Chapter 99: A Resounding Victory
Chapter 99: A Resounding Victory
"I hate this weather!" Albert exclaimed, removing his winter cloak and putting on the Quidditch robes Charlie handed him.
Fred and George were already prepared, holding hands and spinning around each other to showcase their outfits.
"You look great," Erin said with a smile. "You'll be using Marc's Cleansweep Six, the fastest broomstick among us."
"Take care of my broomstick, and make sure you catch the Golden Snitch," Marc said, patting Albert's shoulder. He handed over his Cleansweep Six to Albert.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely catch it," Albert assured them, glancing at the task board when no one was looking. As expected, a new task had appeared.
Belated Victory This Quidditch match has been going on for a long time. Catch the Golden Snitch and win the game for Gryffindor.
Reward: 500 experience points.
"Here are your goggles," Charlie instructed. "Once the game resumes, Albert, you'll fly up high to search for the Golden Snitch. Ignore the others, and be careful not to get attacked. Fred, George, you two protect him so we can end this game quickly. I don't want this match to drag on until evening."
"You have that much faith in me?" Albert felt a sudden pressure as he realized he was carrying the expectations of his teammates.
"Of course, what else could we do?" Charlie said matter-of-factly. "Besides, we all believe that you will catch the Golden Snitch."
"That makes sense," Albert agreed. He picked up his wand from his cloak and cast the Water-Repelling Charm on his goggles before putting them on. Then, he followed the others out.
Without an umbrella, the cold rain soaked through Albert's clothes, chilling him to the bone.
"Incredible! Half of the reserve players for Gryffindor are first-year students. Have they given up on the game? Or is this Gryffindor's secret weapon?" the commentator exclaimed as the Gryffindor team took the field.
Not just the commentator, but even the Gryffindor supporters were perplexed. Usually, older students flew better than newcomers. Could it be that they really had a secret weapon?
From the perspective of the Slytherin supporters, it seemed that Gryffindor couldn't find any other substitute players and had to resort to filling the team with newcomers.
Standing on the pitch, Albert listened to the cheers from the crowd. Instead of feeling nervous about being the center of attention, he felt his blood boiling with excitement.
This was a completely different feeling from when he had been a spectator in the stands.
Albert paid no attention to what Madam Hooch was saying. As soon as the whistle blew, he mounted his broomstick and flew into the air.
Once he reached mid-air, Albert realized his vision was blurry, making it difficult to even spot his teammates, let alone find the Golden Snitch in the rain.
The Slytherin Seeker was nearby, but they didn't rush at him with any intention of fighting.
Their eyes met, and they merely nodded at each other without any further reaction. It seemed that not everyone on the Slytherin team was violent after all.
Both sides patiently waited for an opportunity, searching for the Golden Snitch while keeping an eye on each other.
Albert looked down, his gaze sweeping over the blurry red and green figures below. The spectators, on the other hand, hid under a sea of umbrellas.
"Watch out, don't get distracted!" George warned, swinging his bat to knock away a Bludger that was heading toward Albert. He then brandished his bat at the Slytherin Seeker in the distance but ultimately didn't attack.
At least this Slytherin Seeker seemed like a decent person, and George didn't have much experience with physical altercations during matches.
Time ticked by slowly, and Albert was freezing in the rain. However, as a hunter, he knew he needed to be patient, even if it meant searching for a long time without spotting the Golden Snitch.
Suddenly, a flash of gold caught Albert's eye near the Slytherin goal hoops. Albert, with his keen senses, immediately reacted, leaning forward on his broomstick and diving downward at an increased speed.
Was that the Snitch?
Albert couldn't be sure, but he had to take the chance. If he was right, Gryffindor would win; if he was wrong, there was little to lose.
With nothing to lose, he had to take that chance.
In that moment, Albert lay flat on his broom, pushing the Nimbus Six Thousand to its limit. As soon as he made his move, the Slytherin Seeker behind him reacted, swiftly jumping onto their broom and giving chase.
Below, the commentator shouted in surprise as Albert accelerated, "The young Gryffindor Seeker has sped up! Has he spotted the Snitch? The Slytherin Seeker is far behind now! Could Gryffindor be just minutes away from victory?"
"Look, the Slytherin Keeper is moving to intercept the Seeker, and two Chasers are joining in! The Gryffindor Seeker is in danger! Slytherin is resorting to underhanded tactics to prevent a Gryffindor win!"
However, Albert's situation was far more perilous than the commentator's words conveyed.
As the two Seekers crossed paths, Albert's body suddenly tilted to one side, barely dodging a punch thrown by the Slytherin Keeper. In that precise moment, Albert's elbow came up, connecting with the Keeper's chin as they sped by each other, knocking out a few of the Keeper's teeth with the force of the impact.
The two players narrowly missed each other in a heart-stopping moment, and Albert continued on his path forward. He had spotted the Snitch ahead, flying around the Slytherin goal hoops and toward the outer wall.
"It's the Snitch! By Merlin's beard, the young Seeker deftly avoided the Keeper's attack! Gryffindor's secret weapon indeed!"
Just as Albert was about to grasp the Snitch, a bat came swinging from the side, aiming to strike him. Hearing the whooshing sound behind him, Albert quickly reacted with a tactical move, performing a sloth roll to evade the bat.
The bat missed Albert and flew downward toward the audience, possibly hitting some unlucky spectator.
"I'm close, so close," Albert muttered to himself as he stretched out his arm. The moment his palm closed around the Snitch, he abruptly pulled up on his broom, ascending ninety degrees to avoid a collision with the audience.
"We won!"
Albert stared at the Snitch in his hand, a pleased smile forming on his lips. He had done it.
Suddenly, there was a commotion below.
The Slytherin players who had been pursuing Albert failed to brake in time and crashed into the audience, apparently knocking into someone.
As Albert lowered his altitude, he spotted a grim-faced Snape looking in his direction.
With a broad smile, Albert raised the Snitch in his hand, waving it at Snape, no, at the entire audience.
"He's caught it! Gryffindor's youngest Seeker has effortlessly caught the Snitch in just twelve minutes! Let's congratulate Gryffindor on their victory!" the commentator shouted.
After a brief pause, he added, "Who would've thought that Slytherin would ultimately lose to a first-year student? I hope their two players are alright; they seemed to have crashed quite painfully."
However, no one paid attention to the commentator's jabs as everyone cheered for Gryffindor's triumph.
As Albert landed, he felt someone bump into him—it was the Weasley brothers and the rest of the team, descending in an embrace.
Charlie and the others rushed out of the changing room, excitedly waving at them.
Before Albert could fully process what had happened, he found himself being lifted and tossed into the air by the group. To be honest, the feeling of being airborne was uncomfortable, but to Albert, it was a novel and exciting experience.
(End of Chapter)
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