Marauders' Godson Book 4: The Goblet of Fire

Chapter Seven

Edward sighed, then said, "Fred, you're in charge of Ginny, Draco, Topaz, and Onyx. George, you're in charge of Ruby, Harry, Ron, Hermione. Since I know more spells than you two-" he looked between the twins "-I'll keep an eye out for trouble. We're still staying together, but it'll be easier if you two don't have to watch all of us at once. How's that?"

"Fine," said Fred. "Let's go." They all ran towards the woods, Fred keeping a hand on Ginny.

The lanterns that had lead the way to the stadium were black, so they were couldn't see very well. They could hear children crying nearby, and figures blundering a ways away, shouting anxiously and obviously panicking. They were being pushed and shoved in every direction. Then Edward heard Ron yell with pain.

"Stop!" he said sharply. "Lumos!" His wand tip was suddenly illuminated, revealing Ron sprawled on the ground. To his alarm, George, Ruby, Harry, and Hermione were the only others nearby. Fred and the others were nowhere to be seen.

"Tripped over a tree root," said Ron angrily, not noticing that the others had disappeared. Harry and George helped him up.

"Well, with feet that size, hard not to," said a cold voice.

They all spun around. Zabini was leaning against a nearby tree, watching the Death Eaters through a gap in the trees.

Ron said something to Zabini that made Hermione and Edward say sharply, "Ronald!"

"Language, Weasley," said Zabini with a sneer. "Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like her spotted, would you?" He nodded at Hermione.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione frowned.

"Granger, they're after Muggles," said Zabini.

"Stop talking," said Edward coldly, giving Zabini a very dangerous look. Zabini went white. "Now." To George, Harry, Ruby, Ron, and Hermione, he added, "Let's go."

While they headed along the path again, with Edward leading the way, his wand lit, Ron said angrily, "I bet you anything his parents are with that masked lot!"

"Well, with any luck, the Ministry will catch them," said Hermione worriedly. "Oh, I can't believe this. Where have the others got to?"

Fred, Ginny, Draco, Onyx, and Topaz were nowhere in sight, although there were many people around, looking nervously over their shoulders at the battle. There was a group of teenagers wearing pajamas nearby. A girl with thick curly hair turned to them and asked, "Oú est Madam Maxime? Nous l'avons perdue-" (Have you seen Madam Maxime? We lost her-)

"Je n'ai aucune idée de qui c'est," said Edward at once. (I have no idea who that is.) Everyone stared at him. "Nous sommes d'une autre école -- Hogwarts." (We're from a differen't school.)

"You speak French?" she asked in English with difficulty. The other teenagers gave him interested looks.

"Oui," Edward replied. "Do you attend Beauxbatons?"

The girl nodded. "Madam Maxime est grande et majestueuse. Si tu la vois, tu nous le diras?" (Madam Maxime is tall and stately. If you see her, will you tell us?)

Edward nodded and turned to George and the others. "We're looking for their Headmistress, I think -- a tall and stately woman. They lost her."

"You speak French?" Ruby demanded. "You will teach me." When Harry, Hermione, Ron, and George stared at her, she snorted. "I've wanted to learn French for years!"

"Let's keep trying to find the others," said George, looking faintly worried.

"What's Beauxbatons?" Harry asked as they started along the path again.

"French school of magic," Edward said shortly. "They can't have gone that far ahead..."

Ron and Hermione took their wands out as well, lighting them. George and Ruby followed suit. Harry rumaged in his robes for a moment, then frowned.

"Ah, no, I don't believe it... I've lost my wand!" he said with alarm.

"You're kidding!" Ruby cried with annoyance. The five of them helped Harry look for his wand in the clearing they were in, but it wasn't anywhere nearby.

"Maybe it's back in the tent," said Ron.

"It probably fell out while we were running," said Edward calmly. "Unless... did you check for it after we left the Top Box?"

"No...."

At that moment, Winky suddenly burst from the bushes. She appeared to be struggling against an invisible force, and was heading a way from the Death Eaters.

"There is bad wizards about!" she squeaked, trying to get to the other side of the clearing. "People high -- high in the air! Winky is getting out of the way!" She disappeared into the trees on the other side.

"What's up with her?" asked Ron. "Why can't she run properly?"

"Bet she didn't ask permission to hide," said Harry slowly.

"That's not how it works, Harry," said Edward exasperatedly. "She would be fully capable of disobeying her master's orders, but she would have to punish herself afterward. No -- I think something else was keeping her back."

"You know, house-elves get a very raw deal!" Hermione said hotly.

"I know," said Ruby furiously. "It's slavery! Crouch made her go up to the top of the stadium, and she was terrified!"

"Why doesn't anyone do something about it?" Hermone frowned.

"Because the house-elves wouldn't listen," said Edward with a sigh. "They think they're meant to be slaves... I know they're brainwashed," he added when Ruby and Hermione glared at him. "But it'd take years to-"

He was interrupted by another bang from the edge of the wood.

"Let's keep going," said George quickly. "We should find Fred and the others...."

They followed the path deeper into the woods with Edward at the rear, keeping an eye out. After a while, they left everyone behind, and entered a huge clearing.

"Let's wait here," said Edward, and George stopped. "We can hear anyone coming from a ways off. Harry, get in the middle -- you don't have a wand-"

There was a loud crack nearby, and Ludo Bagman Apparated into the clearing. He was very white-faced and anxious.

"Who's that?" he asked, noticing them. "What are you doing in here, all alone?"

"Death Eaters are at the field," said Edward, studying him slowly. "They've gotten hold of Mr. Roberts, our site manager, and his family."

"What?" Ludo stared at him. "Death -- but how?"

"One of our friends said they were probably drunk," said Ruby.

"I'd better go see if I can help," said Ludo with a sigh, and Disapparated.

"Edward," said Harry with a frown as he stepped into the middle of the clearing, "what are Death Eaters?"

"V- You-Know-Who's servants," Ruby answered. "They probably think that name is scary, but I think it's gross. Death is an actual person, you know; who would want to eat a person?"

"Cannabal?" Ron suggested. George snorted, but he had his eyes on the woods.

"Quiet," Edward whispered, frowning. He'd heard what sounded like footsteps coming towards them.

For a moment, all they heard was that someone staggering towards the clearing. Harry opened his mouth to call out, but Edward waved him to silence. Then, after a short pause, there was a yell.

"MORSMORDRE!"

A vast green glittering something erupted out of the trees, evolving into a huge skull, with a serpent protruding out of its mouth. It rose higher into the sky, blazing over the forest, filling the whole word with the poisonous green light.