In fact, Ravenclaw wasn't part of the first Quidditch match of the semester; instead, it was a fierce rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin, two houses that were perpetual adversaries.
The day before the match, Harry Potter approached Ye Ting and Hermione mysteriously in the library. He and Ron led the pair to a corner.
"Guess what? I just saw Snape at Filch's." Harry whispered, his voice barely above a murmur, "His leg was a bloody mess, clearly bitten by something. And I overheard him saying, 'How can you keep an eye on three heads at the same time?'"
Hermione looked utterly confused. "What does that mean? I don't understand. Why did you bring us here to –"
"He said 'three heads'!" Ron emphasized, slightly raising his voice. "You know, Harry and I got caught by Filch on a night-time prowl. It was that night, when we snuck into the corridor Professor Dumbledore strictly forbade us from entering. Guess what we saw?"
Obviously, due to Ye Ting's presence, Ron and Hermione hadn't interacted much, so they didn't have the misunderstandings and conflicts depicted in the original story – except for that Charms class on Halloween.
On that day, Ron had severely upset Hermione, and the proud young girl had ended up almost getting killed by a troll while sitting alone in the hallway. Although Hermione didn't hold grudges against others, she hadn't warmed up to Ron since then. Presumably, the original plot of "a rose planted in cow dung" wouldn't happen again.
Of course, Ron was unaware of this.
At this point, Ron's impression of Hermione was that she was an overly serious and somewhat difficult-to-get-along-with good student, but he didn't dislike her.
And now, he was acting somewhat childish by trying to be mysterious in front of Hermione.
Obviously, he underestimated Hermione.
"You mean the three-headed dog? I know about it. There's one of those guys around here. You're referring to that when you say 'three heads,' right?"
"What? You already knew about it?" Ron felt a bit disappointed that he couldn't show off his knowledge in front of a girl.
"So, do you know what this means?"
Harry took over, holding his breath as he spoke.
"On Halloween night, he tried to pass by that three-headed dog! When we saw him, he was heading there – he was looking for whatever the dog was guarding! I'd bet my broomstick that he let the troll in to divert people's attention!"
It was clear that Ye Ting wasn't the only one who had wandered off during the chaos; the duo of the chosen one had also taken the opportunity for an adventure.
But Hermione didn't believe it.
"No – he wouldn't," she said. "I know he's not nice, but he wouldn't steal something Professor Dumbledore is strictly guarding."
"Do you think so too?" Ron asked Ye Ting with an expectant look.
To his disappointment, Ye Ting nodded in agreement.
"Maybe Snape is gloomy, biased, stingy, and doesn't wash his hair, but he's a competent professor. He's accomplished in Potions and would never harm his students."
"Honestly, you always think all teachers are saints."
Ron said bluntly, "I agree with Harry. I think Snape would do anything. But what is he looking for? What is the dog guarding?"
Their discussion ended without any concrete conclusions.
However, Hermione and Ye Ting still thanked Harry and Ron for sharing this with them – it was well-known at Hogwarts that Ye Ting and Hermione encountered the troll on Halloween night, so Harry and Ron taking the risk to inform them that Snape might be the culprit was quite considerate.
Later, Ron and Harry invited them to watch Harry's first Quidditch match.
...
Early the next morning, Ye Ting was excitedly taken to the stadium by Cho Chang, on the pretext of observing the opponents to gather intelligence.
Hermione came along too, having made a few little flags with lions on them to show her support.
In truth, she didn't support Gryffindor, but due to Draco Malfoy's long-standing discourse against Muggle-borns and his ranting about Ye Ting, Slytherin had become her least favorite house.
Ye Ting enchanted the flags, and the lions on them came to life, pacing anxiously within the flags and occasionally letting out majestic roars.
Ron and several Gryffindors who arrived early at the stadium gathered around when they saw the flags, and they spent a few Sickles to buy them.
"Next time before the Quidditch match, let's make more to earn some pocket money." Ye Ting whispered to Hermione, who nodded with a smile.
By eleven o'clock, it seemed like the entire school had arrived at the stands surrounding the Quidditch stadium. Many students had brought binoculars.
The seats were elevated halfway up in the air, but it was still sometimes difficult to see the game clearly.
Madam Hooch, the Flying Instructor, served as the referee for the Quidditch match. She stood in the center of the stadium, holding her broomstick, waiting for the players to arrive.
"Listen up, I expect everyone to play fair and honestly." she said as the players gathered around her. Her words seemed to be directed specifically at Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team captain and a sixth-year student. The Slytherin team often resorted to dirty tactics during matches, and Flint was particularly notorious for it.
Madam Hooch blew her silver whistle loudly.
Fifteen broomsticks soared into the sky, rising high above. The match had begun.
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