Chapter 154: Disturbances
"Krum has broken from his position!"
The commentator practically squealed when the Bulgarian Seeker flew after the Snitch, and I grimaced at his squeaky voice.
"Stupid..."
Daphne shook her head.
"Stupid?"
Rita looked at her in surprise.
"The Snitch is worth one hundred fifty points. Right now, Bulgaria has ten points and Ireland has one hundred seventy. If he catches that useless little ball, his team will lose. No, it's clear that Bulgaria's chances of victory are practically zero, but they still exist... They only need to score two goals, but Krum is apparently just tired of dragging the team along, so he simply decided to show his class. That says a lot about how ready he is to play as part of a team."
"And Krum catches the Snitch! This is incredible! That flight was so breathtaking, and it gives Bulgaria one hundred fifty points! And with a score of one hundred seventy to one hundred sixty, the team of Ireland wins!"
The Irish section, and many of the British fans too, erupted in cheers. They were exultant, realizing that Ireland had just won without a Seeker, which doesn't happen often.
"We're leaving..."
At my word, everyone who'd come with me rose from their seats.
"Leaving already?"
"For now, they..."
I nodded toward the visible stands.
"...are celebrating in the stands, but... Look at the Bulgarians, they're dissatisfied. Soon they'll start leaving the stands, and disturbances will begin. It'll be good if it doesn't go beyond fights..."
I shook my head.
"As a man, I'm obligated to make sure the girls I'm escorting don't come under attack. Although here, it would be more accurate to say that the fans don't get attacked by the girls, who would flatten them without even noticing. We're leaving."
I repeated the command, and we all headed for the stadium exit. Yang made it clear, though, that she, for one, wouldn't have minded joining the chaos. However, even she understood that separating from the group could lead to trouble. Moreover, she feared trouble not from me, but from Summer. Still, that was only natural. To her, even though I was the head of the Quarter, I was still an outsider, while Summer...
"Ireland is the champion!"
A wild shout rang out behind us, and when I turned, I noticed a man running toward us, his face painted in Irish team colors.
"Don't."
I shook my head and conjured a shield between us, but the man stopped in time and eyed me suspiciously.
"Were you rooting for Bulgaria?!"
Indignant mockery colored his voice.
"No..."
I shook my head.
"...we just came to watch the match, which turned out to be impossibly boring because of Bulgaria's atrocious play. And now we're simply leaving."
"Um..."
The man looked confused, and we continued walking.
"Irish bastard!"
A shout rang out behind us, and when I turned, I saw several Bulgarians rush at the Irishman, and he happily began fighting them.
"Draco, why did they collect the gold earlier? Those were leprechauns... and their gold isn't real..."
Ruby showed me a coin she'd picked up during the leprechauns' performance.
"When people gather in crowds like that, their brains usually shut off. So..."
I shrugged.
"...they simply forgot. They'll only remember when the gold turns to clay."
"I see."
Ruby turned the coin over in her hands and tossed it aside.
"Why?"
"Well, it'll turn to clay..."
"You could've cast a Preservation Charm on it, one that would be fed by ambient magic, and then you'd have had a commemorative coin from the Quidditch World Cup."
"Ah..."
Ruby waved her hand.
"...I actually regret coming here at all. I would've been better off staying home and training with Crescent Rose, or learning a new spell."
"I agree."
Blake nodded.
"Well, overall, I agree with you..."
Bella shook her head.
"...but not completely. Even if the match was terrible, this is still an international event, and being here is a great honor."
"Yes, yes..."
I nodded.
"...very hono..."
A spell crashed into the shield I'd raised, coming at us from behind. I only noticed it by chance, having glanced back at the stands at that exact moment, and there...
"Beat the Irish!"
A small crowd of Bulgarians rushed toward us, clearly not in a friendly mood.
"Wands ready. Stunners on my command... Strike!"
Stunners flew from our entire group, and we pelted our opponents with them before most could react. After the first volley, half the crowd was already paralyzed on the ground, while the second half, having drawn their wands, protected themselves with shields.
"Get out of here!"
I shouted to the Bulgarians.
"We'll crush you!"
They shouted back, and our opponents attempted to counterattack.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Yang, who'd broken away to the side, rushed at the Bulgarians with her fists, and all I could do was watch.
"Bella, bring her back..."
"Yes, sir!"
A Stunner hit Yang in the back, lifting her high into the air, while several powerful impact spells crashed into where she'd been standing.
"We retreat slowly. Summer, you lead, and watch our backs."
"Understood..."
"And when we return, you will deal with your daughter yourself. Imagine that, abandoning the group just to swing her fists around."
"Oh, I will deal with it..."
We fell back slowly under enemy fire. They stuck to Stunners and Impact Spells, though, so we kept our responses similarly restrained. Their numbers dwindled by the minute.
"Finally..."
I sighed.
"Summer, take point. I'll cover our rear, so let's move fast. Nothing truly terrible is happening yet, but in a dozen minutes this place will be a battlefield..."
I shook my head. Still, we reached the spot where we could transfer back to the Quarter without further incident...
*** The Next Morning. ***
"Hmm..."
I looked at the newspaper Kreacher had placed before me.
"...Rita hadn't wasted any time with her article."
I looked at the article, headlined "The Disgraceful Organization of the Final!"
"Well, let's see..."
And I began to read.
"Dear readers, it is me again, your Rita. Yes, I usually don't review sporting events, but you know I couldn't pass up an event like the international Quidditch tournament, or more precisely, the final, which took place in Dartmoor at the so-called Golden Stadium. Except, call me what you will, I still don't understand why they called it Golden..."
"Golden?"
I blinked in surprise.
"And who had time to give it that name, and when?"
But I didn't let myself get distracted, and continued reading.
"You know, I was lucky enough to have the seat next to the youngest Master of Charms and Spells in the world. Yes, yes, I had to work very hard to get these particular seats, because Draco Black, who became a master at the beginning of summer, usually speaks very frankly and doesn't mince words. In short, his review of the stadium was... Let's just say that he was very dissatisfied not only with the stadium's appearance, but also with the charms woven into it. According to him, not a single master living in the British Isles was involved in creating this stadium. I quickly contacted other masters to get their comments... And he was right. None of them were involved in creating this stadium. Moreover, the Blacks offered to take over the organization of this tournament, but the Ministry refused them."
I took a sip of coffee and continued reading.
"So we can blame the state of the stadium exclusively on the Ministry, which wanted to pocket all the revenue from this event. Well, they got the revenue, though remembering how the dueling tournament was organized, for which Hogwarts enlisted the Blacks and certain other Houses, I can say that everything at the Quidditch tournament was atrociously organized. But these are all trifles. You know, I love sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, and I spent an entire month in the camp, observing daily life and taking notes on everything that happened. And you know what I discovered? That Aurors, abusing their authority, lied to guests, claiming their tickets were fake, but as a gesture of goodwill, allowed them through for a fee, or spread their legs for them... I have already sent all the evidence to the Crown and law enforcement, so I think the Ministry will soon be in for a shock."
"Now that is good."
I smiled.
"At least these bastards will get what's theirs."
"Draco..."
Bella, who was sitting at the table, looked at me with a slight frown.
"Am I wrong? And shouldn't the Aurors who weren't caught before our eyes be punished?"
"They should have been, but that doesn't mean you should use such language at the table."
"Yes, yes..."
I nodded and continued reading. Further on, Rita described what else had happened to people who decided to spend considerable time there. Theft, blackmail, and outright racketeering were common throughout the camp, though in the French section, the French themselves had organized their own security and simply refused entry to those without tickets confirming they were authorized to stay in that part of the camp. There were several other places where one could find safe refuge, but outside those places...
But all of that is nonsense... the match was one thing, but the real trouble started once Krum caught the Snitch. As one girl in Mr. Black's entourage said about that play: "Stupidity. The chances of victory were minimal, but they existed. The Bulgarians only had to score two more goals." And I am inclined to agree with that assessment. But the problem wasn't that at all; it was that no one controlled the fans, no one separated them or directed them to different exits, which led to conflicts in the stands almost immediately, and they quickly spilled beyond the stadium. Even those who did not want to participate were dragged into the fighting! St. Mungo's was overwhelmed, but thanks to the Black Quarter, or more precisely the hospital that had opened there, everyone received help.
I snorted quietly. Cissy had given the order for such help the moment we returned to the Quarter. Personally, I hadn't wanted it, but I didn't argue with her. In the end, cooperation with St. Mungo's was more important than some inconvenience. So I simply gave the order for increased readiness among law enforcement forces, as well as hospital security, so that any fans looking to continue causing disturbances could be subdued quickly and without hesitation.
"And you know, looking at all of this, I simply cannot understand: how could an international event have been organized so disgracefully? Could the Ministry of Magic have wanted, in this way, to cast a shadow over Britain as a whole and Her Majesty the Queen in particular?"
I smiled, since I understood that after a question like that, the Ministry would be turned inside out, and even the oldest skeletons would be dragged into the light.
"But that, unfortunately, is not a question I can answer. However, I wish to compare this tournament with the games at Hogwarts. To that end, I have already written to Headmaster Dumbledore requesting permission to attend the Quidditch matches at Hogwarts. Of course, this year, as many of you know, there will be no Quidditch tournament at Hogwarts, only friendly matches, so your humble servant will be able to evaluate the students' play now that I have seen the professionals. And with that, I bid you farewell."
"Well, well done..."
I shrugged, setting the newspaper aside, and an owl immediately dropped a letter into my hands. The letter bore the Hogwarts crest.
"Well, well, well..."
After checking the letter with my wand to make sure it wasn't dangerous, I opened it.
"And what does it say?"
"McGonagall is asking us to help organize the friendly Quidditch matches. So our chances to earn money will be excellent. And not just from the Goblet of Fire, but from the Quidditch matches as well."
I smiled.
But everything has to be organized to the highest standards. That way, the whole world will understand that if we'd organized the Quidditch tournament, everything would have been far better and calmer.
Snitch
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