A/N: Very short Chapter, but I figured this deserved its own since the themes were so different.
Trigger Warning: There's implied sexual assault in this Chapter. Don't read if it triggers you. Seriously, it was bad enough for me to write it.
It's not against any of the characters we know, nor is it graphic, but still, if you want to avoid this chapter, you won't miss out on too much plot wise, I promise. This Chapter is just my version of the Death Eater attack on the day of the Quidditch World Cup.
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A Song of Lightning and Fire
Arc I: Magic
Part V: The Goblet of Fire
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Tonight was the first time Harry learned exactly what effect a single sentence could have on the group. Immediately, everyone shot up out of their beds and ran outside the tent, still shirtless, or in their pyjamas.
A huge crowd of people were running around, seemingly in random directions, screaming their heads off. Men, women, and children were tripping and falling down, some getting trampled, others being able to stand up and get out.
"What's happening?" Ginny asked as she ran over next to him. "Marlene just came in and said we had to get out."
"We have to help them," Harry said. It was the right thing to do, wasn't it? "We can find out later."
And so, they ran ahead into the crowd, ignoring Mr. Weasley's calls for them to stay back. A few people from the rest of the group were forced to follow them, and, consequently, help the people get up.
It wasn't long before they encountered two men with Black Robes and Silver Masks. Death Eaters, Harry thought, remembering their previous encounter. Well, it certainly wasn't ending up like last time. Harry would make sure of it.
He was about to pull out his Wand, but Ginny beat him to it, casting a Powerful Bludgeoning Hex, and a Bat Bogey Hex at the two Death Eaters.
The one who was hit with the Bludgeoning Hex soared through the air, hitting a tree and lying there unmoving, while the one who was hit with the Bat-Bogey Hex screamed as the Bats attacked his face.
Harry Transfigured the Bogey-Bats into actual ones with sharper claws, and the man screamed again, much louder this time. Harry and Ginny ignored the pain in his voice as they cast a Full Body Bind on him together.
Harry and Ginny decided to retreat where they came from, and were met with Marlene and Sirius, who were just coming out of the tents with everyone's stuff.
"Where have you been!?" Sirius cried. "You can't just run off like that."
"We went to help," Harry said.
"There are Death Eaters there though," Ginny said. "So we came back to warn you."
"Wait-" Marlene began, but Harry and Ginny had already turned and ran away again, spotting Bill and Remus trying to take down a very agile Death Eater.
Harry and Ginny shot a Bludgeoning Hex at the Death Eater's knees, both of which literally shattered from the impact of the two Spells. Harry heard the whistle of a Spell heading toward him, and he ducked, letting the Spell pass over his head.
Unfortunately, the Spell hit a passing child, who started growing boils, which exploded in a shower of blood only a few moments later. Harry felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs. They did not just kill a child… an innocent child…
Enraged, Harry turned to the Death Eaters, and began casting a flurry of Conjunctivitis Curses, each of them finding their mark. He was done playing around now.
Bill and Ginny were too, it seemed, judging by the Power they were throwing behind their Spells. They worked well as a team. Not as good as Harry and Ginny, but good enough that Harry didn't worry about her safety as much as he did when she was alone.
A nearby tree uprooting and coming toward them drew the attention of all three of them, and Harry immediately Transfigured it into an Eagle that flew over to a group of Death Eaters that weren't near anyone else.
Reverte Verto, Harry cast, watching in satisfaction as the Eagle turned back into the tree, falling on top of the group. Harry quickly ducked to the ground, worried that there might be an incoming attack, and there was.
A Spell hit him in the shoulder, causing him to only start to lose all control and feeling in his body as his shoulder felt like it had been stung all over, multiple times.
Bill had his back though, thankfully. He pushed back against the Death Eaters as Ginny fed him a Potion that Bill tossed to her. The Stinging feeling was still there, although it did go down noticeably as he was able to feel his body again. "Thanks," he gasped.
"No problem," she responded. He saw an incoming Spell and was barely able to pull her down to his chest as it came whizzing past her ear.
She swore, but Mrs. Weasley came charging at the Death Eater. "Not my daughter, you Bitch!" She cried, punching the woman in the face as Harry and Ginny gaped at her.
The Death Eater went sprawling to the ground and did not wake up as Mrs. Weasley cast a Stunning Charm on the fallen woman. Mrs. Weasley clutched her knuckles in pain. "Are you two okay?" She asked, hurrying over to them regardless.
"We're fine," Ginny said, swallowing.
'You're a badass,' Harry wanted to say, but now really wasn't the time for compliments so he just nodded to say that he was okay.
"Good," Mrs. Weasley said. "Sirius and Marlene have gone to help, and I know you want to as well, but please, I need you to go back with Arthur and Remus."
"What about you?" Harry and Ginny asked her.
"I can't just leave," she protested with a sad smile. "I will be okay."
Harry was about to open his mouth, to say what, he didn't know, but they heard a cackle and turned around in time to see Bill collapse in pain as a woman yelled, "Crucio!"
Harry recognized the Spell. Quirrell was about to use it on Ginny in their First Year when they'd gone to rescue the Philosopher's Stone, and Harry had never been more glad that he had taken action.
Bill screamed and writhed on the ground as the woman continued cackling. Mrs. Weasley drew herself up, and Harry and Ginny followed her lead. Mrs. Weasley swung her Wand in an arc, causing the air to shimmer, and a loud gong-like sound was heard shortly after.
A nearly invisible force of Magic soared through the air, striking the woman's neck and causing it to snap with a sickly crunching sound. Ginny was looking at her mother like she'd never seen her before.
Mrs. Weasley quickly made Bill drink another vial and exchanged quick words with him as Harry and Ginny went closer to them. "Alright," Bill said, panting. "I'll take them."
"Thank you," Mrs. Weasley said, wrapping her arms around Bill. "Be careful. The Cruciatus Curse isn't something to take lightly. I'll check you over when we're home. I promise."
"Alright," Bill said, giving her a small smile. "Come on, lovebirds," he called to Harry and Ginny. "We need to meet the others near the exit point."
He scowled at the jab, but Bill had already started running along the edge of the Forest, leaving Harry and Ginny no choice but to follow him lest he get cornered again.
They ran till they found a path to go into, but they heard some more screams coming over from afar, and they turned to see that a large group of Death Eaters was walking towards the edge of the Forest.
There was a large circle of half a dozen Death Eaters in the centre of the group, two of whom were holding up banners depicting the Dark Mark, and the other four were levitating a group of girls in the air, all of whom were completely devoid of any clothing, leading Harry to believe that the crimes committed against them were a lot more gruesome than he could even imagine.
The Death Eaters around the circle either Stunned or Killed anyone that got too close, all the while, keeping up their March up to the Forest.
They weren't able to do anything but watch as Charlie was hit with the same Paralysis Curse that Harry had taken to the shoulder, but Harry had seen enough.
He didn't care if the Death Eaters survived his next attack.
Just as the thought went through his head, the clouds started coming together, and Harry could feel the Electricity in them, even from down here. He saw a Bolt of Lightning come down from the clouds, striking the Wand of Sirius Black as he took aim and let it go.
The Bolt of Lightning arced through the air, tearing the Death Eaters' shields apart like they were nothing more than paper. The Lightning Bolt struck the ground and exploded, sending Death Eaters, whole, or in pieces, alive, or dead, flying away from the circle.
The Bodies of the girls were caught with Levitation Charms mid air, and Sirius, Marlene, and Mrs. Weasley were able to lower them one by one. "Let's go," Bill said, tugging on their arms.
Harry and Ginny nodded in a bit of a daze as Bill pulled them away. They made their way into the forest and kept running along the edge of the path. Soon, however, they heard voices up ahead. "I'm gonna be the next Minister for Magic, you know," a vaguely familiar male voice said.
"I am sure you will," a female voice replied in a French accent.
"I'm serious," the first voice said rather loudly.
"Found ya!" A third gruffier voice said. This one also seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't place it.
The man and the woman screamed and ran out of their hiding spot. The man was Stan Shunpike of all people there, along with a woman with silvery blonde hair. The woman was a Veela, he realized, but it was hard for him to tell. He didn't have a reaction to her, just like he didn't back at the Quidditch Match. God, that seemed so long ago.
Soon, a tall man came running out of the bushes after Stan and the Veela. With a start, Harty recognized Romulus Grayson. "Potter, Weasley," he greeted them as if they were still students and Professor. "And another Weasley? Interesting."
Still salty over the betrayal, Harry cast a Conjunctivitis Curse at the same time Ginny cast a Bat-Bogey Hex. That was all the invitation Bill needed to cast an ancient Egyptian Hex that left a scorching trail behind it.
Grayson blocked his and Ginny's Spells as he jumped over Bill's Hex. He spun around and cast a Fire Whip Charm at them, and Harry and Ginny threw up the most Powerful Shield they could muster while trying to keep Bill inside its boundary.
The Fire Whip crashed against the Shield, tearing it to bits, but getting itself destroyed in the process. Bill cast a Carpe Retractum at Grayson's Wand, and it came flying out of his hand toward them since Grayson probably was not expecting that.
The man looked like he was about to charge at them, and Harry, Ginny, and Bill were ready to dive to the side, but a piercing shout of, "Morsmordre," stopped everyone dead in their tracks.
He turned to the source of the noise, and immediately saw a Pale green colored Spell Trail heading upwards into the air. It was screaming as it went though, something that struck Harry as very odd.
The reason for that became very clear as soon as the Spell Trail exploded in the air, forming a Green colored Skull with a Snake coming out of its mouth.
This was the Dark Mark.
Which probably meant that Death Eater reinforcements were, or would be, here. "No," Grayson breathed, stepping back and promptly disapparating, leaving Harry, Ginny, and Bill in a state of shock and confusion.
They heard another crack near the Forest, and were able to see the silhouette of another man as he disapparated. The three of them ran towards that area, pausing to make sure that the man was actually gone before they let their guard down a little.
They saw a Wand lying in the middle of the clearing and went closer to check it out. It didn't seem like there was much going on around it, but they could deduce that a Spell had been cast with it, a Powerful one by the looks of the smoke rising out of the tip.
The Wand just looked like it had been accidentally left behind, or thrown on the ground, though, so they decided to search the surrounding bushes.
He peeked around a bush, and immediately saw a House Elf upon whom a Full Body-Bind Curse had been placed. Harry was about to wake it up, when he felt someone grab the back of his neck.
He whirled around, knowing it wasn't Ginny or Bill, and before any Spell could hit him, he ducked and hit the man trying to grab him. He cast a Shield Charm that blocked all of the other incoming Spells.
The Duel was broken when they heard Mr. Weasley's voice. "Stop it!" He cried. "They're my children, you bloody idiots!"
Neither Harry, nor the Auror in front of him lowered their Wands though, choosing instead to just stare into each other's eyes. Eventually, the Auror slowly lowered his Wand, and Harry did the same.
"What happened here?" Another Auror with neon pink hair asked. Harry recognized her as the Auror he'd met when he entered King's Cross for the first time. He kept his mouth shut for now, though.
He, Ginny, and Bill explained everything as well as they could, avoiding mentioning that they'd run away after killing loads of the other Death Eaters. When they reached the part about the hooded man dissapparating, Amos Diggory, Sirius, and Marlene entered the clearing along with another man who ran towards them.
"Which one of you did it!?" He roared, even as the Aurors tried to hold him back.
"Oh for fuck's sake Barty," the pink haired Auror sighed. "That's Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley over there. Do you think that they would cast the Mark?"
"Don't get smart with me Tonks!" The man- Barty- said.
Tonks rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Typical," she said.
Barty opened his mouth to say something else when the Auror that Harry had had a standoff with came towards Harry. "What were you looking for?" He asked in a gentle tone, something that surprised Harry a lot. He'd been expecting a Wand to his throat.
"I wasn't," Harry said. "At least not specifically something. I just wanted to know what had happened. But I found this Elf here," he walked over to the Bush and pointed at the Elf in question.
The Auror came with him, and his blue eyes went wide when he spotted the Elf. "Amos!" He called.
"What's wrong, Hall?" Amos asked, hurrying over with Ginny, Sirius, and Marlene in tow.
"This House Elf," Auror Hall said, pointing at the Elf in question.
Amos Diggory immediately jumped into action, running his Wand over the Elf in various patterns and muttering something under his breath. "Get back," he finally said.
They all complied, and heard the Elf being revived. "Master!" The Elf cried. "Where's my Master!? He is in big trouble!"
The rest of the people in the clearing came near them, and the Elf threw herself on Barty Crouch's shoes, sobbing her eyes out. "Master Crouch," she said. "Oh, Master. You are all right."
"What is the meaning of this, Winky!?" Crouch raged. "Where have you been!?"
"Master?" She asked.
"You've gotten too old Winky," Crouch sighed sadly.
Winky's eyes went wide, and she looked around, seemingly trying to find something. "He got to you," she said to Crouch, tears leaking out of her eyes. "Let him go!" She cried, banging a fist on Crouch's chest.
Immediately, Harry saw at least a dozen Spells being cast with a cry of, "Stupefy!" He couldn't do anything but watch with wide eyes as the Spells hit the Elf, who flew back, spinning, and fell to the ground, unmoving.
Ginny sucked in a gasp and clutched Harry's hand. They didn't have much attachment left to his emotions for others, but this was cruel, even they could feel that.
Crouch didn't do anything but shed a tear, and even that looked like it was more of an involuntary response than anything else.
"We're sorry, sir," one of the Aurors said.
"She was old," Crouch muttered. "You just did your job."
"Sir?" They asked, furrowing their brows or frowning in confusion.
Crouch just smiled at them. "Find out who cast the Mark," he said. "I shall look into the case of the Masked Wizard."
Harry couldn't believe his eyes and ears as everyone did as Crouch asked. "Come on," Sirius said, taking him by the arm and leading him out of the clearing along with Marlene. Ginny was coming along behind them with her family.
"What the fuck was that?" Harry asked after they were out of hearing range.
"That was the Ministry being the Ministry," Marlene said, shaking her head in disappointment. "They have absolutely no regard for anything other than themselves."
Sirius took Marlene's hand, and not for the first time, Harry wondered if there was something more between them that he didn't know about. He figured there was, but they didn't want anyone finding out about it. Harry thought they'd be good together…
He shook his head to clear the thoughts. Now really wasn't the time to play matchmaker. "Are you alright?" Harry asked her.
Marlene just smiled and ruffled his hair with her free hand. "I'm fine," she said.
"Well I'm gonna hang back a bit," Harry said, not wanting to be totally obvious.
"Sure," Sirius said with twinkling eyes.
Harry didn't know what Sirius thought he would be able to do with her family right here, but figured he didn't want to know either, so he just slowed his pace to fall in line with Ginny.
They just walked in silence though. Sirius and Malrene led them over to a box which had loads of different random objects in it. "Parker and Weasley," Sirius said.
The woman there just handed Sirius the Portkey after she looked his ID over. Sirius stretched out the long rope and they all clutched it. Soon, they were sucked into the Vortex of the Portkey, and their feet hit the ground on the hill they'd left from.
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"You mean this was all for fun!?" Harry cried the next day.
They'd all regrouped at the Burrow with minor injuries that Mrs. Weasley, Malrene, Sirius, and Remus could fix with a flick of their Wands, but no one had wanted to talk about the events of last night till now.
Harry and Ginny had cornered Sirius, Marlene, and Remus, and demanded answers. Recognizing that the two of them had a right to know, they had sat them down and shared the most probable theory that they had.
"Yes," Remus said as Malrne and Sirius looked away.
"All of it?" Harry asked, his heart almost in his throat.
"Yes," Marlene whispered, looking back at him with steely eyes, knowing what he was referring to. "All of it."
"They're monsters," Ginny said softly.
"They are," Sirius agreed.
"Is this what the last War was like?" Harry asked. "This is what you, and Mum and Dad fought every day?"
Sirius swallowed and looked away. "The Last War was far worse than this attack," he said. "A lot of the more Powerful, more twisted Death Eaters are dead, Harry. If they were here now… I don't want to think about what they would do to you and Ginny."
"How bad did it get?" Ginny asked worriedly.
"Let's just say they made my cousin Bellatrix look sane," Sirius said, sighing. "Me, Moody and Your parents played a huge part in the deaths of those Death Eaters… that's also probably why Voldemort and/or the Talons want Orcs. They're renewable, expendable soldiers."
"Why did they run when the Dark Mark came?" Harry asked.
"Probably because they believed Voldemort to be dead," Sirius said. "They wouldn't want to face him now, not after all this time they spent ignoring his existence."
"Do you think he'll return?" Marlene asked Harry and Ginny. "Voldemort, I mean."
"We can't say," Harry replied, sharing a glance with Ginny. "I mean, we actually don't know. We don't talk to Dumbledore about his mission a lot."
"Why not?" Remus asked, furrowing his brow. "I reckon he'd tell you."
"He would," Ginny said. "But the less we know the better we can protect the secret. Our minds aren't exactly the most secure place as everyone here knows."
Remus winced at the reminder, and Sirius and Marlene awkwardly shifted in their seats. Their minds had been truly messed up last year after the Djinn, and the Cursed Vaults, and… well, everything else.
"But we reckon he can," Harry said, bringing the conversation back to the topic. "Return that is."
"Yeah," Ginny said. "He probably just needs something to make that happen."
"Like what?" Marlene asked, leaning forward.
"I don't know," Harry and Ginny replied.
Their conversation was cut off when Bill entered the Kitchen with Mrs. Weasley, talking about the medicine he needed to take to avoid the twitching in his hands because of the Cruciatus Curse.
Harry religiously avoided thinking about anything relating to the attack in the next two days, choosing to spend his time with Ginny, who appeared to be doing the same. It wasn't healthy, he didn't think, but he didn't care either.
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A/N: Leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys in the next one!
Byee!!
