บท 50: Chapter 50: Ravenclaw's Lightning Strike
"Haha, it looks like she cares more about the team than I do!" Captain Ritchie joked with Tom as he leaned against the locker.
"Captain, you've got some nerve..." Tom was speechless.
After waiting for everyone to enter, Ritchie took out a blackboard and began to recap today's tactics for the team.
While Ritchie was briefing the team on tactics, Hermione had already made her way to the stands above the changing rooms. Although there was still some time before the match began, nearly half of the seats in the stands were already occupied.
As soon as she arrived in the Ravenclaw stands, Hermione noticed two red-haired boys wandering around. They were surrounded by several Ravenclaw students, and one of the red-haired boys was holding a notebook, engaging in conversation with them, while the other held a box.
Hermione recognized them as the Weasley twins, Fred and George. They were both Gryffindor students. Hermione was puzzled, wondering why they were here.
"So, why should you guys get 5% of the profits?" a third-year Ravenclaw student asked, looking a bit displeased. "No matter who wins or loses, you two always come out on top."
"Because we organized this, and the fireworks we're giving you don't come for free," Fred explained.
The Ravenclaw student shook his head, but eventually, he tossed a few Sickles into the box. Inside the box, there was a wooden partition separating it into two sections, one with a Ravenclaw flag on top and the other with a Hufflepuff flag. The number of coins in each section was roughly equal.
George, who was standing beside, recorded the student's name and the amount he had bet in his notebook. Following suit, the other students who had gathered around also placed their bets. Once their names were recorded, they each received a bundle of fireworks. Some students felt that one bundle wasn't enough and bought several more from them.
Hermione realized that the Weasley twins were organizing a form of sports betting, something she was familiar with from the Muggle world. Her father often engaged in such activities with his friends. However, this was the first time she had seen magical sports betting.
Out of curiosity, she struck up a conversation with the Weasley twins to learn more about it. She quickly understood the rules. This form of betting was simpler than its Muggle counterpart; it was a straightforward wager on the outcome of the match. Those who guessed correctly would receive a share of the bets placed by those who guessed wrong, with Fred and George taking a 5% cut.
Additionally, each person who placed a bet received a bundle of fireworks as a gift. One bundle of fireworks was hardly enough, so many witches and wizards bought more from them.
Hermione decided to place a bet of five Sickles on Ravenclaw while picking up a bundle of fireworks. After the transaction was complete, she found a good vantage point in the stands and settled down to watch the match, while the Weasley twins continued looking for customers.
The match was scheduled to start at eleven o'clock, and almost all the students and teachers had gathered at the Quidditch pitch. Many had come prepared with binoculars, banners, fireworks, and snacks, while others held their house flags. Once everyone had taken their seats, the stands automatically elevated into the air to provide a better view of the game.
Both teams had taken the field.
The atmosphere in the stadium was not particularly tense since it was a match between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. If it had been Gryffindor versus Slytherin, there would have been countless fireworks in the sky by now.
"Players, mount your brooms!"
With a whistle from Madam Hooch, the match began.
Tom kept his eyes fixed on the Quaffle and, as soon as he heard the whistle, shot up into the air, heading for the Bludger that had been thrown into the air. His reaction was lightning-fast, giving him a lead of half a body length over the Hufflepuff Chasers who were chasing after him.
The first few seconds of the match were a golden opportunity for scoring because the Beaters hadn't had time to use the Bludgers to interfere with the opposing Chasers, and the goalkeeper's focus wasn't fully on the game yet.
Tom quickly grabbed the Quaffle, then immediately accelerated, his broom shooting forward. The Hufflepuff Chasers who had been closely behind him were suddenly left trailing by half a body length. His acceleration in that split second had given him the advantage.
At this moment, the other two Chasers on Hufflepuff were flying toward the goalposts, while the two Beaters had already positioned themselves to hit the Bludgers, trying to interfere with the Hufflepuff Chasers. However, their Bludger strikes were intercepted by Hufflepuff's Beaters.
In an instant, Tom reached Hufflepuff's goalkeeper, Kettleburn. Kettleburn gave a start as he twisted his body in the direction he thought the Quaffle was heading, but then froze when he realized the Quaffle wasn't coming toward the goal but was heading toward Roger, who was a bit farther from the goalposts.
Roger easily caught the Quaffle, and without wasting any time, he threw it in the opposite direction of Kettleburn's movement. The Quaffle effortlessly sailed into the goal.
Less than ten seconds had passed since Madam Hooch's whistle.
Lee Jordan, a Gryffindor student, was the commentator for Hogwarts Quidditch matches. He was in the same year as Fred Weasley and was good friends with him. He had just taken his position in front of the microphone and hadn't even finished his opening remarks.
"...Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw, and this year, Ravenclaw has—what? Tom Yodel, a great opportunity—throws the Quaffle—no, passes it! It's a goal! My goodness, Ravenclaw's attack is lightning fast! Hufflepuff was caught off guard! My goodness, this is the fastest goal I've seen since I started school!"
Jordan had initially planned to introduce the newcomer Tom, who had broken records, but Ravenclaw had already scored with a lightning-fast attack. The audience hadn't even had time to react! Oliver Wood was sitting in the stands, furrowing his brow as he wondered if he could have defended against this fast-paced offense if he had been on the field. His conclusion was that it would have been difficult.
"So, it looks like we might really need Potter," Wood mumbled.
As the match continued, Tom faced tighter and tighter defense, but this also meant that Ravenclaw's other Chasers had more opportunities. Ravenclaw kept scoring one goal after another, and within the first fifteen minutes of the match, the score had expanded to 80-0.
Note from the author: I noticed that some readers were discussing whether the system's constraints were too strict and limiting the protagonist's abilities. As an interactive author, I'd like to clarify a few points.
The system's levels reflect the protagonist's knowledge and learning progress. In this story, the system doesn't directly enhance the protagonist's abilities; it imparts knowledge through various means and allows the protagonist to practice and develop skills.
The protagonist faces roadblocks when he lacks the necessary knowledge to advance, and the system provides opportunities to acquire that knowledge. For example, in the case of the Transfiguration class, if the protagonist had attended some introductory second-year classes, he might have unlocked the ability to cast first-year Transfigurations. However, he never tried, so he remained stuck. The system offered him an assessment, and after reviewing Professor Flitwick's teaching plan and insights, he realized his mistake and overcame the obstacle.
These details were meant to be explored later in the story, but considering that they are fundamental to the setting, I wanted to clarify them now to avoid misunderstandings. As for future chapters, I'm unlikely to provide such explanations again. I appreciate readers' engagement with the story and discussions about the world-building.
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(End of this chapter)
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