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After a normal day of training, Draco came to Dudley with an awkward expression.
"Brother D."
Dudley said nothing. He merely looked at him in silence, and the meaning was obvious.
Spit it out.
Under Dudley's gaze, Draco shivered. His words immediately became much smoother.
"It is like this. I managed to get a few tickets to the Quidditch World Cup. Would you like to..."
Before he could finish, Dudley interrupted him.
"You should know," Dudley said seriously, "that we are not very interested in Quidditch."
"Tell me what this is really about."
Even the World Cup did not interest him much. If he had time to watch a match, he might as well practice a few more charms or learn something useful.
The main reason was simple: Dudley genuinely did not care for the sport.
According to Quidditch rules, catching the Golden Snitch gave one hundred and fifty points and ended the match. If Dudley wanted to, he could catch the thing in under a minute.
To other people, the Golden Snitch was lightning-fast and agile as a cat. To Dudley, it was merely passable.
Not very interesting.
"Actually, Pansy and the others asked me to invite you."
Draco hesitated for a long while before finally speaking. He lowered his eyes toward Dudley. "Everyone misses Brother D very much."
Misses him?
School would begin soon. They would be able to see him whenever they liked.
Seeing Dudley's lack of interest, Draco pushed on nervously.
"They prepared many delicate biscuits and black tea. Very chewy. I guarantee you will be satisfied."
"..."
"When does the match begin?"
"Monday night next week."
"Tell the others and ask for their opinions."
"So Brother D, you agreed?"
Draco shouted in surprise.
Proper relaxation was acceptable. They had studied for nearly the entire holiday, so a change of mood could be considered. In any case, the Quidditch World Cup would not take many days.
And Dudley absolutely refused to admit that his supply of "chew sticks" had run out.
Unsurprisingly, everyone agreed.
Their heads were nearly splitting from practicing Occlumency. A proper break was necessary.
Monday soon arrived. Dudley and the others reached the Quidditch World Cup campsite in Dartmoor, the same place where Harry had won first place in the World's Greatest Wizard Card Tournament last term.
Of course, they had not used a Portkey.
That thing was about as kind to the stomach as the Knight Bus.
The Quidditch World Cup was held every four years. Teams from countries around the world were selected to compete. Like the Muggle World Cup, Quidditch fans from everywhere would pour into the venue. The first estimate placed the crowd at nearly one hundred thousand wizards.
The wizard responsible for registration at the campsite searched a piece of parchment whose writing slid up and down by itself.
"Mr. Draco Malfoy... Ah, found you. Walk about a quarter of a mile that way. The first campsite ahead is yours. You are in Campsite One, under Mr. Payne."
Naturally, this Payne was not anyone capable of making the world suffer.
Otherwise the Quidditch World Cup might have become a disaster of a very different kind.
If it came to enduring pain physically, Dudley would call himself second and no one would dare call themselves first.
Campsite One was unquestionably a VIP area. Money alone was not enough to get a place here. One also needed status.
Every wizard able to stay here was either rich, important, or both.
Hundreds and thousands of strange tents stood throughout the first campsite.
Without exception, they had been expanded with the Undetectable Extension Charm. They were far larger inside than they looked from the outside.
How extravagant could wizarding tents become?
Dudley saw one directly ahead painted with exaggerated stripes in many colors, with several live peacocks tied near the entrance. Beside it stood a massive tent four or five stories tall, like a small palace, with crocodiles and cougars tethered by the door.
The most ridiculous tent had a whole garden in front of it. All kinds of flowers bloomed there, and a fountain in the center sprayed seven colors of water. Yet the entrance had two stone lions and several ornate red lanterns, a bizarre clash of styles that looked as if someone had tried to combine half the world's traditions at once and trusted money to make it tasteful.
Dudley and the others even saw a tent with a banner for the Salem Witches' Institute, an American witches' organization. Anyone who did not know better might think they had come for an exchange event rather than to watch Quidditch.
"Look! Look over there! It is Viktor, Bulgaria's Seeker!"
Ron shouted excitedly. He was the only one among them who was truly interested in Quidditch, or rather the only real Quidditch fan in the disciplinary group's six-person core.
His eyes shone as he pointed into the distance, where a whole cluster of tents had photographs of the same person plastered across them.
That was said to be where the Bulgarian wizards had gathered.
The photographs all showed Bulgaria's Quidditch star, Viktor Krum.
He was a strong man with a short buzz cut.
Dudley looked at the white, green, and red flags with a strange expression. He did not care much about Viktor. When it came to Bulgaria, the first thing that came to his mind was a wildly flamboyant stage villain from an old comedy routine.
Perhaps Dudley was bad with faces, but in a daze, he felt that Viktor did resemble that performer a little.
He only hoped Krum would not break into an improvised dance after the match.
Dudley and the others used a tent provided by the Malfoy family. It was not as ostentatious as the ones they had seen, but it was still extremely showy. The finely carved wooden doorframe and silk-smooth tent fabric made it clear at a glance that it was expensive.
The inside needed even less explanation. If one had to describe it in a single word, it would be rich.
"Mr. Dursley, you finally came."
Just as Harry and the others finished setting up the tent, a voice full of delight and deep respect sounded beside them.
They turned and saw Carrow arriving with a group of wizards around his age.
In truth, before Draco had invited Dudley, Carrow had already invited him. He had not clearly accepted then, so after accepting the invitation from Draco, he naturally had to let Carrow know.
The wizards beside Carrow greeted Dudley warmly. Some were older alumni he had personally placed, while others were unfamiliar faces.
Dudley smiled and responded to each of them. At the same time, he drew Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Neville into the conversation and introduced them one by one.
The whole exchange was extremely friendly and harmonious.
As someone once said, when you succeed and have money and power, you suddenly discover that everyone around you seems very kind.
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