A/N: A little guest appearance in this chapter.
For the past few chapters, I have been purposefully shifting more focus to Harry's relationship.
Written whilst slightly intoxicated. Allonsy!
Chapter 30: The 422nd Quidditch World Cup
Hermione and Hedwig had prodded me awake early in the morning of the World Cup. It'd taken some persuasion the night before, but my gracious hosts had eventually decided to allow me to sleep outside, I'd chosen a nice spot beneath a tree in the orchard. If the rumours are true, Ron snores like a chainsaw and I don't trust the twins enough with my sleeping form to bunk with them. As much as I'd like to sleep in Ginny's room with Hedwig and Hermione, That would have been frowned upon.
"Get up, Harry!" Hermione huffs, pushing my fur covered shoulder. I cover my eyes with my paw, letting out a groan. Normally I'm quite swift in waking up, but I'm not going for a run today, so I can have a lay in.
"I'll try something." Hedwig crouches down and leans near my ear. "If you get, I'll show you last night from my perspective." She whispers huskily. I crack my eyes open and look up at Hedwig's innocently smiling face. Whilst I don't harbour those feelings to Hermione and Ginny, I wouldn't mind a peek … for science. I climb to my bipedal feet.
"Nnnnmorning." I groan out as I stretch my arms above my head, accepting a peck on the lips from Hedwig.
"You've made up then?" Hermione nods to my arm, now encircling Hedwig's shoulders.
"More like made out." Hedwig smirks as Hermione rolls her eyes.
"I think grumpy wings here was won over by promises of a new dress." I smile fondly as she playfully scowls at me.
"At least the two of you aren't moping around any more." Hermione says as we head in for breakfast.
"Think we could convince Albus to let you sleep in the girls dorms?" I ask Hedwig as we follow the Weasley clan hand in hand through the woods. Part of me feels guilty for enjoying the little show that Hedwig projects into my head, but I know that Tonks would encourage it and probably feel left out until we found a way to show her too. One in a million.
"I could always fly through an open window, but I'd never commit such a crime!" She says innocently. "Spying. Who do you think I am?"
"The girl that took extra care watching those two get undressed?" I gesture to Ginny and Hermione, currently walking ahead of us. "What do you think they'd say if they found out?"
"If you tell them, then I'll say you watched too."
"You play a dirty game, Miss Hedwig." I say verbally.
"Why Mister Potter, it's only fair." She laughs.
"Are you sure you don't want to wear shoes?" Hedwig asks quietly a little while later as we walk with Hermione. "There's going to have been a lot of traffic everywhere you step."
"It'll be much more interesting this way, think of all the neat stuff I can see." I explain. "Speaking of seeing things, It looks like my 'magic sight' has shifted again. There's just more of everything now – I can pick out individual colours in people's auras and the way their magic clings to them-"
"Arthur!" A man stumbles down the grassy hill, waving madly … with Cedric Diggory in tow. This is Amos, who seems to have put on some weight since I met him in my first year. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it, long walk?"
"Some of us had a bit of a slow start." Arthur shakes the shorter man's hand whilst looking at his sons.
"Ah, we had to get up at two! I'll be glad when he passes his apparation tests, still – not complaining..." He carries on with his little speech as I share a look with Hermione. She also noticed that it was a 'when' he passes, not 'if'.
"Barely recognised you, Ced." I say as Arthur is bust introducing the group to Amos. "Getting a healthy tan on you." He grins sheepishly.
"New broom." He says, as if it explain everything. "I have to keep on top of things to make sure those two don't knock it to pieces this year." He eyes the twins warily, they try their best to smile innocently. The Gryffindor Beater pair have a healthy dislike of Cedric as he always out-flies their seeker on behalf on Hufflepuff. "But I don't think a tan is as much of a change as what you've done." He gestures to me. "You could pass for a sixth-year. Either you've grabbed some ageing potion, or the Prophet were downplaying your animagus. You look good." This prompts Hedwig to slink up beside me.
"Sorry, lover-boy, but he's taken." She kisses my cheek and Cedric laughs at the jab.
"I don't think the front page followed by a double page spread is downplaying." I scowl a little bit. "But they got my little 'secret' from the Ministry. I could try out for the Ravenclaw team, give you some competition." His eyes widen a bit.
"At least wait til next year, being an animagus is hardly fair – They say it can really up your game."
"Unless you're a sloth." I interject.
"I guess you're right." He laughs. "I was going to write you a letter when I saw the paper, ask for some pointers?"
"Go to McGonagall." I tell him. "That's a much better bet than-"
"Harry Potter?" I turn to Amos, who has just caught sight of 'The Boy-Who-Lived'. His eyes make the customary flick up to my scar. I smile politely as he shakes my hand, making awkward comments about looking much older than he'd expected.
"We don't want to miss the portkey!" I shoot Arthur a grateful smile as he gets the group moving up the hill again.
"Sorry about my Dad, he's a bit excited today." Cedric apologises sheepishly. I wave him off.
"I've gotten used to it all now. I might not like it at all, but it's OK when they don't ask me to sign anything … or give me their underwear."
"They do that?" He bites back a laugh.
"More often than I'd expected." I grimace. "It's not so bad when it's a thong or something, but I get the odd pair of bloomers now and then." This draws a sort of disgusted laugh as we reach the top of the hill. A man and a woman, both sporting bright blue hair, are already atop the hill, standing by a white garden chair missing a leg – The portkey. The man has the 'tall and handsome' look down. Sculpted hair, well groomed beard. His eyes sweep over our group before turning back to his companion. He reaches into his long coat and withdraws what appear to be two tickets for a moment to make sure he still has them. His aura is a magnificent blue, matching his hair. Hedwig threads her fingers with mine as I move my attention to the woman.
"I need to get a skirt like that." Her eyes land firmly on the woman's rear.
"It's more of a belt." I comment.
"Are you complaining?" I only smile in return.
I can't see her face from this angle, still hidden behind the wavy blue hair, but the petite woman's most notable assets, at least to my eyes, are the large, ethereal wings hovering behind her back.
"We're not coming back if one of you get left behind." Arthur jokes as he pulls the chair into an upright position. We gather around it, each grabbing some part of the flimsy chair. Hopefully it doesn't tear itself apart.
"I wouldn't mind waking up to that in the morning." Hedwig chimes into my head. "Maybe if I ask Tonks nicely." I glance over at her subject of interest – Much like the rest of the woman, her face is beautiful. But wings? What has wings? Maybe she's an animagus, or a succubus? I've passed over a few in Diagon Alley and physically encountered an Incubus, whom I held the door for in Fortescue's ice cream parlour, but my 'sight' hadn't evolved to this level back then. It might make sense for them to have hidden wings in their 'human' forms, but I'll have to look into it more. Veela maybe? That would explain why her magic looks like burning blue flames rather than the liquid smoke that is the norm. I look at the faces of the others, Ron, Fred, George, Arthur, Amos and Cedric – They seem to be in the same state of mind, so I doubt she's a Veela. "You could just ask her." Hedwig suggests.
"'Excuse me, do you know you have big fuck-off wings that you can't see?'" I snort, Hedwig giggles. "I'm sure that'd go down well. Oh – 10 seconds." The portkey starts to wake up. Hedwig smiles innocently after drawing Hermione's attention by laughing at our silent conversation.
"Here we go!"Someone calls out before we get dragged across the country.
Amazing is the first word that comes to mind when describing the enormous site. Amazing and loud. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world, packed into a place just barely big enough to hold them. Singing, dancing, drinking, and general merriments. Scantily clad drinks of both genders stumbling about, barely conscious, but somehow swinging together, arm in arm, singing songs and spilling more of their drinks than they ingest – Money well spent, in my opinion. The giant, anti-muggle, sound-dampening, notice-me-not, and many other hyphenated wards, cover the area in an ever shifting lattice of Magic. From what I've gathered whilst walking through the grounds, they have buried several giant wardstones 20 feet under the camp to create redundancies to keep the wards functioning if one is damaged.
"Stop staring at the ground." Hedwig urges me on with another pull on my hand. If possible in her human form, he head would be swivelling on her shoulders to allow her to look at everything she wants to. "Come onnn." I'll end up with a headache if I keep watching the floor anyway.
"Sirius should be at this entrance." I point towards the nearest arched doorway on the grandiose stadium. Sirius' footprints are mixed amongst the many thousands that have already passed by. He is accompanied by a woman called Amanda, she works for him, but he's clearly trying to seduce the woman with the gesture of the tournament. Maybe I can tip the tables in his favour a bit.
"I'm surprised you haven't been recognised yet." Hedwig comments as we reach the bottom of the stairwell. The Ministry guide just instructs us to follow the signs to find the booth.
"The operative word there being 'yet'." I say, glancing over my shoulder to see if I'd been spotted with my ticket. "I don't suppose they plaster my face in the papers abroad thankfully. We are heading into the heart of it now. Fudge'll probably pounce on us when we get into the Minister's box."
"Maybe your pal Draco's Dad can hold his attention." She muses. "Just keep your back turned, he'll not see you."
"Doubt it." I mutter as we continue upwards, buying a packet of 'Dragon Roasted Peanuts' on the way.
"...Put it this way – If it rains, You'll be the first to know." I have to hand it to him, as annoying as Lucius Malfoy is and as much as I'd enjoy smacking his stupid face, he does come up with some good lines. I swear that the universe works against Arthur to always place him alongside his 'nemesis'.
"Weasleys!" I wave to get their attention before climbing up the rigging a bit. "Already run into your best mate?" I subtly nod my head behind me with a smile and watch their eyes as they follow his as he walks away. I'm sure it infuriates him.
"Slimy git." Ron scowls at his retreating form. I turn around and see Draco leaning on the railing beside Hedwig. "I don't know how you can be friends with Malfoy."
Ah, Draco's not so bad." I offer the bag towards Hermione. "He hasn't insulted your family since our … second year?"
"You say that like it's a redeeming quality. What are these?" She scrunches her face up after eating a peanut.
"Dragon Nuts." I shrug as Fred and George take the bag, looking slightly disappointed once they realise that they're just peanuts. "I'll see you after the game. I've got Malfoys to irritate." I smile as they hand the bag back. I step back and drop down beside Draco.
"Must you antagonise my Father?" He asks lazily.
"Someone has to." I shrug. "It speaks volumes about his overinflated ego when being ignored upsets him so much." He looks like he's about to say something, but doesn't. "This is Hedwig, yes that Hedwig, Best not to ask questions at this point."
"Maybe you can convince him to go to St Mungos to get his head looked at." Draco drawls.
"You wound me." I say whilst forcing more nuts into my mouth. There's a joke there somewhere.
"I think that buffoon is trying to garner your attention." Draco nods towards the wildly waving Sirius Black.
"Alright, We'll catch up after the game?" He nods.
"You can explain to me how you became an animagus … and how Hedwig appears to have done the same." He waves and heads off in search of Lucius.
"Harry! Find the place alright?" Sirius pulls me into a hug.
"Follow the signs." I shrug with a smile. "Even you managed to get that part right." He laughs rambunctiously at the jab. I shift the peanut bag into my other hand and look at the provocatively dressed, blonde woman watching the exchange. "And this must be Amanda." I smile politely. "Sirius has told me about you."
"Is that why he looks like you've just slapped him?" She smirks. I look around at Sirius' slack-jawed face.
"Oh, maybe I've given away his feelings for you." I wink at him before turning back. She seems to look at him differently.
"Enjoy the game, Harry." She walks away, hips swaying. Sirius hugs me again.
"You're a good Godson." He beams at me as he pulls back.
"It'll be even better to watch this one blow up in your face." I smirk. Wizards, or James Potter to be more precise, called this one being a 'Second', like a duellists' second. The partner. Normal people use the term 'Wingman' – As in a pilot's wingman. Sirius usually found a way to mess up the favour.
"Enjoy it while it lasts." He says quickly before heading after Amanda.
"Why'd you do that for him?" Hedwig asks.
"If he upsets her enough, she'll make all the other models steer clear of him." I laugh. "When he's done being devastated, he'll appreciate the joke."
A/N: I've been sick for a while, sorry this took so long to write.
Harry's 'mage sight', or whatever you call it, has evolved further, much like his unique psychometric abilities evolve. I was trying to think of a way to give a good visual example, so the magical wings seemed like fun.
Hermione and Harry's relationship will be further explained in the future as well as how Tonks' feelings for Harry started and grew into what they now are. As it was mentioned in a review - No, she didn't have sexual interest in Harry when he was a wee youngster. And as for Harry's feelings on sex? It's coming (Soon hopefully (Sorry for the 'coming' pun))
Thanks for being patient. Reviews are, as ever, greatly appreciated. Enjoy!