Chapter 182: I Shouldn’t Have Told You This
Nothing at Hogwarts was easy—except for the Quidditch match, where Hufflepuff had swept Ravenclaw effortlessly.
The moment Cedric captured the Golden Snitch, the Ravenclaw students in the stands were left utterly stunned. They sat there in silence, lost in their thoughts, unable to say a word. Professor Flitwick had made an appearance during the game but had only stayed a few minutes before leaving with his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
Less than half an hour later, the scoreboard read 320 to 0. Although Ravenclaw was used to finishing at the bottom in Quidditch year after year, such a drastic score was still hard for them to accept. That glaring "0" on the board stung—just one goal would have made a difference.
"Why were you in such a rush, Cedric?" Kyle whispered after they returned to the ground. "We were going to win anyway, so there was no need to catch the Golden Snitch."
"I'm a Seeker, Kyle," Cedric replied, shooting him a disgruntled look. "My job is to keep an eye out for the Golden Snitch constantly. How could I focus on the score at the same time? And have you ever seen a game where the Seeker just lets the Snitch go? Giving up on it means giving up on honor—no Seeker would ever do that!"
"But you guys..." Cedric's voice lowered as he grit his teeth. "I took my eyes off the field for just a moment, and by then it was already 17–0! This score is absurd. Couldn't you have let up a little... What, are you guys not planning to go the Charm Class anymore?"
"I didn't mean to either," Kyle said with a wry smile. "It was just too easy, and before I knew it, the game was over."
They exchanged a look and sighed in unison.
In the days that followed, Ravenclaw's morale was at an all-time low. The friendly relationship they once shared with Hufflepuff had shifted dramatically. Although there were no outright conflicts, tension hung heavily between the two Houses. Even when a Hufflepuff student occasionally tried to greet them, the Ravenclaws would turn away as if they hadn't heard.