The team members all donned scarlet robes, waiting at the entry gate for Captain Wood's speech.
As usual, he always gives a talk before the match begins.
"Alright, team!" Wood shouted.
"And girls too," Angelina added.
"Yes, and girls," Wood said, "Though it's just a bit of rain, it won't stop us—of course, this is my last year in Quidditch, so let's end it perfectly."
Just as he finished, a gust of wind blew into Wood's mouth, causing him to swallow a mouthful of cold air.
He belched loudly with an exaggerated burp.
"Goodness, this is some little rain." The Weasley Twins said gleefully, "Little, rain."
"Shut up, you pair of clones!" Angelina snapped, "Shape up, if I hear you slacking off because of the rain, you'll be sorrier than ever!"
The twins made a funny face at Angelina.
A distant, unclear voice could be heard but barely decipherable; it was Mrs. Hooqi urging them to enter.
"Let's go." Wood said to them, "Come on, let's win this match."
"Kick Hufflepuff's butt hard!" Fred jeered from the side.
They followed Wood to the center of the Quidditch pitch.
It must be said, the Quidditch field really needed some work; Harry felt his feet sinking into the ground as he walked.
"Ew!" Alicia complained, "It's practically a swamp."
"Were you expecting sunshine?" Wood said nearby.
The sound of rain was loud, mixed with thunder, creating a woven symphony at the Quidditch pitch.
With such noise, they couldn't hear the crowd cheering even if they yelled.
The rain splashed onto Harry's glasses, blurring his vision.
He tapped his glasses with his fingers.
"Water and moisture protection."
Harry cast the magic spell, and his glasses immediately dried as if they were in a dryer; even raindrops couldn't dampen them a bit.
The Hufflepuff team approached them from across the field, dressed in canary yellow robes.
Both captains stepped forward to shake hands, Cedric smiling at Wood, who returned a tight-lipped smile, lest he swallowed another gale.
When everyone was in position, Mrs. Hooqi brought the whistle to her lips and blew with all her might, producing a shrill sound that seemed to come from afar—the match had begun!
Harry flew fast, but his Light Wheel 2000 wobbled slightly in the wind. He grasped tightly and sped into the storm.
Within minutes, Harry felt completely drenched, regretting only spellcasting on his glasses and forgetting his clothes.
Luckily, he took Hermione's advice and ate a bit more, so he wasn't too cold.
He furtively touched his clothes and cast the waterproof spell again, feeling much better—otherwise, being soaked all over was incredibly uncomfortable.
However, under the pouring rain, even his waterproof glasses struggled to discern players, let alone the small Golden Snitch.
Fortunately, Gryffindor players donned noticeable red, allowing him to roughly distinguish teammates from opponents.
Harry soared across the field, weaving through blurry red and yellow figures, barely hearing cheers amidst the fierce wind.
The spectators remained hidden beneath a sea of distorted cloaks and windswept umbrellas, yet their enthusiasm was undeniable.
Every time Harry and the others passed around the field, they could hear bursts of applause from the stands.
For this match, Cassandra and Vivi had remarkably come to the stands, conjuring a magic-shielded refuge from the rain, one accompanied by her favorite nephew and the other bringing Miss Fari.
"Who do you think will win?" Miss Fari shouted to Vivi.
"I believe Harry will!" Vivi confidently replied.
But before long, Mrs. Hooqi's whistle sounded.
Harry thought the match was over, but it wasn't; he descended, hearing Wood say: "I've called a pause, guys— and girls..."
At this point, he saw Harry's dry clothes.
"Let me cast a few spells for you." Harry said before Wood could ask, patting their shoulders and casting waterproof spells on each of them.
"Quite impressive spell, even without a wand." Wood praised, "Goodness, you never cease to surprise me."
"What's the score now?" Harry asked.
"We're fifty points ahead, but you need to catch the Golden Snitch soon." Wood reassured Harry, patting his shoulder, "Don't worry Harry, we won't drag you down, just focus on the Golden Snitch, alright?"
"Okay." Harry nodded.
Soon, the match resumed.
Harry kicked off, soaring into the sky.
Against the cutting wind, Harry scanned the area for the Wandering Ball, but then another thunderclap sounded, followed by a forked lightning bolt, narrowly missing Harry.