After their morning run, Sean and Blaise went back to the Slytherin common room. They washed off the sweat, changed into clean school uniforms, and walked with other students to the Great Hall for breakfast. The hall was loud with talking and the clink of plates, everyone excited for the day.
Halloween's end didn't calm the four houses—it made them louder. The Quidditch season was coming, and it got everyone more excited than the Halloween feast, with kids whispering about the games.
Quidditch, the favorite wizarding sport, was a big deal for most young witches and wizards. The best players were like stars at Hogwarts, looked up to by everyone. Sean didn't care much for it, though—his Slytherin brain liked plans more than games.
Blaise sat next to him at lunch. "Sean, the groups are out."
Sean ate the last bite of his sandwich, chewing slowly before swallowing. He grabbed his cup of milk—he drank it a lot since starting exercise—and said, "What's the result of the grouping?"
Blaise leaned closer, talking quietly. "We're playing Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. The two best teams will fight for the Quidditch Cup."
Sean took a sip of milk, thinking hard. "This grouping is not good."
Blaise nodded, looking worried. "It's a tough one. Gryffindor's team is as good as ours. We've won some games and lost some. Now they have Potter, their hero. I heard he's great on a broom, or he wouldn't be Seeker as a first-year. This could be trouble."
Sean's eyes twinkled with a secret. Blaise didn't know Draco Malfoy had joined Slytherin's team, with new Nimbus 2000 brooms from his family. Slytherin kept secrets better than Gryffindor, who let news slip easily, and Sean felt proud of his house's cleverness.
When Quidditch season started, Hogwarts got wild, even more than at Halloween. On game days, the Quidditch stadium was full of cheering students, not empty like usual, when only players practiced or couples spent time together.
Sean sat in the Slytherin stands, holding a book. Other Slytherins stared, thinking a Ravenclaw got lost in their section, because who reads at a Quidditch game?
The match started with a huge cheer!
Gryffindor's team flew onto the field, and Harry Potter came last, holding his Nimbus 2000. Everyone gasped and talked—Slytherin knew Harry was a special pick for the team, but most others didn't, and they were shocked to see him.
Oliver Wood, Gryffindor's captain, smiled at the crowd's surprise. He wanted to surprise everyone, knowing Harry was amazing at Quidditch, good enough to play for real teams someday.
On the other side, Slytherin's players held their own Nimbus 2000s, ready to win. Marcus Flint, their big captain, looked at Draco Malfoy, who was nervous at the back of the team.
"Teach those bold lions of Gryffindor a lesson!" Flint yelled loudly. "Show them it's a bad choice to trust their great hero!"
"Oh!"
Slytherin's team shouted together, flying onto the field one by one. Malfoy, also a special pick, and their shiny new brooms made the crowd cheer even louder than for Gryffindor.
Sean nodded a little, liking how Slytherin surprised everyone.
The game started!
Right away, it was like a fight in the sky, super exciting. Harry and Malfoy, both Seekers, chased the Golden Snitch, zooming fast and dodging other players.
Harry was way better than Malfoy, flying smoothly and quick. But when he got close to the Snitch, his Nimbus 2000 started to shake hard, twisting in the air. It almost threw Harry off, out of control for no reason!
Harry's broom was out of control!
Sean turned to the professors' stand, his sharp eyes catching every detail in the noisy stadium. He saw Snape pointing his wand, trying to fix Harry's broom, while Quirrell, hiding behind Snape, tucked something under his big robe. Most people wouldn't notice, but Sean knew Quirrell, the double-faced villain, was the one making Harry's broom shake!
The broom shook harder, and Sean spotted Hermione and Ron missing from their seats. He thought fast, then stood up to leave the Slytherin stands.
"Blaise, I'm going to check down there," Sean said.
Blaise frowned. "Don't do anything crazy. The professors are here, so the Savior will be okay."
"I know. I'm just looking," Sean replied, already moving.
Sean hurried from the Slytherin stands, heading straight for the professors' stand. An idea sparked in his mind. If he attacked Quirrell now, would it start a duel? Would he face Quirrell, Voldemort, or both together?
With his pocket watch, Sean felt brave enough to try something risky. The watch had saved him before, like when he fought the troll, fixing any mess he made.
When Sean reached the stand, Hermione and Ron still weren't there. Something must have stopped them, keeping them from helping Harry in time.
But Sean couldn't wait. He sneaked under Quirrell's seat, looking up at the villain. From below, he saw Quirrell's hands and wand hidden under the robe, casting a spell on Harry's broom.
Sean didn't wait. He raised his wand to hit Quirrell, the double-faced villain, but then he stopped, thinking hard. Quirrell wasn't just a weak teacher—he was possessed by the Voldemort! Back when Quirrell studied at Hogwarts, he was a top student, a strong wizard. Even without the Voldemort, Quirrell was tough for Sean to beat.
Simple spells like a petrification spell or stun spell might not work on Quirrell. Sean needed something stronger, like a physical hit, to stop the villain.
Wait—physical hit?
Sean glanced at his fist, then at his wand in his right hand. He grinned, realizing his best weapon right now wasn't magic—it was his fist!
Even though his Troll Strength was weaker than a real troll's, it was way stronger than his beginner spells!
Sean tucked his wand behind his waist, cracked his knuckles, and shifted his feet. With a quick swing, he punched the wooden seat where Quirrell sat, hard enough to make it shake.
Sean's full-strength punch made a huge bang, and the seat under Quirrell's legs broke into pieces right away. Quirrell flew up from the hit, yelling in pain as Sean's strong punch sent him tumbling off the professors' stand. He fell through the air and landed hard on the Quidditch field below.
The sudden crash shocked the professors nearby.
Snape knew Quirrell, possessed by Voldemort, was cursing Harry's broom. He'd been working hard to stop the spell, but it was slow. Just as Snape thought about flipping the table, he heard the loud bang, saw Quirrell's seat shatter, and watched him fly out, ending the curse on Harry instantly.
Professor McGonagall and others turned to Quirrell, casting spells to help him where he fell. But Snape didn't care about that. He leaned over the broken seat and peeked down, spotting a familiar figure—Sean—running away from the stand.
Sean dashed away in just a few steps.
Since getting his Troll Strength, Sean was careful not to break things around him. His panel's powers felt natural, so he never went too far by accident.
Even so, Sean held back his strength every day, with no chance to use it. This punch showed him how strong he really was. He figured no wizard could take his full punch up close without magic to protect them.
Sean slipped back to the Slytherin stands, acting like nothing happened. Quirrell was shaking and crying as healers took him away. Up in the sky, Harry's broom worked again, and he zoomed after the Golden Snitch.
Malfoy was no good as Seeker. Even with Harry's broom trouble, Malfoy didn't catch the Snitch. When Harry got control, he spotted the Snitch, dove low, and grabbed it, nearly falling off his Nimbus 2000. That won the game for Gryffindor, ending the match with Slytherin.
The Malfoy family's Nimbus 2000s helped Slytherin score a lot before the Snitch chase. Sean thought Quidditch was weird—catching the Snitch almost always won the game, no matter how many points others scored. Only in the wizarding world, where fun things were rare, could this sport be so big.
After the game, Gryffindor students carried Harry off like a hero.
The Slytherins looked sad and slumped, leaving the stadium mad and upset.
Without the Malfoy family's Nimbus 2000s, Slytherin could blame Harry's broom for their loss. But with the same brooms, they had no excuse. The real reason was Malfoy—he wasn't good enough to beat Harry and let Gryffindor grab the Snitch.
Looking at the Quidditch team's angry eyes and tight faces, Sean saw they blamed Malfoy too. But because the Malfoy family was powerful, nobody dared say it out loud.