Mr. Weasley jumped up the moment he saw the newcomers, while Percy hastily swallowed the food he'd been eating.
"Ludo! The man of the hour!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed. "Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports... That's Aaron Hall, Deputy Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures… And next to them is, "
Percy quickly chimed in, voice trembling with excitement, "Deputy Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and President of the International Association for Magical Trade Standards, Diana Roland! I met her once over the summer break. She's incredibly capable and very serious. I've written loads of reports for her…"
Very serious? So Diana left that kind of impression on her subordinates.
"Arthur, old chap!" Ludo Bagman called out cheerfully. "What fantastic weather, isn't it? Absolutely perfect! Not a cloud in the sky! Everything's going off without a hitch…"
Mr. Weasley grinned and greeted both Aaron and Diana with a friendly nod. Percy, meanwhile, stood to the side nervously eyeing Diana, unsure if she remembered the intern she had briefly met.
It appeared she didn't, her professional expression remained unchanged. That was, until her eyes landed on Anne, standing nearby. A warm smile instantly spread across Diana's face.
She stepped toward Anne and affectionately ruffled her hair. "Anne, sweetheart, what are you doing here?"
Both Mr. Weasley and Ludo Bagman froze. One didn't know Anne had a connection to Diana Roland, and the other didn't know Anne at all. The surprise didn't stop there, Percy, Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Fred and George (who only knew Anne came from a wealthy family) were all caught off guard.
Hermione, however, began to grow a little nervous. She had guessed that the woman in front of her might be Anne's aunt from France, but she hadn't known that Anne's aunt was the Deputy Head of International Cooperation and the President of a global trade association.
"Good morning, Aunt Diana," Anne said politely. "I got up early and decided to take a stroll. Then I bumped into some schoolmates."
"Oh?" Diana looked intrigued. "School friends, Anne?"
Anne nodded and stepped aside to introduce her companions. When she got to Hermione, Hermione awkwardly extended a hand, which Diana shook with a kind smile. "Lovely to meet you, Miss Granger. I've heard your name quite often from Anne, Gryffindor's top student."
Hermione shot Anne a quick glance, silently scolding herself for acting so stiff. Since both Diana and Hermione had reached out at the same time, no one else noticed anything unusual.
Anne couldn't help but wonder, do I really talk about Hermione that much at home?
As the introductions continued, Diana only lingered on Harry for a moment. Even Fred and George received no more than a nod.
After some small talk, Diana, Aaron, and Ludo left to continue coordinating the arrival of international officials and handle last-minute logistics.
Before departing, Aaron and Diana told Anne they would pick her up before dinner.
Once the three adults were out of sight, Fred and George immediately swarmed Anne, with others gathering curiously nearby. They had only learned the news last night and were clearly still reeling.
"We had no idea your aunt was the president of an international trade organization!" Fred exclaimed.
"I didn't think it was worth mentioning…" Anne replied calmly.
"Ah-hah!" Fred and George exchanged a look. "So does that mean the things we're making…"
"…can actually be sold to wizards in other countries?" George asked excitedly.
"I don't know the full scope of the Roland family's business yet," Anne said, eyeing the curious crowd around her, "but international distribution is definitely on the table. Still, don't forget what Mrs. Weasley said last night…"
Fred and George nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, we'd never drag you into our messes."
Anne gave them a skeptical look. As the twins quieted down, Ron piped up, "Anne, why'd you invest in their joke shop? Mum's treating them completely differently this morning!"
"In the name of the Roland family," Anne said, pointing to the crest on her cloak. "The best possible solution."
"We're officially shop managers now!" Fred and George puffed out their chests proudly. "We could open a shop in Diagon Alley tomorrow if we wanted to, and sell all our magical prank products!"
Mr. Weasley came over and ruffled the twins' hair. "Don't forget, your mother said you have to graduate first! Now go finish tidying up the tent!"
The twins winked at Anne and cheerfully ran off.
Ron watched them longingly and turned to Anne. "Do you think I have any talents worth investing in?"
Anne gave him a once-over and then shook her head apologetically. Harry, Ginny, and Hermione burst out laughing.
As the morning went on, a tangible buzz of excitement spread across the campsite like a thick, electric fog. By late afternoon, even the summer air seemed to tremble in anticipation. Around 6 p.m., the Ministry of Magic seemed to finally give up resisting, allowing clear magical activity to show up across the camp.
Vendors began popping in with loud cracks of Apparition every few steps, some carrying trays, others pushing carts filled with all sorts of strange and wonderful items: glowing rose-shaped pins, green for Ireland, red for Bulgaria, that screamed players' names; tall green hats topped with dancing shamrocks; enchanted Bulgarian ribbons that roared like lions; flags from both nations that played their national anthems when waved; flying Firebolt and Arrow model broomsticks; and collectible mini-statues of famous players that strutted proudly across your palm.
Before dinner, Aaron and Diana came to pick Anne up. With their work finished, they could finally relax. Dinner was prepared by "Lekko," a house-elf from the Roland family's English estate. Anne was surprised to find such an elaborate meal possible in such a simple campsite.
She had visited the Roland estate once the previous year, a castle on a beautiful hillside, near a forest and a small lake. Six house-elves had served the family for generations, and they all addressed Anne as "young mistress."
"Master specially brought Lekko along… Lekko is honored! Lekko is the best cook! Lekko brought the finest ingredients from the estate… Young mistress praised Lekko's soup! This is the first time Lekko has ever been praised!"
After Anne complimented the soup, Lekko gushed with excitement.
Wearing a green shamrock hat, Anne walked with Aaron and Diana down a lantern-lit path into the forest. Aaron was decked out in green and enthusiastically discussed each Bulgarian and Irish team member with Anne. She responded with polite nods and occasionally threw out a few Quidditch-related questions, which Aaron eagerly answered. Diana wore casual clothing, with only the Roland family crest as an accessory.
They were swept up in the festive crowd, laughter, cheering, snatches of songs ringing all around. The contagious excitement kept them smiling the whole way.
After about twenty minutes of walking, they emerged from the trees and found themselves in the looming shadow of a massive stadium. Anne could only see part of its towering golden walls.
This is about the size of the Bird's Nest in Beijing, Anne thought, impressed. Can the magical world handle large events on this scale?
"Holds fifty thousand," Aaron said, noticing the flicker of amazement on Anne's face. "The Ministry had five hundred staff working on this for a full year. Every inch is warded against Muggles. Whenever one gets close, they suddenly remember something urgent and walk away…"
Anne laughed. "That reminds me, one afternoon, not long after I first moved into the house, I saw two people trying to climb over our back wall. But as soon as they touched it, they turned around and left in a hurry. They came back twice more, but the same thing happened. Is there a Muggle-Repelling Charm in our garden too?"
"Oh yes, Anne," Aaron replied. "That's one downside of living in central London, Muggles are always curious about what's behind the walls."
As they chatted, the three arrived at the entrance, where a crowd of shouting witches and wizards had already gathered.
"Top-tier tickets," said the witch guarding the door after inspecting theirs. "Private box, head straight to the top floor, Aaron."
Clearly a familiar face, Aaron smiled and led Anne and Diana upstairs. Anne was amazed at how many Ministry officials Aaron seemed to know, he greeted nearly every person they passed. Diana, on the other hand, mostly stopped to greet mid- and high-level officials from both the British and French Ministries. Her introductions always included department heads, deputy heads, and directors.
What a team, Anne mused. One knows nearly every low- to mid-level official, the other knows nearly every mid- to high-level one.
They reached the top level, and Anne found herself in a luxurious, perfectly placed private box, directly across from the golden goalposts. There were about fifty gilded purple chairs in two rows.
Several people were already there. Anne spotted the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione, along with the Malfoy family, seated in the front row.
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