity of the short video he’d seen earlier. Was Snape, then, the true final boss of first year?

Allen’s expression flickered between doubt and alarm; his mind churned with turmoil.

Quirrell watched Allen’s reaction, then posed his next question:

“Why do you assume that mastering dark magic is inherently evil?”