11 o'clock couldn't seem to come fast enough for Claire. The game was interesting to watch, but she kept zoning out when she would remember the note in her pocket. Luckily for her, no one paid her any attention since they were all focused on the game.
Bulgaria won thanks to their seeker, Viktor Krum. He didn't look like he was enjoying himself because he had a grumpy look at all times, and his nose had gotten smashed in and broken during the game. The crowd, however, absolutely loved him, getting so loud that Claire thought she had permanent hearing loss.
"I just want to sleep forever," Ginny groaned as she fell onto her bed. Claire couldn't help but agree, even though she wouldn't be going to bed anytime soon. Mr. Weasley had allowed them to stay up and drink hot chocolate, but now it was almost eleven, which meant while everyone else was going to sleep, she would be sneaking out to meet Draco.
"Claire, you can change in the bathroom first," Hermione offered.
"No, I'm okay," Claire said way too quickly. Hermione's eyebrows raised almost impossibly fast.
"Is there something you want to tell us?" Hermione asked, knowing Claire well enough to know that something was up.
"No..." Claire lied. She saw the looks on the two girls' faces and sighed, realizing that she would have to tell the truth. "Draco asked me to meet him."
"No way," Hermione said immediately while Ginny made a disgusted noise.
"Why would you want to meet that git?" Ginny asked.
"She's not going to," Hermione said sternly. "You'll get in trouble."
"I haven't seen him all summer," Claire argued. "I won't stay for long! I promise!"
"I'm not gonna lie if Mr. Weasley comes in here," Hermione huffed. Ginny nodded her head in agreement and Claire sighed.
"I'm going to meet him," Claire decided. "I won't stay for long."
Hermione huffed angrily and grabbed her things, slamming the door to the bathroom as she went. Ginny just shrugged and turned over, still looking disgusted.
With a heavy sigh, Claire checked the mirror to make sure she still looked presentable and then stuck her head out of the tent. No one was around so Claire quietly made her way out of the tent and towards the forest. Luckily for her, Remus had given her a muggle flashlight so she wasn't tripping over too many items in the way. It took a few minutes before she found Draco, half clouded in shadows.
"Hi," Claire said awkwardly. Draco gave her a rather handsome smile and then grabbed her hand, placing a small kiss on her knuckles.
"You look lovely," Draco complimented. Claire cleared her throat and tried to fight her blush.
"No I don't," Claire laughed awkwardly. Draco smirked at her, checking his watch and then clearing his throat.
"Come with me," Draco said, nodding his head further into the woods.
"I really can't stay for long," Claire protested. "Ginny and Hermione are both waiting for me."
Draco's jaw tensed a little and he checked his watch again, looking over to the campsite. Claire furrowed her eyebrows and turned too, but there was nothing out of the ordinary happening.
"Just trust me," Draco said softly. Claire bit her lip in consideration before finally sighing and nodding. Draco let out a tiny sigh of what sounded like relief and then started guiding Claire deeper into the woods. After she almost fell a few times, his hand stayed firmly on her elbow to help her, although it didn't do much. With an aggravated sigh, Claire turned her flashlight back on.
"What on earth is that?" Draco scoffed, flinching away from the light.
"A flashlight," Claire explained with a small laugh. "You just-"
Claire's sentence was cut off by sudden screams and booms coming from the campsite.
"Holy sh-!" Claire gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. She automatically grabbed Draco's arm and tried to pull him further into the woods.
"We're okay here," Draco said, although he stepped back a few steps as there were more screams. Claire let out a sob out of fear and tried to step back more, only to trip and fall.
"We have to go!" Claire protested, her hands shaking too much to push herself up.
"We're fine!" Draco assured her again, although his voice was shaking. He helped her up and she could feel his hands shaking almost as bad as hers were. He didn't look scared, just worried as he looked around the forest.
"How do you know that?" Claire screamed over the sounds coming from the campsite. Draco's face changed a little and Claire detached herself from him, stepping even further away. The faint colors that Claire could see around him were too mixed up to tell what they even meant.
"Claire, please-" Draco started.
"No," Claire interrupted. Her throat constricted as she remember her father's warnings. "You knew this was going to happen. How could you do this to me? How could you let this happen and not tell anyone?! Stay far, far away from me."
Draco tried to protest, but the fear and anger that Claire was feeling made her do something she would never normally do. Claire didn't even realize what she had done until Draco let out a shout and held the cheek that she had just slapped. His eyes were wide as he looked up at her, and she could see both shock and fear on his face.
"Every time I think you've changed you just show me that you haven't. Everyone is right about you," Claire spat. "You're evil. So stay away."
"Claire, please! You don't understand!" Draco pleaded, but Claire just looked away and tried to ignore his shouts and warnings.
Despite her fear and the fact that she didn't want to be alone, Claire made her way towards the campsite to try and find the Weasleys. She kept shouting their names, but over the sounds of everyone else screaming and running, plus the crackling fires, Claire knew there was no chance that they would ever find her. Her heart was racing faster than it ever had before as she was pushed around by the crowd, everyone running away from the campsite as she ran towards it. She barely noticed the tears running down her face as sobs tore through her body. A little girl ran up and bumped into Claire's legs, nearly sending both of them falling over.
"Help me!" The little girl shrieked, tears falling down her face even faster than Claire's. The girl couldn't have been more than five years old, and she clung to Claire as if she was the only thing keeping her safe.
"Where are your parents?" Claire yelled over everyone else. The girl just shrieked as a blast made the tent next to them go up in flames. At that moment Claire happened to see the muggle family that ran the camp being hoisted in the air by some sort of spell, leading her to grab the little girl and ran as fast as she could, trying to shield both of their eyes from the atrocities in front of them. Not knowing where she was, Claire ran towards the stadium instead of the forest, which was somehow deserted. She gently dropped the girl to the ground and then fell to her knees, panting heavily. Her arms ached from carrying the girl for so long, but it was better than leaving her to die or get hurt by the crowd.
"I want my mommy!" The girl shrieked.
"I know!" Claire assured her. "We'll find her. We just have to wait here."
Looking around, it seemed as if everyone had either apparated away as fast as they could or run into the forest. There was no one around them, although they could still hear the screams of everyone else. Claire cursed under her breath when she realized she didn't have her wand on her, even though she had promised Remus that she would always have it. She even lost her flashlight, leaving her all by herself in the dark with a child who couldn't defend herself.
"Where's my mommy?!" The girl cried out, clinging onto Claire's arm.
"I don't know. We'll find her soon," Claire tried to say reassuringly, but her experience with children was limited and she didn't know how to talk to the girl. A rustling in the woods nearby made Claire sit up straight, but her eyes weren't good enough to see where it was coming from.
"Look who it is."
Claire stood up and pushed the girl behind her. She didn't recognize the voice and she couldn't see where the voice was coming from.
"You look just like your mother."
Claire's breath got caught in her throat as she tried to find the voice, but it was too dark to see anything.
"She misses you," the voice said teasingly. He sounded like he was enjoying her panic. "She knows that you're not yet living up to your potential. Think of how great you could be with her."
"L-leave me al-alone!" Claire screamed, trying to sound brave, but her stuttering gave her away. The man laughed at Claire and the little girl, who was so scared that she wasn't even crying anymore. "Stop i-it!"
"You will be reunited one day! She will find you and show you who you are meant to be. The Moon Children will be united, and you will rule the whole world with Emaline. It is all foretold!"
"Stop it!" Claire exclaimed, a burst of light seemingly shooting out of her, causing all the trees around her to be illuminated. She stared straight ahead and saw the man who was taunting her. He was taller and older than her, with dark hair and eyes that matched hers. He smirked at her and took a step forward, only to be stopped by an invisible force. His smirk only grew at her display of power.
"Look at what you're already able to do," the man said, sounding almost proud. "Think of what you'll be able to do once you join us."
"I...said...STOP!" Claire yelled. An even brighter light went through the forest, pushing the trees back, several of them falling over and snapping in half. When she realized what was happening, Claire fell backward, the light ceasing except for where the man had once stood.
"You-you're a witch!" The little girl exclaimed. Claire turned around, having completely forgotten that the girl was with them. Her eyes were wide with fear at what had just occurred. Claire realized that this girl must be a muggle, which only increased her worry. She winced as the girl let out a horrible scream of fear and started running.
"Don't run!" Claire yelled after her, but the girl didn't stop. Claire tried to run after her, but she was so exhausted that she could barely make it a few steps before practically collapsing. Luckily, a familiar face appeared and grabbed the girl before running over to where Claire was.
"Are you okay?" Charlie Weasley asked, his eyes widening as he looked around at the damaged forest. Some time must have passed because the sky was starting to lighten and there were no more screams. "Merlin, Claire! You look horrible."
"She-she's a muggle or something," was all Claire could say. The little girl was hiding her face in Charlie's shoulder, loud sobs making her shake.
"That complicates things," Charlie sighed, still looking concerned. "What happened here, Claire?"
The teen just shrugged, wiping her face as if that could erase all the tears that fell. She kept looking over her shoulder, trying to find where the man had gone to. Charlie noticed and tried to see what she was looking at, but all he could see was the broken trees.
"Is Harry okay?" Claire asked timidly.
"Everyone is fine, just worried about you," Charlie assured her. "Let's go back to camp so they can stop looking."
Claire nodded and expected to start the walk back, but was shocked when Charlie instead just apparated them back.
"Oh, thank Merlin," Mr. Weasley sighed the moment he saw them arrive. Claire didn't even have time to settle when she was being practically tackled by Hermione and Harry.
"I told you not to go!" Hermione cried.
"I'm sorry," Claire whispered.
"I thought you were dead!" Harry exclaimed, finally releasing Claire from the suffocating hug. "Where were you?"
"All the way by the stadium," Charlie answered for her, noticing how she caved in on herself at all the attention. He could remember feeling the same way as a teenager, only he could hide it better.
"Your dad is worried sick, and I'm sure Molly is ready to have everyone home too," Mr. Wealsey said softly. Claire noticed that everyone else was gone except for the adults, Harry, and Hermione, which made her feel even worse. "Is that the missing girl?"
"Yeah," Charlie sighed, shifting around the little girl who was not fast asleep. "I'll go bring her to St. Mungo's with the rest of her family."
Charlie was gone in just a few seconds and Bill followed with him. Mr. Weasley gave Claire a small but worried smile and held out a portkey for everyone to grab. They arrived at the Burrow just moments later.
"Thank Merlin," Remus sighed, helping Claire up from where she had fallen and pulling her into a hug.
"I-I was so scared. I did-didn't mean to-" Claire whispered, her body shaking as she somehow cried more. Remus just ran his hand over her matted hair and tried to soothe her.
"Oh, poor girl," Mrs. Weasley said sadly. "Let's get you some tea."
"I think we'll just go home instead," Remus politely declined. "All of them need some sleep, I think."
Claire assumed that Mrs. Weasley agreed because the next thing she knew she was back at home. Remus carried her over to the couch and hugged her as tight as he could. Neither one of them said anything until she had finally stopped shaking and her crying had stopped.
"Do you want to talk about it now?" Remus asked softly.
"I-I think so," Claire whispered, her voice breaking. Remus summoned a glass of water, which Claire happily drank.
"Where did you go before it started?" Remus asked.
"Don't be mad," Claire said pleadingly. "Draco asked me to meet him in the woods."
Remus squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to get angry with her because he could remember what it was like to have a teenage crush.
"I'm not mad," Remus lied, but Claire could hear it in his voice.
"You are," Claire protested, sitting up and looking at Remus with such worry in her eyes that he immediately softened.
"I'm not," Remus repeated. "What happened next?"
"We were just talking and then the attack happened," Claire explained. She hesitated before continuing, a fact which Remus noticed. "We got separated. That's why I went back, to try to find him or Harry."
"But you found that muggle girl instead," Remus continued. Claire didn't question how he knew that because he always seemed to be one step ahead of her.
"I didn't know where I was so I just ran," Claire said with a shrug. "And...and there was a man in the woods. He kept taunting me about...about my mum."
Remus tried to keep his face neutral, but Claire couldn't bring herself to look up at him so it didn't matter.
"He said the Moon Children would unite and rule the world...I-...I lit up the woods somehow. He said it showed how powerful I was and that I could be more powerful with my mum."
"Where did he go?" Remus asked.
"I don't know. I...I sent out light or-or something...It destroyed the trees and then he was gone," Claire answered, her voice breaking.
"You're okay now, and that's all that matters," Remus said. Claire nodded and fell into Remus' open arms, falling asleep in minutes. But he stayed awake because he knew that the worst was yet to come.