21st August

Mr and Mrs Weasley have been so busy this week preparing for all of us to go to the Quidditch World Cup tomorrow. Today, there were going to be four more people living under the roof- Harry, Hermione, Bill and Charlie. I genuinely didn't know how we were all going to fit in! Molly was fussing around the house, cleaning and tidying. She even discovered Fred and George's order forms for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and threw them into the fire. "I WILL NOT HAVE YOU THROWING YOUR LIVES AWAY LIKE THIS!" she screamed at them. I didn't see either of them until dinner that day. In regards to Bill and Charlie,all I knew is that Bill worked for Gringotts in Egypt and Charlie worked with Dragons in Romania. It was Charlie's friends who had taken Norbert off our hands in first year, when I was in the Hospital Wing. Today I thought it best to keep out of everyone's way.

Charlie was the first to arrive. Molly rushed out the back door of The Burrow to greet him with open arms. He was short and stalky, quite the opposite of Fred and George in that respect. His arms were incredibly muscly, most likely from having to use brute force to restrain dragons as part of his job. When he finally made his way inside the house, Ron, Fred, George, Percy and Ginny all got their opportunities to welcome their brother. Fred and George used a joke electric shock when shaking hands with him, he seemed to take it relatively well considering his hair was sticking out in all ends.

"Charlie, this is my- this is Kathryn!" George said when introducing us.

"Your Kathryn, eh?" he shook my hand, "It's nice to meet you."

"It's my pleasure." I responded with rosy cheeks. Luckily for me, Charlie walked away to leave his bags in Fred and George's room where he and Bill would be sleeping. (Fred and George would be in with Ron and Harry in the attic room.) I retreated from the kitchen and found myself sitting alone in the living room reading the last few chapters of one of Hermione's books that she hid in my trunk entitled Redeeming Love. The book was about a man who saved a woman from prostitution and looks after her, protecting her from her past. He is madly in love with her, but she believes she doesn't have the ability to feel love, but by the end her character completely changes and falls in love with him. It sounds so cliché, but it is so well written. I was so captivated by the story that I completely blocked out the hustle and bustle going on in the house.

"Are you okay, Katy?" George put a gentle hand on my arm, bringing me back to reality.

"No…" I cried.

"What happened?" he asked, wiping away my tears with a tissue.

"He rescued her from her old life, took her in, making her part of his family when she had none, he loved her even though she didn't deserve it," I recounted, "he changed her, made her a better person and she fell in love with him and they get married and have their own family at the end…" I blubbered, covering my face with my hands as George put an arm around me. "It was just such a beautiful story…"

George laughed, "You're crying over a book?"

I lifted the book from my lap and whacked him with it, "You're so insensitive."

"Sorry?" he spoke awkwardly, waiting a few seconds before saying, "I'd been looking for you. Fred and I are going to Harry's Aunt and Uncle's to pick him up this evening. We were going to test out the ton-tongue-toffee on his cousin Dudley, I reckon Harry could do with a laugh."

"You two are bad." I shook my head disapprovingly, Harry already has enough trouble with his Aunt and Uncle without them making things worse.

"I was wondering if you could do me a favour?"

"No." was my immediate answer.

George ignored me, "I've left a bag in Ginny's room, can you bring it with you tomorrow?"

"Is this bag's contents going to hurt me in any way?"

George looked away, "You know everything that's in there."

"So yes, is the answer, then?"

"I just need you to keep it out of my mother's sight."

"You are one bad egg, George Weasley." I shook my head, in the background I heard Molly shout 'Bill's here!'

"You're the best!" he said, leaving the room to greet his eldest brother.

"I didn't agree to anything." I shouted after him, following him into the kitchen.

George stopped in his stride and turned, gently stroking my cheek smiling, "But I know you." Then he went to give Bill a bro hug.

Ginny took a step closer to me, "What was that all about? Does he know you in ways in which I might be an Auntie?"

I couldn't help but snigger, "You wish."

"GIN! It's great to see you!" Bill hugged his sister tight.

"Welcome home!" she smiled back at him, "This is Kathryn, George's Ka-"

I elbowed Ginny in the ribs and gave her a death stare, shaking my head. It was then that I had taken a good look at Bill, he was as tall as the twins, thin and very handsome. His hair was half way down his back, up in a ponytail and he was wearing fang earrings, "Ignore her, it's great to meet you." I offered my hand for him to shake, but he pulled me in for a hug.

"Lovely to put a face to the name, Kathryn." Bill winked at me and gave a confident smile, before his attention was taken by Ron's appearance. He was gorgeous in a confident, cool manner.

"Oh Ginny." I gasped, "I'm totally going after the wrong brother."

George cleared his throat, "I heard that."

Ginny snorted, "Surely you knew, George? Kathryn's latest target has been Perce."

I snorted, "He's too focused on his work though…" I tried to sound gloomy, "And Ron loves food too much. Fred and George don't have a serious bone in their bodies. Charlie is, regrettably smaller than me. You're a girl, and sorry, I don't swing that way. So all I have left is… Bill. Unless you've another sibling I don't know about?" I joked with Ginny, loud enough for George to hear.

"I'm not serious enough for you?" George sounded disgusted.

"And George…" I sighed deeply, "he's a bit insensitive, a moan, has a massive commitment-phobia and-" I listed to Ginny, ignoring him, "I think I need someone older, much older. I like a man with a bit of experience."

Ginny was about to wet herself.

"You didn't just say that-" George picked me up off my feet and flung me over his shoulder in a fireman's lift.

I screamed.

"Take it back." He started tickling me.

"Okay! Okay! I take it back!" I immediately relented.

He set me back down. I took a few cautious steps away from him, taking a few strained deep breaths, my ribs did not appreciate being thrown over his shoulder. I must admit, I found it very difficult to hold myself together, but I quickly made my way to Ginny's room, locked the door and cried to myself. I felt like an idiot, but I had this sudden realisation that I really wasn't back to myself- my ribs ached, not to mention my back. I felt weak and vulnerable again and it scared me. I lifted up my top and took a look at myself in the mirror, I saw the bruises, the cuts and the scars. It's strange that something so innocent could spark off so much hurt. I turned and looked at the incision where I had my kidney operation, thankfully it was clean and healing but it didn't stop it from symbolising the shambles my life has become…

There was a knock at the door, "Kathryn?" Ginny's soft voice spoke, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just getting changed!" I lied quickly, "I'll be out in a second."

"Open the door." Ginny spoke just as though her mother would have, I imagined her standing there, tapping her foot on the ground, arms folded with a scowl on her face. "Now." She demanded.

I had no choice but to open the door.

"Here." Ginny handed me a tissue, "Are you really okay?"

"Yeah." I said, wiping away my tears, "I really need to stop being so sensitive, I-"

Ginny stopped me mid-sentence, "He hurt you, I know it, you know it and he knows it."

"My body is so fragile, Gin. I feel…" I stopped, not knowing quite how to describe my emotions.

"I know…" she comforted, "Hermione will be here soon, let's go downstairs, and before you ask, your face looks fine."

Somehow I found myself sitting downstairs waiting for Hermione. George was looking pale and sheepish, a commonality for him when he's feeling guilty. I found it difficult to look at him with me pretending I'm not feeling as sore as I am. The pain in my abdomen seemed to get worse with time. When I saw Molly walking past the door, fussing over the length of Bill's hair (he didn't seem very amused) I took my opportunity to grab her attention. I took a deep breath in order to get myself up off the seat and followed Molly and Bill into the kitchen, "Molly? Can I borrow you for a second?"

"Everything okay, dear?" she asked sweetly. Bill took the opportunity to slip out the door. She felt my forehead, "You're very clammy."

"Do you have anything for pain? My prescription finished last week and-"

"Let me guess, Fred and George were being too rough with you?"

I didn't say anything. I knew she wouldn't believe me if I lied and I wasn't going to drop George in it. Molly lifted out a number of vials from one of her cupboards and started mixing a few liquids together into a glass. After a while the concoction started fizzing and changed from a brown colour to clear.

"Drink this." She handed me the glass, "and you are having an early night tonight, no exceptions."

"Understood." I said before knocking back the revolting liquid.

Hermione arrived after six, giving enough time for Ginny and me to get caught up with her, as Ron, Fred, George and Arthur headed to retrieve Harry. I made a point of sitting in front of the fireplace in the kitchen, in prime position to watch both Fred and George get yelled at for giving Dudley the sweets. Hermione meanwhile told me about her trip to Poland and the day spend in Auschwitz.

"Some people just get such a raw deal in life…" she sighed to herself.

"Don't they?" I muttered to myself, feeling completely hard done by. It's safe to say I really wasn't in the greatest of moods. I usually cope with pain better than this… I sat in silence as Ginny and Hermione talked, I started to ignore what they were saying, willing the potion to have an effect on me faster than it was doing so. I was not going to manage the Quidditch World Cup feeling like this.

A span of time later (I had totally lost track) Fred appeared through the fireplace, followed soon after by George. The two of them were carrying on like the idiots they normally are. It was clear that their plan to give Dudley the sweets had worked. Ron followed soon after. "What awful muggles. I don't think I've met worse-"

In all respects to Harry, and I am very fond of him, but if Harry doesn't come through the fireplace covered in cuts and bruises then I think I might just explode. Then Harry arrived, looking a little bit skinnier than normal, I reckoned he looked pretty hard done by, too. Before he could catch his breath, both Fred and George eagerly asked if Dudley had eaten the toffee. Mr Weasley then appeared in the kitchen, angrier than I'd seen him before. What annoyed me most was that Fred and George were outraged that their father was annoyed at them for 'quality entertainment'. Molly then overheard the conversation and got involved. The tiny kitchen filled quickly with nine Weasleys, Harry, Hermione and me, so I made myself scarce. If anything, the pain was getting worse. I made my way up to Ginny's room to pack my rucksack for the next few days. I reckoned that spare clothes, stuff to wash with and money would keep me going for a while. At least half an hour later, the commotion seemed to stop down the stairs so I braved the journey and headed into the kitchen again. Molly was peeling potatoes for dinner, Fred and George were red-faced after their thorough telling off.

"Kathryn dear, you look… awful…" Molly commented. At least I looked as bad as I felt.

"Kathryn, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- I forgot- I-"

"Oh shut up, George." I snapped.

"I could do with you around here more often, these two seem to listen to you more than they listen to me. You think they would take my advice once in their lives. They're completely wasting their time. All these jokes and pranks- they'll end up in front of the Improper Use of Magic Office." Molly ranted, "Sorry dear, what can I do for you?" she set down her wand, all her facial features relaxed.

"That potion isn't doing any good," I was close to being in tears for the third time that day. My life really is pathetic. "I really hope you don't find me rude if I just go up to bed…"

"No dear, of course not. Just give me a minute…" Molly started whipping up another potion and pointed her wand at some bread. I leaned on the kitchen table to steady myself. "Take a seat and eat this, dear." Molly handed me a ham and cheese sandwich and a glass of a purple concoction.

"But mum-" it was either Fred or George, I couldn't tell with the pain I was in as I sat down, "That's a really strong potion, that'll knock her out-"

"I don't see either of you coming up with anything better." Molly spoke in a voice of warning, "Walk her up the stairs, can I trust you to do that? Don't hurt her even more. I'll wake you in the morning, Kathryn."

So I had Fred on one side and George on the other as I slowly made it up the stairs to Ginny's room. I felt truly awful. I didn't even have the energy to get into my pyjamas. I drank the potion and took a bite or two out of my sandwich.

"Katy, I'm so sorry…" George sounded frightened as he lifted the duvet up to my shoulders.

By this time the potion was kicking in, so I had some relief from the pain, "It wasn't your fault." I said before closing my eyes.

22nd August

"Kathryn dear…" Molly gently nudged me awake, "It's 0345, it's time to get up!"

I sat up in bed, Molly, Ginny and Hermione all staring at me. "How are you feeling?" Hermione spoke, lying in the bed beside me, "You were completely out of it when we got to bed last night."

"Still alive." I jokingly poked her in the cheek, "I'm sorry for being a complete-"

The three of them spoke simultaneously, "Forgiven."

"Now, let's get you out of bed." Molly gave me her hand and gently pulled me up, "Any pain?"

"No, I think I'm good." I said cautiously, looking down at myself I realised I was still dressed, "Look! I'm ready to go!" I lightened the mood with sarcasm.

"She's fine." Ginny and Hermione agreed. Molly left the room and went downstairs to sort out breakfast.

I looked at the grease in my hair and shuddered, "Do you reckon I could have a quick shower? Do you mind?" I must have been a sweaty mess yesterday; I was slightly disgusted at how my t-shirt was sticking to me.

"We both showered last night." Ginny said, handing me my towel.

So I quickly ran across the hall to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I had the world's quickest shower and wrapped the towel around me before brushing my teeth and running back to Ginny's room. We had to leave the house by 0430 which really didn't give us much time. I got dressed in jeans, t-shirt and a hoody, letting my hair dry naturally whilst putting on a bit of makeup. I strongly debated with myself as I saw George's bag of products sitting amongst my belongings. Should I or shouldn't I?

Molly yelled up the stairs that breakfast was ready and the three of us headed down, closely followed by Bill and Charlie who were still in their pyjamas. "Will you please get the others out of their beds? I've already tried three times. Use any means necessary."

"Any means necessary; you say?" I questioned Molly with a huge grin on my face.

Molly put her hands on her hips, "I don't know what you've got planned, but yes."

"Cover your ears folks." I giggled, heading up the stairs followed by Ginny, Hermione, Bill and Charlie who were eager to see my plan. I whispered to them, filling them in so that they could take part. When I reached the top of the stairs I threw open the door to Ron's room and screamed. Not like any normal scream but one that sounded like I had just seen my worst nightmare.

Hermione then yelled, "HEEELLLLLPPPPPP!"

"IT'S GOT ME!" Ginny screamed.

Then both Bill and Charlie jumped down the stairs, simulating someone falling down.

The rest of us ran down the stairs as fast as we could and I got Bill and Charlie to yell simultaneously, "ITS IN THE KITCHEN!"

By this stage, Fred, George, Ron and Harry had all sleepily made their way down the stairs, wands raised, ready to attack. Molly, Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Ginny, Hermione and I all exploded in laughter. "That went well." I laughed. I got high fives from the other four whilst the boys gave me daggers. Bill and Charlie then informed us that they would be Apparating to the match and could therefore go back to bed. Apparently they felt like they were going to miss out on something good if they were asleep.

"Breakfast!" Molly announced and we all sat at 0415 in a fit of giggles. Even Molly was laughing! Porridge, juice and toast was devoured and we all went back up the stairs to get ready. Molly packed up some food for us all in little packages to keep us going. She handed me two bottles of potions in case I needed them and insisted that I took care of myself.

Just as we were about to set out, Arthur was standing checking a sheaf of large parchment tickets whilst Molly had a bone to pick with the twins. "George!" Molly's voice was threatening.

"What?" George said in his 'innocent' voice which was far from innocent.

"What is that in your pocket?"

"Nothing." Even I could see the ton-tongue toffees in there.

"Don't lie to me!" Molly pointed her wand at George's pocket and spoke the incantation 'Accio!'. Several small brightly coloured toffees zoomed out of George's pockets, he grabbed for some, but they sped right into Molly's hands. "We told you to destroy them!" she was furious. I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if World War 3 erupted from this very house! "Empty your pockets, go on, both of you." I must admit I found this hilarious, not that I was allowed to laugh. Molly used the Summoning Charm, finding the toffees in the most unlikely of places including the lining of George's coat and the turn-ups of Fred's jeans.

"We spent six months developing those!" Fred was outraged.

"What a way to spend six months!" Molly shrieked, "No wonder you didn't get any more O. !"

George must have been looking at me, as Molly's wrath diverted to me, "And you, Kathryn? Have you anything to hand over?"

I immediately regretted my decision to put the blooming bag inside mine. I could see George panic. "I've been a victim of their tricks, too, you know." I alleged, "But by all means, take a look." I took my rucksack off my back and placed my handbag (that was at the top of my rucksack with the twin's bag of tricks) on my shoulder, making Fred and George's bag invisible in my hand as Molly raided through my rucksack.

"Nothing…" she sounded disappointed. I swung the rucksack over the opposite shoulder and walked. Fred, George and I left the house without a single word to Molly. My pulse rate lowered slightly as we all quickly escaped into the garden. It was pitch black outside. I didn't even dare look at either of the twins as I zipped up my coat. I could see the moon in the distance, I knew sunrise wouldn't be for another hour and a half at least.

Hermione and Ginny caught up with me, Fred and George as Ron and Harry held back slightly with Arthur. I knew the plan; we were walking to the top of Stoatshead Hill where we were going to find our closest portkey. Ginny had shown me last week. We trudged down a dark lane towards the nearest village. By the time we reached Stoatshead Hill, I didn't have a breath left in my body. At one point, Hermione put her foot in a hidden rabbit hole, grabbed onto me and the two of us fell on the cold hard ground, completely breathless. "Aoww." She breathed, "Sorry…"

"Are you okay?" George took my rucksack and put it on his back and then offered me a hand up.

I nodded, because that is all I could manage. It took everything I had to keep hold of Fred and George's bag of products. My chest was tight and I was really struggling. George put an arm around my waist and Fred helped Hermione as we climbed the last bit of the hill. Hermione got to the crest last, clutching a stitch in her side.

"Now we just need to find the Portkey." Mr Weasley announced and we all spread out searching. As George carried my rucksack, I was slightly freer in my movements.

"I want someone to take my bag..." Hermione complained.

Ginny then whispered, "He's still feeling guilty for hurting her yesterday afternoon and you know it."

Hermione justified, "I suppose. You should milk it for all you can get."

I laughed, "Why do you think he's still carrying it?"

A minute or so later, the three of us heard shouts, calling us over- they must have found the portkey. As we approached, we were introduced to Amos Diggory, someone who worked in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and his son Cedric. I recognised Cedric from school, he was a Hufflepuff, he was the one who caught the snitch against Harry last year, causing Oliver to try and drown himself in the showers, but I had never personally talked to him. Amos then made a fuss of Harry as Arthur introduced us all. He brought up the fact that Cedric had beaten the Harry Potter in a game of Quidditch, claiming that Cedric was a better flier. By the end of that conversation I decided I didn't like them very much.

All ten of us crouched down around the Portkey, which was an old boot. It was a bit of a tight squeeze with all of us carrying rucksacks. Cedric was incredibly close to me at one point and I'm almost sure he elbowed my boob. The look on his face told me he knew he did it. No one spoke in the circle until Arthur counted down, "Three – two – one -"

Suddenly I felt like I was on a very fast Merry-Go-Round in mid-air. My finger was stuck to the boot with some form of invisible glue. Then my body slammed into the ground with a thud.

"Seven past five from Stoatshead Hill." said a voice.

I looked up from the grass and saw Cedric approach me, "You need to get up." He kicked my ribs gently, but it felt like a massive blow to me.

I got to my feet so fast he wasn't expecting it and I warned him, "I WOULD APPRECITE IT IF YOU WOULDN'T TOUCH ME, THANKS."

Cedric backed away quickly, "Merlin's Beard! Girls are so touchy!"

"What happened?" Hermione rushed to my side, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I shook my head, "Forget it, I reckon he got the picture."

There were two men standing in terribly outdated and mismatched muggle clothing ready to greet us, one was wearing a kilt with a poncho and the other a tweed suit with thigh length welly boots. I stood back as Arthur dealt with the men, Hermione pointed out the rows of hundreds of tents behind them. Arthur then proceeded to talk to a man who was clearly a Muggle. He just looked a bit dazed and clueless as to why he had so many people staying with him.

Arthur lifted out a roll of Muggle money, looking confused and slightly panicked. I swiftly made my way towards him, "Honestly, Dad, you need to put your glasses on." I said as seriously as I could, "How much is it?"

"Twenty-five pounds. You all from across the water?" he must have picked up on my accent.

"We use sterling in Northern Ireland too," I spoke with a smile, handing him over the money.

"Your tent is up by the wood, there." He handed us a map and our change, "There have been an awful lot of foreigners lately, a lot of confusion with money. Someone tried paying me with gold coins the size of hubcaps ten minutes ago."

"Foreign currency," I shook it off, "Well, we'd best get off!"

"There have been so many weirdos around lately, did you see the guy over there wearing a poncho and a kilt?" the man looked between me and Arthur in outrage.

"Shouldn't he?" Arthur was anxious.

I laughed, "They must be ready for the fancy dress-"

"Obliviate!" said a wizard in awful multi-coloured checked golfing trousers. The campsite manager's eyes then rolled into the back of his head and reappeared hazy.

"Thank you very much." Arthur spoke before directing me back towards the group, "and thank you," he whispered to me before talking to the man who modified the campsite manager's memory.

Minutes later, the eight of us said our goodbyes to the two Diggorys and made our way along the misty field past all the tents. Some of the tents looked very muggle-like, others had a few slip-ups like chimneys or weather-vanes. However, there were some tents that were so obviously magical it was no wonder the muggle campsite manager was suspicious. One of the tents looked like a miniature palace, one had white peacocks outside and another was made entirely of stripped silk. At the end of the row at the very edge of the wood, there was an empty space with a small sign hammered into the ground that read 'Weezly'.

"Couldn't have a better spot!" Arthur looked delighted, "The pitch is just on the other side of the wood there, we're as close as we can be!" he took his backpack off and lifted out the components for us to build our own tents, "Strictly speaking we're not allowed to use magic, not when we're out in these numbers on muggle land. We'll be putting these tents up by hand! Shouldn't be too difficult…" Mr Weasley no longer sounded confident, "Harry, where do you reckon we should start?" Harry looked at me.

"Hermione, tell me you've been camping before." I prayed.

She looked excited, "Of course I have!" as she went to assist an over keen Arthur Weasley. Between Arthur, Hermione, Harry and me, we worked out where the majority of the poles and pegs should go with my trusty instruction reading. After about half an hour, we managed to build two shabby two-man tents without them falling over.

"I really hope one of these tents is for the three of us girls… I really don't fancy sharing a tent with any of them." I commented to Ginny and Hermione.

Ginny sniggered, "We all know you would love to be in one of these tents alone with George for the night."

"He wishes."

Arthur got onto his hands and knees to enter the first tent, "We'll be a bit cramped, but I think we'll all squeeze in. Come and have a look."

Hermione and I stared at each other.

"That tent is for the girls." Arthur warned, specifically looking at Fred and George as they headed towards me with my rucksack. What I wondered was if Arthur was thinking the same as Hermione and Ginny were. Hopefully he just reckoned they would try and prank us or something.

I climbed into our tent last and to my complete and utter shock, there was a fully furnished, highly old fashioned flat with kitchen/ sitting area, bathroom and bedroom with two bunkbeds. We had a quick look around the place.

"This is incredible. It's like a TARDIS." I was thrilled but both Hermione and Ginny stared at me strangely, "Its bigger on the inside?" I explained, but they both still looked blank, "Never mind, then." I set down my rucksack and put Fred and George's bag of stuff (that I had been keeping invisible for about two hours) safely back into the rucksack again for safekeeping. We then headed back outside where Arthur sent Harry, Ron, Hermione and me to get water with a couple of saucepans and kettles. The rest were going to collect wood for the fire. Arthur really was going for the full muggle experience!

Ron grabbed a map and attempted to direct us through the rows of tents towards a tap. It only really dawned on me when the sun rose how many witches and wizards there are around the world. There were families waking up, we saw a toddler (called Kevin) getting yelled at by his mother for flying his broomstick in broad daylight. Witches and wizards sat in conversation in languages I had never heard before. Then the campsite turned green. There were shamrocks galore displayed amongst the green-coloured tents, people were wearing green clothing and some had their face painted green. I don't think I've ever heard that many Irish accents at once before- they always sounded much softer than the Northern Irish accent! I wondered if there were any muggles camping amongst all the witches and wizards- they would be getting the shock of their lives!

"Harry! Ron! Hermione! Kathryn!" Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas approached us, "Like the decorations? Must remind you of home, Kathryn?"

"It's incredible!" I admitted, not that I was ever surrounded by this sort of décor.

"Just you wait until you see what the Bulgarians have dangled over their tents, if you think this is over the top." Seamus commented, looking revolted.

"Are you all supporting the Irish, then?" a woman with sandy coloured hair approached us, presumably Seamus's mum.

I felt super excited, "Of course! Got to support home turf!" The other three had to convince Mrs Finnigan of their allegiance before she let us go free. It's not as if they would have said anything different given the company they were in.

Ron then directed us through the Bulgarian supporters' area when we understood what Seamus meant. Harry pointed towards a large patch of tents advertising the Bulgarian flag- green, red and white. The tents were all decorated with the same poster attached. It was a moving poster of a man with heavy black eyebrows, blinking and scowling. I shivered.

"Krum." Ron spoke quietly, "The Bulgarian Seeker!"

"He looks really grumpy" Hermione spoke exactly what I was thinking.

"Really grumpy?" Ron rolled his eyes, "Who cares what he looks like? He's unbelievable. He's really young, too. Only just eighteen or something. He's a genius, you wait until tonight, you'll see."

I mocked him, "Do have a man-crush on him, Ronnie-kins?"

Safe to say he scowled at me.

The four of us joined the queue for the tap, right behind two old men who were having a blazing argument. One of the men was clearly from the ministry, wearing a pinstriped suit and shiny shoes, the other was an old wizard wearing a long flowery silk dressing gown. The ministry wizard was pleading, "Just put them on, Archie, there's a good chap, you can't walk around like that, the Muggle on the gate's already getting suspicious-"

"I bought this in a Muggle shop!" Archie argued back, "Muggles wear them!"

"Muggle women wear them, Archie, not men. They wear these." The ministry wizard brandished a pair of plain black trousers.

"I'm not putting them on." Archie was so far past aggravated, "I like a healthy breeze around my privates, thanks."

By this point, Hermione was overcome with such a fit of the giggles, she held onto my shoulder to keep herself standing. I had to take her out of the queue momentarily until Archie had gotten his water and was walking back to his tent, with a healthy gust of wind almost showing us far too much. Then her hands were steady enough to hold a pot full of water whilst I held the two kettles.

The walk back to the tents was much slower with water sloshing about. That, and we bumped into so many people from Hogwarts including Ernie Macmillan, Cho Chang and her friend Marietta Edgecombe. The most awkward encounter of the morning was when Oliver Wood spotted Harry and introduced him to his parents. Before I could make myself invisible: he spotted me.

"Kathryn!" he voiced pure enthusiasm to see me and he wrapped his arms around me tight.

I swallowed hard, "Oliver."

"Ah! So this is the wonderful Kathryn you've been telling me about?!" Oliver's mother spoke, but both his parents stared at me up and down with smiles, "Pretty girl."

"Thanks?" I responded awkwardly.

His father then made one of the most embarrassing statements, "It's too bad she broke your heart, son. I could imagine you two having beautiful grandchildren for your mother and me. Won't you consider taking him back, hen?"

"Unfortunately not-"

There was an awkward silence.

Ron cleared his throat, looking disgusted for having to say it, but the swift elbow from Hermione made him, "She's dating my older brother." He added.

Oliver's eyebrows perked up.

"Shame…" Oliver's mother said, "Did Ollie tell you the good news?"

"I've just been signed to Puddlemere United reserve team." He beamed.

"Congratulations, mate!" Harry clapped him on the shoulder. I nodded with a smile. Hermione and Ron both commended him and then made an excuse to have to get back to the tent.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr and Mrs Wood, don't be a stranger, Oliver."

Oliver mouthed the word 'sorry' as we walked away.

I had officially died a thousand deaths.

I held my head down all the way back. Hermione didn't know whether to laugh or cry for me. Ron moaned about covering for me, even though I thanked him. Harry completely ignored my dignity and burst out laughing, he loved that I was getting more attention than him for once.

"You've been away ages!" George complained when we finally returned to the tents again.

"Met a few people," Ron explained, "Wood's parents were naming Wood's and Kathryn's children," Ron remarked, "have you not got that fire started yet?"

I set one of the kettles down in front of where the fire would be and brought the other into the girl's tent and sat down to take a breather.

"Knock knock!" George climbed into the tent and sat down on the sofa beside me. "Are you still not talking to me?" he asked, and when I stayed silent he continued, "Have you not forgiven me? I have genuinely not seen you so quiet in such a long time… Are you in pain? Do you hate me?"

"I don't hate you." I rested my head on his shoulder, sighing.

"Talk to me, Katy…"

I sat silently for a minute before speaking, "I'm just being stupid, that's all. I was totally not prepared to see Oliver after everything that's happened. I constantly feel guilty for imposing myself upon your family, guilty for lying to your mum, I feel like a burden cause I'm not back to myself yet and I feel like a complete and utter waste of space." I said it.

He wrapped an arm around me and laid his head on top of mine and took my hands with his, "First, you are not a waste of space. We all love having you around. I love it when you get Fred and me out of trouble and you seem to do that a lot. Secondly, you are recovering from some serious injuries and that is just going to take time. I'm sorry for making them worse for you… Thirdly, I heard about Wood and what Ron told his parents, and that's okay with me. Lastly, what did you lie to my mother about?!"

"I was wondering when you were going to pick that bit up." I shook my head disapprovingly, "Go into the top of my rucksack, there." I pointed.

George took his arm from behind me and lifted my bag and carefully opened it, "Your handbag?" he asked, looking uncomfortable holding it.

"Under it."

"Oh my, Merlin's beard!" George beamed, realising what it was, "You are officially my favourite person in the whole entire world!"

I covered my mouth in fake shock, "You mean I wasn't already?"

"Hmmm… Good point. But how?"

"I always have surprises under my sleeve, Georgie." I smiled gently. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tight, but not too tight, placing a quick peck on my cheek before running to his brother, "Don't get caught with them!" I shouted after him, putting a hand on my cheek where he kissed me. My stomach was filled with butterflies.

After a brunch of eggs and sausages cooked over the fire, a man frequently mentioned in the Weasley household stopped outside our tents. Ludo Bagman wore long yellow and black stripped Quidditch robes, he had clearly been more trim in his days as a player for the Wasps/ England. He looked like a bit of an overgrown schoolboy with his blue eyes, short blonde hair, rosy complexion and overexcited nature. Arthur introduced us all, and naturally, Ludo took a double-take when he heard Harry's name. Apparently it was due to Ludo that we had such great tickets for the game, they must have cost an absolute fortune!

"Fancy a flutter on the match, Arthur?" Ludo spoke eagerly, jingling on the balls of his feet with the amount of coins in his pocket, "I've already got Roddy Pontner betting me Bulgaria will score first- I offered him nice odds."

"Alright then…" Arthur relented, "Let's see… a Galleon on Ireland to win?"

"A galleon?" Ludo sounded disappointed, "Very well, very well, any other takers?"

"They're a bit young to be gambling," Arthur explained, "Molly wouldn't like-"

"We'll bet thirty-seven galleons, fifteen sickles, three knuts," Fred and George approached Ludo collating all their money, "That Ireland win but Viktor Krum catches the snitch. Oh, and we'll throw in a fake wand."

I gasped.

Percy hissed at his brothers, "You don't want to go showing Mr Bagman rubbish like that-" but Mr Bagman did not seem to think the wand was rubbish at all; his boyish face lit up, and when the wand gave a loud squawk and turned into a rubber chicken, Bagman roared with laughter.

"Excellent! I haven't seen one that convincing in years! I'd pay five galleons for that!"

Percy froze in an attitude of stunned disapproval. I was astounded, grasping that this business of theirs might actually be catching on to something. There was no doubt that Fred and George were absolute geniuses.

Arthur tried to convince the boys not to hand over all their money, (or waste it) as it was their entire life savings. But there was sometimes no talking to them once they got their minds set on something. George took the slip of parchment and tucked it away carefully. The conversation then changed and was all ministry-based.

Hermione tapped my leg and whispered, "Shouldn't you have said something?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "Like what?"

By dusk, everyone was quivering with anticipation and blatant magic was now breaking out everywhere.

Salesmen were apparating from tent to tent, carrying trays and pushing carts of extraordinary merchandise. There were luminous rosettes- green for Ireland, red for Bulgaria that screamed out the names of the players, there were green hats bedecked with dancing shamrocks and Bulgarian scarves adorned with lions which roared. Flags from both countries played their national anthems when flown. There were tiny model firebolts, which really flew, and collectable figures of famous players which strolled across the palm of your hand, preening themselves. It was simply breath-taking.

"I've been saving my pocket money all summer for this." Ron rubbed his hands together, buying himself a dancing shamrock hat, a large green rosette and a small figure of Viktor Krum.

"Wow, look at these!" Harry hurried over to a cart piled high with Omnioculars.

The vendor handed harry a pair to test out, "You can replay action, slow everything down and they flash up play-by-play breakdown if you need it. Bargain- ten galleons each."

"I wish I hadn't bought these now…" Ron sighed.

Harry put his hand in his pocket, "Four pairs."

"No- don't bother!" Ron went red.

"You won't be getting anything for Christmas!" Harry told us, thrusting Omnioculars into Ron, Hermione and my hands, "For ten years, mind."

"Fair enough!" Ron grinned.

"That's your birthday present, Christmas present and a thank you for those cakes all in one." Harry smiled, he never really was one for hugs, unless he was in the mood, so I didn't bother trying.

I nodded, "Thanks Harry!"

I came across a green scarf with white writing that sported '422nd Quidditch World Cup, 22nd August 1994' on it. The scarf also shouted out the Irish player's team names. "How much is it?" I asked the vendor.

"Its six galleons, love." He answered and I went into my handbag to grab the money.

Somebody pushed up behind me, putting both arms around me, I knew by his smell that it was George, "Here you go." He handed over the money and placed the scarf around my neck, "Happy birthday, Katy!"

"You."

"Me?" he joked, pointing at himself.

"You gave up all your money! You-"

George leaned down for me to hear him, "Sold a few wands, sweets and an electric shock shake! Least I could do was thank you for bringing them."

"Thank you." I smiled, squeezing his hand as he interlocked his hand into mine.

A deep, booming gong sounded somewhere beyond the woods, and, at once, green and red lanterns blazed into life in the trees, lighting a path to the pitch.

"It's time!" Arthur said excitedly, "Come on! Let's go!"