Stay - Mattheo Riddle

Chapter 119

"We lost them in the dark," said Ron. "Dad, why was everyone so uptight about that skull thing?" Kirra felt sick to her stomach as she thought about the dark mark, she couldn't believe it. After everything that they had all gone through to stop him... he was back.

"I'll explain everything back at the tent," said Mr. Weasley tensely, Kirra didn't want to go back to the tent, she wanted to find Jasper and make sure that he got away. There was somebody else that she wanted to find too, had Mattheo been able to get out of there safely?

even though his cruel words ran through her head on repeat, she wanted nothing more right now than to go out there and make sure that he was okay. That he was safe. But Harry had grabbed onto her hand and dragged her along to the others.

But when they reached the edge of the wood, their progress was impeded. A large crowd of frightened-looking witches and wizards was congregated there, and when they saw Mr. Weasley coming toward them, many of them sureged forward.

"What's going on in there?"

"Who conjured it?"

"Arthur — it's not — Him?"

"Of course it's not Him," said Mr. Weasley impatiently. "We don't know who it was; it looks like they Disapparated. Now excuse me, please, I want to get to bed."

He led Kirra, Harry, Ron, and Hermione through the crowd and back into the campsite. All was quiet now; there was no sign of the masked wizards, though several ruined tents were still smoking. 

Charlie's head was poking out of the boys' tent. "Dad, what's going on?" he called through the dark. "Fred, George, and Ginny got back okay, but the others —"

"I've got them here," said Mr. Weasley, bending down and entering the tent. Kirra, Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered after him. Fred and George were quick to run over to the Hufflepuff and pull her into a large hug, the two of them were shaking in fear.

"Thank Merlin you are okay," Fred muttered out as he held her against his chest as tight as he could

"We were so worried about you, we went to go back and find you but Bill said we had to meet you back at the tent," George muttered to her softly and placed a kiss on the top of her head and swayed her softly in his arms, happy that she was okay.

Bill was sitting at the small kitchen table, holding a bedsheet to his arm, which was bleeding profusely. Charlie had a large rip in his shirt, and Percy was sporting a bloody nose. Fred, George, and Ginny looked unhurt, though shaken.

"Did you get them, Dad?" said Bill sharply. "The person who conjured the Mark?"

"No," said Mr. Weasley. "We found Barty Crouch's elf holding Harry's wand, but we're none the wiser about who actually conjured the Mark."

"What?" said Bill, Charlie, and Percy together.

"Harry's wand?" said Fred.

"Mr. Crouch's elf ?" said Percy, sounding thunderstruck. With some assistance from Kirra, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Mr. Weasley explained what had happened in the woods. When they had finished their story, Percy swelled indignantly.

"Well, Mr. Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that!" he said. "Running away when he'd expressly told her not to . . . embarrassing him in front of the whole Ministry . . . how would that have looked, if she'd been brought up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control —"

"She didn't do anything — she was just in the wrong place atthe wrong time!" Hermione snapped at Percy, who looked very taken aback. Hermione had always got on fairly well with Percy —better, indeed, than any of the others.