CHAPTER ZERO

The camp grounds are packed with thousands of witches and wizards from all over the world who have been brought together by their love of quidditch and divided only by the opposing teams they support. Excited chatter and casted spells create a cacophony of noise, making it all the more difficult for the eager children and adults to know which way to look first; straining to take it all in, everyone, no matter their age, is looking forward to witnessing quidditch history later in the evening and no one wants to miss a single second of it - not even the more mundane tasks such as setting up tents.

One Slytherin girl, however, could not be more bored in these early morning hours. She remains fixated in one spot, tapping her foot impatiently while her father speaks quietly with a business partner they traveled to the World Cup with. Lucius Malfoy, the other man in question, notices first and gives his son a warning glance, as if daring him to behave so rudely.

Her father finally notices, not shocked in the slightest when he spots the scowl on his daughter's face. Venus Wells expected nothing short of this dramatic reaction from her this morning, especially considering she had to be woken before the sun even rose during the one season of the year she's able to sleep until the late afternoons.

"What's wrong, my dear?" He questions, laughing good-naturedly when her scowl lessens into a frown once he acknowledges her. "We have one of the best spots galleons can buy!"

"The area is perfect," she agrees begrudgingly, looking around the two overly large tents set up at the top of a small hill. With the unnecessarily large amount of muggle bills the two wizards tipped the man that owns these grounds, they were able to procure a spot at least fifty yards away from the next closest encampment. "But what's the point in attending the largest quidditch event of the decade if we're not going to be around others?"

"Go find your friends," Venus laments, knowing from her brief change in attitude as they hiked earlier that she had spotted one of her favorite wizarding families. She would never blatantly ask to go off in search of them, never wanting to hurt his feelings by admitting she'd rather spend her time with others. He genuinely doesn't mind though, understanding that boring business men such as himself and his colleagues are the last people a sixteen year old teenager would want to be seen with. "Why don't you take Draco with you?"

Amira doesn't need to be told twice, spinning on her heel to face the younger boy. "Would you like to join me, Draco?"

The platinum blond opens his mouth, eager to accept the invitation, but the look his father gives him is more than enough to change his mind.

"No, thanks," he mutters dejectedly. When Lucius nudges him with his cane, his voice grows stronger. "I'd rather not associate myself with the charity cases."

"Of course, how silly of me to think the Malfoys would socialize," Amira scolds herself. When Lucius turns his attention away from her, she sends Draco a discreet wink. After years of knowing the snobbish family, she's grown used to the elder Malfoy and the toxic effect he casts on his son whenever they're together. "I'll let your friends know you're here if I see them."

Draco nods thankfully and she begins her descent down the hill before her father can change his mind or ask her to apologise for her comment. Her eyes scan rapidly over the chaotic environment, not truly watching where she's going as she searches for her best friends. It's difficult to be able to focus on anything or anyone with all that's going on, but Amira makes her quest easier by only focusing on people with hair that even vaguely resembles the color red.

This strategy is easier said than executed, because trouble arises no sooner than the moment she reaches the crowd. Looking everywhere except directly in front of her, Amira is knocked to the wet ground as she runs into a backpack nearly the size of her.

The owner of the backpack is hardly moved as her entire body collides with his belongings and luckily remains standing as he turns around to see what had pushed him.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm covered in mud. What do you think?" She snaps, ignoring the outstretched hand and remaining on the ground as she picks at the dirt under her nails before it can harden. Finally glancing up at the root of her problem, her entire demeanor changes as she takes in the awkward boy and his cute smile.

"I'm only joking. I'm alright," she quickly lies, propping her head in the palm of her hands as if that will hide her previously hostile attitude.This does nothing but smear mud all over her face, causing both parties to be more embarrassed and troubled by the odd encounter. "If you'll excuse me, I'm off to drown myself in the nearest body of water."

The boy audibly gasps, a horrified expression briefly masking his kind stature.

"Kidding!" Amira adds as she pushes herself back to her feet, eager to escape him now that she's clearly put him through a traumatic experience. "I just want to clean myself up."

"Why don't you come back to our tent?" He offers without hesitation. "We may not have any extra clothes for you, but it'd be better to clean up in a bathroom than at a public well."

"If you insist, Mr.-"

"Call me Cedric," he finishes her sentence for her, growing more comfortable as he turns to start the trek to his family's camping spot. "And what should I call you?"

"Call me Amira."