Chapter 226: Victory

Suddenly, an unexpected turn of events occurred among the Seekers.

One hundred thousand wizards held their breath, watching Viktor Krum and Cho Chang plummet rapidly between the Chasers. 

The speed was astonishing, as if they had jumped out of an airplane without parachutes.

"They're going to crash!" Hermione screamed.

She was only half right—in the last second, Viktor Krum abruptly halted his dive and prepared to ascend, but Cho Chang was a step ahead. 

Her broom's direction instantly changed from downward to upward, and she flew over Krum's head.

Just as the two were about to collide, Krum hurriedly changed direction, causing him to lose control due to the sudden maneuver, and he crashed heavily to the ground with a loud thud that echoed throughout the stadium. 

A collective groan rose from the Bulgarian supporters.

Meanwhile, Cho Chang soared away as if nothing had happened.

"Smart girl," Alaric praised. "Krum was trying a feint, but Cho turned the tables on him."

"The game is paused," shouted Mr. Bagman. "Trained medics are rushing to check Viktor Krum's injuries."

Earlier, Krum had attempted the Wronski Feint; he hadn't seen the Golden Snitch at all. He merely wanted Cho to mimic him. 

However, Cho trusted her observation skills far more than Krum's, so she didn't believe he had spotted the Snitch. 

She saw through his trick and timed her move perfectly, positioning herself above Krum just as he tried to ascend from his dive.

At that critical moment, Krum's sudden change of direction was already strenuous. Faced with the unexpected obstacle, he had to dodge again, causing him to lose control and crash.

Now, Cho Chang seemed like she wasn't using a broom at all, effortlessly flying around in the air, light as a feather.

The medics were feeding Krum a potion, helping him regain his strength. 

Cho hovered above, scanning the pitch below. She used the time Krum was recuperating to search for the Golden Snitch without interference.

Finally, Krum stood up. To the loud cheers of his red-clad supporters, he mounted his Firebolt and shot into the sky. His recovery seemed to reinvigorate the Bulgarian team.

After another tense and fierce fifteen minutes, the Irish team scored ten more goals. They now led 130-10, and the match turned ruthless.

As Mallet rushed toward the goalposts with the Quaffle under her arm, the Bulgarian Keeper Zograf flew out to meet her. 

Everything happened so quickly, but Mostafa blew a long, sharp whistle, indicating a foul.

"Mostafa is reprimanding the Bulgarian Keeper for excessive elbow action!" Bagman announced to the restless crowd. "Yes—Ireland gets a penalty shot!"

After Mallet was hit by the opposing Keeper, the leprechauns rose into the air like shining yellow bees, forming the letters "HA! HA! HA!" 

The Veela across the pitch jumped up, angrily tossing their hair and beginning to dance again.

"Look at the referee!" Hermione suddenly giggled.

Alaric glanced at the pitch. Hassan Mostafa had landed in front of the dancing Veela, behaving bizarrely. He flexed his muscles, stroked his long beard excitedly, showing off.

A medic plugged his ears and rushed onto the field, kicking Mostafa's calf hard. 

Mostafa seemed to snap back to reality, looking particularly embarrassed as he shouted at the Veela, who stopped dancing, looking very displeased.

The match now reached a ferocious intensity. 

The Beaters showed no mercy: particularly Volkov and Vulchanov, who swung their bats wildly, not caring whether they hit the Bludger or a player. Dimitrov flew straight at Moran, nearly knocking her off her broom.

"Foul!" the Irish supporters shouted in unison, rising like a giant green wave.

"Foul!" Ludo Bagman's magically amplified voice echoed. "Dimitrov fouled Moran—deliberate collision—definitely a penalty—yes, the referee has blown the whistle!"

The leprechauns rose into the air again, forming a giant hand making a rude gesture towards the Veela.

The Veela lost control at the sight, flying across the pitch, throwing fiery objects at the leprechauns. 

They were no longer beautiful. Instead, their faces elongated into sharp-beaked bird heads, with long, scaly wings emerging from their shoulders.

Ministry of Magic officials swarmed the pitch, trying to separate the Veela and leprechauns with little success. The chaos below was as intense as the game above.

"Look at Cho Chang!" Alaric suddenly shouted.

Cho Chang dived abruptly, and Alaric immediately knew this wasn't a Wronski Feint; it was real this time, as he also saw a flash of gold.

Half the audience realized what was happening. Irish supporters stood up, forming another green wave, screaming to cheer on their Seeker… but Krum was right behind her, and they both dived towards the ground—

"They're going to crash!" Hermione screamed.

"They won't!" Penelope shouted.

"No, Krum will!" Alaric said firmly.

He was right. Cho Chang flicked her broom, flashing in front of Krum, blocking his view, then suddenly turned.

Krum couldn't avoid her and crashed to the ground for the second time, immediately surrounded by a swarm of furious Veela.

"Where's the Snitch? Where's the Snitch?" Ron shouted from beside them.

"He caught it—Krum caught it—the game's over!" Harry yelled.

Cho Chang ascended lightly into the air, raising her fist high, a golden gleam shining between her fingers.

The scoreboard flashed the final score: Bulgaria 10, Ireland 320, and the audience slowly realized what had happened. 

Gradually, like a giant jet accelerating, the Irish supporters' murmurs grew into a roar of joyous shouts.

"Ireland wins!" Ludo Bagman shouted, sounding bewildered by the sudden end. 

"The genius girl caught the Golden Snitch; Ireland wins! My god, she's so young, but no one expected her to perform this well in the match!"

Below, Krum was surrounded by medics and his teammates, who shook their heads, looking dejected.

Not far away, the Irish players danced with joy, while their leprechaun mascots flew around, showering the stadium with gold coins. 

Flags waved everywhere, and the Irish national anthem echoed from all sides.

The Veela reverted to their beautiful forms but looked disheartened and sullen.

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