Pure

It seemed I couldn't stop staring at Draco, who was obviously facing the same problem; his gray eyes were wide and searching as they roved over my face, though he kept his expression blank. He was almost as tall as Lucius already, but he was lean and lithe, with subtle muscle build. He probably plays Quidditch, I thought distractedly.

In all the times I had imagined seeing Draco, I had never thought I'd experience such a strong physical reaction. My palms were sweating and I felt the biggest urge to throw my arms around him and hug my first best friend. I inwardly cursed myself, thinking how stupid it was for me to feel this strongly.

"...Yes, yes, I remembered just how close you two families were and I had to make sure you got to make your greetings. Coincidentally, the only seats left are right beside them, Lucius," Fudge prattled, pleased with his good deed for the day.

Lucius was much colder than I remember him being, as he stared at Father, and Father back at him. Fudge was oblivious to the tension, and turned to me.

"Saden, you've met Draco before, haven't you?" he asked and I had to wait a moment to swallow the lump in my throat before I could answer.

"It's been years, Minister, but yes, I've met Draco. We grew up together," I answered calmly, keeping my face composed so I didn't show the turmoil inside. I wanted so badly to really say hello to Draco, but I knew Father would jinx me into oblivion if I did.

"Yes, it's been quite a while," Draco said placidly, and I marveled at how deep his voice was. He was so grown up, but so the same. I could only imagine how Mother and Narcissa must feel; they were the absolute best of friends before the fight between Lucius and Father, who were glaring daggers at each other.

"You men are both here as my guests, though for different things, of course!" Fudge laughed boisterously. "Lucius just made a very generous donation to St. Mungo's and Frederick here has been of the most help between the German Ministry of Magic and ours."

"Is that so?" Lucius asked, his lip slightly curling and I saw Father slip his hand in his dress robes; I knew he was gripping his wand tightly. I flashed alarmed eyes at him, but he didn't notice.

"Yes, yes, quite right," Fudge muttered, distracted by the proceedings around us.

"Father?" I asked and everyone turned to look at me. I kept my eyes on him. "Why don't we sit down? I want to tell you why Ireland is going to beat Bulgaria."

I saw Draco smirk out of the corner of my eye and Father nodded and said, "Ov course, Prinzezzin."

I steered him the opposite direction of Lucius and sat down beside him. Mother sat on the other side of me, then Narcissa on her left side, while Draco sat in between his parents like I was doing. It really was a hilarious moment, but I'm sure no one would have appreciated my humor at the moment.

I turned to Father and whispered, "Halten Sie Ihr Temperament, Father; lass ihn nicht bekommen das Beste von dir.*"

He cracked a smile and kissed the top of my head, before whispering back, "Wann habe ich bekommen wie eine intelligente tochter*?"

"Immer*," I replied cheekily and he laughed, his good mood restored. Mother smiled at us both, obviously approving of our behavior. And with that, we settled back to watch the match.
__

"ZAT VAS AMAZING!" I cried as we made our way out of the stadium. My accent had come back with a vengeance during the game whenever I would cheer at a score or bellow at a penalty. Father chuckled, his cheeks flushed and his eyes bright.

"Zat vas a game unlike anyzing I hafe efer seen," he declared, and I nodded in earnest. Mother sighed, one hand pressed delicately to her head; she had gotten a headache within the first five minutes from all the noise. I might have felt bad if I hadn't had such fun.

"Troy vas superb! I just can't beliefe- Ireland von- but Krum- zee snitch!" I exclaimed, my voice becoming a high pitched squeak. Mother groaned slightly, pressing her fingers to her temples.

"Ve vill make you a potion vhen ve get back to the tent, liebling," Father said gently to her, slightly shaking his head at me. I shut my mouth, but couldn't refrain from bobbing about happily as we made the walk back. We could only assume everyone had gone back to the tent; it was a much longer walk from the Top Box than it was where they were seated.

The walk seemed much shorter than it had earlier and I rushed in the tent, immediately being assaulted with, "SADEN! Did you SEE-" from all sides.

Mother made her way over to Ramya and Elfriede who were sitting in the kitchen, looking exactly like she did: exhausted and ready for peace and quiet. Augustus, Kristof, and Sven were lazing back in the sitting room smoking their pipes. Alheid was sitting with Benjamin, Theodor, Fritz, Nina, and Ingrid, who were all gesturing me over. I grinned and joined them, bellowing, "IRELAND VON-"

"BUT KRUM CAUGHT THE SNITCH!" they all finished in unison, their raucous laughter highly infectious.

"It looks like the Bulgarian supporters owe us an apology, eh?" Alheid asked wryly, looking specifically at her two younger sons. They smiled at her sheepishly, shrugging.

"He still caught zee snitch," Fritz said, and Nina laughed, shaking her head.

"To safe their pride," she pointed out, and there was nodding all around. Verbal replays were soon being spoken by all; Alheid soon drifted over to talk with the women, but as the late hour drew near, arguements began to break out, though admittedly, I started one myself.

"If Aiden Lynch hadn't fallen for Krum's feint the game would have ended even sooner!" I said heatedly, and Theodor shook his head at me, his cheeks red.

"Krum iz too good!" he argued and I heard Nina and Benjamin going at it about the specifics of fouls and if the referee was in the wrong or not. Even Ingrid and Fritz were battling it out over which mascot was better.

"GENUG*!" came a loud roar, and we saw Kristof standing at the top of the stairs, sternly staring us down. "It iz time vor bed!"

We all hung our heads, abashed, as we shuffled up to our rooms, and began getting ready for bed. I quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face so Nina could have her turn, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep.