As Ludo Bagman's voice echoed in every corner of the stands, the audience erupted into loud cheers and applause, thousands of flags waving simultaneously in a lively scene.
Kael wasn't listening to Ludo Bagman's usual opening remarks; he glanced again in the direction of the house-elf, Winky.
The box was now filled with people, with only the seat next to her still empty... that was indeed an empty seat, as he had previously verified.
Could it really be that Winky was saving it for Barty Crouch?
But if that were the case, the match had already started, where was he?
Reserving a seat and not showing up doesn't fit Barty Crouch's character... or perhaps the act of reserving a seat itself isn't something he would do.
"Oh!"
A deafening cheer erupted from the right side of the stands, and everyone craned their necks to look upwards.
Kael also averted his gaze.
"Allow me to introduce... the mascots of the Bulgarian National Team!"
Accompanied by Ludo's voice, Mr. Weasley curiously leaned forward from his seat, "I wonder what they've brought... ah... Veela!"
"What's a Veela..."
Before Harry could ask, a hundred Veela slid onto the field.
And once Harry saw them clearly, he was at a loss for words.
They were so beautiful, their skin gleaming with a soft glow like moonlight, and even without wind, their long hair fluttered behind them... Harry's gaze gradually turned dreamy.
He initially wanted to maintain his mature demeanor in front of Cho, but now, he forgot all about it.
Especially when the music started, and the Veela began to dance, his mind went completely blank.
The Veela's dance became faster and faster, and in front of everyone, Harry suddenly stood up, one leg over the box's partition, as if he wanted to jump down from there.
Hermione finally couldn't bear it anymore.
"Harry, what are you doing!" she shouted loudly.
At that moment, the music stopped as well.
Laughter from the girls resonated behind him, and Harry came to his senses, looking at the leg he had stepped over the partition, finally realizing what he had done.
And that laughter felt like a Killing Curse, whipping him over and over, an unprecedented sense of shame engulfing Harry entirely, his face flushed with the desire to truly jump away.
Hermione made a loud clicking sound with her tongue but didn't say anything mocking.
After all, the behavior of others around them was quite similar.
Beside him, Ron also stood on his seat, arms extended, posing as if about to dive... Fred and George were hugging each other, as if performing some kind of duet dance.
Cedric was slightly better, but he too struck a rather exaggerated pose... seemingly showing off his muscles.
Cho sneered and turned her head away from him.
Cedric's face was as white as the plaster on the wall beside him, without a trace of color.
As for Kael, he also stared at the Veela with glowing eyes.
Hermione clicked her tongue again, feeling deeply disappointed... She had thought Kael would be different, like Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie, who were completely unaffected.
Conna suspiciously glanced at Kael; if she remembered correctly, Kael's expression now was identical to when he first saw the little fire dragon, Norbert.
And also when they went to the Forbidden Forest to see those Moonstruck Beasts.
With the music stopping and the Veela leaving, the stadium was filled with the angry roars of the audience. Mr. Weasley also pulled Harry back to his seat, as he tried to curl himself into a ball, reducing his presence.
The mocking laughter of Malfoy kept coming from behind, but Harry no longer cared, his only attention was on Cho's disappointed expression.
Was she disappointed in him?
Harry didn't know, but if possible, he wished he were in the stands below to save himself from so much embarrassment.
However, Ron, Fred, and George beside him were different; they joined the others in booing, wanting the Veela to stay.
"There's still the match coming up." Mr. Weasley patted them, "This is much more exciting than the Veela."
"Hmm?" Ron grunted disapprovingly, still staring at the Veela, who already lined up on one side of the field.
"Now!" Ludo Bagman's voice boomed like a gong, "Please raise your wands to the sky... Welcome the mascots of the Ireland National Team!"
Then, with a whoosh, something like a comet flew into the stadium. It circled the field once and then suddenly burst into a giant, dazzling shamrock, rising high into the air.
The crowd erupted into gasps of awe.
Things plinked and tinkled as they fell from above, like golden raindrops...
"Amazing!" Ron quickly forgot the Veela, excitedly removing his hat to catch the falling gold coins.
Kael looked up at the "shamrock"; it was composed of countless little men in red waistcoats with little mustaches, each holding a golden or green lantern.
They were Irish Leprechauns, about the same size as Cornwall Pixies, but much smarter, and unique to Ireland.
And it was fortunate they were the ones...
Kael watched the falling gold coins; if it were any other mascot, it might not have overshadowed the Veela's charm.
In the stadium, people stopped chanting for the Veela to come back; they cheered and scrambled around, or dived under seats to grab the gold coins.
"Is this real?" Conna caught a falling coin and couldn't help but ask.
"Of course not; the Irish team isn't foolish." Kael chuckled, "These are Leprechaun gold coins, they'll disappear in a few hours."
"So they're useless?" Conna asked.
"You can't say that; the visual effect is amazing... you won't see a gold coin rain anywhere else." Kael explained.
He moved his wand, collecting all the coins around to give to the Niffler as toys later.
A few minutes later, the giant shamrock disappeared, and the Leprechauns landed opposite the Veela, sitting cross-legged, ready to watch the match.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen... please give a warm welcome to the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team, I present to you... Dimitrov!"
A red-robed figure flew into the field from the entrance, moving so fast that Harry had to slow his Panoramic Telescope by three times to see him clearly.
"Ivanova..."
A second red figure flew out, followed by a third...
Bagman loudly called out each player's name, and the applause in the stands never ceased.
"Next, the last player to enter is... Krum!"
The stands seemed to explode with cheers like a tidal wave, the noise so deafening it made people's ears ring, and even many supporters of the Ireland team were screaming.
Kael also looked over.
Viktor Krum was dark and thin, with a large hooked nose and thick black brows, looking just like an eagle.
And he always wore a sullen expression, making him appear around thirty, not like a student who hadn't yet graduated.
Next was the Ireland National Quidditch Team, who also received enthusiastic applause, among which Chaser Moran's cheers, though not as loud as Krum's, weren't far behind.
The two teams flew on their brooms in the sky, glaring at each other.