Chasers and Challenge

After Ye Ting was discharged from the hospital, Ravenclaw's Quidditch captain and Chaser, Roger Davies, immediately sought him out and sincerely invited him to join the Quidditch team as a Seeker.

In a Quidditch match, each side had seven players: three Chasers, two Beaters, one Keeper, and one Seeker. Four balls were also used: one Quaffle, two Bludgers, and one Golden Snitch.

The Keeper was responsible for guarding their team's goalposts and preventing the opposing players from scoring; the three Chasers were responsible for throwing the Quaffle through one of the opposing team's three goalposts to earn points for their team; the two Beaters protected their teammates from being hit by Bludgers and struck the Bludgers toward opposing players; the Seeker was responsible for searching the field for the Golden Snitch, catching it, and ending the match.

The team that caught the Golden Snitch earned an additional one hundred and fifty points, but that did not necessarily mean that team would win, because the point difference between the two teams could exceed one hundred and fifty points.

Generally speaking, only the lightest and fastest-flying players could become Seekers.

"We also looked at Cho Chang from the second year. I remember she spends a lot of time with you." While trying to persuade Ye Ting to join the team, Roger said, "If you become the Seeker, she can be your substitute."

But Ye Ting did not want to be a Seeker.

He felt that, as a Seeker, spending the entire match running around solely to look for a ball was incredibly boring. Not only was it monotonous and dull, but there was pitifully little interaction with anyone else on the field.

Compared with being a Seeker, he would rather be a Chaser.

Among Quidditch positions, Chasers were the most like players in football or basketball. They worked together, responsible for scoring goals or preventing the other side from scoring.

Ye Ting believed that his physical gifts did not merely allow him to fly quickly. They also gave him greater strength in physical confrontations and allowed him to perform more complex and difficult maneuvers in flight.

A Seeker's skills were like Bolt's—simply being fast. On a football pitch, Bolt could reach the ball faster than anyone else, but that was all.

But to become a true footballer like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, speed alone was not enough. One also needed physical ability, technique, and many other qualities.

In Ye Ting's view, someone like himself, who possessed all those qualities, would be utterly wasted as nothing more than a Seeker. Becoming a Chaser would allow him to make full use of all his abilities.

However, Roger found Ye Ting's choice extremely difficult to understand.

Normally, the Seeker was the key figure on the field, the most eye-catching star.

On the other hand, Chasers required better ball-handling skills and far more complicated coordination. Flying talent alone was not enough to play the position.

"Then why don't you try my skills for yourself?"

After realizing he could not persuade Roger, Ye Ting proposed, "The two of us will play one-on-one, taking turns attacking with the ball. Whoever scores five goals first wins. If I win, I get to be a Chaser. How about it?"

"Then if you lose, you'll obediently become a Seeker."

"Deal." The two made their agreement.

Ravenclaw's Quidditch team trained on Wednesdays.

Certain that he had victory in the bag, Roger spread the news of his one-on-one match with Ye Ting ahead of time.

On the day of training, quite a few Ravenclaw students arrived at the pitch early, ready to watch.

Ye Ting did not arrive at the pitch early. He only left the dormitory ten minutes before training began.

His three roommates came with him. Although most people thought Ye Ting was a genius, they still believed he would not be Roger's match.

However, his roommates saw things differently. They had grown used to Ye Ting's endless displays of extraordinary talent, so they all firmly believed he would not lose to Roger.

Along the way, they expressed their envy of Ye Ting again and encouraged him to defeat Roger, so the freshmen could take the wind out of the upper-years' sails.

By the time Ye Ting arrived at the pitch, Ravenclaw's players had already arrived and begun training.

Because Ravenclaw had so few boys, most of its players and reserve players were girls.

Ye Ting spotted Cho Chang among them. She was also riding a broom in the air, practicing her flying.

She flew very well. Many upper-year players did not fly as skillfully as she did. No wonder she had been selected as a reserve Seeker as early as her second year.

He could also see Hermione sitting in the stands. The moment she saw him arrive, she excitedly stood and waved at him. To his surprise, Penelope was seated beside her. It seemed that after Ye Ting's hospitalization, the two had become friends in private.

That was understandable, really. After all, both of them were Muggle-born and top students, so they must have had plenty in common.