No one knew whether Malfoy had actually taken the advice to heart.
In any case, when he stood beside Astoria, he looked downright triumphant.
Today's Quidditch commentator was still Hufflepuff's Ernie, who seemed to have grown quite fond of the job.
When Slytherin entered the pitch, Ernie raised his voice dramatically and shouted, "Merlin's beard—two Firebolts? This is basically cheating!"
Hearing that, Malfoy shot Ernie a glare. Cheating? This was clearly called strength.
A wave of boos immediately erupted from the Ravenclaw stands.
In a student competition, Slytherin had actually equipped two Firebolts.
This was blatant pay-to-win gear, completely lacking in sportsmanship.
Astoria wasn't as thick-skinned as Malfoy. Her cheeks were flushed as she nervously gripped the Firebolt in both hands.
Malfoy stood there with his hands on his hips, Goyle and Crabbe flanking him like left and right guardians.
He planted himself squarely in front of Astoria, wearing the utterly shameless air of someone unfazed by a thousand accusations.
John spotted Luna mixed in among the Ravenclaw spectators, a lifelike eagle perched on her head, its wings gently flapping.
She was booing as well, pumping her small fists with total commitment.
When the Ravenclaw team came out and saw the two Firebolts, Cho Chang's expression darkened immediately.
Was Slytherin really this desperate to win?
As the house known for its intelligence, Ravenclaw had finally come up with a strategy to counter the trident formation, only to be told that the trident had turned into a dual-king tactic instead?
"Let's be clear first. If you lose, no crying, and no running to Cedric to complain."
During the handshake, Malfoy fully embodied Slytherin's fine traditions, trash-talking Cho Chang to her face.
Cho Chang shot back without backing down, "Get ready to taste defeat. Ravenclaw won't lose!"
Neither of them was willing to give an inch.
Still holding her hand, Malfoy continued to live up to the team's 'style,' pulling a dirty trick and squeezing hard enough to make Cho Chang wince in pain.
So angry was Cho Chang that she nearly threw her broom at Malfoy's head.
"Begin!"
Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and both teams took off at once.
Two brooms shot forward, kicking up a trail behind them.
Madam Hooch released the balls.
"So fast—Astoria takes the lead ..aaaand SCORES!"
Only a few seconds into the match, the scoreboard was already changing.
Astoria secured the Quaffle first and put it straight through the hoops.
"Beautifully done, Asto!" Malfoy pumped his fist hard.
"Hold steady!" Cho Chang shouted loudly. "Don't let them disrupt our formation!"
The pressure was greatest on Cho Chang. She had to make sure she could catch the Golden Snitch in this match.
Malfoy circled the pitch, his eyes constantly searching for any sign of the Snitch.
Cho Chang refused to be outdone. She might not excel in direct confrontation, but Ravenclaw had always been thoroughly prepared when it came to tactics.
Even with the Firebolts, the other two Chasers were being effectively restrained.
A Ravenclaw Beater sent a Bludger straight at Astoria, forcing her to slow down.
A Chaser behind her rushed up, contesting the Quaffle with Astoria.
Seeing this, Goyle shamelessly slammed into the Ravenclaw Beater, then swung his bat to knock the Bludger flying, smashing it into that Chaser.
Another Chaser tried to move in, only to be rudely knocked aside by Slytherin Chaser Vaisey.
"Foul! That's a foul!" Ernie shouted excitedly. "The referee has awarded a penalty shot!"
"It's in! The score is now seventy to forty—Ravenclaw is keeping right on their heels!"
Ernie continued his impassioned commentary. "It's incredibly tight! Is this hope? Slytherin, with eleven consecutive victories, are they finally about to meet their end?"
"Is it you, Ravenclaw?"
John couldn't help wondering whether Ravenclaw had bribed Ernie. Today's commentary sounded far too eager for someone to finally put an end to Slytherin's winning streak.
Hearing Ernie's words, the Ravenclaw stands erupted in song.
"It's me, it's me—the eagle soaring through the sky, the proud eagle of wisdom!"
The atmosphere of this match even surpassed the previous one against Gryffindor.
Ravenclaw was stronger than ever. Would the eagle that ruled the skies devour the undefeated serpent today?
Gryffindor loudly cheered for Ravenclaw as well. The enemy of their enemy was a friend, and they joined in singing Ravenclaw's song.
For a moment, eagle songs rang out from all sides.
The pressure on Slytherin surged, and Ravenclaw scored again.
The score climbed to 70–50, only twenty points apart!
Cho Chang smiled triumphantly, casting a provocative look at Malfoy.
"See? Ravenclaw's exquisite passing and control!"
"Not watching," Malfoy replied coolly. "Heh ~ Just the last struggles of the dying. It's not like you're gonna win anyway, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"After all.. you are weak."
Malfoy knew exactly how to get under people's skin. One sentence nearly made Cho Chang crash straight into him.
In truth, Malfoy felt the pressure too.
His palms were slick with sweat. The title of 'ender of eleven consecutive victories' and Slytherin's pillar of shame were both beckoning to him.
Anxiety crept into him.
Using Astoria as bait, she lured Ravenclaw into an interception, then deftly let the ball slip from her right hand to Vaisey.
Slytherin scored.
A Bludger slammed into Urquhart. A Ravenclaw Chaser snatched the Quaffle and sent it through the hoops.
Ravenclaw scored.
The match was fiercely contested. The score never opened up beyond thirty points, and at one point Slytherin was even forced into a tie.
The Golden Snitch was especially hard to spot. Malfoy caught a glimpse of a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye, but it vanished in an instant.
The singing from the stands continued, pressing down with immense psychological pressure.
Suddenly—Hmm?!!
Malfoy heard another song. It started faint, then grew clearer and clearer.
"We are born of the mire,
We hunger for power,
..."
It was Slytherin.
He looked up to see the Slytherin stands erupting into song.
Compared to the other three houses, the sound was still drowned out.
But it was telling Malfoy one thing.
Slytherin was behind him.
The pressure weighing on his heart vanished in an instant. Malfoy's tightly wound body relaxed at exactly the right moment.
Not just him—Slytherin's players felt it too.
Astoria received Urquhart's pass and broke straight through Ravenclaw's hoops.
The thirty-point curse was broken.
That goal was like opening a crack in a dam. Slytherin's momentum surged back!
And that crack became the switch that shattered the dam.
More and more goals followed, widening the gap. Slytherin's trident formation lay in advancing in unison, each player capable of becoming a lethal blade.
The score stretched to fifty, then marched toward sixty.
Now it was Ravenclaw feeling the pressure. Their earlier calculations had assumed that keeping the gap within fifty would secure them a spot in the finals.
Now Astoria broke through again, pushing the difference to sixty!
Cho Chang knew she couldn't let this continue.
She had to end the match.
She searched frantically for the Golden Snitch.
Sweat beaded on her forehead. As it slid past the corner of her brow, she saw it.
The Golden Snitch appeared beneath the Gryffindor stands.
Without a second thought, Cho Chang dove straight toward it.
Malfoy caught her movement and saw the flash of gold.
"It's the Golden Snitch! It's appeared!" Ernie roared at the top of his lungs. "The point difference is sixty—catching the Snitch will decide the match!"
"Cho Chang is about to touch it!"
Victory was within reach. A hint of a smile appeared on Cho Chang's tense face.
But in the next instant, a hand appearing beside her shattered that smile.
Woosh!
"Cho—no! It's Draco Malfoy!" Ernie was just about to announce the victory when he saw Malfoy, riding his Firebolt with reckless momentum, surge past Cho Chang.
He seized the Golden Snitch, but his speed was so great that he was thrown from his broom.
Everyone expected Malfoy to end up in a sorry state, yet instead, he twisted midair and slammed into the drapery of the Gryffindor stands, sliding down with it.
Stepping on the Gryffindor banner, he landed and raised his right hand.
The entire stadium fell silent.
The score was set.
310–100.
"The referee has blown the whistle. The match is over—Slytherin wins."
As Ernie announced the result, cheers erupted from the stands.
A thrilling, exhilarating match that sent adrenaline surging.
Malfoy plucked the Golden Snitch free and looked smugly at Cho Chang.
"See, Miss Weak Chang? I told you—just the last struggles of the dying."
That cutting remark shattered Cho Chang completely. She broke down on the spot and ran off in tears.
"…" Watching Malfoy's overbearing display, John didn't know whether he should tell him what the consequences of acting like this would be.
In this match, Malfoy and Astoria were unquestionably the biggest contributors.
The spotlight shone brightly on him, drawing the attention of all four houses.
Back in the common room, Malfoy was hoisted into the air, cheering as he was tossed toward the ceiling.
Astoria's contribution was just as indispensable.
They held a celebration feast to mark Malfoy's first victory since becoming captain.
Well, the first match didn't count—John had played in his place.
Someone started egging Malfoy on to kiss Astoria. That unfortunate soul was promptly hung up in the corridor, unable to even enter the common room. After that, no one dared to stir things up again.
While everyone was celebrating, Basil brought over a newspaper.
He opened it casually and glanced through it.
That single look made his pupils constrict violently.
"Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Amelia Bones Attacked and Killed, Dark Mark Appears Above Her Residence."
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