October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle.
Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among the
staff and students. Her Pepperup potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker
smoking at the ears for several hours afterward. Ginny Weasley, who had been
looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy. The steam pouring from under
her vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire.
Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the
lake rose, the flower beds turned into muddy streams, and Hagrid's pumpkins
swelled to the size of garden sheds. Oliver Wood's enthusiasm for regular training
sessions, however, was not dampened, which was why Harry was to be found, late
one stormy Saturday afternoon a few days before Halloween, returning to
Gryffindor Tower, drenched to the skin and splattered with mud.
Even aside from the rain and wind it hadn't been a happy practice session. Fred and
George, who had been spying on the Slytherin team, had seen for themselves the
speed of those new Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones. They reported that the
Slytherin team was no more than seven greenish blurs, shooting through the air like
missiles.