Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 46 What is top athletic talent!

Melvin walked beside Headmaster Dumbledore and found a seat in the Gryffindor stand.

In fact, Melvin himself is not very interested in Quidditch, mainly because he thinks the rules of this sport are a bit distorted.

As a competitive ball game, there is no direct physical contact. From the perspective of wizard players, Quidditch also does not allow players to use magic, and all offensive and disruptive activities are prohibited. What's the point of this?
There are other players like Chasers, Beaters and Keepers, two teams with twelve players in total, who risk being shot down and hit each other for only 10 points. The Seeker stays outside the main battlefield and gets 150 points for catching a Golden Snitch... No wonder the best players of all time are always Seekers.

But Melvin's opinion is not important. Quidditch is the most popular sport among wizards in the wizarding world, and he is going to record the competition today.

The details of the cooperation were discussed with Ms. Rosmerta last week. The main thing is that the school still needs the principal's approval. Melvin originally thought that a week would be enough time to communicate with the principal, but Dumbledore didn't show up for a whole week. Professor McGonagall always said that he was busy and didn't say whether he was in school. Anyway, there was no one in the principal's office.

Professor McGonagall is clearly in charge of all the school affairs, so I wonder what the headmaster is busy with?
I've been looking for the principal every day for the past seven days, and he finally showed up today.

"...That's just the way it is."

Melvin finished explaining the cooperation plan, feeling a little tired. "I'll only take a portion of the revenue as a commission. The remaining Galleons will be used to improve the school's Quidditch events, such as standardizing the brooms used by the participating players. There is a serious equipment gap between the four teams in the school.

"Headmaster, look, Potter is riding a Nimbus 2000, a gift from Professor McGonagall. It's the latest model in the Nimbus series, capable of reaching speeds of miles per hour and the ability to make -degree turns anywhere in the air. This isn't fair to the other players. Previously, Slytherin players had the best brooms, which is why they've dominated the championship for the past five years. In contrast, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw players still use the Four-Star Sweep, a broom that's been passed down from their teams for years."

"In the long run, having adult wizards outside the school watch the games will help to raise awareness of the school team players, which may be helpful if any players want to continue their Quidditch career after graduation.

"It can also expand the influence of Hogwarts...

"And... and... including..."

Melvin spent ten minutes explaining the plan in an organized and logical manner, though his mouth was a little dry. He looked at Dumbledore, who hadn't been there for a week, and asked, "What do you think?"

"Well……"

Dumbledore pushed his glasses up. He had changed into a new pair specifically for watching today's game. "Actually, I agreed as soon as you said your first sentence. As I said before, I'm happy to see you bring new vitality to Hogwarts."

Melvin looked at the gentle smile on the principal's face and always felt that it was a bit of a bad taste, but he also achieved his goal, so let it be a bad taste.

"Principal, what have you been doing this week?"

"I'm going to Kent to visit some ghost friends and ask them about what happens after death." Dumbledore answered casually, his tone light and casual, as if he was just going out to visit friends.

"Doesn't Hogwarts have ghosts?"

"I've already spoken to them, but didn't get an answer, so I went to Kent."

"The Kentish Ghost has the answer?"

"nor."

Melvin was certain he could hear a hint of sadness in the Headmaster's voice. He wanted to comfort him but didn't know how, so he simply diverted attention: "Headmaster, have you made any progress in your research on the Ravenclaw Diadem?"

"Not yet."

"..."

Melvin raised his eyebrows and wanted to ask again.

Dumbledore had already turned his head to look at the center of the field: "Look, the game has begun!"

"Hello everyone! Welcome to this season's Quidditch match at Hogwarts! Today's match is Slytherin versus Gryffindor..."

Lee Jordan's commentary filled the stadium, and after introducing the players, the game quickly began. Each team had seven players: a goalie guarding the scoring circle, seekers roaming the perimeter, two batters chasing away stray balls and attacking opposing players, and three chasers sending the Quaffle into the opposing scoring circle.

The two teams had completely different styles. Slytherin's team was composed almost entirely of burly boys, while Gryffindor's team consisted of both men and women, who were mostly of normal to thin build.

They are all underage students. Players of this age are limited by their physical development and their speed and strength are not as good as those of professional players. The Slytherin players' shots are swift and fierce, and the Gryffindor players' parries are quick, but the audience can see their movements clearly. There is no sophisticated strategy in the chase, and even ordinary audiences can understand the roundabout tactics.

There is no time limit for the game, and the winner is determined by catching the Golden Snitch.

The score of this game was not too far apart, and Slytherin was always ahead by thirty points.

The battle can be described as tense, exciting and thrilling.

About ten minutes into the game, Slytherin's Flint started attacking players directly, going for the head and chest. It wasn't considered a foul, and Madam Hooch only gave him a verbal warning.

There are more than 700 violations in Quidditch games, but none of them can result in a player being sent off with a red card. The most they can do is award a free kick.

Melvin had always believed that the reason this rule hadn't escalated into a magical clash between the two sides was because Quidditch players hadn't opened their minds. They could just whip out their wands and launch a surprise attack, incapacitating the opposing players. It didn't matter how many free kicks were awarded, because they were guaranteed to win in the end.

Later he figured it out. This was a game balance. As long as no one took out their wand, Quidditch was just a ball game. If someone broke the balance, Quidditch would become a dueling sport.

"Flint deliberately bumped into Harry, foul!"

Lee Jordan's roar echoed throughout the stadium.

Gryffindor was awarded another free kick. The audience was watching the result of the penalty kick. Only a few people noticed that there was something wrong with Harry's broom. It was just shaking at first, and then it turned into a violent rolling and shaking.

Melvin looked around and quickly found the familiar little witch under a bed sheet transformed into a cheering banner. He watched her carefully walk through the crowd, quietly come to the Slytherin stand, and merge into the crowd who were concentrating on watching the game, and then -

Set Snape's robes on fire.

"Ah……"

Melvin couldn't help but smile.

Dumbledore turned around with a similar smile on his face, "Anything interesting?"

Melvin nodded slightly and turned his gaze to the center of the court. The Nimbus 2000 was still twitching and shaking. Harry had been thrown off, one hand tightly grasping the long handle, and was teetering on the edge of the ground.
"Headmaster, I think you should keep an eye on Potter at this time."

“The young eagle must feel the sensation of falling before it can spread its wings and fly.”

As he finished speaking, the fire in the Slytherin stands had grown bigger, causing a cry of surprise.

The broom that had been twitching in the air had stabilized. Potter was still full of energy after hanging on one arm for a long time. He pulled himself back to the broom with one hand, sat on it again, and then dived down to grab the Golden Snitch.

"The game is over, Gryffindor wins 170 to 60!"

"..."

Melvin looked at Porter's thin body and was silent.

What a powerful physical talent this is.

(End of this chapter)