Green and White enveloped the campsite as Tessa helped her parents get Alfred inside the tent. "We'll see you in a few minutes alright," said Jim as he waved goodbye to Tessa.
"Alright," yelled Tessa excitedly as she walked away immersed in the festivities refusing to die down.
The tents were in full force as the night raged on. Gnomes battling one another on grass knolled tents with crowds placing bets on the winners, waist sized pieces of Wizard's Chess sets that shook the ground with every step, and lavish tents spewing green and white sparks from the top floors as the crowd cheered on.
Tessa took in everything while weaving through the crowd. Over the laughter, she heard screams in the distance. Smoke billowed higher in the sky from extinguished fires as people began to slow their chatter. "Bloody hell," said Tessa as a family elbowed her out of the way and pushed through the just as confused crowd.
The family continued to push through as more people began pushing her out of the way. "Shit. Shit. SHIT," mumbled Tessa as she began to run with the crowd as close to the tents as she possibly could. She leaped onto a grass-covered tent climbing to top.
On the tent she could see the culprits coming from behind her. It was a black-robed group huddled close and growing bigger by the second. A flash of red light hurdled in her direction, and Tessa dove towards the ground in time for the top of the tent to burst into flames.
Tessa scrambled to her feet and began to sprint in the opposite direction of the group that was quickly gaining on her. She hurdled over fallen stoves and chairs as she weaved through the trampled tents. To her left she found an opening that would lead her towards the forest. She sprinted towards the tree line as she heard the crowd of panicked wizards grow behind her.
The Forest grew darker as she ran into the thickness of limbs and bushes. She haphazardly shoved vines and thorns out of her way as she carelessly pushed through the difficult brush. A small opening placed her onto a path that was mostly clear of plants, but crowded with frantic silhouettes.
"Harry!" Tessa stopped and whirled her body around looking for the direction of the frantic voice.
"We lost'em," said another. "I thought they were right behind us."
Tessa jogged towards the set of familiar voices that were slowly leaving her area into more chattered darkness.
"Of course you thought they were right behind us. You probably tripped Ron and carried on your way thinking they'd catch up," said the frantic first voice in a much more annoyed tone. "You're right! I would trip my brother during a time we're trying to hide from terrorist assholes. Yeah that'd totally be the smart thing to do."
"Fred!?," yelled Tessa. In response, Tessa only heard silence. She groaned slightly and continued wading through the darkness. "Who are you looking for?" Tessa jumped and lunged into the tree beside her.
"Erm. My—," Tessa stopped for a second as she saw two girls her age walking towards her. And Tessa sighed with relief. "Looking for your boyfriend?," The blonde girl asked. Her accent was stereotypical to the SoCal girls she heard on American TV shows.
"Yes," said Tessa quickly.
"Was he with his family? Because we just saw people walk passed us arguing about losing a group," said the ebony-haired girl standing near Tessa.
"They all had really bright hair," said the brunette on her right. If so he's really cute."
"Thanks," said Tessa exhaustively.
"Not a problem. They went that way you should be able catch up," said the brunette happily as she pointed behind her. She jogged passed the two girls. At a distance Tessa noticed they're group the two left in the shadows. The silhouettes of eight girls were chatting away about the tournament each one sporting "Salem Witch Academy" on their pants or shirts.
It was significantly darker now that the trees absorbed any of the light passing through the tree line. Voices were scattered throughout the darkness calling for their friends and family.
"Fred," yelled Tessa loudly as she lumbered through the forest with careless footsteps. She grew tired of the light footed steps she made earlier. No one was going to attack her.
"Tessa?" A girl's voice frantically shouted in the distance.
"Ginny," yelled Tessa in relief her pace slowed to a stop after hearing footsteps quickly coming towards her.
"Tess," said Fred. He yanked her into his embrace and held her close to his shaking body. Her body was freezing. He was sure it was from walking through the woods. It was significantly colder once the campgrounds were out of site.
"How many time have we told you to wear a jacket," laughed Fred.
"Not enough apparently," said Tessa sarcastically. Her voice muffled by Fred's tightening embrace.
He released his hold as Ginny pushed him out of the way to hug Tessa tight too.
"Are your parents alright?" Asked George who'd already taken off his coat and wrapped it around Tessa's shoulders once Ginny released her embrace.
"They should be fine," said Tessa as she put the jacket on and slumped onto a fallen tree.
"Where's everyone else?" Tessa asked the group as they sat alongside her.
"Charlie, Bill, and Percy are at the campsite helping The Ministry," said George shaking his head. "We lost Ron, Harry, and Hermione. We thought they were behind us."
"That's why we slowed down," finished Fred.
"I'm glad we did though," said Ginny as she tilted her head to look up at the empty sky.
"Me too," mumbled Tessa as she rested her head on Fred's shoulder.
"The group should be gone by now, so we should be heading back towards the tent," said George quietly as her stood up and began walking towards the sliver of light seen between the trees.
"You're right," said Ginny as she leaped off of the log following George's footsteps. Tessa stood and quickly caught up to George's strides.
"You're more than welcome to stay with us," said George to Tessa as he wrapped an arm over her shoulders.
"If my parents don't find me I just might," thought Tessa as she nodded her head and wrapped an arm around George's waist.
"George you're freezing," said Tessa in a tone that Hermione Granger would be proud of.
"Is fine," said George shrugging his shoulders. "Got you to keep me warm at least." Tessa smirked as she pulled herself tighter against his freezing body.
"We could switch," mumbled Fred annoyingly as he eyed Tessa in the same jacket he wore on his own body. The light from the campsite grew brighter as the forest and clumps of people grew thinner.
As soon as they reached tree line, cries of panic and terror erupted in the darkness behind them. It was enough to stop the four in their tracks and retreat quickly into the woods again.
"Wha- What's that," said Ginny pointing into the sky. Tessa, George, and Fred quickly looked up to see the sky morphing into a skull.
"That's our cue," said Fred as he lightly pushed Ginny and Tessa towards the tree line once more. George pulled out his wand and stood in the back as Fred did the same in the lead.
Coincidentally enough they were still close by the Weasley's tents as they clambered out to see the carnage from earlier. Tents were still on fire, entire campsites trampled, and yet their two tents stood strong.
"About time you showed," said Charlie as he pulled the flap of the tent open and ushered the kids in.
"Miss Thornhill," said Charlie with a bow.
"Tessa!"
Before Tessa could step a foot inside of the tent her Mother pushed her out with a forceful hug. "We were so worried about you," said her Father coming for a hug at the side.
"I'm fine guys. We're fine," said Tessa quietly.
"You're parents were worried sick about you," said Percy nasally over a towel on his face.
"Now that's a better greeting," said Tessa to Charlie who stifled a laugh. His body grew rigid quickly in his seat as he glared at Charlie over the bloodied towel.
"Now's not the time," said Charlie.
"Speaking of your parents," said Jim. "We need to head back. Thank you for finding her." He turned to Fred and George and shook their hand, and he turned to Ginny for a high-five.
"We're going to get a head start. Have some business to take care of," said Sandra. She placed a hand on Tessa shoulder and left with her Father quickly behind her.
Charlie casually motioned Tessa out of the tent and into the frigid open air. "Oh George," said Tessa quickly as she turned around taking off his coat.
"No need," said George quickly. "I'll get it tomorrow."
"Alright," said Charlie as he closed the tent flap behind him. Tessa shifted the jacket back over her shoulders and stared at the view surrounding them.
"Your parents aren't too far," said Charlie as he pointed at, currently, the highest tent in the area.
"So where were you? Bill's injured, Percy sort of injured," said Tessa as she shrugged slightly.
"Helped the Ministry," said Charlie quickly. "How about you?" Charlie asked diverting the conversation.
"Eh," Tessa paused with the urge to ask more questions, but she decided against it. "I was taking in the scenery when that group walked through. Thankfully, I found three red-heads in the forest."
"Great beacons we are," said Charlie with a chuckle.
"Yes," said Tessa looking down at the mud and grass caked over her new trainers.
"You though," said Charlie side-eyeing Tessa. "What's a witch without her wand? Even if you are still young, you always need it." Tessa shrugged her arms.
"Save it for my parents," grumbled Tessa as she saw them both quickly walking towards them.
"Thank you Charlie," said her father. He held out a scrolled piece of parchment which Charlie quickly grabbed and placed into the waistband of his jeans.
"I'll see you tomorrow," said Charlie to Tessa as he waved goodbye and briskly walked back to the Weasley campground. Tessa was ushered by her parents to keep moving as they sauntered towards their site as well.
It was morbidly nice only hearing the sounds of panicked voices in each tent they walked past. "Were those supporters?" Tessa asked quietly. She rubbed the rim of George's jacket as the echoing of the agitated voices slowly died down as they walked further into the campground.
Her parents stared at each other for some time until her Father turned towards Tessa's direction.
"Yes," said Jim as he stepped over a broken chair. Tessa nodded her head quickly and fiddled with the edge of George's jacket again.
"Death eaters coming out to play," said Tessa sarcastically.
"You could say that," said her Mother with a sigh. Her parents faces never changed from the same worried look they greeted her with at the Weasley's tent.
"I'm going to learn more about them," thought Tessa as she took a mental note with the quickly growing list of things she needed to do at Hogwarts.
The campground was unscathed, minus an extinguished fire and a few tables missing. "Good job," said Tessa looking at the singe marks from spells that hit the bewitched canvas.
"Just needs a wash," said Sandra cheerily.
"Of course mom would be happy," thought Tessa to herself. Sandra spent weeks prepping the tents with anti-Muggle charms and protection spells "just in case".
"It's like you knew you'd need all this protection," Tessa laughed.
"Mother's intuition," said Sandra jokingly as she opened the tent flap. Immediately upon the canvas opening, Rosie and Alfred pushed their way out of the tent excitedly weaving between their owner's legs.
"At least they're okay," said Tessa quietly and she picked up her beloved cat.
"Alright," said Jim as he closed the tent flap shut quickly. "We are all going to the Weasley's tomorrow. We need to talk with Arthur about this and figure things out."
Tessa nodded and carried Rosie upstairs. At the top, she quickly leaned over the railing, and watched her parents pick up books and parchment while quickly going their room closing the curtain behind them. Silence enveloped their side of the tent as her parents placed a silencing charm in the room. Tessa sighed and leaned off of the balcony.
She plopped into her cozy bed as she took everything off and put on George's coat over her knickers. With the light still on in her parent's room, Tessa knew they weren't going to bed anytime soon. She stared at the ambient glow until she felt a furry tail swoop underneath her nose. She pushed her self around until both she and Rosie were comfortable enough in the tiny bed.
"There," said Tessa quietly as she closed her eyes and pushed George's jacket up and over her nose allowing it to cover half her face. Within minutes she heard the rustling of her parents' curtain.
"Get up," said her Mother quietly in her ear.
"Is something wrong?" Tessa asked quietly as she opened her eyes quickly to scan her surrounds.
"No dear, it's time to go," said her mom soothingly. She felt her mom push off of her shoulders and slowly step down the stairs until she reach the bottom.
A subtle glow of light illuminated the entire tent. She could hear her parents talking about delays of some sort considering Tessa was too busy packing to care.
"We'll take care of the rest later," said her father as she heard him place a plate on the counter. Tessa pulled on the clothes she wore the night before yet wrapped her flannel shirt around her waist to reveal a cropped shirt underneath.
She lumbered down the stairs to hear a sudden silence which was very different from the ambient sounds of tidying the kitchen she heard a moment earlier.
"You're putting that shirt on as soon as we leave this tent," said her Father sternly, and continued his pace of cleaning.
"It's not that bad," thought Tessa as she reluctantly nodded in agreement.
She quickly ate some cereal and helped her parents tidy the living room.
"Grab your bags," said her Mother quickly as she exited the tent. She followed her Mother and closed the tent flap discovering that the sun still hadn't risen over the horizon. Tessa groaned quietly as her parents waved their wands and with a swish the tent collapsed onto itself. It began to fold neatly until it was small enough to be thrown into her Fathers field pack.
"We'll be apparating," said her Father as he quickly walked passed to help the rest of their crew with their tents and bags.
Tessa's stomach gurgled with anxiety as she waited for the rest of the crew whom were shoving their belongings into their Ministry approved extension packs.
"The group will be going to their respective homes so they're all fine," said her Father breathlessly. He picked up his pack next to Tessa's feet and waited for her Sandra to finish the last of her Goodbyes.
"Alright," said Sandra as she motioned Tessa to her side.
"Get Alfie," said her mother quickly as Tessa held his leash tight.
"Alright. Place your hand on me," said Tessa's mother holding out her elbow. Tessa shakily took her Mother's arm and steadied her herself between her mother and Alfred.
"Sorry, love," said her Father as he stood on Sandra's left.
He glanced at his motionless daughter sympathetically, and, with a pop, Tessa landed next to Molly Weasley's flower bed. She quickly let go of Alfred to throw herself into the cushioned dirt expulsing the contents in her stomach.
"Mr. Thornhill!" said Charlie as he closed the door shut of the Burrow briskly walking in their direction.
"Sorry for the intrusion," said Sandra as she hugged Charlie first.
"And for the flowers," mumbled her Father.
"It'll keep the gnomes away," said Charlie as he helped Tessa out of the dirt and towards the open door that Molly left open for the rest of the group to come through. "Best keep this between us."
"Oh I'm so glad you're here, Sandy, it's been weeks since our last dinner!"
Tessa could hear Mrs. Weasley and her Mother standing in the kitchen chatting over tea and muffins.
"Arthur's already off dear," said Sandra over her shoulder as she heard the group close the door behind them.
"I'll take you to the rest of the lot," said Charlie as he ushered Tessa towards the stairs.
He lead her to Fred and George's room that was filled with chattering and unpacking.
"Mornin'", said Tessa with a groan.
"You look like shit," said George.
"Just apparated," said Tessa defensively.
"Threw up in Mum's garden," piped in Charlie as he sauntered down the stairs once more.
"Bugger," said Fred throwing his hands into the air.
"Woulda been a good show," finished George pulling his coat off of Tessa shoulders and placing onto the tiny coat rack between their door and the bathroom door.
"Can you guys…not right now," groaned Tessa as she fell onto Fred's bed and curled into a ball.
"That put out?" Ginny asked as she looked up from the book she was reading.
"Apparating's a nasty business," said Bill as he lumbered down the stairs. "And," he said putting his head in the doorway. "It was a good show." He winked at Ginny and continued down the stairs as Tessa threw Fred's pillow at the now empty doorway.
"Oh come now, its fresh those sheets are," said Fred sarcastically.
"Don't be so dramatic," said George. The twins sat on either side of her and helped her up into a sitting position.
"We'll be playing some Quidditch soon," said Fred.
"I don't know if I'm up for it," mumbled Tessa as she reached for the ice cold water on Fred's trunk at the foot of his bed.
The group left the Twins' room and sauntered down the stairs. "And what is it that Charlie helps you with?" Tessa looked over to see Hermione sitting with her mother having a cup of tea. Hermione's eyes widened as Sandra explained as much as she could about her work without giving too much information.
Her Father said his Goodbyes to the boys before briskly walking over to Tessa and kissing her on the forehead.
"I'll see you in a few days," said her Father as he walked into the Chimney and with a puff of smoke he was off to the Ministry.
The Weasley boys sauntered out of the home and called for the rest to follow. "Your family is quit cool," said Harry as followed Tessa and Ginny to the backdoor.
"Yeah. They're alright," said Tessa jokingly.
"I meant to ask Tessa," said Hermione quickly trying to catch up to her, Harry, and Ginny. They reached the porch outside of the Burrow when Hermione finally caught up to them. "How're you and Cedric?"
The twins stopped abruptly, a few feet away as Harry quickly continued towards Charlie and Bill who reached for Harry's Firebolt in excitement.
"I'll tell you later," mumbled Tessa as she motioned towards the eavesdropping twins.
"Oy!" yelled Tessa. "I see you two."
"Oh we'll know soon enough," yelled Fred. Both of the twins waved her off and continued their walk towards the family orchard.
"Very soon," said George as the twins both gave each other a malicious grin.
The day grew darker as the girls sat in the living room while Mrs. Weasley made dinner and tidied the kitchen. "So," said Hermione quietly once all of the boys were upstairs wrestling over who would shower first.
A loud bang and a roar of laughter erupted from Fred and George's room which immediately signaled a successful product going off for the boy's entertainment. Mrs. Weasley stopped momentarily and merely shook her head and continued with her work.
"He sent me a letter," said Tessa taking a sip of her tea trying to finish the last page of her book.
"A letter," said Hermione quickly.
"Shhhh," said Tessa quietly as she listened for more clutter and footsteps from upstairs.
"Sorry," whispered Hermione. "But a letter? Continue." The young witch hastily closed her books shut and waited for Tessa to do the same.
"Alright," muttered Tessa as she closed the book and placed it next to Hermione's "completed reading" pile. "That's a good book by the way," finished Tessa as she pointed towards the pile.
"Yes it is," agreed Ginny sitting down with a hot cup of teas and a plate of cookies.
"That's great, and I would like to read it later, but—,"
"The letter I know," laughed Tessa as she sat cross legged in the old chair and waited for Mrs. Weasley to round the corner again to finish up the last of the dishes for dinner. "He said we needed to talk."
"Oh no," said Hermione quickly.
"Oh yef," responded Tessa who nibbled on a cookie and placed it onto the plate to the right of her armchair. "I figured it was over after not hearing him for three months."
"That arse," mumbled Ginny quietly.
"It's alright," said Tessa assuring. "Really."
"I'm fine," said Tessa again as Ginny and Hermione merely stared at her until she gave the affirmation once more. "It's like, I already had a head start. Now it's just closure."
"Right," said Hermione relaxing back into her seat. "Closure." Ginny nodded curtly and opened the new Quidditch magazine Harry let her borrow.
Fred had chills all over his body. Not from the success of his extendable ear prototype working for the first time, but also from hearing the news Tessa offered them. "Looks like you need to get on that George," said Bill jokingly as he walked away from the group of men huddled around the tiny ear hanging from George's hands.
"Not me," said George with a smirk.
"Ahhhhhh," said Charlie and Bill in unison. Fred merely brushed it off and sauntered over to the ready-made table in the center of their room.
"Oh bloody hell," said Ron walking out of the steamy shower. "I get the shower first for once and I miss something."
"That's what you get for being greedy," said George with laughter from the group again.
"We told you you'd miss out," finished Fred as he helped George stuff the extendable ear into a pocket of one of their coats in the rack.
Bill chuckled as he opened up a fresh pack of Snap-bang cards, and began dealing six hands on the trunk between Fred and George's beds. Fred ignored their banter as he shuffled around the room hiding their projects in conceivably obvious places. In the dirty laundry, behind the window curtain, and between various knick-knacks on their shared bookshelf.
"But now that she's freshly single," continued Charlie as he sat down next to Bill picking up his hand of cards. "Best be getting on her good side during school."
"We already are," said the twin's unison and they sat at the edge of the beds and lifted up their cards dealt to them.