Chapter 216: Flash Marriage, Photoshoots, and the Forgotten Quidditch

Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:

patreon.com/Draco_

******

Time swiftly passed, and April arrived. There was no unusual event at Hogwarts, and amidst this peaceful period, Hedwig had fallen in love. And in a surprising turn of events, she had even had a flash marriage. If owls could get married, then yes, that would be the case.

Hedwig, who had been delivering messages back and forth between Hogwarts and Beauxbatons, returned for the third time with a male snowy owl, one year older than her. Unlike Hedwig's pure white feathers, this snowy owl, named Qiaoqiao, had grayish stripes on his plumage. His body was much larger than Hedwig's, almost double in size, and he looked incredibly majestic.

Harry had joked with Hedwig before that she might find a mate in Beauxbatons, but he hadn't expected it to come true. Hedwig had indeed met a snowy owl she liked and had even brought him back to Hogwarts.

"Emmmmm…"

Harry ruffled the large snowy owl's head, feeling somewhat mixed inside. "If you ever treat Hedwig badly, I'll immediately roast you on a spit and turn you into fried bird!"

Qiaoqiao, whose tail feathers were indeed impressively high, didn't dare to show any signs of his fierce eagle-like demeanor in front of Harry. After all, there was a six-meter-long Thunder Gale Dragon glaring at him, looking at him with intense focus. Thor's mouth even had a glistening drop of saliva hanging from it—there was no mistaking it; the dragon was hungry.

Seeing her "husband" getting roughed up by Harry, Hedwig fluttered her wings in distress, trying to comfort Qiaoqiao. She gently patted Thor's head, hoping her now much larger companion would step in and calm things down.

"Awwooo~" Thor shook his head and let out a strange wolf-like howl, as though saying, "I want to eat."

Hedwig nearly lost her balance and fell off Thor's head, but in the end, she flew to Harry's shoulder and nuzzled his face, purring affectionately.

"Oh, now you're feeling sorry for him, huh? Well, that's what they say—once a daughter is married, she's no longer under her father's care," Harry muttered to himself, but he still spared the cowardly Qiaoqiao. "Who told you to be raised by Fleur? Fine, I'll let you off the hook this time. But remember to take good care of Hedwig, understood?"

Qiaoqiao, looking quite sheepish, tucked his head down and then vigorously nodded. He spread his large wings, seemingly showing off his ability to protect her.

Watching Hedwig's joyful expression, Harry couldn't help but give Qiaoqiao a large bag of mouse snacks as a congratulatory gift.

"Gugugu~"

The enthusiastic Qiaoqiao, hopping towards Harry, raised his leg. He hadn't forgotten the reason for his visit. A thick envelope was in Harry's hand, and if Harry guessed correctly, it probably contained photos that Fleur had sent.

The last time Hedwig had delivered a letter, she also brought along a camera and some photo developing chemicals. After seeing the photo album of Thor, Fleur had also decided to send Harry some pictures of Beauxbatons.

Hedwig and Qiaoqiao, flying joyfully together, made their way into the sky, eagerly clutching the bag full of mouse snacks. Perhaps their next stop would be to find a good spot to make a nest and share the tasty treats. Mice, when dried into snacks, were truly delicious.

Meanwhile, little Thor wobbled over to Harry, curiously peeking over his shoulder. His big eyes fixed on Harry as he opened the package, but before he could see what was inside, Harry quickly covered his eyes with his hand.

"You're too young for this. It's too stimulating for you."

Harry spoke seriously, then immediately flipped onto Thor's back, lying comfortably while wiping away the drool that had unintentionally slipped from the corner of his mouth.

"Beauxbatons is really white. No, it's not just round; it's really big!"

"Hehe~ Beauxbatons' school uniforms are so nice, hehe~ The little dresses with embedded diamonds are amazing, hehe~ Is there anything more beautiful in the world than a strappy dress?"

However, the blissful moment didn't last long. Harry, disturbed by the bird shadow circling above, stepped forcefully on Thor's back, launching himself into the air. With a leap of about twenty meters, Harry grabbed the brown owl, which had been too scared to land.

The little creature was terrified, letting out a fearful screech as it feared it might be eaten next. Thor, curious, turned his head. His large eyes met the owl's terrified gaze. The poor thing, in a panic, kicked its legs and fainted from fright.

"Why scare the bird, Thor?" Harry said, giving the dragon a playful smack on the head. Thor, feeling aggrieved, shrunk his neck in response. His resentful gaze lingered on Harry's face for a moment, before he huffed and turned his little head away.

The owl had a letter tied to its foot, with the words "Hogwarts, Mr. Harry Potter" written on it. It was precisely because of seeing this that Harry had grabbed the owl.

Thankfully, there was still a bit of mouse snacks in stock. Harry, having fed the poor creature some, then mounted Thor and walked off to the side, hoping that the owl would forgive his scare and intrusion once it woke up, especially after receiving the tasty treat.

The letter inside the envelope was made of high-quality paper, adorned with moving images of flying brooms and famous legendary Quidditch players from history. As these players sped past the paper, rows of beautiful handwriting appeared.

After reading the letter, Harry suddenly remembered that he had purchased a Quidditch team—the Falmouth Falcons.

When Harry bought the team, it was already at the brink of being kicked out of the European Cup Quidditch Championship. Every year in June, the championship begins. If he wanted his team to qualify for the Quidditch World Cup and represent England, the simplest way was to have the highest-ranking team in the European Cup.

However, given England's lackluster Quidditch level, as long as they could make it into the top 32, they were guaranteed a spot.

As a once-glorious team, the Falmouth Falcons had the privilege of joining the European Cup Quidditch Championship without having to go through the qualifying rounds. Though they were soon to be relegated to a third-tier team, that privilege was still valid. It was for this reason that Harry had spent the "wasted money" to buy the team.

This letter was from the event organizers of the European Cup Quidditch Championship, informing Harry that, as a participating team, he needed to submit his roster eight weeks in advance. The roster should include seven main players and three substitutes. The deadline for submission was in one week—failure to submit on time would result in disqualification from the competition.

"Go play with Hagrid. I need to get back to the castle," Harry said as he dismounted from Thor. He packed away the photo album and scenic pictures Fleur had sent and jogged cheerfully toward the castle.

(End of Chapter)