Everyday Life of a Top Student at Hogwarts

Chapter 70 The Battle Between the Eagle and the Badger (3.8k)

When they arrived at the Quidditch pitch, the stands were already quite crowded with students. The magnificent Quidditch pitch looked especially spectacular in the morning light, with three fifty-foot-high golden rings gleaming on the goalposts, and the surrounding stands rising in tiers, large enough to accommodate the entire school's faculty and students.

Unlike previous training matches, the lawn was trimmed exceptionally neatly, and the goalposts were painted in the colors of the two teams playing today.

Ravenclaw's seating area was on the east side of the field. Cullen saw Professor Flitwick already seated there, excitedly talking to Professor McGonagall, his small frame almost leaping off his chair. Professor Sprout wore a huge yellow sun hat, while Snape sat grimly at the far end, looking like an ominous cloud.

"Great spot!" Wesley pulled Karen to the front row, almost knocking over a student. "You can see the whole stadium from here!"

?

As the match drew near, the atmosphere grew increasingly heated. Even the usually mild-mannered Hufflepuffs were somewhat tense with Ravenclaw today. As for Slytherin and Gryffindor, even if it weren't their match today, the atmosphere between them was no less intense than that between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, and perhaps even more so.

"Look, the players' tunnel!" Wesley suddenly shouted, pointing to the archway on the side of the field, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "They're coming out!"

A deafening roar erupted from the Hufflepuff stands. The yellow team, riding broomsticks, flew into the arena.

The team uniforms fluttered in the wind. The captain, standing tall and imposing, led the way, while Cedric, in second place, exuded confidence despite it being his first official match.

"Although Cedric is on good terms with us," Wesley's voice was almost drowned out by the cheers, "he's our enemy today! Ravenclaw will win!"

Immediately following, a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from Cullen's side as Ravenclaw entered the field.

The blue team jerseys billowed like waves in the sunlight, and deafening shouts erupted from the stands. Wesley jumped up and screamed, nearly bumping into the older students behind him. Even Fabian couldn't help but stand up and applaud, his glasses reflecting an excited gleam.

Unfortunately, there weren't any familiar faces on this team. The only Ravenclaw team members Karen remembered from the original work were Cho Chang and Davis; she knew nothing else. However, she had already asked before, and neither of them were on the team. It seemed that they were the same age as her.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the first match of the Hogwarts Quidditch season!" Lee Jordan's voice, amplified by magic, echoed throughout the stadium. "Today's match is between the blue-clad Ravenclaw Eagles and the yellow-clad Hufflepuffs! Let's give both teams a standing ovation!"

Referee Mrs. Hooch stood in the center of the field, holding the familiar match box. Players from both teams lined up on either side of her, their brooms hovering steadily in the air, awaiting the signal to begin the match. Karen could feel Wesley trembling nervously beside her, while Ernesto stood ramrod straight, his grey eyes fixed intently on the field.

"Listen to my whistle—three—two—one!" The sharp whistle pierced the sky, and fifteen brooms shot into the air simultaneously, like arrows released from a bow, soaring into the azure sky. The game officially began, and the entire stadium instantly erupted in cheers.

Karen tilted her head back, her eyes following the fast-moving figures.

A formal Quidditch match is far more thrilling than a practice game, with the whooshing sound of brooms cutting through the air and the enthusiastic shouts of the audience.

The commentator's rapid-fire commentary.

"Ravenclaw's Chaser gets the Quaffle first!" Lee Jordan's voice, amplified by magic, echoed across the field. "Beautiful S-shaped breakthrough! Oh, intercepted by Hufflepuff's Smith hitter with a precise walk!"

Wesley practically stood up in his seat, his hair bouncing wildly with his excited movements. "Damn it! What are our batters doing?" he yelled, waving his blue flag and nearly hitting a sixth-year student behind him. "Are those two walking balls just for show?"

Fabian carefully observed the Hetchapé formation: "The Hetchapé formation is very special; they are imitating the Peruvian national team's 'Vulture' circling tactic." He pointed to the three Hetchapé chasers flying in a triangle formation on the field, "Look, they are deliberately slowing down to lure our chasers into a trap."

Ernesto crossed his arms, his gray eyes fixed on the sky: "Butt will see through it; he's studied the International Quidditch Tactics Almanac."

As expected, Ravenclaw was prepared. The three chasers suddenly changed formation, shooting straight into the Hufflepuff defense in an arrow-like pattern. After a beautiful crossover, one of them faked a shot, fooling the Hufflepuff goalkeeper, and then gently tossed the ball to his teammate on the right for a goal.

"Ravenclaw scores! 10-10!" Lee Jordan shouted excitedly. "Look at that play, it's like it was controlled by a magic wand!"

Wesley jumped up in cheers, nearly knocking over the older students behind him. Fabian couldn't help but clap too, his glasses reflecting an excited gleam. Karen noticed that Ernesto, though maintaining an elegant posture, had his fingers unconsciously tapping a rhythm on his knees.

The game was heating up. Hufflepuff immediately retaliated, their Chaser trio executing a lightning-fast counter-attack with astonishing teamwork.

"Hufflepuff scores another 10 points! 20-10 lead!" Lee Jordan announced. "Their chasers are playing flawlessly!"

The yellow flags in the stands surged like waves. Wesley, frantic, scratched his head: "Where's our defense? Is the batter asleep?"

Just then, Ravenclaw's batter finally unleashed his power. A powerful run went straight for Hufflepuff's chaser, forcing him to abandon his attack.

"Great shot!" Ernesto unusually raised his voice. "That's more like it!"

Karen's eyes searched the sky, quickly locking onto the two Seekers. Butt and Cedric circled overhead like two falcons. Cedric's flight was particularly striking; each turn was clean and precise, requiring almost no slowing down.

"Cedric's technique is truly superb," ​​Wesley exclaimed, then shouted, "Go Henry!"

比赛进入白热化阶段。30比30，50比50，70比70—-比分如同拉锯战般交替上升。每一次得分都引发看台上的一阵欢呼或叹息。韦斯利的嗓子已经有些嘶哑，但仍不遗余力地为球队吶喊。

"Ravenclaw leads 80-70!" Lee Jordan announced. "Their tactical adjustments are very effective!"

Just then, Cedric suddenly changed his flight path high in the sky. He began to circle on an irregular route, sometimes accelerating and sometimes stopping abruptly.

"He might have spotted the gold thief!" Wesley gripped Karen's arm tightly, his nails almost digging into her flesh.

Not long after, Butt also changed his flight path and began to accelerate towards the other end of the field. The two Seekers streaked across the sky like lightning, and the entire audience held their breath.

"The Golden Snitch! The Golden Snitch has appeared near the Hufflepuff goal!" Lee Jordan's voice was shrill with excitement.

All eyes were on the Hufflepuff goal; everyone knew that the game was decided in this crucial moment.

Cedric took a slight lead due to his starting advantage, but Butt, with his experience, opted for a shorter interception route.

Just as the two were about to collide, Butt suddenly spun around, and the end of his broom "accidentally" brushed against Cedric's shoulder.

"Foul! That's absolutely a foul!" the Hufflepuff students shouted angrily.

But the referee's whistle didn't sound. Cedric lost his balance and tumbled several times in the air before regaining his footing. Meanwhile, Butt seized the opportunity to pounce on the Golden Snitch—"Butt's about to succeed!" Lee Jordan shouted.

Just as Boot's fingers were inches from the Snitch, a dart suddenly flew from the side and struck the tail of his broom with pinpoint accuracy.

With a muffled thud, Butt's broom spun off course.

"Beautiful interception! Hufflepuff's batter did a great job!" Lee Jordan announced excitedly. "That walk was perfectly timed!"

The golden thief nimbly vanished into thin air. A cacophony of cheers and sighs erupted from the crowd.

"That hitter definitely did it on purpose!" Wesley roared, pumping his fist, his face flushed. "He aimed for Butt, not the broom!"

Ernesto calmly analyzed: "No, this is a perfect tactical dribbling move. According to the International Quidditch Rules..."

It's not a foul as long as the ball doesn't directly hit the seeker's body.

The match continued, and the tension between the two sides grew increasingly palpable after the earlier battle for the Golden Snitch. The batters began exchanging blows with their runners, and the chasers became more aggressive. After a fierce struggle, a Ravenclaw chaser and a Hufflepuff batter both fell off their brooms.

"Pause! Medical team, come on in!" Mrs. Hooch blew her whistle.

During the timeout, the Ravenclaw players huddled together for an emergency tactical discussion. Butt gestured with his signature hand gesture, clearly outlining a new offensive plan. The Hufflepuffs weren't to be outdone; Cedric was whispering with his teammates.

"They might be changing tactics," Ernesto pointed out astutely. "Look, Hufflepuff's two batters have switched positions."

After the match resumed, Ravenclaw indeed adjusted their strategy. The two batters began to focus on protecting their seekers, while the chasers adopted a more flexible, spread-out attack.

"Ravenclaw leads 90-80!" Lee Jordan announced. "Karl's fake was brilliant!"

Amid the cheers, Cedric suddenly accelerated, diving towards the other end of the field. Butt reacted immediately.

They pursued relentlessly.

"The thief has appeared again! This time in the area below the court!" Lee Jordan's voice was sharp with excitement.

The two Seekers streaked across the sky like lightning, and Cedric gradually widened the gap using the advantage of his broom. Just as he was about to catch the thief, a stray ball suddenly flew in from the side.

A gasp rippled through the Hufflepuff stands.

Cedric displayed amazing flying skills, executing a beautiful rolling flip that sent his broom almost vertical, narrowly avoiding the wandering ball. Gasps of amazement erupted again from the stands.

"Merlin's beard!" Even Ernesto couldn't help but exclaim, "I've only ever seen that move in professional matches!"

He's getting more and more amazing!

But this delay allowed Boot to catch up. The two reached out almost simultaneously, their fingertips separated from the golden light by mere millimeters.

"Butt caught the thief first! Cedric was just a little short, but the loser is often just a little short of victory."

Match over! Ravenclaw wins! 240 to 90!

A deafening roar erupted from the blue stands. Butt raised his arm high, the Golden Snitch's wings fluttering limply between his fingers. The Ravenclaw team swarmed forward, surrounding him.

Wesley was jumping up and down excitedly in the stands, like a spring that couldn't stop.

"We won! We won!" He hugged Fabian tightly, nearly knocking the man's glasses off. "Did you see that? That final dive! Butt was amazing!"

Ernesto laughed happily, "That was truly wonderful. But Cedric's performance was also excellent; he was just a bit unlucky."

The Hufflepuff students, though disappointed, did not boo. Cedric landed slowly on the field, a look of disappointment on his face, but he still extended his hand to Butt in congratulations, a gesture that earned him applause from the entire arena.

"This is what Quidditch should be like," Ernesto said, watching the scene unfold. "Unlike some houses that flaunt their success when they're winning and resort to underhanded tactics when they're losing."

Wesley, with his arms around Karen and Fabian's shoulders and his face still bearing traces of body paint, said, "Let's go celebrate! I heard the kitchen has prepared a special blueberry cake today!"

As they left the stadium, blue and bronze flags fluttered in the stands, and Ravenclaw students sang the school song, laughing and high-fiving each other.

On the way back to the castle, Wesley couldn't wait to analyze every detail of the game.

"That feint was absolutely brilliant!"

"If the batter had been more decisive..."

Cedric's final dodge—

Fabian and Ernesto joined the discussion, and the three of them argued fiercely about tactical arrangements and decisions at crucial moments.

Karen listened to her companions' argument with a smile.