Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 373 The Beginning of the Match

Dartmur, gentle slope camp.

A riot occurred here last week, and the British Ministry of Magic and four magic schools worked together to quell the congestion caused by enthusiastic fans.

Although a few wizards were injured in the chaos and tents were burned, it did not deter fans from flocking to the camp. The Ministry of Magic reassigned Mr. Roberts, the Muggle administrator, and sent several new Aurors from the Department of Execution to maintain order at the camp.

The camp no longer needed to worry about order or the leakage of magic, and it became increasingly lively.

As the sun set and the game was about to begin, an excited atmosphere filled the campsite, and the quiet summer night air seemed to be restlessly anticipating the start of the match.

At this time, the camp was bustling with people.

There were African wizards singing and dancing, cross-dressing wizards dressed as Muggles under the guise of preventing the leakage of magic, but actually showing off their individuality in public, children chasing and playing, and tourists who had just arrived from out of town trying to take photos with the players before entering the stadium.

The open space near the camp gate has become a commercial area. Every so often, vendors descend from the sky with trays and carts filled with all sorts of strange and unusual trinkets, including medals, statues, and posters related to the team.

The roadside was lined with oddly shaped billboards. The clerks at Tuofan Clothing Store wore Bulgarian jerseys, Wenrenju Quill Pens launched ink bottles shaped like the Golden Snitch, and Honey Duke's stall was the largest, occasionally showering customers with candy.

Some pubs even set up beer towers outside.

Melvin, wearing a hat with a dancing clover design, slowed his pace as he walked through the pedestrian shopping street, accepted a sample candy from Honey Duke, and only put it in his mouth after confirming it wasn't a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean.

Christine walked beside her, her eyes sparkling as she surveyed the camp, as if it were a grand festival, where wizards from all over the world had gathered to create this atmosphere.

Montmorency Street was just as lively during major festivals, but back then she was thinking of escaping there and couldn't appreciate the beauty of that atmosphere.

There's a shop over there that specializes in magic candies. I didn't know that Flavored Beans and Monster Flavored Beans came in so many flavors...

Christine couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

From Paris to Romania, and then back to Beauxbatons, the events of the past few years, aside from a few memorable moments, mostly leave little impression now. It wasn't until I decided to stay in the Pyrenees that my soul seemed to settle, and my perception of things became clearer.

Christine gradually smiled as she accepted the free coconut candy from the candy stall.

Gradually, some students recognized them: one was Hogwarts' most popular professor, and the other was Beauxbatons' new professor. It was a rare sight to meet them outside of school.

The students couldn't help but come over, greeting them with surprise and offering them snacks and candies with smiles, telling them that they should prepare props in advance for watching the game. Melvin and Christine were very patient, greeting them and exchanging snacks with them.

Unexpectedly, just before leaving the business district, Melvin received orange candy from a little witch in Beauxbatons.

Just as the last rays of the setting sun faded and the moon rose, a deep and resonant gong sound suddenly came from the depths of the woods. As the sound spread, thousands of red and green lanterns lit up the trees, illuminating the road leading to the stadium.

……

The magnificent stadium stands in the remote woodland, its walls gleaming with gold. Even without considering the Unseen Stretching Charm, it has enough space to house ten churches.

Muggle Exorcism Charm, Bless All, Beast Repeller, Anti-Apparition Barrier...

A quick glance reveals the stadium's tight security. The Ministry of Magic's construction workers worked overtime for months, applying over a dozen spells to every inch of it. Ignorant beasts and magical creatures would avoid it from afar, and every time a Muggle approached, an urgent matter would suddenly occur, forcing them to hastily turn back.

A crimson carpet stretched from the forest path up the steps into the stadium's lobby. One hundred thousand wizards filed into the stadium and took their seats one after another. The seats were arranged in a stepped pattern around the oval stadium, appearing from a distance as just a black dot, moving like ants carrying food.

At the entrance to the small box in the very center of the stadium, Ms. Burns, dressed in a black and white robe, stood looking at the Weasleys and Harry and the others. A hint of surprise lingered in Ms. Burns' light blue eyes. Several directors of the Ministry of Magic stood beside her.

“Arthur, Sirius, you two families have almost taken all the best spots.” Ms. Burns glanced at their numbers and smiled faintly.

This is the best box in the entire stadium, located on the top floor, between the two scoring rings, offering the widest view and the most expensive ticket price—what the ticket inspector witch would call a first-class ticket.

Harry stood on tiptoe, peeked around, and thought it was indeed a bit too much.

There are fewer than thirty seats inside, divided into two rows, one row is gold-plated and the other is purple.

A house-elf had already taken up a seat in the corner, and the rest of the first-class seats were occupied by this group of people.

"The ticket Ludo gave me!"

Mr. Weasley chuckled and scratched his head. “Ludo said that the Bulgarian minister is greedy and always wants to take the best positions without paying them. He might as well give me the position.”

"I bought it through official channels, and I even paid a markup!" Sirius Black immediately clarified.

"I didn't mean to blame you."

Ms. Burns said with a smile, "This box was originally intended to be empty if we couldn't get back from New York... Even if we did get back, I didn't plan to stay until the end of the game, as there are a lot of things that need to be done at the department."

Harry secretly observed the witch.

It is clear that Ms. Burns has completely replaced Fudge as minister. Compared to that fat and frivolous middle-aged wizard, the current minister is more mature and stable. She will not flatter those wealthy pure-bloods, nor will she exclude Hogwarts teachers and students who bear Dumbledore's label.

Most importantly, she wouldn't treat Harry like Lockhart, showing him off and flaunting him no matter the occasion or time.

Harry highly approves of the current Minister, Burns.

"I hope you witness a wonderful match."

Mrs. Burns stepped aside slightly to let them pass, and Sirius even leaned in for an elegant but affected cheek kiss, which almost made Harry and Ron gasp.

……

"Cornflower: A flying broomstick suitable for the whole family—safe, reliable, and with a built-in anti-theft buzzer..."

"Elegant Wizard Robes: Stores all over the world, including London, Paris, Montrancey, Hogsmeade..."

"Three Broomsticks Mead: A fusion of fairy magic and Muggle craftsmanship, a work of art for the new era..."

"Taklott Lamp: Made with rare Hinkpunk from the African jungle, using Australian wrasse skin, a symbol of status..."

The field was as smooth and flat as velvet, but the wooden barriers along the edge of the field were covered with colorful words and patterns that flashed and swirled like neon lights—advertisements for the spectators and players.

In the center of the scoring circle, directly opposite the referees and commentators, there is a huge mirror that continuously displays video advertisements, ranging from 5 seconds to 30 seconds, with advertising fees being quite high.

The stadium was packed with people, and laughter and cheers rose and fell like waves, crashing against the walls and creating a cacophony of noise that made everyone's eardrums taut.

The photographer from the Prophet's Newspaper found the perfect angle, snapped a picture, and the flash captured the entire stadium. "What, there are even house-elves watching the game?" The photographer took out the photo, shook it a few times to let the developing agent soak into the entire image, and also noticed a figure in the corner of the box.

"Let me see, let me see..." A newspaper staff member came over.

"There really are elves? Who has such a luxurious family?"

"Could we cut this out and write a separate newsletter about it?"

"Writing news requires interviews, but that's a wizard in the penthouse suite. Would he agree to be interviewed?"

Listening to her colleagues' chatter, Hermione stared wide-eyed at the familiar figure in the front row of the VIP box in the photo. She quickly raised the panoramic binoculars, adjusted the knob, and looked towards the top-floor VIP box.

It is unclear whether there is a fundamental difference between magic telescopes and ordinary telescopes.

This device resembles binoculars, but is covered with all sorts of strange knobs and dials. It's of good quality and worth the price of ten Galleons. You can freely zoom in and out to adjust the magnification, and you can also rewind and replay to see missed details.

The image, after being enlarged and refracted, has some distortion at the edges, but the appearance and clothing remain largely unchanged; it is indeed the Weasley family.

"I know them, they are my friends!"

"Then it's up to you!"

"Ok!"

Hermione Granger, an intern reporter, took on the job with a flushed face. She had been interning at the newspaper for a month, constantly searching for information and organizing documents, but hadn't yet published a single article or appeared on camera, not even a spoken script.

Before the match even started, Hermione felt that the trip had been worthwhile.

"Harry and Ron are actually in the top-floor VIP box, and they even called Dobby..."

As an intern at the newspaper, Hermione was only able to get tickets because Editor-in-Chief Guffer made an exception for Professor Levent. Her seat, of course, was the same as her colleagues', the best result in terms of both price and view: a mid-level box.

Hermione raised her binoculars again, observing the situation from a distance.

Bill, Charlie, Ginny, George, and Fred, Percy was supposed to be keeping order, and the Weasley family was there except for Molly.

Ron wore a straw hat in support of Ireland, a green rose badge pinned to his chest, and a clay figurine of Bulgarian Seeker Krum sitting on his shoulder. The little Krum frowned and glared at the Irish support items on him.

Harry, on the other hand, was much more restrained, wearing no obvious team merchandise, only a pair of binoculars hanging around his neck.

Whether it was the reflection from the lenses or not, Harry seemed to notice her spying on him and looked over. Finding that he couldn't see clearly with the naked eye due to the distance, he picked up the binoculars hanging around his neck.

Their eyes met across the entire stadium. Harry looked surprised and suddenly stood up, went to the railing of the box, and waved to them.

Hermione couldn't help but smile.

Not forgetting her identity as an intern reporter, the little witch turned her binoculars to look to the side and observe the house-elf.

Strangely enough, Harry was sitting in the very edge of the front row, with an empty seat behind him and the house-elf right next to him.

With dark brown eyes, he wore a square towel used for wiping teaware, which resembled a loose robe, and his feet dangled off the ground, swinging back and forth.

Not more?

Hermione was certain that Dobby wouldn't give up the socks he'd bought with his own wages, much less just drape a tea towel over himself as clothing.

The intern reporter wasn't a Quidditch fan, nor did she care whether Ireland or Bulgaria would win the World Cup; she was more concerned about whether her news would be published than about the World Cup title.

In the time that followed, she stopped paying attention to the competition and instead focused her attention on the house-pom-pom.

……

"I clearly have a first-class ticket, why should I sit here with you?"

"Perhaps because you are the club's technical advisor?"

Melvin and Wright sat next to each other in a VIP box on the middle level of the stadium, with a wide view and a clear view of every part of the stadium.

Christine returned to the box reserved by the students and faculty of Beauxbatons. This enclosed box, intended for only two spectators, had been modified according to Melvin's requests.
The rear seats were removed and replaced with black velvet curtains, which created a separate enclosed space.

The club has set up more than a dozen VIP boxes throughout the stadium, but there are no curtains separating the other rooms.

There are professional observers, or photographers, at each location who can witness the entire match firsthand and provide a comprehensive and exciting perspective after the match.

Each private box is also equipped with an editor who is proficient in forgetting spells and false memory spells, responsible for editing and organizing the memories related to the competition, so as to complete the recording of the competition in the shortest possible time after the competition ends.

“Your plan is very comprehensive; you don’t need any extra technical advisors,” Wright said angrily.

"Then you'd better stay here while I carry out my plan and prevent unauthorized personnel from barging in."

"What do you take me for, a security guard?"

Melvin chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, looked up at the countdown on the screen, and got up to go to the cubicle behind the curtain.

The already cramped private room was further divided by curtains, and a small square table was placed in the partitioned space, making it appear even more cramped and narrow. The items on the table were divided into two parts.

On the left is a crystal ball containing memories and a gold chain with an hourglass.

On the right are various kinds of garbage and waste:
The slightly cleaner items were worn-out clothes, leather boots with broken heels, pointed hats with ugly patches, and skunk leather gloves that couldn't be sold in secondhand stores.

The dirtier ones include old smoking pipes with peeling paint, chipped and moldy wine jugs, and yellowed rubber toilet seats.

There were even banana peels, fish bones, and an old witch's comb...

These are all door keys sent by the Department of Transportation, about thirty or forty in total. They all originated from Dartmoor and were destined for the Ministries of Magic in places like Budapest, Romania, Paris, and Austria.

Activation time...

just now.

(End of this chapter)