Quidditch is a ga for seven players, not a one-man performance. It celebrates individual brilliance, yes, but it never cos at the cost of teamwork. The Golden Snitch might be worth a staggering 150 points, but there are countless stories of teams catching it and still losing the ga.
And no matter how passionate a team is, team synergy isn't sothing you can build overnight with a pep talk.
Why say this now? Because at this very mont, Hogwarts was at a huge disadvantage.
Sure, the players were sowhat familiar with each other from inter-house interactions, but that familiarity couldn't compensate for the lack of chemistry that ca from real, long-term training together.
Only twenty minutes into the match, the scoreboard already read: 20 to 50, Hogwarts trailing.
Every ti Hogwarts lost possession of the Quaffle, a deafening roar of cheers surged from the stands like crashing waves, a constant reminder that this wasn't their turf. None of them had ever experienced this kind of pressure before. No matter how weak a team was back at school, it always had its supporters, but today felt entirely different.
And that pressure was real and crushing. Allen could feel it weighing down on one of the Chasers beside him, he was starting to visibly crack. Not good. With the Seekers still hunting the Snitch, the Chasers were the only source of points. If one of them broke under the pressure, it could trigger a complete collapse.
So, after Hogwarts managed to score a single goal and the opposing team was preparing for their next serve, Allen took action.
With surprising boldness, he adjusted his broom and, bam, nudged into his teammate just hard enough to jolt him. Gasps filled the stadium. Then Allen gave him a solid slap on the shoulder, at an angle no one else could see, a small spark of lightning danced in his palm.
That triple shock snapped the Chaser out of his daze. Then Allen leaned in and muttered just loud enough for him to hear:
"Get your head in the ga! Screw those bastards, shut them up!"
By the ti the words sank in, all that was left was Allen's back flying off into position. The match resud. The opposing team was already serving.
The Chaser blinked, snapped out of it. He's right. What the hell was I thinking? Just crush them! Shut them all up!
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But determination alone doesn't win a match, especially not against a team just as fired up and far more cohesive.
Despite their best efforts, Hogwarts' six active players just couldn't match Uagadou's seamless coordination.
The score now stood at 300 to 460. Even catching the Snitch wouldn't be enough, they'd still lose.
Charlie, the Seeker, was buckling under pressure. Finding the Snitch is notoriously difficult, especially when you're behind.
Then, there! A golden flicker in the corner of his eye. The Snitch!
He now had two choices: chase it or let it go.
If he let it go, the ga would continue, but could his team close the gap during that ti?
Highly unlikely. More likely, the gap would grow.
But if he caught the Snitch? The ga would end imdiately. A ten-point loss wasn't humiliating, it was respectable. A loss was still a loss, sure, but at least it wouldn't be a blowout.
And then the decision was made for him.
The opposing Seeker had seen it too, and he was charging straight toward it.
No choice now. It was a race.
Luckily, Charlie was closer, and had a longer reach.
With one final stretch, he clasped the Snitch tightly in his hand.
Its wings fluttered with a ticklish buzz, sothing Charlie usually enjoyed. But now, he couldn't find any joy in it. Catching the Snitch and still losing? Hardly worth celebrating.
Yet sothing was off.
The thunderous cheers he expected from the Uagadou crowd never ca. Instead, gasps of disbelief echoed across the stadium.
Confused, Charlie turned around, and froze.
Allen was lying on the ground, bloodied but smiling. His five teammates surrounded him.
The final score?
460 to 460. A tie.
While everyone was focused on the Seekers, Allen had stolen the Quaffle from an opposing player. Like a madman, he'd accelerated, dodged every block, and made a beeline for the goal.
The opposing team had been a split second too slow.
Only the stunned Keeper stood between him and victory.
The Keeper hesitated, he knew this kid. He hadn't taken many shots all match, but every single one had gone in.
A Bludger was racing toward Allen, the angle perfect. If he didn't dodge, it would hit him dead-on.
But to the Keeper's shock, Allen smiled, as if greeting a butterfly, and welcod the Bludger.
At that exact mont, he hurled the Quaffle with everything he had.
The Keeper flinched.
Too late.
Just before Charlie caught the Snitch, the Quaffle soared through the goal hoop, ten points for Hogwarts.
Then Allen, still smiling, was knocked off his broom by the Bludger.
Seconds later, Charlie caught the Snitch.
Match over.
A tie. A rare tie.
Professor McGonagall and the rest of the Hogwarts group rushed to the field, surrounding the still-smiling Allen.
Professor Sigma quickly assessed the damage: a fractured right arm. The blood ca from a broken nose courtesy of the Bludger. Painful, but not serious.
Everyone wanted to celebrate around Allen, but with him injured, it didn't feel right.
Soon, he was being carried off, not in defeat, but into the care of Uagadou's school nurse.
Before he left, he glimpsed McGonagall shaking hands with the Uagadou headmaster, both smiling.
But Allen had no strength left to complain.
It hurt. A lot. He was pretty sure it wasn't just a fracture, maybe even a full break!
Keeping that smug smile on his face had been exhausting. Why did he even do that? Not crying should've been enough!
Thankfully, Uagadou's school nurse was surprisingly good. As she complained about how Quidditch always resulted in a few students getting busted up every year, she cast healing spells that cooled the burning pain in his arm.
But then ca the bad news.
She ordered him to stay in the hospital wing for three full days, no negotiations.
He protested.
It didn't matter. McGonagall fully supported the decision.
Which left Allen with only one burning question:
How good is the hospital food at Uagadou?
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Note: I thought about it a long ti, and in the end, I decided not to let Hogwarts win. After all, Uagadou is a top-tier magic school too. It wouldn't make sense for a patched-together team to beat their strongest lineup.
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