Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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"That was amazing... I can't believe Harry Potter actually caught the Golden Snitch with his mouth!"
"I'm sure Potter is an exceptional Seeker. When his broom broke, I thought Gryffindor was going to lose..."
"I'm certain this year's Quidditch Cup belongs to Gryffindor!"
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Inside the castle, everyone was excitedly discussing what had just happened in the match.
Kyle silently walked through the crowd back to the Hufflepuff common room and found Cedric and Kanna.
As soon as they met, Cedric couldn't wait to ask, "What happened? Why are you only coming back now? And what's with that phoenix...?"
"The phoenix belongs to Professor Dumbledore, you could say it's his pet," Kyle said. "It just stays mostly in the Headmaster's office, so you rarely see it."
Kanna thought for a moment and said, "So the Headmaster was looking for you earlier?"
"Yes."
Kyle glanced around and quietly recounted what had happened in the Forbidden Corridor.
"That Cerberus went berserk..."
Cedric exclaimed instinctively, then quickly covered his mouth.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course," Kyle said. "Otherwise, why do you think I would skip the match and only come back now?"
"But who would do such a thing?" Cedric asked, puzzled. "What good would it do to Cerberus to use Confusion Charms and Dark Magic?"
"I don't know..." Kyle shook his head. "Professor Dumbledore hasn't had time to investigate yet."
Although he said that, he suddenly thought of Quirrell.
The Forbidden Corridor, Fluffy guarding the Philosopher's Stone... This was definitely related to him, but Kyle still couldn't figure out his purpose.
If the goal was to use the trapdoor, there was clearly no need to provoke Fluffy, as that would only make things more complicated.
And once Fluffy escaped, Hogwarts would most likely be forced to close, at which point he would never have another chance to get the Philosopher's Stone.
It just didn't make sense…
"Anyway, it's best if we avoid the forbidden corridor for now," Cedric said, a hint of fear in his voice as he recalled Cerberus's appearance. "If we absolutely must go to the fourth floor, we should try to avoid that area."
"There's no need to be so tense," Kyle said. "Professor Dumbledore is already handling it; just be careful and don't force your way up."
After hearing Kyle's words, Cedric and Kanna lost interest in discussing Quidditch, and the group quickly went their separate ways.
Only after Kyle left did Cedric suddenly remember something he had forgotten to ask.
Why didn't the headmaster call Professor McGonagall for something so dangerous, instead choosing Kyle instead…? Was it because he had been following Mr. Scamander and knew something about Cerberus?
Cedric looked up.
However, Kyle had already left the common room and disappeared without a trace, so Cedric obviously had no chance to ask.
For the next while, Kyle didn't return, not even during mealtimes.
And no one knew where he was; it was as if he had vanished into thin air. It wasn't until the afternoon of the next day, just before the match, that Cedric saw Kyle again in the locker room.
He was holding a broom and talking to Harris.
"Good, Kyle," Harris said with a smile, patting him on the shoulder. "I thought you'd be too nervous to sleep, so I even prepared some energy drinks for you."
Harris then gave a pep talk, and after checking their brooms and uniforms, they lined up and headed to the field.
Today's match was packed, and as last year's champions, the Hufflepuff team was greeted with deafening cheers as soon as they entered the stadium.
However, Kyle noticed that there were far fewer professors next to the commentators than the day before.
Most of the seats were empty; apart from Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, no one else was there.
It seemed the professors knew about Fluffy... Kyle thought to himself as he walked to the center of the field with the others.
Madam Hooch, as usual, gave a few instructions and then blew her whistle.
Fifteen flying broomsticks soared into the sky.
"It's Kyle of Hufflepuff! He's the first to get the Quaffle!"
Lee Jordan shouted from the commentary booth. "He's a newcomer who joined the team this year, and it's said he achieved an unbelievable result in the trials. I wonder if he can still... Oh, he passed the ball to Captain Harris..."
For some reason, Lee Jordan suddenly became serious.
Some disgruntled voices rose from the stands... This commentary, devoid of any banter, was not what they wanted to hear.
But Lee Jordan ignored them.
"Just kidding," he thought. "Yesterday, under Professor McGonagall's supervision, he copied an entire book of 'How to Commentate Quidditch,' writing from the end of the game until dawn, almost dying in his office.
Only one night has passed; he'd definitely have to tone it down."
"As everyone knows, Hufflepuff's Harris is one of the best chasers, and his combination with Kyle… oh my god! What am I seeing… that's a two-way attack!
Ravenclaw's goalkeeper misjudged the ball, the Quaffle is in Kyle's hands… Goal! Hufflepuff scores! Less than ten seconds into the game… they've broken the fastest goal record!"
The stands erupted, many people excitedly standing up, waving their arms and cheering.
"Well done!"
On the pitch, Harris flew back and gave Kyle a light high-five.
"Perfect teamwork…" Lee Jordan exclaimed, "Ravenclaw is in for trouble."
Just as he thought, the entire game was completely taken over by Kyle and Harris.
They were like two emotionless scoring machines, throwing the Quaffle into the goalposts again and again.
Ravenclaw's beaters tried to stop them, but Hufflepuff had anticipated this, and their traveling balls couldn't get close to Kyle and Harris.
In just half an hour, the score had widened to an absurd level.
Hufflepuff 170 points.
Ravenclaw zero.
Even Lee Jordan, the commentator, felt numb, his voice unconsciously tinged with sympathy as he commented on Ravenclaw.
"Poor Wiesner… he's just like the goalkeeper of the Chudley Cannons back in the day, completely outplayed… I really hope he can hold on."
It was at this moment that Kyle and Harris realized they might have gone a bit too far.
Harris glanced apologetically at the dejected Ravenclaw goalkeeper, giving him a silent wink.
Kyle nodded knowingly.
They decided to let Ravenclaw score a few goals.
But just then…
"Wait a minute, is that the Golden Snitch?"
A streak of golden light suddenly appeared below the field. Cedric and Cho accelerated simultaneously, side by side, swooping down towards the ground.
But Cedric's broom was clearly faster than Cho's, landing on the ground first.
"I caught the Snitch!" He raised his arm high, a golden object shimmering between his fingers.
The match was over…
[End of the chapter]