"What about James' family? Don't they also live in Godric's Hollow?" Kona asked.
"Oh dear..." Alfrina couldn't stop her. Gary was stunned for a moment. "Oh, his house is very close to here, over there." He pointed to a row of buildings with gardens opposite.
"Then can we go over..." Kona was still slow to react.
Before Kona could finish her sentence, Alfrina looked up and pointed to the sky in the distance, "Look, owls!"
"It's nothing. Many owls come and go in Godric's Hollow every day. There are quite a few writers here who need to mail their manuscripts..." Gary looked at the small dots in the distant sky. "It should be The Daily Prophet's delivery time now."
Lily bit her lip, "Why do I feel like they're coming for us?"
The five of them looked up. Hearing Lily say that, and seeing the owls getting closer and closer, they increasingly felt that they really were coming for them.
"One, two, three, four... five, five owls. They must be ours," Alfrina said. "Could it be another interview request from a newspaper? I've already rejected all of them."
They were five brown owls, and they perched in a row on the garden fence. Then, in unison, they extended their right claws. Each owl's claw had a large brown envelope tied to it.
The five people stood still, watching the five motionless owls.
Howard walked up and took the envelopes from the owls' claws one by one. The five owls didn't even look at them, and simultaneously flew away.
"Whoa, they're really heavy, one for each of us..." Howard distributed the envelopes to everyone according to the names on them.
"What is this, International Wizarding Federation Quidditch Committee (ICWQC)..." Gary slowly read out the header on the envelope. He tore open the envelope and found a booklet and a letter inside.
The booklet was heavy, feeling substantial in his hand. Gary saw that the title of the booklet was "Quidditch World Cup Official Guide."
He then opened the letter and found that it was actually an invitation.
"To Mr. Gary Shafiq,
This June, we received the Quidditch new rules draft, spearheaded by the British Ministry of Magic Sporting Goods Department and drafted by your organization 'A Maverick Pig'. We have reviewed several Quidditch matches where this rule was trialed at the British magic school Hogwarts, and we believe the draft is very successful. We hereby invite you to attend the 1974 Quidditch World Cup Final held in Lyon, France, on the evening of July 15th. We will discuss the relevant details then.
Andre Salon, Head of Rules and Regulations Department, International Wizarding Federation Quidditch Committee (ICWQC)"
As the letter unfolded completely, two items fell out. Gary looked through them and found that one was a first-class ticket to the Final, and the other was a Portkey pass to Lyon, France, issued by the Ministry of Magic.
"Are yours the same?" Gary finished reading the letter and looked at his four companions.
The others had also finished reading their letters and nodded.
"We can go to France?" Lily held up her ticket, somewhat excited. "I've always wanted to travel there, but my sister never agreed."
Alfrina stepped forward and hugged Lily. "This time we can go together, I'm so happy!"
The two girls hugged and giggled.
"The date marked on this Portkey pass is July 14th at 9 AM, so there's still more than a day of free time in between." Kona carefully examined the pass.
"We can book a hotel for a few days," Lily suggested.
"Won't that be super expensive? It's peak tourist season now." Kona was a bit troubled; her family's financial situation wasn't great.
"Well... everyone can come to my place," Howard glanced at Kona, who had a worried expression, and spoke up. "My family has a house in Lyon."
"Whoa!" The four exclaimed in unison. "Your family's assets are even spread overseas?"
"Hehehe." Howard gave a simple smile.
"Thank you then." Kona smiled.
With the trip to France decided, the few of them were all very excited and had no desire to continue admiring the scenery of Godric's Hollow.
Gary took them to a restaurant in the village for lunch. Lily and the others raved about the tender and juicy beef burgers at the restaurant.
In the evening, Gary saw off his friends, then cooked a few dishes himself, including Mrs. Shafiq's favorite Cornish pasties.
"What's going on, Gary? Do you need something from me?" Mrs. Shafiq smelled the aroma of malt as soon as she returned home. "Tell me, how much money do you need?"
She watched Gary with a smile.
"What do you mean, Mom? I received a letter from the International Wizarding Federation Quidditch Committee, and it included a Quidditch World Cup Final ticket. You see..." Gary felt a bit wronged. His hands didn't stop moving as he quickly set the dinner on the table and eagerly pulled out a chair for Mrs. Shafiq.
"Oh?" Mrs. Shafiq became interested. "Is it because of that new rules draft you guys made before?"
"Exactly." Gary nodded. "Howard's family has a house in Lyon, so the few of us can stay there for two days."
"Only one ticket?" Mrs. Shafiq poured herself a glass of wine, took a sip, and looked up to ask.
"Each of us received one," Gary replied.
"Give this letter to your father later. I heard he's also in Lyon." Mrs. Shafiq took a bite of the Cornish pasty, the rich meaty flavor making her eyes narrow in satisfaction.
In the remaining few days, Gary excitedly packed everything he could think of into his suitcase: novels, a magic camera, changes of clothes, and the "Quidditch World Cup Official Guide." A pile of items filled the suitcase to the brim.
On the morning of July 14th, he carried his suitcase, said goodbye to his mother, and stepped out to hail and board the Knight Bus.
"Ah, where to this time?" The conductor was still Pool, who seemed to be perpetually energetic.
"...British Ministry of Magic Guest Entrance." Gary entered the bus. There weren't many passengers early in the morning; only one passenger on the first floor was still sound asleep.
"Fifteen Sickles, and if you add three Sickles..." Pool recited it as if it were a textbook.
"No, I don't need hot chocolate, thank you." Gary placed his suitcase on the rack, then took out silver coins from his wallet to give to him.
"Alright." Pool left after taking the money.
With no one else around, Gary simply lay down on the bed for a nap, but he was soon woken up by someone calling him.
"Gary, Gary!" He could hear the person calling him.
He slowly opened his eyes and saw Kona and Lily standing by his bed. "Hi, good morning to both of you."
"Good morning, Gary," the two said, placing their suitcases on the rack. "I had insomnia last night, so I need to catch up on some sleep. Wake me up when we arrive." Kona immediately flopped onto her bed and fell asleep shortly after.