A Hogwarts Legend: Chaos Begins [4] (SLOW UPDATES)

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven - "Your hair smells like apples ... I like apples."

"You've been ages," says George, when we finally get back to the Weasleys' tents.

"Met a few people," says Ron, setting the water down. "You not got that fire started yet?"

"Dad's having fun with the matches," says Fred.

Mr Weasley is having no success at all in lighting the fire, but it isn't for lack of trying. Splintered matches litter the ground around him, but he looks as though he's having the time of his life.

"Oops!" he says, as he manages to light a match, and promptly drops it in surprise.

"Come here, Mr Weasley," says Hermione kindly, taking the box from him, and starting to show him how to do it properly.

At last, they get the fire lit, though it's at least another hour before it's hot enough to cook anything. There's plenty to watch while we wait, however. Our tent seems to be pitched right alongside a kind of thoroughfare to the pitch, and Ministry members keep hurrying up and down it, greeting Mr Weasley cordially as they pass. Mr Weasley keeps up a running commentary, mainly for Harry, Hermione, Elinor and I's benefit; his own children know too much about the Ministry to be greatly interested.

"That was Cuthbert Mockridge, Head of the Goblin Liaison Office ... here comes Gilbert Wimple, he's with the Committee on Experimental Charms, he's had those horns for a while now ... Hello, Arnie ... Arnold Peasegood, he's an Obliviator - member of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, you know ... and that's Bode and Croaker ... they're Unspeakables ..."

"They're what?"

"From the Departments of Mysteries, top-secret, no idea what they get up to ..."

At last, the fire is ready, and we've just started cooking eggs and sausages when Bill, Charlie and Percy come strolling out of the woods towards us.

"Just Apparated, Dad," says Percy loudly. "Ah, excellent, lunch!"

We're halfway through our plates of sausages and eggs when Mr Weasley jumped to his feet, waving and grinning at a man who's striding towards us. "Aha!" he says. "The man of the moment! Ludo!"

Ludo Bagman is easily the most noticeable person I've seen so far, even including old Archie in his flowered nightdress. He's wearing long Quidditch robes in thick horizontal strips of bright yellow and black. An enormous picture of a wasp is splashed across his chest. He has the look of a powerfully built man gone slightly to seed; the robes are stretched tightly across a large belly he surely hadn't had in the days when he played Quidditch for England. His nose is squashed (probably broken by a stray Bludger), but his round blue eyes, short blond hair and rosy complexion makes him look like a very overgrown schoolboy.

"Ahoy there!" Bagman calls happily. He's walking as though he has springs attached to the balls of his feet, and is plainly in a state of wild excitement.

"Arthur, old man," he puffs, as he reaches the campfire, "what a day, eh? What a day! Could we have asked for more perfect weather? A cloudless night coming ... and hardly a hiccough in the arrangements ... not much for me to do!"

Behind him, a group of haggard-looking Ministry wizards rush past, pointing at the distant evidence of some sort of magical fire which is sending violet sparks twenty feet into the air.

Percy hurries forwards with his hand outstretched. Apparently his disapproval of the way Ludo Bagman runs his department doesn't prevent him wanting to make a good impression.

"Ah - yes," says Mr Weasley, grinning, "this is my son, Percy, he's just started at the Ministry - and this is Fred - no, George, sorry - that's Fred - Bill, Charlie, Ron - my daughter, Ginny - and Ron's friends, Hermione Granger, Elinor Eaglestone, Harry and Emily Potter."