We were all up at the crack of dawn the next morning. Why we were up at the crack of dawn, I had no idea. The previous day had been bliss. Harry and I got along better than I had hoped. It was truly as if we had never been separated in the first place. I sat between him and Fred all through dinner, talking about Quidditch and prospective tactics that might be played during the World Cup. Later that night, Fred and I had found some time to be alone. He took me to a small secluded corner of the Weasley's house. It was a window seat nestled in the west corner, hidden behind a bookshelf, with a perfect view of the moon. We leaned against each other, heads together, simply enjoying each other's company.
"I wish she'd just understand, and I'm sorry if it disappoints her, but I need to do what I love." He muttered referring to his earlier row with his mother. She had been quite harsh on him and George. I mean, Bill and Charlie didn't exactly have typical jobs either. Fred and George were smart and ambitious. If anyone could succeed at achieving a fruitful career it was them.
"I know you do, Fred. I'm sorry you got into trouble for my idea." I said stroking his arm.
"Don't worry about it, love. So, was today everything you'd hoped it would be?" he asked softly.
"Even better. You know…Harry said he didn't mind at all if you and I became more familiar with one another." I replied with a grin.
"Oh really?" he asked looking down at me.
"Yes really." I said looking back. He grinned wider than I did and took my hand in his.
"Well, then my plans for the Cup are now set in motion."
As it was the morning we were leaving for the cup I was very anxious to see what it was Fred had planned. When I went downstairs I was met by a chipper looking Mr. Weasley and one widely awake Mrs. Weasley.
"Good morning, Catherine." Said Mr. Weasley cheerfully.
"Good morning, Mr. Weasley." I replied with a yawn as I sat down at the other side of the table.
"Catherine! Perfect! This letter arrived for you from Professor Dumbledore. It seems there've been some changes with your classes." She said handing me the letter before turning back to the stove. I read the letter to myself, trying to process the information with very little success.
"It says I'm to be a sixth year, rather than a fifth year. My exams at the institute are equivalent to OWLs." I said aloud after reading it a fourth time.
"That's wonderful. I'll just pick up the same books for you that I am for Fred and George." She replied as she absent mindedly put some eggs onto Mr. Weasley's plate. Fred, George, Ron, and Harry walked down the stairs a moment later, all looking incredibly sour and tired.
"Ah good, you're all up. Sit and have a spot of breakfast before you go." said Mrs. Weasley shoveling hot eggs onto more plates. They did taste rather good, especially this early in the morning.
"What've you got there, Rin?" asked Ron sleepily.
"A letter from Dumbledore. It seems I'm being promoted to the sixth year." I replied dully.
"What? That's fantastic!" exclaimed Fred, pulling me into a hug. The sudden volume made me, and everyone else in the kitchen more alert.
"Why do you have to be up so early?" asked Ginny with a yawn as she and Hermione came down the stairs, "And what's all the noise?"
"Fred is ecstatic because Rin has been bumped up to sixth year." Smirked George.
"That's excellent, Rin. You must've gotten really good marks on your exams." Smiled Hermione.
"Well, I'm glad somebody did." Muttered Mrs. Weasley.
"Very subtle, mother." Muttered both twins. Bill, Charlie, and Percy wouldn't be joining us until later, seeing as they could all apparate and we couldn't. We left the house, but not before yet another blow out occurred between Fred, George, and their mother. Mrs. Weasley confiscated every product they had intended to sell at the cup. When nobody noticed, I, as stealthily as I could, pocketed the items and walked out of the kitchen with everyone else.
"Here," I whispered to Fred and George when we had fallen back from the rest of them, "Take them." Their eyes widened when they saw what I was handing them, and matching smiles spread on their identical faces.
"You didn't have to." Said Fred, as the three of us walked in the back of the group.
"Yes I did. This is important to you. And you both are important to me. So just take it and shut it." I said with an affectionately imploring tone.
"Listen to the woman, Fred. She's a smart one." Remarked George. We walked on and on until it seemed there was no end in sight. Mr. Weasley led the way with Ginny and Hermione behind him, Ron and Harry behind them, and me flanked by Fred and George, in the back of the group. The talking became virtually nonexistent when we began to climb Stoatshead Hill. When we got to the top of the hill, we'd found the portkey that would take us to the Cup.
"A boot?" asked Harry.
"It's a portkey, Harry," I said coming up next to him, "We touch it and it'll take us all safely to the cup. You've just got to hold on tight."
"Ah, Amos!" exclaimed Mr. Weasley trotting over to another gentleman who was accompanied by a rather handsome looking teenage boy. The boy looked over at us, his eyes stopping at me, and smiled. Fred came from behind me and put his arm around my waist a second later. Boys.
"Arthur! Been here long?" asked Amos.
"Just got here. Kids, come over. This is Amos Diggory, and you all go to school with his son Cedric," said Mr. Weasley kindly. By the looks on Harry, Ron, Fred, and George's face, I could tell this wasn't something they particularly boasted, "Amos, these are my kids. Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny. And these are their friends. Hermione Granger, Catherine, and Harry Potter."
"You don't say! Harry Potter! And with a sister no doubt! You know I couldn't believe it when my boy told me he had beaten Harry Potter at Quidditch!" boasted the man rather obnoxiously.
"Dad, come on. I told you, Harry fell off his broom." said Cedric humbly, but all it did was cause Harry to tense up. I would surely ask him about this later.
"But you didn't. And I'm sure Harry can agree that the victory went to the better player." Exclaimed Mr. Diggory. I felt the cross look grow on my face as the man berated my brother.
"I'm sure Cedric just got lucky is all. Potters don't usually fall below first in Quidditch." I said boldly with a smirk. Before Mr. Diggory could reply, Mr. Weasley insisted we all ready ourselves and get to the portkey. We all felt the sickening feeling of being twisted and turned by the portkey. It was so suddenly and utterly unpleasant that I hadn't realized I'd hit the ground until I heard Fred's exclamation when I'd landed on his gut.
"I see I'm not the only one tripping over myself." He joked. I felt someone lift me off of Fred and help me to my feet. Cedric smiled kindly as he dusted off some dirt from my white t shirt.
"Better watch your step. Wouldn't want a pretty girl like yourself to get hurt." He said charmingly. I heard Fred shoot up from the ground rather tensely.
"I'll be making sure she doesn't run in to any unwanted characters, Diggory. You just watch that pretty face of yours." Said Fred gruffly. George and I led him away before he got too invested in any drastic changes to Cedric's pretty face. I could hear Harry chuckling behind me as I tried to sooth Fred. After Mr. Weasley paid the muggle landowner, with some difficulty, and we said goodbye to the Diggorys, we made our way to our tent. Harry looked at the small exterior rather confused before walking in and expressing his shock at the large, spacious interior. After we settled in and gathered some firewood and water I had a moment to speak with Harry alone. We sat down on a couple of chairs in the far corner of the tent.
"So what was all that Mr. Diggory was saying about you falling off your broom?" I asked softly. He looked hesitant and rather embarrassed. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. The git just bothered me is all."
"It's not that. He bothered me too." said Harry scratching the back of his neck, "Last year, when Sirius broke out of Azkaban the ministry sent dementors to Hogwarts. They were everywhere and as badly as everyone else seemed to react to them, I reacted worse. I fainted and I'd hear screaming and feel awful."
"You heard mum," I said softly, knowing the effects dementors had on people, "You relived it."
"Exactly. And it happened to me during a Quidditch match. They came to the actual match and started swarming around me. I fell off my broom from a really high altitude, and Cedric caught the snitch before he saw what had happened. I was lucky though. Dumbledore made sure I didn't get hurt. If it wasn't for Lupin teaching me the patronus charm I don't know what I'd have done. It saved mine and Sirius' lives."
"You can make a patronus?" I asked rather impressed, "A corporeal patronus?"
"Yeah..I suppose." He replied awkwardly. I don't think he was expecting my reaction, and I also didn't think he knew just how impressed any other wizard would be.
"You should show me sometime. I'd like to see it."
Bill, Charlie, and Percy joined us a short while after Mr. Weasley had finally managed to set a fire. Hermione had to help him it seemed because he was too excited by the matches. We all sat by the fire, Fred and I sharing a loveseat, talking about the match when a man who looked like an overgrown schoolboy in Quidditch robes approached. Mr. Weasley introduced him as Ludo Bagman. He reacted to me and Harry much like Mr. Diggory, but without the rude comments.
"Holy Quadpot! I'd never have expected to meet the famous Harry Potter. Let alone Harry and his elusively secret sister!" exclaimed the man rather excitedly. He was nice enough. Seemed rather sketchy to me, but he had been nice enough to help out Mr. Weasley with the tickets, so who was I to judge? Soon enough the twins were betting the man all their life savings, and a fake wand, on an unlikely match.
"Ireland wins-"
"-but Krum catches the snitch!" they said excitedly. Obviously liking his odds, Bagman took the bet. After Percy began to encroach on Mr. Weasley's talk with Bagman, he just about wet himself when his boss, Mr. Crouch showed up. Much to the twin's amusement, Mr. Crouch, though quite familiar with Mr. Weasley, kept calling Percy "Weatherby". This surely would not go without taunt. Further into the conversation, the three older men mentioned something about future goings-on at Hogwarts, followed by Mr. Crouch and Bagman leaving the tent to go meet the Bulgarians.
"Come on, dad! What's going on at Hogwarts?" asked Fred finishing his tea.
"It's not for me to say. You lot will find out soon enough." Said Mr. Weasley with a sly smile.
"It's classified information that the ministry is not ready to disclose," said Percy pompously, "especially not to the likes of you two."
"Oh shut up, Weatherby." Smirked Fred as he had succeeded in silencing Percy. Everyone, including Mr. Weasley laughed.
The excitement grew throughout the day as the atmosphere became louder and more infectious. People were zooming around everywhere on their broomsticks. Salesman could be found every couple of tents. The Irish and Bulgarian supporters grew more proud- and drunk- as the afternoon wore on. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were looking at the cart of omnioculars while the rest of us looking at the face paint and hats.
"Which one do you want?" whispered Fred.
"Fred, you don't have to-"
"It's all part of the plan, Rin." He grinned his Fred-ish grin. I scanned the hats before settling on one that was oversized, with white and green stripes.
"That one." I pointed.
"Two of those please!" asked Fred over the crowd. Next, Ginny and I watched as Fred and George got their faces painted in green and white shamrocks.
"Is this part of the plan too?" I asked. He leaned forward and pecked me on the cheek, leaving a big white lip print that made me blush.
"That was." He said taking my hand. The eleven of us made our way up to the very top of the stadium. It was by far the most glorious sight I had ever seen. I had been to only one world cup before. I'd been less than a year old and my parents had taken me to the semifinals where Spain lost in a pitiful match against Wales. I only had a couple of happy pictures and Gwen's account to go by. I made a mental note to write to Gwen as soon as we got back to the Burrow.
"This stadium seats a hundred thousand," called Mr. Weasley enthusiastically over the crowd, "A Ministry task force of over five hundred wizards have worked on it all year. Countless repelling charms and spells surround it." It seemed like ages as we marched up the stairs. Our seats were good, but they were all the way up at the top.
"We'll have to go to Hogsmede when we get to school," said Harry, "You'll love the shops. It's a nice place to go on weekends."
"Or to sneak through a hidden passage to, eh Harry?" said George nudging him. Harry grinned a suspicious looking grin. I was definitely in for an interesting year with this lot.
We finally reached our seats, all the way at the peak of the stadium. We sat quite comfortably: Mr. Weasley, Percy, Bill, Charlie, Ginny, George, Fred, myself, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The three of them got into a conversation with a meek looking house elf before the Minister of Magic stepped into the box. Percy looked positively green with envy at the Minister overlooking him for Harry.
"Mr. Fudge, this is my sister, Catherine." Said Harry after they'd shaken hands.
"Merlin's beard! I expected to meet you sooner or later, young lady. I've spoken with Dumbledore, you see," he said shaking my hand, "We've made sure that you and your brother have prime security and discretion. We wouldn't want the prophet to have a field day."
"I appreciate that, sir. Thank you." I replied smiling as he walked away.
"Fancy that, George."
"Yes, Fred?"
"My lady's got an in with the Minister of Magic."
"Well, it seems your dream of going into legislature can finally be realized, dear brother." Joked the twins loud enough for Percy to hear. Following the Minister was a family of rather uptight looking blondes. They were dressed extremely well, the father with long blonde hair, the mother with a look of distaste on her face, and the son, a pale, pointed mix of the two.
"That's Draco Malfoy and his parents," said Harry, "the Slytherin I told you about. Bad news the lot of them." The Malfoys looked over at the Weasleys. Mr. Malfoy stepped forward giving Mr. Weasley a tactless look.
"Tell me, Arthur, whatever did you have to sell to get these seats? I daresay your house wouldn't have covered a third." Said Mr. Malfoy rudely.
"Why don't you and your merry little albino family move along." I called to him. He turned his narrowed eyes to me and looked between me and Harry.
"Surely this can't be her. Lily and James Potter's other halfblooded mutt," he said acidly, "Interesting, you know I'd have taken you for a mudblood with your muggle mother's looks." The anger I felt coursing through me was nothing like the loathsome looks Fred and Harry were throwing at him. Before Fred could pull out his wand I grabbed his hand.
"Don't. Narrow minded filth like him aren't worth the effort." I said narrowing my eyes at him.
"Lucius, I do believe your seats aren't here. So just get a move on." Called Mr. Weasley.
"Until next time, bloodtraitors." He said rather coolly before walking away with his wife. Their son walked up to Harry with an arrogant look.
"I don't care how cute your sister is, Potter. You ought to learn to keep her mouth shut." He hissed.
"Why don't you try me, you slimy git." I dared.
"Come, Draco!" called his father as he chatted with the minister. He threw one more scathing look before walking away.
"Not worth the effort, huh?" joked Harry, annoyance still evident on his face.
"Him I want to take a crack at after what you've told me about him."
The match began with a splendid display of magic. Bagman's voice could be heard over the sound of the crowd. The mascots were about to come out when Fred nudged me.
"What is it?" I asked, looking out of the corner of my eye.
"Come with me to the stairs really quick." He whispered.
"Now? Fred, the match is about to start!" I exclaimed looking at him.
"Please. I promise it'll be worth your while." He asked giving me a slight puppy dog look.
"Oh fine." I said getting up.
"We'll be right back." Said Fred to his father as the rest of our group was too consumed by the mascots that were about to come out. Fred led me over to the top of the stairs, just behind the rows of seats, to a secluded part of the stadium. From this point we could literally see everything without being seen ourselves.
"Alright, Weasley, what is it that couldn't wait?" I asked with a questioning look. He came closer to me, put his arms around my waist and leaned forward.
"Turn around." He whispered in my ear. The feeling I got when his hot breath tickled at my ear was like a static shock. He gave me a funny look then guided me around to look up across the stadium. There were green and white fireworks everywhere, representing the Irish team. Then a couple of the fireworks that exploded simultaneously spelled out the letters, "CP + FW". I smiled and turned around, my face covered in a mad blush.
"How- How did you manage that?" I asked with a wide grin as I put my arms up around his neck.
"Well, I did trade Bagman a couple more fake wands and a ton-tongue toffee. But I daresay it was worth it, judging by the look on your face." He grinned.
"Was this part of your 'oh-so-secret' plan?" I asked as he tightened his hold on my waist and brought me closer.
"It wasn't a secret. You've known my plan for days." He said coming closer.
"I did?" I asked as our noses touched, eyes closing slightly.
"I told you you'd see fireworks." He whispered. When Fred's soft lips touched mine in a sweet and breathtaking kiss, I did see fireworks.