As Lucien stepped through the gates of the Quidditch pitch, a booming voice rang out.
"Lucien, you lot made it!"
"Sorry, excuse me, coming through!"
Hagrid, bundled in a moleskin coat and waving a rabbit-fur-gloved hand, greeted them while carefully weaving through the crowd, mindful not to bump into the smaller students.
Lucien thought Hagrid's kindness was heartwarming, though his caution seemed a bit unnecessary. The moment people saw his towering frame, they instinctively cleared a path.
"Hey, it's Harry's first Quidditch match today. Can't wait to see him out there!" Hagrid said, beaming.
"We've never seen Harry practice. Gryffindor's kept him under wraps," Ron chimed in.
Hagrid laughed heartily. "That's brilliant! Harry's gonna shine today, I reckon!"
…
"Bludger snatched by Angelina Johnson! That Gryffindor lass has some slick Chaser moves—every bit as stunning as she is!"
"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall's sharp voice cut through.
Lee Jordan, the commentator, quickly apologized but didn't tone down his bias. When Gryffindor scored, he'd shout with wild enthusiasm. When Slytherin scored, his voice dripped with disappointment, sometimes even trailing off with a sigh.
Lucien chuckled to himself. This guy's got some character.
A flat, neutral commentary wouldn't have half the charm of Jordan's antics.
Thanks to Jordan's lively performance, Lucien noticed something else: Gryffindor's team had quite a few female players. Angelina, in particular, was a standout Chaser.
But then—
Whoosh!
A Bludger zipped past another Gryffindor Chaser's head, grazing her scalp.
The Slytherin Beater who'd hit it looked almost regretful, as if annoyed he hadn't aimed better.
Lucien caught the Beater's expression.
No trace of chivalry there—just a burning desire to win.
That's the spirit of fair play, Lucien thought with a smirk. Doesn't matter who you are—on the pitch, everyone's equal.
The vortexes in Lucien's pupils spun slightly faster, sharpening his view of the players' every move.
Another perk of the Eye of Magic: it let him observe distant targets with crystal clarity.
The more he used these eyes, the handier they felt.
Not only could he see mana circuits, but they doubled as a telescope.
Shifting his gaze to the Gryffindor stands, Lucien spotted Ron and the others with a bold banner stretched above them. It read "Potter for the Win!" with a massive lion drawn below, surrounded by dazzling magical effects.
Eye-catching, to say the least. Harry would probably be chuffed to see his friends' effort.
The chilly wind howled, but it couldn't dampen the crowd's enthusiasm or the players' fire.
The match was heating up.
Quidditch rules were simple, but the "fouls" were endless. Lucien recalled reading somewhere that there were around seven hundred possible fouls in Quidditch, all of which could happen in a single match.
It was easy to imagine how brutal players could get.
Apparently, the foul-heavy record was set in a World Cup match.
Of course, Quidditch rarely saw fatalities—just minor injuries like shattered jaws, broken limbs, or concussions. With magic and potions, those were no big deal.
It dawned on Lucien why the game was so ruthless.
With healing magic so effective, players could go all out without fear of lasting damage or death. So, they went for it!
Players fought with fiery passion, and the crowd cheered for blood and chaos.
Back to the match—things were getting wild. It was less about playing the game and more about landing hits while occasionally bothering with the Quaffle.
"Wow, they're going savage out there," Terry muttered beside Lucien.
"Quidditch isn't for us," he added. "Let's stick to studying."
Lucien grinned. No wonder Ravenclaw's Quidditch team was the weakest of the four houses. Just fielding a full team was an achievement. Ravenclaws were a small bunch, and most preferred quiet study over rough sports. No surprise players like Cho were always trying to recruit.
"Look! What's happening to Harry Potter?!"
A startled cry rang out, followed by shrieks from the more timid spectators.
Harry, who'd been intently searching for the Golden Snitch, narrowly dodged a Bludger. But then his broom started shaking violently.
What followed was a heart-stopping display of aerial acrobatics—dives, climbs, spins, and rolls. Harry clung to the broom's handle for dear life, fighting not to be thrown off.
Seeing Harry's unnatural, dangerous maneuvers, Ron's face fell. "We've got to help him!"
Hermione, panicking, grabbed Hagrid's telescope and studied Harry's situation. As she scanned the stands, she spotted—
"Snape!" she gasped. "He's muttering something—a spell!"
Ron froze at her words. "Wait, why would Snape curse Harry? He hasn't been hard on him lately."
Snatching the telescope, Ron confirmed it: Snape's lips were moving, chanting a spell.
"What do we do?!" Ron asked, floundering.
Hermione gritted her teeth, grabbing Ron and pulling him toward the edge of the stands. "I'm going to Snape to see if I can stop him. Ron, find Lucien—he'll know what to do!"
From the Ravenclaw stands, Lucien had already locked onto the real culprit.
Quirrell, wrapped in his purple turban, was watching Harry with a look of feigned concern, as if he cared deeply for the boy.
Lucien's Eye of Magic vortexes spun rapidly, nearly overtaking his green irises.
So that's what Tom's mana circuit looks like.
Normally, Voldemort hid deep within Quirrell's body and soul, his mana circuit invisible—a concealment more sophisticated than an Animagus transformation.
But now?
Quirrell wasn't casting, but the dark curses aimed at killing Harry were coming from Voldemort inside him.
And when Voldemort used magic, his mana circuit couldn't stay hidden.
Interesting.
Even as a mere soul, when casting spells, Voldemort altered Quirrell's mana circuit.
Could the mana circuit be tied more to the soul than the body?
And what a unique circuit it was—worthy of Voldemort.
Lucien focused intently, studying the circuit. Voldemort rarely used magic openly, making this a rare chance to observe.
So that's how the magic flows for this dark curse…
If he mimicked that mana flow, could he replicate the spell?
Intrigued, Lucien began channeling his own magic along the same path, testing the theory.