As the sun gradually sank, it cast a dim glow through the swirling clouds, creating columns of golden light that pierced through the gaps and fell upon the distant range of mountains. Amidst this grandeur, a sense of an elderly twilight pervaded.
The weather remained chilly, with the cold wind howling over the Quidditch pitch, and faint sounds seemed to emanate from the Forbidden Forest in the distance.
Maca and Charlotte arrived at the pitch together. Maca noticed that the grass of the Quidditch pitch had obviously been enchanted, remaining lush green even in the cold winter.
"You're here? Move around a bit, the test is about to start," Darren greeted Maca with a welcoming smile as he saw him approaching.
While Maca stretched his limbs and kicked his legs to warm up, Darren introduced the official players of the Hufflepuff team to him one by one. It turned out that an old team member was about to graduate. Upon learning of Maca's talents, this team member retired early to focus on post-graduation work.
Maca exchanged greetings with the team members, and then he noticed another fourth-year student who would participate in the impromptu selection alongside him. Whether Maca had gained recognition through the retired team member's recommendation or if the fourth-year student had gained recognition through Maca's reputation, or perhaps both, remained unknown!
"Alright, let's get started!" Darren smiled and then put on a more serious expression as he began to explain the details of the test.
The goal of this impromptu test was to find a suitable Chaser.
In a Quidditch team, there were three Chasers in total, responsible for passing the "Quaffle" to each other and attempting to score by throwing it through the opposing team's three goal hoops. Each successful goal scored ten points for the team.
Chasers needed to have excellent teamwork and the ability to dodge the "Bludgers" sent their way by the opposing Beaters—this clearly required a high level of flying skill.
Before catching the Golden Snitch, their primary focus was to score as many goals as possible by throwing the Quaffle through the goal hoops.
The retired team member had played this position.
Therefore, this impromptu test followed the customary three-stage selection process.
In the first stage, candidates needed to work together with the two active Chasers to demonstrate their ability to receive and pass the Quaffle. This test assessed their reaction time and passing accuracy.
The Quaffle was the only one among the three balls that didn't move on its own. It was entirely under the control of the Chasers.
Sitting on his broom, Maca watched the fourth-year student nearby struggling to perform various flying maneuvers and suddenly thought—perhaps he could really do this.
"Not bad, but your reaction is a bit slow. Always be aware of your surroundings!" As the fourth-year student flew toward Maca, Charlotte, who was beside him, smiled and advised.
She was a Chaser on the Hufflepuff team and was rumored to be quite skilled.
"Go for it, my junior! I think it's you!" Charlotte patted Maca's back with force, almost knocking him off the broom.
"Hey! I say, senior—" "Enough talking, go!"
Maca felt like he was a special Quaffle in Charlotte's Quidditch game, thrown forward to play on the field no matter what.
"Let's begin!" Fifth-year Chaser Kristen declared and passed the Quaffle to Maca.
Maca immediately accelerated forward, catching the Quaffle exactly where it arrived. On the sideline, Captain Darren kept shouting, "Move, move!" urging him to fly irregularly.
"Pass it to me!" Another Chaser, Charles, yelled. He had already flown behind Maca.
Maca, who was executing a slight downward swoop, without looking back, tossed the Quaffle from his shoulder towards the back. He had predicted Charles' exact position.
"Oh! A beautiful reverse pass!" Darren exclaimed excitedly.
It had to be admitted that Maca's observation skills were remarkably strong. He could precisely locate the positions of the other two players while also closely tracking the Quaffle's every move.
"To me!" Kristen zoomed past beneath Maca at high speed. They were barely a foot apart at the closest point.
However, Maca still firmly seized the opportunity. At the moment Kristen swooped by, he handed the Quaffle over to her.
On the sidelines, the reserve players couldn't help but cheer, and the two veteran Chasers inside the field exchanged an excited glance.
The quick exchange of technical moves just now wasn't something Charles had intended to do, but Maca managed it!
The two veteran team members exchanged a look, planning to coordinate and perform a maneuver they hadn't even intended to test.
They quickly converged on their brooms and, with just a "keep up" gesture to Maca, they flew shoulder to shoulder ahead.
"Twenty feet apart, move in an alternating pattern, rapid passing!" Charles instructed.
Maca immediately understood that this was a mid-level technique from "Quidditch Classic Maneuvers Selection" – the Trident Attack Formation.
He swiftly reached the left position and began weaving spirals with the other two players. As they sped forward, the Golden Snitch was passed back and forth among them at an astonishing rate, leaving the other teammates on the sidelines holding their breath.
It wasn't until each of them spread out with a crouch and clutched the Snitch, soaring in three arcs towards their respective goal hoops, that they gradually came to a halt.
Charles smiled awkwardly at Maca. He failed to catch the Snitch during the fast-paced passing—fumbled it.
"Charles! It's because of your constant mishaps that we're always hesitant to use higher-level techniques in actual matches! Let's see how you handle Maca today. Remember, he's just a first-year newcomer!" Kristen was amused, pointing teasingly at Charles with her slender fingers.
Maca looked at this spirited short-haired girl and recalled the feeling of their coordinated moves earlier. He intuitively felt invigorated.
"Oh dear—I know! You better practice harder next time and set a good example for Maca." Charles scratched his head and chuckled along.
It seemed that Maca had already been unofficially selected by the two active Chasers in the first stage.
"Captain, I think this will do! He's the one, almost certainly!" Kristen exclaimed loudly to Captain Darren.
Seeing Darren nod as well and glancing at the somewhat disheartened other candidate, Maca felt that accepting this situation wouldn't align with the image he had been striving to build.
After pondering for a moment, he turned to Darren and said, "I think it's better to complete the test. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to the senior candidate participating alongside me."
Darren looked over at the fourth-year student beside Charlotte and also nodded.
"Yes, you're right," Darren said, "let's proceed with the second stage, shooting into the hoops."
Of course, this wasn't as simple as merely throwing the Quaffle at the goal hoops; the goalkeeper was no pushover!
And the Hufflepuff team's goalkeeper happened to be their captain—Darren Criss.
"Hey, little junior! Our Captain Darren's goalkeeping skills are average, so go easy on him. Don't dent his pride!" Charlotte draped her arm around Maca's shoulder, speaking with a playful smile, with no intention of keeping her voice down.
"I heard everything!" Darren, at the goal not far away, turned around and purposely widened his eyes, glaring fiercely over here!
The fourth-year student's test quickly concluded, with ten shots resulting in three goals—a decent performance for a candidate. Of course, this also highlighted Darren's average goalkeeping abilities.
Now it was Maca's turn. Holding the Golden Snitch, he hesitated as he looked at Darren.
"Don't worry! The stronger you are, the happier I am. After all, you're one of our Hufflepuff now!" Darren reassured Maca with a smile.
Maca nodded in response, dispelling his doubts and charging toward the right goal hoop.
Darren immediately reacted, shifting slightly to the right, trying to predict whether Maca was preparing to shoot or just trying to maneuver around him.
He had observed Maca's flight earlier, and the smooth and swift little arcs he had executed proved Maca's agility without a doubt.
Closing in, even closer, Maca indeed began to ascend and rotate.
Darren moved towards the central hoop, assuming that Maca's ascent might lead to a shot. Yet, to his surprise, Maca only ascended without any lateral movement.
It was a feint! Maca used a small-scale rotation to deceive the goalkeeper, giving the appearance of preparing to return to the central hoop, but instead he used the rotational force to shoot into the right hoop.
The Golden Snitch was flawlessly sent into the now-open goal hoop, a beautiful goal!
The ten shots in practice took no time at all. Under Darren's defense, Maca scored an impressive 90 points. If it hadn't been for Darren's fingertip grazing the last shot slightly, Maca might have achieved a perfect score.
"Brilliant, well done!" With a slightly bitter expression, Darren waved to Maca to come back to the sidelines, saying as he flew, "In this year's Quidditch Cup, you'll be our Hufflepuff team's secret weapon! No, a super-secret weapon!"
"I've never seen a newcomer with such incredible talent before! Just like those rookie prodigies in professional selections!"
"Senior Darren, please don't say that. Quidditch is a team sport, not something one person can dominate the entire game. Maca's laughingly responded.
And indeed, it was true. For instance, in the World Cup, there were always elite players who were extraordinarily powerful. But so what? In the Quidditch matches played with a total point system, winning more matches wouldn't guarantee the championship. Individual heroism was always a joke.
Even the 150-point Golden Snitch would pale in comparison to the fundamental score gained through high-level teamwork. Not to mention the individual skills of Chasers – teamwork and synergy were the keys to success.
"Now, we're moving on to the final stage. The task is simple – try to evade the Bludgers launched at you by the Beaters!"