(A/N) Right, okay. It's been a while, I'm sorry to everyone who had put this on their alerts. I was hoping to try update every week or at least every other week, but it didn't quite work out that way. Between exam, results and going on holiday, it's just been chaotic, but I promise it'll get better, bear with me... Anyway, hope you enjoy!
"IRELAND!" Oliver bellowed in my ear.
"Jesus, Ol!" I laughed. "They've already won, there's no need to take out what's left of my eardrums."
"What's a Jee-zuz?"
I grinned at him. "Never mind." We were walking back towards the campsite from the Quidditch stadium that had hosted the final, and by Gad it was fantastic. To be fair, I had always had a soft spot for Krum, who was currently at his awesome best. Like the hardcore English magical folk we were, the entire Coote clan had turned out in all their shamrock be-decked glory. There was quite a party going on behind me, led by my Uncle Mortimer and a gallon of what seemed to be neat alcohol. Dad had decided that Ritchie was too young to be staying up past three and watching his uncles get smashed, and that I should be the one to go ahead with him and get him to bed. Mr Wood, whose wife had insisted for seven years that I call Joe, had sent Oliver with me, presumably fearing for my safety in the dark.
"Ella darling, I think you need to go to bed too. You're getting even more delirious than Ritchie here, with your Jee-zoos."
"Erin go bragh." giggled my little brother.
"Right you are, Ritchie." Oliver smiled. "Hey, El, do you-"
Before he could finish, Ludo Bagman came sprinting up to us, red-faced and agitated.
"Er, it's Wood and Coote, isn't it?" he asked, pointing to the two of us. Oliver nodded, frowning. "Right, er, could you point me to where your dads are?" There was something wrong, I knew it. Ludo Bagman was never nervous and he certainly never stuttered.
"They're a couple of minutes behind us, but on the same path." Oliver replied, still frowning. "Why?" Bagman nodded his thanks and started to make his way up the path. "Why, sir?" Oliver called after him, but Bagman was out of earshot. I glanced up at Oliver.
"Ella?" Ritchie mumbled from my elbow. "Ella, what's going on?"
"I don't know, Rich. We'll find out when Dad gets back." Looking down at him, I realised how frightened he was. Putting my arm around his shoulders, I pulled him closer. "You saw all those little kids at the campsite with those wands, right? One them probably just blew up the loos or something." Ritchie nodded, but didn't look too convinced.
"The campsite manager's probably starting to get suspicious, that's all." Oliver said, nodding to himself.
No sooner had the words left his mouth that we saw people running in the opposite direction. A couple of hundred metres ahead of us, there were bangs, flashes of bright light and outbreaks of loud laughter.
"Crap," Oliver breathed. We looked at each other, slack-jawed. What was going on?
"Ella!" Ritchie whimpered. Following his eyeline, I saw what he was looking at and baulked.
"Oliver," I tugged at his sleeve. "Are those people they've got suspended at the end of their wands?"
He paled at the sight. "It looks like the camp manager and his family."
"What? But they're Muggles..."
"Exactly. We'd better not stay here." he looked round wildly and his eyes settled on the woods. "Come on." He placed his hand on my back and pushed me towards the woods. "Ritchie, come on!"
Ritchie was frozen in horror, so I pulled him along by the arm. As we reached the edge of the trees, I realised something.
"Oliver, they're starting to look in the woods." I said. He turned to look at me, and then at the laughing group behind us and the trees around us.
He looked at me. "Cast a disillusionment charm on Ritchie and tell him to climb that tree over there. In the dark they won't notice; I'll do the same to you." It wasn't a question.
"And you?" I questioned.
"I'll cover for you if that's what it comes down to." His jaw was fixed, an Oliver-sign that this wasn't an issued to be debated. But that was sure as hell not happening.
"Like hell, Wood. I'm not leaving you down here."
"I'll be fine, now go!"
I glared at him and turned to my little brother. The charm was placed and he scuttled up the tree. If looks could kill, the look on Oliver Wood's face would have reduced me to a small smoking pile of ashes.
We settled down behind a small shrub, clutching our wands tightly. Who knew, maybe we were over reacting to the situation, maybe it was just a couple of drunken hooligans, but something told me not to dismiss the look on Ludo Bagman's face and apparently Oliver had felt the same way. I had only been five when my Uncle Leonard's family had been murdered by the Death Eaters, but the war had caused memories to stick, and I hadn't forgotten how terrified my parents were that their completely mixed up blood would put them in the firing line.
"You should have gone with him." Oliver snapped.
"And miss all the action?" I snorted softly. The screams were getting louder now. "Do you know me at all?" I shifted slightly so that our upper arms were touching, somehow I felt safer that way.
"It's not safe." he said, dropping his voice.
"And what was the other option? If we all cast disillusionment charms on each other, we'd be wandering around lost until dawn."
"Which is why we wouldn't have cast one on me." he grumbled.
"Who stuck their wand up your arse?" I elbowed him in the ribs. "Honestly, it'll be fine, Ollie. You always go psycho when things get slightly out of your control."
"I do not!" he whispered, poking me back.
"Really? How many examples would you like me to recount from your three years as Quidditch captain?"
"Oh, please. If you can name even one, I'll-" We both froze as a twig snapped in the darkness some metres ahead of us. My hand grabbed Oliver's wrist and he placed his left hand on mine. Had they heard us?
"What are you doing there, Jugson? Get back 'ere!" A harsh voice snarled from further away.
"I thought I 'eard someone." The person who had stepped on the twig moved slightly and the moonlight reflected off a mask and sharp silver studs on the trimmings of a black dragon-hide jacket. The sight was terrifying, and in that moment I realised that this was not just some elaborate prank. Hoping that Ritchie wasn't too frightened, I tightened my grip on both Oliver and my wand.
"It was probably just a fox." The other voice was getting louder, and we heard the leaves on the ground rustling as the pair moved closer.
"Nah, I 'eard voices, didn't I?"
"Oh, shut up, you fool. Them voices are the ones in your 'ead!" The last sentence was said louder, presumably for the couple of others who chuckled at the joke.
"'e'll 'ave your 'ead if I'm right, 'e will." the first voice admonished.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Trussed up old windbag thinks 'e's the Dixy droppings just cos 'e holds the purse strings. 'e don't know the meanin' o' the word leadership."
We heard footfalls get further away, and I let myself let out a breath.
"That was close." I whispered.
"It was, my sweet. To think I almost missed finding a pretty little thing like you. Lumos." Blinding white light shone from a foot above us and the first guy came into view. He leered at me and bent forwards. "'Ello, precious."
"Expelliarmus!" cried Oliver, jumping up and pulling me up with him. The guy, Jugson, put up a shield charm and deflected it easily.
"What was that, son? Second year Charms? 'Ere, Rowle, I found them kiddies!" Jugson chuckled. Behind him, there was a crunching sound as Rowle came into view.
He grinned at us, showing gaps in his brown teeth. "Well, well, well. What have we here? Were you 'iding from us?" He disarmed Oliver with a wave of his wand.
Jugson giggled. "There's no need to hide from Uncle Jugson and Uncle Rowle, is there? We're nice guys, we are."
Rowle's expression changed as he dodged my Stunning spell. "You're a feisty one, aren't you, my sweet? Is this your boyfriend? Petrificus Totalus." He put the full Body-Bind charm on me and chuckled. "'Ere, Jugson, they're just kiddies. I'll feel bad if we use spells they don't know."
"Yeah," Jugson sniggered. "How about this one?" he levitated Oliver and sent him flying head first into the nearest tree. There was a sickening crunching noise, and Oliver fell at the base of the tree, a trickle of blood making its way from his forehead to the tip of his nose. My heart rate quickened, and I felt bile rising up in my throat.
"Aw, darlin', you crying? Rowle cooed as he came closer to me. "Did you love 'im?"
"It's all right, pumpkin." Jugson said, leering. "You can love us instead."
This was it. I was going to die. Oliver was probably half there already and that thought was enough to make me start sobbing. Hopefully Ritchie would be fine. He would have to be.
Suddenly, there was a flash of bright red light, and Jugson's eyes widened as he collapsed at my feet. Rowle turned around and his wand shot out in front of him. "Who's there?" he called turning his head from side to side. "Who's there? Show yourselves."
"Okay," came the reply. A figure stepped out of the shadows and shot another Stunner at Rowle, who was knocked back with the force. "Voila." It was Nick, and honestly, I had never been so happy to see a familiar face.
"Is anyone there?" he called, looking towards me. It was then that I realised I was still Body-Bound and in the shadows. He must have heard them talking to someone, but he couldn't see who it was. I grunted as I tried to move out of the shadows, and the slight motion forwards caused me to topple over and fall face first at his feet.
"Oh, Merlin." He pressed his wand tip to the base of my neck and muttered the counter-curse. Rolling me over, he grinned. "Hello, Miss Coote. Should have known it was you; only you would keep throwing yourself at me every time we met."
"Nick," I gasped, sitting up. "Oliver!"
"Who?" he frowned.
"Ol-Oliver," I stuttered, scrambling up. I stumbled over to him and dropped to my knees. "Oliver?"
Nick sat down beside me. "Rennervate." He whispered, pointing his wand at him. Oliver groaned and twitched slightly. An eyelid opened slightly and he looked at me before closing it again.
"He's concussed." I said, relaxing a bit. "He was just knocked out hard." Nick stood up and levitated him gently, while I tried not to concentrate on how slack Oliver's body was in the air.
"He'll be fine," said Nick. "There are about twenty Medi-witches on call about a minute away."
Ten minutes later, I was sitting next to Oliver, who was holding an ice pack to his head. Ritchie was resting his head on my shoulder with his eyes closed.
"I can't believe it," he said, indicating to the giant skull hanging high up in the air. "I can't be them, can it?"
I shrugged. "It might not actually be them. It might just be some idiots who decided to create chaos."
"I thought you had to be one to know the incantation though, although there have been some Death Eaters who never even went to Azkaban."
He shrugged and got up to his feet gingerly. "Mum's here, crying. I'd better go calm her down." He smiled.
"You do that. See you later." I smiled back. I sat there for a while, listening to Ritchie snore on my shoulder. My dad and brothers had come back, seen that we were okay and then gone back to help, leaving me to keep an eye on the youngest, as usual. I yawned loudly.
"Catching flies?" Nick asked as he sat down opposite me. "Is Wood alright?"
I nodded. "Thanks."
"Thanks for saving him or you?"
"Both." I smiled. "I owe you one."
"You do, don't you?" Nick twirled his wand between his fingers. "Suppose I'm your knight in shining armour, what would I get then?"
"You're not getting a kiss, or my hand in marriage." I replied warily. As much as would like both, I mentally added. The man was gorgeous.
"Fair enough," he chuckled. "How about a date instead?" he lifted his head to look me straight in the eyes.
"That doesn't sound too bad," I said, trying to fight off a massive grin.
He grin grew wider. "I'm glad." He got to his feet slowly. "I'll owl you, shall I?"
I nodded. "Sure."
"Okay, yeah." He said. "I'm going to go now."
"Okay," I said, biting my lower lip.
"Bye."
"Bye," I sighed. Oh, yeah! I had a date! As I happy-danced in my head, Ritchie moved his head slightly on my shoulder and let out a soft snort.
"What a cute little moment that was," he muttered.
I poked him in the ribs. "You were supposed to be asleep."
"Well, I wasn't, and I regret that, because I think I spewed out a bit of my dinner." He opened his mouth and mimed retching.
"Shut it."
"I will now," he smiled, closing his eyes again. "But wait 'til Jules finds out that you're going on a date with his best mate."
Oh, bugger.
Review, please? :)
