𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐒 | HPau

─ ⁰⁶. YOU WISH YOU HAD HAIR AS GOOD AS MINE!

Neither of them changed into their pajamas. Ginny fell asleep immediately and Hermione was anxious about the following events. She sat down in her bed, her leg bobbing up and down as she chewed her nails. She was brave and reckless, but she wasn't stupid. She knew when things got serious, and though she didn't like to show people it affected her, she couldn't say she wasn't apprehensive.

"You don't need to be so nervous, honey," a voice said and she turned to see a woman with beautiful fiery red hair a few feet away from her in the tent.

"Lily?" she asked the woman, who smiled at her and nodded, walking up to Hermione and sitting next to her on the bed. "What are you doing here?"

"It's about time we meet, huh?" Lily asked amused and Hermione nervously laughed.

"No offense to your husband, but he's a pain in the arse sometimes," Hermione said and Lily snorted.

"Don't I know it. . . ." She smiled. "And to answer your question, I'm here to ease your nerves, we're looking out after you. James is in the other tent, looking out for Harry."

"Oh," Hermione muttered. "Is it bad that I can talk to you guys?"

"What?"

"It's just. . . . I can't help but feel guilty. How come I can talk to you when it's Harry that should?" Hermione asked and she heard Lily laugh muttering something along the lines of 'just like them', she chose to ignore it though.

"You don't need to feel guilty, Mia." Lily Potter smiled at the curly-haired witch, "You just need to make sure he knows we're proud of him, and always here taking care of him."

"No problem, I can do that—" 

Hermione was cut off by the noises sounding from the campsite. The singing and loud sheer had stopped. Instead, it was replaced by the sound of people screaming in fear and the fast footsteps of people running.

"Go, we're here," Lily said. 

Hermione nodded and put on her leather jacket while shaking Ginny awake.

"Gigi, we gotta go! Wake up!" she called. 

Moments later both girls were outside along with the others, trying to find their way to the rest of their group.

By the light of the few fires that were still burning, she could see people running away into the woods, fleeing something that was moving across the field toward them, something that was emitting odd flashes of light and noises like gunfire. Loud jeering, roars of laughter, and drunken yells were drifting toward them; then came a burst of strong green light, which illuminated the scene.

A crowd of wizards, tightly packed and moving together with wands pointing straight upward, was marching slowly across the field. Hermione swallowed hard as she recognized the masked wizards: Death Eaters. High above them, floating along in midair, four struggling figures were being contorted into grotesque shapes. It was as though the Death Eaters on the ground were puppeteers, and the people above them were marionettes operated by invisible strings that rose from the wands into the air. Two of the figures were very small.

More wizards were joining the marching group, laughing and pointing up at the floating bodies. Tents crumpled and fell as the marching crowd swelled. Once or twice they saw one of the marchers blast a tent out of his way with his wand. Several caught fire. The screaming grew louder.

The floating people were suddenly illuminated as they passed over a burning tent. The other three looked as though they might be his wife and children. One of the marchers below flipped Mrs. Roberts upside down with his wand; her nightdress fell down to reveal voluminous drawers and she struggled to cover herself up as the crowd below her screeched and hooted with glee.