The first Quidditch match of the year, coupled with brand-new broomsticks, brought two surprises in quick succession, and the excitent showed no signs of waning as breakfast ca to an end.
Kyle joined the others as they walked through the foyer and out of the castle. The frosty grass crunched under their feet as they hurried across the field to the Quidditch Pitch.
Within five minutes, the pitch began filling with spectators, and the stands were soon packed, the crowd's energy palpable. Even standing still, you could feel the enthusiasm buzzing in the air.
"I really don't know who's going to win this ti," Mikel said excitedly, his eyes fixed on the empty field. "Although I hope it's Gryffindor, it would actually be better for us if Slytherin wins."
Hufflepuff's team had several new players, which had weakened them to so extent. While they believed Kyle and Cedric could help compensate, Harry's Firebolt lood as a significant threat.
From a friend's perspective—and as a mber of the DA—Mikel naturally wanted Gryffindor to win. But as a team player, he preferred Gryffindor not score too many points. The conflict had left him torn for days.
"I don't know, but Gryffindor has a better chance of winning," Cedric remarked.
"Slytherin has two new Beaters, but other than being strong, they know next to nothing about Quidditch."
"Who?" Mikel asked curiously.
"Crabbe and Goyle," Cedric replied.
"The two gorillas?" Mikel blurted out. "Can they even tell the difference between a Quaffle and a Bludger?"
"Who knows?" Cedric shook his head. "Last ti I went to book the pitch, I saw them practicing. They couldn't even manage the simplest turns."
"Figures," Mikel scoffed. "What was Montague thinking? If Quidditch were an aerial wrestling match, they’d be perfect."
"Not impossible," Kyle said, glancing toward the Slytherin stands. "We’ll have to be careful. If they charge at us recklessly, we might have to forfeit the ga."
"Deliberately charging soone... that's—" Cedric frowned. "Montague wouldn't go that far."
"Are you sure?" Kyle asked. "Why else would he recruit two oversized players who barely know the rules?"
Cedric fell silent for a mont.
"Alright, forget it."
"It’s starting!" soone suddenly shouted.
All eyes turned toward the pitch.
From Hufflepuff's section, it was easy to see the Gryffindor team erging from the Changing Rooms.
Near the entrance stood Umbridge, making a show of handing out the new broomsticks for everyone to see. Angelina, Fred, and George each received one, replacing their old Cleansweep Fives, which were woefully outdated compared to the Cleansweep Eleven.
Fred and George seed to be in high spirits, offering exaggeratedly sincere smiles and saying sothing to Umbridge—likely flattery. Whatever they said distracted her enough that she handed over the brooms without her usual fuss.
Harry, however, didn’t even glance at her. He walked straight past, ignoring the Cleansweep Eleven entirely. His Firebolt was leagues ahead in quality and needed no replacent.
The Slytherin team, on the other side, also stuck with their Nimbus 2001s. Although a few years old, the Nimbus model remained superior to the Cleansweep Eleven in performance and prestige.
Both teams walked to the center of the pitch, where Madam Hooch, acting as referee, instructed the captains—Angelina and Montague—to shake hands.
"Now, get on your broomsticks..."
Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and the ga began. The Quaffle shot into the air, and all the players soared off in a blur. The stands exploded with deafening cheers once again.
"Johnson! Angelina Johnson has grabbed the Quaffle! She's like an eagle on that new broom..."
From the comntary stand, Lee Jordan's excited voice echoed across the pitch. "What a girl! I've been saying that for years, and she still won't go out with —"
"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall's sharp voice cut through, audible to everyone.
"Just kidding, Professor..." Lee said with a grin. "She dodged Montague, executing a flawless Sloth Grip Roll... Oh, that was close! She nearly got hit by a Bludger, but thanks to that Cleansweep Eleven, her agility saved her. There's no way she could've pulled that off on a Cleansweep Five!"
In the Gryffindor stands, the crowd collectively exhaled in relief as Angelina evaded the near-miss.
"This could be trouble," Mikel muttered worriedly from the Hufflepuff stands. "Gryffindor's already a strong team, and now they've got brooms to match."
Cedric frowned slightly, his attention shifting as he overheard nearby conversations.
"What's wrong?" Kyle asked, noticing his expression. "Worried about this too?"
"Oh, no," Cedric said, shaking his head. "Actually, getting new broomsticks would be an advantage for us. Apart from your Firebolt, most of our team has brooms far inferior to the Cleansweep Eleven. Even my Nimbus 1700 is outdated in comparison."
"So in that sense, Gryffindor doesn't really have an edge over anyone else. If anything, Slytherin will probably be the most upset about this."
"Then why the serious face?" Kyle pressed.
"I was thinking about sothing else," Cedric murmured. "You probably didn’t notice, but Umbridge didn’t look happy when Harry walked past her without taking the broom she offered."
"So?"
"So... do you think she might force everyone to use the new broomsticks?" Cedric asked in a low voice. "We wouldn’t care too much since we’re all getting upgrades, but your broom is a Firebolt."
Kyle laughed at the suggestion, brushing it off. "What difference would that make? Don’t forget, Harry’s also got a Firebolt. He’s still a Seeker. If everyone else is on Cleansweeps, our advantage actually increases."
"But what about Slytherin and Ravenclaw?" Cedric countered. "They don’t have Firebolts."
"I didn’t hear any complaints back when I was using a Nimbus 2000," Kyle replied lightly. Then, with a pointed look at Cedric, he added, "And you’re still here, aren’t you? Under the sa conditions, don’t tell you’d lose to Malfoy or... Cho."
"Of course not," Cedric said, his voice rising defensively, drawing curious glances from nearby spectators.
Fortunately, at that mont, Angelina scored a goal, throwing the Quaffle cleanly through the goalpost and redirecting the crowd’s attention with a wave of cheers.
"I take Quidditch seriously," Cedric said firmly, glaring at Kyle. "And Cho wouldn’t want to hold back either."
"Then why are you so worried?" Kyle said with a grin. "If Umbridge does go through with this, it would practically clear the biggest obstacle on our path to the championship. Honestly, we might owe her a thank-you."
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