EMBERS. ❪ Bill Weasley ❫ ✓

five

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The day had started out great. Paisley spent time with Charlie and Bill at the Burrow while waiting for Harry to arrive. Once he did, introductions were played out and the family left to meet the Diggorys at a Portkey in order to arrive at the Quidditch World Cup. Now, people were running for their lives as the Dark Mark loomed over their heads in the midnight sky. She had gotten separated from Bill in the crowd, but found Arthur soon after.

"You may rest assured that she will be punished," Bartemius said coldly.

"M - m - master... " Winky stammered, looking up at him with tears. "M - m - master, P - P - please..."

He stared back at her. There was no pity in his gaze.
"Winky has behaved tonight in a manner I would not have believed possible. I told her to remain in the tent. I told her to stay there while I went to sort out the trouble. And I find that she disobeyed me. This means clothes."

"No!" shrieked Winky, throwing herself at his feet. "No, master! Not clothes, not clothes!"

"But she was frightened!" Hermione defended. "Your elf's scared of heights, and those wizards in masks were levitating people! You can't blame her for wanting to get out of their way!"

Paisley wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders and brought her against her side. "Choose your words carefully," she whispered.

Bartemius took a step backward, freeing himself from contact with Winky, who he was looking at with a gaze full of disgust. "I have no use for a house-elf who disobeys me," he said coldly, looking over at Hermione. "I have no use for a servant who forgets what is due to her master, and to her master's reputation."

Winky was crying so hard that her sobs echoed around the clear.

"Well, I think I'll take my lot back to the tent, if nobody's got any objections. Amos, that wand's told us all it can - if Harry could have it back , please," said Arthur.

Amos handed Harry his wand and Harry pocketed it.

"Come on, you three, " Arthur said quietly .

Hermione didn't want to move, her gaze focused on Winky's crying self. Paisley tugged her in the direction of the forest, but she wouldn't budge.

"Hermione!" Arthur hushed.

She turned and followed Harry and Ron out of the clearing. Once they were far enough, she asked, "What's going to happen to Winky?"

"I don't know," answered Arthur.

"The way they were treating her!" exclaimed Hermione furiously. "Mr. Diggory, calling her elf all the time... And Mr. Crouch! He knows she didn't do it and he's still going to sack her! He didn't care how frightened she'd been, or how upset she was - it was like she wasn't even human!"

"Well, she's not," retorted Ron.

"Then I suppose Nymphs aren't as well?" Pixie asked, pointing to herself.

Hermione rounded on Ron. "Exactly. It doesn't mean she hasn't got feelings, Ron. It's disgusting."

"I agree with you both," interjected Arthur, "but now is not the time to discuss elf rights. I want to get back to the tent as fast as we can. What happened to the others?"

"We lost them in the dark," said Ron. "Dad, why was everyone so uptight about that skull thing?"

"I'll explain everything back at the tent," said Arthur.

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 Arthur coming toward them, many of them surged forward.

"What's going on in there?"

"Who conjured it?"

"Arthur, it's not Him?"

"Of course it's not Him," said Arthur 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 Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Paisley 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.