chapter 24

The celebrations had already started when they got back to their tent. Fireworks, laugher, and songs were heard throughout the campsite. Arthur decided that they were not going to join the celebrations outside, so they all sat in the sofas and armchairs talking instead.

After an hour or so, Ginny fell asleep on the sofa, leaning on Hermione. "Maybe it's time to go to bed?" Arthur asked. Hermione woke up Ginny and they left the tent to get into their own tent. Everyone else sighed a sigh of relief when the girls finally left. "Okay, I have something important to tell everyone," Arthur said after a while of no one moving.

The tone in Arthur's voice set everyone on edge, it was too serious for the occasion. "Dad, what is it?" It was Percy that asked, but everyone else nodded along to the question.

"Tonight, Death Eaters are going to do something – I don't know what, but it can't be anything good," Arthur reviled. Harry's eyes widened. Everyone was silently waiting for Arthur to continue. "Lucius was the one who told me. He was invited to lead, but declined, claiming that people seeing him act against them would make the Ministry trust him more."

"So, Death Eaters are going to attack here tonight, and you didn't tell us until now because…?" Charlie asked.

"I didn't want you to worry. Today was a once in a life-time experience, and I didn't want that to be clouded over," Arthur explained. The silence that followed was deafening, but soon Charlie nodded in acceptance, saying he could understand. Arthur smiled before saying it was time for bed, "Be ready to just throw on a jacket and your shoes, and remember your wands," Arthur said as everyone went to bed.

Harry lay in the bunker above Ron, staring up at the tent ceiling. He didn't know when he fell asleep, but suddenly Arthur pushed the curtains separating their "room" to the side to shout for them to wake up.

"S' matter?" the sleepy voice of Ron came from beneath Harry. Harry, with his training in waking up in a second, was already on the floor going for his jacket and shoes when Arthur answered.

"It's what we talked about, now do as Harry and get outside – quickly!" Arthur let go of the curtain and Harry heard him telling Bill, Charlie, and Percy to do the same. Harry made sure that his invisibility cloak was in the inner pocket of his jacket before shrugging the jacket on. Harry had already put his shoes and jacket on before any of the other three in the "room" had gotten out of their beds. Fred and George were quicker than Ron, but they were all finished within a minute. they all grabbed their wands before heading out.

Everyone was outside without a word, more clearly than ever hearing how the yells of celebration had turned to screams of terror. Between the tents, some of them burning, Harry could see people in darks cloaks marching, laughing with one arm in the air. Harry's gaze turned upwards and, from the light of both the fires around and colorful blasts from wands, he saw four bodies. More wizards were joining the marching group, laughing, and pointing up at the floating bodies. Tents crumpled and fell as the marching crowd swelled. Once or twice, Harry saw one of the marchers blast a tent out of his way with his wand. Several caught fire. The screaming grew louder.

The floating people were suddenly illuminated as they passed over a burning tent and Harry recognized one of them: Mr. Roberts, the campsite manager. The other three looked as though they might be his wife and children. One of the marchers below flipped Mrs. Roberts upside down with his wand; her nightdress fell down to reveal voluminous drawers and she struggled to cover herself up as the crowd below her screeched and hooted with glee.

Hermione and Ginny suddenly came hurrying toward them, pulling coats over their nightdresses, with Arthur right behind them. At the same moment, Bill, Charlie, and Percy emerged from the boys' tent, fully dressed, with their sleeves rolled up and their wands out. "You lot," Arthur began before anyone could say anything. he pointed at Harry, Fred, George, and Ron, before redirecting his finger to Hermione and Ginny "Get into to woods and stick together." Once again, he redirected his finger, pointing at the forest behind their tents, "I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out! Hide your wands!" Arthur added before shooing them away.

Right at the edge of the forest Harry stopped and turned around, his eyes searched for the older Weasley-Prewetts. He found them just as they met up with Lucius and Narcissa, both with their own wands drawn. Harry watched as the two groups merged as they began firing spells towards the Death Eaters. "Harry!" Hermione's voice came from behind him, sounding urgent. As Harry turned to begin going further into the forest, he saw Draco. He was on the edge of the forest, too, a few meters to the left, having probably just watched what Harry had been. Harry continued turning and followed the rest of his group further into the forest.

The forest was dark, only the occasional light from the campsite illuminated the ground they walked on, and that was becoming further and fewer by the minute. Harry didn't know if it was because of the dark or the entire situation, but Fred and George had defaulted to having Harry between them.

They had been walking for probably ten minutes and now there were no light from the campsite to guide them. Suddenly an "ACK!" and a thud was heard.

"What happened?" said Hermione anxiously, stopping so abruptly that Harry walked into her. "Ron, where are you? Oh, this is stupid - lumos!" Harry wasn't sure why Hermione would chastise him for using accidental magic outside Hogwarts and then turn around and use magic intentionally like this, when she was such a "sticker to the rule". Her illuminated wand showed Ron lying sprawled on the ground.

"Tripped over a tree root," he said angrily, getting to his feet again.

"Well, with feet that size, hard not to," said a drawling voice from behind them. Every face turned towards the voice, all of them seeing Draco leaning casually against a tree. Harry had to say he was kind of proud that Draco could pull of that act so well.

As was custom at this point, Harry uttered a frozen "Malfoy," and got the small pleasure of seeing Draco's magic freeze before dancing in laughter and as he glanced around, he saw Ron's magic swirl in anticipation, and Fred and George's shared magic jumping back and forth excitedly. Still, none of their faces betrayed their real feelings. Only Hermione and Ginny's magical signatures actually showed the same as their faces, anger and hate.

After a few insults being thrown back and forth, Hermione had apparently had enough and huffed as she began dragging Ginny and Ron away. As soon as Hermione and Ginny had turned Harry began unzipping his inner pocket. Fred, George, and Draco, who had come closer while they "fought", watched as Harry, in less then ten seconds dragged out the invisibility cloak. "What…?" Draco just managed before Harry threw the cloak over Draco.

"My invisibility cloak, follow close behind," was all Harry said before dragging Fred and George after Hermione. Hermione had stopped to wait for them, luckily, she didn't ask why they took so long. They continued to walk, Hermione holding her wand up, still lit. What a hypocrite.

Suddenly, Harry heard something and stopped abruptly. "Did you hear that?" he asked.

They listen quietly for a few second before Hermione shouted, "Hello?" She was answered with silence. They stayed still and silent, waiting for something. Harry's eyes were wide as he heard careful footsteps only a few meters away from them.

The footstep stopped, and then, without warning, the silence was rent by a voice unlike any they had heard in the wood; and it uttered, not a panicked shout, but what sounded like a spell.

"MORSMORDRE!"

The light of the spell flew up into the sky, and the faint screams from the campsite became even louder and more piercing as the light morphed into a giant skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. The dark mark…?

Suddenly, a hand was on Harry's shoulder, "We're getting out of here," Draco's voice said. Harry turned and Draco's other hand thrusted the invisibility cloak at him. "Quick!" he said louder, he sounded scared.

"Malfoy! What are you sti-" Hermione began as she turned around at his shout.

"Not now, Granger! That is the dark mark! We have to go now!" Draco interrupted her and began to drag Harry the way they had come.

They had only taken a few steps when Harry felt the air around them shift, his eyes widened "DUCK!" he shouted at everyone. They fell to the ground like marionets having their strings cut. Hermione's wand falling from her hand, extinguishing the light. Not even a second later came the shout "STUPEFY!" from all directions surrounding them.

The light from the spells came flying above their heads illuminating everyone. "STOP! My sons are there!" Harry heard Arthur's voice shout.

"As is mine!" Lucius' voice came from the other side of the circle around them. Wands were illuminated and Harry saw the circle of adults surround them and Arthur leaving the circle coming to them. Harry assumed the footsteps coming closer from behind was Lucius.

"Boys, girls, are you all okay?" Arthur asked as he came closer. Harry and the others slowly rose from the ground, letting their heartrates return to normal.

"Yeah, Dad," Ron said, "I think so," he added as he looked around. Arthur sighed a sigh of relief and nodded.

Harry heard Lucius asking Draco the same, and Draco answering like Ron had.

Before anything else could be said a cold voice interrupted, "Out of the way, Arthur, Lucius." The circle was tighter, some still pointing their wands at them. The one to have spoken was Mr. Crouch. "Which of you did it?" he snapped, his sharp eyes darting between them. "Which of you conjured the Dark Mark?"

"None of us!" Hermione answered back, "It was someone from over there!" she pointed towards where the voice and spell-light had come from.

"Barty, they are children. Do you really think they would do this?" Arthur pointed up at the mark in the sky. Apparently, some of the Ministry officials had some common sense as they began to look around, searching the place Hermione had pointed towards.

Crouch stayed where he was, still pointing his wand at them, that was, until one of the Ministry officials shouted, "There is a wand here! And a House-elf!" Crouch let his arm fall and quickly walked over to the one that had shouted.

Everyone watched as Crouch found his own House-elf, lying beside a wand. The House-elf is woken up and questioned. The wand is tested, showing it was the wand used for the spell. Hermione try to explain that it was a man's voice they heard, not the House-elf's squeaky voice, but Crouch doesn't listen. "Winky, you are released from your duty," Crouch said as he handed one of his gloves to the weeping House-elf.

After the "show" was over the Ministry officials began to Apparate away, even Lucius took Draco and Apparated. When everyone but their group had left, they began to walk back. As they walked Hermione began to complain about the treatment of House-elves. "Why are they treated like slaves! They should be free!" that train of thought led her to talking about freeing every one of them.

Before she could continue Arthur interrupted her, "That is a bad idea. The reason House-elves are in a contract with wizen to begin with is because they can't regulate their own magic. The contract has changed from an alliance to a master-servant relationship, and that is sad, but without it they will die," Arthur told her.

"Then what about Dobby?!" Hermione said defiantly. Harry was dragged into the conversation, having to explain who Dobby was.

After the brief explanation Arthur answered, "Dobby either have better control over his magic than other elves, or he is in another contract," Arthur said, "All House-elves know the alliance contract, so that would explain his freedom." Harry thought of the House-elves back in Potter townhouse, they were allowed to wear clothes, but didn't want to.

Harry had asked one of them, Finly, about it. She had taught him what Arthur had just said, adding a little more history. At first, it was an alliance, a friendship, then, the humans wanted more. They changed the contracts, and the small elves became servants, and the name House-elf was born. After hundreds of years the contract changed from a show of friendship to a slave contract. Finly had told Harry that his grandparents had changed the contract when his grandfather became Lord Potter, giving them more freedom, and erasing the part about clothes. "Then why don't you wear clothes?" Harry had asked.

"Because clothes still mean freedom, ands any House-elf ins clothes are looked down on bys other elves, and snatched bys traders," Finly's squeaky voice had answered gravely. "Old Lord Potter understoods, but he didn't want to let us wear rags, so this," Finly gripped her yellow pillowcase, "became the answer."

Harry was dragged out of his thoughts by a loud huff from Hermione. It was obvious Hermione wasn't listening to what Arthur said. They changed the subject and soon they were back by their tents, where Bill, Charlie, and Percy were waiting.

"Okay," Arthur sighed as they came to a stop before the tents, "Pack your bags, we're going home now." Everyone agreed and quickly packed the small number of things they had before coming out of the tents again. Arthur made quick work of packing the tents with magic.

To make things easier they Apparated, the ones too young holding onto the ones who could.