Quidditch is a game where team coordination and individual brilliance must work in harmony. Victory doesn't rely solely on the Seeker's exceptional skills but also on the overall synergy of the team.
And that was exactly why, Gryffindor's defeat at the hands of Slytherin seemed inevitable.
Due to a tight schedule, the tournament format had been abruptly changed to a single-elimination knockout, an absolute disaster for the already disorganized Gryffindor team.
Madam Hooch, who taught flying lessons and oversaw the matches, was quick to voice her criticism.
"They've completely misunderstood the point of this tournament, it's like they only care about the final result!"
In this tournament, house points weren't even tallied, essentially downplaying the significance of Quidditch in the school year.
It was hard to imagine how, despite no house points being awarded, the game still held such prestige among the faculty. Even strict professors like McGonagall were willing to excuse their team members from Transfiguration homework!
On the other side, Ravenclaw was stunned to find that the Hufflepuff team, whom no one had taken seriously in over a year, had transformed. It was like an entirely different squad.
The formations Ravenclaw had refined over multiple practices were torn apart by Hufflepuff's relentless and cunning offense.
Even though Ravenclaw's Seeker managed to catch the Golden Snitch first, it wasn't enough. Hufflepuff had built such a dominant lead that they still secured victory by a 50-point margin.
But neither Slytherin nor Hufflepuff had time to celebrate.
With the final match scheduled just one week later, thanks to the compressed schedule, tensions soared between the two houses to an all-time high.
So much so that Allen didn't even dare to be seen with Annie in public.
Not that anyone would attack them in broad daylight, no, it was the cold war atmosphere that hung between the two houses. Even someone as bold as Allen could feel the pressure.
The hospital wing proved just how heated things had gotten.
Students from both Hufflepuff and Slytherin became regulars there over the next week.
To be fair, Slytherin did have an edge in overall dueling skill.
But taking the bigger picture into account, Hufflepuff was arguably on equal footing, or even slightly stronger.
No surprise, really, Hufflepuff was the largest house at Hogwarts. There's power in numbers!
The skirmishes didn't stop until the eve of the final match. In the end, no matter how fired up everyone was, results were all that mattered.
This time, only one team would claim the title. There would be no second or third place.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
It was a clear, sunny weekend. Around eleven in the morning, students and staff packed into the grand Quidditch pitch.
The stands were dominated by the black and yellow of Hufflepuff's badgers and the green and silver of Slytherin's serpents.
But oddly enough, Slytherin looked like the visiting team today, their flags and banners barely filled a quarter of the space.
Don't underestimate Gryffindor's grudge.
After their defeat, they immediately pledged support to Hufflepuff, both to stick it to their long-time rivals, the Slytherins, and to back up their friendly ties with the badgers. Why not kill two birds with one stone?
As for Ravenclaw, well, as the smallest house, they didn't take sides. That left Slytherin forced to bunch together in a corner of the stands. It wasn't that others stole their space, they just didn't have the numbers.
Unfortunately, while Allen should have been focused on winning, his attention was drawn to something strange, the judging panel.
Not just Madam Hooch this time. There was an entire panel of judges.
Of course, Hooch still had final say, but the platform was now crowded with a group of older wizards in official-looking robes, spectators, but clearly there for more than just watching.
One of them was immediately familiar to Allen, the father of the Weasley twins, Arthur Weasley.
No doubt about it. This wasn't just a judging panel. This was a delegation from the Ministry of Magic.
And not long after they'd taken their seats, another figure walked onto the pitch, sending the crowd of students into a frenzy of cheers.
It was Dumbledore!
What the hell was going on?
Allen was baffled.
It was just a regular Quidditch match, sure, the final match of the season, but still. Why were so many bigwigs here?
Before he could think further, another surprising scene unfolded.
As Dumbledore approached, the gathered officials all bowed slightly to greet him, all except one.
Instead, the man leading the group stepped forward, offering a handshake with a professional smile.
He was a short man with curly hair. And while his behavior wasn't exactly rude, it was borderline disrespectful, especially considering Dumbledore's long-standing legacy at Hogwarts.
Nearly everyone present had studied under the headmaster at some point in their lives.
The man's name was quickly whispered to Allen by a nearby student, Cornelius Fudge, the current Minister for Magic.
No question about it, Fudge didn't want to live in Dumbledore's shadow.
Though he was outwardly polite, his gesture made it clear: he considered himself Dumbledore's equal.
Allen, however, had no interest in the political drama between powerful wizards.
What he did want to know was, why the hell were so many Ministry officials here for a school Quidditch match?
Sure, the Ministry might not be overwhelmed with work. (They didn't even have someone named "Ten Thousand Tasks" on staff.) But even so, there was no reason to make such a big deal out of a routine school game.
And yet, Allen couldn't figure it out.
Even if Fudge was trying to stir up trouble, he couldn't have done this without Dumbledore's approval.
Despite his efforts to portray himself as an equal, it was obvious: Fudge's influence in the wizarding world was nowhere near Dumbledore's.
And the one student who Dumbledore might've bent over backward to protect, the one whose mere existence would justify this much attention, hadn't even shown up yet.
So what could possibly be worth letting the Ministry step into Hogwarts' backyard like this?
Allen didn't know. And he didn't get the chance to dwell on it.
The roar of the crowd suddenly shook the stadium, cheers exploded, mingled with groans of disbelief.
The final whistle had blown.
The match had ended in spectacular fashion.
The announcer, who had just started introducing the Ministry officials, had barely gotten halfway through before the game was over.
This was fairly common in long matches. Early on, players still had plenty of stamina, so flashy plays were rare, making it the perfect time for commentary or guest introductions.
But before the announcer could even say the Minister's name, the game ended abruptly, Hufflepuff's Seeker had caught the Golden Snitch.
Even the Seeker looked stunned.
Now that was awkward…
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