By the time all the participants for the tryouts had arrived, the number of spectators in the stands had increased to nearly three hundred, almost rivaling the attendance of a minor Quidditch match.
Standing in the center of the pitch, Adelaide swept her gaze over the stands—not only had her friends Alice, Armandina, and Hermione arrived, but even Harry's "renowned" Gryffindor squad and Malfoy's Slytherin pure-blood inner circle were seated in their respective house stands.
The Weasley Twins naturally wouldn't miss this chance to join the fun. They had somehow managed to get a large supply of hot dogs and were hawking them along the stands; before long, they had sold most of them.
Ravenclaw's Quidditch Captain, William Smith, shouted with a slight tremor in his voice, "Students participating in the tryouts, please divide into three groups according to the positions on your application forms: Group One for Seekers, Group Two for chasers, and Group Three for Beaters."
The Ravenclaw Quidditch team was currently short of a starting Seeker, one chaser, and one Beater. Smith's goal today was to select one regular player and one reserve from each group of students.
At Smith's command, the students moved quickly; they were about to face a basic flying test.
First, they needed to make their brooms rise at a steady speed to a position ten meters above the goalposts.
Smith had the students applying for the team mount their brooms in their pre-assigned groups. He hadn't expected someone to make a mistake right from the first step—some students who came for the Quidditch tryouts actually couldn't manage a steady ascent!
Some couldn't control their broom's speed, leaving the brooms jerking up and down like they were possessed. Others, though they reached the designated height, turned pale with fright and didn't dare fly an inch further. Smith, his face grim, had to fly up himself to pull the unqualified candidates down to prevent them from getting hurt in the subsequent tests.
The second part of the basic flying test was to maintain the current altitude, fly three laps clockwise around the pitch, and then land smoothly.
Even more chaos ensued at this stage. Some reckless students blindly increased their speed, resulting in either rear-end collisions or crashing into the goalposts, turning the scene into a complete mess.
Three candidates had already been thrown off their flying broomsticks and rushed to the Hospital Wing for treatment. This scene made the atmosphere on the pitch turn somber, and a wave of boos erupted from the stands.
The performance of the first two groups was shocking, bordering on "disastrous." Only Cho Chang, Roger Davies, and a fifth-year boy flew reasonably well.
Smith kept reassuring himself that it wasn't over yet; perhaps the flying geniuses were all in Group Three.
Because of the poor performance of the first two groups, he pinned high hopes on Group Three, wishing they could salvage some dignity.
Standing in the corner, Natasha cast a fierce glare at the students who were booing. She couldn't stand her house team being mocked like this, so she turned to look expectantly at Adelaide and mouthed the words, "Give them some Ravenclaw shock!"
Adelaide noticed Natasha's mouthing and shrugged, making a gesture to reassure her.
During last year's Flying Class, Adelaide had flown up to the towers almost every time, then let go of all restraints to speed wildly until Madam Hooch rushed up to catch her.
She loved flying and enjoyed the feeling of the wind whistling past her ears; that sense of freedom and thrill intoxicated her.
Adelaide skillfully maneuvered her broom, ascending steadily into the sky and stopping firmly at the designated height. Throughout the process, her movements were as smooth as hot chocolate, fluid and natural without any hesitation.
This caused Wood's expression to change in the stands. He stared wide-eyed at Adelaide, who was leaning low over her broom, feeling a sudden sense of foreboding.
Adelaide began circling the pitch at the top speed of a Nimbus 2000. She completed the three laps in less than two minutes, even lapping several slower candidates during the final circuit.
When Adelaide landed smoothly and nonchalantly, the entire Ravenclaw House section of the stands erupted!
Professor Flitwick was even more excited, like a child; his high-pitched cheering seemed as if it would pierce the clouds.
As a Dueling Champion, Professor Flitwick was competitive by nature and had always been bothered by Ravenclaw House's weakness in Quidditch.
Now that their house had someone as talented as Gwenog Jones in Adelaide, he saw the hope of winning the championship!
"Wonderful! Wonderful!"
Professor Flitwick waved his arms excitedly. "We Ravenclaws finally have a real ace!"
Meanwhile, the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, looked grim. Gritting his teeth, he reassured the teammates beside him, "Don't worry, this is just a basic test. Adelaide won't be that strong in the upcoming position-specific tests. After all, as a girl auditioning for Beater, she's naturally at a disadvantage in terms of strength!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding teammates chimed in—but from their stiff expressions, it was clear they were wary of Adelaide.
After the basic tests ended, the tension on the pitch didn't ease at all, as the newcomers were about to face position-specific trials.
First up were the Seekers from Group One.
Captain Smith stood in the center of the pitch, holding a Golden Snitch in his hand. This was the most crucial ball in a Quidditch match; catching it would end the game and earn 150 points.
He shouted loudly, "Seekers, prepare for takeoff!"
Captain Smith watched them ascend and then gave a gentle toss; the Golden Snitch flickered a few times and vanished.
"One hour limit. Start searching for the Golden Snitch!"
The Seekers on the pitch began focusing intently on searching for the Golden Snitch. Meanwhile, Captain Smith and several current team members took flight and hovered at low altitudes around the pitch, watching every move of the Seekers to evaluate their eyesight and adaptability.
Minutes passed, and suddenly a gasp rose from the crowd as Cho Chang streaked past like lightning, her eyes locked onto a small golden speck.
Cho Chang quickly adjusted her direction and accelerated in pursuit, her broom carving a graceful arc through the air. Without much effort, she successfully caught the Golden Snitch, and thunderous applause immediately rang out from below.
Captain Smith appeared joyful; he was extremely satisfied with Cho Chang's performance.
Judging by his expression, it was already a done deal that Cho Chang would be this year's starting Seeker.
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