It had been more than a month since Lewis and Shirella joined the England national Quidditch team.
Hogwarts was about to enter its final examinations, while the Quidditch World Cup was also approaching its qualifying matches.
After training ended, Ludo Bagman suddenly burst in and announced some astonishing news.
"This Sunday, the England Quidditch team will play its first match—the Ireland national team!"
The surprising thing was that the opening qualifier would actually be held at Hogwarts.
The news sent all the players into a frenzy of excitement.
"That's fantastic!" Chaser Avery flashed a wide grin.
"We're actually this lucky!" Beater Dawn Weasley happily raised her goggles.
They had been training at Hogwarts for so long that they were extremely familiar with the surroundings. They had also developed deep bonds with the young wizards who often came to watch their training.
In a sense, Hogwarts was their home ground.
Playing on home turf, they were filled with confidence that they would definitely win.
"Luck is something you have to work hard to earn." Coach Hamish clapped his hands as he emphasized the point.
Ludo Bagman paused and waited for everyone to quiet down before explaining, "Professor Dumbledore approached me earlier and asked whether we could apply to have the qualifying match held at Hogwarts.
"He wanted to make the young wizards' school life more colorful and help ease the tension caused by the approaching final examinations."
Ludo shrugged.
He remembered the benevolent expression on Professor Dumbledore's face when the old wizard had approached him.
If their positions had been reversed, he probably would have made the same choice.
Holding the qualifier at Hogwarts would not only allow the students to watch the match for free and enrich their school life;
more importantly, the Quidditch pitch had been expanded and renovated for free;
and Hogwarts would also gain greater influence as a result.
It was practically killing several birds with one stone.
"I discussed it with the Department of Magical Games and Sports several times. After arguing my case again and again, I finally got the location of the qualifier set at Hogwarts." Ludo thumped his chest, proudly showing off his contribution.
Lewis knew those words were meant for him to hear, but he still decided to give Ludo credit.
Regardless of whether Ludo's motives were pure or not, when it came to the Quidditch World Cup, Ludo Bagman had indeed helped him a great deal.
Seeing how happy everyone was, practically celebrating in advance, Hamish gave a couple of light coughs.
As both referee and team captain, he decided to cool their enthusiasm a little, lest they become complacent and lower their guard.
"For Ireland, Hogwarts can also be considered half a home ground. After all, they all graduated from Hogwarts. During their school years, most of them probably played on this very pitch."
His words were like a bucket of cold water poured over the players' heads, immediately sounding the alarm.
Right.
There was only one magical school in the entire British Isles—Hogwarts.
No matter which team they were on, everyone had graduated from Hogwarts.
Who could really claim an advantage over the other?
What they failed to realize, however, was that even when it came to home-ground popularity, their team had one major variable.
Friday afternoon.
The Irish national Quidditch team flew into Hogwarts wearing matching light-green robes and riding brand-new Firebolts.
Their arrival immediately caused a stir throughout Hogwarts.
News always traveled quickly at Hogwarts.
The students were already extremely familiar with the England national team members.
But they were still very curious about the Irish stars.
Seamus Finnigan and Terry Boot, who had Irish heritage, were especially excited. They kept talking about the careers and achievements of the Irish players.
There were many wizards like Seamus throughout the castle.
But even more students supported the England national team.
At the heart of the magical world, two great teams were about to clash, igniting the hearts of countless wizards.
Lewis and Shirella received unprecedented treatment from the students over the next few days.
In the young wizards' eyes, Lewis represented more than just the national team.
He also represented Hogwarts.
The hottest topic in the castle was undoubtedly the upcoming Quidditch qualifier.
The subject seemed to permeate the air like a burning flame.
"Who do you support, England or Ireland?"
At Hogwarts, this question was brought up with astonishing frequency whenever students met.
Harry, however, was somewhat troubled by it.
Naturally, he wanted England to win. After all, Lewis was a member of the England team.
However, he discovered that his best friend Ron leaned more toward Ireland and often enthusiastically discussed the Irish team with Terry, Seamus, and the others.
Whenever that happened, the atmosphere between Harry and Ron would become tense.
Unlike Ron, Lewis was surprised to discover that the people who were friendliest toward him were actually the Slytherins who had once had unpleasant experiences with him.
After witnessing the passing techniques Lewis had created one after another, those shrewd Slytherins had learned their lesson and had no desire to become his enemies.
On the one hand, it was because Lewis's strength was formidable and his future prospects were limitless.
On the other hand, Slytherins valued honor. When an outside force arrived, they instinctively sided with Lewis, who represented Hogwarts and England.
Finally, they had all received instructions from their parents:
They absolutely had to maintain a good relationship with Lewis.
Madam Gianna Proudmoore's position within the Ministry of Magic had been steadily rising, and her influence was growing stronger by the day.
Even Percy from Gryffindor would run over to cheer Lewis on whenever he saw him, and he would apologize for Ron's behavior in supporting Ireland and acting cold toward Lewis.
Time flowed like water, and before long, Sunday arrived.
When the young wizards arrived at the Quidditch pitch, they could hardly believe their eyes.
The stands, which had originally been large enough to accommodate only the students of the four Houses, seemed to have been expanded overnight into spectator stands capable of holding several thousand people.
Row upon row of seats stretched high into the sky.
The young wizards were assigned to their original House sections, while the newly expanded areas were reserved for Quidditch fans who had purchased tickets, players' friends and relatives, and Ministry of Magic officials.
At the entrance to the specially designated spectator passage, many wizards were loudly clamoring, impatiently waiting to enter.
The Quidditch stadium was extraordinarily lively that day, with anticipation and excitement filling the air.
Filch wore a stern expression as he and ten wizards from the Ministry carefully checked every spectator's ticket.
"First-class ticket!"
The wizard suddenly became extremely respectful, lowering her voice as well.
"Top-level box! Go all the way up on the right and continue until you reach the highest level."
She enthusiastically guided them.
"Thank you, Miss Filch." Gianna Proudmoore politely thanked her.
Behind her were Tonks and her parents. The Tonks couple had also been invited to watch Lewis's match.
Aiwu excitedly ran over, only to discover that her companion, Onyx, was nowhere to be seen.
A staircase covered with a purple-red carpet led toward the top-level boxes.
Gianna's group followed the crowd up the stairs, with the stream of people gradually splitting toward the stands on either side.
They continued upward until they finally reached the end of the staircase.
Unexpectedly, two people had already appeared inside the box.
"Lewis!"
Aiwu happily broke free from Gianna's arms and rushed toward Lewis, jumping directly onto his head before being helplessly pulled down by her master.
"Lewis, Shirella, why are you two here? How could the coach possibly let you out at a time like this? Don't tell me you sneaked out?" Mrs. Tonks asked Lewis worriedly.
Lewis awkwardly scratched his head.
Mrs. Tonks was right.
Last night, after learning the number of Gianna's box, he had come up with the idea.
He then found Shirella, and the two immediately hit it off.
After seeing Gianna and the others enter the stadium, they immediately transformed into phoenixes and, carrying Shirella with him, teleported directly to the box.
They had arrived only a little earlier than the others.
Even Lewis would feel nervous before a match.
Not long after they arrived, another person's arrival made their box even livelier.
"Hi, Director Gianna!"
Ludo Bagman came up and enthusiastically waved at Gianna.
"Deputy Director," Aiwu quietly corrected him from the side.
Seeing Lewis and Shirella standing intimately beside Gianna, Ludo was delighted.
He could finally be certain that all his flattery had been directed at the right person.
"Hello, Ludo. You've done a lot for them," Gianna said, taking the initiative to offer him a friendly remark.
Hearing this, Ludo became extremely excited, as if all his efforts had finally received recognition.
Lewis felt that Gianna had already become an excellent politician.
She possessed a quality shared by many successful politicians: she always knew how to say exactly what people wanted to hear.
Even Lewis needed the assistance of his psychic abilities to achieve something similar.
"Mr. Green and Miss Raylan are extremely talented. Otherwise, I wouldn't have opened a convenient door for them," Ludo returned the compliment. "You know, I used to be a player myself. When it comes to this field, I only recognize results."
He made himself sound as though he were truly some selfless public servant.
But it did not matter.
At least his help had been genuine.
"Ludo, are you the commentator today?" Gianna asked casually.
"Of course. This is the first match of the World Cup, and it's being held at Hogwarts, so it has a special significance." Ludo lazily sat down in a chair. "But the Minister obviously doesn't think so. He refused my invitation!"
"That's his loss. Matches you commentate on are always particularly exciting." Gianna smiled.
Gianna was extremely cautious with her wording, even in private.
She did not follow Ludo's lead and slander Fudge, but she still complimented Ludo, making him beam with happiness.
More and more people arrived afterward.
Lewis glanced at the time and began saying goodbye to everyone.
Before leaving, he caught sight of Gianna warmly shaking hands and chatting with Lucius Malfoy.
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