"Rose, Dorea, Lily! Are you done yet!?" His father yelled up the stairs.
Jacob sighed as they got two 'Coming dad!'s in response.
Why did girls take so much time dressing up? It just didn't make sense. He got up an hour late than all of them, and yet it was over 30 minutes now that he and his dad have been waiting for the three to come down.
He absently wondered if Cho took as much time as them...he hoped not. That would be heartbreaking.
"So Jake," His dad came to stand beside him. "Ready for your first Dueling tournament?"
Jacob looked up with a smile. "You bet I am. Can't wait to show you what Dora and I have prepared for this."
He honestly felt like he was going to win. Even though the age group he will be fighting in was 14-17, he just didn't see how anyone could hope to best him in Dueling. Unless they were as good as Cedric, which he doubted.
"It's good to be confident, but don't let your guard up." James commented idly. "European championship usually attracts some serious talent. This will be a learning experience for you more than anything. Just remember, there is no shame in losing as long as you do your best."
"Right." Jacob replied tightly.
Of course his father didn't think he would win. The man didn't even know how hard Jake has been training for the past couple of years, always busy being the head of hit-wizards. And people actually dared to attribute his Dueling skills to his father. Oh, if only they knew the truth.
Jake tried not to feel bummed, but it was a losing cause. His dad always ruined his mood with his 'I-Know-Better-Than-You-Cause-I'm-An-Adult' attitude.
Jacob had never taken well to patronization, may it be from his teachers, headmaster Dumbledore, or his own parents. It was just so infuriating! On one hand every adult around you tells you that you are a grown person now, and should act like it. On the other hand, everyone still treats you like a child on things that actually matter.
It's like...just make up your mind for Merlin's sake! Was he a child or was he a grown up now? Should he act like an adult or a kid? If former, then atleast have the courtesy of treating him like a damned adult then! And if it was the later then don't say 'You're not a child now' everytime he makes a silly mistake.
It's like the adults around him didn't know how to treat him, and so they gave nonsense patronising advices without knowing anything.
It was moments like these that Jake felt so damn alone. No one could understand him and neither did they try to. Times like these made him wish for Harry's presence. Sure his brother might be a Slytherin through and through, and a grade A arsehole on top of that, but atleast he would understand!
And times like these were what made him desperately wish that his mother's words were true. That Harry actually wanted to make things right and spend time with them.
But no, Jake knew how stupid that was. He could see a Slytherin trick from a mile away. His mother might believe all that nonsense but Jake was the one who spent the most time around Harry.
The day Harry changed for the better was the day Dumbledore slipped up on some random stairs and died. Unfortunately, that day was never going to come.
Though a faint part of his heart couldn't help but hope...
"Lily, are you done yet!?" James hollered up again. "C'mon girls, we'll miss the match! And Dorea don't forget the dueling tournament! Do you really want to miss that!?"
Another round of 'Almost done!' came but James wasn't satisfied.
With a sweet sickly voice he cooed up the stair. "Lily dear, you do know that Harry is probably waiting for us in the camp yes? What if he gets bored and just...oh, I don't know...give up?"
There was a moment of silence in the house...and then the sound of a door blasting open rang through the house.
"James Potter!" His mother bellowed, and Jacob suppressed a wince of sympathy as he watched his father blanch. "Don't you have any shame!? How can you curse this day like that with a straight face!?"
"Honey c'mon, I was just joking." James backed off like a wet cat, before putting a valiant attempt at defense. "But really, you have to consider that my words have atleast some kernel of truth..."
Out of nowhere, a sandal hit him straight in the face, shutting him up.
"That's enough out of you, mister." His mother finally revealed herself, climbing down the stairs with a single sandal on. "I was ready, anyway."
Jacob had to admit, she looked fantastic. There was a reason that his mates loved to fap to his mother's picture when he wasn't in the dorm, even after he'd beat the shit out of Seamus last year.
Lily was considered the hottest teacher in Hogwarts, even though she only taught for a single month. And that was saying something when you have teachers like Septima vector and Aurora Sinistra who even Jacob fantasized about.
Dressed in a long Black dress that left her shoulders and arms bare, and with her flaming red hairs flowing down her back, she looked like a fiery queen straight out of the story book.
So stunning was she, that he almost didn't see his two sisters following behind her. Almost.
Dorea looked like a younger version of Lily. Well...he assumed Lily looked like this when she was 16, though he could be wrong. Rose on the other hand, looked like a 12 year should; Overly excited, irritatingly cheerful, and by far the loudest mouth in the Potter family. With short red hairs and twinkling green eyes, she looked ready to be the little hellion that she was.
Jacob was actually very envious of her eyes; hers and Harry's. They've both inherited Lily's green eyes that made their looks more striking. Plus he'd never seen Harry use spects before, unlike Jacob who couldn't move 5 meters without his glasses.
"Life sucks." He muttered under his breath.
James whistled by his side, a shit-eating grin on his face as he completely ignored his son's philosophy on life. "I must say, if you dress like that everytime, I wouldn't complain as much."
Lily smirked knowingly, even as she hurriedly wore the second sandal and began dragging them to the fireplace. "I'll keep that in mind, but we need to move. Now."
Jacob checked his hand, confirming the presence of his Alder and unicorn wand strapped inside the Holster.
"Everyone ready?" His mother asked, giving each of them a once over. "Remember, be patient with Harry and don't do anything stupid. And please, for the love of everything magical, don't try to antagonise him. Dorea and Jacob, you two especially."
"That's not fair..." Jacob muttered.
He was never one to start a fight, especially not with Harry. It was usually the other way around, with Harry doing his best to make his life a hell and Jacob trying to avoid him. Not that Harry ever had any success in that regard of course; Jake was just too skilled with a wand. But it didn't stop him from trying.
He had a feeling that this day was going to be a nightmare for him. Harry had a perfect opportunity to push Jake around, and there was no place to hide. Nor could he pull out his wand due to the ridiculous underage magic rule that he'd actually have to follow outside the manor. And considering how much his mother has began doting on his brother, he couldn't even count on his parents for help.
Life sucks.
-------------------------------
Life was full of uncertainties. As you grow older, you accept this as a fact and go along with it, knowing that nothing stays forever. But if there was one certainty in life, that even children knew to be true, was that English weather is not to be trusted.
The weather had been chilling and rainy when Harry and Bella left their home. Naturally, he'd dressed accordingly. But when the portkey transported them to their destination, a smouldering heat assulted Harry the moment his feets touched the ground.
"Bloody hell." He cursed, quickly taking off his coat and hoodie.
"I warned you." Bella smirked as she took the useless clothes from his hands and shoved them inside her expandable purse.
Two men in similar uniform to Bella walked towards them, wand held at their side.
"He's with me." Bella said, revealing a small card from her pocket.
The Aurors backed off at once, giving a quick salute before they retook their positions.
His eyes curiously scanned around the tent that they were under. It was an open pavilion with 6 men standing at attention, and another 6 men scattered outside the tent.
He followed after Bella as she made way outside, and his eyes were welcomed to the sight of the grand stadium that looked just as Majestic as he remembered it to be. There were also numerous tents with ministry signs on their side of road that connected the pavilion to stadium. People were walking around hurriedly, though everyone stopped for a second to greet Bella respectfully.
"This area is reserved for ministry officials." Bella informed him. "I have my own tent here but it's filled with paperworks and files, so I don't like staying there."
"Right. And is every portkey linked to this site?"
"No, just the ministry workers'. The other side of the stadium is reserved for civilians and their families."
"What about the players?" He asked curiously, never having thought of that before. "Where do they stay till the match starts? Or do they arrive just before the match?"
Bella snorted. "Wouldn't that be a sight? But no, the players and coaches have a separate space alloted for them. Not just to keep fans from disturbing them, but also to stop their rivals from sabotaging."
"I see."
Bella whipped that same card on the security guard, who let them in without question.
"Oh by the way Harry, you can use your Holly wand here without any trouble."
He frowned at her. He couldn't remember this being a thing last time. "How does that work?"
"Quite a few countries don't care much about under-aged magic laws." She huffed irritatedly. "And we can't expect thousands of kids to obey a law that restricts their magic just so they can watch a quidditch game. So this entire part of Dartmoor is warded to let under-aged wizards use magic."
"Neat." Harry smiled. He was going to have so much fun when those fake death-eaters attack the stadium on the finals.
They climbed up the VIP section, where a small box sat on one side with dozens of branded brooms jutting out of it.
"You can sit behind me." Bella said, picking up a Cleansweep 6.
"What? Why?" Harry asked, bewildered. "Are these reserved for Ministry workers or something?"
"No, that's not..." She turned to him, looking puzzled. "I thought you didn't like flying?"
Ah. That's why.
"Did you forget?" He smirked, picking a comet 260. "I'm a changed man."
"No, I did not forget." She rolled her eyes. "But you can't learn flying by changing your attitude."
"I never said I was bad at flying, Bella." He bullshitted his way through. Sly-Harry was a terrible flyer. "I just didn't want to do something that the potters were famous for."
Thankfully his younger self never admitted how terrible he was at flying so no one can say he was lying.
"Really?" She blinked sceptically. "Very well then, I guess I'll just have to catch you when you fall."
"Hah! Keep dreaming." He snorted, mounting the broom.
And then they were off, taking to the air from the large open windows. Flying always came as naturally as breathing to him, and right now wasn't any different. He was running circles around Bella before he was forced to stop when she threatened him with a raised wand.
They passed over the small forest that acted like a boundary around the stadium, before finally arriving at the campsite.
The campsite used to be a land slopey hill, but now it was covered completely in tents. Thousands upon thousands of tents, decorated with the colours of their favourite teams and players. He could even see some chimneys and whether vanes.
Worse, these weirdos were actually the most muggle looking, compared to some who weren't even trying and blatantly stuck moving pictures and hangers above their tents.
"Are they really hoping to fool muggles with that?" Harry asked, exasperated at the cluelessness of magicals. Some things just wouldn't change in any world it seems.
"Don't judge them too harshly." Bella said, surprising him with her uncharacteristic defence for the wizarding world. "It's like when muggles try to speak in a different language and end up making a laughable attempt. You can't expect wizards to know about something that's completely new to them."
"That's a bad example, Bella." Harry shook his head. "Muggles learn to speak the said language eventually. Wizards just don't seem capable of growing. It's like we're all so comfortable in our corner of the world that we've grown completely unmotivated to progress."
"...True." She admitted. "But even if we try to learn about muggles, it'll be a lost cause. Muggle societies keep changing every year. Their fashion, their technology, their education...their weapons. It's like they've just found out about their mortality and want to get everything done in a day. It would take a massive effort to try and keep up with them, so even those curious just give up."
Harry hummed, nodding in understanding. He didn't really care. Muggles mattered too little for him to give a crap. It was just this hideous attempt at disguise that disgusted him. The war had been all too clear on at the level of stupidity and cluelessness of wizards. Being reminded of that again was just making him more irritated at the lot.
They landed away from all the tents, parking their brooms in another similar stall, though this one had a burly man in black robes standing guard.
"Alright, let's go." Bella took ahold of his hand as they entered the crowded area. Harry didn't complain. "The Potter tent is on the hill top, sharing the point with the most prominent families of England."
"Wait," Harry started, a thought hitting him all of a sudden. "Don't tell me the tents are divided into levels as well?"
Bella smirked at him. "As a matter of fact, they are. Your family is given a lvl 7 status though, so don't worry."
Harry sighed, shaking his head. "And what's the difference between lvl 6 and 7? Does 7 offer an extra big toilet? Maybe gold plated bathroom? Seriously who comes up with all the differences that divides each level?"
"The ministry." She answered blandly. "And to answer your curiousity, the main thing that separates lvl 7 from others is its very own floo network. Fully functioning floo network, that lets them go back to their comforting homes once the day's match is over."
Harry frowned. "That's neat, but doesn't apparition do the same thing?"
"Not from the comfort of their tent, No." She replied. "There are fixed apparition points that everyone must use, without exceptions. Not only would they need to wait for a long public line whilst leaving, they'll also need to carry with them a lvl pass. Only lvl 5 and 6 families can apparate, the rest will need to use portkeys scattered around the country."
"I see."
They passed over dozens of tents on their way to the top of the slope. People were singing and dancing, and the air was practically vibrating with excitement, merriment, and a sense of baited anticipation.
There was also a massive betting pool going on currently, as to who will win today between England and Transylvania. Most people present were natives, so naturally England had an overwhelming support with almost 4 in 5 supporting for the home team. The few Transylvanian supporters though, stood firm in their faith and bet some good bit of change on their team.
And if history repeated itself, like Harry believed it would, they would be making quite a profit. Actually, this was giving Harry an absolute banger of an idea to make some big money...
At last they reached the very peak of the wavey hill. And just from the amount of free space, It instantly became clear to him that this was a luxurious area reserved for the rich. Only 5 tents were built upon an area which could easily house a couple dozen tents if they were stacked as closely as the rest.
"Here we are." Bella said, staring at one of the massive tents that looked like it was made of pure gold.
Almost like a miniature castle, the tent stood upon golden pillars, with it's red curtain-like clothes swaying gently.
It looked the perfect picture of strength, stability, and royalty.
"Ready to meet your family?"
"Yeah," Harry grimaced. "Can't wait."