Brutal Tactics
The Quidditch match Gryffindor vs. Slytherin was brutal. After the initial success of the Gryffindor chasers, the Slytherin team acted with more brutality than before. Angelina Johnson was sent tumbling down behind a banner after being smashed into the side by Slytherin captain Flint. Oliver Wood, who had kept his team in the lead with his saves despite the cheating of Slytherin, was hit in the stomach by a bludger when Madam Hooch was dressing down Flint. While both actions against Johnson and Wood resulted in penalty shots for Gryffindor, after two key players were weakened, Slytherin's chaser trio had much more leeway in their attacks. The only saving grace for Gryffindor were the Weasley twins who had taken personal offence to the way Slytherin had attacked their team-mates and shot dangerous bludger attacks at the attacking chasers and made sure the Slytherin seeker didn't have a reprieve to find the snitch.
In the end, when Slytherin was already leading in the game with 120 to 70, Terrence Higgs, the Slytherin seeker finally got the snitch and the match ended 270 to 70 for Slytherin, much to the chagrin of the Gryffindors.
"You have seen how Slytherin plays. They use every dirty trick in the book to get their way." Daniel told the assembled Ravenclaw team, who had got orders to be present to study their opponents.
"If they notice that they can't get their way they commit fouls. For them, taking penalty shots isn't an issue if they can weaken the most dangerous players on the opponent team. The only reason Gryffindor didn't lose worse are that Wood is a hard nut to crack and the Weasley twins can be vicious as you have seen. The only position Gryffindor is weak at if they play against Hufflepuff or us, is the seeker. Their new seeker is inexperienced and doesn't have a good eye for the snitch. In fact Gryffindor didn't have a good seeker since Charlie Weasley left two years ago. The best way to beat Gryffindor is fast play. If the twins don't get a chance to hit you with a bludger, they can't disturb our moves.
"Slytherin will be less vicious against us than against Gryffindor, that's a long standing rivalry there that gets moods heated up every time they face each other. They will still play brutally though. We will work on strategies for them once the games come up. Next week we will have to play against Hufflepuff. We will have four training units instead of the normal three, one being a strategy meeting directly before the game." Daniel announced.
"Okay, captain." The younger ones answered. Pomarel just nodded.
.....
The next week Harry was kept really busy with his training and cut his morning workouts short to do some homework. Finally it was the day of the match. The weather was dry with a few clouds in the sky, meaning light changes from sun to cloudy could happen. Well, that would mainly concern Daniel as he was the seeker. For the others it didn't matter as much.
"Okay, you all know the plan. We have trained hard, we know our moves and we are good. For a new team we are astonishingly good. Don't underestimate the Hufflepuffs, concentrate and we will win this." Daniel told them before they had to move out on the field.
"Yes!" They all shouted.
They walked out onto the field, seeing the Hufflepuffs in their yellow Quidditch robes appearing from the other side of the field. Daniel and the Hufflepuff captain, sixth year Ignatio Renner, shook hands before they kicked off and took their positions. Madam Hooch released the balls and then threw up the quaffle and took off into the air herself. Roger Davies got the ball and dodged the Hufflepuff chaser that tried to catch the ball herself. Roger sped off, passed to Quentana when confronted with the second chaser, who then flew towards the goals, Roger flanking her left, Harry slightly down to the right. She dodged a bludger that was aimed at her and shortly before she reached the hoops, passed surprisingly at Roger, who put the quaffle through the left hoop and scored the first points for Ravenclaw.
The Hufflepuff keeper got the quaffle and passed to his chaser, but Harry had been waiting for that, intercepted the ball and put it through the right hoop.
"Look at that, Potter just used the weak pass to Ericson to intercept the pass from keeper Tyler to score the second time for Ravenclaw. 20 to 0 Ravenclaw." The voice of Lee Jordan sounded through the loudspeakers.
The game went back and forth. Hufflepuff was more careful now with their passes, but Harry was simply good at stealing the quaffle. Daniel had spotted that ability of his early in the team training and built some fast counter strategies on it. Harry was to take the quaffle away from another chaser, speed up towards the goal where Quentana and Roger were already waiting in position. A well-aimed pass at one or the other without the keeper knowing whom Harry would serve, got Ravenclaw more goals in fast succession.
When the Hufflepuffs got used to that play after four goals they took through that, Ravenclaw quickly changed strategy again and Harry and Roger demonstrated perfect fast paced passes around the Hufflepuff defence. Harry also showed his spinning shots that were incalculable for Tyler. On the Ravenclaw side of the field, Pomarel showed his skill as a keeper and stopped five of the eight attempts Hufflepuff got through the Ravenclaw defence on their hoops. After forty five minutes Ravenclaw led 180 to 30. Then Barkaim shot down, followed by Diggory, the Hufflepuff seeker. Harry used the confusion of the Hufflepuff team to score once more. Barkaim just managed to grab the snitch before Diggory could close his hand around it.
"And Barkaim in a fantastic showdown against Diggory catches the snitch, winning Ravenclaw the game. Damn if any of us had the Ravenclaw team on our list of favourites for the Cup this year with having more than half of their team to replace. Ravenclaw wins with 340 to 30!" Lee shouted.
The Ravenclaws were surrounding their captain who still held the snitch in his hands and cheered for this great victory.
....
Join my P*atreon for early access to 60+ chapters ahead of the public release.
Free members also get 4+ advanced chapters for free.
Link: pa*treon.com/MysticVerse (Remove the *)