Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of Harry Potter. I'm simply borrowing the characters and some of the plot for a little while.


Chapter 7

Maia purposefully ignored the tension in the room when she went up the stairs to join the three wizards. She had noted no pictures of Harry on the walls – though there were certainly many of his obese cousin – and his room was devoid of any personal touches that indicated he lived there for two months of the year. Lily had been so proud of her son and took pictures constantly in his first year, several of which were copied for Maia to keep in secret. Her chest clenched tightly to think of what might have been – what should have been – if only Harry had his parents. Grief threatened to overwhelm her once again, before she shoved it back down into the pressure cooker in her gut containing her more volatile emotions.

The click of Harry's school trunk brought Maia out of her reverie. Seeing that he had packed whatever he deemed his, she looked at him and asked, "All ready, then?"

At his weary nod, Maia whipped out her wand – the action, she noticed in her periphery, having caused a slight flinching from the twins – and shrank his luggage and Hedwig's empty cage. "Put those in your pocket then, Harry. It's time to go." Turning to the twins, she suggested, "It might be better for you to go home. I'm sure your absence has been noted by now."

"No can do, Granger –" said Fred. George quickly picked up his thought.

"– Malfoy. You pop in our room, unannounced –"

"– Which is quite rude, mind you. Who knows what state of dishabille we might have been in? If you really wanted to see us starkers –"

"– All you had to do was ask," George stated with a wink. "However, given tonight's unexpected revelations –"

"– We believe you owe us an explanation," Fred concluded firmly, his arms crossed over his chest to emphasize his statement. She admitted that if she hadn't known him better, this stance with his Beater's build could be viewed as slightly intimidating. "So, I believe we'll be joining you until we can get some answers."

Maia clenched her jaw briefly before letting out a huff of air in resignation. "Fine. Perhaps your presence, in addition to Harry's, will finally get things moving." Turning to Harry, she held out her hand and instructed, "Hold on tight, Harry. This will be a little uncomfortable."

He hesitated a moment before he clasped her hand in his own. Looking at her cautiously, Harry asked with a nod to the floor, "What about them?"

Interpreting that he was inquiring after their safety, even after the years of neglect and abuse – he really has so much of Lily in him, Maia thought wistfully – she stated, "They'll be safe so long as they take my advice. I've given them some small means to get out of the country. The rest is up to them."

With a nod of understanding, his jaw set, Harry tentatively held her hand and waited. She turned back to the waiting twins and said, "Apparate to the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron. I've a room there, and I'll need to pack." Once they silent gave their assent, Maia twisted her body and pulled Harry into Apparition.

The trip lasted less than a minute, but as a first-time traveler (especially of the side-along variety), Harry found the experience was stomach wrenching. It had been years since Maia had Apparated with any frequency, but it was very much like riding a broom; it wasn't something long forgotten. Unfortunately, Harry was quite unused to this form of travel and found himself losing what little sat in his stomach on the bricks behind the Leaky Cauldron. The twins showed up mid-wretch, and hastily stepped away to avoid the splatter. Maia placed kept a gentle hand on his shoulder to support him, should his equilibrium be suffering as well.

Notably paler but steady, Harry stood back to his full height and, while avoiding the eyes of the twins in embarrassment, nodded his head to have Maia lead the way.

"If you've got your cloak handy, I'd recommend putting it on," Maia instructed. "We'd like to avoid any unnecessary complications. I doubt it will be long before the Order shows up, as it is." She paused, before muttering with a frown. "That is, if Mundungus delivered my message…"

Harry looked at her curiously but pulled out his cloak as directed. "The Order?"

Maia shook her head as she turned and walked through the back entrance to the pub. "Not here."

The male trio followed behind her as she quickly made her through the dingy back hallway that led to the main room of the pub and up the main stairs. It took a moment for the few curious glances to register with her distracted mind, but when it did, she cursed internally. She had never reset her glamour; her hair color, alone, was not common outside of her notorious family and was bound to attract unwanted attention.

Her pace quickened, causing the boys to break into a light jog to keep up with her. She pulled out her wand and began casting unlocking charms for the minimal wards she was permitted to set by Tom as she approached the door before vanishing into the room. She held the door open, hastening them inside, before firmly shutting it again. Her blonde head fell forward with a loud thud as she closed her eyes in frustration. All her careful planning this week, and she threw it away in one night. Perhaps no one of note had noticed. "Idiot," she muttered. They would have to move more quickly than she had originally planned, then.

Her wand still pulled, she turned to cast Harry and the twins a slightly glance before saying, "I'm sorry, boys, but the explanation is going to have to wait until we're somewhere safer. This locale has been compromised."

"We didn't do anything!" Fred said defensively. George looked slightly mutinous, suspecting that she was trying to put them off. "What's the rush?"

Maia looked at him pointedly. "Surely you have noticed that my features are not exactly matching the Hermione Granger who would have checked into this room? In fact, they're rather distinctive in a way that connects me to a well-known magical family. For all of your jokes and pranks, I know you're smarter than that, Fred Weasley."

Harry had pulled off the silvery cloak and looked at her shrewdly. "Why is that, by the way? I've never known someone's features to change like that. It certainly wasn't Polyjuice."

Fred and George looked on the bespectacled boy with renewed interest. "Oh yes, the second year Polyjuice experiment. You have personal experience with that, too?"

"Who do you think I brewed it for?" Maia asked crossly. "It was hardly to try my hand at alternatives for human to animal transfiguration." She would never live that incident down. It was bad enough that Harry and Ron had seen it. Madam Pomfrey had been kind enough not to say anything; students got up to all sorts of mischief in a magical school. Professor Sna- oh no. Maia closed her eyes briefly in mortification. Merlin help her if Severus remembered to connect that incident with her…which he would, as the bloody bastard never forgot anything…

Opening her eyes again, determined to think later of what leverage she could use to entice Severus never to mention that debacle, she waved her wand and all her benign belongings began to shrink and fold themselves into an open trunk at the foot of her bed. "Now, what did I say about explanations? If you're going to stick around, make yourselves useful! See what you can do about packing up those potion ingredients. And be careful!"

While her three guests jumped to, Maia twirled her wand and cast her Patronus. The luminous panther from earlier in the night made its reappearance, its long tail twitching as it waited for her instructions. The twins, having already seen it once, paid it little mind as they continued packing. As far as they were concerned, all the intrigue was great fun, but they wanted answers; the sooner they were done, the better. Harry, however, had been too busy facing off with his own dementors earlier and could only now appreciate the powerful animal.

Maia looked at her Patronus and clearly instructed, "To whomever is currently present at Order headquarters: Harry is safe and is with me at the location discussed earlier this week. Tell Dumbledore to get his arse moving and come get us."

Harry could see the muscles in the cat's legs bunch as it launched itself through the wall to its unknown location. Maia turned and began the process of vanishing many of the unfinished potions brewing away on the room's wooden table with disgust. If he had any doubt left that this pale woman was Hermione, her utter abhorrence at all the potions work wasted with this hasty need to relocate negated it. A few were left untouched, suggesting to him that they were either safe for travel or were finished and just needed to be bottled.

As the foursome worked to pack up her remaining possessions, Harry asked, "What do we do now?"

Maia looked at him blankly and said, "We wait."


It was a good thing that the large Persian rug residing in the Black family library was already in poor condition – not that Sirius truly cared – for the pacing he had been doing for the last hour would surely leave permanent tracks in its faded design. He wished, not for the first time, that Mundungus Fletcher had not fled as soon as Dumbledore departed for the Ministry. He could do with someone to take his anger and anxiety out on.

The objective of the Order meeting that evening had been simple: inventory what would be needed in the long-neglected headquarters and inform approved members of its location. The Fidelius Charm was already in place, and now only knowledgeable members could enter the premises. Molly and Arthur Weasley had just been informed of their need to relocate to Grimmauld Place for the summer – much to Molly's distaste, if her expression was anything to go by – when Mundungus Apparated into the front parlor. He had stumbled drunkenly through the hall, waking the Godric-forsaken portrait of his dearly departed mother, before crashing into the kitchen where the meeting was being held.

His words were slurred and panicky as he gave his report. At first, none of the present members could understand what he was saying until one name – "'arry" – had been offered. Sirius had leapt to his feet, his hands fisting in the whiskey fragrant lapels of the shorter wizard's coat as he demanded to know what was wrong with Harry. What was the bloody fool doing here if Harry was in trouble?

Remus and Kingsley Shacklebolt had to physically remove Sirius from their unexpected guest. After a few deep breaths, his eyes looking nervously at an agitated Black, Mundungus had revealed that Harry and his cousin were being escorted by a forceful bird and twin gingers after claiming an attack by dementors. Molly had started then, knowing without a doubt that the "twin gingers" had to have been her own. The silent exchange between spouses saw Arthur staying at Headquarters to get more information and Molly Apparating home to check on her brood.

Dumbledore had stood at attention and called for silence, which was promptly given. He had dispatched Kingsley to the Ministry to find out what had happened, if they were aware of anything, and it wasn't but ten minutes later that he returned with the report that Harry had been expelled for the use of underage magic in the presence of a Muggle. Sirius wanted nothing more than to go to Harry but was reminded rather forcefully by Dumbledore of the consequences should he be seen. Sirius had shot him a murderous look before storming off to his current post in the library.

He sent off a short missive to Harry instructing him to stay with his aunt and uncle once Arthur came up to confirm that Dumbledore had gone to the Ministry to set things right; the former chose to follow the Headmaster to provide additional assistance, if needed. Since then, he had no further word on what action the Ministry was taking or if Harry was safe. Remus had come up to join him, though he suspected it was more to babysit; the wolf's presence did nothing to ease Sirius's increasing agitation. The book Remus held in his lap where he sat on the worn settee was more prop than distraction, if his fixed gaze was any indication. The tense set to his shoulders told Sirius that the wolf was just as worried as he.

Sirius looked to the open doorway once more, hearing nothing but silence echoing through the decrepit house, before letting out a huff of air. Clenching his fists, he began to stride purposefully for the door. "I'm going, Moony. Don't try to stop me."

Remus lifted his eyes from the unread pages in his lap, but otherwise remained seated. His voice was firm, a sign of just how tightly in control he was holding himself. "Just wait a few more minutes, Sirius. Dumbledore will send word soon. Harry will be fine…he is fine." The last statement almost sounded like he was trying to convince and reassure himself as much as Sirius.

Sirius threw his hands up before dragging them harshly through his shoulder-length, shaggy hair. "Dementors, Moony! What the bloody hell were dementors doing in Little Whinging?!"

Remus kept silent, knowing that Sirius knew the answer just as well as he did. If the dementors had left Azkaban, they must have been doing so under the orders of one man. "He knows how to cast a Patronus, Pads. I taught him; he saved you with it just a year ago. Mundungus said he saw Harry after the fact, so you know he wasn't hurt."

"That isn't the point," Sirius barked, pointing his finger at Remus. "If they can get to him there, he isn't safe. He has no protection living with those people…"

"We have people rotating through to keep an eye on him –"

"Fat lot of good that did tonight, eh, Remus?" Sirius felt his ire rising again at the knowledge that Mundungus had left his post, and Harry was forced to defend himself. He walked a short distance and fell back into a dusty armchair by the dead fireplace, his head collapsing in his hands. "I might as well be in Azkaban again for all the protection I'm giving him."

"Don't say that," Remus reprimanded sharply. "Even if you can't help him now, he'll need your support later. The –"

Remus was interrupted as the room was lit up by the arrival of Patronus in the form of a shining panther. He had not seen that form in many years. It was always a harbinger that things were going to shite for the Order during the First War, and its presence now sent a chill up Remus's spine. Before either man could say another word, a familiar female voice came from the beast.

"To whomever is currently present at Order headquarters: Harry is safe and is with me at the location discussed earlier this week. Tell Dumbledore to get his arse moving and come get us." The Patronus faded at the completion of its message.

"Moony, who did that sound like to you?" Sirius asked. Surely, he must have mistaken the voice delivering that specially worded message. He didn't know that the straight-laced witch had it in her to show such disrespect to the Headmaster.

Remus, knowing where Sirius's thought had gone, was less concerned about the words used and more concerned about the Patronus itself. When did Hermione learn to cast a Patronus, and why did it take that specific form? As he contemplated, he absently answered, "Hermione Granger."

"You think she was the 'forceful bird' that Dung mentioned?" His few encounters with the bushy-haired witch and Harry's own descriptions of her contributions to his education – formal and otherwise – certainly fit the description.

"What was she doing with the Weasley twins? Molly hadn't mentioned that she was staying with them." For all that he was asking the wrong questions, this interruption was a welcome distraction from his worrying.

Remus ignored the questions and rose to his feet. "I'm going to the Ministry to see if Dumbledore is still there. If Harry and Hermione are together, we need to get them to safety tonight." Sirius was immediately halted as he, too, shot to his feet. "Stay here, Sirius. Don't give us one more person we have to rescue."

Sirius tensed, his face shutting down, all emotion going behind a blank mask at the insinuation that he would be nothing more than a burden and a liability. On the inside, his stomach churned in a mass of rage and self-recrimination for his inability to assist where he was needed. Giving nothing more than a cool nod, his grey eyes flat, he acquiesced, "As you wish."

Left alone in the dreary prison of his childhood home, the shadows creeping in to remind him of his incompetence in protecting those he loved, Sirius grabbed the unopened bottle of firewhisky shelved on the fireplace mantel and proceeded to get gloriously drunk.