bioinnovel Chapter 245 The Messy Campsite
Chapter 245 The Messy Campsite
Chapter 245 The Messy Campsite
After that day, Harry's real suffering began.
He not only had to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts from Lupin, but also learn about dating skills from Sirius Black.
In Defense Against the Dark Arts, one-on-one instruction and a lot of practice enabled Harry to make rapid progress.
As for dating skills, the books you buy from Diagon Alley are, to say the least, completely useless.
The three of them recognized all the words in the book, but when these words were put together to form sentences, they could only stare at each other blankly.
Sirius, Lupin, and Harry, all with expressions of utter disgust, began to question the meaning of life. Harry even felt that romantic skills were more difficult than dealing with Voldemort.
As for Belvina, the only woman at No. 12 Grimmauld Place...
Sorry, Belvina has been gone for ages. She has a ton of work to do at the department, so how can she waste her time on something as trivial as romance!
The Quidditch World Cup is a massive undertaking, drawing wizards from all over the world to England to participate in this grand event.
A large number of foreign wizards have landed in Britain. How to gather these people together and how to avoid attracting the attention of Muggles are problems that the Ministry of Magic needs to solve.
To this end, the Ministry of Magic found a deserted swamp and spent several months building the arena, taking all necessary precautions against Muggles.
After resolving the World Cup venue issue, the Ministry of Magic still needs to address the transportation problem; it's impossible to cram wizards from all countries onto Muggle public transportation.
To solve this problem, the ministry allocated a vacant lot for wizards who used Apparition, in the woods next to the campsite.
For those who are unwilling or unable to Apparate, the Ministry of Magic distributed two hundred Portkeys throughout Britain.
The door key can transport wizards from one place to another within a specified time, and can transport a large number of people to a designated location at once.
One day in mid-August, Belvina, accompanied by staff from the International Department of Magical Cooperation, went to the World Cup campsite, where the final semi-final match was scheduled for that evening.
Belvina and her group traversed a vast, desolate swamp for about a quarter of a mile before the first campsite came into view.
On a gentle slope, hundreds of oddly shaped tents are scattered about. Some tents have added bacon as an extraneous addition, some have their own gardens and zoos, and some are as tall as several stories.
These bizarre tents all failed to meet the Ministry of Magic's basic requirements—they were all made to look like Muggle tents.
Although these tents did not meet the requirements and were likely to attract the attention of Muggles, especially since the camp administrator's family were Muggles.
However, the Ministry of Magic did not mandate that wizards dismantle the irregular tents.
At first, the Ministry of Magic would send someone to say a few words, but the wizards watching the games continued to do as they pleased, treating the Ministry of Magic's reputation like a doormat.
Over time, the employees responsible for looking after the campsite stopped caring and let the group show off their tents.
The International Magic Cooperation Division can ignore it, the Sports Division can ignore it, and the Law Enforcement Division, which is responsible for security, can also ignore it, but the Magic Accidents and Disasters Division cannot remain indifferent.
The unfortunate members of the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters have to live in constant fear of the campmaster's family, who are always ready to cast a Forgetfulness Charm on Muggle Robert.
Besides the obviously non-compliant tents, the attire of the wizards who came to watch the game was also inappropriate. The Ministry of Magic staff talked themselves hoarse, but they could not persuade the wizards to dress like normal Muggles.
Some wizards wear formal suits on their upper bodies and sweatpants and leather boots on their lower bodies; some wizards wear pajamas or thermal underwear on the outside; and some wizards parade around in women's clothing as if they were cross-dressers.
Looking at the wizards in front of her, all dressed in bizarre outfits, Belvina felt a headache coming on and wished she could burn the entire camp down.
"Tell my colleagues in the Accidents and Disasters Division how hard they've worked," Belvina said helplessly.
Percy Weasley and the others following behind echoed in agreement.
They knew perfectly well that the messy encampment was riddled with flaws and could not be hidden from the eyes of Muggles. The staff of the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters could only cast Oblivion Charms again and again.
As she walked, Belvina saw another group of wizards with distinctly exotic styles. Some wore long white robes, while others had dark skin—some jet black, others matte black.
"You should pay close attention to these foreigners and keep a close eye on them to prevent any conflicts from arising," Belvina added.
Percy Weasley and the others following behind them once again agreed.
Before long, a rolling "green hill" appeared before Belvina and the others, with each tent covered with a thick layer of clover.
Tonight's semi-final is Ireland vs. Peru, and these "green hills" are all supporters of the Irish team.
At that moment, Belvina heard Ludo Bagman's voice coming from inside a tent.
"What great weather! The weather is absolutely fantastic! It's going to be perfect weather for a Quidditch match tonight!" Ludo Bagman's voice was as happy as a child's.
"By the way! Which team do you support?" Ludo Bagman continued. "Ah, you must support Ireland. Coincidentally, I support Ireland too."
Belvina doesn't know what Irish fans are thinking, but if she were an Irish fan, she wouldn't be able to stand it.
Ludo Bagman's record since the start of the Quidditch World Cup has been abysmal, prompting Belvina to think of a certain old friend.
As expected, Ludo Bagman walked backwards out of the tent, his rosy cheeks showing no sign of unhappiness.
He then shouted, "Ireland will win!"
Snapped!
Belvina and the others by the roadside slapped their foreheads in unison, while the wizards who came to watch the competition curiously peeked out from the tents on both sides of the road.
"Ah! Belvina!"
Ludo Bagman greeted him cheerfully, hopping and skipping over as if he had springs under his feet.
He was wearing a long Quidditch robe, with a huge wasp printed on the chest of the black and yellow robe, which was the uniform of the Wimbledon Hornets.
As a retired athlete, Ludo Bagman is no exception; his physique is no longer as robust as before, and his large belly makes his Quidditch robe look like a tight-fitting garment.
"Belvina! You came to see me!" Bagman exclaimed happily. "Believe me, Ireland will definitely win tonight; they have seven top players!"
Looking at Ludo Bagman's round, baby-faced man, Belvina felt both annoyed and amused, unable to bring herself to say anything harsh.
"Ludo, what do you think of the situation at the campsite?" Belvina asked tentatively.
"Excellent! Everything is running smoothly, Crouch is amazing! And you are too!" Ludo said carefree. "You guys have taken care of everything, I don't have much to do!"
Ludo Bagman's words nearly killed Belvina.
Percy Weasley and the others following behind wanted to laugh but dared not, which was quite uncomfortable for them.
"Ludo, if you'd like, you can take your men to patrol the campsite a few more times to prevent anyone—"
As Belvina was speaking, a commotion suddenly broke out in the distance. Blue magical flames rose high and instantly ignited several nearby tents.
Percy Weasley and others standing behind Belvina rushed over to put out the fire, and another group of haggard-looking Ministry of Magic officials also arrived in time. Only Belvina and Ludo Bagman remained standing in place.
Belvina stayed put because she felt it wasn't necessary to do such a small thing herself.
Ludo Bagman stood still because someone had already gone to put out the fire, and he felt he didn't need to go anymore.
"Good heavens!" Ludo Bagman exclaimed in surprise, "Some adult must have let their child slip by and allowed a naughty kid to get their hands on the wand!"
"Ludo, does this kind of thing happen often at the campsite?" Belvina asked.
Although wizards have many ways to stop the fire from spreading and prevent it from happening, there's always a chance of something going wrong.
"It's not that often. Sometimes it's kids waving their parents' wands around, and sometimes it's adults making mistakes while casting spells. There's nothing surprising about that," Ludo said nonchalantly.
Upon hearing this, Belvina's lips gradually pursed into a thin line.
"By the way, would you like to place a bet on the match?" Ludo Bagman asked eagerly.
Compared to the flames that had just been extinguished in the distance, Ludo was more interested in gambling and also wanted to drag Belvina into it.
As Ludo spoke, he jingled the pockets of his robe, indicating that they were stuffed with gold coins.
"I dare say Ireland will definitely win tonight. How about it, want to give it a try?"
Belvina pursed her lips even tighter; she desperately wanted to open Ludo Bagman's skull and see what was inside!