Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor changing room, Harry and the rest of the team had just changed into their scarlet Quidditch robes.
Harry was constantly flexing his wrists. From his pale expression, it was incredibly clear that he was nervous. After all, this was his very first official Quidditch match.
The changing room door opened, and their captain, Oliver Wood, strode in.
Wood gave a light cough to get everyone's attention. Once the room quieted down, he said, "I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Angelina Johnson, one of the Gryffindor Chasers, offered a tense smile. "Good news first."
"The good news," Wood announced, "is that Slytherin's starting Beater, Perkin McNeill, was injured during morning training. He's currently lying in the Hospital Wing and won't be able to play."
The players in the changing room immediately looked delighted. Perkin was a brutal and formidable opponent; without him on the pitch, the raw physical strength of the Slytherin team would drop significantly.
Angelina's face lit up with relief. As a Chaser, she absolutely hated facing an aggressive, heavy-hitting Beater like Perkin. "And the bad news?" she asked.
Wood's expression turned grim. "The bad news is that his substitute… is Damian Black."
Angelina's expression instantly dropped. "Damian Black? You've got to be kidding me! Hasn't he been off the training roster for at least six months? Why on earth would they let him play?!"
She had a significant psychological shadow regarding Damian. During last year's match, not long after the starting whistle blew, she had been hit so hard by one of Damian's Bludgers that she had spent the rest of the game not knowing which way was up.
Beside her, Chaser Katie Bell felt that Angelina was overreacting and unnecessarily boosting the opponent's morale before the match had even begun.
"Damian was indeed impressive in last year's matches," Katie argued. "But like you said, he hasn't trained for at least six months. Why be afraid of him? Our own training wasn't for nothing!"
Like Harry, Katie was a new player who had just joined the Gryffindor team this year. Although she had watched Damian play from the stands last year, she hadn't experienced his terrifying playstyle firsthand like Angelina had.
Harry was also a bit surprised. He hadn't realized that the reliable Senior Damian was so infamous on the Quidditch pitch.
Fred Weasley grinned, twirling his Beater's bat. "Don't worry, Angelina. I'll block Damian's Bludgers for you. I've got you protected!"
Seeing that Angelina still looked intensely worried, George slung an arm around Fred's shoulder. "And me! Damian won't be able to break through our twin defense!"
Seeing their confident grins, Angelina couldn't help but offer a warm smile, and much of the anxiety faded from her face.
Wood clapped his hands loudly to pump up the atmosphere. "Just as Katie said, our training hasn't been in vain! Our teamwork has improved immensely this year! And most importantly, we have Harry Potter on our side! We are the best team Gryffindor has had in years! We will win!"
Harry panicked internally. Why is all the pressure suddenly on me?! I'm just a rookie!
Out on the pitch, the Quidditch match was about to begin. The players from both sides marched out of their changing rooms and onto the vibrant green grass.
The roar from the towering stands was deafening. Students from Slytherin and Gryffindor screamed their respective House names, the wave-like cheers pushing the atmosphere of the stadium to its absolute peak.
As the players mounted their brooms, the crowd began chanting specific names. Surprisingly, the cheers for Damian Black were by far the loudest.
Damian had gained a massive following during last year's matches. Just like in any competitive sport, while the rivalry between the Houses was as hostile as fire and water, many spectators still deeply admired sheer talent. That was the nature of competition: strength was universally respected.
Madam Hooch, the referee, was already standing in the center of the pitch, broom in hand. Once the players from both teams gathered in a circle around her, she raised her voice.
"Listen up! I want a clean, fair, and honest game from all of you!" she commanded. "Please mount your brooms!"
After the players kicked off the ground, Madam Hooch threw the scarlet Quaffle high into the air and blew her silver whistle sharply.
The players shot into the sky like bullets. Angelina Johnson, leading the Gryffindor charge, was the first to seize the Quaffle.
Up in the stands, Gryffindor's Lee Jordan was acting as the commentator. His voice boomed through the magical megaphone.
"Beautiful! Angelina's timing was absolutely perfect! The second the silver whistle blew, she lunged for the Quaffle! Such decisive flying! Wasn't she afraid of a false start foul? But it doesn't matter—she didn't foul, and Gryffindor has the first possession!"
Two Slytherin Chasers immediately broke formation to double-team Angelina. Seeing them close in, Angelina decisively threw the Quaffle to her fellow Chaser, Alicia Spinnet.
But the exact moment Alicia caught the ball, a heavy iron Bludger zoomed in from a distance and slammed into her violently.
"Slytherin is chasing hard! Angelina is about to be double-teamed! Nice! She passes the ball! It's Alicia Spinnet who catches it!"
Lee Jordan's excitement suddenly morphed into sheer panic.
"Alicia's in danger! She didn't see the Bludger coming up behind her! My goodness, is no one going to block for her?! Oh, wait, the Gryffindor Beaters are currently clustered around Angelina. You can't really blame them, considering what a brilliant Chaser that girl is, and quite charming too..."
"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall warned sharply from the seat beside him.
"Sorry, Professor!" Lee Jordan quickly corrected his commentary. "Alicia was just hit by a Bludger sent by Damian Black! Black was last year's 'Best Beater,' and his aim is clearly just as terrifyingly precise! Will Alicia be knocked off her broom?!"
High in the air, Alicia was spinning wildly.
"So close! She manages to steady her broom just before hitting the ground! But the Quaffle has been snatched by Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Captain!"
Having secured the Quaffle, Marcus sped toward the Gryffindor goalposts like a battering ram. Suddenly, another Bludger flew at him from the side—this one hit by the Gryffindor Beater, George Weasley.
"Flint is rapidly approaching the goalposts! Is Slytherin about to score?! Is anyone going to mark him?! The two Gryffindor Chasers are trying to close the gap—but it's too late, they're too far away!" Lee Jordan was practically shouting into the microphone.
"George Weasley is on the move! He's finally left Angelina's side, and he's sent a Bludger straight toward Flint! If Flint keeps going forward, he'll be hit by the Bludger! Can he still make it to the goalposts?!"
Suddenly, a dark green blur shot across the pitch.
"Whoa! The Bludger was intercepted! It's Damian Black! When did he even get over there?! He seems to be everywhere at once! My goodness! The Bludger Damian just knocked away happened to ricochet straight into the Gryffindor Keeper, Oliver Wood! Did he plan that?! Truly worthy of being the Best Beater!"
With Wood momentarily disoriented by the near-miss, the goal hoops were left wide open.
"Flint is completely unstoppable now! He easily tosses the Quaffle through the left hoop—Slytherin scores!"
The roar erupting from the Slytherin stands instantly drowned out all other sounds in the stadium.
Then, as the initial explosion of cheers subsided slightly, the sea of green and silver began to chant in perfect, rhythmic unison:
"Black! Black! Black!"
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