"Hello, Mr. Salon." Gary stared at Andre Salon standing in front of him for a second, then politely replied.
"Hello, Miss Evans." He turned to greet Lily, who had just entered.
"Mm, hello, Mr. Salon." Lily smiled.
While Mr. Salon greeted his other companions, Gary surveyed the first-class box.
The room was not small, with about a hundred seats, which were much more spacious than those outside. Dignitaries sat in the first two rows, and Gary and his companions were in the middle.
Among a group of black or brown-haired people, Gary immediately spotted the blonde House of Malfoy sitting in the second row. The patriarch, Abraxas Malfoy, sat with his son and daughter-in-law, Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy.
After all five companions entered the room, Mr. Salon led them to meet the important figures sitting in the first row: Corella Anderson, the President of the American Magical Congress, a small old woman with a face full of wrinkles; Noang Haviland, the Minister for Magic of the Brazilian Ministry of Magic, a warm middle-aged man; Arnaud Dorian, the Minister for Magic of the French Ministry of Magic, who spoke elegantly and amiably, looking like a gentleman; and the Chief of the International Wizarding Federation Quidditch Committee, among others…
When introducing Arnaud, the Minister for Magic of the French Ministry of Magic, Gary and his companions could clearly sense that Mr. Salon's expression was not good.
Arnaud did not look at Mr. Salon when he exchanged pleasantries with Gary and his companions; it was as if a wall separated the two of them.
Gary and his companions were unsure of the situation and could only stand awkwardly between the two.
The dignitaries exchanged a few encouraging words with them, and Gary and his companions smiled, offering a few flattering compliments in return, creating a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere.
By the time they were seated, the match was about to begin.
Howard rubbed his facial muscles, which were stiff from smiling. This was the downside of being fat; there was too much flesh on his face, making it difficult to rub.
"Ladies and gentlemen…" Mr. Bonaparte stood in the center of the stadium, his resonant voice amplified by the "Sonorus" spell, reaching every corner of the stands.
The glass in front of the first-class box also changed, the glass wall automatically zooming in on the stadium and focusing like a camera.
Gary and his companions, sitting in the middle, could clearly see Mr. Bonaparte's face in the center of the stadium.
"…Welcome to the Quidditch World Cup Final in France!" Mr. Bonaparte was very excited, his face flushed, his vocal cords trembling slightly, and his voice quivering.
"…First, let us invite Mr. Sangborg, Chief of the International Wizarding Federation Quidditch Committee, to speak!" Bonaparte applauded, and the entire stadium erupted in thunderous applause.
The Chief of the Quidditch Committee, who had been sitting in the first row of the first-class box, was now standing in the center of the stadium.
He also cast Sonorus on himself and loudly declared: "First, I must thank the French Ministry of Magic for their excellent service. We are honored to be here in France, this romantic land… The two teams in the final—the United States Team and Brazil—are both incredibly strong, and I hope tonight's match will be just as exciting!"
The audience applauded and cheered. Mr. Sangborg smiled at the spectators in the stands, and only after the noise from the stands gradually subsided did he continue, "This is the last Quidditch World Cup under the old rules. After this match, all major leagues will adopt new regulations, and Quidditch will usher in a brand-new beginning."
"I would like to thank the students who drafted the new rules. The Quidditch Committee will hire them as honorary consultants to continue advising on the sport of Quidditch…"
"Without further ado, let us begin tonight's final!" Mr. Sangborg raised his wand, pointing it at the sky and releasing colorful fireworks, signaling the start of the final match of this Quidditch World Cup.
There was a sound transmitter in the first-class box that relayed the commentary from the commentator's booth into the enclosed room. The commentator, with dramatic intonation, shouted, "First, let us welcome the Brazil team!"
"Keeper, Cafu!" A man in a Brazil uniform flew out from the player's tunnel.
"Chasers Gomez! Silva! Rocha!" Each name called out was accompanied by enthusiastic cheers from the Brazil supporters.
"Beaters Yurkinho, Müller!"
"And finally… Seeker Ronaldo!" Seeker Ronaldo was undoubtedly the star player of the Brazil team. When he flew out from the player's tunnel on his broom, the Brazil supporters erupted in enthusiastic cheers. Noang, sitting in the first row of the first-class box, even let out two squeals, which were particularly noticeable in the quiet first-class room.
"Next up, the United States Team… Keeper Kenyon!"
This time, it was the United States supporters on the other side who cheered, "Chasers Robert, Westbrook, Paul!"
"Seeker Allen!"
"And Beaters Dean, and Steve Rogers!" The commentator's voice noticeably lowered before he announced the United States Team captain's name, then sharply rose in volume. The handsome Steve flew out from the player's tunnel, striking a pose in the center of the field, showing off his well-built muscles and gleaming teeth.
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah!" This time, it wasn't just the United States supporters; even the girls on the Brazil side were in a frenzy, waving their Brazil flags and cheering for Steve.
In the first-class box, many girls also had starry eyes, drooling as they gazed at Steve's broad, sturdy shoulders.
Kona's hands were almost in her mouth, but Alfrina, quick as a flash, grabbed her hands and pulled them down.
"So handsome, so safe!" Kona's eyes were filled with adoration, and even her voice softened and lowered.
Corella Anderson, whose face had been grim, smiled contentedly after seeing the reaction from the crowd.
"How annoying, do all girls like this type?" Howard, sitting next to Gary, leaned in and muttered softly to Gary.
"Not necessarily, some girls don't like them." Gary secretly glanced at Alfrina and relaxed when he saw her chatting cheerfully with Mr. Salon next to her.
After all, a Wizard like Mr. Salon, who couldn't stand up straight and was bald, didn't have the same appeal as Steve.
The commentator on the commentary desk began to read out the commercial announcements, "…It's worth noting that both finalist teams are using the new nimbus racing broom, the nimbus 1005…"
"Next, let's welcome the mascot of the Brazil team for its performance!" After reading five or six commercial announcements, the male commentator waved his hand, pointing towards the Brazil team's player tunnel.
A group of armadillos scurried out of the player's tunnel. Upon reaching the center of the field, they curled into a ball, exposing their armored backs, which were painted with yellow and green, representing Brazil.
After rolling around a few times, the armadillos uncurled and exited the field.
The audience was not very interested in these not-so-cute animals and only clapped a few times out of politeness.