Chapter 105: The Quidditch Match, Observing Voldemort's Spellcasting
Leonardo had just entered the Quidditch pitch gates when a loud voice called out:
"Leonardo, you made it!"
"Excuse me, coming through. Let me just squeeze past here."
Hagrid was wrapped entirely in moleskin, his large hands in rabbit fur gloves, waving as he worked his way through the crowd toward Leonardo. He carefully watched for the young wizards, worried about bumping into them.
Leonardo found Hagrid's concern somewhat unnecessary. Once people saw Hagrid's massive frame, they had already instinctively cleared a path.
"Hello! Today's Harry's Quidditch debut. Quite exciting, isn't it?"
"We've never seen Harry train before. Gryffindor kept it well hidden."
Hearing Hagrid, Ron immediately chimed in.
"That's what I heard. Fred told me that Wood sees Harry as a secret weapon. They've been training him intensely lately."
Hagrid laughed heartily. "That's wonderful! Harry's sure to have an impressive performance today!"
In the stands:
"The Quaffle has been seized by Angelina Johnson. This Gryffindor chaser has excellent catching technique, as lovely as her appearance—"
"Jordan!"
At Professor McGonagall's call, the commentator Lee Jordan quickly apologized and corrected himself.
But even after being called out, Jordan's commentary remained biased. When Gryffindor scored, he announced excitedly with enthusiasm. When Slytherin scored, he reported it in a disappointed tone, complete with a sighing inflection at the end.
Amusing. Perfectly neutral commentary would lack the entertainment value of this.
Because of Jordan's lively performance, Leonardo noticed something else: Gryffindor's team had several female players. Particularly, Angelina Johnson, who was performing excellently as a Chaser.
But then...
Whoosh!
A Bludger grazed past another Gryffindor female Chaser's head.
The Slytherin Beater who'd hit it wore an expression of regret, as if wishing he'd aimed a bit better.
Leonardo saw that Beater's look. No chivalry there, only hunger for victory.
Well, this was true equality in sports. Gender meant nothing on the pitch. Everyone played under the same rules.
Leonardo let the vortices in his Peeking Fiend's Eyes dilate slightly, allowing him to observe the players' details more clearly.
This was another benefit of the Peeking Fiend's Eye: direct, clear observation of distant targets.
The more he used these eyes, the more convenient they proved to be. Beyond perceiving magical pathways, they functioned directly as binoculars.
He adjusted his gaze toward the Gryffindor stands.
A prominent banner had been hung above Ron and his friends. It read "Potter Must Win," with a massive lion drawn beneath the words. Colorful, magical effects surrounded the banner.
Quite eye-catching. Harry would probably be pleased to see his friends making such efforts.
The cold wind howled, but it couldn't dampen the spectators' enthusiasm or the players' determination.
The match had entered its intense phase.
Quidditch's rules were fairly simple, but the number of alleged "fouls" seemed endless. Leonardo remembered reading somewhere that there were approximately seven hundred types of fouls in Quidditch, all of which could theoretically occur in a single match.
One could imagine how brutal the players could get.
The match with the most fouls ever recorded was a World Cup final.
Of course, Quidditch rarely resulted in death. Usually just crushed jaws, broken bones, concussions, minor injuries like that.
With magic and potions, none of that mattered.
Leonardo suddenly understood. Precisely because good medical treatment existed, players could batter each other without restraint. It was nearly impossible to cause permanent injury, so they went all out.
Players played with passion, spectators wanted to see blood and broken teeth!
Back to the pitch.
Ha, now they were trading blows while trying to play the game.
"Wow, these people are really 'violent,'" Terry beside Leonardo muttered.
"Quidditch definitely isn't for us. Let's just focus on our studies."
Leonardo smiled at Terry's complaint.
No wonder Ravenclaw's Quidditch team was the weakest of the four houses. They could barely field a complete team. Ravenclaw had the fewest students to begin with, and most preferred quiet study. No wonder players like Cho kept trying to recruit new members.
"Look! What's happening to Harry Potter!"
Someone screamed in alarm. Several students shrieked in panic.
Harry, who'd been earnestly searching for the Golden Snitch, had just dodged a Bludger when his broomstick suddenly jerked violently.
Then he began performing increasingly dangerous maneuvers: diving, climbing, barrel rolls...
Harry could only grip the broomstick handle desperately, fighting to stay mounted.
Seeing Harry's completely unnatural and dangerous flying, Ron immediately grew worried.
"What do we do? We need to help Harry!"
Hermione also panicked. She quickly grabbed Hagrid's binoculars and examined Harry's odd behavior carefully.
As she swept the binoculars across the pitch, she spotted something else.
"Snape!"
"His mouth is moving constantly. He's casting a spell!"
Hearing Hermione's words, Ron was stunned.
"Wait, why would Snape curse Harry? He hasn't been harsh with Harry lately."
Ron grabbed the binoculars and looked for himself, confirming what Hermione said. Snape was definitely casting continuously.
"What do we do about this?"
Unable to formulate a solution, Hermione gritted her teeth, grabbed Ron's arm, and started dragging him toward the stands' edge.
"I'm going to try to stop Snape!"
"Ron, go find Leonardo. He'll know what to do!"
Meanwhile, Leonardo, seated in the Ravenclaw stands, had already turned his attention to the true culprit.
Quirrell, wrapped in his purple turban, watched Harry with apparent concern, as if deeply invested in the boy's welfare.
Leonardo let the black vortices in his Peeking Fiend's Eyes spin rapidly, nearly overwhelming his natural green irises.
Ah, so Tom's magical pathway looked like this.
Normally, Voldemort remained hidden deep within Quirrell's body and soul, his magical pathway completely concealed.
This concealment method was even more sophisticated than an Animagus transformation.
But now...
Quirrell wasn't the one casting. Voldemort, inside his body, was continuously directing dark curses at Harry.
And with magic being actively used, Voldemort's magical pathway became visible.
Interesting. Tom had been reduced to a mere soul, yet when he released magic, it caused transformations in Quirrell's magical pathway.
Did this mean magical pathways were fundamentally tied to the soul rather than the body?
And that magical pathway pattern was uniquely interesting. Of course it was—this was Voldemort's power.
Leonardo observed the current pathway intently. Voldemort rarely cast magic openly. This was a rare observation opportunity.
Ah, so when channeling that dark curse, the magical energy circulated like this...
If he attempted to replicate that circulation pattern in his own magical pathways, could he copy the spell directly?
Leonardo immediately had the impulse to try. He mimicked the magical circulation pathway, allowing his own magical energy to flow in that pattern.