Chapter 107. Enthusiastic Fans
Duncan sprinted down the empty corridor with Neville, broom in hand.
Last night he had only brought Mori back to the dormitory in the dead of night, and after the time spent lecturing him, he did not get to sleep until the small hours.
It felt as if he had only just touched the bed when Neville shook him awake in a panic, telling him the Quidditch match was about to start.
He jumped up again, got dressed, downed a bottle of Invigorating Potion, and dashed out of the dormitory once more, feeling as if he were fighting for his life.
Along the way, near the corridor by the Great Hall, they ran into the slow-moving Quirrell.
Quirrell had one hand on the wall, inching forward step by step, stopping to rest every few paces and sucking in a few sharp breaths.
Duncan glanced sympathetically at Quirrell's backside and asked with concern, "Professor Quirrell, are you all right?"
Quirrell turned his head to look at Duncan, anger flashing in his eyes, but after a moment he realised the setting was wrong and forced a smile onto his face.
"N-no, nothing, I just didn't rest well yesterday, I'm a bit tired."
Duncan flicked a look at Quirrell's backside. "Do you need us to fetch Madam Pomfrey for you? You don't look quite right!"
Seeing Quirrell's shifting expression, he knew that after last night's events, Quirrell's suspicions of him had certainly grown.
"No need, you go on ahead," Quirrell said awkwardly, turning his body slightly to shield his backside.
"All right, be careful then."
Duncan and Neville continued running forward, leaving another surprise in Quirrell's path where he had to pass.
At the Quidditch pitch, Duncan said goodbye to Neville and hurried for the players' tunnel.
Cedric and Zacharias were standing at the doorway watching anxiously.
When they caught sight of Duncan, both let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Duncan, why are you only getting here now? Are you unwell?" Cedric came up to ask, afraid Duncan was ill.
This was Hufflepuff's first match of the term, and they had already boasted in front of everyone that they were definitely going to win today.
The Hufflepuff students were pulling their weight as well.
They had been organising support for the past two days and had come to the pitch first thing this morning.
"N-no, I just overslept," Duncan said quickly once he'd caught his breath.
"That's good, go get changed, the match is about to begin," Zacharias said, a smile returning to his face.
Duncan was the key to their victory.
Many tactics had been tailored for him, and if he fell ill, there would be no way to substitute him.
"Mm."
Duncan nodded, followed Cedric to the changing room to put on his kit, and then ran to the players' entrance.
The Hufflepuff players gathered together while Zacharias gave the final talk.
"In the past stretch, whether wind or rain, we've fought hard on the training ground and never flinched!"
"Today is when we test the results.
Let's vent together the long-suppressed desire to win in our hearts!"
"Remember, Hufflepuff has only one goal this year, and that is to win the House Cup!"
"Our brothers and sisters in the rest of the school have already kept their promise in class, and we are still in the lead on points!"
"So we can't drag them back.
We must not fail.
Even if you're knocked off your broom, you still have to throw the ball through the goal!"
Zacharias clenched his fist and raised it high, and the others stepped in to press their fists to his.
"Victory in this battle!"
A surge of conviction spread through everyone's hearts.
Faces set, the Hufflepuff players filed out towards the pitch.
"This is the first time I've seen everyone this serious," Cedric said with a smile, speaking quietly to Duncan behind him.
Duncan replied, "After all, no one wants to disappoint the others.
If we lose, it'll be hard for our House points to stay in the lead."
"You're right."
Cedric drew a deep breath.
"How is it—nervous?
Don't you go failing to score when it counts!
I'm counting on you to open up a gap so I've got time to search for the Snitch in peace!"
"Don't worry.
As long as they can get the ball to me, I can put it through the hoops!"
Duncan spoke with utter confidence, then added with a laugh,
"But don't get too relaxed yourself.
Catching the Golden Snitch is a hundred and fifty points.
I can't promise to be that far ahead."
"Tch.
Then today I'll let you see the strength of the best Seeker at Hogwarts!"
Cedric cocked an eyebrow at Duncan, swung a leg over his broom, kicked off, and soared for the pitch.
The stands erupted at once in waves of cheering, with many people shouting Cedric's name.
"Next up is Hufflepuff Chaser Duncan Scamander.
Like Harry Potter, he's a prodigy from the first year.
Yesterday Harry already showed us his astonishing ability—so can Duncan deliver another brilliant performance today?"
The voice of the commentator, Lee Jordan, boomed through the megaphone and filled the air.
Duncan took a deep breath, mounted his broom, and flew out over the pitch.
His ears were instantly filled with thunderous applause and shouting.
"Duncan, over here!"
As he swept past the stands, Duncan suddenly heard a familiar voice.
He turned to look.
Fred and George were in the back row of the Hufflepuff section, up on tiptoe and waving hard at him.
Catching his eye, Fred shouted twice more, then made a few hand signals to the people around him.
"What are those two up to now?"
The question had barely formed when Duncan saw a scene that left him full of question marks.
On the stand where the twins were, the heads of the Hufflepuff students lit up one by one like coloured lightbulbs.
The colours kept changing—even by day they were striking—and linked together they just happened to form the initials of his name, D and S.
A banner floated in mid-air as well, with crooked writing that read: "Invincible Duncan, sweep Ravenclaw!"
Most crucially, someone—no one knew who—had painted an animated picture right in the centre.
It was a barely recognisable abstract figure of Duncan, switching between two motions.
The first was relatively normal: the picture raised a broom in one hand, put the other on its hip, and threw back its head in wild laughter.
But the second was downright provocative: the picture tossed the broom aside, turned its back to the crowd, bent over, and waggled its backside over and over.
Duncan covered his forehead with a sigh.
His broom wobbled, and he nearly fell off.
He had a sudden urge to drop the broom and withdraw from the match.
It was mortifying.
Only those two scoundrels, Fred and George, could have come up with support like this!
Merlin knew what nonsense the twins had used to talk the Hufflepuff students into making such a sacrifice.
But the other students in the stands either were simply there for the spectacle or had different taste from Duncan.
At the sight of the Hufflepuff students' dazzling hair and that banner, the applause and cheers grew even louder than before.
The match had not yet begun, and the atmosphere had already reached a peak.
Cedric flew over with a smile.
"Your fans seem very enthusiastic!"
Duncan rolled his eyes.
"Want to take some of that enthusiasm for yourself?"
"No thanks, you can enjoy it all on your own!"
Cedric refused at once, laughing as he climbed higher into the air.
Enjoyed the story? Support me and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at: Patr*eon*.com/Resium
Free members can read 10+ Chapters Ahead of Release
Paid member can read 150+ Chapters Ahead of Release
Stories Available
Honkai? No, This Is Daily Life
Hogwarts Pet Master
Pokémon: Who Let Him Leave Pallet Town!
Scrolling Yu-Gi-Oh! Shorts