Eda completely understood Harry's thoughts. In truth, Eda also wanted to spend a peaceful year, but reality would not allow her to do so.
The Triwizard Tournament being held again counted as a major event in the European wizarding world. It would certainly be widely reported by magical communities in various countries. Eda just so happened to need a less radical way to become famous, a chance to show off her abilities a little, so that certain losers would stop disrespecting her.
What's more, Eda had already promised Dumbledore, so she was definitely going to sign up.
Eda had already regarded the championship trophy as something in her pocket. If she didn't give it up, no one else could take it.
And if anyone dared to try?
No need to say anything—just beat them up.
It wasn't until the match was about to begin that Sirius and Lupin finally arrived at the campsite. The two of them had barely sat down when a deep, resonant gong sounded from the distant woods. Instantly, thousands upon thousands of red and green lanterns burst into light among the trees, illuminating the road leading to the stadium.
"It's time!" Mr. Weasley urged excitedly. "Come on, let's go!"
A sea of people surged forward, with shouting, laughter, and even fragments of song blending together. This kind of frenzied excitement was contagious. Before she knew it, Eda found herself shouting when she spoke too, her voice rising excitedly at the ends of her sentences.
The stadium, capable of holding one hundred thousand people, was brilliantly lit. Endless streams of people moved toward the stands on all sides. Walking over a purple-red carpet, Mr. Weasley led everyone upward and upward until they finally reached the top box.
Inside the box were about twenty purple and gilded chairs arranged in two rows. Sitting in the back row was a house-elf named Winky. Harry mistakenly thought she was Dobby, but in fact she belonged to Barty Crouch and was here saving a seat for her master.
Over the next half hour, the box gradually filled up. Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge also arrived, accompanied by the Bulgarian Minister of Magic. Communication between the two ministers seemed extremely difficult, involving gestures and guesswork.
A little while later, Lucius Malfoy arrived as well, together with his wife Narcissa Malfoy and his son Draco Malfoy.
Whenever the Weasley family ran into the Malfoys, things never went pleasantly, and this time was no exception. Lucius Malfoy once again mocked the Weasleys' financial situation.
"My dear Arthur," he said softly, "what did you sell to get seats in the top box? Surely everything you own isn't worth that much, is it?"
In front of Fudge, Mr. Weasley did not lash out, but he clenched his fists tightly.
Mr. Weasley had his concerns, but Eda did not.
Without the slightest politeness, she said, "No matter what Mr. Weasley sold to buy these tickets, at least he didn't have to sell his soul to the devil. Isn't that right, Mr. Malfoy?"
"No one was speaking to you, Twist," Lucius Malfoy said arrogantly. "Didn't Alain Rosier tell you that this is Britain, and that you should mind your own business?"
"Oh, let me see who this is?" Sirius stood up and stepped in front of Lucius Malfoy. "Why, isn't this dear Narcissa—and her husband?"
Narcissa Malfoy shot Sirius a look of disgust, clearly having no intention of greeting her cousin.
Lucius said, "Long time no see, Black. I'm delighted to see that Azkaban hasn't destroyed your health—or your sanity."
"Speaking of Azkaban, that really is something worth talking about. I saw Bellatrix there as well," Sirius said. "But how come I didn't see you there, Lucius?"
Sirius then turned to Harry and said to his godson, "This man here, Mr. Lucius Malfoy—back when Voldemort was running rampant, he was one of Voldemort's right-hand men!"
At the sound of Voldemort's name, it seemed as though the temperature in the entire box dropped below freezing. More than ten years had passed, yet people were still afraid of that name.
Lucius Malfoy glared viciously at Sirius, as though if Fudge were not here, he would definitely teach Sirius a lesson. Sirius, however, was utterly unconcerned, and even started whistling.
"Lucius was not You-Know-Who's subordinate, Mr. Black," Fudge said, stepping in to smooth things over. "He was simply under the Imperius Curse and had no choice but to obey that dark wizard whose name cannot even be spoken."
Loud laughter immediately rang out in the box, as though the Minister had just told some hilarious joke. But the laughter was filled with contempt and disdain.
The laughter came from Sirius and Lupin, and of course from Eda, who was never afraid of stirring up trouble. The Imperius Curse? Only the fools in the Ministry would believe Lucius Malfoy's nonsense.
"Black!" Lucius Malfoy said in a low voice filled with anger.
"I'm not deaf, Lucius," Sirius said insolently, picking at his ear before continuing, "You've donated so much money—how come the Ministry hasn't awarded you an Order of Merlin yet?"
That single sentence slapped two people in the face at once. Both Fudge and Malfoy looked rather embarrassed.
This, too, was an old story. Back in the day, Sirius's grandfather had received an Order of Merlin to reward his "outstanding contributions" to the Ministry.
But in reality, that Black had done nothing at all. He had simply donated a mountain of gold to the Ministry. Even though many people knew the truth, the Ministry stubbornly refused to admit it, insisting that this Black had indeed made tremendous contributions.
The whole affair had made both the Ministry and the Black family into laughingstocks. By bringing it up now, Sirius was deliberately making things difficult for the Minister and humiliating Lucius Malfoy as well.
The atmosphere in the box grew heavier and heavier. Both Fudge and Malfoy looked terrible, doing their best to suppress their anger.
On the Weasleys' side, Mr. Weasley and Lupin silently moved to stand behind Sirius. If a conflict broke out, they would be able to back him up immediately.
As for the children, Harry and Ron stared fixedly at Draco Malfoy, while Bill, Charlie, and the twins cracked their knuckles, ready to teach the Malfoy family a lesson at any moment.
Eda looked at Narcissa Malfoy with ill intent. Narcissa was fairly good-looking, but she always wore that expression of disgust, as though she were so superior to everyone else. It was an expression that made people uncomfortable just looking at it.
A clash seemed ready to erupt at any moment, but Ludo Bagman's arrival eased the tension.
Round-faced Ludo Bagman burst into the box and excitedly shouted, "Minister, can we begin? … Uh… what's going on here?"
The conflict dissolved before it could break out.
Fudge said, "If you say we can begin, then begin!"
"Oh, right." Ludo Bagman still had no idea what had happened in the box, but he started hosting the match anyway.
With the aid of magic, his voice became as loud as thunder, booming throughout the packed stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen… welcome! Welcome to the 422nd Quidditch World Cup!"
The audience erupted into cheers and applause.
Thousands upon thousands of flags waved at once, accompanied by chaotic renditions of national anthems. The scene was incredibly lively.
The first to appear were the Bulgarian national team's mascots—the Veela.
A hundred Veela glided onto the field. A hundred extraordinarily beautiful women appeared in the stadium. Their skin glowed with a soft radiance like moonlight, and their hair floated behind them even though there was no wind…
Under the Veela's enchantment, the people in the box felt their minds go blank.
They only wanted to keep looking at the Veela.
Only wanted to keep watching them dance.
Their eyes gleamed with greedy fascination, their mouths hung slightly open, and some were even drooling.
Those with even less self-control were practically ready to climb out of the box and rush onto the field—Harry and Ron, for example.
Eda glared irritably at the twins beside her. Putting all her strength into it, she smacked George hard on the back of the head, then copied the exact same move on Fred.
"What are you doing?!" the twins cried out in unison, staring at Eda in complete confusion.
Then the two of them realized their own embarrassing state, lowered their heads awkwardly, and stopped looking at the Veela on the field.
The music stopped, and the Veela withdrew. The stadium filled with angry shouting.
That anger was only soothed when Ireland's performance began, as a crowd of leprechauns flew about tossing gold coins into the stands.
People cheered while also scrambling in chaos, diving under seats to grab the coins.
Ron picked up an especially large amount—an entire pocketful.
Looking at the excitement on the boy's face, Eda couldn't bring herself to tell Ron the truth. She was afraid he wouldn't be able to handle it.
As the Irish leprechauns withdrew, the 1994 Quidditch World Cup Final officially began.
Ireland's team offense was incredibly smooth, and before long they had the Bulgarian team thoroughly beaten back.
Viktor Krum also showed the world exactly what Bulgaria's trump card was. He toyed with Ireland's Seeker, Lynch, twice in succession, carrying the match almost single-handedly like a lone hero.
If this match left any impression on Eda, it was Ireland's flawless teamwork, Viktor Krum's lone-hero performance, and the massive brawl between the Veela and the leprechauns.
While Ireland and Bulgaria battled on the field, the leprechauns and the Veela were having a full-scale group fight on the sidelines.
On the field and off it, things were equally lively.
In the end, the final score was fixed at one hundred seventy to one hundred sixty. Ireland won by a margin of ten points, becoming the champion of the 1994 Quidditch World Cup.
Bulgaria's Viktor Krum caught the Golden Snitch and ended the match, but Bulgaria still lost the game.
Even knowing full well that catching the Golden Snitch would cost Bulgaria the match, Krum still chose to end it.
At the very least, judging by the score, Bulgaria lost by only ten points and managed to preserve a bit of dignity in the end.
Thanks to reader Baba Caca for the tip.
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