Chapter 524: Frenzied Mascot
Wade was calmly preparing to sip his coffee when he heard screams. Instantly alert, he stood up and stared into the distance. Bill, however, remained remarkably calm, smiling and saying, "Probably just the Irish team's fans pulling off another wild stunt. These home fans can get utterly frenzied—something most people can't even imagine."
But Wade didn’t relax. Instead, he watched as the distant camp grew brighter and brighter, then suddenly erupted in flames that lit up the entire night sky.
The next moment, a deafening explosion rang out. The screams that followed rose sharply in pitch, becoming dense, panicked, and shrill—hundreds of voices slicing through the darkness like knives.
"Something’s wrong!" Bill’s expression sharpened instantly. He tossed aside his beer, grabbed his wand, and said quickly, "I’m going to check the situation. You wake everyone up!"
With a sharp pop, Bill vanished from the spot. Theo and Liam, still half-asleep, burst out of their tent, flustered. "What happened? Was there an explosion?"
"Something’s gone wrong in the camp," Wade said gravely, turning to them. "Wake up the rest of the home team. We need to move to a safer location."
Without questioning, the two turned and rushed back into the tent. Moments later, bleary-eyed people scrambled out in a flurry of activity. Hermione even managed to sling her backpack over her shoulder before dashing out.
The camp was now a chaos of panicked people running every which way—adults shouting, children crying, voices echoing across the night. Countless dark figures darted through the air and ground. Wade even saw a silhouette struggling as it was dragged into the sky—then violently thrown back down.
A long, piercing scream rang out. Padma instinctively ducked behind Michael. Hermione gasped, "What’s going on? Oh, of course—Lumos!"
A bright light cut through the darkness. Then—pop—Bill reappeared.
"What happened, Bill?" Charlie demanded.
"The mascot went mad," Bill said, grabbing Ginny Weasley’s arm. "We need to get to the forest—now!"
"What? The mascot?" Harry frowned, confused.
But he didn’t have time to question further.
A moment later, a Bulgarian team bride soared toward them from the distance. Her once-perfect face had transformed into a bird’s head, her cheeks now sharp, beak-like, her shoulders sprouting a pair of massive wings covered in scales. With a single powerful flap, she could soar far, and her legs had turned into eagle claws.
The bride—now a monstrous eagle-woman—was clearly insane. She hurled streams of flame at the tents, then suddenly dived, snatching a fleeing wizard with her claws and dragging him straight into the sky.
"No—!"
The man flailed desperately, screaming in terror.
She lifted him high into the air—then suddenly released her grip. The wizard plummeted, screaming in agony. Several wizards on the ground hastily cast spells to catch him, but their aim was wild.
Just as the man seemed certain to smash into the ground and splatter into a bloody mess, a blur shot out from the side—someone—or something—caught him mid-fall.
The relief was short-lived.
Their hearts sank instantly.
"Oh no—" Padma covered her eyes in horror.
The savior was none other than the Irish team’s mascot, a Boggart. Its body had swelled to the size of a horse, muscles bulging, face twisted into a grotesque, grinning mask. With a strange, cackling laugh, it lifted the wizard high into the air—its tiny waistcoat stained with blood.
As it flew past the crowd, Wade and the others saw the wizard’s pale, lifeless face—already on the brink of death.
"Merlin’s beard… the mascots… they’ve really gone mad!" Ron muttered in disbelief.
"Stop staring—move!" Charlie grabbed everyone and urged them to run. But suddenly, Wade pulled him back.
"No, it’s too late," Wade said. "The forest’s already been destroyed. Getting there would take longer than anyone thinks. And even if we made it, the forest tonight isn’t safe."
He pulled out his pencil case, dropped it onto the ground, and it instantly transformed into a ready-made wardrobe. He tapped Harry on the back. "Get inside—hurry!"
Michael glanced at Wade, then stepped forward, pulling Padma through. As the two vanished into the small, one-meter-tall, half-meter-wide closet, Ron’s eyes widened in shock.
Bill’s eyes lit up. He shoved Ginny inside, then urged the others to follow. Charlie stayed alert, wand raised, scanning the sky for any signs of attack.
Without hesitation, everyone piled in—first one, then another—until even Kreacher, dragging his Black family manor tent like a burlap sack, squeezed through the tiny opening.
Left outside were only Bill, Charlie, Percy, and a few minor wizards—Wade among them. Charlie and Percy had already raised their wands and sprinted off to confront the flying mascots.
"You should get inside too," Bill said to Wade. "I’ll hide this thing somewhere safe."
"No," Wade replied. "I can help."
A red beam of light and a cloak shot out from the closet, landing beside him. He tapped the closet with his wand—pop—and it reverted to its original form: a simple pencil case.
The cloak dutifully picked it up and handed it to its master.
Beside him, a small crimson bird—no bigger than a fist—turned to preen its wings. Yet, even in its tiny form, Bill felt an overwhelming sense of deadly danger.
Bill looked from Wade to the cloak and the bird, then nodded. "Be careful. Protect yourself."
With that, he vanished into the chaos, rushing to help a witch being attacked by the Bulgarian bride.
"Wade," he whispered to the firebird, "don’t reveal your true Inferno Flame. Just keep them grounded—make them unable to fly."
The bird gave a sharp cry and shot into the air. At full speed, it blurred like a streak of red lightning across the night sky.
Mihal streaked past a Bulgarian bride from behind. Instantly, the woman’s wings tore apart at their roots, igniting in flames. She shrieked in agony, spinning wildly as she plummeted from high altitude—only to be struck by a dozen spells before she hit the ground.
Mihal then collided head-on with the enlarged Boggart. The creature erupted in fire, its bloated form shrinking back to normal in under two seconds. The flames vanished. The Boggart’s eyes rolled back. It fell like a stone—then caught mid-fall by a rope that appeared out of nowhere.
Wade watched for a moment. Though most ordinary wizards’ spells were clumsy and inaccurate, as long as they didn’t lose their wands in the panic, they could still handle the mascots Mihal brought down from the sky.
Satisfied, he pulled on the cloak, then took out a vial of Polyjuice Potion. He dropped in a strand of black hair, stirred it twice, and drank it down.
A moment later, another Harry Potter appeared in the camp.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
