FINITE | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [4]

𝘃𝗶𝗶𝗶 | 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝗽

The stadium erupted into screams and applause. Thousands of flags waved, adding their national anthems into the racket. The huge blackboard had now cleared of its final message and now showed BULGARIA: 0, IRELAND: 0.

'And now!' Bagman went on. 'Without further ado, allow me to introduce... the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!'

As the scarlet side of the stadium erupted into intense roars of approval, Mr Weasley peered down at the pitch.

'I wonder what they've brought,' he said, then, 'Aah!' He whipped off his glasses and polished them hurriedly on his robes. 'Veela!'

Gwen gasped excitedly. She had never seen Veela before, only come across them in textbooks, and, eagerly, she peered over the box and down onto the pitch. Far below, gliding out onto the field, a hundred women appeared, lined in a row, and then began to dance. They were truly beautiful with their silvery white hair and skin that shone so bright. They were not fully human, although they looked it, and, the more they danced, Gwen wondered what it would be like to be that inhumanely gorgeous.

She was cheering on their dancing, when, suddenly, beside her, Harry got to his feet, lifted a foot onto the railing in front of them.

'Harry, what are you doing?' she said suddenly.

Next to Harry, Ron was leaning forward in his seat, pulling the green hat from his head, looking as though he were contemplating jumping from the box.

Both of them had an awestruck look in their eyes; they were both watching the Veela dance with such intensity that, alarmed, Gwen thought for a split second that they would both leap into the pitch.

Then the music stopped and the Veela bowed.

Angry yells began to fill the stadium; the crowd didn't want the Veela to go. Harry blinked, looking utterly dumbfounded, and Ron had been shredding the shamrocks from his hat. Smiling slightly, Mr Weasley leaned across and pried it from Ron's hands.

'You'll be wanting that,' he said, 'one Ireland have had their say.'

Ron barely even responded. He and Harry were still staring at the Veela, who had now lined up on one side of the field.

Hermione, who was clearly more exasperated at the boys' reactions than concerned, tutted loudly and pulled Harry back into his seat.

'Honestly!' she said.

Gwen caught her eye, suppressing a grin, but Hermione's face was stormy and tinted pink.

'And now!' Ludo Bagman roared. 'Kindly put your wands in the air... for the Irish National Team Mascots!'

Suddenly, a massive green and gold comet came zooming into the stadium. It did one circuit, then split into two comets, hurtling toward the goal posts. A rainbow arced across the field, connecting the two green and gold balls of light. The crowd gasped and sang at the spectacle, cheering as the rainbow faded and the comets reunited and merged, forming a great shamrock, which rose up high in the sky and began to soar over the stands.