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Chapter 464: Celebration
Chapter 464: Celebration
Fred and George's idea of having the game last for five days ultimately didn't come to fruition.
An hour into the game, Lynch of the Irish team spotted the Golden Snitch, and Krum had seen it too.
The winged, golden ball hovered about five feet above the ground.
They both dove towards it at an astonishing speed.
"They're going to crash!" Hermione screamed.
"No, he won't!" Ron said firmly, "Krum is the best Seeker out there!"
"But Lynch will be too!" Harry, Cedric, and Charlie almost shouted simultaneously.
They were right; Lynch crashed to the ground for the second time.
The Leprechauns were thrilled, cackling gleefully at the diminutive red-clad creatures.
Krum, however, steadied himself on his broom at the last moment. He skimmed low for a moment, then gracefully rose into the air, fist raised high with a glint of gold between his fingers.
"Krum caught the Snitch! The game is over!" Harry shouted.
The scoreboard flashed with the final score: 170 to 160.
"Ireland wins!" Bagman shouted, though his voice held a hint of confusion, as if the sudden end to the game had left him a little dazed.
"Krum caught the Snitch, but Ireland wins... Well, I think no one expected that outcome!"
He wasn't alone in his confusion; most of the Bulgarian supporters couldn't quite grasp what had happened either.
In their opinion, Krum had successfully stopped Lynch, so he should have refrained from going after the Snitch until his teammates reduced the point gap to within 150 points.
That's how it had been done in previous years.
Like the last time, the game had lasted five whole days because the point difference was just too large... The losing Seeker would drag it out and try their best to hinder the other team from catching the Snitch.
But Krum... Many people thought he was too hasty in ending the game when Ireland was only 160 points ahead.
"Maybe he knew they couldn't catch up." Kael said, looking at a disappointed Ron, "The Chasers' gap was too big. His judgment was correct; ending the game now was the best choice."
Losing by 10 points was regrettable but sounded better than losing by 500 or even 1,000 points.
The latter would not only be embarrassing but also damaging to the players' reputations, so ending the game now was most appropriate.
Kael turned his gaze back to the pitch.
The Leprechauns were still celebrating wildly, but beyond them, he could see the Bulgarian players gathered around Krum, shaking their heads dejectedly.
Not far away, the victorious Irish team was jumping for joy, their Leprechaun mascots once again showering the pitch with golden coins.
The Veela had returned to their original beautiful forms but looked sullen and unhappy.
"I say, we put up a brave fight." A deep voice sounded from behind Kael, belonging to the Bulgarian Minister of Magic.
"Yes, indeed..." Fudge mumbled, but then he suddenly paused.
"You... Wait, so you could understand me this whole time and made me gesture like a fool!"
"Hey, it was fun, wasn't it?" The Bulgarian Minister shrugged.
Fudge was quite annoyed, and even during the presentation of the trophy to the winning team, he didn't look very happy.
In contrast, the Bulgarian Minister beside him kept smiling as if they were the victors.
At that moment, Bagman once again brought his wand to his throat, casting "Quietus."
"I dare say this match will be talked about for years to come," he said hoarsely, "What an unexpected twist... It's a pity the game didn't last longer."
He glanced down at the pitch.
The game was over, and it was time for the spectators to leave. However, some people weren't heading towards the exits; instead, they were moving in the opposite direction, towards the top-tier boxes.
Most of them wore shamrocks and were chatting and laughing with each other.
Bagman noticed them too, and his face suddenly turned grim.
"Sorry, Arthur," he said to Mr. Weasley, interrupting their conversation, "I have something to attend to. We'll talk later."
With that, he quickly left the box and disappeared into the crowd in the blink of an eye.
"He left after the Minister presented the trophy," Mr. Weasley said. "What's up, Owor?"
"Nothing," the bushy-bearded wizard said happily. "It's just that generous Ludo is going to pay me back for the ticket I bought. Ireland won, and the game lasted less than a day... He lost fifty galleons to me!"
"Well done," Mr. Weasley said with a smile.
"Haha!" The man laughed and waved his hand. "I'm off to find Ludo. See you later."
"See you."
...
By the time Mr. Weasley and Kyle returned to the campsite, it was already quite late, but that didn't dampen the festive mood in the slightest.
Loud, raucous singing filled the night sky, and small gnomes flew back and forth overhead, waving lanterns and cackling with glee.
"Can we go now?" Kyle asked, looking at the darkening sky.
"I'm afraid not," Mr. Weasley shook his head. "No one expected the game to end so quickly. It'll take some time for the keys to be distributed."
"What about Disapparating?" Kyle asked further.
"That won't work either," Mr. Weasley said. "Most of the area here is anti-Apparition-warded, and there are Ministry personnel patrolling the surroundings. Only the open space where we arrived is unrestricted, over there..."
He pointed forward.
The long line stretched all the way to the campsite entrance, disappearing from view.
Kyle frowned.
"What's wrong?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"It's just too noisy around here," Kyle said. "I don't think I'll be able to get a good night's sleep."
"Yeah, you're right," Mr. Weasley mumbled. "I'm glad I'm not on duty, having to persuade them to stop celebrating. It would be unimaginable."
He looked at Kyle and after a moment's thought, said, "You're right, it's not a good place to sleep... I'll go find Arnold. If he agrees, we can Disapparate from outside the campsite to anywhere we want."
With that, he left the tent.
Kyle stood at the entrance, watching for a while.
On the other side of the campsite, the singing and strange banging noises continued to echo through the night, indicating that they were in for an all-night celebration of their victory.
...
Twenty minutes later, Mr. Weasley finally returned.
"What..." Kyle was about to ask, but he was pushed into the tent.
"Quick, wake everyone up!"
Mr. Weasley looked grave. "Someone attacked Arnold. When I went over, I saw him being knocked down by a hooded person in the woods."
"Who did it!" Bill, who hadn't been sleeping, immediately grabbed his wand.
"Don't know, couldn't see the face," Mr. Weasley shook his head. "I've already notified the Aurors. It's best we stay in the tent and don't go anywhere until they find the culprit. That's Skringer's advice as well."
"It must be those Bulgarian supporters," Bill said angrily. "They lost the game and want to cause trouble to vent their dissatisfaction!"
Mr. Weasley didn't say anything, but he inclined to agree with that answer.
Everyone was awakened, and they quickly dressed and packed their belongings, sitting quietly in the tent, awaiting further instructions.
The incident had heightened Mr. Weasley's sense of danger, worrying that those disgruntled fans might create more trouble. He intended to leave as soon as the Aurors found the perpetrator.
"What are those people thinking, doing this at this time," Ron yawned and complained.
He was too sleepy, his head bobbing as he sat by the small table. "Don't they fear the Aurors..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Kyle noticed a change outside.
The singing stopped, replaced by shouts and the sound of people running in panic.
"Arthur!" Someone pushed aside the tent flap, one of the two Aurors from the top box.
He spoke rapidly, "Something's wrong, there are too many of them. Be careful!"
With that, he hurried off with his wand drawn.
"Let's go!" Mr. Weasley decided, "We need to get out of here, now!"
(End of Chapter)
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