After the players were introduced, Ludo Bagman announced the referee for today's match, the chairman of the International Association of Quidditch... a short, lean Wizard.
Amidst the cheers, he strode onto the field, a large wooden chest tucked under his arm.
Everyone quieted down, watching with bated breath.
The referee mounted his broomstick, kicked open the wooden chest with one foot... then the whistle blew.
"Ah... they're off!" Bagman screamed. "Now Mallete has the Quaffle! To Troy! Moran! Back to Mallete! Moran again!"
In the top box, Harry had completely forgotten his earlier humiliation as he pressed the Panoramic Telescope firmly against his glasses... it was the only way to see the match clearly.
Kael also focused intently on the field, where the professional players moved with incredible speed, the chasers continuously passing the Quaffle to each other as if it might explode at any moment.
The three chasers from the Ireland Team were together, charging towards Bulgaria's goal posts. The Quaffle was bouncing between them so quickly that even Bagman, responsible for commentary, was overwhelmed.
Finally, he gave up on naming players and shouted, "Ireland Team is using the standard Hawkshead Attacking Formation... it's their signature play... Bulgaria Team has no idea who to intercept... oh! Porskoff play... Moran distracted Bulgaria's Beater Ivanova... she passed the Quaffle to Troy..."
"Troy scores!" Bagman roared, and the stadium erupted in cheers, shaking the very foundation.
"10:0, Ireland Team leads!"
"Amazing, the school's matches can't compare to this at all..." Hermione waved her flag and couldn't help but comment, "But why do I feel like their Bludgers have gotten faster..."
She frowned, recalling previous matches.
During school games, she could clearly see the Bludger's trajectory, but now they were just two blurred shadows.
"These are match-specific balls," Cedric explained. "The Firebolt's speed is too fast. If they continued using the previous balls, the match might end in five minutes.
To handle this, the International Association of Quidditch adjusted the Bludgers and Golden Snitch months ago to increase their speed."
"I see," Hermione nodded and continued watching the field.
Just as analyzed before the match, the Ireland Team, with their three world-class chasers, quickly gained the advantage right from the start. Within ten minutes, they scored two more goals, changing the score to 30:0.
Even Mr. Weasley couldn't help but cheer, but for Harry, Ron, and Charlie, supporting Bulgaria, their smiles were a bit forced.
Fortunately, a few minutes later, Bulgaria's two beaters used the Bludgers to force Ireland's chasers to spread out, preventing them from adopting optimal strategies, and Ivanova took advantage to break through their formation and evaded the keeper to score Bulgaria's first goal.
"Plug your ears quickly, the Veela are going to start dancing again," Mr. Weasley said.
This time, he didn't need to remind anyone, as when the Veela started dancing, Harry immediately bowed his head and closed his eyes, avoiding another embarrassing incident.
However, the supporters for Bulgaria Team didn't remain happy for long... the match then became one-sided.
Ireland Team scored five consecutive goals, shocking Bulgaria.
Yet on the other side, Krum deceived Ireland Team's Seeker Lynch with a Wronski Feint, causing Lynch to crash to the ground from exertion.
The entire stadium heard the thud, prompting groans and roars of anger from the Irish spectators.
Well-trained Healers rushed onto the field to check Lynch's injuries, while Krum circled overhead a hundred feet above, his black eyes scanning the entire field.
He was taking advantage of Lynch's recovery time to seek the Golden Snitch uninterrupted.
"That's truly exciting..." Fred, filled with adrenaline from all the feints and classic tactics, couldn't help but comment, "I hope the match lasts longer."
"Best if it lasts all five days just like last time," George said.
"Oh... I sure hope not..." Percy raised his voice as if to let someone hear, "Being away for five days, my inbox will be overflowing with documents, just the thought gives me chills."
"Yeah, maybe someone will send you a letter with Fire Dragon Dung again," Fred replied.
"That was a sample of fertilizer from Norway!" Percy went red, "Not something personal!"
"Really..." Fred chuckled, quietly telling Kael, "We sent it to him."
His voice was low, masked by the noise of the stands, so only Kael heard him.
Finally, Lynch stood up to cheers from supporters nearby, mounted his Firebolt, and soared back into the sky.
The chasers of Ireland Team instantly organized another attack. With seamless cooperation, Bulgaria's defense felt like the lawn in front of Hogwarts; it was easily traversed...
Twenty minutes later, Ireland Team scored five more goals, now leading 130:10.
Bulgaria Team became anxious as they scored nothing, and the game started to shift in another direction.
Bulgaria's Zograf elbowed Mallete near the goal, and for excessive force, the referee saw it.
Ireland Team was awarded a penalty.
Subsequent play saw Bulgaria's two beaters swinging wildly without concern for whether their target was a person or Bludger.
On a close call, Moran nearly got knocked off her broomstick.
Bulgaria received yet another foul.
The Leprechauns soared into the sky, celebrating or perhaps mockingly making a rude gesture at the Veela.
The already furious Veela couldn't endure it any longer and erupted instantly.
Instead of dancing, they flew up throwing handfuls of fiery projectiles at the Leprechauns.
They were no longer beautiful; their faces elongated, transforming into sharp, beaked bird heads, a pair of scaly wings sprouting from their shoulders...
"There it is, kids, the true form of Veela," Mr. Weasley's voice drowned out the noise, amused. "That's why you should never pursue mere appearance!"
Harry and Ron nodded in agreement.
Only Kael's eyes sparked bright, and his hand unconsciously touched the Transfiguration Lizard Skin Bag... his chest inside it was ready.
The battle between the mascots intensified rapidly; Wizard officials poured onto the field, trying to separate the Veela and Leprechauns, with little success.
Below, this fierce battle was no lesser than the match above. Although Leprechauns couldn't throw fireballs, they could throw Gold Coins.
A heap of Gold Coins hurled determinedly, could land a lump on a Veela's head.
Soon, the screams of the Veela, explosive sounds from Wizard's Wand, and cheers from both team's supporters mingled together in a lively scene.
The spectators were thrilled, as they hadn't been informed beforehand that they could watch this... a two-for-one performance, making the ticket very worth it.
Kael looked at the match above, sometimes glancing at the Veela and Leprechauns sparring with the Ministry of Magic Wizards, busy as could be.
Had he known earlier, he should have bought a Panoramic Telescope too.
...
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