Hopefully my sister won't hate me too much, now that I've started to mention Dobby, her favourite character, though she'll be much happier when he's actually in the story. Tee hee hee, I have big plans for the little guy... =D
Please don't hate me, but I want to put up another chapter of 'Journey to the Past' and 'XS HSM' and maybe my FictionPress story before I put the next chapter of this up. I wonder how many people actually read these author notes anyway...I mean, I always do but...
If enough people ask for the next chapter, I'll post it, but I'd rather add at least one chapter to the other stories first.
Anyway, I hope you like it, and please R&R!
Chapter Four
On the way back to the tent we met a few more school mates, including Oliver Wood, who introduced us to his parents and told us he had been signed to a professional Quidditch team, as well as the other members of the Gryffindor team – Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson, who had replaced Oliver as captain.
"You've been ages." Fernando remarked when we finally made it back.
"We met a few people. You not got that fire started yet?" Fernando shook his head.
"I can do it – it'd be much quicker."
"Nah." Ricardo grinned, appearing beside his twin brother. "Dad's having fun with the matches."
There were several splintered matches littering the ground next to where Antonio was sitting cross-legged before the pile of firewood with a gleeful look on his face. As we watched, he managed to light one and promptly dropped it in surprise.
I showed him how to do it properly and at last we had a fire. Soon – with a little help from me – it was hot enough to cook on. We had just started to cook the sausages and eggs when Juan, Carlos and Pedro strolled out of the woods. "Ah, excellent, lunch!" Pedro declared when he saw what we were doing. With a little more help from me, the food was soon ready and we were halfway through our lunch when Antonio jumped to his feet.
"Aha!" he declared. "The man of the moment! Ludo!"
I had heard that Ludo Bagman used to play Quidditch himself and he seemed to have dug out his old robes for the occasion – yellow and black horizontal stripes.
"Ahoy there! Antonio, old man – what a day, eh? Could we have asked for more perfect weather?"
"Ah – yes," said Antonio, grinning, "this is my son, Pedro – he's just started at the Ministry – and this is Ricardo – no, Fernando, sorry – that's Ricardo – Juan, Carlos, Raimundo – my daughter, Maria – and Raimundo's friends Omi Greensburg, Clay Bailey and Kimiko Tohomiko." His eyes flickered to my scar. Typical. "Everyone, this is Ludo Bagman. It's thanks to him we've got such good tickets."
Bagman beamed. "Fancy a flutter on the match, Antonio?"
"Oh…go on, then. Let's see…a galleon on Ireland to win?"
"A galleon?" Was it just me or did Mr Bagman look disappointed? "Very well, very well…any other takers?"
"They're a bit young to be gambling," Antonio cut in quickly. "Carla wouldn't like-"
"We'll bet thirty-seven galleons, fifteen sickles, three knuts," said Ricardo as he and Fernando pooled their money, "that Ireland win – but Bulgaria get the snitch. Oh, and we'll throw in a fake wand."
"You don't want to go showing Mr Bagman rubbish like that-" Pedro hissed, but Mr Bagman took the wand and roared with laughter when it turned into a rubber chicken with a loud squawk. Pedro looked as if he had been stunned.
"Boys, I don't want you betting…that's all your savings…your mother-"
"Oh, don't be a spoilsport, Antonio! They're old enough to know what they want! So, you reckon Ireland will win but Krum will get the snitch? Not a chance, boys…not a chance…" Antonio watched helplessly as Mr Bagman wrote out the slip and handed it to the twins. "Haven't seen Barty Crouch, have you? I've hit a bit of a language barrier, see. Barty'll be able to sort it out. He speaks about a hundred and fifty languages."
"Mr Crouch? He speaks over two hundred!" Pedro had perked up at the mention of his beloved boss. "Mermish and Gobbledegook and Troll…"
"Anyone can speak Troll!" scoffed Ricardo dismissively. "All you have to do is point and grunt." Pedro glared.
"Any news of Bertha Jorkins yet, Ludo?"
"Not a dicky bird. But she'll turn up."
Rai and I exchanged worried glances. If my dream was real, she wouldn't be turning up anytime soon…
"You don't think it might be time to send someone to look for her?" Antonio suggested tentatively as Pedro handed out tea.
"Barty Crouch keeps saying that, but we really can't spare anyone at the moment. Oh – talk of the devil! Barty!"
Mr Crouch had just appeared by our fireside. It was obvious why Pedro idolised him so much. Pedro was a great believer of following the rules, and Barty Crouch looked like the sort of man who put a lot of stock into rules. He was even perfectly dressed as a muggle.
"Pull up a bit of grass, Barty." Mr Bagman said amiably.
"No thank you, Ludo." Mr Crouch replied with a bite of impatience in his voice. "I've been looking for you everywhere. The Bulgarians are insisting that we add another twelve seats to the Top Box."
"Oh, is that what they're after? I thought the chap was asking to borrow a pair of tweezers. Strong accent…"
"Mr Crouch!" Pedro jumped up and sank into a kind of half-bow. "Would you like a cup of tea?"
"Oh. Yes – thank you, Podley." The twins snorted into their cups but Rai and I had more self-restraint thanks to Xiaolin training, but we'd be having a good laugh and no doubt teasing Pedro away from the Ministry officials.
Before Bagman and Crouch left, they let slip that the big 'top secret event' was happening at Hogwarts. So, as soon as they left, Ricardo turned to Antonio. "What's happening at Hogwarts, dad? What were they talking about?"
"You'll find out soon enough." Antonio smiled.
"It's classified information until such time as the Ministry decides to release it." Pedro said stiffly. "Mr Crouch was quite right not to disclose it."
"Oh, shut up, Podley."
As it got darker, the mood of the campsite got more and more exciting. Soon it was time for us to set off towards the stadium. Along the way we passed many stalls and I bought a shamrock rosette and hat. There was no doubt who I was supporting. Ever since I was little, I had looked forward to when papa had to go to Ireland for business. I loved it there. Sure, the weather isn't the greatest, but the culture, the music, the dancing, the myths and legends…
We all bought a pair of omnioculars – like a pair of muggle binoculars but, but they had many enhanced magical features, such as play-by-play breakdown – and a programme each.
By the time we reached the stadium, we were buzzing with anticipation, and the Xiaolin Dragon trait of living for excitement and adventure came through, causing the four of us to literally bounce on the balls of our feet.
The Ministry witch at the entrance checked our tickets. "Prime seats – Top Box! Straight upstairs, Antonio, and as high as you can go."
They really were prime seats and the least fit of our party were panting as we reached them. It was a small box at the highest point of the stadium and directly between the goalposts.
We were in the front row of the box, so I glanced over my shoulder to see who else was sharing the box with us. We had arrived quite early, so it was empty except for a small creature sitting in the second from last seat in the row behind us, huddled with its face in its hands.
"Are you alright?" The creature started at being spoken to, and lifted its hands and I saw that it had large brown eyes, bat-like ears, a nose that looked like a tomato, and was wearing a tea-towel draped like a toga. A house-elf.
"Is Miss speaking to me?" The tiny elf squeaked incredulously.
"Yes. I was just wondering if you were alright – all huddled up like that."
"Oh." She looked shocked that I was asking after her well being. "Winky is fine, Miss. I is just worried about my friend, Dobby, Miss. His last masters were very cruel, but somehow they freed him and now he is getting ideas above his station – he wants paying for wok, and getting up to all sorts of high jinks, Miss, what is unbecoming to a house-elf."
"Well, shouldn't he have a little fun?"
"House-elves is not supposed to have fun, Kimiko Tohomiko." Winky insisted. I would've been freaked out that she knew my name, if not for the fact that everyone does once they see my scar. "House-elves does what they is told. I is not liking heights at all, Miss, but my master sends me to the Top Box, and I comes, Miss."
I frowned. "But why would he send you up here, if he knows you don't like heights?"
"Master – master wishes me to save him a seat, Miss, he is very busy. Winky is wishing she was back in master's tent, Kimiko Tohomiko, but Winky does what she is told, Winky is a good house-elf." She gave the edge of the box a frightened glance and hid her eyes again.
I turned back to face the front and began flicking through my programme. "'A display by the team mascots will precede the match.'" I read aloud.
"Oh, that's always worth watching." Antonio remarked. "National Teams bring creatures from their native land, you know, to put on a bit of a show."
Over the next half hour, the box filled with what were evidently very important wizards, given the way Pedro kept jumping to his feet – he looked like he was trying to sit on a hedgehog. When the Minister for Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge, arrived, Pedro bowed so low that his glasses fell off. He shot the four of us jealous looks as he repaired them, as Fudge treated us like old friends after our meeting last year, and introduced us to the wizards on either side of him.
"Kimiko Tohomiko, you know." He said loudly to the Bulgarian Minister, who didn't seem to understand a word of English. "Kimiko Tohomiko…oh, come on now, you know who she is…the girl who survived You-Know-Who…you do know who she is-"
The Bulgarian Minister suddenly spotted my scar and pointed at it, gabbling loudly and excitedly.
"Knew we'd get there in the end." Fudge sighed wearily.
The Spicers arrived next, and all of the seats were filled, apart from the one Winky was saving. Ludo Bagman bounded into the box excitedly. "Everyone ready? Minister – ready to go?"
"Ready when you are, Ludo."
Mr Bagman pointed his wand at his throat. "Sonorus." His voice was magically magnified and echoed throughout the entire stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen…welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!"
Three guesses where I'm from/where I live/what nationality I am! Pssst...don't believe FanFiction...it lies!