0277 The Match

0277 The Match

Bathed in the bright sunshine, the Quidditch pitch was not as joyful as usual, but rather tinged with a sense of seriousness. The reason behind this was none other than the fact that this match would determine the winner of this year's Quidditch Cup.

Hufflepuff had already lost to Ravenclaw, so their chances of winning the championship were slim. The presence of their students at the pitch was merely for the sake of joining in the excitement. They wore their yellow and black scarves and cheered for both teams, but without much enthusiasm. However, Ravenclaw was different. They were still strong contenders for the championship, and if they defeated Gryffindor today, they would earn the opportunity to challenge Slytherin.

Slytherin, the defending champions, obviously hoped for Gryffindor's loss. Not only were the two houses bitter rivals, but Gryffindor with Potter posed a greater threat than Ravenclaw. Slytherin knew that Potter was the best Seeker in the school, and that his Firebolt broomstick gave him an edge over anyone else. They also feared the power of the Weasley twins, who were notorious for their pranks and tricks on the pitch. For Slytherin, if Ravenclaw won today, their captain, Marcus Flint, could confidently pat his chest and declare that the glory belonged to Slytherin. He had already prepared a speech to mock Gryffindor's defeat and praise his own team's brilliance. The Slytherins, dressed in green and silver, were booing and jeering at every Gryffindor move, hoping to distract and demoralize them.

One of the four houses hufflepuff had no stake in the matter, while the other two hoped for Gryffindor's defeat. This atmosphere of watching the match was not exactly friendly towards Gryffindor. However, Gryffindor, known as the house of courage, was not afraid of such a situation. Most of the students from this house were shouting at the top of their lungs, hoping that their team could feel their determination to support them. They wore their red and gold colors with pride and chanted the names of their players.

"Oh, sorry, Remus–"

Hagrid walked up from the stairs behind the stands, eyeing a seat behind Hermione and Ron. He tiptoed carefully past Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick, but accidentally bumped into Professor Lupin, nearly causing him to fall off the stands. Lupin, who looked pale and tired, had been watching the match with a faint smile, but now he gasped and grabbed the railing to steady himself.

"It's alright, Hagrid–"

Remus rubbed his almost dislocated shoulder and smiled bitterly. He was about to ask Hagrid why he arrived so late when a small black puppy suddenly popped out from Hagrid's messy hair on his shoulder. The puppy had a shaggy coat and bright eyes, and it looked around with curiosity and excitement.

In that instant when their eyes met, Remus recognized the true identity of the black puppy. He opened his mouth in surprise, and the response he received was a slightly smug look.

At that moment, Hermione, who had been attracted by the commotion behind her, turned around and also saw the small Sirius perched on Hagrid's shoulder.

"Why did you bring it here, Hagrid? What about Crookshanks?"

"He's catching gnomes in the vegetable patch with Fang. It's not like I didn't want to bring him here, Hermione."

Hagrid poked the cheek of the small black dog with his finger and said irritably.us smiled bitterly. He had heard from Bryan that Sirius was living in the Forbidden Forest, but he didn't expect that he had become so familiar with Hagrid.

"Oh, damn!"

Ron suddenly exclaimed in regret, and the nearby young wizards also showed the same reaction. Professor McGonagall clenched her fists against her chest, holding her breath nervously.

"What just happened?"

'This feels so weird!' Harry thought, but now was the time for the match. He didn't have time to dwell on why he felt a bit disappointed when he shifted his gaze away from her smiling face. He forced himself to focus on the match.

Of course, he couldn't do what Wood suggested and knock Cho directly off her broom. If it were Malfoy, he wouldn't mind doing so.

But he had to shake off Cho-Chang. If he let her continue to stare at him like this, he wouldn't be able to accomplish anything in this match.

After a brief thought, Harry came up with an idea. He pressed down on the broomstick, causing himself to dive towards the ground at an incredible speed. As expected, Cho thought he had spotted the Snitch and hurriedly followed him.

Everything in his line of sight became blurry as the two of them plummeted through the air at an exaggerated speed. The wind whipped their faces and hair, and the ground rushed up to meet them. The spectators gasped and screamed, as they watched the two Seekers dive towards the earth.

When they were about thirty feet from the ground, Harry suddenly leveled out the broomstick. After a brief deceleration, he shot back up into the sky. He had pulled off a spectacular maneuver, known as the Wronski Feint, which was named after a famous Polish Seeker. He had faked a dive, and then quickly changed direction, leaving his pursuer behind. Cho, caught off guard, slid on the grass for a while before regaining control of her body.

And that was exactly what Harry wanted to see. Otherwise, with his flying skills, he could have compressed the distance for "braking" by half! He had deliberately extended the dive, to make sure that Cho would follow him all the way down. He had also made sure that she would land on the grass, and not on the hard ground.

Harry shot up into the sky like a bullet. Taking advantage of Cho still trying to control her broomstick, his gaze swept across the entire pitch. And then, he saw it. The Snitch was shining in the sky above Ravenclaw's side of the pitch. It was a tiny golden ball, with silver wings, and it was the most important thing in the world to Harry right now.

The world quieted down at that moment. The only sound Harry could hear was his own heartbeat. He felt a surge of adrenaline, and a burst of joy. He flew towards the Snitch, with all his speed and skill. He reached out his hand, and felt the cold metal ball in his palm.

He closed his fingers around it, and held it tight.

He had done it. He had caught the Snitch.

Madam Hooch's whistle resounded throughout the pitch, and Harry finally heard the thunderous cheers that shattered the clouds.

Since losing the match due to the Dementor's interference, the Gryffindor wizards had been holding onto their frustration for two whole months. It was only at this moment that their pent-up emotions were finally released. They erupted in joy and celebration, as they congratulated Harry and his team. They also taunted and mocked the other teams, especially Slytherin, who had been hoping for their defeat.

Many people crowded around Harry to express their excitement. Harry looked around and found Ron and Hermione, who were desperately trying to push forward, as well as Hagrid, who stood like a wall. At the same time, he also noticed the small black puppy perched on Hagrid's shoulder.

The behavior of the black puppy was extremely strange. It sat on Hagrid's shoulder, patting him with its front paws like a person would, and its eyes were filled with tears.

This scene was incredibly bizarre. Harry rubbed his eyes and almost thought he was dreaming. But the fact was that the dog was behaving like a human, celebrating his victory.

*******************************

For More Chapters; /FicFrenzy