Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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The following evening, to celebrate Cedric's discharge from the hospital, the Hufflepuff players threw him a small party in the common room after practice.
Cedric being alright was undoubtedly great news for the team, and captain Harris even brought some Butterbeer from Hogsmeade Village, which they enjoyed with the others.
Mainly, he just wanted to drink.
As team captain, Harris was under immense pressure. Especially after the first round of matches, he was losing clumps of hair from worry.
The opponents were too strong.
Gryffindor had the highest quality players, with almost no weaknesses.
Slytherins were well-equipped and lacked sportsmanship.
Ravenclaw had seven players…
For Hufflepuff, Cedric, this talented Seeker, was practically their only hope for winning the championship.
Harris raised his Butterbeer and clinked it against Cedric's, saying, "Don't worry, this will never happen again.
I plan to assign a batter specifically to protect you. If the Slytherins dare to try anything dirty with you again, that thick bat will be the first thing to smash them in the face."
Cedric frowned, not entirely agreeing with his approach.
There were only two batters; if one protected him, the Chaser's offensive advantage would be gone. If the opposing team had a large lead, even if he caught the Golden Snitch, it wouldn't be of any use.
It seemed like a bad trade.
Cedric told Harris his idea.
"Don't worry about that," Harris said after thinking for a moment. "This is just a preliminary plan; we can refine it during practice matches."
Cedric tried to persuade Harris several more times to abandon the idea, but to little avail.
No matter how valid his reasons were, Harris would simply say, "We'll talk about it after practice matches."
After realizing he couldn't change Harris's mind, Cedric stopped talking.
"Let's wait until after the training match."
Kyle also attended the banquet, but since he wasn't on the team, he didn't need to think too much and could just focus on eating.
He was tempted to try butterbeer, but as soon as he reached out, an older student stopped him.
The reason was that wizards under the fifth year weren't allowed to drink alcohol.
This disappointed Kyle, but there was nothing he could do, because not only him, but even Cedric, the star of the banquet, was drinking pumpkin juice.
After the banquet, everyone returned to their dormitories.
The next few days passed as usual.
Kyle, like the other young wizards, went to class, ate, and did his homework in the library, as if nothing had happened.
Even Fred and George from Gryffindor seemed much more normal, only losing ten points in several days.
This pleased Professor McGonagall greatly, and her attitude towards them was no longer as strict as before.
This situation continued until mid-November, when the second Quidditch match began.
That day was a weekend, and in the morning, a rumor suddenly spread throughout Hogwarts.
"Have you heard? The Gryffindor team has a new broom."
In the Great Hall, a Slytherin freshman was telling the others the news he had just heard.
"A new broom?" The Slytherin team captain, seventh-year Selwyn Rosier, looked somewhat gloomy upon hearing the news.
Slytherin are going to have a match against Gryffindor this afternoon, and having a new broom at this time is not a good thing.
But that wasn't all. The man continued, "I also heard that it wasn't an ordinary broom, but a Nimbus 2000 that hadn't been released yet."
"A Nimbus 2000?!" someone exclaimed in surprise.
"That's impossible! My uncle works in the Department of Physical Education at the Ministry of Magic, and even he can't get his hands on a Nimbus 2000. How could those Gryffindors possibly have one?"
Then someone else chimed in, "I heard Bill Weasley got it from Egypt. Apparently, he did the Nimbus Company a huge favor."
"Damn Weasley!"
Someone slammed their fist on the table in anger. "What about the game this afternoon? The Nimbus 2000 is definitely much better than our Nimbus 1700, right?"
The Slytherin student who had spoken earlier stood up and said, "I'll write to my uncle right now and see if he can get one too."
"Is it too late?"
"Probably."
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Nearby, the Slytherin team members, hearing these words, all had gloomy faces and couldn't even eat their food.
Rosier slammed his plate over his shoulder, yelling angrily, "Damn it, why now of all times?"
Slytherin and Gryffindor were old rivals, and he couldn't accept losing to those guys in a competition.
"Don't panic, the veracity of the news isn't certain yet," someone calmly analyzed. "A Nimbus 2000 isn't a toy; they can't just give it away like that. Besides, this news came too suddenly; it's likely fabricated to mislead us..."
"Whoa!"
At that moment, a series of exclamations suddenly erupted in the Great Hall.
"Look, what's that!"
As if deliberately trying to provoke him, six long-eared owls flew in carrying a long, thin package and landed on the Gryffindor table.
From its appearance, it was almost certain to be a flying broomstick.
Because it was wrapped quite tightly, they could clearly see that the broomstick's tail was longer than that of a Nimbus 1700, and its shape was different from other models on the market.
The Weasley twins were excitedly talking to the others, carrying a package.
Although the distance made it impossible to hear what they were saying, it was clear they were all incredibly excited.
The Quidditch players, in particular, kept glancing over with strange looks.
Rosier felt they were mocking him, which he found unbearable. Just as he was about to flip a plate in anger, he realized the table in front of him was empty.
So he flipped a plate belonging to a new student.
"Everyone, go find out!" Rozier said through gritted teeth. "We have to find out, by any means necessary, whether it's a Nimbus 2000 or not."
"What if it is?" someone asked.
"Then write home and try to get one too!" Rosier roared. "What are you waiting for? Go!"
The Slytherin players scattered, and the other Slytherins, seeing this, followed suit and left the Great Hall.
Rosier was furious, and they didn't want to stay and provoke him.
[End of the chapter]