Disclaimer: Nothing is owned by me except OCs :)

A/N: Some of this is repeat from GoF, so you are forwarned lol :D But it's, of course, from a different POV. Critical things to happen :)

Chapter Ten

-The Quidditch World Cup-

Brianna looked around the stretch of misty moor that they had arrived on. In front of them stood a pair of tired and grumpy-looking wizards, one holding a large gold watch, and the other a thick roll of parchment and a quill. They were dressed in Muggle clothing, though not very well. One of them wore a tweed suit with thigh-length galoshes, and the other wore a kilt and poncho. She would have laughed if she hadn't been so tired.

"Morning, Basil," Gabriel said, handing the pipe to the kilted wizard, who threw it in a box containing other used Portkeys.

"Hello, Gabriel," Basil said tiredly. "Hang on, I'll find your campsite. . . Conner . . ." he muttered, looking at his parchment. "Okay, here we are. You'll be in the first field that you come to, about a fourth a mile's walk from here. The site manager's name is Mr. Roberts. And . . . Nott . . . okay, you'll also be in the first field."

"Thank you, Basil," Gabriel said and, following Gabriel and Mr. Nott, they all began walking across the deserted moor, the mist making it difficult to see.

After about twenty or so minutes, a small stone cottage came into view. Behind it, Brianna could see the shapes of hundreds and hundreds of tents, rising up the gentle slope of the large field toward a forest on the horizon.

She noticed a man standing in the doorway of the cottage, peering out at the tents. Brianna could tell that this man was a Muggle, probably the only one for several acres. The man turned his head to look at Gabriel.

"Morning," Gabriel said brightly.

"Morning," the Muggle said tiredly.

"You are Mr. Roberts?"

"Aye, and who're you?"

"Conner – we have a tent, booked a few days ago?"

"Aye," Mr. Roberts said, looking at a piece of paper attached to the door. "You've got the space about halfway up that slope. You'll be paying now?"

"Yes," Gabriel said, nodding. He pulled out a fold of Muggle money and paid the man.

Mr. Nott stepped forward. "Nott."

Mr. Roberts looked at the list and said, "You've got the space up by the woods."

Mr. Nott nodded and handed Mr. Roberts the fee.

"You know, it's never been this crowded," Mr. Roberts said, looking back at the moor. "People usually turn up . . . but there have been hundreds of pre-bookings."

"Really," Gabriel said.

"Seems to me like there's a big party going on or something . . ."

At that moment, a wizard Apparated next to the cottage and pointed his wand at Mr. Roberts. "Obliviate!" he said sharply.

Instantly, Mr. Roberts' eyes slid out of focus and a dreamy look filled his face. "Here's a map of the campsite," he said placidly, handing them the map.

"Thank you," Gabriel said and they stepped away.

Once they were out of ear-shot of the Muggle, the man that had Apparated turned to them. "We've been having a lot of trouble with him. He needs a Memory Charm ten times a day to keep him happy. Ludo Bagman isn't helping; strutting around talking about Bludgers and Quaffles, not worry about all the anti-Muggles security." The wizard sighed. "I'll be glad when this is all over. See you later, Gabriel."

He Disapparated.

"Isn't Mr. Bagman the Head of Magical Games and Sports?" Alex asked.

Gabriel nodded. "Yes, but he has always been a bit lax about security. But, he is one of the best heads we have had; he played Quidditch for England, one of the best Beaters the Wimbourne Wasps ever had."

As they walked up the slope towards their tents, Brianna looked around at the tents. Most were ordinary, but some had chimneys or weather vanes. Then, of course, there were the tents that were so obviously magical that Brianna couldn't believe no one had said anything. She saw one that looked like a castle, and then another with a front garden.

"Okay, here we are," Gabriel said, stopping at the bit of land where a small sign hammered into the ground read CONNER.

Brianna watched in fascination as Gabriel pulled out a small bit of cloth and threw it onto the ground. Immediately, it sprung up into an ordinary Muggle tent.

"Is this big enough?" Brianna asked, looking at the tent.

"Go inside," Sarah said, smiling.

Brianna gave her an odd look, but complied and let out a cry of shock. Inside, there was a living room, a small kitchen, and three bedrooms attached at the back. She stumbled out. "It's huge!"

"Yes, of course," Gabriel said, smiling. "You didn't think that all four of us would fit into one tiny room, now did you?"

Brianna just shook her head, speechless.

Dominic, who had just seemed to finally grow entirely awake, said, "Brianna, why don't we go walk around; check out everything. Then I can introduce you to some people that you'll be going to Hogwarts with."

Brianna grinned. "That would be brilliant!"

"Wonderful idea, Dominic," Sarah said, smiling.

"Yes, excellent opportunity," Gabriel agreed. "I have some business with some of the Ministry officials, but I will be back by lunch. We can all meet up then and eat. Sound good?"

"Oh, yes," Dominic said, nodding and rubbing his stomach. "Food."

Everyone laughed and Dominic led Brianna away.

"Okay, well, let's see . . . you already know Alex and Brandon . . . and Malcolm . . ." Dominic bit his lip, thinking. "Who else would be here right now? Oh! I know! Karl and Blaise should be here."

Brianna followed Dominic past a tent where two young witches were making a fire that turned multiple shades of color with their wands, and then past a very large tent with three African wizards sitting outside, wearing long white robes and roasting something on a bright purple fire. She spotted a few American witches, chatting together and was amused at how some of the witches and wizards were attempting to cook breakfast. One wizard was trying to strike a match from a matchbox and, when he failed, took out his wand, looked around, and formed a fire.

Brianna laughed quietly. "It's rather funny how hard it is for these people to do the simple things that I took for granted growing up with Muggles. I feel sorry for them."

Dominic smirked. "Well, I suppose lighting a match would seem very easy to you."

"Oy! Dominic!" they heard a voice cry. They stopped, turning around to see Malcolm and Graham running towards them.

"Malcolm! Graham! Hi!" Dominic said, smiling. He looked at Brianna. "Have you meet Graham?"

Brianna nodded, looking at the brown-haired boy. "I met him when I visited your parents. We played Quidditch."

"Oh, really?" Dominic said, raising an eyebrow. He looked at Graham. "How'd she do?"

"Not bad," Graham said with a smile.

"So, where are you both off to?" Malcolm asked as they began walking.

"I'm just checking out the campsite and introducing Brianna to some of the people she'll be going to school with," Dominic answered.

Malcolm nodded. "Well, Draco won't be here for another few hours; you know how his father is; always wants to associate himself as little as possible."

Dominic laughed. "Oh, yes, that's Mr. Malfoy for you."

"Draco Malfoy?" Brianna asked.

Dominic nodded. "Yes."

"Let's not go there," Graham said sourly, and they looked at him.

"What?" Brianna asked in confusion, looking at Graham.

He pointed to a mass of bright green tents. "That's the Ireland supporters."

"You don't want Ireland to win?" Brianna asked.

Graham raised an eyebrow. "With Krum as the Seeker for Bulgaria? Ireland will lose. What, you like Ireland or something?"

Brianna shrugged. "I just go by what I hear people say. I don't have a preference either way."

Graham looked at her oddly and then shrugged. "Well, for my opinion, go for Bulgaria."

"Yes," Malcolm said.

"Good choice, Bulgaria. Willing to make a bet?" a voice asked and they stopped, turning to face a tall wizard wearing long Quidditch robes in thick horizontal stripes of bright yellow and black. An enormous picture of a wasp was splashed across his chest. He had the look of a powerfully built man gone slightly to seed; the robes were stretched across a slightly large belly that looked out of place with his round blue eyes, short blond hair, and rosy complexion. He seemed very excited at the moment.

"Mr. Bagman!" Dominic said, smiling.

"You were a Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps, right?" Brianna asked.

Ludo Bagman smiled. "Yes, that's right. So, any of you want to make a small bet?"

"Fifty Galleons; Ireland wins," Dominic said, handing Bagman the handful of Galleons.

"Fifty Galleons; Bulgaria wins," Graham said, smirking at Dominic and placing the pile of Galleons in Bagman's hands, who quickly put them in his robes and writing down their names on a notebook. He handed them slips of paper and turned to Brianna.

"Are you going to bet?" he asked.

Brianna shrugged and pulled out a sack-full of Galleons that the Conners had given her the previous night. "Forty Galleons; Ireland wins, but Krum gets the Snitch."

Her friends looked at her like she had just grown sixty feet with rabbit ears and a cat tail. "What?" she asked, looking around at them.

They just shrugged and she looked at Bagman, who was writing down the bet, after taking the money she had given him. "Well, that's one interesting bet. What's your name?"

"Brianna."

"Okay . . . well, Brianna, you reckon Ireland will win but Krum will get the Snitch?" He chuckled. "Funny, that's the second bet like that I've received today. You and the Weasley twins sure know how to bet against all odds." He straightened, handing her the piece of paper with her bet. "Good luck and I'll see you around." He grinned and headed off towards another prospective customer.

"Nice bet, Brianna; I suppose we'll see what happens," Graham said, chuckling.

"What's wrong with it?" Brianna asked, crossing her arms.

"Oh, just that Ireland is going to lose."

"I doubt that," Dominic said. "Ireland's front three are the strongest they've been in years."

"We'll see," was all that Graham said.

As they began walking towards Karl's tent, two boys, one tall, dark-haired, the other shorter with bright red hair, ran up to them. "Hiya, Dominic. Ready for the match?" the red-haired boy asked.

Dominic grinned. "Can't wait! Blaise, this is Brianna." Blaise looked at her. "Brianna, this is Blaise Zabini; he's starting his fourth-year in the fall. And the other is Karl Lanart, a sixth-year."

Brianna nodded. "Nice to meet you."

Blaise grinned. "Likewise."

"Are you starting Hogwarts in the fall?" Karl asked.

"Next year," Brianna answered.

Karl nodded and smiled. "Well, you've managed to find some good friends so far; I suppose we'll see what House you manage to be Sorted into."

"Which house are you in?" Brianna asked.

"Oh, I'm in Slytherin. Actually, everyone here except Malcolm and Graham are Slytherins; of course, I'm sure that they'll be Sorted into our house, since their entire families have been in it."

Slytherins? Well, they don't seem that bad, Brianna thought, smiling. I suppose all those rumors are rubbish after all; but . . . Voldemort came from Slytherin . . . oh, well, I'm just thinking up nonsense. Besides, there's absolutely nothing wrong with these people.

"I suppose I'll just have to wait until the Sorting Ceremony to find out," Brianna said, shrugging.

Karl nodded, smiling. "Just like everyone else. Well," he said, looking around. "I'm going to go see if I can't find Marcus or Adrian. They did graduate two years ago, but I doubt they'd miss this." He winked at Brianna. "Hope to see you at our House table." He strode off and they began walking again, Blaise at their side.

"He's one of our prefects this year," Blaise said as they walked. "He's much better than that Weasley they had in Gryffindor a bit back; of course, my father complains that the Weasleys are always making trouble."

"You've got that right," Malcolm said.

"The Weasleys have too many children," Graham said sourly. "It's unbelievable. I mean, what they call a house is hardly anything."

"You know, they managed to get tickets for tonight," Blaise said, sneering. "Top Box too." He chuckled. "Draco's going to be thrilled."

"Top Box?" Dominic exclaimed, his eyebrows raised. "Bloody hell, we have good seats, but not up there!"

"Tell me about it," Malcolm grumbled.

"Draco has Top Box seats, though," Blaise pointed out.

"You have to remember this is Draco Malfoy we're talking about; of course he has Top Box seats. His father wouldn't settle for anything less," Graham said, rolling his eyes.

"Oy!" a voice called out and they stopped, turning to see a boy with white-blond hair identical to Brianna's, striding over to them.

"Hi, Draco," Dominic said. Draco stopped, looking at Brianna, his mouth set in a bit of a smirk. He wore all black clothing, despite the heat of the day. His pale face contrasted sharply. How can he be wearing those clothes? I have shorts and a T-shirt on and I can barely stand it. "Draco, this is Brianna. Brianna, this is Draco Malfoy."

"Hello," Brianna said smiling.

Draco looked at her for a bit more and then he glanced at Dominic. "She a relation of yours?"

"Yes," Dominic said, giving Brianna a look out of the corner of his eye.

Draco's eyebrows rose and then he shrugged, looking back at Brianna, his eyes taking in her white-blond hair and her silvery eyes, so very much like his own. "Hi," he said finally. "So, have you been to a World Cup before?"

Brianna shook her head. "First time for me."

Draco nodded slightly, a small smile forming on his face. "It's going to be a very interesting night."

An uneasy silence filled their area.

"Well," Dominic said finally, breaking the silence and looking around. "We have to go back for lunch. You want to join us?" Everyone nodded and they began walking back.

-------

Eating lunch, they sat around the small fire that Brianna had started, talking about Quidditch, the World Cup, the upcoming school year, and about their summers. Brianna, who was sitting between Dominic and Draco, just listened for the most part, adding to the conversation if she felt that she knew what she was talking about, making sure she didn't reveal anything that would make them realize that she was Muggle-born. It was like sitting in a pit full of snakes; you had to watch every move, or you'd be bit and cast out.

They seem really nice. This is good. At least I'll have friends before I start school. That's always a plus. Brianna took a bite of her sandwich and looked around at the multi-colored tents, smiling at all the varieties of witches and wizards that she saw walking around. This is so brilliant! I never realized anything like this could actually exist, and here I am, at a Quidditch World Cup, surrounded by magic! Her eyes stopped on a group of three that were walking around, talking to some people, but otherwise just looking at the variety of inhabitants.

"And you should have seen him!" Malcolm was saying, his face red with laughter. "He just didn't stop! Slammed right into the stands, he did! Didn't get hurt; just stood up and flew back out! It was wicked!"

They all laughed at this, including Brianna, although she was still watching the three. The shorter of the two boys, with scraggly black hair and glasses, glanced in her direction and she could have sworn she saw a look of distaste cross his face. The tall red-head looked her way and sneered slightly, rolling his eyes. He whispered something to the boy, who nodded. The bushy-haired girl, however, was just looking at Brianna with pure interest across her face. Her two friends whispered something to her and she shrugged. They disappeared out of view. What was that all about? Talk about rude!

"Don't let Weasley get on your nerves," Dominic said quietly.

Brianna jumped slightly, not realizing that anyone had been paying attention to that little pass of looks. "What?"

"The red-haired kid that was giving you the look? That was a Weasley."

"What did I do?" Brianna asked, looking at Dominic, who smiled.

"Oh, you didn't do anything. They probably were looking around, spotted you, someone they didn't recognize, and then saw that you were sitting around a fire with a bunch of Slytherins. They probably think that we recruited you into our ranks or some other rubbish like that," Dominic said, rolling his eyes. He chuckled. "Those are the Gryffindors for you."

"Oh," Brianna said softly, going back to her lunch.

"Don't get yourself too worked up," Dominic said. "The way I figure; if they're not your friends, why worry about their opinions?"

Brianna shrugged. "I suppose. Who were the other two?"

Dominic looked thoughtful. "Let's see . . . Weasley, Granger . . . oh, and Potter."

"Harry Potter?" Brianna asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dominic nodded. "The same."

"Let's not talk about Potter while I'm trying to eat," Draco grumbled. "You'll make me lose my appetite."

"Sorry," Dominic said, smiling. He leaned over to Brianna and whispered, "Draco and Potter have been nemeses since day one. Always at each other's throats. Best to stay away from them when they face off."

Brianna smiled, nodding. "Thanks. I'll remember that."

-------

Excitement filled the air, like electricity, as the afternoon wore on. By dusk, the air itself seemed to be quivering with anticipation and as darkness spread over the thousands of waiting wizards, the Ministry finally gave up and bowed to the inevitable, as magic began breaking out everywhere.

Salesmen were Apparating every few feet, carrying trays and pushing carts full of extraordinary merchandise. There were luminous rosettes – green for Ireland, red for Bulgaria – which were squealing the names of the players, pointed green hats bedecked with dancing shamrocks, Bulgarian scarves adorned with lions that really roared, flags from both countries that played their national anthems as they were waved; there were tiny models of Firebolts that really flew, and collectible figures of famous players, which strolled across the palm of people's hands, preening themselves.

Dominic, Brianna, Malcolm, Blaise, Alex, and Karl were strolling through the campsite, stopping every once and awhile to looked at what the salesmen offered. Brianna finally gave in and bought a pair of Omnioculars that replayed action, slowed everything down, and would flash play-by-play breakdowns. Although Malcolm bought a Bulgarian flag, the rest of them bore their Irish flags.

They split up and as Dominic and Brianna were nearing their tent, a deep, booming gong sounded somewhere beyond the woods, and at once, green and red lanterns blazed into life in the trees, lighting a path to the field.

"Ready?" Gabriel asked, who was waiting outside the tent next to Sarah. They both had Irish hats and banners.

"Definitely!" Brianna exclaimed and they hurried into the wood, following the lantern-lit trail.

-------

"Oh, that was bloody brilliant!" Brianna exclaimed as they made their way down the stairs.

"This was the best day of my life!" Alex exclaimed as they caught up in the crowds now flooding out of the stadium and back to their campsites. Singing surrounded them as they retraced their steps along the lantern-lit path, and leprechauns kept shooting over their heads, cackling and waving their lanterns.

When Gabriel, Sarah, Dominic, and Brianna returned to their tent, they spoke excitedly about the match. However, after Brianna had fallen asleep on Dominic's shoulder, he carried her to her room and went to his own.

She was dreaming of flying over the woods and then over a sparkling lake. It was a breathtaking view and then she saw the sun and flew towards it, hearing joyous laughter. Then, suddenly, the joyous laughter turned to hideous cackling, a high-pitched cackling, and the sun was overcome with a dark cloud.

"You cannot escape!" a cold voice cried.

"No, please!" she cried, but then a terrifying face overwhelmed her vision. It was pure white, with gleaming red eyes, and seemed mask-like.

"Brianna! Wake up! NOW!"

"No, no, please! Let me go!" Brianna mumbled in her sleep, thrashing around.

"I don't believe this," the voice muttered and suddenly something cold and wet hit her face.

Brianna jerked away, bolting upright, sputtering and wiping the water from her face. Dominic's worried face filled her vision as he put away his wand. "What was that for?" she muttered angrily.

"We've got to get out of here! Come on!" He grabbed her wrist, pulling her out of bed.

Instantly, Brianna knew something was wrong, for the noises of the campsite had changed. The singing had stopped and all she could hear was screams and the sounds of people running. Once they were outside, she saw Gabriel and Sarah, looking extremely worried. "We are going to help the Ministry. You two get into the woods as fast as you can!" Gabriel ordered and he and Sarah whipped out their wands, running off.

By the light of the few fires that were still burning, she could see people running away into the woods, fleeing something that was moving across the field toward them, something that was emitting odd flashes of light and noises like gunfire. Brianna and Dominic began running. Loud jeering, roars of laughter, and drunken yells were drifting toward them; then came a burst of strong green light, which illuminated the scene.

A crowd of wizards, tightly packed and moving together with their wands pointing straight upward, was marching slowly across the field. Brianna's heart leapt in her throat and she froze with fear as she saw that these wizards were hooded in black cloaks and wore ghoulish masks, the very same mask she had seen in her dream. She looked around wildly, but Dominic was no where to be seen.

She looked back at the crowd, frozen in fear. High above the group, floating along in midair, were four struggling figures being contorted into grotesque shapes. It was as though these masked wizards on the grounds were puppeteers, and the people above them were marionettes operated by invisible strings that rose from the wands into the air.

More wizards joined this group, laughing, and the marching crowd swelled. Tents were knocked flat or burned, blasted out of the way by wands.

The floating people were suddenly illuminated as they passed over a burning tent and Brianna recognized Mr. Roberts, the campsite manager. The other three must be his family! How horrible! Brianna thought, her mouth open in shock. She watched in horror as one of the marchers flipped Mrs. Roberts upside down, her nightdress falling down to reveal voluminous drawers and she struggled to cover herself up as the crowd below screeched and hooted with glee. Then, one of the marchers made the smallest Muggle spin like a top, sixty feet above the ground.

As the crowd drew closer, Brianna struggled to find willpower to move, but she couldn't. She sucked in her breath as the crowd passed by her, the horrible masks gleaming in the light.

Suddenly, one of them stopped and turned, looking directly at Brianna. Her breath caught in her throat and she tried to swallow, failing. Her heart skipped a few beats and her eyes were wide with fear. Although the yells and shouts drowned out most of the sound, she could have sworn that the masked man said in disbelief, "Brianna?" Then, another one of the masked men grabbed the one that had spoken, muttering something, and they drew back into the crowd.

Suddenly the procession turned and began moving straight towards her. Could they know I'm a Muggle-born? But how, they couldn't possibly know. Fear gripped her chest as her brain swirled with thoughts, trying to figure out something. She closed her eyes. Please, please, please, anything to get me out of here!

As the crowd passed by a row of burning tents, a snowy owl flew past them and into the woods.

--------

Shivering with fear, Brianna sat in a clearing, hugging her knees, and rocking back and forth. Where am I? What just happened? How did I get here? They're going to find me!

Then she heard a voice unlike any, for it was uttered and not panicked, saying something that sounded very much like a spell. "MORSMORDRE!"

Brianna lifted her head, her eyes wide as something vast, green, and glittering erupted from the patch of darkness and flew up over the treetops and into the sky. As she looked closely, she realized that it was a colossal skull, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. It rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky.

The Dark Mark! she realized from what she had read about Voldemort's rise to power. It was his sign.

"STUPEFY!" roared twenty voices and she saw a blinding series of flashes erupt over the clearing.

Suddenly a hand gripped her shoulder and she screamed. "It's me!" she heard Dominic whisper. "What are you doing here?"

He helped her to her feet but she collapsed, so he scooped her up into his arms, running. "They're after me," she whimpered and withdrew into unconsciousness.