Ron's wand being used to cast the Mark didn't do them any favours, but they eventually got it all sorted out and made it back to their tents, where luckily the rest of the Weasley family were waiting mostly unharmed. Bill had a cut across his cheek and Percy's right sleeve was a little charred, but other than that they were fine. Ginny was chalk-white, tucked into Charlie's side.
They gathered in the bigger tent, no one willing to tell the girls to go back to bed after that ordeal. The trio ended up sharing what had happened to them, and Ron asked about the Dark Mark, not understanding why it was such a big deal. Harry stayed silent through Mr Weasley's explanation, but forgot to pretend to be unaware of such things — all the things Snape and Remus had taught him over the summer, about the first rise of Voldemort and why it was such a bad sign that Snape's Dark Mark was hurting again. Mr Weasley shot Harry an odd look when he didn't react to Bill's remark that the crowd was obviously Death Eaters who had lied to keep themselves out of Azkaban. Harry covered it with a yawn, hoping the man would just believe he was zoning out due to exhaustion. It had been one hell of a day.
They were all sent to bed shortly after, though Harry lay awake for a long while, listening to Charlie's soft snores. He wished there were a little more privacy in the tent; he had the two way mirror in his bag, and he was desperate to talk to Sirius and tell him what happened. He'd no doubt find out from the Prophet in the morning. If Snape didn't know already. Had he been part of the group? To keep his cover?
Harry's nerves tied knots in his guts as he squeezed his eyes shut, imagining Remus staying up late worried about his partner, Sirius pacing the living room and demanding to go check Harry was okay. He'd call them in the morning, as soon as he could get some time to himself.
.-.-.-.
They'd only had a few hours sleep when Mr Weasley woke them all up, and soon they were packed and trudging back to the crowded portkey departure point.
Mrs Weasley was waiting anxiously when they returned, rushing forward to meet them at the garden gate. She threw herself into her husband's arms, before hugging each of her children in turn, then Harry and Hermione. "Oh, thank goodness! I was so worried! The paper said there were bodies, oh, you're alive!" She doubled back to hug the twins, sobbing about having yelled at them before they left.
Breakfast was a somber affair, Mr Weasley and Percy barely staying long enough to wolf down some toast before they headed into the Ministry to start dealing with the aftermath. Harry didn't know who Rita Skeeter was, but he already didn't like her; that article was causing more fear and worry than the Death Eaters themselves!
He got his chance to slip away when the other Weasleys decided to start up a game of quidditch in the garden. Promising to be out in a minute, he hurried up to Ron's room and dug through his backpack for the two-way mirror. "Sirius Black," he said quickly it was barely a second before Sirius' worried face filled the glass. He'd obviously been waiting for the call.
"Harry! Are you alright? Remus, it's Harry!" There was a beat, and Remus' face squeezed in beside Sirius', Sirius having to hold the mirror a little further out so they could both see.
"I'm fine, everything's assured hurriedly.
fine,"
Harry
"What happened? The Prophet article was full of so much bullshit it's hard to tell what the truth is," Sirius said, ignoring the scolding look Remus gave him for swearing. Harry gave the pair a quick summary of the night's events, including the events with Crouch's elf and the Dark Mark.
"Barty Crouch has always been a heartless bastard," Sirius growled, his eyes dark. "You're sure you're alright?"
"Completely, I promise," Harry insisted. He wished he could reach through the mirror and hug his godfather; he'd gotten far too used to the easy affection over the summer. "Sirius, you have to send a letter to Mrs Malfoy. I— Lucius was part of the group, and Draco said he made her be part of it too."
Sirius and Remus shared a grim look.
"I'll ask Severus to check in on her," Remus promised. "He's away at the moment, doing some damage control."
"He wasn't there last night, was he?" Harry asked, relieved when Remus shook his head.
"No, he was home. Had no idea about it all until it was too late. Obviously they were only involving people who were already at the cup."
"Who could have cast the Dark Mark?"
Both adults shrugged, and Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "It could've been any number of people. We'll look into things, but don't dwell on it too much, alright pup? Enjoy the rest of your summer, leave this to the adults." He let out a long sigh. "Merlin, I'm so glad you're safe."
"I miss you," Harry confessed in a whisper. "All of you." Even Snape, to his surprise.
"We miss you too, cub," Remus replied. "It's been far too quiet without you around. Except for the fireworks Sirius let off in the entrance hall," he added with a reprimanding look. Sirius grinned, giving an over-exaggerated innocent face.
Harry knew they were just trying to cheer him up, but he couldn't help but laugh all the same. "I should go, the others will be wondering what's taking me so long." He'd told them he was going to the bathroom. They probably thought he'd fallen in.
"Let us know if anything else happens. Keep in touch, and have a good week. We love you, pup." Sirius kissed his fingers, pressing them to the mirror's surface. Harry's heart clenched.
He reluctantly ended the call, taking a minute to compose himself before tucking the mirror back in his bag and heading out to the garden with his broom in hand, plastering a smile on his face when he saw the Weasley siblings already airborne, Hermione reading a book on the grass below. "There you are, mate! We've been waiting for you!" Ron called, waving him over. Harry kicked off into the sky, trying to leave his worries on the ground. There was nothing he could do about it all now.
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