Chapter 457: I Am Your Brother, After All

After Kanna joined the group, they continued pushing the cart through the bustling campsite, each wearing something colorful to attract attention. Business was steady and lively, with plenty of customers stopping to buy souvenirs.

During a quiet moment, Kyle took the opportunity to ask Kreacher about Regulus, but Kreacher could only choke back tears, muttering that "Master Regulus was becoming more and more like his old self." Kyle got the sense that things were progressing, just as he had hoped.

As noon approached, the crowd around the campsite grew thicker.

"It was worth working so hard all summer," Fred said contentedly, wiping sweat from his forehead and looking down at their half-empty fireworks case.

By now, they were hungry and had pushed their cart toward the far end of the site. George squinted into the distance, looking around.

"Where is it…? Didn't Lee Jordan say it was around here?" He was searching for the Weasley family's tent.

In their eagerness to get going that morning, he'd forgotten to ask exactly where their tent was. Thankfully, they had run into Lee Jordan, their Hogwarts friend and the school's Quidditch commentator, who mentioned seeing Harry and Ginny near the trees on the edge of the field. Following his directions, they'd eventually found their way here.

"Oh, over there…" Cedric said, suddenly pointing to a clearing not too far away. Harry and Ron were emerging from a tent, carrying a pot between them. Mr. Weasley was nearby, struggling with a pile of firewood.

"Oh… went out again. I thought Hermione had lit it already." Mr. Weasley was on his hands and knees, blowing hard at the barely-smoldering fire, his face and clothes now covered in ash.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Fred asked, amused. "Did you leave your wand at home?"

"Now, Fred, it's about blending in," Mr. Weasley replied, standing up and rubbing his sore neck from all the bending.

"I don't think lunch will be anytime soon," George muttered. "Dad loves these 'blend in with the muggles' rules."

Mr. Weasley, not hearing him, looked up with a curious expression. "Where have you all been? I thought you'd gotten lost."

"Oh, just a little World Cup goodwill tour," Fred replied, grinning. "Wizards here are very… enthusiastic."

"Of course they are," Mr. Weasley said, smiling. "The World Cup only comes around once in a while, and everyone's been looking forward to it."

Just then, Mr. Weasley noticed the unfamiliar face standing behind Fred.

"You must be Kanna," he said.

"Kanna Prince!" Kanna replied quickly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Weasley."

"The pleasure's all mine, young lady," Mr. Weasley responded warmly. "Come on in—I managed to borrow a large enough tent this time, so you can even choose your own rooms! But lunch might be a bit delayed… I still need to figure out how to get this fire going… Oh! And who are you?"

Turning around, he saw a House-elf standing behind him, whom he hadn't noticed before. Oddly enough, the pile of firewood he'd been struggling with was now cheerfully burning.

"Sorry, Mr. Weasley," Kanna said. "This is Kreacher. I brought him with me, but he doesn't know the muggle-protection regulations yet."

"All right, never mind…" Mr. Weasley looked a bit disappointed but said, "Since our tent is at the back, even if we use a bit of magic now and then, Mr. Roberts won't notice…"

He sighed, as it seemed he'd been just on the verge of figuring out how to use matches. But with the fire already blazing, there was no sense putting it out and starting over. He carefully placed a pot on the fire, adjusting it to prepare a makeshift stew. But before he could get started, Kreacher moved beside him, clutching a spoon and looking up expectantly.

With Kreacher's intense gaze fixed on him, Mr. Weasley felt oddly out of place, as if he were intruding on someone else's job. Reluctantly, he stepped aside, giving the House-elf room to work.

Kreacher took over naturally, stirring the pot with practiced ease.

"Fine… fine…" Mr. Weasley muttered, stepping back. Then, noticing Kanna about to speak, he added, "It's actually quite nice to have a House-elf helping out now and then… at least we won't go hungry waiting for my cooking."

Clearly, he had a realistic view of his own culinary abilities.

At that moment, the rest of the group returned, carrying water. The instant Percy spotted Fred and George, he launched into a lecture.

"You two shouldn't be running off like that," he said, trying to sound serious. "You're going to get Dad into trouble, and probably the rest of the Ministry, too. You'd better behave yourselves. If I catch you pulling any more tricks, I'll…"

"Mark us down?" Fred asked with mock fear. "But we're not at Hogwarts anymore."

"And you're not Head Boy anymore," George added.

"Or a Prefect…"

The twins burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, Bill noticed the trolley parked nearby. He picked up a firework and tossed it into the air.

"Bang!"

The firework exploded, sending a giant four-leaf clover shimmering in the sky.

"So it was you…" Bill said with a grin. "My friend Bacchus mentioned he'd bought some cool gadgets for cheap, but by the time I went looking, you'd already moved on."

Fred's interest perked up immediately. "Need more? Two Sickles each, or ten for a Galleon!"

"And the one you just threw is free," George added, grinning.

"Can't argue with that," Bill laughed, fishing out a Galleon. "Thanks! I'll take the Irish team set."

Charlie, who was nearby, bought a set of Bulgarian fireworks.

Hearing the commotion, the others came out of the tent, curiously gathering around the cart.

"How much for this hat?" Ron asked, holding up a flamboyant green and gold Irish hat.

"One Galleon," Fred replied.

"That's a bit steep," Ron muttered, fishing around in his pockets. "How about a family discount?"

"One Galleon," Fred said with a grin.

Ron frowned. "But I'm your brother!"

Fred and George exchanged a mischievous look. "Oh, then it's two Galleons!" they said in unison.

Ron tossed the hat back on the cart in frustration, and everyone burst into laughter. Harry tried to stifle his laughter out of loyalty to Ron, but he couldn't keep a straight face either.

Despite the antics, almost everyone bought something. Hermione and Ginny picked out hairpins, Mr. Weasley put on a Bulgarian supporter's hat, and Harry bought a bit of everything except the hairpins, giving half of his haul to Ron.