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.