They Really Are That Bad!

Quidditch Stadium

A certain area was completely silent, filled with a deathly stillness.

As the host country, the Ministry of Magic naturally designated a special area for the United Kingdom fans.

The meaning is quite simple:

It's the Quidditch World Cup now, whether you're an Ireland fan, England fan, or Scotland fan... you have to stop trolling, pretending, and stirring up trouble.

In short: During the Quidditch World Cup, stop the infighting and unite against external threats.

Although that's not what everyone really thought, they still suppressed their tempers for the time being.

After the competition ends, we will launch a counterattack and purge against certain groups that have been jumping around for over a month.

However, the fans were all a bit confused at this point, stunned by the score on the field.

In just twenty minutes, the England National Team, which boasted of being invincible in training matches and had prematurely celebrated their championship victory, was completely outmatched by Transylvania Team.

Zero points, zero assists, zero steals, zero free throws, zero threatening shots... while Transylvania Team easily scored five goals.

The score is currently 50-0... It's like cutting melons and vegetables.

Is this England's 42-game winning streak in training matches? Did you guys fix those training matches?

"Oh no, another goal."

Ludo, the commentator, also lost his initial enthusiasm.

The opponent scored within the first 30 seconds; you'd be stunned too!

He shouted, "The latest statistics show this is the fastest goal scored in 60 minutes in Quidditch World Cup history—it only took 32 minutes!!"

Based on the principle that although the odds weren't high, this kind of small bet was a sure thing, Ludo placed a bet of 500 Galleon...

I never imagined we'd be slaughtered like this, with absolutely no chance to fight back!

Inside the box, Professor Trelawney's hands trembled as she excitedly clutched the Prophecy Orb. She shrieked:

"I knew the outcome all along!"

"You told us at noon that you saw the England National Team win with your 'Inner Eye,' didn't you, Sybill?" Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows, unable to resist mocking her.

Professor Trelawney snorted and glared at McGonagall.

"I deliberately didn't reveal the correct result, otherwise everyone would have bought Transylvania Team, and you and William wouldn't have earned Galleon."

You've bet so much, shouldn't you share some with me?

Professor Trelawney only received a year's salary in advance, which wasn't much money in total, unlike McGonagall and William who had much more to lose.

If she had known this would happen, she would have asked Dumbledore an advance on her six hundred years' worth of wages.

All the teachers looked at the two of them, including Professor Snape.

He touched his greasy hair, lost in thought.

It sounds like Shidake is going to make a lot of money... and it looks like the price of his Potions is going to go up too.

Seeing that everyone was looking at her, McGonagall cleared her throat and explained softly:

"I didn't intend to bet on the game; I just saw Mr. Stark betting, so I placed a bet too."

Just to prove to him... that gambling can be quit...

Everyone rolled their eyes. Professor McGonagall was living proof that gambling is impossible to quit!

In the top-floor private box,

Fudge gritted his teeth, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

The various high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Magic lowered their heads and began to discuss amongst themselves, emitting buzzing laughter.

"Just watch, letting them score a few goals won't hurt, no rush."

After he finished speaking, Transylvania Team scored another goal.

The audience burst into laughter; what they love most is the spectacle of the underdog overthrowing the powerful and the arrogant being humiliated.

Everyone was happy except for the England fans and those who bet on them to win.

Fudge felt like he was being slapped across the face. He had also bet a thousand Galleon, and it looked like he was going to lose everything.

At this moment, the excitement belongs to them, and has nothing to do with him!

Suddenly, Dawlish Apparition in the private room. He quickly walked to Fudge's side and bent down.

"Minister... someone just died over there..."

Fudge waved his hand impatiently and said, "Even if a few of you die, it won't stop me from watching the game, will it?"

"This is the opening match of the Quidditch World Cup!"

Everyone strained their ears, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Dawlish leaned close to Fudge's ear, his voice even softer.

"United States... Americans..." Minister Fudge's face instantly darkened.

The one who died was actually United States wizard!

Things are different now. With the decline of the British Empire, this has also had an impact on the Wizarding World.

This is a serious diplomatic incident.

He stood up and smiled:

"There's been a slight mishap, everyone, so I'll be leaving now. Have a great time tonight!"

"What happened?!" Fudge asked immediately as soon as they left the private room.

"Minister, the key keeper of the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is dead. His body was found in his own tent," Dawlish said.

Fudge remained silent. Tonight, one unpleasant thing after another had happened.

I meant to show my face, but I ended up showing my butt!

Follow the broken wall into the room.

Looking at the corpses on the ground and the damage around them, Fudge frowned and said:

"It was a very intense battle; magical fluctuations should be detectable."

"Minister, we've detected it, and they arrived very quickly."

Kingsley, who had been brought back from the manhunt, sighed.

"But the battle here ended faster than you think. When we got near the tents, there were still Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder all around."

There's no way to find the entrance immediately.

Dawlish interjected, "The murderer was skilled; after killing the victim with a single blow, he immediately fled... It was definitely premeditated and organized."

This doesn't seem like something one person could do. I think there might have been five or six wizards involved in the kill.

"So many people?" Fudge frowned.

If such a potential force is at work, how can this Quidditch World Cup continue?

Fudge immediately suspected foreign forces attempting to disrupt the Quidditch World Cup.

France?

Given the long-standing feud between Britain and France, it's possible they deliberately killed the United States wizard...

"Minister, we also found this on the deceased." Kingsley handed over a small flask.

"This contains Polyjuice Potion."

Fudge fiddled with the wine jug, squinting as he said:

"So, the deceased wasn't the key keeper? But was impersonated by another wizard?"

If you take the Polyjuice Potion and become a different person, and you die before the effects of the medicine wear off, you will retain the appearance you had at the time of death and will not revert to your original appearance.

"This is tricky." Fudge rubbed his hands together.

"Find all the wizards who stayed at the camp tonight and didn't watch the game," he ordered.

"That's difficult, Minister," Kingsley hesitated.

"Many wizards arrived early, but only bought tickets for a particular match. With our manpower, we didn't even have time to check them all before the competition ended."

Fudge sighed.

That's true. He couldn't possibly order all the wizards in the arena to stay on site, as that would cause a disturbance.

He was inwardly furious, lamenting the England National Team's poor performance. If the match lasted three days and three nights, how many people wouldn't need to be screened?!

etc...

"Is the game over?" Fudge suddenly turned and asked.

"It's over. England National Team... a crushing defeat!"

"I've been following the game closely, "Tonks replied.

How many points?

"10 to 390..."

Fudge swayed for a moment, but managed to catch Kingsley in time to prevent him from falling.

He's suddenly at a loss as to what to use to generate buzz.

After a moment, he finally made a decision:

"Immediately arrange for reporters to conduct post-match interviews with the England National Team."

"Oh... Minister..."

"Go quickly!"

It's not a big deal for the England National Team to lose a few players, but the death of an United States wizard on the night of the opening match is a diplomatic crisis.

The situation is serious and may affect the upcoming matches.

Dawlish said, "I know several reporters..."

"Is it international enough?" Fudge asked.

"Not international enough."

"Then go look for it!"

After Dawlish had gone far away, Fudge gazed at the dark night sky, remaining silent.

10 to 390...

When he was a child, everyone said the England National Team had fixed the game when they lost... Now he understands:

They didn't throw the game; they were just genuinely bad!

(Please vote for this post, everyone!)

Thank you so much to "Voldemort Below the Slope" for the generous donation of 10,000 coins!

Sixteen chapters missing... The person has been admitted to the ICU and is receiving oxygen...