CHAPTER SIX: On the Inside
"Nymphadora Potter. Stay behind please."
Nymphadora had been filing out of Transfiguration with the rest of the class when Ernie called out to her. She stopped and stood still, letting her classmates head out. Ernie kept his head bowed, as if trying not to draw attention to what he was about to do, so Nymphadora waited until everyone else was gone before addressing him. "You wanted to speak to me, Professor Macmillan?"
Ernie looked up but didn't immediately answer her. Instead, he got up and moved towards the door, as if checking they were alone, before finally turning to face her. "There's been a lot of changes,"he noted. "Both at Hogwarts and at the ministry."
"Yes,"Nymphadora agreed, not feeling qualified to say any more.
"I've spoken with James and your parents. It's best if you don't send any letters to them. We don't know what the interim minister might be keeping an eye on." Ernie checked outside the classroom one last time, then took a mirror from inside his robes and handed it to her. "So you'd better have this."
Nymphadora was familiar with the concept of two-way communication mirrors: She and Bradley had used them to talk during the holidays on occasion. She could have gathered quite a few of her friends together for the inaugural use but had ultimately settled on Bradley and Gemini. She'd invited them both to the Gryffindor common room and then, for extra privacy, taken them to her dormitory. Beverley was running interference out in the common room, making sure none of the other girls interrupted them.
Nymphadora tapped the mirror and moments later it showed James, Harry and Hermione. "Mum! Dad! James!"
"Hi, Dora,"Harry greeted her. He glanced at the other two. "Bradley, Gemini."
"Can you talk freely?"James asked.
Nymphadora nodded. "It's just the three of us here. Where are you?"
"Best you don't know that,"Hermione replied. "We need to keep it secret for now. How are you?"
"Things are crazy here,"Nymphadora answered. "There's all these new teachers…"
"And Nave's back at school,"Bradley put in. "He's already got most of his year's Gryffindors following him around."
"So much for me trying to build bridges with them last year,"Harry commented.
"How are my mum and dad?"Gemini interjected.
"They're safe,"Hermione promised her. "They're still at the ministry. Nott doesn't want to get rid of any prominent purebloods just yet."
"Professor Macmillan's still working with us,"James continued. "He's keeping an eye on things at Hogwarts on our behalf, but there are things that you're going to know best. So we need you to keep an eye out. If you spot anything you think we need to know, tell him or us."
Nymphadora nodded. "You can count on us."
Harry, Hermione and James re-entered the main area of Grimmauld Place where Ron, Neville, Luna, Parvati and Emily were waiting. "I'm not keen on the idea of using Dora and her friends as spies,"Harry noted.
"Didn't do us much harm,"Ron commented.
"Ron's right,"Hermione agreed. "We always insisted on being involved in this sort of thing when we were that age."
"And look where it got us,"Harry fired back.
"There's no choice, Dad,"James said firmly. "They're the best source of information we've got."
"So what else are we going to do?"Neville asked. "I take it we're not just going to sit around and wait to hear from them?"
"I still don't get why so many of the wizengamot sided with Nott,"Parvati put in. "There must be something strange going on there."
"Unless they're all part of a conspiracy,"Luna mused. "Probably involving ice cream."
"Rose and Scorpius can look into that,"Ron suggested.
"I think we may have to accept the legal route isn't the only one,"Harry argued.
"What else do you suggest?"James replied.
"I don't know yet. But if Nott ends up as minister long term, I'm not going to make it easy for him."