Chapter 201: Foul Play, This Is Foul Play!
Chapter 201: Foul Play, This Is Foul Play!
Ivan flew through the semi-circular passage on his broom, heading straight to the center of the pitch, with waves of cheers and applause ringing in his ears.
"Go, Gryffindor!"
"Take down those Slytherins!"
With the help of amplifying devices, the entire stadium echoed with the shouts of the little Gryffindor lions. At the top of the stands, improved Bang Fireworks were launched, soaring into the sky and exploding to form a lifelike little lion that roared loudly at the Slytherin stands, taunting them!
The young wizards from Slytherin looked displeased, their cheers and encouragement drowned out by their rivals. They had no choice but to accept it, though.
At this moment, someone secretly began selling the same magical items as those used by Gryffindor. For the wealthy Slytherins, it was a no-brainer to spend generously. After all, they couldn't let their morale be overshadowed by Gryffindor!
Ivan noticed this situation and couldn't help but smile.
He hadn't expected Fred to be so resourceful, actually bribing a Slytherin to sell items for him on this occasion.
However, sales to other houses weren't as smooth. This match didn't concern them, so only a few young wizards were willing to cheer for a game between other houses.
Just as Ivan was thinking this, he saw a spark explode in the air above the Ravenclaw stands, and another lion roared into the sky.
Curious, Ivan looked over and saw that the person launching the fireworks was none other than Luna.
The young witch, whom he hadn't seen in a while, was dressed in a strange outfit today, wearing a large lion's head hat that occasionally let out a very realistic roar and swayed with Luna's movements.
The other Ravenclaws watched Luna with odd expressions, even deliberately sitting further away from her.
Luna, however, didn't seem to mind. She held up a "Gryffindor Victory" flag and waved it when she noticed Ivan looking at her.
Ivan thought about responding but then remembered that he didn't really know Luna, so he decided against it. He was also a bit puzzled as to why Luna would wave at him.
"Listen to my whistle! Three, two, one!" Madam Hooch, the referee, called out loudly from the side of the pitch.
Ivan refocused his attention on the game. As Madam Hooch said the last number, he took off first, heading straight for the Quaffle floating in the center of the pitch!
As the newest model broom, the Nimbus 2001 was as fast as the wind. The moment Ivan exerted himself, Angelina, the other Chaser, was left far behind.
However, they had already discussed their strategy during yesterday's practice, so Angelina wasn't discouraged. She followed at a distance, providing support as planned.
The most shocked were the Slytherin Chasers.
They had assumed that their brooms' speed advantage would give them the upper hand at the start, but they hadn't expected Ivan to suddenly switch to a new broom.
Taking advantage of the information gap, Ivan effortlessly secured the Quaffle.
"Wait, Hals, aren't you a Beater? Foul, this is foul play!" Several Slytherin players shouted in protest.
But someone quickly remembered Ivan's position when he entered the pitch—it wasn't a Beater's position.
Realizing this, the faces of the Slytherin team members turned grim. It meant they had all been fooled, and the efforts they had put into dodging Bludgers and practicing their two-player mutual protection tactics had all been rendered useless!
"Truly a brilliant move!" the commentator, Lee Jordan, exclaimed with great excitement. "Ivan Hals has fooled us all. He's not a Beater, but a Chaser!"
"The Slytherin team never saw this coming! Look at their captain, Marcus, his face is green with anger!" Jordan held the amplification device that Fred had given him for free, and his passionate commentary echoed clearly across the entire stadium.
"That's enough, Jordan. Focus on the commentary, or I'll have you replaced!" Madam Hooch couldn't help but interrupt Jordan.
Jordan recalled the last time he was forcibly dragged off the field, and his tone immediately changed as he began to commentate the game more seriously.
Just then, Ivan took advantage of the Slytherin Team’s confusion and disarray, breaking through the defenses with the Quaffle and scoring the first goal of the match.
This earned the first ten points for Gryffindor!
The Gryffindor stands erupted into loud cheers, with many young witches and wizards standing up to cheer and shout for Ivan.
Lee Jordan also spoke with great excitement.
"Goal! Hals scored the first goal within just over a minute of the game starting. This is absolutely the fastest goal in history!
Damn it! If only I had bet that Gryffindor would score ten goals or more."
Jordan was filled with regret, blaming George and Fred for keeping the secret that Ivan was a Chaser, which could have made him some money.
"What did you bet on, Jordan?" Madam Hooch asked, puzzled.
"Cough, cough", Jordan nearly choked on his words, quickly changing his explanation. "I mean, I bet this morning that we, Gryffindor, would score ten goals."
In the stands, Fred saw Jordan running his mouth and almost exposed the betting, and he had the urge to strangle him!
Fortunately, unlike Professor Mcgonagall, Madam Hooch didn't press further, allowing Jordan to escape the situation.
On the field, however, the situation was not favorable. After Ivan scored the first goal by exploiting the information gap, the Slytherin players quickly reorganized their tactics within a few minutes.
They shifted from their initial mutual protection to an offensive strategy. Apart from the Keeper, the Seeker, and one Chaser tasked with containing Ivan, the other members split into pairs to block a Gryffindor player. Their flight speed was not only fast but also synchronized, making it easy for them to stick to a lone player.
Then, before the other Gryffindor players could arrive on their old brooms to provide support, they used their numerical and broom speed advantages to force the opponent off the field.
They were willing to risk penalties for fouls, as winning was the top priority.
No matter how much the commentator Jordan tried to taunt, the Slytherin players remained unfazed. Winning was the most important thing.
After successfully surrounding and forcing a Gryffindor player to fall off the field, the next target for the Chasers, including Angelina, became their next objective.
(End of Chapter)
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