Chapter 6

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Mr. Weasley woke them after only a few hours sleep. He used magic to pack up the tents, and they left the campsite as quickly as possible, passing Mr.Roberts at the door of his cottage. Mr. Roberts had a strange, dazed look about him,and he waved them off with a vague "Merry Christmas." "He'll be all right," said Mr. Weasley quietly as they marched off onto themoor."Sometimes, when a person's memory's modified, it makes him a bit disoriented for a while...and that was a big thing they had to make him forget." 

Ron  looked a very sad when Mr.Weasely informed Krum had gone apparated along with the rest of the team to their country during the time of trouble since he planned on meeting Krum.

They heard urgent voices as they approached the spot where the Portkeys lay, and when they reached it, they found a great number of witches and wizards gathered around Basil, the keeper of the Portkeys, all clamoring to get away from the campsite as quickly as possible. Mr. Weasley had a hurried discussion with Basil; they joined the queue, and were able to take an old rubber tire back to Stoats headHill before the sun had really risen. 

They walked back through Ottery St.Catch pole and up the damp lane toward the Burrow in the dawn light ,talking very little because they were so exhausted, and thinking longingly of their   breakfast. As they rounded the corner and the Burrow came into view, a cry echoed along the lane. "Oh thank goodness, thank goodness!"

Mrs. Weasley, who had evidently been waiting for them in the front yard,came running toward them, still wearing her bedroom slippers, her face pale and strained, a rolled-up copy of the Daily Prophet clutched in her hand."Arthur - I've been so worried - so worried-"She flung her arms around Mr. Weasley's neck, and the Daily Prophet fell out ofher limp hand onto the ground. Looking down, Harry saw the headline: 

SCENESOF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP,

 complete with a twinkling black-and-white photograph of the Dark Mark over the tree tops."You're all right," Mrs. Weasley muttered distractedly, releasing Mr.Weasley and staring around at them all with red eyes, "you're alive. . . . Oh boys. .And to everybody's surprise, she seized Fred and George and pulled them both into such a tight hug that their heads banged together."Ouch! Mum - you're strangling us -""I shouted at you before you left!" Mrs. Weasley said, starting to sob. "It's all I've been thinking about! What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the last thing Iever said to you was that you didn't get enough OW.L.s? Oh Fred. . .George. ."

"Come on, now, Molly, we're all perfectly okay," said Mr. Weasley soothingly, prising her off the twins and leading her back toward the house. "Bill," headed in an undertone, "pick up that paper, I want to see what it says. . ."When they were all crammed into the tiny kitchen, and Hermione had made Mrs.Weasley a cup of very strong tea, into which Mr. Weasley insisted on pouring a shot of Ogdens Old Fire whiskey, Bill handed his father the newspaper. Mr.Weasley scanned the front page while Percy looked over his shoulder."I knew it," said Mr. Weasley heavily. "Ministry blunders. . . culprits not apprehended. . . lax security. . . Dark wizards running unchecked... national disgrace. . . Who wrote this? Ah. . . of course. . . Rita Skeeter.

Percy furiously talked about how she wrote that their work about quibbling cauldrons in waste which annoyed Bill who told to shut up.

"I'm mentioned," said Mr. Weasley, his eyes widening behind his glasses as he reached the bottom of the Daily Prophet article.  Where?" spluttered Mrs. Weasley, choking on her tea and whiskey. "If I'd seen that, I'd have known you were alive!" "Not by name," said Mr. Weasley. "Listen to this: 'If the terrified wizards and witches who waited breathlessly for news at the edge of the wood expected reassurance from the Ministry of Magic, they were sadly disappointed. A Ministry official emerged some time after the appearance of the Dark Mark alleging that nobody had been hurt , but refusing to give any more information. Whether this statement will be enough to quash the rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods an hour later, remains to be seen.' Oh really," said Mr.Weasley in exasperation, handing the paper to Percy. "Nobody was hurt. What was I supposed to say? Rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods. . . well, there certainly will be rumors now she's printed that."

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