"This world has no sympathy for upright losers, Wade. If it takes ruthless methods to win—then be ruthless."
That's what Antoine said.
Wade barely managed to hold back from saying—
"Fifty years ago, Grindelwald chose to bear infamy and still didn't win. If he'd just raised his moral bottom line a little, maybe he wouldn't have ended up with the whole world against him?"
Some ideologies from the Alliance were deeply entrenched. Even someone like Antoine—part of the so-called "new generation"—might appear progressive on the surface, but deep down, their core logic hadn't really changed.
Wade didn't argue. His thoughtful expression gave the impression that he agreed, which seemed to please Antoine. Then Antoine finally revealed the real reason he had stopped Wade.
"These are dossiers on the other magical schools participating in the tournament."
Antoine took out a thick stack of documents and tapped them with his hand.
"Their strengths in magic, standout students from the past two years, and their general behavioral tendencies—it's all in here. You can read it slowly once you get back… There's a saying, isn't there? 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.'"
Wade thought of something and asked, "Are there magic schools from China participating too?"
"No," Antoine replied. "Their wizards are very secretive, mostly trained through family traditions. I've heard they're also more closely tied to their Muggle government than we are."
Wade didn't press further. He packed up the documents and said, "I should go. Otherwise Harry and the others will probably think I got flushed away by the toilet portal."
"See you later!" Antoine called after him and raised his voice to remind him: "Oh, right—when you see me at Hogwarts, don't reveal my identity!"
"Don't worry, I'm not looking to cause myself trouble," Wade replied with a wave, lifted the tent flap and stepped out.
…
Evening arrived quickly, and the atmosphere in the campsite grew restless. By the time night fully fell, the sound of Apparition echoed from all directions.
Wade bought a pair of omnioculars from a roaming vendor. Harry enthusiastically explained introduced its use to him:
"You can replay the scenes… switch to slow motion… it even analyzes the match! It's more professional than any TV commentator!"
After having their tickets checked, they followed a narrow staircase upward, climbing higher and higher. Finally, they reached the top floor, and after walking down a corridor into a private box, the view on the other side opened up before them.
It was a massive oval stadium. The stands rose layer by layer like steps. The lowest level was packed with rows upon rows of seats, while the mid-to-upper levels were lined with private boxes.
Sirius had secured an excellent spot. Once the match started, the players would be flying practically right in front of them—they could even clearly see the ball going through the hoop with the naked eye.
The box held around twenty seats. Even after Wade and the others entered, they occupied only half of them. But it was obvious: Sirius would rather leave the rest empty than invite outsiders to share it.
"But if any of you have friends you're close with, feel free to invite them over." Sirius leaned back in his seat, stretched out his legs, and casually said, "We've got plenty of empty seats anyway."
Wade asked Harry, "You didn't invite Ron and Hermione?"
The rest of the SSC—Michael, Neville, Theo, and the others—all had families that managed to buy tickets on their own. Even if the seats weren't great, they didn't need to come mooch off the Blacks' box.
Harry was leaning over the railing, looking up at the changing text on the scoreboard. When he heard Wade's question, he turned his head and replied:
"Ron said his dad could get tickets. Hermione went traveling with her parents. She won't be back in the UK until tomorrow."
Wade nodded and looked away, feeling a bit sentimental.
In the original story, the three of them—Harry, Ron, and Hermione—were practically conjoined, inseparable.
But now, Harry had Sirius as a godfather to rely on, and after a few years at school, the halo of the Boy Who Lived still shone bright. Yet the trio didn't seem quite as close-knit as in the plot.
Wade remembered that Mr. Weasley had only managed to get a few tickets for the final. Ron might still want to see the match, but out of pride—or perhaps a tinge of inferiority—he didn't accept Harry's invitation.
And Sirius hadn't invited the Weasley family either.
When Sirius entered Hogwarts, the Weasley parents had already graduated. During the Wizarding War, Arthur Weasley hadn't joined the Order of the Phoenix. They weren't comrades-in-arms, and technically weren't schoolmates either.
Though both sides were now part of the reformed Order under Dumbledore, and Sirius and Molly Weasley were distantly related through family ties, Wade had observed that their relationship was cordial at best—not deeply affectionate.
Voldemort hadn't returned yet, and the Alliance activities were mostly taking place outside of Britain. The Order of the Phoenix wasn't under immediate threat, so the members lacked that desperate camaraderie forged in life-and-death situations.
After a few joint activities last term, the Order had grown dormant again due to a lack of purpose.
As Wade compared the original plot with the current divergence, he was deep in thought when a thunderous voice suddenly rang out:
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome! Welcome to the 422nd Quidditch World Cup Semifinal— Ireland vs. Peru!"
A deafening roar erupted from the stands as supporters of both teams waved their flags with all their might. One side was decorated in grass-green, while the other sported a red-and-white palette. The entire stadium looked like a sea of churning waves.
The commentator and host was Ludo Bagman, who cheerfully introduced both teams and their mascots.
The Irish leprechauns flew in formation through the sky, first transforming into a giant shamrock, then shifting into shapes like a Golden Snitch, a trophy, and a harp.
Peru's mascots were equally impressive—a stunning woman riding a giant griffin flew across the pitch, followed by a few majestic Andean condors. Wherever they passed, they left golden and crimson trails of light in the air.
Amid waves of shrieks and applause, the players from both teams took the field. They flew so fast they were just blurs unless you used omnioculars to catch them clearly.
"Knew it," Wade muttered under his breath. After watching the match for a bit, he shifted his lens toward the private boxes in the stands.
The Ministry of Magic had arranged top-level boxes for the various magical schools that had come from afar to watch the match. Wade casually scanned the crowd—and quickly spotted the Beauxbatons students.
That silver-haired girl must be Fleur Delacour, the champion from the original story. Her beauty is truly striking.
Wade then turned his gaze to another box, where—unexpectedly—there was a majestic cheetah crouched, wearing glasses. Next to it sat a scarf-wearing mouse. The entire scene looked bizarre.
"Uagadou," Wade thought to himself.
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