(Y/N)'s POV

The match was amazing, by the end I was on the edge of my seat, until I couldn't hold it in anymore, I stood up screaming "Go you glorious Bulgarian genius. GO!" then just as predicted. Viktor Krum caught the snitch, on top of that, while Ireland were in the lead. 

The arena exploded in cheers, Me, Fred and George especially. I grabbed Hermione, hugging her in my happiness. Basically, picking her up and jumping up and down, I'm sure I looked a fool, but I didn't care. I had just made the best bet I possibly could have.

As we sat down again, I saw Krum sitting on his broom, holding the snitch out in triumph. "Why'd he do that!" I heard someone yell, I had the same thought. There was three parts of me all conflicting, one part of me thought he was an idiot for essentially losing on purpose.

Another part of me thought he was brave, throwing the match, but ending things on his own terms, how he wanted, and the third part of me that was praising the angel that just won me so much money.

As we were leaving, I saw Draco slip an eerily familiar sweet into his mouth, this just made one of the best days of my life even better "Perfect" I thought, he was in for an interesting afternoon.

"They'll be talking about this one for years," Bagman said hoarsely, "a really unexpected twist, that. . . . shame it couldn't have lasted longer" "True, but a deal's a deal" I said, getting in front of him so he didn't dart for the door.

"Ah yes. . . . yes, I owe you . . . how much?" Fred and George had just scrambled over the backs of their seats and were standing in front of Ludo Bagman with broad grins on their faces, their hands outstretched.

We returned to the tent later, all of us fairly content, with my new winnings I had a small fortune in my pocket. I was feeling very proud of myself, as we made our way to the tent I was basically skipping with joy. 

As were Fred and George who were convincing their father to let them keep their winnings and not tell Mrs. Weasley about the gambling. After a few hours of gleeful partying we all turned in for the night. 

Until I was awoken just a few hours later, something was wrong, I could almost feel the panic in the air. "What's wrong!" was all I managed to say, the tiredness I had disappearing as I jumped into action, waking Ron. " 'S' matter?" he said, I forced him out of bed.

"No time, Harry — just grab a jacket and get outside — quickly!" Mr Weasley said as Harry reached for his clothes, he did as he was told and hurried out of the tent, Ron and I at his heels, I could see people running away into the woods, fleeing something that was moving across the field toward them. 

Hermione and Ginny came hurrying toward us, pulling coats over their nightdresses, with Mr. Weasley 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. 

"We have to leave, get somewhere safe" said Mr. Weasley, taking command "George, Ginny is your responsibility" he turned to me, "(Y/N) don't try anything, just take the others and run" I nodded, he gripped my arms, "Promise me!" I nodded again, "I promise." He nodded, "Perce, Charlie, Bill you're with me" he said, drawing his wand.

"We're going to help the Ministry!" Mr. Weasley shouted over all the noise, rolling up his own sleeves. "You lot, get into the woods, and stick together. I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out!" 

Bill, Charlie, and Percy were already sprinting away toward the oncoming marchers; Mr. Weasley tore after them. Ministry wizards were dashing from every direction toward the source of the trouble. Despite all the horror, it was amazing to see so many people rushing to help.

As I looked to where they were heading, I saw it. A crowd of wizards, tightly packed and moving together with wands pointing straight upward, was marching slowly across the field. Their heads were hooded, and their faces masked.

High above them, floating along in midair, four struggling figures were being contorted into grotesque shapes. I heard one member of the crowd shout, "Muggle filth" and my heart dropped as I looked at them.

Two of the figures were very small. More wizards were joining the marching group, laughing and pointing up at the floating bodies. Tents crumpled and fell as the marching crowd swelled.

"That's sick," Ron muttered, watching the smallest Muggle child, who had begun to spin like a top, sixty feet above the ground, his head flopping limply from side to side. "That is really sick..."

I was shaking with panic, and absolute rage, but I promised Mr Weasley "Don't look, just go" I hurried them, but even saying it made me sick to my stomach, I could feel it from here, they were scared, terrified and confused, in pain, it took everything in me not to break down, tears were slipping out of my eyes.

"C'mon," said Fred, grabbing Ginny's hand and starting to pull her toward the wood. We followed, I looked back as they reached the trees, the Ministry wizards trying to get through it to the hooded wizards in the centre, but they were having great difficulty. It looked as though they were scared to perform any spell that might make the Muggles fall.

I heard Ron yell with pain as we reached the forest, I stopped "What happened?" said Hermione anxiously, stopping so abruptly that Harry walked into her. She illuminated her wand and directed its narrow beam across the path. Ron was 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 us. Draco Malfoy was standing alone nearby, leaning against a tree, looking utterly relaxed. "Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like her spotted, would you?"

He nodded at Hermione. "What's that supposed to mean?" said Hermione defiantly. "Granger, they're after Muggles," said Malfoy. "D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh." 

Why do you care!" I shouted, he just averted his eyes, "Why won't he look at me?" I thought. "Hermione's a witch," Harry snarled. "Have it your own way, Potter," said Malfoy, grinning maliciously. 

"If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are. Bet they'd like to find you too." "You watch your mouth!" shouted Ron. "Never mind, Ron," said Hermione quickly, seizing Ron's arm to restrain him as he took a step toward Malfoy.

 There came a bang from the other side of the trees that was louder than anything they had heard. Several people nearby screamed. Malfoy chuckled softly. "Scare easily, don't they?" he said lazily. "I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to? Trying to rescue the Muggles?"

"Where're your parents?" said Harry, his temper rising. "Out there wearing masks, are they?" Malfoy turned his face to Harry, still smiling. "Well . . . if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?"

"We don't have time for this leave him, hope he chokes on some more sweets" I said, he looked me for the first time, glaring angrily, then turned away again "Keep that big bushy head down, Granger, and keep your nose down Potter" sneered Malfoy. Part of me thought I heard concern in his tone, but I brushed it off.

"Come on," Hermione repeated, and she pulled us up the path again. "I'll bet you anything his dad is one of that masked lot!" said Ron hotly. "Well, with any luck, the Ministry will catch him!" said Hermione fervently. "Oh, I can't believe this. Where have the others got to?"

When she saw us, a girl with thick curly hair turned and said quickly, "Où est Madame Maxime? Nous l'avons perdue-" "Er...what?" said Ron. "Oh . . ." The girl who had spoken turned her back on him, and as we walked on.

I distinctly heard her say, " 'Ogwarts." "Beauxbatons," muttered Hermione. "Gesundheit" I said weakly "Sorry?" said Harry . "They must go to Beauxbatons," said Hermione. I turned the girl back to me.

I got the gist of what she was saying, even if I couldn't understand the words, she was looking for someone "Wait" I said, pointing to my own forehead, then hers, she nodded, I tried my best to convey images of the Ministry all rushing the mob with their wands.

Then the people fleeing into the forest, trying to say, "Don't worry I'm sure she's safe, she's probably somewhere here, or helping the others" she nodded "Oui, merci, on va continuer à chercher" and with that she left.

We continued our search until Harry stopped suddenly, patting his pockets "Ah, no, I don't believe it . . . I've lost my wand!" "You're kidding!" We looked all around, but his wand was nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe it's back in the tent," said Ron. "Maybe it fell out of your pocket when we were running?" Hermione suggested anxiously. "Yeah," said Harry, "maybe . . ." "Accio wand" I cast, Mrs. Weasley had taught me that spell earlier in the week, but still nothing.

Harry's POV

"Let's just keep moving, shall we?" said Ron, I saw him and (Y/N) both glance at Hermione. Perhaps there was truth in what Malfoy had said; perhaps Hermione was in more danger than we were. We followed the dark path deeper into the wood, keeping an eye out for Fred, George, and Ginny.

Farther still along the path, we saw three tall and beautiful veela standing in a clearing, with men trying to impress them -I'm a vampire hunter, I've killed about ninety so far-" A young wizard, whose pimples were visible even by the dim, silvery light of the veela, now cut in, "I'm about to become the youngest ever Minister of Magic, I am."

I snorted with laughter. I recognised the pimply wizard: His name was Stan Shunpike, and he was in fact a conductor on the triple-decker Knight Bus. I turned to tell Ron this, but Ron's face had gone oddly slack.

The next second Ron was yelling, "Did I tell you I've invented a broomstick that'll reach Jupiter?" Then another voice countered, "Yeah well, I'm the most powerful Legilimens to ever exist!" It was hard not to chuckle, even through all this madness "Honestly!" said Hermione, and she and I grabbed Ron and (Y/N) firmly by the arms, wheeled them around, and marched away.

Everything seemed much quieter; perhaps the riot was over. "I hope the others are okay," said Hermione after a while. "They'll be fine," said Ron. "Imagine if your dad catches Lucius Malfoy," I comforted, sitting down next to Ron.

"He's always said he'd like to get something on him." "That'd wipe the smirk off old Draco's face, all right," said Ron. "Those poor Muggles, though," said Hermione nervously. "What if they can't get them down?"

"They will," said (Y/N) reassuringly. "They'll find a way, there's always a way" He said, but I saw him glance back at the mob beyond the trees. We continued talking "-Do you think they've been drinking or are they just-" Hermione broke off abruptly and looked over her shoulder. 

We looked quickly around too. It sounded as though someone was staggering toward their clearing. We waited, listening to the sounds of the uneven steps behind the dark trees. But the footsteps came to a sudden halt. "Hello?" called (Y/N), wand out.

There was silence. (Y/N) got to his feet and peered around the tree. I went to follow him, it was too dark to see very far, but somebody was standing just beyond the range of our vision. "Who's there?" I said. 

And then, without warning, the silence was broken 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!" And something vast, green, and glittering erupted from the patch of darkness; it flew up over the treetops and into the sky. 

"What the-?" gasped Ron as he sprang to his feet again, staring up at the thing that had appeared. "Bloody hell that's-" said (Y/N) who fell onto his butt in shock, laughing out of disbelief, then he grabbed his head as if he was in agony.

I looked up it was a colossal skull, comprised of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. It rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation. 

The wood all around them erupted with screams. I didn't understand why, but the only possible cause was the sudden appearance of the skull, which had now risen high enough to illuminate the entire wood like some grisly neon sign.

I pulled (Y/N) to his feet, "You ok?" he barely registered me being there and slowly nodded. "Harry, come on, move!" Hermione had seized the collar of my jacket and was tugging me backward.

"What's the matter?" I asked, startled to see her face so terrified. "It's the Dark Mark, Harry!" Hermione moaned, pulling me as hard as she could. "You-Know-Who's sign!" "Voldemort's?" Now I understood why (Y/N) collapsed, something like this must stir up a lot of emotion, and very quickly. 

"Harry, come on!" I turned, the four of us started across the clearing but before we had taken a few hurried steps, a series of popping noises announced the arrival of twenty wizards, appearing from thin air, surrounding them. I whirled around, and in an instant, I registered one fact.

Each of these wizards had their wand out, and every wand was pointing right at Me, Ron, (Y/N) and Hermione. Without pausing to think, I yelled, "DUCK!" I seized Ron and Hermione, who were the closest to me and pulled them down onto the ground. 

"STUPEFY !" roared twenty voices there was a blinding series of flashes and I felt the hair on my head ripple as though a powerful wind had swept the clearing. Then I heard a loud "THUD" and a groan as well as a scream.

For a second I wondered why I heard a scream, but then I saw (Y/N) slam to the ground in a heap. He was too out of it to hear my warning, and too tall to duck as fast, two or three of the spells connected with him, knocking him off his feet.

Which in turn subsequently launched him into the air with a lot of force, each pushing him a different way, he span round for a second and landed hard on his right side with a "CRACK!"

"Stop!" yelled two voices I recognised. "STOP! That's my son!" I raised my head a little higher. The wizard in front of me had lowered his wand. I rolled over and saw Mr. Weasley striding toward us, looking terrified. 

"Ron, Harry" his voice sounded shaky "Hermione are you all right?" then another voice called out "(Y/N)!" and I heard someone rush to his side. But something else drew my attention. "Out of the way, Arthur" said a cold, curt voice. 

It was Mr. Crouch. He and the other Ministry wizards were closing in on us, Mr. Crouch's face was taut with rage. "Which of you did it?" he snapped, his sharp eyes darting between them. "Which of you conjured the Dark Mark?" 

"We didn't do that!" I argued, gesturing up at the skull. "We didn't do anything!" said Ron, who was rubbing his elbow and looking indignantly at his father. "What did you want to attack us for?" 

"Do not lie, sir!" shouted Mr. Crouch. His wand was still pointing directly at Ron, and his eyes were popping he looked slightly mad. "You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!" 

"Barty," whispered a witch in a long woolen dressing gown, "they're kids, Barty, they'd never have been able to-" "Where did the Mark come from, you three?" said Mr. Weasley quickly. "Over there," said Hermione shakily, pointing at the place where we had heard the voice. 

"There was someone behind the trees...they shouted words... an incantation " "Oh, stood over there, did they?" said Mr. Crouch, turning his popping eyes on Hermione now, disbelief etched all over his face.

"Said an incantation, did they? You seem very well informed about how that Mark is summoned, missy" But none of the Ministry wizards apart from Mr. Crouch seemed to think it remotely likely that we had conjured the skull.

On the contrary, at Hermione's words, they had all raised their wands again and were pointing in the direction she had indicated, squinting through the dark trees. "We're too late," said the witch in the woolen dressing gown, shaking her head. 

"They'll have Disapparated." "I don't think so," said a wizard with a scrubby brown beard. It was Amos Diggory, Cedric's father. "The Stunners that didn't hit the boy went right through those trees...There's a good chance we got them..." 

"Amos, be careful!" said a few of the wizards warningly as Mr. Diggory squared his shoulders, raised his wand, marched across the clearing, and disappeared into the darkness. Suddenly there was a stomping of feet and a loud metal 'Clang!'

Barty Crouch was on the floor bleeding from the mouth, the others rose their wands, but faltered at seeing his attacker. "MY SON... you stunned my bloody son you-" (M/N) shouted a few swear words towards him, being held back by some other aurors. 

"He's a suspect" Crouch defended. "A SUSPECT. They're fourteen Barty!" she shouted as she shook them off, as he wiped the blood from his mouth she stepped towards him and spat "I'll have your head for this Crouch. Believe that!"

She then tended to her son, using some magic on him, managing to stir him. "Hey baby..." he just groaned in pain. Saying something that sounded like, "Nice aim, thought they were only meant to stun though" she smiled, small tears leaking from her eyes as she made sure he was safe.

A few seconds later, we heard Mr. Diggory shout. "Yes! We got them! There's someone here! Unconscious! It's-but-blimey..." "You've got someone?" shouted Mr. Crouch, sounding highly disbelieving. "Who? Who is it?"

We heard snapping twigs, the rustling of leaves, and then crunching footsteps as Mr. Diggory re-emerged from behind the trees. He was carrying a tiny, limp figure in his arms. I recognised the tea towel at once. It was Winky.

They brought Winky out of the trees and revived her. She caught sight of Mr. Diggory's feet, and slowly, tremulously, raised her eyes to stare up into his face; then, more slowly still, she looked up into the sky at the mark.

She gave a gasp, looked wildly around the crowded clearing, and burst into terrified sobs. Mr. Diggory began questioning her. Winky began to rock backward and forward on the ground, her breath coming in sharp bursts.

I was reminded forcibly of Dobby in his moments of terrified disobedience. "As you see, elf, the Dark Mark was conjured here a short while ago," said Mr. Diggory. "And you were discovered moments later, right beneath it! An explanation, if you please!" 

"I-I- I is not doing it, sir!" Winky gasped. "I is not knowing how, sir!" "You were found with a wand in your hand!" barked Mr. Diggory, brandishing it in front of her. I recognised it as mine. "That's my wand!" I explained. "I dropped it!"

"You dropped it?" repeated Mr. Diggory in disbelief. "Is this a confession? You threw it aside after you conjured the Mark?" "Amos, think who you're talking to!" said Mr. Weasley, very angrily. "Is Harry Potter likely to conjure the Dark Mark?"

"Sort yourself out Amos" said (M/N) absentmindedly. "Er of course not," mumbled Mr. Diggory. "Sorry . . . carried away . . ." "I didn't drop it there, anyway," I explained, "I missed it right after we got into the wood."

"So," said Mr. Diggory, his eyes hardening as he turned to look at Winky again, cowering at his feet. "You found this wand, eh, elf ? And you picked it up and thought you'd have some fun with it, did you?"

"I is not doing magic with it, sir!" squealed Winky, tears streaming down the sides of her squashed and bulbous nose. "I is . . . I is . . . I is just picking it up, sir! I is not making the Dark Mark, sir, I is not knowing how!" "It wasn't her!" said Hermione screamed.

At this loud wailing, (Y/N) stood up, groaning in pain, he surprisingly pushed his mother aside, hobbled over to Winky, "She didn't do it!" he said adamantly, "What house elf do you know that could even if they wanted to?" he asked the crowd, pointing to the mark while his other arm swung there limply.

Winky clung to his clothes, still bawling. "Is that a confession!" Diggory bellowed, "Oh yeah, I had a lot of time to ditch the wand before you damn near killed me you prat!" He glared at Diggory.

Hermione continued. "Winky's got a squeaky little voice, and the voice we heard doing the incantation was much deeper!" She looked around at Me and Ron, appealing for our support. "It didn't sound anything like Winky, did it?" 

"No" I said, shaking my head, same as (Y/N). "It definitely didn't sound like an elf." "Yeah, it was a human voice," said Ron. "Well, we'll soon see," growled Mr. Diggory, looking unimpressed. "There's a simple way of discovering the last spell a wand performed, elf, did you know that?"

Winky trembled and shook her head frantically, her ears flapping, as Mr. Diggory raised his own wand again and placed it tip to tip with mine. "Prior Incantato!" roared Mr. Diggory. I heard Hermione gasp, horrified, as a gigantic serpent tongued skull erupted from the point where the two wands met.

But it was a mere shadow of the green skull high above them; it looked as though it were made of thick gray smoke: the ghost of a spell. "Deletrius!" Mr. Diggory shouted, and the smoky skull vanished in a wisp of smoke. 

"So," said Mr. Diggory with a kind of savage triumph, looking down upon Winky, who was still shaking convulsively. "I is not doing it!" she squealed, her eyes rolling in terror. "I is not, I is not, I is not knowing how! I is a good elf, I isn't using wands, I isn't knowing how!" 

"You've been caught red-handed, elf !" Mr. Diggory roared. "Caught with the guilty wand in your hand !" "Amos," said Mr. Weasley loudly, "think about it... as the boy said, precious few wizards know how to do that spell... Where would she have learned it?" Mr. Diggory suggested she might have learnt it elsewhere.

Mr. Crouch seemed livid at the accusations "You have now come very close to accusing the three people in this clearing who are least likely to conjure that Mark!" barked Mr. Crouch. "Harry Potter, an unconscious boy and myself! I suppose you are familiar with Harry's story, Amos?" 

"Of course, everyone knows-" muttered Mr. Diggory, looking highly discomforted. "And I trust you remember the many proofs I have given, over a long career, that I despise and detest the Dark Arts and those who practice them?" Mr. Crouch shouted, his eyes bulging again.

"She... she might've picked it up anywhere" "Precisely, Amos," said Mr. Weasley. "She might have picked it up anywhere... Winky?" he said kindly, turning to the elf, but she flinched as though he too was shouting at her. 

"Where exactly did you find Harry's wand?" Winky was twisting the hem of her tea towel so violently that it was fraying beneath her fingers. (Y/N) shakily crouched down and put a hand on her shoulder, nodding and smiling, "It's ok, I promise." she quivered a little "I- I is finding it . . . finding it there, sir" she whispered, "there in the trees, sir" "You see, Amos?" said Mr. Weasley.

"But then, she'd have been only a few feet away from the real culprit!" said Mr. Diggory impatiently. "Elf ? Did you see anyone?" Winky began to tremble worse than ever. Her giant eyes flickered from Mr. Diggory, and onto Mr. Crouch. Then she gulped and said, "I is seeing no one, sir ...no one."

"Amos," said Mr. Crouch curtly, "I am fully aware that, in the ordinary course of events, you would want to take Winky into your department for questioning. I ask you, however, to allow me to deal with her." 

Mr. Diggory looked as though he didn't think much of this suggestion at all, but nodded. "You may rest assured that she will be punished," Mr. Crouch added coldly. "M-m-master." Winky stammered, looking up at Mr. Crouch, her eyes brimming with tears. "M-m-master, p-p-please..."

"Winky has behaved tonight in a manner I would not have believed possible," he said slowly. "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, prostrating herself at Mr. Crouch's feet. "No, master! Not clothes, not clothes!" It was pitiful to see the way Winky clutched at her tea towel as she sobbed over Mr. Crouch's feet. "But she was frightened!" Hermione burst out angrily, glaring at Mr. Crouch.

"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!" Mr. Crouch took a step backward "You cant do this! you have no grounds to punish her" shouted (Y/N).

Then he coughed and fell to his knees again "I have no use for a house-elf who disobeys me," he said coldly, "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 clearing.

Then, finding some strength (Y/N) charged Crouch, wand out, teeth gritted, "Depul-" he only stopped when his mother got in between the two and shook her head, basically dragging him away.

She seemed to be the only person capable to, she pulled him away as (Y/N) flipped off Crouch with his good hand and cursed him out. "We really need to sort out your language." (M/N) muttered as they shuffled away.

After that display, there was a very nasty silence, which was ended by Mr. Weasley, who said quietly, "Well, I think I'll take my lot back to the tent, if nobody's got any objections. Amos, that wands told us all it can if Harry could have it back, please"

I was given my wand back. As Mr. Weasley led us away, Hermione started to protest how Winky had been treated and complain about how horrible Crouch was. "Hermione, I agree with you," said Mr. Weasley quickly, beckoning her on, "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?"

When we found them, there was a great air of relief, and we explained everything. When they had finished the 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"

"Oh, shut up Percy you great bespectacled kiss a-" said (Y/N) who returned to the tent, supported by his mother, arm in a sling, the zipper cutting him off. Despite everything, there was a few chuckles, mostly from Fred and George, but the nervous air was replaced by a more cheerful one as Percy blushed crimson and suddenly took an interest in cleaning his glasses.