Wood waved his wand, and instantly countless blue halos of light appeared in the sky above the entire Quidditch Pitch.
The rings, scattered irregularly at varying heights, resemble an array of lights suspended in the night sky.
"Now, fly a full lap around the field," Wood ordered.
Draco didn't hesitate for a moment. He suddenly accelerated with a swift movement of his broom, his figure slicing through the night sky like a swift black shadow.
He sprinted along the edge of the court, landing smoothly a moment later, his speed astonishing.
Ron's eyes widened immediately, and he blurted out, "Holy crap, that speed and time are comparable to a professional player!"
Wood also praised, "His flying ability is indeed top-notch, but Seeker is never just about speed."
He took the last ball from the college badge box.
The ball, only the size of a ping-pong ball, is entirely golden, with delicate silver wings like those of a dragonfly on both sides, and rests quietly in the palm of your hand.
"This is the Golden Snitch. The competition won't end until it's caught, and the team with the higher score will win."
"However, it is extremely small and flies as fast as lightning, which requires the Seeker to have eyes like an eagle, to be able to lock onto and capture it in the chaos at the first moment."
Wood handed the Golden Snitch to Draco, who glanced at it and turned to ask, "Can Hermione and the others see it too?"
Wood nodded in agreement.
Draco handed the Golden Snitch to Hermione. Ron leaned over to take a look and asked, puzzled, "I didn't see the wings move?"
"It hasn't started yet," Wood explained. "It's getting dark. We don't need to do real Golden Snitch training tonight. If it flies into the Forbidden Forest, we won't be able to find it."
Hermione gently stroked the smooth surface of the ball and carefully returned it to Wood.
Wood put away the Golden Snitch and clapped his hands. "Alright, let's begin the Seeker- specific training now."
He emptied a large pile of small yellow balls, similar in color to the Golden Snitch, from his bag and distributed them to everyone present:
"Please help! Throw the ball in all directions irregularly. He catches one, and immediately shoots the next one. The more chaotic, the better."
Lavender excitedly clutched the little yellow ball, tilted his head back, and shouted to Draco in the sky, " Draco, I won't hold back!"
Draco replied with a laugh, "Bring it on."
After the balls were distributed, everyone lined up in order. Wood stood at the front, looked up, and asked, "Ready?"
"No problem."
Wood, however, did not play by the rules.
Instead of tossing it at Draco head-on, he flicked his wrist and hurled the little yellow ball far behind him!
Draco's expression changed slightly. Without daring to delay, he instantly unleashed his maximum speed with his broom, charging towards the direction where the ball had fallen.
Just before the ball touches the ground, reach out and scoop it into your palm.
"My turn." Hermione was second in line, spoke softly, flicking her wrist, and the little yellow ball Accio straight towards Draco.
Draco flicked the end of his broom, nimbly turned, and easily caught it. Just as he was about to turn back and smile at her, Harry's voice rang out. " Draco, over here!"
Before the words were even finished, the little yellow ball had already shot off in the opposite direction.
Draco snapped back to reality instantly, turned back at full speed, and caught it again.
Before he could even catch his breath, Lavender's voice rang out. "I'll take the left!"
Draco, recognizing the sound, immediately swooped down to the left and intercepted the attack precisely.
When it was Ron's turn, he grinned mischievously and shouted, "I'll go to the right!"
Draco believed him and immediately turned sharply to the right.
But Ron flicked his wrist, and the little yellow ball shot straight towards the spot where Draco had just been standing!
Draco slammed on the brakes, leaning back sharply to grab the ball just in time to avoid dropping it.
Ron, sitting below, was stomping his feet with laughter, saying, "Hahaha, that's hilarious! Did you get it?!"
Draco didn't have time to complain; Neville, Parvati, Olivia... were also waiting in the wings.
This group of people practically teamed up to push Draco to his limits, using every trick in the book—directives, verbal deception, feints, and more.
Throughout the entire training session, Draco was so busy that he was covered in sweat and even his breathing was slightly labored. He was flipping and leaping, dodging and swooping, and stopping abruptly.
Fortunately, Draco quickly figured out the pattern.
I stopped listening to what they were saying and just stared intently at each of the little yellow balls that were thrown, focusing all my attention and reflexes at full speed.
Draco breathed a sigh of relief as the last ball landed in his palm.
Throughout the entire round, every single ball tossed was caught without fail.
Draco maneuvered the broom steadily back to the ground, and as soon as he landed, he couldn't help but lean on the broom handle and catch his breath.
As soon as he returned, Ron rushed over, looking utterly astonished. "Wow, really?! That works! Are you a born Seeker?!"
Draco, panting, glared at him and said, "You, Ron, you've been pulling my leg, haven't you? You're pretty good at using feints and diversions."
Hermione didn't say anything, but silently stepped forward, took out a small handkerchief from her pocket, and gently tiptoed to wipe the sweat from Draco's forehead.
"Yo--"
Wow!
This gentle and natural gesture immediately drew cheers and applause from those around.
Hermione was no longer as flustered as she had been at the beginning; her cheeks were slightly flushed, but her hands did not stop moving at all.
She carefully wiped the sweat from Draco's temples and neck.
Ron quickly waved his hands in protest, "I wasn't messing with you! We're just trying to force you to show your true abilities so Captain Wood can see just how good you are!"
Wood walked over, looked at Draco, and said with obvious approval, " Draco, you're a natural Seeker. Your reaction time, speed, and focus are all top-notch."
Lavender immediately raised his hand excitedly. "I want to invest! From today onwards, I'm your number one fan!"
Ron chimed in, "What about Captain Wood? You're not a fan anymore?"
"Of course I'm a fan!" Lavender declared confidently. "Supporting Draco is supporting Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Don't you want to win the Quidditch Cup and curb Slytherin's arrogance?"
Ron slapped his thigh. "I absolutely want to! I dream about it!"
Lavender said, "That settles it! I have a feeling that this year's Quidditch champion is none other than Gryffindor!"
Draco smiled helplessly, "Don't flatter me like that, don't exaggerate my abilities. If I really fall from grace, I'll be in big trouble."
"With great power comes great responsibility!" Lavender said with a grin.
Wood spoke up at the opportune moment, officially making the decision. "Alright, no need to be modest. Your performance has fully proven that you are capable of the Seeker position."
"Starting tomorrow, you will begin formal training."
"Okay, I'll follow the captain's instructions." Draco nodded in agreement.
Everyone was genuinely happy for Draco, and they all helped Wood pack up his training equipment and put away the rings and orbs.
The trial ended, and the evening breeze carried the scent of fresh grass from the sports field.
When the eight-person team reached the fork in the road at the castle, they automatically split into two groups as if by unspoken agreement.
Harry yawned and patted Ron on the shoulder. "It's Friday already, there's no need to cram anymore, I need to go back and rest."
Olivia smiled and nodded, clearly eager to relax. She waved to Lavender, Parvati, and the others before heading towards the Gryffindor Tower.
Neville stood there scratching his head. After so many "lessons learned from the past," he had long since understood the implication.
At times like this, the best thing to do is to quietly slip away, leaving time and space for Draco and Hermione.
He smiled shyly, waved his hand and said, "I'm going back to relax too," before quickly catching up with the group.
After a short while, the noisy crowd dispersed, leaving only Draco and Hermione at the crossroads.