Chapter 254: Quidditch World Cup (Part 2)
Chapter 254: Quidditch World Cup (Part 2)
Sirius Black was about to politely decline, thinking that it was enough for Harry to have a good spot, and there was no need for him to take up a prime position. However, Mr. Weasley, glancing at Hermione standing next to Liam, seemed to understand something and held back Sirius Black, smiling as he said, "Of course you can. Enjoy the match." With that, he pulled a still bewildered Sirius Black away.
They then followed the purple carpet up the stairs, with the crowd continuously splitting to the left and right stands. At the stairs leading to the top-tier box, Liam bid farewell to the Weasleys and Harry, then followed the corridor signs to the Black Family Box.
"Was that the only reason?" Liam asked Hermione, who was standing beside him, voicing his doubt.
"No, it wasn't", Hermione replied. "The Top Box has the Ministers of Magic from both countries and a bunch of celebrities. I feel it might not be appropriate for me to be there."
Well, that was very British. Traditional British people often place a high value on social hierarchy, such as the famous Royal Ascot, which is divided into the Royal Enclosure, Queen Anne, and Village Enclosures, each with a series of strict requirements for attendees' attire and behavior. Despite this, countless British people still consider it the pinnacle of social events. A girl from a middle-class background like Hermione would be heavily influenced by such an environment.
"But honestly, as one of the youngest recipients of the Order of Merlin in decades, it wouldn't be out of place for us to sit there", Liam shrugged.
"Alright! And I don't want you to spend the boring match time alone with that old man. How does that reason sound?" Hermione's face turned a bit red as she said this, stomped her foot, and walked straight ahead.
"That—of course, is a very good reason", Liam quickened his pace and reached the door of the Black family box. He then opened it gentlemanly for Hermione. "After you, my lady."
Hermione smiled and walked into the room, with Liam following. It was a small box, only about ten square meters, and while it didn't have the panoramic view of the Top Box, the vantage point from the high stands was still excellent.
Looking out from the railing, they could see that the box was right next to the golden goal posts. The room was predominantly decorated in emerald green and silver. Two green, silver-trimmed seats were placed side by side in the center of the room, with a small table in front of them. On the table was a silver tray holding a few small plates of snacks and two glasses of freshly squeezed juice.
"Is this the legacy of a Pureblood family? It's even more impressive than I imagined", Liam said, taking a sip of the chilled juice. He even noticed that the box had magical shielding, allowing a clear view of the pitch from inside, while the outside remained completely obscured. As he looked down at the wizards packed into the lower stands, Liam felt the power of the Pureblood families.
But the Weasley family was truly remarkable. The Top Box had only 20 seats, but the Weasleys had managed to secure half of them, even bringing outsiders like Liam and Hermione along. Apart from the Weasleys, the remaining seats were occupied by the Ministers of Magic from both countries, the head of the Department of Magical Sports and Games, Ludo Bagman, and Barty Crouch, who should have been Percy's direct superior. In short, the room was filled with people whose absence could spark a war in the wizarding world.
It was uncertain whether the younger Barty Crouch, who was supposed to be there today, would actually show up, given how much of the plot Liam had altered. The butterfly effect meant that Liam could no longer be sure that events would unfold as they originally did.
"Of course, if the younger Barty Crouch isn't there, it would mean that my actions haven't been in vain, and there isn't a powerful World Consciousness controlling everything", Liam thought to himself as a thunderous roar echoed through the packed stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen... welcome to the 422nd Quidditch World Cup Final!"
Liam easily recognized that today's commentary would be handled by the passionate and energetic Ludo Bagman, head of the Department of Magical Sports and Games. As the audience erupted into a roar, the board to their right, which had been displaying advertisements, showed one last ad for Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans (which was likely the most expensive ad slot) before displaying the current score:
Bulgaria: 0, Ireland: 0
Ludo's voice continued to echo across the grounds, "Without further ado, let me introduce... the Bulgaria national team's mascot!" Below Liam's box, a neat array of bright red supporters burst into loud cheers.
Mascot? Liam's first thought was of the cute panda from the Asian Games, but he quickly recalled the scene from the book and composed himself. This wasn't the place to admire the Bulgaria team's mascot in detail.
Just thinking about the term "Veela" gives you a pretty good idea of what these magical creatures are like. However, Liam believed they should be considered a sub-human race. They mostly look very human, and more importantly, they can interbreed with humans. Fleur was a prime example. This suggested that some Pureblood families' earliest bloodline powers might have come from marriages with these magical creatures. According to the information he had, half-Veela were often beautiful, had a hearty appetite, were quite powerful, and possessed a natural spell-like ability, such as a form of charm.
As the Veela took the field, Liam indeed felt a strange magical allure. However, with his mental defenses fully activated, the charm had no effect on him. Even without the magic, Liam had to admit that the Veela were uniformly beautiful, incredibly beautiful.
The green section of the stands opposite their box was already in chaos, with many supporters tearing off the green flowers pinned to their chests and the green hats on their heads. In contrast, Liam's calm demeanor stood out.
"Do you find the Veela beautiful?" a voice beside him asked as he watched them dance in mid-air with interest.
"It's just a powerful magical effect. To me, an interesting soul is far more attractive than a pretty face. But since this legendary dance is something most people might only see once in a lifetime, it would be a shame to miss it", Liam replied naturally.
A freshly refilled glass of iced juice was then handed to him.
A total of a hundred Veela, the Bulgarians must have hoped to attract enough supporters with this display. They seemed to have succeeded: many fans of the Irish team had torn off their hats and decorations, and expressed clear dissatisfaction when the Veela left the field.
The Irish team quickly turned the tide, first by flying a large gold and green comet into the grounds, which then split into two smaller Nimbuses, forming a massive green shamrock in the air.
As the shamrock floated above the grounds, countless gold coins rained down, as if the grounds were experiencing a shower of gold. The coins were so numerous and dense that it looked like a golden rain.
One team used charm, the other used wealth. These two Ministries of Magic were indeed quite vulgar. But it was clear that everyone loved it. Liam saw that most people were scrambling to pick up the gold coins, even forgetting their dissatisfaction with the Veela's departure.
Liam picked up a few gold coins that had fallen into their box. Hermione teased from behind, "Do you not know that these are goblin gold?"
"Of course, I do. I'm just curious why they disappear after an hour", Liam said as he sat back in his seat and began examining the gold coins.
(End of Chapter)
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