07

                                    

                                          
(Edited)
                          
Chapter Seven:
                          
(T H E   D A R K   M A R K)
                          
Amidst the chaos of everything while they moved into the forest, they'd lost sight of Harry, Ron and Hermione again. After a while, the whole sky was illuminated by a dark green color as they looked up to see a skull with a serpent like tongue going through it. No it couldn't be- Artemis thought to herself.
                          
"The dark mark." She whispered as the shouting and screaming seemed to increase tenfold and for good reason. 
                          
"What? Why is everyone screaming again?" Asked Ginny confused.
                          
"I reckon its to do with the skull that lit up the sky." Said Fred.
                          
"It is. It's the Dark Mark." Artemis whispered gravely, her eyes wide. "What's that?" Asked Ginny again.
                          
"Its the mark You-Know-Who's followers conjured every time they...killed. It hasn't been seen for the past thirteen years." Artemis explained as she heard Ginny gasp. Artemis knew that mark quite well, after all it had been embedded onto her father's skin and it was what had gotten her parents killed.
                          
"Fred? George? Is that you?" They heard voices as they saw Charlie Weasley illuminated by his wand light emerging from the dark. 
                          
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They all slept in the tents for the night and woke up early as they walked through Ottery St. Catchpole to the Burrow.
                          
"I still can't believe they would do that to Winky! She didn't even do anything wrong!" Artemis nodded along with what Hermione was saying, too shaken up to actually say anything.
                          
"She looked so terrified of being dismissed from work. She was just trying to save herself." Hermione said sadly.
                          
"That is one of the worst punishments you could give a house elf–handing them clothes." Fred said, his arm carelessly thrown over her shoulders as they walked. Except Artemis, Hermione and Fred talking, there wasn't much chatter, mostly because everyone was half asleep and too tired, with good reason of course, they'd left before the break of dawn. 
                          
As the group of magical folk neared The Burrow, they could see Mrs Weasley sitting at the doorstep with a copy of the daily prophet in her hand and as soon as she saw them, she sprang up, still in her bedroom slippers and ran towards the group.
                          
"Oh Thank Goodness! Thank Goodness!"
                          
As she came closer Artemis could see her face was paler and more strained than normal. She threw her arms around Mr Weasley, dropping the newspaper on the ground whose headline read SCENES OF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP with a moving picture of the Dark Mark.
                          
"Arthur–I've been so worried....so worried." She said almost tearily.
                          
"It's okay dear, we're all fine." Mr Weasley tried soothing his wife. And her gaze suddenly turned to the twins.
                          
"You're alive... oh boys!" And to everyone's surprise she seized the twins and pulled them both in such a tight hug that their heads banged together making everyone let out a small giggle.