Constellations of Black

Chapter 26

The following morning was filled with excitement. Everyone wore shades of scarlet red or green in some type of manner. The twins wore primarily black, Lyra with her matching green and silver jewellery, while Cetus wore a deep green pocket square in the breast pocket of his suit jacket. Regulus wore a green dress shirt, covered primarily with his black suit jacket. Everyone was trying to find their areas to go for their seats. Lyra and Cetus followed Regulus along the catwalk.

She noticed some wizards and witches in their traditional clothing, which Lyra eyed. The patterns intrigued her. Mixing stripes, spots, and different animal print patterns blending to make its own unique pattern. Other wixen wore multiple materials layered like lace overtop cotton ruffles or simple white cuffs under their long black outfits. Those were the only noticeable differences Lyra saw in clothing from the different wizarding communities. Everyone, in the end, was supporting their favourite team out of the two options.

"Hey! Cetus!" The family looked up to see the Weasleys above them, on the catwalk to the highest level seats, the cheapest one offered.

Cetus grinned and waved. Regulus looked forward, seeing two familiar platinum blonds. They wore solid black, hiding any support for either team.

"Ly!" The younger Malfoy greeted.

"Hello, Dray," Lyra greeted back with a small nod.

Lucius sneered at the Weasleys and the Nerro twins. Cetus did his best to keep his face from contorting. Lyra swore she saw smoke coming from Lucius Malfoy's ears when she looked at him. She blinked at the man innocently, letting Lucius catch his own behaviour.

"Let's put it this way, you'll be the first to know if it rains," Lucius teased, Arthur bit his tongue.

"Father and I are in the minister's box! My personal invitation from Cornelius Fudge himself!" Draco gloated. Lyra rolled her eyes. Leave it to Malfoy to brag about everything.

"Ryan! Lyra! Cetus! Hallo, wie geht's?" The German minister walked up, pushing past the Malfoys, focused on his friend and the children. The Bulgarian minister was right behind him.

"Gut, und du?" Ryan responded, shaking the minister's hand.

Lucius and Dray gawked, Lyra beaming now. The twins kept looking between each other and the two families, unfocused on either conversation. Although, now Draco was rubbing his ribs.

"Twins," The German minister called, everyone's eyes focusing on them; the ministers and their father were waiting for them. "Kommt."

Cetus and Lyra trudged after them.

"I got a bad feeling about Lucius," Cetus whispered. Lyra agreed.

"And Narcissa married him," She muttered back.

The twins went quiet, following their father and the ministers up to where they were to be seated. Lyra pushed her hair behind her ear, watching the velvety purple-covered steps. She could hear the echoing cheer of the fans. The game hadn't even begun yet.

The family and ministers arrived in their box. Reg pushed both of the ministers in after they pushed the children in. Regulus sat next to Lyra, while the German minister sat between Cetus and the Bulgarian minister. The twins looked around, trying to hide their obvious state of awe.

Wixen from across the entire world were here, cheering. Large spotlights danced around the stadium as balloons with the colours of both teams floated around. The family remained quiet, celebrating with silent cheers when Ireland scored.

"Mr Krum is our best player and youngest," The Bulgarian minister remarked in broken English.

The twins nodded gradually. They weren't sure if they felt comfortable with the minister; after all, he let Durmstrang Institute be a powerful and preferred place for dark magic to be learned throughout the curriculum. Regulus had always steered clear of Bulgaria for that reason, especially if the twins were with him.

"Come on now," Arthur yelled, the rest of what he was saying was drowned by the crowd around.

Cedric glanced at him as Hermione and Ginny crouched under the spotlight.

"Come on!" Fred yelled as George and Ron came to stand on either side of him.

Suddenly, a handful of wixen on their brooms flew into the stadium and past the Weasleys, green and white smoke trailing them. The ginger-haired family ducked down, to avoid getting hit off the stands. Hermione and Ginny began cheering.

"It's the Irish!" Fred pointed out. Cedric took a few moments to feel comfortable with the loud family before joining them and his father in cheering.

The wixen flew up, fireworks popping after them. A leprechaun sparkled back as it began to Irish dance. The twins were pointing out which player was which. Hermione, Harry, and Ginny all laughed at the sight. The latter two sporting obnoxiously large hats supporting the teams.

Cetus and Lyra looked at each other, jaws virtually on the floor in stupefaction. Regulus glanced over and smiled. He was satisfied that he got to give the twins the chance to experience the Quidditch World Cup. He had only been once, thanks to his uncle Cygnus when Sirius was their age.

The Bulgarian minister scoffed but didn't say a word. The twins adjusted themselves, hiding their excitement and wonder. The Irish Quidditch team flew halfway around the field before stopping and watching the leprechaun, too.

Suddenly the leprechaun burst into red sparkles. The Bulgarian team flew through the wreckage. The twins gasped quietly, the Bulgarian minister smirking. The Bulgarians flew straight for the Irish team, the latter having to separate to stay upright on their brooms.

One of the Bulgarian players flew up and did a one-handed handstand on his broom before joining the rest of the team. Suddenly, the boxes lit up and became a board, showing the seeker, Viktor Krum. The board followed the rest of the team as they circled.

Lyra closed her mouth and stared at the stands around. Reg elbowed his daughter, a teasing smirk on his face. Lyra's face reddened and she shook her head. He gave a questioning glare but didn't pry any further.

"Good evening," A minister called.

The twins looked over, he was a few boxes down from them. The clapping and cheering died down to silence, listening to every word. Lyra sucked in a breath at the rapid change.

"As minister for all magic, it gives me great pleasure to welcome each and every one of you," He continued, "To the final of the four-hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup. Let the match begin!"

A white ball of light flicked from his wand, transforming into a Quiffle.

By the end, Ireland won by ten points: one-hundred and seventy to one-hundred and sixty. The minister seemed rightfully upset, even after Viktor Krum had caught a Snitch at the very end of the match. He stormed out of the box, and the remaining four people cheered. Not because he left, but because they had all been going for Ireland to win the match.