Harry Potter - Fanfiction

Year 4 - Bulgaria vs Ireland

"Everyone ready?" Ludo Bagman asks, his round face gleaming like a great, excited Edam. "Minister, ready to go?"

"Ready when you are, Ludo," says Fudge comfortably.

Ludo whips out his wand, directs it at his own throat and says, "sonorus!"

He then speaks over the roar of the sound that is now filling the packed stadium; his voice echoes over them, booming into every corner of the stands.

"Ladies and gentlemen... Welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!"

The spectators scream and clap. Thousands of flags wave, adding their discordant national anthems to the racket. The huge blackboard opposite us now showing BULGARIA: 0, IRELAND: 0.

"And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce... The Bulgarian National Team Mascots!"

The right-hand side of the stands, which is a solid black of scarlet, roars its approval.

"Oh no," I mumble, for I know these mascots. Veela...

Hundreds of veela are now gliding out onto the field. Veela are beautiful woman with skin that shines moon-bright like and white-gold hair which fans out behind them without wind. They are able to capture any man's attention without struggle; making their minds go blank and have sudden urges to do courageous things without a second thought.

They start to dance and to prove this very thing, as they start dancing faster and faster Harry gets up from his chair and places a leg on the wall of the box. Ron frozen in an attitude that looks as though he was about to dive from a springboard. The twins sitting with their fingers in their ears.

Angry yells are filling the stadium. The crowd doesn't want the veela to go.

The veela now lined up on one side of the field.

"And now," roars Ludo Bagman's voice, "kindly put your wands in the air... For the Irish National Team Mascots!"

Next moment, what seems to be a great green-and-gold comet comes zooming into the stadium. It does one circuit of the stadium, then splits into two smaller comets, each hurtling toward the goal posts. A rainbow arcs suddenly across the field, connecting the two balls of light.

The crowd 'ooooh's' and 'aaaaah's', as though at a fireworks display. Now the rainbow fades and the balls of light reunite and merge; they form a great shimmering shamrock, which rises up into the sky and begins to soar over the stands. Something like golden rain seems to be falling from it; Heavy gold coins are raining from it, bouncing off our heads and seats.

When I squint up at the shamrock, I realize it is actually comprised of thousands of tiny little bearded men with red vests, each carrying a minute lamp of gold or green.

"Leprechauns!" says Mr. Weasley over the tumultuous applause of the crowd.

The great shamrock dissolves, the leprechauns drift down onto the field on the opposite side from the veela and settle themselves cross-legged to watch the match.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome... The Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you Dimitrov!"

A scarlet-clad figure on a broomstick, moving so fast it becomes a blur, shoots out onto the field from an entrance far below, to wild applause from the Bulgarian supporters.

"Ivanova!"

A second scarlet-robed player zooms out.

"Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaaaand – Krum!"

"And now, please greet... The Irish National Quidditch Team!" yells Bagman. "Presenting Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaaaaand – Lynch!"