At Madam Hooch's whistle, four differently shaped Quidditch balls were released into the air above the pitch. Thunderous cheers and applause erupted from the stands as all fourteen players hovering in the air sprang into action.
Bill won the opening scramble. Working in perfect coordination with Seeker Charlie, he used a screen to snatch the Quaffle from Elliott, who had been closer to it.
Gryffindor's early lead set their stands roaring, and Professor McGonagall even smiled from the staff seats—Bill was Gryffindor's strongest guarantee of winning the Quidditch Cup.
The Slytherin players had long been used to the oppressive strength of the brothers Bill and Charlie. In past years, even though Elliott was two years older than Charlie, his Golden Snitch capture rate could only barely match Charlie's. As for Bill, who could practically take on two Chasers alone, there was no comparison.
However, just as Aisling had said in the common room, Slytherin's strength lay in their superior overall lineup, with solid defense as their specialty. Better physical conditioning, flying skills, and higher-performance brooms put tremendous pressure on Gryffindor every year.
Roy did not care much about how the match was progressing. Standing among the spectators, he was more interested in observing the other audience members, as well as Snape and Professor McGonagall, who were huddled together in quiet conversation at the staff seats.
Unfortunately, Roy was too far away to hear what they were saying. Still, just from their expressions, he could tell they had not spared each other any barbed remarks.
"Niceeeeee----------!!!!!!"
The bizarre noise Connor made from the commentator's box gave Roy a fright. Gryffindor had scored first.
The score became 10–0. Gryffindor's stands, already fired up by the opening score, instantly erupted. A giant red lion floating in midair let out a roar and smashed