Quidditch World Cup; Part 2
Inside an enormous tent that was almost the size of a house, there was everything needed for a comfortable stay; fully furnished, a massive central table, and even a giant television placed in one corner. It was, in fact, even more comfortable than many actual houses. Plush sofas, thick carpets, improvised shelves, and high-end camping equipment filled the space with an almost exaggerated sense of normalcy. Everything was designed so that nothing would be missed. Honestly, it might have been a little too much. Even the interior temperature was perfect.
And this was only the Maximoff family's tent.
Each family had its own tent, arranged side by side in the most exclusive section of the campsite. While sharing close territory with other pure blood families and opportunistic merchants looking to latch onto any influential household could be somewhat annoying, it was still, without question, the safest and most comfortable place in the entire encampment.
"Alright, you can go take a walk for a while. We'll join you later," Wanda said to her children. After all, she also needed to give them a bit of freedom so they could have fun without constantly feeling the watchful eyes of adults.
"Of course," Harry replied with a confident smile, naturally adopting the role of the responsible and self assured older brother.
"And don't use the leash on your brother," Wanda added immediately, staring at him intently as she extended her hand forward, waiting.
"Fine," Harry said as he pulled out the hidden leash and handed it over, though he did so slowly and with clear resignation.
"Harry, hurry up!" Tommy shouted at that moment, full of excitement, as if he were about to run off without looking back.
Harry looked toward his mother when he noticed this, but Wanda continued waiting, not pulling her hand away, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Fine," Harry repeated, finally handing over the leash and quickly moving toward Tommy before he could escape, firmly grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.
Billy calmly followed Harry as the three of them left the tent, crossing paths right at the entrance with Selene, whom they greeted quickly before heading off.
She entered with a relaxed smile.
"It seems Harry is quite good at being the older brother," Selene commented with a warm expression. The truth was that Harry had changed a lot over the past few months, becoming a genuinely responsible older brother.
"Well, it was difficult at the beginning. They could barely even talk normally," Wanda said with a happy smile, comforted by knowing that her family was truly united. For a while, she had feared that Harry might struggle to accept his brothers, especially because of his somewhat distant personality toward those he did not consider part of his close circle. But in the end, they were his family. That problem never truly existed.
Besides, Harry had always been a good older brother. With Astoria and Luna, the boys had treated them like younger sisters from the very beginning, so it was nothing strange.
…
Meanwhile, outside the tents, just after stepping out, dozens of extremely luxurious tents could be seen arranged all around, laid out in perfectly aligned rows. Some tents were absolute exaggerations, true castles made of fabric with multiple towers and fake balconies. Others looked more discreet on the outside, but once opened, they revealed surprisingly spacious and luxurious interiors.
"Come on, Harry, hurry up. You're slow. I want to buy those really cool magical binoculars," Tommy said, genuinely excited.
"Why does everything with you have to be rushed?" Harry replied while complaining, even as he picked up the pace.
"Aren't you going to wait for your friends?" Billy asked curiously.
"They went ahead. We'll find them by the shops," Harry said with a calm smile.
"Oh, well, look what we have here," a voice suddenly said.
Harry recognized the voice instantly and closed his eyes for a moment as he sighed, before turning around.
"Carrow," he said upon seeing the young man approaching, flanked by his followers Crabbe and Goyle. "I thought your family would be a bit busy to have time to come watch a World Cup," Harry added calmly, looking at him with a serene smile.
Billy and Tommy did not really know Carrow, but they could easily see the hatred he held toward their brother.
And Harry's words seemed to enrage Carrow instantly. He frowned, clearly restraining the impulse to do something.
"Don't think I don't know you had something to do with it, Potter," Carrow said in a cold voice, loaded with barely contained fury.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Harry replied, feigning confusion and innocence, which only increased Carrow's hatred toward him.
"Don't play dumb. You'd better take care of your sword, Potter. Dark times are coming for you and your friends," he said, staring at him before shifting his gaze to Tommy and Billy behind Harry. He shot them a contemptuous look and walked past, followed by the other two.
Harry watched them leave in silence for a moment, before being interrupted by Tommy.
"Why didn't you beat him up? He looks weak," Tommy asked, clearly annoyed by the way he had spoken to them and looked at them.
"It's not worth it. No matter how many hits he takes, he always comes back to be a nuisance," Harry said calmly, with no intention of letting an idiot ruin their fun day. "Come on, let's buy everything we can and bring a gift for Mom," he added, encouraging his brothers.
…
"Draco, please, I'm begging you," Pansy Parkinson said, standing in front of him as tears streamed down her face. They were between several tents, and multiple passersby stopped to look, whispering among themselves, watching Draco as if he were a beast making a defenseless young girl cry.
For his part, Draco wore an expression of clear exhaustion, looking at the girl's fake tears with absolute weariness.
"I have no interest in helping your family. Why would I?" Draco replied, looking at her with disdain and with clear intentions of leaving.
"Y-you are my fiancé," she said, lifting her head to look him in the eyes, as if searching for some past connection. But the only thing she found was Draco's cold gaze, watching her as if what she had just said were a very bad joke.
A mocking smile even formed on Draco's lips.
"I think you are confused. Your fiancé is called Lucius Carrow; and he would probably be truly disappointed to see you asking your ex fiancé for help," Draco said, looking at her with his arms crossed.
"The engagement was broken. My father was arrested while they investigate the evidence. The Carrow family immediately cut all ties to save themselves," she said, clearly ashamed. "I will do anything. We can be engaged again. I… I always loved you," she added, stepping a little closer and trying to take his hand.
Draco immediately took a step back, an expression of genuine disgust on his face.
"Do not touch me, please," he said, as if the simple contact could infect him with something, while his expression turned annoyed for a moment.
Pansy froze completely as tears continued to fall down her face.
"But… I… we were childhood friends. You were my childhood love. We were engaged. Do you remember?" she said, forcing a smile, trying to drag Draco into a memory that existed only for her.
"Yes, I remember," Draco replied with icy calm. "I remember how your family, in order to save their reputation, cut off all contact. I remember the contempt in your eyes when I became a blood traitor, according to you. And I remember how you and the other Slytherins never stopped bothering my friends and me."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"If your father is innocent, he should not fear being investigated. But if he is guilty… that is unfortunate. My father would surely be there with him," Draco added with a deeply contemptuous smile. That noble arrogance he always carried manifested itself with such pure disdain that Pansy trembled slightly, while silence settled in.
But that silence was broken almost immediately.
At that moment, someone who seemed to be running around emerged from between the tents and froze instantly at the side, observing the scene.
"Uh… hu… um… I got lost. I am looking for the others," Hermione said. She had seen Pansy in tears and the icy atmosphere surrounding Draco, as if pulled straight out of a dramatic romance novel. She turned halfway to leave, but before she could do so, a hand grabbed her by the head with an unexpected tug, making her lose her balance and almost fall backward.
"What are you doing, idiot?" Hermione said irritably, turning toward Draco with a clearly annoyed expression while fixing her hair, which seemed harder than usual to arrange at that moment.
"Wait, I will go with you. I am done here," Draco said calmly.
Hermione glanced sideways at him, then briefly at Pansy. However, Draco had already started walking, so she could not stay and ended up following him.
"You should not make girls cry," Hermione said as they walked. Draco glanced at her for just a moment before speeding up, completely ignoring her.
"Hey, I am talking to you," Hermione said, quickening her pace to catch up.
"You are bad at acting," Draco said suddenly, without stopping. "I did not need your help," he added before letting out a faint smile while shaking his head.
"I do not know what you are talking about," Hermione replied immediately.
Meanwhile, Pansy watched the two of them walk away with an expression filled with fury and jealousy, especially directed at Hermione. She clenched her fists so tightly that they turned white; for a brief instant, her eyes took on a dark hue, and she ground her teeth together until they creaked before turning around and storming off.
Unaware that, not far away, Daphne, Astoria, and Luna had been watching the entire scene from the very beginning, calmly sitting while eating ice cream, as if they were witnessing something particularly entertaining.
"Draco and Harry are really popular, right?" Luna suddenly said.
"A lot of photos of the two of them sell at Hogwarts," Astoria added, nodding.
"Yes, they really make me quite a lot of money," Daphne said with an amused smile. Her gaze shifted slightly toward where Pansy had disappeared, and for a moment, she narrowed her eyes before taking a bite of her ice cream. She immediately brought a hand to her forehead. "Ow, ow," she complained about the sudden brain freeze.