Opening the box and letting the Bludgers and the Golden Snitch fly away, Madam Hooch addressed the players from both teams solemnly, "Listen up, I hope everyone can participate in the match fairly and honestly. Now, mount your brooms and listen for my whistle."
After both sets of players mounted their brooms and got ready, Madam Hooch blew her silver whistle forcefully.
Fifteen young wizards kicked off from the ground and soared into the air, beginning the intense match.
"The Bludger has been snatched by Angelina from Gryffindor! Well done! Oh, look at her graceful posture as she flies, she's truly a charming girl!"
"Jordan!"
"Sorry, Professor McGonagall."
"Oh, it's Slytherin's brute Flint, what does he want to do!? Oh no! He's going after the charming Angelina! Quick, someone, anyone, stop him!"
"Jordan!!!"
...
The match proceeded fiercely, with the Slytherin players committing various fouls right from the start. Soon enough, a Gryffindor player was seen bleeding.
Madam Hooch stomped angrily below, blowing her whistle vigorously, issuing warnings to the Slytherin players. However, in Quidditch matches, there were no red cards to send players off, so they continued unchecked, adding a hint of bloodiness to the already volatile match.
And this was precisely what Bell found most interesting about Quidditch matches. In a Quidditch World Cup match in 1473, there were reportedly 700 fouls committed. Yes, you read that right, in just one match! 700 fouls! To this day, no one has managed to create the 701st foul, which goes to show the talent of the players in that match!
If that person had become a dark wizard, there probably wouldn't have been the later incidents with Grindelwald or Voldemort.
"This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! How could they do this!"
Hermione was equally furious, stomping her feet, abandoning her carefully crafted banner, too angry to wave it. At this moment, the young witch wished she could pull out her wand and cast some curses on the Slytherin players.
Unlike the enraged Hermione, Bell played the role of a qualified spectator, eating and drinking while watching, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Although the young wizards' skills were far from those of professional players, it was precisely because of this that the match lacked the refinement of professional Quidditch and had more of a free-for-all feel. And that was precisely what Bell liked most about Quidditch.
"Oh no! Bell, stop eating! You need to think of a way to help!."
Hermione snatched the kebab from Bell's hand, glaring at him with a puffed-up face.
"Um... there's not much I can do about it. The rules are the rules, what can I do?"
Bell innocently shrugged; he really couldn't do anything about it.
"But they've been breaking the rules the whole time!"
"But breaking the rules doesn't get them sent off the field..."
"..."
(〃>目<)
"How can there be such unreasonable rules!!!"
Hermione was exasperated.
Watching the powerless fury of the young witch, though feeling sorry inwardly, Bell found it quite amusing! Ahem, watching the match, watching the match. Bell shifted his gaze back to the field.
"Oh, what a beautiful right hook... kick him! Why don't you kick him! Kick him now... Yes, that's it, well done!"
Although he was a wizard, Bell's penchant for close combat was undeniable. After all, nowadays, if you couldn't handle yourself in a brawl, you couldn't be considered a qualified wizard.
Apart from the match itself, what Bell found most amusing was Lee Jordan's commentary. This just goes to show that sometimes you can't help but envy innate talents. Lee Jordan's spirited voice had a hint of rap to it, giving the impression of listening to a rap performance. Combined with his unabashed favoritism towards Gryffindor, his constant belittling of Slytherin players, and his blatant reminders to Gryffindor players, which often led to Professor McGonagall reprimanding him, it was as if you were listening to a comedy show, which was extremely entertaining.
And what was even more amusing was that, despite Professor McGonagall always seeming on the verge of kicking Lee Jordan out, as the head of Gryffindor and a fervent Quidditch fan, she was probably secretly enjoying herself.
Just look at Professor Snape's face turning green on the stage, but he couldn't do anything about it. After all, Professor McGonagall was the Deputy Headmistress, while he was just the head of Slytherin House. In the world of bureaucracy, the higher-up always wins.
Just as Bell was enjoying his cola and humming a tune, fully engrossed in the match, Hermione suddenly grabbed his arm and shook it violently.
"Bell, look at Harry, what's happening to him!? Is his broomstick out of control?" Hermione pointed at the sky, her voice full of urgency.
After wiping off the spilled cola from his robe, Bell raised his head and scanned the sky. Soon, he spotted Harry's figure. Harry's broomstick was shaking violently, like an untamed wild horse, trying to throw off the villain who dared to ride it. Although Harry was holding onto the broomstick with all his might, it looked like he wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.
More and more people noticed Harry's plight, and there were constant exclamations. Some Gryffindor wizards even planned to rush into the field directly, ready to catch Harry as he fell.
Listening to the shouts of these young wizards, Bell felt somewhat speechless.
"So, your wands aren't just for eating, are they? And it's one thing for the younger students, but what are those older ones doing joining in the excitement? Is the teaching quality at Hogwarts really so poor?"
Bell knew that Professor Quirrell was casting a curse on Harry's broomstick. Who knows what he was thinking? Did he really believe Harry could be thrown to his death? Did he think the professors sitting in the stands were invisible? Did Voldemort bring his own aura of stupidity, disrupting Quirrell's intellect? Or was Voldemort's mind impaired, giving Quirrell such a stupid command, leaving him no choice but to comply?
But none of that mattered. What mattered was... Hermione was about to shake Bell's arm off!
Saving Harry was simple, just cast a curse at Quirrell. But Bell didn't want to do that. If he showed that he had realized Quirrell's problem, it would undoubtedly attract Dumbledore's attention. In that case, Bell might end up being roped into Dumbledore's plans.
Although he didn't agree with Dumbledore's methods, he was willing to give Dumbledore a big 'thumbs up' for his magical prowess and plotting skills.
So, to save his arm, Bell had to be a bit more resourceful.
"Alright, Hermione, stop shaking. If you keep shaking like this, I won't be able to cast a spell to help Harry."