Chapter 407: Four-Man Defense
Chapter 407: Four-Man Defense
Harry turned to Cedric, who had clearly heard the comment as well.
"Wood's right..." Cedric smiled, "Come on then."
For a moment, Harry thought Wood must have been infuriated.
The other teams' Seekers were relatively smaller and more agile, with the exception of Hufflepuff.
Cedric was tall and robust, and if he were to collide with him, who knows who would fall off their broomstick.
Harry maneuvered his Firebolt upwards, quickly ascending to a higher altitude in the pitch.
The match had already reached a critical stage...
"Hufflepuff leads 90 to 10... Potter seems to be in trouble... Oh, the Firebolt is airborne, watch its turn... Diggory's Cleansweep 1700 can't compare, especially in terms of the Firebolt's precision and balance during long-duration flights..."
"Jordan! Did the Firebolt pay you to advertise? Get back to commentating the match!"
"Yes, Professor..."
What was happening in the stands was no longer a concern.
As Kyle once again threw the Quaffle into the goal, George frowned slightly, said something to Fred, and then tentatively hit the Bludger towards Cedric's direction.
At the same time, Fred also aimed at another Chaser.
However, the Hufflepuff Beater merely raised his eyes, showing no intention to help. Even with both Bludgers flying elsewhere, they still closely followed Kyle.
Cedric spun in the air, dodging the Bludger, but the other Chaser wasn't as lucky, getting hit on the arm and grimacing in pain, though fortunately not falling off his broomstick.
"You can't keep targeting Kyle, it's useless!" Fred shouted, "He's protected like a tank, there's no chance!"
"Then target the others!" George said, "When he's the only one left, we can still catch up on the score!"
The two brothers directly hit the Bludgers towards Grace, but she skillfully dodged them.
They had undergone a month of Bludger dodging training for this moment.
With Fred and George's reminder, Gryffindor also realized Hufflepuff's intention... Four-Man Defense, with the exception of the Seeker and the Keeper, everyone else was clearing the path for Kyle.
The three Chasers collectively rushed forward, attempting to block Kyle.
But before they could get close, they found their path blocked by Hufflepuff players.
Not enough Chasers? No problem, the Beaters can fill in... The message was clear, come as you may, collide as you wish, at worst, we'll all be knocked out together...
"This strategy is too shameless, who came up with it!" Angelina was so angry her face turned red.
Of course, she couldn't be knocked out with the Hufflepuff players, without their obstruction, Kyle's scoring would only become smoother.
During this moment of hesitation, Kyle had already flown past from the side, using another feint to deceive Wood and throwing the Quaffle into the goal post.
"100 to 10!"
Jordan shouted, his attention shifting from the Firebolt for the first time.
"Hufflepuff has paved a path for Kyle, no one can stop him from scoring, no one!
The Cleansweep 2000's speed is fully utilized, with decisive grabs, agile flying skills... He's like a fire-breathing dragon in a sheep pen, a scoring machine! The score gap widens... Can the Firebolt turn the tide... Time is running out for Potter."
Listening to the commentary, Harry became increasingly anxious.
But he couldn't shake off Cedric.
Harry tried various methods, but the other seemed to treat him as the Golden Snitch, always sticking close.
Left with no choice, to escape Cedric's interference, Harry could only keep accelerating, flying while looking around for the golden light.
Although it was difficult to focus entirely on seeking the Snitch, it was still better than constantly having his line of sight blocked.
Another round of exclamations came from the stands...
"Did they score again?
Harry subconsciously raised his head, thinking to himself.
Wait... that's not right!
He saw the Quaffle still in Katie's hands, but Cedric, who had been following him all this time, suddenly began to dive towards the ground.
"He saw the Golden Snitch?!"
Harry didn't have time to think, and hurriedly turned his broomstick to chase after him. Cedric suddenly stopped his dive, but Harry couldn't stop and continued to descend.
He stopped just a foot from the ground, and his face turned red.
He had been fooled by Lanksi's fake move, and just a few minutes ago, he had used the same trick himself.
"What a pity..."
Cedric sighed. This distance was his limit, and if he went any lower, he might not be able to stop.
But at least he had bought some time.
He had indeed seen the Golden Snitch, but it was in the opposite direction, above Harry's head... but he was flying too fast and didn't notice.
A few seconds later, Harry, filled with shame and anger, soared upwards again like a bullet.
At this moment, two Bludgers flew towards Cedric, one on each side, passing between him and Harry.
Fred and George had always thought that Harry, with his Firebolt, could easily defeat Cedric, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.
Wood had been thinking about scoring more points before the match, but that was just a dream!
If Cedric continued to drag things out, they might really lose.
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With their help, Harry was completely liberated.
Cedric was too busy to care, and he finally could focus his mind and search for the Golden Snitch with all his might.
So he saw... near the Slytherin stand, the glimmering Golden Snitch.
Harry started to accelerate, and this time, no one could stop him... he was going to win, the Snitch was almost within reach... at this moment...
"Oh!" George shouted, pointing down with his finger.
Harry was distracted and looked down.
Three Dementors with hoods stood there, looking up at him...
It was strange for Dementors to appear in the stands...
Harry didn't have time to think too much. He put one hand into his team robe, drew out the wand attached inside, and roared, "Expecto Patronum!"
A silvery object emerged from the tip of his wand and shot straight towards the Dementors, but Harry didn't stop to take a closer look. He kept his eyes fixed on the front... As he was about to reach it, he stretched out the hand that was still holding the wand and grabbed the struggling Snitch.
Madame Hooch's whistle sounded...
At the same time, the Quaffle grazed Wood's fingertips and landed right in the goalpost.
The scoreboards on both sides flashed simultaneously.
160:160
The cheers were deafening, as if they would shake the pitch, and the crowd excitedly clapped their hands, their palms turning red from the intensity.
"Incredible... Hufflepuff beat the Firebolt!" Lee Jordan shouted.
Professor McGonagall stood behind him, clapping excitedly, not even correcting his mistake.
According to the rules, since Harry caught the Golden Snitch last, the winning team should have been Gryffindor.
But none of that mattered.
In most people's hearts, Hufflepuff was the true winner.
Cedric, with his old Cleansweep 1700, had held back Harry, who had the Firebolt.
And with the help of his teammates, Kyle had scored an impressive 150 points...
In their eyes, this was one of the best Quidditch matches in recent years.
Kyle turned in the air and saw six yellow blurry figures flying towards him.
Each of them had injuries. Grace and another Chaser's arms were limp and hanging... Michael had a clear Bludger mark on his face and had lost a few teeth.
But everyone looked very happy, hugging each other tightly, almost squeezing Kyle off his broomstick.
...
(End of Chapter)
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