In the stands…
Hermione frowned deeply.
Turning to Harry and Ron, who were cheering excitedly beside her, she said, “Don’t you think something’s wrong?” “For a moment just now…” “Charlotte completely lost control of his broom.” “I think the Slytherins might be behind it.” Ron glanced at the pitch.
“You’re overthinking it.” “It’s probably just because this is Charlotte’s first Quidditch match.” “He was nervous.” “Look.” “Isn’t he flying perfectly now?” Hermione looked back towards the field.
Charlotte was flying at incredible speed.
He and Cedric were racing neck and neck…
Skimming just inches above the grass.
It was an extremely dangerous style of flying.
One tiny mistake…
And they would crash straight into the ground.
Yet both Seekers handled it with remarkable ease.
Their spectacular flying earned wave after wave of applause.
The current score stood at…
Ravenclaw 40 – Hufflepuff 20.
Ravenclaw held only a twenty-point lead.
The outcome would ultimately depend on one thing.
Which Seeker caught the Golden Snitch first.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The Golden Snitch suddenly changed direction.
Instead of continuing across the pitch…
It shot vertically into the sky.
Charlotte and Cedric reacted instantly.
Like two rockets…
They soared upwards in pursuit.
After circling high above the stadium…
The Snitch suddenly plunged straight towards the ground.
Charlotte didn’t hesitate.
He immediately dived after it.
Cedric followed close behind.
But halfway through the dive…
He began slowing down.
If flying inches above the ground was considered a five-star difficulty…
Then a vertical dive like this was easily ten stars.
The descent was roughly thirty percent faster than ordinary flight.
One mistake…
And the rider would lose control before smashing into the ground.
Whenever faced with a dive like this…
Most Seekers chose to slow down…
Then relocate the Snitch afterwards.
Charlotte, however…
Had absolutely no intention of slowing.
He became like an arrow released from its bow.
Faster and faster…
He closed the gap between himself and the Golden Snitch.
Only a few inches remained.
“Charlotte!” “Look out!” Penelope screamed.
At almost the same instant— THUD!
One of Hufflepuff’s Beaters swung his bat with tremendous force.
A Bludger tore through the air…
Straight towards Charlotte’s back.
His situation was already incredibly dangerous.
Now…
A deadly Bludger was bearing down on him as well.
The safest option was obvious.
Abandon the Snitch.
Evade the Bludger.
Anything else could end in disaster.
“He’s speeding up!” Someone in the crowd screamed.
Every spectator widened their eyes in disbelief.
The Golden Snitch was now barely five or six metres above the ground.
At the speed they were travelling…
It would hit the earth in the blink of an eye.
And yet…
Charlotte accelerated again.
Then…
He reached out…
And closed his hand around the Golden Snitch.
At that moment…
He was less than half a metre above the ground.
The entire stadium held its breath.
Countless people stared at Charlotte.
Their hearts seemed ready to leap from their throats.
Many of the younger girls even covered their eyes…
Unable to bear watching what came next.
Even Dumbledore…
Standing atop the staff platform…
Had already drawn his wand.
A soft glow gathered at its tip.
Just as Charlotte seemed certain to crash…
He abruptly twisted his broom.
His body turned at a perfect ninety-degree angle…
Skimming across the grass at breathtaking speed.
A moment later…
He landed smoothly on the pitch.
Then…
Before the stunned crowd…
Charlotte raised the Golden Snitch high above his head.
The commentator stood frozen for several seconds.
Then he roared, “He did it!” “Charlotte has caught the Golden Snitch!” “Victory goes to Ravenclaw!” The stadium exploded.
Every spectator leapt to their feet.
Cheers thundered across the pitch.
People waved their arms wildly…
Unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
No one had expected Charlotte to attempt something so outrageous.
Even fewer had imagined his flying could be so breathtaking.
It was less like sport…
And more like art.
“We won!” “Brilliant!” “Charlotte, that was incredible!” “You nearly scared me to death!” “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” His teammates immediately surrounded him.
Some praised him.
Others scolded him.
Unable to contain her excitement…
Penelope suddenly threw her arms around Charlotte…
And kissed him firmly on the cheek.
Then she said seriously, “If there’s ever a next time…” “I hope you’ll put your own safety first.” Charlotte smiled helplessly.
“I will.” To everyone else…
That dive had seemed suicidal.
To someone who possessed a max-level Flight Charm…
It had simply been routine.
The Hufflepuff team soon approached as well.
Every one of them looked at Charlotte with genuine admiration.
His performance had completely won their respect.
Cedric stepped forward.
“Congratulations on your victory.” “Your flying today was incredible.” “I can’t compare with you.” “And…” “This was the most enjoyable Quidditch match I’ve ever played.” Charlotte nodded.
“Thank you.” “I enjoyed it too.” Truthfully…
Cedric was an outstanding Seeker.
If Hufflepuff weren’t such a cautious team…
Their results would probably have been even better.
Still…
Charlotte genuinely liked the way they played.
There was something refreshingly honourable about them.
Ding!
Congratulations!
The host has defeated Hufflepuff.
Reward: Skill Points ×10 Additional Reward: Undetectable Extension Charm.
The Undetectable Extension Charm?
Charlotte’s eyes lit up.
This was an exceptionally useful spell.
It could magically expand space.
A tiny suitcase…
Or even a small matchbox…
Could be enlarged until it possessed the capacity of an entire castle.
To prevent widespread abuse…
The Ministry of Magic had officially prohibited the private use of the Undetectable Extension Charm on personal belongings.
Even so…
People still used it secretly.
The Weasleys’ luggage…
Hermione’s enchanted handbag…
As long as no one reported you…
The Ministry generally turned a blind eye.
Charlotte had wanted to learn this spell for a long time.
Unfortunately…
He had never found anyone capable of teaching it.
He certainly hadn’t expected to receive it from the system instead.
Now…
He found himself genuinely looking forward to the remaining Quidditch matches.
The Hogwarts Quidditch Cup followed a round-robin format.
Ravenclaw would still face…
Gryffindor.
Slytherin.
And Hufflepuff had already been defeated.
Whichever House finished with the most victories would claim the Quidditch Cup.
If he could also defeat Gryffindor and Slytherin…
That meant two more spells…
Twenty more Skill Points…
And…
The championship reward on top of that.
Just imagining it made Charlotte grin.
Meanwhile…
Snape’s expression suddenly darkened.
At some point…
Filch had quietly disappeared from the stands.
Realising something was wrong…
Snape immediately turned and hurried down towards the pitch.