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Her father was waiting outside the tent when she returned, a bag slung on his back and a tube of green paint in hand. One look at the smears on his own face and she knew what he was doing. "Mom is going to flip." She said, watching her fathers face break into a grin as she spoke. "Your mother will never know." He replied as bent down to paint a clover on each of her cheeks, kissing her nose when he finished and earning a swat to his green stained hand as he pulled it away. Josie quickly slipped the things she had bought into her fathers bag and followed after him into the lantern lit forest, a merry song sung guiding her way through the thick crowds of foliage. She held tight to her fathers hand through the clusters of trees and the people walking around them, her eyes trained on the glow of her bracelet the entire way as voices echoed around them. Faintly she could hear what sounded like the twins yelling a few yards in front of them, and she smiled at the rough hooting that echoed back at her.
The trees finally broke apart, the dim light of the lanterns they had been following obliterated by the shadow of the stadium that rose up in front of them. Quickly her father pulled her in line to turn in their tickets and head up the stairs to find their seats located almost at the very top. As they stopped due to an elderly wizard moving into his seat, Josie looked up the long purple coated curved staircase to watch those going up, catching a group of red-headed siblings bounding up them a few flights above her. "Josephine, come on. We've a long way to go." Her father said as he took her arm, pulling her up the flights of stairs until finally they found their seats next to a familiar face.
"Well, this is a surprise. How are you Josie?" Inky black hair was braided down past both shoulders and swung as Charlie Camson turned her head towards her. "Ah, who is this?" Her father asked, sitting down on the end of the row and putting Josie next to the younger Slytherin in the process. "This is Charlie; she's a year below me and in a different house." Josie clarified, watching as Charlie took her fathers outstretched hand shook it gently. "Nice to meet you sir." She said with a shockingly polite smile.
Looking past the green plaid decorating the Slytherin girl's shoulder, Josie decided to take a look at the three people that sat next to her. What Josie assumed were her parents sat together, her mother's hand intertwined with her fathers, and a younger blonde boy sat between them and Charlie. It would be odd for the girl to have any parents other than these Josie thought, her father's sleek blonde ponytail and scarred lips with her mother's short sharp inky bob and heavy lashes pieced together could only result in Charlie and her brother.
"Charlie dear don't bother them." The mother's soft voice scolded lightly, casting a soft smile in Josie's direction. "She's not bothering us madam, any school friend of my daughter I'm glad to meet." Andre replied, smiling broadly. "So how was your summer?" Charlie continued, turning her body in her seat to face the older Hogwarts student in their conversation. "It's been fine, how was yours?" Josie continued with the small talk, fiddling nervously with her fingers. "I spent a while of it with family in Germany, it was nice." The younger girl replied, eyes flickering to the stairs behind them before they rolled harshly. Josie quickly followed her gaze towards the entryway to their seats to watch as the blonde boy that had teased Charlie the last time they sat and spoke like this, Draco Malfoy, glanced over the both of them before another person pushed past him.
"Camson, I didn't know you would be attending this year." The overly polite, sly voice settled over the box's inhabitants as all heads turned to look at the new comer. Mrs. Camson spoke first. "We thought the children would enjoy it, I see you've brought your own son." "Of course." The man, Draco Malfoys father by the familiar traits and how he had been addressed, smiled in a way that looked much like a grimace before he looked over the two Slytherin students sitting next to Josie. "I don't think I have had the pleasure of meeting your children." He stated cooly, looking them over. Charlie stood right on cue, swiftly but calmly walking toward the entry way with her brother on her heels.
"I'm Charlie Camson, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Malfoy. Your son speaks highly of you." Her voice was polite and cheerful as she spoke, smiling gently as she gestured towards the boy next to her. "This is my brother Bleddyn." She finished, watching as Mr. Malfoy took his hand to shake it slightly. "You know my son do you?" Mr. Malfoy looked Charlie over carefully as he spoke, taking in spotless boots and dark jeans. "You could say that." Malfoy answered his father's question before Charlie could, and Josie couldn't miss the look the two Slytherin students shared. The brow of Charlie's profile quirked up as her lips twitched into a scowl, Draco's own face nearly mimicking hers as he held back a sneer. "Well, hopeful next time the Ministry will aid in achieving better seats for your family." Mr. Malfoy said in farewell, slinking out of the box as quickly as he had come with his son following behind.
"What is it with you two?" Bleddyn asked as he and his sister sat down, earning a sharp glare from the latter of the two. "I was wondering the same thing." Josie added, watching as Charlie smiled before sliding down in her seat to get comfortable. "How are the twins?" she asked, derailing the subject before it could get any father. "Fine, I saw them earlier today." Josie replied, tearing her gaze away from the girls prying eyes before it spotted her flush. "Are your parents a part of the Ministry?" Andre interjected from behind Josie, leaning forward to talk with the other girl. "My wife is, I'm retired." Charlie's father replied, turning towards the other family. "Mr.-""Desmarais." "Mr. Desmarais." he continued, his face calm. "There's a nice pub on the other side of the stadium, a mile or so away, run by an elderly wizard and his family. I would like to invite you after the match to a celebratory drink and meal, whatever the outcome." Mr. Camson said, watching Josie's father closely as he awaited an answer. "I couldn't impose." "It is best." Charlie's mother insisted, turning to look unblinking at Andre for a few long moments. "I would be delighted." He finally replied, smiling at the couples nod in response before turning his attention back to the arena.
The Bulgarian mascots were announced as they slinked onto the field, and Josie's eyes narrowed at them. Veela, a creature Josie knew far too well from her studies at Beauxbatons, had begun a dance that caused the entire crowd to shift forward. The teenage boys in the box next to theirs had begun to lean so far over the railing they would fall at any moment. With a glance towards Bleddyn her brow rose in amusement, Josie almost laughing at the strange situation unfolding next to her. Bleddyn was slouched down in his chair, watching the entertainment with mild interest. His sister on the other hand, was a sight to see. Leaned so far forward in her chair her nose almost touched the railing, Charlie was watching the performance with flickering looks of jealousy and passion as her eyes darted back and forth between the dancing women and the crowd around them.
The dance ended as soon as it had started, and the Irish mascots had their turn. In a flood of green and gold a swarm of Leprechauns covered the field, gold coins raining down from the sky as they formed a large shamrock that put Josie's painted cheeks to shame. Josie quickly scooped up the coins from around their box, shoving them but the handfuls into her father's bag before he swat her away playfully.
The match opened with eruption of color, and from that moment on the Desmarais family spent little time in the seats they had been assigned. Instead the two took to staying on their feet to lean over the railing and watch as the team zipped onto the field. This was the test of all tests to see how much Josie had learned from her father, the teams playing Quidditch like Josie had never seen before. If she had trouble following along with Quidditch before, she would definitely be able to follow the Hogwarts teams now. She barely kept up with the gameplay of this, her railing pressed into her stomach and the Omnioculars her father had bought the both of them held fast to her the entire time.
It only became more brutal as the game went on, the Bulgarian beaters putting up a fight that would shame the tactlessness of the Slytherin beaters and the fire of Fred and George to shame. Charlie was the first to catch the high speed chase that was going on between the two Seekers, her hand hitting Josie's arm with a dull thud. "Look!" she yelled as she pointed towards the high points of the match, the two players a blur as they shot downward. "Good catch dear!" Mr. Camson yelled over the crowd. "Not hard to pay attention to the Seekers when you like one." Josie barely heard Bleddyns comment to his sister, but she surely heard the resounding smack that came from the older sibling hitting the other.
Josie was pulled back into the game but the roar of the crowd, watching as the Irish seeker hit the ground with a thud that made her skin crawl. Quidditch was a dirty game, but Josie had never seen it played this dirty. Not even in a match against Slytherin. The crowd was ferocious, the team mascots were foul, and the game was bound to turn bloody at this rate. "And this is why I will never let you play." Andre said in her ear, grinning widely as Josie rolled her eyes. "I'd get killed, and I know it." She replied.
The match finished in a blur, Ireland winning with only ten points over Bulgaria, but only after Bulgarians seeker Victor Krum caught the snitch as he dripped blood to the field below. The stadium emptied twice as quickly as it had filled, the crowd roaring with laughter and singing. The two families cheerfully made their way around the stadium and started across the field towards the pub Mr. Camson had mentioned, the mans dark cloak leading the way as Josie's father and Charlie's mother quietly chatted about working at separate national branches of the Ministry as the three teenagers talked noisily about the match they had just witnessed. The roar from the cheering crowd faded behind them the farther they went, the bright lights barely glimmering over the hills as they reached the pub. The slanted tin plated roof reflected the dim glow, and the firelight from inside the glass panels that decorated the walls of the building made the warm brick glow from the inside. The pub was warm compared to the slight chill of the summer night outside, two wide fireplaces on each side of the main room burning brightly.
Mr. Camson went straight to the bar, firmly grasping the bar tenders hand with both of his as they shared a warm greeting. A fair-haired server directed the odd collection of people to a long table near one of the large fireplaces, setting a small paper menu in front of each of them. By the time they had each ordered their drinks, three waters for the students and water along side coffee for the two adults, Mr. Camson had returned to the group and taken his place next to his wife with a mug of what was assumed to be alcohol in hand. "Anything for you, Mr. Desmarias?" he asked as he sipped. "No thank you, I don't drink much more than wine with my wife and a fire-whiskey with my sister on holidays. " Josie's father replied, and soon enough the two men fell into a conversation about family, leaving Mrs. Camson to talk with the two older students due to her son becoming engrossed in figuring out what he wanted to eat.
"Josie, what house are you in?" Mrs. Camson asked coolly, sipping her newly arrived and steaming coffee as she watched her from over the rim. A pang of apprehension ran through her stomach, wary of the Slytherin opinion of other houses and non-pure bloodline coming out in response to her answer. Her mouth felt dry when she tried to speak, almost knocking over her water when she reached for it. "I'm in Gryffindoor." She answered softly after too long a time had gone on, hiding her face in the menu as she waited for a response.
"That's nice. I knew some very nice people from Gryffindoor when I was in school. You seem like you would be in Gryffindoor." "Pardon?" she questioned before Josie could stop herself, biting her lip and quickly drowning her embarrassment in another sip of water. "You have a certain look in your eye, and you seem like a very intelligent and adventurous girl. Besides, you were far to loud during the match to be a Ravenclaw, and you were far too civil to be a Slytherin." Charlie snorted into her drink across from Josie, smiling at her mother's explanation. "She doesn't mean that in a bad way I promise." The girl assured as she slid her over shirt down her arms to tie it around her waist, rolling up the sleeves of the black shirt she wore under it.
Mindless chatter followed, Josie and Charlie talking about the next school year while the parents talked about Wizard politics across the nations as they waited for their food to arrive. When it did the table fell mostly quiet aside from Charlie's father talking about his days as an Auror with Josie's father. In the silence, Josie found herself staring out the thick glass windows watching the fire reflect off the panels as she enjoyed the hearty stew she had ordered. She lost herself in the reflecting colors by the time she had finished, finding herself day dreaming of the twins and their fiery hair as her eyes drifted to the fireplace by the windows to watch the flames twist around each other. Wondering what those two were doing in that moment, probably celebrating just a loudly as they did for their own team, she looked again to the windows where the twins were far off on the other side of the stadium. When she did look she saw the windows reflecting the flames brighter than before, and it did not take her long to realize that those flames were not from the fireplace inside the quiet pub but outside in the distance. From the darkness and the flames the window reflected two orbs of light coming near quickly across the field.
"What's that?" she asked, quickly straitening up in her chair as the hair on the back of her neck stood up. It didn't feel right anymore, the air was heavy, and the smell of smoke overwhelmed her as the door to the pub was thrown open and two wizards stumbled in. Wands alight and cloaks singed, they looked frantically around the pub, slamming the door behind them and rushing towards the bar. "What is it?" the bartender asked, motioning for the fair-haired server to lock the pub door as the few groups of people around the pub stood slowly.
"Deatheaters, everywhere, marching through the field and destroying everything. They might be headed this way since-" The pause in the air was heavy, all eyes trained on the door. "Go wake your mother, in the cellar quickly." The bartender ordered, the three servers all-bolting into the kitchen door and out of sight. "Since what." Bleddyn spoke up for the first time that night, voice low and measured for such a young boy. "Since his wife is a muggle." Mr. Camson answered, drawing his wand from his pocket and slowly making his way towards the front door. Josie and her father shared a glance, his jaw tight as he drew his own wand before slipping Josie's from out of the bag by his feet and handing it to her. "Just in case." He said sternly before slipping the bag over her shoulders and pulling her back towards the fireplace. Everyone held their breath, wands drawn, as they listened. From over the hills the sounds of explosions and screams drifted towards them, the shutters rattling dangerously in the wind.
Josie thought of Fred and George, of Ginny and Bill, of Oliver. The urge to run back towards the screaming field pulled her feet forward; her fathers hand on her arm keeping her from bolting out the door. "What was the state of the tents when you left?" she asked softly, eyes locking with one of the wizards that alerted them. "Josephine don't-" "What was the state of the tents when you left?" she asked again louder, voice shaking as it echoed through the still air of the room. He didn't answer, only stared back at her with pained eyes. "Answer her!" Charlie yelled beside her, her mother shushing her sternly. "Engulfed in flames." Was the grim answer that came, and that was all Josie needed to send her running towards the door.
As soon as her hands met the heavy wood the glass panels shattered, her fathers cry drowned out by a deafening boom as black forms poured in through the now destroyed walls. The long arms of Mr. Camson grabbed Josie and pulled her behind him, casting disarming spells at the people that had appeared before they once again became wisps of smoke and disappeared again. "Brave girl indeed." He said with a soft smile, pulling her back towards her father and forming a tight circle as they were once again surrounded by dense, dark shapes scattered across the room. The circle of people pushed back towards the fireplace, Josie's back coming into contact with the hard brick.
Everyone moved in a blur as wands raised, curses and counter curses exploding across the air as everything became a blur. Josie found herself lowering her wand, the echo of a counter curse on her tongue as the fighting continued and she felt Bleddyn slip behind her into the fireplace. With a barely audible mutter he disappeared in flame, Charlie quickly falling in behind him throwing curses the entire way.
"Get out of here, we can handle this." Mr. Camson called over the roar of voices echoing in the room, still blocking Josie's need to dart out the open door to find the twins. Her father's heavy hands pulled her into the fireplace, his voice urgently speaking into her ear as he took a fistful of floo powder and threw it to the floor. "Think of Andrea's house." Despite her thoughts being fully focused on getting to the twins as soon as possible the comment forced images of the warm rustic wood and heavy scent of spice of her aunt's home.
The flames consumed Josie, green tendrils pulling her and her father away from the battle in the pub and from her hope of getting to the twins before harm beat her to it. Her chest tightened painfully, the sensation of falling forcing her heart into her throat to choke on and her stomach into her feet. Even as the inviting warmth of Andrea's living room came into view and her knee's hit the rough red brick of the fireplace, Josie felt like she was tumbling into darkness still. Her father quickly pulled her to sit before rushing into the kitchen in search for his sister as a voice called out to them. Muffled expressions and frantic conversation drifted through the wood to Josie's place on the couch cushions, her body stiff and buzzing as she stared at the fireplace from which she had come. She found herself only to lose it all over again, becoming away of the frantic pulsing racing through her veins and the webs of panic that had taken all moisture from her throat.
She jerked to her feet as gruesome thoughts of what could be happening to the twins flooded around her, her hand painfully gripping her wand enough to leave its pattern on her palm. Her imagination shared flashes of what only can be described as nightmares; Fred lying dead in a pool of blood, George maimed and broken as dark figures surrounded him, their warm eyes fading away, writhing in pain as they were tortured, warm hands she once held in comfort growing cold as life slipped away. Fighting the urge to vomit she moved with determination towards the fireplace, strong hands holding her back. She had not noticed Paxton come in through the anguish her mind was infliction on her, not noticing the couch cushion dip in as he sat beside her. Heavy footsteps pulled her into reality, the floorboards vibrating beneath her boots as her father swiftly entered the room.
"What's going on?" Her voice cracked as she spoke, tears building in her eyes as she moved to stand in front of her father. The deep lines in his brow drew a sob from her throat, not having seen him like this since Josie's fraternal grandfather had passed when she was little. If it had not been apparent in the confrontation at the pub, it was now. This was bad, very bad, and Josie could see the severity of the situation in her father's eyes. "What's going on, why did we leave? We have to go back!" she pleaded through choked sobs, fighting against the grip Paxton had on her arm.
Emmanuel entered before her father had time to process the questions, wand drawn as he stalked towards the fireplace. "I have to go." He said with a quick kiss and a lingering grasp to Andrea before he disappeared, grim faced, into the fireplace. The tightness in Josie's chest grew, the thudding of her pulse ringing in her ears as she swallowed hard. Gripping her father's arm more questions spilled from her bleeding lips. "Where is he going? What's going on? Who are those people?" She was losing the ability to speak rationally, much less in English as her speech faltered with each word. "He's going to the field." Was all her father answered before he pulled her fingers gently from his arm and moved towards the nails dug into his arm as she grabbed him again, tears blurring her vison as she looked up at her father. "Where are you going?" she was aware of others around her, pulling her back towards the couch and away from him. "I'm going to get your mother someplace safe, and then I'm going back." "Why are you going back?" "Because they need our help." Was his stern idea of her father leaving her alone pushed her closer to the edge, even as she dug in her heels to stay in place. Her voice strained through broken sobs as she cried out, finally losing all capability to continue on speaking her second tongue.
"You can't leave! You can't leave me here; I have to go back with you. My friends are there, Fred and George are there!" She was screaming, cracking on each syllable as she began to shake more and more with each pull on her father's arm. "No, you're staying here. It will be fine, I will be fine. I'll look for them." Her father had never been harsher with her in her life, pushing her back into Andrea's arms before disappearing into the floo system and leaving his daughter behind to break down into sobs.
She was falling, and everything she had to grab on to was gone. Her father had left her, her uncle had disappeared, and the two people that kept her head above all that engulfed her were lost to unknown fates. Once again she was consumed by thoughts of the worse, her family's faces mixed into the bloodshed. Her fingers were shaking violently, unable to grasp the arm of neither the couch she was moved to nor the cup Andrea placed between her palms. The scorching liquid spilled as it the ceramic made contact with her thigh, Josie barely jerking as hot chocolate stained her jeans and blistered the thighs underneath. She was lost, lost in her own personal horror show as it replayed the demise of her loved ones. Her aunt's yell woke her from it, her head jerking toward the noise and following Andrea's gaze to Paxton standing in the front doorway. "Where are you going?" she echoed, her eyes wide and tear filled. "I'm going to get Lana and her family." He replied as he disappeared out the front door, a loud pop left in his place.
With only herself and her aunt seemingly out of harm's way and the rest of her loved ones missing in action, Josie did the only thing she could think to do with her body frozen in fear. She cried. She wept openly and desperately, barely breathing through sobs and blinded by heavy tears. Arms wrapped around her, holding her close as her body was racked with wails and her mind raced around cemeteries for her. After what felt like hours she regained her body again, throwing herself at the fireplace with everything she had. She was falling again, but this time her feet were not on the ground because of any magic. Josie was lifted from the rough brick by her aunt's strong arms, raising her and pulling her back to the safety of the couch. "Let me go!" Josie was screaming, her voice rough as she fought against the elder witch in a fury of elbows and feet. "Let me go! I have to go back, they're in trouble! They could be hurt! I can't lose them!" the voice Josie heard in her head didn't sound like hers, it was too loud, too pained. The entire situation felt liked a dream, a hideous nightmare that was sure to haunt her for years to come.
Finally her aunt secured her, holding her tight as bruises formed on her arms and legs from Josie's relentless battle. Dragging the young girl to the kitchen and forcing her to sit, Andrea busied herself with making another drink. As the warm cocoa was placed in front of her Josie realized that she was doing the worst thing she could do at a time like this; nothing. And with one small sip of her cocoa and a glance at the green tinged droplets that were falling from her chin, Josie wept.