A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Seeing Hagrid in such distress, the trio offered some comforting words before departing, making their way back to the castle. 

Their pockets were weighed down with the heavy, rock-like scones Hagrid had given them, which they hadn't had the heart to refuse.

As they walked, William asked, "What do you two think?"

Cedric shook his head. "William, there's no way that three-headed dog came from the Ministry's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I've never heard my dad mention anything about confiscating a creature like that."

Cedric's father, Amos Diggory, worked in that very department and had been the Ministry spokesperson mentioned in the Daily Prophet article. Cedric was certain that if something like a three-headed dog had been seized, his father would have mentioned it.

Moreover, even after the break-in on August 1st, Cedric hadn't heard his father talk about any significant losses at the department. Could there really have been a cover-up?

The real mystery was why it took until now for the Daily Prophet to break the news of the attack. What exactly was the Ministry hiding?

William was beginning to find the whole situation quite interesting.

The three discussed it as they walked to the Quidditch training grounds, where Gryffindor's tryouts were underway. But rather than the cheerful atmosphere they expected, the scene was chaotic—it looked like a brawl had broken out.

"What's going on? Did something happen again?" Cho asked, glancing at William.

"I have no idea," William replied with a sigh. "Cho, not every time something happens at Hogwarts does it have to be my fault!"

"But I've noticed that trouble seems to follow you," she teased.

"…"

"This seems serious," Cedric said after a few moments of observation, his tone serious. 

Though inwardly, he wasn't upset at all. As a rival player, Cedric couldn't help but hope that Gryffindor's tryouts ran into a little bit of trouble.

Charlie Weasley was known throughout the school for his incredible Quidditch skills. 

Professor McGonagall had proudly boasted more than once that Gryffindor might have another future national team player on their hands. With a captain like Charlie, no other house could afford to underestimate Gryffindor.

William, Cedric, and Cho squeezed their way through the crowd, only to find that someone had indeed been injured: a girl named Angelina Johnson, a second-year student like Cedric and the Weasley twins. 

She was tall, with long black hair tied into a thick braid, usually striking in her beauty, but now lying unconscious on the grass.

George Weasley's nose was bleeding profusely, clearly having taken a hit. Fred Weasley, who was supporting Angelina, was shaking her vigorously, shouting her name.

Angelina seemed to be barely conscious, but William suspected that Fred's aggressive shaking was probably doing more harm than good.

In a fit of rage, Fred suddenly stood up, intent on charging at Cormac McLaggen.

Cho, sensing the tension, grabbed a nearby Gryffindor girl and quickly asked what had happened.

It was a simple story.

Angelina had been competing for the position of Chaser and had scored eight out of ten shots, earning her a spot on the team from Charlie Weasley. 

Overjoyed, Angelina had started dancing right there on the field, in what could only be described as a very …enthusiastic celebration.

Everything had been going well—until Cormac McLaggen, full of overconfidence in his flying skills, managed to steal a Comet 250 broom. 

Moments after taking to the air, McLaggen had lost control and plowed directly into Angelina.

She had been standing in the middle of the crowd, dancing to a lively tune that seemed to evoke images of wild prairies and galloping horses:

"Give me a glance,

Fiery and bold.

Oh, horse-wrangling cowboy,

You're strong and brave,

Riding swift as the wind…"

McLaggen had indeed moved as swift as the wind—straight into Angelina, sending her flying. Fortunately, the surrounding crowd had cushioned her fall somewhat.

George hadn't been so lucky, though. He had been standing too close and had taken the full brunt of the Comet 250's handle to the nose, which was now gushing blood.

Fred, still seething, moved toward McLaggen with fury in his eyes, and it took several people to hold him back. 

If another fight broke out, Gryffindor's house points would take an even deeper dive, reaching new record lows. Professor McGonagall would be absolutely livid.

With tissue stuffed up his nostrils, George, speaking in a muffled voice, tried to calm his brother. "I'm fine, Fred. Don't be so worked up. This'll heal soon enough."

George assumed Fred's rage was on his behalf and was deeply touched by the thought, though when the tissue fell out, more blood started pouring from his nose.

Still restrained by his fellow Gryffindors, Fred seethed while McLaggen regained some of his bravado. Now that the immediate threat seemed to have passed, McLaggen turned his attention to Charlie, shouting accusations.

"You're the captain, and you can't even ensure the safety of your players! This is your fault!" he bellowed.

"What did you just say?" Charlie Weasley, rolling up his sleeves to reveal his muscular arms, stepped forward.

Compared to Charlie, McLaggen looked like little more than a skinny twig.

"This guy's insane," Cedric muttered.

"Seems like it," Cho replied. "He's the one who burned Eloise's hair off in class, remember?"

As the team captain, Charlie had clearly run out of patience. "Mr. McLaggen," he said in a loud voice, "you are not even eligible for tryouts. According to the rules, only second-year students and above can participate. If you don't take your leave now, I will be recommending to Professor McGonagall that you be permanently banned from the Gryffindor Quidditch team tryouts."

McLaggen's face turned red as he backed away. With a sneer, he retorted, "Ban me? I'll tell my uncle about this. He's got connections with the Head of the Auror Office at the Ministry of Magic… You've just cost yourselves the Quidditch Cup!"

Pushing his way through the crowd, McLaggen suddenly tripped and fell flat on his face. 

William noticed that it was Eloise Midgen who had stuck out her foot. She was wearing the lion hat that Professor McGonagall had given her and seemed particularly pleased with herself.

McLaggen scrambled to his feet, brushing off the dirt, but instead of leaving quietly, he grabbed Fred's fallen Beater's bat and swung it hard at one of the Bludgers. The Bludger soared through the air, following a sharp trajectory straight toward Charlie, who was checking on Angelina's condition.

The Bludger smacked into Charlie's head, knocking him out cold.

Screams erupted from the crowd as chaos once again broke out.

The Bludger bounced high and hurtled toward William's direction. William swiftly drew his wand. He had considered using a "Diffindo" spell but changed his mind at the last second.

"Waddiwasi!" he chanted.

With a flick of his wand, William redirected the Bludger mid-flight, sending it careening toward McLaggen's leg.

McLaggen had been planning to make a quick escape back to the castle, but the Bludger struck his leg, tripping him. He tumbled across the field, finally crashing into a goalpost.

The Quidditch field was now in complete disarray. Some students rushed to fetch Madam Pomfrey from the hospital wing, while others attended to Angelina and Charlie's injuries.

As for McLaggen, he lay groaning on the ground, clutching his leg as a group of students dragged him back into the crowd. He was sweating profusely.

The Quidditch tryouts had turned into utter chaos.

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