Chapter 21

The next morning Nicole woke and found Gwen outside in the garden with a blanket around her shoulders.

"Morning," she said as she sat down in a chair with her cup of coffee.

"Morning," Gwen said distractedly. She had been up for a couple of hours already. The baby had a restless night, so she did not sleep well.

"So are you ready for Liv's sister to get here?"

Gwen looked up at Nicole, she knew the woman was disappointed in not knowing what was going on, but Gwen didn't feel that she could tell her yet.

"No, not really, I didn't want anyone to know who I was or where I was from. I thought that I was far enough away. I could have gone farther but I didn't want to be so far that I wouldn't know when I could go home. Apparently I should have gone farther."

"Gwen," Liv said from the doorway to the house. "Just because I know what you are or where you're from doesn't mean that Iss is going to be able to figure out who you are. And trust me, if I tell her that you need to be safe she won't tell a sole. Think about it, she married into…" she raised her eyebrows to let Gwen know what she meant. "And she told me about it, does that happen often?"

"Well," Gwen said. "I don't really know, I have never encountered the situation but I would guess, probably not."

"That is what she said," Liv sat with Nicole and Gwen to keep talking with them. "She said that I could be in trouble if anyone knew that I knew."

"She's probably right," Gwen said.

"Well, what about me," Nicole asked. "Why can't I know, I mean you live with me Gwen? And Liv, you have been my best friend forever, why can't I know?"

"Nicole, if Iss says that it's safe, I will tell you, but we need to talk to her first." Liv felt sorry for her friend, she couldn't understand what was going on.

"When is she going to be here," Gwen asked.

"Actually I expect her just anytime, she was at her sister in laws over in Holyhead, so she did not have far to travel."

"Okay," Nicole said. "Does anyone want breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry," Gwen said.

"But you need to eat," Liv told her. "Let me help you Nicole," she said as she and Nicole got up and went in the cottage to start breakfast.

Ten minutes later Gwen looked up at the laughing that she heard and found Liv headed back outside with a woman who looked just like her but with longer hair.

"Hi," the woman said with a big smile. "You must be Gwen. I hear that we need to talk. I'm Isabel Jones."

Gwen stood up to shake Isabel's hand.

"Gwen," Gwen was very apprehensive about this meeting. "I first need to ask how you are, um, related to…"

"Oh, yes," Isabel said. "My husband Jefery, is a pureblood, I am a muggle. I have a step daughter, Michelle, who is a student at Hogwarts, and Liv," she turned to her sister smiling. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh my god, Iss that is great," Liv hugged her sister as Gwen processed the information she was given.

She knew that Luna had a dorm mate named Michelle but was it the same Michelle. If she was a muggle that would mean that they were on her side of the war.

"What house is she in," Gwen asked.

Isabel sobered from her happiness with her sister to answer Gwen's question.

"Ravenclaw."

"She is going to be a sixth year, right?"

"Yeah, do you know her?"

"Not exactly," Gwen wasn't sure how much she could trust this woman. "Um, do you know…" she was worried about the answer to this question. "Hestia Jones?"

"Yeah," Isabel said, knowing that this would have to be a child of someone important. Her husband's cousin was an auror with the Ministry of Magic and as such did not meet many new people. "How do you know Hes?"

Gwen wasn't sure if she wanted to answer this question.

"Um…," Gwen was contemplating what to tell Isabel. "She knows some friends of mine."

"Liv said you know Remus."

Gwen closed her eyes and lowered her head; this woman was encroaching too much into her safety.

"Professor Lupin taught at Hogwarts 4 year ago."

"Oh," Isabel knew the young lady in front of her was not telling her everything. "So Gwen, who are you really?"

Gwen looked up at Isabel's question.

"I'm not going to tell you that." Gwen and Isabel stared at each other for a moment each trying to decide how to handle the situation.

"Isabel?"

All three women looked up at the voice coming from the doorway. Gwen was shocked at who stood in the doorway.

"Gwenog," Isabel said. "What are you doing here?"

"We have a problem," Gwenog said as she walked toward them.

"What is it?"

"Well," Gwenog was unsure if she could speak freely in front of the young girl that was with her sister in law.

"Don't worry about her Gwenog," Iss said seeing Gwenog's hesitance. "She won't tell us who she is but she is magical."

"Oh, well okay, there was an attack. Someone contacted us to let us know that Hestia has gone into hiding. She was in a safe house somewhere outside of London and it is no longer safe."

"Oh god," Gwen said as she put her head in her hands. She worried that her family had been there. She knew that it was possible for Hestia to be somewhere near her family and she knew that she was not aware of the location of all their safe houses, she only knew that Hestia would be in one with some of her family and friends. "Was anyone hurt?"

Gwenog didn't know what to think about the reaction of the young girl.

"They said that there were some injuries but that everyone would be fine."

Gwenog and Isabell exchanged a look.

"Who are you worried about Gwen?"

"All of them," Gwen said as she looked up and into Isabel's eyes. "You might think that I am being ridiculous not telling you who I am, but my entire family and everyone who is important to me is deeply involved in this war. The man I love is risking his life everyday because of a crazy man." Gwen was panicking and she couldn't control her fear.

"Gwen," Liv said seeing the struggle the girl was having. "You need to calm down dear. If you can't handle the stress, neither can the baby."

Gwen tried to take some deep breathes to calm herself knowing that Liv was right.

Gwenog was still a little confused of the situation.

"Could someone tell me what is going on here?"

"We just came for a girl's weekend and Gwen was looking at some picture around the house," Liv said. "She recognized a picture of you and couldn't hide it from me. Iss came so that we could figure out what we each knew and didn't know."

"I think we have found that Gwen is more involved in this than we are," Iss said to Gwenog.

Gwenog tried to think who this girl could be. There were lots of people missing, many assume dead but she wasn't sure who this was.

"So, Gwen I assume that you are not a Voldemort supporter," Gwenog asked.

"Of course not," she said.

"Are you staying with Olivia?"

"No," Gwen told her. "I am staying with Nicole at her B & B. Liv is helping me with the pregnancy. But Gwenog, no one can know that I'm here. When you go back and talk to Hestia, you can't mention me at all, if anyone finds out I am here it could put me and my baby at risk, it could also put the baby's father at risk and I can't have anything happen to him."

"I understand your worry," Gwenog still wondered who she was. "It sounds like you may be closer to this than we think. Look, I know that when you go back to Port Talbot you are going to want to keep up with what is going on; maybe Isabel here can call Olivia with updates. If anyone is keeping tabs on our family it won't look weird for Isabel to keep up with her family."

"But Gwenog," Gwen said. "Isabel and your family are not safe because Isabel is a muggle. The Death Eaters are searching for people that think muggles are equal. What if you need to go into hiding? Does your family have a safe house, because you are going to need one? This is war, and it is more serious than anyone realizes."

"Gwen," Gwenog said. "What do you know that we don't?"

"That is just it, I don't know," Gwen said. "I might be more connected than you think but that doesn't mean that I get to know. I am not of age so my family tries to not tell me everything."

Gwenog realized that this young girl was scared of what she didn't know, which worried Gwenog.

"Okay," Gwenog said. "So since you at least know more than we do, what do we need to do?"

"Hide," Gwen said. "Isabell, you can't send Michelle back to Hogwarts in a month. I don't know who is going to be in control, but it is not likely to be the side of the light. Being a half blood, she as at more risk."

"Then you," Liv questioned.

"Probably not," Gwen whispered.

"Oh dear Merlin," Gwenog said suddenly, looking hard at Gwen. "Those eyes… They look just like… But…"

"STOP!" Gwen knew that Gwenog had figured out just HOW close she was.

"Do you have a glamour charm, or a potion?"

"It's a charm," Gwen said looking Gwenog in the eye. "Not as easy to detect as a glamour charm, nor as easy to remove. You can't know who I am, do you see that yet."

"You know that I have a pretty good guess. Hes, maybe my cousin but she is one of my best friends too."

"Merlin," Gwen said as she buried her face in her hands again in frustration. "Okay, so you know who I am. You know I'm pregnant. You can't go back now. You know too much." Gwen shook her head as she stood and began to pace. "You'll just have to stay hidden here, but I have to leave. Maybe I can make it to…"

"No," Nicole said from the entrance from the house. "You can't leave Gwen, the baby needs the safety that we can give you at my home. Just because these people might know who you are doesn't mean that you need to run away."

"She's right… Gwen," Gwenog said. "Just because I know who you are doesn't change anything. I am only one person and the Death Eaters would have to know to ask me if I was caught. The Hestia connection is too distant for the Death Eaters to be smart enough to follow it."

Gwen smirked. Gwenog was right about that at least, minus Snape, they weren't the smartest cookies in the jar. But Snape would know, wouldn't he.

"Gwenog," Gwen started slowly as she turned and went back to the chair she had been in. "Do you know how long Hes has been in the Order?"

"She's been in it since two years ago I think," Gwenog said. "Her boyfriend got her in."

"Remus?"

"Yeah," Gwenog replied. "They have been together off and on for the last 17, 18 years but only in the last 3 or so have they been serious. She said that if it wasn't for the war, they would likely be married."

"How well does she know the members?"

"She knows you, of that I'm sure."

"I know," Gwen told her. "I am more worried about the spy that they had."

"Oh," Gwenog said. "I know she knew there was a spy and her boyfriend was in a high position so she may have known who it was, but she works for the Ministry more than doing missions for the Order. She says that some of the other Aurors who are Order members take care of missions while she and a few others focus on the Ministry so that they can make sure everything gets taken care of."

"You two sound awfully close."

"We are Gwen," Gwenog told her. "But with my career the way it has been, we talk as much as we can when we can. I get everything I can from her then, if it wasn't for my career we would probably still be roommates. We are 4 months apart and were in the same year and house at Hogwarts. She is one of the most important people I know."

"Then the trace to you will be easy, I am-"

"No," Gwenog said. "The trace to ME will be easy, but the trace will end with Isabell."

"I thought you said they would expect her to keep up with her family?"

"Gwen listen," Gwenog said getting frustrated. "Yes it is possible that they will trace Olivia from Isabell BUT even if they go Port Talbot they still won't find you. Your charms are very good, unless you do something they won't know. If you keep on the move you nor the baby will be safe and I know you don't want to risk the baby, that is the reason that you are here in the first place."

"Okay," Olivia said seeing that the conversation was draining not only Gwenog and her frustrations but also Gwen and that was not safe for the baby. "Gwen you need to relax and this is not how to do it. You should go inside and take a nap, or at least lay down. Gwenog chill out, go get something to eat. We can make sure that Jefery and Michelle can get here soon."

"Brad," Gwenog said. "Iss get Jefery to bring Brad with him."

"Okay," Isabell said. She was over whelmed by all that the two women had been discussing and was still in shock.

A little longer than normal, I know, but there really wasn't an easy place to break. I apologize that the update too a while but I am having trouble with the next series of chapters and it is stalling me. I will update as I can but I need inspiration for the physical drama. Review and let me know what you think.