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CHAPTER THREE

The match was far better than Arabella had ever imagined. It was so fast-paced, it was difficult to keep up with what was happening, and she had to keep her full attention on the match at all times to have any sort of idea of anything. As the sun began to go down, she regretted not changing into longer pants when she had the chance and brought her knees up to her chest and put her sweatshirt over her legs to keep them warm. This position was just starting to become uncomfortable when the match ended. Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker, had caught the Snitch, but the Irish, who had been far ahead the entire match, still won, though only by ten points. As she and everyone else headed back to their tents, she swore to herself that she would try out for the Gryffindor team the first chance she got. But to do this, she would need her own broom, something she did not have since her parents had never allowed her or Ginny their own brooms.

While everyone else in her tent was celebrating, Arabella was following her father around, trying to convince him that she needed her own broomstick.

"Wouldn't it be great to have another child on the team?" she said as Arthur lighted a lantern with a match instead of his wand. "Oliver Wood's left which means they'll be needing a Keeper, and I'll bet you anything Olivia's going to be captain next. We're friends, I'll make the team for sure. But of course, I'll be needing a broom. I might be able to get away with using one of the school brooms for try-outs, but Dad, they're terrible. But if I get my own broom, we'll definitely be bringing home the Quidditch Cup. Again."

Arthur stood up straight and looked down at his daughter, who was wearing her most charming smile in order to win him over. "Yes, all right. If you can keep yourself out of trouble, I'll talk to your mother about it," he said. He happened to look away as Arabella did a little victory dance. "Now, really, what is all that ruckus about?" He left to look outside of the tent, and Arabella turned back to her siblings.

"Sounds like the Irish have got their pride on," George commented, finally hearing the screaming now that he, Fred, and Harry had stopped singing about Krum.

"Stop! Stop it!" said Arthur, rushing back into the tent and breaking up Ron and Fred. "It's not the Irish. We've gotta get out of here. Now."

Everyone rushed out of the tent and looked around them. It was a scene of which none of them had ever seen. Everyone was running around in a panic, they could barely hear themselves think over the fearful screaming, and they could see some fire over the tops of tents.

Someone screamed, "Get out, it's the Death Eaters!" and Arabella's blood ran cold.

"Get back to the Portkey, everybody, and stick together!" Arthur shouted. "Fred, George! Ginny and Bella are your responsibility."

"What about the rest of you?" Arabella asked, looking around at her oldest brothers.

"We'll be helping the Ministry. Now, go!"

Fred grabbed Ginny's hand and George grabbed Arabella's and the four of them ran towards where they had left the Portkey. It didn't take Arabella long to start crying as she tried not to focus on the screaming and caught glimpses of hooded people wearing masks. She knew good and well who those people were: Death Eaters. She had read about them and heard about them from her parents.

It was a struggle not to get separated from one another, and it wasn't until they had reached the Portkey and were waiting for Arthur, Bill, Charlie, and Percy that they realized Harry was missing. Despite everyone else's protests, Hermione and Ron left to go find him. Arabella tried to follow, but Fred and George held her in place.

The screaming stopped after about twenty minutes and the campground became eerily silent. There was still no sign of Harry.

Suddenly, their environment was illuminated in a green light. They looked up, and floating in the sky like a cloud was a green skull with a snake coming out of its mouth like a tongue. Arabella recognized it immediately: the Dark Mark. She felt vomit rising in her throat and Ginny, knowing what was about to happen, quickly grabbed Arabella's hair and held it out of the way when she threw up. Fred and George groaned in disgust.

Not too long later, Bill, Charlie, and Percy found them and brought them back to the tent. The campground they were walking through now was completely different from that of which they had arrived at just that morning. It was completely deserted and there were burned tents everywhere. Thankfully, though, when they got back to their own tent, it seemed to be completely untouched.

Arthur arrived back at the tent with Hermione, Ron, and Harry, a while later and after they all explained what had happened, Arthur made them all go to bed. However, none of them got much sleep and they were up early again the next morning, eager to get out of there and back home.

[word count: 891]
[written: 5/2/20]
[published: 6/3/20]