On the day of the match, the Quidditch Pitch was even livelier than Harry had imagined.
Red and green flags fluttered high above, and cheers reached them through the changing room door.
Wood stood before the players, looking particularly solemn.
"Remember, Slytherin's Beaters won't let you off easily, so..."
"Dear captain." Fred raised his hand. "That's the third time."
George nodded. "We could give the speech for you by now."
Wood glared at the two of them, then walked over to Harry.
"Don't be nervous. This is your first match. All you need to do is..."
"Find the Snitch and catch it before Higgs does," Harry finished.
Wood finally nodded in satisfaction.
Beside them, the twins were already laughing.
Harry couldn't help smiling too. He picked up his broomstick and followed the team.
He had been a little nervous, but looking at Wood, he felt he seemed fairly calm himself.
Beside the entrance, Ron was clinging to the railing and waving.
"Harry! Look up!"
Several Gryffindor students unfurled a banner, its gold lettering striking against the red background.
[Potter! Take Slytherin!]
Ron was just about to shout along when his gaze suddenly froze. "Wait, doesn't that mean something else too?"
Fred looked puzzled.
"Don't you want Harry to win?"
"Of course I do! But..."
"Then shout louder."
George patted his shoulder, and the brothers walked onto the pitch with their bats, all smiles.
Ron stood with his mouth open, unable to come up with a reply for a long while.
Hermione looked at the banner and decided to head to the stands first.
The players on both teams took to the air in turn.
When he reached the final name, Lee Jordan's voice suddenly rose.
"Next, let's welcome Hogwarts' youngest Seeker in a hundred years! The hero of the Halloween Troll incident! A magical genius personally praised by every professor!"
"Harry-Potter!"
Harry had barely flown out of the entrance when a wave of cheers hit him head-on.
In the Gryffindor stands, Ron waved his flag so hard it nearly flew out of his hand, while Hermione stood beside him applauding.
Two more banners were held high, their golden letters glittering in the sunlight.
[The genius Harry Potter!]
[The Chosen One! Catch that Snitch!]
Even farther away, people were actually calling his name too.
Hufflepuff students stood up and waved, and applause rose from Ravenclaw as well.
"I just want to see whether he's as good at flying as he is at spells!"
"Professor McGonagall let him onto the team. He must have some skill!"
Harry raised a hand in response, and the cheers immediately grew louder.
He had originally thought he had only become a little well-known lately.
Now it seemed...
It was rather more than a little.
And quite a few of those compliments were already for things he had done with his own hands during this time.
That felt pretty good.
Of course, the response from the green stands wasn't quite so enthusiastic.
"He's only been learning for two months. Can he really compete with Higgs?"
"We'll know once the match starts."
Malfoy said nothing.
She had just placed her hands back on her knees when Goyle turned toward her.
"Miss, were you applauding Potter just now?"
"Who was applauding him?!"
The girl immediately lifted her chin.
Crabbe asked, "Then who do you want to win?"
"Slytherin, of course!"
Malfoy answered without hesitation, but her gaze still followed that red figure.
Still, Potter had better fly reasonably well.
At the center of the pitch, Higgs was sizing Harry up.
"Quite popular, aren't you, Potter?"
"Thank you."
"I hope you can still smile that happily after the match. This isn't a first-year Flying Class."
Harry steadied his broomstick and nodded with a smile.
"I know. That's why I'm rather looking forward to it."
Higgs paused, then finally said nothing more.
The whistle sounded, and the players kicked off the ground together.
The Quaffle was thrown high into the air, and the two Bludgers whistled off in different directions.
The tiny golden ball flashed just once in the sunlight before vanishing.
Harry quickly climbed higher, leaving the fight for the Quaffle below.
A real match was indeed different from training.
Players constantly crisscrossed at high speed, and the dull thuds of bats striking iron balls rang out one after another.
He had only just made out the pass on the left when someone on the right was already charging toward the goal.
"Flint breaks through! A pass-Slytherin scores!"
The green stands immediately erupted in cheers.
Gryffindor's counterattack came just as quickly.
Angelina drew the defense and passed to the side. Katie caught the ball and immediately raised her arm, sending the Quaffle straight through the hoop.
"Ten all!"
Harry glanced down, and suddenly a sharp rush of air sounded beside him.
A Bludger!
He immediately lowered his body and shifted his weight to one side.
His broomstick tilted with him, and the black iron ball swept past, almost grazing his shoulder.
Before the gasps from the stands had faded, Harry had already used the movement to complete a turn and level his broomstick again.
Without pausing or losing altitude.
"Beautiful!" Lee Jordan shouted at once. "Potter dodged it!"
Fred caught up with the Bludger from the other side and knocked it far away with one swing. George passed Harry and gave a loud whistle.
"Nice work!"
Harry let out a breath and looked up again.
In the Slytherin stands, however, Malfoy's brow twitched slightly.
Shifting his weight in advance-he could already use it this smoothly?
The corners of the girl's mouth had barely begun to lift before she pressed them down again.
Higgs also withdrew his gaze.
At such close range, Harry had not only dodged but used the movement to complete a turn.
The trace of casual indifference on his face finally faded.
A golden glint appeared near the goalposts.
Harry was circling on the outside. The moment he caught that flicker from the corner of his eye, his gaze locked onto it.
The Golden Snitch!
He abruptly bent low, and his broomstick shot forward!
The rush of wind suddenly quickened, and the players beside him swept rapidly backward.
"Wait! Potter's suddenly speeding up!"
Lee Jordan immediately noticed his movement.
"Has he spotted something?!"
Another figure in green lowered his broomstick almost simultaneously.
Higgs was closer.
By the time Harry rushed into the area around the goal, Higgs had already taken the lead, with enough distance between them to decide who would reach out first.
He kept accelerating.
Shoulders lowered, legs drawn tight-the movements he had practiced so many times linked together one after another.
The gap was closing.
Higgs glanced sideways, and his heart immediately tightened.
That fast?!
The next moment, the Snitch suddenly veered inward and turned close around the goalpost.
Higgs turned immediately, but Harry reacted a little faster.
Almost at the same moment the golden glint changed direction, he shifted his weight and traced a tight arc around the post.
The hem of his red robes suddenly flared.
The front of his broomstick had already drawn level with Higgs!
"Potter's caught up!"
Lee Jordan's voice suddenly soared.
"A beautiful turn! He barely wasted any distance!"
Gasps rose from the stands. Ron seized the railing, forgetting even to wave his flag.
[Effective casting, Flying proficiency +1...]
The notification flashed past the edge of his vision.
Harry didn't let it distract him. His eyes remained fixed on the tiny ball ahead.
Just a little farther!
Higgs suddenly raised his broomstick.
It wasn't a large movement, but his body and the goalpost blocked that patch of gold perfectly.
All Harry could see was a sweep of green robes.
He immediately adjusted to the side.
By the time he could see clearly again, the Snitch had veered the other way. Higgs pursued it along its new course, and the two broomsticks, which had been almost side by side, drew apart once more.
He's taken the lead again!
Harry lowered his body and followed, but the Snitch suddenly made a sharp turn and darted between several players fighting for the Quaffle.
Red and green crossed, and the golden glint flashed out of sight.
Both of them had to dodge an oncoming Chaser first.
When they turned back, only the Quaffle remained, being passed at high speed.
The Snitch was gone.
Harry leveled his broomstick, his breathing already a little ragged.
Neither of them had succeeded in their first contest.
But just then, I was clearly about to overtake him.
He looked toward the goalpost and finally realized that his opponent wasn't merely chasing the Snitch. He was also using his position to restrict Harry's view.
And as Higgs looked at him, his expression had become much more serious too.
If it hadn't been for that goalpost just now...
This first-year brat really might have overtaken me!
Flint soon signaled to his teammates.
Slytherin's attacks became increasingly tight, and their Beaters also began competing aggressively for the Bludgers.
Harry had noticeably less time to search for the Snitch undisturbed.
Sometimes, just as he prepared to climb, an iron ball came at him from the side. Sometimes, just as he spotted a suspicious glint, a Chaser cut across in front of him.
The twins constantly flew back and forth to support him, but they couldn't stay beside him all the time either.
Higgs, meanwhile, became even harder to deal with.
He no longer rushed to race Harry side by side. Instead, he watched Harry's position and seized openings in advance.
Once, Harry even spotted the Snitch first.
Just as he was about to charge forward, a Chaser carrying the Quaffle cut across his path. He had to swerve out of the way, but Higgs had already swept around the player and darted into the gap ahead first.
By the time Harry caught up, the players had hidden that glimmer of gold again.
A step too slow again.
His fingers tightened, and he finally felt the pressure of an official match.
For some positions, waiting until he saw an opening before moving for it really was too late.
Below, Angelina had just pulled a goal back when Slytherin broke through the defense again with a string of passes.
Wood lunged quickly, but his fingertips only brushed the edge of the Quaffle.
The ball went in.
Harry instinctively looked toward the goal, then immediately pulled his gaze back.
He could not help the Chasers fight for possession, nor could he guard the goal for Wood.
What I can do is find that little golden ball first.
But by the time he turned back, Higgs was already in the gap ahead.
"Slytherin scores!"
There was a little more anxiety in Lee Jordan's voice.
"Forty to ninety! Gryffindor is currently fifty points behind!"
The green stands erupted in cheers, and Goyle and Crabbe waved their flags excitedly.
Malfoy glanced at the score and, of course, felt rather pleased too.
But when she looked back at Harry, her brows furrowed again.
Beaten to the position again.
He could clearly have circled around the outside ahead of time, but Potter insisted on turning after Higgs. By the time he reacted, the shortcut had long since been taken.
"Idiot, take a different route already..."
"Potter's performance today has already been astonishing!"
Watching the two Seekers in midair, Lee Jordan could not help exclaiming.
"But Higgs is, after all, an experienced regular player. He's gradually taking control of the rhythm of this chase!"
"Forty to ninety. Slytherin has already gained the advantage!"
Harry could no longer make out the commentary from the stands.
The wind kept rushing past his ears, while the notification at the edge of his vision recorded a different kind of change.
[Flying: Proficient (978/1000).]
He was indeed improving.
His turns were smoother, and he dodged more calmly than at the start, but once a chase began, Higgs always managed to make him take a longer route.
Harry glanced down at his broomstick, then looked toward his opponent a short distance away.
The other boy was looking at him too.
His initial trace of contempt had turned into unflagging seriousness.
Harry let out a soft breath, tightened his grip on his broomstick, and lowered his body again.
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