The entire stadium was stunned into silence by the unexpected collision, no one, least of all the Ilvermorny wizards, had anticipated something like this would happen.
The two unlucky players who had crashed were quickly caught midair by their teammates. But the Ilvermorny Beaters who had swooped in to rescue them didn't look too happy. They had braced themselves to catch their own brave players after they'd smashed into an opponent, not for this. To be outwitted so easily by a single Hogwarts player? It was embarrassing.
The crowd's cheers abruptly died out, replaced by a resounding chant:
"Get him!"
The fresh substitutes from Ilvermorny no longer even cared about the Quaffle. They grouped up and charged straight at the little wizard who had just humiliated their teammates.
Meanwhile, the Hufflepuff team, already briefed by Allen, took advantage of the chaos and began seizing control of the Quaffle. It didn't take long for them to erase the score deficit.
But no one was paying attention to the scoreboard anymore.
All eyes were locked on the tiny wizard who had just played them all like fools.
Ilvermorny's new strategy was crystal clear: take him down, no matter the cost. Even if their entire squad was disqualified, it didn't matter, as long as they could knock that cunning little bastard out of the sky. Just seeing him still flying was an insult to their school.
Professor McGonagall was already preparing to forfeit the match. Some setbacks were important for growth, yes, but what was happening now had gone too far. When she signed off on the tournament, she knew there'd be hostility from the other school, but this was crossing a line. McGonagall wasn't going to sacrifice her students just for the sake of an agreement.
But then, a quietly passed message from Professor Sprout made her pause.
If even Sprout, Hufflepuff's own Head of House, was confident enough to let the game continue, then McGonagall would trust her judgment. She knew better than anyone how deeply Sprout cared for her students.
What she didn't know, however, was that even Professor Sprout was secretly nervous. If the remaining Hufflepuff players hadn't repeatedly reassured her that Allen had everything under control, she never would've sent that message to McGonagall.
On the pitch, Allen's incredible flying was also helping to win Sprout's confidence.
He weaved and darted like a hummingbird, slipping through the tightening ring of opponents with impossible agility. He no longer used the earlier sudden-stop trick, but his dazzling aerial maneuvers had enraged his pursuers to the point of obsession.
Being played like a monkey in front of the entire crowd, it was humiliating. But instead of panicking, the Ilvermorny players began adapting. They stopped treating it like a normal match and started converting their old training drills into trap tactics, closing in on Allen with precision.
After all, they weren't amateurs. These were house team players, and they knew how to fly.
Despite Allen's finesse, the noose slowly began to tighten. The coordinated trap was closing in, and the Ilvermorny squad went full throttle. They didn't care anymore if they accidentally hit one another, they were going to smash this little freak out of the sky.
It all happened so fast that no one had time to stop it.
But when it was over, six players fell from the sky. Not seven.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
Courage.
It's a beautiful word, and an even more impressive skill. Its power lived up to its name.
Allen's magically enhanced physique, boosted further by this unique skill, was pushed to its limits. As his body glowed with a golden light, he collided head-on with the surrounding players.
But unlike them, Allen recovered almost instantly. His broom faltered for just a few seconds before he stabilized it and soared back into control.
The others weren't so lucky.
The players who had crashed into him lost their balance during the impact and were now falling helplessly from the sky, tumbling alongside their shattered brooms.
The entire stadium went dead silent, shocked speechless by the sudden turn of events.
Then, everyone watched in horror as Allen's broom began spiraling toward the ground.
It looked completely out of control, was it broken? Could the earlier collision have damaged it?
The Ilvermorny crowd held its breath, and the rescue wizards subtly eased their positioning, just in case. Frankly, none of them wanted that terrifying little monster to land safely, grab another broom, and come flying back.
But they were going to be disappointed.
Just as Allen came dangerously close to the ground, he stopped. He halted his descent so smoothly, it was as if the entire fall had been choreographed.
Then, he landed softly on the pitch.
And with the entire crowd staring at him, he raised his right hand high into the air, revealing something small and golden struggling in his grip:
The Golden Snitch.
To make sure everyone could see, Allen adopted a clever pose. He kept most of his fingers clenched tightly around the Snitch, but left the center exposed, letting its metallic wings shimmer visibly to the crowd.
Then, with theatrical flair, he slowly rotated his hand to display it to each corner of the stadium.
The audience was dead silent. Not a single word was spoken.
All the jeers and insults that had echoed moments ago had vanished into nothing. Hogwarts had already overtaken Ilvermorny on the scoreboard before Allen caught the Snitch.
Only the referee's delayed whistle broke the silence.
That was it.
They had lost.
Even with the crowd behind them…
Even with the biased calls and constant fouls…
They still lost.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
But the drama wasn't over yet.
Several professors and officials entered the pitch, gathering at the center.
They were investigating the golden light that had flashed around Allen's body, suspecting it might have been an offensive spell. But no matter how thoroughly they searched, they couldn't find a wand on him.
Even Professor McGonagall approached. Her expression was grim.
"Allen… did you use magic to attack those players?"
Direct, aggressive magic was strictly prohibited in official matches. If Allen had broken that rule, not only would Hogwarts lose the game, but Allen himself could be banned from the sport for life.
Allen met her eyes and answered with a calm, sincere smile.
"No, Professor. What I used was a protective spell, something I learned during my time studying at Uagadou in Uganda."
Uagadou's magic had a very distinct style, it wasn't as flashy or powerful as traditional European spells, but it had one crucial advantage:
It didn't require a wand.
That made it notoriously difficult to detect or regulate. In fact, Uagadou wizards were known for using their magic to bend rules without technically breaking them.
And protective magic? That was often seen as support magic, like the simple waterproofing charm Harry had once used on his glasses.
In other words, Allen hadn't broken any rules.
Which meant Ilvermorny had lost, fair and square.
And so, under the weight of defeat, the Hufflepuff team threw their arms around each other and left the pitch shoulder to shoulder, grinning from ear to ear.
As they walked off, Allen held up the Snitch one last time.
But this time, he let it go.
The golden ball fluttered its slightly crumpled wings and danced joyfully into the sky, twirling upward in celebration.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
150 Advance Chapters Available on Patreon! Patreon.com/Veltoria [remove brackets]
250 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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