HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

Chapter 116 The Girls' Dormitory Late Night Chat

A week after the start of the school year, Ravenclaw and Slytherin had a Quidditch match, and Slytherin won.

“Harry, please, you have to beat the Slytherin team. I’ll throw up in public if I see Malfoy’s snorting nostrils any longer,” Ron said to Harry.

They had just finished a potions class when Malfoy, taking advantage of the students' free time to collect potion ingredients, mocked Gryffindor's crushing defeat in the last Quidditch match, which angered Ron so much that he couldn't help but throw a white mouse at him.

He missed and hit a girl next to Malfoy who looked like a poodle. The Slytherin girl screamed loudly in Potions class, and Ron's heart condition almost flared up fifty years too early.

Professor Snape's favoritism towards Slytherin and his dislike for Gryffindor are well-known. It's conceivable that Ron was lucky to walk out of the Potions classroom alive, though he did receive a 30-point deduction and a two-week detention.

“Yeah, I wish I could, but I don’t even have a flying broomstick.” Harry said sullenly, recalling Wood’s repeated urging for him to order a new flying broomstick, such as Malfoy’s Nimbus 2001.

Harry and Ron both firmly opposed buying the same flying broomstick as Malfoy, especially Ron, who began to heavily criticize Hermione for reporting Professor McGonagall's "sabotage."

“If you can play with a firebolt,” Ron said, “it’s like the Quidditch trophy is already reserved for Gryffindor this year.”

A month passed quickly, and as unchanged as the cold weather was Professor McGonagall's refusal.

“No, Potter, you can’t take it back now,” Professor McGonagall said sternly, refusing Harry’s request for the twelfth time. “Although this broom has passed all the common spells, Professor Flitwick thinks it’s very likely that a throwing charm has been cast on it. If you fly up on the broom, you’ll be dead in no time on the field. We’ll let you know after we’ve checked it again.”

Not only could they not get the Firebolt back, but Harry and Lupin's little tutoring session on defending against Dementors also didn't go very smoothly.

Ever since Lyra excitedly shared the news that she had successfully cast the Patronus Charm, Harry and Professor Lupin have been the only tutors after school. However, every time Harry practices, the mist he exhales fails to drive away the Boggart Dementors. It's hard to say whether this is because Harry longs to hear his parents' voices.

With his practice making no progress, Harry felt guilty about wanting to hear his parents' voices again, which even caused him to have nightmares at night and have dark circles under his eyes that everyone could see during the day.

"Harry, haven't you been sleeping well lately?" George asked, seeing a listless Harry in the common room.

Lyra and Fred were playfully bickering, each trying to get the other to try the Fat Tongue Toffee, their new research project after successfully developing the Canary Cookie.

Upon hearing George's words, they all stopped and took a closer look at Harry's dark circles.

“Well, I haven’t been getting enough sleep lately. Wood has increased Quidditch practice to five times a week, so I only have one night to do my homework and learn new spells from Professor Lupin,” Harry said, feeling as overwhelmed as Hermione, who hogs a corner of the common room every day to do tons of homework. “And I’ve been having nightmares a lot lately.”

The Weasley brothers and Lyra looked at them with sympathy, fully understanding the pressure of their busy schedules. All three of them were fifth-year students, and this year was no different for them; they were facing the Common Wizarding Level exams, one of the two most important exams of their student lives.

“Harry, maybe you could try lavender essential oil,” Lyra suggested. “My roommates and I have tried it, and when we feel stressed and can’t sleep, just a couple of drops on our pillow really helps.”

Harry said he would try it tonight and thanked him.

Fortunately, Merlin did not kill poor Harry.

Just after Harry had another less-than-successful Patronus practice, he was walking absentmindedly back to the common room when he bumped into Professor McGonagall without noticing.

"Watch where you're going, Potter! Watch your step!"

"I'm sorry, Professor."

“I was just about to look for you in the common room,” Professor McGonagall said with a rare smile. “Here you go, this broom passed the test. We did everything imaginable, and nothing seems amiss—perhaps you have a good friend somewhere—”

Harry opened his mouth wide as he took the fire bolt, which looked just as perfect as before.

"Can I really take it back?" Harry asked in a low voice.

“It’s true,” Professor McGonagall genuinely smiled. “Potter, try your best to win the competition, otherwise we’ll go eight years without a trophy. Professor Snape kindly reminded me of this last night…”

Harry couldn't say a word. He grabbed the Firebolt and ran towards the common room. He saw Ron rushing towards him from around the corner, grinning from ear to ear.

"Great! She gave it back to you! We're sure to win the game!" Ron exclaimed excitedly. "Listen, can I try out this broom? Can I try it tomorrow?"

“No problem, anytime is fine,” Harry said, feeling more relaxed than he had in a month. “You know, I think we should make up with Hermione. You know, she just meant well and wanted to help.”

Ron nodded: "She's doing her homework in the common room. We can tell her the good news."

The two returned to the entrance of the lounge and encountered Neville, who was being held back outside. He was pleading with the portrait of Sir Cadogan, who was guarding the door, with tears in his eyes.

Harry and Ron were still excited about getting the Firebolt back when they learned that Neville had only lost the note with the password. They offered a few words of comfort and then took him into the common room. Soon, the entire Gryffindor common room was buzzing with excitement over the Firebolt.

*

Fifth-grade students facing the OWL exam this year have tried various methods to relieve the immense pressure.

Some find solace in food, and the number of upperclassmen who sneak out to the kitchen at night for a late-night snack remains high.

Some people rely on psychological comfort, such as buying amulets to increase their luck, or playing prank products to relieve stress.

The red-haired twins put in a tremendous effort to promote joke products between fifth and seventh grade—"It's almost unbelievable if the data doesn't show it, but some childish joke products actually sell almost the same in first and seventh grade. We believe there's huge potential for joke products in the adult market as well," George and Fred concluded with shining eyes.

Some older students chose to stick together for warmth and started sweet romances.

Girls' dormitories often have late-night chats before bed, and one of the invariably recurring topics is gossiping about couples at Hogwarts.