Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 100 Quidditch World Cup Final

Muggles often say that excitement is highly contagious. In their quadrennial sport of kicking a ball into a net, many people who never even watch football will suddenly become fans. And wizards are no exception.

The shouts, laughter, and songs sung in various languages ​​from thousands of people stretched from outside the competition venue all the way to the top-floor boxes.

Not only Harry and Ron, but even Hermione was so infected by this atmosphere that she couldn't stop smiling.

"One hundred thousand spectators."

Mr. Weasley, seeing the astonished look on his youngest daughter Ginny's face, said:

"Some people in the department said it would take several months, but in reality, after the final venue was selected, 500 people worked on it for a whole year."

"What? Dad! I can't hear you!"

"I said there were 500 people..."

"First-class ticket!"

Before Arthur could explain what he wanted to say to his daughter, a ticket inspector at the entrance drowned him out with an even sharper, higher-pitched voice.

"Arthur Weasley, the penthouse! Keep going upstairs, please hurry, there are still people behind us! Go all the way to the very top!"

The staircase leading to the top-floor VIP box was covered with a striking magenta carpet. Harry glanced at it and noticed that the path was completely different from the other stands, which were crowded with people holding regular tickets; it was almost empty.

The Weasleys, who were used to a frugal life, had never experienced such treatment before. Even when they received the Galleon Prize last year, they only went on a trip to Egypt and did not experience any expensive luxury life.

George and Fred were the first to take the lead and rush up to the top floor.

They waved the Irish team's flag and kept chanting "Woohoo! Woohoo!"

The climb up the stairs took a good ten minutes. When everyone could finally look down at the smooth, velvety stadium, Ginny could no longer contain her excitement.

"Roar!"

She first mimicked her twin brother's shout, then ran to Mr. Weasley and gave him a big hug:

"This is all so wonderful, I love you, Dad!"

His youngest daughter's heartfelt words stirred Arthur Weasley's already excited heart even more. He quietly clenched his fist, recalling Harry's suggestion to him, as if he had made up his mind.

......

One hundred thousand wizards were still taking their seats one after another, and whenever someone found their place, a mysterious golden light would shine from the seat beneath them.

Such a large-scale and extravagant event left even Ron, born into a pure-blood wizarding family, speechless. He leaned close to Harry and whispered:

"Good heavens, I think I can understand how you and Hermione felt when you first went to Diagon Alley and saw the magic. Where do you think those golden lights go?"

Without Mo Ran needing to remind him, Harry, who grew up in the Dursleys' household, immediately grasped the key point. He pointed to a blackboard across the arena, roughly the same height as the penthouse box, and said:

"It should be there. If I'm not mistaken, this should be an advertisement prepared for the audience at the stadium."

As soon as Harry finished speaking, the stadium, sensing that there were enough spectators in their seats, projected the collected golden light onto the advertising boards.

—The Cornflower broom is safe, durable, and sturdy, making it a flying broom suitable for families and parent-child activities. It features a built-in anti-theft buzzer alarm.

— Mrs. Scowle's All-Purpose Stain Remover: No magic wand needed, easily removes stains.

—Fengya brand custom wizard robes, available in London, Paris, and Hogsmeade.

—Lily Peanut Hair Shampoo effectively treats hair loss and solves dandruff problems; oily scalp disappears, leaving hair more outstanding! Shampoo, condition, and promote hair growth all in one step, magically smooth hair that will bring you magical joy!

"Cough cough..."

Harry hadn't expected to see his own brand's advertising slogan in this setting, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized it must be the Malfoys' doing.

"That's absolutely awesome, Harry! No wonder you know what it is!"

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Harry didn't respond to Ron's words.

He looked away from the billboard and glanced around at the other people in the private room. Unexpectedly, he spotted a guy with a very peculiar appearance.

"Romans?"

Looking at the short figure wearing a loose robe and a brown "scarf" around his head, a strange thought suddenly popped into Harry's mind.

This made Mo Ran laugh, and he corrected him:

"What Roman? That's a house-elf."

"House-elves?"

Harry was somewhat surprised.

In his view, no one else in the world, except himself and Professor Dumbledore, would bring house-elves to the Quidditch World Cup to watch the game, let alone let them sit in the commentary box.

(Black wasn't very nice to Kreacher either, but this was mainly because Kreacher, who served the Black family, also disliked the eldest son of the family who had been sorted into Gryffindor.)

"It seems there are wizarding families in this world who can empathize with house-elves. I should call Hermione to come and see!"

"Don't."

Mo Ran spoke up to stop him.

Even though he hadn't read the original Harry Potter books, he still sensed a strange and unusual feeling thanks to his powerful magical perception.

"You can go and talk to that guy, but don't bring Hermione along. I have a bad feeling about this."

"it is good."

Harry, realizing the seriousness of Moran's tone, readily agreed. He glanced back at Hermione, who was laughing and joking with Ginny, to make sure no one noticed what was going on before quickly walking over.

"Hello, this is the first time I've seen a house-pom come to a competition alone. May I get to know you?"

Harry's greeting startled the elf. She looked up, her large eyes peering through the scarf covering her head in Harry's direction.

"Ah! Your Excellency!"

A voice even higher than Dobby's shrilly rang out.

"Sparkling's owner is busy, Sparkling is waiting for her owner here. Sparkling didn't come to the game alone, Sparkling has an owner. My goodness, you are Harry Potter!"

Hearing Shining call him by his name, Harry quickly smoothed his bangs, which had been blown by the wind as he climbed the stairs. He made a shushing gesture and whispered:

"Shh, Sparkle, don't be so loud. It's nice to meet you. Can you tell me who your owner is?"

"Sparkle serves the Crouch family, sir. Sparkle's master is Barty Crouch. However, Mr. Harry Potter, Sparkle has something disrespectful to say to you."

Neither Harry nor Moran seemed to have anticipated the direction of the conversation, but since the elf had something to say, neither of them intended to refuse.

"Go ahead and say it, Sparkle."

"Mr. Harry Potter shouldn't have freed Dobby!"

"Do you know Dobby?"

Harry asked in surprise:

"Wait, shouldn't I release it? What does that mean?"

"Dobby's mind is not right, sir, and you have fueled his crazy ideas."

"I'm so sad," said Sparkle, looking as if Dobby and Harry had done something utterly unforgivable.

“That’s a wrong, unrealistic idea. House-elves take pride in serving their master’s family, but you, sir, not only made him betray his former master, but also gave him a job and paid him wages. This is a disgrace to house-elves.”

"It can't be that bad..."

Speechless at Sparkle's exaggerated words and actions, Harry awkwardly said:

"Dobby has the right to control his own life, and no one forced him to do so, so how is it a disgrace? To be honest, sometimes I find it hard to understand your thinking, and even if you don't support Dobby, you don't have to be so angry that you're trembling all over, do you?"

"Oh no, sir."

Shining gasped, hiding her eyes back inside her scarf, and said:

“Sparkle has a fear of heights, but Mr. Crouch wants Sparkle to wait for him here and save him a spot. Oh, Sparkle is a very well-behaved house-elf, but Sparkle really wishes he could go back to his master’s tent.”

Mo Ran had originally wanted Harry to ask Blink how she knew so much about Dobby. However, seeing her pitiful, trembling appearance, the two decided to let her off the hook for the time being.

"So, have you found any problems?"

"The little fairy wasn't lying, but she was too scared and her mind was too confused. I couldn't get any useful information out of her. Sigh... it seems I need to work harder on Legilimency magic in the future."

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. Do you remember before we went to Hogwarts, you told me to balance work and rest? Today's match is sure to be exciting, let's all give our brains a break."

Seeing that Harry had already put it this way, Mo Ran had no reason to refuse.

He smiled and replied:

"What you said is true, but I always have a feeling that you want to go back to Hermione as soon as possible."

"impossible."

Harry said without hesitation:

"Even if Voldemort himself came today, he couldn't stop me from watching the World Cup."

......

Only three minutes passed between Harry leaving his seat and his return.

During this time, more and more people from wealthy families or those holding high positions in the Ministry of Magic arrived in the private room.

Without exception, they were all somewhat surprised by the Weasleys' appearance.

Mr. Weasley was initially reluctant to deal with these "high-ranking officials" he rarely encountered. However, given that many of his colleagues at the Ministry of Magic, like Lucius Malfoy, enjoyed gossiping about him and his family behind their backs, he took this rare opportunity to chat "pleasantly" with everyone who entered the box.

Unfortunately, good times don't last long; the path between enemies always seems incredibly narrow.

Just as Mr. Weasley was speaking with great enthusiasm, a familiar figure that he disliked suddenly appeared in his sight from the stairwell.

"Good evening, Your Excellency Malfoy. I never expected to have such an honor to share this grand occasion with you today."

A sharp-eyed young man in a smart suit recognized the Malfoy family's signature light blond hair. He quickly stood up from his seat and walked over to Lucius Malfoy.

"I think this honor is mutual. Please give my regards to your father."

"Of course, Your Excellency, my father will be delighted to hear this."

As one of the wealthiest members of the Twenty-Eight Houses, Lucius Malfoy was quite adept at participating in such large-scale events. After nodding to the young man, he, accompanied by his wife and children, calmly greeted the other prominent wizards.

"Malfoy..."

As Lucius drew closer, Mr. Weasley murmured something. But just as he was bracing himself for a verbal battle, the man who was always at odds with him surprisingly spoke up politely:

"Arthur Weasley, oh, nice to meet you. I hope you and your family enjoy the game tonight."