I woke up today morning at 4 AM feeling very excited. After showering and getting dressed, I pulled out a duffel bag and stuffed in there enough clothes and essentials for the trip. I even packed a green sweater to show my support for the Irish Quidditch Team, The Kenmare Kestrals. I was at the grand entrance, ready to leave before anyone else could even brush their teeth. After half an hour, a half asleep, grumpy Draco dressed in a black turtleneck, black blazer and black trousers, trudged into the living room. He looked rather overdressed for a Quidditch match.
"Are you going to the Ministry for a job interview?" I asked him, eyeing him up and down.
"Shut up Malvolio" He grumbled.
In a couple of hours, Lucius, Draco and I arrived at the portkey that would take us to the location where the World Cup would be held in a matter of a few hours. Travelling using a portkey was absolutely sickening. It felt as if I was stuck on a merry-go-round which was enchanted to rotate at the highest speed possible.
As we finally reached solid ground, I felt a little queasy but the electric atmosphere of everything around me distracted me in no time. Far and wide, tents were being pitched, bets were being placed and wizards and witches chatted animatedly amongst themselves, perhaps discussing the outcome of the match.
"Good morning Mr. Malfoy, I'm Shawn Devon, follow me and I'll take you to your tent." A young man approached us, a lazy smile on his face being a dead giveaway that he was a muggle under the imperious curse.
Shawn led us to our tent which looked very compact from the outside but was large and lavish on the inside. Draco immediately hopped into bed and pulled out a book while Lucius conversed with some members of the ministry.
"Aren't you going to come outside?" I asked Draco.
"And do what?"
"Have a look around, there's so much to see."
"I'd rather eat a slug than go sightseeing with the likes of you." Draco sneered.
I ignored his rude comment and stepped out of the tent, ready to explore the area. I was amazed at how the atmosphere was heavy with laughter and excitement, I felt nostalgic, remembering feeling this way at Beauxbatons whenever a Quidditch match took place.
I was very distracted as there was so much going around me, I tried to take in all the sights at one, not looking where I was going. Without warning, I bumped into someone in front of me before falling down on to my butt.
"I-I so sorry about that, I wasn't looking where I was going." I stuttered, trying to get back up. A blush crawled on to my cheeks, embarrassed at my clumsiness.
The person I bumped into held out a hand for me and I grabbed it, lifting myself off the ground.
I looked up to be met with a rather tall boy who looked around my age with flaming red hair, flowing down to his shoulders. He had a stern look on his face.
"You should be."
I was a little taken aback by his bluntness and didn't know how to reply to him. Seeing the look of surprise on my face, his own broke into a mischievous smile.
"I'm only joking, I'm Fred, you must be clumsy." I smiled at his joke, relieved that he wasn't a stuck up snob like Draco.
"I definitely am clumsy but people also know me as Alice, nice to meet you."
"Where are you off to?"
"Just having a look around, I don't know anyone here."
"Do you go to Hogwarts?" Fred asked me as he scrunched his eyes, trying to recognise me.
"I'm going to join this year, I've moved here from Beauxbatons."
"I go to Hogwarts too, I'm going to start my 6th year, let me guess, you're going to join 4th?"
"Yep, how did you know?"
"I just guessed, so you're fourteen then?"
"Pretty much, I will be turning fifteen in a couple of months though. I don't know anyone here, is anyone else from Hogwarts here too?"
"Yes, do you want to meet anyone? Loads of them are here for the match, they're at my tent" Fred asked, starting to walk. "I'd like that." I replied, following him as he weaved in between tents, leading us to his own.
I remembered people telling me that you never follow strangers. I shrugged the thought off as we finally arrived to a red coloured tent surrounded by people who looked around my age, most of them being redheads.
"Everyone, meet clumsy, clumsy, meet everyone." Fred spoke before hurriedly entering the tent.
Two girls, one with bushy hair, and one with straight red hair smiled at me and introduced themselves as Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley. Another redhead by the name of Ron Weasley waved at me and I smiled back.
"That's a funny name, clumsy." Ginny laughed. "It's Alice, actually. I just bumped into Fred and fell on the ground, hence the nickname."
"It's so nice to meet you Alice, which school did you previously go to?" Hermione asked.
"I went to Beauxbatons, I'll be joining Hogwarts this year."
"How come you don't have a French accent?" Ron asked.
"Ron you can't just ask people why they don't have an accent." Hermione murmured, shaking her head.
"That's alright Hermione, a lot of people ask me that, I never really picked up a French accent Ron, every one always wondered why but I never know what to tell them." I replied.
Fred walked out of the tent, holding a pouch full of what I assumed was money. He shook the pouch and it made a jingling sound, confirming my assumption. He looked straight at me with a confused look on his face.
"And who are you?" He asked. How did he forget already? He's the one who brought me here.
"What do you mean?"
"Uhm, when I don't know who someone is, I usually ask them who they are." He replied, still looking as confused as ever. I gave him a puzzled look.
"It's me, Fred, Alice. Did you forget already?"
A knowing look flashed on his face before he smirked.
"Ohh, uh yes I was just messing with you. So, Alice, what are you doing here?"
"You brought me here to show me around, Fred." I narrowed my eyes at him before crossing my arms over my chest.
"Yes, of course di-"
"George do you have the money?" Someone stepped out of the tent and walked towards Fred.
I scrunched my eyes in confusion, "That's not George that's - ohhhh"
"You blew my cover, Fred" The boy named George groaned. Fred ignored him and took the bag from him, counting the money inside.
"Twins huh?" I asked.
"Yes." They both replied simultaneously, grins on their faces.
"But I had you fooled didn't I?" George smirked.
"No I totally knew." I lied.
"Pftt, liar" George replied before turning his attention to Fred.
"So are all of you related?" I asked Ginny.
"I have six older brothers, Ron, Fred, George, Percy, Charlie and Bill."
"How do you survive with so many siblings? I don't even have one" I asked, genuinely curious. I didn't know what it was like to have a sibling.
"Living with them is like living with monkeys, but you get used to it after 13 years" Ginny replied, shaking her head.
"I heard that Gin" George said.
"Good, maybe then you'll think about trying not to be a monkey and letting me live in peace."
"Mm, what's the fun in that?" Fred replied, finally pulling the drawstring to shut the pouch. Another man who I recognised as Ludo Bagman walked up to the tent and shook hands with Fred and George. They conversed for about a minute before handing their money bag to Ludo and shaking hands with him.
"You know, I really should get back, my uncle must be wondering where I am." I said, waving goodbye to everyone.
"Do you need me to help you find your way back?" Fred asked, walking towards me. I noticed George giving him a weird look but I brushed it off.
"No I'll manage"
He nodded and waved me goodbye.
"See you at the match" Hermione said.
I made my way through the crowds, finding my way back to our tent. As I stepped inside, I noticed Lucius still engrossed in a deep conversation with the person who I assumed was a Ministry worker. I settled myself on my bed and pulled out Hogwarts: A History from my bag, flipping through the pages, trying to learn as much as I could about my new school.
"Where have you been Malvolio?" Draco asked shutting his book and coming to a seated position on his bed.
"I was looking around and I met some Hogwarts students, you might know them in fact. Fred Weasl-"
Draco's eyes widened in horror.
"What? it's not like I said Voldemort or anything"
His eyes widened even more.
"The Weasleys? The pack of blood traitors? They're so poor even a house elf wouldn't be able to survive with the amount of money they own. Don't go talking to them Malvolio, they're a bunch of useless pricks." He scoffed.
"It sounds like you're the bigger prick Malfoy because I think they're perfectly nice"
"When you come to Hogwarts, you should only be friends with the Slytherins, that is if you get sorted in our house of course, a girl like you could never possess any Slytherin qualities"
"If those qualities include me having to be an arsehole to everyone, I'd rather be sorted into a different house" I spat.
"What will your mummy say if she finds out you don't get sorted into Slytherin like herself and her family before her?" An evil smirk crawling onto his face like a snake.
I was used to my family speaking to me like I was an outcast and in my 14-almost 15 years of life, I learnt that it was best to ignore them, so I went back to reading my book.
.
I was on the edge, as if each of my nerve endings had been electrified. The match was one of the most surreal experiences I had ever gone through and I had loads of fun. It would have been better if Uncle Lucius and Draco weren't such buzzkills. I even noticed the Weasleys, Hermione and another very familiar looking boy jumping up and down in the top box as the Quidditch players whizzed past them. Fred and George had even painted their faces the colour of the Irish team.
Before Draco and I could re-enter the tent, there was the sound of a sudden explosion. I looked around to see wizards and witches running around, tents toppling over and being set ablaze. In the middle of it all, I noticed a very small army of men dressed in black cloaks and masks, marching through the crowd. Death eaters.
"Where's Uncle Lucius?" I asked, turning to Draco. I hadn't noticed that he had disappeared a long time ago.
"He's with them" Draco pointed at the army.
I suddenly remembered my mother telling me that Lucius was a death eater. The thought made me want to shiver.
Draco and I stood outside our tents, unsure of what to do. I looked up to see dark grey clouds clumping together to form something..a face. The Dark Mark.
"Look Draco!" I pointed up to the sky.
"The Dark Mark.." He whispered as his lips turned up in a smile. I was confused at his reaction. We waited and waited outside the tent, not really knowing why when suddenly, Lucius apparated in front of us, grabbed both of us by the arm and suddenly I felt the familiar feeling of being squeezed through a tube, warping through time and space.