Chapter 2: Quidditch Game and Visitors.
"Time to wake up," an irritatingly cheerful voice called through into the dark room. There were groans and grumbles from the male occupants who were still sleeping in the beds.
Sirius came out of the house and into the back garden where he saw Hermione and Mia taking their tent down.
"Hey girls! Have a good sleep?" Sirius asked. Both girls smiled toward Sirius, nodding.
"Yeah, it was nice," Hermione replied.
"Good. Can one of you do me a favour?" he asked and they both looked at him curiously. "Ron and Harry are having a hard time getting up. I was wondering if one of you could help them along?" he asked and Hermione grinned.
"I'll get Harry up," Hermione told Sirius, who nodded and started to help Mia finish packing up the tent.
Hermione made her way up the stairs and over to the boys' room. She was about to open the door when Ginny came out of her bedroom all dressed up. Ginny arched an eyebrow when she saw Hermione and realised whose door Hermione was standing in front of.
"What do you think you are doing?" Ginny hissed. Hermione arched an eyebrow.
"Going to wake Harry and Ron up," Hermione informed her but Ginny shook her head.
"It's okay, I can get them up myself," Ginny told her but Hermione sighed as she rubbed her forehead.
"Look Ginny. Harry isn't interested in you - he made it very clear last night. Would you just leave him alone?" Hermione asked and Ginny laughed bitterly as she crossed her arms.
"What's the matter? Afraid that he will realise that I'm a better catch for him than you are?" Ginny asked. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"You know, I feel sorry for you," Hermione informed her. "You are acting like a little girl taking it this far - believing that Harry is actually interested in you and roping your mother into helping you snag Harry. I don't know who I feel more sorry for - you or Harry." Ginny arched an eyebrow.
"And how did you come to that conclusion?" Ginny asked. "You listen here. You and I both know that I'm better for Harry - I'm a pureblood; someone who can introduce him properly into this world, and someone who can help him become the true hero he is. You're nothing but a muggleborn who would rather stick her nose in books than experience real life." Hermione couldn't stop her laughter.
"I'm sorry... which one of us has Harry tried to kiss?" Hermione asked. Ginny paled slightly when the almost-kiss between Harry and Hermione flashed back into her mind. "And which one of us spent the night with him?" The flirting between Harry and Hermione, instantiating that they had spent the night together, flashed back in her mind. "Live with it - Harry is interested in me because I see him for who he is. Harry Potter, not the Boy-Who-Lived." With that, she opened the door, stepped inside and closed it behind her, shutting Ginny out.
"Harry," a female voice broke through his sleep. Harry groaned as he turned around in his bed only to bump into a female body. Curious, he opened his eyes before he looked into a pair of brown eyes that were so familiar to him.
"Hermione?" He slurred out, sleepily. Hermione couldn't help the smile that formed on her face at his adorable sleepy look.
"Hey sleepy head, it's time to wake up," Hermione told him. Harry groaned as he let out a yawn and rubbed at one eye.
"What's the time?" he asked.
"After half five," Hermione admitted and Harry's eyes snapped open in shock before he looked at the window and saw that it was barely light outside.
"You're kidding me," Harry muttered before he closed his eyes, snuggling deeper down into his covers. "Wake me up when it's light."
Hermione rolled her eyes in a mixture of amusement and annoyance when an idea hit her and she smiled. Mia had definitely been rubbing off on her. Hermione bent her head down next to Harry's ear.
"Harry, are my nipples pink or brown?" Hermione asked and Harry's snapped his eyes open only to see that Hermione's top was covering her breasts. He pouted in a most satisfactory manner, she thought.
"Don't do that to me," Harry muttered. Hermione grinned.
"Come on, get up before I pour a bucket of water over you," Hermione informed him. She got out of bed leaving Harry alone and frustrated. "Ron!" Hermione called out in a singsong voice. Ron just gave a sleepy grunt back. "Your mum has made a pile a pancakes and syrup all for you."
Ron shot up in bed as he looked around suddenly alert.
"Pancakes?" he asked and Hermione nodded.
"Come and get them while they're hot!" she left the bedroom, leaving behind two frustrated males - one sexually and one hungrily.
"Bitch!" Ron muttered as he flopped back down on his bed.
"Tease," Harry muttered as he pulled the covers back over his head. He jumped when the door slammed opened once more and they saw two buckets full of water heading toward them. Before they could do anything about it, each bucket dumped its contents on its intended target.
"OI!" both males shouted as the chilly water finished waking them up. When they looked up they saw Hermione and Mia standing in the doorway, each holding a bucket.
"Now you can't go back to bed," Mia informed them before she and Hermione slapped high fives and ran away, leaving the boys behind soaking wet and annoyed.
Soon, the three adults, Percy, the twins, Ron, Harry and the three girls were on their way to reach the portkey spot that would transport them to their destination. When they had gone a little further down the road they bumped into two men.
"Amos!" Arthur greeted jovially. A taller male with brown hair and brown eyes turned around to see Arthur making his way towards him and he grinned.
"Arthur," he greeted. Both men shook hands before Amos turned to Sirius and Lupin. "Mr. Black. Mr. Lupin."
"Mr. Diggory," both men greeted back, shaking his hand in turn.
"And this is my son, Cedric," Amos introduced a taller boy with light brown hair and brown eyes. Ginny smirked up at him before looking at Mia, who was smiling at Cedric.
"Hey Cedric," Mia greeted and Cedric grinned back at Mia.
"Hey Mia. How has your summer been?" Cedric asked. Mia had approached him after the Quidditch match that Harry had fallen in due to the Dementors. Both of them had struck up a friendship that sometimes regressed to flirting.
"Same old, same old - besides, I had no hot guys around here to hang around with," she teased him and Cedric shot her a mock shocked look.
"A stunning girl like you with no guys hanging over her?" Cedric gasped as he clutched his heart. "The world must be coming to an end." Mia couldn't help the laughter that came out at that.
Harry and Hermione shot each other an amused look while Ron just looked between the two of them before eyeing Cedric.
"And what are your intentions towards Mia?" Ron asked as he moved closer to Cedric. Cedric just arched an eyebrow at the young man while Mia giggled.
"Ron, Cedric and I are just friends," she assured him but Sirius was backing Ron up.
"Really? Sure seem to be friendly with each other," Sirius told his daughter as he eyed Cedric over. Mia rolled her eyes.
"Thus the term 'friends'," Mia shot back before slapping her father's arm. "Lay off him."
"Hey Harry," Cedric greeted and Harry grinned as he gave a short wave. "Hermione." Hermione smiled back and Cedric couldn't help the smile as he watched the two of them together.
"Harry Potter?" Amos asked as he peered around everyone to spot the black haired legend. Harry stepped into his view with Hermione and Amos smiled down at him. "Cedric has told me all about you - especially after the Quidditch Match from when you fell. I guess it just shows which one is the better player."
Mia became considerably frosty toward the older man from then on.
"How about I kill off your parents with you listening to their screams and then place you on a broomstick with a bunch of Dementors around you and see how well you stay on your broom?" Mia informed him acidly before she pushed past him, walking on.
Cedric sighed at the shocked look on his father's face.
"Dad, I told you that Harry was attacked by Dementors when he fell from his broom - it wasn't a case of being a better player," Cedric informed him before chasing after the black haired girl.
Amos turned around to apologise to Harry only to get cold brown glares in return.
"Come on Harry," Hermione informed Harry as she tugged on his hand, pulling him away from the man. Harry nodded as he walked after her while Amos turned to face the adults.
"Sorry about that. Harry almost died and if it wasn't for Mia... Hermione isn't really over it yet and Mia tends to get annoyed when someone does that to Harry," Sirius explained his children's behaviour. "You best stay away from them until they've had a chance to cool down a bit."
"Shall we continue?" Arthur asked and Lupin nodded gratefully.
"Yes, let's do," Lupin told him as they all continued walking towards the portkey location.
"Mia!" Cedric huffed out as he chased the girl. She was walking very fast for someone her size. He couldn't believe a tiny thing like her could cover such a large amount of distance in a few minutes. "Come on, slow down!"
Mia sighed as she slowed down and allowed Cedric to catch up with her, breathing heavily. Mia flicked an eye over him.
"I thought Quidditch players were supposed to be in top condition," she told him and Cedric laughed.
"Not at the speed you were going," Cedric informed her and Mia shot him a shy smile.
"Sorry. I get a little frustrated when people get onto Harry like that," Mia admitted to him.
"And I'm sorry about my dad - he just gets so proud of me that he forgets everything else I said," Cedric admitted to him and Mia nodded her understanding.
"So, how was your summer?" Mia asked and Cedric shrugged as they carried on walking.
"It's been fine so far - we went on holiday for a short time," Cedric told her. "But I'm glad to be back home."
"Yeah, I guess it's true what they say... 'There's no place like home'," Mia told him and Cedric agreed.
"Yeah," he told her. He lifted up his hand and Mia slipped her own hand into it theatrically. "Let's meet up with the others." They both hurried back to the main path after the others, still holding hands.
When they arrived at the spot they saw that the rest of their group had already arrived. The others all looked at them curiously when they saw Cedric and Mia holding hands. Confused momentarily, Mia and Cedric looked down and separated their hands, each with a slight blush on their faces.
"We have a few minutes before the portkey will be activated - just take a small break," Lupin told them all, taking over for Sirius and Amos. Sirius was currently eyeing Cedric with a wary eye while Amos was eyeing Mia up with a wary eye of his own. Lupin raised his eyes heavenward, hoping that someone would intervene.
Hermione moved closer to Mia, wanting answers to hers and Cedric's actions.
"Well?" Hermione hissed to Mia, who looked at her.
"Well what?" Mia hissed back and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"About you and Cedric!" Hermione shot at her. "Since when have you been flirting with him? And why have you never told me about this?" Mia couldn't help the blush that rose up on her face, causing Hermione's mouth to drop open.
"I talked to him after the whole Dementors/Quidditch thing and we started up a friendship that briefly evolves to flirting every now and then - it's nothing serious," Mia told her and Hermione let out a snort.
"Mia, you were holding his hands when you caught up to us," Hermione informed her and Mia rolled her eyes.
"You and Harry hold hands all the time," Mia retorted. Hermione was about to retort when Sirius called their name. They turned to look at him.
"Come on girls, the portkey is nearly ready," Sirius, told them and they hurried over to the group. Mia stood next to Cedric while Hermione stood next to Harry and they all reached out and grabbed the old boot that was going to transport them to their destination.
Harry felt a tugging sensation at his navel before he found himself swirling around in the air as everyone looked at each other.
Soon, Arthur was shouting at them to let go. The kids let go and felt themselves falling backward towards the ground at high speed while the adults, Percy and Cedric had found a way to slow themselves down so that they could land safely.
Harry fell on his back with Hermione on top of him as they both landed with a thud. Hermione winced when she realised that she was in between Harry's legs and her elbow was lodged in his stomach.
"Oh god, I'm sorry," Hermione apologised as she rolled off him. Harry shook his head.
"Don't worry. You just knocked the air out of me a bit," Harry assured her. Hermione scrambled up to her feet before she reached down and helped Harry up from his spot on the grass.
Mia had also landed on her back with a loud thud. As she shook her head to get rid of the slight dizziness caused by the rough landing a hand came into focus. She looked up and smiled when she saw that it belonged to Cedric. She reached up and allowed him to help her up before adjusting the bag on her back.
"That's what I call a ride," Mia informed everyone as she watched the boys get up from where they had landed along with Ginny.
"Are you kids okay?" Sirius asked in a concerned voice as he moved closer to his daughters and son.
"Yep," Mia assured her father. Harry waved aside concerns over him while trying to calm Hermione down from her panic attack that she had hurt him with her landing.
"Okay then. When Hermione has calmed down a bit, we'll go to the check-in counter and pay for our spot," Sirius told them and they nodded.
After they arrived at the checkpoint, Sirius made his way over to the window as he had discussed and paid the man on duty there. When they entered through the gates they saw hundreds of wizards and witches milling about. There were lots of tents all over the place and children were running about with toy wands or zooming about on the children's brooms that hovered no higher than a foot off the ground. Teenagers seemed to usually have their faces painted with the team colours of their favoured teams and there were loads of stalls throughout the mix selling things.
Making their way through, they soon arrived at the spot that Arthur had reserved for them and the adults went about setting the tents up. Lupin turned to them and handed them a metal jug.
"Could you kids go to the water tap and get us some water for dinner and drinks?" Lupin asked. Harry nodded as he took the jug and all four of them walked off towards the tap.
Hermione and Mia stayed a bit behind from the boys. Hermione leaned into Mia to talk to her quietly.
"For your information, Harry and I don't always hold hands," Hermione told her. Mia rolled her eyes. "Are you sure about Cedric?"
"God, Hermione, it's not like I'm gonna run off and get married to him!" Mia told her. "I'm just having a bit of fun."
"Are you sure?" Hermione asked, slightly cautious. She knew that Mia had insecurities when it came to guys and she didn't want to see her best friend hurt. Mia smiled, gently, at her best friend, understanding her line of thought.
"I'm sure," Mia promised her and Hermione nodded, finally giving in.
They came to a stop with the boys as they waited in line to get to the water tap. The two men in front of them were arguing over the clothing that one man was wearing.
"Men don't wear dresses - women do," One of men stated. He was wearing pin-stripped trousers and a white shirt. The other man wore a white shirt and what appeared to be a long skirt.
"But I like a breeze around my privates," the other man protested. Hermione ducked out of the line giggling while Mia rolled her eyes as the two men faced the group of teenagers.
"There's a name for that - cross dressers," Mia informed the old man before she turned back to the gang, shaking her head. "This is a nightmare."
"Tell me about it," Harry muttered as Hermione came back to them after the men had disappeared and her giggling fit had calmed down. They got the water before making their way back to the tents where the adults had already finished setting them up, ready to be used.
The kids stepped into one of the tents and found everyone in there, talking.
"Okay, sleeping arrangements. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Mia and Ginny will share this tent. Remus, Sirius and I will share another tent. The rest of the boys will share together. The reason why Harry and Ron are in here with the girls is because there isn't enough room in the other tents and the girls will probably feel better about having the boys in here with them," Arthur told them. Both girls nodded.
"Sure, it's no problem. Harry, Hermione and I are always having a sleepover so we tend to fall asleep in the same room," Mia assured him and Arthur nodded, satisfied.
"Okay, place your bags into the rooms and you can go and explore about for a little while until the games start," Sirius told them. All the kids hurried off, placing their stuff into their room before rushing back out to explore the area.
"And we'll be old men," Lupin finished, gaining an insulted look from Sirius.
"Speak for yourself old boy; I'm as fit as fiddle!" Sirius exclaimed as he struck a muscle man pose. Lupin rolled his eyes.
"Not mentally, mind you," he uttered under his breath before placing his stuff into the tent he would be sharing with the other two men.
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The twins had gone off in one direction and Ginny had met up with some friends from her year and gone of with them. The four of them had gone off in the other direction to take in the sights and decorations.
"Oh, look!" Mia exclaimed as she grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her over to the jewellery stalls. Many kinds of jewellery sparkled in the light. The boys followed them and watched the girls fuss over the trinkets.
Mia and Hermione each ended up purchasing a couple pieces of jewellery before moving over to the clothing stalls. Mia picked out a blood-red gypsy top and handed it to Hermione before raking through the skirt rack and found the blood-red skirt to go with it.
"Go and try them on," Mia informed her. Hermione arched an eyebrow before allowing herself to be pushed into the changing room where she closed the curtain and changed into the clothes.
Mia continued browsing through the tops on the rack before she found one that she liked. She was raking through the skirts for something to go with it when the curtain rattled, announcing that the changer was coming out. She looked up and smiled when she saw Hermione in her new clothes before elbowing Harry in the stomach.
Harry turned when he felt pain in his side and looked at Mia before seeing Hermione. He felt his jaw drop when he took her in. She was wearing an off the shoulder gypsy top with the bright red colour complimenting her complexion. It stopped just above her midriff. The skirt started at the hips and fell all the way to the floor.
"You look fabulous - you need to get that!" Mia told her. Hermione blushed.
"Really?" she asked and Mia elbowed Harry once more.
"Yes, doesn't she?" Mia asked her brother only to get mumbles from him and rolled her eyes. "See, you've left him speechless."
"Okay, I'll get it," Hermione told her before she stepped back into the changing room. She closed the curtains and changed into her original clothes again.
Mia turned to face Harry before slapping him up the back of his head. Startled by the jolt, Harry spun around to look at Mia with a shocked expression as he rubbed the back of his head.
"What was that for?" Harry demanded.
"You are useless - you could have let her know what you thought instead of mumbling," Mia informed him before turning her back on him and resumed her search for a matching skirt. She quickly found one and paid for her purchases as Hermione came out clad in her normal clothes. She handed the outfit to the seller, who wrapped them up and took the money Hermione held out before handing her some change back.
"Come on - Quidditch stuff next," Ron informed them as they exited the stall and followed Ron to where there were rows of Quidditch stuff being sold. Hermione noticed that there was a stall selling t-shirts. She made her way over to it and started raking through the selections.
Hermione grinned when her eye caught sight of the perfect shirt and spoke to the seller. He looked at rummaged behind the counter for the right size before holding it up for Hermione's appraisal. It was a royal red colour and had a picture of a lion's head on the front and the word Gryffindor arced underneath in gold.
"Hey, Hermione, why do you want that?" Ron asked curiously only for his eyes to widen when the seller turned it around so that they could see the back. Harry started spluttering in shock.
Harry Potter decorated the back in gold lettering with the number 17 under it and the word Seeker lined at the bottom of the t-shirt. Hermione shrugged as she smiled at Ron.
"I gotta support my house team, right?" she asked. "What better way to do that than support my favourite seeker?" she handed over the money as the seller folded it up and placed it into the bag before handing her the bag and the change. "Thank you."
She turned back to face the gang only to see Harry looking confused, Mia giggling and Ron looking amused.
"Can they actually do that?" Harry asked as Hermione slipped her arm through his and led him away. Hermione nodded.
"Yes, Hogwarts and the Quidditch committee have a contract of agreement. Any Quidditch player who plays on the school team gets sponsored for their own t-shirts and things," Hermione explained.
"Oh," Harry told her as he allowed himself to be led away.
"And I'm guessing he didn't know that," Ron told Mia, who nodded in agreement as they hurried to catch up with the other pair. They reached the tent and saw Sirius outside talking with Lupin. Arthur was listening to something Percy was saying while nodding. The twins were conversing with each other and Ginny turned to look at their approach and smiled when she saw Harry.
"Hey Harry!" she greeted. Harry just gave her a short nod before Lupin picked up on Harry's slightly shocked mood.
"What's wrong Harry?" Lupin asked. Hermione smiled slightly.
"Harry is a little shocked that people actually sell t-shirts with his name on the back," Hermione explained. "When I purchased this one," she continued.
Sirius winced in remembrance. "Sorry Harry. I meant to warn you about that," Sirius apologised to the young man but Harry shook his head.
"I'm okay - I think I'm getting used to the idea," Harry told them before frowning. "I hope." Sirius just smiled at his nephew before he turned to the others.
"Okay, time to go and watch the game," Sirius told them as he led them up towards the stadium. Ron had just painted one side of his face red while leaving the other one bare and the twins dug out some flags. They were eagerly making their way up the stairs when a cold voice stopped them all.
"Well, well, well, look who managed to salvage enough money to get tickets," Lucius informed them. They turned to see him standing in his finest in front of Draco and his wife, Narcissa.
"Oh look!" Mia exclaimed as she rushed over to the barrier before looking down. "I'm higher than you!" The twins ended up snorting back their laughter with Ron. Cedric couldn't help the grin that appeared over his face before coughing and schooling his face into one of displeasure as his father sent him with a disgusted expression for Mia's attitude.
Draco turned his face to look at the other side while fighting back his own laughter at his father's displeasure.
"And that's the only way you're gonna be higher than me," Lucius informed her and Mia rolled her eyes.
"Make sure you don't walk into a wall," Mia replied. "You can't possibly see with your nose that high." She walked off, leaving Lucius staring after her with a furious glare.
"You know, a wizard can be judged by the company he keeps," Lucius informed Harry nastily, who smirked in response.
"Hey, my company is better than yours - we don't bow down to a half blood coward," Harry informed him before he took Hermione's hand and they both walked up the stairs after Mia. Lucius was left scowling and Draco covered his smirk behind a hand before replacing it with a scowl as his father looked at him.
Lucius continued to follow Fudge while Narcissa nudged her son - both of them amused as they followed Lucius.
Harry and the rest found their seats. Harry was sitting in between Hermione and Ron. Mia was sitting to the left side of Hermione and sitting next to Cedric. The twins were sitting next to Ron while the adults sat in the back next to an empty space and a house elf - one that Harry thought looked remarkably like Dobby.
Harry turned back to the front of the box and they watched the team cheerleaders make their way out to the pitch. The first group was made up of sexy girls wearing silver dresses and once they were set they started a very suggestive dance.
Harry just tilted his head, confused about why the girls were dancing in such a display.
"What are those?" Harry asked, curious to why they were doing the sexy dance. Mia snickered.
"Harry - they're veelas," Mia reminded him and Harry's eyes widened in shock as he looked around and saw that a majority of the males in the stands were all showing off in one way or another. He saw Ron looking to get ready to jump off the stands down onto the pitch and reached out a hand to hold him in place.
"Why am I not affected?" Harry asked, confused.
"Because you don't just go for looks and you've been trained to close your mind," Sirius reminded as he helped Harry to drag Ron back away from the railing despite Ron's distracted struggles. Once the Veelas stopped singing and dancing, Ron looked around in confusion before he settled himself back into his seat, much to the amusement of the girls and the elder males.
Then the leprechauns came out, throwing fireworks and handfuls of gold all over the place.
"Ooh, Money," Ron exclaimed but Hermione shook her head.
"They're fools gold," Hermione explained to Ron. Ron looked at her, puzzled. "They vanish in twenty four hours."
"Oh, well, that's lovely isn't it?" Ron asked sarcastically.
"It's amusing to see people trying to pay off their debts with it," Percy informed them and Mia grinned at the elder Weasley before she turned back to the front. Finally it was time for the teams to come out.
Ron and the twins jumped up and down cheering and hollering when Viktor Krum's name was announced. Mia and Hermione just rolled their eyes in amusement while Harry just eyed the guys warily.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you all fancied him," Harry remarked, causing them to look at him in shock. Harry just shrugged. "Just saying." The twins and Ron sat back down with small frowns. Harry turned back to watch the action on the pitch with a mischievous glint in his eyes, one that Hermione thought she recognised.
Hermione reached over and backhanded Harry on the chest, causing him to look at her. "You're mean," she teased him and Harry just shot her his half-smirk before he took her hand in his.
The game was exciting to some extent but Hermione found herself becoming bored. She absently realised it was because Harry wasn't playing. For some reason, Quidditch was always more exciting when Harry played and she wished she had brought a book or something to keep her busy.
Hermione turned her head when she felt Harry squeezing her hand and locked gazes with him, who smiled softly.
"Don't worry, I think it's nearly over - Krum is looking for the snitch," he told her. Hermione couldn't help the soft smile that crossed her face before she leaned over and rested her head on Harry's shoulder to watch the rest of the action.
Ginny couldn't help the glare that came to her face as she watched the two of them from her seat behind them. But she turned her glare back to the game while wishing that she wasn't alone.
The game finally came to a stop with Krum catching the snitch. Ron howled when he realised that Ireland had won the game.
"Why did he catch the snitch? He didn't win!" Ron complained.
"He knew that Ireland was going to win - they were too far ahead in points so he grabbed the snitch to make sure that they didn't lose by a larger margin," Harry explained. Ron nodded sulkily while Hermione shook her head at how childish Ron was acting.
Now that the game was over, everyone started to get up from their seats and moving their way back to their sleeping areas.
"Okay kids, back to the camp!" Sirius called out as he led them down the stairs. While making their way down Hermione kept her head on Harry's shoulder and Harry had his arm slung over hers to hold her close as they walked. Mia and Ron were chatting animatedly over the game, still high on their excitement.
None of them knew that others had plans in store for them
TBC
No, Cedric and Mia are not going to be the main couple - though I might have them together for a short time *Goes off to think about it*.