Chapter 253: Quidditch World Cup Part 1
Chapter 253: Quidditch World Cup Part 1 (Please subscribe, favorite, and recommend)
After a hasty breakfast, everyone set off in the dark. Along the way, Mr. Weasley explained the preparations for the match: with over a hundred thousand Wizards coming to Britain, the preparations had to start more than six months in advance. For example, they had to find a large enough clearing and use a lot of magic to hide it.
"The Quidditch World Cup attracts so many people", Hermione whispered in amazement. For a European, the idea of over a hundred thousand people gathering in one place was already astounding, let alone when they were all Wizards.
"Considering the Quidditch World Cup's influence among Wizards is like the combined impact of the World Cup, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and more. It's the only large-scale sporting event in the Wizarding world, so it's natural for Wizards to be so passionate about it", Liam explained quietly.
Soon, they climbed a small hill to meet the Diggory family and then used a Portkey, which looked like a broken boot, to get to the campsite near the stadium.
Upon arriving at the campsite, Liam volunteered to stay and help Mr. Weasley prepare breakfast, as he was probably the best at cooking without magic among them. After setting up the tent and starting a fire (Mr. Weasley was mostly just getting in the way), the others returned with water. Even their group had brought Sirius Black and Harry.
"Hey, Harry, how was your summer vacation?" Liam asked, flipping eggs while watching Harry approach.
"It was great. The Dursleys mostly ignored me, and my godfather taught me a lot."
"That's good. Want something to eat?" Liam asked, pointing to the sausages on the grill.
"No, we just had breakfast. I'll just have some tea. I heard you guys arrived pretty early?"
"Don't get me started. We got up at two in the morning and walked half the night on a terrible road. I'm still hungry", Liam said, slicing the perfectly cooked sausages into thin pieces and arranging them on slices of bread. He then added fried eggs, lettuce, and sauce to make sandwiches.
After a few more rounds, a stack of sandwiches piled up on the wooden plate next to Liam. At that moment, Bill, Charlie, and Percy emerged from the woods, walking briskly toward them.
"We just Apparated in, Dad", Percy announced loudly. "Ah, great, there's food!"
As everyone ate and drank, Ludo Bagman approached, and Mr. Weasley excitedly introduced him to everyone. Liam quickly remembered that this man was a notorious gambler who owed the Goblins money. Later, to pay off his debts, he even cheated by giving Harry inside information, eventually losing all his money and fleeing, leaving the Goblins to chase after him at the Ministry of Magic.
The most important lesson from this was: stay away from gambling under any circumstances.
Of course, Ludo Bagman wasn't in such a bad state yet. But really, swindling money from a family as poor as the Weasleys, who were known throughout Britain's Wizarding world for their poverty, was pretty despicable.
At that moment, Ludo had already opened the betting. Mr. Weasley placed a Galleon, while the Weasley Twins, after a brief discussion with Liam, bet a Defensive Bracelet, which Ludo valued at thirty-five Galleons.
"Whether we win or lose, giving this to Ludo Bagman will help promote our product", the Weasley Twins explained confidently when Mr. Weasley seemed a bit displeased with their large bet.
As the afternoon wore on, an excitement as tangible as a cloud spread across the campsite. The signs of magic became more evident, but the Ministry of Magic had given up on trying to manage the joyful Wizards.
Sirius Black strode confidently at the front, with Liam and the others trailing behind. Liam had originally planned to buy some souvenirs, but Sirius Black, in his generous mood, gave each of the students an Omnioculars and a full set of merchandise supporting the Irish Team (of course, Liam politely declined the forgiving-colored shamrock hat).
Naturally, most British people supported the Irish Team, as the regional divisions in the magical world differed from those in the Muggle world. The wizarding population was sparse, so many areas were grouped together, such as Ireland, which fell under the jurisdiction of the British Ministry of Magic. Similarly, magical schools couldn’t be established in every country, so their districts were much larger, which was why Viktor Krum, a Bulgarian, went to school in Northern Europe.
Just like in the Muggle world with football teams, Britain’s Quidditch team was divided into England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. This made the Quidditch World Cup more exciting, as otherwise, Britain would likely win at least seven or eight out of ten matches.
Just as Black was about to spend more money, a deep, resonant gong sound echoed from somewhere in the distance in the forest. As this decidedly unmagical sound rang out, thousands of red and green lanterns, with their extremely rustic color scheme, lit up, illuminating the path leading to the stadium.
Clearly, everything was ready, and it was time to enter.
They quickened their pace along the lantern-lit passage into the forest, and more and more people emerged from both sides. Perhaps the large crowd excited Sirius Black, who had spent over a decade in prison. Liam found himself increasingly convinced that Sirius had a lot in common with Mr. Wolfe from the Forbidden Forest.
"Could Sirius Black’s Animagus form have Husky blood?" Liam wondered curiously, but considering the generous gifts Sirius had just given him, Liam decided to bury this impolite thought deep inside.
"The Black Family Box is faithfully serving your family", the ticket inspector said, glancing at Sirius Black’s ticket, his tone becoming very friendly. "The top-tier box with the best view is waiting for you."
After their tickets were checked, Sirius Black looked somewhat dejected as they walked along the passage. Liam approached and asked, "Mr. Black, you look a bit uncomfortable."
"Yes, I made a mistake", Sirius Black admitted, seeing that it was Liam, who had helped him significantly earlier. "Harry isn’t James. He shouldn’t be sitting with me, an old man, but with his friends. I forgot that."
"You’re still young", Liam said politely. "How about I switch seats with Harry? I’m not sure if the seats can be swapped, though."
"The Top Box can swap with any seat, but from what I know, the view from the Top Box is a bit better than the Black family’s private box", Sirius Black said, somewhat embarrassed.
"It’s fine. I feel uncomfortable sitting with all those important figures in the Wizarding World. But I think we should inform Mr. Weasley first", Liam waved it off.
Mr. Weasley quickly agreed to the seat swap. However, when Hermione heard about it, she also wanted to switch with Sirius Black. Her reasons were that Sirius Black rarely got the chance to spend time with Harry, and she thought the Black family’s private box was a nice place to sit, especially since she had only a passing interest in Quidditch and believed the good seats should go to true Quidditch enthusiasts.
(End of Chapter)
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