Chapter Eighteen: A Simple Plan
A silent breeze cast a chill through Draco as he and Charlie lay on their stomachs in the cold grass on the outskirts of the field where the grass met the woods. It was dark, and there was still no sign of activity anywhere.
"Any sign of them yet?" asked Draco. He knew Charlie was getting sick of the question, but with each minute passing without change, he was starting to grow anxious and worried.
"Nothin' yet D... Hold up..." Charlie said. Draco looked at him. He was squinting at something off to the side of the field. Something kept appearing and disappearing through the patches of fog that blew across the dimly lit pitch.
"D, is the circus in town any time soon?"
"Why?"
"Cause it sure as hell looks like they're setting up camp early. Look at the size of that damn tent!"
Draco squinted, but soon saw what Charlie was looking at. It looked like an old fashioned circus tent, with large rips in the sides. It also looked abandoned.
"Well then, come on! Let's go!" Draco started to get up. Suddenly, there was a rustle of branches behind them. Slowly, the two turned around.
"Ow! Harry! Are you sure they've gone this way? How would they have gotten through here?"
Ron Weasley.
Both Harry and Ron emerged from the woods. Harry was unfazed, while Ron appeared to have fought and lost battles with every tree he crossed in his journey through the woods. The two joined Draco and Charlie on the grass; Ron was on one side of Charlie, with Draco on the other. Harry took the grass next to Draco.
"Any sign of them yet?" Harry asked.
Charlie shook his head. "No, but the circus is in town," he said, motioning to the damaged circus tent, still fading in and out like a bad neon light.
"We think they might be in there," Draco said.
Harry squinted his eyes. "That's a possibility..."
"Wait a minute!" Ron said. "I know what that is!"
All three of them looked at Ron. Draco broke the silence.
"So, Weasley, would you be so kind as to tell us what it is?"
Ron pointed to it. "That's the Haunted Stage. Some hundred years ago, there was a famous circus group performing in that tent. Somehow, a fire broke out, and the animals got loose. Everyone inside was trapped, and soon died, either eaten or consumed by fire. Legend says that the tent itself had been created for demonic purposes, and anyone who goes in there does not come back out alive. You can only see it on certain nights, under the the full moon."
"Like the skeletons in Pirates of the Caribbean?" Charlie asked.
The sound of crickets echoed across the empty field. Draco shook his head.
"Yes Charlie, like that. So I'll bet we weren't even supposed to see this thing. It's usually invisible to the naked eye, right Weasley?"
Ron nodded.
"Great. Now that we know where they are, how are we supposed to get into the place?" Harry asked.
"Well, normally I would ring the doorbell and run, but there's no doorbell," said Charlie.
"No. But you are partly right- we do need some kind of a distraction," said Draco.
Charlie looked from the tent to Draco, then back to the tent. "What do we need a distraction for?"
"When we get in there, we're going to need a distraction in order to get Hermione and Julie out of there," said Draco.
"I think we should vote who will give the distraction," said Harry.
Draco smiled. "All those in favor of voting Charlie as the distractioner, raise your hand."
Everyone except Charlie raised their hand.
Charlie rolled his eyes. "What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula?"
Harry bit his tongue at the reference, and Draco smiled. "If you think that will help you get the job done, then yes."
Charlie sighed and looked at the tent, concentrating. "Okay, so what's the plan?"
The four soon began to discuss what should be done. None of them noticed the large hooded figure looming behind them. Ron turned away from the group to sneeze, and suddenly froze. Without a chance to respond, the figure lept and darkness surrounded them.
*********
Author's Note: I know it's short, but I promise there will be more soon! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this! Don't forget to review! Oh, and in your review, let me know whether or not I should write a sequel! Charlie, I'm sure, would LOVE to be in the spotlight as much as possible!
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If You Liked this Fic, try...
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