The next morning, the Quidditch pitch was bustling with excitement again. The entire school, students and faculty alike, had gathered once more. Even though snowflakes were still drifting down, making everyone shiver from the cold, it couldn't dampen their enthusiasm for the match.
Gryffindor had once again pulled out a huge banner in the stands. On it, a golden and red lion roared proudly. And in the stands opposite, not a single Hufflepuff was missing; all were present. Everyone held a flag with the Hufflepuff crest. From a distance, it looked like a wave of earthy yellow.
Professor Sprout was sitting in the front row of the stands, her eyes fixed on the players' entrance tunnel without blinking. When she saw Ciel walk out of the tunnel, holding his Nimbus 2000 and wearing the uniform with the Beater's insignia, Professor Sprout's eyes instantly turned red. Her thoughts seemed to fly back to the time she attended school with her younger brother. Back then, she had watched her brother's first match from the stands just like this.
Now, her brother was gone. But her nephew stood on this very pitch. Countless memories of the past surfaced in her mind. In the blink of an eye, tears streamed down Professor Sprout's face.
Just then, a loud whistle cut through the din of the crowd. A flurry of brooms immediately took to the sky.
The commentators were once again Lee Jordan and Professor McGonagall. Since it wasn't Gryffindor versus Slytherin, Lee Jordan's commentary had less of an edge, and he dutifully analyzed the formations of both teams.
"Gryffindor is still using their signature triangular attack formation. The three Chaser girls work together seamlessly; they can get past anyone on the pitch! The Weasley twins, their pranking skills are unstoppable, and they are equally outstanding as Beaters. Wood, Gryffindor's most solid bulwark. And our new Seeker, Harry, is roaming outside the formation, looking for the Golden Snitch. His movements are very aggressive. In the last match, I think everyone saw Harry's strength. He has the potential to find the Golden Snitch quickly and end the match."
"On the Hufflepuff side, however..." Lee Jordan's voice wavered with hesitation. "I've never seen such a formation. It seems they have formed a tight-knit formation with Ciel at its core? Even their Seeker, Cedric, hasn't broken away from the formation. Hufflepuff's tactics are unprecedented. A lineup centered around a Beater? Can this... can this work?"
Before he could finish his introduction, a sudden change occurred on the pitch. Harry, riding his Nimbus 2000, flew out like an arrow, as if he had found something. The entire stadium held its breath.
Only Lee Jordan's voice rose in a high-pitched cry. "Harry! He's spotted the Golden Snitch! Merlin's beard, he's flying faster and more decisively than in the first match. Is he about to get the Golden Snitch? The match has been going for less than a minute, is it already over?"
But in the next second, Hufflepuff's formation moved. Not to chase the Golden Snitch, but towards the Bludgers. Compared to the ever-evasive Golden Snitch, the Bludgers were already quite fond of the players. Finding them was no difficulty at all.
This scene left everyone baffled. What on earth were the little badgers of Hufflepuff doing?
Then, Ciel was seen flying straight towards a Bludger. The bat in his hand became a blur in that instant. In a flash, the Bludger blurred. A sound like a cannon firing echoed throughout the stadium.
And Harry, who was closing in on the Golden Snitch, abruptly stopped his broom. That Bludger was flying towards the airspace in front of him at an unimaginable speed. If Harry had been single-mindedly focused on getting the Snitch, he would have been knocked down by this Bludger for sure! And just feeling it from a distance, Harry's face turned pale. What was the difference between being hit by this and being hit by a cannonball?
Forced to, Harry could only control his Nimbus 2000 to slow down. This also suddenly increased the distance between him and the Golden Snitch.
"Damn it!" Harry roared in frustration. If he hadn't been interrupted, he was confident he could have caught the Golden Snitch within thirty seconds. But now, that was probably impossible.
And then, the other Gryffindor players let out a cry of surprise. The reason was simple. There were two Bludgers in every match. Just as that Bludger flew out, interrupting Harry's rhythm of searching for the Golden Snitch, Hufflepuff's formation was approaching the next Bludger.
Ciel swung his bat again. This Bludger flew in an arc towards the Gryffindor goalposts. This forced Gryffindor's defensive formation to scatter. And in the opening that appeared at that moment, Hufflepuff's Chaser, with the Quaffle, drove straight through. With almost no obstruction, he threw the Quaffle into Gryffindor's goal.
"Ten to zero. Hufflepuff scores!"
Everyone was stunned by what they had just seen. The Gryffindor players opposite had cold sweat on their foreheads. Wood's expression was pale. In this situation, it was impossible to defend. At this rate, the score difference would quickly widen. Once it exceeded one hundred and fifty points, even if Harry caught the Golden Snitch, they couldn't turn the tables.
The three Chaser girls—Katie, Angelina, and Alicia—bit their lips. "We can't defend. Then let's attack. We fly better than the Hufflepuff Chasers. Their Keeper is also average. We used to be able to easily break through their defense. As long as we can score too, the score difference won't widen too quickly, and there will still be time for Harry to catch the Snitch."
Then, the three Gryffindor Chaser girls flew out in a triangular formation. They passed the Quaffle to each other, trying to get around Hufflepuff's defense. In the past, this tactic could easily make the clumsy little badgers run in circles. But now, Ciel only needed to swing his bat. Using the Bludger, he easily broke their coordinated rhythm.
The little badgers flew out in sync. They took this opportunity to snatch the Quaffle. Then came a defensive counterattack.
"Twenty to zero. Hufflepuff scores!"
Seeing this, Harry's heart grew heavy. He knew he had to do something. He had to step up.
Thoughts flashed through his mind. Cedric flew well, but his broom was too poor, far inferior to his Nimbus 2000. Using the advantage of his broom's performance, he could, while Ciel was coordinating Hufflepuff's offense and defense, or during the gap when Hufflepuff was hitting the Bludger, quickly catch the Golden Snitch and still win.
Harry waited patiently. When Ciel next swung his bat, hitting out a Bludger, his eyes lit up. "There's a chance!"
But the next moment, Harry's heart sank to the bottom. Because Hufflepuff's Keeper and Cedric flew out together. Hufflepuff's Keeper had been staring at him intently. When an opening appeared on Ciel's side, Hufflepuff's Keeper would use his body, in coordination with Cedric, to block Harry's flight path.
This made Harry feel like a tied-up crab. He couldn't perform at all. Sometimes, even the Chasers would leave their positions to block his flight path.
A strong sense of powerlessness welled up in Harry's heart. He felt like he wasn't competing against Cedric, the Seeker. But against the entire Hufflepuff team. This team, apart from Ciel and Cedric, had flying skills that were nothing to fear. The Gryffindor players could crush the little badgers. But now, Ciel and the little badgers were like a single unit. They were completely dominating Gryffindor on the pitch.
Individual heroism? Hufflepuff didn't play that game. Unity was Hufflepuff's unfailing magic weapon for victory!
"Thirty to zero. Forty to zero..."
Lee Jordan's voice was trembling. "I've never seen a match like this. Merlin's beard, Gryffindor is completely powerless against Hufflepuff! It's already one hundred and fifty to zero!"
At this time, Harry was also trembling. The shadow of defeat had already fallen. He understood. Even if he caught the Golden Snitch in this match, he couldn't turn the tide. His only hope now was to catch it quickly. At least the score difference wouldn't be too large, and the loss wouldn't be too embarrassing.
Just then, a flash of gold appeared in the corner of his eye. Harry clenched his fist and immediately accelerated.
But the next moment, he saw a scene that made him despair. The Hufflepuff team members all scattered. Ciel took the lead. Although it was a foul for anyone other than the Seeker to catch the Golden Snitch, obstructing and sectioning off the Snitch's space was not against the rules.
Ciel directly blocked the Golden Snitch. At this time, one after another, the little badgers also flew over. They almost completely surrounded the Golden Snitch, making it seem to be confused, not knowing where to fly. Then, Cedric casually reached out his hand and caught the Golden Snitch.
"Three hundred to zero! Hufflepuff wins!"
An unprecedented huge score difference. It made the entire Gryffindor team look pale, as if shrouded in a nightmare.
Harry landed his broom without a word. The smugness he felt before the match was completely gone. He now wished he could find a crack in the ground to hide in, so he could forget this match that could be called a massacre.
Just then, Ciel did something surprising. He rode his Nimbus 2000, flew past the Hufflepuff stands, and paused for a moment in front of Professor Sprout. He pointed to the tower in the distance. Then he flew straight towards it. He circled the tower, raised his bat, and flew three laps.
No one knew what this gesture meant. Even the Hufflepuff team members were bewildered. Harry's expression darkened for a moment. His hand clenched tightly. Wasn't that the library tower? Ciel and they had met there that day. They hadn't been nice to Ciel. Ron had even muttered about him behind his back. Was this action now a show of his victory? Or was it mockery?
But at this time, in the stands, Professor Sprout's eyes suddenly turned red. Large tears rolled down. While Lee Jordan was still bewildered, not knowing what to announce, Professor McGonagall beside him, as if remembering something, her voice became choked.
"I remember now. This is the signature victory celebration of a former Hufflepuff Beater. Every time he won a match, he would fly three laps around the library tower. This way, his sister, who was obsessed with Herbology and couldn't come to watch his matches, would know the result. That Beater's name was... Robin Sprout."
At this moment, the entire stadium fell silent for a moment. Everyone understood. Ciel was imitating his father's former victory celebration. And this gesture was for Professor Sprout to see.
The next second, Cedric rode his broom and soared into the air. The other team members followed closely behind. They followed Ciel. Circling the tower. Lap after lap.
Seeing this scene, Harry felt as if his heart had been struck heavily. The slight dark thoughts that had just emerged immediately vanished, replaced by an overwhelming sense of shame.
"I... perhaps I should apologize to Ciel."
But until he left the pitch, Harry couldn't find the opportunity. Because after the match ended, Ciel left the pitch in a hurry, as if he had something important waiting for him.
At this time, Ciel, who had just won a Quidditch match, had no mind to enjoy the joy of victory. Instead, he walked with hurried steps to the greenhouse and went straight to the Piranha Algae.
After the last time he had cared for the Piranha Algae last night, those reward orbs were almost ready for harvest. But Ciel wanted to wait for them to reach their most perfect state. And now, one by one, full orbs of light came into his view.
His eyes suddenly burst with a fervent brilliance. "It's time to harvest the Piranha Algae!"
[Chapter Complete]
***
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