"What?" Sunny couldn't open her eyes due to the strong wind. The moment she opened her mouth, a stomachful of cold wind was forced in.
"Look at the post!" James roared, his heart burning with anxiety. If Chasers weren't forbidden from touching the Golden Snitch, he would have gone for it himself long ago.
The Slytherin Seeker had excellent vision and, from dozens of meters away, saw something golden sparkling near the boundary post at the edge of the field.
He bent over his broom, accelerating, and Sunny also spotted the Golden Snitch by the post, immediately catching up.
As these few players sped up, the players on the field and the spectators on the sidelines reacted, and cheers erupted. Given the current time, whoever caught the Golden Snitch would win the match for their team.
All the Slytherin and Gryffindor players were sprinting towards the target.
The Gryffindor Captain, Jose, calculated the distance and knew he couldn't make it in time. He decided to confront a Slytherin player, using a Bludger to stop him.
The other five Gryffindor players followed suit, using various methods to force the Slytherin players near them to stop.
"I'll block him for you!" James roared, controlling his broom to slow down and tilt slightly to the left. Sunny flew past him, and James caught the Slytherin Seeker.
He used his broom and body to block the Slytherin player's path. A direct collision would be ruled a foul, and at this point, a twenty-point penalty would hand over the victory. Therefore, the Slytherin player had to avoid James, and this back-and-forth wasted a lot of time.
By the time the Slytherin player completely broke free from James, Sunny had already raised the Golden Snitch.
Two hundred seventy points to one hundred seventy points, with five minutes remaining, the outcome of the match was no longer in doubt. The Gryffindor players strictly implemented a man-marking strategy, ready to foul and disrupt the game's rhythm to waste time if the opposing team found the Golden Snitch.
When the final whistle blew, Gryffindor defeated Slytherin with a score of two hundred seventy to two hundred ten.
After the match, the cheers of the Gryffindor players contrasted sharply with the dejection of the Slytherin players.
The three Professors also applauded the players on the field. This match was too intense, and James's tactical prowess was admirable.
However, no one mocked Slytherin; they had done everything they could, and their fouling under the new rules was considered fair play.
Fourteen players shook hands under Madam Hooch's guidance. The Slytherin players exited the field, and the Gryffindor players took a lap around the field to receive cheers.
Lily stood in the stands, touching her face, which was flushed red with excitement. She felt a burning sensation on her face; the final scramble for the Golden Snitch had given her quite a fright.
Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff left with admiration. The level of play displayed by these two teams was far superior to their own. With this match concluded, everyone knew that the Quidditch Cup this school year belonged to Gryffindor.
After Gary and the others returned to the Castle, they immediately began revising the rules.
"Too much time was affected by fouls in this match," Alfrina said, frowning at the dining table. "We need to add a…"
"Stoppage time mechanism?" Howard interjected, picking up a milkshake. "Like the one commonly used in football matches."
"Yes," Alfrina nodded. "And also limit the number of fouls. We cannot let frequent fouls ruin the watchability and flow of the match."
"Let's discuss these issues tonight," Kona said. "Gary still has to go to the Principal's office later."
"Alright." Alfrina glanced at the Gryffindors still making a ruckus by the long table, Lily among them, having a great time. She withdrew her gaze. "When we return, we will send the refined rule clauses to the Ministry of Magic."
After Gary finished lunch and took a nap in his dormitory, he headed to the Principal's office on the eighth floor.
Two stone gargoyles were there, head to head, whispering. They must have been talking about something amusing, as their tails were wagging.
Gary deliberately heavy-footed his steps. The two stone gargoyles heard the sound and quickly turned their heads to face forward.
"Sherbet Lemon." Gary cleared his throat and spoke the password.
The stone gargoyle spun around, revealing a passage.
Gary climbed up the spiral staircase. The door to the office was ajar. Gary knocked twice and, hearing an old voice say "Come in," pushed the door open and entered the room.
Unlike his previous visit, most of the people in the wall portraits were awake now. When they saw Gary enter, a few merely glanced at him without speaking.
Dumbledore, dressed in a dressing gown, sat behind his desk, dealing with a pile of documents at hand.
"Mr. Shafiq has arrived," he looked up. "Last time you came, everyone was asleep. You should know that these are all the past Principals of Hogwarts; some of them might not be very friendly."
"It's alright, Headmaster Dumbledore." Gary's gaze was drawn to a Phoenix, which was perched on a roost, its head tucked under its rump.
Dumbledore cleared his throat twice. "The Sorting Hat, the acceptance quill, and the Book of Admittance, right…." He stood up and took the Sorting Hat from the cabinet. It was still dirty, and it kept squirming when Dumbledore held it.
"What are you doing, Dumbledore? Last night you just…"
With a wave of Dumbledore's wand, the Sorting Hat fell silent.
"The acceptance quill and the Book of Admittance are upstairs," Dumbledore held out the Sorting Hat in his hand. "They are both enchanted with powerful magic; no one can touch them with their hands."
"I'll show you. You take the Sorting Hat." Dumbledore opened a desk drawer and took out a string of antique bronze keys from inside.
Gary followed behind Dumbledore. He walked behind the office door, passing the roost where the Phoenix was perched.
The Phoenix watched him with its small, beady black eyes, then its gaze shifted downwards to his trouser pocket. It seemed to have found something new and interesting, its small head bobbing. If it weren't a Phoenix, Gary would have thought it was just a silly bird.
Dumbledore seemed to sense something and turned to look at Gary. Gary met his lake-blue eyes and felt as if all his secrets were exposed to the sunlight.
Gary quickly lowered his head, not because he felt guilty, but because the feeling was truly uncomfortable.
As Gary lowered his head, the atmosphere became awkward.
"Fawkes seems to like you." Dumbledore chuckled, smoothing things over. "It doesn't usually look at people like that."
Gary said nothing. He gripped his wand through his trousers, feeling the texture of the dragonhide. Fawkes had been staring at the wand in his trouser pocket just now.
Dumbledore pushed open the bookcase behind the main door, revealing yet another passage inside. Like the passage leading to the Principal's office, it was also a spiral staircase, but the wood material was much older, even with a few mildew spots.
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