A/N: I do not own anything Harry Potter. Hello, all. I'm not sure when or if I will be posting next week because my finals start then but here is another chapter for you all to enjoy. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 8
The day of the 422nd Quidditch World Cup was finally here and Annie found herself being dragged out of her bed in the morning by an overly excited Sirius and Harry. She let out a groan untangled herself from the blankets on the floor. She scowled looked out the window and saw that the sky was still dark.
"I hate you so much," she said ignoring Sirius's hand and standing up on her own. "What time is it anyway?"
"Four. Hurry up or dad says we're going to miss our portkey," said Harry. He and Sirius turned on their heels and left Annie to get ready.
Ten minutes later she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to find Lily still in her dressing gown sipping coffee and tending to some bacon on the stove. Harry, James and Remus were sitting at the Potter's table while Sirius sat perched on the counter. They were talking excitedly about the World Cup and munching on the bacon and toast in front of them. Annie sat down next to James and rested her head on the table.
"It's too damn early," she said into her arms.
James laughed and ruffled her hair. "Good morning to you too, kiddo."
"Here, sweetie," said Lily placing a plate of food in front of her. "Eat this and you'll wake up more."
Annie picked up a piece of bacon and muttered "thanks." Sirius who was watching her quite amused, leapt off the counter and sat down at the table.
"So," he said looking at Remus and James. "What are your bets?" He took out a piece of parchment and a quill waited.
"Krum's going to try the Wronski Feint," said Annie thickly through a mouthful of bacon. "Two Galleons."
"I'll take that bet," said James shaking her hand as Lily smacked him on the arm. "What was that for?" he said rubbing his arm while Remus and Harry laughed.
"You are encouraging your fourteen year old niece to gambol," she said sitting down at the table and giving Sirius a dark look. "And you're letting him," she added.
James looked offended. "She started it. She's old enough to make her own decisions, right Padfoot?" he gave Sirius a pleading look which Annie mirrored.
"I don't see why not," he said writing down the bet. "Alright, who's next? How 'bout you, Lily?" he said looking up and giving her a cheeky grin. Annie and Harry sniggered into their hands while Remus choked on his coffee. James stole a glance at his angered wife and smiled.
Lily threw him a daggered gaze and stood up from the table. "You all need to grow up! You aren't fifteen anymore," she said walking out of the room without saying goodbye to either of them.
They finished their breakfast and trooped out the door and made their way out to the nearby field where they were to take a portkey to the campsite where the Cup would be held. Sirius turned around to find his daughter staggering behind, too sleepy to move any faster. He stooped down and she climbed on his back and rode piggyback until they reached their destination. He placed her on the ground in front of the broken frisbee that would serve as their portkey and smiled. James checked his watch.
"We have about two more minutes," he said.
"We aren't expecting anyone else are we, James?" asked Remus.
"I don't believe so. I don't think anybody else in Godric's Hollow is going to the Cup. I know the Weasleys and Hermione will already be there, though. They had a portkey earlier this morning from Stoatshead Hill," he explained. "Anyway, we should probably get ready."
They each placed a finger on the portkey and it started glowing blue. Annie felt a lurch behind her naval and felt the sudden rush of being pulled off her feet. She landed with a heavy thud on the ground and looked around to find Harry sitting next to her, grinning stupidly. She laughed and got to her feet. James, Remus and Sirius had already walked over to the man holding a long roll of parchment.
"Morning, Potter, Black," he said nodding at them curtly. "The Weasleys have already arrived, campsite seven. A man named Robert will assist you." The man turned back to his parchment and began to examine it once more.
"Come on, let's go!" said James as he took the lead. Sirius once again stooped down and let Annie hop on to his back.
As they made their way over to their campsite, Harry and Annie couldn't help but be amazed by the vast magical talent surrounding them. There were tents with chimneys, tents that looked like small cottages, and tents that looked like pyramids all around they could see flags of green supporting Ireland and flags of red supporting Bulgaria. When they reached the campsite, Arthur Weasley got up from his seat on the ground and went forward to greet the newcomers. Annie slipped off Sirius's back and ran to hug Hermione and Ginny. Once settled into the campsite, the group sat down to talk about the upcoming match.
"So, Annie, who are you betting on?" asked Fred who was sitting next to her.
"Come off it, Freddie. You know she's rooting for Ireland. We all know she's been harboring a major crush on Connolly," said George who was sitting on the other side of her. He gave her a slight shove and she smiled.
"Or maybe I just have a thing for beaters," she said winking and shoving him back. Sirius choked on his butterbeer and James laughed. "Anyway, I am betting on Ireland and not just for that reason, Fred," she said looking at him darkly. "Not only are their beaters good, Ireland's chasers are the best in the world. You'd be a fool to argue against that."
"But Bulgaria's got Krum, he's unstoppable," said Ron.
"I would have to agree with Ron. He is a good seeker. He's got speed and he has the most snitch snatches in the league," said James.
"Do you want add that to our bet, Uncle James?" said Annie with a mischievous smile.
"Don't do it, James," said Fred.
"Yeah, we would seriously advise against that," said George.
James, Sirius, Remus and Arthur looked at them stunned. Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny, however, laughed.
"Why not?" asked James.
George grinned. "You've known her longer than all of us, James. Don't you know to never bet against her? She wins every time."
"We're serious. Every time. She has some crazy luck," said Fred ruffling her hair.
"You also shouldn't dare her to do anything or tell her not to do something," added Harry. "Why do you think she has had so many detentions?"
Sirius laughed and looked at his daughter with pride. She really was a second generation Marauder. "Oh, come on, she can't win a bet every time. No one is that lucky. Don't you remember a couple weeks ago her lying in a bed in St. Mungo's?"
"That's different. We're talking Quidditch here, Sirius," replied Harry. "She's really good calling Quidditch matches when we listen to them on the wireless in the Common Room. Are you sure you want to take that risk?"
Sirius looked at his daughter who was grinning wildly. "Like my daughter, I enjoy a bit of a risk. What do you say, three Galleons Mullet scores the first goal for Ireland?"
"You're on!" said Annie holding out her hand for a hand shake. Sirius took out his parchment and added the bet to the list.
Throughout the day, various people from the ministry stopped by their campsite to talk to Arthur, James and Sirius. Ludo Bagman had joined them for few minutes and collected bets from Arthur and James. Fred and George even got in on the action and put up their entire savings betting that Bulgaria will catch the Snitch but Ireland will win the Cup. About an hour before the game started, wizards and witches alike popped into appearance with push-carts full of souvenirs. Annie walked around with Harry, Ron and Hermione and bought a pair of Ominoculars, an Irish flag, and a Connolly action figure to battle with Ron's Krum figurine. They met back up at the campsite and the lamps lit up lighting the pathway to the stadium. Smiling at her father, Annie followed the group full of excitement.
P.S. Check out my new one-shot story called Boggarts, a flashback to Annie's third year at Hogwarts and her dealing with Sirius's escape from Azkaban. Thanks for reading!