Chapter 437: The Celebration
Chapter 437: The Celebration
Aside from Snape, the recently landed Diggory also wore a grim expression. He never expected Hufflepuff to lose the Quidditch match so decisively.
All their hard work over the past weeks had vanished in an instant when Harry Potter caught the Golden Snitch.
Hufflepuff had utterly served as a stepping stone for Harry Potter in this match, and they might even become the laughing stock of Hogwarts. Diggory and his teammates left dejectedly amid the cheers of the Gryffindor students.
Unlike the dejected Hufflepuffs, the Gryffindors returned to their common room with elation.
Seeing the abundance of cakes and treats Fred and George had procured from the kitchen, Wood suggested holding a celebration and contributed his own stash of snacks for everyone to enjoy.
Many students, including Albert, joined in the spirit by offering their treats. Albert brought out the Butterbeer he had purchased earlier for all to share.
As the quantity of Butterbeer in the oak barrels was limited, Albert had to periodically cast the Refilling Charm to ensure there was enough for everyone in the common room to have a cup.
Fred used the Duplication Charm to create a stack of cups, George poured the Butterbeer, and Lee Jordan distributed the cups to the other students.
The common room soon buzzed with excitement as everyone indulged in the food and drinks, gossiping about Snape's favoritism or gleefully recounting their triumph over Hufflepuff. Then, they realized that the renowned Harry Potter... wasn't present at the celebration?
"Does anyone know where Harry went?" Wood asked Fred and George as he took a cup from Lee Jordan.
"No idea. I haven't seen him since before," Fred replied, unsure of Harry's whereabouts. Without the main protagonist, the celebration wasn't as lively as they had imagined.
"You can ask his friends," Albert suggested, indicating that Wood should inquire with Ron and Hermione.
After all, Harry's friends would likely know better than them where he had gone.
After Wood walked away, Kenneth Towler popped up, lamenting the missed opportunity to make a fortune. "I was planning to set up a betting pool on whether Harry would easily win the third match and bring the Quidditch Cup to Gryffindor. Want to join me in organizing it?" Kenneth looked at Albert with eager anticipation, sincerely inviting him.
Indeed, many Gryffindor students believed that it was highly probable for Harry Potter to seize victory in the third Quidditch match. However, Albert knew that Harry won his first Quidditch Cup in his third year.
This year's failure was likely related to the Sorcerer's Stone incident, as Harry would be unconscious for several days and miss the final match.
"Never mind, I'm not interested in organizing bets," Albert declined after hearing Kenneth's proposal.
"I saw how happy you were when you won your bets," Kenneth said, pouting as he secretly labeled Albert as a hypocrite.
"Happy? No, no, I was just mildly supporting Gryffindor," Albert explained casually. "But I think Ravenclaw's chances of beating Slytherin in the next match are slim.
"Everyone knows it's difficult for Ravenclaw to beat Slytherin," Lee Jordan chimed in after taking a big gulp of Butterbeer. "After all, Slytherin will do anything to win."
"For victory, Snape even took to the field himself," Fred added, a pleased smile spreading across his face. "You didn't notice Snape's expression when Gryffindor won. He looked like someone had smeared dung on his face."
"I saw that too. It's a shame we didn't capture that moment," George agreed.
"It is a shame. That would have been a black mark in Snape's history," another student added.
"I think he already has enough of those," someone else commented, prompting a round of giggles.
After Kenneth left, George turned to Albert with a curious expression. "You don't think Gryffindor can beat Ravenclaw, do you?"
"Don't go crazy with the self-deprecating predictions before Gryffindor wins the Cup," Albert replied helplessly as he had never seen someone so enthusiastically jinxing themselves.
Wasn't this asking for trouble?
"Self-deprecating predictions?" The trio clearly didn't understand what Albert meant, but he didn't bother explaining further. He simply advised them not to be overly proud and complacent before winning the Quidditch Cup, or they might end up losing the match.
"I think Albert is hinting that we might lose the next match and, consequently, the Quidditch Cup," Lee Jordan said to the Weasley brothers after Albert left.
"I think we should ask Wood to strengthen Harry's protection to ensure he can play in the next match," the three friends agreed, recalling Albert's accurate predictions. They felt that Lee Jordan's suggestion made a lot of sense.
If the Slytherin students wanted to win, they would need both teams to lose a match each, and the final ranking would be decided based on the total points scored.
If Harry couldn't play in the next match...
Wait, no! Even if Harry couldn't make it, Gryffindor still had a capable reserve Seeker.
As this thought struck him, Fred froze. He recalled that Albert was also a Seeker, and while his record might not be as impressive as Harry's, Albert had once caught the Golden Snitch and brought the Quidditch Cup to Gryffindor.
"I think we're overthinking this," Fred said to his roommates. "Albert hasn't had much Quidditch training, but as a reserve, he's pretty reliable."
Meanwhile, Albert was unaware of his friends' conversation as he was looking for upperclassmen to refill the oak barrels. A small cup of Butterbeer just wasn't satisfying enough.
After chatting with a group of girls, he spotted Hermione and Ron hurrying toward him. They shared their concern about Harry's disappearance, worried that someone from Slytherin might cause him trouble.
Albert wasn't inclined to help them search for Harry, merely reassuring them, "Don't worry. This is Hogwarts. The Slytherins won't dare to do anything too obvious."
Albert had no idea where Harry had gone, but as the savior, how could anything happen to him?
Changing the subject, Albert asked, "So, how's the Butterbeer?"
"It's a bit strange, but... it tastes good," Hermione replied cautiously, choosing her words carefully. "This is my first time drinking Butterbeer."
Albert chatted with them for a while longer before turning to leave. Just then, he noticed Harry rushing into the common room, breathless.
"Harry, where have you been?" Hermione asked in a sharp tone.
"Never mind that," Harry panted. "Find a private place, and I'll tell you what I just saw."
(End of Chapter)
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