Chapter 334: Quidditch
This strain of Devil's Snare, bred by Professor Marglas, had tendrils as hard as steel wire; ordinary blades could not cut them.
It also possessed tremendous vitality. For a time, it did not need to be rooted in soil, and with only water or other nutrients, it could endure much longer.
More fearsome still, it was a bloodthirsty vine. With razor barbs, it could pierce an enemy, then glut itself on blood and grow stronger. The more powerful its prey, the faster and fiercer the Devil's Snare became.
Marglas had tamed this specimen. Normally, it lay shrunken in the hollow of a bracelet she wore, hidden from sight.
But at the first sign of danger, it would surge out of the bracelet like a vast net of living vines, shielding its mistress while striking at her foes.
With such a weapon to hand, the Herbology-absorbed Professor Marglas was no one to underestimate.
Returning to the greenhouse—when the students, caked head to toe in earth, filed out and went back to their dormitories to wash and change, the day's lessons were done.
The next morning, Phoenix House shared Defense Against the Dark Arts with Basilisk House.
The Defense professor was Brog, chieftain of the Dunlendings, whose talent and power in Dark Magic and its counters put him among the strongest of Kael Black's wizards.
Not only was he an Animagus—a falcon, and in his evolved form a great eagle—but by bonding with the blood of a frost dragon, he held absolute command over frost magic. He had elevated the simple Freezing Charm from domestic spellwork to a high art.
A sweep of his wand could freeze everything—he could even freeze incoming spells mid-flight.
After Defense Against the Dark Arts, Phoenix joined Dragon House again in the glasshouses for Herbology.
In the afternoon, they took History of Magic with Thunderbird House.
In that class, the students watched, enraptured, as two elven ladies entered together.
The Lady Evenstar, Arwen, was serene and radiant, like the brightest star of the night—elegant and calm, and now, with a child, bearing a glow of motherhood.
Lady Galadriel, tall and resplendent, was like the moon itself, queen of the night sky. Her fathomless eyes were gentle yet piercing, and none dared meet them for long.
In History of Magic, Arwen taught while Galadriel served as her assistant.
Their clear, melodious voices brought the ancient ages to life, making that usually dry subject vivid and compelling.
Especially with Galadriel, who had lived through many of those elder days. Under the influence of her spirit, everyone in the room seemed to step back into the past itself and witness those great events with their own eyes.
Only when the bell rang did the class stir from their reverie, leaving the room full of awe and excitement.
And those ancient histories were branded deep into memory by such an unforgettable lesson.
On the third day, Phoenix students studied Herbology in the morning, then Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic in the afternoon, and Astronomy that night.
By Thursday, excitement rippled through the school—flying lessons had arrived.
Flight was an invitation none could refuse. The young wizards were thrilled, and even the elven children could not hide their anticipation.
Broom-flying was popular throughout the lord's lands, and after Quidditch spread from the Castle, it became more beloved still.
Gandalf taught flying. He looked old, but he was agile as a hawk and a masterful flier.
His lessons were free and easy. After a brief run-through of flying techniques, he sent the students into the air.
Even the local children had little real experience—most had only ridden toy brooms that hovered a meter off the ground.
So when over fifty students took to the sky, chaos broke loose. Some shot upward like rockets with shrieks trailing behind, some slammed straight into the walls, some dropped out of the air toward the ground—it was pandemonium.
Yet Gandalf, with quick, nimble flying, swooped from one to the next and snagged each runaway student with a single hand, saving them from broken necks.
It was like trying to wrangle a sky full of human Bludgers.
Clearly, Gandalf was not only a superb broom-rider, but he was formidable at Quidditch as well.
As the panic faded, the students steadied and began trying to control the brooms beneath them.
They were fearless now; whatever happened, Professor Gandalf would catch them.
So they let go of restraint and pushed their luck—riskier and riskier maneuvers flashed across the sky.
Over the castle, the air rang with shrieks and cheers.
Watching from a tower window, Kael Black clicked his tongue.
This approach certainly made the children learn to fly faster, but likely only Gandalf had the stamina to deal with so many at once.
And judging by his grin, he was enjoying every moment.
In a flash, the second week arrived.
The students had grown used to school life, and teaching proceeded apace.
Moving staircases, talking portraits, patrolling suits of armor, the vast library with flying books and self-writing quills, thunderbirds that sometimes called up a storm to wash and water the castle.
All of it was marvel upon marvel, and the children's urge to explore only grew stronger.
That weekend, a lively event began.
Though they were only first-years, Gandalf—flying instructor and Quidditch referee—formally organized Quidditch teams for all four houses.
Almost everyone signed up, and the elf children would not be left out.
Each Quidditch team had seven players: one Keeper, two Beaters, three Chasers, and one Seeker.
For this popular sport, Kael Black sponsored a Golden Snitch of his own making.
To ensure teamwork, fairness, and better spectacle—and to avoid matches ending the moment a prodigy caught the Snitch—Kael adjusted the rules.
He reduced the Snitch's value from 150 points to 50, and the match could end on a Snitch catch only if the lead between teams already exceeded 50 points.
He also set a maximum match time of 120 minutes. At the time limit, regardless of the score gap, the team that caught the Snitch at that moment would win immediately. If no Seeker had caught it by then, the team with the higher total would win.
That prevented tactical stalling, garbage time, and those matches that dragged on for days or weeks.
He had heard that, in Harry Potter's world, the record for the longest Quidditch match was three months.
He had no wish to see such a thing here.
Nor did he want Quidditch to become a Seeker's solo show.
Soon, with all four house teams formed, the first Hogwarts Quidditch match began to unfold.