Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.
Thanks again to my wonderful reviewers! I will give you one hint about one of the characters I am planning to kill off at the end of sixth year. It is not a main character, but yes, it is one of the characters who died in canon. But please don't worry about that yet!
One of my reviewers mentioned that Harry did not invite Hermione himself to the party. You're right, but it was an automatic assumption on my part that since he knew she would be staying with the Weasleys, her being invited was of course the case.
A couple of lines in this chapter are taken from Goblet of Fire, the movie. I thought them hilarious and so decided to include them.
Please enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 10: The Quidditch World Cup
A few mornings later, Sirius and Remus woke Harry. "It's time to get going!" Remus said cheerfully. "We're going to the Quidditch World Cup!"
They got up and had a spot of breakfast, and then they walked up to where their portkey would be taking them to the site where the cup was. When Sirius and Remus explained to Harry what a portkey was, he was fascinated with the new mode of transportation.
"We've set up a spot right next to the Weasleys, you'll be happy to know," Sirius grinned. "Arthur told me their portkey will be arriving just before ours. So we will see them just after we get there."
"Cool!" said Harry. When they arrived at where the portkey was, they found an old basket sitting on the ground. "Is this it?" Harry asked curiously.
"Yes," said Remus. "We must all put our hands on it. It will be leaving in one minute."
So all three put their hands on the portkey, and in exactly a minute, they felt a tug behind their navel. Then they were whizzing into the air, and it was a very strange sensation to Harry. He could see sky whirling past him, and then, OOF!
He landed on the ground. His two guardians helped him to get to his feet. Also standing there were the Weasleys, and Cedric Diggory and his father.
"Hey, guys!" Harry exclaimed. "Good to see you!"
"What's up, Harry?" Cedric said. "You look a little dizzy. Never taken a portkey before?"
"Nah," Harry answered.
"It's great that we'll be staying at a Muggle campsite," said Mr. Weasley. "I heard they don't use eckeltricity when they're camping, though."
"Electricity," Hermione automatically corrected.
"Oh," said Mr. Weasley. "Well, I'll get it someday." He laughed.
The whole group started walking. They walked a little ways, and when they got to where they needed to be, they talked to the man who was helping them find their places. He was a Muggle whose last name was Roberts. Once they arrived, Sirius and Remus helped set up the tent. Sirius was finding it hard, and Remus couldn't help laughing at him. Harry had never been camping before; the Dursleys had of course never taken him, but he also helped the best he could.
It just so happened that the Diggorys were staying in the near vicinity, so it looked like everyone could just hang out together. When Harry's group had finished setting up the tent, Harry walked inside and was amazed by what he saw. Instead of a regular Muggle tent, it was like a house. There was a living room and a kitchen, and two bedrooms. It was absolutely mind-boggling. His guardians grinned at the look on his face.
"That's a magical tent for ya," Sirius beamed. "It's very different from an ordinary Muggle one. There's room to put all kinds of stuff in here."
"Isn't the stove in the kitchen fabulous?" Remus asked. "And the chairs and counter?"
"Yeah, I love magic," smiled Harry.
"How about we have lunch, then?" Sirius asked. "You can invite the Weasleys, Hermione, and Cedric and his father in here if you like."
"That'd be great!" Harry replied. When he asked them, they all said yes, so they trooped into the tent.
"Hey, I like this," said Cedric. "How're you doing, Mr. Black? Professor Lupin?"
"I told you at Harry's party, Cedric, you don't need to call me Mr. Black," Sirius said with a laugh. "You can be informal here. Just call me Sirius."
"And just call me Remus," said Remus. "I'm not your professor anymore."
"Okay, Sirius, Remus," Cedric said, grinning. "You've got two great guardians, Harry."
"Thanks. I couldn't agree more," said Harry.
"Let's eat then," said Ron. "I'm famished!"
"You're always hungry, Ron," chortled Fred.
"You'll be fat one day," chuckled George.
"Watch it, you two!" grumbled Ron.
Ginny smiled at Harry, and Harry smiled back. Sirius and Remus started setting up the food. They were having sausages, mashed potatoes, and baked beans. They all ate, with Ron of course eating the most vigorously. "Loo'in' forwar' to the cup?" he mumbled.
"Couldn't hear you, Ron," Remus said, the corners of his mouth twitching up. "What did you say?"
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Ronald," Hermione couldn't resist saying.
"If Mum were here, she'd kill you," said Ginny.
Arthur chuckled. "Yes, Ron. Be polite."
Ron swallowed with difficulty. "Looking forward to the cup?" he repeated himself.
"Yes, I am," said Cedric. "I can't wait to see what professional Quidditch is like!"
"You've never been to a game before?" said Fred.
"Not to a World Cup game," Cedric smiled. Finally, the other members of the Gryffindor team didn't seem to be holding a grudge against him anymore.
"We have been to other matches," Mr. Diggory said. "But we've heard that the World Cup games can be very dirty. I wonder what mascots both teams are bringing today."
"Yeah, it's Bulgaria against Ireland," Mr. Weasley said cheerfully. "Viktor Krum'll be playing!"
"Krum! Krum! Krum!" the twins chanted.
"Yeah, he flies like a bird," Ron grinned.
"I think you're in love, Ron," Ginny said jokingly.
"Oh, shut up, Gin," Ron said, stabbing at a sausage with his fork.
"Ronald! Don't be so rude!" Hermione reprimanded.
The meal went on, with light chatter amongst everyone. They talked mostly about Quidditch, until Charlie said, "After this, I'll be seeing you Hogwarts students sooner than you think."
"Charlie!" cried Percy, scandalized. "You are not supposed to tell them! They are not supposed to know the information until the Ministry sees fit to release it."
"What information?" said Fred at once.
"Until the Ministry sees fit to release what?" said George.
"Never you mind," said Percy. "Something big's happening at Hogwarts this year, but you're not supposed to know."
"Oh, come on!" said Ron. "Tell us, Perce, please?"
"No," said Percy, putting his foot down. "Now all of you, take your minds off of it and keep them on the game."
"The Ministry's been in an uproar lately, hasn't it, Dad?" Cedric said after a moment of silence. The twins kept glaring at Percy every now and then, and Percy kept glaring at Charlie.
"Yes, it has," Mr. Diggory said. "Ever since the whole Crouch incident, and then those Death Eaters escaping Azkaban, it's been up in arms."
"I was very disappointed in Mr. Crouch," interjected Percy. "I thought that a man of such high esteem would not carry out something just because his wife asked him to."
"But he loved her!" said Ginny.
"It doesn't matter, Ginny," said Percy stiffly. "He let a dangerous criminal out of Azkaban, and now he's had to pay the price for it."
"Percy Weasley, what a terrible thing to say!" exclaimed his father. "You cannot say that Mr. Crouch's death was all his own fault! We don't even know whether it was his son who killed him!" Of course, Harry knew that it was, but as promised, Dumbledore had not told the guards and the Ministry every single bit of information Harry had given him.
"I think it was very brave of Mr. Crouch to do as his wife asked," said Bill. "I don't think in the long run that it was the right thing to do, but it's done now, and unfortunately he's now dead."
Percy didn't say anything, but he looked at Bill and his father in a way that suggested he deeply disagreed with them.
After a little while, everyone went to go look around some little stores that were near the site. In the stores were pairs of omnioculars, and little models of the Irish and Bulgarian players.
"I'm getting this one," said Ron at once. He held up a little figurine of Viktor Krum. "I have the money for it, Dad. Can I get it?"
"Sure," said Mr. Weasley.
"Harry, do you want anything?" asked Sirius.
"What do these do?" asked Harry, looking at a pair of omnioculars.
"These are called omnioculars," explained Remus. "You put them on, and they show you the match as if you're seeing it right up close. There are rewind, faster, and slower buttons on the side of them. The rewind button does just what it implies: it rewinds so you can see what happened in an earlier part of the game. The faster and slower buttons can show you the moves the players make at a very fast or slow rate."
"That's really interesting," said Harry, fascinated. "Ron, would you like a pair? Fred? George? Ginny? Hermione? Cedric?"
"That's awfully nice of you," said Mr. Diggory. "But we've actually got our own."
Mr. Weasley beamed at Harry. "That's all right," he said. "Our family doesn't need any."
"Oh, come on!" Harry insisted. "I can buy them for you, it's no problem!"
The Weasleys kept refusing, but Harry kept persisting. In the end, they let him buy a few pairs for them.
Then, a bell chimed. "Time to get into the stadium!" said Mr. Weasley excitedly. "The match is going to begin soon!"
"All right!" said the twins, beaming, and everyone trooped out of the store. "I can't wait to see Ludo Bagman," said Fred. "He'll be in the top box with us, right?"
"Yep," said Mr. Diggory.
"Who's Ludo Bagman?" asked Harry.
"He's the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports," Cedric said. "He'll be commentating the match today."
"That's right," said Charlie. "Are you sitting in the top box with us too, Mr. Diggory?"
"Yes, Cedric and I are joining you all," Mr. Diggory answered.
It took them a little while to get to the stadium, and once they arrived, they had to climb up to the top box. It was a long way up, but everyone admired the view. Once they arrived, they all sat in their seats. Harry sat with Ron on one side and Sirius on the other.
As he looked around, he found that there were plenty of other people sitting in the box with them. Unfortunately, three of these individuals were people he didn't like at all. Sirius noticed these people too, and started scowling. Ron balled his hands into fists and glared at one of them. The person he was glaring at was none other than Draco Malfoy. His mother and father were sitting on either side of him.
Narcissa Malfoy had a sullen look on her face, and she was looking at Hermione as though she were an insect. "Hello, hello, hello," said Lucius Malfoy. "It's the Weasleys. And you, Diggory, is it? And ah ... yes ... Harry Potter, with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin." He made a face at Remus. He of course knew now that Remus was a werewolf; Draco had probably blabbed to him about it. Remus paid him no mind, however, and looked calmly back at the blond-haired man.
"Weasley," said Draco. "And Granger and Potter. And oh, yes, Diggory. Bet Potter still can't get over the fact you beat him last year, right, Potter?"
"That's enough, Malfoy," Harry scowled. He smiled at Cedric, telling him there were no hard feelings. Malfoy just smirked at Harry and sat back in his seat.
More people poured into the stadium. It was amazing how many people were at this game! There seemed to be thousands and thousands of them. Music was playing, and Harry could see the pitch down below. It looked spectacular.
A few minutes later, a man wearing yellow-and-black striped Quidditch robes came bouncing into the box. He looked like a strongly built man who had slightly gone to seed. Also on his robes was a picture of a wasp. "That's Ludo Bagman," Sirius whispered to Harry. "He also used to play for the Wimbourne Wasps many years ago. He was a Beater."
"Hello, everyone!" Bagman chirped. "Ready for the match?"
"You bet," Cedric said.
Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, strutted into the box. His eyes rested upon Harry immediately. "Harry, Harry, Harry!" he boomed, greeting him like an old friend. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, Minister," Harry said timidly. He never really knew how to act in front of such an important person.
"I'd like to introduce you to the Bulgarian and Irish Ministers of Magic," Fudge said, and Harry was made to shake hands with both of them. The Bulgarian Minister acted as though he couldn't understand a word Fudge was saying. So the Minister pointed a finger at Harry's scar, and then the other wizard seemed to understand. "I was never great shakes at languages," Fudge admitted. "It's a great shame what happened to Barty Crouch, a great shame. He could speak in nine different tongues."
"It is a shame," said Percy, vigorously shaking Fudge's hand. "How nice to see you, Minister."
"You as well, you as well," Fudge replied.
Ludo Bagman then whipped out his wand and cried, "Sonorus!" He waited a couple of seconds, and then he started to speak, his voice echoing around the stadium. Everyone quieted down. "Ladies and gentlemen!" he boomed. "Welcome, welcome, welcome, to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!"
The whole crowd began to holler and clap, and thousands of flags waved. National anthems started blaring, and it ended up as a very discordant noise. "And now, allow me to introduce, the Bulgarian team mascots!"
Within seconds, beautiful women came out onto the pitch. But they were more than beautiful, they were magnificent. "These are veela," Sirius whispered, growing excited. Harry started to feel dazed, and Ron jumped out of his seat, as did Sirius. The veela were making them do strange things, like jump up and down and stare at them, transfixed. Cedric seemed to be controlling himself, and Harry was trying his best, but he felt an incredible compulsion to also jump out of his seat along with Ron and Sirius. Remus was also keeping in control. "Sirius, sit down!" the werewolf hissed. Mr. Weasley was saying something similar to Ron. The two finally obeyed once the veela left the pitch. Angry and disappointed shouts filled the stadium; the crowd did not want the veela to disappear.
"And now, allow me to introduce the Irish team mascots!" bellowed Bagman, and leprechauns came out onto the pitch, throwing gold about. The Weasleys caught some, grinning amongst themselves.
"I'm sorry to tell you, Arthur," drawled Lucius Malfoy, "but that's leprechaun gold. It only lasts for about an hour, and then it disappears." Arthur looked disappointed at this revelation. He glowered at the Malfoys, like it was their fault.
Once the leprechauns left, Ludo Bagman shouted, "Now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the BULGARIAN National Quidditch Team! I give you-Dimitrov! Ivanova! Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAND-KRUM!"
Roars of approval went up from the Bulgarian supporters. "That's Krum!" Ron screamed as he pointed to the last figure that had come out onto the field. "Look, mate, that's Viktor Krum!"
"Cool!" Harry exclaimed. But the one thing that he noticed straightaway about Krum was the fact that he had a surly expression on his face.
"Now, here come the Irish National Quidditch Team!" Bagman yelled. "I present to you-Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND-LYNCH!"
Seven more figures zoomed out and took their positions on the pitch. Lynch was smaller than the rest of them; he was obviously the Irish team's Seeker. Bagman then introduced the referee, Hassan Mostafa.
"Now, let the game BEGIN!" he roared. The cheering was so loud it almost deafened Harry.
Then the game was on! Harry sped up and slowed down his omnioculars as it progressed. Professional Quidditch was nothing like he'd imagined. The players were so quick, it was unbelievable! The match was also quite dirty, as predicted. The players tried to cheat, resulting in Mostafa blowing the whistle a number of times. Poor Aiden Lynch, the Irish Seeker, fell off his broom twice, because Viktor Krum did what was called a Wronski Feint and caught him off-guard. Ron was screaming himself hoarse, and Cedric was also letting go of his inhibitions and yelling out for his team. Everyone Harry was with was supporting Ireland, although they couldn't help but admire Viktor Krum.
The score now read 160-120, Ireland. "If Krum catches the Snitch now, Bulgaria will win by 110 points!" said Ron angrily. "I want Ireland to win!"
"Calm down, son," said Mr. Weasley. "It's only a game." But Ron didn't look so sure.
"Look, he's going for it!" screamed Hermione. "Krum's seen the Snitch!"
"Dammit!" Ron cursed, for sure enough, Hermione was right. Krum had seen the little golden winged ball, and Lynch was right behind him. But Krum was way too quick for him. Before anyone knew it, he had the Snitch in his hand, and Mostafa blew the whistle.
"BULGARIA WINS!" howled Bagman, and the veela came out onto the pitch and did a little dance. To the others' embarrassment, Ron and Sirius flew out of their seats again, dancing around in place. "SIT DOWN, SIRIUS!" Remus hollered above the noise. Harry couldn't help but laugh at the antics of his best mate and godfather. He didn't really care which team had won; he had just really enjoyed the game.
Once the veela left the pitch, Ron and Sirius came back to their senses. "I can't believe Bulgaria won!" cried Ron furiously. "But I have to say, Viktor Krum's one great player!"
"He should take that God-awful expression off his face though," said Fred. "He doesn't look like he's enjoying himself very much."
"You're right, dear brother," agreed George. "He looks like he's listening to a very boring teacher giving a lecture rather than playing Quidditch!"
The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent having fun and talking about the match. Harry watched it all over again on his omnioculars, and Fred, George, Ron, and Cedric enjoyed rehashing and talking about every move any of the players made. "I hope Lynch's all right," said Cedric. "I don't like to see anyone fall off their broom."
"He'll be fine, son," said Mr. Diggory reassuringly. "The mediwizards have it covered."
When everyone went to bed that night in their tents, they all felt very happy. Sirius and Remus told Harry that they would be going back to Marauder Place first thing in the morning. So Harry got ready for bed and snuggled under his sleeping bag. It was very comfortable.
xxx
It seemed like he'd only been sleeping a very short time, but suddenly he was shaken roughly. "Harry, get up, now!" he heard Sirius say. "Get up, Harry, no playing around. This is an emergency!"
Harry could hear screams in the distance. But they didn't sound like screams of celebration; they sounded like screams of terror. As quickly as he could, he got up and dressed. "Stay with us," Remus said urgently. "We have to see what's going on."
As they looked outside the tent, Harry and his guardians gasped. In the sky, they could see many green skulls with snakes protruding from their mouths. Dangling in the air was the Muggle man who had set up their tent that morning, along with what must be his wife and his two children. They were being dangled upside down by a bunch of hooded men and women who were wearing black robes and white masks. "It's the Death Eaters!" Sirius said in horror.
Then, something happened which Harry was not expecting, and it made him feel sick to his stomach. He knew they had to get out of there. As he watched, he saw one of the Death Eaters point his wand at one of the children and mutter a word. The child fell to the ground, screaming and writhing in agony. The Dark wizard held the curse for a few seconds, and then pointed his wand again, muttering a few more words. A blinding flash of green light burst out of his wand and hit the defenseless Muggle child in the chest. The little girl went limp and still. She didn't move again.
The Death Eater had killed her.