Chapter 516: During the Match 3
The match had not yet begun, but the stadium already buzzed with anticipation. A giant streaming mirror hung above the stands, cycling through advertisements before transitioning into highlights from the Qualifying Matches and Semi-Finals. Cheers erupted from the crowd at regular intervals, as fans cheered for their favorite players.
As Harry and his friends discussed the athletes’ performances, a heated argument unfolded in the tunnel behind the top-level compartment.
“Master Barty! Master Barty, what are you doing?” A house-elf with brown eyes tugged desperately at the wizard’s robes, pleading. “Master has been searching for you everywhere! Why won’t you come back home?”
“Come back?” Little Barty Crouch spat bitterly. “To be locked away for life? Or sent back to Azkaban again?”
“Please… don’t say that, Master can’t treat you like that!” The house-elf pulled at him, voice trembling. “Come back with Shiny, Master Barty! He loves you—he’s your father!”
“I don’t want a father like him!” Little Barty snarled. “Get out of my way, Shiny!” He kicked the small sprite aside and started to stride forward—only to feel an abrupt, sudden tightness around his waist, as if a rope had wrapped itself around him.
“Shiny!” Little Barty roared, whirling around in fury.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Master Barty!” Shiny sobbed, tears streaming down its pale cheeks. “You’re a bad child, Shiny can’t let you go! Shiny must bring you back home—otherwise, Master will be in trouble!”
The house-elf trembled violently, its small frame shaking as it clung to the invisible restraint. It wept openly, its sobs echoing through the tunnel. Yet it never let go—its tiny hand remained locked around Little Barty’s waist, preventing any escape. Even Barty’s wand had been snatched from his pocket and vanished into Shiny’s grasp.
Little Barty roared like a beast, thrashing and struggling, but no matter how hard he fought, he couldn’t break free. Shiny dragged him down the stairs, step by step.
The roar of the crowd drowned out his voice entirely. No one noticed the small, writhing figure being pulled away.
“Wait—wait, Shiny!” After being dragged down two levels, Little Barty finally stopped resisting. He forced himself to calm, his voice strained with reluctant surrender. “Fine… I know. I’ll go back. Just… stop pulling!”
The final words came out as a furious shout.
Shiny turned, eyes wide with a mix of relief and doubt. “Really? You’re willing to return home, Master Barty?”
“I’ll come back,” Little Barty said, taking a deep breath. “But there’s one condition… no, one request. Let me watch the match. Please.”
Shiny bit her lip, staring at him with wide, pleading eyes. She hesitated, torn.
“You know, Shiny,” Little Barty said softly, looking down, “if I go back, my father will lock me away forever… This is the only chance. Let me see the World Cup Final.”
He swallowed hard. “You know how much I love Quidditch… If my mother were still alive, she wouldn’t let me live like this. She’d give me everything I wanted.”
Shiny faltered. After a long silence, she whispered, “Then… after the match, you’ll come home with me?”
“Alright,” Little Barty murmured. “I promise.”
“But how?” he added quickly. “I don’t have a ticket… and I can’t be seen.”
Shiny thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. “Master’s tent still has your Invisibility Cloak. And there’s a seat reserved in the top-level compartment for him…”
“But he might not have time to come,” Little Barty continued. “You can take me there instead.”
“O-Okay…” Shiny chewed her lip, her heart pounding. She told herself it was just following her little master’s command. With a deep breath, she reached into the tent and summoned the Invisibility Cloak.
Then, summoning all her courage, she led the cloaked Little Barty toward the compartment door.
As the scene outside flooded in, Shiny gasped and clapped her hands over her eyes. The moment the cloak lifted from Barty’s body, the invisible restraint vanished.
In an instant, Shiny recovered. She quickly cast the little sprite’s magic again, re-securing her grip on Barty—but this time, he didn’t struggle. Instead, he scanned the compartment with sharp, calculating eyes, then frowned deeply.
The compartment was packed. Minister of Magic Fudge sat among several officials. The Malfoy family was present—Lucius, Draco, and the rest. And among them, the Weasley family: Arthur, Molly, and their red-haired children.
Little Barty’s eyes burned with cold fury. Every person in the room, except for a few, filled him with the urge to cast a Killing Curse.
But he couldn’t. These weren’t his targets.
Lucius Malfoy suddenly felt a chill crawl up his neck. He turned—and saw the house-elf pushing open the door.
“Is it possible for that to have a ticket?” Malfoy sneered.
“I’m Shiny, sir,” the elf whispered, one hand still covering her eyes. “My master is Mr. Barty Crouch. He sent me to reserve a seat for him in the top-level compartment.”
Draco Malfoy glanced at the creature, recalling the escaped Dobby from his own home. He let out a disdainful “Hmph” and raised an eyebrow. “Why are you covering your eyes?”
“Shiny has acrophobia,” she stammered, trembling. She found an empty seat in the back and curled into it, shrinking into the shadows.
For some reason, five or six seats remained empty. Without hesitation, Little Barty slipped into the one beside her.
He glanced ahead. Two officials were whispering to each other. One casually set down his telescope beside his seat. In a flash, Little Barty reached out, slipped the telescope into the folds of his invisibility cloak, and hid it beneath the fabric.
Shiny, too afraid of heights to look around, never noticed.
Now holding the telescope, Little Barty adjusted the focus, scanning the other compartments. He’d learned from the Dementor’s Charm at the entrance that Harry Potter was in the top-level compartment—but the ticket inspector had been too careless to note their compartment number. So Little Barty had no choice but to search manually, one compartment at a time.
Suddenly, Ludo Bagman burst into the room. “Minister! Can we begin?”
“Go ahead, Ludo,” Fudge said. “Just start.”
Bagman pointed his wand at his throat and shouted, “Sonorus!”
A thunderous voice boomed across the entire stadium:
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome! Please allow me to introduce—the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team’s mascot!”
The crowd erupted in cheers. Arthur Weasley leapt to his feet, shouting, “The Bride of the Bulgarian Team!”
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
