"Mascots, Magic, and Memories"
Many friendly —and some clearly disdainful— glances were directed at Wanda's group and the others. The looks of contempt were mostly aimed at the Granger family, watching them with disgust, as if wanting to speak but not daring to.
After all, the Greengrass family had recently won a rather intense dispute against another household. Provoking them now would be a fast track to becoming the next target.
Only someone like Lucius Malfoy would have the arrogance or courage to speak up in a situation like that. For years, he had been the undisputed leader of the darker families. However, after his fall, the Carrow family had taken over —albeit with a more shadowy, discreet approach.
On top of that, the Flint family had hidden backing from several families who had lost massive amounts of money… all thanks to Edward Greengrass. Or rather, all that money had ended up in his hands.
So if anyone wanted to challenge him, they'd better be very well prepared.
On the other hand, the friendly glances came from acquaintances of Selene and Edward —people without prejudice, which was quite rare in the magical world, especially among high-ranking attendees.
Everyone simply exchanged a look and a nod before taking their seats. Today wasn't about business or power plays. They had come to enjoy themselves.
The stadium was buzzing with chatter and rising anticipation when the commentator finally broke through the noise with his enthusiastic voice.
"Welcome, everyone, to this fabulous and exciting semifinal match! Today, the stars of both countries will give it their all for a chance at the grand final! The cup is close, and nobody wants to lose a single point!"
There was applause, but the commentator didn't let the excitement die down.
"But we won't start off boring —let's give a warm welcome to Brazil's mascot… the Caiporas!"
A crowd of small, hairy creatures riding boars burst onto the field. They raced around with mischievous grins and wild energy.
One even darted between an unsuspecting referee's legs, sending him face-first into the grass. Another pair of Caiporas jumped on him, shredded what was left of his clothes, and ran off with his whistle in triumph.
The stands erupted with laughter as the caretakers scrambled after the creatures, failing miserably to catch them.
"Well… looks like they didn't finish their training," the announcer quipped, causing another wave of laughter to roll through the crowd.
Eventually, with the help of several wizards, the Caiporas were corralled into a corner —though they were still squirming and plotting their next escape.
Amid the chaos, Harry —who sat in front of Wanda, eyes shining with interest— turned around to face her.
"Mum… can we?"
"No," Wanda replied with a calm smile.
"But I didn't even finish asking!" Harry protested, arms crossed and brows furrowed.
The girls sat in a neat row beside him, right at the front of the VIP box, while the adults filled the row behind.
"Now that the field is calm and clear of danger… why don't we welcome Bulgaria's mascots —the Veelas!" the announcer declared, with noticeably more excitement than when he had introduced the Caiporas.
And the reason became immediately obvious.
Dozens of breathtakingly beautiful women dressed like cheerleaders walked onto the field, smiling radiantly and waving to the audience before breaking into an enchanting dance.
Chaos erupted.
Men in the stands began acting as though under a spell —because they were. Some struggled to stay seated, while others looked ready to leap over the rails just to reach the Veelas.
Even the referee —still in his tattered clothes— began dancing along with them, completely entranced.
The VIP box wasn't much better. Even the so-called noble families couldn't resist the Veelas' allure. Many remained seated, yes, but slack-jawed and wide-eyed.
Meanwhile, in the Lovegood section, Pandora and Xenophilius stood cheering like lifelong fans, clapping and beaming with genuine joy.
Edward Greengrass sat with his legs crossed, eyes closed, radiating the relaxed grace of a noble. Beside him, Selene smiled with amused interest, clapping lightly at the display.
Susan, however, glanced sideways at her husband with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. He, for his part, was sweating bullets, using every ounce of willpower to resist the Veelas' enchantment. And to be fair —for a Muggle to hold out against a Veela's magic like that… was nothing short of legendary.
Harry, sitting beside Wanda, simply tilted his head, not understanding what was going on. After all, even though his chaos magic was still weak, that type of magic had a natural resistance to mind control. To him, this kind of spell was… irrelevant.
"What's going on?" he asked, confused.
"Oh, Harry! We read about it in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! Veelas are magical creatures that can enchant men," Hermione quickly explained.
"But in the book, they were ugly monsters with harpy heads," Harry replied.
"That's the form they use to trick fools," Daphne said with a mocking tone.
"Daphne, language," Selene called out from behind.
"Sorry," the blonde answered instantly. "To trick the… gullible."
That made everyone laugh.
Finally, the match began in earnest.
"Wow! Looks like they're starting with everything they've got! The Beaters aren't letting anything through. Time to release the Snitch… while they're smashing each other's heads in!" the commentator shouted excitedly as the players on their brooms hurled bludgers at one another without mercy.
"And the Golden Snitch has been released!" he yelled again as the tiny winged ball sparkled in the sunlight, darting around the field at dazzling speed.
But before anyone could even react, Brazil's Seeker shot forward like a lightning bolt, dove down, and caught the Snitch with almost insulting ease.
"Wait… what?! Brazil's Seeker just caught the Golden Snitch!" the commentator exclaimed, stunned for a few seconds before bursting with excitement. "He didn't even let the poor Snitch stretch its wings! And don't even mention the Quaffle —it didn't go through a single hoop!"
Some spectators cheered with enthusiasm, while others grumbled in frustration over the match's brevity. It was like they had just sat down… and it was already time to leave.
"So, moving on to the finals is Brazil, with 150 points!" the commentator announced as a large part of the crowd began to leave the stadium with annoyed expressions, feeling cheated by a match that barely lasted.
"Well… that was disappointing," Wendell said as he stood up.
"Shouldn't they decide by wins and not just points?" Hermione asked, frowning. She had read the tournament rules thoroughly.
"That only applies to school tournaments, dear," her father replied, brushing off the matter.
"Since it ended so fast, we can have more fun at the festival!" said Harry, beaming with a bright smile.
"Of course," Wanda replied, ruffling his hair affectionately.
The group left the stadium, and soon the families split off to explore the place on their own. They would reunite later in the tents to have dinner together.
"Want to buy some souvenirs?" Wanda asked, walking hand in hand with Harry.
"I want to get some figurines to collect, like Uncle Wendell does," he replied thoughtfully.
"What kind of figurines?"
"For now, the team captains," Harry said, touching his small money pouch. It was directly connected to his vault at Gringotts —he only had to reach in to pull out whatever he needed. Though it only allowed coin withdrawal, and Wanda had set a monthly limit to prevent him from wasting it on nonsense.
Not that money was an issue. Ever since they discovered that the goblins had hidden properties still generating income year after year, Harry's fortune had multiplied. However, Wanda preferred he learn the value of things. Even if her son was a millionaire, her duty as a mother was to raise a decent man —not someone lost to excess.
After some shopping —figurines, sweets, and curious trinkets— Wanda and Harry returned to the tent. Soon, everyone else arrived too, and they gathered in the large family tent to share dinner.
They laughed, chatted, ate. In that warm, protected space, sincere bonds were formed —friendships that might never have existed otherwise. And while everyone conversed with honest smiles, Wanda watched them silently.
She thought then of the old friends she had left behind.
Some drifted apart out of pride, and when they finally came back together… it was only to lose the two she had admired most. One chose to give his life to save the universe. The other chose retirement, passing his legacy to a new generation.
Others died. Some vanished without a trace, consumed by their own burdens. A few gave everything up, sacrificing it all for duty. And others were simply too busy to even know whether the rest were still alive.
Wanda smiled. Because for the first time in a long while, she didn't think of them with pain —but with gratitude.
Now she had new friends. Real people. A family.
And this time, she wasn't going to let them go.