Chapter 93: Quidditch Final

With Madam Hooch’s whistle, Harry rose with the team, peering through the gaps in the rain, intensely searching for that glimmer of gold.

But Cedric didn’t think that way—he immediately joined the Chasers, closely pressuring Angelina, forcing her to attempt a pass, but Cedric’s exceptional Seeker skills made it easy for him to intercept the Quaffle.

After casually tossing the Quaffle to a nearby teammate, Cedric joined the Beaters’ encirclement, tightly blocking Fred’s position so he couldn’t strike the Bludger at a proper angle. Under Cedric’s interference, the Hufflepuff Chasers easily broke through to the goalposts.

But just as Harry thought they’d scored, Wood lunged and caught the Quaffle, passing it to Alicia, shifting the momentum to Gryffindor’s offense.

Harry tried performing high-difficulty maneuvers to lure Cedric, but Cedric, who had always closely tracked Harry, now paid him no attention whatsoever—he focused entirely on assisting his team.

Gryffindor still needed 210 points to catch Slytherin and win the House Cup—a fact every Quidditch fan knew. That’s why Cedric didn’t care about Harry’s movements; he knew that until Gryffindor scored at least sixty points, Harry wouldn’t dare catch the Snitch even if he found it.

With no other choice, Harry flew toward Fred. Since Cedric refused to engage him directly, Harry decided to join the Chasers instead—turning the match into a straight 7-on-7 clash, leaving the Snitch to drift where it may.

But just as Harry prepared to coordinate with Fred on a tactical play, Cedric suddenly accelerated in one direction.

“Go, Harry!” Fred shouted. “Don’t forget your job!”

Harry could only accelerate with Cedric; they raced low across the pitch, but Harry saw no Snitch anywhere—after their maneuver, they pulled apart again.

What truly troubled Harry now was that he had no idea what Cedric intended. If Hufflepuff also wanted the House Cup, they’d need 340 points—an almost impossible feat. Unless Cedric could maintain constant 7-on-6 pressure, win 190 points in a balanced matchup, and catch the Snitch before Gryffindor surpassed 220 points—yet Harry had already begun searching for the Snitch as soon as Gryffindor scored sixty.

Even Harry thought this plan was too difficult. But if Cedric merely wanted to win this final match, he could exploit Harry’s hesitation—luring Harry into team fights while quietly watching and snatching the Snitch himself.

Yet, as the famous Quidditch saying goes: the moment a player steps onto the pitch, his only goal is the championship.

Harry didn’t believe Hufflepuff’s aim was merely to win this final match. Perhaps they wanted the House Cup too—even if the hope was slim, they’d still try.

Harry was now indecisive. If he kept searching for the Snitch, he couldn’t predict how the team fight would turn out, but scoring sixty points would be extremely difficult. Yet if he gambled on Hufflepuff’s strategy—assuming Cedric wouldn’t catch the Snitch until they reached 190 points—he might fall into their trap. What if Hufflepuff only intended to win this one match?

Cedric could freely choose to join the fight or harass Harry, certain Harry wouldn’t catch the Snitch. But Harry couldn’t gamble that Cedric wouldn’t snatch the Snitch while he was engaged in team play—it left him deeply unsettled.

Harry tried sticking close to Cedric, but Cedric chose his position with perfect cunning—he made no real offensive moves, merely blocking the center of the field, forcing Gryffindor players to avoid him to prevent collision fouls. Even if Harry clung to Cedric’s side, it helped nothing—and might even further restrict his teammates’ movement.

“Harry, are you sleepwalking?” Wood shouted as Gryffindor gained possession, addressing his bewildered Seeker.

“Cedric’s drifting—I have to watch him!” Harry shouted back.

“Forget him—find the Snitch!” Wood yelled, then turned his attention back to the goalposts; the Quaffle had been lost, and now Hufflepuff had possession, ready to attack.

Wood’s words gave Harry a clear insight: in this situation, the Seeker’s only option was to keep searching.

If Harry had already spotted the Golden Snitch and was nearly upon it, then Cedric would be the one trapped—unsure whether Gryffindor needed the House Cup or would settle for just winning this match. If Cedric pressured Harry, Harry would be forced to catch the Snitch in desperation, leaving Hufflepuff with nothing. Even if Cedric kept playing the team fight, assuming Harry wouldn’t grab the Snitch yet, winning at least 150 points before Gryffindor reached sixty—even in a 7-on-6 advantage—would be nearly impossible for Hufflepuff.

Trust your teammates. Understand your opponent. This year, Harry had learned these two lessons from Avalon and the Chamber of Secrets—and now, they fit perfectly on the pitch. Or perhaps, they applied to most of life’s challenges.

Harry resumed his original search pattern, circling the pitch. Cedric’s interference on the team fight was limited—Hufflepuff was unaccustomed to rainy conditions, and the score was changing at a glacial pace, often requiring seven or eight shots to score once.

Soon, Harry spotted the Snitch—but the score was only 30–20, Gryffindor trailing. He dared not chase it, maintaining his course while keeping the Snitch in his peripheral vision.

Suddenly, Cedric’s movement made Harry tense—he flew toward Fred, seemingly to disrupt his Bludger strike. But at that exact moment, the Snitch drifted near a Bludger. Harry feared Cedric might catch it and dashed forward.

Yet Cedric acted as if he hadn’t seen the Snitch—he fixed his gaze on Fred, using his broom to block Fred’s bat. Fred swerved left and right, trying to evade him; the two began trading tactical maneuvers.

Harry re-centered the Snitch in his peripheral vision, circling calmly. He wondered: perhaps Cedric was trying to help Hufflepuff win the House Cup, deliberately ignoring the Snitch—maybe he’d already spotted it too.

Harry stayed alert. Cedric never flew toward the Snitch, even when passing close by—Harry suspected he was deliberately ignoring it. With Cedric’s aid, Hufflepuff’s offense was fierce, nearly matching Ravenclaw’s famed frontal assault.

But Gryffindor wasn’t without advantage. As the match lengthened, Hufflepuff players began to tire. Gryffindor, having trained extensively in the rain, had perfected their endurance tactics—Wood had instructed them from the start to conserve energy, and now their reserves were perfect for a counterattack.

When Harry watched the score climb to 70–20, he nearly broke and joined the fight. But remembering Cedric might end the match at any moment, he forced himself to keep watching the Snitch, repeating to himself: trust your teammates.

When the score tied at 90–40, Harry’s excitement nearly caused him to lose the Snitch—but Cedric was still actively joining the team fight, so Harry quickly re-located the Snitch by its general direction.

Then, when the score reached 100–50, Harry could hold back no longer—he shot straight for the Snitch, almost catching it.

Cedric noticed Harry’s move, but he knew: as long as Gryffindor hadn’t reached sixty points, Harry wouldn’t dare touch the Snitch.

As Hufflepuff pushed hard to score more, Gryffindor’s players suddenly realized the Snitch was right beneath Harry’s nose—they rallied, eyes locked on the Quaffle.

“If we score this one, we win!” George shouted, trying to scare Cedric away from his path.

Alicia, in possession, executed several high-difficulty fakes, dodged the defenders, and passed to Angelina—more accurate at shooting.

Angelina sped toward the goal, but Hufflepuff’s Keeper was ready, eyes fixed on her every motion.

But Angelina made a daring move—she knew the rain reduced visibility, so she planned a long-range shot.

She soared high, releasing her left hand from the broom, gripping the Quaffle with both hands, and hurled it toward the spot she remembered. Years of muscle memory guided the Quaffle at a perfect, impossible angle—sweeping over the Keeper’s head and slicing cleanly through the goal.

As the scoreboard flipped, Harry reached out and seized the Snitch, right before his eyes.

“Champions! Champions!” George raised Harry’s hand, cheering wildly. “We’re champions!”

Harry handed over the Snitch. As his teammates celebrated, he moved to speak with Cedric—to praise their tactics, to offer a friendly handshake.

“We can’t win by scoring. We can’t win by finding the Snitch. I wanted to say it then, but I didn’t. This strategy—I knew we’d lose. It just felt so senseless,” Cedric was scolding his teammates, visibly disappointed. “This is it. That’s all. I feel like this is it.”

Harry didn’t approach to embarrass himself—he quietly returned to his team.