Petunia and the Little Monster

August 1974

Towering structures had appeared from thin air right in front of them, piercing towards the sky where before there had only been flat grass. Petunia gaped at them, trying to reconcile their existence with the fact that she hadn't seen anything just a second ago -
The rickety wooden towers formed a giant oval on the field, bigger than any stadium she could have imagined, impossible to overlook

They reminded Petunia of the small towers Lily had once tried to build with her Mother's stash of toothpicks (lifted from the bathroom under an accompaniment of Petunia's scolding) and they looked just as unstable - as if a fierce enough wind would whisk them away to scatter all over the countryside. The banners and flags flapping on their sides didn't help, instead Petunia almost feared that they would catch the breeze like a sail and tear it all apart even quicker.

And as soon as she stood directly underneath them, Petunia realised how high they truly were. Higher than any building Petunia had ever seen, higher than the highest building she had passed in London and she still remembered her shock when she had left the countryside for the first time.

"Ah - third stand, Section 26-JK," a young witch manning the entrance into the stadium drawled boredly, her fingers clasping the tickets Eugene handed her. She nodded to a black-robed woman behind her who looked anything but bored, her eyes stern and piercing like a hawk's.

"No wands inside the stadium, no magic inside the stadium, no fights inside the stadium. Enjoy the game."

The ticket-girl's voice sounded as if she had forgotten the meaning of enjoyment, but Petunia was distracted when the hawk-eyed woman whisked her wand through the air before snapping: "Clear."

Their small group quickly huddled through the entrance, even Bilius' boisterous enthusiasm for the game, that had accompanied them all the way here, dulled. Instead Petunia took the minutes while they reached the third stand to look around here. They were walking on a small trail that surrounded the circular grass arena in the middle of the wooden towers, larger than any soccer field she had ever seen. Tall hoops had been thrust into the ground, three on each side and surrounded by a pit of fine, white sand that was obviously foreign to the dirt and daisies surrounding it.

Inside the stadium the joyful atmosphere that had been dampened around the tents was much more vibrant. Chatter, laughter, jeers and cheers bounded all around them, creating a blanket of noise that settled more comfortably on Petunia's shoulders than the tense and hushed conversations she had overheard before.

"What's with all the Aurors?" Eugene asked when they had reached their stand, a very uncommon scorn to his words. It was so unlike him that Petunia grasped his hand tighter and was only slightly relieved when he returned the pressure with a short clasp.

Bilius shrugged but his voice was quieter than Petunia had ever heard it. "You know, safety precautions, crowd control. At least that's what they're telling us."

Questions danced through Petunia's mind, their traces weighing heavy with every turn. She picked a harmless one. "Auror?"

Eugene turned to her while they started the steep climb up the rickety steps. Petunia almost imagined she could feel them swaying beneath her feet with every step and was silently grateful that she had no fear of heights.

"Like muggle police. They protect us and enforce rules."

Petunia nodded her understanding, but only felt her confusion mount. She didn't feel protected but watched and going by the expression on the boys' faces, they shared her sentiment.

They found a gaggle of redheads, part of Bilius's family, next to their seats greeting them with enthusiastic handshakes. His mother, the stern, dark-haired woman she remembered from the station, was missing and the only other ones Petunia might have recognized, the young woman with the self-knit sweater and the harried man with the horn-rimmed spectacles, were both absent. Petunia smiled politely at the rest and tried to keep all their names straight but was grateful when a loud bang interrupted them and she had an excuse to shift back to Eugene's side and take a seat.