Douglas asked, his voice tinged with confusion:
"So what we need to do now is protect Mr. Lovegood, or rather, focus on keeping him under surveillance. Whether it's whoever is plotting behind the scenes or our senior schoolmate Tom, they're very likely to approach Mr. Lovegood, right?"
Professor Dumbledore did not answer Douglas. After a moment of silence, he said:
"In a few months, the eagerly awaited Quidditch World Cup will begin here in the United Kingdom..."
When Dumbledore did not continue, Douglas wondered whether he had already laid some sort of trap.
Then, hearing him mention the Quidditch World Cup, he was suddenly startled. How had he overlooked something so important?
He really could not be blamed for forgetting the big things while remembering every little detail.
His last experience watching the Quidditch World Cup had mainly been so unpleasant that he had subconsciously chosen to set the matter gently aside.
The Quidditch World Cup had been held every four years since 1473.
The 1982 tournament had coincided with a turning point in Douglas's life. Having just received his Hogwarts acceptance letter, he had slipped off alone to scout out Diagon Alley with the letter in hand before anyone could come to collect him. With the help of Tom at the Leaky Cauldron, he had successfully entered Diagon Alley.
At the time, all of Diagon Alley had seemed ablaze with World Cup fever. Every street, alley, and corner had been filled with heated discussions and arguments about the grand event.
The shops along the street had been festooned with posters of the teams their owners supported, their brilliant colors like lively paintings displaying each team's distinctive appeal and strength.
Outside one little shop had stood a young wizard Douglas's age, whose parents had gone to watch the World Cup