Quidditch match

Welcome to this first match of the season between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Despite the wind, despite the rain, here they are already arriving on the field, Cedric Diggory, Stuart McKinley, Dougal McPhail, Wayne Bostock, Robin Botesdale, Anthony Otterburn, and Harry Potter. Shouted Lee Jordan during the players' entrance onto the field.

The kickoff hadn't even been given when Harry was already soaked to the bone. It was raining so much that he couldn't see two meters in front of him. How was he supposed to catch the Golden Snitch in these conditions? Who on earth had decided that the match would go ahead despite this lousy weather? His former football team's coach would never have agreed to play in such weather. And yet, football was incredibly less dangerous than Quidditch. Harry loved flying, but today he was just terrified.

Since the beginning of the match, he stayed as close to the ground as possible and just circled the field, hoping for a break in the weather. But on the contrary, the longer time went on, the worse the weather seemed to get. Cédric kept yelling at him to gain altitude.

You will never be able to see the Golden Snitch if you stay close to the ground!

You're completely crazy. I'm not going to risk my life to catch a ball!

A ball worth 150 points so break your arm if necessary but catch that golden snitch for me.

And Angelina Johnson shoots and scores. 20 to 0 for Gryffindor!

Cédric hurled an insult at Harry then went back to the last chaser who hadn't been knocked out by a bludger. The absence of Fred and George was sorely felt. They were the only Hogwarts players capable of controlling the bludgers in such a storm. In fact, they roamed freely on the field and the players only saw them coming when it was too late to avoid them. After half an hour, Mike Boon was taken out as well. Harry was now the only player still standing. All the others had continued like idiots to fly more than ten meters above the ground despite the danger and were now in for a week's stay in the infirmary.

Harry really didn't understand how one could take so much risk for a simple match. He eventually dismounted and cast a spell to create a temporary shelter to wait for the rain to stop. Once the sun came out, he would have all the time to look for the snitch and win the match. This attitude completely made the spectators lose interest in the match. All joy disappeared from the stands, replaced by deadly boredom. They never knew it, but this change in atmosphere happened just in time. A few seconds more and the temptation represented by this crowd drunk with joy would have brought down the dementors, emboldened by a free meal and giving up their fear of the headmaster.

But this long wait was not entirely useless, as an idea came to him. As soon as the weather permitted, he got back on his broom but instead of looking for the Golden Snitch, he picked up the Quaffle that had been left on the ground and scored goals for Hufflepuff. Bibine reread the rules several times, Gryffindor and Slytherin united to boo him but to no avail. The rules were clear. A goal scored by a Seeker was valid and the match continued as long as he hadn't caught the Golden Snitch. At the end of the day, he was exhausted but the score was 20,000 to 30 for Hufflepuff. He decided to catch the Snitch that was flying notfar from the professors' stands. With such a score, he was sure to win the Quidditch cup and the house cup this year.

Harry definitely had a cold and three-quarters of the school hated him, but in the end, it was a good match. So why was Diggory's first instinct once he was healed to ruin it for him? Why were all the team members giving him the cold shoulder? They had won, that's all that mattered, right? He couldn't take it anymore and had a violent argument with the rest of the Hufflepuff players. He couldn't really remember if it was Cedric who kicked him off the team, or if he left on his own.

All he knew was that as he left the stadium with tears in his eyes, he kept telling himself that it didn't matter to him to be rejected again. That he expected it anyway and didn't need anyone. That it was better this way. He barely noticed the reappearance of that now so familiar anger, although it did not belong to him.