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Friday, the day before the Quidditch World Cup was set to begin.
Before the first light of dawn broke, a broomstick sliced through the low-hanging night sky, wobbling as it descended into Lynn's yard.
Edgar Bones was wrapped in a thick traveling cloak, his face lit with the excitement of an impending successful prank.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, he took a deep breath and shouted toward the tightly closed bedroom window at the top of his lungs:
"Lynn! Get up! The sun is burning your backside! Your good brother is here to bring you some warmth—!!"
As the tail end of his shout still echoed in the air—
Suddenly!
The originally quiet courtyard suddenly burst with light.
A translucent barrier flowing with complex runes rose from the ground around the yard like an inverted bowl. It closed over the house, sealing the entire building and yard within and forming a boundary isolated from the outside world.
Immediately after, an emotionless synthesized electronic voice rang out from nowhere, clearly reaching every corner of the yard:
"[Home Defense Protocol: Third Sequence] activated. Detected unknown biological unit approaching the residence during non-social hours without an appointment.
Energy reading: Low. Threat assessment: Mild intrusion.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
A series of mechanical slides and magical metal clanking sounds came from the exterior walls of the house, the bases of garden statues, and even several fruit trees that looked harmless to humans and animals.
Dozens of dark muzzles and anti-aircraft machine guns popped out, locking onto the only target in the center of the yard: Edgar Bones.
Edgar: "...???"
The smile on his face froze completely, and his hand, raised to knock on the door, stopped mid-air.
His neck turned stiffly. He looked at the device on the left wall pointing straight at his head, where a dangerous red light was beginning to gather in the barrel, then at the silver short tube on the right tree branch aimed at his knees, flowing with runes. Cold sweat broke out instantly.
"Wait... Wait! It's a misunderstanding! I'm one of you! Lynn! Lynn! Help—!!!"
Crack—
Lynn's figure appeared at the doorway. He was wearing pajamas, his hair was a bit messy, and he was rubbing his eyes with one hand, a look of daze on his face.
He first squinted at the still-dark sky outside the boundary, then looked at Edgar, who was pale with fright in the yard, pointed at by dozens of muzzles, and at his fully equipped outfit.
"...?"
Lynn's brain clearly hadn't fully booted up yet. He blinked. "Edgar? You... what are you doing?"
As he spoke, he waved his hand with some irritation.
Instantly, the barrier covering the yard dissipated like a receding tide, and the muzzles on the walls and trees retracted into their hiding places in unison.
Edgar finally breathed a long sigh of relief, his legs going soft as he almost sat on the ground.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and forced an awkward smile. "Well, I came to ask you... are you going to the Quidditch World Cup?"
Lynn looked at him, silent for several seconds.
The morning breeze brushed past, carrying a bit of chill and waking him up completely. Then, an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
"You..." A series of words full of 'friendly greetings' that were automatically censored by magic came out of Lynn's mouth, "...Are you sick? In the middle of the night, you don't sleep, you fly a long way on a broom to my house just to wake me up with a volume comparable to a Troll's roar, and then ask me—'Are you going to the World Cup?'?"
Lynn rubbed his throbbing temples in annoyance. "By the way, didn't your parents plan to take you a couple of days ago?"
Edgar scratched his head with a sheepish grin. "Plans can't keep up with changes. The Quidditch World Cup, you know, there are too many people. The Ministry of Magic departments are all going crazy, and they're seriously understaffed.
A lot of people from my parents' department were also temporarily reassigned to assist with security and logistics. Both of them were drafted. They had to report for duty early this morning, so they have no time for me at all. So..."
Edgar shook the large bag behind him. "Look, since I'm already here... how about we go together? Let's call William and Ollie as well."
Lynn sighed and nodded. Since he was already here... He definitely wasn't going to wake William and Ollie from their warm beds to 'share the joy.' Was Lynn that kind of person? Absolutely not.
"Dodo!" Lynn shouted into the house.
Pop! With a soft sound, Dodo, wearing a clean tea towel, appeared instantly.
"Master, have you finally decided to throw out this stupid Wizard who makes noise early in the morning, triggers the defense system, and almost got turned into a sieve? Dodo can help throw him far away, ensuring he won't disturb the neighbors."
Edgar: "..."
Lynn waved his hand. "Go pack the luxury travel tent with the expanded space and heated pool, plus the camping utensils, food storage boxes... right, take that automatic grill too. We're going out to see the World Cup."
Dodo curled his lip and vanished instantly to pack the luggage.
"Let's go, get in the car." Lynn turned and walked toward the garage.
"Get in the car?" Edgar was stunned for a moment, pointing at his broom. "Aren't we flying there?"
"Too slow." Lynn didn't look back. "I'm driving a more 'low-key' car."
A few minutes later, a brand-new car with sleek lines and a finish that shimmered with a faint glow in the dimness was backed out of the garage by Lynn.
It had no exhaust pipe, and its chassis glowed with faint levitation runes...
After a while.
Edgar, along with William and Ollie, who were also bleary-eyed after being called out of bed by Lynn under the guise of an 'emergency,' groggily sat in the spacious car with their luggage packed by Dodo.
"Everyone, fasten your 'seatbelts,'" Lynn reminded them.
Hum—
A low and powerful engine hum sounded.
Immediately after, before Edgar and the other two could fully react, the car's four wheels retracted, the chassis runes lit up brightly, it steadily left the ground, and then—soared into the sky.
"Whoa—!" Several cries of surprise immediately rang out inside the car.
The subsequent flight journey, for the three passengers, was definitely not comfortable.
"Attention, there's a morning mist bank ahead. We'll detour slightly... no, let's go straight through, sharp turn!" Lynn was full of enthusiasm.
The car drew a nearly ninety-degree arc in the air, the powerful centrifugal force throwing the three in the back seat violently to one side.
"See that early-rising Owl? Let's say hello... get close, overtake!"
The car sped past at a terrifyingly close distance, brushing against the wings of a startled, ruffled Owl.
"The clouds below look pretty thick. Let's play through-the-clouds dive!"
The car plunged into the cloud layer, visibility completely blurred, then suddenly dove downward, leveling off sharply only at the height of the treetops in the forest below, kicking up a spray of dew.
When the car finally wobbled to a stop at the foot of an unremarkable steep hill near the village of Ottery St Catchpole in Devon, the moment the door opened—
"Blergh—!"
"Cough, cough... Blergh—!"
Edgar, William, and Ollie almost crawled out of the car, leaning against a large rock and doubling over to retch.
Their faces were a mix of blue and white, and their eyes were full of spinning little stars.
Edgar complained while retching, "Blergh... Lynn... is this what you meant by... blergh... 'driving skills are very good'?"
Lynn closed the car door, letting the car return automatically, and then walked over with an innocent expression. "How is it not good? It was so exciting. Aerial drifting, overtaking, breaking through clouds and mist—all the skills that should be shown were shown. The whole journey was smooth with no collisions, not even a feather of that Owl was touched."
The three: "..."
William steadied his glasses and waved his hand weakly. "No more... let us... catch our breath... before going up the hill..."
He sat on the ground, not caring whether there was dust or dew.
Ollie didn't speak, just silently found a slightly cleaner rock to sit on, closed his eyes, took deep breaths, and tried to calm his churning stomach and buzzing head.
Edgar collapsed directly onto the ground, feebly thumping his soft and aching legs. "Next time... kill me and I still won't take your car... broomsticks are better..."
After a long while, the three of them finally managed to recover.
William surveyed the surroundings: the slightly steep hillside, the dense vegetation, and the faint outline of a village in the distance.
"By the way, is this hill... the World Cup campsite? It doesn't look like it can accommodate so many people."
"Of course... not." Edgar shook his head and explained, "This is Stoatshead Hill. The World Cup camp isn't here, it's somewhere else. This is the nearest official designated Portkey point."
William nodded after hearing this and didn't ask further.
"I'm rested!" Edgar struggled to stand up and patted the dirt off his backside.
"Me... almost too." William also stood up, straightening his crooked glasses and clothes.
Ollie nodded silently and stood up as well.
"Shall we?"
"Let's go."
They began to head toward the summit along a rugged and uneven path.
The journey was longer than they had imagined. By the time the three reached the top of Stoatshead Hill, panting, the eastern sky was already turning pale.
"Huff... huff... if I'd... known... I would have... just... ridden my broom up..." Edgar bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for air, feeling his calves trembling.
Lynn, on the other hand, was neither flushed nor out of breath. Hearing Edgar's complaint, he glanced at him. "Oh? At the foot of the hill, wasn't it someone who vowed, 'Just think of it as exercise, climbing up is more meaningful'?"
Edgar: "..."
Just as Lynn and the others were looking around for the Portkey—
A familiar voice came from behind them to the side:
"Yo, Edgar!"