It was impossible to sleep that night. How could anyone sleep when the big Quidditch World Cup Finals were the next day? Isabella Scott and her best friend, Bridgette Welch were beyond excited. They were going because of their recent major accomplishments. Bridgette has made the highest scores ever on the O.W.L. exams. Isabella was a fairly famous Beater who had recently begun to gain international fame for her skills. Both girls has attended the Academy of Fine Magic for four years. In the winter time of their fourth year, the school was destroyed in a tragic fire. Nobody knew exactly how it had started. Only seven people made it out alive.
Bridgette and Isabella were suddenly left without a school. They couldn't just transfer to another school in the nearby area. Unbeknownst to the normal world, there is a hidden world. Witches and wizards look the same as non-magical folks, often called Muggles. In New York, there was only one Wizarding School and now it was gone. It was better to have the girls in a regular school for magic, rather than have Marigold, Isabella's mother, teach them in private. So, Patrick Scott, Isabella's father and the American Minister of Magic, called upon an old friend, Albus Dumbledore. He happened to be the headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in England. Both girls were immediately accepted and sorted into their house. The Sorting Hat sat on Isabella's head and immediately proclaimed that she was a Slytherin. Bridgette's Sorting took much longer. The hat rested on her head, thinking and occasionally muttering to itself. "She'd do well in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. This young lady has a clever mind and she is very ambitious. Sometimes, however, ambition isn't such a good thing. It can make a person blind. They will do anything to achieve their goal. You want to join the Ministry of Magic once your education is completed. But you hope to become the Minister of Magic. Power and ambition together are a dangerous tool," the Hat warned. For seven more minutes, the Hat was silent before announcing that Bridgette would be placed in the Slytherin house.
Early in the morning, Isabella awoke to the sound of pitiful whimpering. Her blanket was on the floor, writhing about. "Oh, Merlin, you dumb thing, you know your too little to do that," she groaned, pulling the covers back onto her bed. Bridgette smiled as a small gray creature emerged. Most normal sixteen year olds have a dog or cat as a pet, but not Isabella Scott. She was the proud owner of a Smooth Skinned Bulgarian Ridgeback, named Merlin, who was the size of a regular cat. Merlin happened to be a dragon. He didn't have scales, rather, smooth skin and a short tail with small wings.
"Girls, it's time to wake up! You're leaving in an hour!" a voice with a soft English accent shouted. It was Marigold. She was originally from Liverpool, England. The two young witches got out of their beds and stretched. It was early in the morning, almost too early to be awake. Bridgette waved her wand and her messy bed became neat. Since they had been told to dress as Muggles, they chose to wear jeans and t-shirts. Isabella pulled her long black hair back into a braid while Bridgette put her shoulder length brown hair into a ponytail. There was another thing Isabella was known for, her heritage. She was a direct descendant of Godric Gryffindor and like her father, had onyx black hair with violet eyes. Bridgette had no famous blood in her. She looked like her mother, with her chestnut brown hair and blue eyes. "If you want something to eat, get in the kitchen NOW!"
Merlin dashed out of the bedroom, skidding on the polished wooden floors. He spread his wings out and floated down the stairs, landing with a gentle thud at the bottom. Bridgette and Isabella shuffled into the kitchen, still half asleep. Marigold stood by the stove, with Bridgette's parents, Haley and Warren. They were quietly discussing something from the news. When their daughters entered, the conversation immediately ended. Two plates of hot food sat on the table. "Where's Dad?" Isabella asked, sitting at the table.
"Patrick will be here in a few minutes. He had to go over to the Ministry of Magic to pick up our tickets for the big match. When he gets back, we'll all go and look for the Portkey," Warren replied, sipping his coffee. Merlin picked up his food bowl with his teeth, tossed it in the air and tried to burn it. He couldn't really breathe fire very well. No one was quite sure what was wrong with him. Isabella had gotten him as an egg for her fourteenth birthday and had raised Merlin ever since. Patrick Apparated in as the girls were finishing their breakfast. He seemed a little uncomfortable standing in his kitchen. Ever since the fire, he just hadn't been himself. He spent more time at the Ministry than with his own family. Sometimes, Isabella wished her father wasn't the Minister of Magic.
"Girls, do you have any of those candies you make behind our backs? You know what will happen if you get caught selling those. Remember what happened last time?" Haley asked. Reluctantly, both girls set a dozen candies on the table. They'd been selling the candies for almost two years. Bridgette and Isabella had invented Belchin' Chocolates. If a person ate one, they would belch uncontrollably every fifteen seconds for an entire three minutes. In the girl's third year, Marigold discovered the candies by accident. As punishment, both girls were forced to eat the remaining supply. It was embarrassing to walk around school and belch uncontrollably for nearly three days. Yet, that didn't stop the girls from making the candies. They'd only gotten smarter and sneakier. Marigold swept all the candies into the trash with a disappointed sigh. "We expect better of you girls. This is why you get into trouble all the time. You could do something better with your time," Marigold said. She was using her lecture tone. Isabella knew they were in for a long and boring lecture.
"Girls, time to go! It's time to find our Portkey to England!" Patrick shouted. Both Isabella and Bridgette flew out the door, grateful to be saved from the lecture. It was still dark outside, so Warren had his wand out. A few blocks down the street were an empty lot, littered with garbage. The Portkey wouldn't be obvious, so no Muggle would notice it and use it. Warren was the first one to spot it. At his feet was an old, deflated basketball. Once they all touched it, they would be transported to the Quidditch match. They all grabbed the basketball at the same time. Isabella felt as though someone had tied a roped around her waist and was pulling her back. The next thing Isabella knew, she was lying face down on the ground with Bridgette sitting on top of her. Patrick and Warren were standing a foot away, trying not to laugh much. "Get off of me! Your butt is crushing my ribcage!" Isabella groaned. While the girls brushed themselves off, Warren went to get a map to their campsite. An older wizard in a floral nightgown passed by, muttering to himself. He mentioned something about a good, cool breeze for his privates. Bridgette went bright red after he passed and Isabella tried not to giggle. "I'm glad we've had interactions with Muggles. At least we didn't dress like that."
"All right girls, its time to set up camp," Patrick announced. They began what turned out to be a very long hike of about a half mile. A small sign read, "Reserved for the American Minister of Magic, Friends and Family." Two very small tents were pitched in the designated spot. From the looks it the outside, the tents were far too small to hold two people. The inside proved to be quite different. Each tent had a living room, full kitchen and bathroom and two small bedrooms. Warren noticed a faint smell of cigars in his bedroom. Since it was afternoon, Patrick decided to cook some hamburgers, the Muggle way.
It was then that Isabella decided to get some water. She and Bridgette picked up a large plastic bucket and headed towards the water pump. There were about half a dozen wizards ahead of them. Two younger wizards and a witch passed by. One boy had very red hair and the girl had bushy brown hair. Bridgette's eyes became wide when she glanced at the other boy. "Bella, did you see that boy?" she gasped. "Honestly, Bridge, there are a bout a thousand boys in this area. Do you think I would notice a single one?" Isabella asked as she pumped the water. "This boy had a scar on his forehead, in the shape of a lightning bolt! It was Harry Potter! He's the boy who lived!" Bridgette replied, grabbing a handle of the bucket. Both girls struggled to carry it all the way to the campsite but they managed to get there. They had been instructed to not use magic. Warren managed to get a fire going. He'd cooked the burgers without burning them too much.
Once lunch was through, it was time to begin the hike to the Quidditch Stadium. It turned out to be a very, very long walk. Both girls were out of breath by the time they reached their destination. "We have got to pass our Apparition test," Isabella panted. The Bulgarian team was flying around, warming up for the big game. A referee hurried over to the four visitors, demanding that they leave immediately. "My name is Patrick Scott and this is Isabella Scott, the number one Beater in America and ranked third internationally. I'm the American Minister of Magic. This young lady here is Bridgette Welch, the smartest witch in America. I believe I arranged for a little surprise for these girls," Patrick hinted. The referee nodded and blew his whistle. One of the players swooped down to see what was going on. "Bella, that's Viktor Krum! I've read all about him in Witch Weekly!" Bridgette gasped excitedly. He wasn't the most attractive person in the world. His face seemed a little pale and his nose crooked, like it had been broken. "Girls, this is Viktor Krum, Seeker for Bulgaria."
"I haff heard of you, Isabella. You are a very skilled Beater and it vould be an honor to play against you sometime," Viktor said, holding a hand out. She shook hands with him before stepping back. He was very nice, even though it was hard to understand his accent. "Vould you like to go for a quick ride before I haff to leave?"
"Sure, is sounds like fun," Isabella replied, hopping on the broom. Viktor flew higher before circling the stadium a few times. She couldn't help but think that she was starting to like him. He wasn't the loveliest person ever, but he had charm. When they came back down, Patrick had some parchment and a quill in his hand. Viktor gladly signed autographs for Isabella and Bridgette, but in turn, he wanted an autograph from Isabella. Witches and wizards were beginning to fill the stadium, so it was time for them to find their seats.
Warren led them up some stairs, which seemed to last forever. Finally, they came to a small room with about twenty-five scarlet chairs. "This is the surprise, girls. We managed to get seats in the Top Box," Patrick announced. "You two ought to send thank-you notes to Cornelius Fudge. He's the one who gave us the tickets."
"Who are they?" Bridgette asked, nodding towards a group of people with red hair. The oldest red head looked at Patrick a smile on his face. Both men, along with Warren, worked for the Ministry of Magic. Arthur Weasley, the older red head, worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifact department, while Warren was in the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
Mr. Weasley introduced his children -Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Percy, Ron and Ginny- and their two friends, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Warren introduced Bridgette and Isabella. Three of the Weasley boys and Hermione recognized their names. "You're the Isabella Scott, number one Beater in America?" George asked. She nodded. "Blimey, every Quidditch team in the world must be after you!"
"They are but Bella is still in school so she can't join a team for another two years," Patrick replied, clapping Isabella on the shoulder. "Bridgette here is on the smartest witches in the world. She got the highest scores ever on the O. W. Ls. In fact, there probably isn't a witch alive that's smarter than Bridgette."
Both girls sank into chairs, trying to hide their embarrassment. Isabella knew their faces had to be bright red. Patrick, Warren, and Mr. Weasley began to discuss the disappearance of Bertha Jorkins. "So, what school do you attend?" Hermione asked.
"We used to attend the Academy of Fine Magic, until it burned down," Bridgette began.
"So we were transferred to Hogwarts," Isabella finished, dropping her piece of parchment. The message from Viktor could be seen by everyone. Before anyone could read it, she quickly stuffed it in her pocket. She hadn't been able to look at it yet. Bridgette only got an autograph, but Isabella received a little note. "What house are you guys in?"
Bill, Charlie, and Percy had left Hogwarts. Everyone in the Weasley family got placed in the Gryffindor house, which was the arch enemy of Slytherin. When Ginny asked what house they were in, Bridgette lied, saying they hadn't been sorted yet. If their new friends found out that they were in Slytherin, who knew what might happen? "Cornelius, Ludo, welcome to the Top Box," Patrick exclaimed, shaking hand with two men who'd just walked in.
The prime minister of Bulgaria sat in the corner. He apparently didn't speak any English. Behind him, the Malfoys were waiting to find their seats. Patrick and Warren happened to be good friends of Lucius Malloy. Unfortunately, their children did not get along. Isabella jammed her hands into her pockets and discovered something strange. "I thought we left all those with your mom. If she finds out we took one with us, we'll have to eat the ones at home again," Bridgette hissed.
Isabella produced another chocolate. "Are you offering me some candy?" Draco asked, taking the candy from her hand. For a second, she wanted to warn him, but decided not to. He ate the Belchin' Chocolate before burping rather loud. The Bulgarian was clearly offended by this. Patrick shot a disapproving look at his daughter, who was laughing hysterically. To everyone's surprise, Mr. Bagman was also laughing. Draco's face turned pink as another belch escaped his mouth. Isabella was able to explain in Bulgarian to the Bulgarian minister about her bewitched candies, making him smile.
The match would begin soon, after the parade of mascots. "Would anyone like to make a wager on tonight's match?" Bagman asked.
"Put us down for fifty Galleons, twelve Sickles and a Knut. We think Ireland will win, but Viktor Krum will get the Snitch. We'll even throw in a Belchin' Chocolate," Bridgette said, holding out a small pouch and a candy. Isabella nudged her in the ribs. "Oh, and Bella bets twenty Galleons on Ireland winning by only ten points."
Mr. Bagman scribbled their names on a piece of parchment, a tiny grin on his face. He made a comment about the girls taking a big and slightly foolish risk. "What's life without a risk?" Isabella murmured as she watched a bunch of leprechauns take their seats on Ireland's side. A large group of veela was on Bulgaria's side. Mr. Weasley covered his eyes but the younger boys were acting strange. "Don't they study Magic of Foreign Lands, like we did? They should know about veela."
Finally, the match started. Since they didn't bring Omnioculars, Isabella and Bridgette had a bit of trouble seeing the individual players. They spotted Krum easily. "What did he write in that note?" Bridgette whispered. Isabella pulled the parchment out of her pocket and smoothed it out. "Here's to Isabella, I hope we meet again sometime, maybe off the Quidditch field. Much love, Viktor Krum! I do believe he would like to go out with you."
For the first time ever, Isabella was not interested in Quidditch. She carefully folded the note and put it back in her pocket. Then she heard Mr. Bagman screaming, "Ireland wins by ten points! Krum get the Snitch but Ireland has won the match!" Bridgette quickly scrambled over her seat to collect on her bet. He dropped a pouch of coins in her hand when Isabella raised her hands. With a heavy sigh, he placed forty Galleons in her cupped palms. "I hope that'll go to good use?"
The girls just simply nodded.