Quidditch World Cup Final!
The Quidditch World Cup always draws a crowd, and this year, with England and Scotland playing one another in the finals on nearly their home fields, the crowd of tents at the site was nearly a small city, springing up over the night before the game and the morning of. Banners for each team flying in the breeze and more than one fight breaking out between rabid fans of one team or another.
Those rivalries were left behind during the hours of the game, however, stopping almost entirely as fans rushed to buy their memorabilia and find their ticketed seats in the stands. When the crowd was nearly all filed in to the stadium, the Minister Shacklebolt announced the game’s beginning with a flourish - but first announced one special surprise as the Weird Sisters took to center of the Pitch for a short pre-game concert.
That finished, and fans surprised and, in most cases, delighted at the musical guest, the real reason for the collection of fans began with Kyle Jugson announcing the players as they took the field, and Lee Jordan taking over as announcer for the game itself.
It was called, with England winning control of the quaffle and the game off to a rapid beginning.
The English team of Johnson, Bell, and Zabini, despite all recent rumours of friction, made a dizzying site as they raced for the first goals but were turned back by Scotland’s McFadden and Fletcher. They gained control of the quaffle quickly, however, and their second attempt was not rebuffed as quickly, bringing in the first goal of the game. At that point, the game began in earnest, score rapidly rising in the first two hours to a staggering 190 to 200 in favour of England, even with both Keepers turning back half of the quaffles shot their way, with Chaser Johnson managing a spectacular 14of 20 goals.
It was at this point that the first injury of the game came in, as Scottish Beaters turned their attention on Johnson, the top scorer, and brought her to the ground with a barrage of bludgers, three of which connected before finally knocking Johnson from her broom. Amid the gasps of the crowd and the rush of mediwizards on the Pitch below to collect Johnson, Weasley took to the air from the reserves.
In quick succession, a series of injuries plagued both teams. From Scotland, both Webster and Whittaker fell to the English bludgers, and from England Bell and Whitney both fell within the next twenty minutes, leaving the English team with the reserves of Weasley, Robins, and a surprised Davies in as beater and the score standing at 210 to 230, now for Scotland.
It was then that the first movements from the Seekers, hovering high above the injurous action, started. Scotland’s Iwelumo dove for the Snitch, followed closely by England’s Chang. It was a feint, the Snitch no where to be seen, and it was only a clever call from Zabini that alerted Chang to the deception, leaving her free to spot the actual Snitch flittering nearly half a field away. Chang raced for the Snitch, and Iwelumo, slowed by his own plot, had bare seconds to turn and follow suit.
As the Seekers raced above and around, the determined teams of Chasers continued building their scores. However, all attention was turned to the Seekers, and the race was on, beaters from both teams lobbing bludgers toward the pair. One lucky shot from the Scottish reservist hit Chang’s broom, launching her into a tailspin which made all the difference in her lead, Iwelumo pacing her then and matching her speed as she managed to pull herself out of the fall. A bludger from Davies connected then with Iwelumo, launching him toward Chang in an inevitable collision.
Both fell, and for a moment it looked as if the game would continue with the reserve Seekers called to the pitch to continue the battle when, from the tangle of limbs, one hand rose and opened to reveal the Snitch.
It was Chang’s.
The final score of the Quidditch World Cup final after four hours and seventeen minutes of game play, 460 to 310, in favour of England.