16/1/25

The pre-set alarm clock in Harry's room went off at 7 o'clock the next morning stirring some of the boys, rolling over, Harry turned it off and got up heading for his wardrobe.

"Come on guys the sooner we're up, the sooner we get to the Cup," he said pulling down his outfit which consisted of light blue jeans, a red short sleeved t-shirt and some socks.

"Harry, it's too early..." Ron said sleepily.

"Get up now, or you'll be left behind," Harry said closing the wardrobe door.

At that Neville and Jack got up and started to get changed too.

"Ron we get up at this time everyday at school, why does it bother you today?" Neville asked seeing Ron still in bed.

"Cause summer's not school," Ron said yawning and curling up a bit more.

"We can always try what my dad did with me when I needed to get up early," Jack said grinning to himself at the memories.

"Will it get him to wake up?" Harry asked unsure about this but didn't want his friend to miss the portkey.

"Not sure, but it always got me up, I just need to borrow something first," Jack said and left the room an evil level smile on his face.

Unsure about this Harry and Neville continued to get dressed and pack up their things, leaving Ron in his sleeping bag slowly falling back to sleep.

As they went outside into the hallway, they passed Jack who was carrying a large bucket of cold water.

"Before I do this," Jack said thinking as a friend. "How waterproof is your room, Harry?"

"Um... I'm not sure, but I'm sure Remus and Sirius can fix it if it gets too bad," Harry answered.

"Ok, you guys go downstairs," Jack said smiling and quietly entering Harry's room.

"Should we stop him?" Neville asked nervously.

"If Ron didn't want this, he should have gotten up on time," Harry said turning his back to his room, just as a high girl-like scream came from it, then Jack and his bucket came out followed by a soaking wet Ron who commenced a chase downstairs to the kitchen where everyone else was having breakfast.

"Nice of you to finally turn up," Bunny said in a motherly sort of way looking Ron up and down. "Why are you all wet?"

"Because... this jerk... thought it would be funny to throw a bucket of water at me!" Ron said shivering as he pointed at Jack.

"What? I did no such thing," Jack said innocently.

Something that didn't work out because he was still holding the bucket - which had clearly just had water inside it.

"I was watering Harry's plants for him as a thank you for letting us stay, and accidentally tripped on the lump that was on the floor." Jack explained as Elisa and Annie came in, one rolling their eyes the other giggling.

"Harry doesn't even HAVE any plants in his room!" Ron yelled at the brown haired boy before him.

"What I'm getting from this Ron," Fred spoke up from near the toaster, with George, making sure their dad didn't poke at it with anything metal. "Is if that 'lump on the floor' hadn't been there, this wouldn't have happened."

There were nods and mumbles of agreement at this, no one even speaking up to defend Ron as this was his own fault to begin with.

"Just go and dry off and get dressed, Ron," Sirius said sipping some coffee. "Then come back for breakfast. You and Jack can sort this out later."

Grumbling Ron went back upstairs where a door could be heard slamming.

Once it was laughter and applause went out to Jack who bowed and finally set the bucket down.

"Ahh, the good old Water Bucket trick," Remus said smiling. "I remember how Fleamont liked to use that trick when James and Sirius wouldn't get up in the mornings themselves."

"I think he had a special bucket just for that," Sirius said catching the toast which just popped up and scared Arthur a little bit. "One he put a spell on so the water was always cold when he threw it at us."

"Well, I'm sure he wouldn't had needed to if you got up at the right time," Tooth said in an innocent but burning way as she had some crumpets.

Old memories aside everyone crowded around the table, elbow to elbow, and had breakfast, Ron coming down after a little bit.

As some were finishing Arthur mentioned that (going by Ministry rules) everyone going to the World Cup had to go incognito – dressed as Muggles.

This didn't have to be said because apart from himself, everyone here who was going was used to dressing like Muggles anyway, even Neville who had grown up with his strict grandmother, but everyone just nodded in polite understanding anyway.

"Where are Bill and Charlie?" Harry finally asked, finally noticing they weren't here either.

"Should I use the bucket on them too?" Jack said smiling. 'See he admits it!' 'Shut up Ronald.'

"No, no, that won't be necessary," Arthur said calmly ignoring his son's. "They're getting a bit of a lie-in because they will be Apparating there later."

"Apparating?" Annie asked confused. "That's magic teleporting right?"

"Yes," Sirius said quickly. "But you need to be over 17, take a test, and have a licence to do it."

"Yeah, Charlie had to take the test twice," Fred said smiling. "Remember ended up 5 miles from where he should have. Right on top of some old dear doing her shopping."

"Wow, bet that didn't let him get his licence," Elisa said smiling.

"No, but he managed it the second time," Arthur said putting in a new slice of bread into the toaster watching excitedly as it warmed up.

"You need a licence to poof from one place to another?" Annie asked, midway through her cereal, frowning.

"Oh yes," Arthur said as if this was an obvious thing. "We need to know those who try it can do it otherwise those who attempt it can splinch themselves."

All those who were wizards shuddered a little, those raised by Muggles wearing confused looks.

"Splinch?" Jack asked not hearing this word before.

"Left a piece of themselves behind," Fred explained. "In your test, even if it's just half an eyebrow, you fail it."

"Who gets fussy over half an eyebrow?" Annie asked not believing this.

"It might be half an eyebrow there, but if they accept you, and you try again, this time you might leave something bigger and/or more important, like a toe or a finger." Arthur explained. "The test is to see if you can do it, and is so strict so we know you can do it and helps you know how it feels moving every bit of you from point A to point B."

"Why not just use brooms? Or you know something that doesn't make you lose things?" Jack asked thinking of how safe the Wind was when she wasn't mad at him.

"Some people do only use brooms," Remus said taking over the explanation. "Slower, admittedly, but in some eyes safer."

"Or we can order portkeys," Sirius said stopping Arthur from inserting another new slice of bread into the toaster.

"Portkeys?" Hermione, Elisa, and Annie asked together.

"They're bits and bobs that Wizards magic-afy to take any number of people from a set location A to B." Harry said proud that he knew something for a change.

"Old, almost useless, bits and bobs mind you," Sirius added. "So Muggles don't go picking them up."

"Put some Muggles do pick up old useless bits and bobs," Hermione said thinking about this. "Homeless people, volunteer cleaners trying to make the place they live more tidy, beach cleaners."

"There have been a couple of issues when a Muggle had picked up a portkey," Arthur said thinking, but mostly they are left alone.

Just then the clock went off letting everyone know the time.

"Off you go then," Remus said handing Sirius the newspaper and making sure everyone (mostly Neville) had their things. "Bill and Charlie will come by supposedly with Percy around lunch I expect."

Nodding everyone went into the garden and grabbed a bit of the newspaper.

In the garden everyone was gathered round their bulky backpacks up against each other all with an arm in and touching the rolled up news paper.

"Five, four, three, two... one!" Sirius counted down and just like that everyone felt a tug on the back of their shirts and the ground leave under their feet.

And then it was back and they were groaned as they got up, to the sound of:

"9:03 from Black House, New Forest."

AN: I'm back!

Sorry it too so long. What with Christmas and wanting to get this right, it took longer than expected.

Those going to the Cup = Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Fred, George, Ginny, Annie, Elisa, Tooth, Bunny, Jack, Mr Weasley, Sirius, *Charlie, *Bill, *Percy.

*will come by later

I might forget, to mention them as we go on, so just saying it now.