Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 101 Ireland vs. Bulgaria

Tens of thousands of spectators erupted in earth-shaking cheers and applause, and the sign that originally bore the advertising slogan suddenly flashed with gold and changed to display the score of Bulgaria vs. Ireland at 0:0.

Harry saw countless flags waving at the same time, heard a jumbled mess of national anthems, and smelled the stench of fireworks flying out of someone's wand.

Then, as Ludo Bagman introduced him, he witnessed a scene that he would never forget.

"Please allow me to introduce the mascot of the Bulgarian national team!"

Loud cheers came from the bright red square on the right side of the stands. Mr. Weasley, who had just been sitting in his chair with great interest, suddenly took off his binoculars and started wiping them frantically.

"It's a Veela!"

"Veveled? What are Veveled?"

According to Professor Newt Scamander, Veela are magical creatures with human-like appearances who often appear as young, beautiful girls.

In layman's terms, Veela can be considered succubi who do not absorb human life force. Their faces are so beautiful they could rival the most beautiful women in history, their skin is as white as moonlight, and their pale golden hair possesses an inherent allure. When they dance, almost no man can resist their charm.

Therefore, when men see Veela, they often act rashly and impulsively. In order to get close to them, many wizards with weak willpower will do unimaginable and absurd things.

Harry had actually intended to share these facts with Ron, but when the hundred Veelas appeared on the field, Ron's questions were already answered perfectly.

"By Merlin"

Ron stood up from his chair in a daze.

He didn't know why those beautiful women could be so alluring to such an unreal degree, and as the Veela began their dance, his mind went completely blank.

Nothing else matters, as long as I can keep watching Veela dance.

"Don't stop! Please don't stop."

The voice in Ron's head said:

"If the Veelas stop dancing, the world is doomed. Oh, I think I should do something really great for them, and do it now. Hmm! How about jumping headfirst from the box into the stadium? Sounds pretty good, but would that make it exciting for them?"

......

"Wake up, Ron!"

After an unknown amount of time, Harry's voice suddenly came from the distant shore. Ron, gradually regaining his senses, blinked and realized that he was standing on a chair, poised to dive off a diving board.

"I just...wait, where's Veela?"

Ron, whose emotions had been calmed down by Harry's magic, didn't roar in frustration like the others in the stadium. He scratched his head, took a moment to regain his composure, and then sat back down in his seat, somewhat embarrassed, and said:

"Hey! Why didn't you pull me back sooner?"

Harry laughed and smacked his lips loudly in response:

"Tsk tsk tsk, as your good brother, how could I interrupt you while you're enjoying the Veela's dance? I'll definitely wait until you've had your fill before we talk about it."

Ron's face flushed red after Harry's comment. Luckily, he wasn't dating any girls right now, otherwise, he would have been in a much worse situation than just embarrassing himself.

Those who didn't want the Veela to leave were still shouting, but soon, Ludo Bagman's voice rang out again.

He said:

"A perfect performance, truly exhilarating! Now, ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome the mascot of the Irish national team to the stage!"

The wizards, still engrossed in the Veela dance, booed Bagman loudly, but the next second, a comet-like object flew into the arena with a whoosh.

boom!

A dazzling burst of light erupted from between the gold and green orbs; it turned out that the enormous comet was actually composed of two smaller meteors. They spun like tops around the stadium before stopping at the far ends of the Quidditch pitch.

"It's a rainbow!"

The murmurs of complaint from the crowd were replaced by gasps of amazement in various languages. Under everyone's watchful eyes, the rainbow connecting the two small meteors brought the green and gold orbs of light back together.

They merged and transformed, and finally, in a dazzling flash, they became a clover larger than an ancient banyan tree in the rainforest.

"Ireland! Ireland! Ireland!"

The chaotic, disorganized shouts gradually transformed into a unified cheer. Watching Fred and George waving shamrock towels, Hermione quietly leaned close to Harry's ear and asked:

"Didn't Mr. Bagman just say that a mascot would be appearing? Why is there only a magic show?"

Harry, who also made significant contributions to the field of magical creatures, pulled a pair of binoculars from his pocket and said:

“Take a closer look, those are actually Irish goblins. They love excitement and mischief, but they won’t cause any serious harm to wizards or Muggles. In that respect, these little guys are a bit like Peeves.”

Hermione, who took the telescope from Harry, was able to see clearly the true form of the elf, who was wearing a gorgeous vest, had a small hooked mustache, and was carrying a gold and green magic lantern.

She couldn't help but exclaim in admiration:

"Wow, really! How did you manage to identify them without binoculars?!"

Harry smiled and pulled another pair of binoculars from his pocket, replying:

"I guessed it by luck, but they are, after all, Ireland's most famous magical creatures, so... wait, here they come!"

Whoosh!

With a whooshing sound, seven blurry green figures suddenly flew out from behind the clover pattern.

"Let's welcome Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mallet! Moran! Quigley! And oh oh oh oh—Lynch!"

Accompanied by Ludo Bagman's enthusiastic voice, the Irish team, all equipped with fire bolts, embarked on a magnificent circling flight. Their teamwork was truly impressive; even their off-the-ball antics were an eye-opener for Harry, Wood, and the others.

"This is against the regulations!"

Ron, holding the binoculars, shouted:

"According to the order, Bulgaria should play first!"

"Who cares about you!"

The Weasley twins said in unison.

However, the instant they finished speaking, a red light so fast it was almost invisible to the naked eye suddenly descended from the sky and directly disrupted the Irish performance formation.

"Krum!"

Ron burst into laughter. His excitement made it seem as if even the Veela couldn't match the charm of the Bulgarian team's star Seeker.

How could he do this!

He has to do it!

"Krum is the soul of the Bulgarian team, and it's his responsibility to boost the team's morale. You just saw it; the Irish team has a full seven Firebolt brooms. If we just cower and let the Irish parade around like this, there's no point in playing this match. Even Harry would have done the same!"

Ron's explanation was endorsed by Harry, but there were so many Irish fans in the box that he also received a lot of hostile stares after he finished speaking.

Ludo Bagman was used to all sorts of things happening on the field, so this minor skirmish, which didn't even qualify as a conflict, was no problem for him. He simply grabbed his wand and exclaimed in praise:

"I can't see what just happened. Did anyone see it clearly?"

"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"

"Bulgarians, can you tell me who that red light was?"

"Krum! Krum! Krum!"

Who is the best Seeker in the world?

"Krum! Krum! Krum!"

The Bulgarians' enthusiasm was completely ignited, and riding this wave of fervor, Ludo Bagman began introducing the other members of the Bulgarian team.

"Zograv! Levsky! Volkov! Vokanov! Ivanova! And oh oh oh oh—Dmitrov!"

The deafening cheers made Harry and his friends' box tremble slightly, and the fireworks magic, which was strictly prohibited by the Ministry of Magic, flew everywhere after the two final teams entered the arena.

Fudge's expression seemed somewhat displeased, but as the saying goes, the law doesn't punish everyone. In the current atmosphere, even the most aloof Auror wouldn't handcuff someone for a few fireworks.

"Next, let's welcome the referee of this final match, the president of the International Quidditch Federation—Hassan Mustafa!"

The stadium fell silent instantly, and all the wizards watching the game understood the significance of the referee's appearance.

The players from Bulgaria and Ireland flew back to the center of the field on their brooms. At their feet, a short, thin wizard with sparse hair walked onto the field as Mr. Bagman introduced him.

pat!

The box was kicked open with a crisp sound. Two black, elusive balls and the golden Snitch, signifying the end of the game, eagerly soared into the air.

Mustafa, who disliked being indecisive, said nothing. He picked up a whistle and threw the bright red Quaffle high into the air!

beep!

"The match has begun! Ireland gets the Quaffle first, here's Mallett! Pass to Troy! Moran..."

Ludo Bagman's commentary was gradually drowned out by cheers. Neither Harry nor Moran had ever witnessed such a spectacular Quidditch match. Clearly, the Firebolt had revolutionized the mobility of flying broomsticks, raising the sport's ceiling considerably.

Eagle Head Offensive Formation!

Three Irish players launched their attack on the Bulgarian goal.

They passed the ball so fast and so accurately that Bagman didn't even have time to say the name of the previous player before the ball was already in the hands of the next player.

Ding ding!

Ireland 10-0 Bulgaria.

Fred and his friends jumped up from their seats, but before they could even let out a couple of shouts, Ireland's "Boskov tactic" snatched the Quaffle back from Bulgaria.

Troy, having successfully intercepted the ball, charged forward like a shot with the Quaffle. After being chased to the right corner of the goal by Ivanova, he passed the ball to Moran through the air.

boom!

Moran's bat sent the Quaffle flying high into the air.

As the batter, he had no intention of hitting the ball; he was in that position to draw Troy's attention before making a second pass.

Ding ding!

Ireland 20-0 Bulgaria.

"This is a complete rout! Unless Krum catches the Golden Snitch right away, Ireland is going to win!"

"Krum can catch the thief within five minutes!"

"That's impossible! Lin Qi isn't someone to be trifled with!"

The mouths of the Fred, George, and Ron brothers seemed to be blessed; just about three minutes into the game, Viktor Krum, who had been circling the sidelines, suddenly moved.

Almost all of the 100,000 wizards held their breath.

"Krum seems to have seen something! Lynch also sprang into action. Have they found the thief? Could it be that the match is about to end?"

Bagman's voice trembled as he stared intently at the two Seekers, afraid of missing any detail.