The match ended quickly with Ireland beating Bulgaria by ten points. When the match was finished we had a long walk back to the tents, but none of us felt like sleeping. Reluctantly Mr. Weasley agreed to let us share a round of hot cocoa before turning in for the night. Hours later Ginny had fallen asleep at the table and spilled her reaming amount of coca all over the floor. Hermione and I sleepily helped her to our tent as Mr. Weasley insisted everyone head off to bed.
"Girls! Ginny! Girls get up, come on now this is urgent!" The three of us woke with a start as Mr. Weasley called to us from the mouth of the tent.
"S' Matter?" Ginny asked scratching at her eyes.
"No time to explain. Just grab a jacket and get outside quickly!" Stumbling in the darkness we did as we were told and made our way outside. There is still a few fires lit, and from their light people could be seen running away into the woods. They were running from something that was moving across the field towards us. Then came a burst of green light so strong it illuminated the scene. A crowd of wizards, tightly packed and moving together with wands pointed straight upward, and marching slowly across the field. It was impossible to identify anyone of them because they each wore hooded cloaks and full-face masks. Floating high above them were four struggling figures, and in that moment I knew why everyone was fleeing into the woods.
"Death Eaters." I whispered as more wizards joined the march, laughing and pointed up at the floating bodies. Briefly the group was highlighted by a burning tent and the four bodies could be identified. It was Mr. Roberts the camping manager and his wife and children.
"That's sick. That's really sick." Ron was muttering to himself as he and Harry stood horrifyingly watching the scene.
"Bill, Charlie, Percy and I are going to help the Ministry." Mr. Weasley shouted over the noise. "You lot get into the woods and stick together. I'll come fetch you when we've sorted them out."
We did just as we were told sprinting off into the woods. I found myself wishing I had my broom or at least something to help us move along faster. After a few minutes Ron was yelling, panicked we stopped and turned in his direction.
"What Happened?" Hermione asked anxiously. "Ron where are you? Oh this is stupid…Lumos!" With that her wand lit up and we were able to see a narrow beam of light. Ron was lying on the ground but seemed otherwise unharmed.
"Tripped over a tree root." He said angrily, getting to his feet.
"Well with feet that size, hard not to." Came a familiar voice from behind us. Draco Malfoy stood alone nearby with his arms folded, leaning on a tree.
"Hadn't you better be hurrying along now? You wouldn't want her spotted would you?" He asked pointing to Hermione.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked.
"Granger they're after Muggles." He answered. "D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around. They're moving this way." So I was right, I hand never seen a Death Eater in full uniform before, but Draco had just confirmed my suspicion.
"He's right, we should get out of here." I said pulling at Hermoine's arm.
"Scare easily, don't they?" Draco replied lazily. "I suppose your Daddy told you all to hide?" He added looking to Ron. "What's he up to trying to rescue the Muggles?"
"Where are your parents?" Harry asked as his temper began to rise. "Out there wearing masks are they?" Smiling Draco turned to Harry.
"Well if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you would I Potter?"
"Come on, let's go find the others." Hermione said pulling Harry away. Fred, George, and Ginny were nowhere to be found.
"They can't have gone that far." Ron said pulling out his wand to light it as Hermione had done. Harry and I reached into our jackets to do the same thing.
"Ah no, I don't believe it, I've lost my wand." Harry said digging around in his jacket. Ron, Hermione and I raised our lit wand high enough to light up more of the area around us. Together we searched the ground, but it didn't seem to be around.
"Maybe you left it in the tent." Ron suggested.
"Or Maybe it fell out of your pocket when we were running." Hermione added.
"Yeah Maybe." Harry grumbled.
"Well we might as well stop hear. No sense in us going further in and getting lost." Ron told us.
"Yes, and we'll be able to hear if anyone comes around." Hermione nodded in agreement. There was nothing but silence as a warm summer air swirled around us. The four of us sat still listening for any sound of intrusion. And then without warning the silence was killed by a voice in the distance. The voice uttered one word but a word that was clear to the four of us as a spell.
"MORSMORDRE!"
"What the?" Harry asked turning in the direction of the spell caster. High in the air an eerily familiar symbol illuminated to night sky, shinning in emerald green. A colossal skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue etched across the sky like a new constellation.
"The dark Mark." I whispered jumping to my feet.
"The What?" Ron asked.
"It's the Dark Mark Ron! You-Know-Who's sign!" Hermione shouted. "Get up both of you!" she continued to shout pulling at Harry and Ron. We turned to run deeper into the forest but well before we were giving the chance a series of popping noises announced the arrival of twenty wizards, surrounding us each with their wands pointed directly at our throats. I gulped not daring to look up.
"DUCK!" Harry Shouted. The rest of us complied without thinking. Launching ourselves to the ground a chorus of "STUPEFY!" rang out around us. There was a blinding series of flashes each followed by the sounds of spells crossing one another or bouncing off of tress into the darkness.
"Stop!" A voice called off into the distance. "Stop! That's my son!"
"Out of the way Arthur!" A ministry worker grumbled shoving his way passed and towards us. "Which of you did it? Which of you conjured the Dark mark?" Getting to our feet, the four of us looked around panicked. This man couldn't honestly believe that fourteen year olds could conjure something like that. Apparently Mr. Wealsey felt the same way.
"Barty, they're just kids!"
"That's Barty Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation." Ron whispered so that only Hermione, Harry and I could hear him. "He's on duty because of the match. Bit of a looney though." I was familiar with the name, he was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement during Voldemort's rise to power, definitely not someone to be messed with. But the four of us had nothing to hide we hadn't done anything.
"We didn't do that." I said pointing up at the sky. Finding some courage Hermione took a step forward.
"We didn't do anything." She answered confidently, but Crouch wouldn't hear it.
"Do not lie to me!" His eyes were popping out of his head as he shouted at us. "You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!" Ignoring him, made his way into the circle of ministry wizards, most of whom had lowered their wands.
"Where did the mark come from you four?" he asked us quickly but calmly.
"Over there." Harry answered pointing. "There was someone behind the trees."
"It can't have been these children." A witch in a nightdress said. "And whomever it was, well they'll have disapparated by now." Still clearly not convinced Crouch looked the four of us up and down. Squinting his eyes he motioned to ministry wizards forward.
"We must continue our search." Marching off Mr. Crouch left followed in small groups by the Ministry wizards.
"There you lot are!" George called from behind me.
"Thank heavens." Hermione sighed.
"When we lost you in the woods we didn't know what to think." Ginny said as they approached.
"Especially after we found your wand Harry!" Fred told us as he handed the wand off the Harry. Percy, Bill and Charlie followed behind him. Mr. Weasley clapped his hands together smiling.
"Well I think that's enough excitement for one night. What do you all say we head home?"
"Mr. Weasley, how are we going to get home?"
"Excellent question Hermione! Something I hadn't considered." He answered her scratching his head.
"Side along Apparation?" I suggested. "Betweenyou, Bill, and Charlie we should be able to make it back."
"Yes Pecy passed it, on his first try, but Alice he's only just got his Apparating license. The chance of getting splinched…"
"It may be the only option we have." Bill told his father. thought for a moment, r unning his fingers through his hair.
"I suppose you're right." He told us heaving a sigh. "Bill, you take George and Fred, Hermione and Alice with Me, Charlie you take Ron and Harry, Percy you take Ginny." Once everyone was paired off Mr. Weasley nodded approvingly. "Bill, George and Fred you go first. I'll send Percy over next, this way there we'll be on either side in case of splinching." George and Fred each took one of Bill's hands and with a distinctive pop, they disapperated. Percy and Ginny followed with no trouble. They were followed by Charlie, Ron and Harry. When it was just Hermione, Mr. Weasley and I standing together he held out his hands. We each latched onto him tightly, and I felt the familiar head-spilling associated with Apparation as the field faded away.