Starry skies and Gardenias

Chapter 196

The box filled gradually around them over the next half hour. It took just a while for the Weasleys to file in and the Potters scrambled in right after them.

"Izzy!" Sirius and James cried loudly and Isabella beamed back at them.

"Having fun?" Lily asked, holding Leo in her arms. James was carrying Willow and Sirius had Juliet on his shoulders. Matilda was talking animatedly with Peter who was showing her the functioning of the camera he had slung around his neck.

But now the box was nearly full.

Isabella noticed that it was magically expanding to put in all the esteemed guests. It was obvious for the famous seven to get the top seats with the Minister himself.

The Malfoys had made a very generous donation to St Mungo's and they were personally invited by the Minister.

The Weasleys were because Bagman had pulled a few strings and the Bulgarian Minister and his assistant were obviously there.

Mr Crouch would get a seat for his son too.

Hermione was skimming eagerly through her velvet-covered, tasselled program.

"'A display from the team mascots will precede the match,'" she read aloud as Isabella listened in.

"Oh, that's always worth watching," Arthur said. "National teams bring creatures from their native land, you know, to put on a bit of a show."

Percy jumped to his feet so often that he looked as though he were trying to sit on a hedgehog. When Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself, arrived, Percy bowed so low that his glasses fell off and shattered. Highly embarrassed, he repaired them with his wand and thereafter remained in his seat.

"The boy needs to chill, really," Sirius said from behind them and Isabella smiled weakly. Percy did need to chill a bit.

"Ah! Madam Black!" Fudge said, rather taken aback at seeing her. She wasn't the one to make public appearances.

"How wonderful to see you tonight," he said, holding his hand out and Isabella shook it, then Fudge turned to Regulus.

"All of you here," the Minister said looking around. "Seeing this after so long. . .There isn't anything dangerous tonight, is there?" he chuckled.

He turned to the foreign wizards at his either side.

"You know who they are," he told the Bulgarian minister loudly, who was wearing splendid robes of black velvet trimmed with gold and didn't seem to understand a word of English.

"Isabella Black . . . oh come on now, you know who she is . . . the girl who defeated You-Know-Who . . . you do know who she is—"

The Bulgarian wizard seemed to have suddenly realized who she was and started dabbling loudly and excitedly.

"Knew we'd get there in the end," said Fudge wearily. "I'm no great shakes at languages; I need Barty Crouch for this sort of thing. Ah, I see his house-elf's saving him a seat. . . . Good job too, these Bulgarian blighters have been trying to cadge all the best places . . . ah, and here's Lucius!"

Everyone turned to see the little family. Edging along the second row to three still-empty seats right behind Mr Weasley were none other than Lucius Malfoy; his son, Draco, and his wife.

The Potters and Malfoys never went well together, except for Harry and Draco, but they seemed to have fallen out too now.

"Isabella," Narcissa said brightly when she spotted the woman.