Chapter 150 It's Not Easy to Be a Middleman
"Why?" Wood said in a deep voice, "Give me a reason."
"First, Slytherin needs to train a new Seeker.
Draco is my friend, so there's no reason for me not to support him. Secondly..." Aaron pointed to the authorization note in Marcus's hand, "The special order has already been issued. If we give up the field, where will Professor Snape's face be?"
As his voice fell, the previously dejected Slytherin team immediately regained their fighting spirit and confronted the Gryffindor team once again.
Now they weren't just fighting over the field, but the reputation of both houses.
Hermione tugged at Aaron's sleeve and gave him a reproachful look: I asked you to come and mediate, but it seems you're afraid they won't fight, aren't you?
Aaron shrugged. This was why he didn't want to come; being a middleman was generally very difficult.
"I was naive enough to think that Slytherin would be reasonable." Wood shook his head speechlessly. After calming down, he looked at Ron, "Go find Professor McGonagall."
"Draco," Marcus said, unwilling to be outdone, "Training can wait. Go find Professor Snape."
"We're in the right this time," Wood said. "Are you calling Professor Snape over to make him lose face?"
"Gryffindor booked the field?" Marcus feigned a bewildered expression. "I'm sorry, I've been under a lot of study pressure recently, I might have forgotten."
"How thick-skinned!" George said disdainfully.
Fred nodded in agreement, "Slytherin is always like this."
Draco and Ron looked at each other, standing still without moving.
They weren't fools; they knew that calling a Professor over would escalate things.
Two people who usually had a very poor relationship unexpectedly reached a tacit understanding at this moment: if the enemy doesn't move, I don't move. As long as you stay put, I won't bother the Dean of the house.
"Everyone, instead of being at loggerheads here, why don't we sit down and talk peacefully?" Aaron suggested, "We can solve the problem in a gentle way."
"Alright!" Wood smiled playfully, "You leave here and train your Seeker at another time."
"I have a special order, and it concerns Professor Snape's reputation, so Slytherin will not yield."
"We Gryffindor won't yield either," Harry said, and the other Gryffindor players also looked indignant.
Wood had woken them up before dawn, and then they had groggily listened to him explain tactics for several hours.
If they didn't get the field today, something similar might happen again, and no one could stand that!
Compared to Gryffindor, Slytherin's patience was slightly worse, and several players had already taken out their wands at Marcus's hint.
Suddenly, a sharp white light flashed between the two teams, leaving a shallow scratch on the lawn.
"Can you listen to me first?" Aaron raised the black wand in his hand. "I was called here to mediate. If you keep this up, she'll be unhappy, so give me some face."
Marcus and Wood exchanged glances, then each pressed their hands down, calming their players' emotions.
Aaron looked at the Slytherin team, "Please, some of you stop your petty actions first. If a fight really breaks out, it will be hard to control."
Drian and Miles hesitated for a moment, then released their grip on their wands.
"You..." Hermione and Ron looked at them in astonishment, "That's too much."
"Don't be so quick to judge," Aaron stopped the two of them, looking meaningfully at George and Fred, "Please calm down as well."
The Weasley brothers looked at each other and took their hands out of their pockets.
Hermione and Ron were speechless for a moment. They could have originally, as bystanders, accused Slytherin of being dishonorable and trying to ambush them, but now they truly had no right to.
"As expected of the Weasleys!" Draco said contemptuously.
Aaron rolled his eyes at him and walked to the middle of the two teams. "I think we should still respect Professor Snape, but today's matter is indeed a bit unkind of Slytherin.
Therefore, I suggest that the two teams exchange the right to use the field once.
Today, the field goes to Slytherin first, and next time, Gryffindor can use Slytherin's training time."
Wood, hearing this, pondered and nodded, "If this is your sincerity, I can accept it, but my players behind me probably can't.
They were woken up by me early in the morning. Not getting enough sleep is one thing, but they didn't even have time to eat breakfast."
"Don't be ungrateful," Marcus said with a grim face. "If you're not satisfied, are we?"
Professor Snape's special order can only be exchanged for a field swap."
"Captain Marcus, may I ask you to refrain from speaking for a moment?"
Aaron could somewhat guess what the Slytherin Captain was thinking; it was nothing more than getting new equipment and wanting to show it off.
Choosing the day the Gryffindor team had booked the field, and then using Snape's special order, could greatly demoralize the opponent.
The method wasn't glorious, but it was effective.
When the Gryffindor team saw the seven Nimbus 2001s, their eyes almost popped out. After all, the best equipment their team had was only Seeker Harry's Nimbus 2000, not to mention the others.
In terms of equipment, it was a dimensional strike; it would take considerable effort to make up for it with skill.
Aaron turned to Wood, "I know it's not easy for the Gryffindor team, but their current state isn't much better, and the training effect is imaginable.
I suggest you go back and re-evaluate your training plan, because Slytherin has new equipment, hasn't it?"
Wood, hearing this, looked at Flint's Nimbus 2001 with a complex expression, hesitating for a moment.
Aaron was right, but he was still a little unwilling.
"How about this! I represent the Slytherin team and offer the Gryffindor team compensation, and we'll let the matter rest."
The Gryffindor team looked at each other, the gazes of the six players meeting, and they left the decision to their Captain.
Wood was silent for a moment, "Tell me first, what compensation can you give us?"
Aaron smiled meaningfully, reached into his pocket, and when he pulled his hand out again, he held a dark red spherical object. "I think this should be enough?"
"A quaffle?" Harry said in surprise, "But why does it look a bit different?"
"Of course it's different." Wood's eyes lit up, his words coming out excitedly and incoherently. "I saw it in a book. This is a limited collector's edition specially made by the first Quidditch manufacturer in 1975."
George swallowed, his mind working rapidly.
"If this thing were auctioned off, it might even get us a Nimbus 2001 for our Seeker.
Then if we sell Harry's Nimbus 2000 along with our old brooms, we might even be able to get a batch of new equipment."
"Sell it?" Wood glared at George unpleasantly. "Say that again?"
"Sorry, Wood." George gave an awkward smile. "This thing will definitely be kept in the exhibition room for collection."
"We are quite satisfied with this compensation." Woodquickly took the quaffle, afraid Aaron would go back on his word, and then led the Gryffindor team off the field.
"Aaron, is that quaffle very valuable?" Hermione frowned.
"Valuable?" Draco said unhappily, "Granger, you should know what 'priceless' means, shouldn't you!"
"Can't buy it even if you want to?" Ron said.
"Not too stupid," Draco scoffed. "If the Weasleys ever run out of money, maybe they can discuss selling that quaffle with the Gryffindor team. It would definitely solve their urgent needs."
"What do you mean?"
"Literally. That's the honest truth."
"Alright." Aaron rolled his eyes. "Go train if you need to!"
Marcus hesitated slightly, "Actually, you don't need to meddle. I have my own plan."
"Your plan is to expose Slytherin's trump card to the opponent in advance?" Aaron sneered. "Captain Marcus, I have to admit, as a Captain, your vision is a bit short-sighted.
If I were you, I would bring out these Nimbus 2001s a few days before the Quidditch season starts. The effect would definitely be several times stronger than it is now."
Marcus's face darkened slightly, "I..."
"No need to explain. No matter what reason you find, it won't change the facts.
Wood will intensify Gryffindor's training based on the equipment difference."
"But we have an absolute advantage," Marcus said confidently, "There's no need to hide it."
"That's true, but your vanity today might make a future crushing victory a bit harder to achieve."
"That still won't change the final outcome."
Aaron ignored him and looked at the other members of the Slytherin team, "Captain Flint is very right, and you probably think so too.
But as a former Seeker, I'd like to say two things, just two things.
The Slytherin house team can have a sense of superiority, can reduce training time, and lower training quality.
However, everyone can think about it in reverse: if you can lose a game even with seven Nimbus 2001s, then the Slytherin team will become a joke, and the loss of reputation will be even more severe."
Marcus suddenly froze, and the other Slytherin players' expressions also changed slightly.
They suddenly felt that the Nimbus 2001s in their hands were a bit hot. Although they knew the possibility of losing was very small, what if it happened?