...GOoHS...

Chapter 6

The Dark Mark

It was still the Weasleys' chanting that filled the tent even after the match. Even Bill and Ginny had joined in on the twins' and Charlie's antics. Ron, though not straying too far from his friends, had taken to jumping up and down and whooping. Mr. Weasley looked on wearily at them, not having the energy to stop his wild offspring. Percy, who separated himself from his siblings, sported a scowl like Hermione's. The both of them had their arms crossed as they watched the other occupants of their tent make fools of themselves. Lucas and James were off to the side, though not too far from the center of activity. They were happily discussing the match and its surprising outcome.

Ron suddenly rounded on Harry and placed both of his hands on his shoulders and shook him in his excitement. Harry laughed at his friend's enthusiasm while Hermione, who had been eyeing them from the side, moved away to avoid getting hit. She left their side to go and sit on one of the armchairs near James and Lucas, hoping to get some semblance of peace.

Harry pushed Ron playfully towards his siblings (who were now dancing badly around the tent) and followed Hermione. He didn't want to admit it given the amount of fun he was having, but he was exhausted. He sat down beside his father and continued to grin at the Weasleys' antics. James gave him an absent-minded pat when he felt him sit beside him, his attention still fully on his and Lucas' discussion.

'Of course they had a lot to talk about,' Harry thought as his eyes slid momentarily to his father and brother. They were both Chasers and the skill and talent the Irish Chasers displayed at the match awed them. They were probably already talking strategy and would try out the moves they saw tonight the moment they got home.

A yawn escaped Harry's lips, though it went unnoticed given the noise both inside and outside their tent. He slid further down the couch and felt his eyelids begin to droop. A loud explosion followed by equally loud cheers echoed around their campsite and Harry couldn't help but crack a smile. He pitied his godfather who was on duty tonight. He was probably even assigned at the Irish camp.

That was Harry's last thought before he succumbed to sleep. A second later, he was being shaken awake by his father.

"Harry. Harry!"

Harry looked at him blearily, thoughts still muddled after being woken so abruptly.

"S'matter—" he tried to ask but James cut him off, shoving Harry's wand into his hand and pushing him and Lucas towards the Weasley children and Hermione. Harry barely registered the loud explosions and distant screams that echoed outside the tent.

"Listen to me, I want you all to run to the forest for cover. Stay there, lie low, and wait until we come and get you, understood?" he instructed. Gone was the friendly Mr. Potter that they knew. Standing before them was the seasoned Auror James Potter.

Harry, still confused, looked to his brother for answers but even he looked stumped. As did Hermione, Ron, and the other Weasley children.

"Dad, what's—" Lucas tried to ask but he was interrupted by someone rushing into their tent.

James, Arthur, Bill, and Charlie immediately drew their wands on the new arrival.

"Whoa! Hey! It's me!"

"Morgana's tits, Padfoot, don't jump out like that!" James exclaimed at their "intruder".

Sirius Black put up his hands in apology as he always did whenever he made a small mistake but he quickly switched back to Auror mode.

"You need to leave, now! They're on their way here as we speak—"

"How many?" James cut in, eyes flicking to the children in worry.

"There's no time for that! Bloody move your arses!" Sirius barked, grabbing Fred, who was nearest to him, and shoving him towards the tent's entrance.

A scream pierced through the night, followed by panicked voices and Sirius' face drained of all color. "Fuck! They're here!"

Arthur quickly grabbed Ginny's hand and pushed her to George. "She's yours and Fred's responsibility! Go to the forest!"

George, now white as a sheet, grabbed Ginny and ran outside with Fred. Bill, Charlie, and Percy quickly followed to protect them while they ran. After a few minutes, they went in a different direction than the twins and Ginny. They were probably going to help the Ministry in handling the threat, Harry thought.

James and Arthur rounded on the four teenagers left inside the tent.

"We'll provide cover for you once we get outside but you need to run as fast as you can to the forest, understood?" Mr. Weasley said, brow sweating profusely.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lucas nodded vigorously at his words. Sirius had gone to the entrance, observing the situation outside.

"Do not look back, you hear me? Run. Find Fred, George, and Ginny and stay out of sight." James told them sternly as he led them towards the entrance.

Sirius gave James a nod and the both of them went outside first. Arthur pushed the kids out after them and yelled at them to run. They didn't need telling twice. They all bolted towards the direction of the forest, not stopping to pay any mind to the smoke and the screams that immediately assaulted their senses as they navigated the once merry campground.

Harry could see flashes of green from the corner of his eyes but he didn't let that deter him from running away. He tried to push away the thoughts of the green flash of light from his dream.

He bumped into Lucas' back once they reached the tree line. He was pushing past the other witches and wizards that had also run to the forest for cover. Harry tried not to lose sight of him. Ron was behind him, shielding Hermione from the mad crowd.

Lucas finally found a clear path towards a quiet clearing where a few groups had huddled in fear. They could still hear the chaos from the campgrounds but they didn't want to go too far into the forest either. It was best if they could stick with a few groups for the time being.

"Surprised they didn't grab the Mudblood first," an arrogant voice called out.

Ron and Harry's head immediately whipped around in anger. They immediately recognized the taunting voice.

Malfoy was smirking at them as he leaned on a tree not far from them. He didn't seem at all disturbed about the chaos or the fact that there were bad witches and wizards about.

"Ran here to hide, did you Potter? Did your daddy tell you to hide far away from the scary people?" he mocked; his eyes fixed on Lucas.

Lucas glowered at him. "Yeah? Your parents tell you to watch and learn from them tonight, did they, Malfoy? Bit early for Death Eater lessons, isn't it?"

Malfoy's smirk fell off his face at the mention of those words.

Harry looked at his brother in confusion. Death Eaters? What were Death Eaters? Was that something he and Dumbledore discussed in their lessons? Harry made a mental note to ask him about it later.

"What's the matter? Did they forget to have your mask made?" Lucas said. He had turned the tables on Malfoy, it seemed.

Malfoy scoffed. He stood up properly and gave him an eerie stare. "That bravado won't last long, Potter."

"Yeah right," Ron snorted. "you're just mad he got you."

Malfoy glared at him. "Don't butt in, Weasley. If I were you, I'd hide that Mudblood friend of yours."

Ron made to charge at him but Harry and Hermione quickly held him back. Malfoy laughed and walked away from them as if he hadn't just provoked them moments ago.

"Come on, let's move." Lucas said, dragging Harry's arm with him. "If he's here then it would be dangerous, not to mention foolish, to stick around."

Harry agreed. It was only common sense to give as much distance between themselves and any member of the Malfoy family. Ron and Hermione followed them as they walked deeper into the forest, keeping an eye out for Fred, George, and Ginny. They made sure to stick close to the lantern lit path they took to get to the Quidditch stadium earlier in the evening, just in case their fathers had started looking for them. They stayed a bit away from the path itself though, as it was crowded with numerous witches and wizards as well as magical creatures. They didn't want to involve themselves in that chaos.

Lucas found them a quiet spot away from the path, the noise only a dull murmur to them at the wide distance. Harry slumped on a tree root, catching his breath. Hermione glanced around worriedly. She had her wand out and lit up as she looked for a glimpse of the Weasley twins and Ginny. Ron and Lucas stood around acting like lookouts, eyes and ears perked up for any sign of danger.

Harry's eyes suddenly caught movement several feet away from them. He saw the dark figure of a man moving behind the trees but he moved without any sense of urgency. Harry tried to see if he could recognize him but it was too dark. The man took slow deliberate steps and stopped suddenly. He raised his wand up and spoke out in a clear voice.

"MORSMORDRE!"

Ron, Lucas, and Hermione's head whipped around at the voice. A vast, green light erupted from the stranger's wand and rose high above the treetops and into the sky. It slowly took the form of a massive skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue.

"What the…" Ron muttered; his eyes fixed on the thing that suddenly appeared in the night sky.

Suddenly, screams erupted from all around them. Harry saw the people around them take one look at the skull in the sky and run away in fear. Lucas looked at the thing, frozen in place. From Harry's side, he heard Hermione urging them to run. Harry didn't listen to her. His eyes went back to the place he had seen the man who cast it had been.

There was no one there.

Before Harry could scan the trees ahead of him for any sign of the man, he felt Lucas tug on his arm urgently.

"Harry! Come on, we need to move," he said, his voice rising in panic. Hermione and Ron were already a few steps ahead of them.

Harry's eyes moved towards the sky again, taking in the sight of the ominous green apparition. His body suddenly seized up. His gaze never wavered but he could no longer see the massive skull and the serpent that twisted around it. His vision was flooded with a bright green light and his thoughts were suddenly filled with loud screams and maniacal laughter.

"Harry? What are you doing? We need to move!"

Harry felt as though he was underwater. He didn't hear his brother's panicked calls towards him, feeling as though he no longer mattered. His finger's tingled with sudden renewed energy. Harry had never felt this good before. He couldn't remember feeling so… energized.

The screams invaded his thoughts again. He heard them beg for mercy but a cold maniacal voice only laughed at their suffering.

'Not them, please! They've never done anything to you!'

'Step aside, you filthy muggle!'

'Not my grandchildren!'

'AVADA KEDAVRA!'

It was the green light again. Harry's scar burned intensely. He screamed, clutching his forehead as he fell to his knees. Lucas yelped as he tried to catch him.

"Harry! Snap out of it! We need to go!"

Kill them.

Kill them all.

Kill them in the name of the Dark Lord.

To Harry's horror, his fingers twitched and started to move towards Lucas' neck. He struggled to keep his hand away from his brother, however, the sudden bloodlust disappeared as another wave of pain swept over him. His scar felt like it was on fire.

Lucas' eyes widened in panic at his brother's state. Harry was writhing in his arms, looking as if he was having a seizure. Ron and Hermione noticed that they hadn't followed them and ran back to their side, both looking as lost as Lucas. Loud cracks suddenly erupted from all around them and then they heard a loud chorus of voices scream a spell at them.

"STUPEFY!"

"DUCK!" Lucas yelled, pinning Harry down on the ground. Ron quickly followed, pinning Hermione beneath him as well.

Red sparks exploded above their heads and Hermione screamed in fright. Lucas clenched his jaw, determined to protect Harry. Harry wasn't shaking as violently as earlier but he didn't look any better.

"STOP! STOP!" yelled a familiar voice. "Those are my sons!"

Lucas almost cried in relief as he looked up. James Potter had finally found them. He saw his father fighting to get to them but he was stopped by several men and women in dark robes.

"What do you think you're doing?! Let me through!" James yelled indignantly.

A man Lucas recognized as Mr. Crouch marched towards their direction with his wand out, pointing it at them in anger. Ron immediately put his hands up, face as white as a sheet. Lucas stole a quick glance at Harry and he felt panic and fear well up inside him. Harry's eyes were closed and he was unresponsive.

"Which of you conjured it?!" Mr. Crouch yelled at them. His wand got uncomfortably close to Lucas' face. "Which one of you conjured the Dark Mark?!"

"We didn't do anything!" Ron said loudly with his hands still up in the air.

"Do not lie!" snapped Mr. Crouch.

"We're not lying!" Ron quickly retorted. "Honest!"

The perpetrator was far from Lucas' mind as he tried again and again to shake Harry awake. Harry still remained unconscious.

"Dad! Dad! Something's wrong with Harry!" he screamed over Mr. Crouch's accusations. His sudden yell was enough to silence Mr. Crouch momentarily. All eyes went to Lucas and his brother on the ground.

James pushed against the wizards who had tried to stop him and ran to his sons. His face was pale as he turned Harry over, checking for a pulse.

'Please, not like this'

James' heart pounded as he waited to hear Harry's heartbeat. He sagged in immense relief when he heard it. Without wasting any time, he picked Harry up gently. He looked around for Sirius, who, until this moment, had been at his heels the entire time. He finally saw his best friend running towards them as well as several redheads following behind him.

Sirius skidded to a halt in front of James. He looked at James in fear when he saw him carrying his limp godson in his arms. His voice shook when he spoke.

"Prongs… is he…?"

James shook his head. "I need to get him to St. Mungo's immediately. Stay with Lucas and the others."

"But Prongs—"

James shook his head. "As soon as you're cleared to leave, bring Lucas to St. Mungo's."

"Dad, I want to come with you!" Lucas piped up, running to his father's side.

James shook his head. "No, you stay with Sirius. Do not leave his side."

"Dad—"

"St. Mungo's is probably filled with people right now, Lucas. You'll come later with Sirius when it's less hectic, alright?"

Lucas didn't like his father's decision but nodded anyway. Sirius put an arm around Lucas' shoulder and nodded at James.

"Go. I've got him. Just go and make sure Harry's okay."

James nodded and apparated away before Crouch and the others could stop him.

Lily looked very shaken when she arrived at St. Mungo's. James' Patronus told her that there had been an attack on the campgrounds and that he had taken Harry to St. Mungo's. Her husband failed to mention why he was bringing Harry to the wizarding hospital. For all Lily knew, he had fallen victim to the attackers he mentioned.

She found James standing out in the hallway near the emergency and trauma rooms. That only served to heighten Lily's stress and anxiety. She ran to her husband's side, tears already springing to her eyes.

James saw her coming. Lily was stricken by how shaken he looked.

"James, where's Lucas? He's not with you?" she asked worriedly as she drew near.

James shook his head. "He's with Padfoot and the Weasleys. He's safe."

Lily believed her husband but she knew she wouldn't really feel at peace until she saw him herself. James seemed to read her mind because he added, "Padfoot's bringing him here as soon as he gets cleared to go. They need all Aurors to report in right now. I told them I'll leave as soon as you get here."

His face showed that he clearly didn't want to follow orders at the moment, not when his son's life was in danger. Lily's gaze softened and she hugged him tightly.

"Where's Harry? How is he?" she asked softly. Her hands gripped his arms in an attempt to steady herself.

James gestured to a bed a few feet behind him that was crowded with several healers, many of whom Lily recognized. They were part of the research team that headed Harry's case. Her eyes travelled further down and she saw her son lying pale and unresponsive to all the healers' prodding and poking.

Lily choked back a sob and immediately started moving towards her son. James held her back but Lily fought back against his tight grip.

"Lily, no, let them work."

"No! I need to be with him!"

James hugged her tightly to keep her in place. He tried not to break down like Lily, not yet. He still couldn't dispel the absolute horror and fear that filled him when he saw Harry lying there face down on the forest floor, right under the Dark Mark.

Healer Peakes heard Lily's sobbing and extracted himself from the group that crowded Harry's bed. James saw him coming and told Lily.

"Healer Peakes, you've been examining him for nearly an hour. What's going on?" James asked shakily. He felt Lily tense up beside him. She didn't know they had been at it for that long.

Healer Peakes' face didn't give away anything. "Let's talk about this in my office."

His eyes briefly flashed towards the people that crowded around the emergency room and James and Lily understood. They followed him to his office in silence but their hearts thundered at the suspense.

"Well?" Lily asked impatiently as soon as they got settled inside the healer's office.

Peakes blew out a breath and wiped his brow. His face suddenly showed amazement. Lily and James looked at each other, both confused.

"I'm sorry it's just…" Peakes began. He started twiddling with his thumbs as he gathered his thoughts. "the last time we talked about Harry's condition, I believed we would never reach a breakthrough. His health has been steadily declining these past six years but tonight…"

He paused, running a hand through his hair. "…tonight, he miraculously improved. I… I can't—no, I don't believe it!"

Lily's brow furrowed. "What do you mean by that, Healer Peakes? His health improved…?"

James was also baffled. Never in history had anyone been found under the Dark Mark with their health better than it had been. But then James remembered that his children were not ordinary people. They had survived an attack from Voldemort himself at fifteen months old, one of them even survived the killing curse for Merlin's sake.

"We've done several tests and more than enough diagnostic charms. Harry's current condition is marginally better than it had been before. It's… truthfully, it's baffling!"

James frowned. It truly was baffling. Normally he would have jumped happily at this news but he and Lily knew not to take this at face value. There had to be something the healer was not telling them.

"What's your theory?" Lily asked. "W-Why… why do you think this happened to Harry?"

Peakes sucked in a breath as if preparing himself to tell them something disturbing. Knowing his children's history, James thought bitterly, it probably was something disturbing.

"Mr. Potter told me they found him under the Dark Mark."

Lily's eyes widened and her head snapped to James.

"The Dark Mark?!" she hissed. "James you didn't tell me anything about the Dark Mark! You were attacked by Death Eaters?!"

James winced. "Sorry, I was in a panic to get Harry here. But yes, it was the Dark Mark."

Lily's heart started beating rapidly, suddenly panicking over the fact that Lucas was not with them. James sensed her worries.

"Lucas is safe with Sirius and the other aurors. He'll be here soon. He's fine." James said, rubbing circles on Lily's back. "Please, continue Healer Peakes."

Peakes hesitated for a second, looking at Lily's state, before launching into his explanation again. "Right… again, he was found under the Dark Mark. It's currently our working theory that this may have affected Harry in some way. For one thing, the levels of dark magic around him is unusually high."

James and Lily's worries spiked.

"W-Was he… cursed in some way?" James stammered out.

Peakes shook his head. "No. That's the thing. He doesn't have traces of being hit by any spells or curses. We think…" he took a deep breath before continuing. "we think the residue inside him may have been triggered in some way by the Dark Mark.

"In some cases, dark magic leaves behind a mark on the person that it has afflicted. This is more commonly seen in lycanthropy and vampiric cases. The dark magic from You-Know-Who's attack all those years ago left behind a mark on Harry. Curse marks like the one on Harry's forehead that are… invigorated by more dark magic can have devastating effects. This isn't the case with Harry."

Lily gripped James' hand tightly.

"Normally, dark magic would further inflict damage on the person afflicted with a curse mark but it seems to have an opposite effect on Harry."

James's brow furrowed. "So, what are you saying? You expose Harry to more dark magic in an attempt to cure him? Merlin…"

Healer Peakes' eyes widened. "Oh no, no, no, that would be very dangerous. Dark magic will only feed the residue inside Harry. Although it has positive effects on Harry's health right now, there's no telling when that might backfire on him."

"So what? What are you saying?"

"As of now, we don't know what kind of dark magic has this effect on Harry. Maybe it was because the Dark Mark is You-Know-Who's mark and it revitalized the magic that latched itself on him. If it's dark magic that isn't related to You-Know-Who in any way, it might have very negative effects."

The couple in front of him only looked more confused. Peakes sighed.

"Look, here's what we know. As of now, Harry's… revitalization, for lack of a better term, is a sort of gift. He's healthier and more alert than he's been in years… but we also cannot disregard the fact that the residue from You-Know-Who had fed on the Dark Mark's magic tonight too. Harry may have grown stronger but so has the dark magic inside him."

Lily and James looked very alarmed at that.

"S-So? What does this mean for Harry?" Lily asked.

"Nothing, as long as he isn't exposed to more of You-Know-Who's magic. Well, any sort of dark magic really. For the moment, Harry isn't in any immediate danger. He will be fine when he wakes up, just more… refreshed. He shouldn't keep up hopes of it lasting forever though. We don't know yet when it will wear off.

"The other healers are doing more tests as we speak, Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Depending on the information we get tonight, it may influence the research we're doing on his case. For the time being, let us hope for the best."

A/N: Sorry, I may have made the explanation part more confusing than I intended. Anyway, that's the world cup done. Next chapter will tackle the aftermath but hopefully... hopefully I will have made them step inside Hogwarts halls by the end of the chapter.

Oh and thank you so much to the people who left reviews and feedback! They always fill me with more energy and they make my day. Thank you :D