"And you're sure you have everything?" Molly asked me for maybe the fourth time.
"Absolutely certain," I replied, slapping the side of my backpack that had been stuffed to the brim.
"You make sure you're holding on tight, okay? I don't want you getting lost," she reminded me.
"Yes, I'll be sure not to get lost," I comforted, again, patting her on the shoulder as she let out a stressed sigh.
"I'll be holding onto him, Mum, no need to worry," Fred smiled, joining us in the living room as others ran around the house packing.
"You better," she fussed, smacking Fred on the arm, "And no more messing about while you're with your Father. If I find out you've smuggled any more of those dreadful candies about, it won't be pretty."
"With all our stuff taken I don't think we have anything to make something out of," he bristled as she walked away, waiving him off.
"She's just trying to look out for you," I quietly whispered as we followed Arthur out of the house.
"She's smothering," Fred retorted, taking my hand in his.
The group of us stumbled over a field of grass to a far off hill int he village, where I could just make out two figures waiting for us. I almost asked who it was when Arthur called out loudly to them.
"Well, if it isn't the Diggory's!" He walked up and gave a clap on the back to the shorter of the two, who turned around and revealed himself to be Cedric's dad.
Cedric's dad?
My eyes grew wide as I glanced up to find none other than my Hufflepuff classmate Cedric Diggory, smiling in his own polite way at Arthur, who gave the boy a hug.
"Amos, we've got another tag-along I forgot to tell you about. This is Tom," he gestured to me before stepping back so Amos could see all the children coming along.
"As long as he holds on tight I see no issue! The more the merrier, after all."
"Yes, yes, had to make use of all the tickets, you see?"
"Of course, gotta get your money's worth," they trailed off into talking about dad things for a little bit, leaving Cedric to walk over to the twins and I.
"I had no idea you'd be coming, Thomas," he observed, patting me on the shoulder before readjusting his backpack.
"I had no idea we'd be meeting up with you guys at all. Does your father work with Mr. Weasley?"
"Oh yeah, my dad and him are good friends."
"And I said to him, I said – Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren, you beat Harry Potter in a quidditch match!" Cedric's dad got a bit lively, laughing at the end and gesturing to Harry and Cedric.
"Dad, it was an accident..." Cedric got a bit embarrassed, "He fell off his broom, I told you."
"Well, still, I think it's rather-"
The portkey activated behind them, and Arthur quickly ended the conversation to get us in a circle around it.
"Now, everyone make sure you've got a good hold on someone. Don't want anyone getting too lost."
One moment, I was glancing nervously up at Fred (I'd never used a portkey before!) and the next I felt a little pull on my hand and we had moved to a very different grassy hill.
Despite feeling like I hadn't moved at all, it felt like the wind had gotten knocked out of me and I stood there to catch my breath a bit.
"You okay, Thomas?" Hermione asked, reaching out hesitantly to pat me on the back as I leaned over onto my knees.
"Just peachy," I breathed out, taking a deep breath before standing back up.
I had to say, Fred was right. Ever since I'd been introduced to her earlier this summer, Hermione had been my favorite of the younger kids in the Burrow. She would even talk to me about magical history over tea, something Fred couldn't really stand.
"Hang in there," Fred comforted, grabbing my wrist and pulling me gently, "You can lay down in the tent."
"Ah, yeah," my face flamed at the fact Fred and I would even be sharing a bed in the tent. Molly seemed to know somehow that we were dating, and still was fine with the fact that we shared a bed. Perhaps she didn't care for the stress of having to find me somewhere else to sleep.
Arthur and Mr. Diggory had been talking to some adults up at the front of the group, and eventually we began to make our way into the densely crowded campground. Apparently Arthur had reserved a tent for us, all we had to do was find it. That proved more difficult than I thought, I supposed, because I swear we walked in circles for a good fifteen minutes; then again, no matter which way we turned the place looked the same. Wizards and tents everywhere, sometimes an entertainer or teenagers messing around with firecrackers.
"Have you ever watched the world cup?" Cedric asked from beside me, looking down a bit to make eye contact.
"No, can't say I have," I sheepishly replied, "This is my first time."
"Well, I can't imagine there could be a better game to make your first," he continued, "This'll be the match of a lifetime. Who are you cheering for?"
"The Irish, of course," Fred chimed in, "Wouldn't want to be rooting for the losing team, would you, Soot?"
"I don't think I'll be rooting for anyone, really," I stammered, clutching onto my backpack straps.
"Right on, we'll see you at the match," I heard Arthur say, and I turned to see him saying goodbye to Mr. Diggory, who called Cedric over.
"We'll see you later, Cedric!" George called out as he waived and left, gone off to find their own tent.
"Now, they said it was somewhere over here..." Arthur glanced around a bit before continuing to lead the group.
"Look over there!" Ginny called out faintly, pointing off to a group of teenagers zipping through the air on brooms.
The campsite itself was crazily loud and full of energy. I had never seen so many other kids outside of Hogwarts that were going off the rails with magic. Jugglers tossing around dozens of floating objects were around every corner, and groups of wizards congregated around tents talking loudly in brightly colored robes.
"Aha," Arthur proudly proclaimed, "Ah?" He finished off confusedly, looking at a deflated tent on the ground. "Well, I thought they'd be set up...Harry come help me with this."
We all stood idly, taking in the scene as the two of them worked to set up the tent, which shockingly took barely any time at all. My stomach still felt a bit too queasy to be enjoying all this loud noise, so I was itching to get into the tent and find a place to lay down.
"Allow me to test it," Arthur said, peeking his head and arm in. We all flinched with fear as Arthur began to scream and his body shake, hastily trying to pull his arm out.
"Dad-" George began, taking a step toward him.
"Just kidding," Arthur smiled, pulling his arm out. "You won't die, it's safe."
We all entered in a single file, Harry happening to enter last. I practically threw myself down onto one of the chairs in the center of the tent, sighing in relief at the soft cushioning.
"Girls pick a bunk and unpack. Ron, get out of the kitchen, we're all hungry!"
"Yeah, get out of the kitchen," the twins mocked in unison, causing a smile to slip on my face. I glanced up at them taking a seat at the small dining table, throwing their feet up onto the table.
"Feet off the table!" Arthur immediately fussed.
"Feet off the table," they repeated, taking their feet off for just a moment before slinging them back up onto the table.
I let out a quiet laugh, leaning up to take my pack off.
"I love magic," Harry whispered from behind me, and I turned to give him a polite smile as he moved past me to go find Ron.
Sometimes I forgot about how little Harry and Hermione would know about tiny details like this. What would they need to know it for, after all? I can't imagine the two of them would ever need to use an enchanted tent, after all.
"Tom, come lay down," Fred startled me as he grabbed my shoulder. "Careful, a nap won't kill you."
"Right, right," I muttered, standing and following Fred to a small little bunk bed with red and blue covers. "Which one?"
"I always get the bottom bunk," Fred smirked, flipping his hair over his shoulder like it was a huge honor. "I'm the oldest."
"Of course," I mumbled, kicking off my shoes and leaning my knee onto the bed.
"I'll come get you later," I felt his body press against my back as he whispered in my ear. His hands lightly pushed my shirt up and brushed against my skin.
Before my mind could stop reeling he backed away, pushing me from behind and sending me forward onto the bed.
"Have a nice nap, Soot!" He cheerily said.
I turned around to give him a piece of my mind just to see the curtain snap shut, sending the small little room I was in into total darkness. I should've known Fred would do something like this.
A nap might not kill me but that fucking tease would.