World Cup Pt. 1

"Can you bloody believe it, free Top Box tickets, a camping site in the VIP section, and a chance to walk out onto the pitch and meet some of the players!?" Ron gushed as he held onto the embroidered ticket with a dark purple background and golden lettering like it might vanish into thin air. 

"I don't think I can, just thinking about how much this stunt cost makes my head spin," Hermione muttered as she walked behind Ron navigating through the maze of tents that ranged from mundane to elaborate multistory silk palaces that were clearly magical in nature despite the large muggle presence in close proximity. 

"Listen Hermione if you're not paying for it, you don't have to think about it, just sit back relax, and watch the game," Ron replied with a balize attitude. 

"I can't be the only one who has second thoughts about this?!" Hermione exclaimed before glancing over her shoulder at Harry who had a slight grimace on his face, "Harry, come one back me up here!" 

Harry let out a pained sigh, "Sorry Hermione, my head is killing me right now. But I thought we were fine with Thane, he invited us to his engagement party after he saved you and Ginny." 

"Yes but we still know so little about him, how has Thane managed to accomplish half the things he has? And why did he invite us out of the blue after skipping an entire year of school?" Hermione proposed her brow furrowing in deep thought. 

Ron shrugged, "I mean if someone tried to kill me I wouldn't show my face in public for a while, and what is school supposed to teach him? The man is inventing the stuff future generations will study in their textbooks." 

"I can't believe you're not on board with Hermione on this one Ron," Harry muttered making his ginger friend look over his shoulder while waving his ticket, "I'm saving all criticism until the cup is over and I've milked this opportunity dry." 

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Looks like I'll have to be the responsible one, as usual." 

"Please, you're just as suspicious as you are excited," Ron muttered sourly which eared a piercing glare from Hermione as she attempted to burn through the back of his head with her gaze. 

"Please Thane is engaged, no logical person would even think of such a thing," Hermione countered while pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. 

"Didn't you point out that Thane would most likely have multiple wives during our first year?" Ron pointed out and Hermione couldn't help but blush though she tried to hide it with her hair. 

"No, I was only citing a very ancient statue I didn't mean anything by it and I certainly wasn't asserting it as a foregone conclusion," Hermione insisted. 

"Well he has been dating Luna and Rose for at least two years now," Harry spoke with a shrug, that caused both his friends to freeze before whirling around to stare at him with wide eyes. 

"He's what?!" Ron shouted

"How long have you sat on that piece of information?!" Hermione screeched making Harry wince. 

"Rose and I...we started talking again, she said that being with Thane and talking to Daphne has helped her a lot," Harry explained while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. 

"And you didn't think to tell us any of this," Ron asked Harry his voice reaching a seemingly impossible octave. 

Harry frowned, "It was a private family matter, there was no point in telling you!" 

"You don't understand!" Ron screamed as a terrified look crossed his face, "Ginny started hanging out with Rose and Luna last year and they got really close!" 

"Ron what are you-oh...you don't think," Hermione muttered as she trailed off realizing why Ron was freaking out, "You don't even know if Ginny like him." 

"I know my sister, Hermione, she definitely has some sort of feelings for him, he saved her life and afterward Ginny kept talking about how he awakened a spark inside of her," Ron stressed as he reached up and started running his hands through his hair, "I don't like this, I don't like this one bit." 

Harry walked over and patted Ron on the shoulder, "Don't worry Ron, even in the worst-case scenario we'll all end up becoming a family." 

"He's right Ron, but for now just sit back relax, and watch the game," Hermione agreed with a smug smile on her face as she threw Ron's words back at him. 

---

In the top box, Thane stood at the very edge of the private booth overlooking the magically constructed arena capable of housing at least a hundred thousand people. Seeing the sheer scale it was hard to imagine that within the hour every seat would be occupied. 

Lifting the glass in his hands to his lips Thane sipped on the fire whiskey enjoying the heat that spread through his body. 

"That's a strong drink you have there, though considering you're rumored to turn into a dragon maybe I shouldn't be that surprised." 

Thane looked over as a man with short brown hair a thin mustache and stress lines across his face stopped beside him, "You're early Mr. Lupin." 

"Call me Remus, and I believe that it's better to be early when someone offers you a potential cure for a disease that has plagued your entire life," Remus muttered in a lighthearted tone though Thane could tell how much the pending conversation was weighing on his mind. 

Thane smiled and let go of his glass letting it hover in the air, "Very well then Remus, though one small amendment, it's not a cure. I'm not seeking to rid you of your aliment." 

Remus stared at Thane confusion and slight betrayal evident in his expression, "You're not going to cure me?" 

"No, I am not, what I am attempting is not a cure," Thane explained his voice steady, "I want to refine the disease in your body, harness its potential." 

"Harness its potential?" Remus repeated with a horrified look on his face, "For what purpose? This affliction of mine causes nothing but pain and suffering. What potential do you possibly see in that?"

"Strength," Thane replied without hesitation, "Possessing another form is a blessing, it gives you a new perspective on every aspect of your life. If you let me I'd like to remove the wool from your eyes." 

Remus stared hard at Thane, his brows furrowing beneath the weight of conflicting emotions—disbelief, cautious hope, and years of buried pain surfacing all at once.

"You're telling me... that the thing that's ripped through my body every full moon since I was a child—the thing that's made me feel more monster than man—can be refined?"

Thane nodded, his expression composed, but there was a flicker of something deeper in his eyes—like a man who had once stood at the edge of the same abyss. "It's not about denying what you are, Remus. It's about reshaping it into something that serves you, not the other way around. The curse is raw, and unfocused. But with the right framework, it can be turned into something far more elegant—and far more powerful."

Remus turned away, facing the stadium below where the crowd had begun to surge in greater numbers. Banners were waving, firecrackers crackling overhead, and laughter rolled like a wave across the pitch. The world felt distant, unreal.

"And what if I lose control?" he asked quietly, almost to himself. "What if it twists into something worse?"

"You've lived your whole life fearing that, haven't you?" Thane said, stepping up beside him. "But control doesn't come from fear. It comes from ownership. I can help you master this—not suppress it, not cage it—but evolve with it. I've done the same."

Remus glanced sideways, his eyes narrowing slightly. "And what would you get out of this, Thane? What's your angle?"

Thane let out a soft laugh, deep and resonant, "You won't believe me, but there isn't one. I don't need money, or power, or fame. I just want to help...does that sound so outlandish?"