The DMLE tent was one of the most impressive figures in the Quidditch Village, but contrary to popular desire, it wasn't open to visitors. There had been a few opinions on that issue, from Light and Dark Lords and Ladies alike, to open a few lower clearance sections of the tent to visitors from the continent, but Bella had put her foot down.
Things were already so chaotic and unpredictable in the British Isles, and to top it all up with unlimited security risks from unknown magicals would have been disgustingly foolish.
So that is how she found herself seated in her temporary office in the DMLE tent, observing a wall-hanging map of the Village. It showed every one of the entry and exit points within the Village and the kinds of magic being cast as coloured dots, the locations of all the security personnel patrolling the grounds and the presence of all foreign dignitaries at all times. It was a brilliant piece of magic, and so very fortunate for the DMLE to keep an eye on things. It was a pity though that enchanting it was so darn difficult on an area as big as the Quidditch Village, because she would've loved to have something like this for the entire country.
"Madam," came the voice of her secretary, Carol, "There is someone called Claire Gauthier here asking for Harry Potter."
Bella quirked an eyebrow but nodded, giving the signal.
A minute later, the greyish-blonde witch was entering her office, looking somewhat sheepish.
"Claire," Bella greeted, "What a surprise. Harry isn't here at the moment."
"Oh." said the witch as Bella gestured her to be seated before turning back to observe the map on the wall.
"How can I help you?" she asked the shy witch, who was fidgeting in her seat, looking like she was second-guessing her decision to come here.
Claire cleared her throat. "I wanted to apologize," she began tentatively and Bella turned to her curiously, making her stammer. "For yesterday, I mean… I'm sorry for débarquer…barging in like that."
Bella smiled. "It's okay. I didn't mind."
The blushing witch nodded, looking down to her hands in her lap as her throat bobbed. "I didn't want to cause offence."
"None was taken," Bella assured her as she stood to walk around her desk. "And Harry did tell me that he trusts you."
Claire looked up at that, a small smile on her lips. "Thank you," she looked relieved. "Have you seen Harry?"
"He should be with his family watching the match."
"Oh," she said, "That's okay, I can see him later."
"You don't like Quidditch?"
"I like it," she admitted, "I'm just not as interested in it as much as I am in duelling."
Bella regarded her. "You performed very well at the Tournament," she praised. "If it hadn't been for Harry, you would've won." In a way, she was testing this younger witch, looking to see if she was in any way bitter about her loss to a younger wizard.
To her surprise and appraisal, Claire beamed at her. "He was …magnifique…it was the most impressive duel I've ever had," then she paused for a second, "Madam Black, I admire you, you know. You have won the Open Championship four times, the most in history by anyone. I have always wanted to become like you."
Bella stopped just behind her seated form, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You still have the chance to do so."
"How?" Claire looked confused before turning firm. "If Harry will participate, no one else will win and I don't want Harry to not participate because of me. He deserves to win."
Bella pushed her curls away from her cheek and leaned down to give her a kiss, making her gasp. "I'm pretty sure Harry will have better things to do next year."
"Really?" Claire looked too shocked to say anything else.
Bella nodded, letting her hands travel down to rub at her naked forearms. Claire shivered, making her smile. Clad in a beautiful navy sleeveless dress ending just below her knees, she really was a very beautiful witch.
"Of course. Harry will even teach you to be better if you take proper care of him."
The underlying promise in her voice made Claire bob her head. "I will, I promise," she said, "Even if he doesn't teach me, I will take care of him."
The DMLE Head left her to go sit in her chair again, facing her. "In every way?"
Claire swallowed, not breaking eye-contact. "Yes."
Bella smirked at her, leaning back in her chair. "Then prove it to me," she said softly but commandingly, patting her thighs in invitation.
Claire was rendered shocked, opening and closing her mouth like a fish, making Bella let out a musical laugh. "Come here, Claire."
The Beauxbatons witch stood up from her seat, smoothening her dress self-consciously. She slowly approached the seated form of her boyfriend's godmother, shy and unable to understand what was transpiring. Not a word was uttered from her mouth as she stood just an arm's length away from Bella, who then smirked and pulled her by the wrist until she was seated in her lap, her arse was firmly lodged upon Bella's thick thighs.
Claire was trapped nicely and firmly in between the desk and Bella, her back to her front as Bella's arms snaked onto her waist, holding her tight. Bella's leaned to allow her lips to find refuge in her sensitive neck, breathing in the delicious sweaty musk of the younger, squirming witch.
Bella inhaled deeply, her lips busy tasting her creamy skin. An arm snaked around to fondle at her breast while another began to pull up her dress to grasp at her naked thighs.
"Madam Black, please I cann—"
"Call me Aunt Bella," she instructed.
Claire moaned as she teased a nipple in between her forefinger and thumb, the thin material of her dress providing little security form her teasing hands.
"No bra?" Bella grinned against her skin. "Did Harry tell you to not wear one?"
Claire could only gasp in response, too overwhelmed by what was happening to form a coherent response, the pleasure slowly building inside her only giving rise to more confusion.
"What? Tell me!"
Claire exhaled in a rush. "I wanted to surprise him."
"Good girl," Bella whispered against her shoulder, her eyes closed. "What else does he do to you? Tell me all."
Claire gasped throatily as a hand clamped firmly over her inner thigh, snaking up towards her core. Warm fingers brushed against her covered mound as words spilled out of her mouth, "Whatever he wants!"
Bella didn't stop. Fit a determined turn of her fingers, she pulled her thin panties aside to rub her directly over her sensitive petal. Claire moaned in response.
"Hmmm…" Bella hummed, opening her eyes to observe the beautiful fidgeting witch in her lap, her eyes scrunched closed in an expectation of ecstasy. "Does he do this?" she breathed before inserting a finger into her hot tunnel.
Claire threw her head back onto her shoulder as she gasped and moaned and squirmed sumptuously in Bella's arms. "Tell me…!" Bella ordered.
"Yes! M–more!" Claire responded, pushing her hips back against her drowning finger. Bella chose that moment to have her middle finger join the first inside her slick pussy. Claire was hot and tight and positively dripping with arousal. Harry sure did know how to pick his witches.
"Does he find you tight?" Bella asked, wiggling her fingers inside her, touching spots inside her that she knew Harry had touched himself.
Claire nodded against her cheek, her forehead bathed in sweat as Bella regarded her with eyes drowning in unadulterated lust.
"Yes, he does! He tells me I'm the best he ever had!"
Bella teased a third finger at her wet hole, making the witch squirm helplessly. "Really? Does he fill you? Stretch you?"
"Yes!"
"More than this?" Without warning, Bella let her third finger join the other two, now pushing as far as two knuckles deep.
"YES! PLEASE—" Claire shrieked, her body spasming and a tsunami of pleasure flooding all over her, drenching Bella's hands in her warm juices.
But in that moment, Bella didn't give her time to recover. She inserted a fourth finger into her dripping pussy, making the younger witch cry out as she was stretched to impossible heights.
"Does he stretch you like this?"
"Who?" Claire moaned unintelligibly, panting and bucking against her buried knuckles. Bella let her other hand enjoy the forbidden flesh of her tits, the supple flesh and perky nipples adding to the pleasure of the younger witch.
"Harry! Does he stretch you like this?"
"P–please…m–more?" came the moaned response.
"Tell me!" Bella demanded as she began to piston her fingers in and out of her, going as far and deep as to make all four of her fingers disappear within her repeatedly.
"More! His cock is bigger!" Claire cried, burying her nose and mouth in Bella's nape.
"Hmmm…." Bella whispered, "And you take it all in? Every inch of him? Till he stretches you to the brim?"
Claire was nodding furiously into her neck and bucking and grinding herself into her fingers, her breathing heavy as another wave of intense, mind-numbing pleasure threatened to tear her apart. "Please…"
"Please what? What do you want?" Bella asked without pause, slipping her hand inside the front opening of her dress to grope at her breasts, now covered in a sheen of sweat.
"Please… Harry…."
"You want Harry?" Bella goaded her, making her nod desperately. "Maybe I'll show him the memory of you coming apart in my lap like a little whore. What do you think he'll feel when he sees you like this?"
"He will—f–feel—" Claire breathed, forming each word slowly as if her life depended on it, "He will make love to me!" she cried, "Then h–he will… f–fuck me w–with… his c–cock which is b–bigger than y–your hand!"
Bella laughed. "You're loyal…" and then smacked her palm against her breasts, making them jiggle through the dress, "And insolent! I can see why he likes you!" Claire yelped and moaned, her body thrashing against hers, and legs rubbing furiously against Bella's.
With her thumb, Bella teased the little bundle of flesh just above and Claire moaned and began to shudder, pushing her head back onto her shoulder as she began to ride out her second orgasm of the day. Bella breathed in the delightfully salty and musky scent of her sweat and juices, pressing a deep, lingering kiss to her skin just below her ear. Pulling her hand out of her gaping pussy with a neat squelch, she held it out at Claire's mouth, her gaze dark.
"Clean it!" she ordered.
Claire opened her eyes to regard the godmother of her lover with a glint in her eyes. "Only if we do it together."
"What?" Bella blinked.
In response, Claire grasped Bella's drenched hand in her own and brought two of her fingers to her mouth and moved her head to lay her cheek against Bella's, "Together, like Harry wants us," she said determinedly, prodding the moist fingers at Bella's lips.
Her head spinning in a haze of amusement and lust, Bella opened her lips and pulled two of her fingers in, sucking on them deeply and noisily. Claire grinned before leaning to suck on the remaining two digits, her gaze never leaving Bella's.
It was in that moment of pure debauchery that the door to her office opened.
"Madam Black!" Senior Auror Dunn cried, bursting into her office, "Rufus is unresponsive to our check-in! It's been over two hours and we are gett—"
But then he stopped midway and gaped mutely at the scene before him.
~~ .
The chaos was extremely troubling, to say the least, thought Lily as she pulled Dorea close. Rose was standing with an arm around her sister and another on the railing while John was standing to the side, wand in hand, keeping watch at the now barricaded entrance. She looked in the opposite direction to see James pacing, his trusty two-way mirror in hand.
"James?" she muttered softly.
"Nothing!" her husband cursed. "Somehow, all apparition and portkey travel is blocked. And Sirius isn't picking up the mirror!"
"Isn't this area a little too large to set up anti-travel wards?" she asked. The knock on James' transfigured barrier sounded again, this time a little more heavy and insistent, but she ignored it, a tendril of fear wrapping itself around her heart as she glanced at her children. "And our portkeys are ICW-grade."
"I know, it should be impossible," James agreed, coming closer to the railing to watch the spectacle unfolding, "And yet, he's done it."
The man in question was standing in the middle of the now ruined Quidditch pitch, speaking in soft, firm tones to the audience who had no choice but to listen in horrified fascination.
"So the mighty, powerful and worthy witches and wizards of Britain, take control. Stand with me and take control of your country now. Like so many of your friends, family and neighbours have already done."
In the utter hullabaloo that that statement brought, Lily couldn't help but notice something utterly terrifying happening in the stands.
"James, do you see that?" she whispered.
Her husband hummed, looking at the people around them and on the lower levels of the Stadium as the floodlights began to sweep through the boxes one by one.
Almost one box in every five or so that the lights shone through had a man or a woman proudly holding their arms in front of them for all to see, the moving snake tattoo a clear contrast to their skin.
"He has an army."
Lily nodded mutely, her mind trying but failing to make sense of everything. "He has too many of them. That shouldn't be possible. Who are these people and where did they come from?"
A crash against the entrance broke them out of their stupor as their gazes simultaneously rested on the barricade. It was the one thing that was separating them from unknown parties who were clearly not here to joke around. The spells impacting on the barrier signified that they meant business and if it hadn't been for James' family spell that had reinforced it, the entrance would've been destroyed long ago.
"It won't hold out for much longer," James said, guessing her thoughts once more, "The bunker spell was made to help out in emergencies against a blast or two from afar in the battlefield, not from prolonged assaults from point-blank range."
"What do we do?" she asked in fear. If it had been just the two of them, they would've fought with all they had, but it wasn't just the two of them. Her children were her lifeline, and those dark bastards lay in wait just outside their box.
Rose turned to her. "Can we not fly out? We have our brooms with us as we planned." That indeed seemed like an excellent way to escape. They had four brooms in total; she or James could take Dorea and Rose and John could fly out on their own or with them.
Lily turned to her husband to see her hope crush as James shook his head. "If we tried to fly here, we'd be shot down from any number of Death Eaters from below. With how many of them are down there, they won't even need to aim properly. They can just start shooting and at least one of the spells will connect," he took a deep breath. "No. I have another idea."
The Stadium suddenly dissolved into complete silence as the spotlight now rested once more on the wizard at the centre of it all.
"He's really Voldemort?" Dorea voiced quietly.
John came to stand beside her, putting a hand on her own comfortingly. "Yes. He looks exactly the same as he did in the Chamber two years ago."
"Lily," James began, his hazel eyes shining brightly, "Remember Terroni?"
A small smile came to rest upon her quivering lips. "Of course I do. That was one of the most terrifying moments of my life." Upon receiving a look from her husband, she began to understand. "Are you saying that we have to do something similar?"
"We have no choice. We need to escape before he," James said with a nod towards the monologuing Dark Lord, "decides that he needs something more than mere words and screams as his entertainment for the evening."
Lily nodded slowly, calming her mind. Dorea looked up at both them one by one with fearful eyes. "Harry? He should've been here by now."
James exhaled deeply. "We have to get out of here before we can find Harry," he turned to John. "Son, be with your sisters and keep watch and tell us if something major is said," he instructed.
John came to stand and take Lily's place as she reluctantly left her children to go stand by the barricade.
"What are you thinking?" she asked, her heart thrumming almost painfully in her chest.
James grinned. "We escape. Wands blazing and all that."
She smacked him lightly on the arm. "And how do you suppose we—!" she began but paused at the sight of two familiar looking squishy globes in his hand. "Are those dungbombs?" she asked incredulously.
"They are," he admitted grinning, "But the dung within them need not be harmless." He said before kneeling on the ground and waving his wand to open the top half of the most infernal prank to grace Hogwarts in her years.
"What are these?" she asked, holding up a capsule-like thing in her hand.
James inclined his head. "They're what conjure the stinky swamp on a time-delayed basis," he explained and then looked at her with a lop-sided smile that looked so dashing on his handsome face, "Now, my beautiful Charms Mistress, I want you to charm each of those capsules to produce something more damaging. Like high-speed metallic shrapnels."
Her breath hitched as realization began to dawn on her. "We infuse the barricades with these modified dungbombs?"
"We could do that," he nodded, "or we simply barge out and throw these out like…like those muggle bombs in the movies—"
"Grenades—so we try to get them with our grenades and then what?"
He shrugged, turning grave. "We hope that we got them all but if not, I deal with them as we escape while you shield the children."
She let out a shaky breath. "Alright, let's do it."
"If you have any better ideas, now would be the time t—" he began but she cut him off, holding his face in the cradle of her hands and kissing him with all her love.
"Let's do it. I need about five minutes," she said breathlessly after meeting his eyes once more. "probably less."
He nodded resolutely, the teasing grin back on his face. "I will go reinforce the barricade until you work your charms."
She shook her head, giving him an easy smile and then set to work.
~~ .
Harry was drowning in a sea of confused and terrified people.
Far too many of them had their wands out and little fights were breaking out every few seconds as the crowd tried but failed to move about.
Outside the stadium, Harry had been watching with a public Omnicular as Tom began to carry on with his speech after revealing hundreds, probably thousands of people in the stands with Dark Marks.
"We can't stay here, Harry," Hermione said, biting her lip, looking worriedly at the enormous crowd that was either moving about or standing near the public Omniculars in shock.
"Yes," he said, turning to her and Apolline. Thankfully, Fleur and her sister were already gone before the anti-travel wards had been put in. "We need to start moving or we'll be trapped as soon as a majority of them know what's up." He reluctantly put the Omnicular down.
As he began scan the crowd to figure out the best way to get into the Stadium, he felt a hand on his arm. "Give me a moment," Hermione said, before beginning to chant while waving her wand on the Omnicular.
The beautiful, silver-haired woman to his left spoke nothing as she gave him a small smile. "Where will your husband be?"
She gulped, shaking her head. "Normally, in the French Campground, but in this situation, I don't know."
"We'll find him," he said with more confidence than he felt. "But first, we need to help my family. If you'd rather leave and take care of your husband on your own–"
Apolline shook her head. "I will stay with you, Mr. Potter. Thank you for asking."
He shrugged just as Hermione came up to him, holding a galleon in her hand. "Here, keep this in your pocket."
He took the galleon and did as she told. "What is this?"
"I charmed the galleon to serve as a speaker for the Omnicular. So you can hear all the audio from the Stadium, even after walking away from the Omnicular." Upon his incredulous look, she added, "It should work for a couple of kilometres. Hopefully."
He simply kissed her firmly on the lips in response, awed at her thoughtfulness. "My brilliant witch," he said with wonder and she beamed at him.
She tapped the galleon and Tom Riddle's voice began to ring out.
"Look around yourself, and see how many your fellow wizards and witches support me. How your own family members believe in my cause. Together, we are going to build a new Britain. A Britain of our dreams!"
"He's crazy," Hermione muttered.
"But good at moving the masses, I reckon," Harry said with a grimace. He could see how the sheep of the wizarding world would be moved at such a statement. And the evidence of seeing their fellow people displaying their Dark Mark proudly will also be a heavy indicator of their support and compliance.
They moved ahead while Tom kept cajoling his audience at the benefits of his 'campaign' as he was calling it this time.
"I'm surprised he has that many supporters." Apolline commented.
"He shouldn't," Hermione huffed, "I don't know how he's getting so many of them," then she turned to Harry, "Could this be related to how the DMLE was trying to catch the smuggled criminals?"
"It is most certainly related," he admitted. "We just don't know how yet. It doesn't make sense that the DMLE missed thousands of people entering the country illegally."
"Close to eight thousand pureblood and three thousand half-blood families were eroded in the events of the past sixty years. Who has come to help you? Who has come to make your families whole? Who has cared to free your loved ones? Nobody! Nobody cared! Except me!
"Your government preaches patriotism and unity and yet, not only did they fight for the wrong side, they also left their own people to rot in prisons!
"Look at your father and mother, your grandfather and grandmother and ask yourself, is this the time to ignore the reality before your eyes? Or is this the time to take up arm against your false government?
"What does he mean by that, Hermione?" Harry murmured slowly, scanning the people around him for any chance of danger. The crowd was turning thicker, more and more people milling about the entrances to the Stadium. It was almost as if they knew what was happening and were waiting for something to happen.
Hermione scowled. "He's recruited a lot of criminals? I don't understand!"
He met her eyes and pushed a small, legilimency thought into her mind, His this happened before?
She shook her head in answer, looking a little curious and awed at his display. He simply gave her a look as if to say Later, and stopped.
"We need to enter here," he said without confidence.
Hermione anxiously gazed up at the hundreds of people standing in their way to the bowels of the Stadium while Apolline only grimaced but put on a determined expression.
"…are you okay with this? Erasing a large part of your history, your heritage, and your bloodline just to appease some mudbl…."
"Last chance to back out, Mrs. Delacour," he told her, ignoring the droning voice of Tom Riddle who was going on about his movement once more, "Once we are in the way, it'll be hard to go anywhere without a fight if it does come down to it."
"It is okay, Mr. Potter," she replied, flicking her hair back, her allure bound into a tight, unseen knot around her form. "It is not the first time. I've been dealing with big crowds since my Beauxbatons days."
Hermione looked like she would say something but contained herself at the last second, choosing only to let out an amused snort. Apolline paid her no attention. Even after exerting so much control over her allure, a few idiots walking around them still managed to stare at her open-mouthed.
"This is so reminiscent of the old days," Hermione put in, her wand tip glowing, "You and I running willingly into danger."
Harry rubbed her back through her shirt. She shivered. "Some things aren't allowed to change, Hermione. What would I have done without you?"
"Still be struggling in that Devil's Snare?" she quirked an eyebrow.
"Right," he chuckled without humour, starting to move slowly, followed by the two ladies he'd rescued. "Let's go."
"We'll find them, Harry," Hermione assured him, sensing his state of mind and he immediately felt just a little better.
Just like old times, like she'd said.
~~ .
"Alright, I've triple checked it," Lily was saying, a thin crimson strand dancing near her crinkled eyes, "They're ready to go." She wiped the sweat from her forehead.
James levitated the two dungbombs, while she applied a listening charm through the barricaded entrance.
"—cannot happen! We have to get them or it will be our heads rolling on —"
"–there is no guarantee they're all even in there, you fool! I told you we should spread out! If Master finds out—"
"I think you mean 'when' he finds out, you blithering piece of—"
"I think it's sufficient to say that they're still here," James said without amusement.
Lily drank a goblet of conjured water and eyed him. "Shall we do this?"
He grinned and then walked to the children. "We're leaving now."
"Dad, he's planning to overthrow our government," Rose informed him, her tone grave, "I don't know how but many people are going to support him."
James looked at the spectacle unfolding before him with gimlet eyes. "You think?"
John was nodding vigorously, looking at his parents one by one. "I think that he's recruited almost half the Stadium by now."
Lily sighed. "We're not staying to watch. Rose, Dorea, stay behind me. John, to my left."
"What about the Death Eaters at the door?" John asked worriedly.
"We have plans for them," James quipped, indicating the hovering dungbombs, and then turned to give them a serious look, "You are to stay near your mother and do as she says, alright? No objections."
Rose and Dorea nodded immediately, while John swallowed nervously, eyeing them. "Okay."
"Good, let's go."
As a group, by the time Lily had arranged the children around her and signalled her husband that she was ready, James was already unwinding the enchantment on the entrance.
"Keep your shields behind my own. Do not peek around." she instructed as the strongest shield she could muster, the Aegis silvery dome of protection materialized into existence, encasing her and her children.
"What about Dad?" Rose voiced. Dorea nodded at the question.
Lily looked at her husband and then back at them, forming a quick smile. She hoped that they didn't feel the uncertainty behind it. "He has some work to do, Rosie," she cajoled. "He'll be fine."
"Promise?"
Lily nodded, ruffling her hair. Rose didn't even grimace at it this time. John turned to her. "Mum, can I not help Dad?"
"Absolutely not!" she said in a tone that indicated that she'll tolerate no arguments. "Stay at my side, behind my shield."
John looked like he wanted to protest but nodded mutely, doing as she said.
James turned to her then, nodding towards the entrance. "We're ready."
Lily nodded resolutely. "You cast, I shield."
James nodded, standing by her side, looking like he wanted to take her in his arms again but couldn't because they had a shield in between them, separating them.
"I love you," he muttered softly.
"Why James," she said, trying to make up for physically holding him, "You're saying it as if there's no tomorrow. I'm not leaving you, you know. Just try to be a little less reckless this time."
He chuckled, the smile reaching his eyes this time. She crowed at her success inwardly, the familiar words reminding him of their vows to each other. "I'll try, my love, I'll try."
And then he vanished the entrance. Throwing the two dungbombs out into the open, he ducked and shielded himself just as Lily muttered the remote activation phrase.
~~ .
She couldn't believe the audacity of that teenager. To stand there as if there were the King or something equally absurd and demand people to follow him.
"The squads are on their way now," Senior Auror Dunn informed her, coming to stand beside her.
Bella scowled but nodded. "It's not as if the foreign campgrounds are being targeted by him, they're just in the way."
"I'll agree but it's necessary to let them escape first, isn't it?" Stephan shook his head, "Besides, it doesn't feel as if his little presentation is ending anytime soon. What did you see from the Omniculars? From the rumours, he's recruited thousands to his cause."
Bella turned on her heel and started to walk towards the Stadium. "Only that we're soon going to have a mountain of people to arrest." Then she paused. "I'm going to the Stadium, start the evacuation from the lower levels, and transport all marked people to Azkaban."
"It's already in progress," he affirmed. At her surprised look, he hurried to explain, "Due to the absence of the Head Auror, Shack and I took the liberty of dividing the squad into two, a small group went to the Foreign Campgrounds while the majority is entering the Stadium as we speak. There are anti-travel wards in that area, so we have to conduct the evacuation on foot."
"Good. Rufus is still unreachable?"
Stephan nodded. "Do you think he's in danger?"
Bella clucked her tongue. "I don't know. We'll have to wait and see. Keep contacting him. What of our messages to Dumbledore?"
"We have tried to contact him but he hasn't answered yet. If you think it's necessary, we'll send a messenger to Hogwarts."
Bella nodded. "Do so and also send one to the ICW Headquarters and the Ministry. We might need his assistance soon."
Stephan suddenly looked nervous. Bella quirked an eyebrow. "You have something else?"
He nodded, averting his eyes for a moment. "The witch who was with you, she made a new portkey to an unknown destination."
Bella shrugged. "She's the daughter of a French auror, we do not need to watch her movements. Besides, she also has diplomatic immunity."
Stephan caught her eye, gulping. "So you and her…" he trailed off, looking distinctly uncomfortable.
Bella rolled her eyes. "Is there something you want to ask me?" she said pointedly.
He shook his head. "Only that she looked young."
"My godson is younger. Keep me informed of our progress." she retorted deftly before marching off, leaving a gaping wizard in her wake.
~~ .
Rose couldn't believe her eyes as her Dad fought off three Death Eaters at a time, her eyes locked on him and her Mum as they worked as a team. A brilliant, powerful team.
She'd never witnessed such glorious battle in her life and she'd been a little disappointed to not be allowed to help in any way in their escape. But now, as she dutifully stuck behind her mother like she had been ordered to, she understood why.
The sheer magnificence of her parents' teamwork took her breath away.
It had all started a few minutes ago when a blast went off like a cannon, absolutely obliterating the entire lobby through which they'd earlier entered their Box to watch the match. Her Mum had constructed that powerful silver shield that rippled in the face of the continuous shower of metals impacting it in a downpour. And it had held through it all.
When the dust had cleared through a deft swish of her Dad's wand, she'd seen that the Death Eaters who'd been lying in wait for them hadn't been so lucky. She'd witnessed what could be called the most gruesome scene of her life with heads and limbs strewn all over the floor and blood painted like modern art on the smoky walls.
She would never forget how her father had ruthlessly slashed the neck of a wizard who lay twitching on the ground, before they were collectively ushered out into a larger room with high enchanted ceilings which was one of the upper levels of the Stadium.
They'd been almost near the lifts when her Dad had to engage three Death Eaters who had appeared out of nowhere, all on his own.
A series of shrieks and outright yells of terror rang out as people began to run away from the flying spells, many falling and getting trampled by the merciless crowd.
"Mum, look out!" she said, pointing a finger at the wizard who had fired a sizzling grey curse at her.
Lily shook her head, never flinching. "Don't worry, we're fine."
True to her remark, the curse got absorbed into her remarkable shield.
Rose vowed to learn that shield as soon as she was back home. Her simple Protego paled in comparison.
"Can you not help—" she began but was cut off from her Dad's urgent voice.
"Lily! Take the kids and run! I'll hold them off!" he shouted as he swerved to avoid a curse before casting with lightning fast reflexes in the direction of the enemy.
"Not again!" her Mum shouted, before dispelling the protective shield and casting a series of wide purple and yellow curses at the wizards who'd been only expecting to fight a single wizard.
One went down immediately after being struck directly in the stomach, his entrails spilling out of his body.
The middle wizard looked surprised but handled it well, although her Dad did manage to sneak in a curse that crushed his shoulder, making him drop his wand. The next curse could've finished him off but he managed to duck behind an information counter.
The third one didn't even flinch as he engaged her Dad one-on-one in a vicious duel.
Her Mum didn't stay idle though, and immediately shielded and attacked the fallen wizard, blowing up the counter and the walls nearby in explosions that had her flinching.
She only stopped when the wizard lay unmoving, his bloodied head peeking out of the debris. Rose immediately hugged her sister sideways to make sure she didn't see the gory scene with her own eyes.
The remaining wizard was panicking and was soon hurled with a series of curses from both her parents which blew him like a rag-doll into the debris.
"I told you I'm not leaving," her Mum said as Dad gave her a kiss before they were huddled into an empty lift.
Rose thought that the danger had passed but she was once more wrong in her estimation.
As soon as the doors to their lift opened, that she took in the crowd which were milling about in the atrium, blocking every single exit out of the Stadium.
Her Mum's shield was back in place, this time covering a wider area to allow them to walk together as a group without being harassed by the crowd. Dorea was smiling into her shoulder as they began to traverse the distance, progressing at a snail's pace.
"Look, there's Harry!" Dorea shouted excitedly.
Rose looked at where her sister was pointing her finger and sure enough, the messy hair and the bespectacled glowing emerald eyes of her elder brother greeted them.
She waved.
It seemed like he'd seen them too because he was suddenly traversing the crowd with even more gusto, parting the people who stood in his way as he waved and shouted to Mum and Dad.
She took in his haggard demeanour and empathized. His appearance from the distance was also extremely striking; she marvelled at how similar he looked to her Dad, if not for the eyes, he would definitely be mistaken as Dad all the time.
They must've been barely fifty feet away before she took in two dangerous looking crimson curses speeding their way.
"MUM! LOOK OUT!"
Her Dad was already on top of it because in the next second, there was a large brick wall in the way of the curse, deftly hiding them before the remains were banished towards the unfriendly wizards.
And then barely a second later, three deadly green curses were heading in Mum's way as he hurried to conjure another physical barrier.
"OH NO, YOU DON'T!" bellowed John as he whipped his wand in the direction of the wizards who had fired the Killing Curses towards Mum.
"John, don't!" Rose shouted but he was already firing.
"REDUCTO! REDUCTO! REDUCTO!"
"JOHN, DO NOT FIR–"
And suddenly, she couldn't see anything anymore as one of the spells went over the Death Eater's head and impacted the wall that held the glowing torches, and the entire atrium was bathed in pitch-black darkness.