Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff (1993)

**Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff** is a game for the Inter-House Quidditch Cup that was played in November 1993 Hufflepuff wins when Cedric Diggory catches the Golden Snitch while Harry Potter is attacked by Dementors. It appears in *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*.

## Game

### Lead-up

Gryffindor usually competed against Slytherin in the first Inter-House game of a new school year but their Seeker was feigning an injury caused by a Hippogriff. Instead, their game against Hufflepuff was brought forward and played first.

Oliver Wood was Captain and Keeper for Gryffindor and he was determined to win the tournament for the first time before he graduated at the end of that year. He trained the team intensely and had a game plan for how he was going to beat each House based on their style of play. He was dismayed to hear he had to focus on beating Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin, and thought the new Captain and Seeker for Hufflepuff, Cedric Diggory was a strong player and he had put a very strong team.

### The game

The cold weather was awful because of strong winds, thunder and heavy rain. The game was commentated by Lee Jordan. Rolanda Hooch was the supervisor. Wood was nervous and couldn't even give a legendary pep talk before the game and just beckoned the players to go the pitch instead. Diggory smiled at Wood to be polite, but he just nodded back.

Gryffindor Seeker, Harry Potter struggled in the wind and was swaying. Diggory's size helped him stay steadier. Harry struggled to find the Golden Snitch in the rain and see players going by causing near-crashes. The commentary was hard to hear and the crowd was hidden under umbrellas. Two Bludgers nearly unseated Harry and he was finding it harder to stay steady. The sky got darker and darker, and Harry had lost track of time.

Wood eventually called for a time-out. Gryffindor were winning by fifty points and he wanted Harry to get the Golden Snitch soon because it was getting late. He told Wood he was never going to get it unless he could see better through the glasses he had to wear. Hermione Granger appeared and used "Impervius", enabling Harry to see through glasses perfect.

The weather had gotten even worst. Harry looked for the Golden Snitch by avoiding a Bludger and a near-crash when Diggory went by. But he soon saw something which completely distracted him for a minute: a silhouette of a black dog in the sky above a stand. He was snapped back into the game by Wood shouting Diggory had saw the Golden Snitch and was chasing it. Harry pursued Diggory to get to the Golden Snitch first when something strange happened.

Hundreds of Dementors stormed the pitch and surrounded Harry. He was given a Dementor's Kiss until he fainted and fell. Diggory caught the Golden Snitch before he saw what was happening, and wanted a replay because he thought it was unfair but even Wood accepted he deserved to win and declined a replay. Hufflepuff won by a hundred points.

### Impact

Harry's fall was cushioned by Professor Dumbledore, but he couldn't save Harry's Nimbus 2000 which fell into the Whomping Willow and was broken. He used the Patronus Charm to get rid of the Dementors and was furious at their rogue behaviour. Harry was taken to the Hospital Wing on a stretcher. Wood went to cry in the shower but Harry was visited by their fellow players. He was told what had happened when he fainted, and Professor Flitwick had fetched the Nimbus and brought it to the Hospital Ring.

## Behind the scenes

* Harry had caught the Golden Snitch in every game he had played before the Hufflepuff game when he was attacked by Dementors.

## Notes and sources

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 9