[Third Person Pov]
As the last Quidditch game of the year began, Arthur was already high in the air on his broom, cutting smoothly through the open sky of the stadium. His golden hair streamed wildly behind him, strands whipping in the rushing wind as he leaned forward over the broom handle.
Arthur wore a wide, unrestrained smile as he maneuvered through the air. He loved this feeling more than almost anything else—the sensation of flying freely, the way the wind roared in his ears, the way the entire world seemed smaller when he was high above the ground. It was exhilarating in a way that nothing else quite managed to replicate.
'I really need to create a spell that lets me fly without needing a broom,' Arthur thought to himself as he casually tilted his body to the side, narrowly avoiding a bludger that whistled past him with dangerous force.
The game continued at a frantic pace while Lee Jordan's voice echoed loudly across the stadium as he commentated on every movement of the players.
"Gryffindor is now in possession of the Quaffle, in the hands of Angelina Johnson! However Ravenclaw is right on her tail looking to steal it right back!" Jordan announced rapidly, his excitement clear as the players darted across the pitch.
"As for the two Seekers, it seems that they're currently flying in circles while searching for the Snitch. Let's see if Potter's replacement, Arthur King, can truly take his place after his mysterious injury, which the teachers are keeping rather hush-hush about, or if Potter will remain Gryffindor's one and true Seeker!"
"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall snapped sharply from beside him.
"Arthur isn't a replacement! He's only a substitute!!" Ron shouted from the stands, shaking his fist toward the announcer's box with clear indignation.
Arthur glanced to his side and quickly noticed Cho Chang flying beside him, matching his pace while watching him closely.
"Shouldn't you be looking for the Snitch instead of staring at me?" Arthur called out with an easy, teasing smile.
"Something tells me I'll have a better chance of finding it if I stay close to you," Cho shouted back over the roaring wind and the thunderous noise of the crowd, her eyes never leaving Arthur for long.
Arthur smirked faintly as he leaned forward on his broom, gripping it tighter as he prepared to accelerate. "I'm no golden goose, so if you want to use me to find the Snitch, you're going to have to work for it. Try and keep up."
Cho's lips curled into a faint smile as Arthur suddenly sped forward, the distance between them increasing almost immediately.
"For a first-year, he sure is cocky," she muttered to herself as she quickly pushed her broom faster and followed behind him, riding the slipstream he created.
The two of them continued circling the stadium again and again, making wide laps above the pitch while the rest of the game unfolded below them. Both teams continued scoring point after point as the Chasers battled relentlessly for control of the Quaffle.
Cho remained behind Arthur, keeping pace while also scanning the field carefully. Her eyes constantly moved across the stadium as she searched for the Snitch, hoping she might catch sight of it before Arthur did.
Arthur, however, wasn't even trying to find the Snitch.
He hadn't taken the game particularly seriously from the beginning. Instead, he simply enjoyed the moment for what it was—the wind rushing past him, the thrill of speed, the joy of flying freely through the sky.
Then suddenly, a tiny flash of gold streaked across the edge of his vision.
The faint buzzing sound of the Snitch rang briefly beside his ear as the small winged ball shot past his shoulder in a blur of motion.
Arthur reacted instantly.
He slowed just enough as he approached the edge of the stadium wall before lifting one foot and kicking off it with force while simultaneously pulling his broom into a violent, sharp U-turn. The maneuver bent the broom handle dangerously as the sudden pressure and torque forced it through the turn. For a brief moment it looked like the wood might snap from the strain.
"WHAT KINDA TURN WAS THAT?!" Jordan suddenly shouted into the microphone as he jumped to his feet in the announcer's booth.
"DID ANYONE ELSE SEE THAT?!"
"For those that might have missed it Arthur managed to slow down just enough to kick off the stadium wall and used the momentum to force his broom into a complete reversal," Jordan shouted excitedly into the microphone, barely containing himself as the crowd roared. "That kind of maneuver requires insane balance and even better timing! If he had been even a second off he would've either smashed straight into the wall or snapped the broom clean in half!"
The players below barely registered the explanation as attention quickly shifted back to the sky.
Arthur and Cho were now racing directly toward each other.
Both Seekers had spotted the Snitch.
The tiny golden ball hovered between them, darting and zigzagging through the air as its wings buzzed frantically. Arthur leaned forward aggressively on his broom, pushing it faster while Cho did the same from the opposite direction.
Gasps rippled through the stadium as the distance between them rapidly shrank.
"They're not slowing down!" Jordan exclaimed, gripping the edge of the announcer's table. "Both Seekers are heading straight for the Snitch from opposite directions and neither one of them is backing off!"
Arthur's grin only widened as the wind roared louder around him. His eyes were locked completely onto the Snitch.
Cho stared straight ahead as well, refusing to yield as she pushed her broom forward.
Closer.
Closer.
The golden blur of the Snitch flickered between them as the two Seekers charged toward one another like arrows.
Then Cho finally got a proper look at Arthur's face.
His smile was wide. Almost wild.
There was something reckless in his eyes, something completely fearless that made her stomach twist with sudden unease. He wasn't slowing down. He wasn't hesitating. Under no circumstances was he planning to pull away.
For a split second Cho's confidence faltered.
'He's actually going to keep going…' she realized nervously.
The realization struck her hard.
At the very last moment, instinct took over.
Cho sharply dipped her broom downward, ducking beneath Arthur in a sudden evasive move as he shot overhead.
Arthur didn't even glance at her.
His hand snapped forward the instant he passed over her and closed tightly around the tiny golden Snitch.
The buzzing immediately stopped.
For a moment there was silence.
Then the entire stadium erupted.
Cheers exploded from every direction as students leapt to their feet in excitement. Gryffindor's section roared the loudest as Arthur raised his arm high, the Snitch clutched triumphantly in his hand.
"HE CAUGHT IT!" Jordan shouted triumphantly. "ARTHUR KING HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH!"
Jordan nearly knocked over his microphone in his excitement as he continued shouting over the deafening noise of the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, what we just witnessed might be one of the most spectacular finishes this stadium has seen in years! Ravenclaw tried to play it smart, but Gryffindor came charging straight through!"
He laughed loudly before adding, "If you ask me, that entire match was a perfect testament to the age-old debate—Brains versus Brawn! Ravenclaw brought the strategy, but Gryffindor brought the nerve!"
Arthur slowed his broom as he hovered high above the pitch, the wind still tugging at his robes as the cheers continued to echo throughout the stadium.
He looked over towards the stand and was able to spot Merlin, he pointed towards her and winked as if to say he was declaring his victory to her.
Merlin simply rolled her eyes, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Below him, the Gryffindor team erupted into celebration while the rest of the players circled back toward the center of the field.
Cho hovered a short distance away, catching her breath as she stared up at Arthur with a mixture of disbelief and reluctant admiration.
"…You're insane," she muttered quietly to herself.
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