act two: little dark age
chapter twenty-five

The pain was what bothered Daphne the most. She wasn't sure that many seers felt as much pain as she did through visions, but when she saw things... it was as if she was right there experiencing them. Every prick, every hit, every curse, or cut, she felt it all as if she was having it happen to her right at that moment. It almost prepared her for what she was to feel, almost.

But the way her body was burning, Daphne was worried about what was about to happen to her. She was trying her best to keep herself calm as she held onto her friends though her vision was so blurry she couldn't tell who she was even holding onto at this point. Her muscles were spasming and it was like she was losing control of herself.

The Death Eaters had risen again. Coming back to crawl from the ashes that their master had left them in upon his death and bring back their own cause. Daphne wasn't sure why or what sparked this to happen, she didn't get why after the death of your master you kept the cause going. But then again, people were insane.

The war was brewing and it seemed that after three years of school, going into their fourth year, they were now faced with a new challenge. A challenge that the four had prayed they wouldn't face for many more years to come. They were now face to face with the dark side. The Death Eaters. The people who wanted them dead.

Death. For some reason, that was what was on Daphne's mind as she felt tears slip from her eyes as pain raked her body. She couldn't understand why any of this was happening so early or why her warning from her head hadn't been much clearer. But then again, visions were unreliable. They were erratic.

By the light of the few fires that were still burning, everyone could see people running away into the woods, fleeing something that was moving across the field toward them, something that was emitting odd flashes of light and noises like gunfire. Loud jeering, roars of laughter, and drunken yells were drifting toward them. Then came the eerie green light that erupted over the scene.

A crowd of wizards, tightly packed and moving together with wands pointing straight upward, was marching slowly across the field. They didn't seem to have faces, or that is what it seemed like. Daphne realized they were masked with some sort of skull.... High above them, floating along in midair, four struggling figures were being contorted into grotesque shapes. It was as though the masked wizards on the ground were puppeteers, and the people above them were marionettes operated by invisible strings that rose from the wands into the air.

Daphne felt as bile rose in her throat as she looked up at the scene. Finding herself beyond disgusted as the pain in her body subsided momentarily, as if telling her it was close. It sucked. She wasn't ready for any of this. Neither were her friends, they were just kids. Just kids.

More wizards were joining the marching group, laughing and pointing up at the floating bodies. Tents crumpled and fell as the marching crowd swelled. Once or twice one of the marchers blast a tent out of his way with his wand. Several caught fire. The screaming grew louder.

The floating people were suddenly illuminated as they passed over a burning tent. The campsite manager and three looked as though they might be his wife and children. One of the marchers below flipped Mrs. Roberts upside down with his wand; her nightdress fell down to reveal her underwear which she tried to cover quickly as others laughed.

"That's sick," Ron looked beyond horrified, 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. . . ."

"Get back to the port key and everybody stick together!" Mr. Weasley gave all of the children firm glances.

Hermione and Ginny came hurrying toward them, 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'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! Fred, George, Ginny is your responsibility!"

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. The crowd beneath the Roberts family was coming ever closer.

"C'mon," said Fred, grabbing Ginny's hand and starting to pull her toward the wood.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and George followed. Daphne had been grabbed, but not by her friends who had disappeared. The crowd beneath the Roberts family was larger than ever; they could see the Ministry wizards trying to get through it to the hooded wizards in the center, but they were having great difficulty. It looked as though they were scared to perform any spell that might make the Roberts family fall.

The colored lanterns that had lit the path to the stadium had been extinguished. Dark figures were blundering through the trees; children were crying; anxious shouts and panicked voices were reverberating around them in the cold night air.

Daphne let out sobs at the seen as she began to run, trying her best to get somewhere safe and away from everything that was happening. Though, she found herself being rammed into by those who had the same plan. Her body hitting harshly against others as she tried to out run Death Eaters.

A nearly impossible task that was, especially when Daphne heard someone shout a spell behind her before it was like her feet were bound together. Her body hit the ground with a harsh thud as she began to fight against the invisible rope that kept her from moving as the Death Eater walked closer.

"Eat shit!" Daphne yelled as she spit at the cloaked figure, "Scared to show your face, coward!"

Now, insulting the Death Eater was not one of the brightest ideas you could have while unable to move and at their feet and mercy. Daphne knew that well but she couldn't help her mouth anymore, she wasn't the same girl she had once been. She wasn't quiet, and she wasn't shy anymore. And she was controlled by the whispers and pain that filled her.

The Death Eater's head tilted at her, wand in the clutch before it was raised, "Crucio!"

As soon as the spell left the witches lips, Daphne watched the red beam of light before her body began to burn. Her body twisted and turned in gnarly directions as screams erupted from her lips. The pain was unbearable. But the Death Eater didn't stop. No, they kept going. Tears slipped down her cheeks as her body withered against the ground while she sobbed as her mind went white.

"Daphne!"

Daphne wasn't sure who was speaking or if it was simply in her head. Everything was in the clouds. Her body burned. Her muscles were on fire. Everything was too intense and it didn't stop. It kept going. It kept getting worse. She wasn't able to hold on.

And then it all went black.

Everything in the camp was burned. Many wizards and muggles alike had been killed or tortured to the point there was nothing left. Many were left in the dirt of the ruins, not noticed or found yet. It seemed as though the rest of the Ministry's team had yet to arrive to asses the situation that had unfolded.

Daphne's eyes fluttered open through the darkness as she looked around. Everything was blurry. Her ears were ringing and her body felt weak. Everything hurt, badly. She tried to be slow and lay there for a moment, but she was scared. She forced her body to roll over as she landed on her forearms in the dirt. A small sob escaped her lips as her body shook so uncontrollably that she completely bottomed out.

She barely caught sight of the boy a few feet away from her who had been unconscious as well. Waking up before noticing her lying there and quickly moving over in her direction to check on her. She couldn't grasp who it was, her mind not back yet from the pain. But the smell... the smell of old brooms and wood. Harry.

He was on the ground on his forearms at her side. He was staying low as he felt bad. Just not as bad as she did and he wasn't sure what to do.

"I've got you," Harry looked worried seeing Daphne in such a state, he brushed her hair off of her sweaty face as he looked out in the distance, "We've got to go."

"I don't think I... I don't think I can," Daphne's voice was slurred as she struggled to get her words out, they were a bunch of stuttered nonsense.

"We're going," Harry was firm as he got up off of the ground before taking a hold of Daphne's weight as he leaned her body against his as tears fell down her face, "Come on!"

She tried her best to help him out, she really did. He tried to run with her like this before he couldn't run anymore, picking her up in his arms as her body flailed around as if she had no control anymore. She caught what he had seen as they moved. The man standing out in the distance, with his wand in hand.

"You've got to stay with me," Harry seemed to be panicking as he whispered down to Daphne as she rolled her head around, hitting it against his chest.

"I'm fine," Daphne slurred as she felt him struggle to hold her up, "Put me down... I'll lay on the ground."

"Harry! Daphne!" Hermione's voice rang out through the camp.

"Odette," Harry couldn't help but say as he looked down at the girl.

"Put me down, you can inspect the area," Daphne muttered as she breathed heavily while giving him a strict order.

Harry seemed reluctant but did so, the girl barely held herself up against the ground while the two heard, "Where are you?" Ron yelled.

"Harry! Daphne!" Hermione continued to yell.

Harry was looking out at the man who had since run off. Daphne barely recognized the blurs in front of her before realizing that Hermione and Ron were now in front of her. Both looked beyond worried at the state that the two were in.

"We've been looking for you two for ages," Ron got down immediately as he began to check on Daphne, "Are you okay? Godric, what happened? We thought we lost you two, mate!"

Harry looked panicked as Hermione grabbed ahold of him, the two looking around before noticing the Dark Mark in the sky which made Daphne's stomach sink. Almost as if she realized something. She knew the war was starting and this was the beginning of it all.

Ron helped Daphne to her feet as she practically slouched against the two boys, trying her best to stay up, "What's that?" Harry questioned before his hand flew to his scar as he felt as if he was in immense pain.

They heard a whoosh behind them which caused them to turn around rather quickly, Harry and Ron quickly stabilizing and shoving Daphne down to the floor as wands were raised at their faces as if they were the villain. As if they had been the reason for all of this.

"Stupefy!" The wizards shouted in unison as the spells collided above their heads causing Daphne to whimper.

"Stop!" Mr. Weasley and Lucerys ran through the crowd looking rather angry.

"That's my daughter and his son!" Lucerys sneered as he made his way over to the kids, looking horrified as he caught sight of his daughter.

"Ron, Harry, Daphne, Hermione, are you all right?" Arthur was the first one to reach all of them as he looked beyond worried.

"We came back for Harry and Daphne," Ron explained as he looked at his father while Lucerys took his daughter in his arms.

"Which of you conjured it?!" Barty yelled as he pointed his wands between the childrens as he looked angry.

"Crouch," Lucerys looked beyond angry as his eyes narrowed.

"Crouch you can't..." Arthur looked perplexed at the thought of the children conjuring such a symbol, as they were in the middle of a war.

"Do not lie! You've been discovered at the scene of a crime!" Barty continued to point his wand around at the kids as Daphne's body continued to shake.

"Crime?" Harry questioned as he looked confused while looking horrified.

"Barty, they're just kids!" Lucerys growled angrily as he became assertive.

"What crime?" Harry questioned as he looked between the group of kids again, while frowning.

"It's the Dark Mark," Daphne managed to gain her own stance as she let go of her father, standing while her body continued to shake.

Hermione looked uneasy at the girl, "It's his mark," She explained to Harry while looking between the two, "It's his mark, Harry."

"What, Voldemort?" Harry questioned out of horror, "Those people tonight, in the masks, they're his too, aren't they?"

"One used the Cruciatus Curse on me," Daphne continued to shake as she closed her eyes tightly.

"His followers," Harry continued as he looked alarmed before he looked beyond hurt.

"Yeah. Death Eaters," Arthur confirmed while looking at the young girl, "We need to get you out of here. You're still feeling the repercussions of the pain."

"Follow me!" Barty ordered as he motioned for the others to follow.

Daphne looked at Harry as she frowned, "The man."

Harry seemed to understand where she was going as he motioned at the others, "There was a man, before. There!" He pointed in the direction.

"All of you, this way!" Barty ordered as they disappeared through the ruins of the camp.

Lucerys looked down at his daughter in pure worry, "You wandered off. Why did you wander off?" He questioned worriedly.

"A man, who, Harry?" Arthur questioned at the same time as Daphne swallowed thickly.

"I don't know, we didn't see his face," Harry explained before he turned and looked back at the sky before his eyes fell on the father and daughter.

"I didn't run off," Daphne muttered as she held her arms out while trying to stop shaking, "Someone hexed me... then other things."

Lucerys' was clearly fuming as he looked away from his daughter momentarily before running a hand over his face, "You knew this was coming, didn't you?"

Did he think I knew all of this was going to happen? Daphne found herself asking in her mind as she tried to come to some sort of conclusion. Did he really think that she would keep something like this from her father? Surely, he's got this all wrong or does he not understand how I work? How the visions work?

Daphne shook her head as she crossed her arms across her chest as she continued to shake, "No. I did not know. I felt that something was going to happen... that I was in danger, but no. I did not know something of this magnitude was going to happen."

"And yet, you warned no one? Do you know how incredibly stupid that is?" Lucerys looked down at his daughter as he tried to control his anger, "Sweet girl, I'm just trying to protect you."

"You can't!" Daphne exclaimed which caused a lot of startlement between Arthur and the others, "It happened barely before any of this happened and I'm not going to be ridiculed. I was just under a multiple timed unforgivable curse, now I'm getting ready for school. This is done."

Everything settled down for a bit. Daphne and her father came to an understanding after he spoke with Remus about everything that had happened at the Cup before taking his daughter to the train. Bidding their goodbyes to each other as they shared a hug before he ran his hands through her hair, a smile on his face as he told her she was going to have a good year.

The train ride was rather quiet. Hermione was reading the Daily Prophet while Daphne's head was against Ron's leg as she tried her best to doze off. The shaking in her body for the most part had halted, but on occasion they would see how she'd shake.

"Anything from the trolley? Anything from the trolley?" The witch called out as she looked around, "Anything from the trolley, dears?"

"Packet of Drooble's and a licorice wand," Ron decided while staying seated, not wanting to move so that Daphne could stay while Harry moved around, the old lady handed him one candy while he stopped her from the next, "On second thought, just the droobles."

"It's all right, I'll get it. Don't worry," Harry looked down at Ron as he tried not to shift Daphne too much.

"It's fine, just the droobles," Ron repeated as he looked at his best friend before looking at Daphne who eyed the candy in silence, "Want anything?"

Harry began looking through the candy before a female spoke, catching his attention. He seemed to completely forget about the candy as he stared at her down the hall which made Daphne's stomach drop. Her want for anything instantly disappeared as she shook her head.

"Anything sweet for you, dear?" The old lady asked Harry as Daphne tore her eyes away.

"Oh, no, I'm not hungry," Harry reverted back into the train, sitting down in his seat again while looking at Daphne,

"This is horrible! How can the ministry not know who conjured it?" Hermione questioned as she held the paper tightly, "Wasn't there any security or...?"

"They can't even find a convicted criminal, they suck," Daphne muttered bitterly as she looked at the ceiling.

"Loads, according to Dad. That's what worries them so much. Happened right under their nose," Ron began to explain as he looked at Daphne who made a face.

"It's hurting again, isn't it?" Hermione asked as she looked over at Harry who scratched his scar, "Your scar."

"I'm fine," Harry shook his head as he dropped his hand.

"You know Sirius would want to hear about this, what you saw at the World Cup and the dream," Hermione gave him a sharp look before looking at Daphne, "And tell him about Daphne."

"This was only the beginning."