The Dark Mark

"Siria!" Sirius's voice hissed as Siria was pried from the top bunk, like a child from their carseat. "Get up." He thrust her jacket into her hands. They had hardly gone to sleep. Sirius shook Ginny awake while Hermione looked to Siria with an expression draped in worry. Outside, people were screaming and running (B4, 119).

"Lumos!" Siria lit her wand and looked for her glasses. "What's going on?" She asked as Hermione and Ginny pulled their coats over their pajamas.

"It'll be fine," Sirius told her. Siria put her glasses on and looked to his face. It was the expression from last summer— the one that made her feel he thought she was going to disappear. They stumbled out of the tent and into the others.

(Book: B4, 119 Death Eaters are levitating Mr. Roberts [the renter] and his family. The Roberts family is being contorted, spun, and flipped in the air. There are other wizards, joining, laughing, and pointing at the Roberts)

Sirius held Siria's shoulders and looked square into her face. "We're going to help the ministry, but you need to get Hermione out of sight." He tapped Siria's head and the red turned to its natural jet black. "Go into the woods and keep going. Wands at the ready, okay?" He instructed. Siria wanted to tell him to stay or come with them, but nodded and raised her illuminated wand.

"See you soon." She promised.

"See you soon." He echoed before he and Mr. Weasley ran after Bill, Charlie, and Percy, who sprinted toward the crowd.

Immediately, Siria grabbed hold of Hermione's hand. She looked into the worried brown eyes of Hermione's face and gave a confident nod. "You heard him," Siria told the others. "Wands at the ready." They withdrew their wands as they ran toward the forest.

"I— I left mine!" Neville cried. Siria groaned and looked to Ron. Ron gave Siria a nod.

"I've got you, Neville." Ron hurried to Neville's side and they continued for the forest.

They continued running until Neville cried out in pain, followed by Ron. Hermione and Siria let go of the other's hand as they turned, wands raised. "Sorry." Neville grumbled. He had tripped over a twisted tree root and tackled Ron to the ground in the process of trying to stop his own fall.

"Well, I'm not surprised, Longbottom," said a drawling voice from behind them (B4, 121).

Siria rolled her eyes at the voice, as she helped Neville to his feet while Hermione lent Ron a hand. Draco Malfoy, as relaxed as ever, was leaning against a tree (B4,121). His arms folded, he seemed to have been watching the scene at the campsite through a gap in them (B4, 121). Malfoy clicked his tongue while his gaze traveled over their group and fell on Hermione. "Shouldn't you be hurrying along? You wouldn't want her spotted, would you?" (B4, 121).

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Hermione defiantly (B4,122).

"No." Siria whispered. Sirius had told her to keep Hermione hidden. "Let's get going." She marched past Malfoy without sparing him a glance. Hermione and Ron glared at Malfoy when they past him. Neville kept his head down on the roots and himself as close to Ron as he could, without tripping over him.

"Keep that big bushy head down, Granger," Malfoy called (B4, 123). Hermione grabbed Ron's arm to stop him from turning back.

"We have to keep going." Hermione told him. They continued into the forest.

(Book: 123-126 They pass the Beauxbatons students, realize that they don't have any sight of Fred, George or Ginny, and see Winky. Winky is trying to run away, but appears to be held back by an invisible person; Siria believes Winky may be disobeying Mr. Crouch, which would make her run funny. Hermione gets even more angry about it. The party crosses some Veela, who are surrounded by guys trying to impress them, including Stan Shunpike, from the Knight Bus. Ron loses himself for a moment and tells the Veela he invented a boomstick that can reach Jupiter. The party continues into the heart of the woods.)

"Can we stop?" Neville asked while he clutched his chest.

"Not yet," Siria told him, but Hermione jerked Siria's arm. Siria clicked her tongue and scanned around. They had traveled deep enough into the woods that things felt still and were quiet.

"We're fine here." Hermione urged. Neville sighed with relief and knelt onto the muddy ground of the woods. Ron paced around Hermione, Neville, and Siria with his wand out and his gaze on the woods they were surrounded by.

A snap caused Neville to rize to his feet while Hermione, Ron, and Siria pointed their wands in the sound's direction. "Stupefy!" Siria bellowed without a thought.

"Lumos Maxima!" Hermione called. Her wand's light increased and covered the stunned person in fair lighting.

"Bagman?" Ron asked. "Siria," he whacked her in the arm with the back of his hand, "you just stunned a Ministry official!" Wordlessly, Siria's mouth opened and closed. She gestured to Ludo Bagman for a moment before pointing her wand and unstunned him with "Rennervate!"

Bagman whipped his wand out the moment he fluttered back. He looked at them with wide-eyes until they fell on Siria's scar, lit by Hermione's wand. "What are you doing here, all alone?" (B4,126)

(Book: B4, 126-129 Ludo Bagman is informed by the party about the riot and Disapparates away. Hermione notes he isn't on top of things and Ron says that Bagman was a good Beater. They entertain themselves quietly, but Hermione is worried about the Roberts family. A snap in the trees draws their silence and attention. They call, but there's no reply.

From the woods, they hear the deep voice cast "Mosmordre." The spell conjures a huge, green, skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth, like a tongue. In green smoke, it rises into the sky. Screams break out throughout the wood. Siria tries to get closer to where the spell was cast, but Hermione insists they have to run because it's You-Know-Who/Voldemort/Tom Riddle's mark. Just as they're about to, twenty or so wizards arrive, wands at the ready and pointed at them.)

With a yank, Siria thrust Hermione down to the ground by her arm and with another pulled Neville. Ron dove as he and Siria cried "STOP!" but their plea was muffled by the bellow of twenty calls of "STUPEFY!" Siria's grip tightened over her wand, which was in the hand thrown over Hermione's back. Neville shuddered while waves of light fired over their heads. Ron pulled his arm over Neville's back and Siria patted Ron's arm.

"Stop! STOP!" Two voices called from the crowd. "That's my son!"

"And my daughter!" cried two voices Siria would know anywhere. She stopped pinning Hermione and Neville down. Silence consumed the wood while Hermione, Neville, Ron and Siria rose to their feet. Mr. Weasley hugged his son before looking to Hermione and Neville. Sirius squeezed Siria so tightly her back popped. She winced and tried to pry herself from her father.

"Siria," Sirius whispered and pecked her head. "Thank Merlin."

"Out of the way, Arthur, Sirius," said the cold, curt voice of Mr. Crouch (B4, 130).

(Book: B4, 130-134 Crouch accuses the party of having cast the Dark Mark, but a witch tells Crouch it couldn't have been the party because they're kids and couldn't have learned it from anywhere. When Hermione says someone cast it in the woods, Crouch says she's very knowledgeable about summoning the Dark Mark, but no one else is convinced. Amos Diggory searches the woods and finds Winky and a wand. Crouch searches the woods, but appears to find no one else.

Late to the scene, Ludo Bagman arrives. Winky is woken up, accused of casting the Dark Mark, and Amos tells Winky that she was found with the wand)

"My wand," Neville cried. Everyone in the clearing looked at him (B4, 134). Hermione and Siria took a step closer to Neville.

"I— I lost it" Neville looked from the group of witches and wizards to the ground.

"Lost your wand?" asked Mr. Diggory.

"He did!" shouted Ron. "He thought it was in the tent!"

"It must've just fallen when we running!" Hermione added. Siria nodded and looked to Sirius and Mr. Weasley for help.

Sirius placed a hand on Neville's shoulder. "Longbottom here," Sirius put so much emphasis on Neville's last name that it was like when people repeated Siria's, "wouldn't cast the Mark, don't you agree?" Mr. Diggory looked at Neville's round face. Siria took hold of Neville's hand and gave a firm squeeze. He was trembling.

"Er— I suppose not." mumbled Mr. Diggory (B4, 135).

(Book: B4, 135-140 Unfortunately, the wand being Neville's doesn't help Winky at all. Amos Diggory casts "Prior Incantato", which reveals that the Dark Mark was indeed cast with this wand. Mr. Crouch requests to see to Winky's punishment, which will be clothes. Neville gets his wand back and they leave that part of the woods. Hermione is outraged & Mr. Weasley agrees with her. They ask what the Dark Mark meant and Mr. Weasley promises to explain at the tent.

A crowd of witches and wizards hound Mr. Weasley with questions & he tells them it wasn't Voldemort, the culprit Disapparated, & he's going to bed. At the tent, Bill, Charlie, and Percy are in the boys' with Fred, George, and Ginny. Bill's arm is cut, Charlie's shirt is torn, Percy has a bloody nose, but Fred, George, and Ginny uninjured.)

"Why don't you take care of Percy?" Sirius directed Siria. "I'll patch Bill and Charlie up." he smiled. Siria pressed her lips together and clicked her tongue as marched to Percy and pointed her wand at his nose. He took his glasses off, but looked very worried. "You'll be fine!" Siria rolled her eyes before "Episkey!" The blood stopped immediately and the bruising faded. Percy put his glasses back on. "Thank you, but—" Siria sighed and went to sit by Hermione, who was settled down with Ginny and Neville.

(Book: B4, 140-144 Mr. Weasley tells Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, & Ginny how the person that cast the Mark got away. Hermione repeats that people were scared of the Dark Mark because it was You-Know-Who/Voldemort/Tom Riddle's mark. Mr. Weasley adds that it was cast when someone was killed and that there was nothing worse than going home to find that Mark and know what you were about to see. The Dark Mark hadn't been seen in 13 years. Fortunately, it seemed to scare away the Death Eaters, Voldemort's followers, whether that was the intention of the caster, they can't say.

It's 3am, they're sent to bed to catch an early Portkey. Siria is wide awake because only three days ago, she had the nightmare about Tom Riddle in the house with Wormtail.)

Hermione threw her comforter onto Siria's bed. "What?" Siria hissed into the dark.

"I'm not sleeping alone, after that!" Hermione snapped as she climbed the ladder. Siria moved against the bed frame and rolled onto her side. Hermione crawled in beside Siria. She threw her comforter over their heads. "Do you suppose it has anything to do with your dream?" Hermione asked in a whisper. Siria shrugged.

"I wondered the same thing." she confessed.