After crossing a small mound of soil, the trio of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Arthur Weasley came upon the massive campsite for the Quidditch World Cup final.
Hundreds of tents in every imaginable colour and style—ranging from modest and plain to extravagantly luxurious—stretched across the campground. It was like as an entire city had been built on the grounds.
Arthur paused with a proud smile, clearly thrilled to show off the marvellous scene to Harry and Hermione. Everyone who experienced it for the first time was certainly amazed by it.
"We could have taken the shorter route," he said, "but the view from here is simply splendid."
Harry returned a polite smile, while Hermione looked genuinely thrilled.
"Come," Arthur said, gesturing for them to follow. "We need to cross the entire camp to get to our spot."
Harry and Hermione trekked behind him, weaving through the bustling crowd.
Along the way, Arthur continued to encounter several acquaintances, mostly fellow Ministry workers and as was his usual nature, he enthusiastically introduced them to Harry and Hermione.
After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at their tent. The first person they saw was Ron Weasley, carrying a large kettle. He ran up to them, his face lighting up.
"Harry! Hermione!" He greeted them.
"Ron," Harry greeted him mildly, while Hermione offered a polite but less enthusiastic smile.
Although Harry had never directly spoken to Hermione about Ron's behaviour, his subtle remarks over the past month had left an impression.
The lack of warmth in Hermione's response was noticeable but, as usual, Ron was too dense and enough of a fool to notice the changes.
Arthur did not linger around them anymore and walked into the tent. As soon as he disappeared inside, Ron made a face-irritated, exhausted, and petulant all at once.
"You know," he began, leaning in toward Harry, "Dad's had me doing chores since we got here. He has forbidden the use of magic! And Fred and George are being... well, Fred and George. And Percy…"
Ron looked around, as if was going to reveal classified Ministry information.
"Percy got a job in the Department of International Magical Cooperation," he whispered. "And now he would not shut up about it."
"Oh?" Harry acted slightly surprised. "That is nice. What about his girlfriend? Miss Penelope Clearwater?"
Ron's expression fell. His mouth opened, but no coherent words came out.
"Th-that... I don't know," he stammered.
"Come on, let us go inside the tent," he muttered, hurrying away.
Harry grinned and shrugged, following behind. From the corner of his eye, he caught Hermione glaring at him with raised eyebrows—What was that? Her expression seemed to ask.
The inside of the tent was surprisingly spacious, more like a three-room flat. It had a main hall, a kitchen, and a small bathroom.
In the main hall, Fred, George, Percy, and Ginny were chatting casually. Harry greeted the twins warmly, but his response to Ginny was awkward unsure how to behave with her. Still, he tried to act normal.
[Author's Note: You decide—should Ginny be a secret villain, or part of Harry's harem and on his side? Let me know, I have not decided myself.]
Percy was polite in his greeting, but Harry could not help but smirk at his stiff posture and self important demeanour that Percy was trying to maintain. Percy stood with his shoulders squared and nose slightly raised, as though he was carrying the entire Ministry on his back.
Fred and George were preparing to mock him again when Arthur's voice came from outside.
"Boys, Ron, Harry, join me here. Help me with cooking and prepping drinks. Bill and Charlie will be joining us soon."
"And no magic," he added sternly.
What followed was pure chaos. Arthur took the lead in preparing food using Muggle tools, grinning like a child every time he used something as simple as a matchbox.
Soon enough, Bill and Charlie arrived. Both were effortlessly charismatic and polite, engaging everyone in warm conversation.
But Percy once again stole the spotlight.
"Mr. Crouch trusts me immensely," Percy boasted. "He has been swamped lately. I have barely had time to breathe. A lot of important responsibilities has been left on my shoulders."
Fred rolled his eyes. "Wow, your work sounds so important, Percy."
George added, "Imagine if he wrote down one wrong word, the whole Ministry could collapse!"
Percy, somehow missing the sarcasm, puffed out his chest and nodded solemnly. "Exactly!"
He was about to launch into another explanation of his vital responsibilities when Arthur stood up.
A tall, athletic man with a cheerful stride was walking toward them.
"Here comes the man of the moment—Ludo Bagman," Arthur announced with a grin, stepping forward to greet him.
Arthur shook hands with Ludo with genuine gratitude. "Thanks to him, we got the tickets."
"He is Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports," Arthur explained to Harry and Hermione.
"And not just that," Arthur added dramatically, "he used to play Quidditch for England!"
One by one, Arthur introduced his children to Ludo, ending with Harry and Hermione. As expected, Ludo tried to sneak a glance at Harry's scar, but looked mildly disappointed to find it hidden beneath his hair.
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