Chapter 525: The Legendary Three-Headed Dog Patronus (Edited)

"First-class ticket!" exclaimed the Ministry of Magic witch after examining Mr. Weasley's ticket.

The first-class box was located on the highest level and offered the best view of the entire stadium.

Together with the crowd, they ascended the stairs, continuing upwards until they reached the top. At that point, the Granger and Weasley families would part ways.

Since even within the first-class section, there were different levels, Mr. Weasley had VIP first-class tickets, which were the best seats in the stadium and allowed for watching the game from the same box as the British Minister of Magic. Tom had obtained regular first-class tickets from Lucius, located higher up in the stadium, next to the Minister of Magic, but they were of slightly lesser quality.

Of course, there couldn't be found on the black market a seat that allowed one to watch the game alongside the Minister of Magic. And as for the tickets Mr. Weasley claimed to have obtained at a low price through an acquaintance, they actually only reflected his pure-blood lineage status. Many people could leverage their connections, so how was it possible for Arthur Weasley to get seats next to the Minister of Magic?

Tom and Mr. Weasley exchanged greetings and made their way to their respective boxes. Tom's box was right in front of the golden goalposts, offering a panoramic view. There were over twenty purple and gold-coated chairs arranged in two rows.

As they had arrived early, Tom had no qualms about taking a seat in the front row. After the Granger family settled in, he looked down at the field below and witnessed an unforgettable scene: tens of thousands of wizards entering the stadium and taking their seats. From Tom's perspective, a line of dialogue formed in his mind.

[People are ants.]

Indeed, the crowds of people, bustling and monotonous, were ultimately just ordinary people, even if they were wizards. Not to mention the wonders of mother nature, even in front of this artificial construction, they seemed tiny. But compared to the British Isles, this stadium was nothing. These vast British Isles were just a corner of the Earth, and the Earth was just a speck of dust in the galaxy, which in turn was insignificant compared to the universe...

While Tom was absorbed in watching the stadium, the box also filled with excitement. The beautiful girls who had bought fake wands from Fred and George at the camp entered, followed by a silvery flash.

A young and extremely beautiful woman entered through the box's door. Her beauty was breathtaking: she had a slim and graceful figure, walked as if floating on the floor, had long silver hair that reached her waist, and a soft silver light seemed to emanate from her. When she entered, the box became overwhelmingly enchanted. If she looked at someone with her large blue eyes, that person would blush and lower their head, unable to look at her directly, unless they were already stunned by her beauty. All the men held their breath, including Tom.

But in the next instant, he felt a burning sensation on his wrist that snapped him out of his fascination, reminding him to wake up. Tom activated Occlumency and freed himself completely from that hypnotic temptation.

Nervously, he looked at Hermione and realized she was looking at him too. Now he was glad he had quickly recovered. After freeing himself from that "misfortune," he didn't forget to help Mr. Granger as well, so he gave him a strong elbow in the waist to wake him up, at least to prevent him from drooling and thus avoid an awkward explanation with Mrs. Granger.

"That person just now has Veela ancestry." To save Mr. Granger and ensure his future happy life in London, Tom had to clearly explain to the two Granger ladies that their previous behavior was an act of magic and not lust on both their parts.

Upon hearing this explanation, Mr. Granger felt relief. "Oh, it turns out it was magic, then it has nothing to do with me," he thought and felt happy.

Tom's voice wasn't too low, and the girl heard the term "Muggle-born." Clearly, she didn't like that term. In the magical world, Veelas didn't have a high status; they were considered pets raised by wizards in the past. Most wizards didn't recognize a Veela-muggle-born as their offspring, which was a shame to them. Moreover, Veela-muggle-borns didn't appreciate anyone pointing out their identity, so what Tom said was like an insult.

This created a bad impression of Tom in the girl's eyes. She looked at him, and perhaps due to her innate talent, she could see through the relationship between Tom and Hermione. A mischievous idea crossed her mind, and then she gave Tom a slight smile.

When she smiled, the entire compartment seemed to light up. While smiling, she consciously activated her Veela talent and directed it directly at Tom at full power.

She thought this boy would surely fall under her charm like other wizards and do something embarrassing in front of his girlfriend...

However, nothing happened. Tom's black eyes seemed like a tranquil pond with no ripples. After calmly nodding at her, he returned to his seat.

Girl: ???

Tom's reaction took the girl by surprise, but before she could react, a large hand gently landed on her shoulder and pushed her gently, guiding her inside the compartment.

"Fleur, forgive me," said a tall, corpulent woman who squeezed her way in through the door. She had an olive-colored complexion and large, watery black eyes. Her hair was neatly pulled back. She was clad in a black satin dress and wore several opal adornments.

If it weren't for her towering height, she would be a perfect French lady.

"She must be Madame Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France. I read about her and Beauxbatons in 'Assessment of Magical Education in Europe,'" Hermione whispered in Tom's ear, giving him a brief introduction.

Tom nodded. It seemed that Madame Maxime had brought her students to witness the World Cup final, perhaps as an alternative summer camp. Beauxbatons was truly wealthy; they had purchased first-class tickets for both the headmistress and the students. Not surprisingly, as they had the financial support of Nicolas Flamel.

Fun fact: Nicolas Flamel graduated from Beauxbatons and, as an alumni, always donated money to the school. He was a true money-making machine as an alchemist, and he didn't care about inflation. This generous benefactor made Beauxbatons the wealthiest wizarding school in all of Europe, even richer than Hogwarts.

After Madame Maxime had taken her seat, her students found places to sit.

At that moment, the Ministers of Magic from Britain and Bulgaria, Bones and Oblansk, arrived in their box. The box filled with prominent figures from the British wizarding world. And speaking of personalities, it naturally included the Malfoy family.

The encounter between Lucius and Arthur could only be described as explosive. Tension between them reached its peak, but in front of the Minister of Magic and distinguished international guests, neither dared to step out of line, limiting themselves to exchanging ambiguous comments.

Of course, there was also the matter of greeting Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Even wizards in Bulgaria knew of him. Bones wasn't going to pass up this opportunity and introduced her "national treasure" to Oblansk.

"Oh, by the way, did I hear that Tom Yodel also came to watch the game with you, Arthur?" Once the introductions were done, Bones looked around and realized she didn't see Tom, so she asked Mr. Weasley.

"Tom couldn't get tickets for this box, so he's watching the game from the next box over," Mr. Weasley quickly explained.

"Oh, I see. Would you like to meet the wizards with the legendary Patronus next door? His Patronus Charm has driven away over a hundred Dementors," Bones had a brilliant idea and extended an invitation to Oblansk.

Oblansk, the Minister of Magic from Bulgaria, was an English-speaking wizard. Although he initially wanted to play along and pretend he didn't understand English, Bones was prepared and saw through his jest.

Listening to Bones' presentation, Oblansk also became interested. He wanted to witness the legendary Patronus as well!

So, the group headed to the adjacent box. As Lucius Malfoy passed by Harry, he rested his cane on his shoulder and said, "I hope you enjoy yourself while you can."

After lightly threatening Harry in this way, he also followed Bones and Oblansk out of the box.

Upon entering the adjacent box, Minister Bones was momentarily taken aback. She clearly hadn't expected to encounter Madame Maxime here, but she quickly reacted and greeted this renowned headmistress, whose territory in terms of school influence far exceeded that of Hogwarts. While Hogwarts only recruited students from the British Isles, Beauxbatons spanned Western Europe and the Iberian Peninsula, rivaling Durmstrang in Eastern and Northern Europe.

After greeting Madame Maxime, Minister Bones approached Tom. Tom noticed Lucius Malfoy following her. When he entered, he glanced at the people in the box and finally fixed his gaze on Hermione and her parents.

His lips pursed.

Tom knew the reason for that expression. Lucius Malfoy was a staunch blood purity advocate and considered Muggles as inferior, and Muggle-born wizards were seen as low-class. Although he despised Hermione, he wouldn't say anything untoward in front of Minister Bones. He could only show some unpleasant expressions to annoy Hermione, but fortunately, she remained unfazed and stared back at him unflinchingly.

"Mr. Oblansk, allow me to introduce you to Tom Yodel. Beside him is Hermione Granger. Both of them have extremely rare Patronuses. Granger's Patronus is a three-headed dog, and Tom's is even rarer; no one knows what Patronus he has, but their Patronuses can merge..."

After Bones introduced Tom and Hermione's Patronus Charms, she uttered words that left both of them speechless: "Would you two be willing to summon your Patronuses as part of the opening ceremony for the final?"

Tom and Hermione: !!!

Couldn't you have told us in advance about something this important?! It's not really fair to surprise us like this, Minister Bones!

It felt like at the opening ceremony of the World Cup, the organizers suddenly called a passerby to sing the tournament's main theme.

The audience believed everything was rehearsed, but only the passerby was utterly confused.

Everyone in the box had their eyes on Tom and Hermione.

Granger's parents were filled with curiosity: Are our daughter and Tom really that impressive? Representing the opening ceremony of the World Cup on behalf of Britain! They've really kept this a secret! Lucius Malfoy showed a slight change in his gaze. He had also heard about their accomplishments, and this was an opportunity to broaden his horizons and witness the legendary Patronuses in person. On the other hand, Madame Maxime and the rest of the audience were mere spectators, watching in disbelief.

As a French student who understood English, Fleur listened to Bones' presentation about Tom and Hermione, giving her a more complete understanding of that rude boy. It turned out he had some skill! She didn't expect that at such a young age, he could already cast the Patronus Charm. Fleur sighed in surprise. The United Kingdom truly was a great magical power, not to be underestimated.

No wonder he can be here, Fleur thought, and her doubt was resolved. It was normal for the attraction not to work on him. Wasn't it normal for a wizard capable of casting the Patronus Charm to have means to resist Veela allure? If wizards couldn't resist the charm of Veelas, Veelas would have already enslaved all wizards. There would no longer be a need for a battle between Grindelwald, Dumbledore, and Voldemort. It would only be a matter of how many Veelas could control their subordinates.

Tom and Hermione exchanged glances.

What do you think? Should we go for it?

Yes.

They quickly reached an agreement and raised their wands together:

"Expecto Patronum!"

"Expecto Patronum!"

Two dazzling beams of silvery light shone at the top of the Quidditch pitch. The light engineers also turned off all the lights on the field at Bones' signal, and the sudden darkness along with that single light quickly drew the attention of all spectators in the stadium.

Under the gaze of a hundred thousand people, those two lights began to change. First, a miniature three-headed dog leaped from Hermione's wand tip, and then the silvery mist at the tip of Tom's wand writhed and transformed into the shape of a three-headed dog.

There was a great commotion throughout the stadium, and everyone was stunned by the appearance of the two legendary Patronuses.