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Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight. |
"Are you serious, Professor?" |
"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The boy's a natural. |
I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a |
broomstick, Potter?" |
Harry nodded silently. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but he |
didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming |
back to his legs. |
"He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor |
McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley |
couldn't have done it." |
Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once. |
"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly. |
"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained. |
"He's just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, now walking around |
Harry and staring at him. "Light -- speedy -- we'll have to get him a |
decent broom, Professor -- a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, |
I'd say." |
I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the |
first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. |
Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape |
in the face for weeks...." |
Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Harry. |
"I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind |
about punishing you." |
Then she suddenly smiled. |
"Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent |
Quidditch player himself." |
"You're joking." |
It was dinnertime. Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened |
when he'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of |
steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about |
it. |
"Seeker?" he said. "But first years never -- you must be the youngest |
house player in about a century, said Harry, shoveling pie into his |
mouth. He felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the |
afternoon. "Wood told me." |
Ron was so amazed, so impressed, he just sat and gaped at Harry. |
"I start training next week," said Harry. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood |
wants to keep it a secret." |
Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry, and |
hurried over. |
"Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the |
team too -- Beaters." |
"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," |
said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is |
going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping |
when he told us." |
"Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret |
passageway out of the school." |
"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found |
in our first week. See you." |
Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome |
turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. |
"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the |
Muggles?" |
"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got |
your little friends with you," said Harry coolly. There was of course |
nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was |
full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their |
knuckles and scowl. |
"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. |
Wizard's duel. Wands only -- no contact. What's the matter? Never heard |
of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?" |
"Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's |
yours?" |
Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up. |
"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy |
room; that's always unlocked." |
When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Harry looked at each other. "What is a |
wizard's duel?" said Harry. "And what do you mean, you're my second?" |
"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, |
getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Harry's |
face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, |
with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send |
sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real |
damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway." |
"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?" |
"Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested. "Excuse me." |
They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger. |
"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron. |
Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry. |
"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying --" |
"Bet you could," Ron muttered. |
"--and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the |
points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. |
It's really very selfish of you." |
"And it's really none of your business," said Harry. |
"Good-bye," said Ron. |
All the same, it wasn't what you'd call the perfect end to the day, |
Harry thought, as he lay awake much later listening to Dean and Seamus |
falling asleep (Neville wasn't back from the hospital wing). Ron had |
spent all evening giving him advice such as "If he tries to curse you, |
you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them." |
There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or |
Mrs. Norris, and Harry felt he was pushing his luck, breaking another |
school rule today. On the other hand, Malfoys sneering face kept looming |
up out of the darkness - this was his big chance to beat Malfoy |
face-to-face. He couldn't miss it. |
"Half-past eleven," Ron muttered at last, "we'd better go." |
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