"Seems like there's something to it."
Avada raised an eyebrow from the stands. He thought he could understand the purpose of the Seeker's position now—it was like adding a whole new system to a Quidditch match.
Before the Snitch slowed down, the Chasers and Beaters scored points in the usual way. Once the Snitch slowed and became catchable, the match shifted into another mode: both teams began disrupting the opposing Seeker while protecting their own. Catching the Golden Snitch had never been the Seeker's task alone; it took the whole team working together.
The two stages overlapped, and their rules and tactics flowed into one another, offering more tactical choices and possibilities. That was what made Quidditch so exciting—provided, of course, that both teams followed the rules.
Last year's match hadn't been nearly as entertaining. During the scoring phase, it had practically been a competition to see who could foul more. And once the Snitch slowed down, it appeared so high up that the Seekers and the other players ended up in completely separate areas, each group playing its own game... That was why Avada had gotten the mistaken impression that Seekers didn't need to join the contest.
Of course, the ridiculously low cost of committing a foul was still a glaring flaw.
But in this match, both Gryffindor and Slytherin were surprisingly strict about following the rules. Perhaps they were doing it out of respect for The Chosen One, or perhaps Baron's presence had eased the hostility between the teams a little. Whatever the reason, with both sides playing by the rules and no split between the two areas of play, the match was incredibly exciting. Even Avada felt his blood racing.
After the Snitch vanished, the game returned to its first stage. The Chasers and Beaters on both