Chapter 1826: Crushing Defeat
Chapter 1826: Crushing Defeat
"Such a terrible loss, it’s unbearable to watch!"
Daphne put down her binoculars and gently pressed her hand to her forehead, as if she couldn’t bear to see the completely one-sided situation on the Quidditch field.
In the past, it was always Ravenclaw Academy that dominated the field with an absolute advantage. When had they ever been so mercilessly crushed like this?
"It’s very normal. I warned them long ago."
Alice followed the crowd, orderly leaving the field, without any hint of guilt for her withdrawal from the team that led to Ravenclaw’s complete collapse.
After all, she had warned the other Ravenclaw players long ago: it was time to wake up from their dreams.
Moreover, Alice’s reason for quitting the team was entirely reasonable. As a sixth-year, she had far too many advanced courses to focus on, leaving her without enough energy to continue with Quidditch matches.
No one could find any reason to blame Alice for leaving the team. Anyone with eleven advanced courses to take could confidently say the same thing.
"But they won’t think that way. They’ll only blame you for today’s crushing defeat." Daphne glanced at her best friend, staring at her expressionless but beautiful face for a moment before kindly reminding her, "Anyone who is abandoned by their team’s victory goddess would definitely feel resentful."
Daphne didn’t really understand Alice’s actions. Anyone could see that the advanced courses at Hogwarts couldn’t possibly put any pressure on Alice, just like how she managed to handle twelve classes in her third year and still had an easier time than most students.
So, the pressure from advanced classes was just an excuse for Alice to quit Quidditch.
Not only did Daphne feel this way, but the other Ravenclaw students did too. After the crushing defeat to Gryffindor, everyone looked at Alice with particularly resentful eyes.
If Alice had played, what would James be? Just a mediocre player.
For this reason, the captain of Ravenclaw, Jess, had tried multiple times to persuade Alice to change her mind, but she politely refused each time.
"They can never rely solely on me; otherwise, they won’t have any chance to grow!" Alice said with a flippant remark, but she always found a pile of reasons to convince others.
"Come on, I know you well enough. It’s definitely not the reason you’re giving." Daphne put down her quill and tried to reach out to rub her best friend’s face, hoping to make her take back her irresponsible words.
From her understanding of Alice, it might be partly true that she didn’t want to continue playing Quidditch, but there were definitely deeper reasons.
Daphne wasn’t wrong. Alice’s main reason for leaving the Ravenclaw team at this time was to make room for James Potter.
Since Alice joined the Quidditch team, she had become an unbeatable seeker with her exceptional skills and the flying broomstick left by Albert.
Her reputation even spread to the professional leagues, and many professional teams wanted to sign her, hoping to turn Alice into a legendary Quidditch star like Victor Krum.
However, Alice declined all offers and politely stated that she had no plans to pursue a professional career in Quidditch.
This once stunned everyone and became one of the hottest topics among the students and staff at Hogwarts.
After all, it had been a long time since Hogwarts had produced a professional Quidditch player.
Ahem, this was actually Alice’s fault, a side effect of her overwhelming dominance.
A string of crushing victories left everyone breathless, delivering a demoralizing blow to all Quidditch players at Hogwarts. After all, a game you're destined to lose is hardly motivating.
For a while, there was even a craze at Hogwarts to defeat the Ravenclaw team.
Unfortunately, after all three challenger teams were mercilessly crushed, the entire Quidditch scene at Hogwarts became lifeless, with some even suggesting that the Quidditch Cup be awarded directly to Alice.
Alice didn't really care about the other students, but she couldn't ignore her godfather's son, James Potter. She had been worried that the continued defeats would completely shatter James's confidence and ruin his future in Quidditch.
So, she decided to give James a few years before his graduation to regain his confidence.
To be honest, this shouldn't have been her responsibility, but Albert was a half-hearted godfather who didn't invest much effort into James. Therefore, the remaining guidance fell to her.
James didn't disappoint Alice. Even though he had been close to losing his confidence over the years, he continued to persistently hone his Quidditch skills, hoping to defeat her, the ultimate rival.
This truly brought immense comfort to Alice (though James believed that defeating Alice would win him a date with her).
Now, after years of being overshadowed, James easily dominated the Quidditch scene at Hogwarts with Harry's Firebolt, finally experiencing the sweet taste of victory.
However, James didn't become arrogant from his consecutive victories because he knew deep down that Alice was letting him win.
"Actually, you could have done this next year!"
Daphne sighed helplessly, genuinely worried about her best friend's situation.
There was no way around it; Ravenclaw had lost two games in a row.
If they lost a third game and ended up at the bottom, even Ravenclaw students might struggle to keep their heads clear.
"Next year might not have a Quidditch season", Alice said suddenly.
"Why?"
Daphne sensed something unusual.
"I heard that the Triwizard Tournament might be held next year!" Alice had received some insider information from her half-brother. It was originally planned for the year after next, but after discussions among the three headmasters, they decided to move it up by a year.
"The legendary one? You'll definitely participate, right!" Daphne became excited.
"Not necessarily. I'd rather sit in the stands and watch the match with everyone else", Alice said, having grown up listening to Albert's stories, she had little interest in the competition.
To Alice, a good match should be thrilling and unpredictable. Crushing victories were simply boring.
It wasn't that Alice was overly arrogant; it was just that she had always faced such situations, making it hard for her to get excited.
"Don't be silly. Professor Mcgonagall will definitely want you to win another great victory for Hogwarts", Daphne said, then added, "Damn, if the tournament isn't held at Hogwarts, I won't be able to see it."
Noticing the odd looks from others, Daphne finally realized she was still in the library. Madam Pince, wielding a feather duster, was already storming over in a rage.
"Out! Get out of here!"
(End of Chapter)
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