Chapter 181
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After a while, the crowd finally began to thin.
Malfoy seized the opportunity and started heading toward the private boxes according to his memory.
He followed the remaining flow of people, and as he passed a section of the spectator stands, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
It was faint in the noisy crowd, but he still caught it.
"Draco! I'm here!"
Malfoy turned his head and saw Pansy clinging to the armrest of a seat to keep herself from being pushed away. Her other hand was waving frantically at him.
One of her legs was awkwardly resting on a seat, and her expression was twisted in pain.
What an unexpected disaster, Malfoy thought as he squeezed through the crowd toward her.
In a sense, this had something to do with him.
Pansy was in a small circular section of the stands. The seats were neatly arranged, and she was half-lying across two empty ones, looking weak.
I should have warned them not to cast the Dark Mark so early, Malfoy thought silently.
But it was too late to regret it.
He finally reached her side.
"Did you twist your ankle? Can you still walk?" Malfoy asked.
Pansy pursed her lips and shook her head weakly.
"It hurts a lot…"
A thin mist had formed in her eyes.
"You sounded quite energetic when you were shouting my name just now," Malfoy said helplessly.
"My leg is injured, not my throat," Pansy immediately retorted. "How would you hear me if I didn't shout?"
Her voice was full of energy, which made Malfoy relax a little.
"So what do we do now?" Malfoy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You can't walk. Should I just leave you here?"
"You can carry me!"
Pansy blurted it out immediately.
Then she realized how obvious her intention sounded. She secretly glanced at Malfoy, and when she saw his expressionless face, she thought her idea had failed.
"Forget it…"
Malfoy sighed.
"This is partly my fault anyway."
Then he added jokingly, "Just don't crush me, or there won't be anyone to carry you back."
"I'm not heavy!" Pansy protested.
But she was already smiling happily as she wrapped her arms around Malfoy's neck.
It seemed the pain in her leg had already lessened.
Malfoy lifted her onto his back.
She felt almost weightless.
For someone who trained regularly like him, it was nothing.
"I'm really not heavy, right?" Pansy asked softly after feeling his body stiffen slightly.
"That's acceptable," Malfoy replied casually.
He adjusted his grip, supporting her legs so her weight rested more comfortably.
Compared to that, he cared more about how she had been injured.
"What exactly happened to your foot?"
At that moment Pansy tightened her arms around his neck slightly, afraid she might slip off.
"I don't know," she whispered near his ear.
Her warm breath tickled him.
"I thought they were supporters from one of the national teams. You know how some cheerleaders dress strangely."
"But suddenly they started casting spells in public."
"After that the already crazy crowd became even more chaotic."
"Then I felt a sudden pain in my foot. I must have been hit by one of the spells."
"I managed to crawl over to those seats. If you hadn't come, I probably would've had to wait until the crowd dispersed before anyone found me."
Malfoy felt a headache coming on.
Please don't tell me one of those masked idiots was my father…
He decided not to think about it.
The most important thing right now was getting Pansy back safely.
"If it's a magical injury, we'll have to go to St. Mungo's Hospital later," Malfoy said.
He tried his best to suppress the guilt he felt.
This accident had been completely unexpected.
Pansy sensed the change in his mood.
She smiled lightly.
"It's just a small injury. Didn't I have fun watching the match earlier?"
"Now we're even."
At the same time, she realized something.
Malfoy's back felt surprisingly strong.
It gave her a strange sense of security.
Her thoughts drifted back to their earlier conversation.
Think about those things when you're adults? You might be willing, but I'm not.
Malfoy had talked about the dangers of the future and tried to push her away.
But she didn't care.
---
"Oh my goodness! What on earth happened?!"
Narcissa Malfoy had been anxiously waiting in the box.
When she saw Draco enter, she rushed forward in panic.
Then she noticed Pansy on Draco's back.
After struggling through the crowd, they had finally returned to the private box.
"I—"
Malfoy was about to explain when Pansy interrupted him.
"I wanted to go outside to watch the match. Draco couldn't persuade me, so he had no choice but to accompany me."
"Are you alright, Pansy dear?" Narcissa asked worriedly.
Only now did she notice Pansy's injury.
"It's probably a magical injury," Malfoy said.
He gently placed Pansy on a soft sofa.
"How am I supposed to explain this to your father?" Narcissa muttered, rubbing her forehead.
"Aunt Narcissa, it's alright. It's only a small injury," Pansy said sensibly.
But just as she said that, the pain flared up again.
She groaned softly.
"Oh, poor child…"
Narcissa looked at her sympathetically.
Then she turned to Draco with a stern expression.
"Draco, how did you take care of her?"
"Mother… I'm sorry."
That was all Malfoy could say.
This time, the accident really had happened because of his negligence.
"Aunt Narcissa… where is my father?" Pansy asked.
"He went out looking for you," Narcissa replied. "He must be terribly worried."
"What about my father?" Draco asked.
Narcissa's expression suddenly became unnatural.
As expected…
Malfoy sighed inwardly.
He had been so focused on everything else that he had momentarily forgotten the people closest to him.
It had to be said—
This Quidditch World Cup had been full of unexpected trouble.
It had definitely not been a pleasant trip.