HARRY POTTER Book 4: Chapter 7
Chapter 7
BAGMAN AND CROUCH
Harry pushes Ron off of him then stands up. He looks around him. He is in a large, deserted field. There is a white mist covering the ground. There are two tired wizards standing nearby. One is holding a big gold watch, and the other is holding a long piece of parchment paper and a quill pen.
Their Muggle clothes look strange and do not match at all. One is wearing a full business suit and large boots. The other is wearing a Scottish kilt and a Mexican poncho. Mr. Weasley walks towards them. “Good morning, Basil,” he says. He gives the old Portkey boot to the wizard in the kilt. “Hello, Arthur,” says the wizard wearing the kilt. He throws the boot into a box filled with old Portkeys. “You had better get out of the way,” says Basil. “We are expecting a large group from the Black Forest.”
Mr. Weasley asks him about the location of their campsite. The other wizard looks at his parchment paper. There is a long list of names. “Weasley… Weasley…,” he says, looking for their name. “Ah, here you are!” He tells the Weasleys that they must walk about a half a kilometer to reach their spot. They say goodbye to Amos and begin the walk through the fog. The Diggorys walk with them.
After some time, a small stone house appears. Beyond it, Harry sees hundreds of tents in long rows. The Diggorys walk to their own area while the Weasleys stop at the house. A real Muggle, Mr. Roberts, stands in the doorway. “Morning,” Mr. Weasley says. “I’m Aurthur Weasley.” “Morning,” says Mr. Roberts. He looks at a list on the door of the house. “You booked two tents? For one night?” “That’s right,” says Mr. Weasley. “Will you pay now or later?” asks Mr. Roberts.
Mr. Weasley tries to pay with Muggle money, but he is confused by the numbers on the notes. Harry helps him find the right ones. Mr. Roberts watches them closely and asks if they are foreigners, because many strange people have passed by. He says there are “weirdos” around, including someone in a kilt and a poncho. He sounds suspicious. Mr. Weasley looks nervous but tries to smile.
Suddenly a wizard appears out of thin air beside the door, points his wand at Mr. Roberts and shouts, “Obliviate!” Mr. Roberts’s face relaxes at once. His eyes go out of focus. Harry knows the wizard has modified the man’s memory. “Here’s a map of the camp grounds,” Mr. Roberts says calmly.
The Ministry wizard explains that Mr. Roberts keeps noticing strange things, so they must modify his memory again and again. He also says that Ludo Bagman walks around talking loudly about Quidditch and is causing problems. Muggles might hear him. After this, he disappears. Ginny asks why Bagman talks like that if he works with Muggle security. Mr. Weasley says Bagman is kind but he is not not careful.
They walk into the field. Many tents look almost normal, but some are clearly magical. One tent is like a small palace with silk walls and live peacocks outside. Another has three floors and towers. A third has a small garden with a fountain. Mr. Weasley laughs softly and says wizards always enjoy showing off.
They reach their space near the trees. Mr. Weasley is happy with the location. He says they cannot use magic because they are on Muggle land, so they must put up the tents by hand. Harry and Hermione help with the poles and ropes. Mr. Weasley gets excited and keeps hitting things the wrong way with his hammer, but they finally put up two small, old tents.
Harry looks at his small tent. He does not think they can all fit in it. Inside, however, the tent is huge. It has a kitchen, a bathroom, three bedrooms and several beds. Hermione looks amused. Mr. Weasley says he borrowed the tent from a friend at the office. Ron checks the map and sees that there is a water fountain on the other side of the field. Mr. Weasley gives Harry, Ron, and Hermione some pots to collect water.
They walk through the campsite. The sun rises slowly, and the mist slowly disappears. Families with small children cook breakfast. A small boy plays with a wand, and his mother shouts when she steps on a giant slug he creates. Two little girls ride toy broomsticks that float just above the grass. A Ministry worker rushes past, saying parents should watch their children in daylight.
