A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

To Aaron's surprise, the Weasleys were also in this box. He had thought Ludo Bagman had given Arthur a regular ticket, but he didn't expect them to be placed here.

"What a coincidence." Fred and his group were sitting in the row behind them. "I didn't expect to see you here too."

“I never expected you to be here,” Aaron said bluntly. “It seems Mr. Bagman is more likely to abuse his power than I thought.”

“That’s the only thing that makes us feel better,” George said. “Even if we lose the bet, we can still break even on the ticket price.”

But if we win, we'll find Bagman immediately and make him pay us back.

"It's best not to," Leon interjected. "Leave a way out for others, so you can meet again in the future."

If you win, just ask him to return your principal.

“This isn’t right!” George frowned slightly. “If we win, the odds are ten times the payout, and we’ll get over three hundred Galleons.”

“On the surface, that seems right, but do you really think he has the ability to pay?” Lyon said sarcastically. “It’s unwise to force a gambler, especially during the Quidditch World Cup.”

But if you only want the principal, he won't refuse to give it to you; in fact, he'll give it to you quite readily, since even including Mr. Weasley's, it's less than forty Galleons.

Also, here's a piece of advice: be polite when asking for money, and it's best to check the coins he gives you.

The twin brothers remained silent for a moment, then reluctantly nodded.

We still have to give the investor face, and what he said wasn't without merit.

If Ludo Bagman is really that unreliable, they'd be lucky if they didn't lose money.

"Your seats seem a bit different from ours!" Ron looked at the other empty sofas with some envy. "Could we switch seats?"

“Ron, don’t overthink it,” Arthur said, half-laughing and half-crying. “These seats were specially prepared by Fudge for people who have made special contributions to the magical world or have a distinguished status.”

"Special contribution? Extraordinary status?" Ron was completely bewildered. Aaron and the others were about his age, so how did they meet these two criteria?

"Uh...can you stop insulting my noble character with your suspicious gaze?" Leon said somewhat displeased. "I admit we are just a group of ambitious young people full of hope for the future, but this private room is reserved for the powerful and influential, and you still got in."

Ron was speechless and awkwardly sat back down in his seat.

"Dobby?" Harry looked at the house-elf sitting in the row behind them, somewhat incredulous.

"I'm not Dobby, I'm Sparkle." The house-elf spoke in a high-pitched voice, slightly shrill, making it easy to tell that the elf was female.

"Sorry, I mistook you for someone else," Harry said sheepishly. "You look unwell."

"Sparkle has a fear of heights, but his master, Buddy Crouch, is too busy, so he asked me to come and save him a seat."

Sparkle wanted to return to its owner's tent, but it obeyed orders; Sparkle was a very well-behaved house-elf.

After saying that, she couldn't help but shiver and buried her head in her loose robe.

"The two teams will display their mascots before the match," Hermione said with interest.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” Mr. Weasley said, barely able to contain his excitement. “They will bring magical creatures from their home country to perform.”

"Fantastic Beasts?" Aaron pondered. "They're not some powerful or dangerous creatures, are they?"

“Of course not,” Mr. Weasley laughed. “The team specifically chose them to create an atmosphere and attract fans; there’s no danger at all.”

Over the next half hour, the private room gradually filled with people, all of whom were very prominent wizards.

Arthur and Percy shook hands with the other people again and again. Both father and son worked for the Ministry of Magic. Arthur was bound to be polite, while Percy hoped to get to know more people and leave a good impression on these seniors.

Fudge also brought over the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, who enthusiastically introduced him to Harry Potter, a wizard who had narrowly escaped death from the clutches of the mysterious man.

However, perhaps due to the language barrier, Fudge had to point to the scar on Harry's head to make him realize Harry Potter's identity.

Fudge also wanted to introduce Aaron and his two companions sitting on the front sofa. The family power of these three minors was terrifying. With their support, he, as Minister of Magic, could at least serve another term.

However, the moment he had this thought, he received three sharp gazes and Genes's smiling eyes, which immediately crushed the idea into dust and threw it to the back of his mind.

"Lucius, you're here." Fudge greeted the family of three as they approached with his standard smile.

“Fudge,” Lucius smiled and shook hands with him. “This is my wife Narcissa, and my son Draco.”

"Hello, hello." Fudge nodded and then introduced them to the Minister of Magic of Gaboria.

After some polite greetings, the Lucius family went to the sofa in the front row.

“Aaron,” Draco said with some delight, “your family has also invited you to come watch the Quidditch World Cup.”

“I guess so!” Aaron shrugged. “Let me introduce you. This masked woman is my sister, Adrian, and this is my childhood friend, Leon.”

"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," Draco introduced himself, but his face flushed slightly when he looked at Adrian.

The two nodded and then turned their attention to the competition.

"Gaius, is there any time after the match?" Lucius asked, sounding slightly nervous.

Aaron paused for a moment, thinking that it was probably because of the prophecy that he had Draco deliver.

However, he didn't want to get involved; reminding Lucius beforehand was already more than enough.

"Maybe next time! I came with my sister this time, so I didn't have time."

Lucius glanced at the man and woman beside Aaron and was momentarily stunned.

He could barely guess who the two people were, and silently sat down in his seat.

"Looks like not everyone will give someone face." A sarcastic voice came from behind Lucius.

Upon hearing this, Lucius turned around with a displeased expression and sneered, "So it's you, Arthur."

"What did you sell to get this penthouse seat? Your possessions certainly aren't worth that much, right?"

"That's none of your business. I'm more curious about how you got a front-row seat."

"Have you made significant contributions to the magical world or hold a transcendent status?"

“Arthur,” Fudge stepped in to smooth things over, “Lucius is a distinguished guest I invited. He donated a large sum of money to St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Injuries and Hell, and also reached a cooperation agreement with Gringotts to prepare a retirement fund for the Aurors.”

This is a significant contribution to the Ministry of Magic and even to ordinary wizards. The Order of Merlin has awarded him a First Class Order medal, but Lucius is rather low-key, and few people know about it yet.

Arthur's eyes widened in surprise, as did his children, Harry, and Hermione.

"Have you changed your personality? Or are you under a soul-stealing curse?"

“Arthur,” Lucius said with a sneer, “I know you have a problem with me, but those are just some minor grudges between us. You can’t doubt my character because of that!”

If you ever accidentally end up at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries and Illnesses, remember to mention my name; it might save you some unnecessary paperwork.

Arthur Weasley's lips twitched slightly. Who was he cursing?

You talk a good game, but do you think I need to doubt your character?

Although he was unhappy, he could only suppress it for now. After all, Lucius was a man of great influence, and if he continued to cause trouble, he would be disrespecting Fudge, his superior.

"Alright! Thank you, Malfoy, for your contributions to the wizarding world."

Lucius immediately broke into a victorious smile; he was in high spirits at having made Weasley suffer a setback.

At that moment, Ludo Bagman walked into the box, looking extremely excited. "Minister, it's time. We can announce the start of the match."

Chapter 343 The Chaotic Quidditch World Cup

Fudge stood at the very front of the box, under the spotlight, he pressed his wand against his throat and used a megaphone charm to make his voice incredibly loud.

"Good evening. As Minister of Magic, it is my great honor to welcome each and every one of you to the final of the 422nd Quidditch World Cup. The match is now in session."

The 100,000 spectators erupted in thunderous cheers and applause, thousands of flags waved simultaneously, countless red and green balloons soared into the sky, and all the billboards were wiped off, replaced by a scoreboard showing Bulgaria: 0, Ireland: 0.

At this moment, Ludo Bagman, the director of the Department of Magical Sports, stood on the stage as the host, introducing the two teams to the audience.

"Next, please allow me to introduce the Bulgarian national team's mascot... Veeva."

As soon as the words were spoken, a bright red square formation appeared on the right, and amidst loud cheers, a hundred Veela glided onto the field.

Veela are shapeshifting female elves who retain a human appearance, possess innate allure, and are breathtakingly beautiful.

So the moment they stepped onto the field, the atmosphere was instantly ignited.

As the music started, they began to dance. Their graceful movements excited most of the men, making them want to dance along.

Harry and Ron unconsciously left their seats and walked forward with fascination in their eyes.

"You two haven't disappointed me after all." Adrian looked at his two calm and composed brothers and nodded with satisfaction.

"Who do you think you are?" Leon curled his lip. "I've seen more beautiful mermaids than them. Compared to them, Veela is nothing special."

"I admit they're pretty, but I'm pretty confident in my self-control," Aaron said nonchalantly. "But to be fair, they're definitely the best cheerleading squad."

As the music stopped, Veela stopped dancing and slowly retreated to one side of the arena.

The people at the top gradually regained their senses and were pulled back to their seats by their companions.

Many wizards who supported the Irish team threw their flags to the ground, and at that moment they preferred to support the Bulgarian team.

"Now... please raise your wands into the air... to welcome the mascot of the Irish national team."

Whoosh!

A green and gold sphere flew into the field, spun once, and split in two, each part hitting a set of goalposts.

Brilliant fireworks formed an arch between the two goalposts, with the two spheres connecting in the middle of the arch to form a clover pattern.

The clover spiraled upwards, scattering golden raindrops from the sky, and countless gold coins fell on the heads of the audience.

“Irish leprechauns,” Leon chuckled, looking at the leprechauns carrying golden and green lanterns in the sky. “Quite creative. These tangible things are more popular than dance.”

Unfortunately, these gold coins were all fake, but the gold-obsessed people at the scene didn't seem to notice.

Ron, who was bending down to pick up gold coins, froze on the spot upon hearing this.

His mind went completely blank, and he felt so embarrassed he wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground.

The giant clover pattern quickly disappeared, and the Irish leprechaun landed opposite Veela, ready to watch the match.

Next, Ludo Bagman introduced the Bulgarian team's players one by one.

The batters, chasers, and goalkeepers, all dressed in bright red robes, flew into the field one by one. They were incredibly fast, and each of their brooms was like the fastest fire arrow.

When the last Seeker, Viktor Krum, entered the field, the Bulgarian supporters couldn't help but chant his name, and even the Irish supporters joined in without hesitation.

If there are celebrities in the wizarding world, Krum, the undisputed best Seeker, is definitely top-tier. He's the kind of person who gets autographs on the street, and Lockhart and his ilk simply can't compare.

"Aaron, I heard you were a Seeker at Hogwarts. Are you confident you can go toe-to-toe with him?" Lyon asked meaningfully.

"Stop joking." Aaron rolled his eyes in annoyance. "This is their profession."