Extended Family

Chapter 154: Strikes Twice

Takes place directly after the last chapter.

England was on fire.

Not literally of course.

The energy during the last Cup was at a fever pitch.  It was the first time Team England had made it to the final game for the World Cup in many many decades.  The team was at their prime and every Quidditch fan in England, and the United Kingdom after the other teams were eliminated, were fully behind them, cheering for them.  The enthusiasm and energy grew from the explosive first placement game and throughout the entire run to the Cup, the energy never abated, constantly growing and strengthening.

When the news that this year’s Cup run was being finalized and the team being created and solidified, the energy and fervor was already very high.  It had grown to almost impossible levels as the team was finalized and when it was revealed that the team were using the new SnowBolts, the excitement was palpable by touch and sight and sound.  Then the games were played and the team showed that they were still very much in their prime and were playing the best they could play.

They were still Champions and England loved them.

Once again, Diagon Alley was full of people and the vast majority of them were wearing Team England jerseys in red, blue, or black with the flag on the front and back and their favorite player’s name and number on both sides as well.  Every player on the team had a jersey made and they were all present in the crowds though some were more numerous than others.

Also once again, Katie had come to Diagon to pick up travelling trunks for the little ones with Angelina and Alicia and Daphne was joining them for the first time.  Dahlia, Hadley, and Hailey still had their original ones and wanted to use them for the trip so they did not come this time.  Melanie, Iris, Alex, Abby, and Heather were the ones who needed trunks so they were there with their mothers to get them.  The children looked around with large eyes, having never seen the Alley full like that.

“Goodness me,” Daphne said, looking around.  “I remember you all saying how busy and crowded it was, but it really is more than I imagined!”

“It’s even busier today,” Alicia said. 

“Remember to hold hands and stay together,” Angelina said severely, glaring at her twin children who looked back with large, seemingly-innocent eyes.  “Don’t make me charm you all together.”

“We don’t make you do that ever,” the twins said together.  “You just do it!”

“Right and I learned some special twin-wrangling charms from Grandmum Molly so you better behave,” Angelina said, snorting at how Alex and Abby suddenly became the pictures of innocent compliance.

“What kind of charms are we talking about?” Katie asked, smiling at the sight of Melanie, Iris, and Heather linking arms and standing there together.

“Tethering, sticking, tracking, all sorts,” Angelina said.  “She said they worked about 73 percent of the time on the older twins.”

“That’s pretty good for those two,” Alicia said, sounding impressed.

Like last time, Angelina was hiding in plain sight, wearing a Potter jersey and a ballcap with her hair braided and sticking out the back with the twins wearing Johnson-Weasley ones.  Heather joined Iris in wearing a Potter one as well, like Katie and Daphne, and Alicia and Melanie wore Wood jerseys.  They moved through the crowd with little difficulty and Angelina and Katie were not recognized by anyone.