Robert sat bored in the spectator's box. Mrs. Weasley, just like him, had her eyes half-closed, and he couldn't tell if she was sleeping. The rest of the Weasley family, on the other hand, seemed full of energy, cheering enthusiastically for every exciting moment on the pitch. They were definitely the most lively group in the box.
Although it was a VIP box, there weren't many people around, but if anyone started drinking, laying on the floor, snoring, grinding their teeth, or drooling, the atmosphere in this box would be clear to see.
The story started five days ago.
They had woken up early. The match was being held at a slope outside the camp, usually used for winter skiing. To make room for a proper Quidditch pitch, the Ministry of Magic of the Maple Leaf Country had instructed the ski resort owner to shut down for the season, giving all the staff time off and heavily using the Muggle-Repelling Charm, which cleared the area. Whether the ski resort owner would later regret his actions was another matter entirely.
As soon as the teams from Maple Leaf Country and Scotland entered, the atmosphere reached its peak. Robert saw the newly appointed Minister for Magic appear in the stands, briefly exchange words with the Minister of Magic from Maple Leaf Country, and then quickly leave. He was probably incredibly busy, issuing orders and dealing with problems left behind by his predecessor. The fact that he even managed to show up here was probably thanks to Scotland reaching the final.
At this point, the two teams seemed stuck in a tight battle, neither willing to give an inch. The score was 120:240, with Scotland leading. Both Seekers hadn't spotted the Golden Snitch, and Robert was nearly falling asleep. He just didn't get it—sure, the little thing was fast, but it shouldn't be this hard to find! It had been five days!
Eventually, his weariness took over, and Robert fell asleep in his seat.
He woke up to the sound of cheers. Opening his eyes, he saw the green figure of the Seeker stretching out his hand, almost about to catch the Golden Snitch—but in the next moment, another hand snatched it away!
"No!" Robert thought he heard the Seeker shout in anger, but the match was over, and Maple Leaf Country had won! The final score: 270:240!
"Oh, this can't be happening!" Mr. Weasley sounded very emotional, almost not believing that the team he supported had lost the match.
"We were so close! Just that little bit more!" Ginny angrily hit the armrest of her seat.
The twins hung their heads in disappointment. "What a disappointing match."
Bill and Percy remained rather indifferent. They weren't really into Quidditch but still expressed their dissatisfaction with Scotland's loss.
Ron seemed somewhat lost in thought, mumbling to himself.
On the way back to the camp, Mr. Weasley kept grumbling.
"Really, just that little bit, if only they had moved a little faster, Britain could have won the Quidditch Cup!" His tone was full of frustration. "If he had just gone forward that little bit more…"
"Alright, Arthur, we should be going now!" Mrs. Weasley intervened. "The children want to explore Maple Leaf Country, and we might catch a basketball game."
"Basketball? A Muggle sport?" Mr. Weasley was momentarily distracted. "Well, I guess only another exciting match can ease my disappointment with the Scottish team!" He waved his fist as he spoke.
"Mr. Weasley, hello again!" Jimmy appeared, clearly happy to see them. "What a thrilling match, right? Although we won, we have to admit that we were under pressure the whole time. If it weren't for the lucky favor of the Witch of Fortune, we wouldn't have won. Don't you think so?"
Mr. Weasley's expression softened a bit.
"I'm glad Mrs. Weasley is interested in Vancouver! You know, we're known as the 'Hollywood Backyard,' and many places here are great for filming. You can take as many pictures as you want. By the way, if you don't mind, my girlfriend will come by later to interview you. She's a journalist," Jimmy said, leading them to a car for a tour around Vancouver.
When they got out of the car, Robert was completely dazed. He'd had so much fun that he hadn't noticed the panel on his wrist suddenly lighting up. At the top, the following prompt was displayed:
[+1 Skill Point.]
[You've accumulated over 10 skill points. Would you like to spend them to upgrade the panel?]
He had no idea when he had earned the skill points, but upgrading seemed like the right move now!
Back at the inn, Robert climbed into the bathroom, filled a large basin of water, and sank into it. He initiated the upgrade.
He felt disoriented for a moment, and it was unclear how much time had passed when he heard a knock at the door.
"Robert, are you alright? You've been in there for half an hour. Is everything okay?" It was Fred, sounding worried.
"I'm fine," Robert replied. "I just fell asleep in the bath because it was so relaxing."
"Ha, you!" Fred seemed to joke, but Robert wasn't really paying attention.
He climbed out of the bath, drained the water, tidied up, and walked out of the bathroom.
The twins were playing with a glass ashtray in the guest room, while Mr. Weasley was discussing tomorrow's plans with Jimmy. There was also a witch in the room, probably Jimmy's girlfriend, who was chatting with Mrs. Weasley about the magical shopping district in Maple Leaf Country. Ginny was listening intently and seemed very interested in the shopping district.
Bill was teasing Ron, while Percy was bent over a table, writing something.
Robert realized he must have been absent-minded for quite a while.
He took out his homework as an excuse and checked his new panel. His first reaction was that this might be a trap for his skill points.
It still looked simple, with no explanations.
Not giving up, Robert focused on the skill points. After a while, with great reluctance, a small line of text appeared: [You can earn skill points by discovering new maps and taking photos.].
So that's what it was.
But what did "new maps" mean? A country? A province? A tourist spot? The panel remained unresponsive no matter how Robert tried to interact with it.
Well, at least it seemed like a good thing.
Just as Robert was thinking this, he heard Mrs. Weasley calling him.
It turned out that Jimmy's girlfriend wanted to take a group photo.
Over the next few days, Jimmy took them around Vancouver. Although it would take a long time for Muggles to do this, for wizards with Apparition, travel was never a problem.
After touring the sports stadium and watching a high-level basketball game, they finally reluctantly boarded the plane.
(End of Chapter)