The crushing loss to Slytherin had left Gryffindor students in a funk for quite a while, dampening any conversation related to Quidditch. But Harry's acquisition of the Firebolt had undoubtedly rekindled their spirits, bringing their enthusiasm for Quidditch roaring back to life.
Their renewed fanaticism only grew stronger as the days passed. By Friday, the Gryffindors were so fired up that, in just one morning, their house's hourglass score had plumted, dropping them from second place down to last. Caught up in their excitent, they couldn't resist talking about Quidditch during classes, earning frequent scoldings from frustrated professors.
Snape, in particular, seed all too eager to penalize them, single-handedly responsible for half of the points Gryffindor lost that day. When the Gryffindors finally realized the damage they'd done, they found nearly 200 points docked from their house total—a sobering outco that quickly curbed their enthusiasm.
The following morning, Kyle made his way to the Great Hall with Cedric and Kanna for breakfast. It was ga day, and from the mont they entered the hall, they could feel eyes on them. As the first team to face the Firebolt, they were attracting nearly as much attention as Harry himself. Especially from the Ravenclaw table, where a good number of students seed to be watching them.
"Davies sees this as a chance to observe just how good the Firebolt really is," Cho whispered as she took a seat next to Kanna. "He hasn't co up with a strategy to counter it yet, so he's curious to see what you guys are going to do. Are you confident? If Gryffindor racks up too many points, our chances in the next match will be slim."
"Don't worry, we've got it covered," Cedric replied, patting his chest. "We've trained hard for this, and we'll show Wood he's counting his victories a little too early."
At a quarter past ten, the Hufflepuff team set off for the Changing Rooms. The weather was clear and crisp, with a pleasant breeze—ideal conditions for Quidditch. However, this wasn't particularly favorable for Hufflepuff; with all of Kyle's weather-proofing gadgets, they had a distinct advantage in harsher conditions. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't sothing they could control.
Outside, they could hear the whole school filling the stands, the buzzing excitent from the crowd spilling onto the pitch.
"Don't be nervous," Cedric reassured the team as they prepared to leave the Changing Rooms. "We've practiced for this a million tis—we've got this!"
They stepped out onto the pitch, greeted by a wall of noise that made the stands seem like they were shaking. But when the Gryffindor team, dressed in their bright red robes, entered, the crowd's cheers grew even louder.
The two teams t at the center of the pitch.
"Diggory, Wood, shake hands!" Madam Hooch called out crisply. Cedric stepped forward, gripping Wood's hand in a firm handshake.
"Mount your brooms. On my whistle: three... two... one..."
The whistle sounded, and Kyle felt only a rush of air. The Firebolt shot forward, outpacing every other broomstick instantly. In the blink of an eye, Harry was a blur overhead, with Cedric close behind. The two Seekers began to circle above the pitch, squinting against the sunlight as they scanned the field for the Golden Snitch.
Comntary could be heard from the stands as the ga kicked off.
"The match has begun! The big highlight today is, of course, Harry Potter on the Firebolt. According to Which Broomstick?, the Firebolt is the top choice for this year's National Team in the World Cup..."
"Jordan, could you focus on the match, please?" Professor McGonagall's voice interjected.
"Of course, Professor! Just a little background info... By the way, the Firebolt has a built-in braking charm for faster acceleration—"
"Jordan!"
"Right, right! And Hufflepuff has the Quaffle. That move looks familiar... looks like Harris has passed down his technique for ball control to Kyle... and he's aiming for a throw... can Wood block it...?"
"Oh—Wood misses, and Hufflepuff scores!"
Frustrated, Harry clenched his fists and scanned the field more closely for the Golden Snitch, but when he looked up, Cedric was right on his tail. Every ti Harry tried to change direction, Cedric anticipated it, positioning himself in front and forcing Harry to adjust. It beca clear to Harry that Cedric wasn't focused on finding the Snitch himself—he was just determined to keep Harry distracted.
"Show him what that broom can do, Harry!" Fred shouted, simultaneously aiming a Bludger in Kyle's direction.
Kyle had just expertly snatched the Quaffle from Angelina and was making a fast break toward the Gryffindor goalposts, with no sign of dodging Fred's incoming Bludger.
But in the next second, Mikel swooped in from the side, swung his bat, and sent the Bludger flying elsewhere.
"Keep pushing forward!" Will appeared from the opposite side to intercept a second Bludger. "We've got the rest covered!"
With his teammates' support, Kyle advanced near the goalposts, but instead of shooting, he feinted, passing the Quaffle across to Grace on the right.
"A diagonal pass—Kyle's signature feint!" Jordan announced excitedly. "And it works! Wood was so focused on Kyle that he missed Grace's approach... and she scores! Grace, the new Hufflepuff Chaser, everyone... what a talented girl!"
Wood glared furiously at Kyle, breathing hard, his expression like that of an angry bull. Kyle just shrugged, exchanged a high-five with Grace, and then flew back to the center of the pitch.
Barely five minutes into the ga, and Hufflepuff led 20-0. The Hufflepuff fans in the stands roared with excitent, nearly drowning out Lee Jordan's comntary.
"Fred, George, what are you doing?" Wood hissed, livid. "Get him off that broom—quick!"
"We're trying!" Fred yelled, straining to send the Bludger back at Kyle. "But both of their Beaters are glued to his side... Ah, blocked again!"
By now, Kyle wasn't the only player with a shadow. Harry was facing the sa issue. Cedric seed to be stuck to him, and no matter how Harry tried to shake him off, Cedric stayed close, always in his path, forcing Harry to constantly change direction. The real problem was that, unlike Harry, Cedric didn't have to search for the Snitch—his sole focus was throwing Harry off course.
At one point, Harry caught a glimpse of gold flitting behind Angelina Johnson's ear—a telltale flash of the Golden Snitch. He imdiately veered forward, ready to make a break for it, but Cedric swept in, blocking his path at the last second. Harry dodged sharply in the opposite direction, but that split-second delay caused the Snitch to vanish from sight.
"Harry! Don't hold back!" Wood shouted, having caught sight of the Snitch himself. "Knock him off his broom if you have to!"
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