The match had ended just as Fred and George had anticipated, much to their unrestrained delight and glee. Ireland won but Krum caught the snitch. It had been a rather epic match and I was already thinking about all the new tricks and tips I'd picked up from the team chasers, knowing full well that Harry was probably already planning an attempt on the Wronski Feint that Krum had demonstrated during the game. I had found it most hilarious when the team mascots had come out at the very beginning of the match, especially since Bulgaria had brought veela which had created chaos amongst the male population. Fred and George had almost started a fight with each other when the veela magic had got to them until I'd hit them both over the head and snapped them back to their senses, giving Charlie and Bill a good laugh whilst Percy wrinkled his nose disapprovingly.

The Irish mascots had been much better, in my opinion, showering the stadium in leprechaun gold and made an impressive display for everyone to awe at, though I noticed a good number of people pocketing the stuff which would only end in tears and disappointment, since the coins would only disappear in a few hours. When the match ended, Fred and George were probably happier than anyone else in the stadium, as the moment Bagman appeared again after the cup had been awarded, they had held out their hands for their earnings after their successful wager, effectively cornering him as he stuttered in a fluster. What a risk, but it definitely paid off so I couldn't blame them.

What had made me laugh the most was when Mr Oblansk revealed that he could speak English after all, much to Fudge's indignation and my great amusement, catching a cheeky wink from the foreign Minister. We headed back in high spirits, Fred and George already discussing how they were going to be spending their earnings, though Arthur warned them not to let their mother know that they'd been gambling, most likely fearing for his life more than thiers should Molly ever find out. We all went into the larger tent for hot chocolate and I started talking about the moves of the chasers, picking out my favourites for their technical skill and arguing with Charlie over their performance until Ginny fell asleep at the table and nearly spilled her hot chocolate everywhere as it slipped out of her hand.

We managed to wake her up long enough to come back to the girls' tent with Hermione and I, change into pyjamas then fall asleep with a euphoric buzz from the high spirits we all experienced. Any pleasant dreams we were having, however, were quickly interrupted when I woke with a start not an hour later to sense danger around us. People were screaming, the sound echoing in the distance and I could feel the vibrations of people running in all directions through the ground underneath me, propelling me to my feet. "Ginny. Hermione. Get up!" I spoke loudly to wake them, grabbing for my wand just as Arthur ripped open the front of the tent and yelled for us to hurry outside.

Something was desperately wrong, and with alarmed looks on our faces we hurried outside, all of us with our wands at the ready. Ginny and Hermione had managed to grab jackets but I was only wearing a light camisole and bed shorts, having been hot in the night but I ignored the slight chill in favour of understanding what was going on, as the screaming of terror was gradually growing louder as it encroached upon us. We turned towards the sound of chaos to see fire raging in the distance, and something told me it wasn't because the Irish had got out of control. A crowd was moving towards us, hooded and cloaked to shield their faces whilst in the air hung four muggles, all of them terrified and completely at the mercy of the wizards levitating them. I couldn't help but stare at the sheer sickening sight of it all.

"We're going to help the ministry. You lot, get into the woods and stick together. I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out!" Arthur shouted at us thunderously, making me jump as Ginny and Hermione moved in closer to the others. Bill, Charlie and Percy were already off, racing towards the mayhem, leaving us behind. Thick throngs of people were bolting for the woods, so after a moment's hesitation we went too. I followed up behind everyone else, my wand ready in my hand however in the mass confusion of people, I soon lost sight of any familiar redheads.

"Fred! George!" I yelled, trying to make my voice heard but the screaming drowned it out as I was pulled into the woods. For a while I could barely breathe, people desperate to get as far away from the danger as possible until I finally managed to break free, the bruising scramble of bodies vanishing until suddenly, I was all alone. I had no idea where I was, how far away I was from the camp, and I couldn't see Fred, George or anyone anywhere. "Just typical! Ugh! I swear when I find out who did this, I'm going to…" Muttering dark curses under my breath, I decided the only thing I could do was head back towards the light of the fires, find our tents then set into the woods from there as a starting point.

It was my best option, so I proceeded without a care in the world, though I was worried about the Weasleys fighting…whoever those people were. If they were torturing muggles, I could only guess they were either Voldemort followers or sympathisers. It made me growl under my breath, and once I'd exited the trees, I had a much better view of what was going on. They'd moved even closer, seemingly heading right this way and I could see people from the ministry trying to control the situation but a fight was breaking out.

Hisses and sharp wails sang through the air from the spells bring fired in every direction, and from the light I saw a familiar set of redheads. When one was hit by a spell and suddenly fell, I rushed forwards without even thinking. Before I knew it, I was a lion, an angry lion, and I was bounding forwards at full pelt as another of the dark wizards aimed their wand straight at Bill who was clutching his bleeding arm, wand fallen somewhere unknown. I smelled the flash of fear on him, facing the wizard before without warning, I collided with him.

The wizard screamed as I bit down on his arm and crunched the bone, making it effectively useless as my flying weight dragged him down like a ragdoll, hearing his piercing shrieks of terror and agony as I felt blood burst in my mouth. At the sound of such painful screams, more of the wizards turned around to look only to see a lion springing for them. I dove straight into the fray, too quick and large for them to do anything and they scattered back into their tight circle, yelping as I bit and slashed frantically before roaring as one tried to aim a wand at me. I stood before Bill until he'd found his wand, still gripping the deep laceration. "M-Mia? That is you, right?" Turning my large blue eyes to his, I nodded my great head. Suddenly the dark wizards started to flee, disapparating from sight and it wasn't clear why until we all turned and saw something hanging in the air over the forest, a smoky green skull with a snake slithering from its mouth.

Standing up I licked my lips, blood dribbling down my chin as Bill grabbed hold of me and pulled me close, wand still raised and ready as we all stared with a sense of horror and dread. "It's His mark, isn't it? Voldemort's?" Even Bill shuddered at the name, unable to do anything but nod.

"Mia! What are you doing here?! I told you to run! Where are the others?"

"I lost them, Mr Weasley. I doubled back to try find them again but then I saw the fighting, saw Bill go down…I just acted without thinking." I supplied simply, still staring at the mark with wide eyes. "It's…it's not real is it? It's just a hoax. A sick joke. Nobody could be…" Seeing that I was distressed, Arthur pulled me into a quick hug before ordering Bill to take care of me and to meet back at the tent. Ensuring that I was to be taken care of, Arthur hurried off in search of his other children as well as Harry and Hermione while Bill, Charlie and Percy all crowded around me, forming a sort of redheaded barrier as Bill gave me his jacket to keep me warm as I was still wearing only my light nightclothes before I was then ceremoniously escorted back. Everything after that was a blur, I hardly remember being pulled along by Bill, the three brothers never once lowering their wands as we picked our way through the wreckages of the campsite which other witches and wizards were quickly putting back to rights, fixing the burnt wreckages as well as assisting the muggles who had been taken captive. I saw them briefly in the moment that I had turned my head to look behind me, Healers rushing to undo the damage that had been done before they were completely hidden by the swarm of healers and aurors, Bill lightly pulling on my shoulder to keep me moving until we were back at the tent and the lights were being turned on.

It was only when I realised that Bill and Percy were both bleeding that I snapped back to my usual self, ordering them both to sit so I could take a look at their injuries. There had to be a medical kit around here somewhere, right? If not, we'll just have to make do. Charlie came off the lightest, having only a slash in his shirt so I gave Percy a wet flannel to mop himself up with then cleaned Bill's wound, smearing it with some multi-purpose salve before binding it up tightly. It was only when I yawned that I realised that I still had blood all over me as it cracked from having dried, so I quickly washed it away just as Fred, George and Ginny returned. "Mia!" They all chorused my name and suddenly we were a mess of limbs and red hair surrounding me as we each tried to hug the other all at once.

"Where's Harry, Ron and Hermione? What happened? Did you see who conjured the mark?"

"No, we didn't see anything. We lost the others in the woods, we thought you'd be with them." Ginny said whilst trembling, crying a little so I hugged her again and grabbed a nearby blanket that was draped over the back of an armchair in order to wrap it around her, letting her snuggle in before I made her sit down and made her something to drink so she could calm down. Fred and George looked just as shaken and none of us really knew what to say, though it was a relief when Arthur came back with the final three, everyone unharmed and alive.

I rushed at them all, hugging them in turn and quickly casting my eye over them before practically dragging them inside to sit, passing teas around to everyone. "Did you get them dad? The person who conjured the Dark Mark?"

"No. We found Barty Crouch's elf holding Harry's wand, but we're non the wiser about who actually conjured the Mark." All of us reacted in shock at the news that an elf had somehow got hold of Harry's wand. We all listened to their explanation of what happened, with Hermione quite insistent that the elf, Winky, was an innocent victim of circumstance, but Percy disagreed.

"Well, Mr Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that! Running away when he'd expressly told her not to…embarrassing him in front of the whole minister, how would that have looked, if she'd been had up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control…"

"She didn't do anything, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!" Hermione snapped at Percy, who blinked at her in astonishment. They started to argue over the matter, which caused a massive headache for everyone else present until Ron demanded to know what the skull in the sky meant, not understanding why it had caused such a panic. It was no picnic explaining what the Mark meant, it hadn't been seen for thirteen years since the fall of Voldemort, and it only hit home with Ron why it was such a bad thing when his father told him that Voldemort and his followers would leave that mark in the sky after they'd killed someone. We all talked a little longer, but no part of the conversation was pleasant.

Eventually we all decided to try and get some sleep, though this time Hermione, Ginny and I crowded as close together as possible, and I flung an arm over the both of them in a bid to make them feel safer, and my hand held my wand all the while in order to take no chances. It was a restless night full of fitful sleep, so when the time came to leave I was very happy to get back to the Burrow, where Molly Weasley came sobbing down the lane to meet us as we trudged forwards, hungry, exhausted and very much dispirited.