บท 22: Riot I
"Bravo, amazing final, isn't it?" said the blonde girl clapping as the Australian team lifted the cup.
For some reason, James felt she was talking to him as her seat was next to him. He turned his head, and sure enough, the girl was looking at him.
"Yes. Luckily the French seeker failed to take the snitch," James commented.
"Although some of your family doesn't seem so happy," he added in a lower tone so the blonde woman wouldn't hear him.
"Hahaha yes, my mom is French, although neither my dad nor I wanted the French to win," said the girl with a charming smile and in a lower tone.
"My dad is English, so I grew up here, but my mom still has a great appreciation for France. My name is Penny, yours?" she added.
James now understood why Penny and her father weren't celebrating France's scores so much, "My name is James Potter. I couldn't have put up with the French winning after they knocked us out," he replied.
"Me neither, especially not in our house, although France could also be considered my home..." said Penny with a strange expression.
"Good thing they didn't win," concluded James, like a quidditch fan. If your classic rival won the world championship in your country, it would be a big shock and make the cup that much more memorable.
"By the way, what team are you from?" asked James, referring to the regional quidditch teams.
Since he had Penny by his side, he listened to her throughout the match, and she seemed very fanatical about quidditch and to know a lot, as her comments were not from a novice. He found it strange and interesting that a girl would be such a fan.
He didn't want to sound old-fashioned. For example, his mother had little interest in quidditch compared to him, his father, and his grandfather. His two friends (Gwen and Emily) were also not interested in quidditch at all.
"Isn't it obvious? Of course, from the Chudley Cannons! The best team in England!" replied Penny with stars in her eyes.
"Best team in England? They haven't won a league cup since 1892!" said James, as a Puddlemere United fan would show no mercy to a Chudley Cannons fan.
"Shut up! You should be cheered through thick and thin, plus we're the English team that won the most league cups. We're yet to be beaten," said Penny with a frown.
'Well, she's got a point there...' thought James.
The League Cup is a competition involving British and Irish quidditch teams. The most winning teams in this title are the Montrose Magpies and the Ballycastle Bats both teams belonging to Northern Ireland. In third place are the Chudley Cannons, and in fourth place is the team from James: Puddlemere United.
"Although you are somewhat right. It is only a matter of time before Puddlemere United overtakes them with one more championship. We will tie them, and with the pace you guys have, you will go 100 years without winning a cup," said James.
"I should have guessed you were a Puddlemere fan," said Penny as she tried to think of a way to defend her team. Puddlemere United and Chudley Cannons were classic rivals. However, in recent times, United fans stopped seeing the Cannons as their rivals as the Cannons consistently finished bottom of the table and hadn't won a championship for over 50 years.
"We still have more cups than you! Until you pass us, you're still inferior!" said Penny with a winning smile.
'Typical of fans who live off their past...' thought James, who was very much hooked on the discussion.
"Tell me. In the last cup they won in 1892, what was the formation? Jesus as the seeker, Moses as the keeper..."
Penny hearing this felt like a vein was about to burst in her forehead. She knew James was saying super old names making fun of the time they won their last cup.
"Shut your mouth! The last cup Puddlemere won was very dubious. It was in all the major magical papers. It's obvious there was fraud," said Penny, as she started naming the matches where strange things happened.
James frowned. It wasn't nice to be told that your team won by fraud and paying referees. He quickly began to defend United. The discussion didn't stop, the Australian players with the gold cup in hand were doing the Olympic lap.
Euphemia watched James and Penny's discussion with a strange expression. She didn't understand anything they were saying. Her gaze crossed with the blonde woman (Penny's mother), and they smiled at each other shaking their heads.
"Well said, son! The '75 league was completely legit," said Fleamont joining the conversation very interested.
"Hmph, I saw that game with my own eyes. The ref favored Puddlemere. If they hadn't had those two late penalties, they wouldn't have got the league," said the adult blond man joining the discussion.
"Dad!" exclaimed Penny, glad to see she had support.
The discussion resumed and was much more intense as it was now a 2v2; both Euphemia and Penny's mother looked at each other and shook their heads as they looked at their husbands.
The two women cut the discussion short as it was time to return to the tents. However, as they walked towards the exit of the stadium along with the crowd, they continued to talk about quidditch much more quietly.
The night air carried shrill chants to them as they walked back along the lantern-lit path. Along the way the discussion changed, and he learned that Penny would also be entering Hogwarts in September just like him.
Her mother's name is Isabelle, and she is French and married Richard, who to James' surprise is a muggle, so Penny is a half-blood. It surprised him because her father Richard knew a lot about quidditch and was a big fan despite being a muggle.
Finally, they said their goodbyes, as they went into their tent, Euphemia made chocolate milk for before bed. As they sipped their cups, they discussed the match.
Again, their mother had to end the discussion and send everyone to bed, James put on his sleeping clothes and went to sleep. Trying to fall asleep, he imagined himself wearing the English national team's tunic and beating the French, while catching the snitch on the last play and then being cheered by thousands of people.
James didn't know for sure if he had fallen asleep or not. The only thing he knew was that suddenly his father was screaming.
"Get up, James! Hurry, it's urgent!"
James jumped up at the sudden shout just inches from his ear and nearly hit his father's head, who was standing very close to him.
"What's wrong?" he asked in a sleepy voice. He sensed something was wrong because the noises in the camp seemed different. The chanting had died down, there was shouting and people running.
"It's hard to explain. Let's go quickly," Fleamont said urgently. James quickly climbed down from his bed, and as he was about to change out of his nightclothes, his father told him there was no time.
Arriving in the dining room of the tent were his mother and grandfather with serious and urgent expressions, "Let's get out, quick!" said Henry as they all exited the tent.
When he finally came out into the open air, James wondered what was going on and why they had to get out. He could see people running into the woods, running away from something coming up behind them.
A flash of green light illuminated the scene, and he could see several meters away a group of wizards marching and moving together pointing their wands upwards. James focused his eyes to distinguish them better.
This small group when they came to a tent, would destroy it with a fire spell or something similar, causing the wizards inside to quickly flee their tents with some injuries. To their good fortune, the Potter family's tent was not in the way they were marching, but they could be headed their way at any moment.
All this crowd of wizards was covered with hoods and masks. Above them, high above them, floating in mid-air, were three figures wrestling and contorting into grotesque shapes. One of the figures was very small, a child.
James could recognize one of the adults. It was Mr. Steve, the muggle, who took care of them this morning. He guessed that the woman must be his wife and the boy his son.
The group was being joined by other wizards, who were laughing and pointing their wands at the figures in the air. The three people floating seemed to be treated like animals on display or worse.
With the wand one of the numerous wizards spun Ms. Steve around until she was face down: her sleeping commission fell to reveal her underwear she did her best to cover herself as the crowd of wizards, shrieked, booed, and laughed gleefully.
"How unpleasant..." said Euphemia, clenching her fists.
"Louis, Amanda!" said Fleamont, noticing his friends who were also looking puzzled. They were also with their son Amos, who like James was in his nightclothes.
The family approached, "We must help. We can't let anything happen to those muggles," said Louis.
Louis worked for the Ministry as an employee of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He knew of Fleamont and Henry's magical skills, so it would be good to have their help. Besides, there were many wounded, and his wife and Euphemia as experienced healers would be very helpful.
Fleamont and Henry nodded and already had their wands ready. Euphemia as Amanda looked at their children.
"Sweetie, you need to head into the woods with Amos. Don't get separated. When we've sorted out the problem I'll come and get you," Euphemia said lovingly, stroking James' hair. Amanda seemed to be saying the same thing to Amos, who was nodding somewhat fearfully but understanding the situation.
"No, mother. Don't go..." said James in an anxious tone. His mother seeing her son's face put on a hard expression.
"I have to. Some people need help..." Euphemia said with difficulty. She thought that James seeing this chaotic situation was afraid and it was something normal for an 11-year-old boy.
"I'll go with you; I know the healing books," said James quickly not wanting to be separated from his mother.
"No! It's dangerous. You will go with Amos, James Potter," said Euphemia in an irrefutable tone using her son's name, something she had never done before.
James knew the discussion was over and nodded reluctantly, "I'll see you later" Euphemia said as she gave him a quick hug.
"Come on, those lunatics are still destroying tents and tormenting those muggles!" said Louis urgently.
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