Madam Hooch blew her silver whistle, and fourteen players from both teams kicked off the ground, soaring into the air on their broomsticks. Jericho charged toward the Quaffle with everything he had.
Gryffindor's Chaser, Mandy Finney, was not far behind—her flying no less skilled than Jericho's. Flanking her were the other two Gryffindor Chasers, following her command with precision.
"Parkin Pincer Tactics!"
Roman, watching from the professor's stand, cried out in excitement. "I actually saw a world-class tactic used by a student in school?"
Ludo Bagman looked equally impressed. Before the match, he'd studied the Hogwarts teams' rosters and hadn't expected many with elite-level skill. Moriarty, Jericho, William, Leon, Bill, Charlie, Tonks—those were the names that stood out.
But what he witnessed now was a world-class combination move, executed by a Gryffindor Chaser who wasn't even among those elite names.
"Amazing!" Ludo muttered.
"Did you see that? This is Gryffindor's counterattack!" Tonks shouted, her voice lifting the crowd's spirits. "It looks like the extra training paid off—Mandy and even other Gryffindor players have picked up more professional techniques!"
She pointed toward the pitch. "It's no bluff. These players deserve our expectations!"
"Gryffindor attacks!"
"Gryffindor wins!"
The Weasley twins led the first-year lion cubs in synchronized clapping and chanting.
"Charlie's broom, Gryffindor's sword!
Mandy's flight, lightning roared!
Start the charge, the war drums call!
The Bludger and Quaffle—we'll take them all!"
The Slytherin side didn't back down. Their upperclassmen transformed into rattling serpents, creating an eerie rustle that echoed throughout the stands.
The match was on.
Tonks continued enthusiastically, "The American boy is struggling! He's too focused on scoring and isn't syncing with the other Slytherin Chasers!"
Indeed, Jericho had fallen into Mandy's trap. The Slytherin stand sighed in unison.
Had Jericho become too eager?
Moriarty observed it all with a smirk. He didn't move to hunt the Snitch—instead, he hovered low near the Slytherin goalpost, surveying the field like a strategist.
Jericho dove directly into the Gryffindor formation, but Mandy held the Quaffle tightly as she intercepted the play.
"Gryffindor on the attack again!" Tonks called out. "And look—those new Gryffindor Beaters are really something!"
Bang!
Bang!
The two rookie Beaters slammed their bats into the Bludgers with incredible strength. The loud thwack reverberated across the stadium as the Bludgers hurtled straight toward Jericho.
"Jericho!" Helena stood up in the Ravenclaw stands, visibly anxious.
Jericho heard her and glanced back with a grin. "Don't worry, honey. Let them come!"
Tonks chuckled. "Looks like Helena's found her true love—but will that love save Jericho from this play?"
"Let's begin, sir?" Jericho shouted upward. "I'm going to speed up!"
Moriarty raised a clenched fist from near the goalpost—an obvious signal to the Slytherin squad.
"What are they doing?" Tonks asked. "Slytherin's pulling back toward the goal? Shouldn't they be spreading out?"
The crowd was puzzled. Normally, teams would fan out to intercept the Quaffle.
Jericho spun his broom and bolted back toward the Slytherin goal, just as two Bludgers whistled past him.
But by now, all three Gryffindor Chasers had surged ahead and were nearing the Slytherin goalpost.
"Leon. Marcus," Moriarty called out calmly.
Leon cracked a grin. "Our turn."
Marcus stayed silent, locking eyes on the Quaffle held by Mandy. Then, with terrifying speed, he charged straight at her like a jet. Sunlight gleamed off his frame, leaving shimmering afterimages.
Mandy could feel the pressure. Instinct told her that a collision meant serious injury—or worse—so she hastily passed the ball to her teammate.
Leon was already there to cover.
Gryffindor's Chasers were now forced into frantic passes, unable to stabilize their formation.
Yet Slytherin didn't rush. Each time the Quaffle passed to a new Gryffindor, a Slytherin shadowed them closely—even dispatching two Beaters for extra pressure.
"Can you see it?" Tonks' eyes gleamed. "This is Moriarty's new tactic!"
She pointed excitedly. "Mandy is being forced to pass, but where can she throw it? Left? Marcus is blocking like a brick wall. Right? A Slytherin Beater is ready to take her arm off with a Bludger!"
"Above?"
"Her teammates are being double-marked!"
Tonks' voice rose with excitement. "Leon didn't even chase the Quaffle—he's coordinating with a Beater to block their escape routes. This is brilliant!"
"And Jericho?" she continued. "He's alone in the backfield but drawing the attention of both Gryffindor Beaters!"
Jericho dipped low, darted above them, and looped in mid-air. The Bludgers couldn't even graze his broom tail.
"See the pattern, Charlie?" Moriarty asked, looking up at the sky. The Snitch hadn't appeared. He wasn't in a hurry.
Charlie frowned. "You split the battlefield, baiting our Chasers forward while isolating Jericho to draw fire. Mandy's boxed in."
"But," Charlie added, "she still has the Quaffle. You can't grab it directly, or it's a foul. What's next?"
He looked down to see Mandy flying straight at the Slytherin goal.
"Mandy's under 20 meters from goal!" Tonks shouted. "Slytherin's defense looks wide open!"
"Let's go, Mandy! Score!"
The Gryffindor crowd roared. Mandy's heart pounded, but she knew the danger. Marcus hovered close—too close.
From above, Charlie swooped down. "Pass it to me!" he shouted. "I'll score!"
"Charlie?" Moriarty called. "Let's just watch, shall we?"
Then, he suddenly pulled his broom straight up, soaring skyward, his right hand high—as if grasping the Snitch.
Charlie panicked and gave chase, activating his world-class move—the Sloth Grip Roll.
Moriarty flashed a mischievous grin. "Checkmate."
Mandy was now only seven meters from goal. She couldn't shoot, not with Marcus breathing down her neck. Dribbling through the goal hoop would be illegal.
With a resigned sigh, she hurled the Quaffle toward the ring and closed her eyes.
As expected, Marcus easily intercepted the ball.
"Leon!" Marcus barked, flinging the Quaffle like a comet.
Leon positioned himself, eyes locked on the descending Quaffle. With one palm angled upward, he struck it from beneath—redirecting it cleanly.
Roman jumped to his feet. "A back pass? That's another world-class move!"
"Sir!" Leon yelled. "Watch your head!"
Charlie gasped. "Stop Moriarty!"
But Gryffindor's players were all tied up.
Charlie spun around—Moriarty was already there, intercepting the arcing Quaffle.
"Sparkle forever!"
"Sparkle forever!"
"Sparkle forever!"
Moriarty's fan club exploded into cheers. Roman looked over at the screaming witches and sighed, touching his forehead in mock defeat. He didn't have that kind of popularity.
"He hasn't caught the Snitch," Roman muttered.
"No, he caught the Quaffle!" Tonks gasped. "What's he planning?"
"Jericho!" Moriarty shouted.
He hurled the Quaffle like a missile, the ball slicing through the air and landing precisely over Jericho's head.
Jericho, now completely freed from the Gryffindor Beaters, caught it in a clean sweep.
"This is it!" Jericho roared. "Time to erase my disgrace!"
He charged forward, spiraling into a Sloth Grip Roll. Wood, Gryffindor's Keeper, stood his ground.
"Jericho, that trick won't work!" Wood yelled. He had trained hard for this, determined to hold his ground against Slytherin's prodigies.
But Jericho zigzagged left, then right, moving so fast he left behind shimmering afterimages.
Wood blinked.
JOIN MY PATREON TO READ 150+ CHAPTERS BEFORE PUBLIC RELEASE OR PURCHASE FOR LIFETIME ACCESS! WE ARE CURRENTLY ON VOL 3 CHAPTER 85
Patreon.com/HACKDWORLD