A/N: I must say: I love all of you guys and your reviews. I'd like to give a shout out to "Swinet" who reviewed nearly all of the chapters of Strange Things Come in Threes as well as the first five chapters of this story in nearly one sitting. I'm glad to see that I've got new readers coming in along with all of my loyal reviewers who have been with me since the beginning of this tale. All of you are great!

Again I'm sorry for such a long wait, but real life simply must take top rank these days. I will do my best to get updates up as soon as possible, but if they're late I really can't help it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my character and my plotline. Everything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling.

--- CHAPTER SIX ---

The World Cup

I didn't speak to Fred much after our little row earlier today.

My reasoning? Not that I really need to explain myself, but here goes:

Fred is acting like a downright pathetic prat. I have no idea what pushed him into believing that he has the right to control who I speak to. Why should I care if it upsets him when I flirt with someone else? As I told him earlier: we're not together. He's had plenty of time to just tell me how he feels—I would have gladly been his girlfriend if he had only asked me. But now, he's got us into this bad situation because he couldn't just make up his mind about what to do.

It's his own bloody fault for messing with my head all of last year. In fact, I think next time I see Cedric I should flirt with him a little extra, just to prove that Fred doesn't control me.

Alicia's right. If Fred isn't ready to commit to me then I should move on. Maybe if I do he'll realize what he's missing.

On a happier note, even though I do hate Fred at the moment, George has warmed up to me again. He had been a tad upset about the whole Cedric affair, but he reckoned Fred was overreacting.

"Diggory is a bloody prat," George had said to me, "But if nothing happened between you two then there's no harm done."

Unfortunately Fred was far less understanding. In fact, he's too thick-headed and arrogant to just admit he's wrong and apologize. We both know I did nothing wrong.

So, with Fred and I avoiding each other's eyes, the whole group of us had set up camp and eventually a fire (Mr. Weasley got a little carried away with the matches meaning it took three times as long as it would regularly).

Aside from the set up of camp, we had also had a visit from Ludo Bagman, with whom the twins had managed to set up a bet about the outcome of the match.

The idiots wasted their entire life savings on a bet that's highly unlikely. It seems they think Ireland will win but Krum will catch the snitch. Fat chance that'll happen…I wish there was some way I could root for George to win the money but not Fred.

Once Bagman had come along, Barty Crouch joined in on the group. Next to Bagman he seemed powerful, strict, and harsh. He didn't seem like an overly pleasant man, but Percy had certainly taken a shine to him.

"Mr. Crouch!" Percy exclaimed with a bow as Crouch arrived, "Would you like a cup of tea?"

Mr. Crouch looked at Percy with mild surprise.

"Oh," he said, "Yes—thank you, Weatherby."

Fred and George choked into their own cups of tea and Fred and I instinctively locked eyes to laugh at Percy's expense. I quickly recovered, remembering how furious I am with him, and looked away. He did the same, quickly removing his gaze from mine.

The moment was brief, but awkward nonetheless.

Apparently he still thinks I'm the one at fault…stupid git.

Fred had me frustrated beyond belief. It's amazing how angry one person can make you. I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do. I wish there was some kind of rulebook—a friendship guideline or something. Obviously I know he's just jealous and overreacting, but does that mean I should wait for him to talk to me or should I confront him about it? If this is going to go away he'll have to admit he's wrong and apologize, but am I supposed to wait around for it to happen? Should I take it into my own hands? Should I strangle him until he realizes his faults? I just don't know.

"So, been keeping fairly busy, Barty?" Ludo Bagman asked.

"Fairly," Mr. Crouch replied, "Organizing Portkeys across five continents is no mean feat, Ludo."

"I expect you'll both be glad when this is over?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Glad!" Bagman sounded shocked, "Don't know when I've had more fun…still, it's not as though we haven't got anything to look forward to, eh, Barty? Plenty left to organize eh?"

Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny and I all looked up at Mr. Bagman curiously.

Mr. Crouch raised his eyebrows at Bagman, having noticed the attention they had attracted from all of us. "We agreed not to make the announcement until all the details—"

"Oh, details!" Bagman said, waving his hand as if the matter were trivial, "They've signed, haven't they? They've agreed, haven't they? I bet you anything these kids'll know soon enough anyway. I mean, it's happening at Hogwarts—"

We all perked up to listen intently, but Crouch interrupted Bagman before he got to say anything more.

"Ludo, we need to meet the Bulgarians, you know," he said quickly, "Thank you for the tea, Weatherby."

I let out an aggravated sigh as Mr. Crouch returned his undrunk tea to Percy and then hurried Bagman away.

What does everyone know that we don't?

We watched them disapparate, and as soon as they had gone, we turned our attention to Mr. Weasley. Clearly he knew what was going on.

"What's happening at Hogwarts, Dad?" Fred asked, voicing everyone's thoughts. "What were they talking about?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Mr. Weasley replied with a smile.

"Its classified information, until such time as the Ministry decides to release it," Percy said pompously, "Mr. Crouch was quite right not to disclose it."

Everyone looked at Percy irritably.

"Oh, shut up, Weatherby," Fred snapped.

---

The sky was beginning to darken when salesmen came by selling all sorts of Quidditch goods. There was a huge variety of both Bulgarian and Ireland souvenirs and we all poured over the selection eagerly.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron each got a pair of omnioculars, and I followed suit. They would definitely come in handy during the match, and I was excited to try them out. Unfortunately I didn't have much pocket money left afterwards so I didn't purchase anything else.

Everyone left the souvenir stands with lighter pockets, but with increased excitement about the World Cup. Fred and George were the only ones who didn't buy anything, and that was due to the fact that they had already spent their money on their ridiculous bet.

Serves them right.

A booming gong sounded from somewhere beyond the woods and then green and red lanterns began to illuminate the trees, lighting a path to the pitch.

Mr. Weasley grinned at us all excitedly, "It's time! Come on, let's go!"

Exchanging grins with George, I followed Mr. Weasley into the wood along with the rest of the group. Noises of thousands of excited people hurrying in the same direction flooded the air around us. Everyone was laughing, singing, and talking loudly—well, almost everyone.

I thought maybe the infectious feel-good atmosphere would perhaps put Fred in a better mood and maybe it would allow for us to make up and enjoy the game together, but he was still as grumpy as ever. He refused to meet my gaze when I tried to get his attention.

If only he would apologize.

It took us about twenty minutes to reach the stadium. When we did I stared up at the massive golden walls surrounding the pitch.

Mr. Weasley spotted the look of awe on our faces.

"Seats a hundred thousand," he said.

Mr. Weasley led us to the nearest entrance point of the pitch. There was already a huge crowd of people waiting to get through, chattering excitedly.

I wasn't paying attention to where I was going as my eyes were still glued up at the height of the stadium. I was suddenly yanked forward into the crowd of people.

"Juliet," George said, "Would you mind keeping your head down to earth until we get out of here?"

I smiled sheepishly and held on to George's arm to ensure I didn't get lost in the sea of over-excited fans as he led me towards the rest of the group.

As we waited for our turn to get through the door, I began to get shoved by people surrounding me. At one point I was the recipient of a particularly violent push and I turned around to retaliate.

I was met by a foul-looking older man who stood about two feet taller than me. He smelled disgusting and looked as though if I stepped out of line he would squash me without any guilt whatsoever. Fortunately, George noticed the death-glare exchange between me and the ogre behind me.

He grabbed hold of my shoulders and moved me directly in front of him.

"I didn't think I would have to look after you this much," he said into my ear.

"Oh?" I asked.

"I don't remember you being such a child," he said smirking.

George took hold of my hand and held it firmly while a Ministry official checked our tickets. I was grateful to have him there to prevent me getting trampled by troll-like men.

"Prime seats!" the witch said to Mr. Weasley, "Top Box! Straight upstairs, Arthur, and as high as you can go!"

The whole group of us began to climb up the stairs and George dropped my hand once we were away from the pushing crowd.

When we reached our box I was pleased to see that we were situated exactly half way between the two sets of goals.

"Looks like we'll have a good view of everything!" George commented happily.

The stadium looked just as massive as from the outside, and already the seats were beginning to fill rapidly. I was staring out at all of the people when George nudged me lightly in the side.

"Umm…Jules, where are you going to sit?" he asked awkwardly.

I knew immediately what he meant. Ever since we had first become friends my place was between Fred and George. Clearly George was uncertain that I would be taking my usual spot this evening.

"Next to you," I said simply. I didn't really want to sit next to Fred, especially since he refuses to apologize.

George thought it over for a minute and then smiled broadly.

"Well, let's sit Julie dear," he said, leading me into the front row with the rest of our group.

I sat next to George with Fred, Bill, and Charlie on his other side. Ginny sat to my right with Hermione, Harry and Ron next to her. Percy and Mr. Weasley sat at the end of the row.

No one else was in the box yet except a house elf who was sitting behind Harry. Harry seemed to be talking to it for some reason. I found it odd—people don't normally converse with house elves.

I pulled out my omnioculars and started to test them out by looking out at the crowd. I scanned over all of the excited faces and began to grow excited myself.

Twisting the knobs and buttons I quickly discovered how to replay what had just happened and rewind what I saw. I could also put commentary on in the form of captions. It was through this period of experimentation that I spotted Cedric amongst the crowd.

He was sitting almost directly across from me, but several rows lower. If he hadn't been right in front of me there would have been no way I could have spotted him in the thousands of wizards. He was merely a pin-point in a sea of heads when I tried to find him without the omnioculars.

Staring down at him with interest I took notice that he was obviously just as excited as everyone surrounding him. The grin on his face was full of anxious anticipation. He really is cute…

"What are you smiling at?" George asked.

I pulled the omnioculars back down from my eyes, trying to memorize exactly what angle Cedric was sitting at in relation to me.

"These are cool," I said, trying to cover up what I was looking at, "Here, try them."

I handed the omnioculars to George and he put them up to his eyes, peering out at the crowd.

About a minute later he snickered.

"What?" I asked.

He handed them back to me and I looked into the eye piece.

There was Cedric again, still and unmoving. George had used the rewind switch and hit pause.

I looked back at George. He was smirking.

"You like him then?" George asked, keeping his voice down so as to ensure Fred didn't overhear.

I ran my hand through my hair and let out a frustrated sigh. Stupid George and his investigative skills.

"I don't know," I admitted.

"And Fred?" he questioned.

"Fred's had nearly a year and all he's done is mess with my head," I replied.

"I guess."

"What?" I asked surprised, "You think I should still wait for him?"

George considered me a moment, "No."

"No?"

"I've warned him more than enough times about losing you," George said.

"You have?" I asked a little flattered that George had stood up for me like that.

George rolled his eyes at me.

"No need to get excited, and yes, I have told him that. Of course, he's too stupid to take me seriously," he replied, "Actually, if you dated someone else he may just smarten up."

"George, I'm not going to date someone just to make Fred jealous," I replied.

"No, of course not," he said. He seemed unconvinced, "I'd prefer if it weren't Diggory, but I guess the fact that you'd be using him would make up for dating him."

"George!"

He grinned at me and ruffled my hair affectionately.

"I'm just kidding," he said, "And if you do like him there's no reason not to give it a chance. I know I said I don't like the guy, but Fred's being a jerk and there's no reason for you not to be happy."

"I think you're getting a little carried away," I told him.

George grinned at me and slipped his arm around my shoulders.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Hey!" he yelled, "Don't you roll your eyes at me young lady!"

George pulled me towards him in a headlock and tousled my hair. I giggled madly and pushed him off of me just as Fred, trying to be discreet, elbowed him in the gut. I scoffed. Jealous of Cedric is one thing, but George? Please.

George rolled his eyes at his brother and turned towards me.

"Let the record show, I am now rooting for Diggory," he told me quietly.

---

Ludo Bagman had stood up, voice booming to welcome to Bulgarian team mascots once the seats had been packed full and the time to begin the match was near. Excitement was at its peak as he stood up and boomed:

"Here are the Bulgarian team mascots!"

The right hand side of the stands roared with applause as they cheered on the Bulgarians.

I gazed out towards where the mascots were making their way onto the pitch. They were creatures I've never seen before. They looked almost human, but there was something odd about them.

"Veela!" I heard Mr. Weasley say.

I immediately recalled the information I had learned about Veela. They weren't human creatures, but they were extraordinarily beautiful. They were capable of controlling men—putting them in some sort of trance.

The Veela began to dance and I immediately noticed the change in the atmosphere. Men and boys throughout the massive pitch glued their eyes on the dancing creatures. I turned to look at George and almost laughed out loud at the sight of him. I swear there was drool coming down from his bottom lip. He looked so entranced by their movements that I got the feeling that he was going to do something very stupid. It was extremely bizarre to watch. I don't think I've ever seen him so focused on anything before.

When the Veela stopped I waved my hand in front of George's face. He snapped back to life and looked in my direction.

"Welcome back Georgie," I said smirking at him.

"I was just, thinking about how all of this isn't really necessary, I mean, come on get on with the game!" he said, trying to cover up for his behaviour, but failing miserably.

I laughed and turned to view the pitch again as Bagman introduced the Ireland mascots.

"Leprechauns!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed brightly.

A huge green and gold comet zoomed into the stadium. A rainbow appeared by the goalposts and a huge shamrock formed in the sky. It flew up over the stands and started pouring gold down onto the many fans.

Looking closely I could see that the shamrock was indeed made up of hundreds of little men with beards. They were throwing gold out to the stands and people had begun to stand up and grab at the falling shiny objects.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Bulgarian Quidditch team!" Bagman exclaimed, introducing all of the players as they rocketed out onto the pitch.

He then introduced the Irish National Quidditch Team as seven green blurs flew out onto the pitch as well.

The game began quickly and Bagman was now announcing at such a speed that I could barely keep up with his words. The Quaffle was being passed around rapidly and I could barely catch a glimpse of it as it was zooming through the air.

I used my omnioculars, but had difficulty even then. While I was attempting to follow each player I ended up missing much of the action.

"Troy Scores!" Bagman roared suddenly and the crowd gave a huge noisy applause.

The scoreboard above the goal posts read Bulgaria-Zero, Ireland-Ten.

Within ten minutes Ireland had brought their lead up to thirty points, but before long Bulgaria was able to score one as well.

The Veela jumped up and started a victory dance. Immediately Mr. Weasley told the boys to plug their ears so as they wouldn't fall under the Veela's spell.

It seemed that the mascots were having their own little match out on the pitch—a dance off. Every time Ireland scored the leprechauns would do a jig in return to the Veela's sultry movements.

George pointed out towards Victor Krum as he went into a great dive, followed closely by the Ireland Seeker. The crowd gasped, having seen the movement.

Krum very suddenly pulled out of the dive while the other player fell to the ground.

"He was feinting," George yelled over the noise of the stadium.

Amazingly, fifteen minutes later Ireland was leading by one hundred and thirty points to ten. It was at this point that a thought entered my mind: Maybe Fred and George's bet isn't as stupid as I thought. I crossed my fingers, hoping the twins' bet prevailed and they hadn't wasted all of their money.

Just then a penalty was given against Bulgaria. The leprechauns immediately soared up into the air and formed the words 'Ha, ha!'

"Can you imagine playing in this madness?" I asked George, and he shook his head vigorously.

The game was becoming nastier with every passing moment. The Veela had managed to put the referee in a sort of trance and at one point the leprechauns formed a rather rude hand gesture in the air. The Veela then turned from the beautiful creatures that they were into ugly scaly, bird-like creatures.

"And that boys, is why you don't go for looks alone!" Mr. Weasley yelled as the men around all made faces of disgust.

The game was paused as Ministry officials ran out to attempt to separate the now fighting mascots.

"This is crazy!" Ginny said from my other side, I nodded in agreement.

The game recommenced shortly, and there was a huge groan from both sides of the crowd. Krum had managed to get hit in the face with a Bludger. His nose looked broken and he was bleeding huge amounts of blood. The referee hadn't seen anything as one of the Veela had just thrown a ball of fire at him, hitting his broom tail.

It was at that point when the Irish Seeker went into a great dive. The Ireland supporters jumped to their feet and cheered their Seeker on, but Krum was on his tail and was catching up, blood still pouring from his nose.

The crowd was going wild as the entire stadium lit up in screams of excitement.

For the second time of the game, the Ireland Seeker crashed to the ground. This time, however, Krum had caught the snitch. The match had ended.

The scoreboard was flashing: Bulgaria-One hundred and Sixty, Ireland- One hundred and Seventy.

It took everyone a few moments to register what had happened, but all at once a huge amount of shouting drowned out Bagman.

"IRELAND WIN! Krum gets the Snitch but Ireland win!" Bagman shouted. "I don't think anyone was expecting that!"

There was a huge celebration from the Ireland supporters, and very quickly it seemed, the Top Box where we were seated was suddenly illuminated. The Irish National team had entered our spot to receive the cup.

The roar of the crowd was deafening as they took the cup, held it into the air and then headed back down to the pitch to do a victory lap.

I turned towards George to congratulate him on his winnings only to find that he wasn't seated next to me anymore.

"Ah yes, I owe you how much?"

I turned around to see the twins grinning at Bagman, their hands outstretched expectantly.

---

Echoing yells, jeers and laughter surrounded us as we made our way back down to our tents. It was clear that no one was going to be getting any sleep any time soon. Not so long as the Ireland supporters were still up and celebrating. So, when we managed to make it back to our camp we all settled into the boys' tent.

We had a celebration of our own, all of us talking, laughing and arguing about the game late into the night.

Everyone was in high-spirits, but the anger from earlier today still held strong between Fred and I. Although we were celebrating with the rest of the group, we did not meet eyes or share a conversation during the period of excitement.

The whole lot of us sat around together for hours until Ginny finally fell asleep at the table and knocked her hot chocolate everywhere. At that point Mr. Weasley suggested it was time to call it a night.

I, along with Hermione and Ginny, made our way back to our smaller tent after bidding the boys goodnight, and despite the loud bangs still going on in the distance, the excitement of the day managed to claim me as I fell into a deep sleep.