It was pretty obvious that I would be the new Ravenclaw prefect.
I'm basically considered the leader of my year in Ravenclaw.
I have most of the qualities expected from a prefect, and I'm not known for causing trouble.
There was a party at Marie's place before we went back to my house, and Grandma wanted to celebrate too.
I noticed that Neville seemed a bit insecure about not being chosen as a prefect for next year, but I reassured him.
I told him being a prefect is mostly about responsibilities—it doesn't define who you are.
A few days later, I went to the camp for the Quidditch World Cup final.
I had to greet a lot of people—most of whom were shocked by my new appearance.
I even ended up serving as an interpreter for some Bulgarians who wanted extra seats.
When evening came, I headed up to the VIP box with Marie.
Winky, Barty Crouch's house-elf, was already there trying to hold the spot for her master—but she had vertigo and was clearly struggling.
"I have a tip for you to avoid feeling dizzy," I told Winky.
"Just remind yourself that you're fulfilling the mission Crouch gave you."
I knew that most house-elves take pride in their work, so as long as her sense of duty stayed strong, she'd be okay.
The next to arrive were Hermione, the Weasley family, and Harry.
I greeted them, and Percy acted as if this were some kind of official meeting, addressing me with stiff formality.
"You don't need to do that," I told him with a smile.
"We know each other well enough—there's no need to be so tense."
Harry, who had been watching the stands, suddenly pointed.
"Is that... Dobby?"
"Harry, not all house-elves are Dobby," I said, amused.
"If you want to see him, I'll invite him over sometime so you two can talk properly."
After that came the Malfoys, Minister Fudge, and a few Bulgarian diplomats. I greeted them politely.
And finally, Bagman arrived—the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports.
I didn't really like him because he was a crook, and apparently, he had a big debt to Gringotts.
"Well, I think we may begin the long-awaited final."
He even cast a charm on himself to amplify his voice and began to speak.
"And what you're about to see today is a historic change for global Quidditch. I ask Miss Evelyn Longbottom to explain."
He received some applause, but many people were more interested in the match.
I used a translation charm that allows everyone to hear my speech in the language they are most comfortable with. The downside is that the charm doesn't work if I don't speak the listener's language — but it should be fine since I know a lot of foreign languages.
"I know you're all looking forward to the game, but something needs to be made clear. First of all, because of the performance of the new brooms, it is easier to catch a Golden Flame, and therefore, the only way to prevent a match from lasting just five minutes is to increase its speed."
Since the Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor match that lasted only five minutes three years ago, I decided that we had to change the rules — otherwise, matches like that would keep happening.
"But the problem is that it would require a huge adjustment, so we had to rethink the rules. Now, each goal is worth 1 point instead of 10, and catching the Golden Chip gives 15 points. But that's not all — matches will now last 80 minutes, with a mandatory halftime after 40 minutes. When the Golden Chip is caught, the match doesn't end — the Seeker simply joins their team to help score more points. The Golden Chip will be released again ten minutes later. Please note that today is just a trial, and the match duration may still change in the future. And now, let the Bulgarian and Irish teams take their positions on the pitch."
Then it was Bagman's turn to speak again.