Shortly after paying the muggle, we continued our search for our campsite, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the fact that he was obliviated right in front of us. To make matters worse, the wizard that altered the muggle's memory told us that he had to frequently have his memory wiped. The nauseated feeling that bloomed in my stomach at the man's nonchalant attitude about the whole ordeal was easily able to dampen my embarrassment from Ginny's playful teasing and some of my excitement of the event.
As we walked further into the field, following the map that the memory wizard had given to Mr. Weasley, we managed to see many different tents, primarily ones that looked as muggle-like as possible. Some, however, seemed to just have to flaunt their magic.
Honestly, there was even one with a perfectly manicured, fenced-in lawn area with bloody peacocks.
"Bet that's the Malfoy's," I heard Ron grumble, and I agreed. That obnoxious tent was definitely something those even more obnoxious people would set up.
"Ah! Here we are!" Mr. Weasley said happily as he pulled his bag off of his shoulders. "Now, I should tell you all, I want you not to use magic. I know others have, but Muggles do this all the time. It shouldn't be too difficult…" He was staring at the things for the tent for a moment, and I could easily tell that the poor man had no clue what to do. "Erm, Harry, where do you reckon we should start?"
I sputtered a laugh before moving to Mr. Weasley's side. "Here I'll help."
Us three that were more used to operating Muggle things gathered with the man, and managed to finally figure out how to set things up, albeit with a little trouble since Mr. Weasley kept getting ahead of himself with his excitement.
Stepping back, we admired the messily set up tents, and I couldn't help but laugh. Harry and Hermione, however, just looked confused at the two small tents.
"Alright, in we go," Mr. Weasley chimed before entering one of the tents, then called out behind him. "It'll be a little cramped, but this will work for the trip."
Still seeing concerned confusion on the two younger teens' faces, I decided to give them each a little push. "We're magic, remember? You two seriously think we will be staying for multiple days in these tiny tents with this many people?"
Hermione laughed sheepishly, and the two clambered into the tent as well.
Just as I was leaning to pull the flap open again, another hand drifted over the top of mine. My eyes closed briefly at the buzzing sensation, only to snap open at the feeling of breath ghosting over my neck.
"Ladies first." Looking over my shoulder, I was nearly face-to-face with Fred as he lifted the door flap for me with a smirk that did a number on my poor heart.
"Oi, Freddie, you're going to make her combust, back up a bit." George's chuckling alerted me to the fact that my face actually felt like it was on fire. These two have to be beyond ignorant to not see that I fancy them due to how easily I blush about nearly everything they do near me.
A quickly mumbled "Thank you" and I basically ran into the tent as far as I could away from the twins.
"We will need water, and firewood for cooking," Mr. Weasley announced as the rest of the occupants entered the tent.
Ron lifted the map that the poor Muggle had given us. "There's a tap on here, but why do we need firewood? We have an oven in here."
His father scoffed indignantly, "When real Muggles camp, they cook on fires outside, I've seen it happen! That is how we will cook too."
I rolled my eyes with a grin at the hilarious conversation, then followed Hermione to the left side of the tent where another door flap was tied open to reveal a bedroom of sorts. "I claim this as the girls' room!" I called out then threw myself across one of the bottom bunk beds, my bag sliding off my shoulder to rest beside me.
Ginny claimed the bed above me, and Hermione decided on the bottom bed that was across the room from us before she left to complete the Golden Trio as they left in search of water.
"So…" Ginny's voice brought me out of my half-asleep state, and I looked over dazedly at her upside-down face from where she had leaned over the side of the top bunk. "When are you going to tell everyone else? You know…about-"
And just like that, I was wide awake, "Ginny!" I hissed, glancing back into the main room, that thankfully was empty, "I…I don't know, yet. I think I should figure out the details before I go informing anyone else. I'd hate to get my hopes up in the first place, but it'd be even worse if I had everyone's support only to lose it once I know more."
Ginny sighed, rolling her eyes and sitting up. The next thing I knew, she was climbing down and onto my bed with me. "Del, I promise you, none of my family would treat you any differently. It doesn't matter the…" she paused then used my own choice of word, "details."
I scoffed, "Yes, you say that but what if I come into my inheritance, and I hurt someone? You, the others…it won't matter what anyone thinks of me then, it'll only matter what I think of myself."
Her mouth opened to argue, but voices at the entrance of the tent drew our attention away from the subject. "Oh, Harry must be back," she mumbled, racing from our 'room'.
"Could you be any more obvious, Gin?" A small giggle bubbled forth, and I groaned before stretching and making my way outside as well.
Mr. Weasley seemed to be having the time of his life with the matches and stared with rapt attention at Hermione as she lit the small stick then got started with the campfire. My eyes locked onto the orange flames as they licked up the firewood, growing with each second, though not yet hot enough for any cooking.
"Bit of a pyromaniac, Delly?" Fred's voice made me jump, my cheeks flushing when I realized I had zoned out so much.
"It's just…well," I huffed, "It's pretty, alright, so piss off."
"Deliah!" Mr. Weasley gasped, which was understandable considering I hardly ever spoke like that, much less in front of adults.
"Sorry," My mumbled response was met with laughter from the twins and a look from Ginny.
About an hour later, the fire was finally hot enough and breakfast foods were sizzling in a pan while the rest of the Weasley children joined us. Our second breakfast wasn't really on the same level as the rushed first one, but honestly, not much could match up with Mrs. Weasley's cooking. After a while, some Ministry man that was pudgy yet still held a build that was meant for Quidditch came by and spoke with Mr. Weasley. Ludo Bagman was his name, and he apparently was in denial of his age and stature not being fit for his old uniform anymore. At one point he tried to get Mr. Weasley to make a bet with him about the outcome of the match, but he seemed disappointed in the lack of coins given.
Asking if anyone else wanted to make a bet, the twins jumped forward with a jingling bag, "Thirty-seven Galleons, fifteen Sickles, and three Knuts," said Fred as George handed Bagman the sack, "That Ireland wins – but Victor Krum gets the snitch."
"Boys!" I gasped incredulously. I don't think gambling was a good idea for anyone to do, but at least Mr. Weasley was smart about how much he wagered. That amount had to be all of the twins' savings. "That's rid-"
"Oh, don't worry dearie!" Bagman's jovial voice interrupted what I was about to say, "They're plenty old enough to know what they want, right boys?"
The twins looked at each other, then their mischievous gazes met mine as they spoke in unison, "Right."
'Yeah, I'm doomed,' I thought as my stomach filled with butterflies and my heart raced in my chest.
The two adults spoke until Bagman mentioned Crouch, then Percy had to butt in as well. They went on and on about something, I really wasn't paying attention, even after Crouch himself joined the group. My curiosity peaked, though, when Bagman brought up something about something big happening at Hogwarts, but they cut off the conversation with a glance towards us younger people around the tent. Bagman and Crouch left shortly after that, saying they were going to speak to the Bulgarians.
"What's happening at Hogwarts, Mr. Weasley?" I asked as soon as the Ministry men were gone.
He smiled, showing a bit of the features that the twins had taken on, "You'll find out soon enough, Deliah."
"It's classified information anyway," Percy said stiffly, "Mr. Crouch was right not to disclose it yet."
George scoffed, "Oh shut up, Weatherby."
By dusk, Mr. Weasley suggested we go see what the salesmen had to offer before the match started. I wandered off with the twins and Ginny, excitedly taking in all the trays and carts that were full of a vast array of different magical merchandise. There were luminous rosettes that listed off players' names, pointed green hats that had dancing shamrocks around the brim, Bulgarian scarves that had roaring lions on each end, flags that played each country's national anthems as they waved, and even collectible figures of the players that would walk across your hand with an awful cockiness about them. I decided on a tiny model of a firebolt that actually flew, though I was careful to catch it before it flew too far.
"Oh, look at these, Delly!" Ginny called me over to a cart filled with strange binoculars that I looked at curiously.
"What are they?" I asked her and she started to shrug only for our attention to be immediately drawn up to a wizard that seemed to suddenly appear.
"Omnioculars, is what they are, miss!" The salesman eagerly started up his sales pitch, "These let you replay, slow down, and watch play-by-play breakdowns for those that need it. They're a real bargain, too, at ten Galleons each."
Ginny's eyes sparkled as she fiddled with the knobs and dials, and I simply couldn't help myself. "I'll take that one she has, thank you."
The girl's eyes darted to mine, her smile brightening, "Really?! Thank you, Deliah!"
"Oh, don't thank me yet, I'm counting this as your Christmas gift, you know," I laughed.
The twins both huffed indignantly, "Where's ours, Dels?"
"You two could have bought your own had you not wasted all of your money in a bet. We can only hope that you win, which would be an interesting experience since you two just had to come up with a crazy outcome," I shook my head at them, then looped my arm around the younger girl's. "Now, let's get some programs, and head back. The match should be starting soon."
Behind us, I could hear the two chuckle before Fred's teasing voice called out, "Yes, Miss Lupin, right away."
Ginny sputtered, quickly covering her mouth in an attempt to hide her laughter while looking at me from the corner of her eye. I, on the other hand, had blushed deeply, a shiver running down my spine.
"I think I liked that a little too much," I whispered to her, which sent her into another fit of laughter.
.
.
I understand that we had no pick in where our seats were located, but honestly…the top box? The amount of stairs we had to climb had my legs burning. The seats were rather comfortable, though. I happily seated myself while the others ogled down at the pitch, only to notice a small house elf shaking violently in a chair toward the back of the box, its face hidden in its hands.
"Oh, are you alright?" I knew asking it would be futile, but I couldn't not ask.
The poor thing simply shook like a leaf and nodded its head, which was obviously not true.
Shortly after, Harry took notice of the elf as well, speaking to it about something before he left it sitting in its seat with a disgruntled look on his face.
"It's not alright, is it?" I asked, leaning onto the seat beside me since Harry and Ron were seated a few seats down.
"No," said Harry, "She's terrified of heights, but her 'master' or whatever told her to save them a seat."
I frowned, "Poor thing."
My response was a nod before he went back to speaking with Ron.
It took a good while for everyone to fill the seats, many of the ones around us were apparently important – The Minister of Magic, and the Bulgarian Minister being two of them. Our group's excitement was soured by the Malfoy family joining the box moments later, though.
After making eye contact with Mr. Weasley for a long, tense moment, Mr. Malfoy's eyes swept along the seats we occupied. "Good lord, Arthur, what did you have to sell to get so many seats in the top box? Surely your house wouldn't be worth this much?"
My mouth dropped open, appalled, then almost immediately snapped shut in an attempt to keep my comments to myself. My attempt was tested, however, when the blonde man himself looked down at me with a sneer. "You look…familiar. You don't belong to Arthur, so who might you be?" he asked nastily.
My brows furrowed slightly, but I responded politely and confidently, "Deliah Lupin, sir."
His sneer intensified, though I could also see a hint of a smirk tilting the corner of his mouth. He said no more, thankfully, and seated himself far from us.
Moments later they started the announcements for the beginning of the match, starting with the team mascots.
"I wonder what the Bulgarians brought," Mr. Weasley said excitedly, leaning forward in his seat along with almost everyone else. "Ah~! Veela!"
Harry started to ask what Veela were, but his question was answered moments later when hundreds of women flooded the field. Almost every male's attention was drawn to the gorgeous figures, their pale skin and golden-blonde hair glowing in the lights from above.
When they started dancing, however, things got a bit chaotic. Some of the men in the box stood slowly, as if hypnotized, what took me by surprise was Ginny shifting uncomfortably beside me as her dazed eyes were also locked onto the Veela dancers.
"Well, that's interesting," I mumbled before scanning the other members of the Weasley family. The eldest members were doing better than the younger ones, they were hypnotized, yet didn't leave their seats. The younger members of our group were already out of their seats, though. Ron looked like he was about to dive over the railing, Harry was busy climbing it, and the twins were struggling with themselves a little further from the railing than the others.
Trusting Hermione could handle the younger boys, I wrapped my hands around Fred and George's wrists, gently pulling them to their seats. "It'll be over soon enough, boys, don't throw yourselves over yet." Their confused yet embarrassed looks were kind of adorable, and I smirked.
Hermione wasn't doing so well, though, as she glared down at the Veelas then back to the other members of the trio with a huff. "Honestly."
The twins randomly decided to adjust our seating, making me switch with George, which put me in between them before they sat down.
"Thanks, Dels," Fred said, his cheeks tinted with a small, embarrassed blush.
"Yeah, thanks," George mumbled, mirroring his brother.
I only chuckled and shook my head. The Veela were extremely difficult to withstand when they set out their charm. I didn't blame them for the behavior, I was more impressed that they had fought it some. That's when I finally registered something.
"I don't think Percy was affected," I mumbled, glancing at the spectacled ginger.
The twins suddenly locked eyes with each other then looked to their brother, their gazes alight with their typical mischievous fire.
"Hey! You leave him be," I swatted each of their shoulders, giving them a scolding look that they only smirked at. "The man can like who he likes, it doesn't affect you, so don't you taunt him."
George laughed, "Oh, we don't care if he likes blokes."
Fred spoke this time, making me turn my attention back toward him, "It's just in our sibling nature to pester him, and he makes it so fun with his reactions."
"Besides, if Charlie can fancy dragons, why would we mind Percy liking men?" Asked George with a teasing smirk.
"I do not fancy dragons. I don't know how often I have to tell you this," Charlie chuckled from Fred's left as he leaned forward so he could see us all easier, "I'm aromantic, and you know that."
My head tilted in curiosity, "Aromantic? What does that mean?"
"Means I don't have interest in romance, and for me personally, I don't have any interest in furthering a relationship past the occasional fling," Charlie added.
My cheeks flushed slightly, but I hummed in thought for a moment, "You know…I kind of wish I was aromantic, now."
"Dels!" both twins exclaimed, looking at me in disbelief for some reason.
I shrugged, "What? It sounds a lot less stressful, doesn't it?"
George laughed and shook his head, while Fred rolled his eyes and sighed. Charlie on the other hand was laughing loudly and agreed with me.
After Ireland's display with what was very obviously leprechaun gold, they announced the teams, and then the match was on. It seemed like absolute chaos compared to our matches. The Quaffle was all over the place, the Bludgers kept the Beaters so busy that I was surprised they were able to focus on where to hit them when they did, and I couldn't even catch a glimpse of the Snitch at all. I was glad that I had only bought Ginny the Omninoculars. I don't think I could follow the game even with them on. I primarily kept my eyes on the scoreboard and the Keepers.
Before too long, and after an injured player or two, I noticed Victor Krum rocket down toward the pitch following the Irish Seeker in his dive.
"He's seen it!" Harry shouted. "He's seen the Snitch!"
The two were neck and neck, careening downward rapidly. Suddenly, the Irish Seeker slammed into the ground while Krum veered off to the side before hovering up higher, his arm lifted high in the air.
My jaw dropped as I heard roaring cheers from either side of me. They had done it! The Irish won, but Krum caught the Snitch! "You guys!" I gasped, a smile stretching across my face as I looked from Fred to George, who smiled brilliantly at me. They then looked at each other before clambering over the back of their chairs to stand in front of Bagman, who looked a little pale.
After the twins rejoined our group, Mr. Weasley herded us down the steps, making a point to tell the twins to not tell their mother about their gambling, though.
"We would never!" said Fred gleefully, "We wouldn't want this confiscated. We have big plans for this money!"
Their father looked like he almost wanted to ask what their plans were, but then he seemed to change his mind.
When we were finally out of the stadium and walking among the sales carts, the boys each wrapped an arm around my shoulders pulling me along with them. "What are you going to use the money on? I think I already know, but…" I literally couldn't keep the grin off my lips.
"You're likely correct, Dels," George commented.
"We're going to start up our own shop in Diagon Alley," Fred added.
I brought my hands up to rest them on each of their hands, my smile turning warm, "I'm so excited for you two! I know how much this means, and I would love to help you get things started."
"Yeah?" Fred lifted a brow, now grinning down at me, "That might be a good idea, 'ey George?"
George nodded, sporting his own grin, "It'd be nice to not have to look for an employee right away. What do you think, Dels? Wanna work for us?"
"Work for you two?" Thinking about it, they would likely be one of the few that would even chance hiring me if they ever got wind of me having creature blood. I tried to not let that thought bother me, though, so I happily agreed, "Yeah, sure! I mean, it would never be boring, and you could teach me about how you make your products!"
Fred leaned in close to my ear, quietly saying, "You'd have to keep our secrets, if we teach you that, Dels. Think you can?"
Despite my raging blush, I nodded, "I'd like to think I'm good at keeping secrets when I need to."
George's hand squeezed mine, and I looked over at him even though he was looking over my head at his twin. "I think it'd be nice to see a pretty face every day, don't you think, Freddy?"
"It'd be bloody brilliant," Fred's voice was low, almost a sigh, yet still loud enough to be heard over the raucous cheers and singing, and my eyes widened while a very noticeable shiver was sent through my body. "Right, Dels?"
George chuckled quietly at my expression before I whipped around to look at his twin, though he shifted our hands to let his fingers glide in between mine. Again my head spun, and I was thankful that I had put my hair into a braid so it wouldn't be flaring all over the place as I turned. This time I stared at George with a puzzled look. I had my heart stutter again when I felt Fred's hand slip from under mine only to rest it on top of my own, curling around it slightly.
The twins didn't speak anymore after that, though they kept a hold on my hands until we neared the tent. George gave my hand one last squeeze before sliding his arm off of me so he could duck into the tent. Fred, however, gave my shoulders a tight squeeze with his arm and pressed a quick kiss to the top of my head before he joined his brother.
I stood outside by the extinguished campfire, completely stuck in my head. 'Where did this come from? I mean…could they actually like me? No, certainly not. I've seen them be flirty like this with other girls at school.' My heart stung and my stomach clenched painfully. 'That's it…they must be just doing this on instinct.' "That must be it…" I mumbled to myself, then took a deep breath before going inside with the others.
When I walked in, Mr. Weasley announced that everyone was allowed one cup of cocoa before bed, since no one seemed tired except him, and the people around us were still being loud. As I made myself a cup I heard the twins and Harry picking at Ron for his adoration of Krum. Ginny laughed and dreamily said "I think you're in love, Ron." Laughter filled the tent for a moment, quickly followed by a chant from the twins and Harry:
"Victor, I love you~! Victor, I do~! When we're apart my heart beats only for you~!"
The singing calmed as we wound down from the warm drinks. I had seated myself beside Ginny and kept to myself, that is until the poor girl fell asleep at the table we were seated at and she knocked over her cup of cocoa.
"I think that's enough for tonight. To bed with all of you, Deliah, would you take Ginny to bed?" asked Mr. Weasley.
"Sure, Mr. Weasley," I mumbled sleepily, shifting Ginny around to put her arm over my shoulders then half-dragging her barely-awake body to the bottom bunk since it'd be easier to lay her on.
After laying her down, I climbed into the top bunk and stared at the canvas above me. My mind wouldn't quiet despite the fact that I was so tired, making me groan quietly in annoyance. Sighing deeply, I finally gave up on trying to sleep and climbed down to wander outside. It was still slightly noisy outside, but nothing concerning so I lowered myself onto one of the stumps beside the campfire, liting what wood was currently in the small pile with a quiet "Incendio".
My mind was reeling, and I realized rapidly…I really wished that Harper was here. She would have known what to say or do to make me feel better. I groaned again, letting my head fall into my hands. Why couldn't I just be normal?
The fact that I was essentially homeschooled had kept my contact with others low enough, but adding in the fact that my senses were so enhanced with whatever blood I have, I've had basically no contact other than Remus before school last year. I couldn't wrap my head around all of these conflicting emotions, and even if I wrote to Remus about it, I doubt I would get any help. He would possibly respond with something like 'You shouldn't be worrying about boys right now, Deliah. You are almost in your last year of school, and that is exactly what you should focus on, your education.'
That's when I remembered Sirius but quickly snuffed out that idea. I hardly knew the man, and boy troubles likely wouldn't be a good conversation starter. My bloodline, though… I hummed in thought, lightly biting my bottom lip. Maybe he knew something about it? He was close with Remus and surely knew about me for the small amount of time before his wrongful arrest. He also seemed like the type to not hold things back, like Remus' worrywart-self would.
A scream broke through the noise of the fans that were still celebrating around our tent, followed quickly by shouting, drawing me from my thoughts. I quickly stood up and looked to my right – which is where the ruckus was coming from – down the line of tents to see spells firing off in almost every direction. My eyes widened, and I whirled around to rush into the tent.
"Mr. Weasley!" I gasped as I almost ran directly into the man, then stepped back to motion outside. "There's something going on outside! I don't think they're just celebrating anymore."
He gave me a quick nod of understanding, before rushing past to check things out himself. It didn't take long for him to come rushing back inside, his face significantly paler than before. "We have to get everyone up, now! I'll wake the boys."
He only took a few steps from me and was immediately shouting to rouse his deep-sleeping sons, while I raced to wake Hermione and Ginny. I managed to grab my bag and shove it and the other girl's belongings under the bed in hopes that it would be less likely to be looked through if someone ended up ransacking the tents, then quickly joined the rest of the group that was rushing from the tent to attempt to figure out what was going on.
"Deliah," Ginny's quiet voice drew my attention away from the people running past us and then into the woodst. She looked confused and scared, and her arms snaked around one of my own, holding on tightly as her eyes flickered from person to person only to still, staring at something to our right.
My heart stopped as I looked up to see a small group of Muggles floating in the air, illuminated by an eerie green glow as their bodies were twisted and turned at unnatural angles.
A sudden wave of protectiveness surged over me at the sight, and I gently pulled Hermione and Ginny as close behind my body as I could, standing like a shield with my stance solid and arms curved backward to wrap around them. Admittedly, I was slightly confused about my sudden protectiveness, but I shrugged it off as just my normal Hufflepuff-like behavior of protecting my friends. Hermione did cast a glance at me, showing her own confusion that only seemed to get worse as she watched me, though. I could feel her stare, and just as I went to ask her what was wrong, I was brought back to the current situation nearing our tent.
Mr. Weasley was quickly joined by his eldest sons, wands at the ready, "We're going to help the Ministry, you all go to the woods with the rest of the crowd, and make sure to stick together! Fred, George, you two are responsible for Ginny and Deliah!"
I felt a frustrated growl in my chest at the thought of him insinuating that I needed protecting, but it was thankfully quiet enough that none seemed to notice other than the girls I was guarding. My mind was telling me that I didn't need someone to watch over me, and I definitely didn't need someone else to watch over the girls, I was the one meant to do that, though I have no clue how I knew that.
"I'll find you when things have calmed down, alright?" Mr. Weasley and the eldest two started rushing off as he called back to us, "Remember, stick together!"
Ron and Harry managed to get past me and dragged Hermione away while I was distracted, meaning I suddenly felt even more overprotective of Ginny. My eyes darted rapidly from face to face, somehow memorizing what each of the terrified strangers looked like as they ran away from the floating Muggles. A sudden dread filled my chest and I spun around to race to the woods, grabbing onto Ginny's wrist as I did so.
"Oi! Dels, we're supposed to stick together!" I heard being shouted from behind us as I ran, but I couldn't bring myself to care.
The further we ran from the cluster of people, the more my chest ached and a deep, burning pain started slowly spreading from the back of my head. I couldn't think past the rapidly increasing pain. Just when we stepped into the woods, the ache in my chest quickly changed into a strange pulling sensation and my legs felt shaky, each step became a stumble making Ginny come crashing into my back.
"Deliah, why'd you-" the young redhead looked up at me as I stumbled backward, my attention turning back to the group of people standing under the poor Muggles. "Hey! Where are you going?!"
Her question fell on deaf ears, though, since my body was already stumbling in the opposite direction. It felt like something…no, someone was calling to me, leading me directly into the chaos.
'What is this? Why can't I stop?!' Though my body didn't seem to be under my control, my thoughts thankfully had remained my own, and my heart hammered in my aching chest. 'Stop! I don't want to leave Ginny on her own! Go back!'
A heavy fog spread through my mind, filling my thoughts with a heavy vapor and an unknown voice. 'Come to me, pet. Just a bit further…' echoed in my head as I stumbled, making my already terrible headache almost excruciating, 'Come closer now…Yes, you listen so well to your sire.' At the deep voice's comment, my eyes felt compelled to drift up from the ground, quickly realizing that I was only feet away from the figures that were shooting off spells and immediately locked eyes with one of the figures. The man was dressed in a black robe like the others behind him, but unlike the others, this man was only wearing a half-mask.
When our eyes met, I felt as if I was doused with ice-cold water. His irises were deep red, looking very much like blood. The thought caused a strange sensation to bloom in my stomach and an ache to pulse through my head again, only this time it started at my mouth then shot to the back of my head. A dark smirk spread across his lips, which were the only other thing on his face visible.
"Found you, pet." The man's voice was low and smooth, yet I could hear the dangerousness that filled those words. As he spoke I was able to see flashes of two sets of sharp fangs among his top row of teeth and one set on the bottom row.
The man slowly shifted, leisurely making his way over to me as I stood frozen and drowning in his terrifying red eyes. Just before he reached me, however, I was able to snap out of the haze in my mind. The feeling that rushed through my body now was similar to the protective one I felt earlier, and it spurred me into motion, whirling in the opposite direction and bolting through the tents.
"Damn it!" the man cursed, all pretense of calmness immediately forgotten as he snarled loudly, "Come back here, pet! You're only making this harder on yourself!"
I didn't bother with a response, only deeming words necessary to shoot off random spells at tents and vendor carts to create more debris or move them into the path I had taken as an attempt to make the chase even the smallest bit more difficult for him.
'I have to make it to the trees.' I thought desperately, pushing my legs harder than I ever had before while doing my best to not trip over the debris that was in my own way. A sudden clear space between the tents sent a jolt of fear through my heart only for me to collide with a man.
"What the- a girl?" The man, who looked to possibly be a Ministry employee of some sort judging by his outfit, held tight to my shoulders, keeping me from falling backward from the collision. "Are you alright, miss? Are you injured?"
I shook my head quickly, "No, no I'm fine…but there was- there was a man…behind me! He- his eyes…he was in my head! Please, we have to get away from here!" I panted desperately.
The Ministry worker eyed the tents behind me warily before shooting purple sparks into the sky. "Alright now, let's just calm down. There doesn't seem to be anyone behind you now, miss, but I've signaled for the Aurors. I can send you in the right direction to get to a safe area, too," He turned me to the left a little, pointing down the open pathway in front of us, "You'll want to keep on the path, and you should be able to reach the woods with no problem. I will keep on the lookout for anyone suspicious."
I opened my mouth to thank him only to see him be suddenly thrown to the side.
"You shouldn't meddle in other's business, you filthy Mudblood, and you've even ruined my plans with your bloody light show."
Again, I was staring at the masked man, only this time, he apparently didn't feel like playing around as he trudged over to the collapsed man. After his spat comment about the Ministry worker, he used one hand to haul him from the ground with ease only to lock his jaws onto the poor man's throat. The Ministry worker screamed in pain for only a second before the sound turned to a gurgle, then a wet squelch accompanied by another sound that I could only describe as tearing before silence.
I stumbled away from them a bit, my eyes wide with shell-shocked horror as I watched the masked man drop the other wizard into a heap on the ground, blood pooling quickly around the lifeless body, then he spat something onto a nearby collapsed tent. It took a moment for it to register exactly what he had done, but when it did, I desperately fought the urge to vomit. I instead willed myself to run between tents again, fueled completely by pure terror and adrenaline.
He had just torn a chunk of that poor Ministry worker's throat out…using his mouth.
My stomach twisted again, and yet again I fought the urge to heave. Now was not the time! Tears streamed from my eyes as I looked around, trying to find distractions for the psycho, trying to find other people, and honestly, just trying to find safety.
"It's not worth the trouble this time, pet," He shouted distantly, and I swear I could hear the smirk in his voice. "I'll find you again, and by then you'll understand."
I didn't bother to hold back the loud sob as I stumbled through the wrecked tents. Not only was that man terrifying in general, but he had just killed a man right in front of me with no qualms. My mind drifted to thoughts about the Ministry worker. Did he have a family? How hard were things for them if he did have one? The masked man had said he wasn't a pureblood after all, and not all magical people were kind to people like them, obviously. Now that he is gone, would things get worse for them?
Another sob shook my body with a sudden thought: It was my fault.
I was so wrapped up in my thoughts about what had just happened, that I didn't notice that I had stumbled into the woods until my shoulder roughly collided with a tree which led me to trip over the roots as well. I landed heavily on the dirt and leaf litter and didn't even bother to try to get back up.
It was my fault a man had died. I had just stood there… it was my fault. I've stared down a werewolf before, but this…I was completely helpless against this man.
A moment later I heard voices coming closer, and managed to shakily push myself up just in time for Charlie Weasley to step through some underbrush in front of me.
"Oh, Deliah! Are you alright?" he asked before offering a hand to pull me up. As soon as I was standing, I threw myself into his surprised arms, clinging desperately to someone I knew was safe. "So, not ok then." His voice felt warm, and his scent of earthy leather and smoke helped calm me, though only slightly. "Why don't we find our way back to the tent. I heard the Aurors were wrapping things up, so it should be safe. Bill and Percy got knocked around pretty good, but I was lucky, only sporting a ripped shirt."
His rambling was a fantastic distraction, and I sent him what I hoped was a small smile as we walked. By this point, I was beyond exhausted and had ended up leaning into Charlie after he wrapped his warm arm over my shoulders.
.