Chapter 65: New Broom, Nimbus 2000?

The next evening, to celebrate Cedric's discharge from the hospital, the Hufflepuff players threw him a small party in the common room after training.

Cedric being fine was undoubtedly great news for the team. Captain Harris also brought some butterbeer from Hogsmeade, and they all enjoyed it together.

Mainly because Harris, himself, wanted a drink.

As the captain of the team, Harris was under a lot of pressure. Especially after the first match, which had him losing sleep and hair by the handful.

The opponents were too formidable.

Gryffindor's players were of the highest quality, with almost no weaknesses.

Slytherin was well-equipped and played dirty.

Ravenclaw had seven players...

For Hufflepuff, Cedric, the talented Seeker, was almost their only hope for winning the championship.

Harris raised his butterbeer and clinked it with Cedric's. "Don't worry, this won't happen again. I plan to assign a Beater specifically to protect you. If those Slytherins dare lay a hand on you next time, our sturdy Beater's bat will meet their faces first."

Cedric frowned, not entirely approving of Harris's approach.

With only two Beaters, assigning one to protect him would nullify their attacking advantage. If Slytherin took a substantial lead, even catching the Golden Snitch wouldn't help.

Cedric expressed his concerns to Harris.

"Don't worry about that," Harris thought for a moment and said, "This is just a preliminary plan. It can be gradually improved during practice matches."

Cedric tried to persuade Harris several times to give up the idea but had little to no success.

Even if his reasons were sound, Harris would just say, "We'll discuss it after the practice matches."

After realizing that nothing could change his mind, Cedric decided not to push it further.

They could talk after the practice matches.

Kyle also attended the celebration, but since he was not part of the team, he didn't need to worry about such matters. He focused on enjoying the food.

He was curious about the taste of butterbeer, but as soon as he reached for it, a senior student stopped him.

The reason was that wizards below the fifth year couldn't drink alcohol.

Kyle felt a bit disappointed, but there was nothing to be done. Not only him, even the star of the party, Cedric, was drinking pumpkin juice.

After the feast, everyone returned to their dormitories.

The next few days went on as usual.

Kyle, like other young wizards, attended classes, had meals, and did homework in the library, as if nothing had happened.

Even Gryffindor's Fred and George had improved their behavior, losing only ten points in the past few days.

Professor McGonagall was pleased, and her attitude toward them was no longer as stern as before.

This continued until mid-November when the second Quidditch match was about to begin.

It was a weekend morning when a piece of news spread throughout Hogwarts.

"Have you heard? Gryffindor's team has a new broom."

In the Great Hall, a Slytherin first-year was sharing the news with others.

"A new broom?" Seventh-year Slytherin team captain, Severin Rosier's expression turned gloomy after hearing the news.

Slytherin was to play against Gryffindor in the afternoon, and having Gryffindor acquire a new broom at this time was not a good sign.

But the news didn't end there. The student continued, "I also heard it's not just any ordinary broom, but the Nimbus 2000 that has not been released yet."

"Nimbus 2000?!"

Someone exclaimed, "That's impossible! My uncle works in the Magical Games and Sports Department at the Ministry, and even he can't get a Nimbus 2000. How did those Gryffindors manage it?"

Another person joined in, saying, "I heard Bill Weasley got it from Egypt. It seems that he did a big favor for the Nimbus Company."

"Damn Weasley."

Someone angrily pounded the table. "What about the afternoon match? The performance of the Nimbus 2000 must be much better than our Nimbus 1700."

The Slytherin student who first spoke stood up and said, "I'm going to write a letter to my uncle to see if he can also get a NImbus 2000."

"Can you make it time?"

"Should be possible."

...

Meanwhile, Slytherin team members were now gloomy, and couldn't eat after hearing these words.

Rosier flipped the plate in front of him in anger, saying, "Damn it, why is it at this time?"

Slytherin and Gryffindor had been archrivals for years, and Rosier couldn't accept losing to them in the match.

"Don't panic, the authenticity of the news is uncertain," someone calmly analyzed. "The Nimbus 2000 isn't a toy, so it can't just be handed out, and this news came too suddenly. It's probably deliberately fabricated to confuse us."

"Ohhh~~~"

Suddenly, the Great Hall echoed with gasps.

"Look, what's that!"

As if intentionally going against him, as soon as he finished speaking, six owls with long packages landed on Gryffindor's table.

From the appearance alone, it was clear they were broomsticks.

Because the packages were tight, they could see that the tails of those broomsticks were longer than the Nimbus 1700, with a different shape from the models available in the market.

The Weasley twins, holding the packages, excitedly chatted with others.

Although it was difficult to hear what they were saying due to the distance, it was evident that everyone was extremely excited.

Especially the Quidditch players, who occasionally looked in their direction with very peculiar expressions.

Rosier felt that they were mocking him, and this made it somewhat unbearable. When he was about to flip another plate to vent his anger, he found that there was nothing left on the table in front of him.

So, he flipped a plate from a nearby first-year instead.

"Everyone, go gather information," Rosier gritted his teeth and said, "No matter what method we have to use, we must find out whether that thing truly is the Nimbus 2000."

"And if it is?" someone asked.

"Then write to your home to you families and find a way to get one too!" Rosier roared. "What are you waiting for? Go!"

The Slytherin players dispersed in a hurry, and when the other little snakes saw this situation, they followed suit and left the Great Hall.

Rosier was furious at this moment, and they didn't want to stay and provoke him.

...

(End of chapter)