Chapter 49: Quidditch Match

The match had already been underway for quite some time.

Allen watched in horror as Harry's broom twitched and writhed wildly, slowly lifting Harry higher and higher away from the pitch.

Hermione, who had just been beside him, seemed to have noticed something amiss with Professor Snape and had already vanished.

Harry's broom went even more out of control.

The spectators in the stands all noticed Harry's abnormality.

His broom began to tumble and roll incessantly; Harry could only barely hold on to avoid falling. Suddenly, the broom twisted wildly again, and Harry was flung off. Now he clung to the broom handle with only one hand, suspended in mid-air.

The Weasley twins flew up, trying to pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms, but both failed; they could only hover beneath him, ready to catch him if he fell.

Allen also felt a bit of regret that he hadn't randomly obtained the wings from that day; perhaps then he could have flown up and saved Harry.

But he also realized someone was casting a spell on Harry's broom, intending to kill Harry through it.

"Hurry up, Hermione," Ron whispered desperately.

Allen could not find Hermione's figure, so he anxiously returned his gaze to Harry, praying for him in his heart.

High in the air, Harry suddenly managed to climb back onto the broom handle; he dove rapidly toward the ground. People saw him cover his mouth with his hand, as if about to vomit—he landed on all fours on the ground—coughed—and a golden object fell into his palm...

Finally, the Gryffindor team won with a score of one hundred and seventy points to sixty.

At this moment, however, Allen had no mind to focus on the final victory, because he saw Professor Snape on the opposite stands leave with a blank expression, while behind him, Professor Quirrell looked thoughtfully in the direction where Harry was.

Allen instantly recalled Hagrid saying that only extremely powerful Dark Magic could interfere with a broomstick when Harry's broom went out of control.

Professor Quirrell must know something! That cold personality of his seemed to have studied Dark Magic quite deeply; today, it appeared he had figured something out. Allen thought silently in his heart.

He decided to inquire about some information on Dark Magic during Professor Quirrell's one-on-one tutoring session that evening.

After the match concluded, the four followed Hagrid to his hut, where Hagrid brewed a large pot of tea for them.

Hermione shared the entire process of how she had saved Harry that afternoon.

Her opinion of Snape had changed greatly.

Even Allen began to doubt whether his memory of Snape being a positive character was mistaken.

Perhaps the short video he had watched back then was wrong. He concluded in his heart at last.

Today's events also made Allen realize that his previous speculation that the threat came from outside Hogwarts was wrong; it seemed the root of the turmoil had already lurked within Hogwarts.

He could not help but recall Professor Quirrell's previous behavior again, somewhat suspecting he was the villain who had infiltrated, but based on the information currently at hand, Snape was the most suspicious; moreover, if Professor Quirrell were the villain, he would have no need to act like a villain in front of him.

Allen was also somewhat unsure.

Finally, he felt it was more likely that Snape was the villain, because Professor Quirrell only acted like a villain in front of him, whereas Professor Snape acted like a villain in front of everyone every day.

But Hagrid simply would not believe Snape had done it.

In the subsequent conversation, Hagrid inadvertently revealed a key name—Nicolas Flamel.

Then the four took their leave and returned to Hogwarts Castle.

Allen also began preparing the questions he intended to ask Professor Quirrell that evening.

Time quickly arrived at night.

Allen arrived at Professor Quirrell's office on time.

Professor Quirrell's attitude this time was somewhat cold, and his gaze seemed off, which made Allen's heart tighten—he feared Professor Quirrell's attitude had changed due to the events of Halloween Eve.

But as the tutoring progressed, Allen's heart gradually relaxed, because he felt Professor Quirrell's teaching today was still so serious and responsible.

After teaching some spell-casting techniques and ancient runes, the light in the office dimmed again; Allen knew this was Professor Quirrell's way of dismissing guests.

But Allen still had questions to ask today and did not want to leave just like that.

"Professor, you were also present at today's Quidditch match; do you know what spell affected Harry's broom?" Allen asked carefully, observing Professor Quirrell's expression.

Professor Quirrell's hand, which was turning a page, paused for a moment but quickly returned to normal; he looked deeply at Allen and said casually, "I don't know!" Then the office door opened automatically.

Allen had no choice but to pack his things and walk toward the door; just as he was nearly at the door, it slammed shut. Just as Allen was at a loss, a low voice came from behind him:

"That was a powerful Dark Magic!"

Allen turned around sharply and saw Professor Quirrell had returned to the shadows in the room; a surge of wild elation filled his heart: Professor Quirrell had now switched to his cold personality, and this personality seemed to have studied Dark Magic very deeply.

He said eagerly, "Professor, please give me more guidance!"

Professor Quirrell in the shadows snorted coldly and said chillingly, "A broomstick is a relatively powerful magical artifact; that Dark Magic can confuse the broomstick's ability to receive commands, then transmit incorrect commands to it. This is the reason for Potter's broom going out of control today. The spell-caster has studied Dark Magic very deeply!"

Hearing Professor Quirrell's explanation, Allen recalled Hermione's speculation, hesitated for a moment, and still prepared to tell Professor Quirrell, "We suspect Professor Snape did it!"

"Snape!" Professor Quirrell's gloomy voice became somewhat excited, "If it were him, I would not be surprised at all; his study of Dark Magic back then was extremely deep!"

"Then why would he attack Harry? That doesn't make sense!" Allen had been troubled by this question all along.

"Heh heh! Snape hated Potter's father! Moreover, Snape is also a loyal follower of the Dark Lord! But as for the exact reason, I cannot determine it!" Professor Quirrell seemed very interested in this topic, and his tone became excited.

Allen tried to see Professor Quirrell's expression in the shadows, but his efforts were futile; at the same time, a question suddenly appeared in his mind, and he said it without hesitation:

"Why would Hogwarts hire Snape, who possesses so much Dark Magic and once followed the Dark Lord?"

This question seemed to hit a sensitive spot for Professor Quirrell; he stood up and walked out of the shadows, his eyes flashing with excitement.

"This topic is quite interesting; Snape was recruited into Hogwarts by Dumbledore, and back then it was Dumbledore who vouched for Snape, allowing him to avoid trial." Professor Quirrell's emotions became very agitated.

Allen was stunned by these secrets; he never expected Snape to have such a past. This clearly fit the template of a great villain; he could not help but doubt the authenticity of the short video he had seen before again. Could Snape be the final great demon king of the first year?

Allen's face shifted between gloom and brightness, and a storm of waves surged in his heart.

Professor Quirrell, admiring Allen's expression, posed the next question:

"Why do you think mastering Dark Magic is a bad thing?"