分卷阅读47（2 / 2）

Practice snitches worked exactly like real snitches, except that one could restrict where they went. It wouldn’t do, after all, to be chasing the snitch all over the Forbidden Forest itself. Harry estimated the size of the clearing, thinking there was maybe 1/8 difference between the clearing and the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch.

Draco met him in about the middle of the clearing, holding a practice bludger. Practice bludgers were controlled the same way as practice snitches, but you could also set how hard they would knock into you.

“I set it to be reasonably annoying.” Draco smirked as he let it go. The bludger arched out of sight, into the treetops, but both boys could hear it moving over their heads.

“Ready?” Harry held out the snitch.

“Always.”

Both boys let the snitch go. Harry then mounted his Firebolt and kicked off the ground as Draco leapt upward, wings extending as he did so.

Almost instantly the bludger arched down through the leafy canopy and whizzed by Draco’s ear. It headed for the ground and then arched upwards to follow after Harry for a while as he tried to evade it.

Harry had never considered how absolutely wonderful beaters were, as when there was no way to deflect the bludger. You had to evade it until it got bored of you and went after the other player.

“This is ‘mildly annoying’?” Harry yelled to Draco after the fifth time he had to evade the bludger.

“Yes. We could set it worse if you want.”

“No, this is fine.”

Hermione was buried in the library, all of her course books (and even some that weren’t required for the courses she took) spread out over the table in front of her. She was writing furiously, working on some study guide, and Ron approached the table with some trepidation. She had been working since the end of breakfast and it was now late in the afternoon. Even Hermione would need a break after that.

“Umm…Hermione?” Ron asked quietly.

Hermione made some sound of acknowledgement, her hand never stopping the furious speed that it was working at.

“You know, you’ve been working since the morning, and it’s about four right now…” a nod was the only thing that let Ron know she was even listening to him. Somewhat more boldly than he felt, he continued, “And anyone would need a break after that…so I wondered if you…might want that walk now?”

The writing slowed and stopped. Ron braced for a lecture on how work was more important, blah blah, and was surprised when Hermione put down the quill. The admonishment he’d been waiting for turned out to be a smile and a “That sounds like a good idea. Let me clean this up, and drop my books off in the dorm, and then we’ll take that walk.”

As Hermione began to put her books back into her bag, Ron blinked in amazement. Not that he was complaining though.

Harry ducked under the bludger and twirled into the greenery above the clearing, successfully losing the annoying thing. Of course, now he couldn’t see where he was because of the leaves and dove back down…right into the path of a rather large tree limb.