The rematch between Gryffindor and Slytherin began in the second week after the start of school, and Slytherin won.
According to Fred and George, Harry wanted to get his Firebolt back from Professor McGonagall, but was refused.
Although this match involved whether Gryffindor could ultimately win back the Quidditch Cup, Professor McGonagall was adamantly against letting him use it once for Harry's safety.
His Nimbus 2000 hadn't been fixed yet either, so Harry had no choice but to ride a Meteor broom onto the field... an antique from Hogwarts broom shed used specifically for first-year Flying Class.
To be honest, the biggest advantage of this broom is that it can crash into anything without any concern because you wouldn't be heartbroken if it breaks.
When Kael saw the broom in Harry's hand, he knew Gryffindor was bound to lose.
Just as he expected, Slytherin won a big victory. When Malfoy caught the Golden Snitch, Harry was still struggling to move forward at the rear.
Deafening cheers erupted from the Slytherin stands, while Gryffindor was silent.
Oliver Wood, avoiding Marcus's smug face, took his broom and left the field in silence, followed by the other team members.
As much as it's not nice to say, this was good news for Hufflepuff and, in fact, for the other three houses as well.
If the Firebolt were functioning correctly, Gryffindor would have become an unbeatable team thanks to the world's fastest broom.
But today they only scored thirty points, effectively like missing a match, which undoubtedly gave the other teams a chance to breathe.
"The next match is crucial. We must prevent them from opening up too much of a lead!"
In the common room, Cedric said excitedly, "Even if we lose one match, it doesn't matter, as long as we surpass Gryffindor in the total score, we'll still be the champions!"
"Captain, are you too nervous?" Mikel said indifferently. "The Firebolt has issues, it's just an old Meteor... I dare say Gryffindor will be at the bottom this year."
"It's not an issue, it's a suspected issue, the professors are still investigating."
Cedric corrected, "Moreover, I saw Professor McGonagall looking quite gloomy today, this process might end sooner.
At least by next month's match against Gryffindor, the result will surely be out, and there's a significant chance it'll appear on the field."
Mikel sat up slightly. "Is the information reliable?"
"Think carefully." Cedric glanced at him. "Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Ms. Hooch — what kind of jinx could possibly escape their detection... If there was any issue, it would've been discovered long ago.
The delay is only because the professors want to ensure there's not a single possibility left unexamined."
"Well then..." Mikel frowned, "I'll focus on Potter and interfere with him catching the Golden Snitch."
"No!"
Cedric shook his head.
"Perhaps with a Nimbus 2000, but not with a Firebolt... Honestly, the Bludgers simply can't keep pace with it.
From what I know, the Quidditch World Cup has already made new Bludgers and Golden Snitches specifically due to that broom, but those are for professional matches; the school obviously doesn't have them."
"What do we do then, just watch him go for the Snitch?" Mikel pounded the sofa.
"My plan is for everyone except me to ignore the Golden Snitch, and for you and Will..." Cedric turned to the other Beater and said solemnly, "you two focus on protecting Kael and helping him score.
No matter what, keep any Bludgers five feet away from him."
Abandon the Golden Snitch...
When Seeker Cedric uttered these words, everyone fell silent.
This meant they'd have to surrender the tempo of the match and hand over the initiative to the opponent, completely falling into a passive stance.
Having an advantage is one thing, but if not, Gryffindor would be free to score, potentially clinching the win in a single match.
If that happens, they dread what's to come...
"Isn't it too risky?" Beater Will frowned.
"It's our only chance to win."
Cedric stated, "I believe in Kael, he is the best Chaser in all of Hogwarts, bar none... I'm willing to take a risk."
The team fell silent again.
"Hopefully there's an issue with that Firebolt..." the new Chaser Grace whispered suddenly.
Sitting at the far end, Kael took a deep breath but remained silent.
The pressure was quite substantial...
For this reason, Kael was stuck with three training sessions per week, along with the Charm and Transfiguration Club, his schedule packed tightly.
Even the Patronus Charm special training with Conna had to be rescheduled to weekend mornings.
After Cedric learned this, he tagged along a few times, but as Kael had mentioned earlier, the Patronus offered him no aid in the current circumstances.
After trying it a few times, Cedric gave up as well.
Unconsciously, February arrived, the bitter cold weather unchanged, and the match against Gryffindor approached day by day. Professor McGonagall still hadn't returned the Firebolt to Harry, but she also hadn't confiscated it.
Hannah and Susan from third year helped gather information...
They said Harry would always ask Professor McGonagall about the Firebolt after Transfiguration Class.
They paid attention to Professor McGonagall's response and, until now, most of the usual charms had been checked, leaving seemingly only a Hurling Hex.
This didn't count as good news.
But Conna's special training was a different story, she made rapid progress with her Patronus Charm, catching up with Cedric by the fourth session.
In the air above the Room of Requirement, two silver glows chased after each other, one large and one small.
The large one was Kael's Patronus, while the small one was obviously Conna's.
Her Patronus was only the size of a fist, merely a silhouette, but the wings and antennae were clearly visible now.
"Seems like it's a butterfly..."
Kael said, "Of course, doesn't exclude other possibilities, like an insect styled like the Death's-head Hawk Moth…"
Before he finished speaking, a book flew over.
Conna glared at Kael angrily.
She had read about that species in a book.
Based on appearance alone, it didn't lose out to a Dementor, especially those skull-like markings; just thinking about it made her uncomfortable.
If it were truly like that, she'd rather her Patronus be a toad or a caterpillar.
Kael chuckled. He had been joking, of course; judging by the size of the wing's outline, it was confirmed to be a butterfly.
At this point, the nearly month-long special training could essentially come to an end, and Conna would face the same challenge as Cedric — turning the silhouette into a real Patronus.
And that was the hardest step. Cedric had worked hard for a month with almost no progress.
But if it was just to fend off Dementors, it was sufficient now, as that glow alone could send them scurrying.
So Kael put away his Patronus and left the Room of Requirement with Conna.
...