meant to be

♦ 006 ♦

The Goblet of Fire

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

He led Harry, Ron, Lynn and Hermione through the crowd and back into the campsite. All was quiet now. There was no sign of the masked wizards, though several ruined tents were still smoking.

Charlie's head was poking out of the boys' tent.

"Dad, what's going on?" he called through the dark. "Fred, George, and Ginny got back okay, but the others. . . ."

"I've got them here," said Mr. Weasley, bending down and entering the tent. Harry, Ron, Lynn and Hermione entered after him.

Bill was sitting at the small kitchen table, holding a bedsheet to his arm, which was bleeding profusely. Charlie had a large rip in his shirt, and Percy was sporting a bloody nose. Fred, George, and Ginny looked unhurt, though shaken. Fred looked at Lynn     who was pale, bleeding from her nose and cheekbone and looking shaken up, but he was relieved to see her back and alive.

"Did you get them, Dad?" said Bill sharply. "The person who conjured the Mark?"

"No," said Mr. Weasley. "We found Barry Crouch's elf holding Harry's wand, but we're none the wiser about who actually conjured the Mark."

"What?" said Bill, Charlie, and Percy together.

"Harry's wand?" said Fred as he got up, took Lynn's hand and lead her to the table. The blonde sat down and Fred grabbed a damp cloth and began cleaning up the blood from her face.

"Mr. Crouch's elf?" said Percy, sounding thunderstruck.

With some assistance from Harry, Ron, Lynn and Hermione, Mr. Weasley explained what had happened in the woods. When they had finished their story, Percy swelled indignantly.

"Well, Mr. Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that!" he said. "Running away when he'd expressly told her not to. . . . embarrassing him in front of the whole Ministry. . . . how would that have looked, if she'd been brought up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control. . . ."

"She didn't do anything, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!" Hermione snapped at Percy, who looked very taken aback. Hermione had always got on fairly well with Percy, better, indeed, than any of the others.

"Hermione, a wizard in Mr. Crouch's position can't afford a house-elf who's going to run amok with a wand!" said Percy pompously, recovering himself.

"She didn't run amok!" shouted Hermione. "She just picked it up off the ground!"

"Look, can someone just explain what that skull thing was?" said Ron impatiently. "It wasn't hurting anyone. Why's it such a big deal?"

"I's You-Know-Who's symbol, Ron," said Lynn as Fred tilted her face to the side to wipe up the blood. "I read about it in The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts."

"And it hasn't been seen for thirteen years," said Mr. Weasley quietly. "Of course people panicked, it was almost like seeing You-Know-Who back again."

"I don't get it," said Ron, frowning. "I mean, it's still only a shape in the sky. . . ."

"Ron, You-Know-Who and his followers sent the Dark Mark into the air whenever they killed," said Mr. Weasley. "The terror it inspired, you have no idea, you're too young. Just picture coming home and finding the Dark Mark hovering over your house, and knowing what you're about to find inside. . . ." Mr. Weasley winced. "Everyone's worst fear. . . . the very worst. . . ."

There was silence for a moment.

Then Bill, removing the sheet from his arm to check on his cut, said, "Well, it didn't help us tonight, whoever conjured it. It scared the Death Eaters away the moment they saw it. They all Disapparated before we'd got near enough to unmask any of them. We caught the Robertses before they hit the ground, though. They're having their memories modified right now."