A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts-Chapter 638: Quidditch Match

Chapter 638: Quidditch Match

Harry and the Slytherin team captain, Ernie, exchanged fierce glares. As he turned back to his team, Harry winced in pain, gritting his teeth; his hand felt like it was about to be crushed.

"Listen for my whistle," Madam Hooch shouted, "Three—two—one—"

Amidst enthusiastic cheers, fourteen players soared into the sky. The weather matched the clear brightness they had seen on the ceiling of the Great Hall – as if it had been wiped clean with a wet cloth. The goalkeeper led the charge towards the hoops, and three Chasers each went after their respective roles.

Harry intercepted Perks and Goot – both Beaters, holding their bats eagerly. Circling around them, Harry leaned in and whispered, "Don't forget the plan." Goot gestured 'no problem,' while Perks responded with a grunt.

Harry had privately briefed them on focusing more on the goalposts before the match, instructing them to provide support to Ron when needed, using strategic bludger hits. Although this was the typical role of Beaters, the Gryffindor team this year had a unique composition, with over half of the members being newcomers, leading to instability. Besides, apart from their roles, Harry noticed that Perks seemed interested in Chaser Demelza Robins, and Ron had once mocked Demelza's flying style as "like a sleepwalking duck." Harry worried that Perks might carry these emotions onto the field.

"Don't forget, we're a team," Harry shouted, then flew off, letting fate guide him.

He glided through the sky like a hunting owl, becoming lighter as he flew higher. From the stands, he appeared as a small black dot, always keeping the sun behind him, striving to catch a glimpse of the golden Snitch amidst the glinting lenses below.

"Slytherin's Ernie has the Quaffle," a dreamy voice echoed over the pitch, "as the team captain, he's quite bulky, similar in size to his players. I guess it's a special selection method – being able to handle the broom in adverse weather conditions. Of course, today's weather is excellent; I saw a giant squid sunbathing on the ice."

The audience turned their heads towards the Black Lake.

The commentator was Luna, dressed as usual with light yellow fluffy hair adorned with colorful pebbles the size of fingernails, sparkling in the sunlight. On her table lay a lion-shaped hat, almost the size of a real lion's head. Harry knew it could emit a very realistic roar; Professor McGonagall sat nervously beside it, glancing at it every two seconds.

"Ernie is launching an attack, looking fierce. I feel more pressure from him than the last player who had the Quaffle. His back seems broader..." Luna continued.

"The last one was him too!" Professor McGonagall reminded her loudly.

The audience burst into laughter. Luna said in confusion, "Really? I didn't recognize him. They all look so similar—oh, look, Ginny intercepted the Quaffle. I like her; she's a nice person. Three Slytherins surround her. Ginny passes the Quaffle to Demelza, another slender girl. Gryffindor seems to have a tradition of choosing girls as Chasers, unlike Slytherin."

"Now Slytherin has the Quaffle, and they score. Gryffindor's goalkeeper couldn't stop it; it's a pity. Maybe the sunlight was in Ron's eyes, but he looks a bit disheartened—"

"Slytherin leads ten to zero!" Professor McGonagall shouted into Luna's microphone.

Harry's heart sank. He lowered his flying height, seeing Ron standing emotionlessly with his back to the goalposts. Perks and Goot were close, and a fiery red head—Ginny—shouted angrily at them, "What are you doing?" At that moment, a swift Bludger flew towards Harry. He quickly ducked, and the Bludger grazed his scalp as he straightened up, revealing Gregory Goyle swinging a bat with a malicious grin.

Luna's ethereal commentary echoed again.

"Gryffindor's Seeker, Harry, is in action now. He was far away before, maybe adjusting tactics. Gryffindor is playing quite defensively; their Beaters stay in their half and don't want to come out." Luna calmly remarked, "We should empathize with them. It's their first time on the field, and maybe it's some tactic I can't see. I don't know much about Quidditch..."

Laughter erupted from the stands.

The disadvantage of lacking two coordinated Beaters became evident. Three Gryffindor girls seemed clumsy facing Slytherin Chasers, while also being cautious about random Bludger attacks. Ginny had to let go of the Quaffle twice.

"Slytherin players, under the captain's lead, are organizing an attack. Oh? Gryffindor's Beater Perks is finally moving, away from their goalposts. Is this a positive change?" Luna said calmly, "But the other one is still circling in place. He seems to be Ron's bodyguard, though he's only two-thirds of Ron's size. However, with no wands allowed, a wooden club is still intimidating—"

"Oh, look! Three Slytherin Chasers broke into Gryffindor's half. They keep passing the Quaffle to each other. Unsure who should throw it? Now is not the time to hesitate—"

"Slytherin is using the Quidditch tactic." Professor McGonagall interjected.

Harry nervously lowered his altitude, feeling the tension. The Quidditch tactic involved three Chasers from one team rapidly approaching the opponent's goalposts, swiftly passing the Quaffle amongst themselves until the final moment when the player with the most advantageous position scores. This made it challenging for the defending goalkeeper to accurately predict the attacker. Ron's face turned pale, and his broom swung back and forth between the three rings, indicating his indecision. Beater Goot futilely swung his bat, unable to do anything. Then, "Bang!" A loud noise, a devious Bludger hit the back of the Slytherin player in silver-green robes, and he somersaulted out.

It was Perks!

Harry momentarily thought he had disregarded his orders to help Ginny and the others, but Perks, crossing the half-line, fiercely hit a Bludger, partially reclaiming the situation. Following that, Ron finally made the right decision, diving forward and miraculously blocking Ernie's shot with a fifty-fifty chance. Cheers erupted on the field.

"Well done!" Harry shouted. Ron cracked a smile, even though Harry praised Perks; it didn't matter. "Counterattack!" Harry yelled, "Goot, show them what you've got!"

Goot's face lit up with a brilliant smile as he caught the Bludger Perks had hit. He aimed at Ernie and, with a loud thud, Ernie stumbled on his broom but nonchalantly straightened up, gesturing rudely towards Goot. The game paused.

"A great shot," commented Grindelwald from the stands. Dumbledore watched the field with a twinkle in his eye, not saying a word.

Madam

Hooch blew the whistle, and Harry and the others landed. Medical staff examined the Slytherin player who took a hit to the back of his head. He kept shaking his head, looking dazed, seeming to have a concussion. However, after Madam Pomfrey fed him a large vial of potion, he was ready to continue playing.

The match became more intense. That was a polite way to put it; more bluntly – it turned ruthless. Luna lamented, "The game doesn't look good anymore. Slytherin's players seem to have contracted a stickiness disease; they stick close, and Gryffindor's good girls aren't used to it." She genuinely seemed to believe it, focusing on 'more interesting' things for the next ten minutes, like the peculiar clouds in the sky and the patterns on the large banners in the stands: a silver-green snake swallowing a lion.

"I didn't see the bulge in the snake's belly," Luna said seriously. Professor McGonagall stood with a stern face, her fingers constantly flexing, seemingly wanting to snatch the microphone from Luna.

Harry was uninterested in the banner.

Felix Harp soared above the pitch, occasionally catching glimpses of Draco Malfoy's sparkling head under the sunlight. Draco adopted a different strategy, gliding closely to the grass. Both methods had their merits, but if Draco happened to spot the Golden Snitch nearby, the game would be almost predictable. However, Draco's searching efficiency was evidently inferior to Harry's. Past match results demonstrated that, when Harry was in good form, he always managed to spot the Snitch before anyone else.

However, this was Harry's first time leading the team as captain, and he couldn't help but keep his focus on his own players.

On the field, Slytherin's Seeker, Walden, used his physique advantage to block Ginny's line of sight continually. The other two Chasers effectively pinned down Demelza, creating a scene where two big cabbages trapped a helpless little tomato. They headed straight for the ground, with Demelza struggling to break free. Fortunately, Goot, using the Bludger strategically, came to her rescue.

This was the style and tactic Slytherin excelled at – a more primitive form of Quidditch resembling medieval jousting. The sole objective was to knock as many opposing players off their brooms as possible, leaving the last one standing as the victor. Wood used to discuss these strategies with the team, mocking Slytherin's tactics as belonging to a bygone era.

Later, Harry found a detailed version of these tactics in the book "Quidditch Through the Ages."

"However, sometimes it does work," Wood admitted about Slytherin's tactics. "Genius players are rare, but average players, combined with exaggerated physical size, can easily gain the upper hand. Excluding Seekers, as they are generally lightweight." He consoled Harry.

On the pitch, the commentary had been silent for five minutes. Today's commentator seemed to be lost in their own world. However, when the stands suddenly erupted into cheers, Luna finally remembered her duty.

"Now, Katie has the Quaffle. She's an experienced player," she said cheerfully. "Slytherin's three Chasers are busy committing fouls, leaving a clear path ahead. Just be careful not to get hit by the Bludger—oh, wow, oh!" She exclaimed a series of praises, her eyes bulging. "Katie's teammates cleared the way for her. She's now facing Slytherin's goalkeeper. Sorry, I forgot his name—"

Professor McGonagall snatched the microphone angrily, just as Luna's eyes widened. "Look!"

Gasps filled the crowd.

Katie Bell seemed to have made a mistake she shouldn't have. She was diving with the Quaffle, and the opposing goalkeeper was staring intently at her movements in the sunlight, trying to discern her true intentions. But he was now facing the same choice as Ron— the opponent's speed was too fast, and by the time they revealed their true intentions, it would be too late. He could only make a rough estimation and charge out in that direction, leaving the goal wide open.

At this moment, if Katie suddenly changed direction— which was easy for her since she weighed only half as much as her opponent— she would have an undefended goal. But Katie chose to give up. She gently threw the Quaffle out, as if afraid the opponent couldn't catch it.

The goalkeeper easily caught the ball. He froze, unable to believe his luck.

The stands erupted in a massive sigh and booing.

Madam Hooch, as the referee, was about to blow the whistle for a blatant foul when she changed her mind. "Harry!" Katie shouted.

Following her gaze, Harry spotted a small, golden ball floating quietly in the center of the Slytherin goalposts.

A surge of joy welled up in him, and he accelerated on his broom, everything on the field appearing to slow down in his eyes: Draco just turned his head, wearing a smile as if celebrating a significant mistake by the opponent; Slytherin's goalkeeper was jubilantly celebrating with the Quaffle, even running up to taunt Katie Bell— it was at this moment that Harry thought, bending like a golden-red javelin, he rushed past Draco's head, barely brushing over it. Harry could even see Draco's exposed molars as he grinned. Then, he reached out and grabbed it.

Got it! Harry circled in the air, barely stopping in front of the goalposts. He raised his arm, and the two long wings of the Golden Snitch extended from between his fingers.

"There it is!" Luna was the first to react amidst the stunned audience. Of course, it might be because she didn't find anything wrong. In the silence on the field, she brought the clearest voice of the entire match to a close.

"Harry caught the Golden Snitch. The game is over."

Enthusiastic spectators pulled out beautiful flags from all corners of their bodies, turning the stands into a sea of crimson. Cheers echoed in the cold sky, mingling with the angry roars and groans from Slytherin. Slytherin's captain, Ernie, rushed over to Madam Hooch, shouting accusations of Gryffindor cheating. However, even the strictest referee couldn't find fault with such an act, turning ten points into a hundred and fifty with such behavior was a steal.

"Katie Bell—Katie Bell—Katie Bell—"

This was the first time people shouted the name of another player when Harry caught the Golden Snitch, but Harry felt no hint of jealousy. He couldn't resist the impulse in his heart and kissed Ginny passionately.

Ginny was initially surprised but responded with equal fervor.

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