I went to my designated sleeping space and grabbed the blade off my bed. My shadow felt heavy and I spun around slowly to see I was, indeed, being followed.
"I'll have you know the last boy I found following me had my blade at his throat for a solid fifteen minutes." I informed Albus who has leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed his chest. I wanted nothing more than to smack that icy stare off his face. Not quite as hateful as before but definitely still condescending.
"Well he's always been the slowest of us. Never seeker or keeper material. More like a beater. All force, no speed," Albus said thoughtfully.
"No stealth either. Definitely not a chaser." I added amused despite my annoyance. Albus was weird, simply put. Hot and cold. Relaxed and tensed. Friendly and hostile.
"Well, I'm here because I highly doubt anyone would feel comfortable with you skulking around unsupervised. Particularly with that thing." He acknowledged my blade.
"They knew I was going to go get it!" I protested. He shrugged noncommittally causing my eye to twitch. What was it that Theo was always saying about anger management? Don't punch it out, breathe it out. Fine, Theo. Fine. HEE-HOO. I inhaled and exhaled deeply.
Harry, Theo, and Lily were waiting by the tent entrance for the pair of us. Ginny and James had disappeared off somewhere and the idea of it made me incredibly nervous. I gripped my blade handle even tighter. It was suspicious that at a time like this, at my rather chaotic arrival, they'd split up. If they were smart, and I believed them to be, they wouldn't take their eyes off me.
"If you have any knives or shears I can teach you how to set a trap. It's pretty straightforward." I suggested, trying to seem chipper instead of suspicious.
The possible enemy can never know that you know they are the possible enemy. It's not asinine, it's survival 101. Take my class.
Theo held up a couple of dull kitchen knives and winked at me. It wasn't the cool wink you'd expect from someone named Theo. It was the mortifyingly exaggerated wink you'd expect from someone named Theodore while he spilled a slushy down his shirt at a professional quidditch game (which I've seen him do twice).
"Fine, know it all!" I teased him.
We stepped just outside of the shimmering veil of protective spellwork and I dug a fox sized hole into the moist soil. I wasn't sure when it had rained but it must have been recent. Maybe during lunch. A few hours in safety and I was already losing the basic instincts I had spent months developing.
"So, once you have the hole dug, you want to place these sharpened spears for the fox to fall on. These sticks here seem like they'll be pretty good for this." I instructed, passing out a stick for each of them that was scattered on the ground.
Everyone except Lily pulled out a kitchen knife and sharpened their stick as I demonstrated sharpening it into a point. Lily watched with a torn expression.
"Trust me, I know. My parents are vegetarians." I told her, straining to sound sympathetic. I really wasn't. Now isn't the time to worry about the damn fluffy bunnies or adorable foxes. Now is the time to keep your caloric intake high enough to not be a burden.
"The sharper the stick the faster the kill. You don't want to make anything suffer." Theo told her gently. I bit back the urge to roll my eyes at the softness of his tone. All mushy and awful. It wasn't jealousy that he didn't use that tone with me or anything like that. Although, he didn't. I was the one that always had to soften the blows for him. Albus maintained a look of utmost determination while sharpening his stick. It was a primal stare that I was sure had been plastered on my own face when we were in a worse state of hunger. At least he could recognize the importance of what this whole thing was about.
"Now that it's nice and sharp, push it in the ground about this deep." I demonstrated, jabbing the stick pointy end up into the soil. The slightly moist ground made the sticks go in with ease. I patted the soil around each of the sticks so it was compact and less likely to fall over.
"I can't believe I didn't think of this before." Harry groaned. I hopped up, dusting my dirt caked hands onto my dirt caked jeans. The others followed suit. Theo fell into step beside Lily and Harry. I noticed that he was swinging his hands by his side. He didn't typically do that. I wrinkled my nose at the oddity. He's been acting weird since we arrived here.
"Maybe dad won't kill you lot after all." Albus interrupted my observations. I glanced at Harry who was laughing at something Theo said. Lily was giggling. The back of her hand brushed Theo's. I could see the back of his ears tinge pink.
Oh, Merlin's sweet beard! Theo had a crush! I wanted to both confront him and squeal for him. Of all the damn times to think about romance rubbish!
"Your dad wouldn't have a chance in hell." I muttered.
When we filed into the tent, everyone fell silent. The radio was rattling off wizarding news. Messages that people could get in for the family members that were missing, a list of those dead, a list of places that had been targeted, what the goblin-run Ministry was like at the moment. It was exactly like dinner time at our old camp before it was overrun. The sound of the radio set my teeth on edge.
Theo and I settled into a burgundy loveseat that smelled faintly of pipe tobacco. He leaned forward, ears perked for any news at all. I rested my head on his shoulder. It felt bonier than it had a few months back. He smelled like dirt and exhaustion. He wrapped his arm around my own shoulder absentmindedly.
"Have either of you heard from your family?" Harry asked noticing Theo's demeanor stiffen as they began to read the messages for lost families.
"I heard from mine before communication went down and the owls were being intercepted." I informed him. I said nothing about Theo's parents.
They had been visiting the Americas when it happened. He managed to send a warning letter to his parents telling them not to come back. He and Nora would meet them in Salem by next month. The days were ticking by and next month wasn't likely to happen. We aren't even sure if they got the letter, but if they did and their kids didn't show up they'd no doubt come looking. They'd no doubt be killed.
"I'm sure they're fine," Ginny suddenly said in a motherly, reassuring tone. I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. We had to make it out of here.
"You said you only needed shelter for a few days. Where are you going?" Harry asked.
"Greenland. The Ministry of Magic there will be able to contact Riya's dad and get us to Goa." Theo answered. Part of me wanted to scream at Theo. Maybe we don't tell people information that could be used against us if captured.
"Goa?" James asked as if he could scan a mental map. Most people outside of India didn't bother to learn the regions, even tourist hotspots.
"It's the island in India my parents are from. My father maintains the seat on Rajya Sabha (Council of the States) within the Ministry of Magic there. Mother always said that he only joined politics to ensure the Indian Institute of Oceanography had plenty of funding. Besides being a doting husband and father, he's first and foremost a scientist." I explained and then decided that I should scream at myself too. I just blurbed way too much information.
"Isn't that what you want to do as well? I think I remember Hagrid mentioning you were going to study magical animals there." Albus asked. I was beyond surprised. My mouth hung open, a gaping mass of stupidity.
"That's been her dream since she was six!" Theo answered for me, giving me a strange look. I managed to nod.
"What's your dad's name? I feel like I've met him before." Harry asked.
"Mohan Gosavi." I told him reluctantly. We were in too deep.
"Did he ever work in Britain by any chance?" Harry asked thoughtfully, rubbing the stubble on his chin absentmindedly.
"From when I was ten until last year he commuted between Goa and London. He figured that I had already done O.W.L.s and had N.E.W.T.s coming up this year so he didn't force me to transfer schools when they moved back permanently."
"Gosavi. I remember him. Quiet man. Didn't he find Nessie and take her back to Loch Ness when she escaped? She found her way into the Thames if I remember right." Harry squinted.
"One of his proudest moments!" I confirmed feeling a little pang of homesickness. Dad and his blaring cricket games would sound so much better than the rattling of death lists.
"How was it that she ended up there anyway?" Ginny asked.
"He thinks kelpie poachers got her by accident. Naturally she put up quite the fight."
Almost everyone laughed except Theo who was listening keenly to the radio. I paused to listen. They were listing reports of the Ministry. I wound my hand into his. It was clammy again. I refrained from my mental disgust rant and I squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"They've taken someone of yours?" James asked in a sensitive tone. One I wouldn't normally attribute to boisterous Gryffindors.
Theo nodded absently, a shade of ghostly pale. "Nora, my sister."
"How old was she?" Lily asked in a quiet voice.
"Eleven." Theo answered blankly. He wasn't here. He wasn't with us. He was in the horrors of his mind now. He was imagining the worst.
Ginny gasped audibly.
"We'll get her back, Theo." I murmured. I didn't know if I believed it and he knew it.
"I think I'm going to turn in early," Theo said, standing up suddenly. "It's been months since the last time I slept in a bed."
It was true. We'd been sleeping in caverns and trees and muggle tents without sleeping bags since dung bombs hit the stove. The camp we had before only had a couple of cots. Most of us slept on the ground with blankets and towels.
Theo didn't make eye contact with me as everyone bid him good night. I'd talk to him when he had a chance to calm himself. Any sooner and he'd just shut down completely.
"The shower is right off the bedroom." Ginny called to him in a soothing tone. I briefly wondered if I'd even recognize him once he showered.
With the ever popular Theo gone, the atmosphere seemed to shift. He stole away any semblance of cheer the room had.
"So, Riya, are your parents Hindu?" James asked politely, trying to regain the atmosphere. In the distance I could hear the sound of running water and hoped that Theo didn't try to drown himself in the shower. Then I felt a longing for a shower. When was the last time I'd bathed somewhere other than wading through a stream?
"My father is. My mother is Catholic. Goa was a Portuguese territory for a bit until we regained independence. The Portuguese brought along Catholicism with them so you'll find a pretty good mix of religions there." I answered. It was nice to be able to talk about my family and my home. Theo already knew everything.
"Wow! So which do you follow?" Lily asked curiously.
I shrugged. "I suppose I see merits in both." I didn't want to admit that I've been asking myself the same question for ten years now. My parents were remarkably understanding, encouraging me to explore both religions, as well as other ones. My grandparents...well they were less than understanding. Let's just say that each set of grandparents believe my beliefs match their own.
Lily offered me an armful of books. "We usually spend evenings reading or playing chess." She explained as she encouraged me to select a book. I finally picked Homer's The Iliad. I'd read it a few times before under the encouragement of my summer tutor, but once more couldn't hurt.
A hush settled over the room as everyone opened their books. Harry was reading something that looked remarkably like a young adult novel. Ginny had a worn looking book about quidditch cracked open. James had a very thick book open, but if you looked closely you could see vibrant reds and yellows of what appeared to be a comic book sticking out the bottom. Albus was browsing through Most Macabre Monstrosities. My eyes darted down to my own book, worn and creased from many readers before me. I opened up the first page and stared at the mess of words swirling about. It was hard to think straight knowing Theo was so upset. It was hard to utilize leisure time when only yesterday that would be precious hunting or resting time.
"So, did you two know each other at Hogwarts?" Ginny asked, looking up from her book. I suppose I wasn't the only one not in the mood for family fun night. She looked expectantly from me to Albus.
"We shared a common room, but I don't think we ever exchanged any words." I answered.
"Sure we did." Albus disagreed.
"When?" I asked in surprise.
"I was fifth year, you were third. We played an entire game of wizard's chess. If I remember correctly, you won. You chanted something along the lines of 'in your face, you blast ended skrewt.'" Albus recounted. I cringed. I remembered. I just didn't remember that being him.
"Oh wow. I forgot about that." I replied with a blush creeping across my cheeks.
Albus shrugged. "I'm also pretty sure you crashed my birthday party my seventh year. If I remember correctly, you had to hex Michael Abrams and it couldn't wait until morning." I cringed again.
"He deserved it! He slipped me a love potion and I had to stay in the hospital wing for three hours!" I hissed. I wasn't ashamed of that one in the slightest.
"What about the time–" Albus began and I cut him off immediately.
"Enough about me. We could just talk about you instead. Is it true that in your sixth year on the night before we went home for winter holidays–" I started to ask about a particularly nasty rumor I had heard.
"Enough about us. My book is just getting to the good part." Albus interrupted. He pulled his book up so close to his face that his nose nearly touched the pages. I stifled a giggle.
Harry yawned and stretched, showing his pudgy belly to the world. They all seemed lethargic, but I was antsy. My whole body was humming with nervous energy. I should be doing something, anything. I can't just sit here and read.
"I'm going to go build some traps." I informed the party, hopping up from my spot. I grabbed my machete sitting on the seat beside me and practically sprinted out the tent. I began picking up and inspecting sticks of various sizes to make traps for different sized animals. With thirty or so sticks in hand, I sat on the ground, going to work sharpening each of them.
Part of me expected one of the Potters to come babysit me. Make sure I didn't murder anyone or bring any goblins around. I was surprised that even long after the sun did set and all of my sticks were sharpened to needle points that no one came out. I was relieved though. I could whittle away with my far too large blade and feel like I was doing something useful.
"I bet it would be easier with a pocket knife." James tossed a fluorescent green pocket knife at me.
"I don't think you're meant to throw knives." I joked. He sat beside me.
"You're forgiven for trying to kill me. Now we're even." He informed me. I laughed louder.
"Oh, thank you. I was very worried about it!" I teased. I was actually a bit worried about it. The entire family seemed to be having mood swings.
"You should have been worried! I could have killed you, y'know! That little corkscrew could have popped out and pierced your heart!" He clutched his own heart dramatically.
"How dare you try to assassinate me?" I cried out. He laughed.
"I guess it must have been pretty bad out there." James stared off into the darkening woods. The longer I stared, the more I thought I could see a small figure bobbing around. The thing about fear is that it plays tricks on your mind. The more you fear them the more goblins you'll imagine.
I nodded.
"You should get some rest. Your friend is sound asleep in his bunk." James told me. I snorted. Theo must have been as exhausted as he looked. We'd both seen better days.
"What's the bathing situation?" I asked looking down at the dirt caked on my skin and clothes.
"The shower is right off our room. Pull the lever straight up." James pulled me to my feet. He guided me toward the room with the beds we were meant to sleep in. On the top bunk of one was Theo, sound asleep, drool dripping down his chin. I smiled. He must feel safe here to be able to sleep that heavily.
The shower felt amazing on my aching muscles. After an eternity of scrubbing, the water swirling around my feet finally was acceptably clear. I wondered where the water came from and how it was so warm. I'd have to ask Lily later. She offered me her clothes while mine were being laundered in a wash basin. She said even after my two outfits total were clean I could keep borrowing her clothes. I didn't think I wanted to though. I didn't want to owe these people anymore than I already did.