Ravenclaw's Victory (Thanks to ♡Yuqing♡ for the Boba Milk Tea, thank you~)
Cho Chang hovered high in the air, broom handle in hand, her hair flying in the wind. She didn't look at the Quaffle or the Chaser's scramble; she kept her eyes on Harry, watching him circle high above, her peripheral vision scanning every corner of the pitch, searching for the Golden Snitch.
Then she looked down at the runes on her broom handle, which shimmered blue in the sunlight, as if telling her, "You can."
Cho Chang released one hand, her fingers gently tracing the runes. The runes suddenly lit up, as if activated, and a warm power spread from the broom handle throughout her body.
She took a deep breath and then moved the broom handle.
The Firebolt traced an arc through the air as it swooped down from the sky, so fast that its afterimage was barely visible. A scream erupted from the Ravenclaw stands, and some people in the Gryffindor stands stood up. Harry sensed it too—he turned his head sharply, but Cho Chang had already vanished from his sight.
"My God, her broom—" Lee Jordan's voice trembled, "Her broom is faster than Firebolt! Cho Chang's speed—"
Cho Chang was swooping down, the wind whistling past her ears. The golden Golden Snitch flashed past her vision. She reached out her hand, her fingers still an arm's length away from the Golden Snitch —but the Golden Snitch suddenly turned and disappeared into the shadows of the stands. Cho Chang reacted even faster than the Golden Snitch, the broom handle swerving, and she almost brushed past the railing of the stands.
The blue-bronze flags fluttered in the wind as Cho Chang moved swiftly among them, so fast that the students in the stands could only see a blue blur.
The Gryffindor stands fell silent.
The Ravenclaw stands erupted in chaos.
Harry charged in from the other side. His Firebolt was fast enough, but Cho Chang changed direction too quickly. With each turn, the distance between them widened. Harry gritted his teeth and chased after her, but he was always just a little short.
"Cho Chang and Harry are chasing the Golden Snitch!" Lee Jordan's voice was shrill and bright. "The Golden Snitch has emerged from under the stands! Flying towards the center of the field! Cho Chang in front! Harry behind—the distance is closing—no, the distance is widening— Cho Chang's broom is turning too fast!"
Su Yu leaned against the railing, Kurama peeked out from under his arm, also looking at the field.
Ka-jie glanced at him. "You taught her?"
"That's her talent!"
Daphne chuckled beside her. "Well, you're definitely showing favoritism."
"I'm biased towards each and every one of you." Su Yu hugged Daphne tightly, whispering to himself, "Forever, forever..."
Harry was chasing, but he felt a sense of despair. He really couldn't catch up. It wasn't that his broom wasn't fast enough; it was that his turns weren't sharp enough. Every time he encountered a bend, he had to slow down, adjust his direction, and then accelerate again, while Cho Chang didn't need to. Her broom seemed to have eyes; it would automatically tilt, accelerate, and adjust its angle as it approached a bend, gliding smoothly like it was on water. The runes emitted an even brighter light as they turned, like a blue ribbon flowing along the broom handle.
"Humans can only utilize 80% of a broom's performance," Su Yu muttered to himself. "The runes can utilize 95% of it, not because the broom is fast, but because her manipulation is even faster."
Fa-jie looked at the basketball court.
"When will she win?"
"It'll be soon," Ka-jie analyzed from the side.
Cho Chang drew a large circle high in the sky.
She wasn't evading Harry's pursuit; she was setting up a trap. She circled repeatedly in the air, diverting Harry's attention from the Golden Snitch and forcing him to fly at her own pace.
Harry immediately noticed this: Cho Chang's turning position changed each time, but her trajectory always remained within a complete area, trapping the Golden Snitch inside. She wasn't chasing the Golden Snitch; she was encircling Golden Snitch.
Harry swooped down, trying to break through her defenses, but Cho Chang didn't stop him; she feinted and made way for him.
Harry crawled in and crawled out the other side, only to find that the Golden Snitch was gone. Cho Chang had caught the Golden Snitch as she turned the corner; years of experience kicked in at that moment. She didn't even look back; her fingers firmly clamped down on the Golden Snitch's wing.
The Golden Snitch struggled twice in her hand, then fell silent.
There was a moment of silence in the stands for about two seconds.
Then the Ravenclaw stands erupted. Blue flags fluttered in the air, people jumped up, some hugged each other, some screamed, and some cried.
Roger Davis jumped off the broom and was caught by his teammates. Cho Chang held the Golden Snitch, her fingers trembling slightly, her face flushed red from the wind.
Madam Hooch's whistle blew. "The Golden Snitch Ravenclaw 'Seeker, Cho Chang! Match over! Ravenclaw wins!"
The scoreboard was frozen at 220 for Ravenclaw, 160 for Gryffindor, and 150 points earned by Cho Chang thanks to the Golden Snitch, which secured the victory.
Harry floated in the air, looking at the Golden Snitch in Cho Chang's hand with a complicated expression. He wanted to say something, but Cho Chang had already turned and flown away. She flew to the front of the Ravenclaw stands, raised the Golden Snitch in her hand, waved to the audience, and then her gaze passed through the crowd, finding the figure in the top row of the Slytherin stands.
Su Yu waved to her.
Cho Chang smiled happily, her eyes crinkling. She turned and flew back to the group, where her teammates surrounded her as she descended.
The Gryffindor players landed dejectedly on the ground. Wood crouched in front of the goal, not standing up. Harry lagged behind, and as he got off his broom, Hermione ran over and patted him on the shoulder.
Ron stood to the side, unsure of what to say.
Lee Jordan's voice boomed from the loudspeaker, still summarizing the match. "Ravenclaw has won—their first Quidditch Match victory over Gryffindor since 1987— Cho Chang's broom—Cho Chang of Ravenclaw —I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall, I really didn't mean anything by it—but we have to admit, the Rune Broom is indeed faster—"
Blue eagle flags fluttered around the stadium as Ravenclaw students poured onto the field, jumping and dancing. That evening, they held a lively party in their tower, their laughter echoing through the corridors.
Gryffindor, on the other hand, was dejected. The team members dragged their heavy steps back to the common room. The firelight made everyone's faces look gloomy. Wood buried his face in his hands and didn't say a word. No one was in the mood to celebrate. They just sat silently. Outside the window, the night was getting darker and the castle was quiet.
That night, only a few scattered embers glowed in the Gryffindor Common Room, with crumbs of snacks scattered on the floor. Harry and Ron went upstairs to their dormitory and, feeling unwell, collapsed into bed.
In the early hours of the morning, Ron was suddenly awakened with a scream—he flung open the bed curtains and saw a tall, dark figure standing beside his bed, his face deathly pale and his eyes terrifyingly bright. It was Sirius Black, holding a gleaming knife in his hand!
Ron was terrified and yelled, "Black! Black's here!" His voice woke up the entire dorm. Everyone panicked and rushed downstairs to the common room. Percy, wearing his pajamas and Prefect Badge, came to restore order, scolding everyone for their antics and saying that Ron had just had a nightmare.
In the chaos, Professor McGonagall rushed over and demanded to know what had happened. Ron trembled and insisted that he hadn't been dreaming— Black was standing right beside his bed and had even torn his curtains. Professor McGonagall was skeptical, so she went to the portrait cave and asked Sir Cadogan was temporarily guarding the Gryffindor Tower, if anyone had come in during the night.
Sir Cadogan proudly admitted: A man came in with a note that had the password for the week written on it, and he let him in.
Everyone was shocked, and later they learned that Neville had accidentally lost the password slip, which Black had found.
The news spread throughout the castle in an instant, Headmaster Dumbledore made a decisive decision: for safety's sake, all students and all houses, except Slytherin, should continue to spend the night in the Great Hall.
That night, the Great Hall was packed. Students lay fully clothed in their sleeping bags, whispering about how Black had sneaked in. Professors took turns guarding the door. The castle was brightly lit, and no one slept all night.
Later, the Fat Lady's portrait was restored, and she finally agreed to return to her post in Gryffindor Tower, but on the condition that security be strengthened— Dumbledore actually hired several Troll as security guards, who patrolled the corridors menacingly, wielding large clubs, and guarded the entrance to the Fat Lady's portrait tightly, so that no one dared to approach it casually anymore.