https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-463-These-Tickets-Are-Definitely-Worth-It/12538773/
Chapter 462: Veela and Gold Coins
Chapter 462: Veela and Gold Coins
As Ludo Bagman's voice echoed throughout the stands, the audience erupted into loud cheers and applause, with thousands of flags waving simultaneously, creating a lively atmosphere.
Kyle paid little attention to Ludo Bagman's generic opening remarks and glanced once more in the direction of his house-elf, Flash.
The box was now filled to capacity, except for the seat next to her, which remained conspicuously empty... It was indeed unoccupied, as he had verified earlier.
Could it be that Flash had reserved this seat for Bartemius Crouch?
But if so, where was he now that the game had started?
It was out of character for Bartemius Crouch to occupy a seat and then not show up... or to even consider reserving a seat in the first place.
"Oh!"
A deafening cheer arose from the right side of the stands, and everyone craned their necks to look up towards the sky above the stands.
Kyle withdrew his gaze.
"Allow me to introduce... the mascot of the Bulgarian National Team!"
As Ludo's voice rang out, Mr. Weasley curiously leaned forward in his seat. "I wonder what they've brought... Ah... Veela!"
"What's a Veela...?"
Before Harry could finish his question, a hundred Veela glided onto the field.
And when Harry saw them, he was left speechless.
They were breathtakingly beautiful, their skin glowing with a soft luminescence like moonlight, their long hair billowing behind them even without a breeze... Harry's gaze became increasingly entranced.
He had originally intended to restrain himself and maintain a mature demeanor in front of Autumn, but that intention fled his mind in that moment.
Especially when the music started and the Veela began to dance, his brain turned blank.
As the Veela's dance intensified, Harry suddenly stood up amidst the captivated crowd, one leg perched on the wall of the box, as if he intended to jump down.
Hermione finally snapped out of her daze.
"Harry, what are you doing?!" she shouted.
At that moment, the music stopped.
The laughter of the girls behind him brought Harry back to his senses, and he looked at his leg, which was still poised to step over the wall, finally realizing what he had been about to do.
That laughter was like a Stunning Spell, striking him over and over, filling him with an unprecedented sense of shame. His face turned red in an instant, and he wished he could truly jump out of there.
Hermione made a loud smacking sound but refrained from saying anything mocking.
Because everyone around them was acting similarly.
Ron, next to him, stood on his seat, arms outstretched as if about to dive... Fred and George embraced each other as if performing some sort of duo dance.
Cedric was slightly better, but he still struck a rather artificial pose... as if showcasing his muscles.
Autumn scoffed and turned her head away from him.
Cedric's face was as white as the wall next to him, devoid of any blood.
As for Kyle, he, too, stared at the Veela with gleaming eyes.
Hermione made another smacking sound, feeling incredibly disappointed... She had thought Kyle would be different, like Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie, who were completely unaffected.
Only Connor glanced at Kyle suspiciously. If she remembered correctly, the look in Kyle's eyes at this moment was identical to the one he had when he first saw the baby Norwegian Ridgeback, Norbert.
He had looked the same when they went to the Forbidden Forest to see the doe patronuses.
As the music stopped and the Veela left, the stadium was filled with angry roars from the audience. Mr. Weasley pulled Harry back into his seat, and he tried to make himself as small as possible, minimizing his presence.
He ignored the mocking laughter coming from behind him, but he did notice that Autumn wore an expression of disappointment.
"The match is about to start," Mr. Weasley said, patting them on the back. "This is much better than the Veela."
"Hmph," Ron muttered, still staring at the Veela as they lined up on one side of the pitch.
"And now!" Ludo Bagman's voice boomed like a bell. "Please raise your wands in the air... to welcome the mascot of the Irish National Team!"
Then, with a whoosh, something that looked like a comet flew into the stadium. It circled inside, suddenly broke apart, and formed a huge, dazzling three-leaf clover that soared high into the sky.
The crowd exclaimed in wonder.
Something was tinkling down from above, like golden raindrops...
"Amazing!" Ron immediately forgot about the Veela and excitedly took off his hat to catch the falling gold coins.
Kyle looked up at the "three-leaf clover," which was composed of countless small people with red vests and small beards, each holding a golden or green lantern.
They were Irish leprechauns, about the same size as Cornish pixies but much smarter, and unique to Ireland.
It was a good thing they were here...
Kyle watched the falling gold coins. If it had been another mascot, they might not have been able to upstage the Veela.
In the stadium, people were no longer shouting for the Veela to return. They cheered and scrambled to grab the coins, even ducking under their seats to find them.
"Is this for real?" Connor asked in surprise as she caught one of the falling coins.
"Of course not. The Irish team isn't stupid," Kyle said with a smile. "These are leprechaun coins; they'll disappear in a few hours."
"So they're useless?" Connor asked.
"Not exactly. The visual effect is fantastic... You won't see a rain of gold coins anywhere else," Kyle said.
He waved his wand, collecting all the nearby coins to give to Sniffles as a toy later.
A few minutes later, the giant three-leaf clover disappeared, and the leprechauns sat down cross-legged opposite the Veela, ready to watch the game.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen... please give a warm welcome to the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team. I present to you... Dimitrov!"
A figure in red flew into the pitch from the entrance. He was flying too fast, so Harry slowed down his panoramic telescope threefold to get a clear look at him.
"Ivanova..."
A second red figure flew out, followed by a third...
Bagman loudly shouted out the name of each player, and the stands erupted in applause.
"And finally, the last one to enter is... Krum!"
The stands erupted like an explosion, with deafening cheers that made one's ears buzz. Even many supporters of the Irish team were screaming.
Kyle also looked over.
Viktor Krum was dark and skinny, with a large hawk-like nose and thick black eyebrows that made him look like an eagle.
And he always had a sullen look on his face, which made him seem like he was in his thirties instead of a student who hadn't graduated yet.
Next were the members of the Irish National Quidditch Team, who also received enthusiastic applause. Seeker Moran's welcome was only slightly less enthusiastic than Krum's.
The two teams rode their brooms in the air, eyeing each other warily.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
