The Quidditch Stadium was even more spectacular inside than when they had seen it from the outside. Not comparable to the Hogwarts field.
Arthur led them further and further up the stands. Ron was amazed. "Dad, how high up are we going?"
"I'll put it this way, when it starts raining, you'll be the first to know," an arrogant voice suddenly sounded from under the headboard they were standing on. When they looked down, they spotted a familiar face, Draco Malfoy. Next to him was his father , Lucius. He was the one who had spoken.
"Father and I are sitting in the minister's lounge," Draco added his two cents. His father laughed contemptuously. "Stop bragging, Draco, you can save yourself that with them."
When he spotted y/n he smiled delicately at her. "Y/n, what a surprise. You're falling deeper and deeper. Your mother will cry herself to sleep if I tell her about your new friends."
Y/n thought about saying something back, but she didn't. She knew the old Malfoy well enough to know that it wouldn't help anyway. She was also more focused on Fred, who was now clenching his fists next to her. She gently reached for his hand closest to her. It seemed to her that he immediately relaxed a little when she touched him. So she held his hand for a moment, so that she didn't hear what Lucius said to Harry.
When they finally got to their seats, the view was breathtaking. They sat at the top and looked over the entire stadium.
The game was incredibly exciting. As the players flew in on their broomsticks, the spectators made such a loud noise that y/n never had heard in her life.
When they got back to their tent after the game, y/n was still intoxicated. Although the Irish team had won, Ron didn't become tired of raving about the Bulgarian Seeker Victor Krum, whereupon his siblings teased him nonstop.
"Aww. You're in love Ron," Ginny laughed and sat down next to y/n and Hermione. The twins and Harry jumped around Ron while singing. "Victor, I love you. Victor I do."
Everyone laughed, the mood was good. And they also heard people screaming outside their tent. But suddenly the screams became strangely shrill.
George paused. "My goodness, they Irish are celebrating more and more wildly."
"They don't celebrate!" Arthur came rushing up with a restless expression and began to shoo the children out of the tent. "Harry, Ron, Hermien! Stay together! Fred and George, you take Ginny and y/n."
But before anyone started moving, they craned their necks to find out what was going on. That wasn't easy in the panicking chaos. People screamed and ran around carelessly.
Then y/n discovered it. The thing that had everyone so afraid. A comparatively small group of wizards in black cloaks and masks over their faces approached them. As they ran, they muttered dark spells and hateful slogans.
"Death Eaters!", Hermione uttered. And it was as if that had been their cue. Without waiting any longer, they plunged into the commotion to escape as well.
Ginny and y/n held hands. One of the twins walked in front of and one behind them. They were pushed and jostled from all sides. Nobody paid any attention to anyone. Y/n felt like she had walked into a panicking herd of animals.
When they got a little out of the commotion, y/n thought they had made it. But then George suddenly stopped. He stopped so abruptly that Ginny, y/n and Fred ran into him one after the other.
"What is...", y/n stepped next to him to see what was going on. But she stopped. A few meters away from them, someone was standing. A figure in a black coat, a mask over their face. A Death Eater. It was a woman.
"Get away from here!", Y/n stepped forward. She wasn't afraid. She knew nothing would happen to her. The Weasleys weren't so sure about that.
"Y/n! Out of the way." Fred and his siblings now pulled out their wands, but y/n stopped them. "No!"
Then she turned back to the woman. "I said go away! You're not killing me. And you'll have to if you want to get them."
No one moved for a moment. But then the woman actually turned around and walked away.
"What was that?" George looked at her blankly. Y/n sighed. "That was my mother."
"Your mother?" Ginny uttered, distraught. Y/n shrugged. "No family is perfect."
"Are you sure it was her?", Fred wanted to know now. Y/n nodded. "It was her wand. And if it hadn't been her, we would be dead by now."
Then she walked past the siblings and looked towards the campsite. "Looks calmer. We should look for your father, we can't get out of here alone."
But before they finally found Arthur, they saw something else. A greenish skull floated in the dark night sky with a snake emerging from its mouth. The twins immediately pulled Ginny close. Y/n sighed. "Not that too."
When they finally found Arthur, Harry, Ron and Hermione were also with him. All four looked scared. Even though Arthur tried hard to hide it. "The ministry is providing Portkeys to bring everyone home. Come on, let's jump back home straight away. I'll get the tent tomorrow morning."
Said and done. When they got back to the Burrow, the Weasleys explained to their mother what had happened. Meanwhile, y/n retreated to Percy's room. She wanted some peace and quiet. But it didn't take long before there was a knock on her door. When Molly came in, y/n was surprised. She had expected it to be Fred or George.
"Dear, can I talk to you for a moment?", the woman asked. Y/n knew immediately what she was referring to. Someone must have told Molly about y/n's encounter with her mother. So she got up from the bed where she had been laying and spoke up first. "Wait! I don't know who said what. It's true, my parents are on the other side. But I will never be. I have nothing in common with them. And I won't ever hurt anyone."
"Y/n," Molly interrupted her tentatively. "I would never say something like that. I have no concerns whatsoever about you. I just wanted to know if you're okay."
"Oh," y/n mumbled and sat back down on her mattress. "Yeah, everything's fine."
"Sure?" Molly asked, sitting down next to her. Y/n nodded. "I don't have a special bond with my parents. I don't represent their values, nor do I have anything else in common with them. My aunt Brigitte is my family, my friends Maggy and Olivia are my family, so what my parents do doesn't really affect me."
Molly sighed and pulled her to her chest. "Oh, darling, it shouldn't be like that."
To that, y/n said nothing. She just enjoyed the hug.
When Molley left again, y/n wanted to go to sleep straight away. It was the middle of the night after all. But as it was the case so often, she found no peace. After tossing and turning for a while, a thought occurred to her. Fred had already been awake the other day... Maybe he was still awake now too.
So she got up and padded to her door. But there was no one in the hallway when she opened it. She was about to turn away in disappointment when the twins' door actually opened.
"Fred," she whispered and smiled at him. He seemed a little surprised about her reaction. "Don't tell me you were waiting for me."
Embarrassed, y/n pursed her lips together. "What if I say yes?"
"Then I think what happened tonight must have really affected you, otherwise you wouldn't admit it," Fred replied. Y/n shook her head. "I'm fine. Where are you going?"
"Actually, I wanted to get something to drink," he replied. She smiled at him again. "Can I come with you?"
"Sure, why not?", Fred grinned and led the way down the stairs. When they arrived in the kitchen, Fred lit a small candle with a spell. Y/n sat on one of the counters while he filled two glasses. She gratefully accepted one.
While they drank their water, they did not speak. At some point he sat down on the counter next to her. Instinctively she leaned her head against his shoulder. They sat like that for a while.
"Are you really okay?", he suddenly asked. Y/n raised her head to look at him. "Yes, why?"
"You're so trusting", explained Fred. She looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. "What's that suppose to mean?"
Fred grinned cheekily. "Well, normally people have to be careful not to get too close to you."
Y/n groaned in annoyance and hopped off the counter. "I understand, goodnight Fred."
"Hey!" he hissed as she walked away. "Are you offended now? Y/n!"
Just before she reached her bedroom door, he caught up with her and grabbed her arm. "You see, everything is completely normal again. You run off in anger and I'm thinking about what I could say to make things worse."
"Tss. Idiot," y/n grumbled, but smiled. But then she looked at him seriously. "If I'd hypothetically tell you that the thing with my mother probably took a toll on me, what would you say?"
Fred thought about it for a moment. Then he grinned. "I might tell you a joke to cheer you up."
"Rather not." Y/n shook her head. She opened her bedroom door and wanted to go in, but he was still holding her arm and now pulled her back. He looked more serious now. "I would lie down with you and talk about silly unimportant things until you'd fall asleep."
"Better," she nodded and now he let her go, but followed her into Percy's old room. They were both lying on their sides. It was slowly getting brighter outside so they could get a good look at each other. Then they chatted about this and that. Y/n quickly became so tired that she only heard half of it. She heard him talk about magical pranks, trick candies, and a wizard store. So she had a smile on her face when she finally fell asleep.