Hailey pulled herself from Ron and got to her feet. She looked around to see that they had appeared on what looked like a deserted stretch of a very misty moor. She saw two tired and grumpy-looking wizards, standing in front of them. One wizard held a large gold pocket-watch and the other wizard held a thick roll of parchment and a quill. The man with the pocket-watch wore a tweed suit with thigh-high galoshes, while his colleague wore a kilt and a poncho.
"Morning, Basil," greeted Mr Weasley the wizard with the parchment, as he picked up the boot. He handed it to the wizard that wore the kilt, who promptly threw it into a large box of used Portkeys beside him. Hailey saw that was a old newspaper, an empty drinks can, and a deflated football with a large hole in the side.
"Hello there, Arthur," said Basil sounding weary. "Not on duty, eh? It's all right for some…We've been here all night…You'd better get out of the way, we've got a big party coming in from the Black Forest at five-fifteen. Hang on, I'll find your campsite…" He looked at his parchment and muttered to himself, "Weasley…Weasley…" He didn't look up as he said, "About a quarter of a mile's walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager's called Mr Roberts. Diggory…second field…ask for Mr Payne."
"Thanks, Basil," said Mr Weasley and he motioned for his party to follow him.
They walked across the deserted moor, even though Hailey wasn't able to see anything through the thick mist. After twenty minutes of walking, a small stone cottage that was next to a gate started to come into view. Right behind the cottage, Hailey could see the faint shapes of hundreds and hundreds of tents, which were rising up on the slope of a large field, towards a dark wood, which seemed to be on the horizon. They said good-bye to the Diggorys and walked to the door of the cottage, where a man standing in the doorway was looking out at the tents.
Hailey figured that the man was the only real normal person for several acres. When the man heard them approaching, he turned to look at them.
"Morning!" Mr Weasley said to him brightly.
"Morning," replied the man looking at them in a curious way.
"Would you be Mr Roberts?" asked Mr Weasley.
"Aye, I would," replied Mr Robers, "and who're you?"
"Weasley—two tents, booked a couple of days ago?" said Mr Weasley.
"Aye," said Mr Roberts, looking at a list which was tacked to the front door. "You've got a space up by the wood there. Just the one night?"
"That's it," said Mr Weasley.
Eva, confused, whispered, "just the one night?"
"You'll be paying now, then?" asked Mr Roberts.
"Ah—right—certainly—" said Mr Weasley, walking a short distance away from the cottage and beckoned Hailey to come to him. Hailey walked over to him. "Help me, Hailey," Mr Weasley muttered, pulling out a roll of Muggle money from his pocket. He starting peeling the notes apart. "This one's a—a—a ten?" Before Hailey could say something, Mr Weasley said, "Ah, yes, I see the little number on it now…" He took out a note, "So, this is a five?"
Hailey looked at the note, "That's a twenty." She realized that Mr Roberts looked like he was trying to catch every word they were whispering, which was making her uncomfortable. She wanted to take the notes from Mr Weasley and actually pay for him.
"Ah, yes, so it is…I don't know these little bits of paper…" Mr Weasley said.
"You foreign?" questioned Mr Roberts as Mr Weasley and Hailey returned with the correct notes.
"Foreign?" repeated Mr Weasley, sounding confused.
"You're not the first one who's had trouble with money," said Mr Roberts, looking closely at Mr Weasley. "I had two try and pay me with great gold coins the size of hubcaps ten minutes ago."
Mandy snorted, which was covered by Mr Weasley nervously asking, "Did you really?"
Mr Roberts looked inside a tin for some change. "Never been this crowded," Mr Roberts stated, looking out over the misty field again. "Hundreds of pre-bookings. People usually just turn up…"
"Is that right?" asked Mr Weasley. He held his hand out for his change, but Mr Roberts didn't give it to him.
Hailey wondered how Mr Roberts didn't question why he suddenly got hundreds of pre-bookings of tents or why he didn't question why people were just randomly showing up.
"Aye," said Mr Roberts in a thoughtful tone. "People from all over. Loads of foreigners. And not just foreigners. Weirdos, you know? There's a bloke walking 'round in a kilt and poncho."
"What's wrong with being odd?" Mandy questioned.
"What's wrong with wearing a kilt and poncho?" Michael asked sounding confused.
"N-nothing," Mr Roberts replied, looking caught off guard by the questions."It's like some sort of…I dunno…like some sort of rally. They all seem to know each other. Like a big party."
"It could be like Woodstock, like what the Americans do," Mandy said.
A wizard, in plus-fours, appeared right next to Mr Roberts's front door. The wizard pointed his wand at Mr Roberts and sharply said, "Obliviate!"
Mr Roberts's eyes slid out of focus, his eyebrows unknitted, and he got a look of dreamy unconsciousness.
Eva squealed and jumped back, clutching Michael's arm. He stumbled backwards a little at the sudden weight, but righted himself.
"A map of the campsite for you," Mr Roberts said placidly to Mr Weasley, "And your change."
"Thanks very much," said Mr Weasley, taking the map and change. He handed the map to Ron.
Mandy, Hailey, Eva, and Michael muttered good-byes to Mr Roberts, and they headed to the gate of the campsite with the the wizard in plus-fours accompaning them. Hailey noticed that the wizard looked exhausted because his stubbled chin was blue and there were deep purple shadows under his eyes. Hailey wondered if the man should get someone to take over for him so he can rest and that he should get that blue chin checked out, too.
Once out of earshot of Mr Roberts, the wizard muttered to Mr Weasley, "been having a lot of trouble with him. Needs a Memory Charm ten times a day to keep him happy. And Ludo Bagman's not helping. Trotting around talking about Bludgers and Quaffles at the top of his voice, not a worry about anti-Muggle security. Blimey, I'll be glad when this is over. See you later, Arthur." He Disapparated before they can say anything to him.
"I thought Mr Bagman was Head of Magical Games and Sports," said Ginny, looking surprised. "He should know better than to talk about Bludgers near Muggles, shouldn't he?"
Hailey couldn't help but wonder what Percy would say about Bagman talking about Quidditch very loudly like that. Percy would probably be very disapproving on that and say something about Mr Crouch, while at it.
"He should," said Mr Weasley, smiling, and leading them through the gates into the campsite. "But Ludo's always been a bit…well…lax about security. You couldn't wish for a more enthusiastic Head of the sport department though. He played Quidditch for England himself, you know. And he was the best Beater the Wimbourne Wasps ever had."
They trudged up the misty field between long rows of tents. Most of the tents looked almost ordinary because their owners clearly tried making them look as Muggle-like as possible, but they added chimneys, or bellpulls, or weather vanes at the top.
Michael nudged Hailey and pointed at a tent. Hailey looked to see that a tent looked like it was a miniature palace being made of striped silk and there was several live peacocks tethered at the entrance of the tent, which made her jaw drop. They passed a tent that had three floors and had several turrets. A short way beyond that tent, was one that had a front garden attached that even had a birdbath, sundial, and a fountain that was spewing water.
"Always the same," said Mr Weasley, smiling in amusement. "We can't resist showing off when we get together. Ah, here we are, look, this is us."
They had finally reached the very edge of the wood at the top of the field. However it was just an empty space with a small sign hammered into the ground that read: WEEZLY. Hailey almost laughed at the way how someone butchered the Weasleys' last name.
"Couldn't have a better spot!" said Mr Weasley happily. "The field is just on the other side of the wood there, we're as close as we could be." He hoisted his backpack from his shoulders. "Right," he sounded excited, "no magic allowed, strictly speaking, not when we're out in these numbers on Muggle land. We'll be putting these tents up by hand! Shouldn't be too difficult…Muggles do it all the time…Here, Hailey, where do you reckon we should start?"
Hailey wondered why Mr Weasley signaled her out instead of Hermione, Eva, Michael or even Mandy because she went camping in her life because the Dursleys had never taken her on any kind of holiday, preferring to leave her with Mrs Figg, an old neighbor.
"My parents took me camping a few times," Mandy said. "Here, let me help you." With that, Hermione, Michael, Hailey, and Mandy worked out where the poles and pegs should go, with Mandy saying, "Don't put that peg there. It should go there."
Mr Weasley wasn't much help because he got overexcited when it came to using the mallet. After a while, they finally managed to set up a pair of shabby looking two-man tents.
Eva and Hermione looked skeptical as they all stood back to admire their handiwork. Hailey was sure that nobody would think that the tents belonged to wizards.
"So, what's going to happen when Bill, Charlie, and Percy show up?" Eva asked.
Apparently Mr Weasley didn't hear her question because he got to his hands and knees and crawled inside the first tent. "We'll be a bit cramped, but I think we'll all squeeze in. Come and have a look."
Eva muttered, "That didn't answer my question." She however ducked down and walked inside the tent. Hailey heard Eva's squeal of delight, "It's like a TARDIS! Bigger on the inside and smaller on the outside!"
Hailey bent down and ducked under the tent flap, and her jaw dropped. She had walked into what looked like an old-fashioned, three-room flat, complete with a bathroom and a kitchen. She noticed that it was furnished in the exact same style as Mrs Figg's house with crotched covers on mismatched chairs and there was a strong smell of cats.
"Well, it's not for long," said Mr Weasley, mopping his bald patch with a handkerchief. He was looking at the four bunk beds that stood in the bedroom. "I borrowed this from Perkins at the office. Doesn't camp much anymore, poor fellows, he's got lumbago."
"What's lumbago?" Eva asked.
"That's lower back pain," Michael said to her.
Mr Weasley picked up a dusty kettle from the kitchen cupboard and looked inside it, "We'll need water…"
"There's a tap marked on this map that Muggle gave us," said Ron, looking at the map. He had followed Hailey inside the tent and seemed completely unimpressed at the fact that it was larger on the inside. "It's on the other side of the field."
"Well, why don't you, Hailey, Mandy, and Hermione go and get us some water, then?" Mr Weasley asked Ron, handing over the kettle and a couple of saucepans. "The rest of us will get some wood for a fire."
"But we've got an oven," Ron pointed out. "Why can't we just—"
"Ron, anti-Muggle security!" said Mr Weasley, he looked like he was expecting something. "When real Muggles camp, they cook on fires outdoors. I've seen them at it!"
Hailey was sure that Mr Weasley just wanted to have a Muggle camping experience, so they left the tent and went to the tent that the girls were going to be in. Hailey was slightly disappointed to see that the inside looked exactly like the same as the boys' tent; however, instead of four bunk beds, there were three and there was the lack of cats smell. Hailey was glad that it didn't smell like cat either and claimed the top bunk. After that, the four set off across the campsite with the kettle and sauce pans.
The sun was now fully up in the sky and the mist was lifting. Hailey could see the city of tents that were stretched in every direction. They made their way slowly through the rows, staring around. To Hailey, it was slightly shocking to know that there were many witches and wizards in the world.
As they walked, other campers were beginning to wake up. Hailey noticed that the first to rise were families with small children and she saw a boy who was probably around two years old, crouching outside a large tent that looked like a pyramid. When they got closer, Hailey noticed that he was holding a wand and poking at something in the grass. When they got a little closer and Hailey saw that he was actually poking at a slug with the wand, making the slug slowly swell to the size of salami. His mother came running out of the tent and scolded, "How many times, Kevin? You don't! Touch! Daddy's! Wand!" She accidentally trodded on the giant slug, causing it to burst. She made a disgusted, "Yecchh!" sound and the she continued scolding her son.
Her son started yelling, "You bust slug! You bust slug!"
They continued walking and Hailey saw two little witches, maybe a little older than Kevin, were riding toy broomsticks. The toy broomsticks rose high enough to allow their toes to brush the dewey grass. A Ministry wizard spotted the witches and hurried past the four teens. He sounded distracted when he muttered, "In broad daylight! Parents having a lie-in, I suppose—"
As they walked by more tents, adult witches and wizards started emerging and started cooking breakfast. A few looked around quickly before conjuring fires with their wands while others stuck matches, looking as if the matches weren't going to work. Hailey saw three African wizards wearing long white robes looked as if they were having a serious conversation, while they roasted a rabbit over a bright purple fire.
There was a group of middle-aged witches who sounded American, gossiping underneath a spangled banner. The banner was stretched between their tents and read: THE SALEM WITCHES' INSTITUTE.
"I think that's a women's organization instead of a school." Mandy said, pointing at the banner and Hailey nodded in understanding.
They walked past tents where they heard conversations in foreign languages that Hailey didn't understand; however, Hailey could tell that they were excited by the tone of their voices.
"Do you think that when we get back to the tent, I can sleep until the World Cup starts? I need to catch up on my beauty sleep," Mandy said.
Before Hailey can reply to that, Ron asked, "Er—is it my eyes, or has everything gone green?"
"No, I see it too," Mandy said, sounding giddy.
They had walked into a patch of tents that were covered with a thick growth of shamrocks. The result was that it looked like small, oddly shaped hillocks had sprouted out of the earth. Hailey spotted grinning faces in the shamrocks and Mandy was smiling widely now.
"Hailey! Ron! Hermione! Mandy!" a voice shouted from behind them.
It was Seamus Finnigan, Ron and Hermione's fellow Gryffindor fourth year. He was sitting in front of a shamrock-covered tent, with a sandy-haired woman presumably his mother, and a black boy, who was his best friend, Dean Thomas.
"Like the decorations?" Seamus asked grinning and Mandy nodded in agreement. "The Ministry's not too happy."
"Ah, why shouldn't we show our colours?" Mrs Finnigan asked. "You should see what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents. You'll be supporting Ireland, of course?" she added, eyeing the four suspiciously.
Mandy was nodding enthusiastically. "My mum's Irish." She pointed at her headband and motioned to the green on her clothes. "If I had known who was playing, I would've tried to go all out."
The others assured her that they were and set off again.
Ron said, "Like we'll say anything else surrounded by that lot."
"I wonder what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents," Hermione said.
"There's only one way to find out." Mandy said, although she didn't sound too happy, as if she was worried that she was stepping into "enemy territory."
"Let's go and have a look," said Hailey. She pointed to a large patch of tents up-field, where the white, green, and red Bulgarian flag was fluttering in the breeze.
The tents weren't decked out with plant life, but all the tents had the same poster attached to them. The poster had the face a very surly looking boy with heavy black eyebrows. The picture was moving, but all the boy did was blink and scowl. In way, Krum did look handsome.
"What?" Hermione asked.
Mandy looked at her clothes, probably searching for toast crumbs. "Am I covered in crumbs?"
"Krum!" exclaimed Ron, "Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker!"
"He looks really grumpy," said Hermione, looking around at the pictures of Krum.
"Really grumpy?" Ron rolled his eyes. "Who cares what he looks like? He's unbelievable. He's really young too. Only just eighteen or something. He's a genius, you wait until tonight, you'll see."
"I think I see the tap for water," Mandy said, trying to change the subject.
"How can you see it? You're short," Hailey couldn't help but tease.
Mandy elbowed Hailey in the ribs. "Just wait until I have my growth spurt."
"When will that be?" Hailey asked.
"I'm just a late bloomer," Mandy said.
"Or you're part leprechaun on your mother's side," Ron retorted.
Mandy went to kick Ron in the shins. "At least I'll be able to kick you in your shins easier because I'm sort." She stopped, "You know, I think my dad got in a fight with an unfriendly leprechaun at one point. I wonder what happened to the leprechaun, now that I think about it."
"Your dad must have some interesting stories to tell," Hermione said.
Mandy and Hailey nodded. Mandy said, "He does. You should meet him. He'll go on for ages about the creatures, beasts, spirits, and beings that he fought."
Hailey nodded, "That's all he talked about when I was there. I think he was excited to have a new listening ear."
They made it to the tap that was in the corner of a field. When they got there, there was already a queue. The four joined the queue, standing behind two men who were arguing. One wizard, who looked to be old, was wearing a long, floral nightdress. Hailey felt the image sear itself into her mind and she felt a part of her innocence die.
The other man was obviously a Ministry worker. He was holding out a pair of pinstriped trousers, looking like he was about ready to cry with exasperation. He said, "Just put them on, Archie, there's a good chap. You can't walk around like that, the Muggle at the gate's already getting suspicious—"
"I bought this in a Muggle shop," said the old wizard sounding very stubborn. "Muggles wear them."
"Muggle women wear them, Archie, not the men, they wear these," said the Ministry employee, brandishing the pinstriped trousers at Archie.
"I'm not putting them on," said Archie sounding indignant. "I like a healthy breeze 'round my privates, thanks."
It sounded like the two wizards had been having the argument for a long time.
Hermione and Mandy ended up giggling and they had to duck out of the queue to laugh. They came back when Archie had collected his water and left.
They made their way to campsite, being weighed down with water and were trying to be careful not to spill it. Hailey passed tents where she saw other Hogwarts students with their parents. She saw Oliver Wood, the old Quidditch captain of Gryffindor House, Ernie Macmillan, a portly Hufflepuff fourth year, Cho Chang, the substitute Seeker of Ravenclaw, who waved at her. Hailey waved back and they passed a tent where she saw Malachi Lovelace, the fifth year Seeker for Gryffindor with his mother. He smiled and waved at her, and Hailey awkwardly waved back.
She knew that Malachi's dad, Malachi Lovelace, was a mystery writer who disappeared twelve years ago on a trip to the Himalayas. She only knew that because fellow Ravenclaw, Colton Taylor was a fan of Malachi Lovelace's mysteries. Colton Taylor also happened to be the cousin to Neville Longbottom and the best friend to Luna Lovegood. She wasn't sure why Malachi waved at her, because they never really talked and he once wished her luck for the Quidditch House Cup. There was also the fact he once was followed her around during the match to qualify for the Quidditch House Cup. She still wanted to purposely crash into him while they were on their brooms.
"Hey, look, foreign teens," Mandy said, pointing. "Which school do you reckon they go to?"
Hailey looked, glad to have something different to think about. She frowned, "Huh…"
"Never met anyone who went to foreign school before," Ron said sounding thoughtful. "Bill had a penfriend at a school in Brazil. This was years and years ago…and he wanted to go on an exchange trip, but Mum and Dad couldn't afford it. His penfriend got all offended when he said he wasn't going and sent him a cursed hat. It made his ears shrivel up."
Hailey couldn't help but laugh at that. She glanced at Hermione, who didn't seem surprised either. No doubt, she probably read up on other wizard schools somewhere.
They finally made it back to the campsite.
"You've been gone for a very long time," Eva said, shaking a finger at them.
"Met a few people," said Ron, setting the water down. "You not got that fire started yet?"
"Dad's having fun with the matches," replied Fred.
Hailey looked to see that there splintered matches littering the ground around Mr Weasley. It was obvious that he wasn't having any success in lighting the fire and it looked like he was having the time of his life.
"Mikey gets that same look on his face every time he lights a candle," Eva said to Hailey as she went to stand next to Eva. Mr Weasley struck a match, but dropped it in surprise as a small flame erupted at the end of the match.
Hailey tried to picture Michael looking excited at lighting a candle, but couldn't.
"Yeah…Well, you make that face every time you make your bracelets," Michael replied back.
"Ouch," Eva said and smiled, "true…"
Hermione took the box of matches from Mr Weasley and showed him how to light the match properly.
They finally got the fire lit, though it was going to be another hour before it was hot to cook anything. Mandy had gone inside the girls' tent to take a nap, telling Hailey to wake her up when the food was ready.
Hailey wasn't sure what to do now, but at least she can watch the Ministry members who ran up and down the passageway, that their tents were next to. Mr Weasley pointed out to Hermione, Hailey, Eva, and Michael who the members were, because the Weasley knew who was who.
"That was Cuthber Mockridge, Head of the Goblin Liaison Office," Mr Weasley said. "Here comes Gilbert Wimple, he's with the Committee on Experimental Charms; he's had those horns for a while now…Hello, Arnie…Arnold Peasegood, he's an Obliviator—member of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, you know…and that's Bode and Croaker…they're Unspeakables…"
Michael looked confused at the term, "What are Unspeakables?"
"From the Department of Mysteries, top secret, no idea what they get up to…" Mr Weasley explained to him.
"Huh," Michael said, looking thoughtful.
At last, the fire was ready, and they had just started cooking eggs and sausages when Bill, Charlie, and Percy came strolling out of the woods toward them.
"Just Apparated, Dad," said Percy loudly. Hailey was sure that Percy was trying to make someone jealous, though she wasn't sure who, though. Percy said, "Ah, excellent, lunch!"
Eva went to wake up Mandy, who trudged out of the tent to eat.
A few minutes in eating, Hailey almost stabbed Michael's hand when he took a sausage from her. She got him back, when she pointed at the woods, "Oh, my god, distraction!" Michael fell for it because he looked where Hailey was pointing. Hailey snatched a sausage and when Michael back at her, Hailey gloatingly ate the sausage, which resulted in him narrowing his eyes at her.
Halfway through their breakfast for lunch, Mr Weasley jumped to his feet, waving and grinning at a man who was striding towards them. "Aha! The man of the moment! Ludo!"
Ludo Bagman was easily the most noticeable person Hailey had seen so far, outpacing Archie in his floral nightdress. She resisted the urge to shudder at the memory. Bagman was wearing long Quidditch robes in thick horizontal stripes of bright yellow and black. Hailey would think that he was a Hufflepuff, but there was an enormous picture of a wasp splashed across his chest.
He looked like he once was a powerfully built man, but he had let himself go. The robes were stretched tightly across a large belly, which probably didn't exist when he played for England. His nose was squashed, probably caused by a stray Bludger. His round blue eyes, short blond hair, and rosy complexion made him look like an overgrown schoolboy.
"Ahoy there!" Bagman called happily. He was walking with a spring to his step, like he was excited. "Arthur, old man, what a day, eh? What a day! Could we have asked for more perfect weather? A cloudless night coming…and hardly a hiccough in the arrangement…Not much for me to do!"
A group of haggard-looking Ministry wizards rushed past from behind Bagman. The Ministry wizards were pointing at the distance where violet sparks was flying twenty feet in the air. Hailey was sure that they were caused by some magical fire.
Percy rushed forward with his hand outstretched and Hailey guessed that Percy was trying to make a good impression, even though Percy looked down on the way Bagman ran his department.
"Ah—yes," said Mr Weasley grinning, "this is my son Percy. He's just started at the Ministry—and this is Fred—no, George, sorry—that's Fred—Bill, Charlie, Ron—my daughter Ginny—and Ron's friend, Hermione Granger, Mandy Brocklehurst, Hailey Potter, Michael Corner, and Michael's cousin, Eva."
Bagman did a double-take when he heard Hailey's name. He probably didn't hear the last of the introductions because his eyes did the familiar flick up towards Hailey's bangs. Hailey almost sighed at that.
"Everyone," Mr Weasley continued, "this is Ludo Bagman, you know who he is, it's thanks to him we've got such good tickets—"
Bagman beamed and waved his hand as if to say it was nothing.
Eva moved her hand in a circular motion, "Hi."
"Fancy a flutter on the match, Arthur?" Bagman said eagerly, jingling what seemed to be a large amount of gold in the pockets of his yellow-and-black robes. "I've already got Roddy Pontner betting me Bulgaria will score first—I offered him nice odds, considering Ireland's front three are the strongest I've seen in years—and little Agatha Timms has put up half shares in her eel farm on a week-long match."
Mandy looked confused and muttered, "Eel farm?"
"Oh…go on then," said Mr Weasley. "Let's see…a Galleon on Ireland to win?"
Bagman repeated, "A Galleon?" He looked disappointed, but he hastily covered it, "Very well, very well…any other takers?"
"I do!" Eva exclaimed, looking greedy. She was grinning widely as she pulled out her coin-purse. "I bet—"
"No!" Michael shouted. "Why would you—"
"There's no need to yell because I'm sitting right next to you," Eva replied, looking down, thoroughly chastised by just one word.
"They're a bit young to be gambling," said Mr Weasley, looking pointedly at Eva. "Molly wouldn't like—"
"We'll bet thirty-seven Galleons, fifteen Sickles, three Knuts, that Ireland wins—but Viktor Krum gets the Snitch. Oh, and we'll throw in a fake wand," Fred interrupted as he and George quickly took out all their money and the fake wand.
"You don't want to go showing Mr Bagman rubbish like that—" Percy started to say, but Bagman looked excited because he took the wand from Fred. The wand gave a loud squeak and turned into a rubber chicken, causing Bagman to roar with laughter and getting a chuckle out of Michael.
"Excellent! I haven't seen one that convincing in years! I'd pay you five Galleons for that!" Bagman exclaimed.
Percy froze, looking like he was stunned and disapproving at the same time.
Mr Weasley said something to Fred and George under his breath, but Hailey couldn't understand what was said because Michael and Eva were exchanged in some sort of kicking contest, because Eva was looking eager to bet on the match.
"Stop it," Michael hissed as Eva kicked his foot and she was looking like she was going to say something.
"Don't be a spoilsport, Arthur!" boomed Bagman, rattling his pockets excitedly. "They're old enough to know what they want! You reckon Ireland will win but Krum'll get the Snitch? Not a chance, boys, not a chance…I'll give you excellent odds that one…We'll add five Galleons for the funny wand, then, shall we…"
Mr Weasley looked helpless as Bagman whipped out a notebook and quill and he began writing.
"Cheers," said George, taking the slip of parchment Bagman handed him and tucking it away into the front of his robes.
Bagman turned back to Mr Weasley, looking cheerful. "Couldn't do me a brew, I suppose? I'm keeping an eye out for Barty Crouch. My Bulgarian opposite number's making difficulties, and I can't understand a word he's saying. Barty'll be able to sort it out. He speaks about a hundred and fifty languages."
"Mr Crouch?" asked Percy suddenly abandoning his disapproving look and now he was looking like he was excited. "He speaks over two hundred! Mermish and Gobbledegook and Troll—"
"Anyone can speak Troll," said Fred in a dismissive manner. "All you have to do is point and grunt."
Percy gave Fred a nasty look and stoked the fire vigorously to bring the kettle back to a boil.
"Any news of Bertha Jorkins yet, Ludo?" Mr Weasley asked right as Bagman settled himself down on the grass beside them.
"Not a dicky bird," said Bagman comfortably. "But she'll turn up. Poor old Bertha…memory like a leaky cauldron and no sense of direction. Lost, you take my word for it. She'll wander back into the office sometime in October, thinking it's still July."
"Did he just say 'dicky bird'?" Eva whispered to Michael, who nodded, looking lost.
"You don't think it might be time to send someone to look for her?" Mr Weasley asked tentatively as Percy handed Bagman his tea.
"Barty Crouch keeps saying that," replied Bagman, his round eyes widening innocently. "But we really can't spare anyone at the moment. Oh—talk of the devil! Barty!"
A wizard Apparated at their fireside and he was the contrast of Bagman. Barty Crouch looked like he was a stiff, upright, elderly man. HE was dressed in a impeccably crisp suit and tie. There was a parting in his short grey hair, which was unnaturally straight, and he had a narrow toothbrush mustache, which Hailey wondered if he trimmed it with a slide ruler. She couldn't help but notice that Crouch's shoes were polished and she could see why Percy idolized the man.
Percy was a great believer in rigidly following rules, and Mr Crouch had complied with the rule about Muggle dressing so thoroughly that he could have passed for a bank manager. Hailey doubted that Uncle Vernon would have spotted him for what he really was.
"Why is he dressed like an American mafia boss?" Eva whispered to Michael confused. Hailey snorted, but she wasn't sure what Bagman said because he was now patting the ground right beside him.
"No thank you, Ludo," said Crouch sounding like he had better things to do. "I've been looking for you everywhere. The Bulgarians are insisting we add another twelve seats to the Top Box."
"Oh, is that what they're after?" asked Bagman sound surprised. "I thought the chap was asking to borrow a pair of tweezers. Bit of a strong accent."
"Mr Crouch!" said Percy sounding breathless doing some kind of half-bow which made him look like he had a hunchback. "Would you like a cup of tea?"
"Oh," replied Mr Crouch looking over at Percy. He looked mildly surprised to see Percy there. "Yes—thank you, Weatherby."
Fred, George, Eva, and Michael choked into their own cups from laughter. Percy went pink around the ears and busied himself with the kettle.
Hailey elbowed Michael in the ribs, "Don't be mean."
"Oh, and I've been wanting a word with you too, Arthur," said Mr Crouch, looking at Mr Weasley. "Ali Bashir's on the warpath. He wants a word with you about your embargo on flying carpets."
Mr Weasley sighed deeply. "I sent him an owl about that just last week. If I've told him once, I've told him a hundred times: Carpets are defined as a Muggle Artifact by the Registry of Proscribed Charmable Objects, but will he listen."
"What did he say?" Eva whispered to Michael, who shrugged.
"I doubt it," said Mr Crouch, accepting a cup from Percy. "He's desperate to export here."
"Well, they'll never replace brooms in Britain, will they?" questioned Bagman.
"Ali thinks there's a niche in the mark for a family vehicle," said Mr Crouch. "I remember my grandfather had an Axminster that could seat twelve—but that was before carpets were banned, of course." He spoke as if he wanted no one to doubt him on that fact that his ancestors were strict law-abiding wizards.
"So, been keeping busy, Barty?" asked Bagman casually.
"Fairly," said Mr Crouch dryly. "Organizing Portkeys across five continents is no mean feat, Ludo."
"I expect you'll both be glad when this is over?" asked Mr Weasley.
Bagman looked stunned, "Glad! Don't know when I've had more fun…Still, it's not as though we haven't got anything to look forward to, eh, Barty? Eh? Plenty left to organize, eh?"
Mr Crouch rose his eyebrows at Bagman. "We agreed not to make the announcement until all the details—"
"Oh, details!" said Bagman, waving his hand. "They've signed, haven't they? They've agreed, haven't they? I bet you anything these kids'll know soon enough anyway. I mean, it's happening at Hogwarts—"
"Ludo, we need to meet the Bulgarians, you know," interrupted Mr Crouch, sharply. "Thank you for the tea, Weatherby." His pushed his undrunk tea back at Percy and waited for Ludo to stand up. Hailey almost winced at the wastefulness of the tea.
Bagman struggled to get to his feet, swigging down the last of his tea, the gold in his pockets chinking merrily. "See you all later! You'll be up in the Top Box with me—I'm commentating!" He waved, Mr Crouch nodded at them, and the both of them Disapparated.
"What's happening at Hogwarts, Dad?" asked Fred once the two were gone. "What were they talking about?"
"You'll find out soon enough," answered Mr Weasley, smiling.
"It's classified information, until such time as the Ministry decides to release it," said Percy stiffly. "Mr Crouch was quite right not to disclose it."
"Oh, shut up, Weatherby," replied Fred. Michael snorted and Hailey elbowed him again.
As the afternoon continued, it seemed like excitement started rising like a cloud. When dusk hit, the still summer air seemed like it, too, was quivering with excitement. When darkness fell, the Ministry seemed like they stopped trying to hide magic breaking out.
Salesmen started Apparating every few feet, carrying trays and pushing carts full of merchandise. There were luminous rosettes, green for Ireland and red for Bulgaria, which were squealing names of the players. There were pointed green hats bedecked with dancing shamrocks. There were Bulgarian scarves that were adorned with lions that roared. There were flags from both countries that played their national anthems as they were waved. There were also tiny models of Firebolts that really flew. Lastly, there were collectible figures of famous player, which strolled across the palm of one's hand, preening themselves.
As they looked at the merchandise in the carts, Eva bought a tiny model of the Firebolt, but lost it a few minutes later. The tiny Firebolt nearly flew into one of Mandy's eyes, hit Michael upside the head, nearly flew up one of Hailey's nostrils, and then did a very amazing dive, which kind of made Hailey jealous, before flying off into the woods.
Ron bought a dancing shamrock hat, a large green rosette, and a small figure of Viktor Krum, explaining that he saved up his pocket money all summer for it. Mandy also bought a dancing shamrock hat and a green rosette.
Hailey watched Viktor Krum walk back and forth over Ron's hand, scowling at the green rosette that Ron wore.
She noticed a cart piled high with brass binoculars which were covered with weird knobs and dials. "Wow, look at these!" She hurried over to the cart.
"Ominoculars," said the saleswizard sounding eager. "You can replay action…slow everything down…and they flash up a play-by-play breakdown if you need it. Bargain—ten Galleons each."
"Wish I hadn't bought this now," said Ron, gesturing at the hat and gazing longingly at the Omnioculars.
Hailey looked at Hermione and Ron, Mandy, and Michael. The two Ravenclaws shook their heads and Hailey looked at the saleswizard. Hailey said, "Three pairs."
"No—don't bother," Ron told Hailey, going red. Hailey knew that Ron was always touchy over the fact that Hailey had inherited a small fortune from her late parents, because she had more money than him.
"You're probably not getting anything for Christmas," Hailey said, handing the Omnioculars to Ron. "For about ten years, mind."
"Ooh, thanks, Hailey," said Hermione when Hailey handed her the Omnioculars. "And I'll get us some programs, look—"
With less money, they went back to the tents. Bill, Charlie, and Ginny were all sporting green rosettes too, while Mr Weasley carried an Irish flag. Fred and George didn't get anything because they had given all their gold to Bagman. Eva had bought two tiny Firebolt models; which Michael and Eva jinxed to make them fly in the air. They had their wands out and were making the Firebolts have what looked like a sword fight in midair. It looked like the Weasleys were watching the Firebolts parry each other, while Percy was frowning upon it for the disregard of not using magic.
There was a loud gong sound coming from somewhere beyond the woods. Green and red lanterns blazed to life in the trees, lightning a path to the field. Eva and Michael lowered their wands as they looked at the trees and lanterns, right when Eva's mini Firebolt snapped Michael's in half.
"It's time!" exclaimed Mr Weasley, excitedly. "Come on, let's go!"
