The heavy rain poured down like a breached divine river, the wind wrapped raindrops lashing down, and dull thunder rolled continuously.
Yet even in such terrible weather, it couldn't dampen the burning enthusiasm of Hogwarts professors and students for Quidditch.
Before the match officially began, the Quidditch pitch stands were already packed.
After umbrellas were blown away, the colorful raincoats wove together into a strange sea under the dim sky, appearing even more densely packed than on sunny days.
As soon as the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff teams appeared, wave after wave of cheers rose through the wind and rain, fully demonstrating everyone's eager anticipation for this match.
Oliver Wood and Cedric Diggory, the two captains, strode from opposite ends of the pitch.
Wood's steps were hurried and forceful, splashing mud that soaked his trouser cuffs, though he seemed completely oblivious.
Cedric's steps were steady, a warm smile continually on his face.
He walked up to Wood and generously extended his right hand, saying sincerely, "Good luck, Wood."
Wood stared at Cedric's outstretched hand, slightly stunned, then extended his own hand to grasp it.
He didn't try to crush the other's hand as he had with Slytherin captain Marcus Flint.
But he also didn't return Cedric's smile, merely keeping his face tightly controlled and nodding seriously.
Seeing this, a flash of helplessness crossed Cedric's eyes, and he shook his head lightly.
After the captains shook hands, the team members sprang into action.
They pulled their feet from the muddy ground and mounted their broomsticks.
As Madam Hooch's sharp whistle sounded, fifteen broomsticks shot into the air like arrows from a bow, rising in perfect unison.
The brooms cut through the rain, splashing droplets. Figures wove through the air above the pitch, and the match officially began.
Harry continued with his usual strategy, staying away from others until the Golden Snitch appeared.
He flew higher than anyone else, using his altitude advantage to avoid being surrounded and attacked.
However, this time he was overthinking it.
First, his Nimbus 2000 wasn't as obedient as before.
The gloomy sky pressed down like a heavy plate, making it hard to breathe, but that wasn't the worst of it. Under the fierce wind, the broomstick that had once been like an extension of his body now carried him through the sky in erratic zigzags.
Harry had to divert part of his attention to controlling it to ensure he wouldn't be blown away.
At this moment, he somewhat understood why Malfoy had fallen from his broomstick during training.
In such terrible weather, maintaining stability in the air was difficult enough.
Once you started moving at high speed, the slightest carelessness could lead to disaster.
Just ten minutes into the match, the howling wind and pouring rain had thoroughly soaked both teams.
Harry didn't know how the others felt, but his own feeling was absolutely terrible.
Following the disobedient broomstick, other problems appeared.
Before the match began, he had already cast the Impervius Charm and a Warming Charm on himself.
But in this extreme weather, the spells' effectiveness melted away like ice in sunlight.
The Warming Charm quickly lost its effect, and bone-chilling cold spread through his limbs.
Before long, his entire body was frozen stiff.
After a while, the Impervius Charm also failed.
Rain pelted his glasses unobstructed, dense droplets blurring his vision and drastically reducing visibility.
He squinted, trying hard to make out his surroundings, but could barely see his teammates or opponents.
He knew nothing about how the match was progressing.
This predicament made him secretly regret not bringing his wand.
But on second thought, even if he had brought his wand, it would be useless.
In this wind-ravaged, rain-drenched sky, he couldn't possibly maintain balance with one hand while steadily holding a wand and casting spells with the other.
As time passed, the terrible weather didn't improve but worsened.
The sky gradually darkened, as if night were arriving early.
This increasingly oppressive atmosphere made Harry's situation even more difficult.
In a moment of distraction, he was nearly knocked off his broom by a Bludger.
Twice.
"Harry's having problems."
Sherlock, who had been watching the match, suddenly spoke.
"What's wrong with him?"
Ginny jumped to her feet, water droplets from her raincoat pattering onto the wooden stands. Her eyes were full of worry and anxiety.
"He's not right."
Sherlock gestured at Harry's erratic flight path. "The wind affecting his movements isn't surprising. But he's nearly been hit by Bludgers several times—that's very strange."
Luna curiously looked in the direction Sherlock indicated, then showed a look of realization. "He nearly collided with his own teammate!"
Sherlock nodded. "So, I deduce his vision is very likely affected."
Ron looked confused. "You mean his glasses? But didn't he cast the Impervius Charm on himself before the match?"
"Charms don't last forever, and in this extreme weather, they last even less time."
Hermione turned to look at Sherlock, her eyes determined. "Sherlock, we need to help him!"
She believed her proficiency with this charm was considerably better than Harry's.
Sherlock raised an eyebrow. "We'd need to call a timeout to stop the match first."
"Then what do we do?" Ginny said nervously.
Ron also frowned. "Gryffindor doesn't have substitute players, otherwise we could..."
Just then, lightning split the sky, illuminating the entire pitch.
Immediately after, Madam Hooch's whistle sounded, and the players controlled their broomsticks, descending to the muddy ground.
"Wood called a timeout."
A flash of appreciation crossed Sherlock's gray eyes. "Obviously, he noticed the problem too."
Hermione also breathed a sigh of relief, following Sherlock's gaze. "He's a competent captain."
"So, what are we waiting for?"
Ron stood up. "Didn't you say Harry's charms failed? Let's go help."
At this moment, concern for Harry finally made Ron completely forget his argument with Hermione.
"Because someone's already gone to help faster than we could," Sherlock said with a shake of his head and a smile. "Look there!"
Ron and Ginny quickly leaned forward to look, both freezing in surprise.
Through the rain, a familiar figure was running toward the Gryffindor team.
All the Gryffindor players huddled under a large umbrella at the edge of the pitch. Harry had removed his glasses and was hastily wiping them with his robes.
"Limited timeout, so I'll make this brief," Wood panted. "We're up fifty points, but if we don't catch the Snitch, this match won't end until midnight!"
Harry waved his glasses, saying desperately, "The Impervius Charm failed. In this awful weather it seems to last even shorter. Damn it! If I'd known, I would've brought my wand too! Casting the spell now, I might catch the Snitch before the magic wears off."
Wood also frowned. This was indeed a big problem.
More troublesome was that there seemed to be no way to solve it right now.
Just then, an unexpected figure appeared beside them.
"Cho, what are you doing here?"
Harry looked with surprise at Cho Chang in her raincoat, his gaze unconsciously sweeping over her robes, soaked through with rain.
Ravenclaw blue stood out particularly among all the Gryffindor red and gold.
Unlike Harry, Wood wasn't pleased. His already furrowed brow twisted into a knot.
As Gryffindor captain, he knew well that Cho Chang wasn't just Ravenclaw's Seeker, but their opponent in the next match.
"Miss Chang, we're discussing tactics, you..."
Before Wood could finish, Cho Chang reached out her hand directly to Harry. "Quick, give me your glasses."
Seeing Cho Chang simply ignore Wood, the Weasley twins quickly exchanged a knowing look.
Angelina, Alicia, and Katie, the three girls; all wore the expressions of amused spectators.
As for Harry, hearing Cho Chang's words, he handed over his glasses without a second thought.
Next, under everyone's astonished gaze, Cho Chang skillfully tapped Harry's glasses with her wand:
"Impervius!"
"Here, now they're waterproof."
As a fourth-year Ravenclaw honor student and the teacher who had taught Harry the Impervius Charm, Cho Chang's magical prowess was fully displayed in this moment.
Seeing the urgent problem resolved, Wood's look toward Cho Chang instantly changed.
However, Cho Chang didn't stop there.
After casting the Impervius Charm on Harry's glasses, she cast seven Warming Charms in succession on the Gryffindor team members.
The Gryffindor players, who had felt frozen stiff, immediately felt the cold leave them, warming up entirely.
"Sorry."
Cho Chang brushed rain-soaked strands of hair from her face, looking apologetically at Wood:
"This charm doesn't last as long as the Impervius Charm. If you stay under the umbrella, it's fine, but once you start playing, exposed to the rain, I'm afraid it won't last long."
This time, Wood looked as if he wanted to kiss her.
"It's enough!"
Cho Chang somewhat shyly squeezed Harry's hand, told him to go for it, then ran back into the crowd.
Because Madam Hooch in the center of the pitch was signaling to Wood that the timeout was over.
"Well done! Worthy of Ravenclaw, renowned for wisdom!"
Wood shouted toward Cho Chang's retreating figure in a hoarse voice like sandpaper scraping a cauldron, then turned to address everyone:
"All right, team, we've got assistance from Hogwarts' smartest opponent. We absolutely cannot lose points now!"
"Roger that!"
Gryffindor's morale soared.
The four in the stands witnessed this entire scene.
"She was so fast!"
Ron couldn't help slapping his thigh. "Ha! I remember now, that charm was originally taught to Harry by Cho!"
Ginny: (￢_￢)
The timeout ended and the match resumed.
Although the Warming Charm, as Cho Chang had said, quickly failed in the torrential rain and Harry was once again frozen stiff all over, at least this time he could see clearly, it was a blessing in disguise.
Unfortunately, the weather was so terrible that after circling the pitch several times, he still hadn't spotted the Snitch.
The rumbling thunder grew louder, wind howled, and lightning flashed one bolt after another.
The situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.
Just as Harry worried whether the charm Cho Chang had cast on his glasses might fail again, an accident occurred.
Another bolt of lightning split the sky, briefly illuminating the stands.
In that instant, Harry's attention was involuntarily captured.
A dog!
A black dog!
A shaggy black dog.
Harry couldn't be sure if it was the one he'd seen on the cover at Flourish and Blotts, but he recognized it instantly as the same black dog he'd seen when leaving the Dursleys' during the summer.
In the topmost row of empty seats, its black silhouette was starkly clear against the sky in the lightning.
'Worst omen, Grim, Death...'
Professor Trelawney's words instantly appeared in Harry's mind.
His frozen hands slipped on the broom handle, and the Nimbus 2000 even dropped several feet.
Harry quickly shook the wet bangs from his glasses. When he looked again, the dog had vanished.
"What on earth..."
Before he could recover from his daze, Wood cried out in anguish:
"Harry, behind you!"
Wood's anguish came from this being the first time in a match that someone had spotted the Golden Snitch before Harry.
This meant Harry wasn't in good form.
In his view, the terrible weather had ultimately affected his Seeker.
Hearing Wood's words, Harry quickly looked back.
He saw Hufflepuff's Seeker, Cedric Diggory, flying across the pitch like an arrow.
Between the two of them, through the heavy rain, glinted a tiny golden point: the Golden Snitch.
Wood had only noticed the Golden Snitch after seeing Cedric's movement, which prompted him to alert Harry.
"Damn it!"
Harry tensed with a jolt and shot toward the Golden Snitch.
His legs gripped the broomstick tightly, his entire body flattening against it, nearly parallel to the broom.
As he flew, he kept shouting to his beloved Nimbus 2000:
"Faster! Not enough—faster, even faster!"
When both Seekers chased after the Golden Snitch simultaneously, the atmosphere in the stadium reached its climax.
The terrible weather's impact had been greater than imagined, so after being suppressed for so long, people's emotions finally found concentrated release.
All the spectators could no longer contain their excitement, erupting in deafening cheers.
Gryffindor and Hufflepuff supporters stood up, shouting themselves hoarse to cheer on their respective teams.
However, at this crucial moment that would decide the match's outcome, a shocking change occurred.
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