The Joker Card

It wasn't a full out snog. It was more of a moment that you see in the movies when the girl says "I could just kiss somebody!" and then kisses the man (sometimes woman) closest to her. As soon as she realized what had just happened Wren felt mortified, but if she wanted to play it off she couldn't make it into a big deal, or even apologize. Instead, she left him standing there probably clueless as to why a girl he'd only learned the name of a few hours a go just kissed him. Wren hugged her mother, did a small dance with her father, kissed her Aunt Kathleen on the cheek, and went right back to screaming and jumping up and down as they did a victory lap, being careful notto look at George or even Fred.

"Let's head down before the mad rush to the tents." Uncle Jonathan called over the crowd. "It was nice to see you Arthur!"

"You too! See you at the Ministry, then!" Arthur called back from where he was celebrating.

"It was nice to meet you all." Wren said looking over at them, specifically the twins.

"See you at Hogwarts!" the twins responded in unison, waving goodbye. George seemed…unfazed. Which was really a very good thing because Wren didn't like him. She liked her boyfriend.

The family made its way down through the stands and Nora turned to Wren. "Don't think you got away with it cleanly. I saw you." She whispered.

"Got away with what? The spinning?" Wren asked feigning ignorance. Playing things off with Nora was near impossible. Her cousin never let anything go. "It was all in good fun."

"Nice try, but you know that wasn't what I was talking about." Nora countered. Wren contemplated prolonging the game in a desperate attempt for Nora to let it pass, but she knew that her cousin never caught on to the signals for 'I don't want to talk about it'.

"I was caught up in the moment. It wasn't anything meaningful." Wren explained focusing on the back of her mother's head as they walked out of the stadium and toward the tents.

"Well of course I know that. The question is does…Fred? Or was it George. I can never tell the difference between them."

"It really doesn't matter who it was does it? It meant nothing; I doubt they'll talk to me again. They didn't even know my name."

"Keep coming up with these justifications, but if Simon were to find out-"

"He's going to find out."

"Well, not necessarily."

"I have to tell him. I can't make it into a bigger deal than it is. Anyway, this will just prove that he should have come with me."

"Who Simon? At a Quidditch game. With thousands of other dirty people."

"Nora, come on, he's not like that. That's his father."

"The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree."

"Nora, he's very nice, very caring, very open. He's just shy and doesn't understand the game of Quidditch."

"He doesn't understand because he doesn't try. It's not a hard game. Look at Mullet. He's muggleborn."

"When did this become about Simon?"

"I'm just saying that I don't like him and he doesn't like me."

"He likes you. He talks about you sometimes, fondly." Wren added after Nora started to give her a look.

"Really?"

"Yes." Wren lied again. Simon never talked about Nora, positively or negatively. He wasn't much of a talker though. Most of the time Wren talked to him and he listened and parted with a few thoughts. It was comfortable though. Neither one had to vie for attention or affection. He listened to her, and when he went to throw in his two cents, she listened. They had slightly different interests, but time spent reading and studying together contented them. "He really likes you, he's just had a hard family life so he doesn't show a lot of affection. He's really quite the gentleman though." Wren ducked into the tent. "Very protective, modest, thoughtful, polite. He can be quite charming and romantic too."

"And so from that you went on to snog a Weasley twin."

"We didn't snog!" hissed Wren.

"Ok. Ok."

"Let's celebrate with some firewhisky!" Wren's mother exclaimed opening a bottle and the first round was had.

--Later—

Wren awoke to loud sounds including a few bangs and screams. "The Irish certainly know how to party." She thought. Wren herself had collapsed sometime around one, a little bit after Nora collapsed in a chair, unable to hold her firewhiskey..Wren groaned and rolled out of the bed, still dressed completely in her Team Ireland getup. "What time is it?" she asked rubbing her eye. "Shouldn't you have gone to bed by now?"

"Wren!" Her mother popped in from outside the tent."Get your cousin, we have to get out of here."

"Mum, what?"

"Get. Eleanor. Now." Her mother held the tent flap closed behind her. Adrenaline began to rush through Wren. What was happening? Why wouldn't her mom let her go outside? Why were people screaming? Was that running? Wren ran to Nora, still asleep.

"Nora! Nora, get up! Nora!" Wren shook her cousin roughly. Nora started awake and held her head.

"What's all that noise?"

"I don't know. We've got to go though. Let's go. Up." Nora grabbed her wand which had at some point had fallen on the floor. Wren and Nora slowly made their way over to Wren's mother. Wren watching Nora who was struggling from being pulled out of sleep and haven had too much to drink.

"Hurry." Her mother peeked out the tent. She moved and Aunt Kathleen came inside.

"Quickly. Nora, grab my arm. We have to apparate out of here."

"Apparate, out? What in Merlin's name is going on out there?" Wren said pushing past her mother to outside the tent. A large group of dark cloaked people seemed to be marching around and setting fire to tents. Around her people were screaming and running away as quickly as they could. The faces of the people in cloaks were covered by masks of skulls. Her parents' stories began to come back to her. A hand reached out and grabbed her arm pulling her back in the tent.

"Madeleine Sorena Collings! Do you want to get killed? Listen to me, damnit!" her mother snapped, her fingernails digging into Wren's arm.

"Death Eaters? Why are there Death Eaters here? What are they doing? Aren't they supposed to be gone?" Wren asked, firing questions that either nobody had an answer to or she didn't want to accept the answer to.

"I don't know. We have to go." Her mother said. "Grab my arm." Wren complied, and after a split second of severe uncomfortableness the two were back at home. Aunt Kathleen and Nora must have apparated to their own home. Wren hoped so anyway. Her mother began to move around frantically, searching for something through the house.

"Where's dad?" Wren asked, rooted to the spot. Her mother didn't answer, continuing her search. "Where is dad?" Her voice was loud and tense.

Her mother stopped her search through a drawer. "I don't know." she said and after another pause she continued again.

"You don't know?" Wren's voice cracked. "What does that mean?"

"It means I saw him run off with your uncle to help the muggle and I have no idea where he is right now."

"Dad's fighting them? Fighting the Death Eaters?." Wren asked.

"You know your father. He's a Gryffindor through and through." Her mother said, moving into the dining room.

"You can't just dismiss this!" Wren followed her mother into another room. "We have to go back. That's your husband! And your brother! Mom, they could die."

"I know that, Madeleine!" her mother said slamming her hand on the table. "I'm aware. But there is nothing we can do but wait. All we can do is sit here and wait." Her mother sank into a dining room chair.

"No. We're capable witches! I'll be of age in 4 months. I passed my owls, you could have been in the Ministry. Let's go back!"

"It's too dangerous, not just because of the Death Eaters, but all of the Ministry officials will be scrambling, you get on the wrong end of any wand. And all of those panicking witches an wizards. My, God, I thought we were done. I thought he was gone. It's probably that bastard Sirius Black, riling things up. I can't find that charm." Her mother slammed her hand on the table again. There was a pop in the living room. "Stephen?" Wren's mother asked gripping her wand.

Wren held hers in her pocket and walked into the next room. Her father was there, sooty, but fine. "Dad!" Wren said.

Her mother ran to him and kissed him. "Stephen." She hit her husband. "You had us scared to death."

"The muggle is ok. So is Jonathan. The Death Eaters disapparated before the Ministry could make any arrests. Someone conjured the Dark Mark." Wren's mother put a hand to her mouth.

"The Weasleys. Are they ok?" Wren asked

"I saw Arthur take off into the woods with some other officials. The kids weren't there. I assume that they're safe."

"Thank goodness."

"Alright, I don't think anyone's going back to sleep. Stephen, you need a shower. I'll go put a pot of tea on." Wren went to the living room and sat on the couch. This had to be a dream. This had to be a dream.