Serena Black || 𝑪𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒊𝒐

The Portkey

Serena began to gasp and side stitch as they crested a hill, at the top of which Mr Weasley finally stopped and put both hands on his hips. "Somewhere around here must be the Portkey. It won't be big.... you can help me..."

Serena expelled a deep breath and began to look around the hilltop. The sun was beginning to be so strong that it blinded her and she had to squint her eyes. Protectively, she held a hand in front of her field of vision. From the hill they had a fantastic view of the valley, in the middle of which was a small village. All around were wooded landscapes and fields that lay sleepily in a shallow mist.

"Here, Arthur! Here, old boy, we've got him!" it suddenly called. A man with brown stubble hair beckoned them towards him with a walking stick. He wore a chequered hat and an equally chequered jacket. He carried a large backpack on his back, which indicated that he had probably also planned a long excursion.

"Amos!" exclaimed Mr Weasley delightedly, pointing his finger at the man. "This is Amos Diggory! Works in the Magical Creatures Guidance and Supervision Department. And I believe you know his son Cedric?"

"Hello." Cedric Diggory was handsome. Serena couldn't deny that, yet she wasn't the type of girl to start giggling like Hermione and Ginny did at the sight of him at that moment. Cedric then looked around in embarrassment as the others also replied with a quick 'hello'. At least, except for Fred and George. Serena wasn't sure if it was because Gryffindor had lost to Hufflepuff last term or if they were just still offended by the loss of their Toffees.

Mr Diggory let his eyes roam over the group with wide eyes. "All from you, Arthur?"

"Oh no, just the redheads," Mr Weasley quickly interjected, pointing to those who were not blessed with red hair. "That's Hermione, Serena and Harry."

"By the Beard of Merlin," Amos Diggory groaned, his eyes widening a little more. "Harry Potter?"

"Erm yes," Harry replied awkwardly, pressing his lips together into an unpleasant smile. It took a while for Mr Diggory to take his eyes off him and let them move on to the adults.

"Remus Lupin," Serena's godfather introduced himself politely and offered his hand. "I was Cedric's teacher last year." Mr Diggory nodded knowingly. "Of course! Cedric told me about you, you were his favourite teacher!"

Remus looked a little embarrassed at this statement, but Serena could only agree and nodded at him affirmatively. Mr Diggory's eyes moved on to another person. "You're Sirius Black, aren't you?" he breathed in awe. It was hard to tell what thoughts were going through Cedric's father's mind at that moment, but eventually he shook his hand too. "Nice to meet you."

"We have to leave soon," Mr Weasley interjected quickly, leading the group to an old boot at the other end of the hill. "You just need to touch the portkey, that's all."

The group formed a tight circle to do this, but with their bulky backpacks, it proved to be rather cumbersome. Eventually, however, they managed to get each of the elves to touch a finger to the discoloured leather of the old boot. Serena waited out the countdown in an uncomfortable position, hoping she wouldn't fall over and be left alone. That would be rather inconvenient.

"Three.... two... one ..." Serena gritted her teeth and was already swaying, but as soon as Mr Weasley's voice had faded, the ground was pulled out from under her feet. At that, it was downright impossible for her to let go of the boot. Even if she had wanted to, her hand now seemed glued to the Portkey. The world beneath her began to spin at dizzying speed, apparently trying to bring her breakfast back into the daylight.