A Certain Magical Hogwarts

On Saturday morning, the Quidditch pitch was packed to capacity. It seemed as though the entire school had come out to watch, with many students clutching binoculars for a better view.

William and Cho settled into the highest row of the Ravenclaw seating area.

Where Cho went, Cedric inevitably followed. He had shamelessly joined the Ravenclaw crowd, sitting near them.

The three were primarily there to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the Slytherin and Gryffindor teams for future strategy.

Hermione and Ron also showed up.

Since the troll incident, Hermione had finally made some friends her age, which suited her just fine.

The two had come up with a bright idea: they had painted a large banner on an old, dirty sheet of Ron's. It had the slogan Potter for the Win! accompanied by a massive Gryffindor lion.

Unfortunately, the lion just sat there, immobile.

Hermione asked William for help enchanting the lion to roar and move.

With a tap of his wand, William brought the lion to life. It began pacing majestically across the banner, with a tiny green snake coiled on its head like a hat, trembling in fear.

Ron clapped enthusiastically, declaring that he would treasure the banner forever. Hermione, meanwhile, held her wand as though she wanted to try enchanting it herself.

Soon, Hagrid arrived, carrying snacks—roasted sunflower seeds, walnuts, and peanuts— all of which were William's favorites.

To William's surprise, the snack spread also included crispy fried Venomous Tentacula petals, fire-roasted Bubotuber pods, and charred Vine Pods.

Wait a minute, William thought. Aren't those from Professor Sprout's greenhouse? How did they end up here?

He popped one into his mouth. Delicious. Alright, I'll let it slide this time.

Hermione seemed to have something on her mind. 

She sat next to William, while Ron, distracted by the snacks, decided that watching the game from the Ravenclaw stands wasn't a bad idea after all.

"Who do you think will win?" Ron asked, his mouth full of food.

"Ron, the Quaffle is round—anything can happen. But of course, we're rooting for Gryffindor," William said with a grin.

Cedric and Cho nodded in agreement. After all, the Weasley twins were on the Gryffindor team.

Glancing around to make sure no one was listening, Hermione leaned closer to William, her expression serious. "William, Harry said that on Halloween night, Professor Snape tried to get past Fluffy."

Ron nodded seriously. "That's right! We saw him heading that way."

William raised an eyebrow. "So, Professor Snape went in there… what's the problem?"

It's not like Snape hasn't been there before– he's been there probably even more often than I have.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ron exclaimed, his eyes wide. "That's the restricted area Dumbledore set up. Fluffy's guarding something important—maybe a weapon or like a vault key!"

"I hate to disappoint you, Ron," Cedric interrupted them with a chuckle, "but the end of that path leads to Dumbledore's office."

"What?" Ron looked baffled.

Harry had convinced him that Snape was trying to get past Fluffy to steal whatever it was guarding. 

Harry had even insisted that Snape had let the troll into the school.

After some debate, the trio had decided to consult William, given his track record of dealing with the troll and catching a Death Eater.

Now, hearing that the path led only to the Headmaster's office, Ron began to doubt Harry's story.

"But!" Hermione, who had known all along that the path led to Dumbledore's office, still had a different perspective.

"I thought about it later, William. You told me that the safeguards weren't fully designed yet.

"You also said, 'Everything the Headmaster does has a purpose.' So why go through all the trouble of setting up such elaborate defenses?

"It can't just be to catch students sneaking around at night. I asked around—lots of Gryffindor students have tried exploring, but they all got stopped by Fluffy.

"The path might be simple for you, but for others, it's extremely difficult!"

Cedric and Cho looked thoughtful.

William, meanwhile, gave Hermione an approving look. She truly was the brightest witch he'd ever met.

Hermione's analysis was spot on. William had thought about it as well.

Dumbledore's incomplete safeguards were later fully constructed. When finished, the final obstacle certainly wouldn't lead to the Headmaster's office.

So, why all the effort?

There could only be one reason.

"Quirrell," William said.

"Professor Quirrell?" Hermione frowned. "What about him?"

"On Halloween night, it wasn't just Professor Snape who went to the fourth-floor restricted area. I also saw Professor Quirrell there," William explained.

He quickly recounted the events of that evening.

Cedric frowned. "He fainted in the Great Hall, but then went to the fourth floor? That's definitely suspicious."

"Maybe Professor Quirrell was trying to stop Snape from getting in," Ron suggested.

"Why are you so fixated on blaming Professor Snape? Why not suspect Quirrell?" Cho asked, narrowing her eyes at Ron.

"Well…" Ron stammered, his face turning red.

William understood Ron's reasoning. Snape's disdain for Gryffindor and his sharp tongue made him unpopular. Quirrell, though not particularly likable, seemed too timid to be a threat.

It all boiled down to prejudices shaped by their personalities.

Leaning back in his seat, William thought of the letters Snape had written to Lily. No way he's a bad guy, he thought.

But he had promised Dumbledore not to reveal Snape's connection to Lily, so he said instead:

"There are things I can't tell you, but consider this: Professor Snape has been teaching at Hogwarts for ten years. If he were up to something, Dumbledore would have noticed long ago.

"Professor Quirrell, on the other hand, is in his first year."

Hermione looked convinced, and even Ron seemed to grudgingly acknowledge William's point. He decided to inform Harry and redirect his suspicions toward Quirrell.

Meanwhile, William noticed that Hagrid had stayed conspicuously silent, likely following Dumbledore's instructions not to comment on the matter.

Whatever Dumbledore was hiding, William still didn't know.

…

Soon, the match began.

"Here come the Gryffindors!" Lee Jordan's voice rang out as he took up his familiar role as commentator.

"Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, the Weasley twins, and Wood!"

"That's right," Lee continued excitedly, "this year, Potter steps in as Seeker after Charlie's departure. A first-year wizard, and the youngest player in nearly a century!

"From what I've heard from Wood, Harry's more than up to the task.

"So, even though the game hasn't started yet, I dare say this Gryffindor team is one of the Platinum Generations in Hogwarts Quidditch history…"

Lee's commentary was drowned out by boos from the audience, including William and his friends.

Last year, Lee had dubbed Charlie's team the "Golden Generation." Now it was the "Platinum Generation"? What next? The "Palladium Generation"?

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