𝓚𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝓕𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫,
𝓚𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝓢𝐨𝐧
⟠
It was warm under her covers that night. A residual buzz of adrenaline pumped through Edelyn's veins as she listened to the celebrations that continued outside their tent. Victor Krum had caught the snitch, but Ireland had won, their spectacular chasers zipping across the pitch, filing into formations like a single unit and scoring goal after goal. Edelyn couldn't wait to get back on her broomstick and try the new moves she had filmed into memory — a pity Oliver Wood would no longer be there to give her pointers ( or to be half-proud half-peeved whenever she shot a Quaffle into one of his goalposts at practice ).
It wasn't until three o'clock in the morning did her eyes finally flutter close and her mind drift off into dreams of broomsticks and quaffles. Such dreams were short-lived, however, for she was soon jolted awake by the alarmed voice of Mr Diggory.
"Get up! Get up! Lyn, Cedric, come on! Get up!"
Sitting upright, Edelyn blinked a few times before a cold shiver ran down her spine — there was the sound of screams and hurried footsteps from outside the tent.
"Dad? What's going on?" Cedric asked as Edelyn lept off from the top bunk.
"No time! Grab a jacket and get outside! Quick!"
Mr Diggory hurried out the tent, wand held aloft. Cedric and Edelyn exchanged an apprehensive look. "Come on, Lynnie." Cedric threw on a hooded jumper and tossed Edelyn the knitted cardigan she had worn earlier. Swallowing away the unease that swelled in their throats, the two hastily snatched their wands and ran out after Mr Diggory.
Edelyn gasped; Cedric reached over and clutched her hand.
A most horrid sight met their eyes. By the light of the few fires that were still burning, they could see people running away into the woods, fleeing from a crowd of masked wizards that were pointing their wands upward and marching slowly across the field, cackling and laughing in glee. High above them, floating in midair, were four struggling figures contorted into grotesque shapes. Two of them looked like children.
Anxiety rattled Edelyn's bones and she barely registered what Mr Diggory shouted at them before he ran off, leaving her and Cedric standing alone in the crowd of panic-stricken witches and wizards.
Seeing the newfound pallidness in her face, Cedric turned to her and cupped her face with his hands. "Hey, hey," he coaxed. "Take a deep breath for me, Lynnie. One big breath." She complied, mirroring the rise and fall of his chest. "It's going to be okay," he said, voice rather shaky. "Just follow me, alright?"
Edelyn nodded. Cedric sent her a reassuring smile before grasping her hand tightly in his and pulling her into the woods along with the rest of the throng. But as they passed a thicket of trees, Edelyn's foot got caught under a root in the earth and she tripped, hand releasing from Cedric's as she fell. By the time she scrambled back up to her feet, Cedric had been pulled away by the horde, and she could only vaguely hear the distant shouts of her name.
She tightened her grip on her wand, heart hammering in her chest. She jumped when a voice sounded from behind.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Lost, are we?"
Edelyn whipped her head around. All fear vanished as loathing took its place.
"Get lost, Malfoy," she spat.
Draco Malfoy quirked an eyebrow. "Don't you want to go find Daddy?" he jeered.
Edelyn stiffened. Her eyes narrowed at the mention of a father she sorely wished she didn't have. Memories of the previous year came flooding to the forefront of her mind. The news of Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban...Cedric and the Weasleys rarely letting her out of their sight...the shock of discovering that it had been her father who had betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort...the anger that had boiled within her when Sirius had broken out yet again after being caught by Dementors at Hogwarts.
"What are you talking about?" she snapped.
"The scary hooded monsters," Malfoy said in a mock frightened voice, "are after Muggles. I'm sure your daddy's having great fun. He did kill twelve of them, after all."
"And your parents?" Edelyn snarled. "Wearing masks as well, I suppose?"
"Well...if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Black?"
"Oh, bugger off, you insolent prick." Edelyn shot Malfoy a glare of deep dislike before spinning back around and darting through the woods in search for Cedric.
"Cedric?!" she shouted. "Ced?! Where are you?!" But it was no use; her cry was drowned by the panicked yells of the crowd, and when her clumsy nature made a return, she tripped over her own feet and hit her head hard against a tree root.
Darkness was all she could register until she heard a familiar voice shouting her name. Opening her eyes, she felt relieved at the sight of Ron staring down at her, one arm around her back as he tried to prop her up to a seated position.
"Blimey, you alright?"
"Um, I — I think," said Edelyn, blinking a few more times, the blurry images of Hermione and Harry resolving into clarity. "Come on," said Hermione as Ron helped Edelyn to stand. "We need to find the others."
Together, they hurried through the trees, their eyes trying to penetrate through the pitch-black when—
"MORSMORDRE!"
Something vast, green, and glittering erupted from the darkness and flew up into the sky. Edelyn's stomach jumped into her throat. Hung against the black canvas of clouds was a colossal skull comprised of what appeared to be emerald stars with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. It blazed in a haze of greenish smoke.
The woods around them erupted with screams.
"We need to go, come on," said Hermione.
The four of them started across a clearing, but before they had taken a few hurried steps, a series of popping noises announced the arrival of twenty figures appearing from thin air, surrounding them. All twenty had their wands pointed to strike.
"DUCK!" Harry bellowed just as there was a concerted shout of "STUPEFY!"
Edelyn grabbed Ron's shoulder and shoved him down to crouch in the grass. There was a blinding series of flashes and Edelyn felt her hair ripple as though a powerful wind had swept through the clearing.
"Bloody hell..." Ron exhaled.
"STOP! Stop, stop, stop! That's my son!"
Edelyn's right thigh trembled as she hesitantly rose, watching as the witches and wizards around them slowly lowered their wands. Mr Weasley strode forth, looking utterly terrified.
"Ron, Harry, Hermione! Edelyn? What are you—? Where's—? Are you all alright?"
"Out of the way, Arthur," said a cold, curt voice, and Edelyn heard Ron give a small whimper as Barty Crouch Senior and his Ministry officials closed in on them. "Which of you did it?!" he snapped. Then, catching sight of Edelyn, his eyes widened and he quickly grabbed her arm and yanked her forward.
"YOU! You did it, didn't you?! You conjured the Dark Mark!" Crouch spat.
"What? I — I didn't do that," said Edelyn, shifting her gaze up at the skull above.
"Do not lie, girl!"
Edelyn winced as his grip on her arm tightened.
"Barty," whispered a witch beside Crouch. "She's just a kid. She would never have been able to—"
"Don't you realize who this is?!" shouted Crouch, eyes narrowed into slits as he stared down at Edelyn. "It's Black's kid. No doubt he taught you how to do it, eh?"
"Barty! Let. Her. Go!"
Crouch's hold loosened. Edelyn hastily slipped her arm away from him and stepped back, stumbling into Ron as Mr Diggory took her place and came face-to-face with Crouch. "She's just a girl, Barty."
Crouch scowled angrily. "You're blinded, Amos. Blinded! Doesn't matter you've raised her. She's still Black's kid! There's evil in those veins."
Edelyn flinched, body gravitating toward Ron.
"She — she didn't cast it," Hermione stammered. "We were right beside her when we saw it."
"Where did it come from?" asked one of the Ministry officials.
Hermione pointed to where they had seen the light flash into the sky. The officials around them raised their wands, tips illuminating in the direction she had indicated.
"Oh, stood over there, did they?" said Crouch, glancing over before glowering back at Mr Diggory, unconvinced. "Hand her over, Amos." He advanced but Mr Diggory raised his wand. "Watch yourself," he spoke firmly. "Edelyn's just a child. She didn't do this! She couldn't have."
"Barty!" Mr Weasley chimed. "Barty, check her wand. Then, you'll know for sure."
"Lyn, dear, hand him your wand," said Mr Diggory gently.
Edelyn obliged. Crouch examined it carefully in his hands before pointing it up to the sky. Muttering something under his breath that Edelyn couldn't quite make out, the ghost of a flock of birds appeared — birds Edelyn instantly recognized as the ones Cedric had taught her how to conjure back in June.
"Well, I think that settles it," said Mr Weasley.
"No," Crouch growled. "She's still his daughter!"
"Barty, You can't judge the girl by her family," reasoned Mr Weasley, voice calm but with a note of impatience. "Dare I remind you that dark wizards can come from even the best of families, and so can good ones from the darkest."
Mr Weasley's words seemed to have resonated with Crouch, for he glared at Edelyn once more and then snarled, "Get her out of my sight."
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
❛ One-sixty. ❜
published: February 25, 2018
⦅ thank you for reading! ⦆
―hugs, aelizia
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