Nothing In This World (BEING EDITED)

IV.

Chapter IV: The Quidditch World Cup
WARNING: Strong language and brief mention of violence

Harry felt as though he had just laid down to sleep in his room when he was being shaken awake by Draco. He could vaguely hear his parents' voices as they chatted away in the kitchen.

"Time to go, Harry," he whispered, moving away to the room next door. Harry felt around for his glasses, put them on, and sat up. It was still dark outside. Harry heard Ron muttering as Draco left his room. At the foot of Harry's mattress, he saw two large, disheveled shapes emerging from the tangles of blankets. He, Fred, and George had all fallen asleep in his bed after a hard game of poker, Seamus retiring to Ron's room after he had lost.

"'S' time already?" Asked Fred groggily. They dressed in crypt like silence, too sleepy to talk, then yawning and stretching, the five of them groggily headed downstairs into the kitchen.

Lucius was stirring the contents of a large pot - possibly the porridge on the stove - while Arthur was sitting at the table checking a sheet of large parchment tickets and putting snacks into small brown paper bags. He looked up as the boys entered and spread his arms so that they could see his clothes more clearly. He had settled for a more casual look- what appeared to be a golfing sweater and a very old pair of jeans (that had belonged to Lucius), slightly too big for him and held up with a thick leather belt.

"You look good, Dad, smashing," said Harry, smiling, "very good."

"Where's Bill, Charlie, and Per-Per-Percy?" Asked George, failing to stifle a yawn.

"Well, they're going to Apparate, aren't they?" Said Lucius, heaving the large pot over to the table and starting to ladle porridge into bowls. "So they can have a bit of a lie-in."

Harry knew that Apparating meant disappearing from one place and reappearing almost instantly in another, but had never really known anyone to do it, and understood that it was very difficult. "When did Percy learn to fly?" Asked Harry, taking a seat at the table. Arthur gave a small chuckle.

Lucius went around the table, handing each bot a bowl of porridge before he carried the pit back to the stove. "A few days ago, that's why Bill and Charlie are going with him." Said Arthur. "And it's not flying love. It's just a magical way of transporting."

"Why didn't he take it when he was seventeen?" Asked Harry.

Arthur snuck a glance at his husband. "Well, your papa and I didn't think he was ready at the time." And that was the truth.

Percy had been an overly sensitive emotional teen during puberty, and he and Lucius thought it was best if the boy waited until he was old enough. Percy was meant to take it when he turned eighteen, but he had been too nervous.

"So they're still in bed?" Said Fred grumpily, pulling his bowl of porridge toward him. He hated porridge, but since he and George were already on thin ice, he wasn't going to complain.

"Why can't we Apparate too?"

Lucius rolled his eyes, eyeing the twins with a dark expression, "Because you're not of age, and you haven't passed your test," snapped Lucius. "And where is Hermione and your cousin?"

"Wait, there's a test you have to pass in order to Apparate?" Asked Harry.

"Oh yes," said Arthur, tucking the tickets safely into the back of his jeans.

"The Department of Magical Transportation has been fining people for Apparating without a license." Said Arthur, "It's not easy, Apparation, and when it's not done properly, it can lead to nasty complications. This pair I'm talking about went and splinched themselves."