Meanwhile, on the Quidditch Pitch.
Just as Grace thought, the Gryffindor team was no match for Hufflepuff, and the game was decided within twenty minutes.
But the issue was not as she previously mentioned about Ron Weasley and the substitute Chaser Dean Thomas; in fact, their performance was quite commendable and not overly terrible.
The main problem was with the two new Beaters.
Gryffindor's Perks, whether due to nervousness or some other reason, was originally trying to block Kael's Bludger, but he ended up hitting it directly towards Harry.
Harry, who was chasing the Golden Snitch, was completely unprepared for his teammate, and as a result, the Bludger heavily hit him, nearly knocking him off his broom.
Taking advantage of Harry's adjustment, Kael accelerated and swiftly grabbed the Golden Snitch in front of him.
As Ms. Hooch's whistle ended the game, Perks hurriedly flew to Harry's side.
"I'm sorry!" he apologized repeatedly, "I didn't mean to, it was Mikel Derek, he suddenly shouted behind me, and I missed."
Harry clutched his arm, wanting to scold him loudly; he would have done so before, but now being the captain, he could only sigh helplessly, saying nothing.
Ginny said something next to him, but her voice was drowned out by the surrounding wave-like cheers.
...
"I knew it, we could definitely win!" Mikel said excitedly in the Hufflepuff locker room, "Those two new Beaters are far worse compared to Fred and George.
"So easy... In my view, their intentions are like the ice-covered Black Lake in winter, one look and you can see through them."
"I think so too." Another Chaser said with a smile, "Dodging the Bludgers today was exceptionally easy."
Kael felt the same way.
Although he hadn't been a Seeker before, he often received special attention from Fred and George. As twins, they coordinated seamlessly, and Bludgers would fly from all sorts of tricky angles, making it challenging to defend.
This also made Kael extremely vigilant during the games, constantly watching the Bludgers' movements.
But the two Beaters this academic year were newcomers and not twins, so their coordination was limited, and the Bludgers flew straightforwardly, easy to dodge as soon as he saw them, lowering the difficulty by more than one level.
There was no real sense of experience.
Having finally been a Seeker, but the imagined chase and battle of wits didn't happen, he caught the Golden Snitch muddled...
Boring.
"Ryan said to celebrate our victory in the first game, they're hosting a feast in the common room." Mikel said joyfully, "Let's hurry over, I need some Butter Beer to celebrate."
"Butter Beer?" The Keeper Vane exclaimed, "Weren't we not allowed to go to Hogsmeade? Where did they get Butter Beer?"
"The Little Elf helped buy it," Mikel said with a grin, "This wasn't allowed, but since we're neighbors, and it's the seventh year... there ought to be some privileges."
"Then let's hurry up." The group changed clothes and walked joyfully toward the castle.
Kael stayed behind the group, soon Conna came, looking happy but not overly excited, as if she had anticipated Hufflepuff's win.
"Cho doesn't seem very happy." Conna said, "She also warned you to be careful in the next game."
"Ha, saying that, as if I'm afraid of her." Kael shrugged indifferently.
Someone without a Firebolt isn't worthy of being his opponent...
The two walked through the crowd, across the field, returning to the castle, many loudly congratulating him, which Kael acknowledged one by one.
...
"Look, who is that?" As they arrived at the castle's foyer, Conna suddenly tugged on Kael's robe, pointing at a person walking upstairs not far away.
"Malfoy? What a rare sight." Kael muttered, "Not only did he not watch the game, but he also appeared alone outside the auditorium."
Conna blinked at Kael.
"Don't look at me like that." Kael shrugged, "I've promised you I wouldn't go find him, and I keep my word."
...