Chapter 60
After the finals, the twins told Hermione that they would see her shortly, and she watched as they head off, and shook her head when she saw them approach Mr. Bagman, holding out their hands. The Weasleys along with Harry and Hermione retired to their tents, the girls heading into the boys tent as they sat around the table and celebrated before bed.
Fred and George danced around doing an Irish jig to the music that had played for the Irish team when they took the field at the match.
"There's no one like Krum," Ron said.
"Krum?" Fred asked. "Dumb Krum?"
"He's like a bird, the way he rides the wind," Ron said.
"Krum?" George asked. "Dumb Krum?"
Hermione tried not to laugh as she watched Fred and George circle Ron, flapping their arms like birds as they chanted, "Krum? Dumb Krum?"
"He's more than an athlete," Ron said, ignoring the twins as they continued to chant. "He's an artist."
"I think you're in love, Ron," Ginny joined in, swooning and dreamy.
"Shut up," Ron retorted.
"Viktor, I love you!" Fred sang.
"Viktor I do!" George joined in, carrying Fred's tune.
"When we're apart, my heart beats only for you," Harry, Hermione, and Ginny joined in chorus with them, poking fun at Ron.
The sound of a far off explosion filled the air.
"Sounds like the Irish are getting their pride on," Fred said with a smile.
"Stop!" Mr. Weasley said sternly. "Stop it!"
An uneasy silence filled the tent as Mr. Weasley listened intently. "It's not the Irish," he said. "We've gotta get out of here. Now!"
Hurrying out of the tent with the others, leaving everything behind, Hermione stopped as they clustered together with Mr. Weasley outside the tent, fear filled her as she looked around to see many tents on fire and wizards and witches running away screaming, some disapparating on the spot.
"Get out!" a wizard yelled as he ran by them. "It's the Death Eaters!"
Hermione turned and looked toward to burning tents, the way the man had come to see many masked figures coming their way, though they were still quite a distance from them. She gasped as she saw some had the Muggles who owned the field in the air, contorting their bodies as they advanced.* She knew by looking at them that they were dead, and her fear grew for Mrs. Wood. She wondered if they had gotten away before the attacks had advanced too far.
"Get back to the portkey everyone and stick together!" Arthur shouted, bring Hermione back to her own situation. "Fred, George, Ginny is your responsibility! Go!" he shouted, and drawing his wand, took off in the direction of the Death Eaters' advance.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted, drawing the boy's attention with the direction they were going when several wizards pushed in between them, and he looked around, lost.
"Keep up, you lot!" George yelled over the sound of panic going on around them.
"Harry!" Hermione yelled, following them, but looked back to see that Harry was delayed by more wizards and witches running between them, pushing the boy to and fro in the jostling, panicked crowd, and he was getting further and further away. "Harry!Harry!" she yelled to no avail, as she was forced along, further away from him and lost sight of him all together.
Hermione followed the twins and Ginny, reaching out to hol onto Ron's robes to keep up with them, panic filling her as she wondered what happened to their friend.
It was getting quieter the further they got from the tents, many of the adult wizards having apparated away in fear. Many families with multiple children under age still ran along with them.
"Stop!" Hermione said when she realized that they were going wrong way, heading toward the pitch rather than where they had arrived via the portkey, the direction Bill, Charlie and Percy had apparated in from.
No one stopped though, until they reached the tree line.
"What?" Ron and the twins asked, turning to her. when they were in a small grove within the trees.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.
It was then that Ron, the twins, and Ginny looked around, realizing that Harry wasn't with them.
"Oh, thank Merlin!" Oliver's voice came to her and she turned to see him there with Lee Jordan. "I'm glad you're safe," he said wrapping her in a hug. "What is goingon?" he asked. "I was hanging out with Lee when everyone started running, we ended up here, as we were pushed along with the crowd."
"Death Eaters," Ginny replied in a panic, in answer to Oliver's question. "Where's dad?" she asked fearfully, looking to Fred and George.
"Oliver," Hermione said. "You have to go find your parents. You too, Lee."
"No," Lee said, shaking his head. "I'm not going back there if there are Death Eaters."
"Lee's right," Oliver said. "It's too dangerous."
"Oliver!" Hermione said urgently. "They werekillingandtorturingMuggles!"
"All right," Oliver said, swallowing dryly at the thought. "Let's go."
Hermione shook her head. "I - I can't go with you," she said shaking her head again.
"What? Why not?" Oliver said in confusion.
"Harry," Hermione said. "We got separated. We have to find him, andyouhave to check on your parents."
"We can't go back," Fred said. "Dad wanted us to look after Ginny. It's safer to stay here.
"But the portkeys arethat way!" Hermione said pointing back the way they had come. Remember, we walkedthroughmerchant row to get to the camp after we arrived?"
Fred and George looked at each other paling.
"Never mind," Hermione said. "Stick to the trees and go that way," she said pointing down a row of trees that went toward the side of the property they needed to be on. "Then stick to the edge of the property line as far from the Death Eaters as you can, it will be dangerous, but the three of you should be able to make it."
"What about you?" Oliver asked, worriedly.
"Ron and I will go with you as far as our camp, then we need to look for Harry," Hermione answered. "Lee, its not really safe here... if you don't want to go back with Oliver and Ron and I, go with Ginny and the twins. You need to get to your parents, too."
Lee nodded dumbly. "Okay," he murmured.
"Come on, we better go," Hermione said, but no one moved. "Oliver," she said. "Let go!" Oliver blinked and released her reluctantly. "We have to gonow!" she said and headed off, drawing her wand without waiting for Oliver and Ron to follow.
Sticking as much to the shadows and as low to the ground as they could, Hermione, Ron and Oliver headed back toward the camp they'd fled. As they got closer to the firelight of the burning tents Oliver realized where they were and how close to his own campsite the fires were and ran off, leaving Hermione and Ron behind, panic and fear for his parents driving him, Hermione's words ringing in his ears.
"Dad!" Oliver shouted coming up on his dad, a line of fire not that far from him as he stood with his wand drawn, and the shadows of Death Eaters stalking closer.
"Oliver!" his dad called. "Thank Merlin! Ash! Willow! Cherry!" he yelled, and there were three loud cracks as the Wood family house-elves appeared and blinked their lantern like eyes in surprise at what they saw around them. "Listen to Oliver!"
Oliver swallowed, he'd never been able to command the house-elves to do anything beyond basic things. "Ash," he said. "Stay and help father! I know house-elves have strong magic,use itif you have to!"
"Yes, sir!" Ash replied, taking a defensive stance along side Hickory.
Oliver looked to his father, who nodded.
"Take care of your mother," Hickory said. "Get her out of here!"
Oliver nodded and quickly hugged his father. "Iwillsee you again!"
Hickory nodded his expression somewhat grim, patting Oliver strongly on the back, shoulders and arms before pushing him away. "Go!" he said, before facing the Death Eaters who were now approaching from beyond the ring of fire.
"Cherry! Willow!" Oliver called as he hurried to the tent. "Come with me!"
"Yes, sir!" they called and hurried as fast as their short legs would carry them.
"Mother!" Oliver shouted entering the tent.
"Oliver?" his mother's voice sounded panicked as she came from the living room, white faced. "I heard the explosions and saw the fires, where's your father, what's going on?"
"Death Eaters," Oliver said. "We have to go!"
"Death Eaters?" his mother asked fearfully, and swayed slightly on her feet.
Oliver went to her, but she collected herself before he got there. "I -I'm okay," she said. "Where's your father?"
"He's out there giving us time to get away," Oliver answered. "Mum, wehaveto go!"
"I'm not leaving your father!" his mother cried in protest. "I'm not leaving him alone out there!"
"Mum!" Oliver called, grasping her gently, but firmly by the forearms as she made to leave, until she looked at him. "They'rewizards," he reminded her firmly, causing her to blink at him. "You can't help him right now, these people... the Death Eaters... theyhurtMuggles. Theykillthem!"
His mother blinked at him a moment before her countenance changed, becoming angry. "You think I don'tknow that?" she asked heatedly, glaring at her son. "What do you think they'll do to anyone who stands between us?"
Oliver returned her glare, something he'd never done his entire life was get angry or yell at his mother - he'd only ever done so once in his life only to have his father take him to task for disrespecting her. "Mother!" he shouted, causing her to blink in surprise. "He's not alone. Ash is with him."
Juniper blinked, looking down and noticing Cherry and Willow for the first time, and nodded. "All - all right," she murmured in defeat.
"Willow, Cherry," Oliver said with authority. "Pack what you can, quickly! Meet us at home."
"Yes, sir!" the house-elves said, causing Juniper to blink again, knowing that the elves had only ever spoken to her husband that way.
"Th-the pictures," she said. "Just the pictures."
"Yes, mistress," Willow said and Cherry nodded.
"Willow," Oliver said and the elf turned to him.
"Yes, sir?"
"Once we're away, and the pictures are safe at home, you can return and help my father and Ash," Oliver said.
Oliver's heart lifted as the little elf smiled at him, knowing that she'd be allowed to come help her mate. "Thank you, sir!" Willow exclaimed.
"Hurry now," Oliver encouraged her and then he apparated away with his mother.
Hermione and Ron hid in the shadows of the tents after Oliver disappeared. Hermione was irritated, though really, she couldn't blame Ron for being scared, but he wouldn't let her go out and look for Harry by herself, and he refused to move while there was any apparent danger, such as fire or Death Eaters milling around.
So it was, they had backtracked and hid in the wood near the pitch while the Death Eaters were actively setting the tents ablaze. To Hermione's relief, there was no sign of Lee or Ginny and the twins, so they seemed to have listened to her instructions when she found that Ron had led her back to where they had found each other after the attack began. Hermione watched, fidgeting from the treeline as the fires died down. Luckily, the Death Eaters had apparated away when the majority of those in attendance had fled. She was relieved when Ronfinallyagreed to move when the fires were mostly burned out for lack of fuel.
Heading down the hill from the treeline, they began their search for Harry, splitting up so that they covered both sides of the path, but always within sight of each other.
"Harry! Where are you?" Ron called as he combed his side of the path, making his way through the burned campsite, glancing over to Hermione on her side of the path and shaking his head.
"Harry!" Hermione called.
Ron blinked and saw a figure stand up shakily through the smoky darkness and waved at Hermione who ran over to them.
"We've been looking for you for ages!" Ron exclaimed when he found Harry was quite a bit further down than their camp had been. "Thought we lost you, mate."
Hermione fought back a roll of her eyes and bit her tongue when she felt the urge to retort that they hadn'tactuallybeen looking for himthatlong because Ron had been too afraid to come any further once Oliver had left them.
"What isthat?" Harry asked, drawing their attention to a giant skull emblazoned in the night sky with a large snake slithering out of its open mouth.
"Stupify!" several wizards yelled from all around them and Hermione grabbed both boys by their robes, pulling them down as she ducked and the spells exploded over their heads.
"Stop!" came the familiar voice of Mr. Weasley as he came running up to them. "That's my son! Ron, Harry, Hermione, are you all right?"
"We came back for Harry," Ron said.
"We were separated," Hermione clarified.
"Which one of you conjured it?" a man Hermione recognized as Mr. Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation asked, and Hermione jumped, stiffening as he held them each at wand point.
"Crouch," Mr. Weasley protested. "You can't possi-"
"Do not lie!" Mr. Crouch demanded, turning his wand on them again each in turn. "You've been discovered at the scene of the crime!"
"Crime?" Harry asked, thoroughly confused.
"Barty," Mr. Weasley said. "They're just kids!"
"What crime?" Harry asked.
"It's the Dark Mark, Harry," Hermione murmured, glancing up to the sky before looking back to him. "It'shismark."
"Voldemort?" Harry muttered in return and Hermione nodded. "Those people tonight," Harry said louder, "in the masks, they're his, too, aren't they? His followers."
"Yeah," Mr. Weasley replied. "Death Eaters."
"Follow me," Mr. Crouch said to the others.
"There was a man," Harry said quickly, drawing his attention. "Before... There," he said, pointing to a small area not far from them.
"All of you," Crouch said after looking skeptically at Harry, Ron and Hermione. "This way!" he called, leading the others in the direction Harry had indicated.
"A man, Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked, puzzled. "Who?"
"I don't know," Harry muttered. "I never saw his face."
Mr. Weasley and Hermione looked at Harry, and by his expression, she knew that Harry spoke the truth, she glanced at Mr. Weasley and was relieved to see that he realized it, too.*
"Where are Fred, George and Ginny?" Mr. Weasley asked, looking around.
"I realized when we got to the grove in the wood, we'd gone the wrong way," Hermione answered. "You'd told us to go to the portkey. It's that way," she said, pointing in the direction the Death Eaters had come from and Mr. Weasley groaned. "I told them to stick to the tree line and the edge of the property to make their way around. Ron and I went back after Oliver went to check on his parents and they weren't there anymore, so I think they took Lee with them and followed my instructions."
"Oliver and Lee ?" Harry asked.
Hermione nodded. "They were wandering around when the attack happened, and were forced away from the camp when everyone ran. We met them in the grove." Turning back to Mr. Weasley she continued, "They should be there by now."
Mr. Weasley nodded."Let's go," he said.
Hermione, Ron and Harry followed Mr. Weasley through the ruined camp and it wasn't long before they headed through the broken gate to see a burned out cottage. Quickening their pace, they climbed the hill they had climbed earlier that morning.
"Dad!" Ginny shouted, hurrying up the hill from the opposite direction and Mr. Weasley fell to his knees as tears began to stream down his cheeks as he enveloped his daughter in his arms and looked through blurred vision to see Fred and George come up the hill with Amos and Cedric Diggory.
"Thank you," Mr. Weasley murmured, looking to Hermione, who nodded slightly. "Thank you for waiting," he said turning to look at Amos who nodded with a smile.
"What are friends and neighbors for, my boy," Mr. Diggory asked. "Couldn't very well take the portkey and leave you with no real way of getting these youngsters home."
"That's true," Arthur admitted. "Bill and Charlie left for the Burrow right after we secured the site, but before my youngest son and Hermione found Harry. I hadn't even known that he wasn't with them till I found them when I was with Crouch; Bill and Charlie wanted to see Molly before they had to return to work, I think Charlie was the only one unscathed. Probably from working with dragons, I suppose. It's likely that Molly's fussing over them. Percy didn't seem bothered by the bloody nose he was sporting, he was more concerned with getting his report on standardizing cauldron thickness that he's been talking about all summer finished, but Molly will probably have him cleaned up before she lets him get to it," Mr. Weasley said with a smile as he finally released Ginny and stood.
He waved his wand over his head and conjured a silvery blue weasel. "Located the rest of my family," he spoke to it as it waited in front of him. "Making sure they get home safe. Send message if you need me." He waved his wand again, said, "Barty Crouch, Sr." and the weasel was off and running.
"Ready?" Mr. Diggory asked, levitating the old boot from earlier. "This won't be like before," he warned. "We all have to touch it at once this time, don't want anyone left behind. Move in closer, that's it," he said reaching out with his free hand while keeping the levitation spell active with the other. "Three, two, one."
There was a loud crack as the portkey activated and the hill was empty once more.