Bill slept until the evening before being woken up.
The process was a bit complex.
Fred and George came up with the idea, Ron fetched the water, Ginny handed over the bucket, and finally, Charlie poured a full bucket of cold water on his face.
Even if Bill wanted to get angry, he wouldn't know who to punch.
Bill and Charlie rarely returned together, plus it was Kael's birthday, so Mrs. Weasley had been busy in the kitchen since noon, preparing a large table full of delicious dinner.
And just as Kael thought, Chris brought his bottle of 150-year-old Flaming Whiskey.
Looking at the big number on the bottle, Mr. Weasley's eyes lit up.
Bill couldn't resist the temptation and asked for a small cup, but he learned from past mistakes and sipped carefully like Mr. Weasley.
So this time, he didn't pass out on the spot but ended up slumped over the dinner table after dinner.
The soup from the plate splashed all over Percy, making him quite upset, saying it was the outfit he planned to wear to work tomorrow.
Even though Mrs. Weasley cleaned off the soup with magic, he still muttered as he returned to his room.
"If you're afraid of getting dirty, don't wear it to dinner," Fred couldn't help but say.
"Perhaps he thought Mr. Crouch might suddenly visit," George said with a laugh.
Mrs. Weasley patted them, prompting the two to close their mouths.
But this little episode didn't affect everyone's good mood.
After dinner, the kids who didn't drink were responsible for helping the drunken Bill to his room upstairs.
As for Charlie, he was slumped on the table, face to face with Bill.
Ron and Ginny struggled for a long time, unable to move him, finally just dragging him from the chair to the floor.
A few curious goblins approached, poking at his face with their slender fingers.
"Shoo!" Ron waved away the bothersome goblins, then together with Ginny, grabbed his arms and forcefully dragged him back to the Shabby Residence.
This made Charlie feel an ache all over when he woke up the next day, as if he'd been stepped on by a Fire Dragon.
Two weeks passed like this.
One evening in mid-August, Mr. Weasley returned from the Ministry of Magic, suddenly excitedly calling everyone over.
"Did you get the tickets, Dad!" Fred asked eagerly.
"Oh, I wanted to surprise you," Mr. Weasley said, feigning disappointment, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face.
"Big surprise!"
He pulled out a stack of colorful tickets, "A full thirteen, all the best seats."
Fred quietly asked: "The best seats mean…"
"Top box." Mr. Weasley said, "Our front row is the Minister of Magic."
"Oh! That's awesome!"
Fred and George were flushed with excitement, slapping each other's shoulders vigorously.
They always thought Mr. Weasley could only get tickets for the regular stands, but didn't expect it to be the top box.
The top box is said to have the best view, offering a clear view of the entire field.
"Dad, how did you do it?" Ron asked in admiration.
"For certain reasons, many in the department couldn't watch the match, so the Department of Magical Games and Sports simply gave the tickets to Chris and me, saying it would prevent the top box from looking too empty."
"So lucky…" Ron couldn't help but say.
"But, thirteen tickets still aren't enough."
After the excitement, Fred quickly considered another matter, frowning:
"We have nine people in our family, plus Kael's family, Harry, Hermione, Cho, Conna, Cedric… we're still quite a bit short."
"Don't worry, dear," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile, "I don't like such chaotic events; I can give my ticket to Harry and Hermione."
"Same for us," Chris said with a smile, "we have more important matters to attend to than the World Cup, which is why the top box is empty.
Plus, Digory likely already has his ticket; we happened to meet him on the Department of Magical Games and Sports floor as we were leaving."
"In that case… we only need eleven tickets." Fred calculated, "Leaving two for Cho and Conna."
"Awesome!" Fred and George high-fived again.
The group then headed to the Shabby Residence.
Mrs. Weasley prepared to write to Harry and Hermione.
It's easy to write to Hermione, just send it with an owl, but when it came to Harry, Mrs. Weasley was puzzled.
She remembered Harry's aunt and uncle deeply disliked wizards, sending an owl would surely upset them.
"Leave it to me, Molly." Mr. Weasley stepped up confidently, "I know exactly how Muggles send mail… They need this."
Mr. Weasley pulled out a whole handful of colorful stamps from his pocket.
"Just put these stamps on the envelope and drop it in a mailbox. Conveniently, there's a mailbox at the Ministry of Magic's entrance… I've been meaning to try it."
"Are you sure, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "Just put it in that tube, and it's done?"
"You should trust me… I'm an expert."
"Alright then…" Mrs. Weasley picked up the stamps, "How many should I put?"
Mr. Weasley suddenly froze, thought for a moment, then made a decision, "Cover it fully, if there aren't enough stamps, the letter might get sent back."
"Okay!"
Then, Kael watched as Mrs. Weasley plastered the stamps all over the envelope, leaving only a small spot about an inch square for the Dursleys' address.
"Actually…" Kael couldn't help but say, "One stamp is enough; too many might cause suspicion."
"Oh, one stamp is enough?" Mr. Weasley exclaimed.
"Exactly." Kael nodded, picking a ten-pence stamp, "This one will do; take the others off."
Mr. Weasley moved quickly, peeling the stamps off in no time.
These were his cherished collection; it pained him to stick them, but now they're recovered.
After sorting out the letter, Mrs. Weasley clapped her hands.
"Alright, the match is on the weekend. We just have to pick up Harry on Friday; we'll make it in time."
"What if his aunt and uncle don't agree?" Ron asked, "He can't miss this match."
"Of course he can't miss it."
Mrs. Weasley said, "Whether they're willing or not, we'll pick him up, but out of courtesy, it's best to pretend we're asking their permission first."