Chapter 640: We Should Be Thanking Her
Chapter 640: We Should Be Thanking Her
The first Quidditch match in over a year, coupled with the school's new brooms, was a double surprise that kept everyone buzzing with excitement even after breakfast had ended.
Kyle and the others made their way out of the castle, crossing the frosted grass that crunched under their feet as they hurried towards the Quidditch pitch.
In less than five minutes, more and more people arrived at the pitch, and the stands soon filled with a sea of black. Even standing there, one could feel the enthusiasm radiating from the crowd.
"I wonder who will win this time," Mickel said excitedly, looking at the empty pitch. "I hope it's Gryffindor, but if Slytherin wins, it would actually be better for us."
With Hufflepuff's new team members, their overall strength had decreased somewhat. Although they were confident that Kyle and Cedric could make up for the gap, Harry's Firebolt was an undeniable huge threat.
From the perspective of a friend and DA partner, Mickel naturally wanted Gryffindor to win. But standing from the team's point of view, he didn't want to see Gryffindor rack up too many points.
Mickel had been torn about this for several days.
"I'm not sure either, but Gryffindor does have a higher chance," Cedric said.
"Slytherin has two new Beaters, but aside from their strength, they know next to nothing about Quidditch," he added.
"Who are they?" Mickel asked.
"Crabbe and Goyle," Cedric replied.
"Those two gorillas?" Mickel exclaimed. "Can they even tell the difference between a Bludger and a Quaffle?"
"Who knows," Cedric shook his head. "But when I went to request pitch usage the other day, I saw them practicing on their brooms...and they couldn't even manage the most basic turns."
"Tsk," Mickel clicked his tongue. "What was Montague thinking? If Quidditch were an aerial wrestling match, they'd be guaranteed winners."
"That's not entirely impossible," Kyle said, glancing at the Slytherin stands across the pitch, a sea of green and silver. "We'll have to be careful out there. If they crash into us recklessly, we might just be forced to retire from the game."
"Intentionally crashing into people..." Cedric frowned. "Surely Montague wouldn't be that shameless."
"Are you sure?" Kyle said. "Then why recruit two players who are only good for their size but completely clueless about Quidditch?"
Cedric fell silent for a moment.
"Alright, forget I said anything," he conceded.
"It's starting!" someone suddenly shouted, drawing everyone's attention back to the pitch below.
From their position in the Hufflepuff stands, they could clearly see the Gryffindor team emerging from the locker room.
Umbridge stood by the entrance, making sure everyone could see her as she handed out the new brooms.
Angelina, Fred, and George had all received theirs—they were still using the old Cleansweep Five, which was far inferior to the Cleansweep Eleven.
Fred and George wore sincere smiles as they expressed their gratitude to Umbridge, their voices carrying across the pitch. It seemed they were showering her with praise.
Umbridge, who had originally intended to make things difficult for them, was now bewildered by their flattery and had already handed over the brooms.
However, Harry hadn't bothered to collect a new broom from her. He didn't even spare her a glance as he walked past.
His Firebolt was far superior to the Cleansweep Eleven, so he had no need for a replacement.
The same was true for Slytherin—their Nimbus 2001 brooms, though a few years old, were still high-end products from the Nimbus line, outperforming the Cleansweep Eleven.
Madam Hooch blew her whistle sharply to signal the start of the game. The Snitch was released into the air, and the players soared into the sky, eliciting another round of deafening cheers from the stands.
"Johnson, Angelina Johnson has the Quaffle! With her new broom, she's like an eagle..."
From the commentator's booth, Lee Jordan shouted excitedly, "What a fantastic girl! I've been asking her out for years, but she won't go out with me..."
"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall's voice suddenly rang out, audible to everyone.
"Just joking, Professor..." Lee Jordan said with a laugh, "She dodges Montague, a beautiful sloth grip on the tree... Oh, that was close! She almost got hit by a Bludger there. Good thing her new broom, the Cleansweep Eleven, has excellent flexibility that allowed her to dodge that attack. The Cleansweep Five wouldn't have cut it..."
In the stands, everyone supporting Gryffindor heaved a sigh of relief for Angelina.
"This is going to be troublesome."
In the Hufflepuff stands, Mickel frowned with concern. "Gryffindor is already a formidable opponent, and now with these superior brooms, it's going to be even harder for us."
Cedric, listening to the surrounding discussions, suddenly furrowed his brows.
"What's wrong?" Kyle asked. "Are you worried about this too?"
"Oh, it's not that..." Cedric shook his head. "In fact, the new brooms give us an advantage. After all, aside from your Firebolt, the rest of our team's brooms are outclassed by the Cleansweep Eleven, including my own Cleansweep 1700."
"So, in this regard, Gryffindor doesn't really have an edge. It's actually Slytherin who might be the most unhappy about this."
"Then why did you suddenly get so serious?" Kyle asked.
"I was thinking of something else," Cedric said in a lowered voice. "You might not have noticed, but when Harry walked past Umbridge just now, she didn't look too pleased."
"You think she might force everyone to use the new brooms...?" Cedric continued. "It wouldn't affect us, but your broom is a Firebolt."
"So what?" Kyle smiled at Cedric's concern. "Don't forget, Harry's broom is also a Firebolt, and he's the Seeker. With everyone else using Cleansweeps, our advantage is even greater."
"But what about Slytherin and Ravenclaw?" Cedric asked. "They don't have Firebolts."
"When I was using the Cleansweep 2000, I didn't say anything either," Kyle pointed out. "And... what about you? With your broom on par with theirs, don't tell me you'd lose to Malfoy and... Oh, and Cho."
"Of course," Kyle added, his voice carrying extra weight as if reminding Cedric of something, "as long as certain people don't deliberately throw the game."
"I would never lose to them," Cedric said loudly, drawing the attention of those around him.
Fortunately, Angelina scored a goal just then, shifting everyone's focus back to the game.
"I take Quidditch seriously," Cedric glared at Kyle, "and Cho wouldn't let me throw the game either."
"Then what are you worried about?" Kyle smiled. "If Umbridge does that, she'd be helping us get rid of the biggest obstacle on our way to the championship. We'd have to thank her for that."
...
(End of Chapter)
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