"I wonder who Viktor Krum was waving to after he caught the Snitch. He was looking directly at the Top Box," Mr. Weasley pointed out as they journeyed back to their tents. The Scotts and Welchs were staying a few yards away from where Weasley's tents. "Fred, George, you'd better not mention your gambling to your mother. Its better she not know about this."
"Girls, the same goes for you. If Marigold or Haley finds out you had two of those candies here, they'll punish you," Patrick added. Bridgette had found one candy in her pocket, but gave it to Fred. The twins were also in the mail order business. Isabella suggested that they merge their ideas in order to make money. The Weasleys agreed to sell the Belchin' Chocolates and even gave the girls two fake wands. They all said good bye when Isabella's campsite appeared.
Warren and Patrick were acting strange, which worried their daughters. Both men seemed nervous. Before going into their tent, Patrick pointed to something on his wrist. Bridgette tried to see what it was but she was sent to her tent, something was going on. While walking back, she heard an old wizard say he was worried. He mentioned that he was a Seer and he felt an ominous sense of danger. Then he uttered the words, "You-Know-Who," which could only mean one thing.
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had risen to power again. The idea of Him coming back was pretty far-fetched, but it was possible. Bridgette presented her hunch to Isabella. "I know it seems ridiculous, but I think it's a possibility. Maybe that's why our fathers are acting so weird all of a sudden," Bridgette suggested, changing into her nightgown. "What if your parents and my dad were followers of You-Know-Who but they never told us? Do you think they've been lying to us about their past?"
"I know my parents haven't been honest with me. They never talk about stuff that happened before I went into the Academy. In fact, they claim not to remember anything from when I was a baby," Isabella replied. Bridgette crawled into her twin-sized bed, her wand in her hand. She wanted to be prepared, in case something bad happened. Isabella sat on her bed. "What would you do if your dad did lie to you for all these years?"
"Some things are better left unknown. If my dad used to be an evil wizard, I don't care. He's not evil now and that's all that matters," Bridgette said. Isabella discovered she wasn't sleepy anymore. There were too many thoughts racing around in her mind. What if her parents were part of an evil wizard's team? However, Bridgette was right. Whatever had happened in the past was in the past. They could hear Ireland's celebration.
The joyous shouts suddenly turned into screams of pure terror. Isabella hurried to peek outside, wondering what was going on. Several people had been levitated. She went into Warren and Patrick's tent, but they were gone. The screams were getting closer. Where were their fathers? This was not a good time for them to Disapperate. Bridgette bolted up from her bed when she had heard voices outside the tent. She didn't recognize any of them. Isabella was also missing, which couldn't be good.
She found Isabella in their father's tent and both girls hurried outside and saw several wizards in masks. One of them pointed towards Bridgette, who was wearing her nightgown and her pink robe. "They can see both of us but they're only after her. How come they want her?" Isabella wondered. Without hesitating for another second, she grabbed Bridgette's arm and pulled her towards the woods. Dozens of other witches and wizards ran past the two girls. Bridgette's foot caught a root, causing her to fall on something. "We need a little light if we're going to run in a forest. Lumos!"
Isabella's wand lit up, illuminating the area. "The ground sure is soft here. I didn't hurt myself at all. What great luck," Bridgette commented, getting to her feet. Isabella realized they weren't alone. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were all nearby. Bridgette had actually fallen on top of Ron. "I take it we're all running from the evil wizards in masks. What's going on out there?"
"They're after all the Mudbloods," cam the curt reply. Draco Malfoy managed to find them, even though hundreds of people were in the forest. Bridgette nearly screamed but Isabella clamped a hand over her mouth. If the evil wizards wanted to humiliate Muggle-borns, Bridgette Welch would be on their list. "Well, I think it's funny to see all those Muggles floating in the air." Turning to Bella and Bridgette he asked, "Where are your fathers?" The girls said nothing.
"Where's you father, Malfoy? Is he out there wearing a mask?" Harry asked. The white-haired boy snorted indignantly. "I'll bet your parents are out there levitating the Muggles."
"If they were, I wouldn't tell you, Potter. Besides, Scott's father isn't here. Maybe he is the one attacking those stupid Muggles," Malfoy joked. Isabella reached for her wand but it wasn't in her pocket. She'd put it there a second ago, when Hermione took her wand out.
"Forget about him, let's go," Hermione said, tugging on Harry's jacket. Bridgette and Isabella decided to follow Ron, Hermione and Harry. Malfoy handed Isabella her wand. He then explained that some kid found it and asked if it was his so he took it for safe keeping. Isabella didn't believe him but she didn't have time to argue with him. She hurried off after her friends. Even though her parents were friends of Draco's parents, she couldn't stand the Malfoys.
There was still a lot of noise coming from the campsite, so they couldn't go back. A group of teenagers nearby had begun to argue. One boy with dark, curly hair turned and asked a question in French. Harry, Hermione, Isabella and Ron had no idea what he'd asked them. Bridgette stepped forward and answered his question in French. He kissed her on both cheeks before going back to his friends. "Suddenly, I really wish I could go to Beauxbatons," she murmured.
"Beauxbatons?" asked Ron.
"Yes, there's a wizard school in France called Beauxbatons Academy of Fine Magic. I'll bet that boy goes there," said Hermione, still tugging on Harry's jacket. Harry was searching his pockets for something. He pulled out his Omnioculars and muttered that he'd lost his wand. Ron held his wand up so the light would cover more ground. "You know, Malfoy made a point, where have your fathers gone?"
"We don't know, all right?" Isabella snapped.
"The evil wizards were coming after me, so we left before we could find them. If you must know I'm on of the Mudbloods they're probably looking for," Bridgette explained. Harry and Ron appeared to be shocked by the news. But Hermione was relieved. "We ought to keep moving. If there are any other Muggle-borns here, they're in serious danger too. I hear some voices ahead. We'll be safer in a large group."
There were a few goblins sitting around a large sack of gold, cackling. They were oblivious to all of the terrified screams from the campsites. In fact, the goblins were more concerned with the gold than all of their surroundings. Further down the path there was silvery light from a group of veela. A bunch of young wizards stood a few feet away from them, boasting about their accomplishments. Since there were so many people, this seemed like a perfect place to stop.
While they sat, a familiar face suddenly appeared from behind a tree. It was Ludo Bagman, who no longer had a boyish gleam in his eye. He looked rather flustered. "Huh, what are you doing out here, all alone?" he asked.
He was met with a stunned silence. Since this part of the forest was quieter, it seemed almost silent. "Well, Mr. Bagman, we're here because there is a riot going on in the campsite, so we ran away," Bridgette explained. Mr. Bagman's eyes grew wide with concern. He wasn't aware of the riots yet.
"Damn them!" he swore loudly before Disapperating. Once again the young witches and wizards were alone. Isabella wished she knew if her father was all right. He'd been gone for a really long time. Maybe Bridgette was right about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Even so, making such a claim was serious. Then again, she could also be right in her assumptions. Why else would a bunch of wizards be levitating innocent Muggle-borns?
Ron was keeping himself entertained with his miniature figure of Viktor Krum that walked around. It looked a lot like the actual person. "I sure hope those poor Muggles get down. It's a shame what's happening to them," Hermione sighed, looking towards the campsite. Isabella sat against a tree with her back to the others. The whole attack seemed like it was planned. The evil wizards knew who were Muggle-born, since they went after Bridgette.
In the bush next to the tree, a noise startled Isabella. She jumped up in surprise before glancing at the others. They'd all heard the noise nearby. Who ever was coming with uneven steps like one leg had been injured. Hermione raised her wand to see who was limping closer to them. Bridgette pulled out her own wand, in case she needed to use it. "Hello?" Harry called. There was no reply, but someone was there. It was difficult to see the person, even with the light from their wands. Then they all heard a strange voice utter a spell.
"MORSMORDE!"
A glittering, green flash shot out of the dark patch near where Isabella sat. For a moment, all five of them were blinded. Bridgette fell down in surprise but her eyes quickly focused. The green light seemed to explode in the sky. "Ha! I was right!" Bridgette exclaimed triumphantly, pointing towards Isabella.
"Yes, you were, but now we're all in serious danger. I remember hearing about this from Professor Kaiser, but what did he call it?" Isabella wondered, as a mark formed. The green light turned into a gigantic skull with its tongue sticking out. Bridgette pointed out one very important detail. The skull had a snake instead of a normal, human tongue coming out of it. The mark went higher until it looked like a new constellation.
Suddenly, the forest was full of screams. Had another riot started because of the skull? The wooded area was completely illuminated, but Isabella still couldn't see who had been in the bushes. Whoever was there must have conjured the mark. "We need to leave, right now!" Hermione said, tugging on Isabella's shirt.
"I don't get it. What's the big deal?" Harry asked when he saw four pale faces staring at him.
"Don't they teach you anything at Hogwarts? That mark in the sky is the symbol of You-Know-Who! Somebody conjured the Dark Mark!" Bridgette yelled. Ron hurriedly scooped up his toy and shoved it in his pocket. After a few steps, several quiet pops were heard. "I'm hoping one of us is chewing gum and that was the gum I was heard pop."
Harry was the first one to spin around. The others didn't dare look at what caused the popping noise. Bridgette decided to take a peek behind her. She immediately noticed one big problem. They were surrounded by at least twenty wizards and all of them held out their wand. Harry glanced at Bridgette, who nodded. Together, they shouted, "DUCK!" before knocking their friends to the ground.
"STUPEFY!" roared twenty voices. There was a series of red flashes. Isabella felt a strong wind blow through their hair. She raised her head to see jets of red light flying over them. None of the wizards lowered their wands.
"Stop!" someone cried, pushing past the other wizards. Ron turned his head around and saw that his father was the one who came to their aid. Bridgette felt relieved to see Mr. Weasley, even if she barely knew him. "Those children have done nothing wrong! One of them is my son, Ron! The American Minister of Magic's daughter is lying on the ground. Attacking a foreign girl will be frowned upon by the Department of International Magical Cooperation!"
Patrick and Warren Apparated at that moment. They both looked a little pale. Both men had their left wrists covered, like they were trying to hide something. Hesitantly, Bridgette and Isabella stood up, holding their hands high in surrender. Neither girl knew what was going on, but they weren't taking any chances. They were no match for twenty adult wizards. "Don't harm those children! We have no proof that they conjured up the Dark Mark!" Warren shouted as he walked to his daughter.
"You think we're responsible for the Dark Mark? That is a serious crime to accuse two sixteen year old girls of," Bridgette pointed out. She didn't have her wand with her. Isabella didn't know what was going anymore. Had she just been accused of conjuring the Dark Mark? The older wizards lowered their wands, so Hermione, Ron and Harry stood up. All five of the young witches and wizards huddled together, completely terrified.
An elderly man in a crisp suit and tie appeared an angry look on his face. His short gray hair had a perfect part and his mustache was evenly trimmed. He glared at Isabella since she had a wand in her hand. "Is this the one who conjured the Dark Mark?" he demanded, pointing to Isabella.
"My daughter is not responsible for this, nor are her friends!" Patrick shouted.
"She has her wand out, which makes her guilty! This girl must be sent to prison." the man replied.
"Barty Crouch, my daughter, Bridgette and her friend, Isabella are only in their sixth year of school. Two sixteen year old girls do not have the knowledge to use such an evil incantation," Warren objected, squeezing Bridgette's shoulder. Mr. Crouch glared at Bridgette with icy eyes. He believed that this girl was guilty of conjuring the Dark Mark.
"Barty! We've found the one responsible!" Mr. Bagman exclaimed, holding an unconscious house elf. "Amos Diggory found her in the bushes over there. She has a wand but I'm not sure how she got it. Perhaps we ought to see what the last spell was."
Harry recognized both the wand and the elf. It was his wand and Winky the house elf, whom he'd, met in the Top Box. Mr. Diggory then accused Harry Potter, but Mr. Crouch thought Isabella was guilty. Patrick was furious that his daughter was being accused of conjuring the Dark Mark. In order to clear the two young ones of the crimes, Warren suggested that they use Priori Incantato to see if either wand had the sinister spell. Isabella put her wand tip to tip with Mr. Diggory's. He used Priori Incantato and a small puff of smoke appeared.
The spell Isabella used last was Lumos but her wand showed that she had used the Imperious Curse. That curse could make a wizard be completely controlled. "How can she be innocent if she's practicing an Unforgivable Curse?" Mr. Crouch demanded. Patrick looked to Isabella with confusion in his eyes. It seemed like she really had conjured the Dark Mark. Isabella protested, "I dropped my wand earlier and someone else must have used it for the curse." Harry's wand went up next to see if he'd used the incantation. A green puff of smoke appeared, identical to the symbol in the sky. There was proof that his wand had created the Dark Mark, but no one thought he was guilty.
Since he was the famous Harry Potter, Mr. Crouch and Mr. Diggory figured he was innocent. They placed all the blame on Isabella Scott, even though she was completely innocent. She knew the Unforgivable Curses could not be used by underage witches. Bridgette then pointed out one major detail that was overlooked. Winky had Harry's wand, therefore the elf must have created the Dark Mark. Everyone seemed satisfied with that explanation, so no one thought Harry was involved.
However, that didn't prove that Isabella was innocent. She was guiltier than before. Mr. Crouch decided that perhaps Isabella was a bit young to know the Imperious Curse or the Dark Mark, but she would be closely watched, just in case, Patrick and Warren suggested that they keep a watch over the campsite. "Hold on! If you're out watching over this place, who is going to look out for us?" Bridgette demanded.
"The young lady makes an excellent point. I would prefer that Ms. Scott have an adult wizard keep a close eye on her. If someone volunteers, Patrick and Warren can guard the campsite," Mr. Crouch announced. Fortunately, Mr. Weasley was willing to let the girls stay in his tent for the rest of the night. Winky the house elf was sobbing hysterically. "As for you, elf, this means only one thing. Clothes!"
Bridgette felt bad for Winky. The poor house elf was being treated like filth when she was extremely upset. Mr. Crouch dismissed everyone so he could tend to his many problems. Patrick and Warren left without saying anything to their daughters. Isabella began to suspect something. "What do you think they're up to, Bella?" Bridgette asked.
"I don't know, Bridge. Whatever it is, it involves our fathers. They're hiding a big secret from us," Isabella replied. She watched as Patrick reached up to stretch his arms. There was something on his left wrist, like a tattoo. It looked similar to the Dark Mark. Warren quickly pulled Patrick's arm down. He pointed to Isabella, who was staring at them. The reality of the situation created a nauseous feeling in her stomach. Her father was a Death Eater and that mark on his arm proved it.
"Come on, girls, let's get you to bed. This has been a difficult night for all of us," Mr. Weasley said, ushering all of the younger ones towards his tent. He was glad to see that his other children were already back in the tent. Bill had a large gash on his arm, Charlie managed to rip his shirt and Percy had a bloody nose. Fred, George and Ginny were unhurt, but frightened. Bridgette had a cut on her foot from running without her shoes. Isabella's shirt had several tears from running through bushes.
When the others had fallen asleep and only Charlie's snoring could be heard, Bridgette turned to her friend and whispered, "You saw that thing on your dad's arm that my dad was trying to cover up, didn't you?"
"Yes, but that must mean your father has one too. Our fathers were Death Eaters!" Isabella replied.
"Death Eaters?"
"They were followers of You-Know-Who. The Dark Mark hasn't been seen in thirteen years, since He tried to kill Harry Potter. Death Eaters killed Muggles for fun, which may be why those evil wizards were after you." Both girls felt a chill shoot down their spines. They had a mystery on their hands.