A Sudden Attack

The Quidditch World Cup's opening ceremony was dazzling, with one inventive magical display after another.

One team had even brought in a whole troupe of Veela. The men in the stands nearly leaped down to get closer to them.

Veela were humanoid Fantastic Beasts who looked no different from humans. But they were a separate species, and many wizards regarded them with suspicion.

Veela had little magical power to speak of, but their ability to enchant people was almost impossible to resist.

A Veela girl could make a man she had just met fall hopelessly for her. A weak-willed man might even die for her.

This performance was seduction, pure and simple.

Harry and Ron howled from the stands. Even Sirius Black could hardly bear to watch them.

Eli used Occlumency, and only then was he completely unaffected by the Veela.

Even so, their stunning faces made his binoculars linger on them more than once.

Then Hermione Granger confiscated the binoculars.

Nearly as popular as the Veela was the Bulgaria national team's Seeker—Krum.

His looks certainly weren't what made him popular. There was little to say about them.

He looked even gloomier in person than on his posters, as though someone had borrowed his Galleons and refused to pay him back.

He was hailed as the finest Seeker around, and he was still very young. He had all the makings of a legendary player.

Ron cheered for Krum as loudly as he had for the Veela, ignoring his brothers' teasing.

"Ron's in love with him," Ginny Weasley said helplessly.

The match pitted the Ireland team against the Bulgaria national team.

A huge international event like this really was far more thrilling than a Quidditch Match at Hogwarts.

Even Eli, who had never been particularly keen on Quidditch, stared with his