Chapter Eight: Rainy Nghts...
"Uh - Draco," Ralph called nervously as the blonde wizard strode by.
"Yes?" the Slytherin asked, a vaguely rude smile curling on his lips.
"These two here," Ralph said, gesturing toward Johnny and Henry, "they think you're..."
"A wizard?" Draco offered.
Ralph, eyeing Draco uneasily, gave a short, nervous laugh. "Yeah." The littluns whimpered.
"You shouldn't be scarin' littluns like that," Piggy said scornfully, but he kept his face averted.
Draco surveyed the four of them for a few minutes, his smile dissolving into obnoxious chuckles. Then, as he walked away without saying a word, it started to rain.
"Did we finally lose her?" Jack asked hopefully, glancing over his shoulder. Roger nodded without saying anything. The hunters visibly relaxed; some even grinned.
"I thought she'd never leave us alone," Maurice confessed.
"Yeah," added Robert, "she's batty!"
Jack smiled, but then felt a drop of water on his shoulder...and another on his nose...and another on his left ear...
"It's starting to rain," their flame-haired leader declared unhappily, "we'd...better go back to the shelters."
Simon was stirred by the odd sensation of water falling on him from the sky. *It's raining,* he thought simply, tiredness still refusing the evacuate from him entirely. Yawning and staggering to his feet, Simon tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. Ignoring the strange feeling that someone was watching him, he climbed through the foliage toward the shelters.
Trying to ignore the drizzle, Harry whispered urgently to Ron, "We better keep an eye on all the Muggles...especially since..." he didn't need to finish; Ron nodded, understanding.
"Yeah."
They could see Hermione emerging from one end of the forest; that one boy Simon was trailing not far behind her...at almost the opposite end a group of boys with spears were approaching...
Out the corner of his eye, Harry could see Draco harassing some of the younger Muggles.
Fred and George materialized from seemingly nowhere. "Ron, where's Ginny?" Fred asked casually.
"I dunno," Ron replied nervously.
The twins shrugged. "She'll show up, I guess," George figured as Harry and Ron followed he and Fred to where Hermione, Draco, and the Muggles were gathering.
"Of course," Harry said assuredly, not feeling sure in the least.