Chapter 66 - The Dark Mark (1/2)
After the World Cup presentation ceremony is over, Neal returned to his tent with great difficulty to pass the wizards and witches including many reporters who surrounded him. As he returned to the tent, Neal saw Draco and his mother, the Greengrass family, and Tracey waiting for him.
All the ȧduŀts have a serious expression on their face, Oakley scolded Marsh and almost roared, ”why in the hell did it take so long to pick him up?”. While Marsh apologized, Oakley looked at Neal, ”we are returning, right now”. As Neal asked, ”what happened?”, Samuel replied anxiously, ”there's no time to explain. Hurry up. The others have already returned”.
Oakley then shouted, ”ok, everybody knows about the Portkey, right? All of us should touch it at the same time, understand?”. All of them stood in a circle around an old chair and grabbed it for a while. Neal thought, ”no wonder I felt this old chair familiar, this old man brings his chair from the Mansion and travel around with it?”.
They immediately teleported to a strange unfamiliar place covered with thick fog blinding their visions. Oakley then took out his wand and spoke out, ”Ereceris”, a blue light burst from the tip of the wand and cleared the fog away to reveal a huge scale construction site.
When Alene asked, ”what is this place?”, Samuel replied, ”this my dear, is the new project we're working on. You can say this might be the safest place to hide from them”. Then he looked at Oakley, ”how long?”.
Oakley replied, ”it might take a few months considering the enchantments to cover up on a huge scale. We can't use fog to cover it like this for a long time. I guess part of it will be completed by Christmas”.
Samuel sighed with relief, ”good then. I hope we still have some time. It has already begun”. Daphne asked curiously, ”I'm sorry. But what has begun, dad?”. He shook his head and stayed silent with a bitter expression on his face.
Meanwhile, at the campsite beside the stadium, chaos ensued as the place was suddenly attacked by the Death Eaters. Everyone saw a colossal skull comprised of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent projecting from its mouth like a tongue in the sky.
While everyone is panicked seeing Voldemort's sign again, Hermoine who just returned being friends with Harry and Ron in the summer after learning that both of them are attacked by Sirius Black and felt guilty for not being with them to help, was busy defending Winky, Barty Crouch's elf who was found with Harry Potter's wand at the scene. Amos Diggory who was the head of the department of the regulation and control of Magical Creatures accused her of conjuring the Dark Mark as it was done by Harry's wand.
She kept on arguing with Ron, ”you guys are too cruel. Just because she isn't human doesn't mean she hasn't got feelings. Ron replied in an irritation ”look if you are just going to be annoying all again, then it might be better not to talk to me”. Then he screamed, ”can just anyone tell me what the hell is that skull thing in the sky that is making everyone terrified”.
Hermoine replied, ”didn't you hear its You-know-who's symbol, Ron?”. Arthur then said, ”and it hasn't been seen for thirteen years. Of course, people will panic It's almost like he's back again. They have chosen the right time to attack when Dumbledore isn't here”. Then he thought, ”does this have anything to do with the Sacred-28 ȧssembly? No, I heard Barty Crouch attended it too. It can't be that. I wonder”.
The next day, at Avery Mansion, Neal woke up and read the newspaper while having his breakfast. He frowned, ”an attack by Death Eaters? This is why we evacuated the site early?”. Then, he asked Crane, Avery family's house-elf, ”where is Lord Avery?”, Crane replied, ”Lord Avery went outside. He told that Lord Slytherin's books and supplies for the next year are there in the cabinet in the upstairs living room”.