Chapter 152: Arrival
The wedding was a great success. Of course, not everyone in the Quarter celebrated, but quite a few did. Sirius and his wife slipped away about halfway through the party. Still, it wasn't my place to judge them, though it seemed Amelia didn't have long until the birth...
I spent several hours at the wedding dancing with my girls, who seemed to have made it their goal to dance me to death. They even recruited Weiss, Ruby, and Yang for the task. Or rather, they tried to, since Weiss found herself another gentleman to dance with, and Yang didn't stick around our group for long, while Ruby somehow stuck with us. But we didn't mind.
"So, is everyone ready?"
I looked over my girls and friends, who had decided to come with me to the Quidditch World Cup.
"Yes."
Penny nodded.
"Body armor?"
"Listen, why do we need it?"
Yang looked at me, but even as she complained, all of them nodded and unbuttoned their blouses to show they were wearing body armor. Underneath, they had suits made of dragonhide or basilisk hide.
"Because security isn't being handled by us, but by the Ministry of Magic, and they're incompetent. To be more specific, while there are certainly competent employees there, as a rule, everything runs afoul of the well-greased Fudge. So I'm certain there will be plenty of people with dirty hands there, along with very weak security so those dirty-handed types can conduct their little deals."
I looked over the girls.
"Wands?"
"Yes, Daddy..."
Yang sighed and, like the other girls, showed her wand in the holster on her forearm.
"Backup wand?"
"Draco, maybe that's enough?"
Weiss sighed heavily.
"Weiss, have you seen what's happening in the world right now, or are you limiting yourself to the Quarter and your training for now?"
"The latter..."
She grimaced slightly.
"...Miss Summer hasn't recommended we look outside the Quarter yet. Especially since there's no work for Huntsmen in Britain right now. And going to Australia..."
Weiss shook her head.
"I haven't hit my head hard enough to travel to a continent overrun by Grimm."
"I see. I've been reading analyses on the global situation, and I have to tell you, the continent overrun by Grimm has been a devastating psychological blow."
I sighed.
"Here in the Quarter, people can see we're preparing. They see schools where everyone from children to adults is taught to handle weapons. They see the wall being reinforced and enchanted by wizards, with turrets installed for the Quarter's safety. They see all of this, and they feel safe. But in other places, it's not like that. More specifically..."
I looked thoughtfully at the ceiling.
"...where they are preparing, things are more or less calm, but there are many places where all of this isn't being handled so thoroughly. I would go even further and say they're being careless about it. And that's where the problems are. Right now, the Crown controls about seventy percent of Britain, while thirty percent has become ungovernable. The Crown has basically given up on those areas entirely, because all the criminal elements have gathered there, and dealing with them would require bombing everything flat. And it's not just criminals there either. Law-abiding subjects of the Crown have gathered there as well..."
I shook my head.
"And it's like that in every country. The larger the country, the worse it is. In Russia, so many uncontrolled enclaves have sprung up that it's simply dreadful. And in these conditions, the championship will take place, with the final organized by the Ministry."
I shook my head.
"So, continuing the check. Backup wand?"
Everyone showed me a backup wand. Some had theirs strapped to their other forearm, some secured in their boot shaft, some on their thigh, but everyone had one.
"Well done. Concealed-carry pistols?"
They showed me the pistols concealed under their jackets.
"Excellent. First aid kit?"
Everyone showed me a thigh bag containing vials of potions.
"Potions for battle?"
They showed me another pouch.
"Clever girls."
I sighed.
"Personal weapons?"
The girls showed me their personal weapons, shrunken down and worn as necklaces.
"Seems to be everything..."
I looked the girls over thoughtfully.
"And where are we staying?"
"Stay?"
I turned to Yang in surprise.
"Yang, we're going there and back the same day. We'll watch the match and head straight home. I'm not such an overconfident idiot that I'd stay there overnight."
"Draco..."
Blake sighed.
"What? Even if we ignore the criminals, have you forgotten that spatial rifts are still happening? Sure, there haven't been any as large as the one in Russia, but they're still increasing in frequency. Do you really want to wake up to panicked screams as people are attacked by Grimm, and then have to fight not only the creatures but also a panicking crowd?"
"No..."
Blake grimaced.
"All right, come on, let's go outside. Our chaperones are waiting for us there, and we'll set out in three Portkey groups with them."
When we left the house, we met Fleur's parents, Cissy and Bella, as well as Summer, outside.
"Are you ready? Did everyone bring everything?"
"Mom, don't you start too!"
Ruby had had enough and looked at Summer reproachfully.
"Draco already interrogated us about what we packed. It feels like we're going to war, not watching a sports match."
"Draco, thank you for taking care of my girls..."
"Mom!"
Ruby looked at her mother indignantly, while Yang just laughed.
"All right, there are quite a few of us, so we'll split into three groups and travel there. Let me remind you, don't leave the arrival point immediately. We'll wait for the last group, and only then, as a group, head to the stadium."
Bella surveyed everyone sternly.
"We remember."
Though I spoke calmly, the girls, including Gabrielle, who stood beside her parents, responded with slight irritation. Daphne, who followed me like a shadow, simply nodded.
"Portus..."
The first group departed, and then it was my turn, along with those traveling with me. The Portkey wasn't a boot or some other ridiculous object, but simply a rope that everyone in the group held.
"Portus."
I gave the command, and we were yanked out of the world and spat out at our destination. Well, "spat out" was accurate. We all appeared about twenty centimeters above the ground and landed softly on our feet.
"Don't scatter."
Narcissa repeated what we already knew. After a couple of gestures from me, the girls took up advantageous positions to repel a possible attack. Twenty seconds later, the third group appeared.
"All right, everyone check themselves..."
Cissy gave the command as three Aurors hurried toward us.
"You arrived late and won't have time to settle in."
"We aren't going to..."
Bella shook her head.
"...we only came for the match."
"Um..."
They looked at us, slightly confused.
"...but the tickets..."
"Yes, we had to buy the tickets along with the campsite reservation, but that doesn't mean we were required to arrive and occupy the site."
"Please forgive me, but may I see your tickets?"
"Of course."
Cissy handed the tickets to the Auror, who waved his wand over them before examining them.
"Everything is in order. Forgive us for the disturbance."
"Hey..."
Whatever one of his partners had wanted to say went unsaid, as the leader of the trio stepped on his foot. However, as we moved away, I cast a spell on our group that allowed us to hear the Aurors' conversation.
"Phil, what the hell! So many beauties and just one brat! You could've said the tickets were fake, that Azkaban was waiting for them. I'd have persuaded you a little, and we would've fucked them all! Like that little Chinese girl and her sister..."
Lust colored the Auror's voice as he addressed his leader.
"That's why you didn't become squad leader, Artie. You need to know who you can look at with lust, and who you can't."
"What are they..."
"Idiot!"
The sound of a slap rang out, and I saw Yang clench her fists. She wasn't the only one.
"Don't interfere."
I spoke quietly but firmly, and they looked at me in confusion, though only those who'd arrived from Remnant were confused. Those born in our world were displeased, but they didn't even consider doing anything foolish.
"You shouldn't have heard this conversation at all, but I want to remove your rose-colored glasses."
Summer nodded in understanding, while the girls only frowned harder.
The conversation between the two Aurors continued.
"Those are the Blacks and company. The boy is Draco Black. This year, he took down the bronze dueling champion at the tournament."
"So what!"
"An adult, Artie, an adult. He'd take the three of us apart by himself, because THERE he was forced to follow the rules, but if we said anything out of line, he'd simply kill us and be within his rights."
"That is..."
Artie was clearly confused.
"The woman talking to us was Narcissa Black. She used to work at St. Mungo's, and now she heads the Black Quarter's hospital, which still cooperates with St. Mungo's. They help each other with specialists and medicines, and with Hogwarts too..."
Phil swallowed hard.
"The other dark-haired woman beside her is Bellatrix Black. She used to be the Dark Lord's right hand..."
"Then we need to..."
"Idiot!"
A hand cracked against the back of his head.
"There's no proof. Plenty of people know the truth, but the court acquitted her completely, so our hands are tied. Still, she'll drag our name through the mud just like Narcissa, and she won't even blink. Delacour was there too, the one who competed in the championship. I assume those were her parents; the resemblance is obvious. And her father used to be a major player in France before he relocated here. Those connections don't just disappear. So if they don't kill us outright, they'll make our lives a living hell."
"Damn, Phil, how do you remember all that?!"
"That's exactly why I remember. I like to have my fun, but I prefer to keep my head attached while doing it. It's one thing to lean on a Muggle-born Chinese girl and her sister, to play the benevolent benefactor while applying pressure. They weren't exactly opposed to spreading their legs if it got them to the finals. But this is different..."
"Damn... you really know how to use your head..."
"Draco, can we really do something about this?"
Ruby turned to me, her voice pleading. I sighed.
"Ruby, do you want them dead?"
"No... but... punished?"
She sounded uncertain.
"And how would you punish them? We could send an anonymous letter to their superiors, but even if Amelia used her remaining connections to push it through, they'd get nothing but a verbal reprimand and a token fine, if they even bothered to pay it."
I shook my head.
"Ever since Amelia left, that place has become a nightmare. Every honest Auror and DMLE employee is scrambling to transfer to one of the functional Quarters. The ones who stay behind just cover for each other. And if we punish them ourselves..."
I sighed.
"...then we have to do it without leaving any trace leading back to us. And if someone does connect it to us, we need to make it impossible to prove, which means... it has to be permanent..."
"No..."
Ruby's shoulders sagged and she shook her head.
"...there's no need."
"But there is something we can do."
Narcissa smiled unkindly.
I'll contact St. Mungo's and send over the memories. Those particular Aurors will be refused treatment. Sooner or later, they'll find themselves in serious trouble. We heard them threaten a Healer, and even though the group leader stopped his subordinate, I can definitely make sure of it.
"I... perhaps that's for the best..."
Ruby nodded, and that ended the incident.
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