Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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"The game is over," Kyle thought to himself, watching the changes on the field.
He could roughly guess what had happened.
Perhaps influenced by the commentator, or perhaps because Snape was also watching the game, for the first twenty minutes, the Slytherin team was indeed holding their breath, hoping to create a miracle.
So they naturally played with all their might.
But after they realized that despite their best efforts, they still couldn't surpass Hufflepuff in the score, their pent-up anger dissipated.
Simply put, they tried...
but it was useless... time to play. Moreover, in their view, while it was a pity that their house couldn't win the championship, they didn't want to see Gryffindor win even more.
Since they couldn't surpass Hufflepuff by three hundred points, they might as well make things difficult for Gryffindor and give them a few more balls.
In the final match, every ball they gave them today could be the spear that pierced Gryffindor's championship dream.
That was enough.
Slytherin started acting, but they weren't stupid enough to openly perform in front of everyone. Instead, they only revealed a trick at crucial moments.
Therefore, most of the young wizards didn't notice anything amiss, assuming it was just bad luck or slow reaction time due to exhaustion.
However, not everyone was oblivious.
In the Gryffindor stands, Charlie angrily pounded the steps in front of him, shouting, "Damn Rosier! I thought they'd changed for the better!"
"This is cheating!" Fred and George were also furious, yelling from the stands, "They're fixing the match! They should be disqualified immediately!"
Despite their efforts, their shouts were barely a ripple compared to the deafening cheers around them.
Apart from a few people nearby, no one else could hear them.
Realizing their shouts were ineffective, Fred and George exchanged a glance and simultaneously got up and walked towards the commentary booth.
The match couldn't be cancelled; they only wanted to expose Slytherin's despicable match-fixing to everyone through the commentators.
But they were stopped as soon as they approached the commentary booth.
"Weasleys, what are you doing here?"
Professor McGonagall looked at them sternly. "This isn't a place for you. Go back to the match."
"But Professor McGonagall…" Fred shouted, "Slytherins are throwing the match! They're deliberately losing points!"
George echoed, "They're doing this to prevent Gryffindor from winning the Quidditch Cup! Aren't you going to do anything about it?!"
Professor McGonagall paused for a moment. "These are just your speculations, Mr. Weasleys. There's no evidence that they're deliberately losing points."
"But…"
Fred tried to say something more, but Professor McGonagall interrupted him.
"Go back to the match," she said firmly. "During a Quidditch match, no one except the commentator is allowed to touch the microphone. That's the rule."
"But…"
"Never mind, Fred." George tugged at Fred's robe and shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall, we'll go back now."
Professor McGonagall didn't speak, only nodded slightly.
Before leaving, the two, clinging to their last hope, turned to look at the commentator.
They had been speaking very loudly; at such close range, the other person could definitely hear them. If he were willing to help…
Fred and George stood there for a minute, but the other person continued his passionate commentary on the game, showing no sign of stopping.
Completely giving up, the two silently returned to their original positions.
They figured it out. Those who could be commentators naturally knew Quidditch well; how could they not see such obvious match-fixing? Why would they need to point it out?
Clearly, the other side, like Professor McGonagall, chose silence.
After they returned to the Gryffindor stands, Lee Jordan rushed over and asked, "How was it?"
Fred and George shook their heads simultaneously.
"Despicable Slytherin, cowardly and incompetent commentators, how could they do this?"
Lee Jordan was furious. "I was thinking of competing for the Seeker position next year, but now I've changed my mind. I'm going to be a commentator."
"Go for it!"
"We support you!"
Fred and George simultaneously put their hands on Li Jordan's shoulders. "We need to have our own voice!"
On the pitch, the Hufflepuff players also noticed Slytherin's strange behavior.
Harris glanced at the opponent's goal, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
A moment later, he suddenly took a deep breath, his gaze hardening.
Then, led by Harris, the Hufflepuff team also slowed down. They stopped trying to attack and instead tightened their formation, adopting a defensive posture.
"These idiots!"
Rosier gritted his teeth and threw the Quaffle at the Hufflepuff goalpost.
With a crisp sound, the Quaffle hit the post and bounced away.
Harris caught the ball and leisurely flew to the other side of the field, also hitting the Slytherin post.
"What a pity. It seems that after a long match, the Hufflepuff team has started to make mistakes."
The commentator said in a very cheerful voice, "Now it's a contest between the Seekers. Whoever catches the Golden Snitch first will win the game."
Kyle had no interest in watching the rest of the match.
He silently retreated to the last row of the stands and took out a piece of parchment from his robe pocket.
The Marauder's Map, which he had borrowed from Fred and George before the match.
Kyle took out his wand and gently tapped it on the parchment.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."
Unlike Fred and George, who only recited half the password, Kyle recited the complete one.
In fact, Fred and George had already found seven words; with their intelligence, they could have guessed the complete password long ago if they wanted to.
But they didn't, and when Kyle tried to tell them under some pretext, they refused.
They were unusually determined to "find" all the clues, not just guess.
But Kyle didn't care.
As the ink lines spread, the real Marauder's Map was revealed before him.
Kyle first memorized the locations of some secret passages, such as the one leading to the eighth floor and the one leading to the Honey Duke's cellar; these would be useful later.
After memorizing these, Kyle turned his attention to the Hufflepuff common room.
[End of the chapter]