Ron: I think he's just jealous of you!
The Ministry of Magic employees stationed in the Hebrides were going absolutely mad. No one could figure out why the black dragons there had suddenly abandoned their nests. Tens of thousands of Muggles had witnessed this extraordinary spectacle.
Even more astonishing, one of those black dragons had unleashed a never-before-seen kind of dragon breath—a flash of light that was visible from over ten kilometers away.
Had the black dragons mutated? If such creatures launched an attack on humans, it would be catastrophic.
The Ministry of Magic mobilized rapidly, dispatching a large number of personnel to the Hebrides. Their first task: erase the memories of all the Muggles who had seen the dragons. Second, they needed to remain on high alert for the black dragon whose classification was clearly above XXXXX.
Even Albus Dumbledore was summoned by Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, for a consultation.
Meanwhile, the Office for the Improper Use of Magic remained oddly calm. Their detection system was too "advanced." Whenever magical activity was detected around a young wizard outside of Hogwarts, the system first checked if the wizard was in a known magical community. If so, the alert was automatically categorized as a false alarm.
This shortcut had been added to the system by lazy Ministry workers—and it was a loophole Dana knew how to exploit. Had the system been a little more diligent, it would have realized that Dana was not within Hogwarts grounds and would have flagged his activity.
But alas, the Office only dealt with "improper use" of magic, not with truancy. Whether a young wizard had left Hogwarts or not—that was Hogwarts' business. What did it matter to them?
Dana had researched the Trace extensively in the Hogwarts library, but he still hadn't found a definitive explanation. He developed a few theories himself. First, he dismissed the idea that the Trace was attached to the wand. After all, many young Muggle-born wizards (like Hermione Granger) experimented with spells as soon as they got their first wand—even before enrolling in Hogwarts—and none had ever received warnings.
As for Dana himself? He'd done worse. He had even used Avada Kedavra before enrolling. If the Trace were tied to the wand, he'd already be back in Azkaban.
But reality was clear: as long as he stayed near magical communities, the Ministry wouldn't interfere.
To be precise, the Improper Use of Magic Office simply ignored instances of spellcasting when they happened near wizarding areas. Dana's magical activity was immediately judged as a false alarm by the Ministry's automated system.
"Dana! Have you been in your room all day today?"
Harry called out to Dana across the long Gryffindor table, which was loaded with roast chickens.
Dana nodded. He just wanted to finish his meal quickly and head back to the dormitory to study French.
"Dana, we won the Quidditch match today."
Dana smiled.
"Really? Then I must congratulate you, Harry."
Ron jumped in, clearly annoyed:
"You don't even know how awesome Harry was! He caught the Golden Snitch in under a minute! I think he'd be better off playing professionally than you!"
"Ron, don't say that!" Harry quickly interjected. "I'm just a beginner, nowhere near ready for that."
Dana stood up, still smiling.
"Harry, I've finished eating. I need to go back and read. See you tomorrow."
"Ah? Oh, yeah. See you tomorrow."
It was odd to say "see you tomorrow" when they lived in the same dormitory tower—but somehow, with Dana, it felt natural.
In the eyes of most Gryffindors, Dana Emrys was someone who always buried himself in books. Many believed he'd have fit better in Ravenclaw.
Madam Hooch approached just as Dana turned to leave.
"Dana, wait! I need to speak with you."
Dana stopped and turned.
"Good evening, Madam Hooch."
She patted his shoulder.
"Tomorrow at two in the afternoon, there's a match between the Chudley Cannons and the Holyhead Harpies. You'll be participating."
Dana blinked in confusion.
"But I'm just a substitute. I thought I'd only play if a starting player couldn't make it?"
Quidditch rules were notoriously strict. Once a team locked in its roster, no substitutions were allowed—even if players were injured during the match.
Madam Hooch explained,
"Calvin Gerjen, the Cannons' Seeker, is performing terribly. If you weren't still in school, Coach Ramsey would've replaced him ages ago. Since tomorrow's match is on a Sunday—and it's a match day—Coach Ramsey has arranged for you to play."
Dana scratched his head. He'd originally planned to give another speech during the day tomorrow. Ewoyn had been incredibly effective—he had already recruited over a hundred new people in just a few days.
Alright, then. He'd move the speech to the evening.
[The following is presented in a silent-film style sequence]
A crowd gathers.
Eyes wide in disbelief.
A child?
Teammates unsure, opponents sneering.
The Chudley Cannons were doomed.
Kick-off.
A golden glint.
Dive.
The Nimbus 2000 is far superior to Hogwarts' battered old brooms.
Five seconds.
The Golden Snitch is caught.
Score: 150–0.
Stunned teammates.
Speechless opponents.
Awestruck crowd.
Coach Ramsey, grinning ear to ear.
The boy waves, walks calmly to the changing room.
Going home.
Sunday evening.
Harry scanned the length of the Gryffindor table twice.
Just like at lunch, Dana was nowhere to be found.
"Ron, Dana didn't come to lunch, and now he's not here for dinner either. If he keeps reading like this, he's going to collapse."
Ron shoved aside a half-eaten chicken leg.
"Why do you care about him? I'm telling you, he's just jealous that you broke the record for fastest Snitch catch."
Harry shook his head.
"What's there to be jealous of? Didn't he go play in a professional match today? That's something most people never get to do."
Ron grabbed a bowl of mashed potatoes from Fred and continued,
"He probably had lunch with the team, which makes sense. But not showing up for dinner? He probably played terribly and doesn't have the face to come back. He's scared people will say that even though he's a pro, he's worse than you, an amateur!"
Hearing that, Harry felt an odd sensation in his chest. Of course, he wanted Dana to win... but was he really upset if Dana didn't do well?
Was there even a faint trace of... satisfaction?
The eleven-year-old quickly shook the thought away. No. That was wrong. Dana would definitely win. Definitely.
The next morning, owls flew in with letters and copies of The Daily Prophet during breakfast.
Ron snatched the newspaper from Percy's hand. As a devoted Chudley Cannons fan, he was eager to know the result of yesterday's game.
He desperately hoped the Cannons had won—but he also didn't want Dana to have played too well. It was a maddening conflict.
But Dana was the Seeker. If he didn't do well, the Cannons probably lost.
Ron flipped to the sports section.Chudley Cannons defeat the Holyhead Harpies, led by Gwendolyn Jones, 150–0. Substitute Seeker Dana Emrys performed brilliantly, catching the Golden Snitch within five seconds of the game's start.
Five seconds—just shy of the record for the fastest catch, held by Roderick Plumpton since 1921 (three and a half seconds).
But Dana Emrys is only eleven years old. His future potential is limitless.
A new Quidditch star is rising. And what we should do now—is expect great things.Ron stared at the paper. His expression was unreadable. Neither happy nor sad. Just... stunned.
He slowly handed the newspaper back to Percy, then started scooping oatmeal into his mouth in silence. Some porridge slipped from his spoon, staining his robes, but he didn't even notice.
There was only one thought circling in his head:
How could this be?
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