"Magic, Friends, and Quidditch"
The Granger family arrived at Wanda's house while everyone was getting ready for their trip to the Quidditch World Cup.
Wanda would be taking them. She had no difficulty transporting them all at once via Apparition.
The Lovegood and Greengrass families would meet them there.
Normally, children can't travel by Apparition, especially if they're from the Muggle world, but Hermione and Harry weren't at Hogwarts yet and didn't even have wands, so they weren't marked with the Trace.
They were waiting in the living room. Harry and Wendell were more excited than Susan and Hermione.
"Which team are you supporting, Harry?" Wendell asked with a smile.
He was usually busy all the time, so it was rare for him to join the family on a trip.
Especially since, after his wife became friends with Wanda and they discovered Hermione was a witch, Susan started dumping all her work on him.
Of course, he didn't complain. He was something of a workaholic.
But over time, he had become a fan of Quidditch, a magical sport that was unlike any of the sports he usually enjoyed.
His wife, who often went to Diagon Alley to help their daughter adapt to a world she'd be connected to for the rest of her life, always brought him souvenirs, which he kept in a room similar to Harry's playroom, but dedicated solely to sports memorabilia.
"The United States. Mom comes from there," Harry said with a smile.
"Oh really? Not going to support our country?" Wendell asked with an amused grin.
"Mmm... that too," Harry replied easily.
"By the way, who's playing today?" Susan asked, leaning back on the sofa and interrupting the conversation.
"Bulgaria and Brazil. It's the semi-finals. Then it'll be England vs. the United States. The winners will face each other in the final. Too bad we won't be able to see that one—the tickets have been sold out for ages. Luckily, Wanda managed to get us seats for this match," Wendell explained.
"Is everyone ready?" Wanda asked, checking the time. It was time to leave, just as planned.
"Yes!" they all said.
"Then, everyone hold hands," Wanda said with a smile.
They all obeyed, and in a blink, they disappeared from the center of the living room.
Of course, Wanda's house had anti-Apparition wards, but they only applied to uninvited guests… or rather, there was no barrier that could stop Wanda if she wanted to move.
After a slight bout of dizziness from Susan and Wendell, who weren't used to the feeling, both looked up to see the crowd around them. Everyone was dressed in extravagant, sometimes comical outfits. Strange magical creatures were also walking among the witches and wizards.
The place where the match was held was a coastal area. You could even see the sea in the distance.
"Alright. Let's go. Selene said she would get our camping spot ready," Susan said with a smile, pulling out a note with the address that had been sent to Wanda earlier.
Everyone followed Susan, eyeing the various stalls and the wizards everywhere with interest.
It was normal to see magic in Diagon Alley, but here there were even more witches and wizards.
Spells flew everywhere, and they could see Aurors running back and forth, stopping those who caused trouble.
After a while, they reached a much quieter tent area. The wizards and witches walking there were all well-dressed, wearing expensive-looking robes and even flashy jewelry.
Looking at the section signs, they found a beautifully decorated green tent with golden thread adorning the roof. Just in time, the Greengrass family was stepping out to greet them.
"Oh, you're here. Welcome," Selene said warmly, while her husband, with his usual emotionless expression, gave a slight nod in greeting.
"Harry, Hermione! You took forever!" Daphne said with a bright smile as she and Astoria approached.
"We had a tent set up for you and another one next to it for the Lovegood family," Selene said, pointing to three identical tents lined up in a row.
"Thank you so much. You didn't have to go to the trouble. I would've loved to see Pandora's husband and Wendell trying to set one up," Susan said with a grin.
Wendell immediately grew defensive.
"Hey! I know how to pitch a tent. Remember, I was a Boy Scout!" he added.
"When we went fishing last summer, you couldn't even set up your fishing rod, dear," Susan whispered to her husband.
"It was a defective rod!" Wendell replied quickly.
Thankfully, his wife knew not to embarrass him… though she did enjoy teasing him. Maybe a bit too much. Probably because she couldn't do it to Wanda, so she did it to him instead.
"So, we'll drop off our stuff and then go explore. What about you?" Wanda asked.
"We're coming with you. Hanging around this place full of stuck-up people is boring," Selene said, while Edward gave her a sideways glance.
"What? It's true," Selene said with a shrug toward her husband.
Wendell and Edward realized why Selene and Susan had become friends so easily: they had very similar personalities.
"Hey!" Pandora's voice called out not far away as she approached with her husband and Luna. "Looks like we made it on time," Pandora said with a smile.
"We're going to drop off our things and then head out to explore," Wanda said.
"Then we'll do the same," Pandora replied cheerfully, as Selene pointed out the tent prepared for them.
After a few minutes, everyone stepped out of their respective family tents.
Wanda's was next to the Greengrass family's, the Grangers were in the middle, and the Lovegoods were in the one next to them, which had a view of the sea.
After that, the four families went out together to explore the stalls, buying things for the children while the women chatted with relaxed smiles.
The three husbands just walked behind them, smiling as they watched them enjoy themselves.
Meanwhile, the children ran around, buying anything that caught their interest.
Harry was walking with the others when something caught his eye.
It looked like a pair of binoculars, so he approached the vendor.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Omnioculars. They're magical binoculars that let you see plays in slow motion, replay moments, and display player information," the vendor replied with a professional smile.
Harry's eyes lit up with interest.
"Then please give me two," said Harry. One was for him, and the other for Wanda.
But then he looked at the girls who were with him.
"Make that four more," he added.
"Wow, you're quite the little Casanova," said the vendor as she started putting the Omnioculars into a paper bag. "That'll be 60 Galleons."
Harry didn't understand what "Casanova" meant, so he ignored the comment.
He pulled out some gold coins from the small pouch Wanda had made for him and paid. Then he began handing out an Omniocular to each of the girls.
"Thank you," they said happily.
"Daphne!"
But a voice interrupted, causing Daphne and the others to turn and see a blond boy in elegant clothing approaching with a smile that seemed forced—or at least a little nervous.
"Long time no see."
"Hello, Draco," Daphne said calmly, looking at Draco after so long. Draco had been her first friend, but he had drifted away when his father forbade him from seeing her again, leaving her alone once more. Luckily, she had met Hermione and Harry, so she held no grudge.
"Are these your friends?" Draco asked, looking at Hermione and the others, until his gaze settled for a moment on Harry… and the scar on his forehead.
"Harry Potter!" he exclaimed in surprise.
"Draco! Come back to the tent!" a woman's voice called from afar.
"Coming!" he shouted back. Then he turned to the others. "Well, it was nice seeing you."
And with a brief nod, he ran off.
Meanwhile, Edward and his wife were watching the conversation between Draco and their daughter.
"Looks like his mother is straightening him out little by little. Normally he'd have started with some sarcastic and competitive comment," Selene remarked, while Edward nodded. Then the two of them looked away and continued walking with the others.
After finishing their shopping, it was time to go watch the match, so everyone headed to their assigned section—no less than the main box, alongside the other pure-blood families and the ministers.