Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil

Chapter 108 The Second Quidditch Match

The noise from the stands grew louder and louder.

Students from each college were cheering for the teams they supported.

The Slytherin students wore green uniforms, while the Gryffindor students wore red, the two colors mingling in the stands.

Cheers, shouts, and cheers echoed throughout the stadium.

Looking at the enthusiastic classmates around him and then at the team members poised to start on the field, Puni was gradually infected by the atmosphere and quietly waited for the game to officially begin.

Ahead, each Ravenclaw player held a flat wooden board with parchment on it, presumably for recording data.

Looking at their meticulous appearance, Puni thought to himself, "They truly are Ravenclaw students."

Even amidst the intense atmosphere of the competition, they always maintain rationality and rigor. Even when supporting the Academy and contributing to Quidditch matches, they have their own unique ways of using data analysis to develop strategies for subsequent matches. This is the source of their confidence in pursuing victory.

However, in Puni's view, such a approach was too rigid, even somewhat silly.

He couldn't help but think to himself that instead of spending time recording these complicated data, he should just silently pray that neither team's Seekers would ever find the Golden Snitch, so that the game would never end.

That would mean both teams would be constantly flying and fighting in the air, getting exhausted, and might even have to lie in the medical wing for days, weeks, or even months to recover. It's quite interesting to think about.

According to the rules of Quidditch, the game is only officially over when one side's Seeker catches the Golden Snitch. Even if one side's score has reached 10,000 to 0, the game must continue as long as the Golden Snitch has not been caught.

The longest match in Hogwarts Quidditch history lasted a full three months, with the players taking turns to rest, before finally ending with one side catching the Golden Snitch.

The Quidditch pitch was bustling with activity, a sight to behold.

A total of fourteen players participated in the match, seven from Slytherin and seven from Gryffindor. In addition, four balls—the Quaffle, the Runaway Ball, and the Golden Snitch—moved around the field at the same time. The players shuttled and flew, competing against each other. Every second brought a different scene, and you needed to be fully focused to see every detail.

On the other side of the field, there was a stand specifically set up for teachers, where the atmosphere was much quieter than that of the student stands.

In the stands, an older student stood in a corner, holding a megaphone that seemed to be blessed with magic, serving as the host for the entire match.

With a loud and clear voice and a steady pace, he used his skillful hosting techniques to broadcast the most exciting and noteworthy parts of the entire competition in real time through a loudspeaker, conveying the tension and excitement of the competition to every spectator in the stands.

This hosting job is not easy. Not only do you have to pay attention to every move on the field, but you also have to quickly select the most exciting moments and broadcast them in concise and clear language. You can't miss any key details, nor can you be long-winded. You must have extremely strong observation and language expression skills. Without a certain level of hosting skills, you simply cannot do it.

However, unlike the host, Puni's observation did not dwell too much on the Quaffle's offensive and defensive battles, nor did he keep a close eye on the movements of the two teams' Seekers. Although those scenes were exciting, they were not enough to arouse his interest.

He preferred to focus on the batters on the field, watching them grip their bats and relentlessly strike the fast-moving ball, forcing opposing players to change course and disrupt their rhythm.

It would be even more thrilling to see a batter hit a stray ball so precisely that it crashes into an opposing player's broom, knocking the player off the broom.

The two batters of the Gryffindor team were the Weasley twins. They worked together seamlessly and skillfully, wearing bright red Gryffindor uniforms and riding two brand-new magical brooms.

These two brooms are of excellent performance, with high flight speed and strong stability, which not only makes their flight more flexible, but also greatly helps them hit the ball, making them more adept on the field.

The Weasley twins rode broomsticks, weaving nimbly through the air. Working together, one hit the Runaway ball while the other precisely relayed it, sending it towards the Slytherin team.

The Blink-Walker flew swiftly through the air, and many Slytherin members, seeing it, were so frightened that they quickly adjusted their flight direction to avoid it, fearing that they would be hit by the Blink-Walker and fall off their brooms.

At this moment, Charlie Weasley of the Gryffindor team was flying through the air on his broomstick, vigilantly searching for the Golden Snitch's trail while keeping a close eye on his teammates' battle situation.

Seeing the Weasley twins' brilliant performance, he couldn't help but shout his approval loudly, his voice full of encouragement, which also boosted the morale of the Gryffindor team.

But the Slytherin team was, after all, a long-established and powerful team at Hogwarts, with a deep foundation and extremely skilled players. Even when faced with the Weasley twins' fierce offensive, they did not panic.

With their skillful flying techniques and excellent teamwork, they calmly dealt with the Gryffindor team's attacks, gradually stabilized the situation, and even widened the gap in scoring, slowly taking the lead over the Gryffindor team.

The atmosphere on the field became even more tense as a result.

On the scoreboard, the numbers kept changing, and Slytherin's team maintained their lead thanks to their consistent performance.

The Slytherin students in the stands cheered and waved their house flags, while the Gryffindor students clenched their fists and shouted loudly, cheering on their teammates and hoping they could turn the tide.

Just as the scoreboard changed again and Slytherin scored with a precise Quake, a heart-pounding figure suddenly appeared on the field.

The golden thief suddenly broke free from its previous concealment and appeared directly in front of the stands where the host was. The fleeting golden light instantly attracted everyone's attention.

The senior students who were hosting the event were always extremely dedicated. Even though they had seen the Golden Snitch with their own eyes, they knew their responsibilities and did not choose to broadcast this crucial information through the magic megaphone, so as not to affect the fairness of the competition.

However, he still couldn't control his emotions and let out a startled cry. The sound wasn't loud, but it was enough for the players on the field and the spectators in the stands to notice something was wrong.

All eyes instantly focused on that area; Charlie Weasley and the Slytherin Seekers locked onto the Golden Snitch's location almost simultaneously.

Their eyes narrowed, and their auras instantly became sharp.

For the Seekers, this is the moment to show their true strength; whoever catches the Golden Snitch first will secure victory for their school.

Charlie Weasley has long been known as a Seeker genius, and this honor is well-deserved.

He immediately adjusted the direction of the broom, gripped the broom handle tightly with his legs, and with his skillful and swift running technique, he rushed towards the direction of the golden thief like an arrow released from a bow. The broom cut through the air, making a whistling sound, and every movement was crisp and clean.

Slytherin's Seeker was not to be outdone, immediately following closely behind Charlie Weasley, his eyes fixed on the Golden Snitch ahead. He skillfully adjusted his flight speed, looking for an opportunity to overtake, trying to catch the Golden Snitch before Charlie and secure the victory for Slytherin.

His flying skills were equally superb, but he could never create any distance and could only follow closely, waiting for Charlie to make a mistake.

The host reacted extremely quickly, immediately gripping the magic megaphone and broadcasting the tense and exciting Seekers duel in real time with an almost screaming voice, leaving no detail unmentioned.

His voice, transmitted through the magical loudspeaker, resounded throughout the entire Quidditch arena. The eyes that were originally scattered across the arena, whether of the spectators in the stands or the other players on the field, were all drawn to it. Everyone's heart tightened, and they dared not even breathe.

However, while everyone was focused on the Seekers' duel, the captains of the two teams on the field remained clear-headed throughout.

The Slytherin captain, hovering in the air on his broomstick, kept an eye on the Seeker's movements while shouting loudly at his teammates, ordering them not to get distracted, to continue focusing on the offensive and defensive battle, and to do everything they could to score with the Quaffle.

On the other side, Oliver Wood of the Gryffindor team was equally focused. He shouted to his teammates, repeatedly reminding them not to lose their composure because of the appearance of the Golden Snitch. No one could be sure whether the Seekers would be able to catch the Golden Snitch this time. As long as the game was not officially over, they could not relax in the slightest and had to go all out to narrow the score gap as much as possible.

Just then, the Slytherin captain suddenly changed his orders, yelling at his own batsmen to temporarily abandon their attacks on the other Gryffindor players and concentrate their firepower specifically on Charlie Weasley.

Anyone familiar with Quidditch knows that the reason Charlie Weasley has always made a crucial mistake and lost the game in the past few years is because every time it comes to the Seeker's duel, the opponent's batter will target him and disrupt his rhythm.

The Slytherin batters immediately understood their captain's intention. They all turned around, gripped their bats, and pounded the ball toward Charlie Weasley, trying to disrupt his flight rhythm and prevent him from catching the Golden Snitch.

Faced with such a subtle maneuver, the Weasley twins naturally wouldn't stand idly by. They exchanged a glance and immediately divided their tasks. One of them took the initiative to leave the offensive and defensive battle and went specifically to distract the Slytherin Seeker, disrupting the opponent's rhythm in the same way.

To put it bluntly, it's a case of copying what you do. Since you're going to use underhanded tactics to interfere with our Seekers, then we'll give you a taste of your own medicine and interfere with your Seekers in return. Nobody will gain an advantage!

The other Weasley twin focused on dealing with the Slytherin hitters attacking Charlie Weasley, hitting the ball accurately time and time again to deflect their attacks, protecting Charlie's safety and creating opportunities for him to catch the ball.

"Trying to play dirty? We've never been afraid of anyone!" one of the twins shouted as he hit the ball.

At this moment, the game entered a heated phase, and the atmosphere on the field was extremely tense. The Seeker's final sprint, the batters' mutual restraint, and the offensive and defensive duels between the two teams were all intertwined, and every second was full of uncertainty.

Slytherin's batters continued their relentless assault on Charlie, while the Weasley twins provided crucial support. Slytherin's Seekers seized the opportunity to close in, attempting to overtake Charlie.

Just as the Golden Snitch flashed its light again and hovered in mid-air, Charlie Weasley and the Seeker of Slytherin simultaneously exerted all their strength and lunged at the Golden Snitch. Their bodies collided in mid-air, neither willing to give way. All eyes were focused on this moment, and everyone held their breath.

A soft tapping sound rang out as one of the people's fingers grasped the small creature that shimmered with golden light.

The Golden Thief has been caught!

As the two lunged forward simultaneously, the golden thief was firmly grasped in their hands.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Quidditch match began immediately, the sharp whistle piercing the noise of the arena and announcing the end of this fierce duel.

The cheers and shouts from the stands froze instantly, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the two figures that had landed in the center of the field.

But before the cheers could resume, a thorny problem suddenly arose.

Charlie Weasley and the Seeker of Slytherin caught the Golden Snitch at the same time.

Their fingers were intertwined tightly, gripping the small golden snitch with such force that they almost crushed it. It didn't look like they were fighting for a token of victory; rather, it looked like they were shaking hands, neither willing to loosen their grip even slightly.

Because both of them were so focused on fighting over the thief that they had no energy to control their brooms, the two brooms lost their owners' control and began to fall rapidly toward the ground with them.

"Bang!"

The two landed heavily on the Quidditch pitch, their knees slightly bent to cushion the impact of the fall, but even so, their hands remained firmly clasped around the Golden Snitch.

After landing, the two remained gripping the snatcher tightly, facing each other, neither willing to give an inch.

Charlie Weasley spoke first: "I caught it first! My fingers touched the Snitch's wing first, I was the first to grab it!"

Slytherin's Seeker immediately retorted, equally forceful, even with a hint of anger: "Nonsense! I grabbed it first, you just came over later, how can you say you grabbed it first?"

The two argued back and forth, their voices growing louder and louder. The surrounding teammates also gathered around, splitting into two factions, each defending their own Seeker, and the scene descended into chaos.

Such a scene is extremely rare in Quidditch matches.

Puni, sitting in the stands, couldn't help but sit up straight, his eyes fixed on the dispute in the center of the field. He had never imagined that such an unexpected event would occur in a Quidditch match, with two Seekers catching the Golden Snitch at the same time, making it impossible to immediately determine the winner.

Before the off-field dispute had subsided, chaos erupted in the stands.

The Gryffindor students stood up, waving their house flags and chanting Charlie Weasley's name. They were convinced that Charlie had caught the Snitch first and accused the Slytherin Seeker of cheating, refusing to let go even though he had caught it later. Some even couldn't help but scold him.

On the other side, the Slytherin students were not to be outdone. They also stood up and loudly refuted the claim, firmly believing that their Seeker was the victor. They turned around and accused the Gryffindor students of being unreasonable, distorting the truth, and calling them sore losers and shameless.

The shouts and rebukes from both sides mingled together, growing increasingly intense. What started as a verbal battle gradually spiraled out of control. Several hot-tempered students even gripped their wands, seemingly ready to rush onto the field and fight to the death to seek justice for their school.

Upon seeing this, the teachers in the stands immediately stood up and began to use their magic to try to calm the students and prevent the situation from escalating further.

Qiu Zhang, standing next to Puni, couldn't help but frown and say, "This won't do. If a fight really breaks out, it'll be troublesome."

Marcos and Eddie remained agitated, shouting their support for Gryffindor while simultaneously yelling back at the Slytherin stands, showing no sign of backing down.

Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, the senior student hosting the event suddenly gripped the magic megaphone and shouted with all his might. His voice, amplified by magic, carried throughout the entire arena, temporarily silencing the commotion: "Quiet down! Please be quiet!"

"Quidditch, as a highly developed competitive sport in the magical world, has long had clear rules for adjudicating such unexpected situations. There's no need for arguments or impulsive actions!"

His words gradually quieted the entire arena, and both the players on the sidelines and the students in the stands looked at him.

Since both of them caught the thief at the same time, and it was impossible to say who caught him first, even the Truth Potion was useless. After all, the Truth Potion only allows people to express their own beliefs. Both of them firmly believed that they caught him first, so it was impossible to tell the truth. So, what method in the Quidditch rules could determine the winner of this match?

Seeing this, the host slowly spoke up and explained in detail: "Everyone, don't worry. Although we can't directly determine who caught the thief first, we can seek the answer from the golden thief himself."

He paused, then continued, "The Golden Snitch is not an ordinary creature, but a meticulously crafted magical alchemical artifact. It contains unique magical power that can memorize the physical information of the first person who touches it, including fingerprints, aura, and subtle physical characteristics."

He paused here to let everyone process the information before adding, "As long as the two Seekers touch the Golden Snitch again, it will show a corresponding reaction. Only when the first person to catch it touches it will it emit a specific golden light, thus determining who the real winner is."

After hearing this explanation, everyone in the room looked enlightened, and their tense emotions gradually eased.

Puni couldn't help but nod, secretly marveling at how comprehensive the Quidditch rules were, even providing solutions for such rare and unexpected situations. The memory magic contained within the Golden Snitch was truly astonishing, and one couldn't help but admire the exquisite skill of the wizard who created it.

The two players in the center of the field gradually loosened their grip, their eyes still showing stubbornness, but they also agreed to this ruling and awaited the final result.