Harry was certain the adults were hiding something from them.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley knew, Sirius and Remus knew, Bill and Charlie knew, and even Percy seemed to know.
But Harry and Ron did not, and neither did the twins or Neville. Even Hermione, who usually knew everything, did not know.
Watching them exchange knowing looks, Harry really wanted to give them a good pummeling.
But Harry and the others did not dwell on it for long, because the closing ceremony was about to begin.
Ireland had ultimately won the Quidditch World Cup, but Krum had caught the Golden Snitch. That had earned the twins a little money. Of course, even a profit of several hundred Galleons did not amount to much to the twins as they were now.
After the Irish team had circled the stadium to celebrate their final victory, the Quidditch World Cup came to a successful conclusion.
Everyone stayed rather than leaving straightaway-the Portkeys had not yet been rescheduled. All the Ministry of Magic's staff had been occupied with ensuring today's match went smoothly, and they really had not been able to spare any attention for what came afterward.
Fortunately, most of the wizards were in no hurry to leave either. It was rare for so many people to gather together, and nobody minded enjoying the festivities.
But things seemed to have become a little too lively.
The British were laughing, making noise, and celebrating Ireland's victory with abandon. Perhaps tomorrow they would go back to finding fault with Ireland and disliking it, but at least tonight, the Irish were all heroes.
The wizards sang, though their voices had become very strange. Clearly, most of them had drunk far too much.
Ever since the match ended, Harry had seen countless British wizards-and, of course, wizards from