Chapter 328 - Stadium (2/2)
They aren't able to speak more the subject as a deep, booming gong sounded somewhere beyond the woods, and at once, blue and red lanterns blazed into life in the trees, lighting a path to the field.
”It's time,” Reginald sternly instructed, ”Stay close.”
Clutching their purchases, Rowan and Severus followed their grandfather with Aunt Georgine at their side. They followed the lantern-lit trail as the sound of thousands of people moving could be heard. There were shouts of laughter, singing, and general feverish excitement.
After a twenty-minute walk, they emerged in from the woods in the shadow of a gigantic stadium. The walls were golden-colored, and the stadium was large enough to drop over ten cathedrals inside and still have plenty of leftover room. ”It seats over a hundred thousand,” Georgine muttered at seeing their faces.
Reginald handed their tickets at the nearest entrance as the wizards and witches were at the entrance were being swarmed. ”Prime Seats!” Said the tired witch when she checked their tickets. ”Top Box! Straight upstairs as high as you go can go.” Rowan paled as usual, while Severus looked delighted. Clearly, the two of them had very different priorities.
The stairs into the stadium were carpeted in rich purple. The four of them quickly made their way up until they reached the top of the staircase and found themselves in a small box, set at the highest point of the stadium, and situated exactly halfway between the golden goal posts. There were about thirty seats that stood in two rows.
Reginald quickly sat them down as Severus gawked at the hundreds of thousands of witches and wizards that were taking their places in the seats, which rose in all sorts of levels around the long oval field. The field looked as smooth as velvet from their lofty positions. At either end of the field stood three goal hoops, fifty feet high. Right opposite from them at almost eye level is a gigantic blackboard. Gold writing kept dashing across it, before being wiped off.
The advertisements read as: The Bluebottle: A Broom for All the Family – safe, reliable, and with Built-in Anti-Burglar Buzzers.... Mrs. Shower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Removers: No Pain, NO Stain!... Gladrags Wizardwear – London, Paris, Hogsmeade...
Rowan who safely already plugged in her trusty reliable magical earplugs glanced over to see who else was sitting in the box. There was the Minister of Magic, Master Belby was sitting at her side. Though every now and then he'd glance over at Rowan and her grandfather. Knowing that there must be a story there, she didn't react as she kept seeing the Top Box fill up.
After some time, Rowan glances down at her velvet-covered, tasseled program and says, ”The team mascots will precede the match.”
”It better be soon,” Severus muttered as the Minister of Norway wearing splendid red robes trimmed in gold happily shook the hand of Master Belby. Master Belby most quickly wrenched his hand from the Norwegian Minister's crushing handshake. Soon enough the last of the seats were filled as Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa, his wife took the seats directly in front of Rowan and Severus. The Prince's as a whole nodded at them as the Malfoy's did the same.