Chapter 171
Harry asked again, "But Bill, Charlie, and Percy can all do it?"
Fred, who had been listening in on the entire conversation, answered with a grin, "Charlie took the test twice. He failed the first time and ended up five miles south of where he was supposed to go!"
Mr. Weasley chuckled. "Yes, but he passed the second time."
Fred continued, "And Percy only passed last week. He used to Apparate down to the ground floor every morning just to make sure he could manage it!"
The weather wasn't too hot; they could see the sun shining brightly overhead.
Harry kept thinking about the thousands of witches and wizards hurrying to the Quidditch World Cup final. He quickened his pace to catch up with Mr. Weasley and asked, "But how are we going to get there without the Muggles noticing?"
As is well known, London was divided into two parts the Muggle London and the hidden wizarding London. To reach the magical part, one had to pass through the Muggle city first. That was exactly why Harry asked that question the Quidditch World Cup final was being hosted in wizarding London.
Mr. Weasley sighed before answering. "That was quite the organizational nightmare. Around ten thousand wizards are attending the match, and of course, we couldn't have all of them showing up in the middle of Muggle London. There are certain hidden locations Muggles can't see, but imagine trying to fit that many people into Diagon Alley or Platform Nine and Three-Quarters!"
He continued, "So we had to find a secluded area and make all sorts of anti-Muggle precautions. Every department in the Ministry has been working on this for months. First, we had to regulate how people would arrive some are Apparating, of course but we also needed proper arrival points far away from Muggle eyes."
"For those who don't want to Apparate or can't, we've arranged pre-scheduled Portkeys. These are magical objects that transport witches and wizards from one place to another at a fixed time. It's quite useful for moving large groups all at once. There are about two hundred Portkey points across Britain. The nearest one to us is at the top of Stoatshead Hill that's where we're headed!"
He pointed ahead toward their destination. Harry, curious as always, asked, "So we'll need an object for that, right?"
"Exactly," said Mr. Weasley. "Any object will do, as long as it's something ordinary enough that Muggles won't touch it."
The sun had started to rise higher as they walked in silence, the only sound being their footsteps crunching against the frosty ground. The cold bit sharply at their fingers and toes. Harry could barely breathe as they climbed Stoatshead Hill the cold was intense.
His legs ached terribly by the time Mr. Weasley finally said, "Ah, good! We made great time. We still have ten minutes to spare."
Hermione reached the top, panting slightly. Mr. Weasley looked around and said, "All we need now is the Portkey," scanning the area carefully. "It won't be anything big. Come on, spread out."
They all scattered to search. Two minutes passed before a voice called out across the hilltop: "Here! Over here, Arthur, my boy we've got it!"
On the far side, two tall figures were waving at them. Mr. Weasley smiled and hurried toward them, with the others following. "Amos!" he called.
He shook hands with a man whose face was lined and weathered, with a brown beard. The man was holding an old boot the sort that came up to the ankle. Mr. Weasley introduced him, saying, "This is Amos Diggory. He works in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. And I think you all know his son, Cedric."
Cedric Diggory was strikingly handsome in fact, rivaling Albert in looks. He was about seventeen years old, and they hadn't forgotten that he was the reason Gryffindor had lost their first Quidditch match the previous year.
Amos chuckled. "Long walk, wasn't it, Arthur?"
Mr. Weasley nodded. "A bit, yes. We live on the other end of the village, but this time we came from a friend's house, so we set off early. And you two?"
"We had to get up at two in the morning, didn't we, Cedric? I told him I'd be happy when he passed his Apparition test!" Amos laughed, then looked at the group. "Are all these your children, Arthur?"
Mr. Weasley laughed too, pointing at each of them. "No only the red-haired ones. This is Hermione, a friend of Ginny and Ron, and this is Harry, Ron's other friend."
Amos blinked in surprise. "Harry? Harry Potter?"
Harry was used to that look the sudden curiosity, the wide eyes, and then the inevitable glance toward his lightning-shaped scar. Even after all these years, it never felt entirely comfortable.
To be continued...
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(Author's Note: I'm just as excited as you are for the start of Year Four! Honestly, I don't even know how events will unfold exactly — I let the story write itself. But I do have some big ideas for this year, and I'll do my best to make this arc even better than the last one. Thank you all for your amazing and heartwarming comments! ❤️🥰)