NOVEL WEB Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Discovery
~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones
~ Every 400 PS = Bonus Chapter!
*********************************************************************************
The following days returned to normal.
Harry and Ron had become inseparable best friends, always whispering to each other and excluding Orli. They seemed to have already grouped her with Hermione.
As for Hermione, she no longer bothered with Ron and Harry. She showed zero interest in that giant dog, and since Professor Dumbledore had forbidden access to the right corridor on the fourth floor, she appeared more than happy to comply with school rules.
Only one thing was slightly unusual:
Harry received a Nimbus 2000 from Professor McGonagall one morning. He was overjoyed and could hardly wait to join the Quidditch training.
However, after his first training session, he brought back some troubling news.
"Ron, did you know there seems to be something wrong with Fred's broom?" Harry asked.
"Huh? Nobody told me," Ron mumbled through a mouthful of jam tart.
"His broom doesn't respond properly. I mean, there's always a half-second delay when he turns. Wood has lost his temper several times already," Harry furrowed his brow, trying to recall the details. "He's wrapped some odd red ribbons around the broomstick handle. I think his broom might have been broken before."
Orli, who hadn't been paying attention to their conversation, perked up at the mention of Fred's broom.
Hadn't Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup decisively in the original story?
Could Fred's broom problems be because of her?
She wanted to lean in and ask more questions, but Ron gave her a suspicious look, as if she were a spy. Just then, Fred and George's shadows flashed past the Great Hall entrance, and Orli immediately jumped up to chase after them.
"Hey! Fred, wait up!" Orli called out while running down the corridor.
Fred and George turned around, and George made an exaggerated heartbroken gesture, clutching his chest.
"Orli, you're not calling for me? Just him?" George teased.
"Uh, no, that's not it," Orli said awkwardly. "I wanted to ask, Fred, was your broom damaged when I crashed into you?"
"Huh? No, where did you hear that?" Fred unconsciously ran his fingers through his hair.
They had just finished training and were carrying their brooms. Sure enough, as Harry had mentioned, there was a makeshift red ribbon tied around Fred's broomstick handle. But more notably, the angle of the broomstick handle looked distinctly wrong.
"So it is true," Orli immediately spotted the problem. "I need to get you a new one."
"Do you know how much a new one costs?" George shook his head vigorously. "Really, you don't need to compensate us. We'll figure something out ourselves."
"Trust me, I don't mean anything by it, but it's really a lot of money," Fred added. "My broom is actually fine, it still flies decently, and you should have faith in my playing skills."
"I know, even the most basic flying broom costs over a hundred Galleons, and better ones could cost three to five hundred Galleons," Orli said while mentally counting all her assets stored in the system, including contribution points and money, but even added together, it was far from enough.
She didn't want to just compensate Fred with an old Comet; he deserved at least a Nimbus 2000, after all, he had saved her life.
But at her current level, even if she brewed potions non-stop, it would take more than half a year to save up 500 Galleons. By then, this year's Quidditch Cup would be long over, too late to help.
"Don't you want to win the championship anymore?" Orli bit her lip, making up her mind. "If you know of any secret classrooms or passages, take me there now. I have something important to tell you."