A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Dragon eggs, unlike those of most magical creatures, can remain viable for extended periods as long as the environment isn't too harsh.

This was great news for Hagrid, as it meant he could keep the egg safe until Newt returned to Britain.

William quickly penned a letter to Newt Scamander.

When Newt received the letter, he had already left Romania and was sitting at a café on the left bank of the Seine in Paris, savoring his coffee.

Naturally, he was happy to care for the dragon egg until it could be sent back to Norway.

Recently, Tina had been upset over Rita Skeeter's antics, and Newt was in no hurry to go home. Delivering the egg was the perfect excuse.

Whether or not Newt had captured Grindelwald back in the day didn't matter anymore, it was a glory of his youth.

Now, Newt was fully committed to walking the path of respecting women.

Upon receiving Newt's reply, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Hagrid regained his usual enthusiasm.

He even began to feel a bittersweet sense of loss, preparing to devote himself to caring for the egg in its final days with him, fulfilling the duties of a "mother"!

However, William's attention was soon drawn elsewhere.

The Quidditch Tournament for the school year was nearing its end, with the final match scheduled to start one month before Easter.

The two teams facing off? Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin.

At present, Hufflepuff held the highest points in the tournament, leading Gryffindor by just 40 points.

They were 200 points ahead of Slytherin and 260 points ahead of Ravenclaw.

But the rankings were not set in stone, as both Slytherin and Ravenclaw had one fewer match played.

If either team scored exceptionally high in the final game, the standings could shift dramatically.

After all, a single Golden Snitch was worth 150 points!

Any team still had a chance to reach the finals as long as the tournament wasn't completely over.

Their fate remained in their own hands.

For Ravenclaw to secure a spot in the finals, they needed to score at least 12 goals in this match, followed by Cho Chang catching the Golden Snitch.

Under these circumstances, their points would surpass Hufflepuff's, guaranteeing their spot in the finals.

But it wouldn't be easy. Slytherin's overall strength was no weaker than Ravenclaw's.

There was another scenario, of course.

If Slytherin suffered a crushing defeat and their points didn't surpass Gryffindor's, Ravenclaw would only need to score eight goals.

This would eliminate Gryffindor, leaving them to face Hufflepuff in the finals.

But even that wouldn't be simple!

If it were last year's Ravenclaw team, they would likely have handed Slytherin a free pass to the finals without a fight.

But William wouldn't stand for that. He had ambitions of setting a record-breaking score to secure an upset and make it to the finals himself!

If Ravenclaw could make it to the finals, it would undoubtedly be a historic moment, considering they had been the quintessential underdog team just a year ago.

The pressure was immense for Cho Chang. She couldn't catch the Golden Snitch too early, nor could she let Slytherin catch it.

If she failed to catch the Snitch, it would be over—Ravenclaw would have no chance of reaching the finals.

This match was a do-or-die situation for both Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

Ravenclaw students gathered daily to discuss strategies, and Cho made the most of her time training with Cedric Diggory.

Even if they didn't win the Quidditch Cup, they wanted to experience the finals and gain insight for next year.

Overnight, the fragile friendship between Ravenclaw and Slytherin capsized!

The two houses, previously on friendly terms, were now bitter rivals, with hostility at an all-time high.

Ravenclaw had seemingly replaced Gryffindor as Snape's least favorite house, and he began deducting points from them with wild abandon.

Professor Flitwick, unwilling to stoop to such tactics, encouraged the entire house to answer questions in class and earn points like mad to ensure their success in defending the House Cup.

Ravenclaw's academic prowess was unmatched in the school.

When the eagle-eyed students abandoned their usual nonchalance and unleashed their competitive side, the sky was truly the limit.

On the eve of the match, all normal activities in the Ravenclaw common room ceased.

Roger Davies polished his broom over and over, as if determined to blind the Slytherin students with its brilliance during the game.

Cho repeatedly cast Stabilizing Charms on her broom, worried that Slytherin students might have cursed it.

Everyone was still on edge over Harry's near-disaster with his broom in the past.

But William thought if Cho continued checking like this, the broom's performance might suffer even without any curses.

Professor Flitwick had visited the common room seven times already.

He seemed almost senile, repeatedly asking William if he was confident about eliminating Slytherin.

Snape's sarcastic jabs at Flitwick had reached new levels, and Flitwick was determined to put him in his place!

Even Hermione had set aside her books and sneaked into the Ravenclaw common room with a box of dog-shaped biscuits to check on William.

"I can't study with all the noise over there. I can't concentrate," she said nervously.

Gryffindor was more anxious than Ravenclaw or Slytherin.

Their second-place standing was precarious and could easily drop to third.

They were only 160 points ahead of Slytherin, meaning Slytherin catching the Snitch and scoring just two goals would push Gryffindor to third place.

And third place would mean an entire year's effort wasted.

The Gryffindors were all rooting for Ravenclaw to win.

William chuckled and pushed the biscuits toward Hermione, gesturing for her to relax.

Gryffindor's efforts were sure to be… wasted, since William also wanted to make it to the finals.

Hermione rubbed her face and began brainstorming strategies with William, explaining tactics she had read about in books.

William listened attentively and softly pointed out where her ideas fell short.

"Really? Is that so? My Quidditch knowledge is awful. Just take my suggestions lightly," Hermione said, blushing and waving her hand in embarrassment.

"No one is born knowing everything. I could teach you during the summer holidays!" William said warmly.

Hermione's Quidditch skills were indeed terrible. She could barely stay a few feet off the ground before panicking.

That said, compared to girls like Cho, who could fly effortlessly from their first try, "clumsy" girls like Hermione were often more popular with the boys.

It was like taking a girl to watch a scary movie. The same principle applies here. As long as she wasn't tough enough to catch mice with her bare hands, there would be movie nights.

It was all about the dynamics!

"The summer holidays?" Hermione said with a small spark of excitement. She smiled and said eagerly, "Do your best in the match!"

William nodded.

A gentle breeze carried the faint scent of shampoo as it brushed past.

William suddenly reached out and smoothed the unruly curls on Hermione's forehead.

Hermione smiled, her lips curling slightly as she picked up two dog-shaped biscuits. She handed one to William and bit into the other herself.

"They're delicious!" she said with a bright glint in her eyes.

join my patreon for 115+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/HyppoTL