Ryan had always thought that wizards had a tendency to push themselves to extremes. After all, their annual Quidditch competition, held between Halloween and Christmas, took place in the coldest months of the year—between November and December.
Just imagine a crowd of spectators standing on a raised platform, buffeted by the freezing winter winds of the Scottish Highlands, while the players had to fly high in the sky, exposed to the elements. From any angle, it seemed like an exhausting ordeal.
But when Ryan arrived in this world, he realized that wizards were completely obsessed with Quidditch. All the hardships he had imagined were no longer an issue.
As Ryan and his classmates made their way to the Quidditch pitch, it was clear that nearly every teacher and student at the school had come out to watch. The stands were packed, with many students even bringing binoculars to get a better view. It was hard to see the game clearly at times, given the height of the stands.
Ryan and the others found seats at the very top, joining a large group of freshmen. In an effort to support their classmate Harry, they had created a banner with a magical effect that read "Potter must win," complete with an animated image of a lion chasing a snake.
Mrs. Hooch, the referee, stood in the center of the field with her broomstick in hand, waiting for the players to take their positions.
When the players emerged from the locker rooms and walked onto the field, Mrs. Hooch addressed them: "Listen up, everyone. I expect you to play fairly and honestly."
Seamus leaned toward the group and said, "Mrs. Hooch is warning the Slytherin team about their dirty tactics. Especially their captain, Marcus Flint. Under his leadership, Slytherin often resorts to dishonorable methods."
"It seems like there are always people like that, no matter where you go," Ryan commented. Hermione, Seamus, and several other students who had grown up in the Muggle world nodded in agreement.
"Please mount your broomsticks," Mrs. Hooch instructed.
Everyone climbed onto their brooms.
Mrs. Hooch blew her silver whistle sharply.
Fifteen broomsticks shot up into the air as the game began.
"The Quaffle is immediately picked up by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor—what a fantastic Chaser, and she's so charming—"
"Jordan!"
"Sorry, Professor."
Ryan found that, aside from the impressive performances of the players, the most entertaining part of the Quidditch match at Hogwarts was Jordan's commentary. Not only could he quickly and accurately describe the action on the field, but he also added humorous gags that made the entire commentary much livelier.
Of course, due to his somewhat biased and overly emotional commentary, Jordan was kept under close supervision by Professor McGonagall.
"She made an incredible run, passing the ball to Alia Spinnet, who had been spotted by Oliver Wood as a talent—just a bench player last year—but now she's in the game—oh, and the ball goes to Johnson, and then—oops, Slytherin takes the Quaffle! Slytherin captain Marcus Flint grabs the Quaffle and zooms off—Flint is flying like a hawk—he's going to score—no! Gryffindor's keeper, Wood, made a fantastic move to block the ball. Now Gryffindor has possession. Chaser Katie Bell is chasing the ball—she's speeding around Flint—ouch! That had to hurt—she was hit in the back of the head by a Bludger! The Quaffle is stolen! Wait, it's Derian Pusey rushing toward the goalposts, but—oh no! He's knocked down by another Bludger! The Bludgers are handled by Fred and George Weasley, the identical twins. Gryffindor's hitters are doing a great job—Johnson gets the Quaffle back."
With no opposition in sight, she sped forward, dodging a Bludger, and the goalposts were ahead—come on, Johnson—she's aiming—keeper Bleitch dives in—but misses—Gryffindor scores!"
The Gryffindor supporters erupted in cheers, while the Slytherins roared in frustration.
Harry circled in the air, seemingly unaware of the Snitch's presence.
"The Slytherins now have the Quaffle," Jordan continued. "Pusey, the Chaser, ducks two Bludgers, then avoids the Weasley twins and Bell, and runs—wait a second... is that the Snitch?"
Derian Pusey turned just in time to see a golden glimmer fly past his ear, missing the Quaffle. The crowd murmured.
It seemed Harry noticed the Snitch too. He swooped down quickly, chasing the golden streak. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgins saw it as well. Side by side, the two of them raced toward the Snitch—meanwhile, the Chasers appeared to have forgotten their role, simply hovering in place and watching.
Harry was faster than Higgins—he looked like he was about to catch the Snitch—
Bang! The Gryffindor section below erupted in angry shouts—Marcus Flint had rammed Harry on purpose, sending Harry's broomstick swerving, but Harry held on tightly.
"Foul!" cried the Gryffindors.
Ryan found himself shouting as well, and he could feel the excitement of the game taking hold of him.
The match continued, and Gryffindor was dominating, keeping possession of the ball most of the time.
Then, suddenly, Harry started behaving erratically in the air. Ryan, who had been observing him, immediately noticed something was wrong.
Ryan grabbed his binoculars and focused on Harry. He could see that Harry's expression had turned anxious, and it seemed as though his broom was no longer responding properly.
Hermione, noticing Ryan's serious expression, looked where he was staring. By now, Harry had drifted far from the field, and a few students had already begun to notice that something was wrong.
"What's happening? Did the broom just malfunction?" Hermione asked nervously.
"It shouldn't be. The Nimbus 2000 is one of the best brooms. After several collisions, there's no way it should be damaged. The most likely explanation is that someone used dark magic to interfere with the broom. Given the Nimbus 2000's anti-jamming capabilities, the person responsible must be skilled in dark magic. An average student wouldn't be able to do this," Ryan explained.
"Look, Snape!" Hermione said, tapping Ryan's arm. "He's staring at Harry and chanting something."
Ryan adjusted his binoculars. "Look behind him—Quirrell is staring at the sky, also chanting."
"What?" Hermione squinted in the direction Ryan indicated. "What now?"
"Come with me," Ryan said, taking Hermione's hand. The two of them quietly moved toward the back of the staff bench.
A minute later, they reached their destination. With a signal from Ryan, Hermione and Ryan cast a spell that set Snape and Quirrell's robes on fire at the same time.
Within seconds, chaos erupted on the staff platform. The two of them quickly returned to their seats.
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