Chapter 425: The Quidditch Final

The day of the match finally arrived. After breakfast, Kyle and the Hufflepuff team headed to the Quidditch Pitch together.

"Good luck, Kyle!" Kanna called out, waving from the stands. Kyle waved back before joining the rest of the team in the Changing Rooms.

When they stepped onto the Pitch, a roar of noise greeted them—louder than usual, as nearly everyone from the castle had come to watch the final match of the season. Even Dumbledore was there, seated in the center of the teachers' box, chatting and laughing with Professor McGonagall.

However, Professor Snape and Professor Sprout weren't in the teacher's box. Instead, they each sat at the front of their respective houses' sections, both visibly showing their loyalty.

"Hufflepuff are on the field!" Lee Jordan, the usual commentator, announced excitedly. "Leading the team is captain Cedric Diggory, along with Kyle… This team has a knack for surprises, and I've got a feeling they might just set a new record for fastest Snitch catch today!"

"Slytherin, led by captain Marcus Flint, is entering now…" Lee continued as the two teams reached the center of the Pitch.

"Captains, shake hands!" Madam Hooch instructed.

Cedric and Flint stepped forward, shaking hands firmly, their eyes locked. Then, with a sharp blast of the whistle, the game began, and fifteen broomsticks—including Madam Hooch's—soared into the sky.

"Hufflepuff takes early possession!" Lee Jordan's voice boomed. "Kyle gets the Quaffle—swift as always… Slytherin's Warrington attempts to intercept… Whoa, close call with a Bludger! But Warrington is blocked… Kyle dodges Montague with ease… And scores! Hufflepuff is up 10-0!"

The Hufflepuff supporters erupted in cheers as the Quaffle passed through the Slytherin hoop. Meanwhile, the Gryffindors clapped politely but somewhat reluctantly; they were hoping for a close game that would leave Gryffindor with a chance at the Cup if the points remained tight.

Back on the Pitch, Kyle turned to make his way back toward Hufflepuff's end, but he caught sight of Flint hurtling toward him at full speed. Swerving his broom, Kyle narrowly avoided a collision.

"Oops! Didn't see you there," Flint sneered, barely disguising a smirk.

"No problem," Kyle replied calmly, flashing a grin. "It's all part of Quidditch, right?"

At first, Flint didn't give it much thought. But soon enough, he understood the meaning behind Kyle's words. Mid-play, a hard Quaffle throw from Kyle hit Flint so forcefully that he almost thought it was a Bludger.

"Foul!" Flint shouted, pointing at Kyle and appealing to Madam Hooch. "He did that on purpose! Slytherin deserves a penalty!"

"Not at all! That was a perfectly legal pass," Madam Hooch shouted back. "You were in the middle of the pitch—play continues!"

Flint's face flushed with anger as he shook his fist, glaring at Kyle. A pass? he fumed. It felt like he was throwing it to the next town!

Meanwhile, Kyle had already scored his second goal, bringing the score to 20-0 in Hufflepuff's favor.

Seeing their early lead, the Slytherin players grew increasingly frustrated, and their play turned aggressive. Soon, they were fighting for possession of the Quaffle with little regard for the rules.

At one point, Bole struck Hufflepuff Chaser Grace with his Beater's bat. When Madam Hooch called him out, Bole argued, "I thought she was a Bludger!"

Fuming, Mikel retaliated by balancing on his broom and giving Bole a swift kick to the face, drawing gasps and cheers from the crowd as the game's intensity soared.

"Oh, that was a brilliant move! I need to learn it... Just kidding, Professor McGonagall. I mean, obviously that was wrong—he should've just elbowed him subtly…"

"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall stood up.

"Sorry, Professor, really sorry, it won't happen again..." Lee Jordan said quickly. "Madam Hooch has awarded a penalty shot to both teams…"

Both sides scored, bringing the score to 30-10.

"Slytherin's in possession now. No, Hufflepuff has snatched it! It's Grace—no! Slytherin has it back. Flint nearly knocked her off her broom... Flint's flying straight toward Hufflepuff's hoop... Watch out!"

But Flint scored, and a cheer went up from the Slytherin side, led by Snape wearing a grim smile.

Then, Slytherin pulled another trick. Montague turned towards Kyle, pretending to reach for the Quaffle, but instead aimed for Kyle's broom. Just as his hand stretched toward it, something resembling a tiny green sprout poked out from the broom's twigs.

Strange, why is there a Bowtruckle in a broom...? Before Montague could make sense of it, the Bowtruckle extended its sharp claws and jabbed at his fingers.

Montague jerked his hand back instinctively, but the quick movement threw him off balance, nearly toppling him from his broom.

"Foul!" Montague shouted triumphantly as he steadied himself. "Madam Hooch, there's something in his broom—foul!"

Madam Hooch flew over, but after inspecting Kyle's broom and finding nothing, she penalized Montague instead, awarding Hufflepuff a penalty shot for the attempted interference.

"What a shame..." Kyle murmured with a smirk as he scored the penalty shot, gliding past Montague.

Montague shook with anger, his face twisted, eyes blazing.

Soon after, Kyle and Grace each scored again, bringing the score to 60-20 in Hufflepuff's favor.

The Gryffindor stands fell silent; no cheers met the goals as they had before. Wood clutched his hair, while Fred and George sat staring blankly at the pitch.

Hufflepuff's 60 points meant that with the Golden Snidget's 150-point bonus, their score would surpass Gryffindor's.

Fred and George were torn. They wanted Gryffindor to win the Quidditch Cup, but they definitely didn't want Slytherin to take it...

Everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing, and even Lee Jordan's voice had dropped a few decibels as he continued his commentary.

But the match carried on...

Kyle scored once more, bringing it to 70-20. A little later, Mikel knocked the Quaffle out of Warrington's hands with a Bludger, allowing Grace to surge forward, catch the Quaffle, and hurl it through Slytherin's hoop.

80-20.

Hufflepuff fans were shouting themselves hoarse. Professor Sprout, standing at the front of the stands, drew a massive Hufflepuff badger in the air with her wand.

Then, a sudden flash of gold caught everyone's eye. The Golden Snidget hovered just a few feet above the ground.

At nearly the same moment, Malfoy and Cedric bolted, speeding straight toward the Snidget. They accelerated sharply, diving in unison as they closed in on the ground. They were neck-and-neck, lunging forward at the same time...

A tense silence gripped the stands; everyone waited breathlessly for the result.

Finally, Cedric stretched out his hand, revealing a glint of gold between his fingers. Taking advantage of his height, he had seized the Golden Snidget first.

"Congratulations, Hufflepuff..." Lee Jordan's voice was raspy but jubilant as he announced, "They've won the final and taken the Quidditch Cup!"

Hufflepuff supporters spilled over the railings, flooding the pitch.

As Kyle landed, he was lifted into the air along with the rest of the team. He caught sight of Hagrid, wiping away tears, and Professor Sprout, who was bouncing with excitement, looking nothing like a professor in that moment.

In the stands, Dumbledore smiled warmly, holding the enormous Quidditch trophy aloft.