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As it approached eleven o'clock, all the students and faculty began making their way to the Quidditch pitch.
As they passed the Gryffindor team, George said to Harry, "You don't need to worry so much. To ensure fairness, I've suggested to the headmaster that aside from Malfoy using the Nimbus 2001, we will all stick with our previous brooms."
Indeed, this was exactly what Flint had just mentioned to him.
For George, winning the match with the Nimbus 2001 would lead others to believe that his broom was simply superior to those of the other teams, which wouldn't help his plans for boosting his own reputation.
To outsiders, he would appear to be open and honorable, a person of high integrity.
However, in reality, he was even more unscrupulous than Flint.
The basis for his decision was his unwavering confidence in his ability to win the match.
Not only did he possess superior physical fitness and complete control over his broom, but he also had the capability to influence the Golden Snitch at any moment if he chose to.
As long as he hadn't surpassed the opposing team by one hundred and fifty points, he wouldn't allow the Golden Snitch to land in the hands of any Seeker.
Thus, when the match would end and the final score would be, was entirely up to him.
If Flint and Malfoy represented true villains—bad people whose malicious nature was clear to everyone, easily revealing the characteristic traits of Slytherin—then George was a particularly well-disguised hypocrite. In front of everyone, he maintained a positive image, yet behind the scenes, he pursued his goals ruthlessly.
In all honesty, this reminded him a bit of the young Voldemort.
Sometimes, he even considered giving himself the nickname "Gentleman Sword George."
However, he wasn't quite as extreme as Voldemort; combined with the education he received in his past life, he maintained some moral boundaries even while being unscrupulous in his actions.
He believed there were no purely good people in the world, nor purely bad ones. To live better, he was willing to lean a little toward the darker side.
"Thank you, George!"
Upon hearing George's words, Harry immediately perked up, and Wood and the other Gryffindor team members jumped with excitement, their gazes toward George filled with admiration.
If previously only Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Colin had any fondness for George after his remarks at the start of the term, now the rest of the Gryffindor team also held a significantly positive view of him.
"The most important thing about the match is fairness," George said, not a hint of embarrassment on his face.
In reality, he wasn't cheating; the rules merely stated that magic couldn't be used, not that superpowers couldn't be applied.
The Quidditch pitch was packed with students and teachers from the four houses, as well as wizards who had come from Hogsmeade and those invited from the Ministry of Magic.
Among them was the current Director of Magical Sports, Ludo Bagman.
"Is this first-year wizard named George really as impressive as you say?"
He had come specifically because Hoq told him that Hogwarts had produced a talented player capable of revitalizing British Quidditch.
Although he was skeptical, he still wanted to see it for himself, holding out hope.
If British Quidditch teams continued to perform poorly and failed to achieve a good standing in the World Quidditch Cup, he likely wouldn't be able to hold his position as Director of Magical Sports for long.
"Of course! Just wait and see, Bagman,"
Ms. Hoq said confidently as she waved at Ludo, then walked down from the stands into the center of the pitch.
She had observed Slytherin's training and was full of confidence in George's abilities.
Amid the enthusiastic applause of the young wizards, the captains of both teams shook hands, and then both sides took to the air, officially beginning the match.
"Wait, am I seeing things? The Slytherin team, aside from Malfoy, has completely given up using the Nimbus 2001!"
As soon as the match started, commentator Lee Jordan was astonished to notice the unusual choice of brooms for the Slytherin team.
The Slytherin team's use of all Nimbus 2001 brooms had caused quite a stir at Hogwarts for a while.
"Snape, this isn't typical for your team, is it? Plus, it's rare for you to stand here with me watching the game," McGonagall said, surprised to see Snape standing beside her while monitoring Lee Jordan's commentary.
As the foremost Quidditch enthusiast, and having once been Gryffindor's most talented Seeker, she had suffered a concussion and broken several ribs during her seventh year due to a foul committed by the Slytherin team. She had always hoped for a devastating defeat for Slytherin.
"This was George's suggestion. He believes that if Slytherin is to win, we should do so openly and fairly," Snape replied without looking up.
At Snape's words, McGonagall rarely showed a gentle smile.
"George is indeed a good kid. Just for his fairness, I'll award Slytherin ten points."
"Ah, so it was George from the Slytherin team who proposed this idea, hoping for fairness in the competition with the other three houses. It seems not all Slytherins enjoy cheating and foul play," Lee Jordan quickly announced into the microphone after overhearing Snape and McGonagall's conversation.
Then he received a swift reprimand from both headmasters.
"Just now, that last comment was a joke. Let's keep our focus on the match.
Oh! George from Slytherin has seized the ball! His broom maneuvers in a precarious way, dodging all the Gryffindor players' attempts to block him.
And he scores! What a beautiful goal!
Oh, he scores again—this time it's George, hanging on with one hand while executing a powerful kick from midair!
And George scores again! This time, he arches and throws the ball while standing on his broom.
Still George!"
With George's various acrobatic goals, the Gryffindor players were left dazed, while the Slytherin students in the stands were shouting themselves hoarse with excitement.
"120 to 20, we're almost there; just fifty more points and it might be over," George thought to himself as he glanced at the scoreboard.
Up to this point, aside from controlling the broom, he hadn't really cheated at all. He had even let Gryffindor have a couple of chances so they wouldn't look too embarrassed by the score.
There was no helping it; his physical advantage was too significant. With the broom, it was nearly impossible not to gain possession of the ball, and it was hard for the opposing players to block him.
Moreover, the Golden Snitch was indeed elusive. Even without his interference, Harry and Malfoy hadn't come close to catching it yet.
However, just as George prepared to score again, an unexpected incident occurred: a black Bludger began to fly erratically toward Harry as if it had been controlled.
"Is that Dobby the house-elf causing trouble?"
He realized that it was indeed Dobby, the house-elf from the Malfoy family, who was hiding in the shadows, using magic to manipulate the Bludger to attack Harry in an attempt to ensure Harry would be severely injured and sent home, thus avoiding being killed by the basilisk.
(End of Chapter)