Chapter 9

Wingfield Avenue, as it turned out, was not far away at all from their current location so they chose to walk and despite the fact that Hermione thought they should really be forming some sort of plan, they continued on in silence.

They arrived to find a perfectly normal looking street, lined with perfectly normal looking houses, that gave off no real sinister appearance at all- far in contrast from their experience at the pub. Hermione couldn't help but think of Harry's former home on Privet Drive and what unpleasant things had been lurking behind the Dursley's perfectly normal looking home.

"Well, it looks like it is that one," Fred said pointing at one of the houses that seemed nearly identical to every other one on the street.

They made their way up the walk and to Hermione's surprise Fred walked up and knocked on the door without the slightest hesitation.

"Might as well get on with it" he said with a shrug after seeing her reaction.

"Well, okay, then," she said, gripping her wand even more tightly than before.

It only took a moment before the door swung open and a pale, thin woman with black stringy hair and a particularly pointed nose greeted them. "Oh," she said, not seeming at all surprised to see them, "you must be the newbies. Go on in, everyone's just there in the living room." She gestured behind her and turned around without another word, clearly expecting them to find their own way.

The house had an odd smell that reminded Hermione a bit of Grimmauld Place, but other than that seemed safe enough. She could practically hear Fred doing those silent spells of his even though she knew he hadn't made a sound. He hadn't flinched or tensed up so far so she continued to follow him hoping he knew what he was doing.

They entered the room to find a group of chairs arranged in a circle around a surprisingly large room, which she suspected had been enhanced by magic. Most of the chairs were occupied, but she and Fred sat down in a couple of empty seats near the door. They said nothing, hoping someone would eventually speak and enlighten them to what sort of situation they had stumbled upon.

It didn't take long for a young man, likely in his early twenties, prematurely balding, but still quite handsome, to stand and begin to speak. "So, we all know why we are here," he began, causing Fred and Hermione to share confused glances, but they continued to listen attentively, "the question is," he continued, "is what is the next step?"

"We have to take action," another young man said. "We have waited long enough. The enchanters must be stopped. They are regaining strength quickly. The time to attack is while they are still recovering from their war."

"And you really think that we can convince Hermione Granger to join our cause?" a woman asked. "She is the one who helped stop the Dark Lord, after all."

Hermione and Fred both started at the mention of Hermione's name, both having forgotten that to the outside world they still appeared as Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Fred could sense the tension rising in Hermione and took her hand again in an attempt to calm her.

"I think there is a good chance. Think about it, she has basically lost her parents due to this war, and from what I have always heard she has a huge heart for other magical creatures, unlike most of the other enchanters."

"But she is one of the brightest witches of our time. Surely she wouldn't want to give that up?"

"I think she would if it meant everyone got a fair chance in this world. Not just a bunch of people who happened to be born "special" as they like to call it," another man said, seeming to have difficulty getting out the word special. "Like you said she has always had a huge heart."

"But she's Harry Potter's best friend!" the woman argued. "The savior of their world. You really think she would help us destroy it now?"

"I think she isn't dumb enough to continue watching us poisoning her loved ones. You know she was in the pub the other day? She has figured out something is going on already with her beloved Weasleys."

Hermione could feel Fred's temper rising at the mention of his family and she, in turn, squeezed his hand hoping he would be able to keep himself under control. To blow their cover now would be detrimental to their cause and likely never allow them to find George. She hoped more than anything their polyjuice would last long enough for them to take another dose before they were exposed.

"Well, what do you two think?" the man turned to Fred and Hermione unexpectedly and they sat staring blankly at them as the entire room turned their attention to them.

"Um, well," Fred began before Hermione interrupted him.

"I think she would do it!" she exclaimed. "I met her once and you are right, she definitely cares about equality for everyone." She tried to sound as confident as possible knowing that she was likely confusing Fred even as the words left her mouth.

"So the question is, how do we get her here? And what do we do if she says no?" the woman who answered the door asked.

"I can probably get her here," Hermione offered. "I mean, I don't know her well, but she would recognize me I'm sure of it."

"Good," the woman replied. "And what of any complications?"

"There won't be any complications," the handsome, balding man answered in a tone that caused a chill to run through Hermione's spine. "I'll see to that."

"Alright, then," the woman said, "meeting dismissed. "Let's say 7:00 on Tuesday? That will give you time to get Miss Granger here?"

"Oh, um, yes, it should," Hermione asked, realizing the question was being directed at her. "7 on Tuesday."

"Perfect. See you then," she said as she began discussing something with another member of whatever weird cult they had stumbled into.

Fred quickly grabbed Hermione's arm and pushed her out the door. It was just in time as she could see the red starting to show through in his hair and knew the effects of the polyjuice potion were wearing off. They apparated quickly out of view before taking deep breaths and attempting to process everything they just heard.

"I'm sorry," Hermione began, "I had to-"

"I know why you did it," Fred said, "the question is who are those people and what the bloody hell is going on back there?"

"I don't know, but that's what I intend to find out."