The next morning dawned clear and crisp.

The Great Hall was filled with the tempting aroma of grilled sausages as students and teachers alike whispered excitedly about the Quidditch Cup final. Everyone anticipated a thrilling match and chatted animatedly.

The members of the First-Year Team, however, were not scattered among their respective House tables as usual. Instead, they were huddled together at the end of the Hufflepuff table, focused on Ellena, and they appeared tense, quiet, and uneasy.

The announcement of Ellena Kaslana's position change had been made. In the eyes of most students, the final, which had previously seemed one-sided, was now evenly matched again – with the First-Year Team's sharpest offensive spear now acting as a shield, the outcome was once again a source of anticipation.

As the First-Year Team entered the Hall, students from the other three Houses applauded and cheered them on as if they were their own Quidditch representatives.

However, the Slytherin table was filled with jeers and taunts.

"Traitors! Get out!"

"If I were you, I would have withdrawn yesterday!"

"Pah! Shame of Slytherin!"

Perhaps due to the lingering fear from the Cerberus incident, most of the attacks were directed at Draco, Goyle, and Crabbe. Ellena noticed that Malfoy's face was paler than usual.

Goyle and Crabbe kept their heads down, focused on their breakfast, avoiding looking at the Slytherin table.

*Looks like they'll be needing to stay in Slytherin for a while after the match...*

Ellena glanced between Draco Malfoy and his companions, and the Slytherin table, but she chose not to respond at that moment, silently committing several faces to memory.

Just as Hufflepuffs of the past had not fully understood the meaning of "friendliness," Slytherin, having endured the Voldemort era, had long forgotten the true meaning of "honor" and "ambition."

Controlling Slytherin with violence and power would only deepen the erroneous ideology and influence Voldemort had left behind. Compared to the resilient but unassertive Hufflepuff, Slytherin had more problems – they were too easily swayed, too easily tempted by shallow gains.

Salazar Slytherin, the most stubborn of the four founders, valued honor the most, and had the purest pursuit of magic and power. If he knew that Slytherin had become so pretentious and blustering, he might rise from his coffin and personally purge the students who dishonored his crest.

However, it was too difficult and time-consuming for Ellena to change the ideology of an entire House alone, and she had no intention of becoming another Voldemort. Therefore, she needed to guide and cultivate a true Slytherin, to awaken the noble, astute, and honorable House from within.

Draco Malfoy was clearly the perfect candidate.

Over the course of their time together, some of Draco Malfoy's qualities had begun to emerge.

For instance, his strong desire for victory, his well-hidden ambition, his regard for honor and his own small group of friends, and his increasingly adept ability to read people... The Sorting Hat, imbued with the wisdom of the four founders, was unlikely to make mistakes, but it could only sort, and couldn't accompany each wizard's growth.

The people one met, the social circles one entered, and the environment one grew up in were all crucial factors in shaping a person's character and values.

From the moment Draco, Goyle, and Crabbe, along with Neville's toad, entered Ellena's compartment on the Hogwarts Express, their lives had taken a completely different path from the original story...

Sensing Ellena's gaze, Draco Malfoy looked up and said with determination, "Don't worry, Boss, we'll win this game!"

"Of course, I never doubted it."

Ellena smiled slightly, slicing a piece of the enticingly fragrant Toulouse sausage and placing it on Draco Malfoy's plate. The slightly spicy, smoky Spanish chorizo suited Slytherin tastes well.

"Today might be a long battle. As a Chaser, you need to maintain your stamina. The pressure of being behind will force the Slytherin team to adopt an all-out attack before they take a small lead. Therefore, I hope you can demonstrate the training we've done, and be the first to shoot through the Slytherin hoops. If you have any reservations..."

"Don't worry about me, Boss."

Draco Malfoy shook his head, watching Ellena place several cut fried eggs on his plate, along with some beef cubes sprinkled with black pepper, with a hint of grilled dryness. He replied firmly, "Just leave the Quaffle to me, and I'll show them how wrong it is to completely abandon defense—precisely because it's the Slytherin team, I can strive for victory more easily and without reservations."

"But... what if I can't catch the Golden Snitch in time..."

Unlike Draco Malfoy's relaxed attitude, Harry Potter, as the Seeker, was noticeably more nervous. Even after visiting his father's Quidditch trophies in the trophy room last night, he remained unconfident.

Among the members of the First-Year Team, he was the only one who had barely touched his food.

"Don't be nervous, Harry. You have excellent Quidditch blood running through your veins."

Ellena patted Harry's shoulder, forcefully shoving a piece of toast covered in strawberry jam into his hand.

"Just like your mother's talent in Potions, you've clearly inherited your father's Quidditch talent. Flying requires talent. If you're still not confident, think of Hermione—"

"Ellena!"

"Sorry, I just want to make Harry feel a little better."

"Hmph, I won't argue with you today..."

Hermione huffed, glaring at Ellena. Perhaps mindful of the upcoming game, she didn't immediately retaliate as she usually would, instead joining Ellena in comforting Harry.

"Harry, you have to eat some breakfast. Otherwise, you won't have the stamina to catch the Golden Snitch, even if you see it—you can do it! Think of your dad, who started Gryffindor's first four-year Quidditch Cup dynasty."

"But my dad was a Chaser..." Harry squeezed the piece of toast in his hand worriedly.

"Hey, don't forget, mate. In the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup records of 1973, the position listed under James Potter's name is Seeker. Your dad played Seeker when they won their first cup."

Ron Weasley leaned over, bumping Harry with his shoulder, and said excitedly, "Do you know what Percy said about our team last night? We're not a House team, we're the Hogwarts team, we're the Hogwarts Moonlight Seven. Slytherin alone can't possibly defeat the united Hogwarts First-Year Team, let alone overcome the moonlight that belongs to the sky..."

"Yeah, that's right."

Harry looked around at the friends he had made at Hogwarts this year, feeling strength welling up inside him. His body seemed lighter, and he was eager to take to the sky, an experience he had never had in the previous ten years.

After a few seconds of pause, Harry turned to Ellena and nodded vigorously.

"Don't worry, I understand! There's nothing to be afraid of! Because, I'm no longer a... Mmmphh..."

"Now that you understand, shut your mouth and eat your breakfast. Don't say unlucky things!"

Before Harry could finish, Ellena grabbed the toast in his hand and shoved it into his mouth, silencing the words that followed "the Boy Who Lived." After all, as the captain, she would be leading the charge.

…………

Around eleven o'clock, the entire school had gathered in the stands around the Quidditch pitch.

Thanks to the magic left over from the public trial, the stands had been widened significantly. The elevated stands made it easier for the students and teachers to watch the upcoming Quidditch match, and many students had specifically had binoculars sent from home.

In addition, Ludo Bagman, the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, sports reporters, and many Quidditch League Cup professional team scouts had arrived on the scene, waiting for the upcoming match. There were even members or agents from famous teams such as the Chudley Cannons (21 titles), the Ballycastle Bats (27 titles), the Holyhead Harpies (the only all-witch team), and the Puddlemere United (22 titles, radish's favorite).

According to their information, Hogwarts had produced many excellent Quidditch stars this year. A team of seven first-year students had swept the Quidditch teams of the four Hogwarts Houses.

If the Quidditch League Cup was the equivalent of the NBA in the magical world, then the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup was a small NCAA. It was easy to imagine the excitement of these Quidditch teams when they knew they were about to face a draft year.