The gray mist slowly turned the sky black, as the summer air seemed to tremble incessantly from the atmosphere of agitation and joy. It appeared that the Ministry of Magic had lost control over the camp. They probably gave up, and now the entire camp was a scene of chaotic revelry.
Every few steps, there was an Apparition vendor appearing out of thin air, carrying trays and pushing carts filled with strange and unusual trinkets.
Sirius, Bill, and Charlie had arrived during lunch, and now the group was following Mr. Weasley through the woods—
"...First-class tickets, top-tier VIP box! Keep going up, Arthur, all the way to the top!"
The massive stadium erupted with blinding light, engulfing those standing outside in shadow. William lifted his head, watching the dazzling light that seemed to illuminate the entire night sky. In the light, shadowy figures occasionally flickered, causing him to shake his head—
If nothing unexpected happens, the Muggle World might once again have a "UFO" sighting incident.
Of course, that relies on the Ministry of Magic having failed in their secrecy work. Fortunately, they have never disappointed in letting people down.
The stairs leading up to the stadium were covered with a soft, purple-red carpet, and the crowd was squeezing their way up step by step.
Gradually, many people divided and entered the stands on both sides, while Mr. Weasley led them straight up until reaching the top of the stairs.
It was a relatively spacious small box at the very top of the stadium, directly facing the golden goalposts. There were about twenty purple and gold-plated chairs arranged in two rows. The group queued up and sat in the front row. William leaned forward to look down—
So many people.
Nearly ten thousand wizards were gradually taking their seats, those seats surrounded the central oval-shaped Quidditch pitch, arranged in a tiered formation.
Everything here was enveloped in a mysterious light, a light that seemed to emanate from the stadium itself, shooting straight into the sky. From his vantage point, the pitch appeared like deep green velvet satin, smooth and flat—
"Ah—"
Sirius sat down next to William, holding a small telescope in his hand. He raised it to his eye in a comical manner—beside him, Harry and Ron mirrored the same pose, with one big and two small figures beginning to frantically "monitor" the audience across—
"I can see that old man picking his nose—he's wiping it on his clothes!"
"That's disgusting."
William rolled his eyes and raised his hand, causing a carrot to appear out of thin air and stuff into Sirius's mouth. The latter was not angered, simply starting to crunch on it instead.
Hermione sat on William's other side, a fringed, velvet-covered tournament guide spread across her lap. "Before the match, there will be performances by team mascots," she loudly read as she turned the pages.
"There will be many strange creatures—"
Mr. Weasley also shouted, the noise created by ten thousand wizards required them to shout to communicate.
"That's the highlight, at least more interesting than watching a few wizards fly around on brooms afterward—"
William yawned, mainly here to soak up the atmosphere. Lupin, Sirius, and Harry were very interested in it, and if he stayed home, he'd only be playing video games with Kabuda... and probably losing.
But his words of spoiling the mood attracted silent stares from the other Quidditch enthusiasts.
Then, William reached out and poked Sirius's eye socket, causing the man to "howl" and cover his eyes.
Gradually, over the ensuing thirty minutes, their box filled with people—Mr. Weasley repeated a series of actions, standing up, shaking hands, and sitting down. Most of those people were wizards who appeared to be of significant status or wealth.
"I believe you can do it, Ludo—"
Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge squeezed in from the doorway, tailed by the Old Bee from the Department of Sports—they were in conversation, but as they walked inside, Fudge's expression froze momentarily, followed by a startle of his substantial frame—
"Shh."
Seeing sweat stream down the man's forehead, William gently placed a finger on his lips.
Then, he imperceptibly shook his head. This person's psychological endurance seemed quite frail, even worse than that "puppet minister" in America. He wondered how such a person got to this position. If one day the exposure becomes too blatant, he might seize an opportunity to replace the Minister of Magic.
...Who would be suitable?
"...Minister, Mr. Minister!"
Malfoy—two Malfoys, one big, one small, along with a woman, were standing outside the box, and Lucius pushed against two wide, fleshy barriers at the entrance, calling out.
"Oh, oh! I just said..."
Fudge raised his hand to wipe his sweat, muttering as he continued to walk inside without even lifting his head, and simply plopped down on his seat—while behind him, Lucius Malfoy was different. He greeted many familiar people with a calm demeanor before finally stopping in front of William—
"What do you want, Malfoy?"
Mr. Weasley spoke in a hostile tone. He wasn't sitting far from William, evidently assuming the former was there to cause trouble. After all, during their last meeting, they both ended up on the ground, pulling each other's hair while cursing—
Lucius glanced at him without responding and instead greeted William, "...Sir, Draco has told me that he learned a lot from you at school." Lucius found a good reason, at least one without any flaws.
As he spoke, he also brought Draco over to greet William. Among the trio, only Narcissa showed a somewhat stiff demeanor, while the other two seemed perfectly at ease—
Given William's previous actions, they could win a small golden wizard award for it.
Then, Lucius's eyes shifted as he led his wife towards the back, during which he only exchanged a couple of sentences with Fudge—he did not speak "evil" words to Mr. Weasley, which surprised the family with red hair slightly, especially Fred, who exaggeratedly pulled a boiled egg out of his mouth, shell already removed.
But Lucius's behavior was also quite normal, considering William was now seated among this group. As long as one wasn't blind, they could see they were together.
Lucius even gave a friendly smile to Harry and the others.
"...What's with the big bad wolf act?"
Sirius took off his little gold binoculars, furrowing his brow in confusion.
No one answered him, and soon, Ludo Bagman, who had just parted with Fudge at the box door, returned. "Minister—can we start?" The man asked enthusiastically, his round face reflecting the stadium lights like an enormous cheese ball.
"Of course, Ludo."
Fudge was still watching William's back in a daze, only snapping out of it when Ludo asked him twice.
So, Ludo drew his magic wand and pointed it at his throat, "Sonorus!" His voice then boomed across the stadium like thunder, filling the packed stands. William thoughtfully applied a Muffliato charm to everyone, allowing them to hear just a bit.
"Ladies and gentlemen... Welcome! Welcome to the Quidditch World Cup! Finals!!!"
The next moment, the audience erupted into deafening cheers and applause, thousands of flags waving, accompanied by cacophonous national anthems, but nearly soundless to William, who was intriguingly eyeing the entrance from afar—he saw something that any male creature would find interesting.
"Alright, cutting to the chase, allow me to introduce... Bulgaria National Team's mascot!"
The next instant, from the right side of the stands, in the direction William was watching—a lineup of "women" dressed in vibrant red outfits emerged.
"I wonder what they've brought." Mr. Weasley said as he leaned over his seat, "Oh!" Suddenly excited, he whipped off his glasses and hastily polished them with his robe, "It's Veela!"
As his words fell, the hundred Veela had glided into the arena, their skin gleaming like the moon with gentle radiance, silver hair softly swaying behind their heads... The next moment, music echoed out, and William adjusted his glasses, finding these creatures somewhat intriguing—
Of course, not in a sexual way, just simple interest.
Veela magic had no effect on him, but the others around him were struggling; Harry's face was flushed, Sirius's body began shaking, Ron was even more exaggerated—he had already stood up, climbing onto the railing—
"What's wrong with them?"
Hermione blinked blankly, watching Ron standing on the railing, seemingly ready to dive off.
"Veela's charming ability can attract men and even affects non-human males too—"
William explained while grabbing Kabuda from his pocket, who was prepared to join Ron in a "You jump, I jump!" moment.
This little critter seems like an SP, no wonder it hangs out with a group of little girls all the time.
"...Then, how come you're not affected?"
Hermione looked at William in surprise, her brown eyes filled with curiosity.
"This young lady, form is emptiness, emptiness is form—"
Having sealed his emotions with ancient magic, William pressed his palms together, cosplaying as an enlightened monk—forget a few Veela, even if you stripped 27-year-old Anne Hathaway naked in front of him, Little William would not react at all. Yes, ancient magic is just that formidable.
And then, the music stopped—the next instant, the stadium was filled with angry roars.