Chapter 28 - Her name is Hermione
September 7th, 1997
"Hello, Martha," said Harry when Winky brought her to their office. "I don't believe you know everyone. This is Ron Weasley. He is in charge of strategic planning."
"Pleased to meet you, Martha," said Ron as they shook hands.
"This is Luna Lovegood. She is a good friend and sometimes helps us out a great deal."
"I am so glad that you have recovered well enough to help Harry," said Luna. "You deserve to be involved with Voldemort's downfall."
"Thank you," replied Martha, a little shocked that this seemingly gentle blonde could so casually say Voldemort's name and speak of his end. "I intend to do just that."
Moving on, Harry introduced Dougal. "This is Dougal Weasley. You probably remember him with blonde hair and one arm. We took your advice and he is now a student again."
Martha's face lit up. "You're Draco Malfoy?" she asked, astonished. "You look so different."
"That's sort of the point of a disguise," said Dougal, laughing. "I am different, however, and I owe it all to you. Thank you very much." He took her hand and kissed it. This made Martha blush and Luna giggle.
"You've met Hermione, of course," said Harry. "She is the one who knows everything." Everyone laughed. "Winky is our house elf. She runs our house in London and Dobby, who you have also met, is a free elf and proud of it. He took care of getting your clothes at St. Mungo's. He also takes care of this place."
"It's very nice to meet all of you," said Martha. "I know that I am just here to help with the office work but I am glad that I can be of use."
"I am sure you will be," said Harry. "Now, the three of you," he indicated Dougal, Luna and Martha, "are all new to the specifics. I can not reveal the ultimate purpose of what we hope to accomplish because if any of you are captured and Voldemort finds out our plans, it would be bad for us and nearly impossible to complete his defeat. What we need to do, however, is find out as much as we can from Death Eaters. Currently, we have about thirty-four. They have filled up most of our small and medium sized cells. For those who don't know, there are more beyond a large door with stone snakes around it at the end of this hall. No one but Voldemort and me can open it so I will have to show you how to get past it. I have talked to Dumbledore about permanent magical spacial distortions and his instructions will allow us to hold many more prisoners than we do now. We need to get information from as many Death Eaters as we can. That is the main purpose of your work, Martha. We have made arrangements with some of the Hogwarts house elves to watch several maps we have had made that will reveal if a Death Eater is near the place they show. It will be up to you to decide if they are doing day to day activities such as getting information and supplies or if they intend to harm innocent people. If no one is going to get hurt, I would rather keep track of their movements and contacts. Hermione will show you how these maps work and how to put the information into a couple of other maps for viewing. Again, Hogwarts house elves will assist you in doing this. You are basically their supervisor. They will work twelve hour shifts, day and night, but you only need to be here when the rest of us are in school. It is important for us to keep our cover as students so that Voldemort won't find out what we are really up to. Dougal and Luna, of course, are students as well but they will keep an eye and ear open for any interesting information that may come up. At any time, you can have Dobby or Winky find one of the three of us if you have any questions or problems. Normally, if it is not an emergency, please send them only when we are out of class."
"I think that it the hardest part to keep straight," said Martha. "I look around this place and see all of the prisoners you've captured and I remember all the things you have done this summer, including saving me, and it is just hard to think of you sitting in classes."
"We were not planning on being here ourselves," said Hermione. "It was only when this place became available, and the fact that it is within apparating distance from Hogwarts, that we made the decision to attend."
"It was one of our most fortunate decisions," said Ron. "The house elves will be a tremendous help with our project. Even with the limited number of maps and prisoners, it was taking forever to just keep track of everything."
"You keep talking about these maps," said Dougal. "Why don't you show us some of them?"
"That's a good idea," agreed Hermione. She led them into the office. "This is a map of Hogwarts," she began. "As you can see, it currently shows everyone." They looked at the map as she spoke. It was still just a little after seven o'clock so many students were spread throughout the castle. Most, however, had already migrated to their common rooms.
"The other maps are similar to this one," said Ron. "They all mostly have a much larger area to keep track of and have a feature to shrink or enlarge the area displayed so you can close in on anything of interest. This one has small writing but you can see the whole castle at once and make out the names."
"There is one in red," said Luna, pointing at the small dot. Looking closer she said, "It says that it is Theodore Nott. How can that be when we spoke to him just this morning?"
"These maps use a very special characteristic of the dark mark that Death Eaters have on their arms," said Harry. "They are more than signals to join him. It is possible to track anyone with the mark. It is very important that Voldemort never finds out that we know this and can do it. If he does, he will take steps to prevent it from being useful to us, one way or the other."
"We had to put Nott's arm in the school hospital so that he would be detected if any Death Eaters wanted to confirm he was really up there," explained Ron. "You see," he said, mainly to Martha, "we knew that he had joined when he arrived here. Hermione took him down here and removed his arm and locked him up almost immediately. We have since found out that he is working with a traitor so we had to make up that he is very sick and very contagious to keep people from wanting to see him but still have it seem that he is in the school."
"You removed his arm?" asked Martha. Despite the macabre nature of the current discussion, she was getting a much better briefing than expected. With a normal office job, she would have just been told where the spare quills and ink were kept. They didn't hesitate to let her in on the most delicate aspects of what was going on.
"Yes," said Harry. "Didn't you notice that Dougal's arm was gone when you saw him before?"
"Of course," said Martha, "but I thought it was in battle or an accident or something. I didn't think you cut if off on purpose."
"Had to," said Hermione. "As we said, they can be traced. We did save them, however. They are stored somewhere far away and safe. When this is all over, we hope to reattach them."
"But Draco has his arm," said Martha. This was getting weird.
"The name is Dougal, now," said Dougal, "and no I don't." He held up his left arm and showed her that it was a fairly close approximation but definitely not a real arm.
"That's what you did for that boy," said Martha, catching on. "You gave him a new leg yesterday. Just like you gave Dra... Dougal a new arm."
"Yes," said Harry. "I can do that for any of the prisoners that decide to help out. It is a very important bargaining chip."
"What boy?" asked Dougal and Luna almost simultaneously.
"We met a family at the hospital yesterday with a little boy that was hurt at the attack on Hogsmead. He lost his leg so I put a new one on."
Dougal looked at him and said, "Damn, I feel inadequate." Everyone laughed.
"That reminds me," said Hermione. "Harry will be busy every night at seven so don't try to send for him then, if you can help it. Now, about putting the information into these other maps..."
"Just a second," said Dougal. "How does my being inadequate make you remember an appointment that Harry has at seven every night? You aren't talking about..."
"No! She isn't!" shouted Harry. "It has nothing to do with that."
"Nothing to do with what?" asked Luna, innocently. Hermione was in danger of having her cheeks burst into flame.
"OK," said Harry. "Word got out that the little boy had his leg replaced. We had arranged for the story to be that Madam Pomfrey did it. Now she has four people who want to be fixed as well. That will probably go up so in order to put a limit on the amount of time we are spending replacing arms and legs, the story will be that she can only do one per day and the appointments will be at seven at night."
"So you'll spend your days working towards the downfall of Voldemort and your nights restoring people's limbs?" asked Dougal. "Damn, it's getting worse."
"Don't forget he's also Head Boy and quidditch captain," added Ron.
"I didn't get a quidditch badge this year," said Harry. "I thought that you would be captain."
"Don't you have yours from last year?" asked Ron.
"Sure," replied Harry, "but I wasn't planning on being captain again. I don't think I'll have the time." He thought for a moment. "I would like to play seeker, though. I'll check with Minerva and see what she had in mind."
"Fascinating," said Hermione. "Can we get back to the meeting, boys?" she asked, patiently.
"Oh, uh sure," said Harry, humbled. Hermione showed everyone the correct operation of all of the maps and how to enter information. With the written instructions available, they all thought that they could get by.
"Thank you all for being here," said Harry. "For the time being, Luna and Dougal will have to have an elf bring them here and take them back. The entrance for normal apparition is not available to you anyway. That will be the same for you, Martha, until you get set up in your flat. Winky will be glad to take you wherever you want."
Dobby took Dougal and Luna back to the Head's Suite so they could enjoy the rest of the evening. Martha had asked to see the flats that they were building. She thought that staying on site would be the most useful, if not the most relaxing.
The lowest two levels were complete. Although they offered no access at the moment to the Fortress, Harry agreed that a door could be put in since she would be living there. He apparated her in to the closest flat to the office and then went and brought in Ron and Hermione, as well.
The particular unit they were in had no furnishings yet, but was painted and carpeted in a modern style. The windows were similar to those at the Ministry. They showed a view that was somewhere else. Those that should face the office, were offering a panoramic vista of the ocean. The other window look out on some highland moors. It was quite beautiful, if not real. The flat itself had two bedrooms, a sitting room, kitchen, bathroom with oversized tub and a semi-formal dining area.
"This looks very nice," said Martha. "When should it be ready?"
"Dobby," said Harry. Dobby appeared the next second.
"Yes, Harry Potter," he said.
"Martha will be moving into this flat when it is safe for her to do so," said Harry. "We will need a real door put in so she can get to the office. She will need to work with you on purchasing furniture. When would it be possible for her to start to do this?"
"Dobby is thinking that it is safe to be moving in whenever Miss Martha wants," he said. "There is no danger while we is building the rest of the wizard homes. Dobby is putting the door in tomorrow after when he is getting one, Harry Potter."
"Is tomorrow too soon," asked Harry. "Whenever you are ready is fine."
"I can be ready to help pick out furniture tomorrow. When would be a good time, Dobby?"
Dobby had grown used to some limited choices so he was able to answer. "If we can be going after Dobby is done with lunch for the prisoners, Dobby would be happy, Miss Martha. That is being at one o'clock."
"Please pick me up at one, then, Dobby," said Martha, smiling. Then, looking at Harry, she said, "I will be packed and when there is at least a bed and a chair, I will move in."
Dobby took Martha home and Harry took Ron and Hermione back to the Head's Suite. Ron also bid them good night.
"I must be getting old," said Harry, as he sat on their couch. He had been trying to read the Transfiguration textbook to be prepared for class the next day but kept dozing off.
"Why do you think that, dear?" asked Hermione, reading a book on spell reversals. She was intently trying to find a way to counter the artificial loyalty spell that Voldemort casts on his recruits. After experiencing the real thing, neither of them wanted the fake Death Eater version to be able to work against them.
"Because it's only eight-thirty and all I want to do is go to bed," replied Harry. It had been a pretty long day.
"Works for me," said Hermione, excitedly, tossing her book on the floor and springing to her feet.
They only made it to their bedroom doorway when they heard a knock on the suite entrance door. Harry had that "someplace had better be under attack" look so Hermione answered the door. A first year girl was outside in her pajamas. She seemed to have been crying so Hermione invited her in to find out what was the matter.
"Hello, Jasmine," said Hermione. She was always good with names, thought Harry. "I would have thought you would be up in your dorm in bed." She sounded very compassionate and patient as if Jasmine's problem was the most important thing in the world tonight.
"I was," said the little girl, "but I keep having bad dreams about the train." She sobbed a little and Hermione gave her a hug.
"It's not unusual to have dreams for a while when something bad happens, Jasmine," said Hermione. I still have some dreams about bad things that happened when I was younger."
Harry had several instances when Hermione had been in situations that might lead to nightmares flow through his head.
"But I read the paper everyday and no one ever says how he is," sobbed the girl.
"How who is?" asked Hermione.
"The Dragon!" said Jasmine, as if it should have been obvious. "He was hurt real bad stopping the train but the paper only says how well the hurt students and Harry Potter are. I never read anything about how the dragon is. Is he alright?" She was really upset but Harry and Hermione still had to bite their lips to keep from laughing.
"The dragon is fine," said Hermione. "He is as good as new."
"Are you sure?" asked the girl. "Isn't it hard to fix broken dragon bones?" She had a logical sense about her that could probably get really annoying.
"You might not have read the paper carefully enough," said Hermione, gently. "You see, Harry is..."
"I can call the dragon to come to see you," completed Harry, on a whim. "Just go to the fourth floor balcony at the end of the hall by the Charms classroom. Hermione is Head Girl so she can take you. I'll ask the dragon to meet you there so you can see he is just fine."
"Really?" squealed the girl. She was feeling much better now and wanted to run right to the balcony.
"I thought the dragon was tired?" she asked, with a bemused look on her face.
"He hasn't stretched his wings for a while and it's a nice night out so why not?" He smiled at her and motioned her towards the doorway.
"You owe me toast for this, dear," she said as she was dragged off by the eleven-year old.
The next morning, the Gryffindor table was buzzing about the story a first year was telling of going on a dragon ride the previous evening.
"He was so big," said little Jasmine, holding her arms out as wide as she could. "Miss Hermione made a saddle and said I could ride him but I was afraid to go alone so she got to go with me and we went over the towers and down to the lake and all over the forest and you could see the whole castle but I was afraid for part of the time and I had my eyes closed but the dragon was so nice and the ride was so fun that I didn't want it to end but of course it finally did." She inhaled before continuing to her friends.
"Mr. Potter," said McGonagall. She had come down to the table because she had also heard interesting tales of the previous night. "Were you giving out dragon rides last night?"
"Jealous?" asked Hermione, under her breath.
"A little, Hermione," replied McGonagall. "I don't suppose you worried that it might not be prudent to do something like this, Mr. Potter?"
"I would think that if it were not a good idea for the Head Boy to change into a dragon and fly around with the Head Girl and a first year girl, that the administration would have taken steps to write a rule against such an activity, don't you, Headmistress," asked Harry, doing his very best Percy impression.
"I certainly don't remember reading anything about it," added Hermione.
"I suppose you have me there," admitted McGonagall, "but before you do anything so foolhardy again, please take the time to notify me."
"You'll need a sweater at night," said Hermione. "It was colder than we thought it would be."
McGonagall nodded and went back to her chair.
"Hungry, Ron?" asked Ginny. She had been watching him stack up about a half dozen bacon sandwiches.
"A little," admitted Ron. "I fancied a walk around the grounds. Seems like a nice day." He tried to remain nonchalant but was failing miserably at it.
"That sounds like an excellent idea," said Harry, getting up. "We'll join you." Hermione also started to get up.
"No, no, that's alright," said Ron, suddenly panicked. "I have some thinking to do and needed some time alone." He stressed the last word to try to give them a hint.
"I find that I am much less distracted in the library when I try to do some thinking," suggested Hermione, smiling.
"The greenhouses work pretty good for me," added Neville, unknowingly joining in on the teasing of Ron.
Ginny, who had a clue when it came to her nearly transparent brother said, "Why don't we all go and help you find the best place to think, Ron. Goodness knows it's about time you found somewhere."
Ron looked up at the staff table. Honey had already left. Time was running out. If given even ten minutes to plan, Ron could have come up with something better. As time was pressing, he said, "Fine, I'll meet you back here in a minute. I have to go, ah, do ...something...first." He walked out the door as quickly as they had ever seen him move. Harry, Hermione and Ginny all laughed. Neville, seeing that there was probably a joke in there somewhere, laughed with Ginny.
"So," asked Ginny, leaning in, "who is the new lass that my brother is so taken with?" She could see a ton of teasing material if this was done correctly.
"I'm afraid that is his and her business, Ginny," replied Hermione. "They wish to have their relationship kept private for now."
"Why? Is he dating Pansy Parkinson, or something?" asked Ginny.
"No," said Harry, "but it could look bad if it got out. I would suggest that we just drop it. I probably shouldn't have teased him about it but there you are."
Having grown up with six older brothers, Ginny wasn't about to let it drop. But she could bide her time a little. She snuggled a little closer to Neville and they resumed their earlier conversation.
Harry and Hermione finished their breakfast. With Double Transfiguration not starting for another half hour and since it really was a nice morning, they decided to take a walk and discreetly try to see how their friend was doing on his first morning stroll.
They didn't know which way he had gone so they just casually made their way along the outer paths by the side of the castle.
It wasn't long before they caught sight of Honey. She was talking animatedly to herself. Apparently, she was one of those people who would be mute if their arms were tied down. Harry motioned to a large tree that the new couple were approaching and took Hermione's hand. They apparated behind the tree and waited. They seemed to have joined Honey mid-thought.
"and I just couldn't believe my luck. Well, as you can probably imagine, I jumped at the chance."
She nearly did jump when Harry and Hermione stepped out and Harry said, "Good morning, Honey. Nice day for a walk, isn't it."
Honey tried to cover up her recent monologue. "Yes, it is. I suppose you were wondering why I was talking to myself. Well, the reason is...ah..."
Before she could come up with a reason, Hermione said, "We know the reason, Professor. We just wanted to warn you. I had quite a bit of experience a few years ago with talking to someone who was under an invisibility cloak. The key to going unnoticed is to be less animated when in sight of others. Try to hold off on the hand gestures and don't move your head around when speaking to them."
"Was it that obvious?" asked Ron. He didn't take off the cloak but uncovered his face to talk to them.
"We saw you from the castle," said Hermione, indicating the spot they had been, some one hundred yards away.
"Oh," said Honey. "Well, thanks for the tip. We might have to find someplace more hidden for our strolls." She looked at Ron, expecting a suggestion.
It was Hermione, of all people, who had a couple of good ones. "The far side of the greenhouses is fairly secluded," she offered. "If you just wanted some nice conversations, the floor below the top of the Astronomy tower has a nice alcove with a bench. You can hear people come up those steps quite easily."
"Thank you, Mrs. Potter," said Honey. "Those both sound very nice."
"Call me, Hermione, Honey," said Hermione, magnanimously.
"I think we had better call you Professor," said Harry. "Class starts in five minutes."
"Oh, dear," said Honey, alarmed. "I hate to be late to my own class." She started off.
"Just a minute, Professor," said Harry. He motioned her to join them behind the tree.
"Put away the cloak, Ron," said Harry. When he had done this, Harry said, "Everyone take an arm." Honey looked a little hesitant but complied. With a turn, they were in her class room. She let go and, after Honey shared a quick kiss with Ron, Harry popped the three of them to the end of the queue. "Thanks, Dobby," he said, just in case.
Professor Sweetwater opened the door and the students filed in.
That's interesting, thought The Traitor after they left the grounds. I wonder how long Potter has been able to do that? Explains how I haven't been able to find where he has been getting in and out of the castle, though. He went back inside the castle. He wanted to add this to his note for the Dark Lord when Nott was finally able to send it. He would have to do something about that, too. It would be a week before he could see his other contact again. Better have a nice long report ready.
Transfiguration was one of the funniest nightmares that Harry had ever experienced. It seemed that the two new lovebirds both had a hard time disguising their mutual attraction. Ron, not having had a clue surgically implanted, continued to have Hermione or Harry jab him with their wands whenever he glazed over too far. Fortunately, between the two of them (which was where he literally had to be placed, despite their marital status) they managed to keep him more or less engaged in the class.
Unfortunately, it was a bit more difficult to whack your professor on the back of the head without arousing suspicions. Professor Sweetwater was OK when describing the theory behind today's assignment but when it was time to have the students work on the spell, Honey came out to play. She consciously avoided their table at first, spending some time on the wand movements of Hannah and the pronunciation of the incantation by Seamus. Eventually, however, she had to come over and the presence of her beau caused her to loose about fifty I.Q. points. To be fair, Hermione had experienced the same thing from time to time when she was near Harry but she had plenty to spare. Honey, on the other hand, found herself absent-mindedly giving Ron a neck rub while he waved his wand futilely, all chance of concentration beyond his reach. Hermione finally had to perform the muffliato spell and tell them point blank to back off. She then offered to host the new couple for dinner in their suite so they could discuss again the meaning of the word "discreet". Harry, of course, would have to pick her up after his appointment in the hospital wing.
After class, Hermione once again headed off to her next classroom while Harry and Ron went back to the Fortress. It was still an hour until lunch so they had some time to see how the new help was working out. Martha would not be on duty for a day or so. She was packing now and would meet with Dobby early that afternoon to get some furniture for her flat. Harry noticed that the new door was already installed.
At the moment, they had not built the map observation office so the four elves on duty were using a corner of their office. Hermione had instructed the house elves on how to react when alone. Basically, if there were only two or three Death Eaters, they would just write down where they were, who they were, when they arrived and left and who they talked to. Some exceptions already came up. Any Death Eater besides Nott in the castle would immediately have Harry, Hermione and Ron all summoned. Likewise, the Burrow would have the same level of security. Hogsmead and Diagon Alley were different. It was assumed that Death Eaters would have to frequent those places and they just wanted to see what they were up to. More than four Death Eaters in a single group and they wanted to know about it immediately. Remus and the twins were working on the rest of the maps and it seemed that Tonks was either with him or working on some research on her own, since he hadn't seen her since Saturday morning.
"Hello, everyone," said Harry as he entered the office. The elves all stood and bowed to both him and Ron. "Good morning, Harry Potter. Good morning, Ron Weasley," they said. They then went back to reading their maps. As Harry had suspected, they took any job very seriously. Not wishing to disturb them, Harry walked among them, reading their parchments from over their heads. Not surprisingly, since any other outcome would have been reported instantly, there were no comments on the maps of Hogwarts and the Burrow. Hogsmead, however had a couple of visitors. One had apparated into the Hogs Head and stayed for three hours. Harry didn't recognize the name. The other had apparated just outside of town but in range of the map. He walked through the full length of several streets before walking outside of town and apparating away.
"Ron," said Harry. Ron came over. "A Death Eater came into Hogsmead but he didn't seem to meet anyone or go into any buildings." Harry turned to the elf on duty. "Did this Death Eater do anything besides what you have written here?" he asked.
"No, Harry Potter," said the elf. "I is watching him from the moment he is appearing to when he is gone. He is speaking to no one. He is going in no place."
"That's strange," said Ron. "I wonder what that was all about. He didn't seem to have a reason for being there at all."
"That's what's worrying me," said Harry. "I doubt he did it for the exercise."
They moved on to the map of Diagon Alley. Three Death Eaters were currently on the map with seven total having been there at one point or another.
"These two are going into Borgin and Burkes," said Harry, pointing. He noted the elf was also writing this information down along with their names and the time and date. Very efficient. Unfortunately, the map wouldn't show them what they were discussing. Harry assumed that they weren't picking up Halloween costumes.
"Look at this bloke," said Ron. He was pointing at a lone Death Eater sitting just off of the alley in a nook of some sort. "He seems to be waiting for someone," he added. Indeed. The Death Eater didn't appear to be moving at all. "I wonder who he is waiting for?" asked Ron.
"Let's find out," said Harry. "Give me my cloak for a minute," he said.
"You're going to get him now?" asked Ron, handing over the invisibility cloak.
"Why not? We haven't had a new prisoner since Wednesday. I want some new information." With that he looked back at the map, noting where an area that was not currently populated was located nearby the Death Eater, put on the cloak and was gone.
Knockturn Alley was not widely know for it's charm and hominess. The rat carcasses rotting in the street tended to ruin that sort of an effect. Nevertheless, to the right sort of person, the ambiance was comforting enough. If you only wanted to sit by yourself all day without having anyone check to see if you were alive or dead, Knockturn Alley was ideal. The occasional grunt would keep off those that really did want to see if you were dead, but for their own purposes so Orion Halsfer didn't have a worry in the world. This was, after all, his home turf. He grew up above the burned out ruins of an old apothecary shop that once dealt with items of interest to the darker sorts of wizards. Apparently, one of the customer's was less than satisfied. That was when the shop became burned out and the owner never heard from again. Orion didn't care, though. He had finally made the big time and joined the Death Eaters last year. He almost got to go on the raid at Hogwarts but he had another mission that night and missed all of the fun. Soon, however, he would get his chance. He had been told by the new number two that he would be meeting his contact today. His talents might be needed and Snape wanted him to do some of the advance work. He liked his trade and didn't mind waiting. Soon enough, someone would die.
As he sat alone in the broken front window of another abandoned store, he watched the people go by. Most were like he was, borderline dark and proud of it. Some were just trapped in this alley and some liked it a little too much. The odd apparition pop had become like train whistles to those living near the tracks; you heard them but you didn't. He didn't hear this one, just up the street. He sat there a while longer, but no longer alone. After about five minutes, he heard the word "stupify" and he knew no more. Nobody was watching, but if they had, they would have seen the odd sight of a man sitting in a window suddenly fall asleep and then disappear. On Knockturn Alley, of course, that wasn't anyone else's business.
Harry now sat in the broken window that had formerly been the roost of Orion Halsfer. Harry knew his name because of the map. It identified everyone, after all. In this case, the information was vital since Harry, for the next hour, would look like Halsfer. He had a relative map next to him and was keeping one eye on that and one on the street. So far, the only red names that he saw were those that had entered Borgin and Burkes and Orion Halsfer, himself. Harry had decided to take along Halsfer's arm in case the Death Eaters tried to verify their identities in the same way he did, by magic instead of sight. He had a fake dark mark on his arm but it didn't register on the maps. The real arm might be required.
Halsfer seemed to be waiting for someone, as far as Harry could tell. He knew the name of the man he was impersonating and with the map, he would know the name of anyone who approached. The only thing that he didn't know was how Halsfer talked. Harry doubted he would have the aristocratic drawl of a Malfoy or the refined speech of Percy but was he Cockney, Scottish, general drunk or what? He decided to limit his speech as much as possible if it came up at all.
About forty minutes later, no one had approached. Harry was getting hungry as the hour neared noon. He was about to give up on this particular wild goose chase when a red dot appeared on the map attached to a familiar name. Peter Pettigrew. Harry had to control himself, for now. He wanted to hear what he had to say before he struck the traitor down. Slowly, he calmed. Just as slowly, Pettigrew approached.
"Ori," said Pettigrew, nervously. "Is that you?" Harry had pulled up his cloak to further hide his face.
"Yes, Peter," said Harry. He didn't know if they would call him Peter or Wormtail.
Wormtail handed Harry a folded scrap of parchment. "Got a job for you, Ori. Snape wants you to check out the muggles who live here. Figure out the best way to kill them and make it look like an accident. It will have to fool both the muggles and the aurors. Snape says that he might want to do them one at a time but he isn't sure yet."
Harry put the parchment in his pocket. He then decided that Ori was a little on the quiet side and said nothing.
"Snape wants you ready for either possibility as soon as possible," hissed Pettigrew.
"I understand, Peter," said Harry. "When will I be doing the hit?"
"How should I know?" snapped Pettigrew. "And don't use my real name. You know better than that."
"Sorry, Wormtail," said Harry. "I was just looking for a guess."
"We're still waiting on Nott's brat," said Wormtail. "He was supposed to give us the general situation at Hogwarts but all he's managed to do is get himself locked up in the hospital wing. Had a little info that we already knew from our other source. Potter's coming and going like he owns the place and they can't figure out how."
"How do these muggles figure into Potter?" asked Harry, trying to get some more details on what was going to happen.
"Relatives," said Wormtail. "Killing that oaf and his wife should draw Potter out. Only thing is, when Potter leaves for their house, we have to be sure that his keeper doesn't go with him. Keeping her in Hogwarts was supposed to be Nott's job. Now, who knows how long we'll have to wait for him to get back in action."
"Maybe it would be better if she did go along," said Harry. "Get them both at once.
"That's what Malfoy wanted and look what happened," barked Peter. "The Dark Lord says that we have to get her alone, wring her for what information we can and kill her quick before Potter finds out and can save her. Without her running the show, he'll be nothing."
"We're killing her?" asked Harry. "I thought we wanted Potter?"
"Eventually," said Peter. "Right now, Snape is more interested in crippling his plans. That means we find out from her what they are so Potter'll have to come up with something on his own"
"How can they make sure she doesn't come along anyway?" asked Harry.
"Any way they can," said Peter. "Once Potter leaves, we need to get her near the forest. Our spy may have to figure out a way to do that if Nott is still out. Could drag her there if he has to, I suppose." Wormtail laughed at his joke.
"Then we get her," said Harry, understanding. "Why the hesitation to use the spy?" Harry was hoping for news from the traitor.
"Too useful, of course," said Wormtail. "Nott's time would be up after he exposed himself and Snape planned on letting him loose on the other brats. Our real agent, however, will be of more use. Once the place comes crashing down on Potter, he'll make it worse. With any luck at all, the Dark Lord will have his head by the end of the month."
So when do we meet, again," asked Harry. He was running out of his hour.
"Next Monday at noon," said Wormtail. "At the trolley, this time. Nott's kid could be out of the hospital by then. We'll know this weekend if he can send another report."
"Let's hope so," said Harry. "I'll be there at noon, in any case."
"You'd better or Snape'll have your hide," said Wormtail. With that, he shuffled off. Harry had started to turn back into himself so he waited for the transformation to complete. He didn't want to be distracted. A moment later, the window was once again vacant.
"You'd have thought they would have learned their lesson the last time they kidnaped Hermione," said Ron. He was thinking of the twenty-six Death Eaters who had paid the price for her first capture.
"They did," said Hermione. "This time, they just get what they can out of me and kill me. They also won't be informing you of where to come rescue me." She seemed to be remarkably calm to learn that she was, once again, their prime target.
"I don't get it, though," said Harry. "Sure, I love you and all but to think that you do all of the planning for everything. Most of it, maybe, but not all."
"I don't understand it, either," said Ron. "Are you sure you weren't spotted? Maybe it was a set up of some sort."
"That quickly?" asked Harry. "We had him bobbed and I was back in that window in under ten minutes. No, they really think that without Hermione, we would fold. They're willing to bet my uncle's life on it." He held the scrap of paper with just one address; Number 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.
"They want Nott to prevent you from going with Harry and then somehow get you down to the Forbidden Forest. I suppose, they plan on capturing you there," said Harry. "How can we use this to our advantage?'
"We could capture Umbridge, pour polyjuice down her throat and let them capture her," suggested Ron. "That would serve them all right."
"Don't tempt me," said Hermione. She had decided that the best course of action she could take when she found out about the blood quill was to not do anything. That was why Umbridge still lived.
"I hate to say it," said Harry, "I mean I really hate to say it, but we have to get the Dursley's to safety." He held his Aunt's family in about as little regard as was humanly possible, but he didn't want to see them killed.
"Your cousin is still in school, I suppose," said Hermione. "He will probably be safe there but your aunt and uncle are in danger. The house is probably being watched so we can't move them yet."
"I'll put a pair of elves in my old room with a relative map," said Harry. "If the Death Eaters try to get in, they could pull them out in two seconds. Otherwise, they stay as they are. We might not get another golden opportunity to get Wormtail and Snape."
"We'll work on it tonight," said Hermione. "We already missed lunch. It's double Defense now."
They apparated to the Heads Suite and walked to the Defense classroom. Walking to class; how novel, thought Harry.
Harry and Hermione had missed the first Defense class, being excused to have Harry's legs mended. Ron, however, had experienced the style of the middle-aged ex-auror. He had more bits still attached, but he was still from the same mold as Moody.
Professor Hammer Coldiron was a prototypical aging auror. He wasn't quite as agile as he used to be but he was competent enough to get older. Like most aurors who didn't advance into other areas of the Ministry, he had moved on in his fifties to another career. The kids could burst down a dark alley, a wand blazing curses in each hand. The older set had different priorities. It seemed the older you got in this business, the older you wanted to get. Around fifty, you start to examine the shape that those aurors who are even older than you are in (such as Mad-eye) and you decide to retire to the quiet life.
"Good afternoon, class," said Professor Coldiron. "I see you are fit to join us today, Mr. Potter," he added, noticing Harry. "Excellent." He took roll and proceeded to start class. "This is our first two hour lesson in the seventh year NEWT class," he began. "All double Defense lessons will be practical. Today's lesson will be used throughout the year. It will address the importance of teamwork when engaged in an attack. A team is generally much better at surviving an attack from multiple assailants than a group of wizards operating individually. Who can tell me why?"
Besides Hermione, only Ron and Harry raised their hands. Not having had six years experience with Hermione, Coldiron called on her. "Yes, my dear," he said. "Let us have your answer."
"Yes, Professor, "began Hermione. "A properly trained team already has divided and practiced their roll in any upcoming battle. Each member is able to concentrate on their offensive or defensive spells while trusting the others in the group to take care of their own responsibilities."
"Correct, Miss Potter," said Coldiron. "Now, we have eight Gryffindors, four Hufflepuffs, two Ravenclaws and three Slytherins. Let's divide the Gryffindors into two teams, three boys and a girl each, the Hufflepuffs will be a team and the Ravenclaws and Slytherins can be a team of five. I will give you twenty minutes to get to the South practice field and discuss and practice your strategy. This would be about nineteen and a half more minutes than you would have in real life. At the end of that time, using no offensive spell worse than a stunner or expelliarmus, we will pair up the team with the tallest member against the remaining team with the shortest. They will then start one hundred yards apart. The attacking team will be the tall team and they will have five minutes to disarm or otherwise disable the short team. We will then have the other two teams perform the same exercise. The teams will then be shuffled with each team performing the opposite function with a different team. If you win both competitions, you are able to manage your team abilities well. If you win one or the other, that would be about average. If you lose both, you will be studying combat techniques until you are black and blue. Your twenty minutes starts now."
Harry, Ron and Hermione instantly found themselves surrounded by Neville, Dean and Seamus. Lavender knew that Harry and Ron would never give up Hermione. Thinking quickly, Harry grabbed Dougal. This surprised everyone, Dougal included. "I don't think we can take Neville. It wouldn't be fair to have all four of us battle tested," he said to Ron and Hermione, but loud enough for the insecure Neville to hear. He beamed at Harry and joined the opposing group. Dougal, who was also battle tested, but on the wrong side, walked down with Harry and his crew.
In a move that would surprise everyone except those on his team, Ron assumed command. This was a battle; his forte. He would devise the plan that would bring down the other teams. He was the tallest student, only slightly edging out Dean. The shortest was harder to tell. It was like trying to figure out who the shortest of the seven dwarves was. Hannah and Lavender were both just barely on the high side of five feet but it was Millicent who would be wet last if it rained.
As they walked down, Ron assigned his soldiers. "Hermione; you will be defensive and illusion spells. Dougal; quick and short spells just to disorient them. Harry; do that rock wall thing behind them and I'll bounce some stunners off of it. When they start getting hit from behind, wait for my command and then a synchronized expelliarmus should do it. Unless you want to stun them first."
"I think that a quick victory without rubbing it in would be best," said Hermione.
"I'll split the difference," said Harry. "If they hit any of us with a stunner, they all go down. Otherwise, we do it Miss Goody-Two-Shoes' way."
Hermione stuck her tongue out at him and they prepared their attack. Coldiron held his stopwatch in his right hand and put a whistle to his mouth. He started the contest with a blast on his whistle.
The Ravenclaws were trickier than expected. They anticipated a blanket spell and quickly spread out into two units. Each had one of the Ravenclaw boys casting the offensive spells while the Slytherin girls defended. Hermione was able to easily counter their stunners and their expelliarmus' were much too weak at this distance. Dougal cast some quick solarus flare charms at each group, temporarily blinding them. Ron tried some stunners but the girls knew enough to cast general shield spells when in doubt. Harry raised his wand and with two quick flicks, had summoned identical semi-circular walls behind the two defending parties. Ron started to blast the rock behind them, causing them to cover their heads from the debris. This was the opportunity Ron was waiting for. "Now!" he shouted and four expelliarmus' later, four wands were in their hands.
Professor Coldiron looked on with an expression that clearly stated that he should have known. He had heard enough reports from the trap at the Burrow from his old friends to realize what Harry Potter was capable of. Until now, he had sort of thought it was just hype. Not anymore. "Very good, Gryffindors," he said out loud. "Thanks for not incinerating them, Potter," he added under his breath.
By virtue of Dean, the second Gryffindor group was also the attacker. They had watched the first match and decided that extracting a wall of rock would be a little beyond their means, used a different tactic on the Hufflepuffs. Neville cast low stunners that skipped off the ground just in front of the defenders. Dean used his height advantage to cast expelliarmus' over the tops of the lowered defenses. Lavender cast a surprising number of reflecting shields while Seamus surprised everyone with his ability to transfigure the clumps of dirt and grass in front of the Hufflepuff women into mice. This caused them to loose concentration and ultimately, the match.
Neville's group then had to defend against the Ravenclaw/Slytherin team. They used the Gryffindor chivalry against them by putting the Slytherin women in front. Lavender had no problem hexing them but the boys had never liked to pick on girls. Therefore, the boys behind the girls, who were smart enough to count on this, managed to frustrate them to the point of making an error. One was enough and the B team went down.
Before Harry's group started, Coldiron stopped the action. "All right, Potter. No huge walls this time. Dig a hole if you want to hide." He blew his whistle.
Hermione said, "Sounds good to me, Harry. Give us a trench."
Harry cast a twenty second reducto about ten feet in front of them in a sweeping arc while Hermione and the others blocked the spells. They jumped in and were able to use the cover and surprise to all fire stunners at once. The Hufflepuffs never had a chance.
Coldiron walked over and enervated his students. When they were recovered, Coldiron said, "What is the most important thing we have learned here today?"
Before Hermione could raise her hand and give the correct answer regarding teamwork and training, Anthony Goldstein came up with the true answer on their minds and said, "Don't get Harry mad at you."
Harry and two house elves arrived in the Dursley's kitchen with a short series of pops. Petunia managed to just catch her mixing bowl before it hit the floor and Vernon was not home yet so he didn't hit the roof.
"Good afternoon, Aunt Petuntia," said Harry as he sat down at the table. He quickly spread out the relative map he had brought and sighed with relief when it showed no Death Eaters within two hundred yards of the house.
"What in the world are those horrid things doing in my kitchen?" asked Petunia in her whiniest voice. Clearly, she had not mellowed since Harry had last spoken with her.
"They are volunteer house elves whose job is to keep you and Uncle Vernon alive for a while longer," said Harry, without looking up. He rolled up the map and started to walk towards his old bedroom.
"Where are you taking them?" asked Petunia, getting more than a little rattled.
"Up to my old room," replied Harry. "They will be staying here, guarding you for the next few weeks."
"They will, will they?" said Petunia in her best Vernon impersonation.
Harry stopped. "Only until you or Uncle Vernon order them to leave. Then, you will be on your own. I came early so Uncle Vernon would not be here. You have always been the brains of this house, such as it is." He continued out to the stairs, talking as he walked. The elves and Aunt Petunia followed. "If the people who want you dead think you are on to them, you will be killed immediately. As it turns out, they want you dead at a specific time. I have uncovered this fact and you will be made safe when the time comes. These elves can evacuate you both in just a few seconds, if necessary. Don't tell Uncle Vernon about them or he'll blow your cover. I would lock them in my room, if I were you. They can get in and out on their own and that will prevent any unfortunate confrontations." Harry opened the door and the elves went in to set up the map.
"Why don't we leave now, if it is so dangerous?" asked Petunia. It was a logical question with a cold answer.
"Because I need you as bait," said Harry. "These people want to kill more than just you. Last month, they tried to kill about four hundred school children. If we do this right, we might catch a lot of them. You will be kept completely safe, in any event. The elves will see to that; unless you order them to leave."
"Who are they and why would they want to kill us?" Aunt Petunia was understandably getting upset and not just a little hysterical.
"They think that I would come to save you," said Harry. "At the very least, they think I would come to bury you. As I said, I have uncovered their plans and unless you, or more likely, Uncle Vernon, do something completely stupid like try to run or send away your guards, you will remain safe. I have quarters for the two of you. If Dudley is under their surveillance, which I doubt, he would be removed from harm as well. I will have elves monitoring his school."
Aunt Petunia sat on the edge of the bed. This was a big shock and she didn't like big shocks. The ramifications of what Harry was saying were starting to sink in. They would have to leave their house. Vernon could not return to work. Their entire life would be left behind in order to save their lives. She started to cry. Harry looked at her. He did not feel pity. He actually felt that there was some justice in the world, after all.
"I have to go now but I will be in touch," he said to his weeping aunt. "You will forgive me if I don't try to comfort you. When I arrived here as a baby, did you comfort me when I cried for my dead mother or did you store me under the stairs? You are only going to lose some of your nice things. Someday, you might be able to return and pick up where you left off. Until then, I will provide a very nice place to live and complete security. "
Petunia looked up quickly and Harry could see it in her eyes that it was not entirely her choice. Uncle Vernon had always been his antagonist, along with his protege, Dudley. She couldn't form the words to an apology, though.
"Don't worry," said Harry. "If I was seeking revenge, the elves would not be in my room. I have to go now. My wife and I are hosting another couple for dinner tonight. I will be in touch when more is known. Remember; you are safe as long as the elves are here." With that he prepared to leave but Petunia stopped him.
"What's her name?" she asked. "Your wife. What's her name, Harry?" It was perhaps the first normal, friendly question that she had ever asked him.
Harry was shocked for a moment but then said, "Her name is Hermione. We were married last month." He didn't really know what else to say or even if he wanted to say anything. He walked out of the room before she could speak and apparated back to their suite.
At a quarter to seven, Harry put on his cloak and apparated to Madam Pomfrey's office. She heard the pop and said, "Hello, Harry. They are not here, yet. We can talk for a minute."
Harry pulled off the cloak and said, "Good evening, Madam Pomfrey. What will we be doing tonight?" He wanted to know if he would be making an arm or a leg and for who.
"First, since you will be coming up on a regular basis to perform medicinal magic that I can only dream of, you will be calling me Poppy. After that, I will be waving my wand and you will be helping a young witch. She was a student here a few years ago. You might remember her; Penelope Clearwater. Another Hogsmead casualty. When she was here, she was the girlfriend of Percy Weasley. They must still be together because he was the one who owled me. Apparently, Penelope was visiting relatives when the attack took place. Poor girl was trapped in a burning building. Very bad injuries. I took her first because she is having a hard time getting around without her legs. Please wait to do anything until I examine her. I may have to trim some bad spots a bit to get clear of any nerve or burn damage."
Harry was nearly in shock. He knew her! At least he had met her. He had begun to fear that his nightly visits might turn into a burden and the first person through the door is someone he knows. He then thought that everyone who comes for help is someone that someone knows. He should treat them all with compassion.
"Harry," said Poppy, "I have a question that may sound strange or even unkind but years of experience has led me to be prepared. Many of the people who come to see us will be in dire straights. It may have been years since they have walked or written a letter or been able to take care of themselves. They will want to do something. Many will offer money; sometimes all that they have. You see, the service you are providing is nearly miraculous. It is important that we let them do something in return. They will not feel right to just say "thanks." Have you any preferences on how to handle this?" She sat back. Unless she missed her guess, Harry had not even considered taking money for what he was doing. She knew he had plenty, anyway; a look at Hermione's ring proved that. She also knew that if he didn't have a galleon to his name, he would never want to take money for helping people. It was just the way he was.
After a little while, Harry said, "I suppose that we could charge ten galleons to those who can afford it," said Harry. "Then, if anyone wanted to give more, have them give whatever they wanted to a charity that could use it."
"Ten galleons?" asked the nurse. "How did you come up with that figure?"
"I thought that we could put it towards your retirement fund," he suggested. "You are spending a lot of time with the owls and all. It would only be fair."
Before she could answer, they heard careful footsteps coming up the stairs. Harry quickly put the cloak back over his head. Poppy went out to meet her first patients. Harry followed, invisibly.
They saw a levitated wheelchair being set back on the floor outside the door. Penelope was pushed into the hospital ward by none other than Percy Weasley. She didn't look at all like the perky young girl he remembered. Her hair was very short now. Her face and neck had red marks on them that were probably the last traces of her burns. The big difference, however, were her arms and legs. One arm looked to be mostly healed while the other had a hand that was missing three fingers. The rest of the arm was covered in similar red marks like those she had on her face. Her legs were covered with a small blanket. Although he could see nothing yet, Harry could tell that neither went to the floor.
Percy had been through another type of hell. He had the face of someone who hadn't had a lot of good luck lately. He was the pariah of the Weasleys because of his past behavior. To have this happen to his girlfriend without even having his family for support must have been terrible. Percy saw Poppy come towards them and he broke out in a smile. Clearly, Penelope's problems were his first concern right now..
"Hello, Penelope. Hello, Percy," said Poppy. "I'm glad you could make it." She stooped to examine Penelope's hand. "What have your doctors said about your fingers?" she asked. "Do they think they can restore them?
"No," said Penelope. "It's the nerves, of course, that are the problem. They can regrow the skin and bones but without nerves, what's the point?"
"That's too bad," said Poppy. "I suppose it's the same for the legs?" She lifted the blanket to reveal where the remains of her legs were amputated.
"Yes," replied Penelope. "We were told by my cousins that a boy near their house had his leg restored by you. We, ah..." She stopped; tears flowing down her cheeks.
"We were hoping that maybe you could help Penelope, too," said Percy.
Poppy looked over the young couple and smiled. It was a routine part of the medical profession to have to tell a once healthy person that their life as they had known it, was over. Catastrophic injuries and illnesses happened to good and bad alike. It was a good change of pace to tell someone who was staring at life in a wheelchair that you could make them whole again. "Of course I can help you," she said. "That's what I'm here for."
"I hope so, Madam Pomfrey," said Penelope. "I have only been in this chair for a little over a month and already I hate it. I do have to ask, though, how much will this cost?" She lowered her voice at the end.
"Penelope!" said Percy, from behind her. "I told you, whatever it costs, it will be worth it. We still have some savings left."
"Not much, we don't," she said, getting upset. "You spent it all on the hospital bill. I told you I could have done with less skin repair."
Before they could speak, Poppy said, "The normal price is ten galleons but if that is too high, you don't have to pay."
"Ten galleons?" asked Percy. "But they charged us two hundred just to put her in this chair. And the other bills were much more than that."
"If you want to pay more, please send it to a worthy charity," said Poppy. "Now, let's begin. Do you have any nerve pain near the stumps?
"No," replied Penelope. "They already asked me that before they cut off ..." She looked down and indicated her missing legs.
"OK, then," said Poppy. She pulled out her wand and waved it around. Slowly, a silver shaft appeared which transformed into the shape of a long and shapely leg. After it changed into a soft pink color, it lowered down near the left stump.
"Oops," said Madam Pomfrey, loudly, "I almost put it on the wrong side." The leg stopped and hovered for a second before moving over to the right stump and attached itself. The process was repeated for the left leg. She then moved up to Penelope's hand and very quickly, three fingers attached themselves to her burned hand.
"There," said Madam Pomfrey, "try to stand up, Penelope."
Penelope stood up and took a few tentative steps. At first, it was like a newborn giraffe. She wobbled around quite a bit. After a few more steps, she was smiling and laughing and crying all at once.
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," said Penelope. "I can't believe it. You are amazing." She danced around the room, examining her new fingers, as well.
"Yes, you certainly are," agreed Percy. He had tears in his eyes, as well. He watched Penelope bouncing around the room for a full minute. Finally, he reached into his robes and withdrew his money purse. It looked a little smaller than most and he pulled out eight galleons and started to make up the rest with silver when she stopped him.
"You have spent enough already," she said, giving him back his galleons. "I don't need it."
"I have to do something," said Percy. "We were afraid she would be in that chair forever. I can't thank you enough." He was still in tears. This was a very un-Percy type moment. "There must be something I can do."
"Yes, there is," said Harry, coming out from under his cloak.
Percy looked in astonishment as Harry put his wand away. Madam Pomfrey smiled and left them to talk to Penelope.
"Were you here the whole time?" asked Percy, not yet putting two and two together.
"Yes," said Harry. "I have to be. I fixed Penelope but don't tell anyone. If you want to do something, help me get an image out of my head. It is one I saw last month and it has troubled me deeply. It is of your mother crying because you aren't with her. She misses you terribly. You can make it good with me on Penelope's legs if you use yours and walk back to your mother. Your family will welcome you back, Percy. They have to, because, well, because you're family."
Percy smiled at this and then, looking at Penelope once again, he nodded his head. "I have been a fool, Harry. My pride has kept me away from my family for far too long. I will take Penelope there tonight. It is high time that my mother met my wife."
"Your wife?" asked Harry. "That's great, Percy. I'm married now, too."
"I think I might have seen the announcement," said Percy, laughing. There had been a small explosion of sales of the Quibbler when Harry and Hermione's wedding edition came out. As was the case with the Return of Voldemort edition, the Daily Prophet bought the rights to this story, too, and the Lovegoods would get at least two expeditions out of the deal.
"I suppose so," said Harry. "By the way, I mean it. Don't tell anyone that it wasn't Madam Pomfrey that fixed up Penelope. I really don't want that to get out."
"I promise," said Percy. "And Harry?"
"Yes," said Harry.
"Thanks." Percy went to be with his wife, who was talking with Poppy, and Harry quietly left the hospital wing. Poppy was wrong. Sometimes they do just need to say "Thanks."
Author's Notes:
Thanks for waiting. I want to address to prevalant issues from what reviews I get. First, Ron and Julie never really started. As with a lot of other parts of my story, it was another plan/intention that was changed midstream. That is the way life is, sometimes. Perhaps most of the time. I think I did her a favor since Ron is a teenager and, as such, can have his eye caught by another pretty face (he did, actually). The long distance wzard/muggle deal would have had a lot going against it.
Second: I don't think Hermione is ugly. I think she would think that spending even an hour a day on makeup, manicure, hair styling, etc. would be a colossal waste of time. Most women don't look "beautiful" as defined by our society unless they spend a little time working at it. She did it once that I know of, the Yule Ball, with great results. It took four or so hours, though. I let her find someone who is mature enough to realize that "beauty" in the visible sense is transitory. Harry saw her as a person and thought that person was beautiful so that will last a lifetime.
I'll try to get another chapter done by Sunday.
Dad
