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Chapter 522: After the Match – Celebrating
Gellert Grindelwald and the members of the Wizard Purity Party had departed. Wade stood alone in the now-empty camp, glancing around cautiously. He waited for a long while, but Dumbledore still didn’t appear.
— Was Dumbledore not even nearby?
The thought flickered in Wade’s mind—only to be instantly crushed by the sheer improbability of it. The commotion at the edge of the camp had been massive. Even if the wizards inside the stadium were completely absorbed in the match, they wouldn’t have missed it. After all, the area surrounding the stadium had been heavily protected with Silencing Charms, Shielding Charms, Repulsion Charms—everything necessary to contain the noise and prevent interference.
But for Dumbledore to have no awareness of it… that was impossible.
Unless he simply wasn’t here at all.
Yet when Sirius Black had relayed the Death Eaters’ Operation Plan to Dumbledore, the Headmaster wouldn’t have left it entirely to others. He had come.
Wade was still lost in thought when suddenly, a wave of noise erupted.
The match was over. A tidal surge of people poured out from the stadium. The lanterns scattered across the camp, which had been dim just moments ago, flared to life. In the night sky, rough, cheerful voices rang out in song. Like mushrooms sprouting after rain, the crowd seemed to rise from the ground in an instant—everywhere, packed shoulder to shoulder.
Red-Vest-wearing, mustachioed Ireland Boggarts zipped through the air above the crowd, holding golden or green lanterns, laughing joyfully as they darted among the revelers.
Wade pushed forward against the current, struggling to reach the tent. Suddenly, a hand shot out and gripped his arm. Harry’s grinning face popped into view.
“Hey, Wade! You’re here!” Harry laughed loudly. “Come on—let’s go celebrate inside the tent!”
“You missed it, man,” Michael called, blocking his ears with his fingers. “I swear, in fifty years, there won’t be a match this exciting!”
“Children! Children! It’s time to go back to bed!” Mr. Weasley was shoved to the side of the path, straining to stand on tiptoe as he tried to gather his homebound children and usher them back to their own tent.
“Alright, Dad! I’ll make sure they get to bed early—I’ll keep an eye on them,” called a tall, broad-shouldered wizard with dark brown skin, wrapping an arm around Ron and Fred as he spoke.
“You’re the last person I’d trust with that,” Mr. Weasley snapped immediately.
Another tall, red-haired man with a long ponytail stepped in and pulled Mr. Weasley aside, whispering something with a grin.
“That’s Bill,” Harry explained to Wade, who had turned to look. “Ron’s older brother.”
He pointed to the dark-skinned red-haired man. “That’s Charlie—he’s the second son of the Weasley family.”
By the time they reached the tent, Wade noticed that Bill hadn’t just sent his father home—he’d even dragged Percy, who had been reluctant to come, along with him.
The eldest Weasley son was tall and striking, dressed in a stylish Muggle-style denim jacket with metal studs, a bold fashion statement. His red hair bounced like flames as he strode forward.
Inside the tent, Wade found Hermione and Theo already there, carrying food and drinks from the kitchen. Kreacher was busy roasting meat, so busy that he looked like he was about to sprout eight arms.
“Tonight’s yours, kids,” Sirius Black said, pulling on his coat as he prepared to leave. “Do whatever you want. Celebrate all night. If you need anything, just ask Kreacher.”
“Can we stay up all night? I don’t want to sleep!” Harry shouted.
Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Of course.”
“Yesss!” The tent erupted in cheers—Hermione even smiled, despite not being a huge Quidditch fan.
Sirius gave a quick laugh and disappeared.
With no parents around, the young wizards let loose completely. Bill and Charlie, though unfamiliar to most, were open and warm-hearted, quickly blending into the group. Even Ginny Weasley, Ron’s younger sister, refused to return to her family’s tent. Back there, she’d be under her father’s watchful eye—but here, the entire camp was alive with celebration. She wasn’t about to go to bed early.
“Krum caught the Golden Snitch—but Ireland still won!” Michael exclaimed, plopping down and uncorking a bottle of beer. “Bagman said—no one saw this coming!”
“We knew it!” Fred and George cried in unison, hugging each other and spinning in a circle, then dragging Ron off his chair and forcing him to dance. “We predicted it before the match!”
“Hey! Watch it—my foot!” Ron yelled, long limbs flailing. But his brothers paid no mind.
“Why are they so excited?” Padma asked, picking at fruit. “Which team are they even supporting?”
“Fred and George support no team,” Ginny Weasley whispered. “They only support their own wallets. They bet big on Ludo Bagman before the game—cleaned up in Galleons.”
“Ohhh…” Padma nodded, finally understanding.
Ginny turned to the girl beside her, flashing a friendly smile. Then she lifted her mug of hot chocolate and sipped it slowly.
Everyone in the tent was older than her—most were top students, academically exceptional. Harry Potter sat just a few feet away, which made the red-haired girl feel nervous. Whenever she felt overwhelmed, she’d glance at Ron, and slowly, her courage and confidence would grow.
Liam sat beside Wade and said, “I thought you’d be at the match! You vanished all night. Did something happen?”
Wade knew Liam didn’t like to show off, but he was observant and perceptive. And with the forest outside now transformed like that, everyone would know by morning. There was no point hiding it.
So Wade lowered his voice. “Something did happen at the camp’s edge during the match.”
Liam said nothing, just looked at him with a questioning gaze.
Wade asked, “You know about the 19th-century incident—the Murder Forest attack on the Quidditch Final Stadium, right?”
“Of course,” Liam replied, nodding. He’d grown up hearing every magical legend and scandal, and his mind was full of secrets.
“Well,” Wade continued, watching Liam’s eyes widen, “tonight, a Dark Wizard tried to do the same thing.”
He paused. “But Gellert Grindelwald and the Wizard Purity Party were here. They destroyed the enchanted part of the forest before it could reach the stadium.”
Liam’s face cleared. “So that’s why you weren’t at the match—you were with Professor Dumbledore, waiting outside the stadium, ready to stop the forest from breaking through?”
Wade just stared at him.
(End of Chapter)
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