Chapter 22

World Cup Chaos

"Remind me why getting up so early was a good idea?" Lily grumbled as she, Sirius and Remus prepared to take a Portkey to the Weasley's. She hoisted her heavy backpack more securely on her shoulder, and shot Remus a grateful, sleepy grin when he used a spell to lighten it.

"Because even with VIP tickets, the queues to get into the Quidditch World Cup will be insanely long," Sirius muttered back, sleep still in his eyes. "Besides, we want a good spot to set up Camp; close enough to the Pitch to get there easily but far enough away so not be trampled by the fanatics."

"But I am a fanatic, Uncle," Lily pointed out. She watched as the first Portkey was set up and swore creatively as it jerked her and her family to The Burrow. They soon found themselves trekking with the Weasleys up a hill near their home to get to the second.

"Hey, wait up," a female voice called when they were halfway to their destination. Padma, Parvati and Lavender were shuffling awkwardly to them with their bags. "You weren't going to leave without us, were you?"

"Not at all," Arthur Weasley said happily as he enchanted the luggage to be lighter. "This Portkey is set to leave in 20 minutes. Have you got everything?"

"Yes, Mr Weasley," Parvati held out a hand. "Thank you for letting us come along."

"My pleasure," the Weasley patriarch waved away the gratitude. "We had plenty of spare tickets, so the more the merrier."

"I was surprised when Lily said you three wanted to go," Ron yawned. "Never really got the notion that you liked Quidditch."

"Who doesn't?" Padma giggled. "Maybe it's because of the shirtless males but…"

Ron made a gagging noise as Ginny turned to her father. "Who else are we waiting for, Dad?"

"The Diggory's," Arthur said. He squinted in the distance. "Ah, and there they are now."

"Ah, Arthur Weasley!" A man boomed happily. "You're all bright eyed and bushy tailed, I see. Surely these aren't all yours?"

Cedric mouthed hello to Lily from behind his father's back.

"Good morning, Amos. And just the red heads, minus this young woman here," Arthur explained. "We had extra tickets so some of my kids' friends from school have joined us."

Amos Diggory skimmed over the group, before settling on Lily. "Strange, you look like a Potter. Impossible of course, but-"

"Dad, I told you Harry Potter was at Hogwarts, right?"

Amos stared at Lily again. "Merlin's beard, you are Harry Potter! What are you doing? Wearing some sort of disguise?"

"I'm Lily Potter now, if you don't mind," Lily replied, too tired to be overly polite. "I'm Transgender – I was misgendered as male when I was born, but I'm actually female."

"I'll tell you more later, Amos," Arthur promised, clearly sensing how uneasy Lily was becoming at the look of confused indignation on Amos's face. Beside Lily, Sirius was growling.

"Right, where's the portkey?" Remus asked, to distract everyone.

"I was told there would be two, given the large group we have," Arthur said, looking around. The rising Sun was beginning to dye the sky shades of orange and red. "Kids, start looking for something that looks like a piece of rubbish or unused item. There should be two around."

"Like those boots?" Lavender asked, pointing to a pair of mismatched wellington boots nestled against a rock a few meters away.

Travelling by Portkey rated lower on Lily's preferences for travel than floo powder did. After a horrible, jerking sensation she and her friends and family were at the site of the Quidditch World Cup. Despite their VIP tickets, which promised shorter waiting than general release, it still took roughly an hour to get through the gates. It thankfully didn't take as long to find a decent spot for their tents, and even less time to get them up and sorted.

Lily had been amazed when Sirius showed her what a wizarding tent was like; definitely better than any muggle tent! While it looked normal on the outside, inside was huge and filled with all the basic commodities, such as a small kitchen, two bathrooms, a living room and small bedrooms. Sirius had purchased a second one which he gave to Arthur and Molly, as a thank you for graciously sharing their World Cup tickets.

After the adults and teenagers explored their tents and unpacked their belongings for the night they would be there, it was nearing lunch time. Remus and Arthur began to heat up some food prepared by Molly, who had opted out of the event.

"Look at how many supporters Krum has!" Ron yelled as he burst in through the flaps leading into the first tent. "Youngest professional player in history! I don't know if Ireland has a chance, you know."

"Careful Ron, you're drooling," a voice teased. Ginny let out an ear-splitting squeal before throwing herself at the two new arrivals.

"Charlie! Bill! I didn't know you were going to be here!"

"Dad invited us," Charlie explained as he ruffled Ginny's hair. "Couldn't miss the opportunity to see our favourite family, right?"

"We're your only family," Percy pointed out as he entered the tent. He smiled at his older brothers. "Good journey?"

"Fabulous," Bill replied, rolling his eyes. "Security almost seems too extreme. They argued with me on my Passport not actually being mine."

"Well, you do look different every time we see you, so that isn't too surprising," Arthur laughed, clapping his two eldest on the shoulders. "Need any intros?"

Names were quickly passed around, with Bill showing a lot of curiosity into Lily's transition. When lunch was served, the rowdy total of 20 had barely sat down to eat when a frustrated looking Ministry official barged his way into the tent.

Percy immediately stood up. "Some food, Mr Crouch?"

"Arthur, I need your help. Ali Bashir's on the warpath with his flying carpets," the man barked, completely ignoring Percy.

"Again? I told him several times that selling them in the UK is illegal."

"Yes, well," Mr Crouch huffed angrily. "These international events always brings out the worst in people."

"Mr Crouch, did you want a cup of tea?" Percy tried again.

"What? Oh, no thank you Weatherby," Crouch dismissed him again. Whatever he next said was drowned out by laughter from the younger Weasley siblings, and Percy sat back down with his face almost as red as his hair. He stared forlornly after Barty Crouch as he left the tent, already yelling orders at nearby workers for the event.

"Did I just see Barty Crouch leave?" another person exclaimed boisterously, entering the tent. "Ah! The Weasleys and guests!"

"Kids, this is Ludo Bagman," Arthur said, getting up from his seat and shaking the man's hand. "He's the one who got us the tickets."

A chorus of thanks ran out and Ludo beamed at the group. "You're all very welcome. Where's Harry Potter? I heard through the grapevine that he's good friends with the Weasleys; wanted to see him personally."

Sirius placed a hand on Lily's shoulder. "Harry? No idea who he is. But Lily Potter is right here."

"Lily Potter? Don't be absurd, Black, she died that Halloween," Bagman scoffed, but he paused when he saw the lightening bolt scar on Lily's forehead and leaned forward to get a closer look. "Wait. You're Harry Potter?"

"No, sir. I'm Lily Potter. I was born male but I'm actually female."

"But you're the boy who lived," Bagman narrowed his eyes as he stared at her. "Everyone knows you as the boy who lived."

"I'm the girl who lived, and always have been," Lily clenched her jaw. "I was misgendered."

Remus, sensing the tension, changed the subject back to the World Cup. Fred and George made a bet with Bagman, on Ireland winning, but the Bulgarian seeker, Krum, getting the snitch. Bagman agreed before walking off, shooting another glance at Lily.

"Can I hit him?" Sirius asked. "Or even just nip at his ankles a bit?"

Remus chuckled and shook his head. "Keep calm, Sirius. After all, he's the one who allowed this opportunity to happen."

"Doesn't mean he gets to misgender Lily like that," he grumbled. "Moron."

"How long until the match?" Lily broke in, pushing her food away. She tried to ignore the overzealous conversations that followed, no doubt an attempt to distract her.

"Weatherby," Fred was teasing nearby. "You think he would know his personal assistant, wouldn't you?"

"Mr Crouch has been very busy preparing for this event," Percy snapped. "Not to mention another big one happening soon. He's tired. It's completely fine."

Lily took a moment as lunch was being cleared up to speak to Percy alone. "I'm sorry that the others are mocking you, Percy. Mr. Crouch may be busy, but he should learn your name, especially with how hard you work for him," Lily smiled softly at him. "It's not fair on you. I can understand how it might make you feel."

"I figured you would, Lily," Percy said, returning the smile. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, for caring. I'm sorry Bagman treated you like that. He's just an idiot."

"I'm here if you want to talk," Lily offered. Percy nodded.

"Thanks Lily," he replied softly, still smiling at her.

Not long after lunch, the group made their way towards the Top Box in preparation for the game. Sirius threw a few insults towards the Malfoys when they crossed paths, and Remus bared his teeth in warning to anybody who tried to get close to the group to find out if Harry Potter was now called Lily.

With Fudge loudly stating Lily's name in greeting, it seemed to deter some of the more persistent busy bodies and the guards by the entrance of the VIP box scared away the rest.

Amongst the other patrons of the Top Box was a female house elf called Winky, saving a seat for Barty Crouch.

It wasn't long until leprechauns began to dance in celebration of the Ireland Quidditch Team. The atmosphere was fun and joyous, and the stadium cheered loudly when the representatives for the United Kingdom flew onto the pitch.

Then, the Bulgarian Team shot onto the pitch, followed by a stream of the most beautiful women that Lily had ever seen. They were ethereal, with long, white blonde hair. Lily used the omnioculars she brought to zoom in on them, staring with amazement at the flawless skin, the mesmerising shape of their bodies, the gleam of their perfect teeth…

"Veela," Bill murmured to the gaping teens. "They're hard to resist, but don't get them angry."

"They're beautiful," Lily breathed. She was so enamoured she nearly missed the announcement of the match. But her natural curiosity distracted her enough to begin paying attention to the professional players and the match was intense and fast paced. She found it hard to keep her eyes off Viktor Krum, the Seeker for the Bulgarian team and the youngest player on any national team.

Lily had to admit, a part of her wanted to fly against him.

As the game concluded, Fred and George cheered loudly. Viktor Krum had gotten the Snitch, but Ireland had scored enough to still win the game. She saw Ludo Bagman congratulate the twins as he paid them their winnings and, slowly, the stadium began to empty as everyone returned to their tents, to celebrate or drown their disappointment.

In the smaller of the two tents, Remus passed around warming hot chocolates to the teenagers as Sirius prepared alcoholic drinks for the adults. George and Fred were trying to persuade Lily's godfather to let them have some whenever they thought Arthur was out of ear shot, stating that their older brothers were drinking, and they were practically of age to drink something stronger than butterbeer.

Lily sipped at her hot chocolate, still buzzing with the results of the match.

"You know, I reckon you're better than Krum," Lavender said absently. "If you two ever had a match, you'd win."

"No offence Lavender, but seriously? That's Krum! He's the best seeker in the world!" Ron exclaimed.

"Are you saying I'm not able to be that good?" Lily asked, with a pointed glare at Ron. The whole group burst out laughing when Ron gaped like a fish out of water, unsure of what to say.

"That wasn't funny," Ron complained as they laughed, but he too began to smile.

"I know how good Krum is, but you've seen Lily fly; she could give Krum a run for his money at least," Hermione commented. She seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the game. "I wonder why the players weren't effected by the Veela?"

"Who cares! That Wronski Feint was amazing!" Lily cried out, almost knocking over her drink. "I kind of want to practise that."

"Maybe under careful guidance," Sirius commented when he stood in the doorway of the tent. "It's a dangerous move. Anyways, you all finished with your drinks? We have an early start in the morning."

"We don't have to leave too early, do we?" Padma asked. "I was hoping to get a few autographs… especially from Krum!"

"Unfortunately we won't have time," Sirius laughed. "I'm surprised you're not all dead on your feet!"

"How can any of us sleep after such a fantastic match?" Ron gushed. "It was amazing!"

Just as the conversation started up again, the cheery atmosphere from outside was destroyed by a collection of sharp, terror filled screams. The adults immediately grabbed their wands and dashed from the tent, while the group of teenagers stared at each other.

"You don't think…?" Ginny began, nervously getting to her feet.

"I hope not," Lily replied, setting down her mug and joining her.

"Kids, get your wands and follow us, we need to get you out of here!" Arthur yelled as he burst back into the tent. The screams were louder now, and music had stopped playing. "Hurry, hurry!"

When the last of the teenagers left the tent, Arthur magically sealed them shut and Remus beckoned that they should follow him. They could hear Sirius shouting close by and as the group tried to push passed hysterical witches and wizards, a loud explosion and renewed cries of horror echoed in the near distance. Lily spun around, seeing flames and smoke, and a handful of strange people from the direction of the explosion. They had their wands out, casting stunning spells and various other curses to the fleeing people, their dark robes and masks obscuring their identities.

"Who the hell are they?" Lily shouted over the noises. "Why are they doing this?"

"Death Eaters, supporters of You Know Who," Arthur answered, his face sweaty and pale.

"What? You mean the Ministry didn't listen when we left the tip of an attack?" Lily yelled above the chaos, looking towards Sirius.

"Obviously not," Sirius growled. His teeth were elongated, and his stubbled face was hairier. Padfoot wanted to make an appearance. Another glance at Remus showed him struggling to hold back his inner Wolf, his eyes flashing a dangerous yellow in the light of the fires. "Split up into two groups and get to the nearest apparition point! Don't lose one another!"

Racing through the crowd, avoiding being trampled, Lily led the way towards the woods. As they neared the trees, they bumped into a calm, composed Draco Malfoy. He leaned against the trunk of a tree, idly twisting his wand in his hands, and sneered at them.

"Wearing girls pyjamas now, Potter?" Malfoy mocked. "Pink isn't your colour."

"She is a girl, you git," Lavender snapped in defence. "Get lost before you get hurt!"

Malfoy just laughed, and the group moved passed him into the thin pocket of trees indicating the out skirts of the grounds. A few others were apparating away and when it cleared, Padma pointed to a discarded Portkey nearby.

"Everyone ready?" Parvati asked, but Lily had frozen.

"My wand… has anyone seen my wand?" Lily demanded, feeling panic rise up in her. She remembered how Ron had felt when his wand had broken, and she worried her lip as everyone else began to search the ground using their own wands.

"Lily, we'll find it," Ron promised, as if reading Lily's mind. "It has to be around here somewhere."

"Maybe we should split up?" Lavender suggested.

"Not right now," Lily replied, frowning as she heard a noise nearby. "Did you hear that?"

Moments later, an unfamiliar voice from the direction of the trees yelled out a word which made Lily's skin crawl.

"MORSMORDRE!"

It sounded like a spell to Lily, and her thoughts were confirmed as a jet of green light shot up into the air, creating a large skull and a snake. There were thousands of renewed screams around them, somehow much more panicked than before. Ron swore and grabbed Lily's arm as Ginny took her other, and she felt herself being dragged towards the Portkey.

"We have to go Lily!" Ginny's voice was full of panic and fear.

"What is that?!" Lily demanded to know, finding it hard to tear her eyes away from the contorting, twisting mark.

"You-Know-Who's mark," Ron answered, fear filling his voice. Everyone looked ashen, but a second later, Lily was pulled to the ground by Lavender. It was just in time, as a group of Wizards apparated to the area and fired a barrage of stunning spells in their direction.

"STOP! THAT'S MY SON AND DAUGHTER!" Arthur shouted as he pushed his way through the thicket of Witches and Wizards. They were quickly accosted by Amos Diggory, demanding to know who conjured the dark mark.

"Amos, think who you're talking to! Would Har… Lily Potter, of all people, conjure the dark mark?" Arthur demanded.

At everyone's confused reaction, Lily straightened her spine and stared hard at everyone.

"I'm Transgender and I'm called Lily Potter. Will someone explain just what the hell is going on?!" Lily challenged, narrowing her eyes as the wizards stared at her. A few minutes late, after a quick search, the wizards found Winky nearby, stunned. Mr Crouch and some other officials went back into the trees to investigate some more, but came back when Sirius shouted that the house elf was lying on a wand that didn't belong to her.

Remus was vibrating as he stood in front of the teenagers, blocking some of their view. Despite being a thin man, he was extremely powerful and easily held them back when Lily shouted that Winky had her wand.

"Why would a house elf have a Wizard's wand?" Mr Crouch snarled angrily. "Stop trying to pin the blame on someone else, boy!"

Before Lily could retaliate, Sirius grabbed Crouch's arm.

"Lily has no reason to lie," he growled. "You need to show some more respect. I see the years haven't dulled down your ferocity, Barty."

"That was the Dark Mark, fool!" Crouch yelled. "Now isn't the time for respect! One of you cast the Dark Mark and caused hundreds to be injured!"

"If I could make a suggestion," Remus broke in, "cast the Prior Incantatem charm on Lily's wand, and wake up the elf to see why she had it in her possession in the first place."

Crouch grumbled, but the spell revealed that the curse was cast from Lily's wand. He then revived his elf who immediately began to cry. "M-master," she stammered, snot streaming from her nose. "W-winky did a bad, M-master, she did a b-bad…"

Despite her pleas for forgiveness, Crouch dismissed Winky from his services, forcing some cloth into her shaking hands. She wailed in distress.

"Go home," Crouch barked to the teenagers, completely ignoring the elf. "And don't look at me like that, girl, you know nothing!"

Lily took Hermione's hand, to stop her from saying or doing anything.

"Come on," Arthur muttered.

The journey back to the tents was tense. Some smaller fires were still being put out but there was a flurry of activity as everyone hurriedly packed and began to leave.

Lily struggled to hold back tears of frustration as she shoved her clothes in her bag, her mind whirling with questions. Why hadn't the Ministry listened to the anonymous warning? They were either incompetent or ignorant!

Plus, the handful of Death Eaters… who were they? Was one of them Peter Pettigrew? How had Voldemort begun to rebuild his army in such a short amount of time? How could so few cause so much damage and chaos when there were thousands of capable wizards and witches that could stop them?!