Acceleration from a standstill; gaining speed is simply devilish! Shifting right, left, up, down; very fast, sharp, and powerful. A striking difference from the Cleanweep on which I flew is felt. If comparing with pilot experience, one can draw a quite interesting association. Cleanweep is a void craft with a not particularly powerful reactor, main and maneuvering engines, and each of these engines is capable of realizing only a small and pre-prescribed percentage of reactor power. Here everything is powerful, but at the same time each separate maneuvering engine can realize one hundred percent of reactor power, de-energizing others. Considering that I can, albeit not perfectly yet, control all these "engines" as I need, this is not a broom; this is a miracle!
Raging for another twenty minutes in the sky and properly tiring the organism with powerful g-forces, I returned to surprised and pleased teammates.
"Crazy broom!" I gave out joyfully, shining with a smile of all thirty-two teeth. "Simply crazy."
"We saw," Cedric patted me on the shoulder. "And how do you cope with it?"
"Just feel," I shrugged.
"Well? Did I say?" Herbert pushed Cedric with a shoulder. "I said! In short, Hector, the story is this..."
For about ten minutes our Keeper explained the nuances of his idea, and in principle, I agreed; receive a broom for use, win on it, and for this also a small reward will be. But only if the team wins on goal difference. In general, purely advertising thing.
"Don't think it will be simple," although Cedric spoke with us while we walked back to the castle, he was somewhere in his dreams. "To win on goal difference, the score must be one hundred sixty points more than the opponent. And I shouldn't catch the Snitch."
"And you will try to catch it as soon as possible."
We passed the inner courtyard before the entrance and returned to the school walls, in which silence still reigned, literally broken by booming sounds of our steps.
"Of course," the prefect emerged from his thoughts. "If I delay searching and catching the Snitch, the opponent's Seeker might simply catch it earlier than we score sixteen Quaffles. So, soon..."
"Soon?"
Cedric turned to me, looking conspiratorially.
"Soon we face training, and you will need to learn to score as much and as quickly as you can."
The importance of the moment was interrupted by the loud rumbling of Herbert's stomach. We stopped abruptly in the middle of the main hall.
"What? I want to eat. Let's go faster."
"Definitely, only Hector will take the broom to his place."
"Cedric, can I ask a question?"
"Yes, go ahead," he nodded in return and turned to the others. "Go, I'll walk with Hector to the common room."
We headed to the main tower to descend one level; that is where our common room is. Although, there is at least one secret passage which Justin showed me, and Ernie showed him.
"What did you want to know?"
"How do I order ingredients for potion-making?"
"Something special?"
"No. Sets for first, second, and third years."
"Oh, nothing simpler. Just write to 'Mulpepper's Apothecary' and ask for as much as needed. One set for first, second, and third year... about fifteen Galleons. There are quite expensive ingredients in the second year."
"And money?"
"Upon receipt. Status of Hogwarts student gives some credit of trust. Don't pay; expect scolding and sanctions from the Head, and still have to pay anyway."
"Hmm, clear. Thank you."
Returning to the common room, where students of different ages who just woke up were already slowly starting to stagger back and forth, I quickly returned to the room and parked the broom in my nook. Taking a shower, returned and wrote a letter to the apothecary, listing everything needed and almost ran to the Owlery; mood is good.
At breakfast, the mood remained good as before, and even the illusion of an overcast sky on the ceiling did not spoil it at all. Malfoy's whining, like: "How unhappy I am," didn't spoil it either, and he whined all day; whenever I meet him, he whines, whines in classes, on breaks, and even at lunch and dinner in the Great Hall it seemed to me that his whining came from that end of the hall where the Slytherin table was. Understandable that he pretends, but so disgusting, infuriates. Better pretended to stoically endure unbearable pain, but proudly go forward; would gain more "points" in the eyes of others, honest word.
In the evening, in free time after dinner, I engaged in finishing the remaining number of pendants, with calculation "one student—one pendant." Well and as last time, passed everything to Cedric.
Going to sleep after evening shower, cherished the hope that the package from the apothecary would arrive in the morning.
Saturday breakfast is a time of variety.
This is indeed so, but, unfortunately, not in food. Absence of classes allowed students to walk not in uniform according to dress code, but in casual clothes, although some neglected this opportunity, continuing to wear uniform. But what is important; on such students the uniform sat perfectly and was always neat and clean.
"...tor. Hector!"
"Huh? Yes, Justin, my name is Hector, I know, thank you."
"Tch..." he shook his head, thoughtfully twisting a fork with a sausage. "Why are you so excitedly thoughtful? Waiting for a package?"
"Yes."
"Clear why you glance toward owl windows all the time."
Precisely at this moment about a dozen owls flew into the Great Hall, carrying various letters and packages in paws. One of the owls headed to our table, and a moment later neatly landed opposite me.
"Here, waited," Justin nodded in its direction.
The owl held out a paw with a letter, and on the other paw I noticed a small pouch. Checking the letter and finding no traces of either magic or some more trivial harmful substances, took the letter in hands and opened. From the apothecary. Package in a bag with undetectable extension, shrunk by charms. Sum thirty and a bit Galleons plus delivery; thirty-one Galleons.
Taking the backpack off the shoulder, opened it and laid out the necessary sum on the table. Only at the sight of money the owl substituted the paw with the pouch, allowing to pull out a small bundle, size of a matchbox, from it, instead of which money should be put there; so I did.
"Hoot..." hooted the owl.
The bird brazenly and quickly snatched a sausage from the common plate, and waddling sideways, moved to the freest space. Flapping wings, easily took off and quickly left the Great Hall through the window.
"Brazen bird," Justin followed it with a gaze. "Not enough sausages for ourselves."
Looking at the bundle shrunk by magic, I did not quite understand what to do with it.
"Finite," said Susan sitting nearby, and I looked at her. "Charms need to be removed with Finite."
"And I had a thought to use Engorgio."
"No, Hector," the red-haired girl shook her head. "Overlaying of enlargement effect on shrinking effect may occur. Need to precisely cancel. If doubt that only shrinking is applied, then desirable to use Finite Reducio, and a wave like this..."
Susan took out her wand and showed a simple movement.
"Reducio is said on the last loop, with acceleration on the stressed syllable."
"Yeah..." I took out the wand. "That is, essentially, lengthen Finite by a loop, and add Reducio on the loop?"
"Precisely," the girl smiled. "Try."
"Finite Reducio."
Completely repeating the gesture and following the instruction, I removed shrinking charms from the bundle, which literally inflated to its original sizes, occupying a decent part of the table in front of me.
"Hmm, works. Thank you, Susan."
"Don't mention it."