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Chapter 730: Dumbledore: It Must Be Sniffles
Chapter 730: Dumbledore: It Must Be Sniffles
Saturday marked the first Quidditch match of the new school year.
In the morning, the Hufflepuff table was almost a sea of yellow, while the Gryffindor side was a brilliant scarlet.
The tension between the two houses, which had been building up for a week, was about to reach its climax.
"I thought you wouldn't be playing in this match," Mikael said, handing Kyle a cup of pumpkin juice. "When I saw your name on the roster, I knew we were going to win for sure."
"It's a bit too early to say that," Kyle replied, taking a sip of the juice. "It's better to stay humble. What if we lose? It would be embarrassing."
"I don't think so," Mikael said dismissively.
"How are you feeling? Are you ready?" Autumn also came over to encourage Kyle.
"I'm good," Kyle said with a smile. "Harry and I joined the team in the same year, so we're old rivals by now. I don't think I'll lose to him this time."
Connie, sitting next to him, turned to look at him. She had just told Mikael to stay humble, but now it was her turn, and she didn't hold back at all.
Of course, everyone in Hufflepuff, including herself, thought the same way.
"That's good," Autumn said. "But you still need to be careful of Harry's Firebolt. I don't think our new Seeker can match Cedric."
"Don't worry, Grace has a plan," Kyle said. "And our new Seeker is not much worse than him. I know Cedric's looks are a bonus, but you can't always rely on personal feelings."
A knowing laugh spread among the group.
"Well, I'll be watching," Autumn said, her face slightly red as she glared at Kyle before turning away.
"I wish she would get angry and punch you," Connie said with a smile.
"It's okay, I can punch Cedric later if I want to," Kyle said, taking a bite of his toast.
...
"It's time to go," Grace said ten minutes later, standing up.
The group left the Great Hall and headed towards the Quidditch pitch.
The weather outside was pleasant, still a bit cold, but much better than a week ago.
They reached the changing room and changed into their Quidditch robes.
"The conditions are in our favor," Grace said. "The most experienced Katie Bell is still at St. Mungo's, and Gryffindor had to replace a Chaser."
"Who is it?" Mikael asked.
"Dean Thomas."
"Who?"
"Potter's classmate."
"Oh, a sixth-year student," Mikael said, immediately relieved.
Usually, the younger the player, the more talented they were. For example, Harry had been an exceptional case, joining the team in his first year.
Sixth-year newcomers were typically those who hadn't made the team in previous years and were chosen this year due to their physical advantages.
There were exceptions, but most cases followed this pattern.
As for Dean Thomas, Mikael had barely heard of him.
"Alright, this is our first match. Don't underestimate them," Grace said. "The match starts in five minutes. You'd better hurry and put on your boots."
They stepped onto the pitch, filled with spectators, and the announcer's voice immediately boomed, "And they're off!" This was the new announcer, Zacharias Smith, who had replaced Lee Jordan after his graduation.
"Surprisingly, I see Ron Weasley is playing. I thought after his poor performance last semester, he wouldn't make the team again... Oh, right, his close relationship with the captain certainly helped him."
A mocking laugh erupted from the Slytherin side, and within the first minute, they had already approved of the new announcer.
Harry seemed annoyed, but he didn't have time to deal with this now.
"Grace has the Quaffle, what a charming girl... Kyle's flying over, he's open, this is a great opportunity, just pass to..."
"Oh my, she didn't pass to Kyle, she passed to Thomas... Wait!"
Zacharias Smith suddenly shrieked, "What an unexpected tactic! Kyle is not a Chaser, he's the Seeker!"
In fact, many had already noticed this. Since the start of the match, Kyle hadn't glanced at the Quaffle once, instead flying to the highest point... a move only a Seeker would make.
They needed a wider view to search for the Golden Snitch!
In the stands, Autumn watched the pitch in shock and couldn't help but turn to ask, "Why didn't you tell me Kyle is playing as a Seeker?"
"I thought you would've guessed it just now." Connie smiled.
Autumn then remembered what Kyle had said in the Great Hall earlier.
But this was hardly a reminder. After all, during Hufflepuff's practice, their Seeker was clearly someone else. No matter how much she tried, she would never have guessed that they would directly change players during the match!
"This is the advantage of having a substitute." Connie explained, "He can freely switch positions."
"Did you know this beforehand?" Autumn asked.
"No, I just found out yesterday." Connie said, "This was their strategy discussed last night."
"I have to say, this tactic was too successful." Autumn couldn't help but exclaim, "Hufflepuff gave everyone a pleasant surprise!"
Indeed, as she said, the moment the audience learned that Kyle was substituting as a Seeker, the stands erupted in excitement.
Everyone knew that the only counter to a Firebolt was another Firebolt, and now Hufflepuff's only weakness had been addressed.
As for Kyle's Seeker skills... it seemed no one was concerned about that.
"Bang!"
Just as the cheers on-pitch excitement reached their peak, in a tower not far away, Snape pushed open the oak door of the Headmaster's Office and stormed in, his face red with anger.
He slammed a cup on the table.
Dumbledore, who was watching the match through the window, was startled and turned to see Snape, his face flushed with rage.
It was rare to see Snape in such a state.
"Severus, what's wrong?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"Look for yourself!" Snape pointed to his cup, which still had half a cup of tea and five or six round, grayish-brown balls.
As soon as Dumbledore approached, he caught a whiff of a pungent smell.
"Oh, Severus, are you recommending a new potion tea to me?" Dumbledore took a step back and said seriously, "Thank you for your kind offer, but I'm getting old and might not be able to handle this flavor... You might as well keep it for yourself."
"Please, the great Headmaster Dumbledore, take a closer look at what this is..." Snape said coldly.
"Oh?" Dumbledore reluctantly walked over and squinted, examining it.
"It looks familiar... Isn't this the fertilizer Pomona makes? I use it for my Crabclaw Orchid, and it works wonderfully.
"But Pomona didn't tell me this could be used to brew tea."
"Of course not." Snape narrowed his eyes, "Obviously, a student secretly threw them into my cup, and I'm sure..."
Snape turned towards the window, looking at the lively Quidditch match outside, and said with certainty, "Whoever did this is among them."
"Perhaps you're overthinking it, Severus." Dumbledore said, and with a slight movement of his finger, a brown tuft of fur floated out of the cup.
The fur was very fine, almost like a hair strand, and one might not notice it without careful observation.
"What is this? Whose hair is this?" Snape thought back to those with brown hair at Hogwarts.
"No, Severus, this isn't hair. It belongs to a very peculiar creature." Dumbledore said, "I can tell it's a Sniffles' fur."
"Sniffles?" Snape furrowed his brows.
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"Indeed, it's Sniffles' fur, I'm sure of it." Dumbledore said, "To chase after anything shiny, they can squeeze through almost any gap, even if the gap is narrower than this tuft of fur."
"It seems a little one has escaped from the Forbidden Forest." He glanced at Snape, "And I guess you must have unknowingly taken out something shiny, which caught its attention, and it followed you all the way to the office."
"I don't have such foolish things as you mentioned." Snape said expressionlessly.
"Not necessarily." Dumbledore shook his head, "Coins, glass bottles, or knives used for potion-making, are all their targets."
Snape took two steps forward.
"So, you're saying a Sniffles from the Forbidden Forest entered my office, took nothing, and just threw a handful of fertilizer into my cup? Quite a story. Do you believe it?"
"It's not impossible." Dumbledore's expression remained unchanged, and he calmly said, "I happen to know someone who understands Sniffles very well and won't deceive you."
"Hmph..." Snape was amused and angry, then stared at Dumbledore without saying a word.
Under his gaze, Dumbledore's eyes showed no change at all, "And Severus, this is a good thing."
"You call this a good thing?" Snape asked, dragging out the word.
"Of course." Dumbledore explained, "Sniffles won't visit a place twice if there's no reward, so you can rest assured and focus on your tasks from now on."
Snape's expression changed slightly.
"You mean..."
"I was just discussing Sniffles with you." Dumbledore smiled and walked to the window, looking outside, "What an exciting match, I should have gone to watch it in person. But it's not bad here either."
"Want to join me, Severus? This spot is really great."
Snape didn't respond and left without a word.
"You forgot something." Dumbledore reminded him from behind, but Snape ignored him and walked out the door.
"How careless..." Dumbledore waved his wand, and the water cup on the table instantly disappeared. Then, a silver object resembling a spray bottle on the table emitted a large mist, dispelling the lingering scent in the room.
Meanwhile, on the Quidditch pitch.
As Grace had thought, the Gryffindor team was no match for Hufflepuff, and the outcome was decided within twenty minutes.
However, the problem wasn't Ron Weasley or substitute Chaser Dean Thomas, as she had mentioned earlier. In fact, their performance was commendable and not too bad.
The main issue was with the two new Beaters.
Gryffindor's Perks, either due to excessive nervousness or some other reason, intended to block Kyle's Bludger but ended up hitting Harry directly.
Harry, who was chasing the Golden Snitch, was caught off guard by his teammate and was hit hard by the Bludger, nearly falling off his broom.
Taking advantage of Harry's momentary adjustment, Kyle accelerated and grabbed the Golden Snitch in front of him.
As Madam Hooch blew the whistle to end the match, Perks quickly flew to Harry's side.
"I'm sorry!" he repeatedly apologized, "It wasn't intentional. It was that McLaggen, he shouted behind me, and I missed."
Harry covered his arm, wanting to scold him loudly. If it were before, he would have done so, but remembering his role as captain, he sighed helplessly and said nothing.
Ginny said something beside him, but her voice was drowned out by the surrounding cheers.
...
"I knew we would win!" In the Hufflepuff changing room, Mikael exclaimed excitedly, "Those two new Beaters were far worse than Fred and George.
"It was so easy. Their intentions were as transparent as the frozen Black Lake in winter."
"I agree." Another Chaser laughed, "Today's Bludger was especially easy to dodge."
Kyle shared the same sentiment.
Although he hadn't been a Seeker before, he often received special attention from Fred and George. As twins, their coordination was impeccable, and the Bludger would fly in all sorts of tricky directions, making it difficult to defend against.
This forced Kyle to be extra vigilant during matches, constantly monitoring the Bludger's movements.
However, the Beaters this year were not twins and had limited coordination. The Bludgers flew straight and were easy to dodge, reducing the difficulty by more than one level.
It was a dull experience.
Finally, a chance to be a Seeker, and the anticipated chase and battle of wits never materialized. Instead, he caught the Golden Snitch in a daze...
Boring.
"Ryan said that to celebrate our victory in the first match, they're holding a banquet in the Common Room." Mikael said excitedly, "Let's go, I need some Butterbeer to celebrate."
"Butterbeer?" The Keeper, Vanni, was surprised, "Aren't we not allowed to go to Hogsmeade? Where did they get Butterbeer?"
"The house-elves bought it." Mikael smiled, "This is usually not allowed, but since we're neighbors and in our seventh year... we should have some privileges."
"Then let's go." The group changed into their clothes and headed towards the castle with excitement.
Kyle stayed behind, and soon Connie arrived. She looked happy but didn't show excessive excitement, as if she had expected Hufflepuff's victory.
"Autumn doesn't seem very happy." Connie said, "She also told me to warn you to be careful in the next match."
"That's like saying I'm afraid of her." Kyle waved his hand dismissively.
Not even possessing a Firebolt... not worthy of his attention.
The two of them walked through the crowded people, across the pitch, and back to the castle. Many people cheered and congratulated him, and Kyle responded to each one.
...
"Look, who's that?" As they reached the Entrance Hall, Connie suddenly tugged at Kyle's robe and pointed to someone walking upstairs in the distance.
"Malfoy? That's rare." Kyle muttered, "Not only did he not go to the match, but he's alone outside the Great Hall."
Connie stared at Kyle and blinked.
"Don't look at me like that." Kyle said, "I promised I wouldn't go after him, and I keep my word."
...
(End of Chapter)
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