Chapter 522: Post-Match Celebration
Chapter 522: Post-Match Celebration
Grindelwald and the Pureblood Supremacists had left. Veed stood in the empty campground, looking around. After waiting for a while, he still hadn't seen Dumbledore.
— Could it be that Dumbledore wasn't nearby?
Veed's mind had just entertained this thought when he immediately crushed the highly unlikely hope.
The commotion at the edge of the campground was significant, and the wizards engrossed in the match inside the stadium might not have noticed, given the numerous silencing, shielding, and repelling charms around the area.
But for Dumbledore to have missed it... that was impossible.
Unless he wasn't in the campground at all.
But when Sirius Black had relayed the Death Eaters' plan to Dumbledore, the headmaster couldn't have left everything to others. He must have come.
As Veed was pondering this, he suddenly heard a burst of noise—people were flooding out of the stadium like a tidal wave!
The dim lanterns in the campground flickered to life, and rough, hearty songs echoed through the night sky. The crowd seemed to sprout from the ground like mushrooms after a rain, filling the area in the blink of an eye.
Some Irish pixies, wearing red vests and sporting little mustaches, flew around with golden or green lanterns, laughing joyfully.
Veed struggled against the tide of people, heading toward the tents. Suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm, and Harry's smiling face appeared in front of him.
"Hey, Veed, there you are!" Harry laughed loudly. "Come on, we're going to the tent to keep celebrating!"
"You missed out on something incredible!" Michael shouted, covering his ears. "I guarantee there won't be a more thrilling match in the next fifty years!"
"Kids! Kids! You should be getting to bed!" Mr. Weasley, pushed to the other side of the path by the crowd, strained to call out, trying to herd his children back to their tent.
"Okay, Dad! I'll make sure they go to bed early, you go back and rest!"
A dark-skinned, muscular wizard with a firm grip on Ron and Fred called back to Mr. Weasley.
"You're the one I worry about the most, Charlie!" Mr. Weasley immediately responded.
Another tall, red-haired wizard with a long ponytail grabbed Mr. Weasley, laughing and saying a few words.
"That's Bill, Ron's oldest brother", Harry explained, noticing Veed looking back. He then pointed to the dark-skinned, red-haired wizard. "This is Charlie, the second oldest of the Weasleys."
By the time they reached the tent, Veed turned back and saw that Bill Weasley had not only sent his father back but also dragged Percy, who had been reluctant to join, along.
The eldest Weasley son, tall and slender, wore a muggle-style studded leather jacket, looking quite trendy with an earring in his ear. As he walked over, his red hair seemed to dance like flames.
When Veed lifted the tent flap and entered, he found Hermione, Theo, and others already inside, moving food and drinks from the kitchen. Kreacher was busy roasting meat, his hands a blur as he tried to serve the many guests.
"This place is yours for the night, kids", Sirius said, shrugging on his coat as he headed out. "Have fun, celebrate, and let Kreacher know if you need anything."
"Can we celebrate all night? I don’t want to sleep!" Harry shouted.
Sirius Black raised an eyebrow. "Of course we can!"
"Whoo—"
A chorus of cheers erupted from the tent, and even Hermione, who wasn’t as passionate about Quidditch, smiled happily.
Sirius chuckled and walked away.
Without any adult wizards around, the young people in the room felt even more at ease. Bill and Charlie, though unfamiliar to most, quickly blended in with their outgoing and carefree personalities.
Even their little sister Ginny didn’t want to return to the Weasley family’s tent, knowing she’d be under her father’s watchful eye. The entire campground was filled with celebratory noises, and she had no desire to go to bed early.
"Krum caught the Golden Snitch, but Ireland won! Bagman said—no one expected this outcome!"
Michael exclaimed excitedly, sitting down and opening a bottle of Butterbeer.
"We did! We guessed it before the match!"
Fred and George, arms linked, danced in a circle, dragging Ron away from the table where he was eating, forcing him to join in.
"No! No! You’re stepping on my feet!"
The gangly Ron shouted, but his brothers paid him no mind.
"Why are they so excited?" Padma asked, picking at some fruit. "Which team are they supporting?"
"Fred and George don’t support any team; they only support their wallets", Ginny whispered. "They placed bets with Ludo Bagman before the match and won a lot of Galleons."
"Oh…" Padma nodded in understanding.
Ginny smiled at the pretty girl beside her and sipped her hot chocolate in small sips.
Everyone in the tent was older than her, and most were exceptional in various ways, especially Harry Potter, who was sitting not far away. This made the red-haired girl quite nervous.
Whenever she felt this way, she would glance at Ron, and her courage and confidence would slowly rise.
Leanne sat next to Veed and said, "I thought you’d definitely watch the match! Results didn’t show up all night. Did you run into some trouble?"
Veed knew that although Leanne didn’t like to show it, she was perceptive and observant. With the forest outside the campsite in its current state, everyone would notice it by morning, so there was no need to hide it.
Veed lowered his voice. "Actually, something happened at the edge of the campsite during the match."
Leanne remained silent, looking at Veed with a questioning gaze.
Veed asked, "Do you know about the time in the nineteenth century when the Murder Woods attacked the Quidditch World Cup final?"
"Of course", Leanne nodded.
He had grown up hearing all sorts of magical tales and had no shortage of gossip in his head.
"Tonight, some Dark wizards tried to do the same thing", Veed paused, then continued, seeing Leanne’s eyes widen, "But Grindelwald and the Pureblood Supremacists also showed up… they destroyed the part of the forest that had been enchanted."
Leanne’s expression changed to one of understanding. "You didn’t come to watch the match because you were with Professor Dumbledore, guarding the stadium to prevent the Murder Woods from invading?"
Veed: "…"
(End of Chapter)
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