Hermione Granger and the Goblet Of Fire (Completed)

Chapter 7 - The Death Eaters

The wood was a lot quieter now. The silence was very unnerving
"I reckon we can just wait here, you know" said Harry "We'll hear anyone coming a mile off"
He had barely said this when Ludo Bagman staggered out from behind some trees. He looked very different from when Hermione had last seen him, a lot more tired and anxious
"Who's that?" he said hoarsely "What are you doing in here, all alone?"
They all gave each other surprised looks
"Well - there's a sort of riot going on" said Ron slowly
"What?" exclaimed Ludo
"At the campsite... some people have got hold of a family of Muggles..."
Bagman swore loudly
"Damn them!" he yelled, before Disapparating
"Not exactly on top of things, Mr. Bagman, is he?" said Hermione, her eyebrows raised
"He was a great Beater, though" said Ron sitting down by a tree "The Wimbourne Wasps won the league three times in a row while he was with them"

He took out a small model of Viktor Krum that he had bought and put it on the ground. Harry and he watched in walk around the grass, but Hermione was too lost in her thoughts to pay much attention to it
"I hope the others are okay" she said quietly
"They'll be fine" said Ron reassuringly
"Imagine if your dad catches Lucius Malfoy" said Harry "He's always said he'd like to get something on him"
"That'd wipe the smirk off old Draco's face, all right," said Ron savagely
"Those poor Muggles, though" said Hermione "What if they can't get them down?"
"They will" said Ron firmly "They'll find a way"
"Mad, though, to do something like that when the whole Ministry of Magic's out here tonight!" said Hermione "I mean, how do they expect to get away with it? Do you think they've been drinking, or are they just-"

She broke off. She could hear footsteps coming towards them. Ron and Harry turned, too.
"Hello?" said Harry loudly "Who's there?"
"MORSMORDRE!"
There was suddenly a bright green light rising into the air, temporarily blinding eyes
"What the-?" gasped Ron, getting too his feet. Hermione did the same time just as her eyes adjusted. She gasped. A constellation of bright green stars, one that Hermione immediately recognised. A huge skull with a serpentine tongue - The Dark Mark!

All throughout the wood, people started screaming. Hermione was struck by a terrible thought. The Dark Mark was a mark that Lord Voldemort's followers sent into the sky, there might be lots of them gathering around the Mark, right where they were!

Harry didn't seem to understand
"Who's there?" he asked again
"Harry, come on, move!" yelled Hermione frantically, grabbing Harry by the scruff of the neck and dragging him backwards
"What's the matter?" Harry said blankly
"It's the Dark Mark, Harry!" Hermione yelled, pulling him as hard as she could "You-Know-Who's sign!"
"Voldemort's-?"
"Harry, come on!"

Ron picked up his model of Viktor Krum and the three of them ran as fast as they could away from the Mark. But before they had got a hundred paces, there were several pops and they were surrounded by Ministry witches and wizards
"DUCK!" roared Harry, grabbing Hermione and dragging her and Ron down just as all the Ministry people yelled "STUPEFY!" and twenty jets of red light whistled over Hermione's head, before bouncing off trees deep into the forest
"Stop!" yelled a voice Hermione knew "STOP! That's my son!" Hermione looked up. Mr Weasley had walked over to them, his face pale
"Ron - Harry - Hermione -" he said shakily "are you all right?"

"Out of the way, Arthur" said a cold voice. It was Mr Crouch. He looked furious
"Which of you did it?" he growled "Which of you conjured the Dark Mark?"
"We didn't do that!" said Harry, gesturing to the Mark
"We didn't do anything!" said Ron angrily "What did you want to attack us for?"
"Do not lie, sir!" yelled Mr. Crouch "You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!"

"Barty," whispered a woman that Hermione recognised as Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement "they're kids, Barty, they'd never have been able to-"
"Where did the Mark come from, you three?" asked Mr. Weasley
"Over there" said Hermione pointing at where they had heard the voice "There was someone behind the trees... they shouted words - an incantation-"
"Oh, stood over there, did they?" said Mr. Crouch incredulously "Said an incantation, did they? You seem very well informed about how that Mark is summoned, missy-"