Chapter 107: Vaughn And Harry’s Showdown
Although the twins argued that the time was too short.
However, as the party of the second part, they couldn’t resist the mighty presence of Vaughn, the party of the first part.
In fact, Vaughn was more expectant that the twins would research a solution to replace electricity with magic.
However, this project was a bit complicated, and it was unlikely to yield results in a short time. Vaughn also wasn’t sure if the twins’ free-spirited personalities could endure loneliness.
The reason he had them modify cameras for now was that Vaughn hoped this Muggle product, rarely seen in the wizarding world, could hook their interest.
It seemed to be working well.
After hearing about their progress and assigning new tasks, Vaughn didn’t let the twins leave. Instead, he kept them there, frowning and deliberating.
His thoughtful demeanor made the twins exchange glances.
After a moment of deliberation, he opened his mouth and asked, “May I ask you a question? It might be difficult to answer, you only need to tell me based on your intuition.”
The twins immediately exclaimed:
“Difficult to answer? You use the word ‘difficult’ between brothers… This is bad!”
“You guessed right, George. It must be about money!”
“Merlin, can’t giving him half of Weasley Enterprises satisfy his greedy appetite?”
“What?” Fred exclaimed in shock, “Half of Weasley Enterprises? When was this decided, and why did you make this decision?”
“What else could it be, of course, it’s because—”
The twins suddenly burst into laughter, speaking in unison: “Because he’s our benefactor!”
Then, the two looked expectantly at Vaughn.
Vaughn’s expression was calm: “Are you done acting?”
“…Why aren’t you excited at all?”
“Exactly, we thought for a long time to come up with such a reasonable distribution plan, and we just hadn’t told you. It’s not just one of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, Weasley Electric, Weasley Films, or anything like that. It’s half of every company we own from now on!”
Fred and George’s eyes sparkled, “Are you moved? Surprised? Shocked?”
“…Tch!”
As expected of born businessmen, they learned the art of painting a rosy picture instinctively.
Vaughn put on a reserved and warm smile: “I’m not moved. I’ve always thought it would be more reasonable for me to own 80%-90% of the companies you founded.”
The twins: “…Why don’t you just rob us?”
“Robbing is too much trouble. It’s easier to just suck your blood.”
They exchanged a few jokes.
But in the end, the twins said earnestly, “Fifty percent of all companies is our initial plan. If you’re not satisfied, we can discuss it further at the time. We’re brothers, and no matter what, George and I will prioritize your interests.”
“That’s right, you’ve been the only one helping us all these years… Fred and I both understand that even though you always talk about fair transactions and investments, it’s essentially you helping us. After all, your money didn’t just appear out of thin air. Why invest in us when you could do anything else?”
“Yes, you’ve never disliked our mischief all these years, always supported our wild ideas, and even supported our transition this time… Are you facing financial pressure today?”
George sighed, “2000 Gold Galleons. Although you said you could earn it back in less than two months, Fred and I thought, how is that possible? You don’t sell Wolfsbane Potion, only those beauty potions? Who in the world would pay such a high price for beauty potions?”
Oh, this…
Vaughn hadn’t expected the conversation to turn out this way. He looked at the twins, whose eyes were starting to redden, and suddenly didn’t know how to speak.
He had originally wanted to ask them, as alchemists, how they viewed the world, or the relationship between Aether and reality.
Because he was unsure if the twins possessed a mature and clear worldview, Vaughn had said it might be difficult to answer, hoping they would follow their intuition.
Now, this question was undoubtedly impossible to ask, and he didn’t even know how to respond.
Should he take out the price list from the apothecary delivered the day before yesterday and tell them that his “Vaughn’s Beauty” series was now being hyped at six Gold Galleons a bottle?
Should he tell them that Knockturn Alley had been frantically contacting him through Professor Snape for months, wanting to recruit him, the new Potions Master, and that a bottle of high-level potion he personally brewed was already being quoted at fifty Gold Galleons by some shops?
Young men, there are far more fools in this world than you can imagine…
Seeing their moved expressions, Vaughn felt that perhaps… he could be a little embarrassed?
Vaughn shook his head imperceptibly, a very small movement, looking like a nod, yet also seeming full of unspoken words.
In the twins’ eyes, this was their younger brother admitting he was under financial pressure recently.
The two sighed, “No wonder you’re always pushing us to get results… Sigh, we just called you a capitalist, and we truly didn’t consider your difficulties. Don’t worry, brother, George and I will do our best, even if it means not sleeping, to help you conquer the cameras!”
“Yes, we definitely won’t delay your important business!”
With that, the two ran out with renewed vigor, the frustration of having their artistic taste and technical route rejected by Vaughn completely gone.
Watching their retreating backs, Vaughn propped his chin in his hand and blinked.
It was truly… quite unexpected, in every sense of the word…
Although the question he had for Dumbledore’s homework wasn’t asked, hearing their sincere words was also good…
……
From that day on, Fred and George became increasingly elusive.
If not for the approaching final exams, the two would have even wanted to skip classes and devote all their time to research.
Unfortunately, such thoughts were absolutely impossible in reality.
It wasn’t just classes that forced them to be distracted; there was also Quidditch.
Their days of burying themselves in research only lasted for two days before Wood forced their hand with threats—it was Thursday, and Wood actually climbed up to the Observatory and swore to the young wizards and professors gathered to watch that if Fred and George didn’t participate in training, he would jump off the Observatory.
Although Malfoy mocked that Wood might have forgotten this was Hogwarts, and there were plenty of wizards around who could cast a Dampening Charm, so he wouldn’t die from the fall.
But the twins couldn’t just watch Wood get half-killed, right?
Moreover, they were also responsible for installing cameras on the Quidditch match brooms, something Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape had both agreed to.
It was also related to Vaughn’s “alleviating economic pressure.”
The twins finally returned to the team. Harry, who had been constantly thinking about filming but couldn’t find the twins, finally saw them again.
Unfortunately, their busy training left them with almost no private time, and the days flew by.
In the blink of an eye, Sunday arrived.
The second Sunday in May was the day of the Quidditch match, the last Quidditch match of the year.
In the early morning, when Hermione woke up, the sky in the distance was still dim, without the colors of dawn.
In the dark dormitory, the quiet breaths of the other girls echoed. Hermione listened to the sounds, lost in thought for a while, then got up.
She got dressed in the dark, took out her wand, whispered a spell, and lit a candelabra with magical fire. Holding it, she went to the lavatory to brush her teeth, wash her face, and take care of her hygiene.
When she came out again, Hermione specifically looked at the sky. Although there was a hint of dawn, it was still overcast.
“The weather isn’t great today…”
She murmured, a little worried.
Today was the last Quidditch match of the academic year, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, a match that was highly anticipated and affected the hearts of everyone in all four houses—if there were no unexpected events, it would almost decide the outcome of the House Cup in a month.
Gryffindor hadn’t won the House Cup in seven years. According to Oliver Wood, this year was the closest they had come to the championship, a very hopeful year.
Like other young lions, Hermione was worried if Gryffindor could win back their honor, but unlike others, she was more concerned about her boyfriend, Vaughn Weasley, who was currently on the opposing side!
She leaned against the bay window and observed the weather for a while longer. Seeing the dark clouds show no sign of dissipating, and large patches of mist floating like clouds in the depths of the vast Forbidden Forest, stretching as if to connect to the sky, just looking from a distance made her imagine the fishy smell of approaching rain.
Hermione returned to her bed, opened the storage cabinet at the head of her bed, and took out the items one by one: rainproof goggles, waterproof linings, and similar items.
These were Muggle products that she had gradually asked her family to mail to her. Initially, she had considered the unpredictable and humid climate of the Scottish Highlands in early summer, thinking that Vaughn might need them for a match someday.
Packing them into her satchel, Hermione glanced at Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown still asleep in the dormitory. Without waking them, she quietly left.
The Gryffindor Tower in the early morning was very quiet, far from the usual noise. She went downstairs, walked through the empty Common Room, and passed the ever-changing staircases.
When she arrived at the Dining Hall, breakfast had already appeared on the Long Table.
Speaking of which, Hermione had always been curious about who made Hogwarts’ daily food. She used to think it was conjured by magic. Later, in Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall explained Gamp’s Law of Transfiguration, and she realized that magic couldn’t create something from nothing or change the essence of an object.
Usually, when she got up this early and no one was around, she would curiously investigate, but today she wasn’t in the mood. She sat at the Gryffindor Long Table, eating slowly, and waiting for Vaughn to arrive.
Around 6 AM, she was first joined by Ron and Harry.
“Hermione, good morning.” X2
“Good morning.”
Harry rushed to the opposite side of Hermione, grabbed two pieces of bread, and stuffed a piece of fried cod into his mouth.
Ron, beside him, looked as if he wanted to bury his head in his plate.
Hermione then noticed that her two companions didn’t look like they had just woken up; their hair was still damp with dew.
“Harry, when did you guys wake up?”
“Uh… maybe, around 3 or 4 AM?”
“Pre-match surprise training?”
“Yeah, Wood said a surprise training session on match day to warm up would be very helpful for improving our condition.”
“It’s not just us!” Ron finally deigned to lift his head from his plate, his mouth smeared with pumpkin juice, “Slytherin is here too. We almost fought over who would use the pitch first at dawn. It’s a shame you weren’t there, Hermione, otherwise you would have seen how funny Flint, that idiot, looked when I pointed my wand at him!”
Saying that, he and Harry burst into laughter.
Being able to put Slytherin at a disadvantage was a source of great accomplishment for Ron, something worth sharing with his friends.
But Hermione looked tense, “A fight? Is Vaughn okay?”
“……”
Ron felt a bit choked up, “Why don’t you ask if Harry and I are okay?”
“You’re eating so well, I don’t see any problems,” Hermione ruthlessly extinguished Ron’s last shred of hope for friendship.
He said angrily, “I should have cast an Evil Curse on him this morning, making him throw up slugs all day!”
Then, he saw Hermione’s face suddenly break into a bright smile. Immediately after, a hand patted his shoulder.
Ron stiffly turned his head. Vaughn looked down at him from above and asked with a smile, “Who do you want to make throw up slugs all day?”
“……” Ron stammered for a long time before saying softly, “No one… I was just kidding…”
Harry, who had been peeking from the side, tried his best to hold it in but finally couldn’t help but let out a muffled laugh.
Ron’s face turned red, feeling both embarrassed and afraid that Vaughn would make trouble for him.
Fortunately, Vaughn just patted his head, then walked around to the other side of the Long Table and sat next to Hermione. The two began to converse intimately, oblivious to others.
Seeing Hermione, who had been so heartless to him and Harry moments before, now happily chatting with Vaughn, busy getting food for him, opening her satchel, and taking out goggles and other items, then earnestly telling Vaughn how to wear them.
Ron suddenly felt a cramp in his stomach, wanting to vomit.
“She’s never been this nice to us!”
“They’re boyfriend and girlfriend, we’re just friends, Ron!” Although Harry also felt that the breakfast environment was a bit too sweet, almost sickening, he wasn’t too resistant.
“Don’t you think she’s disloyal? Anyway, if I ever get a girlfriend, I definitely won’t be like her. Our friendship is the most important thing, and you’re the same, right, Harry?”
“……Uh, maybe…”
“?” Ron’s eyes widened as he looked at Harry’s hesitant response, then at Hermione, who was only focused on whispering with Vaughn.
His chest suddenly hurt.
After a breakfast mixed with joy and frustration, as time passed, the Great Hall and eventually the entire Hogwarts gradually became lively.
The spot where Harry and Vaughn were sitting also gradually became the focus of the young wizards’ attention.
Today, no one was worrying about the exams a month away, and no one was rushing to the library grabbing a few pieces of bread as usual. They frequently passed by, offering words of encouragement to Harry and Vaughn and giving them advice in a jumble of voices.
Everyone’s focus today was singular: Quidditch!
In the midst of this bustling atmosphere, time reached 9 AM. Marcus Flint and Oliver Wood appeared at the entrance of the Dining Hall almost simultaneously.
“Mr. Vaughn Weasley!”
“Harry!”
The noisy Gryffindor Long Table suddenly fell silent.
The young wizards watched as Vaughn and Harry stood up, and Hermione also stood up, clutching the pile of rainproof gear.
The match was about to begin.
Harry and Vaughn exchanged a look and walked towards their respective teams.
Before they parted, Vaughn extended his hand to Harry, “Good luck!”
Harry suddenly had a flashback to a few months ago, when they had first competed against each other, the scene was similar.
“You too, Vaughn!”
They shook hands just like months ago, then parted. A flame of desire for victory flickered in Harry’s eyes.
No matter how much he reconciled with himself, the reality was that he had lost months ago, but this time, he was confident he wouldn’t lose again!
He was no longer the Harry Potter of months ago!
At 10 AM, the sky, which had been overcast for a long time, finally began to drizzle.
The temperature also dropped rapidly. The damp, cold wind carried fine rain, and the icy sensation on the face made it feel like early spring.
Such weather was undoubtedly very unfriendly.
But neither participants nor spectators were willing to back down because of the rain. Therefore, the Quidditch Pitch at 10 AM was already roaring with crowds.
The excited voice of Lee Jordan echoed throughout the stadium:
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your dear Lee Jordan, and I am honored to be the commentator for this highly anticipated match. We all know that this match could very well decide the fate of the House Cup. If Slytherin wins, then unless Merlin crawls out of his coffin, Slytherin will secure the House Cup in advance, which would be a terrible…”
“Jordan!”
“Apologies, Professor. I forgot to introduce our dear Professor McGonagall, who is, as always, supervising my commentary. It’s truly intimidating… Just kidding, Professor, haha… Also, please draw your attention to the Gryffindor stands. Look, our most respected Headmaster Dumbledore, holding his favorite sweets, has also attended today’s match.”
Dumbledore smiled and bowed, waving his hand. The stands erupted in thunderous cheers.
Also in the Gryffindor stands, sitting with Hagrid, Ron’s tense heart finally relaxed somewhat.
Because Quirrell was sitting not far from him!
Heaven knows how nervous Ron had been when he discovered Quirrell was nearby. According to Hermione’s analysis, Quirrell was most likely the black-robed figure.
Ron was not a magical novice like Harry; he knew very well how insane a dark wizard who dared to cast the Killing Curse at Hogwarts was.
Since learning Quirrell’s “true identity,” the trio had generally avoided him to avoid alerting him. Unfortunately, their luck was bad today.
After reconfirming Dumbledore’s location, ensuring he could quickly and accurately find the old man for protection if Quirrell suddenly made a move, Ron shifted his attention to the upcoming match.
When he came to his senses, he heard Lee Jordan introducing the cameras:
“…To promote the advancement of Hogwarts Quidditch, with the joint approval of Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, some magically modified Muggle cameras will be used in this match… Yes, yes, it seems some students have already noticed the machines installed on the players’ brooms, as well as those floating machines above the field. They can record the match process into images…”
Listening to Lee Jordan’s commentary, many young wizards from wizarding families, who had rarely encountered Muggle things before, stretched their necks in curiosity.
However, young wizards from Muggle families, seeing Muggle things in the magical world for the first time, excitedly explained what cameras were to other students who didn’t understand.
Although, they themselves might not have seen one before.
Hagrid also stretched his neck, he strained his big dark eyes, and said loudly, “Ron, is that the camera you told me about last time? It’s amazing. Muggles can make movies with such small things! I’ve seen movies in the Muggle community before. Except for the seats being too small to fit, everything else was great!”
Ron was about to reply when he saw Hermione squeeze through the crowd. She had been with the Slytherin team earlier, and her arrival now meant the match was about to start.
As expected, the moment Ron gave Hermione a look, reminding her to pay attention to Quirrell and not speak carelessly, he heard Lee Jordan roar:
“Now, let’s welcome the two teams for this match, Slytherin, and—Gryffindor!!!”
The entire stadium immediately erupted in thunderous cheers.
The massive roar of thousands of people seemed to momentarily deflect the trajectory of the falling rain.
The passionate atmosphere completely dispelled the damp chill of the rainy season; some set off fireworks, while others waved their wands to conjure huge monster projections—snakes and lions.
They roared and attacked each other in the air.
More young wizards, either in their seats or rushing to the railings, loudly cheered for their supported team, Gryffindor or Slytherin, but more people were shouting for Harry and Vaughn!
Ron couldn’t help but yell at a red figure slowly rising in the air, his voice, which was still changing, cracking like a duck’s: “Go Harry, crush Slytherin!”
Perhaps his voice was too noticeable, Harry, hovering in the air on his broom, waved towards them from afar.
This action elicited even more enthusiastic cheers from the Gryffindor stands.
On the other side, Vaughn received no less attention. His supporters were more widespread; not only Slytherin, but also Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, who had already been confirmed to be out of contention for the House Cup, were largely in his favor.
This was, of course, solely for him personally; no one liked Slytherin Academy.
Listening to the cheers growing louder and louder from all around, Lee Jordan’s voice became more and more passionate: “Listen, these are the strongest, most popular teams in Hogwarts, and the two most outstanding Seekers in recent years who play for them!”
“Harry is undoubtedly the Boy Who Lived, and I’m not just talking about him having defeated the Dark Lord, but about him saving Gryffindor. It’s precisely because of his presence that Gryffindor has achieved such excellent results this season.”
“And Vaughn… although emotionally I can’t quite accept a Slytherin, I still have to say fairly, he’s a great lad. That damned Sorting Hat must have been faulty, I…”
“Jordan!”
“Sorry Professor… Alright, Madam Hooch in the center of the pitch has blown her whistle, the match is about to begin. Will Slytherin, led by Vaughn Weasley, continue their dominance, or will the Boy Who Lived, Harry, make a comeback from despair? It’s truly full of anticipation!”
Lee Jordan’s praise made Harry’s face turn red.
But faintly, a sense of mission also surfaced in Harry’s heart.
Gryffindor had finished last in the league for seven consecutive years, and during those seven years, Slytherin had always dominated.
The three major houses had long suffered under Slytherin!
And he, embodied all their expectations and wishes.
Must win!
The wind and rain grew fiercer.
At Madam Hooch’s loud whistle, the Quaffle was thrown high into the air, flying against the rain curtain. Harry gripped his broomstick tightly, wiped the rain from his face, and observed the Quaffle’s trajectory.
At one point, he noticed Vaughn opposite him.
That was a completely different scene—
Everyone looked dishevelled in the rain, drenched like drowned rats, forced to curl up their bodies to resist the blowing cold wind.
Only Vaughn, wearing goggles and a waterproof lining, sat upright on his broom, his robes billowing.
For a moment, Harry suddenly understood Ron’s jealousy…
Perhaps it was due to his appearance and looks being at a disadvantage that he had bad luck.
In the first play, Gryffindor lost possession.
“Angelina lost the Quaffle, Flint, with his orangutan-like long arms, easily scooped the ball into his embrace. Adrian Pucey reacted very quickly, quickly approaching the rough and barbaric captain to help him alleviate the siege by Angelina and Alicia… Merlin’s beard! They knocked Alicia flying, those two rude bastards—”
“Jordan!”
“Sorry Professor, forgive my righteous indignation… Fortunately, the Weasley twins reacted quickly too. Fred… George… uh, never mind, one of the twins stayed to tangle with Derek and Bole, the Beaters, while the other swung a bat and charged into the fray.”
“The struggle is very fierce! The addition of one of the twins compensates for the lack of power from Angelina and Alicia. It seems after the last defeat, the Gryffindor team underwent targeted training… That’s it! Use numerical advantage to corner Flint, keep pressing… Wait, what do I see—”
Amidst the gasps of Lee Jordan and other spectators, a flash of dark green and silver suddenly cut into the battlefield from high above.
The airflow generated by the swift charge instantly disrupted Gryffindor’s pressing formation.
Alicia, who was at a physical disadvantage, was almost knocked off her broom.
At the same time, cheers erupted from the Slytherin stands.
“It’s Vaughn Weasley! This incredibly handsome guy, just like a few months ago, he weaved through the Gryffindor formation, causing trouble, using the broom’s excellent performance and his own super-fast reaction speed. Bole also caught up, hitting Bludgers to cooperate with him. This is Slytherin’s infamous troublemaker tactic…”
“Jordan!” Professor McGonagall roared.
Lee Jordan quickly conceded: “Sorry Professor, I was just too excited, and ‘troublemaker’ doesn’t necessarily have a negative connotation…”
But Professor McGonagall clearly didn’t want to hear his explanation: “If you continue like this, I will revoke your commentating license!”
Ron, in the Gryffindor stands, strongly agreed with this.
“Professor McGonagall should kick him out right now, that bigmouth!”
Hermione looked at Ron in surprise: “How strange, you’re speaking up for Vaughn?”
“How could I? I would never speak for him.”
“Then why are you…”
Ron snorted: “Think about it, if Vaughn is a troublemaker, then what are Harry and the others?”
Hermione: “…”
This angle of understanding… was something she hadn’t considered.
As they spoke, cheers once again came from the surrounding stands.
Because of Vaughn’s aggressive offense, Flint and Pucey were able to break free from Angelina and Alicia’s entanglement. The two exchanged the ball and repeatedly attacked Gryffindor’s goal.
Even with Wood trying his best to block, with the defense in front of the goal collapsing, as a goalkeeper, unless he grew three heads and six arms, it was impossible to withstand Slytherin’s attack.
“Goal—Slytherin leads 10:0… Very unfortunately, Gryffindor executed their tactics very effectively at the start. They were trying to compensate for their weaknesses from a few months ago and learned Slytherin’s strategy of overwhelming with numbers, but they still suffered the bitter fruit of frustration because of Vaughn Weasley.”
“This is the influence of an excellent Seeker on the game. So the question is, where is Harry? Where is Harry?”
Harry was also fighting!
After the last match, the Gryffindor team internally carefully analyzed the reasons for their failure.
Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet were certainly blamed, but Harry bore a significant portion of the fault. It was obvious to anyone that Gryffindor had completely lost to Vaughn’s weaving tactic in that match.
Throughout the entire match, Gryffindor, whether attacking or defending, had to face the predicament of Vaughn attracting Bludgers to disrupt their formation.
Therefore, after the post-match review, everyone unanimously agreed that to break Slytherin’s powerful offense, they had to find a way to limit Vaughn.
But this possibility was too low. Even with all his confidence, Harry didn’t believe he was Vaughn’s opponent—in their first match, they were both new players. Harry could only watch from high up, while Vaughn could participate in the team’s offense.
The gap was due to differences in physical athletic talent and broom performance, as well as Vaughn’s superior ability to read the game.
Since a 1-on-1 confrontation between Seekers was not feasible, why not try a different approach—for example, have Harry join the flank battle and cooperate with teammates to cause a reduction in Slytherin’s numbers!
While everyone’s attention was focused on the fierce fighting ahead, Harry, who had flown high into the sky at the start of the match like a few months ago, was quietly diving towards the Beaters’ battlefield.
“Harry… What is Harry doing? My goodness, he’s diving at Derek! Slytherin has fallen for it. In the last attack, Bole didn’t stay to help Derek to cooperate with Vaughn Weasley. Now he’s alone, and on Gryffindor’s side, there are Harry and one of the twins, two people!”
“Harry! Harry! This cunning guy, he’s going to knock Derek off his broom and reduce Slytherin’s numbers!”
“So bloody! So cruel! It’s a moral decay! But I really love it, go Harry Potter—”
The wind and rain howled past him. At extreme speed, even tiny raindrops brought a stinging pain when they hit his face.
In the footage recorded by the cameras around the pitch, Harry diving was like a red meteor.
“Oh—”
The intense wind distorted everything. The deafening cheers around were stretched into strange noises. Harry struggled to keep his eyes open, even as his vision warped.
He could only vaguely distinguish the two figures, orange-red and dark green intertwined, below in the rain curtain.
Whether it was Fred or George, they had already contained Derek. Next, he just needed to rush over, collide hard, knock the opponent off his broom to reduce their numbers, and even if it meant a foul, it would be worth it.
As the red meteor rapidly approached, cheers came from the stands, and the Slytherin team, who had just scored, also reacted.
But what was strange to the Gryffindor players was that they were calm, without any panic. Even as Vaughn blew a whistle, Flint, Pucey, and Bole rushed forward madly to engage them.
Vaughn dived diagonally downwards.
At the same time, Harry had rapidly approached Derek!
Just as he was trying to control his broom, preparing to adjust its direction and knock Derek off with the tail of the broom.
A faint whistle from afar signaled an unexpected turn of events.
Derek, who had seemed eager to escape, suddenly jumped from his broom and lunged at one of the twins.
Poor broom, how could it bear two people?
In Harry’s bewildered gaze, it flipped violently, and the two embracing figures immediately plummeted downwards.
Disaster!
As Harry’s fear surged, Lee Jordan’s gasp echoed across the pitch: “Oh no, Derek was a trap, a trap to lure Harry into attacking!”
Harry’s mind went blank.
Under the intense fear, his perception of time seemed to stretch, and everything in his vision slowed down. He saw raindrops streak past his eyes, saw Fred or George tightly held by Derek, tumbling downwards in mid-air.
He also saw himself reaching out, trying to grab them, but it was in vain.
Everything was like a repeat of last year, except that back then, it was he who fell from his broom.
How did things turn out like this?
Amidst his chaotic thoughts, a sliver of confusion emerged. Everything had been going smoothly. For the past few months, to defeat Slytherin, they had reviewed their past failures over and over, even including subsequent matches against Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.
Everyone on the team knew that Slytherin was strong!
Here, strong didn’t just refer to Vaughn, but also to the overall quality of the Slytherin team.
Using positional comparisons, except for the twins as Beaters and Wood as the Keeper, the other three Gryffindor players had no confidence in competing against their counterparts.
Facing such a strong team with superior overall quality, to defeat them, they couldn’t engage in traditional offensive or defensive battles. Instead, they had to achieve victory through unexpected means, and find ways to weaken their advantages!
So later, Wood devised the attrition tactic.
This was developed based on Slytherin’s team style.
Wood had been studying the Slytherin team for a long time. He discovered that the Slytherin team loved to attack; they basically never played defensive games.
With Vaughn joining the team this year, it further intensified the Slytherin team’s offensive tactical leanings. He played the Seeker position like a super-freelancer, using his high-performance broom and reaction speed to support weaving tactics, like a shuttle moving through a cotton thread.
Their continuous offense was very oppressive and unsolvable.
However, in Wood’s view, no tactic in the world was truly perfect and unsolvable. It also had weaknesses—Vaughn’s fast-paced offensive waves were indeed daunting, but they also forced his teammates to accelerate their offense to keep up with his rhythm.
In other words, if a targeted setup was made and someone was slightly obstructed, their rhythm would be broken, they would be dragged out of Slytherin’s offensive sequence, effectively isolating them.
The attrition tactic thus emerged.
In fact, the match today started as they had predicted, with Slytherin showing strong offensive power from the outset.
Angelina and Alicia losing the ball was as expected.
Harry, who was roaming, saw the twins tying up Derek and Bole, saw Vaughn once again employing his weaving tactic, saw Bole abandoning Derek to help Vaughn, and saw one of the twins who was entangled with them subtly holding back.
Everything was proceeding as planned and rehearsed over the past few months, but… why did things suddenly change at the last moment?
Harry couldn’t figure out what the problem was; he hadn’t even reacted.
He didn’t know what to do if the opponent suddenly went for a mutual destruction during the execution of the tactic.
With a blank mind, he instinctively pressed down on his broom and dived rapidly, not having grabbed one of the twins.
Gryffindor would not abandon their teammates…
He wanted to save them!
“My God, Harry didn’t catch Fred… George… Ah—damn it, which one is he? Never mind, it’s clear that Harry and Wood’s tactic has failed. Slytherin understood their tactic and then laid out Derek as bait.”
“Oh—Harry dived down, he’s going to save them… It’s over, Derek was sacrificed, he’s clinging tightly to one of the twins. If Harry wants to save them, he has to save both, which would obviously significantly slow him down!”
“Vaughn? Where is Vaughn Weasley?”
As the question was asked, Lee Jordan and others on the pitch had already spotted a dark green figure with silver markings flashing past at high speed.
His speed was so great that it parted the rain curtain, leaving ripple-like traces that vanished in an instant behind him.
He quickly stopped below, tilting his head up.
The anti-rain goggles from Hermione allowed Vaughn to have a clear view, unaffected by the wind and rain.
He noticed Harry above, descending like a fiery red meteor towards Derek and one of the twins who were falling while embracing each other. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Everything was according to plan—Flint’s bait plan!
He had to retract his previous assessment of Flint. The guy was indeed ugly and stupid, but in Quidditch, Flint was truly a genius!
Wood had discovered Slytherin’s weakness, but Flint had noticed it earlier. However, this cunning Slytherin captain had never changed his tactics in previous matches.
Instead, in match after match, he attacked, constantly attacked, and even deliberately strengthened Vaughn’s tactical position, increasing the tempo. This created the impression that the Slytherin team was obsessively focused on offense.
When Gryffindor took this impression as fact, the only tactic that could be used with the highest success rate would be “foul for attrition.”
Flint had long since strengthened a dual-headed offensive formation: Blue Flint and Pucey were responsible for holding the ball, Vaughn provided cover, Blue Derek and Bole had little role in this offensive formation, so they naturally became the bait—
To lure Harry into a pincer attack!
Of course, in the original plan, Derek or Bole were responsible for mutual destruction with Harry, but in the actual game, not everything can go according to plan.
As long as one person could be dragged down, it was considered a success.
Because the most important point of the bait plan was to accurately predict the Gryffindor players’ reckless and impulsive, loyal personalities. Both Flint and Vaughn knew that regardless of whether Harry or one of the twins was dragged down,
the Gryffindor team would absolutely not abandon their teammates, and they would definitely try to save them!
“What is Vaughn doing? Is he going to save Derek? Or like last time, save Harry or his brother?”
“He’s moving… No—Vaughn passed them by!”
The sound of the wind howled past his ears.
Vaughn, restarting, was like lightning splitting the long sky!
He passed by the continuously falling but still struggling Derek and one of the twins, as well as Harry.
Then he turned and circled!
From afar, it looked like a giant python, dark green mixed with silver, circling the falling meteor.
Lee Jordan yelled with passion: “Vaughn Weasley, what is he doing? He doesn’t seem to want to help his teammate, Harry, or his brother. He’s waiting, waiting… Look quickly, someone else is coming from the other side of the battlefield, it’s one of the twins, and—”
Soon, Lee Jordan no longer had to worry about which twin was who.
Because their altitude was now close to the stands, everyone could faintly hear the shouts of the newcomer: “George—Harry—I’m coming—”
“It’s Fred, and Bole following him… Merlin, I wish he hadn’t followed. I already know what Vaughn is waiting for!”
Lee Jordan said with despair.
