Harley was selected for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. After being begged by Wood to visit the Quidditch pitch, Professor McGonagall immediately gave the green light upon seeing Harley's talent-filled performance.
Although Professor McGonagall was unsmiling and serious, she was actually quite a Quidditch "fanatic." She was a loyal supporter of Puddlemere United, and she cared deeply about her own House's Quidditch team.
Cho's performance during the tryouts was also excellent, and she smoothly secured a spot on the Ravenclaw team. Compared to the others, who couldn't even fly steadily in the air, her performance was quite outstanding.
With their shared hobby solidified, Lynn was naturally ignored by the two of them. Quidditch training was grueling, but with a partner to keep them company, it wasn't much of an issue.
Wood's solicitude for Harley was visible to the naked eye. To this end, he even discussed matters with the Ravenclaw captain, arranging for the two teams to train together. Since the official matches wouldn't start until the second half of the school year anyway, these first few months were meant for training rookies and building team chemistry.
Lynn's school life suddenly returned to a "normal" state: classroom, Great Hall, Room of Requirement, and dormitory—a repetitive four-point cycle. The busy lifestyle didn't leave him feeling the least bit bored. He had already devoured several of the books Ollivander had given him; by Christmas, he would be able to complete the prerequisite preparations for the study of Wandlore.
The accumulation of knowledge was essential; the more one knew, the more inspiration and ideas would be born when combining materials.
However, September 25th was a date that required his attention.
"Happy Birthday, Cho!"
Lynn had gone to the kitchens in advance, where the enthusiastic house-elves had accepted the task of making a birthday cake for Cho. To be honest, Lynn had a very favorable impression of these little elves who diligently served Hogwarts.
In an empty classroom, Lynn, Harley, their mutual friends, and Cho's close friends had all gathered. The empty room had been decorated with magic in advance: small candles floated near the ceiling, colorful ribbons weaved through the air, and golden bells chimed the "Happy Birthday" song.
A party popper exploded into a cloud of colorful confetti, and a birthday crown hat popped out from within, which Lynn placed upon her head.
"Thank you, everyone!"
A happy smile spilled over from the corners of Cho's mouth. This was the first birthday she had truly celebrated at Hogwarts. Last year, she had received gifts, but she hadn't blown out candles or shared cake with classmates and partners. For her, today was a very meaningful day.
With a whispered "Nox," the lights in the empty classroom were extinguished; the only illumination came from the candles stuck into the cake. As the birthday song rang out, Cho closed her eyes to make a wish, then blew out the candles.
A silver knife sliced through the birthday cake prepared by the house-elves, and everyone present received a large piece. Immediately following that was the gift-giving segment.
Among them, the most expensive was undoubtedly the brand-new Nimbus 2000 from Harley, though the Tutshill Tornados badge given to her by her best friend Marietta also made her very happy.
Although most of the gifts weren't particularly expensive, the sentiment behind them far outweighed their monetary value.
"Lynn, where's your gift? Why haven't you brought it out yet?"
Harley chirped, a dab of white cream still stuck to her nose.
"I've prepared a gift, of course, but you have to be careful, Cho."
"Could it be dangerous?"
"No, it's just because it... is a bit mischievous, I suppose."
Lynn took a wrapped gift box from his dimensional pocket; its shape looked a bit like a small birdcage.
He had originally planned to give Cho a Golden Snitch; since she was going to be a Seeker, a Golden Snitch would have significant commemorative value. However, the little things weren't cheap, and Lynn had previously been brewing potions to earn money just to buy one.
But just a while ago, when he went to find Mundungus to sell some things, he encountered a black market merchant inside the Hog's Head Inn.
Nine out of ten people in the Hog's Head weren't clean, but Lynn didn't have any moral hang-ups. He didn't mind dealing with these shady characters from all walks of life; in fact, he was quite happy to deal with them.
After accepting Lynn's gift, Cho carefully placed it on the table, then pulled open the ribbon tied on top and unwrapped the package.
The first thing to catch her eye was a small silver cage, and inside this exquisite cage was a golden bird no larger than a walnut.
It was fluffy, looking like a dumpling made of gold, with a pair of adorable, large ruby eyes. At that moment, it was squinting slightly, peering cautiously at Cho, who had opened the packaging.
"It's a Golden Snidget! Isn't it?"
Cho covered her mouth, her eyes filled with pleasant surprise.
"Yes, a Golden Snidget, the prototype for the Golden Snitch. However, because they were overhunted, they were placed under protection, banned from Quidditch matches, and listed in the catalogue of XXXX-class protected magical creatures. But those records are from the 14th century. I consulted Professor Dumbledore a few days ago and wrote a letter to Mr. Newt Scamander. He told me that the Golden Snidget population has recovered quite well. Although they are still prohibited for use in Quidditch, they can be kept as pets as long as they are registered with the Ministry of Magic."
"Under the cage is the Ministry of Magic registration certificate. I asked Professor McGonagall to help me get it."
"Really? You're giving it to me as a birthday present?"
Cho still looked at Lynn with some disbelief. "But how did you get it?"
"Well..."
Lynn grinned. "That's a secret, but the certificate is definitely real."
He couldn't exactly tell Cho that after discovering someone in the Hog's Head conducting a magical creature smuggling business with a batch of Golden Snidgets to unload, he had crouched outside the pub's entrance for four hours. The moment the guy stepped out, Lynn had knocked him out with a sap and delivered him to Hagrid.
In the end, the guy was treated as a poacher who had secretly infiltrated the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid kicked him without a second thought, confiscated the little cuties he was carrying, and then the people from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures happily took him away, boosting their year-end performance numbers.
Lynn was quite familiar with the concept of robbing robbers. After all, when he was wandering the streets, he had encountered plenty of ill-intentioned characters—otherwise, where had the money on him come from? Although he had mastered telekinesis, X-ray vision, and teleportation, Lynn wouldn't stoop to stealing people's wallets; he still had some bottom line, after all.
"I'll leave it in your care from now on. The little guy hatched not long ago. I've prepared its food as well, enough for you to raise it to adulthood."
"Do you like it?"
"Of course!"
Cho gave Lynn a gentle hug, then her attention was completely captivated by the glittering golden little creature.
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