Chapter 216: None Can Compare to Your Beauty
Chapter 216: None Can Compare to Your Beauty
"Is there any estimate on how many people this stadium can hold?"
Sherlock turned to Bill, who was walking beside him, and asked.
Bill looked at the grand structure in front of them, equally amazed. He shook his head, indicating that he had no idea.
Mr. Weasley, who was leading the way, answered his question.
"Ten thousand people. The Ministry of Magic spent an entire year and five hundred employees to build this stadium. During that year, the area was covered with Muggle-Repelling Charms. Any Muggle who got close would suddenly remember something urgent and leave immediately."
Sherlock was also impressed.
A stadium of this scale was indeed rare, especially one built while avoiding Muggle detection, which undoubtedly added to the complexity.
They passed through the ticket gates with their tickets and then climbed the stairs all the way to the top. The two tickets Kingsley had given Sherlock, along with the ones the Weasley family had, were for the luxurious box seats at the top. From there, they would be seated among the high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Magic.
Once they were seated in the box, they faced a giant stadium where a massive blackboard was displaying advertisements. Clearly, the World Cup also had sponsors, a feature that aligned well with modern society. However, the majority of wizards' daily lives still reflected habits from one or even two centuries ago. This created a stark contrast within the Wizarding World.
At such a moment, Sherlock naturally didn't delve into sociological musings. The entire stadium was buzzing with excitement. Even before the match began, the fans' enthusiasm was so intense that it seemed to illuminate the night sky.
Green and red waves of supporters were clearly divided, representing the Irish and Bulgarian teams, respectively.
"Ireland to victory!!!"
A thunderous cheer erupted, and the green wave surged. Even in the box, Harry and the others couldn't help but stand up and join the chorus of victory cries.
On the other side, the red wave was equally determined. Despite this being Britain and the Irish team's home ground, the World Cup was one of the few global events in the Wizarding World, and nearly a fifth of wizards worldwide had flocked here. As a result, British wizards were now in the minority.
"Bulgaria to victory!!!"
After the cheers from both sides, small conflicts began to break out at the boundary between the green and red waves. The Aurors, who had been on high alert, quickly intervened before the situation escalated to wand duels. They swiftly subdued and removed the troublemakers.
Sherlock, watching through his Omnioculars, even spotted Kingsley among the Aurors. The usually calm and composed Kingsley was shouting orders, but this was understandable. If they hadn't intervened in time, the tensions could have escalated, potentially derailing the World Cup final.
By the time Sherlock refocused his attention, Harry and the others had already sat down. At some point, Harry had noticed a house-elf sitting behind them and mistook her for Dobby. After asking, he learned her name was Winky.
Winky, who was somewhat afraid of heights, still obediently helped her owner secure a seat. During their conversation, she also shared some news about Dobby.
It wasn't until Minister Fudge from the Ministry of Magic, accompanied by the Bulgarian Minister of Magic and Lucius, entered the box that Harry and the others learned Winky was a house-elf from the Crouch family.
Lucius visibly frowned when he saw Hermione, his face showing clear disdain. He still sneered arrogantly at Mr. Weasley, maintaining the air of a pure-blood family.
Silke, sitting next to Sherlock, gently frowned and leaned close to his ear, whispering softly.
"This man is quite unpleasant."
Sherlock made no comment.
"He used to be a Death Eater. After Voldemort's downfall, he spent a fortune to clear his name."
Hearing this, Silke's frown deepened.
No matter how you looked at it, she had a strong aversion to Death Eaters.
Sherlock noticed Silke's change in mood and habitually patted her head.
"Don't let someone like that bother you. He's just a spineless coward, swaying with the wind. The ones truly deserving of death are those now rotting in Azkaban."
His voice was calm, as if stating an inevitable fact.
Silke obediently murmured a soft "mm", but then unhappily pulled her head away from Sherlock's hand.
Sherlock shrugged, not particularly concerned.
As they were whispering, the mascots from the two teams' countries began their performances before the final match.
To everyone's surprise, Bulgaria sent out a group of veela. Their naturally beautiful appearances and innate magical allure immediately drew a chorus of gasps from the crowd of ten thousand.
Most of the male wizards were completely entranced, staring blankly ahead with obvious admiration on their faces.
In the box where Sherlock sat, the older, more composed wizards were mostly unaffected by the veela's charm. Only Ron and Lucius's son, Draco, showed the most obvious signs of being under the spell.
Harry, having already seen Fleur, had developed some resistance. Although he still stared at the veela, he wasn't completely mesmerized.
Sherlock, however, remained entirely unaffected. He glanced at the veela in the center of the field and then turned to smile at Silke.
Silke noticed his gaze and tilted her head, meeting his eyes with a puzzled look.
"None of them are as beautiful as our Amy."
Silke was momentarily taken aback, but then a faint blush crept onto her cheeks, and her lips curved into a slight smile.
It was clear she was pleased, but even so, she didn't forget to put on a serious face and correct him.
"It's Vera, as we agreed."
"Yes, yes, Vera. Look, your hat fell to the floor. Let me help you pick it up."
The dancing Shamrock Hat had somehow fallen under the chair. It was awkward to reach, so Sherlock simply used Control Magic.
As he expanded his Control Magic field, Sherlock suddenly froze and then turned sharply to look at Winky, the house-elf who claimed to have saved a seat for her master!
(End of Chapter)
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