Chapter 177 — Opening Ceremony
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The stairs leading to the stadium were covered with a magenta carpet. Malfoy and Pansy walked up the steps with the crowd. People streamed toward the stands on both sides, and the two followed the witch's instructions and joined the flow moving to the right.
One hundred thousand wizards were taking their seats one after another. The stands rose in tiers around the oval stadium. Everything was bathed in a mysterious golden glow that seemed to come from the stadium itself. From their vantage point, the pitch looked as smooth as velvet. On both sides of the field stood three goal hoops, each fifty feet high.
Malfoy snapped his fingers and explained, "The seats I found should be the best among the bleachers. A few days ago, Mr. Ludo Bagman from the Ministry came to visit my father. I got them from him privately."
A huge blackboard hung high above the stadium. Golden words kept flashing across it, as if an invisible giant hand were writing on it and then erasing the lines.
Advertisements scrolled continuously, such as—
Cleansweep: A flying broom for the whole family — safe, reliable, with a built-in anti-theft buzzer.
Mrs. Skower's Magical Mess Remover: Removes stains effortlessly!
Twilfitt and Tatting's Wizarding Wear — London, Paris, Hogsmeade.
"Oh, Ludo Bagman is the slightly fat man standing in the middle of the stadium. If you're interested in betting, you can find him. He's very enthusiastic about promoting the team he supports, but he's probably finished taking bets for this match," Malfoy said casually. He had no interest in those meaningless advertisements.
"I'm not interested in that." Pansy pouted and quickly turned her attention to the pitch in front of her.
"Ladies and gentlemen… welcome! Welcome to the 422nd Quidditch World Cup Final!"
Bagman's loud voice echoed from the center of the stadium.
The audience burst into cheers and applause. Thousands of flags waved at once, accompanied by a chaotic chorus of national anthems. The stadium was filled with excitement.
Across from them, the final line of the advertisement on the blackboard — Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans — Every Bite Is an Adventure! — disappeared. It was replaced by the score:
Bulgaria: 0 — Ireland: 0
"I heard that every team entering the Quidditch World Cup brings its own mascot performance. I wonder if it will look good," Pansy said expectantly.
"Alright, without further delay, please allow me to introduce… the mascot of the Bulgarian national team!"
At that moment, Ludo Bagman's voice rang out again.
On the right side of the stands, a neat bright red formation appeared. Loud cheers erupted immediately.
Pansy's expectant expression collapsed at once.
She saw a hundred beautiful women glide onto the field from the other side of the arena. She had to admit they were stunning — mature and irresistibly charming. What Pansy heard around her were the frenzied shouts of countless men.
She quickly glanced at Malfoy beside her and noticed that his eyes remained calm.
"What? Were you hoping to see me lose my composure? Do you want me to pretend again?" Malfoy said when he noticed Pansy's furtive glance.
"I think your love potion should be even stronger," he added with a shrug and a teasing tone.
The moment that topic was mentioned, Pansy's face turned slightly embarrassed.
"Stop talking!" she shouted, but her voice was quickly drowned out by the enthusiastic cheers.
Most of the men and boys in the stadium were shouting wildly. Wave after wave of excitement swept through the crowd. The arrival of the Veela completely ignited their restless hearts.
Why did their skin glow like moonlight? Why did their hair float behind them without any wind?
At that moment, music began to play.
The enchanting Veela and the heavenly music complemented each other perfectly. As the melody flowed, the Veela twisted their slender waists and danced gracefully.
Their movements grew faster and faster.
Most of the men in the stadium fell into a trance. Their faces were filled with delight as they unconsciously followed the Veela's rhythm, doing things they normally would never dare to do. In their minds, they wanted to perform heroic acts, believing such gestures might win the favor of the beauties before them.
The women in the stands looked around in confusion as their companions behaved absurdly. Soon they realized that the cause was the Veela dancing in the center of the field.
Seeing the ridiculous behavior of the men around them, Pansy instinctively leaned against Malfoy's shoulder.
Suddenly, the music stopped.
For a moment, the men fell silent. They stared blankly, then quickly realized what had happened. The stadium filled with angry roars as people protested the Veela leaving.
But it was not their decision to make.
The Veela troupe departed anyway.
"Now," Ludo Bagman's voice rang like a bell, "please raise your wands into the air… and welcome the mascot of the Irish national team!"
Just as the crowd was still disappointed, the Irish mascot appeared.
With a loud whoosh, a huge green-and-gold object shot into the stadium like a giant comet. It circled the arena once, then split into two smaller comets, each racing toward a set of goalposts.
Suddenly, a rainbow arched across the entire field, linking the two blazing lights.
The crowd burst into exclamations of "Ooooh!" as if they were watching a magnificent fireworks display.
Then the rainbow vanished. The two shining lights rejoined and merged into a gigantic glowing clover. It rose high into the air and hovered above the stands.
Something began to fall from above — glittering like golden rain.
Pansy's eyes were instantly drawn to the sparkling gold coins.
But she quickly noticed something strange.
The coins had clear targets.
Most of them fell toward people wearing hats decorated with clover patterns or clothes embroidered with clovers.
"So stingy… only throwing coins to people who support them," Pansy muttered unhappily.
Although she was not short of money, being treated differently still made her feel annoyed.