Tuesday, July 8th, 2014. 7:15 PM.

  Grimmauld Place, Borough of Islington, London, UK

  "...so, once Viktor and I compared notes, the priority became getting him out of the public eye. We worked up the ghost of an idea I had come up with."

  With that, Ginny tossed two copies of The Daily Prophet on the table. One was dated Monday the Seventh, the other Tuesday the Eighth. On the front page of the Monday Edition was a banner headline, practically screaming to be read in a shout.

  "KRUM ON THE CUP!! A DAILY PROPHET EXCLUSIVE!!

  A long, thin block of print below the headline read:

  We are proud to announce that world-famous Seeker, Viktor Krum, has agreed to provide pre-game insight and post-game analysis on EVERY World Cup Game. Krum will be speaking exclusively to The Daily Prophet's Star Sports Reporter and Quidditch Commentator, Ginevra Weasley Potter, from his Top Secret Training Camp, somewhere in the Sredna Gora Mountains of Bulgaria. (See Page One of Sports Section).

  In addition, we here at The Prophet will feature in-depth articles and coverage of the long-shot Bulgarian Team for as long as they remain standing. We remember the valiant efforts of our Mr. Krum in their last World Cup appearance on our soil. We wish him and his team well in their quest to overshadow, if not expunge, the memories of 1994 and 2002.

  Below that was another headline, only slightly smaller:

  LEV ZOGRAF: QUIDDITCH AS GESTALT - "COACH THE WHOLE TEAM!"

  The photo below worked well, a family man, pretending to be stern, as his smiling wife and teen daughter leaned into him, hands tucked through his arms. A small boy was holding both his father's hands, skinning the cat through them. An even smaller girl leaned out from behind her father's leg to wave shyly at the camera.

  Ginny pulled out the Sport Sections of both papers, and handed them round. The column devoted to Krum was a good, wide single column. At the head was a picture of Krum in a sleeveless undershirt and tight leggings, holding his racing broom like a yoke pole over his shoulders. His new musculature was on full display. As usual in a picture of Viktor, the image only moved to blink and glower. Krum's Quidditch robes were draped carefully over an armchair, the only other items showing up against the black background.

  Demelza gave a long, low, liquid whistle. "Daaamn," she said, stretching the word out. "That is not what I remember from school." She cast a side-eyed glance at Krum, and almost looked over at Hermione. She caught herself, and looked at her wide-eyed, faintly blushing daughter instead. "Yeah, no."

  Ron had thrown a few glances Hermione's way, but she was absorbed in reading the article about Lev Zograf.

  Below Krum's feet, but still in the black background, were three very simple words in block letters.

  I AM KRUM.

  There were two boxes lined up vertically below the photo. At the top of each box was a short line of text. The one at the top read; POST-GAME - LOOKING BACK. The only text in the upper box was a cheery "Coming Soon!" The header on the lower box : PRE-GAME - LOOKING FORWARD. This box contained Krum's first article.

  "Why don't you read it out loud, Viktor?" Rolf asked.

  Viktor shook his head solemnly. "Ve used the translator on Ginny's P.P.P. I checked carefully. Those are my words, yes, but it is not my voice."

  "I'll read it," volunteered Luna. She took the paper, folded it to a convenient size, and began.

  Norway versus Ivory Coast - 7 July 2014

  An interesting match-up. In the years since my original retirement, I have traveled the world extensively, studying Quidditch at all levels. I am hoping to someday formulate a, if you will, Unified Pitch Theory, to help players at all levels become the very best they can be.

  I was fortunate enough to witness the last meeting between these two teams. The game was what the English call a 'Friendly,' so both A and B-Rosters were eligible to play. It was an epic five-day struggle, with both teams cycling through every available player multiple times. Often the referees were required to force players off the pitch, when they ignored the coaches' directives to come in and rest, or eat.

  That game was brutal, hard fought, and ultimately ended only when the Seekers collided in mid-air, with the Snitch between them, and fell 20 feet to the ground. The snitch was found in the grip of the unconscious Sylvian Boigny. The semi-conscious Sigrid Kristoffersen was adamant that Sylvian had made a fair catch, and the referees agreed.

  This game, however, will not be that game. I expect both teams to play smart, fast-moving Quidditch, with the object of making an early capture of the Snitch. The real match will be fought by the Seekers, Sylvian Boigny's tricky and often subtle maneuvering against Sigrid Kristoffersen's blazing speed. I would not hazard a guess on which shall prevail.

  (Translated from Bulgarian by ProphetLabs Portable Protean Printer, M.P.O. Patent No. JNY867-5309. All Rights Reserved).

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "Now this one," said Ginny. This page had articles in both boxes.

  Norway 340 - Ivory Coast 100

  This match was quite a bit more one-sided than I had anticipated. While Chaser Elodie Dembélé was a bright spot for the Ivorian's team, she could not do it alone. The Norwegian Chasers, ably led by Lars Lundekvam, worked together flawlessly. Had the game lasted longer, I expect they would have put the win out of reach. Kristoffersen's capture of the Snitch just forestalled the inevitable.

  On a more professional note, while I deplore the jinxes aimed at Norwegian Chaser Lundekvam, I found the antics of the security wizards trying to trace the casters and to confiscate wands quite amusing. Perhaps more thorough training would have helped. That might have informed them that many African wizards, especially graduates of the Uagadou Wizarding School, do not need wands to cast spells. Those rude hand gestures you were receiving? They weren't just rude hand gestures.

  A laugh went round the kitchen table. Rolf said, "Of course, wands are mostly a European tradition, wide-spread, but not universal. And, if our children are anything to go by, some forms of magic are intuitive. They can be raised to a fairly high level, even without a wand."

  "Same here," said Ginny.

  "And here," added Hermione.

  "Now the Pre-Game article," Luna said. She continued reading.

  Nigeria versus Fiji - 9 July 2014

  One of the poorer pairings of this World Cup, I expect the Nigeria-Fiji game to be a lopsided score, whoever wins. The Nigerians are a very physical team, some might even say brutal. There is no finesse to their tactics. In fact, there are very little tactics to their tactics.

  The Fijians, on the other hand, are almost nothing but finesse. If they win at all, it will be due to a very early capture of the Snitch. As is sadly often the case with a team centered around one or two talented players, the rest of the team has an unfortunate tendency to coast, to ride their coattails, as you English say. The inverse of this? Often those who think of themselves as 'star' players are willing to subsume the good of the team to their egos.

  The Nigerians are favored in this game, and I think for very good reason. I do not hesitate in declaring for them.

  (Translated from Bulgarian by ProphetLabs Portable Protean Printer, M.P.O. Patent No. JNY867-5309. All Rights Reserved).

  Ron was shaking his head. "Viktor, I just don't get it. I mean, you're a great guy, with impeccable taste in women, (Hermione blushed. Viktor gave the quirk of his lips which passed for a smile), but you come across as so closed off, what's the word, taciturn? This," he waved at the newspapers, "...is elegant. It's almost poetry. What makes the difference, if I can ask?"

  Victor regarded Ron for a moment, thinking. Then he shrugged. "Ronald, part of it, the smallest part, is that I do not speak English perfectly. Vell, yes. Perfectly, no. I do not enjoy doing things I can not do perfectly. Mostly, however, I do not like most people." He looked around at the wide eyes. "Not you people, you are good people." He waved a dismissive hand.

  Going on, he said, "But, from very early in my life, I have been Krum! Even before my talent showed, my family, it vas Krum. Qvidditch, in Bulgaria, has alvays been dominated by my family, by our name. Ve Slavs, ve admire famous people, but ve are also suspicious of them at the same time. Ve are proud of our accomplishments, but vorry that they are not deserved. Vhen I was young, there vere times I vas made much of, flattered, pursued. But it vas alvays a trick, a sham, you say."

  He spread his hand, arching one-half of his almost unibrow. "But Qvidditch, it has never tried to deceive me. If I von, I deserved to vin. If I lost, I vas required to get better. I like the game. I trust the game. And, in return, the game gifs me words."

  Ron was nodding along slowly. He shook himself, "I wish I could say that. The only words Quidditch ever gives me are not usable in polite company, and end with, '...ing Cannons!'"

  He was sitting at the foot of Hermione's chair, and she stroked his hair fondly.

  "Getting back to the point," Ginny said. She had noted the considering look Viktor was giving Ron, and thought he might be reevaluating Hermione's 'Veasel Boy.'

  "Before we even left the room where we had done the interview in Varna, we had laid all the groundwork for Viktor's column, communicating with The Prophet through the Protean Charm. Barny Boy was thrilled, by which I mean he will be thrilled as soon as Griz gets around to telling him."

  "We also leaked a false trail for Viktor, leading toward his 'Training Camp' in the Sredna Gora Mountains. Supposedly, we were going to Apparate to various scenic places south along the coast, then turn inland toward the mountains."

  "Viktor had filled me in on the attempts against his life. It started as what we would call, 'a run of bad luck.' His house caught fire. His daily-use broom broke down, and the loaner the shop gave him tried to buck him off at a fairly high altitude. Little things, but consistently happening, and slowly escalating."

  "Then, someone blatantly cast a Confringo at him, as he was leaving practice. They hadn't led him enough, and fire-blasted most of the tail bristles off his broom. He crash-landed the burning wreck and Apparated away, jumping 12 times in less than a minute, as randomly as he could manage, finally ending up in a shielded safe-house his family has maintained for over two centuries."

  Ginny sighed. "That was last... Thursday, Viktor?"

  He shook his head. "Chetv?rt?k, yes."

  She nodded. "He stayed in hiding until it was time for our interview, Apparated to a small broom closet at Headquarters. He had memorised it to avoid obsessed fans and unsolicited offers of 'business opportunities.' He met Lev in the lobby just in time to catch the elevator, and made it to the suite unharmed."

  Viktor added, "And felt lucky to get zat far."

  "Then," Ginny said, "...we made our plans, readied some spells, and basically got ready to hit the ground running. The residential rooms at the Bulgarian Quidditch Headquarters have Anti-Apparition spells on them, so we had to at least step out into the hall before jumping out. The only local Apparition point we both knew was the Arrivals and Departures Hall in the basement, which wasn't ideal, but needs must." She blew air out through her mouth, 'Phew!' and went on. "We stepped out of the room, one facing each way, shields already up. I blocked a Cruciatus from my side, and he deflected another Confringo into the ceiling. And we were gone."

  "In the basement Hall, we went with "The Best Defense..." approach. Viktor alternated Expulso and Reducto around a wide arc, while I pumped out Bat-Bogey Hexes like a firehose." She smirked. "You know, for a spell I don't get to practice that often, I'm pretty damn good!"

  "Yes, dear," Harry said blandly. Ginny gave him a suspicious glance.

  "From there, we left them to try and trace us down the coast. We Apparated straight to Vrasta, broke into the Vultures' office, and used their Emergency Portkey to The Hague." She noticed Hermione's slightly disapproving look. "Look, Hermione, they'll never miss it. It had over a century's worth of dust layered on it. From The Hague we went straight to Ivory Coast, where I did my reporter thing, used the Trans-Atlantic Portkey from Monrovia to Brazil, where I did my reporter thing, then jumped up and around the Gulf of Mexico til we were within Apparition range of Haiti. No muss, no fuss, no problems."

  "UN-til there were..."