In the Slytherin changing room.
Malfoy was giving his final speech.
At first, the players thought it would be the familiar, "You lot of little brats made life difficult for me, so I'll make life difficult for all of you from now on." But this time, it was not like that.
"I admit that I have been harsh these past few days."
For the first time ever, Malfoy was actually speaking about his own faults.
"For the sake of my own selfish desires, I made all of you endure the most difficult training. Some of the training even went beyond what students should have to bear."
Malfoy looked at his teammates and said sincerely, "Here, I want to say thank you."
"Thank you, all of you. Quidditch has never been a game for one person. Even the strongest Seeker still needs teammates."
"Besides, I am not a strong Seeker."
"In my matches against Potter, the one who always wins is Harry Potter."
"Excellent teammates are the reason Slytherin wins."
His words made the Slytherins fall silent.
Crabbe could not help saying, "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have these skills either, Draco."
"No." Malfoy sighed deeply and said, "It was your own hard work."
"You worked harder than any of us!" Goyle said. "You were always the first to arrive at the pitch and the last to leave."
"We all know you were doing it for our own good."
"Really? You all think that?" Malfoy said in surprise.
The players nodded firmly, and Goyle said, "We understand the captain's good intentions. No matter what the result is, you are the most successful captain!"
"Good. Good, good!" Malfoy nodded in relief.
"Then why haven't you bastards put on your robes yet? If I get tied to the Pillar of Shame, none of you should even think about having a good time!"
The dagger was revealed at last. All that earlier sentimentality had been for the ugly face that came after.
Malfoy grinned viciously and said, "This is the final match. Whoever makes me unhappy, I'll make sure he's unhappy too."
The familiar taste, the familiar recipe.
"Put on your uniforms and walk onto the pitch. We are Slytherin."
Malfoy said arrogantly, "Victory is our treasure. By any means necessary, we will seize it!"
...
In the Gryffindor changing room.
Harry was also giving his final speech.
"We only need to play this last match well and bring out our true ability."
Harry said inspiringly, "We have driven them into desperate straits countless times before. This time is different. We will win."
"In the name of Gryffindor, we will topple the throne and become the new champions!"
"For Gryffindor!"
Morale in the Gryffindor changing room soared.
This year's Gryffindor was different. They were more mature.
They had the most outstanding Chasers and the most outstanding Seeker. Victory would be theirs.
Ron was in excellent form this year. He had been moved to the Keeper position and had made great contributions to Gryffindor's victories.
The newly joined Dean had taken over a Chaser position and worked well with his ex-girlfriend.
"We have every factor we need to win. Why should we lose to Slytherin?"
Hearing the call outside for the teams to enter the pitch, Harry took a deep breath. His gaze swept over his teammates, and he said firmly, "Walk onto the pitch, and let us have no regrets!"
The Gryffindor players nodded seriously.
Amid the cheers, red and green appeared.
The stands were filled with a continuous stream of noisy encouragement.
"The first to come out is the Gryffindor team. Their captain, Harry Potter, has a determined gaze. This is the final battle, and also the end of a destined rivalry."
Ernie Macmillan began his passionate commentary.
"Slytherin is out now. Their captain is Draco Malfoy. Mm, this is also his final battle this year. According to reliable gossip, this person has repeatedly subjected his players to inhuman training. Every single player has been to the Hospital Wing. Truly, he has no humanity at all."
Malfoy was enjoying the cheers when he heard this sentence and immediately shot Ernie a murderous look.
"Nonsense," Malfoy cursed under his breath. "My Asto has never been there!"
Goyle and Crabbe, his two lackeys, fell silent.
Not only them, Slytherin fell silent as well.
Fine. Apart from Astoria, they had all been there.
But what was there for you to be proud of?
Madam Hooch was still the referee, and the two captains shook hands.
Malfoy secretly exerted his strength, and Harry did the same.
The two of them gripped each other's hands, looking as if they intended to hold on until the end of time.
Madam Hooch was speechless and told them to let go.
"The match begins!"
The Seekers from both sides immediately flew up to suitable positions high in the air to search for the Golden Snitch.
"Astoria takes the Quaffle first. She's controlling her Firebolt and charging straight toward the Gryffindor goalposts. This beautiful young lady... What! Ginny Weasley has appeared! She's stolen the Quaffle from Astoria!"
The match was already fierce from the very beginning.
Astoria seized the Quaffle first, but Ginny burst out of nowhere and stole it from her arms.
Astoria reacted and immediately turned back to snatch it away. Two extremely fast figures collided in the air, fighting for possession.
"Oh my God, Astoria has the Quaffle. Oh no, she doesn't! Ginny passed it out. Dean Thomas catches it. Where did that Bludger come from? Dean's been hit! Possession changes again!"
The two sides traded possession back and forth. Harry had just seen Ginny take the Quaffle and smiled, only to watch possession change again.
Goyle and Crabbe, the two Bludger experts, sent the ball flying toward Ginny, but she dodged it.
Still, they bought Astoria time. She hugged the Quaffle and accelerated, using a feint to deceive Ron before throwing the Quaffle into the lower-right hoop.
"Slytherin scores first!"
Ernie shouted excitedly, his throat aching from the roar.
The intense back-and-forth struggle was unprecedentedly fierce, and everyone could smell how brilliant this match would be.
Malfoy revealed a smug smile. "My Asto is the best."
Harry immediately retorted, "Nonsense. Ginny is the best."
The two of them looked at each other, sparks flying violently in their gazes.
Immediately afterward, the two began arguing over who was truly the best.
Ginny launched a fast attack, working with Dean to break through Slytherin's defence.
"Beautiful! I love this red-haired girl to death. Her shot is like art!"
Ernie hammered the table excitedly. Behind him, Professor McGonagall could barely suppress the smile at the corners of her mouth and looked extremely pleased.
The cheers almost deafened everyone. John sat in the Slytherin section and saw Luna opposite him, wrapped in a snake scarf and wearing a lion hat, cheering for Slytherin one moment and Gryffindor the next.
"I dare say this is definitely the most exciting match Hogwarts has seen in a hundred years!" Ernie began his passionate commentary. "Will Slytherin achieve their thirteenth consecutive victory?"
"Or will the roaring lion become the one to overthrow the throne?"
"This is not a match. This is a destined duel!"
The match on the pitch was tense and thrilling.
Astoria's speed and Ginny's technique.
Goyle and Crabbe's Bludger bombardment.
Ron's resolute defence, forming an iron wall.
The score remained tightly locked the entire time. The difference never exceeded twenty points, and the advantage even changed hands more than once.
And what would decide victory or defeat was only that Golden Snitch.
Whoever obtained the Golden Snitch would obtain the world.
The captains and Seekers of both sides searched the sky with sharp eyes.
"Potter," Malfoy provoked Harry, "let's put an end to this."
Harry smiled, fighting spirit burning high. "Exactly what I was thinking."
The entanglement that had begun in first year would be cut here.
You are not the Saviour, and I am not the youngest Death Eater.
Fate crossed once more, and after this, they would become two straight lines, never meeting again.
Gold appeared in an instant.
Two figures moved at the same time.
A familiar feeling.
Second year, third year, fifth year.
Clashes again and again, entanglement again and again.
We are the chaos tangled together. It is time to separate.
The final battle will draw the full stop for us.
Malfoy and Potter.
Slytherin and Gryffindor.
____
o(*￣▽￣*)ブSupport and Read 12 Chapters ahead: Patreon/Dragonel