Chapter 2 – The Dinner Party
Dudley and Vernon Dursley kept waiting for the axe to fall. They spent the week following the news of their new employer discussing various employment opportunities that they were both suited for.
Dudley was frantically preparing his resume on Monday evening, when the door bell rang unexpectedly.
"I'll get it," he bellowed to his parents.
When he opened the door, he was stunned to see the DHL delivery man staring back at him.
"Is this the Dursley's?" He asked.
"Yes," Dudley answered.
"I have a delivery," the man said, handing Dudley a sealed envelope. "Please sign here," he added, pointing to his clipboard.
"Thanks," Dudley said, as he turned back into the house.
"Thank you sir," the man said as he left the entranceway of the house.
Dudley took the envelope into the house and read the address line. It was addressed to the Dursley family, so he took it upon himself to open it.
He sat on the living room sofa, and ripped the envelope open. Inside there were two identical sealed envelopes, one for him and one addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. Dudley put his parent's envelope down, and opened his.
You are cordially invited to the home of the 37th Baron of Lee, Harry Potter at Lee Castle; Scotland. The Baron and the Baroness request your presence on the 10th day of August, 2001. The dinner party is of semi-formal attire and transportation has been arranged. Please be prepared by noon on the 10th, a limousine will arrive at that time, and drive you to the Surrey heliport at the east of town.
The invitation was neither signed, nor did it afford the recipient the opportunity to decline. This made Dudley nervous.
"Mum, dad, get in here!" He yelled.
"What is it Dudley?" His mother asked concernedly.
"Here," he said, handing her the other invitation.
"Oh no," she added, when she read the note.
"What?" Vernon asked, taking the invitation from his wife.
"I think this is it, dad, the day after tomorrow, we'll be looking for jobs." Dudley said exasperatedly.
"Now son, this doesn't sound all that bad, he's sending a car and has chartered a helicopter, I think if he was going to sack us; he would have done it by parcel, don't you?" Vernon asked, trying to keep Dudley's spirits high.
"I guess, but think about all we've done to him; do you really think he's going to be appreciative?" Dudley asked back.
"What will I wear?" Petunia asked suddenly.
"Now Petunia dear, we'll just go out tomorrow and find you the perfect dress." Vernon said soothingly.
"It better be perfect." Petunia warned as she went back into the kitchen.
"And new suits for us, right Dudley?" Vernon asked.
"Absolutely," Dudley agreed.
The Dursley's awoke early the next morning, with the specific intention of purchasing new clothes for the trip to Lee Castle. They had resolved to purchase the most expensive outfits they could afford to attempt to impress their former charge.
Dudley was going to use all the money he had saved over the last year to buy a new watch. He told his parents it was for the dinner, but Dudley had been intending to use his savings expressly for the watch regardless.
Dudley and Vernon were sitting at the kitchen table as Petunia cooked their breakfast. Dudley was reading the Financial Times, and Vernon was watching his wife burn the bacon.
"Need any help Petunia dear?" Vernon asked impatiently.
"No, breakfast will be ready in a moment." She said cheerfully knowing she was getting a new dress.
"Do you think the tailor can alter all the clothes in time for tomorrow?" Dudley asked from behind his newspaper.
"He'd better, for the money we pay him." Vernon snapped.
"I don't know Vernon, the last time it took him over a week just to do one of Dudley's suits." Petunia piped in.
"I'll get it," Dudley bellowed as the door bell rang.
"All I know is that boy better appreciate the lengths we're going for him." Vernon said angrily, referring to Harry.
"He never appreciated us before." Petunia spat.
"He was always worthless." Vernon agreed.
Petunia softened for a moment. "But maybe we shouldn't be so critical, considering the present climate." Petunia hinted, implying Harry's ownership of both the businesses the Dursley men worked for.
Vernon was about to argue, when Dudley entered holding three large packages.
"What are those?" Petunia asked.
"They're from Lee Castle." Dudley said simply.
Petunia and Vernon gave each other concerned looks, and then stood next to Dudley.
"There's one box for each of us." Dudley explained.
Vernon and Petunia took theirs to either side of the kitchen, and Dudley just opened his on the spot. Inside of Dudley's box was a brand new Ginny Original, double-breasted, black business suit. When he looked at the tag, it was just his size. He took out the blazer and tried it on; it looked like it had been custom fitted to his frame.
Dudley moved the pants and saw shoes, shirt, tie, and even a new watch; a Rolex.
"Mum, dad, look at this," he said, holding up his new watch.
When he looked towards his parents, they were holding up clothing of their own. Vernon's suit was dark blue, while Petunia's dress was royal blue. They were both staring at their garments open-mouthed.
"This is a Ginny Original; it must have cost a fortune." Petunia said in an awestruck voice.
"Did you see the watch?" Dudley asked his parents.
They looked at Dudley, who was still holding up his Rolex, and then began to search through the rest of their packages. Each Dursley, in turn, pulled out a new Rolex watch. Each was solid 18 karat gold, with diamonds encrusted on the face.
"I guess we don't have to go shopping." Dudley said humorously.
"We should return all this." Vernon said suddenly.
"What? Are you kidding? I'm not returning anything, I'm keeping mine." Dudley announced, and stormed out of the kitchen with his gifts in tow.
"Sorry Vernon, you're on your own, I've wanted a Ginny Original for two years, and I'm not giving it up now." Petunia said, and followed Dudley out of the kitchen.
Harry was sitting on the beach of Potter Castle; he was enjoying a tropical drink while reading the muggle newspapers. Ginny was lying on the sand next to him, while the twins played nearby.
"Why are we being nice to THOSE people?" Ginny asked suddenly, referring to the Dursley's. "Didn't they torture you as a child, lock you up in the cupboard under the stairs, feed you scraps, and treat you like dirt?" Ginny pressed.
Harry turned to her with a solemn expression. "They are my family." Harry answered simply.
"Don't lie to me Harry Potter, I know there's more to this than you're telling." Ginny said angrily.
Harry looked down at her again. "Would you prefer it, if I killed them?" Harry asked seriously.
"No, of course not," Ginny said defensively.
"Well then, I only have this one choice; I am making a big move into the muggle community, THEY are the only ones who can do me any real harm in my endeavors. If I leave things unresolved, they could burry me, and all my businesses, just by simply telling the press I'm a wizard. Most people would interpret that as devil worship, or black magic, or something else sinister, I need to control them." Harry explained.
"By bribery," Ginny asked.
"No, well, actually yes, I'm going to offer them great paying jobs, in a secure location. That way, they'll be happy with all the extra money, and I can keep their exposure down to a minimum." Harry continued.
"Oh, a gilded cage," Ginny said catching on.
"Exactly, most people look at a gilded cage as just a cage, the Dursley's look at it as just gilded, so, as long as they feel rich and important, they'll do what they're told." Harry added.
"Now I understand, I thought you were growing soft." Ginny said, rubbing Harry's arm.
"Not soft, just intelligent." Harry said smiling.
"And modest too," Ginny said sarcastically, standing to kiss him. "I'll get the twins back to Lee Castle, you go inside and get Cindy, she has to get ready, tonight is the big night." Ginny added as she picked up the twins.
"Don't worry, we'll be home soon, I want to talk to Sirius before I go." Harry said standing.
"Don't be long," Ginny said as she apparated with the twins.
Harry went inside, Potter Castle was still the residence of the entire Weasley family, Sirius and his girlfriend Tonks, Remus and his wife Katie and their 2 children, and of course Ron and Hermione. Since Hermione was incapable of having children, Ron enjoyed the pleasure of Remus' children; James who was three and Sirius who was one.
Harry walked into the dining hall to find Ron struggling with Sirius' diaper. Evidently after several years with these children, he still had not mastered the skill of changing diapers.
"It's not a rocket science." Harry said, walking into the room.
"Wanna bet," Ron retorted as he fumbled with the safety pin.
Harry pushed Ron out of the way, and quickly finished the job. Ron stared at him amazed.
"I'll never get the hang of this." Ron said shaking his head.
"Where's your goddaughter?" Harry asked him.
"Last I saw her; she was watching James in the library." Ron said, picking Sirius up.
Harry walked across the hall to the library; Cindy was using wandless magic to play catch with James.
"Having fun?" Harry asked his daughter.
"Yeah," Cindy responded simply.
"We have to go, take James to Katie so we can get ready for dinner." Harry told her.
"Ok daddy," she said, waving her hand toward James making him rise off the floor.
"Me stay," James bellowed.
"No James, we have to find mommy." Cindy said, wrapping her arms around him.
"Me fly," James asked Cindy.
"Ok, but just 'til we find mommy." Cindy said, and then waved her hand and James began to float a meter off the ground.
"Is this why the kids love you so much?" Harry asked jokingly.
Cindy smiled a sly smile, and left with James floating in front her.
"She's in the kitchen." Harry called out to Cindy.
"How do you do that?" Hermione asked, walking up to Harry and lightly kissing him on the lips.
"I've told you before, the castle is enchanted, and I communicate with it. That's how I know everyone is safe, and where they are specifically." Harry explained.
"Yeah, but I'll still never get it. Hey, I just thought of something, can you see people in the castle?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, I see you right now." Harry said sarcastically.
"That's not what I meant and you know it." Hermione said huffily.
"If I were so inclined, yes, I can see people in the castle." Harry explained.
"So if I were in the shower right now, you could see me, if you were so inclined." Hermione asked more than said.
"Yeah, but it's not like I haven't SEEN you before." Harry retorted.
Hermione blushed. "And we really enjoy that." Hermione whispered to Harry, implying her and Ginny.
"Just think, if you and Ron hadn't gotten together, I'm sure Ginny would have loved for that arrangement to continue." Harry whispered back, making Hermione blush even redder.
"Me too," she whispered back, and kissed Harry again.
"Sirius," Harry called to his godfather as he entered the hallway.
"Harry, I was hoping to see you before you left." Sirius said pleasantly as he hugged his godson.
"I was wondering if you and Tonks were going to the World Cup." Harry asked him.
"No, we decided to utilize the empty castle to get reacquainted." Sirius explained.
"Really," Harry started with a laugh, "those stairs over there are the most comfortable, and don't forget the pool." Harry joked.
"Oh be quiet," Sirius said jokingly.
"Well, if you don't mind, I'll be using your name again for the match." Harry told his godfather.
"Ah yes, the return of Harrison Black," Sirius joked. "No problem, just don't embarrass the Black family name." Sirius continued joking.
"I thought I already did," Harry joked back, hugging his godfather.
"Have fun at the match." Sirius said hugging Harry back then leaving.
Cindy returned a few moments later, she and Harry apparated back to Lee Castle to prepare for dinner that evening. They were expecting the Dursley's at seven, but Harry had everybody ready by five.
He assembled his wife and children along with Arthur, Molly, Ron and Hermione in his office, the time had finally come at last.
"Cindy, could you come here a moment?" Harry asked his daughter.
"Yes daddy?" She asked.
"I know you haven't given it much thought, considering you don't use one, but you need one anyway." Harry said cryptically as he handed Cindy a rectangular box.
"What is it?" She asked excitedly.
"Open it, you'll see." Harry said smiling.
Cindy opened the box to reveal a wand, Harry's old wand. She picked it up and red and gold sparks shot out of its tip.
"The perfect match," Harry announced, and the group applauded.
"But daddy, this is your wand." Cindy said confused.
"I thought it would be the perfect wand for you, and it is. But that's not the only gift I have for you." Harry added, holding his arm in the air.
A white owl swooped down from the rafters and landed on Harry's outstretched arm.
"Hedwig, you're giving me Hedwig?" She asked, even more excitedly.
"No, I'm not giving her to you, she wants to go with you, there's a difference. She wants to go back to Hogwarts as your owl, so here she is." Harry explained, holding out his arm to Cindy.
Hedwig jumped to Cindy's shoulder, and began hooting happily. Harry smiled at the sight of Cindy standing there with Hedwig on her shoulder, and his old wand in her hand, the only thing Harry thought would have made the vision even better, would have been Gryffindor robes.
"Daddy?" Cindy asked.
"Yes baby?" Harry said.
"Why do I need a wand?" Cindy asked politely.
"You care to field this one, Molly?" Harry said, turning to his mother-in-law.
"Well Cindy, it's like this," Molly began, "the other children in the school don't understand magic without a wand, you'll need to have one so the other children don't get jealous." Molly finished.
"Oh, that's good." Ginny said.
"Am I different?" Cindy asked, turning to her mother.
Ginny paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "Yes Cindy, you are different, but not just different, special. There is no other witch on the planet like you." Ginny began, but was cut off by her husband.
"Except your mother." Harry piped in; Ginny leered at him momentarily, then began again.
"Not even I, am as powerful as you, you are the most powerful witch on the planet, but you can't go around showing everybody because, like your grandmother said, they'll all be jealous." Ginny explained.
"So I have to be holding a wand when I do Magic?" Cindy asked.
"Exactly." Ginny answered.
"Ok." Cindy agreed.
"Congratulations!" The adults exclaimed at once.
"Now take Hedwig and the wand upstairs, we'll be having company soon." Harry told Cindy.
"Thank you daddy," Cindy said, kissing her father on the cheek.
"You're welcome, baby." Harry answered, sitting back down.
As soon as Cindy left, Harry turned to Ron. "How's the Quidditch Cup training going?" He asked his best friend.
"Excellent, I think we'll actually beat Romania." Ron answered excitedly.
"And the preparations," Harry asked Arthur.
"Everything's going according to plan. That rainforest you donated in Belize is perfect, no muggles around for hundreds of kilometers." Arthur said.
"Don't you think it's dangerous to use that land, considering you plan on putting the Dursley's in Belize?" Hermione asked.
"I don't think so, no one knows it's my land; they'll just assume the Minister procured the land on his own. And if they manage to suspect me, the mountain we're using for the match is nowhere near the beach houses I plan on putting the Dursley's in." Harry explained.
"Thanks again mate, for everything, the team, the stadium, everything." Ron said seriously.
"Hey, don't thank me, you're the one who took a last place team, and got them to the Quidditch Cup, all I did is have a stadium built for the occasion, you deserve the praise." Harry retorted.
"Enough of this mutual admiration garbage, let's get ready for dinner." Ginny said, slapping both her brother and husband on the back of the head.
"Yes Ginny dear." They both answered, making everybody laugh.
The Prime Minister of England arrived shortly after they sat down in the dining room. Harry greeted him and escorted him to his seat. They held off eating until the rest of the guests had arrived.
They didn't have long to wait; the bell rang ten minutes after they sat down to talk. Harry decided to answer it himself, but was too slow; the butler beat him to it.
"Good evening," the butler said to the group at the door.
"Good evening, the Dursley's to see the Baron." Vernon answered officially.
"Right this way," the butler answered.
When the Dursley's entered the hall, they saw Harry staring back at them.
"Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, Dudley, how great to see you." Harry greeted them, with a seemingly warm disposition.
"Harry, is this really your castle?" Dudley asked, actually sounding happy to see his cousin.
"Actually, it's the smaller of two castles I own." Harry explained, as he shook Dudley's hand. "Please, let's go into the dining room." Harry added, motioning to the doorway behind him.
Harry kept turning to look at the Dursley's, Dudley was in awe, and Vernon and Petunia were staring daggers at their surroundings, half expecting something magical to jump out at them.
"Ginny dear, look who's arrived." Harry said to his wife.
Ginny rose from her chair and went to greet them.
"Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, Dudley, this is my wife, Virginia, Ginny, these are the Dursley's." Harry introduced them.
Dudley stared, open-mouthed at Ginny, he evidently found her as beautiful as Harry.
"Pleased to meet you all, welcome to my home." She greeted, shaking each of their hands in turn.
"Let me introduce you to our other guests," Ginny added, motioning to the rest of the people in the room. "These are my parents, Arthur and Molly, this is Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, and this is the Prime Minister of England; Tony Bl…" Ginny was cut off by Vernon.
"Mr. Prime Minister, what an honor to meet you." Vernon said, almost knocking his wife over to introduce himself.
"Thank you Mr. Dursley, I am pleased to meet you too." The Prime Minister said nervously. "Have you met the Minister of Magic, Arthur Weasley?" The Minister asked, trying to get the attention off himself.
"Minister of Magic, you know about these people?" Vernon asked shocked.
"Of course I do, all Ministers have known, we have a fantastic working relationship with the magical community, and even more so since Arthur became Minister and Harry defeated the most powerful dark wizard in history." The Prime Minister said indignantly.
The words meant nothing to Vernon, but hit a chord with Petunia. She knew full well that this dark wizard was powerful, she remembered quite well what was in that note when Harry had been dropped at her doorstep, and most importantly, she knew if Harry defeated him, than he would be the most powerful wizard on Earth.
"Let me finish the introductions; this is my best friend, and brother in law, Ron, his wife Hermione and hiding behind that pillar over there, is my daughter Cindy." Harry announced without looking in Cindy's direction.
Cindy came out sheepishly from behind the pillar at the other end of the room.
"Daughter," Petunia said disbelievingly.
"She's adopted," Hermione whispered to her and Petunia nodded her understanding.
"Now, let's all sit and eat." Harry said smiling.
Ron, who was seated next to Dudley, decided to strike up a conversation. "Have you ever heard of Quidditch?" Ron asked.
"No," Dudley answered curiously.
"It's a wizard sport; it's played on broomsticks…" Ron continued his explanation of the sport as Hermione turned to Petunia.
"So did you like your dress?" Hermione asked.
"Oh it's wonderful, she's my favorite designer." Petunia said honestly.
"Thank you, that means a lot to me." Ginny said from the other side of the table.
"You don't mean…" Petunia started but was cut off.
"Yeah, you didn't know, this Ginny is THE Ginny, she designs these wonderful clothes." The Prime Minister interrupted.
"She designs your clothes too?" Petunia asked Hermione.
"She's famous world wide, both in the muggle world and the wizarding world." Hermione added.
"Do you have any other designs I might like?" Petunia asked expectantly.
"Actually yes, I designed quite a bit, just for you. I was going to give you the dresses as a Christmas gift." Ginny lied.
"Can I see the designs?" Petunia asked, now completely taken with the idea of wearing all original designs.
"Of course, after dinner we'll go to my office upstairs." Ginny said happily.
"Is that where Potter, I mean Harry got all his money?" Vernon interjected.
Ginny laughed. "Hardly, Harry was the one who financed my designs, he's the reason I'm so famous." Ginny corrected him.
"So where did he get it?" Vernon pressed.
"Vernon, that's none of your business." Petunia scolded him, not wanting to upset her favorite designer.
"That's all right, Harry inherited a great deal of money, first from his parents, then when everyone thought Sirius was dead, and finally from a distant forefather." Ginny explained happily.
"How rich is he?" Vernon continued.
"Vernon," Petunia scolded again.
"No Petunia, it's all right, Harry is without a doubt the richest man on Earth, muggle or wizard. More so now than before; he has made some great investments that have earned him quite a lot of money. He's very entrepreneurial." Ginny explained.
"Is that why he bought our companies, to show off?" Vernon asked angrily.
"Actually Vernon, I only bought your company, I started Dudley's, as a matter of fact, I had no idea he was working for me until a few weeks ago." Harry interrupted.
"And now what are you going to do?" Vernon asked the question that was burning in his mind.
"Well, I was going to talk to you in private, but since you asked, I'll tell you. I wanted to offer you and Dudley the positions of Executive Vice President of Sales, and Executive Vice President of Distribution in one of my largest companies; Black Motors." Harry explained.
"How much are you going to pay us?" Vernon asked.
"One million Euros a year, each," Harry answered emotionlessly.
"What's the catch?" Vernon asked, knowing full well there would be one.
"The catch is you'll have to relocate." Harry answered.
"To where," Dudley asked.
"A beachfront house in Belize, you obviously get your own Dudley, and your parents get one of their own." Harry answered.
"You're offering us a beachfront home and a million Euros per year, each?" Dudley asked for verification.
"Yes, I owe you and your family a lot for raising me, and I know you wouldn't want charity, so I'm offering you great jobs and a great place to live. But you don't have to answer now, you can think about it." Harry explained.
"Are you kidding, where do I sign?" Dudley asked quickly.
"Now Dudley, you should think about this first." His father warned.
"Are you nutters, he's offering me four times what he pays me now and a beachfront house, I don't need to think about anything, I'm ready now." Dudley argued.
"And Vernon doesn't need to think about it either, he accepts." Petunia answered for her husband.
"Petunia," Vernon started, but was cut off by the look he received from his wife. He knew she was serious, and not to argue.
"Excellent, when would you like to start?" Harry asked them.
"Tomorrow," both Dudley and Petunia said together.
"Well, if you're serious, I can arrange it." Harry said.
"I am serious." Dudley answered.
"So am I." Petunia added.
"Then it's done; everything in your house on Privet Drive has been moved to your new homes. Dudley, you'll have new furniture in every room." Harry said smiling.
"Are you serious?" Petunia asked.
"Oh trust me, if Harry says it's done, than it's done." The Prime Minister interjected.
"How will we get there?" Vernon asked.
"I'll have a plane waiting to take you to Belize as soon as we're done eating." Harry answered.
"Just like that," Vernon asked.
"Just like that," Harry answered.
The group continued eating and talking about various unimportant topics. Dudley was really interested in the whole Quidditch thing. He kept pressing Ron for more information, until Ron found himself wanting to end the conversation.
"How about you come to the Quidditch World Cup? I'm sure Harry won't mind." Ron asked Dudley.
"Wow, really, that sounds great, you don't mind Harry, do you?" Dudley asked excitedly.
"No," Harry said, not sounding completely sincere.
"Great, I'd love to go." Dudley told Ron.
"And you can sit with me; it'll be my first time too." The Prime Minister added.
When the meal was over, the group retired to the ball room, where Harry had set out some of the comfortable furniture he brought from Potter Castle.
"Where are Ginny and my Aunt?" Harry asked Ron.
"I think they went upstairs with Hermione and Cindy." Ron said.
"For what," Harry pressed.
"Something about clothes," Ron answered distractedly.
Ginny was showing Petunia and Hermione the new designs she had drawn up the day before, Cindy, who had already seen them, was going through some clothes her mother had on a rack.
"Oh I would look great in that one." Petunia was telling Ginny.
"It's yours, I'll have it made up and delivered to you in Belize." Ginny said.
"Oh no, don't bother, I'd have nowhere to wear a business suit." Petunia argued.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that." Ginny said.
"About what," Petunia asked curiously.
"Well, I don't know if you know, but my main manufacturing plant for the Americas is being moved to Belize, and I would so much like for you to run it." Ginny explained.
"You're not serious, are you?" Petunia asked hopefully.
"Very serious, Harry has told me how you've been waiting on them their whole lives, and now you must feel so alone, and I desperately need someone I can trust, someone who'll make sure quotas are met, and budgets are adhered to. Do you think you'd be interested?" Ginny asked.
"Interested, I'm very interested. I've wanted to get out of that house since Dudley started working. I'm losing my mind there, and I don't really think I'll do any better on the beach, probably worse. Please, when do I start?" Petunia asked, feeling useful for the first time in three years.
"The plant will be complete in two months, but I'll need you to start hiring the staff by next week, so let's say, in three days." Ginny said authoritatively.
"Deal," Petunia said, shaking Ginny's hand.
They continued looking through Ginny's designs until midnight, when Petunia decided it was time to go home, to their new homes.
Harry and Ginny walked the Dursley's to the front door, Harry shook Vernon's hand, but when he tried to shake Dudley's, Dudley did something he had never done before, he hugged Harry.
Harry hid his surprise extremely well, well that is, until Petunia walked straight up to him and kissed him on both cheeks.
"Thank you Harry, thank you for everything." She said smiling.
"You're very welcome," Harry replied trying desperately to hide his surprise and failing miserably.
The moment they were out the door, Harry turned to his wife.
"The greedy are so easy to manipulate." He said with a hint of satisfaction.
"Yeah, I know," Ginny agreed.
Harry to a step back from his wife, "what did you do?" He asked.
"I gave Petunia the run of the new factory in Belize." Ginny said in her own satisfied voice.
"Vernon's going to flip, his wife working, it's a shame I won't be there to see it." Harry said laughing. "You know Mrs. Potter; I do believe I'm having a bad influence on you." Harry said, kissing Ginny passionately.
"Oh no Mr. Potter, you ruined me a long time ago." She retorted.
"Oh get a room you two." Ron said walking passed them to leave.
"Oh why, don't you want to watch your baby sister having wild animal sex with your best friend?" Harry asked teasingly.
"You forget Potter; I am the Under Secretary for Dark Magic Enforcement." Ron warned jokingly.
"Yeah, but you'll always be Ronnykins to me." Harry joked back, making Ginny, Ron and Hermione laugh.
The Quidditch World Cup was set for the 24th of August; Harry awoke early the day before to prepare his family for the trip to Belize. The Quidditch stadium was built on top of a small mountain in central Belize where Harry owned several thousand acres. Tents were to be set up all around the mountain, and though Harry and his family were authorized to arrive on the morning of the match, he decided to arrive a day early so they could enjoy the experience.
"Do we have everything?" Ginny asked Harry.
"I think so, we have the tent, some food, a change of clothes and the toys to amuse the twins, I don't think we really need anything else." Harry said, going over all he had packed the night before.
"How are we getting there?" Cindy asked her father.
"A port key, one is set up to take us at eight o'clock this morning." Harry answered smiling.
"I don't like them." Cindy announced.
"Neither do I sweetheart, but we have to look like regular wizards, if they see you apparate, or if they see us apparate with the twins in tow, they'll be too many questions." Harry explained.
"Everybody ready," Ginny asked.
"Let's go have some fun." Harry said drawing the family close. "Is everybody touching the key? Ok, three, two, one," the next moment, they all felt the uncomfortable feeling of a hook behind the navel.
They went spinning through space, Harry, no matter how often he used a port key, he hated it. When they finally stopped, Harry and Ginny, still holding the twins were standing perfectly erect, while Cindy lay on the floor with the packed items lying on top of her.
"Is everyone ok?" Ginny asked the group.
They all moaned their agreement.
"Welcome to the Quidditch World Cup. Names please," a plump wizard in bottle green robes asked them.
"Black," Harry lied.
"Ah yes, the Black family, five total I see, yes, you have a perfect spot along the main trail. Just follow the road to the plot marked number one." The wizard said, handing Harry a map of the tent sites.
"Thank you sir, thank you very much." Harry said, taking the map.
"Now please, we have another arrival in twenty two seconds." The wizard said, ushering them away.
The Potters made their way to their assigned campsite, Ginny noticed it was the largest of all, and had been cordoned off from the rest.
"Not exactly inconspicuous is it?" Ginny asked playfully.
"We may be traveling incognito, but that doesn't mean we have to settle for anything less than the best." Harry said smiling.
They immediately began the task of setting up the tent. Harry had purchased what a muggle would call a twelve-man tent, but upon entering, you knew immediately it was no regular tent.
The tent had six bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room and even a family room complete with billiard table. It took them only an hour to set up and Ginny began cooking immediately.
"Harry, go get water for boiling, Cindy, come help me with breakfast." Ginny commanded as the twins began rolling the billiard balls across the floor.
"Yes Ginny dear." Harry said playfully, and left the tent.
Harry looked at the map the wizard had given him, even though it was his property they were all standing on, he did not know where they had set up the wells.
"Ah, there it is, back down the trail and to the left." He said to himself.
He began walking down the trail, he laughed in spite of himself when he started seeing all the team colors hanging by each tent. "Just like last time." He thought to himself. When he arrived near the well, he saw someone he hadn't seen in two years; Parvati Patil.
He noticed she was flirting shamelessly with a very muscular young man, who at a distance, looked very familiar, Harry decided to say hello.
"Hey sexy," Harry said, coming up behind her.
"Harry," she exclaimed, and hugged him tightly. "It's been so long, how have you been? How are Ginny and the kids?" She asked quickly.
"Everyone's great, how are you and Padma?" Harry asked back.
"Good, Padma is still working for the Dark Aurors, and I'm still working for the team. Oh, I'd like you to meet someone." She said turning to acknowledge the man she had been flirting with. "This is…" But she never got to finish, Harry did it for her.
"Dudley," Harry exclaimed.