Harry Potter: Magic and Guns

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As November rolled in, the weather turned bitterly cold. The mountains surrounding the school were blanketed in a gray mist, covered with snow and ice. The surface of the lake was as cold and hard as tempered steel, but it was during this time that Hogwarts' Black Lake offered its winter-exclusive acrobatic show.

At noon, when the sun was at its highest point, a loud crack would echo across the lake as a massive tentacle—thicker than a person’s waist—broke through the ice in the southwest. The giant squid that lived in the Black Lake would shatter the thick ice that had frozen over during the night. Soon after, Hagrid would hitch up his sleigh and make his way to the lake, returning with a load of large, delicious fish from the Black Lake.

While Hagrid loaded his catch into a net, the squid would entertain itself by tossing ice blocks into the air with its tentacles, performing acrobatics. Massive chunks of ice, weighing hundreds of kilograms, would be thrown up and juggled. Occasionally, the squid would miss, and one of those hefty ice blocks would land squarely on Hagrid's head, forming an icy hat. Most of the time, Hagrid didn’t mind, except for the time the squid's misjudgment sent him flying into the lake. A huge fountain of water shot up dozens of meters into the air. That same afternoon, the students were treated to grilled squid tentacles prepared by the house-elves—chewy, bouncy, and absolutely delicious.

In winter, the food at Hogwarts became even more indulgent. With the students feasting on fish and meat daily, many of them had gained a bit of weight without even noticing. But soon, all that extra energy would come in handy because the Quidditch season had begun.

After more than two months of training, Harry was finally ready for his Quidditch debut at Hogwarts. Chris Souza, the team captain, was more excited than ever this year and had been paying close attention to the upcoming Quidditch matches. In past years, Hufflepuff had always played the role of underdog.

Slytherin, on the other hand, was a different story. Having won the Quidditch Cup for seven consecutive years, they were a formidable team. Much of their success, however, was attributed to their underhanded tactics. On the field, they used their size to deliberately knock players off course, and off the field, they were notorious for their dirty tricks—something they referred to as "special operations."

It was hard not to think that Gryffindor’s former captain, Charlie Weasley, had honed his skills in personal duels during the Triwizard Tournament in part thanks to Slytherin’s "help." After all, he’d had to stay constantly alert for burly Slytherins lurking around corners with curses at the ready. Charlie’s ability to dodge the Hungarian Horntail’s sneak attacks likely stemmed from all the ambushes he had endured.

If not for Slytherin’s dirty tricks, Gryffindor would certainly be Hufflepuff’s biggest rival. Known for being the most hardworking of the four house teams, Gryffindor players were technically flawless. While their academy produced plenty of hotheads, it also produced fearless elite players. Their fierce offense was like a sharp blade. Aside from the unscrupulous Slytherins, no other team found it easy to withstand their onslaught.

But Ravenclaw couldn’t be underestimated either. Despite being the weakest in terms of physical strength, Ravenclaw was home to the brightest minds at Hogwarts. To compensate for their shortcomings, they formed a special strategy team dedicated to analyzing every house’s weaknesses and devising tactics to exploit them.

If Slytherin had the dirtiest hands, Ravenclaw surely had the most cunning minds.

In past matches, Ravenclaw had come closest to dethroning Slytherin. If not for the Slytherin gorillas getting wind of the situation and locking Ravenclaw’s team captain and star chaser in a septic tank the night before the match, the outcome of that game might have been very different.

As a house that often flew under the radar, Hufflepuff’s Quidditch team had always been under a lot of pressure. While the students were usually humble and kind, what young wizard didn’t dream of hearing the crowd's cheers and basking in glory on the Quidditch field?

The ambitions of youth should not be stifled. After years of silence, it was time for Hufflepuff to usher in their era of brilliance.

The day had finally arrived—the first Saturday after Halloween. At 11 a.m., the Quidditch stadium’s stands were packed with students wrapped in their Hogwarts winter uniforms and sporting scarves in their house colors. Despite the cold wind that made everyone shiver, it couldn’t dampen the electric atmosphere that surrounded the pitch.

In the locker room below, the Hufflepuff players, dressed in their black and yellow striped uniforms, were ready to go. Just before they walked out of the tunnel and onto the field, Chris, their captain, gave them all a serious look.

"I won’t rehash the past," he said solemnly, "because that’s history—history full of disappointment. It’s been eleven years since Hufflepuff last held the Quidditch Cup. That’s an embarrassment we can no longer afford."

"I don’t want to deceive myself with phrases like, ‘They did their best.’ The fact is, we weren’t as good as the others. We were weak."

"We were weak because we accepted mediocrity. We were weak because we got used to not competing."

"This might be a virtue of humility, but on the Quidditch pitch, there is no place for virtue! Only victory and defeat!"

Chris’s shout echoed through the locker room, his expression fierce, almost wild, like a honey badger ready for a fight.

"This year! This is my first year as Quidditch captain! And it’s the first year Hufflepuff leaves the past behind to create a new legacy!"

"We’ve brought in fresh blood! Our team is revitalized, sweeping away the old and tired!"

"Cedric Diggory! Our new Seeker! I guarantee, he’ll be one of the best Seekers Hogwarts has ever seen!"

The handsome boy Chris pointed to scratched his head, a little shy. "Chris, that’s a bit—"

"Now’s not the time for modesty, Ced!" Chris cut him off with a wave of his hand. "You have the talent, and you’ve worked as hard as anyone. You’re going to shine on that field. I believe in you, and I want you to believe in yourself too!"

After meeting Chris’s intense gaze, Cedric gave a quiet nod. "I’ll give it everything I’ve got."

"Good."

Chris reached out, smoothing the creases on Cedric’s collar, then turned his attention to the side. His face suddenly broke into a bright smile.

"And our other surprise... we’ve got Harry!"

"Just like you told me last night, Harry."

Chris knew well enough that Harry didn’t need any motivational speeches. With a confident spin, he reached out and pushed open the heavy door, letting in the biting wind and snow.

"Let’s crush them! No matter who the opponent is!"

(End of Chapter)