Chapter Text
At the constant loud buzzing sound, Aurora felt around for the lamp on her nightstand to her right and switched it on. She sat up only then and reached for the alarm clock. She pressed the button on the top side to shut it off from buzzing any longer and went to set it down when she got a glimpse of the time. She rubbed her eyes in hopes her eyesight had mistaken her. It did not. It was three in the morning. She was sure then that her aunt had made a mistake when she set the alarm last night. As far as she knew, she wasn't meant to be up for another hour.
However, she soon realized there was no mistake.
Aurora could hear faint voices and scrambling noises down the corridor outside her bedroom. She sighed and placed the clock back on her nightstand.
"Rora!" Mrs. Diggory came knocking on her bedroom door. "Are you up?"
Before she could reply, the door swung open.
"I'm up," muttered Aurora, kicking the blanket off her body.
"You’ve not got long," said her aunt, approaching her. "You're meant to be out of here within the next fifteen minutes. Unless, of course, you've changed your mind. If you want to stay with me and help me around the house you definitely can. The garden especially needs someone to attend to it."
It was all a joke, truly, but it was always best not to doubt.
Although Aurora didn't necessarily mind staying home with her aunt, she did not fancy helping out with the house; the garden much less. She hated doing garden work, it was her least favorite chore to do when the time came to it. It had little to do with gardening and plant work and more with the fact that the garden gnomes always became a hassle to get rid of.
"I'll be down in ten," she said, already walking toward her wardrobe.
"Good," said Deborah as she made her way out.
Bearing in mind that it was mid-August, Aurora dressed in appropriate clothes—denim blue jeans, a white tank top, and a navy blue cardigan. She slid on a pair of socks and her usual sneakers (ones she didn’t really care for much). She then grabbed her hairbrush and a white ribbon from her drawer.
Just as she began running her brush through her dark hair, there were a couple of soft knocks on the door again. Then, it slowly pushed open. This time her cousin, Cedric, stood there with a toothbrush in his mouth.
Momentarily, he took his toothbrush out of his mouth and carefully said, "We've got to go now. Dad wants us to head out early."
"What's the hurry?" she asked, eager to know the sudden change in plans.
Cedric shrugged and popped the toothbrush back in his mouth. Then, he held up a finger, asking her to give him a minute. Aurora only followed him to the bathroom they shared at the end of the corridor. He spat out the excess toothpaste in the sink and rinsed his toothbrush under the running water prior to storing it away and turning the water off.
Through the reflection in the mirror, he told her, "We're no longer Apparating. As of late last night, Dad said the Weasleys invited us to tag along with them. We're neighbors, in a way, so why not? Less commotion and suspicion from Muggles."
"Right," mumbled Aurora.
Walking out of the house, it felt chilly. Aurora thought about turning back to grab a thicker jacket, but she did not. She only crossed her arms and shuddered.
Briefly, as she waited for Cedric and Mr. Diggory to step out of the house, she admired the dull, greenish tinge along the horizon as daybreak was drawing closer. Even the moon was still out.
"All right, ready?" Amos, her uncle, asked.
"Let's just get on with it," Cedric muttered, walking past his father.
"Stay safe!" Deborah called out from the porch. "Stay close—I’m talking to you, Aurora. I don't want to find out later that you wandered off with your friends without permission."
"I won't, Aunt Deborah!" Aurora shouted back, a genuine smile on her face.
They trudged down the dark, dank lane toward the village, the silence broken only by their footsteps. The sky lightened very slowly as they made their way through the village, its inky blackness diluting to deepest blue. Aurora's hands and feet were freezing. She regretted not returning for a proper jacket.
They didn't have breath to spare for talking as they began to climb Stoatshead Hill, stumbling occasionally in hidden rabbit holes, slipping on thick black tuffets of grass. Each breath Aurora took was sharp in her chest and her legs were starting to seize up.
"Are you fucking serious?" cursed Aurora for the fifth time already. Her foot had gone into a rabbit hole once again. Not only did it annoy her, but it made her sneakers dirtier due to the dewy grass and small puddles.
"Language, Aurora," Mr. Diggory called over his shoulder, walking past his son who was holding back a laugh.
"Are we nearly there yet?" she asked, catching up to her cousin to shove him aside for the way he found amusement in her clumsiness. "I'm cold, dirty, and wet. I can literally feel water inside my shoes. It's making me uncomfortable."
"You should have thought about that before choosing to wear a cardigan," Cedric told her. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but that cardigan has been knitted. Knitted clothes in particular always have small holes."
"How very clever of you, Ced," replied Aurora, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Also," he continued, "if you would've at all bothered to pay attention to where you were stepping the last five times, then perhaps you could have avoided the rabbit holes. You wouldn't be complaining about anything right now."
"I'm literally stepping in your footsteps," she argued back.
"Clearly not well enough," he added.
The rest of the walk was short. Aurora had come over the crest of the hill last, clutching a stitch in her side. She was about to lean against a tree to catch her breath when her uncle announced it was best to search for the Portkey. Thus, much without a second to gather herself, Aurora helped out in searching for a magical item of transportation that could likely be anything.
"How exactly will we know if we're holding a Portkey?" asked Aurora, quite frustrated by finding nothing so far.
"Anything that looks like unwanted rubbish, Rora," said Mr. Diggory, he too appeared to have lost his patience. "You'll know when you find it. Just keep looking."
And so she did for the next fifteen minutes. She had picked up the most disgusting items of litter only to find out they were exactly that and not a Portkey. She was about to give up when Cedric, who had taken a break, guided her toward more litter.
"Bloody hell, Aurora," he muttered, throwing his head back over his shoulders. "I said to take the pail, not the bucket!"
"They're the same thing!" she yelled back, dropping the bucket for the pail. Either way, it wasn't a Portkey.
"I found it!" Mr. Diggory announced, holding a beaten up boot over his head.
It was not long until the Weasleys showed up over the crest of the hill. They too have seemed to have had a rough journey. Hermione, who was leaning on Ginny for support, appeared to have had it worse. Everyone else, however, looked fine.
"Just about made it, did you?" Aurora asked Hermione as she approached her.
"Y-yeah," she said, breathlessly.
Ginny giggled, "I still think it's because she's not accustomed to running around and being athletic like the rest of us."
"Definitely not," Aurora told her, linking arms with both of them. "Take a look at me. I'm in a rough shape. I barely made it up that hill. Unlike Hermione, I am athletic . . . . Well, not by much, but I am more outdoorsy than her. All summer I've been training with Cedric and I still had trouble with getting here."
"Summer's not over," said Harry, joining the conversation. "Meaning you clearly haven't been training all summer."
Ron, who had followed him, said, "Besides, you're not as trained as the rest of us. We've been at it a lot longer than you have."
"All the same," commented Aurora.
"Must be nearly time," said Mr. Weasley quickly, pulling out his watch. "Yes, it's a minute off . . . . We'd better get ready . . . ."
He looked around at Harry and Hermione.
"You just need to touch the Portkey, that's all, a finger will do—"
With difficulty, owing to their bulky backpacks, the ten of them crowded around the old boot held out by Amos Diggory.
They all stood there, in a tight circle, as a chill breeze swept over the hilltop. Nobody spoke. It suddenly occurred to Aurora how odd this would look if a Muggle were to walk up here now . . . ten people, two of them grown men, clutching this manky old boot in the semidarkness, waiting . . . .
"Three . . ." muttered Mr. Weasley, one eye still on his watch, "two . . . one . . ."
It happened immediately: Aurora felt as though a hook just behind her navel had been suddenly jerked irresistibly forward. Her feet left the ground; she could feel Ginny and Hermione on either side of her, their shoulders banging into her; they were all speeding forward in a howl of wind and swirling color; her forefinger was stuck to the boot as though it was pulling her magnetically onward and then—
Her feet slammed into the ground; Hermione staggered into her and they fell over; the Portkey hit the ground with a heavy thud.
Aurora looked up. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Diggory, and Cedric were still standing, though looking very windswept; everybody else was on the ground. It was safe to say that they have done this before.
"Seven past five from Stoatshead Hill," said a voice.
They had arrived on what appeared to be a deserted stretch of misty moor. In front of them was a pair of tired and grumpy-looking wizards, one of whom was holding a large gold watch, the other a thick roll of parchment and a quill. Both were dressed as Muggles, though very inexpertly: The man with the watch wore a tweed suit with thigh-length galoshes; his colleague, a kilt and a poncho.
"Morning, Basil," said Mr. Weasley, picking up the boot and handing it to the kilted wizard, who threw it into a large box of used Portkeys beside him; Aurora could see an old newspaper, an empty drinks can, and a punctured football.
"Hello there, Arthur," said Basil wearily. "Not on duty, eh? It's all right for some . . . . We've been here all night . . . . You'd better get out of the way, we've got a big party coming in from the Black Forest at five-fifteen. Hang on, I'll find your campsite . . . . Weasley . . . Weasley . . ." He consulted his parchment list. "About a quarter of a mile's walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager's called Mr. Roberts. Diggory . . . second field . . . ask for Mr. Payne."
"Thanks, Basil," said Mr. Weasley, and he beckoned everyone to follow him.
They set off across the deserted moor, unable to make out much through the mist. After about twenty minutes, a small stone cottage next to a gate swam into view. Beyond it, Aurora could just make out the ghostly shapes of hundreds and hundreds of tents, rising up the gentle slope of a large field toward a dark wood on the horizon. She and the Diggorys then parted ways with the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione.
By the time they reached their destination, Cedric and Aurora were left exhausted. They were drained of any energy to put up their tent, which left Mr. Diggory to do most of the work. When their tent was all set, they barely made it inside when they came crashing down on the beige colored sofa. It took Aurora a moment to realize that the inside looked like an old-fashioned, three-room flat, complete with bathroom and kitchen. Oddly enough, it was furnished in exactly the same sort of style as their home: There were crocheted covers on the beige chairs and a strong smell of baked goods. It was almost like they never left home.
"I'm going to take a shower," said Aurora as she stood up. "I can't stand being in this filthy outfit any longer."
Cedric chuckled, "Might as well burn it. There's no chance those stains are coming off."
"I beg to differ," she responded curtly.
"Well, you better hurry," he said as he got to his feet. "I too need to get cleaned up. In the meantime, I'm going out to get us water and firewood for tonight."
He grabbed the map of the grounds and announced to his father of his plans. Prior to Mr. Diggory telling him to take Aurora with him, he had already gone.
It was around dusk when Aurora was woken up by Cedric. He informed her that it was time to head toward the stadium with everyone else.
"Here, I purchased this while you were asleep." Cedric handed her a pair of Omnioculars. "You can slow everything down if you want a good look at what's going on . . . . Or if you missed something, you can replay it. And they show you a play-by-play breakdown if you need it." He showed her which dial and knob was for what while he explained. "Awesome, right?"
"How much were they?" Aurora asked, gazing at her Omnioculars in hand and the one in Cedric's.
He grew a sly grin and shrugged.
Cedric knew how much Aurora hated when he would spend his money on items for her. Although they both had a good fair amount of money, Aurora contained slightly more than what he had, considering his parents were alive and nothing yet had been passed down to him or signed off to him. Aurora, on the other hand, was given everything that her parents' vault contained.
According to Mrs. Diggory, the values in the vault were to be passed down if anything were to happen to both parents. However, despite the fortunes being Aurora's rightfully, her grandfather and grandmother had access to it until she came of age.
"You're unbelievable sometimes, did you know?" Aurora inquired, shaking her head at her cousin.
"A 'thank you' would be fine," he teased.
"Thank you," she replied with a slight smile on her lips.
Clutching their purchases, Mr. Diggory in the lead, they hurried into the wood, following the lantern-lit trail. They could hear the sounds of thousands of people moving around them, shouts and laughter, snatches of singing. The atmosphere of feverish excitement was highly infectious; Aurora couldn't stop grinning. They walked through the wood for twenty minutes until at last they emerged on the other side and found themselves in the shadow of a gigantic stadium. Though Aurora could see only a fraction of the immense gold walls surrounding the field, she could tell that ten cathedrals would fit comfortably inside it.
"Prime seats!" said the Ministry witch at the entrance when she checked their tickets. "Top Box! Straight upstairs, Amos, and as high as you can go."
The stairs into the stadium were carpeted in rich purple. They clambered upward with the rest of the crowd, which slowly filtered away through doors into the stands to their left and right. Mr. Diggory, Cedric, and Aurora kept climbing, and at last they reached the top of the staircase and found themselves in a small box, set at the highest point of the stadium and situated exactly halfway between the golden goal posts.
"There she is!" Aurora heard Ginny Weasley's voice.
She turned her head over her shoulder and saw the Weasley party stepping inside the Top Box, taking their seats by the Diggorys upfront. They sat along the same row, all peering down on the scene of a hundred thousand witches and wizards taking their seats around the stadium.
As Aurora's eyes scanned the box to see who else was sharing the box with them, she saw a tiny creature sitting in the second from last seat at the end of the row behind them. The creature, whose legs were so short they stuck out in front of it on the chair, was wearing a tea towel draped like a toga, and it had its face hidden in its hands. Yet those long, batlike ears were oddly familiar . . . .
"Dobby?" said Harry incredulously.
The tiny creature looked up and stretched its fingers, revealing enormous brown eyes and a nose the exact size and shape of a large tomato. It wasn't Dobby—it was, however, unmistakably a house-elf.
"Not Dobby," Aurora stated as she got up and got nearer, sitting beside Harry.
"Did sir just call me Dobby?" squeaked the elf curiously from between its fingers. Its voice was higher even than Dobby's had been, a teeny, quivering squeak of a voice, and both Harry and Aurora suspected, though it was very hard to tell with a house-elf—that this one might just be female.
"Sorry," Harry told the elf, "I just thought you were someone I knew."
"But I knows Dobby too, sir!" squeaked the elf. She was shielding her face, as though blinded by light, though the Top Box was not brightly lit. "My name is Winky, sir—and you, sir—" Her dark brown eyes widened to the size of side plates as they rested upon Harry’s scar. "You is surely Harry Potter!"
"Yeah, I am," said Harry.
"But Dobby talks of you all the time, sir!" she said, lowering her hands very slightly and looking awestruck. "And you, miss—"
When she faced Aurora then, the excitement on her face faded. She looked taken aback. Her large round eyes widened and her mouth fell open. There was a sense of understanding that Winky was truly caught by surprise, which was not one bit expected from someone they've just met.
"You . . . Aurora Hagen," said Winky, almost too quietly, as if mentioning the name were to curse her. "I—I is heard so much about you, miss." She inclined her head then, and nervously, yet loudly, said, "It is a great honor to meet you."
Harry and Aurora exchanged looks. Neither had to speak to know what they were both thinking. Both were left wondering how it was that Winky recognized Aurora. As far as they knew, Aurora and Dobby only met once and their interaction was brief. They doubted Dobby even remembered her to mention her, let alone describe her. Nonetheless, the two of them didn't think much of it.
What did leave Aurora thinking was Winky's behavior. She found it odd that Winky, a house-elf she just met, was deeply bowing to her. It was even stranger that Winky was calling it an honor to meet her. Aurora had never met a house-elf that expressed themselves in the way Winky did. There was a particular difference in the way house-elves at Hogwarts greeted her when she visited the kitchen and the way Winky greeted her. It was almost unsettling.
"How's Dobby?" Harry questioned Winky as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, allowing her to raise her head. "Is he enjoying his freedom?"
Winky went on to answer that Dobby was indeed enjoying his freedom. In her opinion, she thought that Dobby was asking more than what he could ever ask for: payment. She told them how a house-elf wasn't meant to be paid for doing work and that they aren't made to have fun. She stated that a family would never take in a house-elf if they were asking to get paid.
"House-elves is not paid, sir!" she said in a muffled squeak. "No, no, no. I says to Dobby, I says, go find yourself a nice family and settle down, Dobby. He is getting up to all sorts of high jinks, sir, what is unbecoming to a house-elf. You goes racketing around like this, Dobby, I says, and next thing I hear you's up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, like some common goblin."
"Well, it's about time he had a bit of fun," said Harry.
"House-elves is not supposed to have fun, Harry Potter," said Winky firmly, from behind her hands. "House-elves does what they is told. I is not liking heights at all, Harry Potter"—she glanced toward the edge of the box and gulped—"but my master sends me to the Top Box and I comes, sir."
"Why's he sent you up here, if he knows you don't like heights?" said Aurora, frowning. "Surely there could have been a much closer seat to the ground for you."
"Master—master wants me to save him a seat, Miss Hagen. He is very busy," said Winky, tilting her head toward the empty space beside her. "Winky is wishing she is back in master's tent, but Winky does what she is told. Winky is a good house-elf."
She gave the edge of the box another frightened look and hid her eyes completely again.
Aurora turned to Harry with a slight frown, wanting to do something about it. Harry turned to Ron on the other side of him, who was nudging him in the rib. As they whispered to one another, Aurora noticed Mr. Diggory looking over at her. He had a strange look in his eye, but he soon replaced it with a small grin. She smiled back and returned to her seat by Cedric and Ginny.
For the next half hour, Aurora talked to Ginny about the summer and how it has been going since they last saw each other at the start of July during a sleepover they had at The Burrow. During mid-conversation, they were interrupted when the Minister of Magic showed up, causing nearly everyone in the Top Box to stand in order to greet him.
He was accompanied by the Bulgarian minister. While they talked to Mr. Wealsey and Harry, Aurora looked around to see if there had been fewer empty seats than before. Although there had been, there were still plenty available. She was growing tired of waiting for something that seemed like it was never going to happen.
"No," she breathed out, her eyes locked at the entrance.
Edging along the second row to three still-empty seats right behind Mr. Weasley were none other than Dobby the house-elf’s former owners: Lucius Malfoy; his son, Draco; and his wife, Narcissa.
Cedric, knowing that Aurora did not get along with the Malfoy heir, leaned down and said to her, "Don't utter a word. Just smile and nod at whatever they may say. We're not here to pick fights, especially with people who don't deserve our time. We're here to watch a match and enjoy our time."
Aurora faced around, looking at him appallingly.
"Smile and nod?" she inquired, stunned by his advice. "Why would I smile and nod, Ced? You said it yourself, they don't deserve our time. Much less our respect, right? Why should I not turn my back to them? It's what I plan to do."
"Behave, Rora, please," Mr. Diggory had leaned forward to say. "I really wouldn't be asking if it weren't necessary."
After little negotiation, Aurora agreed to act politely and properly while they remained in the Top Box.
"Ah, Fudge," said Mr. Malfoy, holding out his hand as he reached the Minister of Magic. "How are you? I don't think you've met my wife, Narcissa? Or our son, Draco?"
"How do you do?" Fudge greeted them, bowing to Mrs. Malfoy and shaking hands with Draco.
Watching it happen made Aurora's stomach turn with slight anger. The smirks that the Malfoys wore, knowing that they were of high power, really irked her. The looks they had in their cold eyes when they were acknowledged by Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, someone who shared the same amount of respect as they did, bothered her. Everything they did—the way they moved or the way they spoke, irritated her.
Aurora, swallowed up by a wave of pettiness, was hit in the rib by Cedric. He was urging her to smile as the Malfoys took a few steps in their direction. She didn't understand why the Malfoys would approach them. As far as she knew, they had nothing in common to discuss. The Diggorys and Malfoys did not see eye to eye, according to Cedric who briefly informed her on the matter years ago just before she started her first year at Hogwarts.
However, it quickly dawned on Aurora that the Malfoys would likely take the seats behind her and her family. They were vacant after all. She couldn't be more thrilled.
"Amos Diggory, it's a surprise to see you here," said Lucius Malfoy, eyeing the small family in front of him as if he were inspecting them with great delight. "I didn't think you were enthusiastic about this sort of stuff. If I remember correctly, you were always more into world related things."
"Not to worry, Lucius," said Mr. Diggory as a grin creeped its way on his face, "I'm still the same man I was then. Only now, I've got two kids who clearly picked up their mother's interests."
Although it was a very subtle change in the atmosphere, it felt drastic. Aurora noticed the triumph expression on Mr. Malfoy's face vanish the second that Mr. Diggory mentioned his wife and kids. It did not strike her as odd at first until she took notice of the unpleasant and dismayed look on Narcissa Malfoy's face. Only then did she wonder what ran through their minds.
One who remained oblivious was none other than Draco Malfoy. He was undoubtedly far too preoccupied with his thoughts to bother with the tension between his family and hers. Or, he had no care for it.
The way Draco eyed Aurora from head to toe was setting her off. The expression on his face said that there wasn't much to look at, but the long stare stated otherwise. His gaze burned her skin. It made her hate the way he was making her feel. He usually had that effect on people he wished to torment. He was very successful with it too.
Aurora could feel her face heat up and get the desire to tell him off. Though, she did not. She simply stared determinedly back at him. Draco did not bother to hide the fact that he was watching her. He refused to take his eyes off her. He gave her a sort of look that made her want to slap him across the face, because ultimately he always got under her skin.
"I could've sworn I heard that four tickets were purchased by you, Amos," said Lucius, clearly trying to stir up something. "Did Ivy decide not to show at all? Or is she around somewhere?" He glanced around momentarily, searching. "Her loss."
Although Aurora didn't know anyone by the name Ivy, she understood that Mr. Malfoy had referred to her aunt. She was positive of that because it was indeed true that Mr. Diggory had purchased four tickets. It was only last week when they refunded their fourth ticket because Deborah wished to no longer attend. According to her, she did not wish to be amongst those she classified as vermin. It was only now that Aurora understood who she referred to when stating that.
Mr. Malfoy's eyes had averted to Aurora. There was a lingering thought in his mind, but he didn't dare say anything. He nodded sneeringly to Mr. Diggory and sat down in his seat. Draco shot Aurora one contemptuous look, then settled himself between his mother and father.
Next moment, Ludo Bagman charged into the box.
"Everyone ready?" he said, his round face gleaming like a great, excited Edam. "Minister—ready to go?"
"Ready when you are, Ludo," said Fudge comfortably.
Ludo whipped out his wand, directed it at his own throat, and said "Sonorus!" and then spoke over the roar of sound that was now filling the packed stadium; his voice echoed over them, booming into every corner of the stands.
"Ladies and gentlemen . . . good evening! It is my great pleasure to welcome each and every one of you to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!”
The spectators screamed and clapped. Thousands of flags waved, adding their discordant national anthems to the racket.
"Now, without further ado, let me introduce the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!"
The right-hand side of the stands, which was a solid block of scarlet, roared its approval.
"Aaah!" Aurora heard Mr. Weasley shout. She peered down the row and saw him suddenly whip off his glasses and polished them hurriedly on his robes. "Veela!"
A hundred veela were now gliding out onto the field. Aurora took notice of Cedric and Mr. Diggory becoming fascinated by the watches they had on. That made her giggle and applaud them. She knew it was out of respect for the women in their lives. The same, however, could not be said for those to her left. She noticed that Harry and Ron were edging closer to the edge of the box. They were captivated by the effect of the veela. Even Ginny who sat beside her appeared to have been impressed.
Out of pure curiosity, Aurora turned halfway around in her chair. She was quite surprised to see that Mr. Malfoy and Draco appeared composed. Of course, they paid no attention to the veela. She understood why Lucius Malfoy did not. However, Draco had the will to take a look if he so wished. Instead, he found more interest in the silver bands on his fingers. He played with them, twisted them around his long fingers, and positioned them perfectly to his desire.
Aurora then took notice of Mrs. Malfoy looking at her as she stared at her son. Feeling embarrassed, caught red-handed, she quickly spun around in her chair and sank into her seat with her arms crossed and face flushed.
The music stopped and angry yells were filling the stadium. The crowd didn't want the veela to go.
"And now," roared Ludo Bagman's voice, "kindly put your wands in the air . . . for the Irish National Team Mascots!"
Next moment, what seemed to be a great green-and-gold comet came zooming into the stadium. It did one circuit of the stadium, then split into two smaller comets, each hurtling toward the goal posts. A rainbow arced suddenly across the field, connecting the two balls of light. The crowd oooohed and aaaaahed, as though at a fireworks display. Now the rainbow faded and the balls of light reunited and merged; they had formed a great shimmering shamrock, which rose up into the sky and began to soar over the stands. Something like golden rain seemed to be falling from it—
"This isn't real, is it?" Aurora asked, examining the gold coin in her hand that she retrieved from the floor.
"It's too good to be true," Cedric said, pocketing five gold coins into his trousers. "Though, it doesn't stop me from fooling my friends."
On the way to the tents, Aurora and Cedric bickered about the outcome of the match. While Cedric argued that he did not at all agree with the last action made by the Seeker of the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team, Viktor Krum, Aurora argued that his choice was completely reasonable. She told him that the Bulgarians were never going to catch up to the Irish. Therefore, Viktor Krum decided to end the match on his terms. Although he understood that, he still wasn't too happy.
"As a Seeker myself," said Cedric, stepping inside their tent. "I wouldn't have caught the Snitch unless I was sure we were going to win the match."
"With the way the Bulgarians were playing, they weren't ever going to win," said Aurora. "We both know enough about quidditch to agree that the Irish Chasers were superb tonight. They worked as a seamless team, their movements were so well coordinated that they appeared to be reading one another's minds as they positioned themselves. To them it was about overall teamwork. The goal of the Bulgarians, it seems, was to take the other team down."
A thought crossed Cedric's mind, which made him chuckle to himself.
"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" he questioned. "Sort of reminds you of the Slytherin Quidditch team against the Gryffindor Quidditch team."
"Why are you two arguing?" Mr. Diggory asked from the kitchen. "I thought we were all supporting Ireland tonight."
"We are," Cedric confirmed. "We just have different views on how the match should've been played."
"And where are you headed?" Amos questioned, looking at Aurora who was walking backward toward the exit of the tent with her bag over her shoulder.
Before she answered, he had remembered that he had allowed her to stay the night with the Weasleys as long as she would behave and not cause Arthur any trouble.
"Ced, accompany her, would you?" Mr. Diggory asked his son.
"No need," said Aurora, lifting the map of the campsite grounds. "I'll find my way around just fine."
Her uncle, although not very comfortable with the idea of her going off alone, sighed and said, "Very well, just please stay safe and out of trouble."
"I'll see you both tomorrow morning," Aurora said before leaving.