Chapter 85: "Quidditch World Cup"
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"Quidditch World Cup"
"Nnngh..."
"WHAM!"
"Harry, wake up," Wanda said as she entered Harry's room, kicking the door almost off its hinges.
"No... no..."
Meanwhile, Harry seemed to be having a nightmare, as he didn't wake up like he usually did when Wanda barged into his room.
"Four eyes, wake up!" Wanda said. To do it quickly, she hit him with a book that was on the table. "THUD!"
"What? Wanda?" Harry said, waking up from the blow as he looked around his room, trying to regain his composure. "I told you not to barge in like that. They've changed the door five times this week," he added, annoyed.
"Don't care," Wanda responded dismissively, leaving the room with a smile.
"Who told you your room was in front of Stephen's?" Tony commented as he walked past Harry's door with a donut in hand.
Harry, resigned, could only sigh. After all, he was just collateral damage. Since Stephen had set up barriers in his room to prevent Wanda's constant interruptions, she took out all her frustration on Harry's door.
It was common to see Wanda trying to break Stephen's barriers until she was exhausted, then venting by annoying her younger siblings. Fortunately, Natasha always kept an eye on her.
"Get ready, kid, or Wanda will come looking for you again," Tony said before leaving.
"You're younger than me," Harry responded, both amused and confused. Though, he had gotten used to how peculiar Tony and Loki were.
Harry quickly changed and was about to leave his room to have breakfast when Stephen appeared in the hallway.
"Hey, four eyes," Stephen greeted him, half asleep, with a croaky voice. Then he looked at Harry's door and chuckled before walking off, leaving Harry annoyed.
"Hey guys, are you ready for the World Cup?" Grandpa Nico asked as he saw the last two descend to join the table.
"Yes, Grandpa. I'm just going to eat a toast, then I'll go get Fleur and her sister, they're coming with us," Stephen said, taking a juice offered by Misty.
"See you at the tent," he added, kissing his grandmother on the head.
"I'm leaving too. I have to pick up Daphne and Artoria," Wanda said, eating quickly before running out after Stephen.
"Do we really have to go to this mortal entertainment?" Loki asked, irritated, now used to his new family—or as he preferred to call it: a temporary alliance.
"You can stay if you don't want to go," Tony responded indifferently.
"Alright. Stephen said it would be fun," Natasha said calmly. "And to bring our weapons," she whispered, so only Loki and Tony could hear. They both raised an intrigued eyebrow but didn't ask further.
"Alright, go ahead. Don't keep the Weasley family waiting," Perenelle urged her grandchildren with a smile.
"Don't you want to go, grandparents?" Harry asked quickly as he got up.
"No, it's fine. Have fun, you young ones," Nicolas responded calmly.
Thus, Natasha, Tony, Loki, and Harry went into the fireplace to transport themselves via the Floo Network.
"I'll always hate this type of travel," Tony said, annoyed, as they arrived at the Weasley house and shook off the dust.
"I prefer this one over the other," Loki commented, recalling an unpleasant memory.
"Hey guys, you made it!" Molly exclaimed, hugging each of them. Both Loki and Tony made uncomfortable gestures, but Natasha glared at them, forcing them to behave.
"Good morning! Come on, sit down. We just made some tea," Molly said with her characteristic warmth.
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Harry responded as he took a seat. Loki and Tony stayed near the door, observing everything with a mix of curiosity and skepticism.
"So, is everyone ready for the World Cup?" Arthur asked as he entered the kitchen with enthusiasm that seemed to spread to everyone present.
"Yes, Mr. Weasley. Though Loki still doesn't understand why mortals get so excited about a sport," Natasha commented, smiling slightly while looking at Loki, who crossed his arms with an air of superiority.
"Well, we'll see once we get there. I'm sure even Loki will find something interesting," Arthur added optimistically.
Fred and George burst into the room, carrying a couple of large bags that were clearly filled with suspicious items.
"Joke products? I hope that doesn't involve explosions," Tony said, eyeing the bags warily, easily understanding these kids.
"Don't worry, Mr. Tony. We're professionals," Fred said, winking.
"That doesn't reassure me at all," Tony murmured.
The Weasley family was already quite familiar with the new members of the Flamel family, and they got along very well. At Harry's birthday, they were introduced to the guests, including the Weasleys and Sirius Black.
Molly, in particular, had become very good friends with Natasha. She was impressed by how mature and strong she could be, especially after solving a small problem with Sirius Black and the beating he received after one of his pranks. Every time Molly remembered that scene, she couldn't help but laugh.
Tony and Loki, on the other hand, kept calm and tried to stay under the radar. They didn't want to risk provoking Natasha's wrath. While Wanda was more annoying and out of control, Natasha in "older sister" mode was much more terrifying, something even Stephen carefully avoided. That dynamic always amused the grandparents.
Finally, the twins woke Ron up with a bucket of water, courtesy of their creativity, and the group followed Mr. Weasley. They left the Burrow chatting quietly while walking to the hill where the Portkey was waiting.
The twins didn't take long to notice Hermione's strange behavior around Natasha. For some reason, Hermione had developed a sort of admiration for Natasha since she showed her abilities at Harry's birthday.
"Do you see Granger? I think she's become a fan of Nat," Fred said quietly.
"And with good reason, considering what she did to Sirius and us that day," George added, remembering the beating that left them behaving like angels in Natasha's presence.
Arthur, meanwhile, greeted the tired Daryl, the one in charge of watching the Portkey. "You on shift all day?"
"Yeah, shortage of staff," Daryl responded resignedly, showing noticeable dark circles under his eyes. "Only Amos is left, and then you can go."
An enthusiastic shout interrupted the conversation: "Hello!" Cedric Diggory and his father, Amos, were quickly approaching.
"Arthur! How are you?" Amos greeted with his characteristic smile, while Cedric nodded politely to those present. However, his eyes stopped for a moment on Natasha, clearly impressed.
The twins quickly surrounded him. "Cedric, you'd better not fall for Nat," they said in unison, each grabbing him by the shoulder.
"What? Why?" Cedric asked, confused.
"Roses are beautiful..." Fred began.
"...but they have thorns," George finished dramatically, leaving Cedric even more perplexed.
"Ah, you're Harry Potter!" exclaimed Amos, changing the subject. "Cedric told me about you... You almost beat him last year! A story you'll tell your grandkids, Ced, playing against Harry Potter!"
Cedric blushed. "Dad, Harry caught the Snitch when he fell off his broom..."
"But you didn't fall!" Amos jovially interrupted, giving him a pat on the back.
The group preferred to stay silent out of courtesy, although Hermione seemed ready to protest until Harry made a calming gesture.
Finally, everyone placed their hands on the old, worn-out boot. Loki sighed with evident distaste at the sight of it. When the Portkey activated, the tug behind their belly buttons left some of them staggering upon landing.
Tony, Loki, Hermione, and Ron ended up on the ground, while the others watched them with amusement.
"How did you stay on your feet?" Ron asked, surprised.
"Stephen uses Portkeys to get home from King's Cross. I'm used to it," Harry explained resignedly.
"Poor you," Ron commented sympathetically.
As they walked toward the camping area, Sirius appeared to greet Harry. "Harry!" he exclaimed with a big smile as he hugged him.
When he saw Natasha, his step faltered, but his pride pushed him to continue as if nothing had happened. The twins couldn't contain their laughter at his reaction.
"Hello, Sirius," Natasha greeted with a mocking smile. Sirius, embarrassed, hurried his steps with Harry.
"And with you, the Black Widow," Tony joked while following the group.
At the entrance of the campsite, they were greeted by Cred, an Auror known for occasionally working with Stephen. "Hello, Cred. You here?" Arthur asked.
"I lost a bet," Cred responded, clearly frustrated. "I got stuck with the entrance. At least I didn't end up with the noble families, full of snobs."
The group continued through the tents until they heard a shout: "We're here!" It was Wanda, greeting them cheerfully along with Daphne, who had become much more expressive since being freed from the family curses.
"Tony, Loki, I found you," Artoria said eagerly before dragging them along to find Gabrielle. Both sent looks of help, which Natasha ignored with a mocking smile.
Stephen appeared with Fleur and Gabrielle, who quickly ran off to play with Artoria and the two resigned twins.
"Let's buy some toys before the match," Fleur suggested with a smile, and the group headed toward the magical market.
"And what are these?" Ron asked, picking up a kind of transparent screen from a counter.
"It's a magical map," the shopkeeper explained with a professional smile. "It shows where each player is using symbols. It's ideal for people who get dizzy looking in all directions."
"And this?" Hermione asked this time, taking a pair of circular glasses that were clearly magical.
"They help you see things farther away as if they were right in front of you," the shopkeeper answered. Then she took the glasses and showed Hermione how they worked, zooming in on a distant object.
Meanwhile, Harry noticed a small logo on all the magical items for sale. It seemed familiar, so he looked at Stephen, who simply returned a smile. That was enough for Harry to confirm his suspicion: these products came from Stephen's company.
In the end, everyone bought some glasses and hats that changed color based on the wearer's mood.
"That hat was our idea!" Fred proclaimed, putting one on that started glowing a bright yellow.
"Stop lying," Ron replied, as skeptical as ever.
Stephen, laughing, confirmed that this time Fred was telling the truth. The twins had created this product line under Stephen's company brand. Although they hadn't given up on their dream of opening a joke shop, they took advantage of the company's technology to develop their own brand. They planned to sell those products in their future store, even internationally, but for now, they enjoyed designing new things.
When everyone returned from their walk, loaded with bags of magical items, Molly and the older Weasley brothers had already arrived at the camp. They all quickly approached to greet them, but then they separated to get ready for the match.
"Why are you still upset?" Fleur asked while walking alongside Stephen, who had a dark expression.
"I was thinking that maybe Bill needs a hit or two," Stephen replied, making his irritation clear.
Bill couldn't stop staring at Fleur, and that made Stephen visibly jealous.
"Although I'd love to see that, today's not the time," Fleur said with a smile, gently hugging Stephen.
"Can you two stop doing that every time I'm around?" interrupted Wanda, appearing behind them with visible annoyance.
"Jealous?" Stephen asked, teasing.
"Why would I be, when I can do the same?" Wanda replied defiantly, while Daphne, walking behind her, just rolled her eyes at her "friend's" competitiveness.
"Enough with that. We need to change," Daphne said, grabbing Wanda by the arm and dragging her away, while Wanda stuck her tongue out at Stephen mockingly.
"I swear she gets more childish as she grows," Stephen said, slightly irritated.
"Maybe because she's finally found her whole family and reunited with them. She can be herself now," Fleur responded sympathetically, remembering the story Stephen had told her.
Though she only knew part of it, she understood that the Flamel siblings had been separated for a long time, each lost in different places around the world. Now that they were finally reunited, they could heal and be themselves again.
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