Bagman announced the members of both teams before the match began.
The pace was much faster than in school matches. In fact, Bagman struggled to keep up with the action — everything happened so quickly, players passed the ball almost as soon as they picked it up.
"Is that what you want to try, Miss Longbottom?"
"Why not? So, Connolly grabs the ball and sends it straight to Troy, but he's intercepted by Ivanova, who passes it to her partner— but he just took a punch from Quigley! Meanwhile, Krum and Lynch are still hunting for the golden treasure."
My commentary was so fast-paced that it felt like I'd been doing this my entire life.
"You're surprisingly good for a rookie commentator, Miss Longbottom."
"The real challenge isn't tracking them — it's speaking fast enough to keep up with them."
All my parallel minds were running at full power during that brief moment.
"Oh my god, Krum is diving straight toward the ground — and Lynch is following him! Could he have spotted the golden snitch?"
"No, it's just another Wronski Feint."
I didn't see the snitch either, so it was easy to tell it was a bluff.
About ten minutes later, Krum did catch the golden snitch — but the match wasn't over. There were still fifty minutes left, so the audience could continue enjoying the show.
At half-time, Bagman asked me — in front of everyone — for my prediction for the final result.
"Krum is an excellent Seeker, and I think he could catch the snitch every time. The problem is that the Irish team is made up of better players with stronger stats, objectively speaking. If the match had followed the usual rules, Krum would have caught the snitch without securing a win for his team. So it all depends on how many goals Ireland can score before Krum tries to make up for it by catching the snitch."
I wasn't taking sides, and my analysis was completely objective — but it was clear that Ireland should win.
The second half unfolded exactly as I had predicted: Krum caught the golden snitch twice, but still couldn't secure victory for his team.
After the match, the players came up to the VIP box to receive their prizes and trophy, and I couldn't help but laugh at how excited Ron was to be so close to Krum.
Afterwards, I went into a tent that had been prepared for me to rest in — even though it was bound to be difficult with all the noise outside.
"This match was interesting, don't you think, Evelyn?"
"This sport doesn't interest me, but I'll admit that the speed and how hard it is to follow do give it some merit. Still, that doesn't mean I want it to continue. I prefer basketball, anyway."
Unable to sleep, Marie had decided to chat with me a little.
Suddenly, the atmosphere outside changed. Instead of cheers and celebration — or even angry shouts — there were only screams of fear.
"What's going on out there?"
"Don't go out yet, Marie," I said calmly.
I grabbed my katana and slid my wand into its hidden sheath, ready for battle.
"Now we can go… but we need to be careful."
Outside, a group of Death Eater was raging: they were burning tents, looting and terrorizing the crowd while attacking the muggle who ran the campsite.
Aurors and Ministry officials had arrived, but they couldn't act — not with hostages involved.
Marie didn't need an explanation; she understood my intent without a word. She cast a camouflage charm on herself, and I did the same.
I moved slowly, deliberately, careful not to draw attention.
I passed by a group of them — laughing as they tormented the helpless — and without hesitation, I drove my katana into the heart of the man in front of me.