Oooh that last cliff hanger was mean wasn't it? Well...I've said it before and I'll say it again...my imagination is a dark and scary place. Now with that lovely piece of information...on with the battle!

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING...unfortunately...

Chapter Seven

By Rosa241

Hermione's POV:

Percy muttered something to Oliver – and although she couldn't hear the words she suspected they had something to do with positioning, seeing as shortly afterwards Oliver moved over to the right. Had it been a different time I would have cheered...Oliver moving gave me a far better view on the scene. The two death eaters were on the far side of the clearing, Oliver was hovering a few feet away from our hiding spot whilst Percy was standing a little way off to the right.

Ron was breathing heavily in my ear whilst Ginny was sobbing slightly, being comforted by Fred...or maybe it was George...she could never tell them apart. Well whichever one it was the other was on my left gazing out over the clearing. Before I could even blink a curse was thrown.

"Protego!" Percy yelled, catching the curse in mid air before throwing his own into the mix.

"Stupefy!" Oliver – taking Percy's lead – launched himself into the battle. Unfortunately for Oliver his death eater seemed to have realised just where the rest of them were hiding and began launching curse after curse at the group. This immediately put Oliver on the defensive. Over the shouts of the battle – both battles in fact, the one at the camp and the one in front of her – I could hear Oliver's death eater screaming curses, Confrigo seemed to be his favourite.

"Their doing alright aren't they? Their doing alright..." Fred/George asked, his eyes never leaving the scene before them.

"No!" It was now that I looked, and I mean really looked that I realised...they were being toyed with. "The death eaters...their playing with them..."

Fred's POV:

"Their doing alright aren't they? Their doing alright..." I questioned to no one in particular, in all honesty not expecting an answer. I should have known with Hermione there that I was going to get an answer whether I liked it or not.

"No!" What? What the hell was she talking about? "The death eaters...their playing with them..."

I couldn't help but watch the scene in front of me with wider eyes and bated breath. It killed me to realise it but she was right. Hermione was right, she was right...they didn't stand a chance. Another explosion caught me off guard and I couldn't help but cover my eyes, tears stinging them as I watched my brother fighting for his life.

I could hear Ginny sniffing sadly, George trying his best to comfort her whilst watching Percy at the same time. Ron was muttering curses under his breath, trying desperately to stop himself from running out there. My eyes fall back onto the battle – which as Hermione predicted is getting harder and harder for Percy and Oliver.

Oliver had his hands full, his death eater (that's what Hermione had called them right?) was throwing explosive curse after explosive curse our way. The Quidditch Capitan was only just managing to deflect them...and judging from the sneering laughter that surprisingly could be heard as another explosion died down the death eater was still toying with Oliver. The next explosion had Oliver stumbling backwards, before violently crashing to the floor.

Things seemed to go into slow motion as Oliver struggled to get to his feet. I could see Hermione had wiped out her wand and was about ready to head out there.

"Impedimenta!" The curse had not come from Hermione but from Percy, who somehow managed to dodge a rather violent looking curse whilst attempting to save his best friend.

I know the Impediment Jinx slows things down...but that doesn't seem to have done much...wait what was it Flitwick said...sometimes curses don't always hold...

"Oh god please be aright!" My voice shook with emotion as I watched Oliver struggling to his feet, he was clutching his left shoulder and limping slightly.

"The curse isn't holding...He's too panicked!" Hermione whispered, I'm honestly not sure she was aware that she was speaking aloud.

"Confrigo!" Oliver's death eater fired the curse directly at Oliver this time – knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to dodge this time.

"Depulso!" Percy's curse shoved his own death eater out of the way – making him collide heavily with a nearby tree and drop like a sack of potatoes. "Protego!" The protection spell caused the curse to explode a few feet away from Oliver although the force of the explosion had him fly backwards. He hit the floor and stirred slightly before going limp.

One death eater down, one to go...come on Percy!

Before either Percy or the death eater could make another move a strange voice filled the air, 'Morsmodre!', and a dark serpent filled the night sky. For one reason or another, the death eater having seen the giant serpent, fled the clearing in a cloud of black smoke. It took a few moments for the smoke the clear, when it finally did Ginny moved with speed I didn't know she possessed. She threw herself into Percy's arms before sobbing her heart out into his chest. Seeing he was fine I moved over to Oliver, joined by my twin, who stirred slightly before gazing at both of us with a confused look.

It took a few moments before he looked at us with a panicked look and leapt to his feet, probably a mistake judging from the violent swaying. George and I steadied him before moving over to join the rest of our gang. By now Ginny's sobs had died down to quiet sniffles, the anger that had previously donned Ron's face had been replaced by what I could only describe as relief whilst I finally felt my own heart start beating properly again. Apparently even fighting a death eater wasn't enough to shake Percy who appeared to be the epitome of cool – although appearances can be deceiving.

"Right...sounds like the fighting's dying down at the camp site, let's head back..." He glanced over his shoulder at the death eater he had been fighting moments earlier before sending a small smile our way. "Come on."

Arthur's pov:

"Bill! Charlie!" I gratefully embraced both of my sons before stepping back to examine the damage. Bill was sporting a rather significant cut to his left arm whilst Charlie was attempting to stop his nose from bleeding. "Come here!" I took the cloth from Charlie as I set about cleaning it...if only to keep my mind away from other, more darker thoughts.

"They're with Percy...they'll be fine." Bill murmured, apparently having read my mind. "I'm sure."

"Glad to hear you've got so much faith in the rest of us!" Fred's sarcastic voice floated through the tent, spinning around I saw my remaining children standing before us. Breathing a sigh of relief I embraced them all in turn – poor Harry seemed quite shocked with the bear hug I gave him. It was a few moments before my eyes registered the blood dripping down Olivers arm.

"What on earth happened?" The scot's eyes fell upon Percy as he stuttered a weak explanation. "Percy what happened?"

My third oldest sighed heavily before – quite reluctantly I might add - telling me what had just happened. I'm pretty sure my eyes are the size of dinner plates as he finishes telling us what he and Oliver had done. I knew some very well trained wizards that would struggle when faced one on one with a death eater and yet here two eighteen year olds had managed to take down two.

"Bloody hell Perce!" Once again Bill had been reading my mind as he pulled his younger brother into a hug. "Taking down two death eaters...not a bad feat!"

"One! The other fled...which reminds me...that snake thing...what the heck was that? That death eater took one look at it and took off." Ah! Looks like I'm going to have to explain as well.

"It's the dark mark...it's his mark." Hermione took the words right out of my mouth. A heavy silence fell upon the group as her words sunk in, the older ones apparently piecing tonights events together. It was Ginny's tired mind that asked the first question.

"What does it mean?" Her words gained a sigh from myself as I sat the group down and began explaining. "You see Ginny, when you-know-who...well, when he killed someone he'd cast that mark to let everyone know it was him. His followers took to casting it as well."

"Those people tonight were his followers." Charlie finished the explanation as he tended to Olivers wounds. "A lot of those people abadonned you-know-who after his death, they walked away and tried to make out like they never wanted to follow him. When they saw the mark..."

"They fled because they were scared." Percy nodded as realisation hit home. He makes to speak but his words are cut off as someone bursts into the tent.

"Barty?" He's seething, he actually looks ready to kill.

"Which was one it? Who did it? Who conjured it?" Oh Merlins beard...he's not serious!

"I'm sorry abo0ut this Arthur but we found this." Fudge produced a wand from his pocket and placed it on the table in front of us.

"Hey my wand." Harry whispered, hands flying to check his pockets. "Where'd you find that?"

"So it was you Mr Potter?" Barty turns his furious eyes to Harry, okay this has gone too far...

"Barty...they're just kids..." My words go unnoticed as Barty continues to glare at Harry, from the corner of my eye I spot Ron growing tenser as his friend is exaimined.

"You actually think he conjured it! You barmy!" Oliver's voice breaks through the deafening silence. "Besides he was with us the entire time...there's no way he could have conjured it!"

"Like I said Barty...we should be questioning the one who had Mr Potters wand." His eyes flickered down to his side where the previously unnoticed house elf stood shaking.

"Winky found it in the woods. Winky didn't steal wand or cast spell, Winky found it." Her eyes are big and pleading but I can see the conviction on Barty's face.

"There's only one thing for it..." Despite Hermiones protests Barty utters the one word all houseelves loathe to hear. "Clothes!"

Winky promptly burst into tears and fled the tent, she would have been followed by Barty had it not been for the death grip Hermione had on his arm. She set into a long...and rather pointed speech about house elves and how ridiculous he was being, how cruel it was to do this to Winky. Barty and Fudge both scuttled out with their tails between their legs, Fudge blushing slightly at being told off by a fourteen year old witch.

"Their mad!" She screeched once again as Ginny dragged her to their tent to change. As tiredness set in I gazed around the tent at my children. Bill was being tended to by Charlie and they were both sending shocked looks Percy's way, Percy was tending to Oliver – both smiling gently whilst Ron was trying to cheer Harry up. My eyes floated back to the tent flap and I couldn't help but worry...something told me that this wasn't the end...

There we go everyone's fine...Hogwarts next chapter! R&R

Bye bye!