Quidditch World Cup; Part 1
Darkness.
A darkness so deep that seeing was impossible. Only the echo of a voice could be heard; a voice that seemed to reach into the deepest parts of one's being, making the very soul tremble. A voice that sounded as if it wanted to devour the spirit with almost demonic shrieks, heavy with hatred.
"They stole them. They were mine," the voice repeated, its rage so intense that it sounded as though it were speaking of the worst sacrilege imaginable.
"They are mine!"
…
Billy woke up abruptly, his face covered in sweat. For a second, he felt a chill run down his spine; the sensation vanished as quickly as it had come. Immediately, he noticed that he was lying in his bedroom, the one he shared with his twin brother, who at that moment was sleeping peacefully, a thin line of drool carelessly slipping from the corner of his mouth.
The smell of breakfast drifted in through the half open door, mixing with the hurried sound of footsteps downstairs; he could also hear his mother's voice, along with other familiar voices, all of it creating a warm and comforting atmosphere.
Billy took a deep breath for a few seconds, realizing that what he had seen had been nothing more than a nightmare. He slowly sat up in bed and glanced back at his brother, who was sleeping quite comfortably. Resting on one of his arms was a kind of miniature model; a small enchanted Quidditch pitch, where a magical recording of one of the most famous matches in history could be seen.
It seemed he had stayed up all night watching that competition and had gone to sleep late. Billy simply sighed, looking at him with mild disapproval before leaving the room.
As soon as he went downstairs, he saw Harry moving from one place to another, preparing several things in obvious haste, while Hermione, holding a notebook in her hands, called out items one after another.
In the kitchen, Wanda was cooking and preparing a food basket, helped by Daphne and Liz. Meanwhile, Draco was sitting calmly on the sofa, as if helping were something he had never been made for.
That seemed to annoy Harry, who approached without hesitation and smacked him lightly on the head.
"Stop being lazy and help, idiot," Harry said irritably.
Draco glared at him for a moment, clearly annoyed, but still got up to help with the preparations.
"Sunscreen," Hermione said while looking at Harry, who had already placed a bottle of cream inside a small hand bag. "A safety leash?" she asked next, confused when she saw that item on the list.
"It's so Tommy doesn't get lost," Harry replied, already holding up the leash.
Wanda, who was just coming out of the kitchen carrying a tray of freshly baked cookies, stopped short and looked at her son with a smile that was not exactly kind.
"Ahem. It was a joke," Harry said immediately, awkwardly hiding the leash. He did not throw it away; he simply tucked it out of sight, just as Wanda turned and noticed Billy coming down the stairs.
"Hello, dear. Is your brother awake already?" Wanda asked with a smile, gently stroking Billy's head.
"Not yet. He went to sleep late," Billy replied.
"He's still asleep?" Harry asked. "Draco, take care of the rest; I'll go wake him up," he added before quickly heading upstairs, making it clear how excited he was about what was about to happen.
And it was no surprise; they were about to go to the Quidditch World Cup final. Normally, Harry did not care much about Quidditch, and in general it was not something he was especially passionate about. However, the World Cups were different; they excited him greatly because they were a tradition he never missed, ever since the first World Cup he had attended with his mother and the Granger and Greengrass families.
Even back then, they were not yet friends with Draco, who would later join them for the following matches, becoming part of that tradition as well.
They would enjoy the match; more or less. Then they would go to the festival that was always set up around the stadium, sleep in the prepared tents, and have fun lighting a bonfire, roasting marshmallows, and telling stories late into the night.
Even if he did not want to admit it out loud, having his younger brothers join that tradition also made him quite excited. He wanted to show them the magical festivals, the atmosphere, the lights, the music, and everything that had always been special to him.
Wanda noticed how excited her eldest son was and simply shook her head gently. Still, she was happy; she knew perfectly well why Harry felt that way. With a snap of her fingers, the cookies slid neatly into the basket. When it was opened, an enormous amount of all kinds of food could be seen inside, clearly expanded by a charm.
"Go get ready before Harry does it for you," Wanda said with a light smile directed at Billy, knowing that, given her son's excitement, that was a very real possibility.
Billy nodded quickly before going off to change. To be honest, he was also quite excited; and surely Tommy would be even more so.
"Aunt Wanda, don't you think that's a lot of food?" Daphne asked, looking inside the basket and taking in the mountain of dishes, sweets, and drinks. There even seemed to be room to add more.
"It doesn't matter. The food won't spoil; and it's nice to have a big picnic with everyone," Wanda replied with a calm smile.
Since Billy and Tommy had arrived, Wanda had tried to make every moment truly special; family trips, birthdays, simple outings. She always looked for a moment to sit together, talk, and enjoy themselves as a happy family.
Daphne simply shrugged and placed the large cake she had just finished decorating inside the basket.
Meanwhile, Harry came back down the stairs with Tommy hanging under his arm. He was fully dressed, though somewhat disheveled; his hair was messy, and his eyes blinked slowly with exhaustion, as if he had not even finished waking up before Harry had practically dragged him out of bed.
"Harry!" Wanda exclaimed with a laugh when she saw Tommy like that, giving her son a look that was both amused and accusing as she stepped closer to take the boy into her arms.
"Good morning," Tommy said, still groggy.
"Good morning, sweetheart. Come have some breakfast so you can finish waking up," Wanda said, glancing at Harry; he let out a light laugh, clearly guilty.
"Harry, we have everything," Hermione said, interrupting the scene. Draco nodded at the same time, closing the bag where they had stored the last of the items.
The four of them gathered in the living room with a contagious excitement. After all, it was something they truly enjoyed; camping with their families, having fun, and causing a bit of trouble. Although, to be fair, they usually managed that last part even without leaving the house.
"By the way, who's playing this time?" Harry asked, as if it were not particularly important, though he clearly wanted to know.
"Ireland versus Bulgaria," Draco replied.
"Good. I hope this World Cup is as exciting as the previous ones," Daphne said with a smile.
"Oh, yes. Dad is going crazy," Hermione commented with a sigh. "He's probably the only one who's that excited about the matches."
"Maybe someday, golem duels will reach the same level of importance as the World Cup," Daphne said, visibly excited.
For a moment, they all felt that it would be almost like a dream come true. They themselves had created those golems; it would be as if the creator of Quidditch, back in its early days, could see what his game had become over time.
…
"Traveling with Wanda is always so easy," Selene said as they all passed through the large portal that allowed the families to cross without any trouble, heading straight toward that year's camping site.
As soon as they crossed, the sheer number of people flooding the area immediately caught their attention. And then there was the other thing; the gigantic structure not too far away, rising imposingly. The stadium. Massive, eye-catching, and clearly prepared to receive thousands of witches and wizards.
On the sides, stalls were already being set up for the festival that was always held around the event; lights, colorful fabrics, and enchanted signs were beginning to appear everywhere.
Billy and Tommy, seeing for the first time that immense gathering of people and magic, could only look around with wide eyes, completely excited, unable to close their mouths.
"Welcome to your first Quidditch World Cup," Harry said, looking at his brothers with a smile. He glanced at his younger brothers and smiled again; now it was their turn to experience all of that for the first time.