Chapter 48: Quidditch Tryouts

On Tuesday, Wood found Harry and reminded him not to forget about the team tryouts on Saturday. Harry was very interested in Quidditch, and last term he’d already discovered he had some talent for flying, so he readily agreed.

But when he was woken at dawn on Saturday, the sky still gray with twilight, he suddenly thought maybe skipping the team tryouts wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

Of course, it was only a passing thought—he quickly gathered himself and hurried downstairs. Notably, he ran into Colin Creevey on the way down and had to spend considerable time explaining things to him.

When Harry arrived at the locker room, all the team members were already there, and Wood was laying out tactics.

“Harry, you’re here,” Wood nodded. “Good timing—Slytherin’s also holding tryouts for their new Seeker. We’ve arranged a practice match.”

“I understand. I’ll do my best,” Harry said, thinking Slytherin’s Seeker must be Malfoy.

“A competent Seeker catches the Snitch. An excellent Seeker catches it at the right moment. A top-tier Seeker doesn’t just catch the Snitch,” Wood said. “We’ll run three drills centered on the Seeker: the first two focus on early-game rhythm and late-game rhythm; the third will adapt tactics based on your matchup.”

Harry nodded seriously, while Fred yawned.

“Early-game rhythm means the Seeker must find the Snitch as quickly as possible, while Chasers focus on ball control and Beaters prioritize disrupting the opposing Chasers. This strategy treats the Seeker as the absolute core—you must establish an advantage over the opponent’s Seeker before the score gap reaches 150 points and catch the Snitch before they do.”

Harry considered this. Since Seekers can see each other’s positions, it involved both psychological warfare and direct aerial duels. He wasn’t sure if he could beat Malfoy.

“Late-game rhythm means you must disrupt the opposing Seeker so neither of you can catch the Snitch. Beaters will focus on harassing the Keeper to help Chasers score freely. Since Quidditch rankings are based on total points, not wins, this strategy is common. But if our scoring pace is slower than theirs, you’d better catch the Snitch before the gap widens.”

In other words, an outstanding Seeker could either end the match quickly or lead a comeback—Harry couldn’t help feeling excited. Fred was already dozing against Alicia’s shoulder.

“On a real pitch, unless the score difference is huge, a Seeker’s performance depends mostly on luck and condition. So team tactics and your actions are deeply linked. Now I’ll reveal our team’s secret—the core of this training: how we communicate and adjust formations on the pitch. You must let us know whether you’ve truly found the Snitch or are just bluffing. Not only does your condition dictate the overall rhythm, but sometimes you can ask Beaters to relieve pressure or create advantage. We’ll establish a set of signals: when you lock onto the Snitch, you can… when you haven’t found it but want to deceive the opponent’s Seeker… when you’ve found it but want to make the enemy think you haven’t, you should… if you want a Beater’s help, try…”

Harry’s head began nodding. He’d only just started learning Quidditch, and now he was being bombarded with this long lecture. His head buzzed, sleepiness surged, and his eyelids felt like lead.

Fortunately, soon after, Wood shifted to other players, explaining early-game setups, operational concepts, positioning, and interference placements. Harry had planned to nap a bit—but Wood suddenly changed tone: “...in interference formations, you can use the Seeker to create a pincer. Conversely, the Seeker can use the formation to mask their movements…”

Hours passed—Wood finally finished the briefing. Players stirred awake, stumbling groggily toward the pitch. Harry noticed Ron and Zhang Qiu already seated in the stands, waving at him. Colin sat beside Ron, raising his camera to snap photos. On Zhang Qiu’s other side sat a Slytherin girl, and beyond her were Crabbe and Goyle.

He waved back at the stands, then turned to face their opponents.

Six tall figures in green robes strode onto the pitch. The seventh was Draco Malfoy.

“Bad. Their brooms look better,” Wood frowned. “Fred, George—you’ve got to play aggressively. We can’t rely on strategy alone to gain advantage…”

There wasn’t much time for further tactics. Under Marcus’s urging, both teams took to the air—the match began.

Harry drifted lazily in the air, scanning for the Snitch, occasionally glancing at Malfoy’s movements. Malfoy, also a first-time Seeker, looked just as uncertain.

Gryffindor’s opening setup executed perfectly: three Chasers swiftly secured the Quaffle with a Puddlemere Qian , while two Beaters herded the Bludgers to the sidelines—not aiming at opponents, but driving them far from the opposing Beaters. The five formed a loose, shifting unit, pulling the defense toward the goalposts. Slytherin, meanwhile, charged recklessly, desperate to regain possession.

Harry silently calculated: this was exactly the scenario the first drill was designed for—he needed to find the Snitch quickly and end the match. Since there were three practice matches, finishing the first one fast would conserve everyone’s energy.

Suddenly, he saw Malfoy accelerate—he’d clearly spotted something. Harry shot after him, but his peripheral vision caught a flash of gold.

That must be the Snitch. Harry turned back: a flickering golden speck hovered above the pitch, while Malfoy plunged downward without looking up.

Harry remembered Wood’s words: sometimes a Seeker would “bluff,” making the opponent believe they’d found the Snitch, just to lure them into a trap with a feint.

Malfoy rode a Nimbus 2001; Harry’s was a 2000. He suspected Malfoy was trying to exploit the broom’s performance gap to set this trap.

Harry flew toward the golden speck he’d seen; Malfoy, nearing the ground, pulled up sharply and darted off in another direction. The two Seekers hunted separately, ignoring each other.

At that moment, a Slytherin player suddenly appeared before Harry—he had to veer away, trying to shake him off. After this detour, Harry lost track of the Snitch he’d spotted. But good news: because someone had been diverted to chase Harry, Angelina seized the opening and scored.

Immediately after, Slytherin’s Chaser gained control of the Quaffle, darting toward the goalposts. Harry watched anxiously, still searching for the Snitch. Seeing two feints had failed to fool Harry, Malfoy changed tactics—he locked onto Harry, flying right beside him.

A flash of gold crossed Harry’s vision—he accelerated toward it. But Malfoy matched him, staying glued to his side, nearly shoulder-to-shoulder. Then a Bludger shot straight at him. Harry realized the gold had been Fred’s watch. He subtly veered right—the Bludger passed between them. Seeing he was about to shake off Malfoy, Harry dove sharply downward.

Malfoy, confident in his broom’s slight edge, followed. Two rookie Seekers, in their first practice match, pushed their brooms to maximum speed in a fierce aerial duel.

Harry planned to pull up sharply near the ground and see if Malfoy couldn’t slow down in time. But mid-dive, he caught another flash of gold.

Harry didn’t turn yet. He kept diving, holding the trajectory to the very limit—then, at the last moment, he veered sideways, skimming the ground as he shot toward the Snitch he’d glimpsed.

Malfoy, less confident in his maneuver, pulled up early—he hovered ten meters above Harry, chasing after him.

Harry estimated the distance. He didn’t know if Malfoy had seen the Snitch or was just fixated on him. He decided to test it. He suddenly veered right and pulled up sharply—Malfoy instantly matched him, flying side-by-side again.

Harry veered left again, heading back toward the Snitch’s location. Malfoy assumed it was another feint, overran slightly, then turned to follow.

But this time, Malfoy was on Harry’s right, while the Snitch remained ahead and to Harry’s left. Harry believed the broom’s performance gap couldn’t erase even a single body-length advantage—and in this brief duel, he realized Malfoy’s flying skill was slightly inferior.

They neared the Snitch. Harry felt Malfoy inching closer—he must’ve seen it too. Malfoy accelerated, trying to overtake him. His broom reached its limit, barely gaining half a body-length. Harry knew Malfoy planned to use a left swerve to force him to brake—he pushed his own broom to maximum speed. Malfoy dared not attempt a Jixian maneuver with only half a body-length advantage—he grew anxious.

Harry suddenly reversed direction, executing a flawless catch, snatching the Snitch into his hand. He gripped the small ball high above his head and shouted: “I’ve got the Snitch!”