The Perfect Crime || Fred Weasley

01. Welcome to the World Cup

Part 1: 5th Year

Well, this should be good, thought Jude Mitchell as she strode through enormous metal gates into a chaotic campground filled with countless rows of small white tents. But Jude knew never to trust the first impression of anything in the wizarding world, let alone the tiny tents laid out before her in the vast green field lined in crooked, disorganized rows. Ushered forward by a man Jude suspected was a Muggle by his confused glances at anything magical and his everyday clothing, Jude entered the wizarding chaos in front of her.

Streaks of green and red flew by in a rush on broomsticks, owls swooped high and low with small packages and letters closely in tow, and jugglers threw glittering pins in the air beside her as she walked down the rows of wizarding accommodations in search of one tent in particular.

In the distance, the walls of a great shiny stadium stood majestically in the sunrise, practically glowing with the collective anticipation of the thousands of wizards and witches gathered in the area surrounding the structure of the Quidditch World Cup. There wasn't an open patch of grass to be seen for miles. She could smell the expectation in the air, accompanied of course by popcorn and the faint scent of butter beer.

Then she finally saw her best friend standing outside of a dingy white tent, eyes scanning the crowd for her friends. "Katie!" Jude yelled over the crowd. Katie Bell, Jude Mitchell, and Jessie Bateman were an inseparable trio since their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Jude weaved through the crowd to Katie and embraced her friend excitedly. Quidditch had been their passion for many years, and this event felt like the Woodstock of the wizarding world. Moments later, their friend Jessie appeared in the crowd and joined them. Though less interested in Quidditch, she was always ready to support the Irish.  

When Jude stepped foot into her best friend's seemingly insignificant tent on the corner of a row bustling with passers by, she was unsurprised to discover a spacious interior filled with expensive furniture and various pricey decorations. Her eyes passed over animal furs, a stainless furry white carpet along the floor of the large room, and finally landed on a table with a single object sitting majestically on its surface. A single golden snitch rested a case lined in fine purple velvet, protected by glass and various protective enchantments, Jude was certain.

"Where'd you get that, Katie?" Jude asked as she got closer to inspect the shiny specimen.

Katie, who had let Jude and Jessie into her tent before her, pushed open the flap of the tent to reveal her bright green attire in support of the Irish quidditch team. "That, my friends," she told them casually, "is the snitch caught by Irish seeker Sean O'Sullivan in the 1937 Quidditch World Cup, the last world match won by the Irish and the first to be finished in under 4 minutes. Cool, right?" Katie said as she flopped on a nearby couch, like it wasn't worth more than all their lives put together.

Jude and Jessie's jaws dropped to the floor as they leaned in close to the glass on the table to examine it in awe. Jude had to physically resist the urge to reach out and take it in her hand, instead busying her hand by pushing back her stubborn, wavy brown behind her ear.

"How on earth did you manage to get it?!" Jude whispered in disbelief, as if the mere sound of her voice might somehow damage the snitch.

"Yeah, it must have cost a fortune!" Jessie chimed as they looked at their old friend with new respect. Katie shrugged.

"I dunno, my father really likes quidditch. He wanted to bring it as a good luck charm for today's match. He's got this theory that the Irish will win, but they'll will end up catching the snitch twice. Can't imagine how he got that in his head," she snorted playfully as her father strolled into the room from one of the rooms down a long hallway.

"A magician never reveals his secrets, my dear," Mr Bell replied smoothly with a wink as he approached the entrance of the tent. The tall, lean man's gray robes billowed behind him until, turning back with a good-natured grin, he said, "I'm off to meet with the McLaggens, so do try not to burn the place down, girls. I'll be back late tonight. Enjoy the match, and— Oh, and say hello to Mr Weasley for me, will you?"

"Yes, sir!" Katie said with a mock salute from her spot on the couch and a fake-serious expression. Mr. Bell mentioned food in the fridge and a curfew of one in the morning as he waved and passed through the front entrance, and the girls quickly began scheming the long night of mischief and excitement that lay ahead of them, beginning with dinner and hopefully ending with celebrations of a win for the Irish with the Weasleys. 

Jude smiled ruefully at the ease of Katie and her father's interactions as she sat next to her on the squishy red cushions, and they excitedly discussed their predictions for match until they had to leave. Of course, they left enough time to put green glitter on their faces to show their Irish pride.

The girls had found out their seats were next to the Weasley family with delight, as Katie and the twins were friends from quidditch and Jude and Jessie had always liked them for their clever pranks and skills on the pitch, though they hadn't spent much time together until tonight. Jude knew Bill Weasley the best of all the Weasley family because he had been her older brother's best friend for as long as she could remember. And if the twins were anything like their eldest brother, Jude knew she would love them.

Jude could hardly wait for the exciting night to come.

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--end of chapter-- 01/02/2023