The World Cup

"Ah! The Quidditch World Cup, I'm finally back in my element!" Apparently, his aunt lied about not indulging in parties or getting drunk. Because right now she looked like she was about to race off and leave him in the dust just to go find some people to party with.

"I don't get it, the place is so crowded. What's so fun about this?"

"Heyyy, one thing at a time, and don't worry. I booked us a nice place in campsite number five."

"What does that suppose to mean?"

"It's a much more secluded campsite. Less noise, much less crowded, and a nice place to have some real fun, if you know what I mean," she raised her eyebrow at him with a small smirk.

"If you're talking about finding a random person and hooking up with them then no. I'm not doing something as lengthy as that. Grandfather told me to have fun and I'm going to do it, with minimal effort of course. Meaning I'll just go around the vendors and wait until the match starts, which afterward I will be retiring to my tent," They had brought two tents, much to his aunts pestering, but he won in the end. Because after all, there was no stopping his aunt from getting drunk.

"You're no fun, and I thought our week together taught you a bit."

"Oh, it did. But hooking up and doing scandals things is something I won't do."

"Fine then, but just watch. You'll be eating those words later," He looked at her strangely before shrugging and following after her.

She was right when she said the campsite would be less crowded. There were hardly any people there. What stuck out though was the fact that a large tent was planted firmly right in the center of the small clove of the trees that surrounded the place.

"Hey, what is that?"

"Well blimey, we've just hit the biggest jackpot ever! That's the fucking Bulgaria tent! Oh my gosh, we're in the same campsite as the Bulgarians!"

"One of the teams playing right?"

"YEAH! Oh my gosh, I think I'm going to faint."

"Please no," he moaned. "Are you going to help me?"

"Later later, I want to meet the Bulgarians," she shushed him with a wave of her hand.

"Fine then," Dropping the supplies he opened up the tent and watched it form up on its own. He whisked the bags inside and followed after, leaving Hecate with her own tent to set up.

The inside was larger than he expected. Not that he wasn't surprised. He used these sorts of tents whenever his mission took longer than average. Although those were big, this one was a lot bigger. He honestly didn't know what to do with the extra space. Throwing his bag to the side he sat on the king-sized bed. What was he supposed to do now? Was he supposed to go socialize with random people outside? Or did his grandfather want him to spend money on useless junk?

They were pretty early, the match was still six hours away so he had a few hours to take a small nap. After all, he didn't need to spend an hour doing fun things. Laying back, he felt the soft mattress caress his back, coaxing him to sleep. Instead, he found himself just gazing at the ceiling. It was a work of black and green, the base was black with green accents. The entire tent was rather spacious, there was a small alcove to the side large enough for at least a dozen people to just sit down and relax.

Sitting to the left was a table, much to his surprise. There were six chairs in total as if he would be having six people over. Over at the center was a large campfire. It was charmed so that the flame would never die nor would it produce any smoke. At the entrance of the tent were a few hooks for jackets, robes, and all that stuff.

"PERCY! Come on, let's go have some fun!" His aunt barged in wearing a red and black Bulgarian shirt. Where she got or how fast she changed he didn't know.

"Can I take a nap?" He said casually from his position.

"I. Will. Kill. You," she took a step forward with each other, "If you don't get up right now."

"Fine," He bid the comfy bed farewell and walked over. He wore a simple white shirt and some black jeans along with his favorite muggle shoes, a black and white converse with the words 'chuck, not chuck' all written around it.

He wouldn't be lying if he stuck out like a sore thumb but hey, he ain't complaining. There aren't too many wizards or witches that tolerated muggle clothes, which was dumb by the way. Because who wouldn't love actual comfortable clothes that allow you to move freely?

They found themselves back in the crowded area where vendors had started to set up their tiny shops. Almost instantly did his aunt grab his hand and dragged him over to a stand. He watched her in amusement as her eyes glowed in excitement. Honestly, what was so exciting about buying stuff that you'll just toss away later on. It didn't stop there though. He had no choice but to follow his aunt as she explored every single vendor. It was as if she was on a mission to buy something from every single one.

"What are you even buying?" He glanced over her shoulder and looked down at the many accessories that decorated the vendor's cart.

She totally ignored him without a thought as she skipped away. Sighing, he was about to follow right after when he caught something glistening out of the corner of his eye. His feet stopped and instead twirled until he found himself looking through the pile of junk on the counter. He couldn't fathom why the sudden interest took over but he didn't fight it either. Finally, his hand caught the silver trinket.

"That's a beauty right there," the vendor spoke.

"Yes, yes it is," In his palm was a small silver sword. It was simple but alluring in a way. The metallic surface was cold to his touch, with the hilt of the blade being quite rugged due to the small labyrinthine design.

"I've had that for so long, yet no one has noticed it except for you," He looked at the vendor who was an elderly woman. She had brown hair with gray streaks but her eyes still held some youth in them.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, to put it simply, that trinket there is special in a way. It only truly reveals itself to those who it deems pure of heart."

"So I have a pure heart?" That was an understatement. He wasn't pure, he killed others without hesitation; sometimes he'd even toy with them for fun, all for the sake of satisfying his boredom.

"I don't know. I can't judge you or fulfill your question because you need to find the answer yourself," She looked at him with her brown eyes that seemed to radiate warmth.

"Huh, well then, how much is it?" He asked as he reached for his back pocket.

"No, no need. Take it, it's all yours," She dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

"I insist. I can't just take this without paying you."

"Seeing it finally be chosen is enough for me."

"Alright, I'll take. After all, what does it see in me?" He whispered that last part, before breaking into a nice smile.

"Good, now you should be on your way. I think you've been forgotten," She motioned towards the crowd where his aunt was nowhere to be seen. That damned woman had without a doubt, just up and left him after he waited patiently for her.

"Yeah, I guess so, what's your name by the way? After all, I can't just leave without thanking you for your hospitality."

"Vesta."

"Then I thank you, Vesta, for this special gift and your kindness," He gave her one last farewell before entering the crowd once more in search of his annoying aunt.

He hadn't noticed that the trinket was still in his hand until he felt something dig into his skin. The silver sword had left a small imprint but other than that everything seemed fine. Looking at it from afar it would've looked like a small piece of metal, but up close it presented a whole new feeling, a whole new light.

Stuffing the ornate piece of metal into his pocket he walked around in search of his aunt even if it was going to be nearly impossible. He walked around for a while, keeping his gaze at head height to see much better. It might seem impossible but what else was there to do?

It was then that he found himself in a dilemma after he had visited seven vendors. He didn't buy anything except a Bulgaria scarf, a pack of Sherbert Honey chewing gum, and a stuffed leprechaun that he would charm later to invade his aunt's tent. She did leave him so he had to get back at her somehow, which seemed like a fairly good one, seeing that she was a hardcore Bulgaria fan.

Deciding that he wouldn't find her anytime soon. He followed a few signs that pointed back towards their campsite. Maybe she would be back, but it was a slim chance. What he didn't expect though, was seeing Harry Potter walking beside two others; one Hermione Granger, and a Ronald Weasly. The gold trio as they were called by his uncle. He didn't feel any hostility towards them, nor did he feel any remorse whatsoever. Debating if he should send a message to Oscar, he was bumped from behind, making him stumble forwards, knocking the girl right off her feet.

Luckily he grabbed her and twisted his body so he could take the brunt of the force. Which was alright with him as the ground softened slightly with one tap of his hand. He let out a small groan from the girl's weight but she quickly scrambled away repeatedly saying sorry as he sat up with a shake of his head.

"Oh gods, I'm so sorry!"

"No worries," he grunted, "I was the one who bumped into you, so it's all my fault really."

"Are you ok though?" She asked him. By this time her two friends had arrived and stood stoically on either side of her.

"Yup, no scratch or bruise so everything is all good," He dusted himself up before turning to look at the golden trio.

"Who are you mate?" He couldn't help but raise his eyebrow at the cold tone that came from the Weasley kid.

He debated on whether he should tell them who he was or just up and leave, but something in his gut just screamed for the first choice. So extending his hand, he gave his signature smile, "Perseus."

The boy made no indication to move but the girl did. Her hand grasped his and shook it, "Hermione Granger, and I'm still sorry about this whole mess."

"As I said, it's fine."

"Come on Hermione, he already said he's alright," He watched in amusement as the ginger boy tried to pull the girl away from him. Harry Potter, on the other hand, was sizing him up. He knew exactly when someone was doing that since it happened a lot whenever you're involved with some sort of ministry agent.

"You're wearing muggle clothes," the boy who lived said. It wasn't quite what he expected, but his uncle did say the boy was quite dull.

"Yes, yes I am. Do you find it odd?" He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Not at all but it's pretty rare to see a wizard wear non 'magical' clothes."

"Yeah, I've noticed. It's a pity because they don't know what they're missing."

"Harry, hello? Come on let's get going already," They were interrupted by Ron. He didn't get why the dude was so cold and harsh. They literally just met a few minutes ago.

"Seeing that your friend is so persistent about leaving, I'll get on my way as well," He gave them a nod and left glancing back to catch Hermione chastising the Weasly boy (which was probably about him) while Harry just hid a small smirk behind his hand. A blush seemed to appear on Hermione as the conversation got more heated but he paid no mind to it and made his way back.

~O~

"PERCY!" He didn't even register what was happening before his aunt launched herself towards him, letting out a small oof in the progress.

"Whoa! Relax, why are you so excited? Also, where the hell were you?!"

"Shush! That's not important."

"Then what is?"

"Follow me! I'll show you," She dragged him all giddy and hyper. If it wasn't for the fact that he had nothing else to do he would've just left. But alas, he allowed his hyper Aunt to drag him away.

"We're in front of the Bulgaria tent," He found himself saying in awe. Which was weird because just an hour ago he wasn't even aware nor had any feelings towards them; let alone quidditch in general.

"Exactly!"

"Ok?..."

"Oh my gosh, how dense are you?"

"Well, you're not actually providing me with some answers right now…"

"Gahh you're such a dumbass. Just come on," Without a flinch, she dragged him into the tent which was filled with loud music and chatter. There was already a party in there even though the game hadn't even started.

"What is this? The game hasn't even started, why are they all celebrating?"

"It's the before party duhhh."

"And how exactly are we here?"

"I got us invited! Remember Zethes?"

"Isn't he one of Karkaroff's men?" He remembered the guy. A hardcore fan of hocket which was a muggle sport that his brother Kalais loved. "Yeah, what about him?"

"Well, he's become the Captain of the Bulgaria Quidditch team, and right when he noticed me boom, he invited us on the spot. Well me, but he'll be ecstatic to see you."

"That's good news. He always wanted to become a professional Quidditch player; glad to see his dream coming true," They stopped in the middle of the room before his Aunt strode confidently towards a corner table.

"Hecate!" He heard someone yell. Peeking over he saw, Zethes, one of two sons of a muggle father. His mother had died when he was young and because their father was a muggle, they weren't aware of his heritage. That was until Karkaroff had stumbled upon the old family home.

It wasn't entirely by accident, seeing that their uncle was a close friend of Karkaroff. Upon seeing the two boys he had been quick to whisk them away and personally enrolled them into Drumstrang. Now, the two boys have grown older. Zethes was 25 while his younger brother, Kalais, was 22.

He hadn't gotten the chance to know the two boys. But he did converse with them a few times whenever the Karkaroff branch would visit for a few months. In those two months, they would duel or fly around the property whenever Zethes insisted. They were the same as him. He grew up surrounded by Death Eaters, just like the two northern brothers.

"Zethes! Look who I found!" He nearly tripped onto yet another victim as his aunt snatched him from his spot behind her. Shaking his shoulders free of his hands he smiled and waved at the white-haired man.

"Well I'll be damned," he made his way towards them, "How long has it been Percy?" Zethes was bigger than the last time he had seen him, which was… a long time ago. The dude had picked up some muscles here and there and had grown a few inches, just barely dominating him by 2 inches max.

"Zethes, damn dude you've grown," He grabbed the older boy's forearm. It was the standard Bulgarian greeting custom.

"I can say the same thing for you. You're 17 now right?"

"Hmm."

"How time flies. I still remember how you and Kalais would often duel for hours, with both of you winning an equal amount each," The only difference between the two boys was the fact that Kalais, was as dedicated then he was to the cause; while Zethes, chose to center his focus on becoming a national Quidditch player. Something he, Karkaroff, and a reluctant Kalais supported.

"Heh, those were some good days. How is Kalais by the way?" He wondered what the other white-haired boy was doing. Seeing that he wasn't present at the moment.

Zethes took a moment to glance around at which his Aunt took the key to cast a small barrier. "I heard about Phoebus' manor being attacked from Karkaroff so we increased our patrols. At the moment, Kalais is on a few missions with his squad."

"I'm glad to hear that, and yeah, Apollo's manor being attacked was a loss on our part. We recovered though, and luckily we found out how they got to the manor in the first place."

"What exactly happened? I wasn't present at our meeting and Kalais was away on a mission."

"Well, long story short. Wyatt died after the Ministry used Veritaserum on him, before killing him."

"Merlin's beard. Wyatt died?"

"Sadly yeah."

"That's rough. I can't even imagine what Phoebus felt. First, his manor and now his own right-hand man," They both shared a grim look, along with Hecate who was surprisingly patiently and quietly waiting. "Well, that's enough of all that depressing talk. Let's go fucking party for crying out loud!"

The instant the words poured out of Zethes' mouth. Hecate let out a small victorious yell before bolting off directly towards a minibar. "Your aunt has the right idea," He nudged him. Chuckling he followed right after.

"Today is an exception," she instantly replied as soon as he reached the counter.

"I know," He signaled for the bartender, "One fire whiskey please."

"Oh?"

He grabbed the small glass cup and chugged it, earning an impressed look from his aunt. "Oh indeed," he smiled before asking for more. After about the tenth glass, he watched as the party slowly began to slow.

"Hmm, guess the games about to start," He heard his aunt mutter. True to her words, the residents of the tents began to trickle out of the tent.

"Percy, Hecate," he saw Zethes wave, "VIP access over here!"

"After you," he motioned for his aunt before discreetly chugging another glass of the burning drink.

~O~

"Hey good luck out there man," He called out as he and his aunt made their way to their platform.

"I would thank you, but I don't think we need it!" He yelled back, shaking his head he climbed up the stairs to find his Aunt already gone; just like before…

The stadium was jam-packed with people; all wearing different colored clothes. Green and red seemed to clash continuously as people argued from both sides. Others on the other hand simply waited for the match to begin. Grumbling, he weaved around the crowd without even so much of a graze.

A bunch of onlookers was already starting to bet as he heard them whilst he passed by. From what he could tell, both sides were pretty confident. The Irish team was said to have good team coordination, while Bulgaria was a chaotic mess only relying on their seeker. It took him every fiber of his body not to stop right there and kill the bastard, but he urged himself to control his anger.

They would be proven wrong once Zethes was on the field. Because if he was talented enough to become a leader of a small Death eater squad then a quidditch team wouldn't be much of a difference. Plus, he knew how hard and dedicated Zethes was when it came to something he loved. The Bulgaria team were his puppets and he was the puppet master.

Finally reaching the other side of the stadium he followed the stairs up to the uppermost floors where most of the 'high ranking officials' watched. That was until someone called out his name. Looking over he was surprised to see the same girl he had bumped into.

"Oh hey," He stopped and walked over to her. It wasn't a surprise to find the other two, but he didn't care.

"Hey," she replied shyly.

"So, which team are you rooting for?" he shrugged.

"Isn't it obvious mate, Bulgaria obviously," A voice snapped. He didn't have to guess who it was as he merely glanced towards the ginger's way.

"At least one good thing came out of your mouth," he smirked as the boy turned bright red.

"Ron, will you shut it," The Potter kid muttered, delivering a small jab to his friend's rib.

"A-anyways, I was wondering if you w-wa-wanted to watch with us. Since you k-kinda looked lost," Did he look lost?

"Thanks, I'm grateful and all since I just met you three a few hours ago but I'm actually here with someone," The girl looked embarrassed which made him laugh. "S-sorry, your face was just so red," he explained.

"Anyways, I should probably get going."

"Ah, alright ok see you later I suppose?"

"Definitely," Because after all, he was going to be attending Hogwarts soon.

He only took a few steps before he heard a familiar voice. Turning he found Lucius Malfoy Jr. The boy was in a pretty heated conversation with the three kids he had just left. There didn't seem to be any adults present until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy what a surprise," he greeted the man. "Draco is doing quite well with the Potter kid," he half-joked.

"Perseus," the man replied to which he sighed deeply at the display his son was showing.

"I still don't quite get why he picks on the trio. Because I know you're certainly not persuading him to do so," The sentence was quite clear but it still sent a shiver down the man's back as he saw Lucius' cane tremble.

"I wonder about that myself…"

Nodding, he cast a small charm that allowed both of them to talk freely without anyone hearing; kind of like a phone. "You do know about the events that are to occur today yes?"

"Yes, and I've already sent words to the others who are not participating."

"Good, now let's just hope this all goes smoothly to plan."

"Agreed," With a nod, he dismissed the charm.

"Draco!" The blonde wizard bellowed; he quirked his eye in shock. Lucius was a very composed man, so this was certainly a culture shock. Not that there wasn't anything shocking in the wizarding world anymore. The blonde, who was way too busy dealing with the golden trio instantaneously pushed his attention onto his father.

"Enough squabbling like a child, and get over here," He watched as the teen obeyed the order.

"Well hello Draco," he smiled at the boy. They were three years apart but on a maturity level, he was older. Not to mention his previous experiences and how he was raised.

"Percy! What are you doing here!?" His relationship with Draco was a bit complicated, to say the least. He often thought of him as a clingy little brother, but they were only three years apart so he usually saw the boy as an adult like him. Noticing Lucius' distasteful face, probably due to how Draco had greeted him, he waved his hand before the small slip-up could punish the boy.

"My aunt brought me here," he lied. Well, it technically wasn't a lie but Draco had no real experience with the Death Eater cause so he had to carefully limit how much information he let out. This was something he deeply applauded Lucius and Narcissa for. They did well to hide the fact that the Death Eaters were operating once again from Draco, but soon enough when the boy was to come of age he would be welcomed into the Order. For now, the kid was to be kept in the shadows and allowed to live his peaceful life.

"Cool. I haven't seen your aunt for so long, how is she?"

"She's been alright."

"Hah, I suddenly remember the time she got drunk in one of dad's parties," He chuckled at the mention of that. It was that day that he started monitoring his aunt both for his own cause and from his grandfather's request.

Soon enough their conversation was cut short as Lucius ushered them forward, "Let's take this conversation somewhere else shall we boys?" Nodding, they followed the older man while he listened to stories Draco recalled from Hogwarts.

They weren't as bad as he'd expected, which was a relief, to say the least. Once they left he could've sworn he saw Hermione look him in the eye but he shrugged it off. So what if he caught her possibly talking to Lucius Malfoy, the father of Harry's rival.

~O~

"There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you," He narrowed his gaze at his aunt who was currently leaning against the rail, a bucket of popcorn in her arms. Yes, there was popcorn in the wizarding world. It was one of the few rare muggle items that were found amongst non-muggle beings.

Draco and Lucius had just left a minute ago, saying they had to find their seats. Striding up beside his aunt he grabbed a handful of the kernel delicacy and stuffed his mouth full. One thing that the muggles did wrong was the taste. Unlike muggle popcorn, which he didn't hold any distaste against; the ones in the wizarding world were tastier. The outer layer was coated with butter so sweet that enough would keep you awake for one whole night. But that wasn't a problem since the Quidditch match would probably actually last the whole night or at least till midnight.

"Is it about to start?" he asked as he took another handful.

"Not just yet, but the fun part starts now," A large boom came from the middle of the field, as cheers began to cry. When the smoke cleared, five cheerleaders bearing the colors of the Bulgaria Quidditch team stood in its place. They were hot, to say the least, as men from his left and right eagerly hogged the rails and began to cheer.

"Hold up, what the hell is going on?!" He yelled over the commotion. His aunt looked at him funny and pointed her finger at the five ladies below.

"You're not, you're not affected?"

"No, and what the hell do you mean by that? They're just leaders, so why the hell is everyone acting as if the match began?"

"Huh, figures, guess another trait was passed down to you," she shrugged.

"Hold up, they're Veela. That's why!" He threw his hand in the air, how did he not catch that.

"Yup."

"What's this about me not being affected though?"

"Our family is immune to their allure, you've heard of it yes?"

"Mhm, their allure can hypnotize men due to their beauty."

"Correct and since our ancestors were immune, then you are too."

"Huh, that's cool. At least I don't have to worry about being hypnotized," he smirked. Although it was sickening to see all the men in the arena acting like dogs in heat. He could hear the words they were saying and some just made him want to shut them up, and not in a good way.

"This must be really tough for them," he sighed.

"Crazy males professing their love and acting like assholes?"

"Yup."

"It's sick and rude, but that's just part of the job. I do pity them though, wish they can find something to ease their mind after all this," she motioned to the whole stadium.

"CHILL OUT YOU RABID DOGS!" He yelled without a thought. His wand was out and pointed on his neck, using a charm that allowed him to increase the volume of his voice. "Crap," He quickly tore the wand away and turned it back into a ring, as he followed suit with everyone else who was looking for the culprit. Luckily no one seemed to know it was him except for his aunt who looked at him with a knowing smirk.

"Someone caught your eye didn't they," she grinned.

"I just had enough alright, like can I get some peace and quiet before the real match begins," he played off because maybe he hadn't done it just for his sake.

"Hmm, whatever you say," Sighing he leaned over the rail and waited as the Veela finished their routine. He watched them leave before one locked eyes with his before disappearing. Did she know it was him? No, it was impossible, she couldn't have.

After the Bulgaria cheerleaders left the mascots for the Ireland team took their place with an extreme entrance. Three large rockets sailed to the air before blowing up to form a dozen leprechauns who danced around the stadium, some threw coins while others pranked those who supported the rival team.

"Fucking leprechauns!" His aunt yelled as he watched her blast two that were coming their way.

"Whoa, I know they're creepy and weird but damn you truly hate them don't you?"

"Trust me, when you meet a real one you'll do the same."

Chuckling, he watched as the little green devils continued to make mayhem until they all disintegrated on the spot. "Whoa, ok… what just happened?"

"The match! It's about to start!" He inched away from his aunt whose eyes started to glow ecstatic. From now and until tomorrow, he had to watch out.

A wave of cheers erupted from the stadium as the players from both teams made their entrance. Zethes led the charge as the Bulgarians flew in a tight wedge formation until one stray player ran off. In an instant the crowd cheered even louder as small pockets of holographic images formed throughout the stand, connecting like tiles to paint a large picture of the boy who flew off.

"That must be Krum," he mused.

"The best seeker in the world, hell yeah!" The person to his right yelled.

As both teams finished their entrances they met in the middle of the pitch. On cue, a loud voice bellowed from the other side of the stadium. A man wearing Ministry clothing stepped up to the platform and with his wand, he began to speak.

"Good evening! As Minister for Magic, it gives me great pleasure to welcome each and every one of you to the 422nd Quidditch World cup," the man spoke, gaining the eyes of all those in the stadium. Taking a few steps forward he lifted his wand, and with a small delicate tap, a small pure ball of light zoomed out as he yelled, "Let the games… BEGIN!"