[You may enter the Quidditch World Cup through this thread, if you are a Gryffindor. Students may split off towards the outside of the stadium or to view the stands with family and join other threads this way. However, if your character does not have anyone to meet up, you will be staying with Sorrel and can npc her leading you around.]

Did you put a large group of children on a leash or was that only for very little ones? Squinting her eyes and rubbing her temples, Sorrel turned towards the prefects she had painstakingly ordered to round up the children. Naturally, she was a bit nervous about sending a large group of children out of school, but had faith. The parents of some students would be meeting up with them, and the rest would be staying with Sorrel for the rest of the day. All the children had been handed a keychain with a small rosebud in the middle. When the rosebud started to glow, it meant that it was time to go back to Hogwarts. If the child did not listen and heed the magical pendent, the keychain would start to tug them towards the portkey assigned to the Gryffindor students.

Yawning, Sorrel turned towards her prefects. “Keychains handed out?” She turned to look and nodded her head in confirmation. “Excellent, brilliant.” Stifling another yawn, the curly haired professor adjusted the scarf around her neck, representing the Brazilian quidditch team--the tarapoto tree skimmers. Sorrel did not play quidditch herself, but had an abnormally large collection of brooms and quidditch sporting wear that she was secretly saving up for her children, for she’d have children someday and wanted them to be the best at quidditch. Saddened by the fact that her house would not be watching the Brazilian team go off against the irrelevant other team, Sorrel turned towards the group of students around her and pointed to the extremely large cauldron in the middle of the toasty common room.

The portkey had only been let into Hogwarts grounds with the special tampering of the wards for the day, and Sorrel intended to use it. There was ten minutes until the portkey took the students to the designated area outside the London Quidditch Stadium, so Sorrel merely put her hand on the cauldron.

“Everyone please gather around and make sure to hold onto the cauldron. If you cannot find a place to hold onto, hold onto a friend’s hand and tightly. Whatever you do, do not let go, or else you will find yourself in the middle of nowhere. This is a portkey and it will take us to the London Quidditch stadium to watch the Japan and Irish teams compete against each other. Now, there are many of you and large crowds. That means I cannot watch over all of you, so I expect you all to implement the buddy system with the friends that are going to the game with you. If you are meeting up with a family member, please make sure to find them. If you cannot find your family or have lost the group, wave your wand over your head and use Verdimillious, the green sparks spell. A professor or myself will go find you. Please stay put.”

After demonstrating how to use the spell, Sorrel smiled and waited. She waited for the rest of the students to place their hands on the cauldron or take the hands of other students, making sure they all had a keychain on before plowing through. “The keychain on your neck has a charm cast upon the little rose. When it is time to go, it will start to glow and tug you gently towards the place we will all be meeting up at. If you don’t start walking in the right direction towards the designated area, I’m afraid that you will start to be tugged harder and might find yourself with a hurt neck.”

Resisting the urge to check her watch, Sorrel grinned. “I hope none of you get motion sickness, because in a second, we are going to get yanked all the way to London--no, no, honey, don't let go of the cauldron, it’s okay.” She blushed, flinching, “It’s okay,” she attempted to soothe, “it’s like a fun roller coaster. Just whatever you do, don’t let go of the cauldron, unless you want to stay here.

“Right, so we are about ready to go. I think I fancy a countdown.”

“Ready?”


“Five, four, three, two, one!”

With that, the portkey tugged the children and professors off through foreign lands, until they stood in front of the Quidditch World cup stadium. From here on, the students could either go find family or friends outside or go view the game with Sorrel.

Hugh turned heel as he had rounded up his last student to the main rabble inside the common room. One particular student had a bit of trouble taking orders from another first year. Silly in retrospect, thought Hugh. As the child had clearly missed the fact that despite his age, Hugh stood at least a head taller than most of his year. It had taken him two steps forward and one quirked eyebrow to get his fellow Gryff in line. As he walked over to Professor Wright's general direction, his eyes fell upon a small group of second year girls. The way they gave the keychains some disgruntled looks, clearly meant they were not planning on wearing those things in public.

"Please, even second years must wear them. We all do. We're going to the world cup, not a fancy gala. No one is going to judge a silly keychain around your neck." He gave the girls a friendly smirk and nodded as he continued his stride. As he reache Professor Wright's location he tapped his feet together and straightened his back. Like a soldier ready to salute. "All keychains handed out, professor." He nodded with a broad smile.

The professor gathered all the present children around a cauldron, ordering them to take hold of either the portkey itself or one of their buddy's hands. As Hugh was one of the students farthest to the cauldron, he wasn't able to clench his fingers around the metal rim. The group quickly closed in on the cauldron in the middle before he could get close.

He was now meant to grab hold of a buddy... who was his buddy? He did not now anyone really except... when he eventually spotted Ana, his feet dragged him almost automatically towards her position. He could not help but panic a bit as professor Wright commenced the countdown. What? Already? His eyes snapped from the portkey to Ana as he was reaching out, letting his fingers close in and lock their hands. He closed his eyes as his cheeks felt warm on their touch when all of a sudden they got yanked back and forth through a swirl of shapes.

Mere moments later they had arrived at their intended destination. Hugh's hair seemingly blown back by a hard wind, decorating his red face like a spiked crown. He took a few breaths before realizing with whom his hands were still locked with. Oh...

Anastasia was seriously considering setting one of the second years on fire. The boy seemed to think that she had no authority over him since he happened to be a few months older and had started school before she had. Alright, maybe she was a first year, but she was also a prefect, which meant that tosser really had to listen to her whether she wanted or not. "Well, if you think that the keychain is too girly for you, then perhaps you'd just rather stay here," Anastasia told the boy, her tone light but her eyes dangerous. She also almost certain that she didn't have the authority to do something like that, but she hoped the boy didn't know that as well. 


Fortunately for both of them, the boy scowled and took the keychain before stomping over to the group. Anastasia smirked, rather satisfied with herself. She found it rather amusing that the boy tried to act like she didn't have authority over him, yet also believed she was able to keep him at the school. It also may have had something to do with the fact that she had been holding her wand and glaring at him. She probably wouldn't have actually set him on fire. Probably.

She admired the keychain in her palm as she made her way towards the group. She definitely wanted to be actually touching the port key, not risk having her safety in someone else's hands. She didn't think she trusted anyone she'd met at school that much just yet. Alright, maybe one person. She shoved a sharp elbow into someone who nearly squashed her before reaching the cauldron and closing her hand on it. She exhaled peacefully. As the countdown started, Anastasia imagined the world cup, eager to watch such an elite game of the sport she loved. 

However, all thoughts of flying disappeared from her mind when she felt another Gryffindor grab her hand. Who dared-? The girl glanced backward and her stomach did a cartwheel when she saw who it was. Hugh. She grinned at him and closed her fingers around his. She didn't have much time to dwell on the fact that they were holding hands before the port key took effect and they were zooming through the air. Her heart was racing. Of course, she had used a port key before, but never holding hands with a boy. A really nice boy. Anastasia kicked herself. Self, we've had this conversation before - Hugh is perfectly nice, but I don't like any boy like that, I'm just not going to do it. She just hoped he couldn't feel her pounding pulse through her hand. 

Moments later, they had arrived and Anastasia let go of the port key before glancing about to try to make sure all of the Gryffindors had made it. However, a moment too late, she realized her fingers were still laced with Hugh's. She turned a bit red and let go, despite a part of her begging her not to. "Hugh, have you ever used a port key before?" she asked casually, trying to avoid talking about the fact that they had been holding hands a few moments ago.