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Harry watched as Appoline starting staring into his eyes, and he could swear that she started to glow and have a small wind around her. "Anything Harry?" Appoline asked.
"You look a little different, but I don't feel anything." Harry said.
"It's certainly working on me Mrs. Delacour." Sirius said, as he started trying to get up in his seat. Andromeda and Nymphadora sat him down.
"Interesting. Dear can you help them hold down Mr. Black? I'm going to give Harry the full force, and see if he can take it." Appoline said. Jean-Paul nodded, and helped the Tonks women hold down Sirius.
Harry for sure could see Appoline glowing slightly, and the breeze seemed to catch her hair in a much more flattering way. Harry however was mostly unphased. "Well?" Appoline asked.
"I mean, you look prettier than you did before, but that's about it. Maybe glowing a bit?" Harry said.
Appoline stopped glowing, and Sirius sat back down. "Very sorry about that Mrs. Delacour." Sirius said.
"No worries, I am a particularly powerful Veela in the first place, and I would expect few men to be able to handle my powers at full blast. Even my dearest Jean-Paul is putty in my hands when I go all out, and he's had twenty years of marriage to build his resistances."
"And with introductions out of the way, let the match begin!" Came the voice of the announcer over the roar of the crowd, and all eyes turned to the stadium to watch what Wizards considered the pinnacle of sport.
Harry watched the crowd around him more than the game itself during most of this. A trait that was shared by Hermione, given neither of them were true Quidditch fans. The joy of sporting events like this is always the energy of the crowd around you, and Harry felt that was certainly strong in the VIP box. Susan and Gabrielle were cheering and jeering respectively, watching as Ireland scored goal after goal against the Bulgarian team. Harry glanced around and gauged the reactions of the other spectators around him. Some, like Sirius and Nymphadora were just excited to see such high level play of the sport, neither of their preferred teams having made it to this point in the tournament, and some like Fleur and Appoline, simply smiled at the joy it was bringing the others around them, the two older women smiling at their sister and daughter as she got into the game.
Harry had to admit, Viktor Krum's flying was exceptional. Harry'd been on a broom more than enough times to recognize how difficult many of the maneuvers he was pulling were, and Krum made it appear almost effortless. Given how talented his brother had been at dueling, it seems the Krum family simply bred savants.
Examining the VIP box more, Harry saw a few others who caught his attention. The large man in the Quidditch robes he had spotted earlier was sitting and talking with a man Harry had recognized from a textbook Parvati had shown him last year during the Buckbeak trial. That was Bartemius Crouch, former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The two men seemed in deep discussion about something, and given their attention being on each other and not the game itself, Harry imagined it wasn't Quidditch. Harry also recognized a few students from Hogwarts with who he could only assume were their parents. Pure-blooded obviously, and likely people in higher echelons of the ministry.
Harry turned his attention back towards the game to see Bulgaria score their first goal of the match. They were a touch behind, the score currently sitting at Ireland 30 and Bulgaria 10, but there was still plenty of game left to play.
What followed Bulgaria's goal was a beatdown unlike any Harry had ever seen at Hogwarts. Ireland's offense was relentless, scoring goal after goal against the notably strong Bulgarian defense, setting the score at a staggering 170 - 10. Bulgaria needed two more goals and the snitch to win, but they couldn't seem to break through the Irish defense for a goal, or even stop the Irish offense. That's when three sets of eyes caught sight of the Golden Snitch. Viktor Krum, the Irish seeker Aidan Lynch, and Harry Potter all locked their gazes on the small golden orb that fluttered about the pitch. Krum and Lynch dashed off in a race for the orb, with Krum managing to catch it, managing to put a foot of distance between his hand and the Irish Seekers. That signaled the end of the game, setting the final score at 170 - 160. Despite Krum's quick fingers, Ireland had prevailed this time; taking them to the 1st place spot in the Winner's Podium in what Susan told him was the first time in over a decade anyone had defeated Bulgaria.
Harry cheered with the crowd as Ireland was awarded the World Cup, and everyone began funneling out of the stadium, back to the tents. It was early afternoon, and Ireland fans would be spending the rest of the day cheering for their victory. Harry hoped that Bulgaria fans would find the good spirit to join in as well, and celebrate an admirable performance, if not a victory.
The campgrounds had been rowdy well into the night, which Harry had expected. People were celebrating a rather spectacular game of Quidditch, as well as just enjoying the atmosphere. It was simply fun to be surrounded by people who shared an interest and a passion with you, and there were few people in the world, muggle or magical, that could match the raw enthusiasm of a Qudditch fan. Harry briefly wondered if the muggle football fans could give Quidditch buffs a run for their money, and he was of the mindset that they could.