As the most popular sport at Hogwarts, Quidditch has always maintained a high level of enthusiasm.
The selection matches had just ended not long ago when the news of Kael scoring twenty-one goals in ten minutes spread like wildfire.
In the following days, everyone was talking about it.
Some were shocked, some were excited, and some were skeptical.
"That's so fake."
At the Slytherin table, Zabini remarked disdainfully, "Although I admit that Kael has some skill, and his maps are barely satisfactory to me, when it comes to Quidditch, he's far from good.
Scoring twenty-one goals in ten minutes, even I couldn't do that, so how could he!"
"Do you think you're better than Kael?" Draco glanced at him sideways.
"You don't believe me?"
Zabini boasted smugly, "My fifth father was a Professional Quidditch Player, and he told me I'm a once-in-a-century Quidditch talent. As long as I want to, countless professional teams will be vying for me as soon as I graduate."
Upon hearing this, many people around involuntarily twitched their mouths.
Mrs. Zabini is a very beautiful witch in the Magic Realm who has been married seven times, and every husband ended up dying mysteriously, leaving behind a substantial inheritance.
"I've heard that kind of talk before, more than once, actually," Draco scoffed.
He had known for a long time that such words were just empty flattery, and he couldn't believe someone took it seriously.
"It's true, he definitely wouldn't lie to me!" Zabini said defensively, with his chin stubbornly lifted.
"If that's the case..." Draco gave him a look, "then why don't you apply to join the house team?"
"What nonsense are you talking about, Draco, I'm only in first year; I can't join Quidditch."
"But Po..."
Draco began to retort but suddenly closed his mouth.
He obviously knew Harry Potter had joined the team and was incredibly annoyed every time he remembered it.
Even more frustrating was that this result was caused by him.
Thinking back to Potter and Weasley's smug faces that morning made Draco feel as sick as if he had swallowed a fake cockroach pile.
Had he known, he wouldn't have snatched that giant's Memory Ball back then.
But Zabini didn't know about that and thought Draco had agreed with him, so he changed his attitude immediately and vowed confidently, "Wait and see, I'll definitely join the team next year and show that Kael a thing or two."
"But Draco... you're definitely not joining the team."
He suddenly looked at Draco and mocked, "I saw you on a broom before; let's just say my grandma walks faster."
Draco's face flushed; he was a Quidditch prodigy who narrowly avoided Muggle helicopters multiple times and had never been so insulted.
"Ha..."
Draco turned his head, dragging his words as he asked, "Which grandma are you referring to, the third one? Or the seventh..."
Now Zabini's face began to flush as well; he hated when people brought that up.
"How dare you, I'll make you pay for this!"
In his rage, he raised his fist and punched Draco in the face.
"Bang!"
"Ah..."
Holding his face, the stunned Draco yelled in disbelief, "Damn it, you dared hit me; not even my father has hit me!
What are you all standing around for? Get him, I'm going to kill him!"
At Draco's command, his two followers Crabbe and Goyle immediately rushed over.
Taller by at least a half head than their peers and with sturdy builds, they quickly took down the frail Zabini and pummeled him relentlessly.
Draco stood up and, just as he was about to kick a couple of times, Professor McGonagall appeared beside them.
"Fighting?"
Professor McGonagall's expression was stern, and she effortlessly used her wand to separate the three tangled on the ground.
"Such a vile incident has never happened at Hogwarts."
"It was Draco who insulted me first, Professor!" Zabini mumbled incoherently in his defense.
His face was swollen from Crabbe and Goyle's hits, and he had lost a few teeth, which made him lisp slightly.
"Save that for Professor Snape; he's the one who'll decide your punishment."
Professor McGonagall said sternly, "Now, all four of you come with me!"
"I'm sorry, Professor... maybe I misheard, did you just say four people?"
Draco suddenly stepped forward, his innocent face tilting in confusion as he whimpered, "Everyone here can testify that I wasn't fighting, and I'm the victim."
"You didn't mishear, Mr. Malfoy."
Professor McGonagall looked at him calmly, "Come with me... do not make me repeat myself."
Draco dared not say anything more, lowering his head and carefully following Professor McGonagall out of the auditorium.
Watching him in his disheveled state, Harry Potter was so excited he almost jumped up.
"Look, Ron, Malfoy's in trouble!"
Ron enthusiastically raising a drumstick, said, "Serves him right, he should've been punished a long time ago!"
The two rejoiced energetically for a while, as if Malfoy's misfortune was more worth celebrating than earning points for their house.
In any case, the little drama in Slytherin did not dampen anyone else's enthusiasm for Quidditch.
Especially on the Hufflepuff side.
Recently, Harris has been behaving like he drank expired Magic Potion; whether in the common room or in class, he would inexplicably chuckle, scaring everyone around him quite a bit.
One day on the way to class, he met Gryffindor's Oliver Wood in the corridor, and coincidentally, they were both grinning.
"Oh, it's Wood, hello hello!"
"Pleasure to meet you, Harris."
The two greeted each other warmly like long-lost friends.
"Which class are you heading to?"
"Magic History, and you?"
"About the same, I'm on my way to Defence Against the Dark Arts."
"So it's somewhat similar."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, they suddenly asked at the same time, "What were you laughing about just now?"
After asking, they both fell silent simultaneously.
"Well, you know."
After a brief silence, Wood broke the ice, "My owl had a second batch of babies... new life, it's such a wonderful thing, every time I think of it, I feel genuine joy."
"I'm similar."
Harris calmly said, "My owl found its significant other at the school. That wonderful love... I'm genuinely happy for it."
"Oh, really." Wood exclaimed, "Well, congratulations to you."
"Haha, congratulations indeed," Harris quickly replied.
Afterward, the two fell silent again, while inwardly criticizing each other's shamelessness.