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"This is the Golden Snitch. Once I release it, it will fly at high speed around the field, and whoever catches it first will become the team's Seeker." Captain Flint, who appears to have some giant blood in him, towering even above Snape, explained while holding a metal ball the size of a walnut, golden and adorned with a pair of small silver wings.
"Alright, let's begin!"
Flint released his grip, and the Golden Snitch immediately shot off at incredible speed, with Malfoy and George quickly propelling themselves after it.
The Snitch was exceptionally fast and remarkably agile; even if you managed to catch up to it, a sharp turn would easily leave you behind, just like Malfoy was experiencing at that moment.
Due to the broomstick's rapid acceleration, Malfoy couldn't brake in time when the Snitch made a turn, flying quite a distance before he could redirect himself.
However, George was different. As the Snitch turned, he swiftly maneuvered his broom, allowing the momentum to be forcefully adjusted by the magnetically controlled wires.
Once he was fully aligned with the Golden Snitch, George reached out and grabbed at it with lightning speed. The Snitch quickly dodged, but George's magnetic control kicked in once again.
Although the Golden Snitch is a magical object, it is still made of metal, making it susceptible to his magnetic influence.
It would be too obvious to forcefully halt it, but slightly affecting its speed? Who would notice that?
With George's magnetic pull, the Snitch's reaction time slowed by a second, and in that moment, George had it firmly in his grasp.
"That was fast! Not even a minute!"
Seeing George catch the Snitch, Snape and the other players below were equally taken aback.
Though this wasn't an official match—with no interference from the two teams or the Bludgers and Quaffles—the difficulty of catching the Snitch was significantly reduced, yet catching it in under a minute was still astonishing.
Historically, the longest record for catching the Snitch in Quidditch matches has been three months, illustrating just how difficult it is to capture.
"Harry, if George becomes the Seeker for Slytherin, you're done for!"
Among the trio watching from a distance, Ron looked at Harry sympathetically, who wore a frustrated expression.
Beside them, Hermione chimed in, "But if George is the Seeker, Malfoy will definitely be furious, which isn't a bad outcome."
At this, Ron and Harry's eyes brightened, and they nodded in agreement.
Seeing Malfoy in a bind was certainly a source of great amusement for them.
"I've lost."
As they landed, Malfoy gazed at the Golden Snitch in George's hand, feeling as deflated as a balloon.
From this day forward, he would surely become a laughingstock in Slytherin and utterly disappoint his father.
His father had spent so much money for him to become the Seeker, to compete with Harry, and yet he had let it slip away.
"Since you want to be the Seeker so badly, why don't you take on the role?"
George returned the Golden Snitch to Flint and looked at the dejected Malfoy.
Malfoy instantly lifted his head, his eyes wide with disbelief, while Snape and the others also stared at George in shock, unsure of what he was up to.
"I believe that whether it's the Seeker, Chaser, Beater, or Keeper, all positions are equally important, and I am confident I can bring glory to Slytherin.
However, after just trying it out, being the Seeker seems a bit dull and lacks challenge."
George shrugged, then looked at Malfoy with a half-smile:
"And I don't like to deprive others of their dreams."
The other players' expressions toward George softened considerably.
"Thank you."
Malfoy remained silent for a few seconds, expressing gratitude to George for the first time.
Previously, he had resented George for stealing his spotlight and openly mocking him.
However, now he found that George wasn't as insufferable as he once thought, feeling a small sense of gratitude towards him.
After all, George was indeed impressive; despite the circumstances, he was willing to spare Malfoy some dignity, allowing him a chance to redeem himself.
"As fellow Slytherins, we should help each other and work towards the honor of Slytherin, shouldn't we?"
George patted Malfoy on the shoulder, and this time, Malfoy didn't show any signs of annoyance.
Little Malfoy, mastering control!
This was how Slytherin operated: if you were weak, even if you tried to be friendly, others would only see you as easy to bully.
But if you were strong enough, they would admire you and genuinely want to follow you.
Was Malfoy truly a villain?
Of course not; he was just a somewhat proud child, inherently kinder than his two sidekicks.
He had only pushed back against George because the latter had instigated first.
However, if the opportunity arose to bring Malfoy on board, that wouldn't be a bad idea. The Malfoy family held significant prestige among purebloods, and there might be numerous ways to leverage that before Voldemort's return.
As for the roles of Seeker, Beater, Chaser, and Keeper, to him, they really made no difference. In fact, he believed being a Chaser would enhance his reputation more than being a Seeker.
In a regular match, the Seeker is often the focus of attention.
The match only ends when the Seeker catches the Golden Snitch, which grants the team an additional 150 points.
Most of the time, unless there's a vast difference in skill levels between the two teams, the score won't vary by 150 points.
Thus, it's generally understood that when a Seeker catches the Golden Snitch, it signifies victory for their team.
If he were a Chaser, he could increase the score to over 150 points before the Seeker captured the Snitch, making him shine even brighter than the Seeker.
Such an achievement is exceedingly rare in the history of Quidditch at Hogwarts.
Of course, these tactics might work on the naive young Malfoy, but they would be ineffective against the seasoned older Malfoy.
The older Malfoy had very little loyalty, even to Voldemort.
"Well said! What Slytherin needs most is unity. Since George is willing to step aside, let Malfoy be the Seeker and George the Chaser."
Snape rarely showed a smile that was less painful than crying, but he managed one now.
As the head of Slytherin, seeing such a harmonious scene filled him with joy, and his opinion of George rose another notch.
It was rare to find someone of this age with such vision and mindset.
He thought back to when he had George's outlook and ambitions; instead of spending all his time delving into the dark arts, he might not have allowed that wretched Potter to slip through the cracks and steal Lily away.
"Train hard, you all."
After Snape left, the group began their Quidditch practice, with George showcasing his exceptional skills as the new Chaser.
The Seeker's job is to catch the Golden Snitch, the Keeper's is to guard the goal, the Beater's is to hit the Bludgers to disrupt opposing players, while the Chaser's role is to seize the Quaffle and shoot for goals.
Shooting can be done with the hands, feet, or even by striking the Quaffle with the broomstick, as long as no magic is used.
George's physical prowess was comparable to that of Captain Flint, who had giant blood, but he was much more agile due to his size, combined with his absolute control of the broomstick.
Therefore, from seizing the ball to dodging opponents and shooting, he executed everything seamlessly.
(End of Chapter)