Hearing that I would be going to the Quidditch World Cup with Ron, Hermione, and Harry, didn't sound too appealing. That is, until I found that Draco was going, too. I'd been mailing with him back and forth over the majority of the summer, using our special code that was basically just pig latin mixed with a little gibberish.
I couldn't wait to go, not because of the fact I would be seeing one of the most amazing Quidditch matches of the year, but because I would see my boyfriend. Even if we couldn't kiss or hold hands or anything, we would still get to see each other. Seeing Draco's face just made me happier. Talking to him would make me blush on the inside and fill the void I always got whenever I was at the Dursley's house.
"Excited for the Quidditch final?" Harry asked, coming into my attic. This was seriously only the third time in my whole childhood that he came to see me.
"Hey, stranger. How's life?" I asked him, giving him a grin. Harry laughed and repeated his question. "I'm excited, yeah. I feel like I haven't seen Hermione in ages," I said.
Harry sat down on my couch. "Hopefully she doesn't make fun of you this time. I feel like every time she sees you, she has to make a remark about you taking remedial potions instead of regular," he said. At least I wasn't the only one besides Draco who noticed that.
"It's ok, I know I'm dumb," I said and smiled, but it was weak. Harry didn't notice, which was good for me.
"You aren't dumb. It's not your fault you had a major set back in education-blame Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. You could probably go back to regular class if you wanted to," Harry said.
"Sever-uh, Snape, said that I could go back many times. But, I like taking the class I'm in. I get to work at my own pace, and I always get help when I need it," I said, every word of it true.
I hoped that he didn't catch the fact that I almost called Snape Severus, but it was one of the few times he was actually paying attention to me. "Did you almost just refer to Snape as Severus? You guys are on first name terms?" he asked.
I don't know if you guys know much about Britain, but being on a first name basis with someone is a huge deal. I personally don't see why-it's just a name. But, England's kind of fucked up like that-what can I say? "No. I just hear other professors calling him that, and it's sort of stuck in my head," I said, although I knew Harry wouldn't be so stupid as to believe that.
Fortunately, he let it drop. "I hope this year, we can have some peace," he said, which really surprised me.
"What do you mean?" I asked him.
"Well, the last three years haven't exactly been peaceful. Voldemort tried to kill me-twice, and then there was that whole thing with Sirius last year. I just hope that this year, there isn't so much commotion," he explained.
I rolled my eyes. "But you like all the attention you get out of it, don't deny it." Harry looked flustered by my accusation. "Don't even try to deny it. You're famous Harry Potter, and saving the day-yet again-makes you feel like you're a prince of some sort," I said.
Harry looked as though he was going to try to deny my accusation, but, in the end, he admitted to it. "Ok, you're right. But, I still want peace this year. No more me saving the day-yet again."
"Who's going to if you don't?" I asked him.
I had stumped him. He actually had to think for a while on what he was going to say. "Let's just hope nobody has to," he said. I stared at him solemnly, and didn't say anything. "So, Quidditch-who do you want to win?" he asked me when the silence became too unbearable for him.
I shrugged. "I don't know. It's Bulgaria versus Ireland, right?" Harry nodded. "I know very little about Quidditch, so I guess it really doesn't matter to me," I said.
Harry shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose so. Still, I hear it's going to be amazing. You'll have fun, I'm sure," he said.
"Oh, yes. I'm positive I will," I said, with complete confidence. But, it wasn't because of the game or anything that Harry would think. You, dear reader, know exactly why I was positive of this fact.
He smiled. "So how do you think the Weasleys will get here? Flying car this time?" Harry asked.
"My guess-they'll try floo powder and then they'll realize our fireplace is electric and it'll be hilarious-trust me," I said.
"If you're right, I'll give you five galleons," Harry said.
Of course, I was right. I knew this because Ron mailed us saying that they would be going by Floo powder. I didn't show the letter to Harry, and I didn't bother to tell Ron that our fireplace was electric. It was the most hilarious thing ever, just as I predicted.
You should have seen the look on Aunt Petunia's and Uncle Vernon's face. I swear, they looked like they saw a ghost. Nope, just red headed wizards coming down your fireplace. That's all. "Hello, Harry, Victoria! How are you doing?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"All ready to go?" Fred and George asked.
"Our trunks are upstairs. Viki's is in the attic," Harry said.
"We'll get them," Fred and George said at the same exact time. They knew where our stuff was and went up the stairs.
I'm not going to go into the details on what happened before we left. But, Dudley ate some pretty hilarious toffee that made his tongue grow to six feet long. Fred and George invented it, of course. Dudders just couldn't resist the stuff-he's been dieting for a long time and it's been killing him.
Of course, it means they actually remembered to feed me, so I'm happy. They didn't want me sneaking any extra food, so they made sure that I ate with them. Hey, if you don't want me sneaking any extra bloody rats, I'm willing to cooperate. But I'm blaming you for making me skip out on those rare, juicy, rats. Just remember that. O_o
For the first time in forever, Hermione didn't mention the fact I was taking remedial potions (or so she thought) when she saw me. Instead, she was actually happy to see me. Strangeness was all around me… Of course, I am a witch, so strangeness is something I am quite accustomed to.
The next few days were a blur, all leading up to the Quidditch World Cup. I was filled with jitters-I hadn't seen Draco since the end of school. The morning we left, I made sure to put on the earrings that Draco bought me for Valentine's Day, just several months earlier. I wore them almost all the time, so it was nearly simple instinct to put them in my ears.
I didn't even bother to fix my hair or put on much makeup. Draco made it very clear that, while he appreciated the thought, that I shouldn't do much of anything to try to impress him. He claimed that he wanted me the way I was, no masquerade added. All I did was put on a ring of eyeliner, like I always did, and put my hair in a high ponytail. The high ponytail was because of the long hike that we were about to face. Also, I looked badass like that. It gave me a sporty quality that I normally didn't possess.
Hermione and I had to wake up the boys, who had a hard time waking up earlier than noon during the summer. I'd always been an early riser, so I had no trouble waking up at 4 AM. I will admit, I was a little sleepy, but I was otherwise fine. Breakfast that morning was good-poached eggs on toast with bacon. I ate a lot more than I should have, but I was hungry. Eating rats and the minuscule portions of fruit and vegetable the Dursleys call food and rats for survival wasn't exactly filling.
We met up with Cedric Diggory and his father, Amos, at a hill. Hermione and Ginny were both staring at him, making googley eyes. Cedric may have been handsome, but he wasn't that handsome. His skin was really pale, too, like a vampire. How were they sure that he wasn't a vampire? I guess the reason is because he sort of sparkled in the sunlight. Vampires don't sparkle in the sunlight, they burn. Anyone who says differently is an idiot, or they're from Twilight. So, yeah, basically all idiots.
And, even if I thought Cedric was someone to be considered 'dating material,' I had a man who was a thousand times better looking all to myself. And, in just a few hours, I would get to see him. At that point, I remember just thinking about Draco and getting so excited. Every time his face popped up in my mind, I just had to smile. It's a love that can only be described as true.
Anyway, enough with that gushy mushy stuff. We hitched a ride on a magical port key. It was a strange experience, I'll admit. You know those spinning rides at the fair that you love, but have a hard time keeping from throwing up after? Yeah, that's what a portkey ride felt like. Fun, but incredibly hard to keep down.
Of course, the meeting with the muggle at the fairground was a pleasure. I felt kind of sorry for him-I think he ended up going crazy after. Actually, I think he died. The point is that he was messed up after the unfortunate encounter with hundreds of wizards.
I felt like I was stepping into the TARDIS when I went inside my tent. It was small on the outside, but humungous on the inside. Of course, there wasn't a whole world or anything, but it was still fantastic. Hermione, Ginny, and I were all sharing a tent, considering we were the only girls. Ginny was ecstatic about it, Hermione excited, and I was indifferent. It would be for only a couple days, and we shared dorms at Hogwarts, so I didn't see the big deal. I mean, there were only a few days in the year that we didn't live in the same room.
We basically just put away our stuff and bought souvenirs before the Quidditch WC happened. I bought some really cool goggle things that allowed me to replay different parts of the game. Everyone else bought a pair, as well. People bought ridiculous things that had to do with the team, but I saw that as pointless. We couldn't use those things ever again, so what was the point?
When we got to our seats, Draco and his parents came right in after us. Draco and I offered to sit next to each other, making the excuse that we didn't want anyone else to affiliate with the other. It took a little bit of insistence, but we were eventually sitting next to each other. Harry and Hermione were very suspicious. Thankfully, Ginny was able to back me up. She said something about us being friends before, and that we could actually tolerate each other.
I talked to Draco, but not so much as it would cause suspicion. "Lovely earrings, Potter. Where'd you get them?" he asked me.
I found that to be a rather strange question, considering he bought them for me. Then, I realized that he was testing me. "They were a gift," I said.
"Who from?" he asked me.
I rolled my eyes. "This guy who's been trying to get my attention for almost four years. Kind of annoying, if you ask me," I said, giving my famous half smile.
Draco returned my slight smile. "Has he been successful? You know, in getting your attention?" he asked.
I had to think a while on how to answer. "He's been more successful than most," I said, giving a completely honest answer that could be interpreted a number of ways.
Then, the Quidditch match started. It was rather extraordinary, I'll admit. Those players were in such sync with each other, you could have sworn that they could read each others minds. And on the team for Bulgaria, they had an amazing seeker. I think he was only like nineteen or something. I had to ask Draco what was going on half of the time, and he was more than happy to tell me. Hermione, who was on my other side, had no clue what was going on, either, so she listened in. I think part of it was because she was suspicious, but she needed to know just as much as I did.
Ireland won, but that Bulgarian seeker caught the snitch. Apparently that scores the team a huge amount of points, and the game can't end until the snitch is caught. The specifics were too confusing for me. Anyway, the Irish were happy, and they were partying the whole night.
During all the partying and loudness, I was able to find some time with Draco. He sneaked away from his parents, who were too buy schmoozing with Barty Crouch or something, and I sneaked away from Hermione and Ginny. I told them that I wanted to go party with some people I met at the game, and they let me. I think they secretly wanted to go see what the boys were doing.
Of course, they got suspicious when I fixed my makeup and hair before I left. I told them that, if I'm going to a party,
It honestly wasn't too hard to find Draco-we thought the same way and ended up in the same, concealed spot of the campground. "How did I know you'd be here?" Draco asked when he saw me.
I smiled, not hiding or holding it back at all. It was my full, bright, smile, that was specifically reserved for Draco. "We think the exact same way, don't we?" I asked him, having such a hard time holding back on how happy I was.
"How did you know that I would be able to sneak away?" he asked.
"How did you know that I would?" I asked him. I ran up to him and hugged him. Then, of course, I kissed him.
"I missed you so much. Seeing you at the game wasn't enough," Draco said, pulling me in closer to him.
"I can't wait until December 24th," I said, reminding him of the agreement we made on Valentine's Day.
"Why do we have to wait so long? We should go to school, starting off, showing people we're together," Draco suggested.
"I really want to, really. But, I think it would cause too much pain for people if we didn't really know that we would last, that we would be together for a long time after we tell people," I said, walking a little bit away from him, but holding his hand behind me.
"Do you really have such little faith that we won't last?" Draco asked, hurt in his eyes and voice. Gosh, his face made me want to cry.
"People might be a little more accepting if we've given them a year's worth of proof that we love each other," I said, shrugging a little.
Draco looked at me, a funny look on his face. "You just said that you love me," he pointed out, putting the argument on pause.
Instead of freaking out, like most girls would, I shrugged. "I do. Is that a problem?" I asked him. If he didn't say the right thing after, I would have been so humiliated.
Luckily, Draco never fails me. "Not at all. I love you, too. And, I understand why you want to wait. As much as you hate your brother and quote 'friends,' you don't want to see them hurt, even if that means waiting a little bit longer for something."
"Thank you for understanding. I really do love you, Draco. You're something quite special, you know," I said, smiling.
"I love you, too, Tori. I've never met someone quite as amazing as you," he said. I kissed him, and only stopped because of the flash of light.
Muggles were floating in the air, all in a green light. Draco grabbed my hand without thinking and pulled me along, running. I saw a march of people wearing pointy hoods and skeleton masks with their wands, making the non magic folk float in the air. "What are those people?" I asked, gesturing towards the skeleton mask people.
"Death Eaters," Draco murmured and continued to lead me away from the crowd, still running. I was freaking out on the inside, but trusted Draco enough to let him lead me. I couldn't let anyone see I was freaking out, because it would make me seem weak. Even around Draco, I had to make sure that that side was hidden.
I saw a flash of green light behind me and turned to look. I could almost make out a face-and it looked a lot like someone I saw before. But, I couldn't tell who it was-the face was so lightly sketched into my mind. But it was familiar at the same time, ugh, it made me so angry not knowing when it was right on the tip of my tongue.
Then, I saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron. They were all standing together, so I had to say goodbye to Draco. "I'll see you at school in a couple days," I said and ran over to them.
"Viki! Where the bloody hell have you been?" Harry asked, panic so clear in his voice. He hugged me for probably the first time in my life. "I was so worried that something had happened to you."
"I'm fine, Harry, really," I said, more than surprised that Harry was actually concerned about me for once in our lives.
"Where were you?" Hermione asked, no suspicion in her voice, but I knew she was thinking something. She's Hermione, for crying out loud.
"It doesn't matter," I said, shrugging it off. "I'm so glad that we're all together, none of us harmed."
Then, a bunch of officials came up and shot spells at us. "Stop!" Mr. Weasley cried, and saved us from being killed by a bunch of green lights.
They asked us if we'd seen the man who put the Dark Mark in the air, and that is when I remembered. "Oh! He looked like David Tennant!" I said. Everybody stared at me like I was crazy, which I probably was. "Tenth incarnation of The Doctor? Doctor Who? Famous muggle television show? Been going on for almost fifty years?" People were still looking at me like I was crazy. "Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes, and walked away.