Chapter 406: The Match Begins
Chapter 406: The Match Begins
The previous defeat against Slytherin had left the Gryffindors disheartened for quite some time. For a long period, they avoided discussing anything related to Quidditch.
However, Harry's Firebolt undoubtedly rekindled their confidence and reignited their enthusiasm.
As time passed, this enthusiasm only grew stronger.
Especially on Friday, in just one morning, Gryffindor's Hourglass dropped significantly, directly falling from second place to last place.
They were so excited that they couldn't help but discuss Quidditch during class, leading to points being deducted by frustrated professors.
Snape was the most active in this, responsible for half of the deducted points.
When the Gryffindors finally came to their senses, they realized their House had lost nearly two hundred points... This outcome also made them more restrained.
The next morning, Kyle, Cedric, and Conna went to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Today was the day of the match. From the moment they entered the Hall, many eyes were on them and Cedric.
As the first team to face the Firebolt, they received just as much attention as Harry.
Especially Ravenclaw, over half of the people at the table were watching them.
"Davis thinks this is a great opportunity to observe the performance of the Firebolt and see how good it really is."
Autumn crouched down next to Conna and whispered, "He can't think of any way to counter the Firebolt, so he wants to see what you'll do.
By the way, are you really okay? If Gryffindor wins too many points, we won't have any chance at all in the future."
"Don't worry, leave it to us," Cedric patted his chest and said, "We've been training for a long time. I'll make sure Wood knows he's celebrating too early."
At 10:15, Hufflepuff headed to the changing room.
Today's weather was good, clear and cool, with a gentle breeze that felt comfortable.
To be honest, this wasn't great news for Hufflepuff. They had various gadgets provided by Kyle, which gave them an advantage in relatively harsh weather conditions.
Unfortunately, this wasn't something they could decide.
Outside, the sound of the entire school rushing into the Quidditch Pitch filled the air, with loud voices that didn't need to be seen to know that there were many people coming.
"Don't be nervous," Cedric said as they prepared to leave the changing room. "We've trained many times, so it'll definitely be fine!"
They walked onto the pitch, and the cheers were deafening.
But when the Gryffindor team in their red robes walked out, the surrounding cheers became even louder.
Both teams arrived at the center of the pitch.
"Diggory, Wood, shake hands!" Madam Hooch said crisply, and Cedric walked forward and shook hands with Wood.
"Mount your brooms, listen for my whistle, three... two... one..."
Kyle felt a rush of wind as the Firebolt darted out faster than the other brooms, with Cedric closely following. The two circled in the air, squinting as they searched for the Golden Snitch.
The stands echoed with the commentator's voice.
"The match has begun, and the biggest highlight of this match is Harry Potter riding the Firebolt. According to 'Quidditch Through the Ages,' the Firebolt is the National Team's first choice broom in this year's World Cup..."
"Jordan, can you tell us about the match situation?" Professor McGonagall's voice interrupted.
"No problem, Professor. Just a bit of background information, and by the way, the Firebolt has a built-in braking mechanism for faster acceleration..."
"Jordan!"
"Okay, okay, Hufflepuff has the Quaffle now, and this move looks familiar... Harris must have taught Kyle his ball-stealing skills... He's about to pass now... Can Wood catch it...?"
"Oh... Wood missed, and Hufflepuff scores!"
In mid-air, Harry waved his arm in frustration, searching more carefully for the Golden Snitch, but when he turned around, he found Cedric right behind him.
Every time he tried to change direction, Cedric would overtake him, forcing him to change course.
Harry had a feeling that Cedric wasn't really after the Snitch; he just wanted to distract him.
"Show him your acceleration, Harry!" Fred shouted as he aimed a Bludger at Kyle.
Kyle had just used a nimble flip to snatch the Quaffle from Angelina, and now he was accelerating towards the Gryffindor goal post.
Facing the incoming Bludger, he had no intention of dodging it.
The next moment, Michael flew in from the side and swung his arm to knock the Bludger away.
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"Just keep going forward!" Oliver came from the other side and blocked the second Bludger.
"Leave the rest to us!"
With their help, Kyle smoothly reached the goal post area, then raised his hand to throw the ball... not towards the goal, but to Grace on the right.
"Diagonal pass... Kyle's most common feint!"
Jordan shouted, "But it's very effective... Wood's attention is all on Kyle, and Grace scores... She's the new Chaser for Hufflepuff this year... What a charming girl!"
Wood stared at Kyle, panting heavily, looking like an angry bull.
Kyle shrugged and high-fived Grace before returning to the center of the pitch.
In less than five minutes, the score was already 20-0, and Gryffindor was at a disadvantage.
The cheers from the Hufflepuff stands nearly drowned out Lee Jordan's commentary.
"Fred, George, what are you doing!" Oliver Wood shouted. "Knock him off his broomstick!"
"We've been trying..." Fred shouted as he hit a Bludger towards Kyle. "...But their two Beaters seem to have made themselves at home next to Kyle... Damn, blocked again!"
At this moment on the pitch, it wasn't just Kyle who had Beaters by his side; Harry was in the same situation.
Harry felt like Cedric was about to stick to him, and no matter how he tried to shake him off, he couldn't, because he couldn't keep accelerating forever; he had to stop to look for the Snitch.
Every time this happened, Cedric would catch up from behind and continue to interfere with him.
Once, Harry even saw the golden glint of the Snitch fluttering its tiny wings behind Angelina Johnson's ear... But just as he was about to accelerate towards it, Cedric blocked his view.
Although he quickly circled around from another direction, the Snitch disappeared during those crucial few seconds.
"Harry, this isn't the time to be friendly," Wood shouted, having also spotted the Snitch. "If necessary, knock him off his broomstick!"
...
(End of Chapter)
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