https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-848-The-Quidditch-World-Cup-Finals/12527436/
Chapter 849: Unforeseen Circumstances
Chapter 849: Unforeseen Circumstances
"This exciting match will be a topic of discussion for a long time." Ludo Bagman said in a hoarse voice, "Oh, right... right, how much do I owe you boys?"
"450 galleons, Mr. Bagman," Fred and George said with a laugh as they opened their palms expectantly towards Bagman.
"Alright, 450 galleons." Ludo Bagman took a deep breath and reached into his pocket, wincing as he reluctantly handed over a bag of coins to the twins.
"Just a moment."
Fred and George dug into the bag, pulling out a few gold coins. They brought them close to the light source of their wands, squinting as they examined them carefully. Their eyes narrowed further as they glanced at the anxious-looking man in front of them. "Mr. Bagman, I think you may have made a mistake. These are goblin coins."
Fred then passed the bag to George, who also pulled out several coins, all of which were goblin coins.
Albert had been right; Bagman had intended to pay them with goblin coins.
This was not a good sign.
"Oh, goblin coins? My apologies, I must have mixed them up," Ludo Bagman said, forcing a look of surprise on his face. He took the bag back from George and pretended to examine the coins carefully under the light, as if to distinguish whether they were galleons or not.
"I'm sure I put them here... Ah, here they are."
Ludo Bagman reached into his pocket again and finally took out another identical bag, which he handed to Fred. He managed a strained smile at the twins and said, "This should be the right one. Please check again, and here, take this as an apology for my mistake earlier."
Bagman handed George a poster with autographs of the entire Irish Quidditch team and offered them an apologetic look.
The Weasley twins, however, were not distracted by the poster. They dug into the bag once more and pulled out a few coins, examining them multiple times before finally accepting the bag and waving goodbye to Bagman.
"He definitely did that on purpose," Fred said angrily. "If we hadn't checked, we might have been fooled. We could have found the coins vanished by tomorrow."
"I still think something's off," George murmured.
"What do you mean?" Fred became alert at George's suspicion.
"Bagman was too quick to pay up!" George frowned, searching for a flaw in the situation. "Even after we caught him in his lie, he didn't hesitate to hand over the money."
Ever since they had suspected Ludo Bagman of trying to cheat them and had experienced that incident firsthand, George couldn't shake the feeling that Bagman was a con artist, no matter how he looked at it.
"But we did spot-check the bag, and it seemed to be all galleons," Fred suggested with a furrowed brow. "How about we ask Bill to help us check again when we get back to the tent? He works at Gringotts, so he should know more about galleons and how to identify them. Should we tell Dad about this?"
"It's better not to. It would only put him in a difficult position," George shook his head.
Their tickets had been given to them by Ludo Bagman, and even though Bagman was returning a favor, it was undeniable that the premium tickets were very expensive.
"If we can't figure out whether they're real or not, we'll take them to the goblins for authentication. Then we'll use the money to open a vault at Gringotts for the joke shop," Fred proposed. "If the money turns out to be fake, we can contact others who've been scammed by Bagman and go to him together to demand our money back."
However, George didn't want to discourage Fred, so he simply nodded, intending to check the galleons again once they returned.
In truth, he knew that if the galleons in the bag were fake, they wouldn't have much recourse. With Albert's sharp tongue, it would become extremely difficult to get any money from Bagman again. Perhaps, placing bets with Bagman had been a mistake from the start.
"Where have you two been?" Mr. Weasley asked anxiously.
"We just went to collect our winnings from Mr. Bagman," George said, pulling out the bag he had gotten from Bagman and smiling at Ron, who was eyeing the bag. "We'll give you and Ginny your shares later."
"To be honest, I've never been this happy. I suddenly have 24 galleons!" Ron exclaimed, feeling like today was his lucky day. He had never possessed such a large sum before.
"It's 27 galleons, Ron. Your math is terrible," Hermione corrected him.
"Oh, 27 galleons," Ron said, grinning foolishly. He then asked excitedly, "Percy, I remember you were going to place a bet too. What about Bill and Charlie? Did they bet as well?"
"Yes, I bet on Ireland to win, but I also predicted that Bulgaria would catch the Snitch, even though the odds were only 4 to 1. Still, it was a decent profit," Percy replied, his face beaming with a smile as he shared their mutual dislike for poverty.
Bill and Charlie looked at each other and sighed. "We didn't have time to place a bet. We missed out on a significant amount of galleons."
"Don't tell your mother about the gambling," Mr. Weasley whispered to them.
"Don't worry, Dad," Fred said with a laugh. "We plan to use this money to open a vault at Gringotts."
"Why open a vault when you have no money?"
"The joke shop needs a vault to store its earnings," George replied without hesitation.
"That's for the future," Ron added.
"It's getting late."
Upon returning to the campsite, they found it filled with celebrating Irish fans. In the distance, they could hear the rough singing and stomping of a large group of people gathered around a bonfire, dancing and seemingly prepared to celebrate through the night.
"Thank goodness I didn't have to ask the Irish to stop celebrating their victory. That would've been a tough one," Mr. Weasley muttered. "Alright, kids, it's time for bed."
However, no one felt like sleeping. They all stayed up, discussing the events of the match. They disapproved of Bulgaria's foul play but admired Krum, who, in a sense, had not lost because he had caught the Snitch.
On the other hand, Albert, who had also returned to his tent, remained awake. He stood outside, observing the bustling crowd around him.
"These past few days have felt rather surreal," Isabelle whispered as she quietly approached Albert and leaned her head on his shoulder. In a voice meant only for him, she asked, "Do you think knowing the outcome of the match beforehand makes it less exciting?"
"To be honest, I'd rather see the players showcase their skills in a thrilling match," Albert said, sipping his hot cocoa prepared by the house-elf as he watched a group of wizards dancing and stomping their feet in the distance. "Unfortunately, peaceful times like these won't last."
"No wonder your friends don't like it when you speak your mind," Isabelle said with a smile. "You should really try saying things that people want to hear instead."
"Hmm," Albert pondered for a moment before replying, "I think we won't have to worry about money problems for a while."
"I don't think you ever need to worry about money." In Isabelle's memory, Albert had always been wealthy, even when they first started school.
"Well, I do have a family to support now," Albert chuckled. "Girls these days are so practical. Believe me, no girl would want a penniless man. If I didn't have any gold, Valeria would have run a mile."
"There he goes again, badmouthing me behind my back." Valeria and Catherine suddenly appeared, seemingly out of thin air.
"I think he's telling the truth," Catherine agreed with Albert, all too aware of Valeria's pragmatic nature.
"Nonsense," Valeria shook her head. "Albert is incredibly talented, and he'll always find a way to turn his abilities into wealth. Someone like him could never be short of money."
"Alright, let's continue this inside." Albert gestured for them to enter the tent. As they stepped in, he turned to the house-elf and instructed, "Take us to Isabelle's house."
"Yes, Master!" The house-elf picked up the trunk after Albert entered it and immediately disapparated, leaving the campsite behind with only an empty tent.
...
...
"Draco, there might be some trouble tonight, so I want you to go and hide in that patch of forest over there," Narcissa Malfoy said to her son.
"Trouble? What's going on, Mother?" Draco was confused and didn't understand what his mother was implying.
"I just received some information," Narcissa Malfoy said vaguely. "Some people have had too much to drink, and they seem to be planning something. You know, the Irish team's victory has excited a lot of people beyond reason."
"Aren't you coming with me?" Draco suddenly realized something. "What about Father...?"
"Don't discuss this with anyone else," Narcissa interrupted sternly.
"Okay, Mother, I understand." Draco nodded and turned to leave the tent, heading towards the forest.
"Now that Draco is gone, are you sure you want to go through with this?" Narcissa anxiously looked at her husband, who was already cloaked and masked, resembling a Death Eater.
"He has made many feel threatened," Lucius said in a hoarse voice. To be precise, it was more than just a feeling of threat; it was fear that had prompted others to change their original plans.
"They believe he poses a greater threat than Nobby Leach, and that man has already gained quite a following. It's only a matter of time before he becomes the next Nobby Leach, and we cannot allow that to happen," Lucius added, sharing Narcissa's wariness of the situation.
Killing, or sending someone to St. Mungo's, was the best option to eliminate any potential threat.
"I understand," Narcissa nodded and took out a polyjuice potion she had prepared earlier. She would disguise herself as her husband to avoid any suspicion falling on him. "I'll handle things here, so be careful."
Soon after, next to the campsite manager's hut for Muggles, a series of crackling sounds abruptly filled the air, and several suspicious figures with hoods and masked faces appeared out of thin air.
"Is everyone here?" Lucius scanned the area and asked in a raspy voice.
"Yes, we're all here, and someone has already taken care of things on the other side," one of them replied. "It will look like an accident, and no one will suspect a thing."
"As more people join us, the Ministry will think we're just a bunch of drunkards causing a ruckus," another added.
With a large number of participants, Lucius knew they could afford to be bolder in their actions without worrying about repercussions from the Ministry.
"Excellent, let's begin!" Lucius drew his wand, forcefully opened the wooden door, and barged into the campsite manager's hut. With a wave of his wand, he levitated the sleeping Muggles in the air.
However, the family had been put under the Sleeping Spell by Ministry wizards, so even as they floated in mid-air, they remained unconscious.
How could they make the Muggles scream if they were unconscious? That wouldn't count as torturing Muggles.
Lucius solved the problem by waking them up with a spell, and then, like a puppeteer, he led the four of them towards the wizarding campsite.
Tonight, as everyone celebrated Ireland's victory, the security at the Quidditch World Cup was at its weakest. It was the perfect opportunity for them to strike.
"I hope things go smoothly on their end as well.
"Malfoy muttered, "Alright, let's liven up the party for these folks!"
On the other side, MacNeil and Avery were in motion, tasked with eliminating the threat posed by the Muggle-born. The duo relished the opportunity to torment their target, and now they awaited Lucius' signal to create chaos.
The lively atmosphere of the night showed no signs of abating, adding a layer of difficulty for MacNeil and Avery. They had to be cautious not to be spotted, and they needed to act amid the pandemonium. Thus, they did not rush into the tent but instead bided their time until they saw large flames erupting in the distance and sensed the beginnings of a commotion. Only then did they use Disillusionment Charms to stealthily enter the tent.
Upon entering, MacNeil and Avery were taken aback by the spartan conditions within, a stark contrast to what they had imagined. They exchanged glances and then began searching for the tent's occupant, wands at the ready.
However, to their dismay, the tent was empty.
"Damn, the Muggle-born isn't here. Where could he have gone?" Avery's frustration was evident as he realized their carefully laid plans, which had entailed significant risk, were now in disarray because their target was nowhere to be found.
"What do we do now? Should we notify Lucius and call off the plan?" MacNeil asked, his brow furrowed in concern.
"It's too late to back out now. Let's join the others and inform them. The Muggle-born is probably still somewhere in the campground. If we're lucky..." Avery trailed off, knowing the chances of encountering their target were slim.
Using the cover of the crowd, MacNeil and Avery quickly made their exit.
Without delay, they merged with the group that was setting fires and causing mayhem.
"We didn't find the Muggle-born," MacNeil whispered.
"What happened?"
Lucius' initially pleasant mood evaporated instantly.
"I don't know. He wasn't in his tent, and neither was anyone else," MacNeil replied, his brow furrowed. "What now?"
"What else can we do but carry on with the procession?" Lucius said after a moment's thought. "Let's head to the Weasleys'. That guy gets along with the Weasleys, so they might be there. Even if we don't find him, we can still give Harry Potter a memorable night."
There was no turning back now.
Since their primary target was out of reach, they would proceed with their original plan—to teach Fudge a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.
The procession grew in size, with even some non-Death Eaters joining in, seemingly eager to vent their frustrations. This turn of events pleased Lucius.
Tents were set ablaze, Muggles above screamed in terror, and the procession cast spells at fleeing wizards, unconcerned about collateral damage.
Amid the chaos, creating more pandemonium was the prudent choice, and those cowards from the Ministry dared not intervene. The sheer number of participants gave them the upper hand, and the four Muggles floating above provided a convenient excuse for their actions.
Indeed, it wasn't cowardice that held them back, but the concern for the Muggles' safety.
Before the Ministry wizards could amass a large enough force to stop the unrest, something unexpected happened. Some of the tents that had been set on fire suddenly exploded, startling the procession participants, who thought they were under attack by enemy spells.
The procession continued, but the explosions around them became more frequent, especially among the tents they had ignited. It was as if the tents had turned into bombs, spraying debris in all directions and causing the procession participants to scatter in disarray.
"Damn it, what's going on?" Lucius' face darkened as he watched several of his companions get blown off their feet.
To this moment, he was baffled, unable to comprehend what had triggered the explosions. All he knew was that the tents they had set ablaze seemed prone to detonating at any moment. If not for the Ministry cowards' reluctance to engage, they would have faced even greater trouble.
Just then, a flash of green light soared into the sky, and Lucius, with a sense of dread, recognized the massive, shimmering object that appeared—the Dark Mark.
This sent the group of wizards around him into a panic, and they immediately dispersed, not wanting to be associated with the symbol.
Without hesitation, Lucius followed suit and fled the scene.
Everyone knew what the Dark Mark signified—it was a brazen challenge to the Ministry. This act would undoubtedly ruffle feathers and provoke a response.
As the wizards vanished, the four Muggles, no longer under the control of magic, plummeted from the sky, only to be caught by Ministry wizards and have their memories modified.
The assembled group of wizards, upon seeing the dark wizards flee, breathed a collective sigh of relief. Avoiding a direct confrontation with such a large group was a welcome turn of events.
It wasn't out of cowardice that they hesitated, but because Crouch had taken away most of their manpower, sending them to investigate the appearance of the Dark Mark. The Ministry's priority was clear: rooting out Death Eaters, as they were the primary targets of their crackdown.
The hopes of those wishing for continued peace were about to be shattered, for their days of tranquility were numbered.
(End of Chapter)
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