Sorry about the delay. I post this story on as well, and they keep rejecting chapter 3 for too many spaces between paragraphs. I have submitted that chapter 3 times now. But I wanted to get this one done. This went in a different direction than I had intended it to. When I right, I have an idea of where I want the chapter to go, then I write it out. Then I change it when I type it up. So, I apologize now if you think it can be scattered, I try to catch it. I also have issues where I think it in my head and think that I am conveying it in writing but I don't. Sorry about that. By the way, the vague scene at the end is intentional. All will be explained. But I had to start getting Draco and Narcissa in. Oh and if I really owned Harry would I be torturing my self by taking a summer course on interviewing. PS, that is another reason that this chapter was delayed. Please review. I may be too busy to respond personally but I will try add something at the beginning of the next chapter.
Chapter 4
Hideouts
The sextet finally found themselves in front of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. With a collective sigh of relief they entered the dark house and made their way to the living room, where Harry and Ginny started a fire in the fireplace.
Ron and Neville volunteered to go out and pick up some groceries. When they got back with enough food to last a couple of days, the six friends sat at the table in the dining room, and even though exhaustion was setting in, they were starving, and tonight, no one was going to go to bed hungry. After everyone had been fed, Hermione suggested that since they were going to stay for at least a few days, they should divide up chores. Once done, Hermione and Ron, who both volunteered to do the dishes, went to the kitchen, and the other four headed off to bed.
The next morning after breakfast Harry and Ron, with the help of the invisibility cloak, went off to find a copy of the daily prophet. Since they were in London, they decided to head for Diagon Alley first. When they reached the Leaky Cauldron, Harry and Ron slipped into the bar behind an old wizard. They moved closer to the bar when they saw Tom, the old barkeeper, come out from a back room and greet the old wizard.
"Dooley! It's been months, what brings you in today?"
"I am meeting an auror here today. She wants to talk about Madame Bones. Knows that I worked for her for years, it's so sad," Replied Dooley McMaster.
"I know I cannot believe the deatheaters got her and Doris Crockford too."
"I here tell it was that Malfoy woman and her horrible son that did it."
"So who is the auror that your meeting?" Just as he finished asking the question the door open and in came a pretty young witch with pink hair and a heart shaped face. Ron and Harry held their breath for fear that she would discover that they were there. The woman took off her cloak and joined the two men at the bar. Tonks and Dooley ordered their drinks and took a table in the corner. Harry and Ron moved closer to their table to listen in. After about a half an hour, Tonks stood up, shook Dooley's hand, and turned to leave. As she passed the spot where Harry and Ron stood she stooped to tie her shoe, and whispered to them, "Can we talk somewhere?"
Ron whispered back, "Meet us at Harry's house." Deciding that they could chance apparating, Harry and Ron returned home to tell everyone what they had overheard and that Tonks was coming to visit.
Harry and Ron were barely back ten minutes when Tonks came through the door.
"Wotcher guys, I hope you don't mind I just let myself, I didn't want to risk waking my lovely aunt." Harry, Ron, and Ginny cringed remembering all times that they had had to endure Mrs. Black's portraits foul tirades. Since there was no way to remove the portrait Harry had confronted the portrait, telling her that he now owned the house and if she didn't shut up and stay quiet he was going to have an artist come in an touch up her picture, specifically that he would have her mouth removed. Tonks laughed when they recounted this to her, stating how much Sirius would have loved hearing that.
The sextet told Tonks about hiking from Scotland to London, and that they were on a temporary break to figure out what their next step was going to be.
"What is your next step? What are you guys up to?" she inquired.
"We can't tell you," replied Harry, "Dumbledore was very clear about this, and I have already stretched it by tell Neville, Ginny, and Luna. I'm sorry, but I cannot tell anyone else."
"That's ok. I didn't really expect you to, but you can blame a girl for trying."
"Well, there is something that you can tell us, how is our family?" Ron asked.
"Everyone is just fine. So are the Longbottoms and you father, Luna. But I must say, it took awhile to calm Molly down. She was ready to start a search party for you guys. We finally convinced her that it was pointless as we didn't know where you were headed and if any word came through the auror office about you guys, I would pass it along."
"So, how are you and Remus?," asked Hermione.
"Oh my God, I cannot believe I didn't tell you—I'm pregnant!!"
After a round of congratulations, the seven friends sat down and talked for a few more hours about things that had been going on in the wizarding world while the sextet had been missing. Finally, Tonks excused herself saying that she was meeting Remus before going to have dinner with Molly and Arthur.
Once she was gone Ginny and Luna went to the kitchen to start dinner while the rest of the group sat at the table and discussed everything that Tonks had conveyed to them, especially the deaths. It turns out that Madame Bones and Doris Crockford were not the only people that had been killed by the deatheaters. Among the most notable of the names were Mr. Olivander and Cornelius Fudge.
After dinner the group went to explore the house. They had gotten in so late the night before they all crashed in the living room. Today they were going to scout out the house and claim bedrooms. They started on the top floor where the first room was Sirius' Harry claimed that room. Neville took the room next to Harry's and Hermione took the room directly across from there and Ron took the room next to her.
Then they went down to the next floor and stepped up to the door next to the room that Hermione had chosen and found it locked. "Alohomora!" said Neville and the door flew open. The sextet walked in and looked around. It reminded Harry and Ron of the time that the visited the Slytherin common room in their second year. They started looking through the room and stopped only when Hermione screamed holding up a piece of stationary. The other five crowded around her and read the initials on the top of the paper, RAB. Comprehension dawning on everyone they ransacked the room for over an hour searching for the locket to avail. Both Ginny and Luna took rooms on the other side of the hall as neither could stand to stay in what Ginny called a "Shrine to Slytherin."
They decided that they should try to get some sleep and search the entire house after breakfast the next morning. They went to bed disappointed that even though they had discovered who RAB was they still had no idea where the locket was. But still, they were one step closer than before.
Meanwhile, in a little cabin in the woods.
"You guys are well aware of the job that the Dark Lord gave us, has anyone managed to track her down." Narcissa and Draco Malfoy sat around a table filled with deatheaters.
"We saw her in London, around the Black family home."
"Good, who was with her?"
"Harry Potter was with her, along with the Granger girl, Longbottom, Lovegood, and the other Weasley."
"Good, let's keep
an eye on them. I want all six of them tracked. They do not get out
of your sight. I do not need to remind you the dangers we face if we
fail and the Dark Lord finds out what we've done." And with that
Narcissa and Draco stood up and left the cabin.
"Is Aunt Bella
still on you?"
"Yes. But I keep reminding her of her failure to protect Lucius, as family she should have stayed and fought to free him not save her skin."
But that is pure Aunt Bella, she will always think of only herself. With that they apparated home.