AN:
The following is excerpted from my story "Protection: The Sword and the Shield". That story has accurately been referred to as "the delusional wet dream of a hormonal teen boy", but that was my intent when writing it.
However, my most recent chapter had the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, and I am very proud of how it turned out so I am posting it separately for those who would prefer not to trudge through the evidence of my immaturity.
…Quidditch World Cup, West Sussex, England, UK
The Quidditch World Cup occurred every 4 years and brought together the national teams of Australia, Atlantis, Britain, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, China, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Caribbean Conclave, Japan, Mexico (New Spain), Ottomon Empire, Nordic Realms, Portugal, Romania, Russia, South American Confederation, Spain, Syria, Republic of North America and New Zealand.
The Republic of North America and the South American Confederation were considered an odd entrant each cycle. The national Quidditch teams from the two countries were considered the international equivalent to the Chudley Cannons as they had never even led in a world cup match. The national sport of the Americas was Quadpot so it wasn't a surprise that they fielded a terrible team but the Americas kept entering because there was no international Quadpot competition.
The event was typically a week long bacchanal that began with the two semifinal matches and ended with the finals. Since Quidditch did not have a clock, that time span was fluid. The finals would always occur exactly 7 days after the end of the semifinals. The longest World Cup in history had lasted for 3 months when it took a month for Germany and Spain to beat France and Ireland in the semifinals and then took almost two months for Spain to beat Germany.
…Wizarding Wireless
DaDaDa…DaDaDa
GROM:
"Welcome to GameCenter, my name is Big Grom Mumble."
CRISBO:
"And I'm Crisbo Leyman"
GROM:
"The celebration is on and the English fans are going wild this afternoon after England beat Ireland to reach the finals of the Quidditch World Cup, off of the amazing play of their rookie phenom keeper, Oliver Wood, and a daring, some say crazy, strategy.
CRISBO: "That's right Crisbo, we have Ludo Bagman, former Wimbourne Wasps beater with us to explain what we saw in today's exciting match."
LUDO: "Thank you, guys. It's a pleasure to be here celebrating England's win today. TWO WIZARD WARS!"
GROM: "ONE WORLD CUP!"
CRISBO:
"Please don't get Grom started. So Ludo, what did we see today?"
LUDO (giggles):
"Well, it started with the English Beaters, Dani Carr and Lenny Bono, who came out swinging, concentrating all their efforts on keeping Ireland's seeker, Cristian O'Renal, from catching the snitch early."
CRISBO:
"Because England's Seeker, Dean Beakman, is England's weakest player. Right?"
LUDO:
"Exactly, the kid is good, he's on the national team, after all, but he's no Victor Krum. He played his role well, though, occupying the Irish beaters, Seamus O'Shea and John Coleman, as much as possible and making himself a nuisance to Cristian. But honestly he's probably the weakest Seeker in the entire tournament."
CRISBO:
And that's the daring part of the strategy? Because dedicating the Beaters like that, left the English Chasers and Keeper, pretty much on their own.
LUDO:
"It's not a new idea but it's a bold one and up until it worked today, most people considered it desperate. But we had two things going for us. First our Chasers are world class.
CRISBO:
Babs Bakwam, Faith Lonesome and Heidi MacAvoy, another rookie phenom out of Hogwarts.
LUDO:
"The Red Kites!"
GROM:
"TWO WIZARD WARS!"
LUDO:
"ONE WORLD CUP!"
CRISBO:
"Yes, the Red Kites. So, the Red Kites were up for the challenge?"
LUDO:
"Definitely! The Red Kites, and our Keeper, were on their own but those're our strongest positions. I have to say that both Oliver Wood and Heidi MacAvoy, were instrumental in executing the plan. Even though they are both rookies, I don't think England would have tried the strategy if they weren't both on the team."
CRISBO:
"That's high praise, Ludo."
LUDO:
"And more than deserved, Heidi's acrobatic flying helped "steal the snitch", scoring 3 goals herself. But the true star was Oliver Wood who shut out Ireland defending an amazing and record setting, 50 shots on goal."
CRISBO (laughing):
"Hold on, Ludo. Let's unpack what you're saying. For those with their heads buried in the sand, 'stealing the snitch' is when a team scores enough points to make catching the snitch irrelevant..."
LUDO:
"No, No, not irrelevant. But it does flip the game and all the decision making."
CRISBO:
"Of course, your right. But was Heidi that instrumental. I agree she was impressive but three scores out of 20? Isn't that off pace."
LUDO:
"It's not just the scoring. That fabulous young woman flew at least 5 times the length of anybody else on the pitch. Including the Seekers! She disrupted plays, using her body, almost like it was a Bludger against their beaters. With our beaters occupied, she was our only defense and on top of that her Quaffle handling gave us a 3 to 1 time of possession advantage. And then! Then she scored 3 goals!"
CRISBO:
"Amazing."
LUDO:
"It was. If she does nothing else in this tournament, she is already a star. But the breakout SUPER star was Oliver Wood, who let nothing get past him. You have to understand that even with the amazing play of our Red Kites, we were playing at a 5 to 3 disadvantage with our beaters completely focused on O'Renal."
CRISBO:
"Ireland was able to make an astonishing 50 attempts. And Oliver Wood made 36 blocks."
GROM:
"RING THE BELL!"
LUDO:
"TWO WIZARD WARS!"
GROM:
"ONE WORLD CUP!"
CRISBO(chuckling):
"I think I'm losing control of this interview. 'Ring the Bell' is referring, of course, to Wood's girlfriend who found an interesting way to support her boyfriend and the English Team."
LUDO:
"Did she ever?! After every blocked shot the gorgeous young lady, a sixth year at Hogwarts, would flash her lovely breasts for the crowd. They had it up on the big screens. I've never been so proud to be an Englishman. The Bulgarians can keep their Veela cheerleaders, we have Katie Bell. RING THE BELL!"
CRISBO (still chuckling):
"Well said Ludo. So the strategy worked?"
LUDO:
"Yes, Yes. Once the snitch was stolen, our beaters shifted to helping Oliver defend the goal and left the Ireland seeker. Ireland finally responded and shifted to a "Cheating Faerie" formation."
CRISBO:
"Cheating Faerie?"
LUDO:
It's not an illegal move, that's just what it's called. Basically the seeker shifts and acts as a fourth chaser. This is where Ireland made its biggest mistake."
CRISBO:
"Really? What did they do wrong?"
LUDO:
"First of all, I have to say that even in the 'Cheating Faerie' formation, the Irish were not enough to overpower Oliver Wood's greatest game ever, especially with Dani and Lenny in defensive formation to help him."
CRISBO:
"Ok?"
LUDO:
"The mistake was that Ireland's beaters did not keep an eye on Beakman. Our seeker was ignored. I'm not sure if it was because he had not been actively chasing the snitch the whole match, because they had scouted him as a weak player or because they were desperate. Whatever the reason he was left unguarded."
CRISBO:
"And he saw the snitch."
LUDO:
"Yup. He was after it in a flash. But we got to see why he is considered the weakest seeker in the tournament. Even with a head start, once Cristian O'Renal realized Beakman was after the snitch he broke formation and was able to catch up. O'Renal tried to disrupt Beakman's line but it was no use."
CRISBO:
"So, with no other choice the Irish seeker was forced to either use his better skills to catch the snitch or allow his team to be shut out. He caught the snitch ending the match 200 to 150."
LUDO and GROM:
"TWO WIZARD WARS! ONE WORLD CUP!"
CRISBO:
I think the Magical World should be thankful for the strength of the silencing and notice-me-not charms surrounding the World Cup because the cheers and roars from the English celebration still ongoing as a result of this afternoon's upset victory would likely be heard across the channel and destroy the Statute of Secrecy.
GROM:
"In related news. The finals are set. In a much less exciting match Bulgaria beat Germany in the second semifinal match after Victor Krum caught the snitch in a record threatening time of 3 minutes and 28 seconds. When we come back Ludo and I will try to be objective when we breakdown the short match and look forward to the finals and the challenges each team will face against the other."
DaDaDa…DaDaDa
…One Week Later
It was the day of the finals and the Quidditch World Cup was turning out to be a completely successful event for the British magicals. Not only had the week of festivities, concerts, and fairs been well attended and enjoyed by all but the presence of the English National Team in the finals had created a sense of joy and excitement that even visiting fans got swept up in.
One of the highlights for one Irish fan, who felt himself torn between his love for his former classmate and loyalty to his country, was when Karli Thompson kissed him in front of his father in exchange for wearing a shirt that proclaimed "Two Wizard Wars! One World Cup!" in magically alternating colors on the back.
A few disgruntled Irish fans took exception till they looked at the front of the shirt where a magically moving print showed Karli Thompson in a scandalously tight, and paper-thin shirt with the English flag on it giving Seamus the kiss of his life. Under the moving image were the words. "I did it for the kiss". Most of the Irish fans shook his hand in congratulations for doing "the smart thing"
…Quidditch World Cup Finals – England vs. Bulgaria
…Press Box
Franth:
"Welcome, witches, wizards and sentients of all forms and types, to the 131th Quidditch World Cup. Every 4 years since the formation of the International Confederation of Wizards, the magical world has gathered in the name of sport and competition to decide with Quaffle, Bludger and Snitch; which country can claim the title of World Champions."
"My name is Franth Giffson, and it is my absolute honor to host this grand event here in my home country of Britain. With me to help separate the mentalism from the madness is Hall of Fame Chaser for the 1970 Quidditch World Cup Champion Spanish National Team, Howe Cosdith."
Howe:
"Thank You, Franth. I'm excited to be here"
Franth:
"With Howe here to help us track the Quaffle and the Snitch, we need help dodging rogue Bludgers. Who better to do that than, newly inducted, Hall of Fame Beater from the back to back 1986 and 1990 Quidditch World Cup Champion German National Team, Didi Meresell."
Didi:
"Thank you for having me."
Franth:
"Germany could have used your help, eh Didi, to avoid that embarrassing loss to Bulgaria in the semi-finals, failing to even try for the three-peat"
Didi:
"…"
Franth:
"…"
Didi:
"…"
Franth:
"Right. So, it looks like the teams are about to be announced. Let's go to the stadium announcer."
…Stadium
A little-known fact about the Veela allure is that there are two ways to defeat it. The first is widely known. Will power. A man, or woman, with a strong enough will can throw off the effects of the veela. That is no simple task as the only compulsion more powerful than the focused attention of a veela is the Imperious curse. The second method to defeat the allure is often confused with the first. Love. A man or woman who is truly in love cannot be swayed by a veela.
That day, the international magical community would learn that love is a powerful force and that it need not be romantic to be effective. 40 Veela cheerleaders all dressed in string bikinis and radiating their allure at maximum toward the English fans danced provocatively unto the pitch when their team was announced, and were met with admiring looks and nothing else. The shock of the muted reaction froze them all in place for a moment and silenced the Bulgarian crowd.
From the English side of the stadium came a chant. It started with a few people and grew till the arena shook with the combined voices, "RING THE BELL, RING THE BELL". The stadium monitors that had been focused on the veelas switched to one black haired teenager who stood and flashed her breasts and the English let out a cheer. "TWO WIZARD WARS! ONE WORLD CUP!". And that was how one, undoubtedly beautiful, sixth year Gryffindor single handedly defeated a colony of veela.
Scholars of such things would later determine that Katie Bell, her actions and her breasts had become a galvanizing point for English fans' love of Quidditch and love of their national team and that mass love had easily overwhelmed the 40 veela whose power was defused and not focusing on one person. None of that mattered in the moment as England had one the first round against Bulgaria.
When the announcer moved to announce the English team, England's newest residents and most famous Quidditch fans rose up over the south wall of the stadium. The six giants wearing massive English National Team replica jerseys started banging on an erected ward in time to the stomping feet of the English fans. 10 of the Veela fainted.
With the introductions done the giants vanished behind an obscuration ward where they could still watch and not be an unfair distraction to the match. The Bulgarian seeker, Victor Krum, who was by far the most famous and most skilled seeker in the world flew up into the clouds and came screaming toward the pitch at a speed that even impressed Harry before pulling up at the last minute and landing in front of the English team captain. His amazing flying cleared the fog that had infected the Bulgarians and they started to match the English fans for volume and intensity.
…Press Box
Franth:
"…"
Howe:
"…"
DIDI:
"…"
Franth:
"Wow. That was an amazing bit of gamesmanship to start off the match. I can only hope that the rest of the match lives up to such a spectacular start."
Howe:
"I agree Franth. I have to say that Krum's wonski feint was not just about re-energizing the Bulgarian fans but it was a shot across the bow to the English. I don't think anyone in the world could have pulled it off from that height and that speed."
DIDI:
"Potter. He is still in Hogwarts but I saw him when I was scouting Wood and the next world cup could be a battle of the greatest seekers in history."
Franth:
"An exciting discussion, truly. But perhaps for another time as the referee prepares to release the snitch."
Howe:
"I think we are seeing early clues to the English strategy. They are positioning themselves in a 'trailing zone' formation where one Chaser, looks like Heidi MacAvoy, acts as a help to the beaters or seeker, looks like the seeker. Victor Krum is going to play this game double teamed."
Franth:
"And the snitch is away and Krum is off. It looks like he is trying to end the match early. Meanwhile, despite being two on three, Bakwam has the Quaffle and is streaking for the hoops."
Howe:
"Another risky strategy from the English. MacAvoy is their best flyer and they are using her in a defensive position to try and check Krum, who is the Bulgarians best flyer but it leaves them short a chaser. In addition, as good as MacAvoy is, she is still going to need Beakman to fly the match of his life to keep up."
Franth:
"Bawkam avoids a Bludger and charges the hoop, and dumps the Quaffle to a trailing Lonesome…and GOOOOOAAAAAAL."
Franth:
"England is up 10, nil. What did we just see?"
DIDI:
"Petar Yankov, one of the Bulgarian beaters hit the Bludger towards Bakwam and instead of knocking it away, Carr let it go by and attacked the second Bludger, knocking Bulgarian Chaser, Bogomil Bunev off course. Meanwhile Bono positioned himself opposite Bakwam and trusted her to avoid the Bludger and when she did used it to free Lonesome and turned a 2 on 3 to a 2 on 1 with only the keeper to beat."
Howe:
"That takes a lot of trust."
DIDI:
"Indeed. It's the type of thing you see more often in league play where players have years practicing and playing together. Two of the English players Wood and MacAvoy play on the same league team but they were not involved in that play. Impressive."
Franth:
"Speaking of which, it seems MacAvoy and Beakman succeeded in weathering the initial release of the snitch. Krum seems to be flying a search pattern with Beakman trailing him."
Howe:
"MacAvoy is flying a zone pattern in the center of the pitch watching him. This is the risky part of the strategy. She has amazing Quaffle handling abilities but in this formation, she is just a relay spot for passes."
…15 minutes Later…
Franth:
"Krum takes off. It's a feint but it drew MacAvoy away and Plamen Filipov is off with the Quaffle attacking the hole in the English defense. Yankov and Hrabro Vasilev knock the Bludgers clear instead of trying to clear out the English Chasers. Its 3 on 2, Filipov passes to Bunev who passes back to Filipov, touch pass to Ralitsa Popova. She shoots...save by Wood. The 'Ring the Bell" chants start and Young Ms. Bell graces us with her lovely assets."
Howe:
"HE'S LEAVING THE HOOPS."
Franth:
"Wood didn't pass the Quaffle back out. Instead he is out of the hoop, with Bakwam and Lonesome at his side. Bono hangs back in a Beater trailing zone to leave some protection at the hoops. Wood, Bakwam and Lonesome are running a 'Hawkshead Attacking Formation' with wood at the point.
Howe:
"That's a good choice. Not fancy, just fly fast and straight. It needs good passing ability though."
DIDI: "You are right Howe and it looks like the Bulgarians recognize it too. They have caught a Bludger and are sending it toward Lonesome to disrupt the easier pass and forcing wood to make the tougher one."
Franth:
"Wood makes the tough pass to Bakwam and then turns and rushes back to his own hoop, Lonesome breaks hard and rushes Krum with a TRANSYLVANIAN TACKLE. MacAvoy is open. MACAVOY IS OPEN. SHE BROKE FROM HER ZONE! BAKWAM TO MACAVOY… GOOOOOAAAAAAL. ENGLAND 20, NIL"
DIDI:
"I've never seen a Transylvanian tackle attempted on a seeker before. Krum was obviously shocked by it as well. We beaters and chasers practice moving into the punch to draw the foul but Krum was caught completely flat footed. And they did it just to keep him distracted while MacAvoy made her run on the hoops!"
Franth:
"What's the Transylvanian tackle?"
DIDI:
"It's not really that effective anymore…until now…but it's when one player attacks another and throws a punch at their face. The goal is not to hit them, as that is a foul, but to come close and throw the opposing player of balance when they instinctually dodge the punch. As I said most chasers and beaters practice moving into the punch to draw the foul. No one has ever used it on a Seeker before.
Franth:
"England is pulling out all the stops, apparently."
Howe:
"Yes. England has scored on two clever, but still trick, plays and its obvious their goal is to 'steal the snitch' like they did in the semi-finals but I don't know if they have enough trick plays for 13 more goals. Especially if Wood leaves the net again. Every time he does that the chance of Bulgaria scoring goes up."
DIDI:
"Yes. If nothing else, the English are showing that their daring was not a one time thing."
Franth:
"The Quaffle is back in play…Krum is off…MACAVOY STEALS THE QUAFFLE AND SCORES…but it might not matter."
"Wait…Krum pulls out of his sprint yelling at the Bulgarian keeper, Stanka Zhivkova. It was another feint but MacAvoy didn't bite. I am not sure what Krum expected Zhivkova to do?"
"GOOOOOAAAAAAL, England. The score if now 30, nil and England is 12 goals from 'stealing the snitch."
Howe:
"I think we are just seeing building frustration in Krum. He is the best seeker in the world at a time where there are no one else even close to him. A younger batch of prospects, like Lord Potter, will likely be in the next World Cup bringing much needed skill to the position, internationally, and Krum is surrounded by a, frankly, substandard team at time here his ability should allow them to dominate."
…25 Minutes Later…
Franth:
"Popova has the Quaffle again and the Bulgarians are trying to push to the English side of the field. Krum has shifted his search pattern to center around the Bulgarian goal post."
Howe:
"To force MacAvoy to abandon the zone or abandon her teammates. I have no doubt he will be moving the opposite direction of the Quaffle for the foreseeable future."
Franth:
"Your right and MacAvoy has, indeed, abandoned the zone and is moving opposite Beakman to keep Krum contained. It looks like the beaters have found themselves in a scrum. DiDi could you tell us what we are looking at."
DIDI:
"Yes, the beaters have captured both Bludgers and instead of clearing them they are using them to try to attack the opposing players. With both beater pairs of the same mind set they are now just sending the Bludgers back and forth through the player area creating a dangerous crossfire. That's the scrum. I'm not surprised that the English would do this as they have very good flyers, but the Bulgarian chasers are not as skilled and this maneuver adds more difficulty and danger."
Franth:
"Filipov drops the Quaffle, but the 3 on 2 advantage allows Bulgaria to retain possession. Bunev breaks for the left hoop. Yankov hit the Bludger toward Wood. Whistle blows ending the play. Ouch. Wood stayed in position and blocked the dead play shot of Popova."
DIDI:
"That wasn't supposed to be an illegal move. When Bunev broke for the hoop they expected Bakwam to chase after him which would have put Wood between her and the Yankov, making his clearing strike legal but Bakwam didn't move and it's illegal to hit a Bludger at the Keeper while they are in the scoring box. I don't understand why Wood didn't dodge the Bludger. He could see that Bakwam hadn't moved and knew the shot wouldn't count."
Franth (chuckling):
I think he wanted the 'Ring the Bell' chant and his reward.
DIDI:
"…"
"You men are very stupid sometimes."
FRANTH and HOWE (laughing):
"yes, we are."
Franth:
"It looks like Lonesome and Beakman agree with you they are yelling at Wood. For being stupid, no doubt. He's rolling his shoulder but seems OK. That's interesting, Lonesome just flew to the stands and spoke with Bell."
Didi:
"She's telling her not to flash if Wood does something stupid like that again."
Franth:
"…"
Howe:
"…"
Didi:
"Sometimes, it's the only way to control you men and your stupid hormones."
Franth:
"No comment. MacAvoy lines up for the free shot. She's off. Wow she executes a no-hands (?) sloth grip roll and shoots… GOOOOOAAAAAAL." Her shot sailed under the overextended Zhivkova. Amazing. England leads 40, nil. Krum is off again!"
Howe:
"HE'S SPOTTED THE SNITCH."
Franth:
"Heidi MacAvoy is doing everything in her power to derail Krum's chase without fouling him. Her efforts are slowing the Bulgarian seeker enough to keep Beakman close. Both English players are trying to turn Krum off course. Why doesn't Beakman just try to catch the snitch himself?"
Howe:
"If he breaks for the snitch, Krum will be able to get it. Krum is that good. Their only hope is to force Krum to lose sight of it until they get the score advantage."
Franth:
"And the beaters?"
Didi:
"The Bulgarians have control of a Bludger but MacAvoy is very good, she is too close to Krum to risk it. I don't think I would risk that shot and I've threaded someone's legs with a Bludger. I would go for Beakman but he is on the other side of Krum and I don't begrudge Yankov or Vasilev for not wanting to risk it.
…10 minutes Later…
Franth:
"That was an amazing series. Krum truly is an amazing flyer and looking at MacAvoy and Beakman I am not sure they could do that again. The two were pushed to the limit but the snitch finally escaped and is nowhere to be found. Krum has nothing to be ashamed of as he put his skills on full display but his frustration at the missed opportunity is clear on his face."
Howe:
"And the score."
Franth:
"True, his frustration is not helped by the fact that England was able to score thrice more to only once by the Bulgarians despite England being down a Chaser while she streaked across the pitch after Krum. It started with Bulgaria having the upper hand. Krum was after the snitch and Bulgaria had the Quaffle and was running on the hoops. With MacAvoy sticking close to Krum, the Bulgarian beaters turned their Bludger on the two English chasers, forcing the English beaters to frantically defend."
Didi:
"I am truly impressed with Wood's ability. In the first 5 minutes Krum chased the snitch he defended 9 shots on goal and only allowed one to get past him. I'm starting to think that if the snitch stays hidden a bit longer, England might pull this off."
Franth: "The score is 70 to 10 and England needs 9 goals to 'steal the snitch'.
…35 minutes Later…
Franth:
"We've seen a flurry of plays but the Quaffle has not made it out of the center of the pitch."
Howe:
"The English are sticking to their strategy with MacAvoy playing in defensive position and spying Krum. The Bulgarian chasers have not been able to take advantage of their 3 to 2 advantage but the English are also hampered and not able to convert scoring plays. BUNEV BROKE THROUGH!"
Franth:
"Bunev has the Quaffle and got past Lonesome. Exhaustion from playing down a man might be catching up with the English chaser. Bunev is sprinting for the center ring, he breaks right and shoots across his body for the left most ring. He put some 'english' on it trying to curve it out and in to avoid Wood."
"But Wood makes the fingertip save knocking the Quaffle away."
"WHERE DID BUNEV COME FROM! He's caught the blocked shot and thrown it across the face of the hoops to Popova. Wood is racing to make it in time. Popova shoots. WOOD CATCHES IT. HE CATCHES IT. He raced across the field and he caught it. He's not stopping, he's out of the hoops again and racing up field."
"Popova and Bunev are behind him but Bunev is closing fast. Yankov and Vasilev captured both Bludgers and are sending them right for Wood."
"HE DROPPED THE QUAFFLE. He needed both hands to avoid the two Bludgers and it caused him to drop the Quaffle."
"Bunev has it and passed to Popova who is racing for the empty hoops."
Howe:
"That's the last time they let Wood leave the hoops."
Didi:
"Ja"
Franth:
"Wood got himself turned around and is chasing, but there is no way he'll make it back into a defensive position in front of the hoops."
"Carr got a Bludger in Popova's way but he avoided it. Wood has caught up but he'll never overtake and position in time."
"HE PUNCHED OUT THE QUAFFLE. WOOD MAKES A SPECTACULAR CHASER PLAY, surprising Popova"
"Wood is not returning to the hoops! He's breaking for the falling Quaffle"
Howe:
"That is reckless!"
Franth:
"HE GOT IT!"
"Wood's loopty loop worked and he's recaptured the Quaffle about 10 feet from the ground and is streaking toward the Bulgarian end of the field."
"He pulls up."
"Lonesome avoids a Bludger and is streaking to get in position for the pass."
"WOOD DOESN'T PASS. HE SHOOTS… GOOOOOAAAAAAL."
"THE SCORE IS 80 TO 10 AND ENGLAND IS HALF WAY TO ITS GOAL. THE ENGLISH CROWD IS DEAFINING"
Stadium Crowd (England):
"TWO WIZARD WARS…"
"ONE WORLD CUP"
"RING. THE. BELL"
Franth:
"Can you talk us through that series of events."
Howe:
"It started with the Bulgarians breaking on the hoops, with Bunev getting past a tiring Lonesome. He broke right to feint as if he was shooting for the right hoop and shot a very impressive long range shot at the left hoop. Even putting a nice spin on the ball to give it a wide arc."
"But it was clear he expected Wood to still block it because as soon as he released it he was off to position himself to catch the rebound. Popova knew as well and moved to the right hoop."
"The Bulgarians play developed exactly as they hoped except Wood sussed it out and broke for the right hoop as soon as he made the block. If Bunev had noticed Wood jump, he could have scored but Wood was moving at the same time Bunev was passing."
"Wood's jump on the play allowed him to make in time to intercept the shot attempt by Popova. Wood traveling at full speed when he caught the Quaffle, kept going and turned up field."
Didi:
"With Popova and Bunev behind him, Wood rushed to form up with Lonesome and Bakwam but was intercepted by a great play by the Bulgarian beaters who forced a fumble by coordinating Bludger attacks on the inexperienced 'chaser'."
"At that point it was a race back to the English hoops with no chance of Wood being able to get back in position. Carr was able to execute a very good shot and got the Bludger heading toward Popova. Unfortunately, the Bulgarian chaser was just outside the range of his hit and the Bludger arrived under its own power and moved out of the way of the Chaser. Bad luck but it slowed Popova enough for Wood to catch up."
Howe:
"Wood knew that running neck and neck at an empty hoop was a sure goal for Bulgaria so he surprised everyone and punched at the Quaffle. Popova should have switched hands when Wood drew close but was probably thinking, like the rest of us, that the keeper was just desperately trying to get back in position in front of the hoops."
"Then Wood did the most reckless and brave thing I have ever seen in a Quidditch game, much less the World Cup Finals. Their gambit had failed and he had already achieved a miracle by knocking out the Quaffle, but instead of returning to the hoops, he flipped over and pulled a tight loopty loop to capture the falling Quaffle."
"Everyone on both sides were caught off guard by him doing that and so, when he caught the falling Quaffle and headed for the Bulgarian hoops, he was ahead of everyone. Lonesome recovered first and streaked toward the hoop for the 'alley oop' play but, as if he had not already done enough, Wood recognized that Zhivkova was cheating toward Lonesome since the coming pass was obvious, and shot it himself scoring on the right most hoop."
…35 Minutes Later…
Didi:
"Oliver Wood may be having a better game than he did in the semi-finals."
Franth:
"Considering he defended, a record setting, 50 shots on goal, that is no trivial claim, Didi."
Didi:
"He's already defended 20 shots on goal, scored 10 points and has left the hoop twice more since his goal to play in the chaser position abandoned by MacAvoy to defense Krum. And while he hasn't scored another goal, he's matched up admirably against Filipov, which allowed Lonesome and Bakwam to score two additional scores. England is within striking distance of stealing the snitch!"
Franth:
"You make a strong point Didi. England is leading 100 to 10. Howe?
Howe:
"Of course, Didi is right. Oliver Wood is making himself a superstar. But it's also clear that desperation is starting to creep into the Bulgarians. That last goal was off a turn over caused by Filipov being out of position and Popova not hustling back on defense."
Franth:
"I'm being told that our 'Snitch Tracker' has spotted the snitch back in the playing area. Per the International Confederation of Wizards' Quidditch Committee rules, we will not identify where it is but it is in play."
Didi:
"I don't see it but I think Beakman does."
Howe:
"I think you're right. I think he isn't trailing Krum anymore. I think he is trying to keep his body in between Krum and the snitch so the Bulgarian can't see it. He's signaled MacAvoy, but I didn't see him do it, but she is definitely tightening her defensive perimeter."
Didi:
"She may have seen the snitch herself, Beakman is blocking Krum's view but not hers."
Howe:
"Yup"
Franth:
"LONESOME IS BRAKING FOR THE HOOPS."
…10 Minutes Later…
Franth:
"That was a nerve-racking 10 minutes for England. The 'Snitch Tracker" tells us the snitch has vanished again. Some of the Bulgarian fans, probably listening to us, were trying to signal to Krum what was happening but he was too high and his own teammates were two busy desperately holding off an aggressive push by the English."
"It could not have worked out better for England though and they scored 2 more goals. England leads 120 to 10."
Didi:
"The only chance for the Bulgarians at this point is for the snitch to return and Krum to catch it. Popova, Bunev and Filipov are exhausted and with each passing minute Lonesome and Bakwam are out flying them more and more."
Howe:
"Yes, it is surprising considering the fact that they have been playing with a chaser advantage the entire match. If they lose, and I agree with you, Didi, that unless Krum catches the snitch, it is foregone. If they lose, I expect major shake-ups for the Bulgarian National team."
Franth:
"Really Howe? They did make it to the finals after beating Germany, the reigning back to back champions."
Howe:
"True, but that was on the great play of Krum with little to no help from the rest of the team and facing a German team without Didi. No offense, dear."
Didi:
"None Taken."
Franth:
"LONESOME BREAKS FREE, AGAIN… GOOOOOAAAAAAL.
…30 Minutes Later…
Franth:
"The tension is high in the stadium. The score is 150 to 10 and the snitch has shown itself again. Beakman tried, again to block Krum's view but the best Seeker in the world spotted it. He is pushing MacAvoy and Beakman hard and MacAvoy has already committed a foul. Bunev missed the free shot giving Wood his 28th save."
"KRUM FOULS MACAVOY."
Howe:
"A rare foul committed by seeker and I think that was frustration. He had been within a brooms length of the snitch when it turned to avoid a risky grab at it by Beakman. Krum was unable to close the distance because of MacAvoy and committed the foul."
Franth:
"Lonesome hurries to position to take the free shot while Krum fights to regain lost ground on the snitch with Beakman and MacAvoy doing everything in their power to redirect or block him."
"Lonesome gets the Quaffle and is off immediately. She feints right and breaks left. SHOOTS RIGHT…AND… GOOOOOAAAAAAL."
"ENGLAND HAS DONE IT AND THE CROWD GOES WILD."
Stadium Crowd (England):
"TWO WIZARD WARS…"
"ONE WORLD CUP"
Franth:
"England leads 160 to 10. At this point if Krum catches the snitch, it goes to penalties and I think we all agree with the crowd that England has a distinct advantage in that case."
Howe:
"Very true and it looks like Krum no longer cares. He knows the situation but hasn't stopped his pursuit of the snitch."
Didi:
"I doubt he believes his team can retake the score advantage and is probably trying to lessen the damage."
Franth:
"I think your point is being made on the field, Bakwam just stole the inbound pass. She passes to LONESOME, LONESOME BACK TO BAKWAM, SHE SHOOTS SHE SCORES. GOOOOOAAAAAAL."
"ENGLAND STEALS THE SNITCH, ENGLAND STEALS THE SNITCH!"
Stadium Crowd (England):
"TWO WIZARD WARS…"
"ONE WORLD CUP"
Franth:
MacAvoy has pulled off her pursuit of Krum and Beakman has turned to try and catch the snitch himself. The Bulgarian chasers are truly outclassed with all three English Chasers working in formation. MacAvoy steals the Quaffle and breaks for the hoops. It's the Woollongong Shimmy, and she SCORES. GOOOOOAAAAAAL."
Howe:
"This is about to get out of hand. I think I agree with Krum's intention"
Franth:
"KRUM CATCHES THE SNITCH. ENGLAND WINS. ENGLAND WINS. ENGLAND WINS."
Stadium Crowd (England):
"TWO WIZARD WARS…"
"ONE WORLD CUP"
"TWO WIZARD WARS…"
"ONE WORLD CUP"
"TWO WIZARD WARS…"
"ONE WORLD CUP"