A/N: Thank you all for the support on this story. I am here to announce that my beautiful and helpful beta itsalljustalie is going on vacation, so if anyone is intrested in becoming my new beta until she returns, that would be awesome. PM me if you want the job :) Also you guys are allowed to ask questions in either a PM or a review if you think there is something you dont understand. In fact, I demand you ask questions, just so I understand what I need to explain better when I am writing the next few. Enjoy the story...
Chapter Three:
Death Eaters
To Ciel's convenience, the minutes spent in the Malfoy tent were short lived. She and Cassiopeia spent their remaining time before the game catching up with the Weasley twins.
The small group sat outside, right beneath the sun. It was humid and they were sure a storm would roll around during the night.
Ciel, Cassiopeia, Fred and George all tried to move as little as possible. The heat was butchering them, but despite the heat, Ciel was quite glad to be able to be spending some time relaxing.
Both Fred and George lounged themselves on the grass. Fred was sprawled out on his back. He was dripping sweat from the humidity. He had a hand held in the air so the sun wouldn't blind him. Cassiopeia was laid out the same way. Unlike the Weasley, she fanned herself with her hand. The other Weasley, George, sat cross-legged right beside his brother. He sat still as Ciel braided his hair, as a distraction. She had just finished explaining to them the sort of things Mrs. Malfoy had said to her earlier.
"Why didn't you sock that ugly brute in the face?" exclaimed Fred.
He lifted his hand away from his eyes to look at Ciel better, but ended up regretting it in the end. He dropped his hand back in place.
Ciel sighed and wiped the sweat building up on her forehead.
"I couldn't do anything. I was in their tent; she had the right do whatever she wanted."
"So what?" started Fred.
He lifted his body.
"The lady just called you a you-know-what, you can't just sit there and take it!"
Ciel groaned and unhooked her fingers from the George's curls. She hated being babied by people; she knew exactly how to run her life.
"Georgie," whined Ciel.
She wrapped her arms around the boy beside her.
"Tell Fred to stay out of my business."
George chuckled and pressed his weight against the girl to tip her off balance. She fell and found the others staring at her. No one was on her side.
Ciel cursed under her breath.
"I agree with Fred-sorry- it's just that if you let someone get away with it one time, then you give them the opportunity to do it whenever they feel like it."
She whined and rolled herself over on the grass. She had her forehead pressed against the lawn and forced her hands over her ears before the boys could both nag her once more.
She let out a scream of frustration.
"Maybe you should scream a little bit louder-" began George
"We don't think you've quite broken our ear drums yet!" finished Fred.
Fred found the need to jump on top of her and roll her over to her back. Ciel was blinded by the sun.
"Come on Ciel, let it all out!" laughed Fred.
"Leave me alone Fred," whined Ciel.
She smashed her hands over her face and clenched her eyes tight. She hoped that if she thought hard enough, everything could just go away. She wasn't successful. When she peaked back out she still had Fred sitting on her.
George crawled to Ciel's side.
"You know Fred and I could take out that anger for you," said George.
The look on both of the boys' faces worried her.
"We think we can –maybe- give Malfoy a taste of a new product of ours. His mum will be in for a big surprise."
As their product-testing girl, Ciel knew how bad some of the jokes got. Most of the time the results weren't bad, but when something did go wrong, she was thankful the boys were with her.
Ciel frowned for a moment, but didn't dare ask them what their plans consisted of. She would have rather stayed in the dark about the whole thing.
"Wait- hold on!" yelled Cassiopeia, who launched off the ground like she was woken from a bad dream.
She gave the twins a disapproving look.
"Don't you dare do any of that rubbish 'til we get to school. I'm staying with that bloke, remember?"
"Aw, but then we won't be able to see the look on his mother's face when it happens," complained George.
Ciel and Cassiopeia glanced at one another before erupting into laughs.
She had to admit, she would have liked the see the look on Mrs. Malfoy's face if the boys did do something to her son.
As soon as Fred had contained his laughter, he slipped off of Ciel and took a seat back on the grass.
Cassiopeia still wasn't smiling.
"Seriously boys, if any of that happens, you have no idea how much Draco is going to start bitching." said Cassiopeia.
"Plus," added Ciel, who couldn't contain her smile, "his mummy looks like a swine; you both won't be missing anything."
They all laughed. Ciel was laughing as well, but she wasn't happy with what Mrs. Malfoy had called her. However, she knew that if she really did want to give any sort of revenge, she would have to do it her own way.
The group rested on the grass, until the sunset disappeared. It was only when the Diggory's returned that they understood that it was Quidditch time.
Both Cedric and Mr. Diggory were showing their support for Ireland, but Robert was missing. Once the twins noticed Cedric, they began to shoot kissing faces toward Ciel. She pushed them both aside as Cedric got into hearing range.
"We love you Cedric," cooed Fred.
George joined in happily by mentioning that he wanted to have his babies. Cedric pretended not to hear and stayed silent like his father. Mr. Diggory didn't look as though he heard any of the comments.
"Is your father inside, boys?" asked Mr. Diggory.
The twins shrugged at the same time, and gave Cedric one last teasing look.
"He's in there somewhere," piped in George, "probably trying to stop Ron from eating everything in the kitchen."
Mr. Diggory smiled at the last comment and let himself into the tent. Cedric stayed outside. He had his hand behind his bag, obviously hiding something.
It didn't take any time at all for Ciel to realize he was looking at her. She turned pink as Cedric stood awkwardly swaying from side to side.
"You look like you're having fun," chuckled Cedric.
Ciel bit her lip and nodded.
She was having a blast, but having Cedric stand so awkwardly made her curious. She was sure he would tell her what was going on.
"Where's Rob?" asked Cassiopeia.
Cedric turned to her. He didn't wear the happiest expression. He sighed and swatted the air with his hand.
"He's with some people from school."
He didn't look as though he cared who the people where, or as though he just didn't know the crowd his brother hung around. Ciel and Cassiopeia knew the type of people that Rob's friends were, though.
Robert wasn't the best when it came to picking friends. In fact, he never bothered to form relationships outside of the Slytherin house. Every one of his 'friends' were the same people Malfoy hung out with.
"So, Ciel," called Cedric.
He gave Ciel a small smile.
"Dad and I were walking here and I found something you might like."
"You bought me something?" she asked.
She guessed that this was the reason for his oddness. Cedric got down to her level before she would get up. He kept his hands hidden before the big unveiling.
She waited anxiously to see what it was.
"So what is it?" asked Ciel.
She bit down on her lips to stop herself from exploding. She hated being patient. A smile spread across Cedric's face.
"It's nothing big," he explained.
Cedric held out the present. She squealed. In his hands was a miniature action figure of the Bulgarian Seeker, Viktor Krum.
Ciel was speechless.
"You obsess over the bloke; I just thought you would like it," explained Cedric.
Ciel couldn't contain her excitement. She jumped on top of him and completely ignored the toy.
"This is amazing, thank you," screamed Ciel.
"Yeah, you're so romantic, Cedric," teased George.
"We want a present too, Cedric," begged Fred.
The twins broke into laughter. Both Cedric and Ciel disregarded the comment and kept hold of one another in the hug. Ciel felt his hold get tighter.
As soon as they parted, she took hold of the miniature Krum and watched it walk back and forth on her hand. It was impressive to say the least.
"Doesn't he look cool?"
Ciel held the miniature Krum toward the twins so they too could get a good look. They both squinted, making nasty expressions as they did so.
"He looks like he's been knocked upside the head," Fred put it simply.
George shook his head in disagreement.
"No, I think it's more like his mum dropped him as a baby."
Ciel rolled her eyes. Cassiopeia also took a look and made the same comment and expressions as the boys.
Ciel was sure there was something wrong with all of them. She then put the figure away but kept it fixed against her body. She didn't care if they thought there wasn't anything special to Krum; her opinion was the only important one anyway.
Ciel paid little attention to the boys as they began to impersonate Krum's walking. She gave Cedric another smile.
"Thank you," she whispered.
He gave her a welcoming smile back and whispered reassuring words. The comment made her turn pink. She already felt like he had spoiled her more than he should have.
Mr. Diggory came back sooner than anyone had wished for. Along with him were the rest of the Weasley's, including Bill, Percy and Charley who had apparated there earlier that day, as well as Harry and Hermione.
"Alright lads, lassies, let's get a move on," called Mr. Diggory.
Cedric got off the floor first and helped Ciel up as well.
Ciel chose not to follow Cedric as he went to his father's side. She knew only one other person who wouldn't tease her about the miniature Krum, and that was Ron. She made sure to stick behind at the end of the group, where the Golden Trio was, and found the perfect opportunity to approach the redhead.
"Look what Cedric got me."
Ciel handed Ron the miniature Krum. He looked as though he had been hit with a stunning spell. He completely stopped moving. As soon as Harry and Hermione realized their friend couldn't move, they stopped.
Harry looked like the person who understood best what was going on. Ciel wasn't thrown off about this, for Harry was a Quidditch person who he had his own team and even played Seeker at their school. She wasn't astounded to see that Harry understood the anticipation Ron was going through.
Hermione on the other hand, looked at them as though they had all gone nuts. She chose to stand with her weight on one foot, and to let the other one hammer into the ground as she stood anxiously.
"What do you think? Cool, right?" asked Ciel.
Ron's head turned toward her. His eyes widened as though he had seen a spider. He struggled for words.
"I-I can't believe they make these," said Ron.
Ciel smiled.
"Blood hell, I need one of these."
Ron then dashed to Hermione and waved the miniature Krum in her face. Ciel found Hermione's expression to be more than funny. Hermione seemed hesitant as she took hold of the Krum miniature and examined it.
She tilted her head to the side and hummed.
"It's that Bulgarian guy you fancy, right?"
"I don't fancy him!" yelled Ron in defense.
Angrily, Ron snatched the miniature Krum out of Hermione's hands and shoved it back into Ciel's. Ciel and Harry found Ron's anger amusing.
It didn't take the four Gryffindors much time to find the group of flaming redheads all walking together. The others hadn't noted their absence. Ciel and Hermione found themselves caught in their own conversation.
The two were walking close; Ciel still had the miniature Krum out. They watched the doll in amusement.
"He looks…really grumpy," stated Hermione simply.
She pushed her bushy hair behind her hear and avoided some tree roots as they walked through the forest.
Ciel laughed gently as she almost tripped.
"Who cares how he looks. He's an amazing Quidditch player; that should be the only importance."
"But his looks are a bonus right?" asked Ginny, who had chosen to join in on the conversation.
Ciel nodded her head vigorously and lagged her pace. Harry and Ron were right at their tails. Harry gave Ciel a quick smile and then chuckled over the miniature Krum.
"You're definitely in love with that thing," laughed Harry.
Ciel turned pink. She then punched Harry on the arm playfully.
"Love is such strong word, Potter."
"Maybe, but it's the right one," said Harry.
Ciel gave Harry a look. His face lightened up with a childish grin that she couldn't help but love. The two walked side-by-side and finally realized that Hermione and Ron were already walking together. The two of them both knew how the unlikely pair liked one another.
Harry and Ciel shared a quick laugh.
"Do you have any idea where you guys are sitting?" asked Ciel.
Harry nodded.
"Were in the minister's box."
Ciel began to choke. Her eyes widened like a house elf's and her mouth hung open. Harry stopped walking, his round glasses slipping from the bridge of his nose. She could see he wasn't aware of who else was sitting in that box.
"Is there something wrong?" asked Harry.
"No, nothing at all. Good luck Potter."
Harry glanced at her with an unsure expression.
"Don't freak out on me. It's just that Malfoy is going to be there- his family is sitting with Cassie's. That shouldn't be a problem though; after all you'll know you're in the right place, if you see a woman that looks like she's got dung under her nose."
Harry looked startled.
"Dung…"
Harry wrinkled his nose and broke into laughter.
"Okay, I'll remember that."
Harry gave Ceil a gentle smile and knocked his hips against hers jokingly. Ciel giggled and hit him back. The two continued to bump hips with one another until they finally reached the stadium for the Quidditch game.
The stadium was ten times larger and more stunning than the field at Hogwarts. The silver aluminum that covered the sides of the arena looked as though it belonged to millions of UFO's and the best part was that there were no visible lines; just a swarms of people constantly moving to get inside.
Harry and Ciel both had the same eagerness in their eyes. At times like this, Ciel loved magic more than anyone. She couldn't wait to get inside.
When the whole group made it into the area, they parted ways. Ciel gave Harry and Hermione good-bye hugs and the group split.
Ciel sat on the side of the area with the Diggory's. Both Cedric and Ciel saw people from their school near where they were sitting. Cedric greeted a Ravenclaw 5th year, Cho Chang, while Ciel caught up with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan, both fellow Gryffindors.
Everyone in the area was captivated by the game. The Veelas were beautiful and practically stunned every male in the area, while the Leprechauns threw gold to the crowd. However, what stunned Ciel was the outcome of the game.
No one could have predicted what had happened. Viktor Krum managed to catch the golden snitch. In normal circumstances, when the snitch is caught the team who has caught it would win the game. Out of everyone's surprise, Viktor Krum's catch only caused his team's defeat.
It wasn't the outcome Ciel had ever wanted, but she had to admit, Krum had style when he was in the air.
After the Quidditch game they went back to the tent. Ciel didn't get to see the Weasley's again nor did she see Cassiopeia. She and the Diggory family (minus Robert who had been missing most of the day) went to celebrate the outcome in their tent with hot chocolate.
Cedric was the most excited for Ireland's win, even though he didn't express it the same way Ciel would have had if Bulgaria had won. He chose to sit on his bed with a cup of hot coco in his lap.
Ciel had more sugar that she knew she should have had. She had finished her hot chocolate and chose to jump on Cedric's bed. She couldn't get her head off the subject of Krum catching the snitch.
"I always knew Krum was amazing," Ciel sang.
She continued to bounce on the bed, her hair constantly unsettled. She still held on tightly to the doll Cedric had bought her.
"I mean, who else would be able to catch the snitch like that?" Ciel continued to gloat.
Cedric groaned. He took a sip from his cup and placed it on the ground. He then kicked out his legs and sighed in relief.
"I bet I could have done that too," announced Cedric.
She knew he was joking. She knew he had skill, but that it was nothing compared to what Krum knew.
"You're good, but not that good Ced."
Cedric's brow rose. He leaned over and snatched Ciel's feet as they hung in the air. She went crashing down to the bed and felt Cedric effortlessly pull her between his legs and hold on to her bare feet.
He wiggled his eyebrows.
"What were you saying about my game?"
Ciel smiled widely and tried to pull her feet loose from Cedric's hold. He didn't budge.
Ciel sighed and rested on her elbows.
"I said you suck, Diggory!"
Before Ciel could even do anything, Cedric attacked her. He tickled her at the arch of her foot, her weak spot. She squealed and tried to kick herself away from him. She was trapped until he stopped.
"Want to change your answer?" teased Cedric.
"Nope."
Cedric went at her body. The two wiggled around on the bed longer than she counted. The only way she would fight back was to tickle him also. It didn't have as much affect on him as she would have liked, but she felt had she had it even with him.
The two laughed for a few moments until they started to hear yelling from the front. Ciel and Cedric stopped at the same time, both of their eyes trailing to the angry voices.
"Why does it matter which friends I was with, you don't even know them!"
They both realized who was yelling.
Robert was home after he had been gone all day. Ciel was sure he was in trouble. Cedric seemed to sense the same thing. He rolled to the end of the bed, where he sat up. His feet stood flat on the floor, and his eyes focused back on Ciel.
"Dad's going to kill him," Cedric spoke softly.
He pulled himself off of the bed and offered Ciel his own to help her off of the pile of sheets. Getting off of the bed, Ciel and Cedric poked their heads out to the main room. Robert was running around, grabbing some of his stuff, as though he were planning on leaving for good.
Mr. Diggory stood helpless.
"Where are you going now-Robert stop moving- you better not be planning on going out again," threatened Mr. Diggory.
Mr. Diggory grabbed his son's wrist, but Robert snatched his hand back in freedom.
"Robert, just talk to me," begged Mr. Diggory.
To his relief, Robert stopped pacing the tent and finally looked at his worried father.
"You haven't been with us all day and the moment I see you again, and now you want to scurry off like your trying to run from something," he explained.
Robert looked at his father for a moment longer; he looked to be weighing his options.
He suddenly went back to stuffing things into his backpack.
"Nothing is wrong with me. Draco invited me to stay with him, so I'm going-and don't give me any of your excuses dad- it's your fault anyway that I haven't been able to see him all summer."
Normally his attitude toward his father didn't surprise Ciel or Cedric, but there was something off about him. Ciel felt like there was an especially anxious tone to his voice. What was he so scared of?
Ciel tugged on the sleeve of Cedric's shirt. He had the same thought on his mind.
"Hey, dad what's going on?" questioned Cedric.
Both Robert and Mr. Diggory's heads snapped up at the two who were standing quietly together. Robert shot his brother a look and went on with his business. Mr. Diggory, on the other hand, looked relieved.
"Your brother wants to leave the tent at this hour to 'hang out'."
Cedric frowned. Ciel then felt him secure a hand on her waist and lead her to the main room.
"Honestly, Rob, it's late. Talk to the ass in the morning," said Cedric.
Robert ignored him.
"Maybe you should listen to them-" started Ciel.
She took a note on how stiff he got. The belongings that were once in Robert's hands slipped to the floor. He looked as though a basilisk had petrified him: the desperation was written all over his face.
Robert opened his mouth to speak, but nothing at all came out. Ciel tried to read his lips: 'leave'. It didn't make sense.
Ciel frowned. She then took a step toward Robert, but before she could manage to ask him anything, he went back to filling his bag. As soon as he finished grabbing the last thing, he rushed out of the tent without a goodbye.
Mr. Diggory's mouth gapped before he staggered backward. He crashed on to the couch, his breath heavy in anger.
"I can't believe he just left after I told him he couldn't!"
Cedric gently pushed Ciel out of the way.
"Don't worry dad, we'll go after him."
Mr. Diggory was too shocked at the event to respond. Cedric and Ciel hurried to get their shoes and ran out of the tent in attempts to find Robert. Cedric held on to Ciel's hand, ushering her to follow him. Ciel was sure he had no idea which direction his brother had gone, but only knew that he was planning on going to the Malfoy's.
"Do you remember where Cassie was staying?" asked Cedric.
Cedric stopped wondering aimlessly and studied Ciel as she looked around the campsite.
Fires were blazing everywhere while the Irish anthem was being screeched from all corners of the area. Ciel could vaguely remember where Cassiopeia was staying. She was sure she knew where to head next, but something made her doubt Robert would be there. Ciel glanced at Cedric and nodded her head.
"I'm pretty sure it's in that direction."
Ciel pointed toward the area that they were suppose to go to. The two wondered for fifteen minutes, neither one sure of where they were headed. They knew they were in the right area. The tents all around them looked as though they belonged to rich stuck up people, but there was no sign of the youngest Diggory.
"I think we lost him…" Ciel spoke in defeat.
Cedric had his face square. He looked like he was trying to hold back from saying those unfortunate words.
"I have that feeling too."
The two stood around puzzled. It was a bummer for Ciel. They were outside in the middle of everyone partying and they were stuck trying to find Cedric's snobbish brother. She was going to make sure to kill him next time she had the opportunity.
Cedric kicked the ground in anger.
"We should head back. I'll just tell dad he slipped out of our fingers."
Ciel watched Cedric with the corner of her eye and continued to look around not only at the people celebrating but also for any sign of Robert. She didn't quite want to give up so soon, but she had to admit his 'message' was bothering her.
Eventually the two stopped looking and began to head back toward the Diggory tent. The parties outside were still as lively as ever. Fiddles played loudly while people ran around as though it were midday. Ciel stayed close to Cedric; the last thing she needed was to be left alone.
When the two were nearly in the location of their tent, they felt the ground rattle from an explosion. Ciel jerked from the sound.
BOOM.
The explosion went off once more and brought alarm more to Ciel than to Cedric.
"What do you suppose that was?" asked Ciel.
Cedric shrugged.
"No clue."
Ciel looked around their area. The explosion hadn't looked as though it had startled anyone else. Her best guess was that someone was setting off fireworks from their excitement from the game.
Ciel's felt her Gryffindor instinct slip up. She wanted to see what had made that noise. Without thinking, Ciel unhooked her arm from Cedric's and trailed toward the direction the explosion went off from.
BOOM.
The ground shook once again. She didn't stumble far before Cedric caught up to her and snatched up her wrist.
"What is it with you Gryffindors and running off to find adventure?" complained Cedric.
Ciel smiled lightly, but her thoughts were off in a distance. She couldn't stop thinking about where that noise could be coming from. She knew she shouldn't have been worried, but something felt off. She blamed the lack of sleep but she would have sworn the fires were more hazardous than they were before.
Ciel rubbed her eyes and began to rely on her sense of hearing more than she normally would have. The once cheerful screams were now desperate and fearful.
When Cedric and her noticed the change in the campsite, it was too late for either one to do anything. Herds of people ran in their direction, most of them scrambling from the same place. Forms of smoke hovered high above the fires, the flames catching everything in a blaze.
Ciel tried to move out of the way from the running people, but was knocked down out of the chaos of the crowd. The event happened so fast that she didn't have time to realize that Cedric was right there to catch her, when she was knocked over.
"Are you alright?" asked Cedric, as he hoisted her back up.
"Yeah but-" violent screams cut her off.
Ciel was sure she would be trampled over from the large group but Cedric pulled them both away from the crowd. She couldn't prevent herself from peaking out at the crowd bombarding through. So many questions ran though her head; she didn't know where to start.
"I wonder what's going on?" asked Ciel.
She leaned toward the direction Cedric had pulled her away from. She damned her height for making her too short to see anything.
Cedric tugged her back.
"Who knows? All I know is that we shouldn't be here."
Ciel tugged her weight in the other direction.
Cedric followed by trying to pull her into a safer area. She didn't want to leave; she wanted to see what was going on.
Ciel tugged her weight in the other direction.
"No, Ced, let's go this way."
She continued to pull, but once she saw that she would get nowhere when he was still holding her hand, she slipped out of his grasp. She then ran in the direction everyone else was fleeing from.
Ciel heard Cedric scream for her. She knew she shouldn't have just left, but she had to see what was happening.
Ciel urged to dig deeper into the chaos, but before she was able to, Cedric caught back up with her. He reminded her just of her father and how he disapproved of almost everything she did.
"Why the hell are you heading toward the screaming?" scolded Cedric; he was trembling with anger.
Ciel looked up at him innocently. The orange-red flames bounced off of his hollow cheeks and made him look even angrier than he was.
"I want to see what's going on," called Ceil over the distant screams.
Nothing seemed to get better. Fires were eating away tents, and personal belongings were abandoned on the floor. It looked like a massacre, minus the blood and dead bodies.
Ciel was surprised Cedric hadn't gone on to scolding her for being reckless. When she looked back up at him, she found his eyes were caught on something else, something she hadn't yet seen. Ciel followed Cedric's gaze and gasped.
In front of her was a group of five or six people shaded in hoods. They marched like an army all in a formation, holding their wands. The men in the back where shooting, red sparks in all directions. Everything they shot at burst into flame. The two people in front however, were doing something much different. The pair, who looked like the leaders of the pack, was levitating a small group of people in the air.
Ciel didn't know how to react. She couldn't understand why someone would treat other people like trash. Ciel felt the urge to stand up and defend the victims.
Ciel tugged on Cedric's sleeve.
"What are they doing?" hissed Ciel.
She couldn't stop staring at the group as they marched closer. The more she looked at people dangling in the air, the more she understood who they were: Muggles.
Ciel's mouth dropped.
"Are those-are those Muggles?" asked Ciel, in panic.
Ciel noticed that Cedric had snapped out of his trance. He looked worried.
"We shouldn't be here, Ciel."
"Wait, but-"
Before Ciel could say anything else, Cedric forced her into a run. He made sure neither one of them stopped running. He was acting just like the people who were trampling them before. What was going on?
Ciel could feel her lungs burn. Her mouth tasted like sweat and soot, but she can't stop no matter how much she wanted to. As soon as she realized Cedric had brought her back to the tent, she collapsed onto him to catch her breath.
Mr. Diggory was exactly where he was when they had left. His face was burried in his hands. He seemed to have no idea what was going on outside or even be aware of the mess that the pair had just been through.
As soon as Cedric called for his dad's attention he did realized they were back. Mr. Diggory was startled for a moment. He jumped to his feet.
"Did you find him?" asked Mr. Diggory.
He sounded desperate. Ciel couldn't help but smirk. If only he knew that finding his son wasn't the biggest problem. Cedric had the same thought.
"I think we have a much bigger problem, Dad…"
Mr. Diggory suddenly became much more alarmed than he had been before.
"There are Death Eaters-"
"What?"
Mr. Diggory looked as though his eyes were bulging out his sockets. Ciel had no idea what any of this meant. She had never heard of anything called 'Death Eaters' before. Were they supposed to eat the dead?
Mr. Diggory's face turned serious. He didn't look like the jolly man she had seen all day, but rather like a completely different person. He nodded his head slowly, as though he were to process what his son had just informed him of.
Mr. Diggory glanced at Ciel for a moment and then at his son.
"Go and try to find a Portkey. Do whatever you can to stay away from them. And especially don't let Ciel out of your sight."
Ciel felt Cedric's eyes wonder onto her. She sensed how worried Cedric was; he was indeed trembling.
"What about Rob?"
"I'll find your bother. In the mean time, do as I said. Get her to safety, Cedric," demanded Mr. Diggory.
Cedric gave his father a quick nod. As soon as he had, he helped Ciel back up to her feet and pulled her outside.
Ciel couldn't stop gawking. The destruction had even made it up to where they were. She wondered why the oppressing hadn't been stopped yet. There were millions of wizards there, couldn't anyone try and stop six people?
There was no time for questions. Ciel and Cedric ran through the dirt and ash but she couldn't stop all the questions running through her head. All she wanted was answers.
"What's going on?" asked Ciel once she managed to retain enough breath to speak.
Cedric didn't respond.
"Cedric, what is happening?" repeated Ciel.
She didn't care how many times she had to ask. She wasn't going to stop until she got the answers she wanted.
Cedric glanced at her as his lips trembled.
"This isn't the best time to explain. I need to get you out of danger. We have to make it to the forest."
For the first time since they had left the tent, she realized that he was pulling her toward the direction of the forest. She wondered why she hadn't realized it earlier; it wasn't very far from them.
For some reason, the image of the hooded figures lingered back in her head. She wanted to know more about the Death Eaters and understand why they were torturing the Muggles.
"What were those?" Ceil started once again.
Cedric ignored her.
"Please answer me, Cedric, I need to know."
"They're Death Eaters." He spat.
Ciel noticed every fiber in his body began to spark like electricity. If it had been any other situation, she would have considered slapping him for being so blunt.
"I know that, but what does that mean?"
The side of Cedric's mouth twitched. She could see him try to avoid answer the question. Finally, Cedric stopped running. They were near the majority of pedestrians that were still trying to flee the campsite. They were all taking the same route to get to the forest.
"Cedric-"
"They're You-Know-Who's supporters…they go after people like you."
Ciel's mouth hung open. She noticed he hadn't dared to set an eye upon her. It only made her more eager to ask most questions.
"I'll explain in a little but, for now, let's go."
Cedric stepped into the crowd of people. He held out his hand for her to take. Ciel watched it, wondering if she should flee. It was bothering her that no one was trying to do anything. Shouldn't someone try and act like the hero and put a stop to the Death Eaters' wrongdoings?
Cedric continued to wait for her. People from behind were beginning to usher him forward, and he could only hold his ground for so long.
Ciel made her decision. She chose to turn the other way and run. She was sure it was too late for Cedric to come running after her. She did feel sorry for causing him a lot of trouble, but if no one else were to stop the Death Eaters, then she would have to herself. It was just the way she was. She surely thought she could make a difference, no matter how young she was.
Ciel jogged aimlessly through the deserted campsite. She tried to avoid the fires as they expanded. She made sure to have her wand at hand so she would be able to attack or defend herself if she needed. She did after all learn a bit in that dueling club a few years back, but she wasn't the best.
BOOM.
As soon as she heard the explosion erupt again, she knew she was in the right place. Ciel made sure to stay quiet. The Death Eaters had remained in the formation they had been in before.
It felt like a hunt: she made sure not to make any noises when she hid. The more she thought of a strategy, the less she realized that one of the Death Eaters in the front had noticed her stalking. When she finally saw she was in danger, the Death Eater had already pointed his wand in her direction.
She felt stupid. What was she supposed to do? She was a child. How was she supposed to stop a group of You-Know-Who's followers?
In an instant, a stunning green light jetted out from the tip of the hooded figures' wand. She couldn't think of anything else but to close her eyes and hope for the worse.
Ciel waited anxiously, but nothing struck her. She didn't feel lifeless or hurt; in fact it felt like she was being dragged.
Ciel snapped her eyes open. She was being hauled across the dead dirt. She could feel the hand of someone from behind her pulling on the back of her shirt, forcing the soles of her shoes to slide on the surface of the floor.
She started to wail her hands around, so the person dragging her knew she was conscious. Silently, the person let her go. Ciel turned quickly, her hair slapping her face. She couldn't recognize her savior.
The stranger was a deal taller than her and covered by black robes. The cloak wasn't like what the Death Eaters wore, but it was able to mask them from the light shooting in all directions.
The stranger held a finger in the air to silence her. Ciel listened. The stranger then gestured her to follow behind them. Even though Ciel had no idea who the person was, she was sure he or she couldn't have been bad; he or she had obviously saved her.
Bravely, Ciel followed. She ducked under fallen planks of wood when she needed to and jumped over ditches on the floor. Nothing looked familiar to her, which didn't surprise her. Everything was smashed from the panic, but she was relieved that the fire had settled down to thick black smoke only.
Ciel lost track of time as she followed the masked figure. The stranger brought her toward a tent. It was untouched by any of the chaos as though there had been a shield charm placed on it beforehand. Ciel didn't ask any questions when she stepped inside. The walls inside were thick and gray. There wasn't much room to walk, though.
Ciel felt as though she had been inside there before, like it wasn't some random tent she had walked into. Ciel dragged her feet helplessly though the hall until she and the hooded being stopped at a locked door.
Ciel unconsciously trembled.
"Er-excuse me- I appreciate the help and all, but who are you?"
Ciel waited anxiously for an answer but the cloaked figure simply tilted its head in her direction, remaining voiceless.
Ciel felt embarrassed. She was sure she was being rude.
"Er- never mind. Thank you for helping me."
Ciel tried to smile as genuinely as she could. Her hands were shaking. She knew she had to settle her nerves, quick. On the other hand, the stranger didn't seem to notice her nervousness. He looked away from her and turned toward the door.
Just like in one of those bad American movies, the person brought his gloved hand to the top of the door. Ciel watched as the leather of the glove slid smoothly down the metal door. Once the hand got leveled with the person's waist, he clenched his hand into a fist and pounded three times.
As soon as the third knock had finished bouncing off the walls, the door cracked open. Ciel's mouth hung open. Cassiopeia's thick black hair was the first to greet Ciel. Cassiopeia's eyes were wide.
"Out of all people-" Cassiopeia spoke, dazed.
She shook her head furiously and grabbed Ciel. She pulled her into the room and forced her into a suffocating hug. It took Ciel a few moments to realize she was standing in the meeting room Cassiopeia and her had been in earlier that day, only this time the room was empty except for Cassiopeia, herself, and her savior.
"What's going on?" asked Ciel hopelessly.
Cassiopeia looked and her, emotions seemed as though they were going to explode out of her.
"You have no idea how worried I was for you, there are Death Eaters out there!"
Ciel rolled her eyes.
"I know who's out there, thank you."
Cassiopeia wasn't at all bothered by her sarcasm. She looked genuinely glad that her friend was alright.
"What I really want to know is, why the fuck is no one trying to stop them?"
"That's a good question-" the voice came from behind her. Ciel turned toward the person who had saved her. Her eyes widened once she realized who it was.