Slytherin won, edging them out by a single goal. Gryffindor's Charlie caught the Golden Snitch at the twenty-minute mark, but under Slytherin's relentless bombardment, the Gryffindor side, reshuffled for the season, was quickly left more than 150 points behind by Slytherin, who held the equipment advantage.
Charlie caught the Golden Snitch, but in doing so, he personally declared Gryffindor's defeat. It was hard to say whether he had voluntarily conceded or was merely trying to preserve some dignity in the face of a powerful opponent.
The match ended with Slytherin claiming victory—and over Gryffindor, no less. Though it had only been a narrow win, it still gave the long-suppressed Slytherin students a massive outlet.
"We won! You Gryffindor wimps, go home and cry!"
Words Gryffindor had once used to mock them now gave Slytherin, finally victorious for once, the chance to strike back. They seized the opportunity to hurl abuse at the Gryffindors in the neighboring stands.
Yet Gryffindor's students showed not the slightest discouragement over their loss. The little lions fiercely shouted back at Slytherin's taunts.
Still, Gryffindor's counterattack carried a hint of forced bravado. They could only mock Slytherin's victory as pure dumb luck, claiming it had relied entirely on the performance advantage of their brooms. But no matter what, a win was a win.
"Keep it up, lads. Next week, it'll be our turn to take the field."
Cedric patted Roy and the others on the shoulders, then led all the Hufflepuff team members away from the stands.
Just before entering the spectator passageway, Roy turned and glanced at Aisling, who stood in the middle of the field surrounded by Slytherin students.
Confetti and flowers thrown down from the stands rained from above as several Slytherin players repeatedly tossed their new captain into the air.
In that