💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎
🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch
⏰ Resets Monday!
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For Hogwarts Quidditch fans—regardless of house—this weekend was extremely important. Besides the scheduled Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff match, Saturday would also feature the Gryffindor and Slytherin rematch.
Dumbledore had been so busy lately he was barely seen once every five days, yet still attended the match at Professor McGonagall's insistence.
"Sometimes people must accept defeat," he sighed. "Sometimes, just a small deviation brings completely unexpected consequences. Fate, Minerva, always steers toward directions people can hardly predict."
Professor McGonagall said firmly, "Not defeat in this manner. Not because of a suddenly crazed broom. If you don't attend—if you don't approve the rematch—I'll have Wood talk to you. You should have seen Wood shouting at Severus and Madam Hooch. In all my years teaching, I've never seen a student so much like a dragon."
Dumbledore smiled tolerantly. "Very well, I'll go, Minerva. You know, even though I'm already an old man, I'd still like to preserve my hearing a while longer."
That day, Dumbledore attended in full regalia, sitting in the center of the stands' middle section. He wore bright purple robes, almost as formal as at the opening feast.
"I haven't watched Quidditch live in a very long time," he said cheerfully.
However, his hat was too large and tall, completely blocking Professor Flitwick seated behind him, forcing him to use magic to fold the tip down. The brim drooped limply. This made his formal attire look more like sleepwear.
The match was still commentated by Lee Jordan, supervised by Professor McGonagall.
Hufflepuff played Ravenclaw very cleanly—Anthony finally saw what a match without fouls looked like—but the audience was clearly distracted. Gryffindor and Slytherin taunted each other across the pitch, painting various words on sheets. Floating above the stands were "Thief Slytherin," "Rubbish Gryffindor," "Cry About It, Potter," "We'll Make You Search for the Snitch," nearly drowning out the few "Ravenclaw, Eagles Soar" and "Hufflepuff, Reach New Heights."
Gryffindor held a slight advantage in the sheet slogan war. Their paint tubes could automatically write insults on sheets without them thinking of retorts.
Anthony heard the Weasley twins had played a small role in this.
"Just giving customers product trials, no prohibited magic used," they said while freely distributing paint to Gryffindors. "Oh, careful. Not fully adjusted yet... right, like this. Some paint tubes might explode."
Filch was exhausted this week.
Shortly after kickoff, Ravenclaw's Seeker caught the Snitch right before the Headmaster.
"Your purple robes made the Golden Snitch very obvious," she said cheerfully. "I suggest everyone wear purple to matches."
Even the dejected Hufflepuff players were amused. Amid Jordan's congratulations for Ravenclaw's victory, both teams exited. Blue and yellow uniforms mixed together, reviewing today's match.
After they left, people immediately came to clean the pitch. Gryffindor and Slytherin teams made final checks in their respective locker rooms. Even before they appeared, the stands' audience was already trading insults.
Hermione frowned watching Ron squeeze an entire tube of auto-insulting paint onto the huge sheet before them, but said nothing.
"Slytherin eat shit!" the paint rapidly wrote.
Hermione's brow furrowed tight enough to crush flies.
"That's misspelled," she said.
During the pre-match handshake, both sides were more tense than any previous match. Everyone's hands turned white from gripping, yet no one would release.
"All right, I hope this match has no more incidents," Madam Hooch said sternly. "If anything seems wrong, team captains immediately signal me to pause the match."
The silver whistle blew. Teams immediately rose into the air. Lee Jordan commentated, "Another Gryffindor versus Slytherin match. We already saw this last week—Angelina gets the Quaffle first. Good. We really already saw this—Slytherin defends—Weasley twins cover—Angelina feints around—beautiful!"
Angelina angrily slammed the Quaffle through Slytherin's goal posts. That Quaffle was fast as a Bludger. Slytherin's Keeper didn't react at all.
The Slytherin stands erupted in boos.
"See that, Henry?" Hagrid clapped loudly. "As long as Slytherin doesn't cause trouble, we're sure to win!"
Ron said grimly, "Hard to believe they won't cause trouble."
He was right.
Harry spent most of this match flying low. Slytherin Beaters tried hitting Bludgers at him, but were always deftly blocked back by Weasley twins appearing from nowhere. Finally they even tried chasing Harry's broom, attempting to knock him off with their bodies, but the Nimbus 2000 dodged nimbly left and right in the air—suddenly, a golden flash. Even Anthony saw it.
"Is that the Snitch?" he asked, pointing. Dumbledore's purple hat really made the golden little thing conspicuous.
Harry noticed too. He flattened himself and immediately charged toward it.
Slytherin's Seeker was closer but hadn't seen it. Only when he noticed Harry flying rapidly this way and the stands' audience shouting did he realize what was happening.
He immediately started his broom, trying to block Harry. Wherever the Golden Snitch was, as long as Harry couldn't get past... but Harry expertly rolled on his broom, bypassing the obstruction—
Everyone held their breath watching that tiny Golden Snitch.
Bang! When Harry touched the Snitch, a muffled, small landing sound suddenly came from the pitch. If the stands hadn't been so tense everyone was silent, Anthony might not have heard it.
Amid the cheering, Dumbledore immediately stood, gazing at the ground in the pitch's center. Anthony followed his gaze.
"Good heavens," he murmured in shock.
Slytherin's captain lay limply on the ground. His broom lay seven or eight feet away.
Madam Hooch rushed over.
"Broken ribs!" she declared. "Quick, someone notify Madam Pomfrey! I'll take him to the Hospital Wing!"
The fallen team captain, Marcus Flint, had a face pale as death but filled with victorious smiles.
"My broom lost control too..." he said while coughing. "Emergency situation... result invalidated."
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