Chapter 4
Leila snuggled close to her pillow trying to fall back asleep, but Granger's snoring was making it rather impossible. The snores seemed to be echoing through the room much to Leila's annoyance. So the young girl pulled her pillow over her head trying to block out any sound from the snores, but it didn't work. Leila groaned. There was no way she was putting up with this for the few precious hours of sleep she had left. She debated throwing her pillow at Granger, but that would require her to have to get up and grab her pillow in order to go back to sleep. No, that wouldn't work. So Leila leaned over the side of her bed and scanned Ginny's floor, finding Ginny's slippers. Leila reached for one of them before she heaved it at Granger. The slipper hit Granger causing the snoring girl to groan followed by silence, pure silence. Leila then snuggled back under her covers and fell back asleep until she was gently shaken awake.
"Leila, dear it's time to get up," Mrs. Weasley said softly.
"Five more minutes," Leila mumbled.
"Leila," Mrs. Weasley said with a tone of authority.
"I'm up, I'm up," Leila groaned.
The young Potter slowly opened one eye as Mrs. Weasley, using her wand tip for a source of light, walked over to Granger's bed. Knowing that if she didn't force herself up now she'd soon be back asleep, Leila pushed herself into a sitting position and gently rubbed her eyes. Mrs. Weasley gently awakened Hermione before she left the room and headed up the stairs, to Ron's room Leila assumed.
"So early," Granger moaned.
"Not another word out of you this early in the morning," Leila retorted.
Hermione raised her head and looked at Leila before she plopped it back onto her pillow. Leila rolled her eyes and looked to Ginny who was lying on her back with one eye opened. If they were this hard to get up, Leila could hardly imagine how difficult it would be to get the boys up. After stretching her arms, Leila quickly hopped out of her bed and her feet softly padded across the floor to her trunk to grab some clothes for the day. Normally, Leila liked to spend as much time in bed as possible before forcing herself up. Her friend Daphne often called her a procrastinator, but in Leila's mind she was definitely a good time manager. She knew exactly how much time she could lay in bed and do nothing before getting ready for the day without being late. But there was no time for that this morning because she didn't want to risk falling asleep again.
Once Leila had dressed herself in a green t-shirt and jeans she headed downstairs without the other girls with her rucksack in hand. She was slightly happy because for once she would be able to wear her Slytherin colors without taking much grief from Ron because Ireland's colors were also green. When Leila reached the kitchen she found that she had beaten Mrs. Weasley back downstairs. Apparently the boys were proving to be just as difficult as Leila had imagined. You'd think the prospect of going to the Quidditch World Cup would perk them right up. Just as Leila took a seat at the empty kitchen table footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. Mr. Weasley walked in to the kitchen carrying a stack of parchment, which Leila assumed were something about the World Cup. It was also strange seeing Mr. Weasley dressed in Muggle clothes: an old golfing sweater and an old pair of jeans that were slightly too big held up with a leather belt. Mr. Weasley looked up from his papers and looked startled for a second.
"Merlin Leila didn't realize you were here," Mr. Weasley said.
"Sorry," Leila apologized. "I'm not really awake yet."
"No matter," Mr. Weasley smiled. "So what d'you think? Do I look like I could pass for a Muggle? We're supposed to go incognito, you know,"
"Definitely an average everyday Muggle," Leila yawned.
"Good," Mr. Weasley smiled.
Leila rested her elbows on the table and cradled her head in her hands as Mrs. Weasley practically flew into the kitchen. She must not have noticed Leila sitting at the table beside Mr. Weasley because she went right for the stove and gave the giant pot simmering on it a stir. The woman turned around toward Leila and Mr. Weasley with her hands on her hips.
"I knew those boys were going to have us running behind," Mrs. Weasley muttered. "Luckily, I thought to put the porridge on before I went to wake them up."
Groggily, Harry, Fred, and George walked into the kitchen as Mrs. Weasley began to dish the porridge. Fred took a seat beside Leila while George and Harry sat across from them. The group was silent for several moments until George looked around the table in confusion.
"Where're Bill, Charlie, and Per—Per—Percy," George said attempting to stifle his yawn.
"And Ron and the girls?" Fred asked.
Normally, Leila would've had some retort that she was already there as an answer to Fred's question, but her eyelids were growing heavy again. Her eyes began to flutter closed as the conversation began to slightly pick up. Mrs. Weasley placed several bowls of porridge on the table. Fred reached for his own before he pushed one in front of Leila. Leila shook her head and slightly widened her eyes as she stared at the bowl of porridge in front of her.
"Well, Bill, Charlie, and Percy are Apparrating, aren't they?" Mrs. Weasley responded. "They can have a bit of a lie-in."
"So, they're still in bed?" Fred groaned. "Why can't we Apparate too?"
"Because you're not of age and haven't passed the test," Mrs. Weasley said. "And where are those girls?"
"Hear that? Ron's one of the girls," George snickered.
That was the last thing Leila heard before she fell back asleep in a very unlikely position: with her head in her hands above her porridge. Fred had asked her to pass him a paper from his father when she gave him no response. Harry, George, and Fred looked to Leila who sat there sleeping at the table. A grin covered Fred's face as he poked at Leila's arm. Her arm collapsed beneath her causing her head to plop face-first into her bowl of porridge. Almost immediately after Leila's face met the porridge she shot upright with her meal dripping down her face and onto the table. Leila groaned as she attempted to wipe the porridge from her face.
"What happened?" Leila questioned.
"You fell asleep," Harry chuckled.
"You could've moved my bowl," Leila muttered.
"But it was really much more comical this way," Fred grinned.
"For you maybe," Leila groaned.
Mrs. Weasley suggested that Leila go wash up and make sure that everyone upstairs was ready to go. Leila took one last swipe at the porridge in her hair before she pushed herself up from the table and headed for the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs she ran into Ginny and Hermione who could hardly contain their laughter.
"What happened to you?" Ginny chuckled.
"My breakfast," Leila muttered. "And not a word from you, Granger."
Without even waiting for their responses, Leila pushed past the girls and marched up the stairs and straight for the bathroom. Using the mirror as her guide, she washed the porridge from her face before flipping her hair into the sink. She quickly washed her hair and wrung it out the best she could. With her hair still damp she walked back to Ginny's room and pulled a white baseball tee with green sleeves from her trunk and changed before she reexamined herself in the mirror. This was probably as good as it was going to get. She quickly scrunched her wet hair before she went further upstairs to make sure Ron was awake.
Leila gently knocked on Ron's door but the only response she got was the sound of gentle snoring. She rolled her eyes before opening the door and stomping across the room. Having a brother of her own, she knew exactly how to get him to wake up. Leila yanked to the covers from Ron which caused his eyes to instantly open. He then pushed himself into the corner of his bed against the wall and wrapped his arms around his body like he was hugging himself.
"Bloody hell, Leila," Ron gasped.
"Get up," Leila retorted.
"I'm up," Ron groaned.
"Get dressed," Leila commanded.
"You need to leave first," Ron blushed.
Leila made eye contact with Ron that caused him to instantly look away and his face to turn even redder. She raised an eyebrow at him before she quickly turned on her heel and headed out of the room, closing the door behind her.
"Don't even think of going back to sleep," Leila shouted.
Without waiting for Ron, Leila went back downstairs she found Mrs. Weasley emptying Fred and George's pockets much to the twins' dismay. Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes products were zooming from their pockets and into Mrs. Weasley's hands. With her hands full of the twins' products, Mrs. Weasley threw them into the trash.
"We told you to get rid of the lot," Mrs. Weasley said irritably.
"Those took six months to develop!" Fred shouted.
Fred moved to retrieve them from the trash, but Mrs. Weasley turned around and flashed him a look that stopped him in his tracks.
"Oh a fine way to spend six months!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked. "No wonder you two didn't get more O.W.L.s."
Fred stood there breathing heavily, his anger easily read on his face. Just then, Ron came pounding down the stairs and literally ran into Leila, causing both of them to go falling onto the floor. The scene diffused the tension a bit as Leila groaned for Ron to get off. A flustered Ron pushed himself back into a standing position as Leila picked herself up as well. Despite his overall sour mood toward his mother, a slight grin spread over Fred's face.
"I think Ron's falling for Leila," Fred joked.
"Fred!" Ron shouted.
"You walked right into that one by literally falling head over heels on top of her," Fred responded.
"Oh, yeah, I suppose," Ron muttered.
Mrs. Weasley quickly shoved a bowl of porridge into Ron's hands which he instantly began to devour. Leila walked over to the table and snatched a piece of toast before she moved to stand by Ginny. It seemed like she barely had two bites eaten before the twins hoisted their rucksacks to their shoulders and walked out the door. Mrs. Weasley placed a kiss on Mr. Weasley's cheek before he opened the door and motioned for them to head on out. Leila reached for her bag and headed out the door behind Harry and was followed by Ginny and Hermione. Mr. Weasley still stood holding the door.
"Ron!" Mr. Weasley yelled.
Leila turned back to watch Ron shove his bowl into his mother's hands before he took a couple pieces of toast and ran out the door. He passed by his father and didn't slow down his jog until he was walking with Harry and Leila still shoving his toast into his mouth. They could see Fred and George walking a short distance ahead of them followed by Hermione and Ginny and they assumed that it was safe to follow them. They walked into a wooded area as Mr. Weasley jogged to be at the front of the group, calling for Fred and George to slow down.
"Ron, where exactly are we going?" Harry asked.
"Dunno," Ron said finishing up his last bite of toast.
Leila wasn't sure where they were going either, but she was excited to see Cedric. Despite Harry's protests that she fancied him, however true they were, she still missed her friend. She and Cedric had been friends since he had helped her reach a library book her first year. Cedric was easy to get along with and didn't judge her unlike most everyone else at Hogwarts. Leila softly smiled to herself thinking of her friend when Harry jabbed her arm. Thankfully he did that when she did because otherwise she may have walked straight into a tree. Leila quickly sidestepped the tree and looked to Ron who was chuckling to himself.
"Shut up, Ron," Leila muttered.
"Dad where are we going?" Ron shouted.
"Haven't the foggiest!" Mr. Weasley shouted. "Keep up!"
Leila, Ron, and Harry looked to each other before they jogged to catch up with Ginny and Hermione. Hermione looked back at them and gave one of her typical snooty looks before she turned back to her conversation with Ginny. Leila rolled her eyes at the know-it-all girl before she received a glance from her brother.
"Can you please behave?" Harry questioned.
"I will if she does," Leila muttered.
"I swear if you ruin this for me…" Harry began.
"You'll what?" Leila interrupted.
"Just be nice," Harry mumbled.
The group rounded a tree when a man became visible in the distance. Leila squinted her eyes to get a better look at the person, but she didn't recognize him. It wasn't Cedric, which made her heart drop a little. Hadn't he told her that they'd be traveling to the World Cup together? He would make having to travel with Hermione Granger so much more tolerable. The man standing near the trunk of a large tree must have recognized them because he shouted for Mr. Weasley.
"Arthur!" the man shouted. "'Bout time, son!"
"Sorry Amos," Mr. Weasley responded. "Some of us got a bit of a sleepy start."
Mr. Weasley turned around and looked to Ron who was yawning.
"Wonder who he could possibly be talking about," Leila smirked.
"You're scene at breakfast added to our tardiness too," Hermione retorted.
"How would you know? You weren't even there?" Leila hissed.
"Leila," Harry hissed in her ear.
Leila muttered an apology before she defensively folded her arms across her chest as Mr. Weasley shook hands with Amos. The elder Weasley then turned around to make the introductions.
"This is Amos Diggory, everyone," Mr. Weasley started. "Works with me at the Ministry for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."
Just then, rustling of tree branches came from overhead. Leila looked straight up and smiled as a body jumped from the tree. Cedric. He landed easily on his feet without managing to fall. He winked at Leila before he straightened himself into a standing position. Mr. Weasley outstretched his hand to shake Cedric's, which Cedric accepted and shook with a smile on his face. Fred and George stood there with frowns on their faces. They clearly still hadn't gotten over Hufflepuff beating Gryffindor last year.
"And this strapping young lad must be Cedric, am I right?" Arthur continued.
"Yes, sir," Cedric said politely.
"I think we all know Cedric," Leila giggled.
"Some of us better than others," Harry muttered.
Leila's eyes narrowed at her brother. He wanted her to be nice to Granger, well then he had certainly better be nice to Cedric. Leila took a few steps closer to Cedric and smiled.
"Merlin's beard, you must be Leila Potter. Ced's told us all about you," Amos said. "Pleasure to meet you."
"Hello," Leila said awkwardly.
"Dad," Cedric groaned.
"And that must be your brother Harry," Amos Diggory continued.
"Yes, sir," Leila said.
"Heard all about that Gryffindor and Hufflepuff match last year. Told Ced here that'll be a story to tell his grandchildren someday…tell 'em that he beat Harry Potter," Amos furthered.
"Dad, I told you that Harry fell off his broom," Cedric began. "It was an accident…the dementors…"
"Yes, but you didn't fall off your broom, did you?" Amos said as he threw his arm around his son's shoulder. "Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman…"
Amos Diggory began to carry on about Cedric as he walked toward Mr. Weasley. Cedric turned to Leila with a look of embarrassment on his face. He then looked to Harry, who had been standing near Ron listening in on their conversation. Cedric mouthed an apology to Harry, but Harry turned toward Ron instead of responding. Cedric sighed and looked to Leila once more.
"Sorry 'bout him," Cedric whispered.
"I'm not the one you need to worry about," Leila responded.
"Harry hates me doesn't he?" Cedric asked.
"I wouldn't necessarily say hate, more like a very strong dislike; but it could be worse," Leila shrugged.
"How so?" Cedric furthered.
"You could be Malfoy," Leila smirked.
"Very true," Cedric chuckled.
"This way!" Mr. Weasley shouted.
The group then began walking again as Mr. Weasley and Mr. Diggory took the lead. Leila and Cedric brought up the rear of the group. Every once in a while, Leila could see Ron's head slightly turn around and look at her walking with Cedric; but she shrugged it off as she continued to talk to her friend.
"I really do hope you won't hold what my dad said about your brother against me," Cedric said.
"Of course not, but it does make me curious as to why your dad didn't bring up last year's Slytherin and Hufflepuff match," Leila smirked.
"Maybe it has something to do with one of Slytherin's Chasers, whom I happen to be walking with, scoring all those points and a blonde-headed git beating me to the Snitch," Cedric said.
"Hmm…I'd say your guess is pretty accurate," Leila laughed.
"You think?" Cedric chuckled. "Still pains me to think about it."
Cedric pretended to pound at his heart which caused Leila to snort. Harry and Ron looked back at them before Harry turned Ron away as they started up the hill.
"I think it's at the top of the hill, here," Cedric said.
"What is?" Leila asked.
"The Portkey," Cedric answered.
Leila nodded her head. She knew from her studies that a Portkey was an enchanted object designed to instantly bring anyone touching it to a predetermined, specific location. She also knew that normally, Portkeys were everyday objects that wouldn't draw attention to Muggles and they could transport more than one person at a time. While Leila had never traveled by Portkey before, she already preferred it than having to walk or take some form of Muggle transportation all the way to the Quidditch World Cup. Although she did have to admit that she was somewhat nervous to travel this way. From what she read, it was a very safe way to travel; but still many what-ifs plagued her thoughts.
"Found it!" Fred called from the top of the hill.
"We don't want to be late," Cedric said.
Leila nodded before she took a deep breath as she jogged up the hill to catch up with the rest of the group, Cedric not far behind her. Leila ran past Harry whom she gave a proper shove with a grin on her face which sent him hurtling into Ron. Leila laughed as Ron caught Harry before her ginger-haired friend took off after her leaving Harry to find his balance. When they reached the top of the hill, Leila found Fred, George, and Ginny already standing around an old boot. Cedric stopped next to Leila, but Ron squeezed himself in between them.
"Get yourself into a good position!" Mr. Weasley commanded.
"Got mine," Ron said.
George snickered across from them as Harry stopped on the other side of Leila.
"Why are we standing around this manky old boot?" Harry asked.
"It's not just any manky old boot, mate; it's a Portkey," Fred answered.
"A Portkey?" Harry continued.
"You clearly don't pay attention in Charms class," Leila retorted.
"Time to go! You just need to touch the Portkey, that's all…a finger will do," Mr. Diggory said.
All ten of them bent over to lay on the grass with their bulky packs on them. Leila felt squished between Ron and her brother as she reached out a finger for the boot. Just to be safe, Leila curled her finger around one of the laces before she exhaled the breath she had been holding in. Leila turned toward Ron, who smiled at her but she looked right past him toward Cedric who offered her a reassuring nod and smile. Then Mr. Diggory began the countdown.
"Five…four…three…"
"Harry!" Mr. Weasley shouted.
Leila turned her head to see her brother finally reach his hand for the boot as Mr. Diggory finished the countdown. When Mr. Diggory got to one, Leila tightly closed her eyes right before it happened. There was a tug at her navel, feeling like she was being pulled forward. She could feel her body being lifted off the ground, which caused her to scream. Thankfully, she wasn't the only one. Granger's and Ron's voices all joined hers rippling through the air, although she couldn't tell if they were screaming for the same reason she was. Leila could feel Harry's and Ron's bodies slamming into her tiny frame, which made her rather thankful that she was clutching the shoe lace. Laughter and shouts of joy began to replace the screams of fear which caused Leila to open her eyes. This didn't seem too bad.
"All right kids, let go!" Mr. Weasley said.
"What?" Hermione and Leila gasped simultaneously.
"Let go!" Mr. Weasley shouted.
With her open hand, Leila reached for the hand closest to her own: her brother's. She tightly clutched his hand before she closed her eyes and released the old boot. Her screams once again escaped her lips and echoed through the air as she could feel her body free-falling; but she was rather thankful that her brother only held tighter onto her hand. Suddenly, Harry's body slammed to the ground and Leila's landed on top of his. They both groaned as Leila muttered an apology to her brother. She pushed herself off her brother only to collapse against the grass on her back. There was no way she was going to be able to force herself up after a fall like that. Her eyes glanced upward to see Mr. Weasley, Mr. Diggory, and Cedric gently floating downward while the rest of them lay flat against the ground.
"I bet that cleared your sinuses, eh?" Mr. Weasley laughed.
Cedric landed right in front of her and offered her his hand, which she willingly accepted. Leila blushed as their hands met, but the moment was over when she was on her feet again because Cedric then offered his hand to Harry. Harry looked at Cedric's hand for a moment before he looked to his sister who rolled her eyes. Harry then took Cedric's hand as the older boy helped him to his feet. Harry gruffly muttered his thanks before he purposely pushed his shoulder into Cedric as he walked toward Ron. Leila groaned before she and Cedric followed after Mr. Weasley toward two grumpy old wizards dressed as Muggles; or at least they were trying to, but not very well.
"Morning, Basil," Mr. Weasley greeted.
Mr. Weasley handed the man he greeted their boot, which the old man tossed into a large box. As Mr. Weasley engaged the man in conversation; Leila peeked into the box and noticed an old newspaper, empty drink cans, a flattened football, hangers…She assumed that all these items had been used as Portkeys to get to the Quidditch World Cup. The man in front of her searched the parchment for their campsite.
"Weasley…Weasley," the man said as he scanned the parchment. "About a quarter of a mile's walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager's called Mr. Roberts."
"Thanks, Basil," Mr. Weasley smiled.
"And where are my boy and I?" Mr. Diggory asked.
"Diggory…Diggory," the man muttered with his nose practically against the parchment. "Second field…ask for Mr. Payne."
Mr. Diggory shook the man called Basil's hand before the group set off once more, but this time through a deserted moor. It was hard to see anything in front of them through the mist. Several times Leila's clumsiness got the better of her as she ran into those closest to her. Finally, after about twenty minutes they came upon a small stone cottage that was marked with a #1. Just beyond it, the shapes of hundreds and hundreds of tents came into view through the mist. Leila knew that the Quidditch World Cup was a big deal, but never did she imagine that it would be this big. This was only the first site. How many others were there just like it? Mr. Weasley stopped at the small cottage as the Diggory's said their goodbyes.
"I'll be seeing you," Cedric smiled at Leila.
Leila pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear as she smiled and nodded at Cedric. In the corner of her eyes, Leila could see Harry with his arms folded across his chest and a look of disgust on his face. Cedric and his father walked away as Mr. Weasley walked toward the man in the doorway. Leila could tell that this man was a Muggle and had nothing knowingly to do with the Wizarding world. Mr. Weasley cleared his throat before the man turned to him.
"Morning!" Mr. Weasley smiled.
"Morning," the man muttered.
"Would you be Mr. erm—Roberts?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"Aye, that I would," Mr. Roberts answered. "And who might you be?"
"Weasley, booked a couple of days ago?" Mr. Weasley said, trying to jog the man's memory.
The Muggle man turned to a list he had tacked on the door.
"Aye," Mr. Roberts said. "You've got a space up there by the wood. Just one night, eh?"
"That's it," Mr. Weasley responded.
"You'll be paying now?" Mr. Roberts asked.
"Ah—yes-certainly," Mr. Weasley answered.
Mr. Weasley motioned to the man that he'd need a moment before he turned around with a somewhat frantic look on his face. He looked to Leila who had been standing the closest to him and motioned her closer to him. Leila reluctantly took a few steps as Mr. Weasley pulled out a roll of his Muggle money. Mr. Weasley muttered for Leila to help him as he started peeling the notes apart.
"How much do you need?" Leila whispered.
Mr. Weasley didn't respond, but Leila looked to a sign near the door which told the rates per person. Leila mentally tabulated how much it was going to cost before she whispered the amount to Mr. Weasley. Mr. Weasley nodded his head as if he understood, but he was still clearly having trouble telling the notes apart.
"This one is a—a—a ten? Yes, yes it is. I see the little number right there. So this is a five?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"Actually, it's a twenty," Leila whispered. "Here, let me get it for you."
Leila quickly picked out the proper notes for Mr. Weasley and handed them to him as discreetly as possible before she rolled the others up and handed those back which he immediately placed back in his pocket. Mr. Weasley muttered his thanks as he walked back to Mr. Roberts. He handed the Muggle man the money and held his hand out as if he was waiting for change, but the man didn't give him any change and instead urged him into a conversation.
"You foreign?" Mr. Roberts asked.
"Foreign?" Mr. Weasley asked in a puzzled tone.
"You're not the first one who's had trouble with money," Mr. Roberts said as he pushed his nose closer to Mr. Weasley. "I had to try and pay me with great gold coins the size of hubcaps ten minutes ago."
"Did you really?" Mr. Weasley asked nervously.
"Never been this crowded," the man continued. "Hundreds of pre-bookings. People usually just turn up…"
"Is that right?" Mr. Weasley said, his voice sounding rather tight.
"Aye. People from all over. Loads of foreigners," Mr. Roberts started.
"Family reunion," Leila blurted out. "One big family reunion."
"Huh, well they're not just foreigners. There's some weirdos too,"
"Every family has them," Leila said. "Whether we claim them or not."
"Just so you know there's one bloke walking around in a kilt and poncho?" Mr. Roberts asked. "A freak if I ever did see one…"
Just then, a wizard whom Leila was sure was in charge of security appeared out of thin air right next to Leila and startled her, but the man pointed his wand at Mr. Roberts and Obliviated him. The Muggle's eyes went out of focus and a dreamy look fell over his face. Leila looked to her brother because they both recognized the symptoms as that of one who had their memory modified. Mr. Roberts handed Mr. Weasley a map and his change in a rather docile tone. The security wizard ushered them toward the gate of the campsite. As he walked with them, he complained about Mr. Roberts needing Memory Charms at least ten times a day and about Ludo Bagman who had a habit of running his mouth about magical things in front of Muggles. Leila knew that Mr. Bagman once played for the Wimbourne Wasps as a Beater, probably one of the best to ever have graced the game of Quidditch; but what he was doing now Leila wasn't exactly sure until Ginny mentioned that the man was the Head of Magical Games and Sports.
The group trudged through the field between the seemingly countless rows of tents. Some of them had taken the security ordinances seriously, making their campsites looking as Muggle-like as possible while others had made careless mistakes. Leila chuckled and pointed out to her brother one tent with a chimney on it while he showed her one with a weather vane. Clearly, some wizards were just as uneducated Muggles. It was no wonder Mr. Roberts was getting suspicious; but what probably made the man this way were some of the more extravagant camp sites. One tent looked like a miniature silk version of the Taj Mahal with peacocks tethered to the entrance. Another tent was three stories tall and yet another had a small garden attached to the front complete with a birdbath, sundial, and fountain.
"Mr. Weasley, I thought the rules were to be incognito as possible," Leila said.
"Yes well, it's always the same, Leila," Mr. Weasley said smiling. "Some of us can't resist showing off when we get together. And look here, this is us."
Mr. Weasley smiled contentedly as he pointed to an empty plot with a sign labeled "Weezly" pounded into the ground.
"Dad how far are we from the pitch?" Ron asked.
"Right on the other side of that wood, Ron," Mr. Weasley said.
"So far?" Ron asked.
"We're as close as we could be," Mr. Weasley responded. "Now, we'll need to do this the Muggle way; putting the tents up by hand. It shouldn't be too difficult, eh? Muggles do it all the time. Now, where to start?"
Mr. Weasley looked to Harry and Leila who both shrugged. They had never been camping. There had only been two times when they had been allowed to go anywhere with the Dursleys. The first time being Piers Polkiss' birthday party where she had nearly drowned and the other had been Dudley's birthday when they had gone to the zoo and Harry set a boa constrictor loose. Strange things always seemed to happen when the Potter twins went with the Dursleys, which did not fit into the "normal" life the Durselys led. Often times, Leila and Harry were forced to stay with Mrs. Figg whose house was covered with cats and crocheted tea cozies. Then, like usual, Hermione began to tell them what to do.
"Dad and I usually put the tent together," Hermione said. "Harry grab that pole there, Ron…"
"If she thinks she can tell me what to do…" Leila muttered.
"She has enough boys to do the work for her. I think you're safe," Ginny winked.
Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Mr. Weasley listened to Hermione's instructions while Ginny and Leila sat on the grass watching them attempt to put the tent together. Leila tried to drone out Granger going on about her prior camping trips…Forest of Dean blah blah blah…Considering the size of that tent, she might be able to get away with accidentally strangling or suffocating the girl in her sleep. Leila smirked at the thought; but she knew that was never going to happen. Besides, she may be in Slytherin but she didn't condone killing people. When the boys finally finished setting the tent up, they took a step back to admire their work. Ron walked over and stood beside Leila who was still seated on the grass.
"Home, sweet home," Mr. Weasley smiled.
"It wasn't as hard as Hermione said it was," Ron said to Leila.
Leila shook her head because more than once she had seen Ron struggling with his end of things and Granger ended up doing it for him. Mr. Weasley gently patted the canvas on the tent .
"Do we have another tent?" Hermione asked.
"No, so we'll be a bit cramped with so many of us," Mr. Weasley said. "But I think we'll all be able to squeeze right in. Let's have a look, shall we?"
Mr. Weasley dropped to his hands and knees and entered the tent. Harry, Leila, and Hermione all looked to each other. They all had the same thought: how were they going to fit? This was a Muggle tent built for two people, not ten. When Leila first saw the tent, she thought that it might have been a tent for the girls; but all of them? The Weasleys didn't appear to have the same concern because they simply followed their father into the tent. Hermione followed in after Ginny leaving Harry and Leila standing outside.
"Ladies first," Harry said.
Leila raised an eyebrow at her brother as he pushed her into the tent. She tumbled into the tent but thankfully one she was inside the tent, she found an armchair to brace herself against to keep from falling. Wait, an armchair? Leila's eyes widened at the sight of the tent before her. The outside of the tent gave this place no justice: the inside was rather huge. Obviously the place had some enchantments on it; but when Mr. Weasley sad that they'd be cramped, she thought he meant literally.
"Ron, get out of the kitchen; we're all hungry," Mr. Weasley called before he went to reprimand the twins for having their feet on the table.
Bloody hell! The place had a kitchen. From what she could see, it looked like there were two rooms with bunks, a kitchen, a bathroom, not to mention the sitting room that they were already standing in. Granted, the décor wasn't much to be desired. Just like Mrs. Figg's house, there were crocheted covers over the mismatched furniture, not to mention that it even had the strong smell of cats; but Leila would take this place over number four Privet Drive any day. Leila looked to her brother who was actually showing the amazement on his face.
"I love magic," Harry whispered.
"You'd think the amazement would have worn off by now," Leila quipped.
"You can't tell me that you don't…" Harry began.
"I never said that," Leila hissed. "I was just saying that even after three years, sometimes it still feels like the first time all over again."
"Oh," Harry muttered. "Yeah, it does."
Leila looked to her brother and rolled her eyes as she gave him a playful shove in return for pushing her in. She then saw the bunk area Ginny had walked into with Granger. Assuming that was where the girls were sleeping, Leila took her rucksack and walked up the few steps to find Granger sitting on the bottom bunk of one of the beds, while Ginny had climbed to the top bunk. Leila threw her rucksack onto the top bunk of the other set of bunks. She was just about to climb up when Ron called for them.
"Leila, Hermione, c'mon," Ron called.
Leila looked to Hermione Granger and rolled her eyes. She quickly walked past the girl to find Harry and Ron standing near the entrance to the tent with a map and a metal pail.
"What d'you want?" Leila groaned.
"Dad wants us to get some water for anti-Muggle security," Ron said.
"And that has what to do with me?" Leila asked.
"Just figured you'd want to have a look around," Ron shrugged.
Ron looked to her with a rather hopeful look on his face, which caused Leila to sigh. She supposed it couldn't hurt anything to go with them. Besides, maybe she'd run into some of her school friends. Not that she didn't love spending time with Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George; but she really hoped that maybe they'd be able to run into Cedric again. Leila agreed as Ron opened the flap to the tent for her, Harry, and Hermione to walk out. They began to walk toward the water tap and Ron jogged to catch up to Leila so he could walk on the other side of her. Ron clumsily swung the pail, hitting Leila in the leg. She looked to him but he wouldn't make eye contact with her and was blushing furiously.
"Sorry," Ron muttered.
"Just don't do it again," Leila retorted.
Ron nodded his head as they began to walk by witches and wizards who clearly weren't as concerned about the anti-Muggle security as Mr. Weasley was. They walked past two little girls riding toy broomsticks. Granted, they only rose high enough for the girls feet to skim the grass; but nevertheless, a Ministry wizard spotted them and walked straight for them. They continued to walk toward the water tap as they walked by a group with star-spangled banner that read: The Salem Witches Institute. Just beyond the group of middle-aged American women gossiping, there was a group of American boys. Leila made eye contact with one of them who winked at her which caused her to blush and giggle. She was forced to look away when Harry yanked her by the arm.
"That hurts," Leila hissed.
"Good, then maybe you won't do it again," Harry hissed back.
"What's got your wand in a knot," Leila retorted.
Harry didn't respond because Ron stopped them as it seemed like their surroundings were completely green. The tents they walked by were covered in shamrocks. They hardly looked like tents at all, rather short, oddly shaped hills. Then out of one of the tents in front of them walked out Seamus Finnigan, one of Harry's roommates, and Dean Thomas, another one of Harry's roommates. Seamus spotted them and strode toward them.
"Harry! Ron! Hermione!" Seamus greeted. "…and you."
"I have a name you know," Leila retorted.
"Yeah, I know that. I just choose not to use it," Seamus quipped.
"Well, you know what…" Leila began.
"Leila," Harry hissed.
"I—I.." Leila stumbled. "Can see when I'm not wanted."
Leila narrowed her eyes at Seamus Finnigan before she spun around and walked away from them. Ron called after her, but she ignored him and kept walking. Seamus Finnigan was a prat. He never even gave her a fair chance since she was in Slytherin, not that she had actually given him one. But things had been tense between them since second year when Finnigan accused her of being the Heir of Slytherin. And when Granger was petrified it seemed to add fuel to his fire because he knew that she didn't like the girl. Thankfully, Harry didn't believe his roommate's claims; but that didn't stop most of the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws from believing him. But what irked her the most was that when it came out that she wasn't the Heir of Slytherin, Finnigan didn't even attempt to apologize to her.
As Leila stormed away, she didn't even notice where she had been walking. She stomped past an area with posters of the Bulgarain Seeker Viktor Krum plastered over their tents. Her anger still seethed within her. Not only was she mad at Finnigan; but she was upset that neither Harry nor Ron had chased after her. Sure, Ron had called for her; but one of them should have come with her. Who knew what kind of creeps she might run into. Just then, an arm snaked around her from behind causing her to scream.
"Bloody hell, Leila," the voice behind her said. "You could give the Bandon Banshee a run for her Galleons."
Leila turned around to see a familiar blonde. She smiled and threw her arms around her friend, Daphne Greengrass. Daphne chuckled as she hugged Leila back.
"I completely forgot you were going to be here," Leila said.
"Of course you did. You were probably too busy to think of me knowing that Cedric was also going to be here," Daphne teased.
"Sh!" Leila shushed.
"No one's going to hear me," Daphne said rolling her eyes. "But enough of Cedric, when did you get here?"
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I came with him this morning," Leila responded.
"I swear if I have to hear another story about him…" Daphne began.
"I thought you didn't mind Cedric; besides, he's my friend," Leila argued.
"Yeah, just like Draco thinks of you as his friend," Daphne smirked.
"I won't talk about Cedric if you promise not to talk about Malfoy. Deal?" Leila asked.
"I'm not making any promises," Daphne retorted.
"Why not?" Leila questioned.
"Because then this wouldn't be any fun," Daphne chuckled. "Turn around."
Leila turned her head to see a platinum-blonde teenage boy dressed in black walking toward them. Her eyes widened as she turned around and looked to Daphne pointedly. The last thing she wanted to do was spend any time with Draco Malfoy. Leila only hoped that Draco would mistake her for Astoria, Daphne's younger sister, but given the rate he was steadily walking in their direction, she doubted he thought so. Draco Malfoy had been a pain in her arse since she met him on the Hogwarts Express, and that was putting it gently.
"You did this on purpose," Leila whispered.
"It's not like I told him you were here. I just found you myself," Daphne responded.
Leila turned around once more to see Draco waving in their direction.
"Leila Potter, is that you?" Draco called.
"No!" Leila called back before she threw her hands over her mouth. That was clearly the wrong response. "Shoot. Go. Go. GO!"
Leila pushed Daphne forward as they began running through the crowd of people. The girls giggled loudly as they weaved in and out of the World Cup spectators. Leila could hear whispers of her name along with "The Girl Who Lived;" but really she thought the name to be a mistake. She didn't have a scar like her brother; well at least not a magical one. She did however have plenty of scars from her clumsiness, including a faint one on one of her knuckles. When the girls thought they had finally outrun Draco, they stopped at a tent selling sweets, nearly out of breath.
"That was fun," Leila said breathing heavily.
"While I agree with you; you shouldn't have run. You know as well as I do that Draco loves a good chase," Daphne panted.
"He'll find me soon enough at Hogwarts, which is all too soon if you ask me," Leila wheezed.
"He's really not that bad," Daphne argued.
"Well, he hasn't been chasing you for the last three year now has he?" Leila retorted.
"I bet if you'd give him a chance, he'd stop chasing," Daphne said.
"The day I give Draco Malfoy a chance is the day I go against everything I believe in," Leila said.
"What you believe in or what your brother believes in?" Daphne furthered.
Leila looked pointedly to her friend before she took a few steps away to examine the sweets in the tent. She picked up a container of Charm Cho and pretended to look at it rather intensely. While she loved her best friend, there were two somewhat sore spots for them: Draco and Harry. She knew that Daphne had been friends with Draco Malfoy since practically birth and for some reason, her friend had a certain interest in the two of them. Daphne's issue with Harry on the other hand was that she thought Harry manipulated his sister. Leila thought her friend's accusation was a load of bullock. She didn't always do things for Harry or do everything Harry did or believe things just because Harry did. She was more than capable of thinking and acting on her own. Besides, if Harry was as manipulating as Daphne claimed, she'd probably be friends with Granger by now. Daphne walked up to Leila. Leila knew that her friend hadn't meant to provoke her.
"Did you want to share a package of Droobles with me?" Daphne asked.
"Yeah," Leila said with a smile.
"Good," Daphne grinned back. "Because we have much to discuss."
Daphne paid for a package of Droobles Best Blowing Gum before the girls exited the tent and wandered through the rows and rows of tents. The girls walked and chatted about their summers and the subject every teenage girl loves: boys. For the most part, Leila kept her mouth shut; but Daphne was not shy about the subject. Currently, her best friend fancied Miles Bletchley, who was a year ahead of them at Hogwarts and in their House, not to mention that he was the Keeper for the Slytherin Quidditch team.
"I may need you to explain everything about Quidditch to me before the match starts. We're seated with the Bletchleys and I don't want to look like an utter fool in front of Miles," Daphne said.
"You do realize you were the one raised in the Wizarding world, right?" Leila chuckled.
"I never paid any mind to Quidditch; where are you sitting?" Daphne asked.
"Not exactly sure. I was just simply grateful Mr. Weasley invited Harry and I to come along," Leila said.
"Now about the players…" Daphne began.
"He'll probably be too interested in the match to talk much; but if he does talk to you just tell him that your favorite player is Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker. Bletchley will likely drone on for hours about him meaning he'll do all the talking and you will hardly have to," Leila said.
"Viktor Krum," Daphne muttered to herself. "Viktor Krum."
"But I'd suggest you not drool over him in front of Bletchley if you're trying to impress him; although, I can't say that he won't be drooling himself," Leila retorted.
"Leila, there you are! Been looking all over for you!" a voice said from behind.
Leila turned around to see Fred and George walking straight toward her. Daphne and Leila said their goodbyes as Fred and George walked Leila back to the tent. Apparently, when Ron, Harry, and Hermione returned to the tent and they didn't find Leila; they sent Fred and George out to find her. Leila hadn't realized exactly how far she had wandered away until Fred and George walked her back. When they walked into the tent, Leila instantly spotted man dressed rather stiffly. He looked to be a rather serious person; but Percy Weasley moved forward.
"Mr. Crouch, this is Leila Potter," Percy introduced.
"Leila, pleased to meet you," Crouch said dryly. "Weatherby has told me about you."
"Weatherby?" Leila questioned.
As Fred and George choked back their laughter, Leila looked to Percy whose face was flushed and then she understood. She mouthed "oh" and nodded her head, also trying to keep herself from bursting into laughter. So this was the infamous Mr. Crouch. The man did appear to look important; but he also looked to be rather boring. Just from her first impression of the man, she couldn't imagine working for him; but Percy was determined to work his way up in the Ministry. Kissing arse must come with the territory and it was something Percy was rather good at. Leila also noticed a second unknown man in the room; but he didn't stay unknown for long as he came up to her and vigorously shook her hand.
"Leila Potter, can't tell you what a pleasure it is to meet you. I've heard that you possess some Quidditch skills like your brother," the man said. "Oh heavens me, where are my manners? I'm Ludo Bagman."
"Hello," Leila said awkwardly.
"Well—erm—I expect you'll both be glad when this is over?" Mr. Weasley said to relieve the awkwardness from Leila.
"Glad! I don't know when I've had more fun!" Ludo began. "Although, the best is yet to come as they say. Plenty left to organize, eh Barty?"
"We agreed not to make any announcements until…" Crouch began.
"They've agreed, haven't they?" Bagman argued. "But I bet these kids will know soon enough anyway. It is happening at Hogwarts after all."
"Ludo, we have business that needs attending to before the match begins," Crouch said rather sharply. "Thank you for the tea, Weatherby."
With that Mr. Crouch led Ludo Bagman from their tent.
"What's happening at Hogwarts, Dad?" Fred asked.
"You'll find out soon enough," Mr. Weasley smiled.
"It's classified information…" Percy began.
"Oh shut up, Weatherby," Fred said.
The hours until the match seemed to tick by slowly; yet their anticipation continued to build. Leila stayed inside the tent and played a game of Exploding Snap with Fred, George, and Ginny while Bill and Charlie played a game of Wizard's Chess. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had gone outside to buy merchandise from one of the Apparating salesmen; but Leila had flat out refused to go with them. She didn't want to take a chance of running into Draco Malfoy again. She already had one close call and she didn't need another. When Harry came back, he tossed Leila a green rosette, a small Irish flag, and a pair of Omnioculars. She thanked her brother and stuck her plunder beside her as she finished the game of Exploding Snap. The group sat talking for a while until Mr. Weasley came back inside with a contagious look of excitement on his face before he addressed the group.
"It's time! Come on, let's go!"