AN: I am blown away by all of the messages and reviews I have received for this story. I am so grateful for all of you and hope you continue to enjoy this story. I write for you guys, the readers, so please leave some feedback as I love hearing from you.
Fortunately for Rick, he got his wish at the World Cup a month later. Unfortunately for Rick and the rest of humanity, it meant there was another Death Eater Raid.
It was the summer before Alexis's fourth year at Hogwarts. He was extremely proud of his little Ravenclaw, even if he himself was a Hufflepuff at heart. He was just so excited she got to experience it. He would have loved her the same no matter what, but he secretly hoped she would be a witch even though her mother was a Grade A Muggle.
Looking back on it now, he cannot even fathom how he put with Meredith for as long as he did. His mother introduced the two of them and things took off hot and quick. Next thing he knew, she was pregnant, and they were married. She didn't even know he was a wizard. He's actually rather proud he was able to hide it from her. He already knew Meredith and he were never meant to be, but he stuck with it for Alexis. Until, she slept with one of her directors in their bed and decided to move to the US for the foreseeable future.
He's kind of grateful for it, though, in an odd way. Now he gets Alexis all to himself. He gets to watch her grow into the amazing witch he knows she will be. He dreams she'll work high up as a researcher at St. Mungo's, or maybe she will become a professor and teach abroad. She's his pride and joy, so he can't help but be grossly disappointed when she informs him she would rather go with her classmates to the World Cup than with her old man.
Now that he says it like that, though, he can't be too surprised. He's also rather impressed when she tells him that this group of friends happens to include the great Harry Potter. Now he kind of wants to tag along so he can interview the lad. Too bad he said that aloud and now Alexis is giving him the stare down, absolutely mortified that he would take advantage like that. He promises to be mute on the subject; it would be rather tactless.
He does insist that she stay with him and not her friends. Especially if he has to go sit by himself in the Press Box becoming subject to Rita's god awful flirting while she has fun sitting with her friends. She will just have to settle for meeting them there.
Alexis took the news well and was still skipping all the way to their portkey at the Gloucester Road Tube Station.
Arriving was a state of shock for the both of them. Rick had never been before, coming from humble beginnings. He walked with Alexis to their tent simply awestruck by the grounds, the people, and the spirit. Luckily The Prophet let him use a company tent for the event, set up with all of the necessary accommodations.
Soon enough, Alexis was begging to go and meet her friends and Rick hastily agreed, eager to meet the infamous Harry Potter.
They met outside of an unmarked tent about five rows over and watched the numerous (and various) people pour out of it.
"Arthur!" Rick is surprised to see one of his most reliable sources come out of the tent, "Crimey, how are you?"
The men eagerly shake hands and the kids look confused as hell, but soon enough they are ignoring the adults and catching up. He and Arthur often ran into each other at the site of unfortunate accidents. Arthur, was there for the Ministry to clean up the mess that was often made, and Rick was there to report on the said mess.
"Well, we must be doing quite good if we are here for the cup, eh?!" Arthur jokes.
"Right!" Rick laughs along.
Rick often returned Arthur's favors of information by satisfying his intense curiosity towards Muggles. Rick even let him meet his mother. There was a meeting for the ages.
Alexis is quick to cut off their catching up.
"Guys, this is my Dad, Rick. Dad, this is Hermione." Alexis gestures to the brunette at her side. They must be the closest friends in this circle. Good. More girls the better, stay away from boys. Except for maybe Potter. That's the only one he could get behind. Alexis is quick to break up his thoughts. "And this is Ron, clearly you already know his dad Mr. Weasley, and these are his brothers Fred, and George." The twins she indicates look much like he did at their age. Always looking for fun - or as his mother called it, 'trouble.' "And finally, this is Harry Potter." She does a weak little wave of her hand in Harry's direction as if nervous. If he's being honest she probably should be, but he'll let her off of the hook this time.
"Pleasure to meet you all," he says, choosing not to acknowledge anyone individually. He thinks he sees Harry smile a bit in gratitude.
Alexis looks at him appreciatively as she links arms with Hermione.
"Alright, let's get in on the fun, shall we?" Rick asks as he leads the way towards the Pumpkin Juice Tent. He would much rather be at the Fire Whiskey Tent, but maybe he and Arthur can slip away after the match when the kids are asleep.
It's moments before the match when Rick has to go his separate ways. He was really dreading this, wanting him and his daughter to experience their first World Cup together, but he understands her desire to be with her friends. They're a great group of kids. He wishes he could stay with them.
The game is awful. Sure the action on the pitch was exciting as ever. Ireland pounding Quaffles through the rings. It was the action in the press box that was making him miserable. As predicted, Rita Skeeter was eyeing him and made moves multiple times throughout the night. He was having to dodge her like chasers to a bludger. Too bad he was a beater during school, dodging was not one of his specialties. That was evident last month when he barely made it behind a trash bin.
Great. Now he's thinking of his nameless savior, the enchanting Auror. Oh well, maybe a little daydreaming will help the time pass.
At last, the match is over, and he is able to duck out quickly amidst the growing chaos.
He and Alexis arranged to meet back at the Weasley's tent so back to the tent he goes. Rick's keen to take his time in the hopes that it will allow Alexis to beat him back. In his walk he encounters many raucous fans. Those who came to cup without tickets to simply soak up the atmosphere and join in the fun are more than rowdy. He hears fireworks go off in pops and booms across the field.
Wait. He freezes mid-step.
That was no firework.
He's quickly in a panic- recognizes the cracks and whips of sinister spells filling the air. He seriously underestimated his desire to be with his daughter right about now. Christ, he never should have left her. Hopefully it is just upset Bulgaria fans and not what he thinks it is, what he dreads it is.
Once the screaming reaches his ears, though, he knows the Death Eaters have escalated and chosen the world stage to inject fear into the masses.
He's scrambling now, running to the Weasley tent in the meager hopes that he will find his daughter there. He bursts in with no greeting and his heart blooms with relief at the sight of her.
"Alexis," he says softly. He quickly engulfs her in his arms.
"Daddy?" She sounds so small. Like she's a toddler again, nervously asking if she can play with his Spell-Check Quill.
"Arthur, we need to go, now. Death Eaters are attacking the grounds," he implores, turning towards the rest of the group.
"Come on, now," the twin he thinks is Fred says, disbelieving.
"Yeah, mate, it's just the Irish getting their drink on!" The twin he thinks is George finishes with gusto.
Arthur looks to be listening hard to the sounds of the crowd and seems to come to the same conclusion. "That's not the Irish," he murmurs.
"Everyone, grab your wands, we need to get out of here." Rick takes the lead. "Stay close together, and don't look back. We need to get back to a Portkey."
Arthur nods in agreement, getting everyone prepared. He takes Alexis's hand in an effort to calm both her and himself. He leaves her at the entrance to the tent so he can check that the way is clear. It is a mess outside. Hoards of people running from danger.
He reaches his hand back inside, opens the flaps wide and gives everyone the all clear.
He starts leading the group towards one of the portkey locations. He is so damn grateful he studied the bloody map that came with the tickets. Alexis is immediately behind him, keeping close.
He makes it no further than 50 meters when Alexis yanks on his hand.
"Dad!" She yells over the noise and points behind them. They're all gone.
"We have to find them!" She orders before she runs off, back towards the tent.
"Alexis!" He shouts after her, trying to keep up.
When he catches up to her and gets her out of her, she will be in so much trouble. He is absolutely furious. He's so much larger than her and is getting tossed around by the stampede. Oh, shit. He's losing her. It is impossible to keep his eyes on her, so he blasts through, pushing and shoving with all of his might.
He finally makes it through the cluster only to find he is alone. Alexis is gone. He can see the Death Eaters approaching now, heading straight for him. He's made it into No Man's Land. Fuck.
AN: Hope you're liking this. Next chapter we will see KB's perspective. Should be a crowd pleaser ;)