Can't Win

No one knew whether it was Dumbledore's forceful intervention that had worked, or whether Rita Skeeter's report had slapped the Ministry of Magic in the face too hard.

In any case, the Quidditch match at the end of November finally went ahead without any mishaps.

Ravenclaw team defeated Hufflepuff team.

Yes, that was right—the match had been Ravenclaw team versus Hufflepuff team.

As for why it had not been Slytherin team versus Ravenclaw team, Albert did not really know either.

"Congratulations on winning the match."

After Ravenclaw team won, Albert joined Isabelle in applauding the victors.

However, his gaze soon fell on Cedric. That fellow really was quite the gentleman.

If Cedric had not been held up by Cho Chang during the match, he might have caught the Golden Snitch early and brought victory to Hufflepuff team.

Unfortunately, the longer things dragged on, the wider the score gap became. Even after catching the Golden Snitch, they still lost the match.

Cedric's gentlemanly behavior had clearly earned him plenty of points, especially since he had politely shaken hands with the other side after losing.

A good man in every sense of the word—the kind with excellent character.

"What are you looking at?"

Following Albert's gaze, Isabelle's eyes landed on Cedric. The Hufflepuff Quidditch captain was currently enduring complaints from his teammates, who were probably grumbling about his gentlemanly conduct just now.

"Cedric probably wants to pursue your Seeker," Albert guessed.

"Cho really is a lovely girl, and she's popular among the students, boys and girls alike." Isabelle thought highly of Cedric. Though he was a Hufflepuff student, there was no questioning his character or talent.

If Albert's brilliance had not been so dazzling, there would definitely have been plenty of girls who liked Cedric.

Unfortunately, Katrina did not like him.

Speaking