As soon as Viktor Krum left, Hermione was immediately surrounded by a group of gossipy faces.
The final awards ceremony wasn't anything special; fresh gossip is much more interesting.
"Wow~ Our Miss Know-It-All is quite charming, she's even captivated the World's Number One Seeker!"
"Tsk tsk—Old Wen, that kid, he's quick on the uptake!"
"I'm curious how you two met~"
Hermione recounted to everyone, with a helpless expression, how she met Viktor Krum.
The stadium's Magical Projection malfunctioned at the time, so she rushed there from the Ministry of Magic with the design drawings.
Who is Bo Ye?
"And who is Fanny?"
"Bo Ye and Fanny are both employees of Wayne Enterprises. They are the head of the after-sales service department and the deputy director of the security department, respectively."
Shortly after she brought the design drawings with them, Viktor Krum came over alone.
"This was all premeditated," Daphne said with a mocking smile. "Are you sure this is their first meeting?"
Hermione thought about it carefully, then nodded very firmly.
"Hmm?" She recalled what happened last month when she went to the Bulgarian Ministry of Magic with Vincent.
After they finalized their deal with Oubransdeng, they came downstairs to find the once quiet hall bustling with activity, as if some important person had arrived.
If that person is Viktor Krum...
Daphne leaned closer, her face full of gossip. "What's wrong? Did you remember something?"
Hermione quickly shook her head.
"No, there's nothing at all."
"Real?"
"Real."
Are you sure?
"Sure."
Seeing her increasingly guilty expression, the gossip spirits of her friends were instantly ignited, even the usually mild-mannered Qiu was no exception.
The twins, who were at the forefront of the gossip, each took out a piece of parchment from their pockets, rolled it into the shape of a microphone, and began an interview in a very professional manner.
"Miss Granger, what are you hiding from us?"
"We are all highly professional journalists. You can speak freely and confidently. We will definitely keep it a secret."
Hermione rolled her eyes at them.
Everyone at Hogwarts knows that these two are rumor-mongers, and the rumors get more and more outrageous with each one.
She said with a straight face, "No comment."
Even if the frontline falls, there's still Daphne on the second line.
She pushed aside the twins' large faces and whispered in Hermione's ear, "We're best friends who can talk about anything, right?"
"Uh... yes."
"And you..."
"I can tell you, but you absolutely must—"
"You absolutely can't tell anyone, right? Don't you trust me? I haven't told anyone about your crush on Vincent before."
After whispering to each other, Daphne retreated with a satisfied look on her face.
The second-tier characters seem to have fallen, but there are still the third-tier Rinne and Jennifer.
"Vincent probably doesn't know about this, right?"
Good grief, they started with threats.
Unfortunately, it didn't work.
Hermione's lips curled up slightly. "He knows. I told him as soon as I got back to the Ministry of Magic."
Three lines of retreat, an impenetrable defense.
"Ahem—" Cedric cleared his throat, and together with Qiu and Rolf, they put on harmless faces.
"Um... should we inform Vincent?"
It's still a threat, what a pity.
Hermione opened the Magical Communicator in front of everyone, "I'll make the announcement."
With the first four lines of defense suffering successive defeats, only two remaining hopes remain.
Ginny and Astoria were taken away by Daphne, leaving only Neville, James, and Alfred.
However, as soon as Hermione looked over, Neville shrank back and walked away on his own.
James and Alfred exchanged glances, seemingly discussing their next move.
"Lao Wen is our roommate, we're just showing concern..."
Hermione calmly mouthed something, and James and Alfred immediately looked frightened.
Summer homework...
Six kills! Except for Ron and Kenny, who were watching the awards ceremony, everyone else was defeated.
With no more gossip to be had, the adults who had been quietly listening dispersed.
Hermione felt relieved when she saw everyone sitting back down.
It's like this to have a secret hidden in your heart, and it's not even something that can be told to others.
If it's someone Vincent...
Her mood became depressed again.
Now she has to keep these secrets just as much, even more carefully than he did.
In the VIP box on the other side, a grand awards ceremony is being held.
Mustafa presented medals to each of the seven players on the Irish National Team.
He then took the championship trophy from Umbridge's hand.
"Thank you for giving fans all over the world a wonderful game; this is your honor."
The trophy is made of solid gold, and its base is engraved with the names of seven players.
The base and trophy are connected by a Quaffle, with a Bludger on each side and a Golden Snitch with outstretched wings on top.
Troy and Quigley raise the trophy together.
This scene was transmitted via Magical Base Station to the Wizarding World around the world, and also to the contestants' lounge backstage.
Viktor Krum smiled wryly and looked away from the live stream, glancing at Ivanova, who was treating his nose.
Her expression was particularly focused, and her movements were exceptionally gentle, completely unlike her rough and irritable demeanor during training.
"Klara, I feel much better now."
"Wait a minute, your nose is broken. This is not something that can be completely repaired in just a few minutes."
Quigley was pretty ruthless; he probably aimed for the forehead, intending to knock the man unconscious.
It's a pity that Viktor Krum's hooked nose is a bit too big, otherwise the Bulgaria team might have broken English Team's record of 10:390, making this World Cup an even bigger joke.
Ivanova's treatment was very thorough, leaving no stone unturned, not even the last tiny bit of bruising.
By the time the treatment was over, the live stream had moved to a celebratory banquet meticulously prepared by the British Ministry of Magic.
Fudge is giving a long speech, which is basically about how the British Wizarding World is working together to present a series of perfect audio-visual feasts to fans all over the world.
After he finished speaking, the camera focused on the VIPs in the VIP box who were applauding.
Among a sea of faces, mostly old men and middle-aged men, Vincent and Harry naturally stood out.
Viktor Krum stared blankly at the live stream, feeling that Vincent's suit looked somewhat familiar.
Hair color... shoulder width ratio... height...
"Viktor?" Ivanova waved her hand in front of his eyes.
Viktor Krum's hawk-like eyes grew even more sorrowful. "So it was him... Now I truly accept my defeat..."
"Lose?" Ivanova looked at the live stream screen in confusion.
"Wayne?"
Looking at the relief on Viktor Krum's face, she quickly made a connection.
"Was that the VIP box you went to after the match...?"
"Yes, it's her." Viktor Krum took the Golden Snitch out of his pocket. "I was going to give this to her as a souvenir, but she refused."
He chuckled to himself, "Then I made an excuse to ask her to meet me tomorrow, but she told me that she had already made plans with her boyfriend."
Ivanova reviewed the live stream, and the camera happened to capture Vincent again at that moment.
"You found out?"
Viktor Krum looked at her with a puzzled expression. "What do I know?"
Ivanova, who had let slip the secret, seemed extremely guilty. "It's that blond man, the mysterious boyfriend of the girl you have a crush on."
Viktor Krum's expression was incredibly complicated. "You knew all along?"
Ivanova pursed her lips. "Yes, I didn't tell you because I didn't want to affect your performance on the field."
Viktor Krum stared blankly at her, then glanced at the Golden Snitch in his hand.
He suddenly understood many things, some of which he had previously overlooked.
"Thank you, Klara."
Ivanova was stunned. "Viktor, you..."
Viktor Krum's hawk-like eyes were no longer sad, and the gloom on his face had completely vanished.
"I'm fine, I just suddenly wanted to say thank you."
He put the Golden Snitch back in his pocket. "They've already started their victory celebration over there. Should we celebrate too?"
What are we celebrating?
"I'm celebrating letting go, finding peace, and winning the title of the World's Number One Seeker."
Ivanova smiled and said, "Okay."