Quidditch Match: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin!

Their first nighttime excursion—and the near discovery—had not affected Moriarty's investigation into Peeves. He had merely made his inquiries more discreet.

Jericho also kept quiet about the nighttime excursion, though he secretly hoped Moriarty would teach him the Disillusionment Charm.

At the dining table, Jericho held a huge plate of Lincolnshire sausages while burying his face in a large bowl of Scottish porridge.

Moriarty, meanwhile, was eating a serving of bacon and fried mushrooms—a balanced meal of meat and vegetables that ensured both health and ample nutrition.

William sat beside him, gulping down oatmeal while stuffing bread into his mouth.

After shaking his head in disapproval at William and Jericho's table manners, Leon tucked into his own baked beans and cheese.

Every player on the Slytherin Quidditch Team had received an unusual breakfast, and they happily dug in.

"Fanks to Senior Tonks for lettin' us eat such special food!" Jericho said through a mouthful.

"Seriously, Mr. Moriarty, give Tonks our proper thanks," William said to Moriarty with a grin. "Thanks to her telling the house-elves to make us something tasty, we get to enjoy such a wonderful meal. Oh~ Merlin's oatmeal, Hufflepuff food is like a mother's embrace~"

Moriarty nodded, but Leon frowned and reminded the players, "Don't eat too much. Be careful you don't throw up during the match."

"What a stick-in-the-mud." William shrugged, then smiled. "With Mr. Moriarty here, are we really worried about losing?"

The players all laughed, only to hear a discordant voice from the back of the Great Hall. "Don't celebrate too soon. The Gryffindor Team are lions, not sickly cats!"

The young snakes craned their necks to look behind them, wanting to see who was contradicting them, only to find Tonks approaching with her hair turned gray.

William stood and solemnly expressed his thanks.

Tonks gave Moriarty a mischievous wink. "It was nothing, really. Consider it our fan club's support for Moriarty!"

The young snakes let out a suggestive chorus of teasing, just as a Snowy Owl flew into the Great Hall with a long package clutched in its little talons.

"Poseidon!" Moriarty called to his owl. Poseidon swiftly flew to the Slytherin table, dropped off the package, and flew away.

Jericho said excitedly, "Hurry up and see what's inside!"

Stroking her chin, Tonks flashed a sweet smile. "I'd wager anyone here that it's a Flying Broomstick."

"Correct!" Moriarty tore open the package, revealing a Nimbus 1700.

The young snakes gasped in admiration, looking forward even more to Moriarty's performance in the match.

Tonks bade Moriarty farewell, mysteriously telling him before she left that she had a surprise for him.

At eight o'clock, the entire school had gathered in the stands surrounding the Quidditch Pitch.

The stands were divided into towers and viewing platforms for the four Houses, along with a faculty tower and faculty viewing platform.

The students and teachers quickly found their assigned seats. Students from all four Houses wore their respective scarves, while the Little Lions had painted many enormous banners on bedsheets bearing the words, "GRYFFINDOR WILL WIN."

The young snakes, meanwhile, each held a silver flag depicting a snake coiled around a lion.

But nearly every student had brought Binoculars. The seats had even been raised into the air, yet it was still sometimes difficult to see the match clearly.

Inside the changing room, both teams changed into their uniforms. Looking at his dark green robes, Moriarty wondered whether he ought to alter the design and change the color.

"Come on, look over here!" William began his pre-match speech. "With Moriarty joining us this year, honestly, I don't believe we can lose! But we can't let our guard down, either!

"Charlie Weasley is our main target! Beaters and Keeper, keep your eyes glued to him!

"And then—Oliver Wood! Yes, the second-year new Keeper! I'd say Charlie intends to groom him as the next captain. Our Chasers?"

"Here!" Jericho puffed out his chest.

William looked at him. "You're a new player too, so what do you do? Crush Wood! Turn his goal hoops into sieves!"

"No problem, Captain!"

"Very good. Now then, does anyone have anything else to add?" William glanced at the players.

No one spoke, but Moriarty cleared his throat. "Don't deliberately foul. I don't want my matches tainted—not a single one."

It was clearly an incredibly arrogant remark, yet the players found it perfectly natural.

William nodded. "With Moriarty on our side, resorting to something like fouling would be beneath us. All right, lads, let's go!"

The seven Slytherin players strode out of the changing room and headed toward the roaring pitch.

"I'm really afraid my legs will go weak," Jericho muttered.

"It's only a small scene. You'll have to get used to it." As if he had been born accustomed to grand occasions, Moriarty surveyed his surroundings, his eyes filled with an extraordinary seriousness.

His bearing affected the entire team, and the players unconsciously took on solemn, serious expressions.

"Hey! Look, the Slytherin Team is coming out!" Tonks's vibrant voice rang across the stadium, and the young snakes in the stands began to cheer.

Jericho no longer seemed nervous. He said to Moriarty, "Aha, it's Senior Tonks! She became the match commentator—is this the surprise she meant?"

Moriarty looked toward the Hufflepuff viewing platform. Tonks smiled faintly at him before speaking in a voice as fiery as her enthusiasm:

"Let's take a look! Leading the team is veteran captain William Romot! Followed by Leon Minchum...

"This team, which has claimed three consecutive championships, has not lost its dominance in the new school year due to the graduation of older students. On the contrary, the arrival of two genius players has made this team even more terrifying!

"Look, bringing up the rear and making their grand entrance are Jericho Blench, and—Eternal Shine, Moriarty~ Sly—therin!"

Tonks's voice rose and fell with dramatic flair. It was also the first time she had spoken Moriarty's title in public. Thunderous cheers erupted from the stands, and the girls' screams nearly tore through the sky.

The Gryffindor Quidditch Team seemed to have deliberately chosen this moment to make their entrance, stepping onto the pitch right on cue. The Little Lions immediately rose to their feet and applauded with all their might.

Several older Lions had cast a clever charm on the banners; lion after lion appeared across them, letting out booming roars!

"Ooh~ ooh~" Tonks turned her head. "The Gryffindor team is taking the field! This is widely acknowledged as their strongest lineup in recent years!

Their captain and Seeker, Charlie Weasley! He's an old friend of ours—the unmistakable red hair can never be ignored. Within Gryffindor, they even call him the Weasley King!

We all know that after Gryffindor's disastrous defeat in the 1986–1987 school year, Charlie took over the team and quickly turned it into one of the top teams capable of challenging the Slytherin Quidditch Team!

In recent years, Gryffindor has firmly held second place, but there's no denying that they only grow fiercer with every match!

And at present, the Gryffindor team's reputation is far better than the Slytherin Quidditch Team's!

Yes, we all know that the Slytherin Quidditch Team is fond of using fouls. Let's hope Mr. Moriarty's arrival can change that.

However, Charlie and William have one thing in common: this year, they have both boldly brought in new players.

Look at Gryffindor's young Keeper—Oliver Wood! That's right, I think you've all realized it!"

Tonks waved her arms, and the crowd's cheers grew even louder. She said excitedly, "The Lions against the Snakes, Chaser versus Keeper! This is a grand offensive-and-defensive showdown between two newcomers!

And the clash between the two Seekers who will decide the fate of the match—Moriarty versus Charlie, the genius newcomer Eternal Shine versus the Lion captain, the Weasley King!!!"

Tonks's commentary lit a fire in everyone's hearts. Dumbledore, Snape, Flitwick, and all the other professors on the staff platform nodded and clapped vigorously.

Professor McGonagall even rose to her feet, her lips pressed tightly together as she focused with complete attention.

The students rose as well, shouting the players' names at the top of their lungs.

"Eternal Shine! Eternal Shine!"

"Weasley King! Weasley King!"

"Gryffindor! Gryffindor!"

"Slytherin! Slytherin!"

The blazing atmosphere made the weather seem less cold. Tonks saw Madam Hooch explain the rules to both teams, then immediately shouted, "The Silver whistle blows, fifteen Flying Broomsticks soar into the air, and the match~ begins!"

During the 1953–1954 school year, in a match Minerva McGonagall played in during her seventh year—Gryffindor versus Slytherin, with the result determining who would claim the Quidditch Cup—she had suffered a concussion and broken several ribs after being thrown from her broom due to a Slytherin player's foul. From then on, seeing the Slytherin team suffer a crushing defeat on the Quidditch pitch became McGonagall's lifelong wish.