A/N: So as the summary says, this story is a sequel to Ron's Last Case and takes place in November 2007. As I was writing my other story, TIOBS, the idea of this story just came to me when I first discussed it with my gf last year and try as I might, I can't focus on my other story without bringing this one to life. So I began just typing out some words and all of a sudden, I came up with this first chapter.
So I'm putting this story up to see its reaction. My priority is still on my Snape story whose next chapter is probably coming out in the next few days. If you like this story, let me know and I will continue with it. If not, I would give the rights up to anyone who wants to take it over.
I decided to continue the story with the character of Ron because frankly, I love writing him in RLC and thought it would be nice to continue writing about him again especially considering some of the fandom's approach to his character. This story is probably going to be about the same length as the previous but it will probably be darker. You don't have to read RLC to follow this story but it would be good to do so as some parts might require you to know what happened.
With that in mind, please enjoy this story and do let me know what you think. Your response will be crucial to me deciding if I want to continue on it. Thank you!
Disclaimer: It all belongs to JK Rowling and apologies for the use of vulgar language although let's face it, there are much worse things on the internet than that.
Chapter One: An Auror's job is never done
The first thing she noticed was darkness.
Sarah Wiggins could feel her nose sucking in oxygen although the air felt dry and musty. Sarah tried to move her arms but to no avail. Her legs appeared to be bound as well as the only thing Sarah could feel moving was her chest as she inhaled and exhaled the air around her. She felt no pain throughout her body though it did feel slightly groggy, almost as if she had been woken up from a long nap. Her mind raced through the different emotions from shock to panic, finally settling itself down as Sarah tried to figure out what happened to her.
"Petrificus Totalus," Sarah whispered, recalling how she learned of the Body-Bind Charm back in her first year. But how can I move my lips? Sarah wondered until she recalled what Professor Flitwick had mentioned in class regarding Charms
The effectiveness of a charm, jinx or hex is reliant on two things. The magical ability of the caster as well as the environment around him. The effects of a charm are dependent on the power it was cast. Some charms wear off over time, some wear off because of other magical forces surrounding it but most of them are dependent on the caster. If a caster is powerful enough, he or she can manipulate their charm into working within specific parameters.
So either the charm is wearing off or whoever cast this on me allowed me to speak Sarah thought, praying hard that it wasn't the latter. One of her strengths was her ability to think things through, remaining calm even during the most distressing of situations which was what her parents taught her. If she could breathe, it meant that she had access to oxygen. Sarah couldn't recall the last time she ate or drank but her stomach seemed to be relaxed, indicating that food and water would not be an immediate problem. Sarah tried to tilt her head but couldn't get it to budge. Deciding that it was for the best, Sarah decided to call out.
"Hello?! Is anyone there?! What's happening to me?!"
At first, Sarah heard nothing, not even an echo of her voice. As her spirits began to drop, she heard a soft cry on her right although it sounded muffled, as if something was blocking it.
"Sarah, is that you?"
"Steven?!" Sarah blurted excitedly. Steven Knowles was her friend in Ravenclaw, having partnered with him on school assignments. Steven was bright, calm and polite, qualities that meant a great deal to Sarah. His presence immediately lifted her spirits a little. "What's going on?"
"I don't know. You're the first to have woken up."
Sarah did a double-take. "What do you mean the first?"
"Don't you remember? We were at Hogsmeade and that's when she took us."
It hit her like a ton of bricks as the panic set in once more. "Where are the others?"
"I've no idea. You're the second to have woken up. Listen to me! We're under the Petrificus Totalus Charm."
"Yeah, sort of figured that one out by myself," Sarah called out as she tried to wiggle. "Why does your voice sound so muffled?"
"I don't know," Steven replied. "I can tilt my head now but everything's just too dark. Listen, I'm guessing we have about another fifteen minutes until the charm wears off."
"How do you know that this isn't what the caster wanted? How do you know it's wearing off?" Sarah replied, her voice laced with fear.
"I don't." Steven coughed out. "But we have to stay positive. Listen, let's not talk and conserve our energy until the charm hopefully wears out. Then, we can assess the situation."
"Okay." Sarah sighed. The darkness seemed darker now and Sarah wondered if she was perhaps trapped inside a dungeon. Yet the lack of light was disturbing to her, almost as if..
"Sarah?"
"Yeah?"
"It's going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay."
Sarah said nothing in response. She knew what Steven meant and though his intentions were good, Sarah couldn't help but let her emotions get the better of her. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and the sound seemed to bounce off the walls. As the darkness continued to swallow her, Sarah retreated back into her mind. Thoughts of her parents back at their farm, ploughing the fields and she flew her kite onto her fields brought a tiny tear down her cheek as Sarah closed her eyes, allowing her memories to comfort her.
…..
"Bloody Hell!"
"Ronald Bilius Weasley!"
"What?" Ronald cried as he glared at his radio. The Chudley Cannons were not doing too well, first having to bring on a replacement Seeker for the one they just bought a week ago only for him to succumb to dragon pox and now the Ballycastle Bats were leading by a hundred and sixty points, making the unlikely capture of a Golden Snitch meaningless. As Ron turned towards his wife, he could see Hermione glaring at him while a one-year-old Rose Weasley giggled on her lap.
"I told you!" Hermione whispered angrily as she covered Rose's ears. "I don't want our daughter picking up any of your foul words."
"But Hermione, she's only one." Ron retorted as he switched off the radio, not wanting to listen to his team's inevitable defeat. "It's not like she's going to pick up what I say. I've been trying for weeks to get her to call me Daddy."
"Well, keep on using the term and she'll pick it up," Hermione replied as she beamed down at her daughter. "She has my brains, after all."
"Well, that's good," Ron replied with a smirk. "With any luck, our daughter will become a know-it-all who spends her days at the library instead of in pubs," Ron said as Hermione shot him another glare. Ignoring his wife, Ron crouched down to the young redhead as he gently grabbed her tiny hands.
"Come on, say, Daddy. Say, Daddy. Daaaaaaaaa…..deeeeeeeeeeeee." Ron spoke as Rose gave him a curious stare. Her cheeks were now slightly puffy as she gave him a tiny smile, sending warmth throughout his body as Ron gazed upon his daughter. Not that it started out that way Ron thought sadly as he stared at Hermione who looked upon them lovingly. The entire incident with Lukas Petrov was now a thing of the past and regardless of what happened, Ron would go to the grave swearing that Rose was his and Hermione's daughter.
"Perhaps we should give her another word, like with one syllable," Hermione replied as she turned Rose to face her. "How about Ron? Can you say Ron for Mummy?"
"Won!" Rose replied as Ron cringed. "Won-Won!"
"You sure you don't have Lavender's child?" Hermione said as she grinned at Ron.
"Ha-ha," Ron replied sarcastically as he sat next to Hermione. "She probably learned that from Harry. Speaking of which, I can't wait for him to take over Robards. Finally, I'll have a best friend who's Head Auror. Think of all the laws I could break!"
"Excuse me," Hermione replied indignantly as she shook her head. "Are you forgetting that your wife works for the same department and is a member of the Wizengamot?"
"Of course not." Ron grinned as he placed a hand around her shoulders. "See, that way even if Harry doesn't become Head Auror, I can still get away with it. How about it, Rose? You and Daddy can go break into Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and steal all the ice cream we want!"
"Typical." Hermione laughed as she bounced Rose up and down her lap. "Given the chance to commit the crime and you go after food."
"Hey, when you've broken into Gringotts, the Ministry and Hogwarts, not to mention take part in a war, there's really not much else to do," Ron said defensively as Rose gave a tiny yawn. Taking Rose into his arms, Ron watched as his daughter blinked her eyes a few times before closing them to sleep. A small tear ran down his face as Hermione gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"You know you can always be an Auror again, Ron. No one can accuse Harry of favouritism if he were to hire you back." Hermione spoke as she and Ron walked towards Rose's bed. "Your track record is on par with Harry's and with the status of our community now, even I have to admit it's getting a little boring."
"Yeah, I still recall the days when you tried to get the Ministry to join SPEW." Ron laughed as he placed Rose in her bed.
"Well, they did grant more rights to magical creatures," Hermione whispered as she bent down to tuck Rose in before giving her a kiss on her forehead. "I'm serious, Ron. Things are good right now and all the worst you'll probably have to deal with is underage magic."
"I know." Ron sighed as he turned to face Hermione. Even after sixteen years since they first met each other on the Hogwarts express and five years of being married, Ron was still amazed by Hermione. Certainly, her beauty had been a factor with Ron having no interest in other women since the day she first kissed him but more than that, Hermione was just the very definition of perfect. From her fair skin to her bushy brown hair and hazel eyes, Ron felt luckier than even the most powerful Felix Felicis potion. Placing his arms around the slim figure of his wife, Ron pressed his lips onto hers, pulling her close as he felt Hermione kiss him with as just as much passion as he did. His days of hunting Death Eaters, serial killers and even time-travelling psychopaths were far behind him as Ron wanted nothing more than to spend his days as a family man like his father did.
"I'm right where I want to be," Ron said as he gave Hermione a smile. "You'll have to watch your mouth though. Usually, something bad happens whenever someone says something along the lines of everything's good or what could go wrong."
"Honestly, Ron." Hermione laughed as she and Ron left Rose's room. "What do you think this is? Some sort of story? Keep sprouting stuff like that and you might have a shot at becoming a professor of Divination."
"What can I say?" Ron said as he shrugged his shoulders. "I have a knack for it."
…
Just my luck
Of all the days of something like this to happen, it had to happen on a Sunday. Harry grumbled as he pulled his coat tighter, not wanting the freezing November winds to pierce onto his skin. If it had been anyone else, Harry might have told them to take a hike but this was Neville, his former colleague and more importantly, his friend who called him onto the scene.
Harry had intended to come to Hogsmeade next month, hoping to catch up with Neville and possibly get some insight into what Hagrid would want as a Christmas gift but a turn of events had forced him to return a lot sooner. As he expected when he Apparated into the village, there was a crowd of people gathered around the Three Broomsticks. As Harry jostled his way through, he was relieved to see his partner Simon Andrews trying to do crowd control. Harry could see Simon grimacing at someone to his right and upon a closer look, Harry let out a groan of frustration. Next to Simon was the last person he wanted to see right now.
"Harry! Harry!" Rita Skeeter called out as Harry tried to ignore the Daily Prophet reporter. The Daily Prophet and the Ministry had been at odds ever since the Second Wizarding War. Despite Harry's personal intervention into the corruption with the wizarding media outlet, the Daily Prophet had now retained back some of its previous control. Hermione had consistently butted heads with the editor, insisting that the Prophet's previous anti-magical creature and pureblood stance be stricken off its papers but old habits died hard. In an effort which Harry saw as an attempt to piss off one of the members of the Golden Trio, the Daily Prophet hired back Rita Skeeter whose life goal seems to be finding ways to destabilise the lives of the Trio. Rita had first reported on Ron's shortcomings as an Auror before turning her attention towards Hermione's policies after Ron had retired. In recent times, however, Rita had been targeting Harry and his leadership qualities, accusing him of not being right for Head Aurorship.
"No questions from the press," Harry growled as he reached Rita who gave Harry a disapproving look.
"Tsk tsk," Rita said as she shook her head. "Is this what we are to expect from the future Head Auror himself? Seven Hogwarts students go missing and you can tell us nothing? Or are you withholding back information? Going to make another deal?"
"Piss off, Rita!" Harry growled before cursing himself silently for losing his cool. Six months ago, Rita and her team of her reporters had published an article in the Daily Prophet, accusing Robards, the current Head Auror, Harry and other Aurors of colluding with former Death Eaters and Voldemort sympathisers for information regarding other members of Voldemort's army. The entire thing was complete hogwash but Rita had insisted she had some hard evidence into the matter and had threatened to publish a book with all her findings soon. Ignoring the reporter, Harry entered the Three Broomsticks as Simon shouted at the crowd.
Inside, Harry could see that the entire place was empty with the exception of a small group gathered around a table. He smiled at Madam Rosmerta before turning down an offer of a drink. He gave a warm hug to Neville before shaking Headmaster McGonagall's hand. Next to her was Gawain Robards who merely growled a welcome before Harry's eyes turned to the last individual, a third-year Hogwarts student with red hair and soft blue eyes. Harry could see that the girl looked frightened as Minerva comforted her. Harry offered the girl a small smile as he took his seat.
"Hello," Harry said warmly as he placed his wand on the table. "My name is Harry Potter and I'm an Auror at the Ministry. Can you tell me your name?"
"I'm…" the little girl spoke before Robards interrupted gruffly.
"Her name is Mary Williams. She's a third year Hufflepuff student."
"It's nice to meet you, Mary," Harry said as he shot Robards a glare. "Mary, before we begin, can we get you anything? Water? Some food, perhaps?"
"She's fine. Get on with it." Robards snapped.
"Perhaps Mr. Potter should conduct this interview back in my office alone?" McGonagall spoke as she glared angrily at Robards. "That way we can avoid unnecessary interruptions."
"It's quite alright, Professor," Harry said as he gave his former professor a look of gratitude before turning his attention back to Mary. "Now, Mary, I want you to take a deep breath and just tell me whenever you're ready, what happened today. It is my understanding that you've already spoken to your House Head and your headmaster but I want to just hear it again from you. Can you do that for me?"
Mary gave Harry a nervous look before turning to Neville, who gave his student a reassuring look. "It's okay, Mary. Harry here is the best. You have absolutely nothing to worry about."
Harry gave Neville a pat on his back as Mary looked slightly relieved before turning back to Harry. "I and my friends were at the Three Broomsticks. There are a total of eight of us and we were seated at this table."
"These are the names of the seven," Neville said as he handed Harry a list. Harry raised his eyebrows as he turned towards Neville.
"They're not all from your House?" Harry said as he read the list. There were three Hufflepuffs, followed by two Ravenclaws and a single Gryffindor on the list although all of them were third-year students.
"No," Mary replied.
"Then how did you all know each other?" Harry asked.
"That's because we're all part of a group that we started about two months ago," Mary replied proudly as she handed Harry a golden badge. "Our group is called the Voluntary Organisation for Muggleborns in Transition. Basically, we want to give Muggleborns at Hogwarts a group where we can share about our issues in transiting from the Muggle to the magical world."
"So…V.O.M.I.T? Vomit?" Harry sniggered as he pictured Ron's face. Mary gave a slight blush as Robards rolled his eyes. "It's an interesting name, Mary and I must say, I do approve of your group's agenda. Sounds like a good cause."
"Thank you," Mary replied as Harry exchanged a look with Neville. Being a former Auror himself, Neville knew all too well the significance behind the abduction of seven Hogwarts students and their blood type. It seemed like certain habits in the wizarding world died hard as well.
"Okay, Mary, then what happened?" Harry asked.
Mary's face turned pale as she started to fidget in her seat. " Well, we were all having a good time and discussing when this woman approached us. I don't know where she came from but she came towards us and told us that she had overheard our conversation about Muggleborns. She then claimed to have a copy of the newest book, Muggles and Magic, you know, the one written by Joanne Rowling, a biography of Hermione Granger."
"That book's not out for another two weeks," Harry replied as he recalled discussing with Hermione.
"Well, she claimed that she knew the publisher," Mary replied. "So the woman invites us to follow her outside the pub. All my friends went as I stayed behind."
"This woman," Harry asked. "Can you describe to me what she looked like?"
"She's very beautiful," Mary said as she frowned hard to recall. "I remember that she had brown hair, tied in a ponytail. But her face…I…can't really remember…"
"Tell him why you can't remember?" Robards interjected sternly as Mary averted her gaze nervously.
"It's okay, Mary. You're not in trouble here." Harry spoke as he narrowed his eyes at Gawain.
"I…sorta…had a drink. Firewhiskey." Mary spoke as Neville shook his head slightly. "Sorry, Professors."
"It's okay," Harry replied as he offered Mary a smile. "When I was your age, I also consumed alcohol. Not to mention, I didn't have signed permission to enter Hogsmeade so I snuck here through a secret passage."
"Mr. Potter!" McGonagall exclaimed indignantly as Harry cringed under her tone before giving McGonagall an apologetic look. Mary, on the other hand, gave out a giggle as Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
"I suppose that's why you stayed behind. You were feeling dizzy. It's okay, Mary, I get it." Harry replied.
"We do not condone underage drinking, Potter," Robards exclaimed as Harry shrugged his shoulders.
"Not unless it saves your life. Which it did, in her case." Harry replied dismissively. "Anyways, Mary, can you tell me what happened next?"
Mary gave a gulp as her face grew pale once more. "I saw them through the glass. They were all gathered around the woman and staring at a book in her hand. I saw them gather around her then a second later, they all vanish. I rush out to see and there was no one around except for a few people giving me puzzled looks. I kept screaming for them but they didn't show. They're gone and I can't find them."
Harry could see tears dripping down her cheeks as McGonagall placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Please, Mr. Potter sir, these are my friends. They're my only friends. Please find them." Mary pleaded. In his line of work, one of the unwritten rules about being an Auror was that one should never make a promise to a victim's family or friend. Yet as Harry saw the little girl cry, he couldn't help but feel a sense of determination and anger mixed into one, rising through his chest. With a firm look on his face, Harry gave Mary a small smile.
"I will find your friends. And I will get them safe." Harry replied as he turned towards the Hogwarts Headmaster. "Professor, you can escort Mary back to the castle now. She has done wonderfully and perhaps this calls for a cup of hot tea. Thank you, Mary." Harry said as the third-year Hogwarts student thanked Harry before being escorted back by Neville.
"Harry," Minerva said once the pair had departed. "What do I tell the parents?"
"The parents?" Robards cried as he turned towards the Headmaster. "Why are we involving the parents into this?"
"Because their children had just been abducted?" Minerva spoke in a tone of disbelief. "I have a duty to inform them."
"But they're Muggles!" Robards exclaimed. "I understand your duties as Headmaster, Minerva, but right now our priority is to contain the situation and find those children. The whole situation is extremely delicate right now. We need to be able to conduct this investigation without any distractions."
"Listen to me, Robards," Minerva replied briskly as she glared at the Head Auror. "I will not keep anything from the parents of these children. We have a responsibility to inform them should anything happen to their children and by Merlin, I will inform them! If you were a father, you would understand!"
"You can tell them, Professor," Harry replied as he stood in between the pair, not wanting for an argument between the two individuals. "Just don't share about the woman just yet. The last thing we need is media frenzy or things between our worlds to get out of control. I will ask Hermione to assist you. She can liaise with the parents."
"Harry, what do you think is going on here?" McGonagall asked as Robards retreated back to his seat. "Do you think these students were kidnapped?"
"This was no ordinary kidnapping, Professor." Harry sighed as he walked around the table. "An ordinary kidnapping usually has one person being kidnapped, but here with have seven. Considering that they're all Muggleborns, it wouldn't be a stretched to assume that our individual has a thing against Muggleborns. What I think happened was that the abductor had patiently planned this for weeks. She had to know the group contained Muggle-borns, it's too much of a coincidence to assume that she was just lucky to encounter this particular group. This woman is meticulous, a planner. The book that she had was a Portkey, designed to take the group to a location where she would probably subdue them. The use of an illegal Portkey meant that this plan had to work like clockwork, not a single second wasted and using a Portkey rather than Apparition also prevents the Trace from catching her location. This wasn't a crime of opportunity, this was a plan of abduction that took time and effort to pull it off as perfectly as it did."
"Merlin," McGonagall replied as she shook her head. "Those poor children…"
"It's okay, Professor," Harry spoke as he gave her a comforting look. "They're safe for now. Although I would recommend not having any more visits outside the castle grounds."
"Of course," McGonagall replied. "But what makes you think they're safe?"
Harry exchanged a look with Robards.
"Because if she wanted to kill them, there would be easier ways. She could have ambushed them as they were walking back, fire a Blasting curse." Harry replied as his former Professor paled at his words. "But she didn't do that which tells me that she has other plans for them."
"What plans?" McGonagall asked. Before Harry could reply, the door to the Three Broomsticks flew open as Simon rushed in, with a shocked expression on his face.
"Andrews!" Robards barked as the other Auror stopped in his tracks. "Didn't I say that I wanted this meeting to be private?!"
"Sorry Sir but I have urgent news from the Ministry," Simon replied as he gave the group a strange look. "There's a woman who just walked into our office. Says she wants to speak to Harry."
"Tell her to wait," Harry replied as Simon shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Harry. But the woman that came in. She claims she's the one who took the kids."
….
You and your big mouth, Hermione Ron sighed as he threw down the Daily Prophet on the floor, the headline of the seven missing children from Hogwarts being plastered over its front page. Ron knew that allowing Rita to publish the article was not what Harry wanted, but what needed to happen. With too many eyes on the scene of their disappearance, the Aurors had been forced to publish a statement in an effort to calm the public though Ron doubted that the wizarding community in Britain, having undergone several years of peace, would be calm with regards to such a heinous crime.
Although it was a Monday, Ron had no intention of going to work. His mother had offered to watch after Rose but ever since Hermione informed him of the missing Hogwarts children, Ron couldn't help his protective instincts from going into overdrive. It had resulted in a small argument with Hermione as to her involvement in the case, her status of a Muggleborn worrying Ron to no end. In the end, Ron could do nothing but support his wife, knowing how fruitless it was to convince his wife of anything once her mind was made up. His only comfort was that Hermione was at Hogwarts, trying to comfort the parents of the missing children.
It was an unenviable task as Ron stared into the sleeping form of Rose in her bed. He couldn't imagine what someone could say to a parent who lost a child, never mind if that parent was himself. If someone had taken Rose, Ron would do anything to get her back, the law be damned as Ron thanked his lucky stars that he wasn't in such a position. He had placed extra warding around the house and around Rose's bed, not wanting any chances to be taken. It was a little excessive, Ron had to admit given that Rose was not Muggle-born, but Ron had seen just how devious and cold Dark wizards and witches could be.
Not going to take any chances Ron said as he took a seat next to Rose's bed, his wand in his hand. Just as he was about to get comfortable, Ron could hear his fireplace roaring to life.
As Ron went downstairs to look, he could see Hermione popping through the fireplace and straightening out her robes. Ron made a beeline towards his wife as Hermione wrapped her arms around Ron while he stroked her head.
"Are you okay?" Ron said as Hermione nodded, without saying a word. The fireplace roared into life once more as Harry entered through.
"Harry?" Ron said, surprised to see his best friend in his living room. He had assumed Harry would be neck-deep in the case. "What are you doing here?"
"We need to talk," Harry replied as he gave Hermione a look. Hermione nodded before giving Ron a kiss on the lips. "I'll go check on Rose," Hermione said as she disappeared up the stairs. The fireplace roared into life once again and out of the green flames, was a person Ron wished he could never cross paths with again.
"Weasley" Gawain Robards growled as Ron gave him a scowl.
"What is he doing here?" Ron said, ignoring Robards as he turned his attention towards Harry.
"Like I said, we need to talk," Harry replied as he glared at Robards who glared back. "Can we go inside the kitchen, Ron? I haven't had a thing to eat or drink, mate."
"Sure thing," Ron replied as he led the pair into the kitchen. "You can help yourself to anything, Harry," Ron said, emphasizing his words as he glared at Robards who took a seat at his kitchen table. Harry brought about three glasses and a bottle of Firewhiskey before pouring a glass for all three individuals. Robards appeared to be ignoring Ron now as Ron scowled once more at his former boss before turning to Harry.
"You look like shit, mate," Ron said as Harry sighed. His hair was a dishevelled mess and his robes were now crumpled, with soot all over. Harry drank his drink before pouring himself another and downing the entire glass in one go.
"Everything's shit, mate," Harry replied. "This case…it's like nothing we ever faced before."
"We've done abduction cases before. Remember the Kilmonger twins?" Ron said as Harry gave him a smile. "You and I caught the bastard and I'm sure you'll be able to do the same again."
"I don't know, Ron. This one is different." Harry said as he pulled out a picture from his robes and handed it to Ron. Ron gave a whistle as he stared at the picture of a beautiful blond woman in her early twenties staring blankly back at him.
"Thanks, Harry, but I'm married. I don't swing that way." Ron said as he handed the picture over to Harry.
"This isn't the time for jokes, Weasley," Robards growled suddenly as he glared at Ron. "Spare us all your sense of humour."
"You're in my house so you should show me some respect, Robards." Ron snapped back as he glared at him. "If you don't like how I behave, then you should just show yourself out."
"You think I want to be here? Please…" Robards drawled as he surveyed the room. Ron stood to his feet as he balled his fists, his irritation and anger getting the best of him.
"Then go! I don't see why you're here in the first place. Harry can tell me whatever he wants without needing you to be here. I'm not your lackey anymore, Robards, so I guess it goes without saying that you can just fu –"
"Ron!" Harry interrupted as he stood next to his friend. "Please, please just listen to me. I will explain everything."
"Fine!" Ron said as he collapsed back into his chair, shooting Robards one final glare. "But not a word from that prat over there!"
"Gawain, let me handle this," Harry replied as Robards looked ready to hex Ron. Turning to Ron, Harry showed the picture once more.
"I assume you know what's going on so I'll tell you what's happened so far," Harry spoke in a serious manner as Ron listened intently. "The woman you see in the photograph. She came to our Ministry a few hours after the children were abducted. Said that she was the one who took them. Of course, I didn't believe her at first until she showed me proof of seven wands she had taken from the students. We've examined the wands, Ron. It belongs to them."
"What?" Ron exclaimed in astonishment. "So the kidnapper showed up to the Ministry? Why? Did she have a change of heart?"
"No," Harry replied grimly. "She had a list of demands. Says that if we don't go through with her demands, her partner will execute one student a day and leave their bodies in a very public place for the media and the community to find."
"Bloody hell," Ron said as he stared at the picture once more. "What are her demands?"
Harry exchanged a look with Robards before speaking. "Well, her first demand is that we publish everything in the Daily Prophet so she wants an audience with Rita Skeeter. She gave us a parchment called the Pureblood's Preachings. It's basically a manifesto encouraging pureblood supremacy and the indoctrination of Muggles.
"So she's a pureblood?" Ron asked as Harry shook his head.
"Half-blood more likely. I've run her facial features into our pureblood family system and there are no matches. Unless she's foreign, she's probably a half-blood. Which make sense considering her ultimate demand."
"Which is?"
"She wants us to release a prisoner. Said that if we do it and we release her and the prisoner together, she will hand over the seven children."
"Which prisoner?" Ron whispered as Harry heaved a sigh.
"Rodolphus Lestrange."
Ron's eyes widened as he stared at Harry in disbelief. If there was a person who would be the guest of honour in Azkaban, it would be Rodolphus Lestrange. Husband to former Death Eater and psychopath Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus was considered to be the leader of the Death Eaters after the fall of Voldemort. Of all the Death Eaters from Rookwood to Dolohov, Rodolphus was the hardest to catch, evading Auror forces for months and leaving a pile of bodies in his wake. Eventually, his capture had been anti-climactic. Robards had received an unknown tip as to Lestrange's whereabouts and Harry and Ron had managed to apprehend the criminal without much of a fight. Lestrange's reputation for manipulating people onto his will as well as his leadership abilities made him the primary candidate for solitary confinement, one in which Ron had recommended the wizard to be put in Nuremgard instead of Azkaban.
"She's already gone to the media about what she wants. Apparently, she wrote a letter to the Daily Prophet before she arrived" Harry sighed. "Rita's going to publish it in the Prophet tomorrow."
"You can't do that!" Ron said as he slammed his fist onto the table. "Ask Kingsley! He will block that article from being published!"
"We can't do that," Harry replied. "The newest Ministry law prohibits any Ministry's influence into the paper."
"To hell with wizarding law!" Ron snapped. "And why are we giving in to the demands of this bitch, Harry? Do you even know who she is?"
"Well…" Harry said as he waited for Ron to compose himself. "She only gave us a name. We tried everything to get her identity but no luck so far. We swept our archives, looking for leads using her magic to match our records but it's a dead end. Andrews is looking into our foreign resources but she talked to me in an English accent. Something tells me that she is from here and her records have been taken out from our archives. I've even sent her picture to Hogwarts, hoping perhaps that one of the professors can recognise her but there are no leads so far."
"What name did she give you?" Ron asked as he shook his head. He had his fair share of run-ins with criminals who liked to name themselves, a sign of a narcissistic personality.
"Gretel," Harry replied as Ron gave him an amused look.
"Gretel? What kind of name is that?" Ron asked as Robards rolled his eyes.
"It's from a German folklore. Basically, Hansel and Gretel – "
"Can we save the fairy tales for later?" Robards interrupted in a gruff tone.
"What's the fairy-tale?" Ron said, ignoring Robards as Harry stared at him.
"So Gretel comes from the story Hansel and Gretel in an old Muggle German folktale around 1812 by two authors called the Brothers Grimm. In the story, these two individuals are brother and sister. They were deliberately abandoned by their father in the woods on instructions by their mother or stepmother who was worried that they couldn't afford to feed their family because of a famine. These two children wandered aimlessly in the woods until they came across a house made of candy. The story goes is that while they started to eat the candy, they went into the house and came across an old witch who tricked them by putting Hansel in a cage and forcing Gretel to do her chores. The witch wanted to eat them, you see, and while she was preparing the fire in the oven to cook the siblings, Gretel and Hansel managed to trick her instead and trap her in the fire, burning the witch alive."
"Uh huh," Ron said as he tried to process the fairy-tale. Muggle stories were confusing for him and though Hermione tried to get him to read up on some of the famous Muggle classics, Ron couldn't bring himself to focus on the themes and plotlines of the stories. It seems that most stories painted witches and wizards with devious intent, perhaps a sign as to why these names were chosen, to establish the fear that Muggles had of the wizarding world.
"So, she has a partner. Hansel."
"Yes," Harry sighed as he ran his fingers through his raven hair. "We figured that's why she turned herself in. Her partner is out there with the children and can kill each and every one of them if her demands aren't met."
"So we work on identifying who she is and perhaps we can figure out where's she keeping the kids!" Ron cried excitedly as Harry shook his head once more.
"No, we can't, Ron. It doesn't matter if we figure out who she is and where she's keeping the kids. We can't pursue her hideout, it would be useless and we don't have much time."
"But why not?" Ron asked. "We've been in scraps like this before. You got this, Harry!"
"No, we haven't," Harry spoke as he stared at Ron. The expression on Harry's face sent a shiver down Ron's spine as he stared back at the resigned look of a man who seemed to have met his match. In all the time Ron knew Harry, Harry had never backed down from a challenge, never given in to a criminal's demands and always found a way to best his opponents. The last time he has seen that look on Harry's face, it had been just before Harry went into the Forbidden Forest to meet his fate. Although Ron wasn't with Harry at that time, the look on his best friend's face in the distance as Ron tried frantically to call Harry back had scared him.
As it did now.
"She used the Fidelius Charm on her hideout, Ron," Harry spoke in a low whisper. "And she's the Secret Keeper."
….
The Fidelius Charm
Fear gripped Ronald Weasley like a snake as Ron allowed Harry's words to settle in. The Fidelius Charm was a complex and ancient spell, one which could only be pulled off by someone immensely powerful, which gave Ron a sense of his opponent's strength. More importantly, the Fidelius Charm was the concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul and could only be revealed by the Secret Keeper himself. No amount of Veritaserum, Legilimency, Cruciatus Curse or Imperius could get the person to divulge that information. The information could not be retrieved by force, only voluntarily.
Which explained the look of resignation on Harry's face.
"The same one used to hide my parents," Harry said as he stared gloomily at Ron. "But I doubt Gretel is as spineless as Peter."
"Bloody hell," Ron whispered as he stared back at Harry. "Wait, are you certain she used the Fidelius Charm? It could be a bluff."
"She gave us her wand. We did a backtrace on it and it shows that the wand was used in a charm which accepted her as a Secret Keeper as well as the casting of the Fidelius Charm itself."
"Okay." Ron frowned as he started to think. "Couldn't we perhaps stage a fake release of Lestrange, using someone under the disguise of Polyjuice? We could stage a public release of Lestrange and get her to reveal the location to us. If we're lucky, we might be able to apprehend her before she leaves with our fake Lestrange."
"No," Harry replied. "Gretel set protocols, such as going Lestrange only when she's sure that it's Lestrange she's with. Also, once she has Lestrange, Gretel will give us the name of the location but since she's secret keeper unless she whispers it within earshot of two Aurors, only one of us will be able to get the kids. Not to mention, who's to say she won't give us a fake location?"
"Thereby killing all seven children as well as escaping with Lestrange." Ron cried before punching his fist against the kitchen wall. "Fuck!"
"Now, you understand the seriousness of this situation," Robards spoke grimly as he walked towards Ron.
"We're screwed either way, Ron," Harry said as Ron gave him a puzzled look. "Why do you think she wants this to be done publically? She wants to paint us as the bad guys. Let Lestrange go and we are the ones who gave up a Death Eater to a monster's demands. Keep Lestrange and the public will think we chose a Death Eater over the lives of seven innocent children. Either way, we would lose seven children or Lestrange or even both if Gretel doesn't keep her word."
"Her intention is clear," Robards spoke in an authoritative tone. "She intends to spread terror and fear within our community, thus destabilising everything we worked for since the war. She is a terrorist, mark my words and the Ministry does not negotiate with terrorists. Under no circumstances, can we release Lestrange. We have Gretel and we have Lestrange. We need to keep it that way."
"But if you don't, those children will die. Not to mention the blowback this might have from the Muggle-born community." Ron replied desperately as he tried to figure a solution to their dilemma. Every single way, it seemed that Gretel had the upper hand. They had been outclassed by an opponent who was more than willing to sacrifice her own life.
"How much time do we have?" Ron asked as Harry looked to his watch.
"Around ten hours today and perhaps another six hours. She wants to be released with Lestrange and herself at dawn. That gives us sixteen hours to come up with a solution."
"Merlin.." Ron whispered as Harry cleared his throat.
"She is, however, willing to give us another six hours if we give in to another demand."
"What's the demand?" Ron asked as Harry exchanged a look with Robards.
"She wants to speak to you. Says if we bring you down to speak to her alone, she would publish an article in the Daily Prophet with a code word indicating to Hansel that he should hold back from committing the first murder."
Ron stared at Harry in shock.
"Me?! She wants to speak with me?! Why?!"
"I've been asking myself the same question," Robards mumbled as Harry shot him a scowl before turning back to Ron.
"I honestly have no idea," Harry replied. "I've tried asking her but she wouldn't say why. Said she specifically wants to speak to you. Alone. Mentioned you by name."
"By name?" Ron said as he stared at Harry. Over the years, many of the criminals they caught had always tried to involve themselves in the case by requesting an audience with the Auror pursuing them but as far as Ron could recall, most of those demands were for Harry. He was just supposed to be Harry's sidekick. The best friend to the Chosen One. "But I don't know this woman! Why would she want to speak to me?"
"You can ask her that yourself," Robards said as he threw something on the table. Ron stared at his former Auror badge, its golden surface gleaming underneath the kitchen light. "We can't have a civilian caught up within the case so looks like you get to go back to your old job again, Ronald."
"Wait…what?"
"Ron," Harry spoke as he dragged his friend away from Robards. "I don't like this any more than you do. I've thought of ways to get you not to be involved, even suggesting that I take Polyjuice Potion but you know what this woman can do. She can tell, Ron, and I can't risk losing a child based on a bad bluff. I've spoken to Hermione and well…even though she's completely against it… she understands."
"We're wasting time!" Robards barked. "We need to go back to the Ministry."
"Wait…" Ron said as he stared at the badge before looking towards the stairs. "Give me a moment. You can't just expect me to be an Auror again. This isn't an easy decision."
"People's lives are on the line, Weasley!"
"You don't think I know that?!" Ron roared back as he glared at Robards. The stress of the situation had finally caught up to him and Ron needed someone to vent on, his former boss a more than welcome scapegoat to his anger. "You think I don't get where you're coming from?! I was a former Auror, Merlin be damned and I was a good one! But I didn't expect that when I woke up on this Monday morning, that I would be waltzing back into my old life while I have a conversation with a terrorist now, did I? So give me a fucking minute, Robards, you ignorant, dumb asshole!"
Ron stormed out of the room as Robards stared blankly at the sight of the disappearing redhead. Robards swung his head towards Harry who was busy helping himself to yet another glass of Firewhiskey.
"Of all the insubordinate…"
"Just shut up, Robards." Harry sighed as he downed his drink.
….
Ron ignored the ruckus downstairs as he headed towards Rose's bedroom. As he stuck his head through the open doorway, Ron could see Hermione sitting on the floor as she watched Rose sleep peacefully on her mattress, both unaware of his presence. Not wanting to disturb either his wife or his daughter, Ron leaned against the door of the bedroom as he slid down towards the floor.
"Harry told you, didn't he?" Hermione said suddenly.
"Yes," Ron whispered. "I told him I'll think about it."
Without saying a word, Hermione planted a soft kiss on Rose's forehead before heading out the door. Ron gave Rose a look before following his wife into their bedroom.
"Hermione…" Ron said as Hermione turned around to face him as soon as they were inside. Ron could see her eyes were red as tiny streaks appeared on her cheeks. Walking over towards Hermione, Ron placed his thumbs onto her cheeks before wiping away the tears.
"One of the kids didn't have a parent, only a grandmother." Hermione whispered as Ron pulled her into his arms. "She's around seventy years old, maybe older. Her daughter and her son in law perished in an accident. Only her grandson is left, her last remaining family member. When I told her that her son was missing, she didn't say a word, Ron. I thought that maybe she was in shock so I tried telling her again. And then I saw it, Ron."
"Saw what?" Ron said as Hermione leaned back to stare at him. "What did you see, Hermione?"
"Nothing. Her eyes….they were lifeless…cold…almost like she was dead." Hermione whispered as her eyes started to shimmer. "Her grandson is her entire world, Ron. If anything happened to him…" Hermione trailed off as she pulled herself off, Ron. "I try to imagine how I would feel if anyone took Rose or you away from me and I realise that I can't imagine. It's impossible."
"Yeah, it is." Ron sighed as he ran his fingers through his red hair. He knew where this conversation was going.
"So I guess I'm becoming an Auror again, huh?" Ron replied as he offered Hermione a nervous smile. "You think I'll get paid for this? They should probably give me hazard pay as well."
"Ron…" Hermione replied anxiously as she twiddled her fingers. "This isn't…"
"I know." Ron cut Hermione off as he smiled at her. "I made up my mind even before I left the kitchen," Ron said as he responded to a knock on their bedroom door, allowing Harry in.
"Sorry about Robards, Ron," Harry said as he stared at the pair. "I wanted to do this without him but he insisted on following me. Something tells me Robards has no clue as to what to do next and he just wanted to tag along to escape the heat that's on this case right now. Here's your badge."
"My badge." Ron chuckled as he took it. "That's very presumptuous of you, thinking I would just roll back in as an Auror."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Presumptuous?!"
"What?!" Ron exclaimed as he raised his hands. "Hermione wants me to use big words now so that they would be imprinted on Rose when she grows up."
"Rose is in the next room, Ron."
"Well, fuck me then."
"Ron!"
"As interesting as this is," Harry said as Hermione playfully swatted at her husband. "We do have the matter of this crazed psychopath. So first things first, Ron, you'll be reinstated temporarily to your former rank but the good news is that you don't answer to Robards, you answer to me."
"Kinky, Harry."
"Right," Harry said as he rolled his eyes. " Arthur, Molly, and Charlie will be coming here shortly to watch over Rose while we deal with this. I've posted Auror protection details on everyone in our family, including your parents Hermione. Even though she hasn't made any threats against any one of us…can't be too careful."
"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said gratefully.
"No worries," Harry replied as he rubbed his hands together. "Pack up everything you need. I'm gathering a taskforce as we speak and all of us are going to be involved in this. The first thing we need to do is to ascertain the threat. My knowledge of the Fidelius Charm is limited but I'm hoping that yours isn't, Hermione."
"I'm afraid I'm just as knowledgeable on the subject as you are, Harry." Hermione sighed. "Perhaps we can ask Professor Flitwick to help us out."
"He's not a Ministry official though," Harry said. "But given that we're running out of time, we might have no choice. I can fill up the possible paperwork."
The word time stuck onto Ron as he stared at his two best friends.
"It's okay, Harry," Ron replied. "There is someone else who can help us. He's a former Ministry official so that will save us with any red tape issue and he's an expert on Charms. I'll get him to the Ministry."
"Can we trust him?" Harry asked as Ron nodded his head.
"He's a friend."
…..
The entire room was buzzing with excitement as Ron watched the Aurors going through paperwork as everyone began to settle in the room. Out of the corner of his eye, Ron resisted the urge to flip his middle finger towards Rita Skeeter whose presence in the room was only at the insistence of Harry who wanted everyone to be aware of the situation. A light tap on his shoulder made Ron turn around as his eyes set on a slim and lanky wizard, whose white-blond hair and grey eyes stared kindly at Ron as the two embraced in a friendly hug.
"Good to see you again, Petrov," Ron replied as Lukas Petrov beamed at him.
"And here I thought you were done with being an Auror. Looks like the world needs saving once more." Lukas replied as he gave Ron a grin before dropping his tone in a low whisper. "How's Rose?"
"She's okay. Been trying to get her to call me Daddy. Hasn't been working out." Ron whispered back as Lukas nodded.
"Well, give her time. You're her father after all." Lukas replied firmly as he gave Ron a reassuring pat. Ron smiled back at him, knowing the former wizard was the only one besides him who knew of Rose's true heritage.
"I don't suppose time travel will save us out of this," Ron said as Lukas sighed.
"I know what you're thinking, Weasley. But the device Boris used was only meant to work on a singular timeline and the fact we're undergoing this right now means that neither of us travelled back into the past. Time travel is out in this situation."
"Well, it was worth a shot," Ron said. "I'm glad you're here though."
"For you, my friend, always," Lukas replied. "Although I'm here only on an advisory role, if there's anything else you need me to do, just ask."
"Thanks," Ron replied as he saw Harry motioning to Lukas to come in front. "You're up." Ron watched as his friend walked onto the stage while Harry got the room to settle down. Clearing his throat, Lukas waited for his cue from Harry before speaking.
"Now, I'm here to inform all of you about the Fidelius Charm and how it works. For this, I would be using only known recent examples to help you all understand better. In doing so, I will be referring to the ones placed at the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix as well as Godric's Hollow."
Ron snuck a glance at Harry who nodded at Lukas to continue. Ron felt a rush of brotherly affection for Harry.
"Now, the Fidelius Charm as most of you already know is an immensely complex spell which refers to the concealment of a secret with a single, living soul. It can only be performed by a wizard or witch with immense power but not impossible to do so. The secret can be anything from tangible to intangible but the Charm has been most used to protect the location of people residing within it. Now, here you need to understand how the Charm works. The Charm pushes the location to a place where one cannot see nor interact with it in any way, thus protecting those inside even if one has prior knowledge that the place exists. If one were to place a Fidelius Charm on Hogwarts, we would know that Hogwarts exist but going to its location, where it used to be, all we would see are trees, bushes, maybe even an empty plot of land. It's there but you cannot interact or see it even if you are aware of its presence.
The people are the secret but it is the location that is protected. In simple terms, whoever is within the vicinity of the location that the charm was cast would be under Fidelius's protection. Which means that the charm would only be cast after the seven children were abducted."
"So that means that the location would only be revealed once the children are dead," Harry said as Lukas shook his head.
"That's the other issue we're facing. We need to recognise the three people involved in the casting of the spell. The first is the spellcaster, the one who cast the Fidelius Charm, the second is the Secret, people involved in its protection and the final person is the Secret Keeper. I now refer to Godric's Hollow whose protection ended once James and Lily Potter were gone. They were the secret and the Charm ended with their death, resulting in us being able to see the location. However, we must also recognise that another individual was alive during the time the Charm was cast. That individual is Harry Potter and given that Harry was still alive and within the vicinity when the Charm was cast, it wouldn't make sense for the Charm to break as it should still be around to protect Harry.
Which leads me to another point. The charm protects the location which in turn protects the people who are the secret. Those people who are part of the secret must be willing to give themselves up for the charm. It is unlikely, however, that Hansel or Gretel manage to coerce these seven children into participating in the charm. More likely, Hansel is the secret and with Gretel, who is the spellcaster, cast the spell with Hansel's permission and since the seven children are within its vicinity, kept them within the protection as well."
"Wait, so this means that if any of the children were to escape the confines of the location, we can see them?" Harry asked as Lukas nodded.
"More importantly," Hermione spoke out as everyone turned to her. "It means that if Hansel were to go out on the location's protection into a public area, his death would mean that the Charm is broken and we can see their location."
"Precisely," Lukas replied. "But Hansel would be quite cunning, only going out under the protection of a Disillusionment Charm no doubt, and would try his best not to get caught. Plus, his identity remains a secret so we have no idea who he is or if there are more accomplices involved."
The entire room started to murmur once more as Harry raised his hand for silence.
"Now we turn to the Secret Keeper and spell caster, Gretel and this is the problem that we're facing. Gretel cannot reveal the Secret under any force known to wizardkind. She has to give up the location voluntarily and she is the ONLY person who can. Once she has informed someone of the location, that person becomes a secondary Secret Keeper but would be unable to inform others of the location unless the primary Secret-Keeper dies and the persons she told would become primary Secret Keepers. So unless we get to Hansel, there is no way for us to get to the children. Now the Secret Keeper can bring in an individual into the protection of the Charm through Apparition only if they are willing or if someone were to, let's say, grab on to them in the midst of Apparating to the location in question but only the primary Secret Keeper or primary Secret Keepers can do so."
Ron nodded his head, recalling how they had to Apparate outside the Fidelius Charm of Shell Cottage as they were not the primary Secret keepers of the location.
"It is important here to note," Harry spoke. "That Gretel has no plans of going to the hideout location herself. There's been an update. Gretel wants an international Portkey that would take her and Lestrange out and towards an Eastern European country of her choice where we would have neither jurisdiction nor any forms of extradition. She has very extensive protocols for not allowing anyone to latch onto her."
Ron's shoulders slumped as he sat down on a chair. Either way, their opponent had thought of everything, a foolproof plan with no loopholes.
"Our first priority is ascertaining the identity of Gretel. I want every Auror available to work with our foreign contacts. Try local avenues, legal or not, to see if we can find out who she is. Who she is may give us an idea as to where she's keeping the children." Harry spoke before turning to Ron. "Auror Ronald is my co-leader on this taskforce and he is here to interrogate our subject in custody as per her demands. With his involvement, we have about twenty hours before the first child is killed. I will work with some of you in brainstorming any methods we might have to get ahead of the situation. Our opponent is highly motivated, powerful and dangerous but most of all, she is meticulous. But so are we. So let's work hard and keep pushing. None of us here want the blood of an innocent child on conscious so let's get to it!"
Ron watched as the entire room came to life, with people buzzing about and moving around. He gave a wave to his wife, who smiled at him before talking to Petrov. Hopefully, those two can figure out a way around the Charm Ron thought as Harry approached him.
"Ready to do this?" Harry said as he led Ron out of the room, down a corridor.
"Always, mate," Ron said as they walked towards a room with tinted windows and a grey door. Ron recalled the number of times he had been inside, interrogating suspect after suspect. As he turned to face Harry, he could see his best friend frowning deeply.
"What's up?" Ron asked as Harry shook his head.
"No, it's nothing." Harry sighed. "It's just…what Petrov said about the Secret Keeper not being able to be forced to reveal his information…"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Why did my parents switch Secret-Keepers from Sirius to Peter? Wouldn't it make more sense just to keep it to Sirius, given what was at stake?"
Ron swallowed a gulp. He, of course, knew the true reason for the change and it had nothing to do with Sirius. "Well, James trusted Peter strongly at that time so it didn't seem like a big deal. Perhaps Sirius was worried that because he was too close to Remus, whom they suspected of being a spy, that Sirius might inadvertently reveal the location to him?"
"Perhaps…" Harry sighed, though Ron could see on Harry's face that the thought had yet to escape his best friend. "Anyways, that's in the past. I'll leave you to it, Ron. You know what to do. Good luck, mate." Harry said as he gave Ron a pat on the back before disappearing down the corridor.
Ron watched as his best friend walked away before turning his attention back on the door. Gripping his wand tightly, Ron reached for the handle. It had been a while since he undertook such moves but as his fingers felt the cold metal of the handle, a smile crept on his lips. He could feel it again, the surge of passion rushing through his blood, his heart rate steadily rising as the adrenaline of an Auror kicked in. He recalled telling Hermione how he never wanted to be an Auror again and Ron meant his words. However, it was impossible to deny the excitement that came with being an Auror. With a deep breath, Ron recalled the stakes.
Seven missing children.
A deadline before the first kill.
Meeting with a psychopath.
Trying to find a way around an impenetrable Fidelius Charm.
No pressure Ron thought as he pushed open the door, wondering if this was what the Chudley Cannons felt like every time they played a match.
…..
"Sarah?"
The sound of her name brought Sarah back to reality as she opened her eyes. She had fallen asleep, her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness around them as a soft groan escaped her lips. Her lips felt dry and parched as Sarah raised her fingers towards her face, feeling the dryness and flakiness of her lips. It took only a moment before Sarah realised what she was doing.
"Steven!" Sarah called out loudly. "The charm! It's worn off."
"Sarah!" Steven's voice rang out and Sarah could sense the desperation behind his words. "Sarah, listen to me! Do not move just yet!"
The cramps in her arms and legs were too overpowering as Sarah ignored Steven's words. She began to stretch her limbs though she still lied down, extending her arms and legs as far as she could reach them. Her left foot met with a hard surface as did her left hand which grazed upon something wooden. As she extended her left hand back, Sarah could feel something tiny gathering on her fingers.
"Steven, there seems to be something here. Feels like dirt." Sarah said.
"It is dirt!" Steven called out. "Sarah, whatever you do, just remember it's going to be okay."
"Why do you insist on saying that?" Sarah cried out as she proceeded to sit up. Her head collided with something hard as Sarah went back down, crying in pain as she nursed the throbbing pain on her head.
"What the –" Sarah spoke as she propped herself on her elbows. She could feel a wooden surface on her head once more as Sarah pressed her fingers to the ceiling which to her horror, was a mere two feet off the ground. Reaching frantically to her right, she could feel her fingers grazing the dark wooden wall on her right though it seemed to be slightly further than her left.
I'm trapped in a large, wooden box. Sarah thought as panic started to set in. As a child, Sarah only had one fear and that was a fear of small, confined spaces. Although her claustrophobia wasn't as bad as others whom she had read about, it was causing her heart to spike up as Sarah tried desperately to feel about the box.
"Steven! We're trapped in a box!" Sarah yelled out as she could feel the tears starting to well up once more. The darkness, which had been menacing from the start, had taken a much more malicious form as Sarah felt it trying to consume her. Her heart was pounding a lot faster now as Sarah felt her face getting wetter by the second.
"Steven! Please help!" Sarah wailed as she banged against the sides of the box. Her fear was starting to set in as Sarah felt the dirt in her hand. Peering at the ceiling, Sarah could see no form of light coming through the box which would be impossible unless something was covering above it.
"It's going to be okay, Sarah," Steven called out in a desperate plea. "Just remain calm, alright."
Calm?! How can I remain fucking calm?! Sarah thought angrily as she pounded on the walls of the box, screaming out for help as hard as she could. Sarah could hear the cries of other children echoing all about her as she heard Steven trying to call for calm. Yet Sarah ignored them all. Her nightmare was coming true as Sarah felt herself gasping for breath with the blackness that engulfed her from all sides.
Her darkest fear had been realised.
She had been buried alive.
…..
A/N: So this is the end of the first chapter. I wrote this story because despite being a huge HP fan and reading up on all sorts of theory, the Fidelius Charm is one charm that still boggles my mind completely. Even now, people are still asking why Peter became Secret Keeper and how the charm works so here's my take on it. Just in case anyone is confused, I'm not sure as to the people involved in the Fidelius Charm in HP Canon but this is how I interpret it.
Godric's Hollow Charm- James and Lily are the Secret, Sirius is Secret Keeper, Dumbledore the spellcaster
Second Godric's Hollow Charm – Secret is the same, Peter is Secret Keeper, James or Lily or Sirius are the spellcaster. (Can't be Dumbledore as he was unaware Peter became Secret Keeper and I doubt you can fool the spellcaster about this.)
12th Grimmauld's Place – The Order is the Secret (Or maybe just the location as the Secret need not involve people), Dumbledore is Secret Keeper, spellcaster is Dumbledore or possibly Snape?
Shell Cottage – Location is the Secret, Bill is Secret Keeper, Bill or Fleur or another wizard is the spellcaster