Chapter 1.
A bead of sweat trickled down Rose's red face. Letting out a huff, she wiped her freckled forehead dry with the back of her hand. Her legs screamed in protest as she marched up the hill, which she was certain was actually a mountain, but forced them to keep going. After all, it wasn't everyday the Quidditch World Cup came to town.
"Are you ready for this, Rose?" Albus asked, nudging her.
Rose had to squint to see her cousins eager face. His green eyes were lit up, like they always were when he was excited. She rolled her eyes at him.
"Of course, but I'm not gonna lose my mind over a game. Calm down, or your brain will explode. You don't want to be as dim-witted as Hugo, do you?" Rose said.
"HEY I HEARD THAT!" Hugo called from several yards below.
Rose and Albus snorted, but they were so out of breath it came out as more of a wheeze. It took a few moments before they regained control and were able to keep marching without the risk of toppling down the hill.
"Seriously though," Albus said, adjusting his backpack. "This is a big deal. Do you think we'll be able to meet any of the Montrose Magpies?"
"Sure, if you sneak into their tent like a deranged stalker."
Albus shoved Rose, who shoved him right back.
"No fighting, you two!" Aunt Ginny said, trying to conceal a smile. She knew their fights were always short lived and playful. "We're almost there."
Aunt Ginny wasn't exaggerating. After a yard or two more of hiking, Rose found herself at the top of the hill overlooking a sea of colorful tents. Her jaw dropped as hard as a brick at the number of people sending colorful sparks into the air - black and white for the Montrose Magpies, and dark green and gold for the Hollyhead Harpies.
Rose waited as the rest of her family finished climbing the hill. As Hugo and Lily clambered to the top, Rose nudged Albus.
"Race you to the bottom?" She said. All it took was her cousin to give her his crooked half smile, and then they were racing towards the campground.
Flying down the hill, Rose's heart raced as she passed Albus. Her nose wrinkled as she threw her head back in an exhilarated fit of laughter, not caring that the sun was burning her eyes. Albus sputtered and swatted at her hair, which made her laugh even harder. The boy needed a mouthful of hair to keep him in line.
The bottom of the hill was almost tangible when Rose heard a thud from behind her. She barely had time to gasp as Albus tumbled towards her as fast as a bludger, and before she knew it, he knocked her off of her feet. Tumbling the rest of the way down, Rose dug her heels into the flat ground and skidded to a stop. She wriggled her nose in disgust, shaking off bits of grass as Albus hunched over in the grass, trembling from his chuckles.
Rose glared.
"That wasn't funny."
"But it was!" Albus said.
"Was not! You could've broken my wrist, and then how would I save your sorry arse during quidditch this year?" Rose said, raising her eyebrows.
"My arse doesn't need saving." Albus said, standing up. Rose quickly followed. She was already several inches shorter than him, and sitting down wouldn't help her case one bit.
"You two, stop messing around!" Rose froze at the sound of her mother's voice. "For goodness sake, you'd never guess the two of you are going to be seventh years in less than a weeks."
"She's right." Ron said. "Get over here and help us set up the tents."
There wasn't much 'setting up' to do. Harry and Ron dropped two tents from their shoulders - one for themselves, Hermione, and Ginny, and one for Rose, Albus, Hugo, and Lily - and then swished their wands at the saggy lumps of burlap. Before their eyes, the tents configured themselves, and with one final burst of light, settled into their standing positions.
The four teenagers ran into their tent, Rose leading the pack. She pushed open the burlap flap to reveal what could easily have been mistaken for as a large apartment. She let Hugo and Lily race past her as she rocked back and forth on the large entrance rug. There were two areas with bunk beds, each complete with a candle lit lamp. In between the two bunk rooms was a small kitchen and sofa. Rose was lost in the simplicity of it all when she heard a chuckle from behind her.
"My dad had the same reaction when he first saw one of these." Albus said, propping an elbow on his cousin's shoulder. "Weird, you've grown up with these tents and you're still in awe."
Rose rolled her eyes, but pink tinged at her cheeks. She couldn't help that she was fascinated by small things.
"Sod off." Rose said. She shoved Albus's elbow off of her, and threw her backpack onto one of the bunks. "Remind me again why you're my best friend?"
"Because nobody else wants to deal with your stubbornness? Or is it your reckless behavior?" Albus said, smirking.
"I don't know why I bother." Rose said. Albus opened his mouth to retort, when a voice from outside the tent interrupted him.
"Kids, the sun is going down. If we don't start heading toward the stadium, it'll be a zoo!" Harry called.
Lily and Hugo perked up. They swatted at each other to be the first out of the door. Albus looked at Rose, shrugged, and the two of them followed their younger siblings out of the tent.
A 'zoo' was a light way of putting it.
The campground in between their tent and the stadium was packed as tight as a can of sardines. There wasn't a spot on the ground that wasn't monopolized by a tent, witch or wizard, but somehow more people continued to file into the clump of quidditch fans.
Keeping her eyes glued to Albus, who was walking in front of her, Rose tried pushed her way through the crowd. Shouts in accents she had never heard filled her ears, making her head pound. She ignored them though, and pressed forward. Pushing past a man with his chest painted half gold, half green, Rose tripped on someone's feet, stumbling into a sweaty man's raised arms.
"UGH!" Groaned Rose as she squinted her eyes. As she opened them, a twang of panic plucked at her chest. Albus and the rest of her family were nowhere in sight.
She didn't stick around to hear the sweaty man's fumbling apologies.
Tearing through the crowd, Rose searched for Albus. Heck, she would've been fine with Hugo if it meant she wasn't alone in the sea of strangers. She began to pant and her throat began to swell. She had no idea where their tent was. Everyone's looked the same.
"Child, are you lost?"
Rose snapped her head around. Sitting in front of a tent adorned in colorful trinkets was an old lady with a bulging eyebrow and snaggle teeth. Nervous, Rose chewed the inside of her mouth. She glanced around one last time. None of her family was in sight. Sighing, she walked towards the witch.
"I just let my family get out of sight." Rose said. "They'll realize I'm gone and come looking for me soon enough."
The old lady raised her eyebrows.
"They will." Rose said again, more for herself than the witch.
"I see." The witch said. She pushed herself off of the ground and stood just a few inches shorter than Rose. If it wasn't for her hunched back, Rose was certain they would be the same height.
"Ugh, Zabbini, what is that thing?"
Rose froze. She knew that voice.
How the hell did Scorpius find her?
"You know, Malfoy." Rose said, turning around. "You might want to watch yourself."
"Or what?" Scorpius sneered. "You'll blast me with your freckles?"
Zabbini sniggered, and Scorpius continued, "I bet that old hag is the only person who can stand the sight of you."
"God, Malfoy, you're disgusting. Can't you leave anyone alone? Or do you need to constantly feed your ego?" Rose asked, her eyes narrowing.
The smirk on Scorpius's face melted away into a sneer. He took a step towards Rose, towering over her. Rose didn't blink. She kept her glare set on Malfoy, refusing to back down.
"You're to puny to feed my ego." Malfoy snarled.
Fuming, Rose gripped onto her want and pointed it in front of his face.
"Just had my birthday last month." Rose said. "I'm free to use whatever magic I want."
Scorpius snorted, but backed away. "Whatever. Come on, Zabbini, let's go find someone who's worth our time." He turned, then disappeared into the crowd as Rose continued to glare daggers at them.
"I'm so sorry about that, Scorpius is a real git... Do you need any help finding the stadium?" Rose offered.
"Oh, no thank you." The witch said. "I'll find my way, but I think someone found you."
Rose turned to where the witch's finger was pointing. Albus was jumping wildly in the middle of the crowd, waving at Rose. Letting out a sigh of relief, Rose turned back to the old lady.
"Thanks, I better go catch up with him."
Turning, Rose was stopped by gnarled fingers clenching her wrist.
The old lady smiled apologetically and let her go. "Please, you're such a sweet girl, sticking up for me. Take one of my treasures."
In the witch's hands was a old, brown sack. Rose peered inside, and saw a jumble of old junk. She grinned at the witch, who shoved the bag towards her once more. Not seeing another option, Rose reached inside and wrapped her hands around an old book with tattered pages. She pulled it out, and read the cover.
THE BOOK OF SHADOWS.
The witch beamed.
"Ah, a story can be the beginning of everything." She said.
Plastering on a fake smile, Rose nodded. "Yeah, well, I better go."
Without waiting for the witches response, Rose stumbled into the crowd towards Albus.
"Pay up, Potter!" Rose said, climbing onto Ablus's top bunk as he fished into his pocket.
"I can't believe it..." Albus grumbled. Rose held out her hand and grinned as tossed five galleons into her palm. She jingled them around, then shoved them into her backpack.
"Well get used to it." Rose said. "I told you the Harpies would pull through."
Albus groaned, as if the memory of his favorite quidditch team losing to the Hollyhead Harpies was painful. Which, Rose thought, was probably true. The Montrose Magpies rarely lost, but today, when it matter, they fell flat on their face. The Harpies crushed them - one-thousand sixty-five points to two hundred! Rose ginned at the memory. She knew that her Aunt Ginny was smart about choosing what team she played on back in her day.
Scanning the room, Albus inched toward Rose, and urgency in his eyes. He lowered his head, and Rose did the same. She raised a questioning eyebrow, and a mischievous grin slipped onto her cousins face.
"I heard a rumor they aren't taking down the stadium until the morning." Albus whispered.
"So?" Rose asked.
"So that means there is going to be an empty quidditch field all night. You brought your broom didn't you?"
Rose's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"Are you serious? Play quidditch on the World Cup stadium?"
Albus smirked. "You said it."
"No way." Said rose. "If we get caught, I could lose the privilege of being Head Girl this year. You know how important that is, especially with all of the quidditch recruiters watching this year. This is my one shot to be picked up."
"Come on, no one will catch us. Loosen up."
Rose let out a snort. "Says you."
"Fine, I'll go alone." Albus said, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. He began to lower himself, and Rose's head began to spin. She caught his shoulder.
"Wait!" Rose said. "Let me get my broom."
Lowering herself off the top bunk, Rose grabbed her bag, which her Aunt Hermione had enchanted to be much roomier than it appeared, off of her bed and tiptoed after Albus, who was almost to the tent's opening. She was about to lift open the burlap flap for Albus when a voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Where are you going?"
Rose let out a yelp, and dropped her backpack to the ground. She didn't even look at is a a shadow loomed in front of her.
Hugo stood in the candlelight, his arms crossed and eyebrows scrunched. Beside him stood Lily, looking equally disgruntled.
"None of your business." Albus said. "Scram, we don't need a fifth and fourth year messing things up."
"If you go, I'll tell your Mum and Dad." Hugo said to Albus.
Narrowing his eyes, Albus glared at Hugo, then Lily, who refused to look at her older brother. Her eyes were glued on the floor. Curious, Rose followed her gaze and saw the contents of her bag were spilled across the floor. Dropping to the floor, she quickly gathered her belongings into her backpack. As she grabbed at an old t-shirt, she uncovered a yellowing opened page of a book.
Confusion washed over her as she dropped the t-shirt and picked up the book. She stared at it, and then flipped it over to reveal its beaten up cover. The memory of the old witch flooded back into her mind, and she remembered the book. She looked at the page it had opened up to. A sketch of a dark, cloaked figure with skeletal hands and a hooded face took up an entire page, and on the next page was a title.
"The Shadow Thief." Rose murmured.
"What was that?" Lily asked.
Lifting her face, Rose saw Lily's wide, curious eyes, and an idea struck her.
"You guys can come with us." Rose said. Albus looked horrified as their little siblings lit up like a Christmas tree, and Rose gave Albus a coy smile. "But I would hate for the Shadow Thief to get you."
Lily raised an eyebrow. "Who's the Shadow thief?"
"I don't want to scare you..." Rose drawled.
"We aren't babies." Hugo said, puffing out his chest.
"If you insist." Rose said.
Taking a seat on the giant rug, Rose pressed open the book. Lily rushed over with the candle lit lantern and settled beside her cousin, followed by Hugo and even Albus. Rose cleared her throat and began to read.
"In the beginning, there was nothing but darkness. Everything was cold and there was no life. Darkness held the universe in his grasp, and refused to let go. For millions of years, he sat on his throne alone, perfectly content with the way things were.
"Then, something bubbled at the edge of the universe, something Darkness had never encountered before. Its radiance burned, and no matter how hard Darkness tried, he had no power over this new source of energy. There was a great battle, but eventually Light took over Darkness, banishing him, and bringing life to the universe.
"But not even Light can truly vanquish Darkness. Before Darkness was defeated, he swore that he would return again. And he did.
"A Wizard searching for his wife stumbled upon the realm of Darkness. Darkness had never seen a human before. Intrigued, he followed the man for the rest of his journey until he reached the edge of his realm. As the man was about to leave, Darkness panicked. He knew he would be cursed to a life hidden away if he didn't do something, so he snatched the Wizard's shadow and took him for his own. Eventually, the Wizard was able to escape Darkness's grasp, but when he did, he unleashed the era of the Shadow Thief."
Rose paused, glancing at her brother and little cousin. She set the book down and stared into their eyes.
"I heard that he's lurking in this very campsite." Rose said. Hugo opened his mouth, but no words came out. He was too stunned to speak. "So, by all means, come with us."
"Umm." Lily said, grabbing hold of Hugo's arm. "I think we're both pretty tired. You and Albus have fun."
"If you're sure..." Rose said. She gave Albus a look, and they backed towards the entrance of the tent.
Just as Rose and Albus were about to leave, a gust blew threw the tent, knocking the flap open. Lily let out a shriek as the wind circled around them. Then, the candle blew out and everything went still.
"Lumos!" Rose whispered. She pointed the light toward Lily and Hugo, who were clinging to each other in fear. "You okay?"
They nodded.
"C-come on, Rose, let's go." Albus said, grabbing hold of her elbow. Rose stumbled after him, eager to leave Hugo and Lily behind.
She was in such a rush that she forgot all about the book that lay open on the rug.
Thanks for reading! R&R if you'd like. This is my first published fanfic, so let me know what you think! Will be updating regularly