WWiBL? Chapter 12
While Fred, George, Hermione, Lily, and Ginny set the table, Harry and Ron stayed back from them to have a private conversation.
"Harry, do you think Fred and George were telling the truth?" asked Ron. He still wasn't sure whether to believe his older brother's or not.
"I think they were. Look at the way Lily's looking at you. She's staring at you. She likes you, I know her, and she likes you. The only other guy she's ever looked at like that was Professor Lockhart in our second year," said Harry. Ron knew he must have been telling the truth, considering they were twins Harry knew more about Lily than anybody else besides Lily herself.
After the table was set, and the food was on the table, Harry and Lily sat next to each other and listened rather than talked. To them, it was a feast. Personally, Lily's mother had been a vegetarian so such foods as were in front of her now, she hadn't eaten since she was very little. She new Harry was eating so much from the lack of food from the Dursley's. At the end of the table, Lily could hear Percy talking about his cauldron bottom report.
"I've told Mr. Crouch that I'll have it ready by Tuesday," Percy was saying rather smugly. "That's a bit sooner than he expected it, but I like to keep on top of things. I think he'll be grateful I've done it in good time, I mean, it's extremely busy in our department just now, what with all the arrangements for the World Cup. We're just not getting the support we need from the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Ludo Bagman..."
"I like Ludo," said Mr. Weasley. "He was the one who got us such good tickets for the Cup. I did him a bit of a favor: His brother, Otto, got into a spot of trouble--- a lawnmower with unnatural powers--- I smoothed the whole thing over."
"Oh Bagman's likable enough, of course," said Percy, "but how he ever got to be Head of Department...when I compare him to Mr. Crouch! I can't see Mr. Crouch losing a member of our department and not trying to find out what's happened to them. You realize Bertha Jorkins has been missing for over a month now? Went on holiday to Albania and never came back?"
"Yes, I was asking Ludo about that," said Mr. Weasley. "He says Bertha's gotten lost plenty of times before now--- though I must say, if it was someone in my department, I'd be worried..."
"Oh Bertha's hopeless, all right," said Percy. "I hear she's been shunted from department to department for years, much more trouble than she's worth... but all the same, Bagman ought to be trying to find her. Mr. Crouch has been taking a personal interest, she worked in our department at one time, you know, and I think Mr. Crouch was quite fond of her--- but Bagman just keeps laughing and saying she probably misread the map and ended up in Australia instead of Albania. However," Percy stopped to sigh and took a sip of his drink, "we've got quite enough on our plates at the Department of International Magical Cooperation without trying to find members of other departments too. As you know, we've got another big event to organize right after the World Cup."
Percy then cleared his throat and looked at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lily and said, "You know the one I'm talking about, Father," he raised his voice slightly and added, "The top-secret one."
"Oh, you mean the Triwizard Tournament?" asked Lily. She knew at once she shouldn't have said that. None of the other kids had heard her, though, but Percy and Mr. Weasley had.
"How do you know about that, Lily?" asked Mr. Weasley. She thought up a quick excuse and remembered the one she had been using with Harry.
"Oh, er, I, um, have been paying attention in, er, Divination. Yeah, I read my Divination book again over the summer and I, er, have gained the ability to tell the future," she said, trying to sound convincing.
"You're good, Lily. Please don't tell any of the other kids thought because they shouldn't know. Make sure you don't let it slip," said Percy. He sounded convinced but Mr. Weasley kept glancing at her.
Meanwhile, Ron was saying to Hermione and Harry, "He's been trying to get us to ask what that event is ever since he started work. Probably an exhibition of thick-bottomed cauldrons."
A little ways down from Percy and Mr. Weasley was Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Ginny. They were evidently talking about Bill's earring, which must have been something new. Also the topic of his hair being too long came up. Lily thought it was funny as how Mrs. Weasley fussed so much about and earring and long hair. In her old school back all the guys had long hair and pierced ears.
In a group next to Harry, Lily, Ron, and Hermione were Fred, George, and Charlie who were talking about the World Cup.
"It's got to be Ireland," said Charlie. "They flattened Peru in the semifinals."
"Bulgaria has got Viktor Krum, though," said Fred.
"Krum's one decent player, Ireland has got seven," said Charlie. "I wish England had got through. That was embarrassing, that was."
"What happened?" said Harry.
"Went down to Transylvania, three hundred and ninety to ten," said Charlie sadly. "Shocking performance. And Wales lost to Uganda, and Scotland was slaughtered by Luxembourg."
Ron looked around to make sure no one was listening and then whispered to Harry and Lily, "Have you heard from Sirius lately?"
Hermione listened in closely.
"Yeah," said Harry quietly, "twice. He sounds okay. We wrote him yesterday. He might write back while we're here."
Lily suddenly thought of why they had written him but then remembered Harry would tell them later on.
"Look at the time," Mrs. Weasley said suddenly, checking her watch. "You really should be in bed, the whole lot of you--- you'll be up at the crack of dawn to get to the Cup. Harry, Lily, if you leave your school list out, I'll get your things for you tomorrow in Diagon Alley. I'm getting everyone else's. There might not be time after the World Cup, the match went on for five days last time."
"Wow--- hope it does this time!" said Harry excitedly.
"Well, I certainly don't," Percy, added. "I shudder to think what the stat of my in-tray would be if I was away from work for five days."
"Yeah, someone might slip dragon dung in it again, eh, Perce?" said Fred.
"That was a sample of fertilizer from Norway!" said Percy, going red. "It was nothing personal!"
"It was," Fred whispered to Harry and Lily heard. "We sent it."
While Fred, George, Hermione, Lily, and Ginny set the table, Harry and Ron stayed back from them to have a private conversation.
"Harry, do you think Fred and George were telling the truth?" asked Ron. He still wasn't sure whether to believe his older brother's or not.
"I think they were. Look at the way Lily's looking at you. She's staring at you. She likes you, I know her, and she likes you. The only other guy she's ever looked at like that was Professor Lockhart in our second year," said Harry. Ron knew he must have been telling the truth, considering they were twins Harry knew more about Lily than anybody else besides Lily herself.
After the table was set, and the food was on the table, Harry and Lily sat next to each other and listened rather than talked. To them, it was a feast. Personally, Lily's mother had been a vegetarian so such foods as were in front of her now, she hadn't eaten since she was very little. She new Harry was eating so much from the lack of food from the Dursley's. At the end of the table, Lily could hear Percy talking about his cauldron bottom report.
"I've told Mr. Crouch that I'll have it ready by Tuesday," Percy was saying rather smugly. "That's a bit sooner than he expected it, but I like to keep on top of things. I think he'll be grateful I've done it in good time, I mean, it's extremely busy in our department just now, what with all the arrangements for the World Cup. We're just not getting the support we need from the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Ludo Bagman..."
"I like Ludo," said Mr. Weasley. "He was the one who got us such good tickets for the Cup. I did him a bit of a favor: His brother, Otto, got into a spot of trouble--- a lawnmower with unnatural powers--- I smoothed the whole thing over."
"Oh Bagman's likable enough, of course," said Percy, "but how he ever got to be Head of Department...when I compare him to Mr. Crouch! I can't see Mr. Crouch losing a member of our department and not trying to find out what's happened to them. You realize Bertha Jorkins has been missing for over a month now? Went on holiday to Albania and never came back?"
"Yes, I was asking Ludo about that," said Mr. Weasley. "He says Bertha's gotten lost plenty of times before now--- though I must say, if it was someone in my department, I'd be worried..."
"Oh Bertha's hopeless, all right," said Percy. "I hear she's been shunted from department to department for years, much more trouble than she's worth... but all the same, Bagman ought to be trying to find her. Mr. Crouch has been taking a personal interest, she worked in our department at one time, you know, and I think Mr. Crouch was quite fond of her--- but Bagman just keeps laughing and saying she probably misread the map and ended up in Australia instead of Albania. However," Percy stopped to sigh and took a sip of his drink, "we've got quite enough on our plates at the Department of International Magical Cooperation without trying to find members of other departments too. As you know, we've got another big event to organize right after the World Cup."
Percy then cleared his throat and looked at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lily and said, "You know the one I'm talking about, Father," he raised his voice slightly and added, "The top-secret one."
"Oh, you mean the Triwizard Tournament?" asked Lily. She knew at once she shouldn't have said that. None of the other kids had heard her, though, but Percy and Mr. Weasley had.
"How do you know about that, Lily?" asked Mr. Weasley. She thought up a quick excuse and remembered the one she had been using with Harry.
"Oh, er, I, um, have been paying attention in, er, Divination. Yeah, I read my Divination book again over the summer and I, er, have gained the ability to tell the future," she said, trying to sound convincing.
"You're good, Lily. Please don't tell any of the other kids thought because they shouldn't know. Make sure you don't let it slip," said Percy. He sounded convinced but Mr. Weasley kept glancing at her.
Meanwhile, Ron was saying to Hermione and Harry, "He's been trying to get us to ask what that event is ever since he started work. Probably an exhibition of thick-bottomed cauldrons."
A little ways down from Percy and Mr. Weasley was Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Ginny. They were evidently talking about Bill's earring, which must have been something new. Also the topic of his hair being too long came up. Lily thought it was funny as how Mrs. Weasley fussed so much about and earring and long hair. In her old school back all the guys had long hair and pierced ears.
In a group next to Harry, Lily, Ron, and Hermione were Fred, George, and Charlie who were talking about the World Cup.
"It's got to be Ireland," said Charlie. "They flattened Peru in the semifinals."
"Bulgaria has got Viktor Krum, though," said Fred.
"Krum's one decent player, Ireland has got seven," said Charlie. "I wish England had got through. That was embarrassing, that was."
"What happened?" said Harry.
"Went down to Transylvania, three hundred and ninety to ten," said Charlie sadly. "Shocking performance. And Wales lost to Uganda, and Scotland was slaughtered by Luxembourg."
Ron looked around to make sure no one was listening and then whispered to Harry and Lily, "Have you heard from Sirius lately?"
Hermione listened in closely.
"Yeah," said Harry quietly, "twice. He sounds okay. We wrote him yesterday. He might write back while we're here."
Lily suddenly thought of why they had written him but then remembered Harry would tell them later on.
"Look at the time," Mrs. Weasley said suddenly, checking her watch. "You really should be in bed, the whole lot of you--- you'll be up at the crack of dawn to get to the Cup. Harry, Lily, if you leave your school list out, I'll get your things for you tomorrow in Diagon Alley. I'm getting everyone else's. There might not be time after the World Cup, the match went on for five days last time."
"Wow--- hope it does this time!" said Harry excitedly.
"Well, I certainly don't," Percy, added. "I shudder to think what the stat of my in-tray would be if I was away from work for five days."
"Yeah, someone might slip dragon dung in it again, eh, Perce?" said Fred.
"That was a sample of fertilizer from Norway!" said Percy, going red. "It was nothing personal!"
"It was," Fred whispered to Harry and Lily heard. "We sent it."