Chapter 452: A Difference of Opinion (The Wheel of Fate's Prankster Alliance Leader, Additional Chap
Chapter 452: A Difference of Opinion (The Wheel of Fate's Prankster Alliance Leader, Additional Chapter 35)
Fred and George expressed their strong dissatisfaction with Kyle's differential treatment, feeling that they were being underestimated, and insisted on tasting the aged Fire Whiskey.
Kyle still didn't pay attention to them.
It wasn't until a few minutes later, when they saw Bill lying on the ground fast asleep, that the twins finally closed their mouths. They then pretended as if nothing had happened and turned to drink their juice.
They had witnessed firsthand how Bill had gone from drinking, to nodding off, and finally ending up on the floor in a very natural manner.
Charlie, on the other hand, seemed to be faring much better.
As a dragon keeper, he had plenty of experience with strong liquor, so he only took a small sip at first, unlike Bill who had chugged it down.
"Does he think this is malt beer?" Charlie mocked, looking at Bill on the floor.
Just as Fred and George never missed an opportunity to tease Percy, the same went for Charlie and Bill. It seemed to be a family tradition.
The only difference was that Bill wasn't as tongue-tied as Percy and always found a way to strike back.
But now, he was passed out.
Charlie satisfied his curiosity and took another small sip of the whiskey, feeling pleased.
Kyle brought out some more candies and snacks.
He had received quite a variety of snacks as gifts, and there was plenty to share.
As they munched on the treats, the group chatted casually.
Initially, the conversation was normal, with Charlie sharing some interesting stories from the Romanian Dragon Reserve. He talked about a group of would-be dragon egg thieves who were scared off by the fire-breathing dragons and ended up sobbing as they sought help from the dragon keepers. He also mentioned the occasional dragon that laid a clutch of eggs.
These were things that they wouldn't encounter at school, and the stories were fascinating.
In turn, Kyle shared some of the happenings at Hogwarts, such as the deceptive professor in their third year, the Basilisk, and the Dementors invading the Quidditch pitch in their fourth year... Charlie listened with great interest and exclaimed that it was unfair that he missed out on such exciting events during his school days.
Back then, Hogwarts never had such thrilling occurrences.
Especially with the Basilisk, ever since he became a dragon keeper, Charlie had developed a liking for dangerous magical creatures, much like Hagrid.
"I really wish I could have seen the Basilisk," he said regretfully.
Fred and George quickly waved their hands, trying to dissuade him from that thought.
The mere gaze of a Basilisk was deadly, and they still remembered the fear they felt when they learned that Ron had been sent to the hospital wing. Thankfully, it turned out to be a false alarm.
It wasn't worth risking their lives just to satisfy their curiosity.
Fortunately, Charlie's comment was just in passing, and seeing a Basilisk wasn't as simple as wishing for it.
He put down his cup and popped a large piece of cream soda into his mouth, changing the subject to something else.
"Kyle, I heard from Fred that your house, Hufflepuff, has won the Quidditch Cup for four consecutive years now?"
"It's just luck, honestly. Everyone's been kind enough to let us win, it's not worth mentioning," Kyle humbly waved off the compliment.
Fred and George's expressions soured, their teeth grinding audibly.
If only Kyle hadn't been so obviously amused while saying that, they might have believed him.
Seeing their reactions, Charlie asked in confusion, "Didn't you guys say that Harry got his hands on a Firebolt?"
"Don't even think about Hufflepuff getting a fifth consecutive win!"
"Then you'd better step up your game. It's extremely difficult to win the Quidditch Cup next year," Kyle replied with an arched eyebrow and a smile.
Charlie opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he held back and steered the conversation in a different direction. "Kyle, who do you think will win the World Cup this year?"
"Of course, it will be the Irish team," Kyle answered without hesitation.
"No," Charlie shook his head. "I think it will be Bulgaria. They've filled the last piece of their puzzle this year with the genius Seeker, Viktor Krum. They're bound to challenge for the championship."
"Ha, only you Seekers would support Bulgaria." Kyle was blunt in his dismissal. "Quidditch is a game of seven players. While a genius Seeker is important, the Chasers are the true core of the team."
"Oh?" Charlie straightened up. "How so?"
"It's simple. You only noticed Bulgaria gaining Krum but overlooked the fact that they benched an experienced Chaser. The reason given by the Daily Prophet—that he's too old to coordinate well with Krum—is laughable. A Chaser only needs to focus on scoring. How could he possibly use a Bludger to knock the Snitch into Krum's hands?"
Kyle snorted derisively. "Mark my words, they'll be rubbed into the ground during the match unless Krum can catch the Snitch before falling one hundred and fifty points behind. Only then does Bulgaria have a chance to win."
Fred and George nodded vigorously in agreement, sharing Kyle's opinion.
Especially after their previous match against Hufflepuff, they had come to deeply understand the importance of Chaser scoring.
If the point difference was too large, it didn't matter how good the Seeker was; they might delay the match at best, but if their skills weren't up to par, even delaying would be futile.
"No, I stand by my belief that Bulgaria will emerge victorious." Charlie shook his head. "Ivanova is also a formidable Chaser, and so is Dimitrov. Despite his youth, he has already shown promise on the international stage, a genius player like Krum."
"You must be talking about that Dimitrov who got the Quaffle snatched away from him three times in a row by Moran during the tour," Kyle said with a mocking smile.
Charlie's face turned slightly red, but he stubbornly persisted, insisting that only the Bulgarian team could claim the ultimate championship.
However, faced with a three-to-one disadvantage, Charlie found himself at a significant disadvantage and simply carried the still-snoring Bill back to their dormitory.
Bill's long ponytail dragged on the ground, inadvertently helping to sweep the room.
"You stupid Seeker." After Charlie left, Fred and George immediately broke into victorious smiles and gave each other a high-five.
They didn't follow Charlie back.
The main reason was that Percy was on leave. He had been holed up in his room since morning, working on a report about crucible leakage and forbidding them from making the slightest noise.
It had only been a few hours since they woke up, and they had already been scolded several times. It was far more peaceful to stay here than deal with Percy's nagging.
...
(End of Chapter)
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