That was the Christmas gift Harry gave him, and he didn't even dare to tell Harry about it. After all, it hadn't been long, and the boy could only force himself not to play chess to avoid Harry asking why he wasn't using the new chess set Harry had given him—after all, that set was expensive, and Ron couldn't afford it.
Thinking of this, Ron suddenly glanced sneakily at the nearby Weasley Twins, recalling their suggestion, and uncontrollably shivered.
Meanwhile, Hermione also put away her copies of "3000 Must-Solve Physics Problems", "Three Minutes to Fall in Love with Chemistry", "The Eccentric Farmer and His Red-Eyed Fruit Flies"... a series of books that young wizards could scarcely comprehend. She glanced silently at the duo, without saying anything.
The girl, of course, understood Harry's situation. William hadn't hid anything during his teaching, and Hermione had tried some of these spells herself, but compared to Harry's instant grasp, at the time she seemed like a Muggle—a deep sense of frustration nearly overwhelmed the ambitious girl until William patiently explained the reason.
Talent is like that, there's no choice. William hasn't figured out a universal method for studying ancient magic like Voldemort did, and currently Harry is the only one who can barely master a bit...
But just as they were packing up to leave, a ginger-yellow figure suddenly leaped down from the mantelpiece, its gleaming claws aiming directly at the bulging pocket on Ron's chest. This time it was just an inch away from success, and Ron was so stunned that he even forgot to dodge. So, Neville took action.
The brown Devil's Snare tendrils flew out from his sleeve, directly enveloping Ron and pulling him to his side, but Ron's homework got messed up, with papers scattering all over, and Crookshanks landed on the sofa, dodging a few papers flinging toward its head, and glared menacingly at Ron—
"Crookshanks!"
Hermione reacted immediately, dropping the book in her hand and hurried to grab Crookshanks. The ginger-yellow cat just started to struggle but then seemed to remember something and stopped, though it continued to glare at Ron as Hermione picked it up.
"Bang—"
Simultaneously, the heavy book in Hermione's hand fell, and Neville's previously confused eyes slightly focused. In that moment, he seemed to see a shadow that had been missing for months dart out from under the sofa before it was buried beneath the books—
"!!!"
Trevor?!
Neville's actions were faster than his thoughts, and the Ron he had been helping just moments before fell face-first onto the ground like a clumsy dog. Quickly, Neville dug through the pile of books, finding a barely alive toad that looked like it was about to kick the bucket, and Trevor looked more bewildered—
Where the heck did this guy come from?
But there was no time to dwell on that, as Neville began lightly patting Trevor's chest, and Hermione also approached. The grip around Crookshanks loosened, allowing the cat to escape and fall onto the red-and-gold carpet, glaring at Ron.
"Ha—"
Hakimi started to yawn.
"...It's simply insane!!"
Ron shouted angrily as he got up from the floor, pulling out his wand, and the common room descended into chaos.
...
...
A frazzled Harry woke from a nap, feeling like the sky had fallen.
It seemed that Ron and Hermione's friendship had come to an end.
The two were practically gritting their teeth in anger at each other, and Harry and Neville had no idea how to bring them back together.
Ron was very angry because Hermione had never taken Crookshanks' intent to eat Scabbers seriously or bothered to properly watch over the cat. That damned cat even attacked him right in the common room, in front of everyone.
And Hermione was equally furious, simply because Ron had used his wand against Crookshanks, breaking three of its ribs.
"She completely fails to recognize her mistake!"
In the corridor leading to the Transfiguration classroom, Ron expressed his indignation to Harry.
"...But he shouldn't have cast such a heavy spell on my pet! Crookshanks is still lying in the Hospital Wing!"
Beside the telescope in Astronomy class, Hermione said angrily.
"...Right, right, right."
What could Harry and Neville say? They just echoed back, clearly seeing both of them were still furious.
Of course, it wasn't all bad news. For instance, Neville had saved the barely alive Trevor, who had sprung to life and leapt beside Crookshanks the moment the cat was hit by Ron's spell and flew across the room.
But at that moment, in the chaos and concern of the young wizards, no one noticed this development.
And there was also the good news that Harry's Firebolt had returned in perfect condition.
"...Look at its balance ability! If you want my opinion, the Nimbus has a flaw, and that's that its tail is slightly tilted."
On the Quidditch Pitch, a group of young Gryffindor team members crowded around Ron while Ms. Hooch held the Firebolt in one hand and Harry's Nimbus 2000 in the other—
"After using them for a few years, you'll find that they can become a bit sluggish. So, they've made improvements to the broom handle, making it thinner than the Sweeping series. It reminds me of the 'Silver Arrow' from the past—it's a pity they stopped making them, I learned to fly on a Silver Arrow, it was a beautifully crafted old broom..."
"..."
After ten minutes or so, Wood finally spoke to interrupt Ms. Hooch, who had become lost in her own nostalgia, "Uh—Ms. Hooch, shouldn't we let Harry take back the Firebolt? No other reason, we need to train..."
"Oh—fine—here you go, Potter."
Ms. Hooch reluctantly handed both the Firebolt and Nimbus back to Harry.
"Here."
Harry handed the Nimbus to Ron, indicating he could fly around and try it out; however, testing the Firebolt would have to wait until after their training session. Of course, Ron had no objections, and happily soared into the sky on the Nimbus.
The Gryffindor team regrouped around Wood, listening to his last instructions before tomorrow's match.
Yes, tomorrow is the match between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.
"Harry, I've found out who Ravenclaw's Seeker is—Cho Chang, fourth year, very talented... but she's riding a Comet 260, which compared to the Firebolt, is a complete joke." As he spoke, Wood glanced with fanatical admiration at Harry's broomstick, and continued, "Alright, everyone, let's begin—"
Harry finally got to ride his Firebolt, kicking off from the ground.
The sensation was more wonderful than he had ever dreamed.
With just a gentle touch, the Firebolt responded promptly, as if it was attuned to his thoughts rather than the control of his hands and feet.
Harry flew swiftly across the pitch, moving so fast that the stands and grass turned into a blur of green and gray in his eyes. Then, he sharply turned, startling Alicia Spinnet into a scream, but he executed a perfectly controlled dive, brushing the grass blades, and then swiftly ascended soaring into the sky—
This was the best Gryffindor team practice in two years; the Firebolt's presence among the team highly motivated them, allowing everyone to perform at nearly their best with almost flawless coordination. When everyone returned to the ground, Wood couldn't find a single word of criticism—something George considered groundbreaking.
Ron was satisfied too, and when he was finally finished with the Firebolt, he and Harry headed back towards the castle together.
"I told you, the Firebolt is just—"
On the way, Ron continued gesticulating with excitement, while Harry carried the Firebolt on his shoulder, enthusiastically agreeing, as just earlier his mood had been slightly down—Cho Chang, it had been a while since the boy last heard that name, now suddenly brought up...
Harry abruptly stopped, his heart pounding frantically against his chest, and glanced to his left, catching sight of something that made him uneasy—
It was a pair of eyes, glowing in the dark.
"What's wrong?"
Ron's voice still carried a note of unspent excitement.
Harry suddenly pointed, and Ron drew his wand, whispering, "Lumos!"
Then, a beam of light swept across the grass, illuminating the base of a tree and scattering the fallen branches. And there, among the budding shoots, crouched a large black dog.
It looked up, and the moment it met Harry's eyes, the boy felt his heart skip a beat.