Harry Potter Enshrouded

A few days went by as the perturbed letters came to a halt. Hogwarts was back to its usual atmosphere as the entire castle anticipated the upcoming heated Quidditch clash between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

Slytherin had bathed in the glory of the Quidditch Cup for the last four years, which the Gryffindors had hoped to end. Oliver Wood had racked up the team's practice, starting early morning sessions. His unyielding demeanor made the Gryffindor sigh in resignation. They knew their captain was rock solid once he took his stance.

The day soon arrived as the stands were overflowing with passionate Quidditch supporters; however, amongst these stands, Adrian was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Adrian?" Luciano muttered.

Adrian's POV

"Sh*t, I'm late for the Quidditch game. I spent too much time practicing and playing with Solaria (Ho-Oh)."

Adrian rushed towards the Quidditch field, hoping to get a seat with his friends. Unfortunately for him, he struggled to find them in the crowded stands. He thought there were no free seats until he spotted one located in the top corner of the stand. The seat had a decent view, and watching the game from there would not be unacceptable.

As he sat on the seat, his eyes fell on the girl chatting away with Tracey Davis. She was stunningly beautiful; her platinum blonde hair glistened under the morning sun alongside her deep blue eyes. Combined with her captivating smile, she, to him, felt like an otherworldly beauty.

Trying not to be obvious, Adrian averted his gaze and focused on the pitch. However, both the girls had noticed his arrival, giving him a quick glance.

The match began with Lee Jordan starting off with his commentary."Hello everyone, welcome to the first game of the season: Slytherin vs. Gryffindor." A thunderous cheer erupted as the two houses shouted at the top of their lungs.

Madam Hooch then arrived, giving a reminder, "Now I want a fair game, everybody."

The snitch and the quaffle were released as the crowd erupted with a thunderous cheer, the Gryffindor and Slytherin fans shouting at the top of their lungs. As the players zoomed into action, Adrian found himself absorbed in the game; however, a few arbitrary comments from Daphne caught his attention.

"Honestly, we are so much better than them," Daphne was saying. "Slytherin's strategy is miles ahead of Gryffindor's—we only play really aggressively."

Tracey laughed. "You sound like a coach. Are you planning to take over Flint's spot on the team? Or maybe even the national team?"

Daphne rolled her eyes, giving Tracy an icy glare. "No, but fouling and brute force are certainly not always the options."

Adrian, who wanted to engage in the conversation, said, "Oh, careful, Daphne. don't keep talking like that, Flint is that diplomatic type of guy who will definitely recruit you."

Daphne's lips twitched. "Right, because diplomacy is exactly what Slytherin is known for on the field."

"Well, to be fair, I've seen Flint's idea of 'strategy.' It's less 'plans' and more 'let's aim for a hospital bed count. He won't stop until every opposing player has a bone broken.'" Adrian quipped with a thoughtful expression.

That statement earned a giggle from Daphne as Tracey chimed in, "Have you ever even played Quidditch? You fly really well."

"Not yet, just not yet," Adrian said in a shushing tone. "For now, my expertise lies in avoiding those stray bludgers and merely being a spectator. I do intend to try out next year, though."

"For now, however, let's just say I prefer to avoid getting smashed into the ground by the professors. Those homeworks really bore the hell outta me."

Daphne stifled another laugh."Aren't you the best in the grade?You're different than I expected, Blackthorn."

Just as their conversation was starting to flow, Lee Jordan's voice interrupted. "That is despicable... those bastards are cheating!"

"Jordan!" McGonagall's voice yelped, though it was drowned by the boos coming from the Slytherin stands.

Slytherin was slowly starting to equalize as a Gryffindor player was flung off his broom via the bludgers. "Oh, sorry, Wood, for injuring your player. We definitely did not mean it." Said Flint with a grin.

The game continued as suddenly, everybody noticed that Potter's broomstick was going out of control.

"What's wrong with Potter's broom? That is a Nimbus 2000." Daphne asked. She had clearly noticed the erratic movements too.

Adrian scanned through the crowd as his memory reminded him that this merely was not an accident. His eyes glanced upon Snape, who he saw was chanting a curse breaker. He then spotted a serious Quirrell, who was silent, muttering something. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was standing in the corner of the opposite stand, partially hidden. Adrian thought he saw a dark aura around him.

"It's Quirrell," Adrian muttered, his voice low enough that only Daphne could hear.

"What?" she asked, alarmed, following his gaze.

Before Adrian could explain, Harry's broom violently swayed as it dangled towards the stands before sharply heading directly towards the floor. The Gryffindors gasped in worry.

Just as Harry's broom was going to crash against the ground, Dumbledore stood from his seat in the staff box. His expression filled with rage as he raised his wand. The headmaster's deep, baritone voice rang out in an ancient chant, the words unfamiliar to most of the students.

A golden wave of energy surged from Dumbledore's wand, washing over the pitch and enveloping Harry's broom. The violent jerking ceased instantly, and Harry climbed back onto his broom, his face still remaining pale.

A few Slytherins groaned in disappointment; however, a few were glad that Harry was safe. After all, was a life more important than a Quidditch game?

"That was… impressive," Daphne murmured, her eyes fixed on Dumbledore.

Quirrell's actions today were cunning. He was smart enough to use a silent spell, avoiding Dumbledore's detention. Adrian wondered whether Dumbledore even knew yet that the DADA professor was possessed by Voldemort.

The game continued with Harry pulling off a mighty maneuver before successfully catching the golden snitch.

Lee Jordan's voice boomed across the pitch. "HE'S GOT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

The Gryffindor stands erupted in cheers, the noise drowning out the disappointed groans from Slytherin. Adrian watched as Harry touched down on the ground, rubbing his forehead but grinning through the pain. It looked like Harry had torn his ankle.

"That was close," Daphne said."If Dumbledore hadn't acted… Potter could've been seriously hurt."

Adrian and two girls headed off to the dormitory chatting along the way.