Chapter Three: Preparations
The sky overhead swirled with dark clouds, threatening rain. A cloaked man stood a few miles away from The Leaky Cauldron, staring at it as though his intended victims were going to stroll out of it at his command. He sighed, twirling his wand in the air. He was very bored with the job of watchman. His black cloak billowed around him and swayed in the wind. The man pulled his hood up further, shielding his face from the harsh wind.
I hate this watch duty, the man thought sulkily. I wish that Russet would hurry up and get here, so I can go home. Watching for any sign of Potter and the two Weasley's isn't much fun. Now, if they actually showed their faces…
"Any sign of them, Abbott?" A man asked at his shoulder, interrupting his train of thought. Abbott shook his head. "The pub's dark and lifeless, Malfoy. No one'll be coming out of there for a while. Be prepared for a very boring shift." Abbott smirked at his companion before Apparating on the spot. Solomon hung his head, wondering whether or not this whole thing would be a waste of time.
An hour or two passed before the next man came to him. Solomon sprang up, confused. "What are you doing here, Burke? My shift's not over for a few more hours." The second man—Burke—said nothing until he was at Abbott's ear. He then whispered, "We know that the kids are there. We're not going to make any moves until they go to Diagon Alley to get their school supplies. Surely they know that the kids have run away." Abbott nodded, glancing once more at the pub. For some reason, he felt as if they were being watched. But that was impossible; they were clearly a good distance from any windows of the pub. How could anyone possibly be watching them? Abbott slid uneasily away form the edge of the cliff, and turned back to Burke. Burke rolled his eyes at his companion, saying, "No one's going to jinx us at this time of night. You and I both know that everyone in that pub is sleeping without another care in the world. Why, if we were prepared, we could go in there this instant, and take the children to the Emperor himself! That way, everyone will be happy. Well, everyone except the three of them," Burke finished gleefully. Abbott grinned, glad to share his companion's excitement.
Abbott nodded, his childish fear forgotten. He faced the pub now, wondering what they needed to permanently secure their targets for the Emperor's use.
Burke was watching him closely. "Today is July thirty-first. It's eleven o'clock at night. We're both tired. Why don't we get another guy to take watch duty, and go report this plan to the Emperor. He will be very, very pleased with us. Maybe he'll let us take the next day off, to rest. The kids go to Diagon Alley the day after tomorrow. We'll get them then." Abbott nodded, suddenly filled with glee. He was extremely eager to capture the children that the Emperor wanted. Smiling cruelly, he Disapparated, leaving Burke standing alone. A few seconds later, Burke, too, Disapparated, his plan aligned perfectly.
The next day, the trio caught themselves with no means of a disguise. Polyjuice Potion was completely out of the question, considering the fact that it would take a month to make and they were heading into Diagon Alley the next day. They would have to go into the Alley as they were, and avoid isolation as much as possible. Aimery returned from his hunt in good spirits. Another owl flew in immediately after him. Katrina let them in, giving Aimery a treat and taking the Daily Prophet, the local Wizard newspaper, from the second barn owl with a word of thanks and a payment of five Knuts. Aimery hooted once, and flew into his cage. The brown barn owl accepted the coins and flew once more out the window.
"Let's see why these bloody Death Eaters are prowling round The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley." She opened the paper, reading the headline:
Children of Albus Potter and Rose Weasley Missing; Ministry seeks to Return Them to their Homes
Below were pictures of the three of them; the exact same ones that the Imperiused Ministry Official had showed them. Below those, the article read:
Late Tuesday night, July thirtieth, the daughter of Albus Potter disappeared round midnight, leaving a note as to what her plans were, but revealing no current location. The same can be said for Rose Weasley's two sons. The Ministry is currently searching for them, claiming that their parents will be worried sick if their children don't return immediately. The Leaky Cauldron has been checked, and Diagon Alley will be searched tomorrow, just in case. If they do not turn up, their parents will be held for questioning in two days' time—
"What?" Ron gasped. "They can't do that! They just want us to go home, so they can take us to Cain, the Emperor," Ron sneered the title name. Like Katrina, he believed that Henry Cain did not deserve the title. I didn't bother reading on; the Ministry and the Ebon Lord had all made their point. Of course Cain wanted them alone; there was no doubt that he wanted to finish off the family of the famous Harry Potter, and the families of those around him. It explained the recent disappearances.
Sighing, Katrina put the paper down, and turned to her friends. "There's no doubt that the Death Eaters know of our plans to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow," she told them, irritated.
"So, what do we do?" Isaac asked her.
"We still go tomorrow. We're not prepared to go today as it is." Seeing the worried look fixed into Isaac's face, she said, "Don't worry, we're not going to let them catch us. We just need to avoid them." Ron and Isaac glanced at each other, the same worried look in their eyes.
"Guys, don't worry," Katrina assured them, placing a hand on their shoulders, "they won't catch us, I assure you. I'm going to bring something to disorient them. Isaac's pranks will come in handy tomorrow." She smiled triumphantly at her friends, who exhaled, relieved. Yes, Isaac's pranks would do perfectly.
The next day, the trio set out into Diagon Alley, supplies safely stowed in a duffel bag that Isaac had brought with him. Their cloaks were on, and the hoods drawn up, shielding their faces from the Death Eaters they knew to be lurking about the alley. Their first stop was Madame Malkins, so that Isaac could get a new pair of school robes. His were too small for him.
The trouble began when the three were exiting Flourish and Blotts with their school books. A man wearing black robes stood a few feet away from the entrance, watching the three intently. Katrina chuckled nervously, hurrying away with Ron and Isaac. All three had white faces. "I knew they'd follow us here," Katrina whispered, glancing over her shoulder at the man. He had not moved from where he was standing, but when she looked at his face, he smiled sinisterly, and broke into a run.
"He's following us—run!" Katrina shouted, breaking into a run as well. Her hood fell back from her face as the wind hit it, and she very nearly stumbled over an elderly wizard as he passed within inches of her. Isaac was reaching into the bag for the right prank, and when he found it, he threw it to the ground. Gray smoke billowed outward from the pellet, obscuring everything behind them, including the man. The trio did not stop running until they had reached the magical entrance behind The Leaky Cauldron. As they slipped through the wall, they could hear the Death Eater's cries of anger and fury when he failed to catch them. A young woman was staring at them, startled at their sudden appearance when they had not been there only moments before. Katrina slowed to a walk, smiling triumphantly at her friends.
They did not celebrate their victory until they had gotten back to their room in the pub. Even then, they did so quietly. They did not want to attract the attention of Muggles.
Abbott swore loudly as the children slipped past the wall and out of his reach. He was so certain that he would have been able to catch them securely, with no one questioning him. Witches and wizards were staring at him as if he were a lunatic. He laughed nervously and turned, heading back the way he came. It wasn't until he was far away from Diagon Alley that he realized that he could have called for backup.
