Chapter 102: Cheating?
"It looks like there's really no way to stop Slytherin from using those overpowered brooms," Harry Potter said, shaking his head vigorously as he pulled himself away from a book titled Quidditch Uncovered and flopped onto the Gryffindor common room sofa.
"Not only can you not restrict them—you also have to be on guard against them using even more tricks," Hermione Granger said, dodging Harry's flailing arms while flipping through the Quidditch rulebook in her hands. "The more I read, the more I feel like Quidditch is a very rough and straightforward sport."
On Saturday, the Gryffindor team had faced the Slytherin team on the Quidditch pitch and were completely stunned by their seven brand-new Nimbus 2001 brooms. The new term had only just begun, yet they had already lost confidence in winning. Even Oliver Wood—normally obsessed with training—hadn't pushed the team to practice these past few days. Everyone was busy trying to figure out how to deal with Slytherin.
Over the past few days, Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione had been doing everything they could to find a solution. They had searched through countless Quidditch rules and match records, but still came up empty-handed.
"If the rules won't help, what about tactics?" Ron said, flipping through a book of past Quidditch match interviews. Most of the content, however, was just winners thanking their brooms and teammates.
"Slytherin's tactics are hard to counter," Hermione said, closing her book and pursing her lips as she thought it over. "Actually, they're not even hiding their strategy—they're openly showing it off."
"Their 'tactics' are just talk," she continued after reviewing the material. "It's extremely simple: they focus entirely on performing at their best. That's their advantage."
"The broomsticks are their biggest advantage," Ron said angrily. "Slytherin's advantage is equipment—that's basically cheating."
"Yes, and they know it," Hermione replied, a hint of helplessness in her voice. "That's why their strategy, though simple and crude, is very effective. They're determined to rely on those brooms."
"The Nimbus 2001's advantage isn't just speed," she added. "It's more comfortable to ride, reduces stamina consumption, accelerates faster, turns more sharply, and flies more smoothly. Every aspect of its performance is far superior to the Cleansweep Seven."
"Well, it costs more than ten times as much," Harry said. He used a Nimbus 2000 himself and could easily imagine how powerful the upgraded version must be. "The performance gap is just too big."
"I went to watch their training," Ron said. "Their players can easily catch up to others from behind. I never thought Quidditch was so dependent on equipment, but now I have to admit—good gear makes a huge difference."
"Even in terms of stamina, the longer the match lasts, the greater their advantage becomes," Harry added. As a Quidditch player, he knew exactly what that meant: "We'll struggle to gain possession, to score, and to defend against their attacks."
"Then why did we waste all this time reading these books?" Hermione said irritably, slapping the stack of rulebooks on the table.
"But in the end, we still don't have a solution," Ron said, tossing his book aside and stretching tiredly.
"To intercept them tactically, we'd first need to keep up with them," Harry said, standing up and then collapsing back onto the sofa. "Unless our teamwork is as strong as Ravenclaw's…"
"Let's not even talk about that," Hermione cut in. "Even Ravenclaw is completely outmatched by Slytherin now."
"I've gone through nearly all the match records," Ron said. "The most important role is still the Seeker. We've lost the advantage everywhere else. All we can do is hope Harry catches the Golden Snitch as quickly as possible."
"I'll do my best," Harry said seriously. "I won't lose to Draco Malfoy."
"Your Nimbus 2000 isn't that much worse than Malfoy's broom," Hermione said, nodding. "And your flying skills are better—but we have to watch out for interference from the other Slytherin players."
"They'll definitely try something," Ron added. "I've seen Malfoy train—he's no pushover, and that Nimbus 2001 is no joke."
"I'll just have to try my best," Harry said, feeling the pressure. Last year, the whole team had worked together. This year, Malfoy had unfairly equipped his entire team with Nimbus 2001s. Now, the outcome rested almost entirely on him.
"The most effective solution is still to get better brooms," Ron muttered. "The Cleansweep Seven can't compete with the Nimbus 2001 at all."
Everyone fell silent. They all knew the problem—it was money.
"I can't openly support this…" Hermione said quietly, pressing her lips together. "But honestly, this feels like cheating."
"Let's hear your idea," Ron said immediately, his eyes lighting up. "If Slytherin is basically cheating with their brooms, I don't mind using a few tricks to beat them either."
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