When Fire Meets Gasoline | Wizarding World

chapter thirty-six | the fire pack

The four were surrounded by trees in a matter of seconds.

Among the birds chirping and the crunching of leaves under their feet, everything was quiet. No one said a word as they took the time to regain their breaths from Apparating. Not only that, but the last words Jacob said before he let anyone respond replayed in Oliver's head.

We kind of blew up the Ministry.

It was worrying, to say the least.

Once everyone was more calm, their heartbeats going back at a normal pace, Jacob was the first to speak up. "Well, that was a pleasant visit."

"Yeah, you mind telling us what exactly happened?" Oliver asked. "You tell us you 'kind of blew up the Ministry' and then you take us in the middle of some forest--"

"Okay, so it's actually not as bad as it sounds," Jacob assured him, trying to look and sound convincing before he turned towards Mary. "Right?"

She raised her eyebrows his way. "I mean, we did put a bunch of employees in danger..."

Jacob's face fell, exhaling loudly in annoyance. "Well, thanks for backing me up," he muttered sarcastically.

"Just tell us what happened," Eliza interjected.

"I came to get Mary when I found her talking to Zabini. Things got heated between the three of us. Next thing we know, he shoots a spell our way, so I retaliated."

"Needless to say, our duel got out of hand and spells went all over the place," Mary finished up for him. "No one got seriously hurt, which is a relief, but a lot of things were damaged by the fire we caused."

"By what?" Oliver questioned, widening his eyes in shock.

Jacob stepped back in. "It was an accident, okay? We got out before anyone could catch us, so that's all that matters."

He huffed a sigh. "Did you at least get some useful information from your dad?"

"Just some things, but not a whole lot. He was worried about others overhearing our conversation," Jacob explained. "You-Know-Who's name is taboo now. Snatchers use that as a way to track down wizards and witches."

"But nothing about Andy or Vi," Eliza stated.

Jacob shook his head. "Nothing at all, but my dad said there's a radio program called Potterwatch that reports events not covered by other Wizarding networks or the Prophet. Apparently, you need a password to get access to the show, which I got the one for the next show from my dad, so we'll be able to tune in."

Oliver merely nodded his head in response. While it wasn't terrible news, he hoped for something more, especially after the huge risk Jacob and Mary took inside the Ministry. He wished there was more reassurance that everything was okay for now and that things would get better, despite how bad things escalated between Jacob, Mary, and Blaise. However, he got more anxious the more he kept thinking about it.

"Well, let's go ahead and set up a tent and maybe just relax for now," Eliza suggested. "Who knows how long we'll have to do just that before Aurors or Snatchers from the Ministry come hunting us down."

So the four got to work on the tent that came from Eliza's rucksack. They worked together with their wands to set up the tent nice and firm, making sure it was pinned in the ground tight enough so that it wouldn't blow away. They established who got what bed, taking over their spaces for the time being.

Oliver looked over at Mary, who seemed to have a frustrated expression on her face as she rubbed her forehead. While he understood why she was acting the way she was, he couldn't help but still find it concerning. He wondered if something else happened specifically with her at the Ministry, something Jacob wasn't present for.