DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER.


Chapter Eight

Confundus

To cause a person or animated object to become highly confused


Knockturn Alley

Darkness enveloped Hermione suddenly, making her squeak in fright. Logic battled fear, however. She was crouched down in a narrow space, feeling the rough sides of stone walls around her. She started to crawl forwards, her fingers scoping around the ground in front of her. "Relax," she muttered to herself. "You've been in worse places."

Suddenly, her hand gave way in front of her. Taken by surprise, she could only cry out as she fell forwards. It was not a long fall – almost as though she fell off her bed.

Hermione looked around. She had fallen from an opening in the crumbling wall behind her. "'Oo are ye?" a gravelly voice sneered from her left.

Hermione jumped, and turned around. A misshapen figure toddled forward from a tunnel. "Who are you?" she called out, putting confidence she did not have in her voice.

A face of wrinkles peeked from under the hood, making Hermione shudder in horrid. It was impossible to tell whether the person was male or female. It made a low grunt. Hermione's hand quickly slipped down her pocket as she backed away quickly.

"Get away," Hermione cried. She turned around and ran. It was like a maze, with shops hidden in the crooks. She knew she was attracting attention with her pink sweater. She stopped in her tracks suddenly, at a signpost. "Knockturn Alley."

Hermione put her hand to sweep away her hair from her face, as if she could not believe her eyes. It occurred to her that it was the first time she was lost in the wizarding world. She usually had her parents or the Weasleys with her. She remembered Harry getting lost in Knockturn Alley before, except he was fortunate enough to have met Hagrid and escape with just broken glasses. He had hardly seemed afraid of being lost in the wizarding world, just preoccupied with suspicions about the Malfoy.

"Relax," she told herself calmly. "Find someone." Professor McGonagall. Professor Dumbledore. As she walked deeper into the alleys, keeping close to the walls, she even considered going to muggle London and taking a cab home.

It felt like hours, but it could have been merely minutes. Her fingertips were trailing the filthy wall. For the tenth time, her right hand caved into nothingness and she stumbled to keep her balance. There was a light at the end of the narrow tunnel. She looked briefly over her shoulder. There was nothing to do but carry on.

A familiar word pricked her ears. "Weasley's been captured," growled a man in low tones.

There was a sharp intake of breath. Hermione felt slightly relieved – her gasp would otherwise have given her away. "How do you know this? He was raiding the blood traitor's house."

"The Dark Lord has just dismissed us, Borgin," said the first man irritably. "Malfoy was practically grovelling for time to find his son."

"What did the Dark Lord want?" Borgin asked hungrily.

"You know I can't tell you everything!"

There was a pregnant pause. "I expected more from you, Nott," said Borgin stiffly. "Haven't you used my shop as a neutral meeting place for your… customers? Most of them aren't even human-"

"Are you blackmailing me?" Nott said angrily. "Look, I only told you about Weasley to appease you about my disappearance for my appointment!"

"-it took a long time to get that part-troll out of my shop," Borgin said, his voice a few decibals higher. Nott whipped out his wand threateningly. Borgin raised his eyebrows.

"Shut up!" spat Nott. He gave an angry scowl and lowered his voice to a whisper. "It was about the Dark Lord's plans for the werewolf's capture to destroy the Order. He has learnt that Dumbledore has made further fortifications in Hogwarts from Severus. It's almost impossible now to snatch him away from the Whopping Willow. But Lestrange is still going ahead." Silence fell again, before he murmured heavily, "He was not pleased to learn of Malfoy's failure to capture the blood traitor family either."

It took conscious effort on Hermione's part to realise that she was eavesdropping unwittingly. Werewolves, blood traitors and the Dark Lord! She straightened up, fully intending to run as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

Then, a calloused man's hand from the back grabbed her shoulder suddenly. Hermione screamed. Nott and Borgin looked up sharply. "Granger? Didn't he get rid of you?" a third man said in disbelief. Then, the grip grew tighter. "Whoever you are, you're coming with me quietly."

"No!" Hermione kicked for all she was worth. She felt a hand go into her back pocket, and her wand being taken.

A rush of red light hit her.


12 Grimmauld Place

"Checkmate," Ron said, in a self-satisfied way. He and Harry watched the white king get clobbered. "Another game?"

"That's the twelfth time we've played chess this morning, Ron," Harry shook his head.

"It's not as if they are letting us to go anywhere," shrugged Ron. He jerked his head to the door. It was probably nearing afternoon, but an Order member had yet to let them out of their sight. They were appreciative of Molly's breakfast, during her assigned one hour watch, and certainly had fun with Charlie's dragon report. Still, most of the Order had their day jobs to occupy themselves with. Since Charlie, none of the Order had any inclination to mingle with the two boys.

"Do you want some tea?" a woman called from outside the room. The door opened.

"Thanks," Harry said automatically, and looked up from the chess board.

Lily stood with her back against the door, to prevent it from closing. "Here you are." She put it down on the high-top table near the door. Then she looked critically at them. It was really difficult to believe that these boys were anything but normal schoolchildren. "What are you doing?"

Harry gestured towards the broken chess pieces, crawling towards each other and placing themselves in proper shape by self-replacing glue.

"Ah, I see. Who won?"

"Ron." "I did." The simultaneous answers came without any hesitation or surprise. They seemed used to it, as if they had played chess together countless of times before.

"That can't be right," Lily thought. "They've only just met each other."

Harry was looking at her curiously. It was then she realised she had been speaking out loud. "Sorry, I'm used to talking to myself at work," Lily offered a reason. "It's useful, really, keeps your thoughts in check."

Ron blew on his drink. "That sounds like Hermione," he compared absent-mindedly.

Lily almost gasped at the casual throw of Granger's name but Harry shocked her with his casual follow-up. "Well, you can't blame her."

"We can hardly understand what she's saying half the time!"

"Maybe that's why she talks to herself instead."

Lily sat down at the nearest chair, wondering at the mindless chatter. She recognised it – it was like how James, Remus and Sirius would talk amongst one another.

Ron's face suddenly grew solemn. "I wonder what happened to Hermione," he said once more. He still sounded as though he did not believe it.

Harry sat back down at his place at the chessboard. "I don't get it," he brought up, "Why would any Ron want to try and kill Hermione?"

"James told me about how he met you," Lily said kindly, looking at Harry. "I suppose if your view of Ron Weasley is different from ours, his actions are bound to differ. I'm sorry you have found that your friend is not here though." Not to mention you're not supposed to be alive.

And just thinking about her 'son' gave her a phantom stab of pain. That pain she thought had dulled over the years. Looking into Harry's face though – its identical features to James! – brought the vividness of the pain back. Yesterday's grief was still fresh in her mind. She was also worried about the welfare of the poor boys in front of her. For the time being, nobody knew what to do with them. They were nobody's problems, so they were not on top of anyone's priorities.

"Are you alright, Mrs. Potter?" Ron asked, recognising the troubled face of a parent. Goodness knows his parents gave him enough of those same looks after the Philosopher's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets incidents. He glanced at Harry, surprised that he was the one displaying concern. It shocked the thirteen-year-old more that Harry was looking at Lily curiously, not recognising the obvious emotions playing on her face directed solely at him.

"I'm fine, thank you… Ron," said Lily. She stood up. "I ought to be going to the Ministry. Marlene will take over my shift. Do you need anything?"

They looked at Lily with expressions that promised boredom in the near future.

As a person who believed in efficiency, Lily suggested the first idea that came to her mind. "Why don't you try to find something about yourselves, since you are curious?"

"How?"

"The library is always a good place to start."

At her words, Harry and Ron exchanged another glance, although this time it seemed as though they were trying to hide smiles. She continued, "There's one on the second floor. I don't see any harm in letting you boys stay up there – just keep away from the books and stick to the newspaper clippings. Sirius hoards them because he's too lazy to throw them away." Lily rolled her eyes.

"Looks like you're famous here too, mate."

Harry hoped that the faint disappointment behind Ron's words was his imagination. Lily was looking down impatiently at her watch, but at his words, she pushed her red hair from her face in surprise. "Harry? There's nothing about- about Harry in the newspapers."

She lowered her eyes quickly as she said her son's name but neither boy noticed. "Then who are we looking for?" Ron asked. His eyes widened. "Me?"

To Harry, it was like going back to pre-Hogwarts times, when he was not gawked at every action he made. He was anonymous in this place. Granted, he was technically dead. Still, it was a refreshing change.

Barely twenty minutes later, he changed his mind.


Black Library (Up the stairs, one door to the left)

"Weasley son goes missing," Harry said, pulling out a yellowed sheet from a box. He and Ron were sitting in the middle of a dark room, its four walls lined with bookcases and stacks of boxes around the two lone plush chairs facing the fire place. Marlene had lit the fire for them, and then disappeared.

"Let me see that." Ron squinted in the dim red glow provided by the flickering fire. "They spelled my name wrongly."

Harry chose not to comment on the 'Weasel' spelling, and instead buried his arms in another box. "This is more recent. The pages are not so yellow."

Ron, however, went still. He gathered the papers in his arms and read the headlines in succession. "Weasley spotted at Death Eater gathering. Weasley confirmed living with prestigious Malfoy family. Hogwarts student killed by Death Eater classmate."

"There are so many articles, Harry," he said, in a sickened voice.

"It's not you, Ron," Harry said firmly. "This is another person. It's got to be." He took the paper Ron was holding. It slipped from his hands as easily as water. "It can't be that bad."

"Top student of her year, Hermione Granger, 12, is now confirmed dead. She was kidnapped three days ago by Death Eaters, after reportedly being lured by ex-classmate Ron Weasley at Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters. Weasley was not available for comment.

Her body was found dumped outside her Muggle parents' house. Her parents believed that she was in Hogwarts at that time, after a letter was delivered by owl informing of her stay in the school over the Christmas break. The letter has been revealed as a crude imitation of her handwriting. Hogwarts authorities did not know of her disappearance. At time of the news, Hogwarts staff was seen to be shocked. Deputy Headmistress Professor Minerva McGonagall has commented as the head of Granger's house, "We take the safety of our students seriously. This is a terrible ordeal, and we will ensure it will not happen again. Miss Granger will be sorely missed."

A note was left next to the mutilated body, signed with initials R.W. Auror Department will not disclose the contents of the letter until further investigation. Weasley's family has declined to comment."

Harry's voice died to a whisper. Ron's shoulders were sagged, but he looked up instinctively when something flew by his left arm. A crumpled ball of paper burned in the fire.

"What d'you that for?"

"It's not important."

"Of course it is, it just told us about Hermione!" How I killed her.

"It's not you," Harry repeated. "I don't think we're in the same place as before, Ron. Wherever we are, we've got to find Hermione." The two of them were here. They were missing one more.

Ron looked slightly less green. "How? We've got guards everywhere."

There was silence. Then, "My dad is here. Maybe it's time to inherit that cloak again."


Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom

Remus Lupin woke up to the sound of persistent thuds. It was the early hours of the morning, and the full moon had passed. He had never managed to return home the night before as he had told James. The aches in his body had made it too painful for him to move. He had taken the Wolfsbane Potion, and curled up in his office in Hogwarts. The Defence against the Dark Arts teacher made a mental note to tell Severus to cover for his lessons again that morning. He grimaced. Snape was not going to like being told he was going to do extra work.

There was a hammering on his door. "Open up, Remus!"

Remus flattened his mousy brown hair as best as he could so he did not look like he just rose from bed. He wretched open the door. His sleepy features immediately rearranged into annoyance. "Padfoot, don't you have a job?" he asked, prepared to close the door again.

Sirius stuck his arm between the door and the frame. "Harry's alive!"

"You're delusional. Go away, I need my sleep."

"You're not listening to me, Moony! This is a Code Flobberworms!" Remus stilled, and his eyes went wide. "I would have gone to you last night if you didn't spread false messages about your whereabouts at night." Code Flobberworms was the Marauder's expression for a dire situation. It was concocted in the boys' second year, when they dumped innocent themed Flobberworms into everyone's foods on Halloween. Each Flobberworm was painted to look like candy canes. It took a great deal of precision since the House Elves were protective about their food. Half the student population threw up upon learning their candy moved, especially after overeating in the feast. Professor McGonagall's yells were legendary, and the code name stuck since.

Sirius edged his way into the room, and sank into one of the chairs. He turned to his right, looking at the tank with the Grindylow. Without preamble, he burst out, "Yesterday James and Lily were attacked twice. The first intruder was a boy who thinks he's Harry Potter. Then Malfoy and dear cousin Bella came along."

Remus still looked at him in shock at first. Then his face started closing up into a grim look. "Are they okay? How do we know he's telling the truth?"

Sirius waved his hand impatiently, eventhough he had been worried sick at the time itself. "They're fine, yes. More importantly, what do we do with the boy named Harry? He looks exactly like James, Moony! Except his eyes, they-"

"-they were Lily's eyes," Remus murmured softly. They knew, they had crooned over and cuddled the baby boy enough times. "It's not possible for Polyjuice to last more than two hours. There aren't so many glamour spells or potions as good as Polyjuice either. They usually end up as poor imitations."

"Thank you, Professor Lupin," said Sirius grumpily. "I don't know what to think." His voice lowered to a grave whisper. He kept his gaze focused on the Grindylow, floating peacefully in the murky water. "James acts like he doesn't care, but I know the similarities are going to hit him hard soon. Lily- Lily looks sad. She believes it's him."

Remus sat down slowly in the seat next to Sirius. "What do you think, Padfoot?" he asked gently. There was a long silence.

"I want my godson. If he's real, and somehow something made him appear, I'd be grateful just to spend a moment with him." He looked up, levelling his eyes to Remus's calm face. "If I find out someone is playing with us, I'm going to kill that bastard."

"How are you going to find out whether he's real?" Remus wondered himself. He looked carefully at his friend, without making it obvious he was examining him. Sirius was paler, with dark shadows under his eyes indicating poor sleep the previous few nights. That was to be expected; the Aurors were on alert with Voldemort's plans unravelling within the next few days according to insider information. Dumbledore seemed adamant on the trustworthiness of the source of his information, and was using the Order as backup as well. Despite the stress, it was not something that would cause Sirius to look for Remus, and barge into his room at the crack of dawn just to share information that would eventually reach his ears. This was personal.

"You have a day off during the Hogsmeade trip tomorrow," Sirius proposed. "You have to go to Grimmaulds Place and see him for yourself."

"You're asking me to skip a Hogsmeade trip?" He could not keep the slight amusement from his voice.

"Remus!"

"Okay, I will. I promise." He paused. "Have you talked to James?"

"I'm late," exclaimed Sirius, looking at his watch. He jumped to his feet. "Scrimgeour is going to get his knickers in a twist again."

"Sirius, be serious."

The man's shoulders sagged and he sighed. "I'm going to see him for lunch, if we don't have an assignment today. How do you talk to a man who just saw his son alive? We've never done this before."

The Marauders have done much in their lives. Four boys from different homes ruled the school in their seven years, introducing laughter and chaos to the day-to-day school life. One went on to make a family, only to have it nearly destroyed by another. Three rebuild the friendship more fiercely. It took years for James to adjust to his independence after his parents died, to comfort a wife who lost her child, to get used to the fact he was still in a war and wake up one morning to never return home again. They did not need the intrusion in their lives, especially with Voldemort's active plans.

Not now.


A/N: ... So is anyone still reading this? More Voldemort/Order action in the next chapter.