bioinnovel Chapter 252 Quidditch World Cup
Chapter 252 Quidditch World Cup
Chapter 252 Quidditch World Cup
Monday, August 1994, 8.
The highly anticipated Quidditch World Cup Grand Final has arrived as scheduled.
The work of over 500 staff members at the Ministry of Magic over the past year is now facing its final test.
At dawn, as the sun rose and the morning mist gradually dissipated, thousands of tents of all shapes and sizes suddenly came to life.
Families with children woke up first. The adults lined up to fetch water and start fires to cook, while the children made noise and flew low on their toy brooms.
Then, the other campers emerged from their tents one after another. Some looked at the matches in their hands with puzzled expressions, while others looked around furtively before secretly starting a fire with their wands.
Smoke rose one after another, and the aroma of food gradually spread throughout the campsite.
Wizards from all over the world who came to watch the competition chatted seriously or excitedly, and those who were good at socializing even shared breakfast with each other.
Chatting and laughing with strangers.
Ordinary people can enjoy the lively mornings at the campsite, but Ministry of Magic employees are not so lucky, such as Miss Belvina Black.
As the Under-Secretary of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Belvina led her team to the campsite before dawn to help receive the foreign friends. Not only the Department of International Magical Cooperation, but also the Department of Law Enforcement, the Department of Sports, the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters, and the Department of Magical Transportation, the Ministry of Magic could be said to have mobilized its entire force to ensure the smooth running of the Quidditch World Cup Finals.
Apart from the murmurs of the Department of Mysteries, you can see officials from every department of the Ministry at the World Cup campsite, as if the Ministry of Magic had just moved from London.
From before dawn, Belvina's team of International Magical Cooperation staff were not only responsible for settling wizards from other countries,
Occasionally, I also have to help pay for things.
Belvina sometimes wondered how wizards' brains worked, how could it be so difficult to distinguish Muggle currency?
Even if you can't distinguish the denominations of the colorful Muggle currencies, how could you not recognize the numbers and letters on the banknotes?
It would be one thing if only foreign wizards couldn't tell the difference, but even native British wizards couldn't tell the difference, and some even took out Galleons to pay for their camping expenses.
Whenever a wizard pulls out Galleons to pay, the Muggle keeper of the camp is hit with a Forgetfulness Charm.
Belvina strongly doubted whether these unfortunate campsite Muggle overseers would still be able to function properly after the Quidditch World Cup.
They might not even remember their own names. What kind of good person gets cursed with forgetfulness a dozen times a day on average?
Even Gilderoy Lockhart wasn't this ruthless.
Oh, I hope Professor Lockhart is doing well in Azkaban.
Returning to the Quidditch World Cup campsite, the chaotic campsite is a veritable showcase of bizarre human behavior.
The Ministry of Magic officials couldn't be bothered with trivial matters like using magic to start a fire, but they couldn't ignore children riding toy flying brooms around.
And the tents in the campsite are all unique and ingenious.
Some tents are shaped like Egyptian pyramids, some look like castles, some resemble small parks, and others look like zoos!
The tents of Ireland's fervent supporters were all green, resembling a rolling hill; while the fans supporting Bulgaria waved white, green, and red tricolor flags high in the air.
There was also a group of witches from the United States, whose tents were adorned with a glittering banner that read: Salem Witch Academy.
Belvina wanted to stand opposite them and hold up the same glittering banner: Pendle Witches Academy.
You have Massachusetts, I have Lancashire; you have the Salem witch trials, I have the Pendle witch trials; come on, let's hurt each other!
None of these chaotic phenomena were anything special; what truly amused and exasperated Belvina was the wizards' attire.
During the semi-final match between Ireland and Peru, Belvina had already witnessed the spectacle of a large number of cross-dressers, but she didn't expect the campsite on the day of the final to be even more impressive.
Old Archie paraded around in a woman's printed nightgown, refusing to listen to any advice and insisting on changing out of it.
Besides these, there are also those wearing stockings, skirts, and high heels—there's nothing a wizard wouldn't dare to wear.
No matter how outrageous their outfits were, they were just like old Archie – stubborn and unwilling to listen to advice. No matter how much the Ministry of Magic officials pleaded with them, they refused to change into normal clothes.
Looking at the chaotic campsite and her fellow wizards whom she couldn't hit or scold, Belvina began to doubt her own abilities for the first time.
This terrible state of self-doubt persisted until he met Ludo Bagman.
When the Vice Minister of the International Department of Magical Cooperation met the Minister of the Department of Sports and Physical Education, Belvina felt relieved.
Today, Ludo Bagman is still wearing his black and yellow Wimbledon Hornets jersey, bouncing around as if he was born unable to walk properly.
"Ah!" Ludo Bagman exclaimed happily, hopping and skipping as he caught up with Belvina, who was trying to escape.
He continued, "Where are you going? You've already missed the Ireland vs. Peru match, are you going to miss the Ireland vs. Bulgaria match too?"
Clearly, Ludo Bagman has not given up on the idea of sending La Bellvina into the water.
"No, Ludo, I have no interest in betting," Belvina said, quickening her pace.
"Why?" Ludo Bagman looked incredulous. "Are you really just going to watch the game?"
Belvina stopped and turned back solemnly, saying, "Gambling leads to theft, and adultery leads to murder. I advise you to find a healthier form of entertainment. Also, stop following me."
After saying that, Belvina Apparated, giving Ludo Bagman no chance to continue entangled with her.
If the previous dislike of Ludo Bagman stemmed from his incompetence and stupidity, now we must add his gambling addiction to the list.
Belvina heard from others at the Ministry of Magic that Ludo Bagman had almost lost his entire fortune at the Quidditch World Cup.
A gambler who has lost everything should naturally be kept far away, the farther the better.
After shaking off Ludo Bagman, Belvina appeared silently at Camp One, just a few steps from Black and Weasley's tent.
"Arthur, what are you doing?" Belvina asked, puzzled.
At this moment, Mr. Weasley was squatting in the open space in front of his tent, holding a box of matches in his hand, with more matches scattered around him.
"Dad is playing with matches."
Mr. Weasley, engrossed in his work, had no time to speak, so Fred answered in his place.
"Dad has been playing with matches for half an hour," George added.
At that moment, Sirius and Lupin, who had heard the noise, came out from a slightly larger tent nearby.
"I told Arthur I'd help him start the fire, but Arthur said no and insisted on doing it himself," Sirius said. "And that's how you see it now."
Lupin smiled while shaking his head helplessly.
That night at the Burrow, Sirius and Lupin witnessed firsthand just how obsessed Mr. Weasley was with Muggle objects.
When Mr. Weasley learned that Sirius Black once owned a flying motorcycle, he instantly considered Sirius a lifelong friend.
"How's it going? Is the work going smoothly?" Lupin asked Belvina with a smile. "All the Ministry of Magic officials we've met along the way have ashen faces, and some of them look like they haven't slept for days."
Hearing this, Belvina gestured towards Mr. Weasley and said, "Do you think it'll go smoothly?"
"Ouch!"
After more than half an hour of persistent effort, Mr. Weasley finally struck a match.
But Mr. Weasley cried out in surprise, then threw away the match he had painstakingly lit and flung it away!
1
Belvina, head bowed and arms hanging limply at her sides, asked pitifully, "Can we have lunch before noon?"
At Mr. Weasley's pace, it would be a miracle if he could have lunch before the Grand Finals even started.
"Never mind, I'll do it," Sirius said. He stepped forward, squatted down next to Mr. Weasley, picked up another box of matches, and then patiently demonstrated to Mr. Weasley how to light the matches.
The fire was finally started.
However, you need to wait until the fire is burning brighter before you can cook.
"Why are only a few of you here?" Belvina asked. "Where are Harry and the others?"
"Harry and the other two went to the other side of the camp to fetch water," Fred replied.
"Ginny is packing her things inside the tent," George added.
Then, the two brothers said in unison, "Bill and Charlie haven't come yet! They're probably still sleeping at home!"
It's no wonder Fred and George were so resentful; they simply woke up far too early.
Before dawn, Mr. Weasley took the children and left the Burrow.
They first left the village of Saint Cachipol, then climbed Weasel Mountain, and finally arrived at the campsite using a door key.
Arriving at the campsite wasn't the end of it. Mr. Weasley also led the children to set up tents in the Muggle way and to collect firewood in the woods. While the children were working, Bill and Charlie were sleeping soundly at home; while the children were waiting for the fire to burn brighter and brighter, Bill and Charlie probably hadn't even gotten up yet.
In contrast, the children were busy all morning, while Bill and Charlie could just sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor. How could they not be resentful?
Belvina pulled up a chair and said, "Think about Percy. He got up even earlier than you two and hasn't had time to rest yet. Don't you two feel much better now?"
Then, Belvina looked at Sirius and gave him a serious plea.
She said, "If Ludo Bagman comes to you, no matter how high the odds he offers, you are not allowed to place any bets!"
Sirius was a little puzzled. It was just a few coins to have some fun, why take it so seriously!
Could it be that Ludo Bagman has offended her again?
Although he didn't understand why, Sirius nodded in agreement.
Belvina then looked at Mr. Weasley, who was still playing with matches, as well as Fred and George.
"Ludo Bagman is in dire straits himself right now. If you blindly follow him and get involved, you'll most likely not even get a single bronze nut."