Author's Note - It's the Quidditch World Cup!
Happy Friday, my lovely readers, I hope this chapter finds you well! I couldn't wait to share this chapter with you; it has plenty of Maggie and Charlie moments that hopefully should melt your hearts. A massive thank you to the response to the last chapter, it really makes my day! I really enjoyed writing the Quidditch World Cup arc - if any of you have read my original story, you'll have a rough idea of what happens next but I really wanted to flesh this part out more. After all, who doesn't want Charlie swooping in to save the day? (Though next time he needs to do so atop of a dragon!)
Side note, I will be going back to fortnightly updates (every two weeks) as I have so much studying to do and a mountain of work to get through (why can't education be like Hogwarts?).
I hope you all enjoy - don't forget to leave a review!
Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.
- Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones
August 1994
As dusk fell, Maggie found herself following the lantern-lit forest path, with Tonks beside her and the Weasley group slightly ahead. Every so often, one of the witches would be drawn into the excitement around them; pausing to peruse the various merchandise stands that had appeared. While the group would stop occasionally on their way to the stadium – they had spent some time waiting for Ron to purchase a moving figurine of Viktor Krum – it seemed to fall to either Bill or Charlie retrieve the girls, lest they be left behind.
"But look at them!" Maggie cried eagerly as she examined the tiny models of Firebolts as they zoomed around the stand. "Aren't they cute?"
Charlie chuckled softly, "As amazing as they are, we'll miss the match if we don't hurry. Merlin knows we've got a long way to walk yet."
"Fine," Maggie gave a mock pout. "But you can't stop me from having one last look at the rosettes! I still haven't bought one."
With a smile, Maggie made a beeline for the nearest cart that was decorated with luminous tones of green and red. Tonks stood a little further down, examining programmes. Turning her attention back to the stall, Maggie let out a small laugh when she noticed the dancing shamrock hats and the red scarves embroidered with lions that gave off real roars every so often. She felt someone's presence beside her, and Maggie turned to face him with a wide smile, pointing at one of the scarves.
"Pity they didn't have the Gryffindor equivalent," She joked, and Charlie rolled his eyes playfully.
"They would have really boosted team spirit at the Gryffindor versus Slytherin matches," He commented jovially before checking his watch. "I'd say we've got about five minutes before Dad realises that we've all wandered off."
"I can shop in five minutes," Maggie replied, her eyes darting back to the rosettes that had earlier caught her eye. "Hmmm...I think I like the sparkly green one. Thoughts?"
"It's nice," Charlie said with a nod. "Show's off your support of the best team."
"Don't let Tonks hear you, she'll castrate anyone who says Krum won't catch the snitch," Maggie said, handing her money over to the sales clerk.
"She and Ron will get on then," Charlie grinned. "He won't shut up about him; I swear he's got a crush."
Maggie laughed, "He's allowed to have his favourite Quidditch player. Though you should be concerned if he starts snogging his new figurine; that spells serious problems." She paused, fixing her rosette in place. "Does that look okay? It's not wonky, is it?"
"Here, give me a sec," Charlie said, and his hands moved to fix the pin.
As his fingers brushed against her arm, Maggie suddenly realised just how close Charlie was stood. She could practically feel the warmth of his body – though that may have been the evening air – and if Maggie focused hard enough, she could make out the faint musk of his aftershave. She prayed that her cheeks did not redden as she fought every thought in her mind that willed her to move closer to his body.
"There," Charlie said, stepping back as Maggie looked down to admire his handiwork. "That's perfect."
"Great," Maggie smiled, hoping that her cheeks would cool down. "Now, for the final touch."
Pulling out her wand, Maggie leaned down. She tapped her wand against the dull worn leather of her Doc Martens and muttered a quick spell. In a flash, the once dull shade of black and morphed into a bright shade of emerald green, matching the rosette pinned to Maggie's chest.
"All sorted," Maggie said with a smile. She looked over at Charlie and couldn't help but frown. "Where's your team colours?"
Charlie smiled sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. "I lent Ginny some money for a flag. Green's not my colour."
"You bloody Gryffindors and your house pride. Just because their colours are green, it doesn't mean you shouldn't support your team," Maggie pointed out before turning back to the stall. "One more rosette, please."
"No, Maggie, you don't have to..." Charlie began but Maggie quickly cut him off.
"What sort of fan would I be if I let someone walk away without the team colours?" Maggie said, selecting a rosette and fixing it in place on Charlie's shirt. "Don't grumble, and there is no way I'm taking any of your money. You will have to buy me some chocolate though," She said, earning a laugh from the wizard.
After a few moments of awkward silence, in which Maggie once again realised her proximity to Charlie, Mr Weasley beckoned everyone back and the group headed towards the stadium. Maggie smiled at the Ministry witch as Tonks handed over their tickets before following Mr Weasley up the richly carpeted staircase, which felt oddly out of place. Maggie and Tonks brought up the rear while Bill and Charlie were in front of them, keeping an eye on the younger members.
As she took her seat, Maggie couldn't help but notice Harry, Ron and Hermione stood slight off to the side, Mr Weasley beside them looking tense. The Minister of Magic stood nearby, with a group of three people who were looking at the Weasley's in veiled disgust. The atmosphere suddenly turned tense though the Minister either didn't notice this or elected to ignore it as he rambled away.
The only woman of the trio – no doubt both the mother and wife – cast her eyes across the box, her gaze lingering on Tonks. The turquoise-haired witch shifted uncomfortably, turning to face Maggie to avoid the woman's intense gaze.
"That's Mum's sister," Tonks whispered to Maggie, her expression pained. "The one who disowned her."
At this information, Maggie turned her head sharply and glared at the blonde-haired woman, who had followed her husband and son to the other side of the Top Box. Maggie's eyes narrowed before she turned back to Tonks.
"Don't let her spoil your night," Maggie said firmly, giving her friend a reassuring hug. "And if she gets too close, I'll hex the living daylights out of her."
Tonks' laugh was enough of a sign to indicate that the girl had cheered up. Maggie nudged the witch's shoulder in a reassuring manner just as someone sat down on Maggie's other side. She turned and saw Charlie, smiling sheepishly as Bill took the seat beside him. Mr Weasley stood behind Bill, directing the others to their seats, just as Ludo Bagman burst into the Top Box, bouncing around the box like an enthusiastic toddler on a sugar rush.
"Merlin, he's always running at full blast, isn't he?" Maggie whispered to Tonks, who giggled. "He's like a toddler on a sugar rush."
"You should see how he talks to Mad-Eye; I swear, Mad-Eye will hex him one day because of his chirpiness!"
Maggie grinned before settling back in her seat, her eyes scanning over the programme she had purchased earlier. She absently flicked through the pages, not really paying attention. Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't hear the voice until she felt a soft tap on her arm.
"Could I borrow that?" Charlie asked as Maggie looked up startled. "I forgot to buy one and Bill's too busy looking at the broomsticks to lend me his."
"Yeah, no worries," Maggie said with a smile, handing over the colourful leaflet. "Won't be long now."
Charlie shook his head. "No, it shouldn't be. I'm interested to see what mascots the teams brought. Chances are, Ireland will have brought Leprechauns; they may have brought Porlocks, but they aren't nearly as impressive."
"You don't think they'll have brought Augureys? They're known as the Irish Phoenix," Maggie pointed out, but Charlie shook his head.
"As impressive as they are, there's just too much stigma surrounding them. Half the stadium would be convinced they'd be dead within a week and the Ministry would have an uproar in their hands."
Maggie gave a nod of understanding. "I didn't think of that," She admitted. "Leprechauns would be a safe bet then. What about the Bulgarians?"
"Tricky to say," Charlie sighed, rubbing his forehead in thought. "I'd hope the Bulgarian Redback – it would tie in with the team colours – but in this environment, it would be cruel to put a dragon anywhere near a stadium this big."
"And a safety risk?" Maggie said, her lips curving into a smile.
Charlie laughed, "Yes, a safety risk too. But more for the dragon."
"Well, it looks like we're about to find out what they've brought," Maggie said as Ludo Bagman swaggered forward, taking his place at the front of the box.
"Ladies and gentlemen...welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!"
Bagman's voice bellowed throughout the stadium, amplified by the 'sononrus' charm he had cast. The roar of the crowd was overpowered by the sound of spectators' applause and screams of delight and enthusiasm boomed throughout every corner of the stadium. Maggie's whoop of joy was lost within the din, but her eyes darted around the stands, hungry to take in all the excitement.
Flashes of every colour could be seen decorating the stands, as avid fans waved team flags; some supporting Ireland, others supporting Bulgaria but there were a fair number of other team flags that had been knocked out of the Cup in earlier matches. Maggie's eyes were drawn to the huge blackboard opposite the Top Box, and she watched as the last advertisement for Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans was replaced with a scoreboard. Silver letters spelled out 'BULGARIA: ZERO, IRELAND: ZERO' as Bagman's voice boomed around the stadium.
"And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce...the Bulgarian Team Mascots!"
Maggie leaned forward, eager to see what the team had chosen. A hundred of the most beautiful creatures stepped forward onto the pitch, their white-gold hair fanning around their figures like halos. Under the intense bright lights of the stadium, the Veela's skin shone like moonstone and Maggie felt a twinge of jealousy stab through her heart.
Then, they started to dance.
The trance-like dance sent every man in the stadium into a such a state of stupidity, it almost hurt when Maggie rolled her eyes. Turning her head, Maggie looked down the row of seats to see that only Mr Weasley had the common sense to cover his eyes. He chuckled as he watched each of his sons in various states of dumbfoundedness; Ron looked ready to dive from his seat while Harry's leg rested on the wall of the box, ready to climb over.
Maggie's eyes flickered to the figure beside her and she couldn't help but sigh in annoyance. Charlie's hands clung tightly to the railing in front of them, almost ready to launch himself over with a dazed, lovestruck expression. Though the Veela had stopped dancing by this point, Charlie's expression remained the same, his hands still tightly gripping the rail.
Rolling her eyes once more, Maggie placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder and yanked him back into his seat. The wizard blinked, looking confused for a moment before his eyes landed on Maggie's hand and his cheeks flushed red.
"Thanks," Charlie mumbled, avoiding Maggie's gaze and staring at the floor.
"It's alright, I think Ron had you beat," Maggie replied, pointing to the younger brother, who still remained frozen and posed to jump.
"At least there's that," Charlie said, sounding a bit cheerier. "Veela, huh? Never would have thought of that."
"They clearly didn't think about the safety risks – I think the Redback would have been a better option. Less likely to make a scene – at least half of the crowd wouldn't have swan-dived off the railings."
Charlie laughed, "Yeah, incineration would have been the only collateral."
"And now," Bagman's voice roared through the stadium, over the angry cries of the crowd. "Kindly put your wands in the air...for the Irish National Team Mascots!"
Maggie forced a smile as bright flashes of green and gold filled the air. Cheers echoed throughout the stadium as the green-and-gold comet split into two, before it formed a large shimmering shamrock that rose above the stands. The excitement increased as gold descended upon the stadium; heavy gold coins rained down from the soaring shamrock and spectators scrambled to retrieve the gold.
Leaning forward to catch a falling coin, Maggie's hand brushed against another's, who had clearly had the same idea. Maggie's cheeks blushed red as she realised that Charlie too had moved to catch the glittering gold, though he simply smiled. Maggie quickly drew back, the embarrassment inside her growing, though she didn't know why. A strange feeling rose throughout her body; it was a peculiar sensation that she didn't know how to explain.
A tap on her shoulder brought Maggie back to reality. She turned to see Charlie staring at her, the gold coin held between his fingers. He motioned to it with a small nod before smiling.
"It's only fair, you got there first," He said simply.
Though a part of her mind screamed against it, Maggie gently took the glittering gold coin, running her fingers over its smooth surface with a small smile. She looked up and brown eyes met blue.
"Thank you," She said, almost shyly.
The feeling in her heart grew. It felt like Maggie was soaring above the clouds, yet being dragged down into the sea, both at the same time. The commentator spoke up, announcing the Bulgarian team, drawing Maggie attention away from the gesture.
Her stomach felt like it was doing cartwheels and Maggie doubted it was because of the excitement of the match. The peculiar feeling settled in her stomach, almost like a small ache that you couldn't quite forget about.
She tried to push the rest of her feelings and thoughts away but for some reason, the image of Charlie's lovestruck expression he wore as he stared at the Veela came creeping back into her thoughts. Jealously flashed through her mind as the image circled her mind and it took a few moments for Maggie to even realise what she was thinking. The feeling was softened however, as her fingers brushed over the coin, and that strange feeling emerged once again. Lost in the ecstasy of her thoughts, Maggie's mind ran wild until an image of Joe flashed through her mind and her heart ached as though it was caught in a vice.
Don't be so stupid, Maggie, she scolded herself as the witch slipped the coin into her pocket. It meant nothing; Charlie is a friend, that's all. You have Joe. One argument does not mean relationship over, you love each other! You do NOT like Charlie Weasley in that way.
As Maggie pushed her thoughts away and tried to focus on the match, she missed the brief exchange of glances around her. Tonks' looked down at Maggie's distracted figure before her eyes darted over Charlie's head and found another pair of blue eyes.
A pair of blue eyes who had also witnessed the exchanges that evening.
With a determined nod, Nymphadora Tonks and Bill Weasley were on the same page and each began concocting ideas.
"Don't tell your mother you've been gambling," Mr Weasley implored the red-headed twins as they all made their way down the plush staircase.
Fred laughed and replied with a witty retort, but Maggie was at the tail-end of the group and didn't catch what he said. Tonks stood beside her, happily chatting away to Bill about the excitement of the match, leaving Maggie alone with her thoughts. She tried to focus on the epic final moments of the Quidditch match – Ireland had won despite the Bulgarian seeker, Krum, catching the snitch at the last moment.
But Maggie's thoughts kept drifting and the image of a familiar red-headed wizard swam through her mind.
Cursing her thoughts, Maggie looked down at the grass below her feet as she desperately looked anywhere but ahead, where the said wizard stood in front of her. Thankfully, Charlie was deep in discussion with Ron, who was gushing about how good of a seeker Viktor Krum was, giddy with excitement like a lovesick school girl. A small smile crept onto Maggie's lips as she watched Charlie's almost bewildered expression grow as Ron continued to chat.
He must have sensed Maggie's gaze as he turned. Their eyes met and Charlie's expression deepened into an amused chuckle. Maggie smiled as Charlie gave a hopeless roll of his eyes before sending her a crooked grin and turning back to Ron, who remained oblivious to the exchange.
Maggie shook her head, dispersing any thoughts that may have formed in her mind and focused on the atmosphere around her. Raucous singing flooded the air as they made their way back towards the tent. Leprechauns whizzed past overhead, cackling with glee and cartwheeling through the air. Despite her melancholic thoughts, Maggie was determined to enjoy herself – it was the Quidditch World Cup after all!
By this point, Tonks had finished her conversation with Bill and skipped over to where Maggie stood, a wide grin stretched across her lips. The sight of Tonks' giddiness made Maggie want to smile. Happily, Maggie grabbed her best friend's hands and the pair twirled round in excitement.
"Ireland! Ireland!" Tonks shouted as the pair danced round the lantern-lit path, narrowly avoiding a few spectators.
"You bet on Bulgaria winning, Nymph!" Maggie cried in amusement, shaking her head at the witch. "You can't just jump ship when your team loses!"
"I never supported Bulgaria! All I said was they stood a good chance of winning since they had Krum as a seeker!" Tonks argued with a grin. Ron looked as though he was going to add something, but Tonks quickly interjected. "Don't start with the whole 'he's the best seeker in the world' speech; I've already listened to it three times tonight!"
Though Ron looked down dejectedly, he was quickly distracted by Harry. Tonks shot the wizard a grateful smile just as they reached the campsite. Mr Weasley was kind enough to invite the two witches round for hot chocolate and, after exchanging a quick glance, Maggie and Tonks readily accepted the invitation. A small part of Maggie's mind screamed against the idea, but she pushed the thought away.
What harm could come from hot chocolate?
Still buzzed from the excitement of the match, Maggie found herself perched between Ginny and Hermione as she sipped her cocoa. The conversation mainly revolved around the match though Tonks and Bill deterred off the subject as they discussed the drawbacks of cursed objects and the legality surrounding them. Even Mr Weasley became involved in the excitement; he was drawn into a disagreement with Charlie about cobbing that left Maggie giggling from her spot as she watched the fiasco.
"Completely unethical; you can't claim to be a good Quidditch player when you resort to something so petty!" Mr Weasley argued though Charlie quickly shook his head in disagreement.
"It's not about poor sportsmanship, Dad. If someone's trying to knock you off your broom, are you really gonna sit there and let it happen?" Charlie pointed out, and the tips of Mr Weasley's ears reddened slightly.
"So, does that mean Maggie should be allowed to knock you off your broom as payback for when you knocked her off?" Fred piped up, a wicked glint in his eye.
"Yeah, Charlie," said George, his grin identical to Fred's. "It would only be fair, after all."
Charlie's face flushed red and he muttered something under his breath though it was indistinguishable. Maggie felt the heat rise to her cheeks as the conversation dimmed. Bill and Tonks let out identical chuckles which drew the attention of the younger witches and wizards, the majority of whom did not know to what the twins were referring to. Mr Weasley's expression grew slightly nervous, his eyes darting from Charlie to Maggie while Percy seemed almost oblivious to the conversation, focusing instead on some paperwork that had appeared.
"Yes, well..." Mr Weasley began, just as a clatter sounded through the tent, followed by a loud squeak.
Mr Weasley shot up, wand in hand, over to where Ginny's half-drunk hot chocolate had splattered the tiny table beside Maggie. Beside her, Ginny jolted up, her eyes wide in alarm but it was clear that the young witch had fallen asleep for a moment. The young witch began to mutter apologies as Mr Weasley quickly spelled away the mess, but it was at that point that Mr Weasley called it a night and insisted everyone went to bed.
Maggie was grateful for the distraction as it meant that the earlier topic of conversation was quickly dropped and hopefully forgotten. She avoided Charlie's eye as she scrambled out of the tent – Tonks two steps behind – and ushered Hermione and Ginny into their tent before the other witches retired to theirs.
After offering Tonks a quick 'goodnight', Maggie quickly changed into her nightclothes – which consisted of an old pair of Joe's shorts and a 'AC/DC' t-shirt that Tonks had bought her for Christmas – before snuggling into the warm covers of her bed. She was asleep in seconds, the excitement of the day quickly catching up with her.
It felt like her eyes had only been closed for a moment before a rough shove swiftly woke Maggie up.
"S'going?" Maggie yawned, her voice full of sleepiness. "I'm not on an early shift..." She remembered being at the Quidditch World Cup before her eyes grew heavy and her head fell back onto the pillow.
"Maggie, you need to wake up!" Tonks exclaimed, the panic clear in her tone. "Seriously, get your arse out of bed; hurry up!"
The urgency in Tonks voice prompted Maggie to startle herself awake. Despite still being half-asleep and dazed, Maggie managed to reach for her hoodie, pulling it over her head as she quickly thrust on her shoes, muttering a quick spell to tie them. The tent was still dark; Maggie's first tell-tale sign that something was seriously wrong. Though her eyes and mind were still groggy from sleep, the blonde witch realised that the ever-increasing noise coming from outside the tent were actually screams and the witch willed herself to wake up.
Scrambling forward in a daze, Maggie quickly followed Tonks out of the tent and her eyes widened in horror as her vision took in the chaos that surrounded them. While a few fires continued to burn, creating a reddish hue that settled in the air, the sky was lit with curses and filled with terrified screams of spectators who only hours earlier, had been screaming celebratory cheers.
Maggie couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips, watching the events that surrounded her in fear. Bangs that sounded like gunfire echoed overhead and Maggie noticed the swarm of people heading towards the forest, away from where the drunken jeers and roaring laughter came from. Despite her small stature, Maggie could vaguely make out a group of hooded wizards, their faces covered by dark masks with snake-like slits, in the centre of the chaos, their wands raised towards the sky.
It was only then Maggie notice the four floating figures that contorted into grotesque shapes.
The flickering red-orange lights of the simmering fires illuminated the silhouettes faces, and Maggie's stomach churned in horror when she recognised the flailing figure of Mr Roberts, the campsite owner, and what Maggie presumed to be his wife and two young children. The sound of Death Eaters' roaring jeer as the youngest child was spun round like a top was enough to snap Maggie out of her terror-induced daze. She turned to face Tonks, who motioned to the tent next door.
"Come on! We have to help!" Tonks exclaimed, just as Mr Weasley ran out of the tent.
"Get the girls!" He shouted towards the witches, before heading back into the tent, no doubt to rouse the rest of the party.
Giving Tonks a quick nod, Maggie ran into the neighbouring tent, thankful that it was so small. She quickly found the sleeping forms of Ginny and Hermione, giving each girl a quick shake to rouse them before grabbing their jackets.
"Quickly, come on!" Maggie urged the pair, ignoring their mumbled questions. "We don't have time, we have to get out of here. Shoes on - quick – let's go!"
Maggie led the pair out of the tent, finding Mr Weasley already assembled with the boys. She motioned for Hermione and Ginny to join them, offering Mr Weasley a quick nod of reassurance. Her hand was still resting on Ginny's shoulder – whether it be to comfort Ginny or herself, Maggie did not know.
It was at that moment that Bill, Charlie, and Percy emerged from the tent, wands at the ready and more importantly – fully dressed. Even the seriousness of the atmosphere could not disguise Maggie's embarrassment as she looked down at her attire. She cursed herself for not realising the gravity of the situation, wishing that she had chosen a better pair of shorts as nightwear and a more appropriate jumper with fewer stains and holes. Or just a pair of trousers that didn't display her pale legs to the world.
Despite the situation, Maggie could feel people staring at her, no doubt because of how short her pyjama shorts were, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Grimacing slightly, her eyes darted up, catching the gaze of the very last person she wanted to see at that moment. Though she didn't think it possible, Maggie's face flushed even more but at least Charlie had the decency to look away, as pink tinged his cheeks.
"We're going to help the Ministry!" Mr Weasley shouted to the younger witches and wizards, though his voice was nearly lost amongst the noise. "You lot – get to the woods and stick together. I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out!"
At Mr Weasley's words, Maggie turned to look at Tonks with a determined expression. The witches shared a brief look before Tonks replied with an unswerving nod and the pair sprinted after Mr Weasley, who was flanked by Bill, Charlie and Percy. As she ran towards the chaos, a thought flickered through Maggie's mind and she gave a silent thanks for all those hours she had spent helping Tonks practice for her Auror examinations.
All those hours of duelling would finally pay off.
Rogue curses flashed by and Maggie narrowly jumped to avoid being hit before sending her own hex in the direction it came from. Tonks was to her left, admittedly in her element, as Maggie saw first hand what made Tonks such a good Auror. She kept calm, carefully aimed her hexes and was always ready with a shield charm, something that Maggie needed to remember.
Charlie appeared in Maggie's line of vision, falling in place on her right while Bill flanked his figure. Strangely enough, the sight of the Weasley brothers came as a comfort to Maggie. Maggie reasoned it was because they both faced danger on a daily basis in their jobs – Bill as a curse breaker and Charlie as a Dragonologist – while Maggie only dealt with the aftermath of such dangers. She tried to ignore how her heart flickered when Charlie fired a shield charm near to Maggie when a curse came dangerously close to hitting her arm.
Despite their best efforts, Maggie realised they were fighting a losing battle. They were alarmingly outnumbered, even with the Ministry reinforcements that had appeared. She gritted her teeth, however, and fought on, this time with even more determination than before. As the masked crowd grew bigger, the Weasleys' spread out further, trying to contain the chaos.
"Flipendo!" Maggie cried as a streak of yellow light flew from her wand.
A small smile graced her lips when a masked figure stumbled back after the spell hit its target. Though he quickly recovered, his mask fell, revealing his face and Maggie felt her blood run cold when she realised who the figure behind the mask was.
The years had not been kind to Scaboir and even though it had been five years, Maggie felt like a scared little school girl staring at her childhood bully. Something flickered through Scaboir's eyes when his gaze met Maggie's, and that sinister smirk that Maggie swore she would never fear again slowly crept to his lips.
Maggie's head whipped around, and a groan nearly escaped her lips when she realised Tonks was no longer by her side. Instead, the witch was a little way off, engaged in a heated duel with two masked Death Eaters.
A flash of red quickly snapped Maggie from her thoughts. She barely had time to block the spell with a protego charm, before Scaboir's daunting figure stepped into her vision. Swallowing her nerves, Maggie stood ready, quickly casting a jinx before Scaboir gained the upper hand. Though he was still a few meters away, Maggie heard his growl of annoyance, even through the screams and shouts around them.
"I've been waiting a long time for this, Mudblood," Scaboir snarled, before he quickly sent another hex towards Maggie, which she narrowly avoided. "No one here to help you now."
Maggie's eyes narrowed at his words and she promptly sent a stunning spell towards Scaboir, but he was quick to deflect it with a wicked laugh. In the blink of an eye, Scaboir sent another spell towards her. This time, however, Maggie was a moment to slow and a flash of red hit her square in the chest, engulfing her in pain and knocking her to the floor.
Pain flooded through every inch of Maggie's body. It was the worst pain she'd ever experienced – her skin felt as though it was on fire yet being stabbed repeatedly at the same time. She writhed round in the grass, the pain unbearable. Though she tried her hardest to contain it, a scream escaped her lips. Her screams Scaboir's wicked cackle were the only things Maggie could hear.
"Maggie!" A new voice joined the noise, but Maggie could not place it. The pain ripped through her body and for a brief, stupid moment, Maggie wondered if this was the end (in any other circumstance, she would have cursed her melodramatics).
Suddenly, the pain stopped. Maggie gasped for air as she struggled to sit up. She heard Scaboir's shouts and looked up just in time to see him storming away. Her breathing grew heavy as she took a moment to process what had just happened.
"Maggie!"
Maggie's head snapped round to see who had called her name and her eyes widened in alarm when she saw a group of people running towards her. They did not look like they would stop – the fear evident across their features – but Maggie still struggled to stand. Instead, she opted for the only thing she could do and quickly rolled over to avoid being trampled.
For the most part, it worked. Her body avoided the fury of the crowd's feet, but her leg was another story. She hissed in pain as her leg was crushed by a parade of feet, but she found some semblance in the fact it was only her leg and not her entire body.
"Maggie!" Charlie appeared beside her, his arms pulling her into a tight hug. "Are you alright?"
"For the most part," Maggie said with a tight expression. "I might have a broken leg but it's better than the Cruciatus curse."
Charlie's expression turned dark and Maggie almost flinched at the sight. She looked down at her leg and tried to assess the damage but there was only so much she could check. Her lower leg was covered in a dark blue bruise, but it was her ankle that worried Maggie most; it was red and swelling, and even in the darkness of night, Maggie could make out specks of blood. Cautiously, she tried to move her leg but hissed as pain flooded throughout her joint.
At this, Charlie snapped out of his thoughts.
"Oh shit!" He exclaimed, noticing Maggie's leg.
"It's fine, really," Despite her injury, Maggie felt the need to deflect the attention. Charlie sent her a questioning look.
"Maggie, your ankle's bleeding!"
Maggie blushed at the intensity of his words and ducked her head. From the corner of her eye, she saw Charlie shaking his head and something flooded through her stomach. It almost felt like guilt, but she couldn't place the feeling.
"Help me up?" Maggie asked, trying to change the tone of the conversation.
Charlie sighed, clearly unconvinced about her injuries but gave a nod. His hands rested on her arms and Maggie's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Slowly, Charlie helped Maggie to her feet, and it was going well until Maggie leaned on her bad leg.
"Motherf-" Maggie swore as pain ripped through her leg.
"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Charlie frantically asked but Maggie quickly waved his concerns away.
"It's nothing, just misjudged how bad my leg was," Maggie muttered.
Charlie looked unconvinced and his lips parted to question her further when a cry tore through the crowd.
"It's the Dark Mark!"
Both Maggie and Charlie looked up in alarm. Maggie's eyes widened in shock as a colossal emerald skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue floated above the treetops, illuminating the chaos in a grisly green hue.
Eyes wide with horror, Maggie turned to look at Charlie. His expression mirrored her own and she felt her stomach sink.
"Come on," Charlie muttered as he led Maggie away, half-carrying her. "We need to find Dad."
