CANDY! ✯ RON WEASLEY

xxi. Basic Instinct

She was half right — at the very last second, Viktor Krum pulled out of the dive and spiraled off. Lynch, however, hit the ground with a dull thud that could be heard throughout the stadium. A huge groan rose from the Irish seats.

"He's so fucking bad!" Maddie said.

"Who?" Ron frowned, turning to her with the impression that she was still talking about Krum.

"Lynch! Always bottling it. Don't know why he's captain, or why Lee thinks the sun shines out of his ass,"

"It's time-out!" yelled Bagman's voice. "As trained mediwizards hurry onto the field to examine Aidan Lynch!"

Krum was using the time while Lynch was revived to look for the Snitch without interference — which was stressing Maddie out.

Lynch got to his feet at last, to loud cheers from the green-clad supporters, before mounting his Firebolt, and kicking back off into the air. His revival seemed to give Ireland new heart. After fifteen more fast and furious minutes, Ireland had pulled ahead by ten more goals. They were now leading by one hundred and thirty points to ten, and the game was starting to get dirtier.

As Mullet shot toward the goal posts yet again, clutching the Quaffle tightly under her arm, the Bulgarian Keeper, Zograf, flew out to meet her. Whatever happened was over so quickly Maddie didn't catch it, but a scream of rage from the Irish crowd, and Mostafa's long, shrill whistle blast, told her it had been a foul.

"And Mostafa takes the Bulgarian Keeper to task for cobbing — excessive use of elbows!" Bagman informed the roaring spectators. "And — yes, it's a penalty to Ireland!"

Maddie screamed and jumped, clutching onto Ron's arm with excitement because she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. He was too invested in the game to care about her tight grip — it was an important moment.

The leprechauns, who had risen angrily into the air like a swarm of glittering hornets when Mullet had been fouled, now darted together to form the words "HA, HA, HA!"

Maddie laughed at them. The leprechauns were way better than the veela.

Speaking of which, the veela on the other side of the field leapt to their feet, tossed their hair angrily, and started to dance again like they had when Bulgaria had scored.

As one, Lee, the Weasley boys and Harry stuffed their fingers into their ears, which Maddie found quite pathetic (to be honest) — but her attention flicked over to what was happening on the pitch, and her mouth dropped open slightly.

Hassan Mostafa had landed right in front of the dancing veela, and was acting very oddly indeed. He was flexing his muscles and smoothing his mustache excitedly.

"Oh my god!" she shouted. "Rank! Gross!" she shuddered.

"Now, we can't have that!" said Ludo Bagman, though he sounded highly amused. "Somebody slap the referee!"

A mediwizard came tearing across the field, his fingers stuffed into his own ears, and kicked Mostafa hard in the shins. Mostafa seemed to come to himself — he started shouting at the veela, who had stopped dancing and were looking mutinous.

"And unless I'm much mistaken, Mostafa is actually attempting to send off the Bulgarian team mascots!" said Bagman's voice.

Please do, Maddie thought. Although, she wasn't sure why she was feeling this particular way...