Chapter 65: New Broomstick, Firebolt 2000?
Chapter 65: New Broomstick, Firebolt 2000?
The following evening, the Hufflepuff players held a small party in their common room to celebrate Cedric's discharge from the hospital wing.
Cedric's recovery was undoubtedly excellent news for the team, and Captain Harris even managed to get some butterbeer from Hogsmeade to enjoy with the others.
It was mainly because he wanted to drink it himself.
As the team captain, Harris was under immense pressure. After the first round of matches, he was so stressed that he was losing hair by the handful.
Their opponents were too strong.
Gryffindor had the highest-quality players with almost no weaknesses.
Slytherin was well-equipped and didn't play fair.
Ravenclaw had seven players...
For Hufflepuff, Cedric, the talented Seeker, was their only hope for winning the championship.
Harris raised his butterbeer and clinked glasses with Cedric, saying, "Don't worry, this situation won't happen again.
I plan to assign a Beater specifically to protect you. Next time, if the Slytherin players dare to target you again, that thick bat will smash into their faces first."
Cedric frowned, not entirely agreeing with his plan.
With only two Beaters, if one was assigned to protect him, the Chasers would lose their offensive advantage. If the opposing team gained a significant lead, even catching the Golden Snitch wouldn't help.
It didn't seem like a good idea no matter how he thought about it.
Cedric shared his thoughts with Harris.
"You don't need to worry about that," Harris said after some thought. "This is just a preliminary plan. We can gradually improve it during the practice matches."
Cedric tried to persuade Harris to abandon this idea several times, but to no avail.
No matter how compelling his reasons were, Harris would always respond with, "We'll talk about it after the practice matches."
Realizing that he couldn't change Harris's mind, Cedric stopped arguing.
They would discuss it again after the practice matches.
Kyle also attended the party, but as he wasn't part of the team, he didn't need to worry about such matters and could focus on enjoying the food.
He wanted to try butterbeer, but as soon as he reached out, a senior student stopped him.
The reason given was that wizards below the fifth year were not allowed to drink alcohol.
Kyle felt a bit disappointed, but there was nothing he could do. Not only him, but even Cedric, the star of the party, was drinking pumpkin juice.
After the party, everyone returned to their respective dormitories.
The following days proceeded as usual.
Kyle, like the other young wizards, went to classes, ate meals, and did homework in the library, as if nothing had happened.
Even Fred and George Weasley from Gryffindor had calmed down significantly, only losing ten points in a few days.
Professor McGonagall was greatly relieved, and her attitude towards them became less strict than before.
This situation continued until mid-November when the second Quidditch match began.
It was a weekend, and in the morning, a piece of gossip suddenly spread throughout Hogwarts.
"Have you heard? Gryffindor's team has a new broom."
In the Great Hall, a Slytherin first-year was sharing the news he had just heard with others.
"A new broom?" Severn Rozier, the Slytherin team captain and a seventh-year student, heard the news and his expression turned gloomy.
Slytherin was about to play against Gryffindor in the afternoon, and the news of a new broomstick was not a good sign.
But there was more. The person continued, "I heard it's not just any broomstick, but the Firebolt 2000, which isn't even on the market yet."
"Firebolt 2000?!"
Someone exclaimed, "That's impossible. My uncle works in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and even he can't get his hands on a Firebolt 2000. How can those Gryffindors have it?"
Another person joined in, "I heard Bill Weasley got it from Egypt. Apparently, he did a big favor for the Firebolt company."
"Damn Weasley."
Someone angrily slammed the table, "What about the match this afternoon? The Firebolt 2000's performance must be much better than our Firebolt 1700."
The Slytherin student who had spoken earlier stood up and said, "I'm going to write to my uncle right now and see if he can get me a Firebolt 2000 too."
"Will it be in time?"
"It should be."
...
69 Book Bar
In the Great Hall, the Slytherin team members heard these words and their faces turned gloomy, unable to continue their meals.
Severn Rozier flipped the plate in front of him and exclaimed, "Damn it! Why does this have to happen now?"
Slytherin and Gryffindor were old rivals, and he couldn't bear the thought of losing to them in the match.
"Don't panic. We're not sure if this information is even true." Someone analyzed calmly, "The Firebolt 2000 isn't a toy. It's not something they can just give away. This news came too suddenly; it's probably a ploy to confuse us, a made-up story..."
"Oooohhhh..."
Suddenly, exclamations filled the Great Hall.
"Look, what's that?!"
As if to spite him, just as he finished speaking, six long-eared owls carrying a long package flew in and landed on the Gryffindor table.
From its appearance, it was almost certainly a flying broomstick.
Due to the tight wrapping, they could clearly see that the broomstick's tail was slightly longer than the Firebolt 1700, and its shape was different from any model on the market.
The Weasley twins were holding the package, excitedly chatting with others.
Although they couldn't hear what they were saying due to the distance, it was clear that the group was extremely excited.
Especially the Quidditch players, who kept glancing their way with strange expressions.
Rozier felt like they were mocking him, and just as he was about to flip a plate in frustration, he realized that his table was already empty.
So, he flipped a plate belonging to a nearby first-year student.
"Everyone, go and find out more about this." Rozier said through gritted teeth, "No matter what, we must figure out if that thing is indeed the Firebolt 2000."
"What if it is?" someone asked.
"Then write home and get one too!" Rozier roared. "Don't just stand there, go!"
Slytherin's players left, and the other students, seeing this, also left the Great Hall.
Rozier was still fuming, and they didn't want to stay and risk his bad luck rubbing off on them.
...
(End of Chapter)
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