With the turmoil of the previous Quidditch match smoothly resolved, the next match began without any hindrance.
Young wizards no longer had to worry about Dementors, not because of the Ministry of Magic's promise, but because they had several outstanding classmates who could protect them with the Patronus Charm.
The opposing teams for this match were Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.
Since Alaric had announced his withdrawal from Ravenclaw before this match, the other houses were greatly encouraged.
Alaric's presence was like a towering mountain before them, a player who could overwhelm them in every aspect: technical skill, physical fitness, tactical acumen, and broomstick performance.
It seemed almost hopeless to defeat Ravenclaw with him on their side, turning every Quidditch match into a game where Ravenclaw emerged victorious.
Now, the obstacle standing before them had finally disappeared, and each house found renewed hope of winning the championship, providing them with additional motivation during training.
Especially in this match, the Hufflepuff team showed great determination in the face of Ravenclaw.
However, Gryffindor hoped that Ravenclaw would give Hufflepuff a lesson—Gryffindor had previously lost to Hufflepuff, and if Ravenclaw defeated Hufflepuff, Gryffindor would have a chance at the championship.
The result of the match was as they wished: Ravenclaw defeated Hufflepuff.
However, the Gryffindor team didn't seem as pleased as expected.
Because they discovered that after Alaric's withdrawal, another powerhouse had emerged in Ravenclaw—Seeker Cho Chang.
This girl, who originally had only moderate talent, had performed exceptionally in this match compared to before.
With her superior broomstick and excellent flying skills, she caught the Golden Snitch in just ten minutes, ending the match and leaving Hufflepuff's Cedric Diggory completely disoriented.
At this point, Gryffindor found themselves facing a Ravenclaw team with overall strength, and without their Seeker Harry Potter's Firebolt, they could only rely on the old Comet 260 against Cho Chang.
This situation was quite despairing.
However, a surprise came to Gryffindor during Christmas.
Before a Ravenclaw Quidditch practice, Roger announced some news mysteriously.
"I heard that Gryffindor's Harry Potter received a special Christmas gift, a Firebolt!"
Roger said to all the team members in the Quidditch changing room—including Alaric, who had withdrawn from the team but still provided flying guidance to Cho Chang.
"A Firebolt? What's that?" Chaser Chambers asked, puzzled. "The name sounds familiar… Sounds like a broomstick."
"The Firebolt is currently the fastest broomstick on the market, produced by the Nimbus Racing Broom Company, representing the highest level of craftsmanship!"
Roger explained solemnly, launching into an explanation.
"It can accelerate from zero to 150 miles per hour in ten seconds.
Plus, it has magical braking effects, allowing it to hover at the perfect height automatically. It's said that the Irish team plans to use it in competitions!"
"Harry's previous broom, the Nimbus 2000, was damaged during the match with Hufflepuff by a Bludger," Cho Chang remarked indifferently.
"This could be considered a blessing in disguise for him..."
She wasn't afraid of her opponent's Firebolt, even though many praised it.
She had great confidence in Alaric's skills in alchemy.
After all, after Alaric's modifications to her broomstick, she had even attempted speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour, which wasn't the limit yet.
The final test had to be stopped because she couldn't withstand such high speeds.
"I heard a Firebolt costs several thousand Galleons," Bradley said incredulously. "Who would give him such an expensive gift? I'm sure it's not from his uncle."
"Maybe it's from one of his admirers... Harry has many fans!" Roger speculated. "After all, he defeated the mysterious person."
"Perhaps it's Dumbledore," Cho Chang suggested a new idea.
"We all know Dumbledore is biased towards Harry. He even gave Harry an Invisibility Cloak."
"It's not Dumbledore," Alaric shook his head, explaining, "The Invisibility Cloak belonged to Harry's father, just kept by Dumbledore.
Dumbledore wouldn't do something like this even if he's biased towards Harry.
Stop guessing. I can assure you, you'll never guess who gave Harry the Firebolt. It's quite an unexpected person."
In the end, Roger concluded, "Regardless, we must take Gryffindor seriously now.
Cho Chang performed exceptionally well in the previous matches, but she still needs to give her all against Harry.
He was already a great flier, and now with the Firebolt, you won't have the advantage on the broomstick anymore.
So, you need to train hard during this time; otherwise, we might lose to Gryffindor."
"I will train hard," Cho Chang replied, her tone filled with pride, "But I don't believe that I don't have any advantage against him; neither in skill nor on the broomstick. I think I am better in both aspect."
With that said, she gave Alaric a big smile.
However, the situation soon changed.
Professor McGonagall temporarily confiscated the Firebolt.
Since Harry had been under the threat of Sirius Black throughout the school year, the professors suspected it was a gift from Sirius Black.
They feared that the Firebolt might be enchanted with dark magic, potentially leading to Harry's demise, such as making him fall off his broomstick during flight.
In the end, the professors decided to dismantle the broomstick for inspection, to see if there were any dangerous dark magic spells attached to it.
Many people were happy with this decision.
"I hope Harry Potter won't get his broomstick back before the end of the Quidditch season—at least not before our match against Gryffindor.
Otherwise, we might lose," Roger sighed, even though Cho Chang was confident, he was still very worried.
He didn't believe that Alaric's modified broomstick could surpass the Firebolt, nor did he believe that Cho Chang's flying skills could surpass Harry Potter's.
As for Slytherin, their Seeker Draco Malfoy even maliciously hoped that the broomstick would not be reassembled after being dismantled.
Upon hearing that Harry had received the Firebolt, he harbored great jealousy towards Harry.
He even wrote to Lucius Malfoy, asking him to buy a Firebolt—seven Firebolts, so that each member of the Slytherin Quidditch team could have one.
Unfortunately, although the Malfoy family was an old pure-blood family, they evidently didn't have such financial resources.
Lucius didn't even buy one Firebolt for Draco, because the seven Nimbus 2001 broomsticks had already cost the Malfoy family a lot of money.
.
.
.
Guys, do leave some power stones and reviews.
✌patreon.com/bobthewriter✌
If you guys enjoy this story, you can support me on Patreon and get access to 30 Advance Chapters, it really helps me to work on new chapters.