Chapter 300: Harry’s Narrow Escape
Since he couldn't be sure if the Bludger's odd behavior would start up again, and with Slytherin's lead growing larger, Harry knew he needed to catch the Golden Snitch as soon as possible to end the game.
"Practicing ballet, Potter?" Malfoy jeered, flying right beside him. "I didn't know you had that in you. Maybe you should join the Skeletons!"
Harry was momentarily distracted by Malfoy's taunting and glanced back. But at that exact moment, he saw it—the Golden Snitch darted right between them. Without missing a beat, Harry took off in pursuit.
Malfoy, a bit slower to react, scrambled to catch up. Thanks to his superior broom, the distance between them started to shrink.
"It's the Snitch! Both Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy have seen it... they're speeding up!" Lee Jordan's voice boomed from the commentary booth. "The Snitch just changed direction... Harry's closing in, less than two feet away... and Malfoy's dropping behind... Seems a fancy broom doesn't always cut it!"
Harry was inching closer to the Snitch, his fingertips nearly brushing its wings... but then a Bludger abruptly changed direction and hurtled toward him. This time, Harry didn't dodge. He let go of his broom and lunged forward, catching the Snitch firmly in his hand. But at that same instant, the Bludger smashed into his arm, breaking it.
With a loud splash, Harry tumbled off his broom and landed in the muddy ground, his arm twisted at an unnatural angle. Cheers erupted from the stands, and Kyle grinned—it was the first time in three years he'd seen a whole season opener, and it had been worth it.
As the crowd chanted Harry's name, Kyle spotted Dobby the House-elf dashing away from the pitch, with Kaka in hot pursuit, wielding a cleaning broom and whacking Dobby repeatedly on the head. Apparently, this was the House-elves' way of handling conflicts—straightforward and, well, brutish.
Kyle raised an eyebrow, wondering if that final Bludger's strange targeting had been Dobby's doing... If so, it was relentless. Poor Harry, though; Kyle had hoped he might escape without a broken arm.