Chapter One
Hermione Granger threw her various belongings into a trunk. Her hair was no longer brown and curly, she had dyed it blonde and had it straightened. She was wearing contact lenses, though she didn't need them, to make her eyes look blue. She had to get away. Fast.
She had known they were coming for weeks now, since the restoration of her time-turner. The trail of devastation that they were leaving behind was lengthening rapidly, and they were getting closer, she could sense it.
Hermione had recieved the letter barely an hour ago from the Hogwarts headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, to warn her. She was in danger. She had to leave.
A broomstick from Dumbledore was hovering outside her bedroom window. The dark night was slowly lightening, and the red sun was just visible on the horizon. Harry's invisibility cloak was lying untouched on the bed. She slammed her case shut with a loud click, and pulled the invivibility cloak over her. The note she had scribbled frantically, not up to her usual standard, was pinned to her door.
'Goodbye, Mother, Father,' she whispered in her head as a farewell, as she cast a lightweight charm on her trunk, 'I'm so sorry, but I must.' And she climbed onto her broomstick and slowly drifted, invisible, over the streets of Bristol and into the early morning sky.
*
They were trooping along the outskirts of Bristol. All masked, wands pointed at any muggle that stood in their way. Lucius Malfoy in the lead. Their orders had been direct -
"Kill the mudblood. Kill Hermione Granger."
*
Harry Potter awoke with a vivid pain in his scar. He had experienced another dream - another terrible, foul dream, and they nearly all came true and happened. Or was happening, in this case.
He had dreamed about the Death Eaters - they were at Bristol, they were destroying everything, killing any muggles ahead of them. Fires had been blazing, and they were laughing, cursing and jeering.
He didn't feel at all well. He decided it was the fact that he knew this was most likely happening now. He got up, walked to the large window opposite his camp-bed and opened the blinds. The sun had just risen, and the sky was a pale orange, and here and there were lumps of cloud - or was it smoke?
He heard a stirring beside him, and Ron Weasley awoke, yawning and rubbing his eyes. His bright red hair was messy, and his eyes were puffy. He sat up on his orange Chudley Cannons bedspread, wondering why Harry was awake at four am, and had woken him up by opening the blinds.
"Hi," murmered Ron sleepily, "What did you wake me up?"
"I had another nightmare. About the Death Eaters and Volde..." Explained Harry casually, but Ron stopped him by giving him the look that said Don't say the Name!
"So what?" said Ron, "You didn't have to wake me up!"
"I didn't mean to," said Harry quickly, trailing over to Hedwig and Pigwideon, who were fighting over last nights remaining owl treat, "I just opened the window to get some air."
"Yeah," Ron yawned again, but now seemed fully awake, "Hey, d'you want to sneak into Fred and Georges room and nick some joke stuff?"
Harry nodded enthusiastically, opening his trunk, "Hold on, I'll get the invisibility cloak ..." He trailed off, and ripping the bedsheets off his camp-bed.
"What?" said Ron, "Where is it?"
"Thats just it," said Harry, "I can't find it ..."
Hermione Granger threw her various belongings into a trunk. Her hair was no longer brown and curly, she had dyed it blonde and had it straightened. She was wearing contact lenses, though she didn't need them, to make her eyes look blue. She had to get away. Fast.
She had known they were coming for weeks now, since the restoration of her time-turner. The trail of devastation that they were leaving behind was lengthening rapidly, and they were getting closer, she could sense it.
Hermione had recieved the letter barely an hour ago from the Hogwarts headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, to warn her. She was in danger. She had to leave.
A broomstick from Dumbledore was hovering outside her bedroom window. The dark night was slowly lightening, and the red sun was just visible on the horizon. Harry's invisibility cloak was lying untouched on the bed. She slammed her case shut with a loud click, and pulled the invivibility cloak over her. The note she had scribbled frantically, not up to her usual standard, was pinned to her door.
'Goodbye, Mother, Father,' she whispered in her head as a farewell, as she cast a lightweight charm on her trunk, 'I'm so sorry, but I must.' And she climbed onto her broomstick and slowly drifted, invisible, over the streets of Bristol and into the early morning sky.
*
They were trooping along the outskirts of Bristol. All masked, wands pointed at any muggle that stood in their way. Lucius Malfoy in the lead. Their orders had been direct -
"Kill the mudblood. Kill Hermione Granger."
*
Harry Potter awoke with a vivid pain in his scar. He had experienced another dream - another terrible, foul dream, and they nearly all came true and happened. Or was happening, in this case.
He had dreamed about the Death Eaters - they were at Bristol, they were destroying everything, killing any muggles ahead of them. Fires had been blazing, and they were laughing, cursing and jeering.
He didn't feel at all well. He decided it was the fact that he knew this was most likely happening now. He got up, walked to the large window opposite his camp-bed and opened the blinds. The sun had just risen, and the sky was a pale orange, and here and there were lumps of cloud - or was it smoke?
He heard a stirring beside him, and Ron Weasley awoke, yawning and rubbing his eyes. His bright red hair was messy, and his eyes were puffy. He sat up on his orange Chudley Cannons bedspread, wondering why Harry was awake at four am, and had woken him up by opening the blinds.
"Hi," murmered Ron sleepily, "What did you wake me up?"
"I had another nightmare. About the Death Eaters and Volde..." Explained Harry casually, but Ron stopped him by giving him the look that said Don't say the Name!
"So what?" said Ron, "You didn't have to wake me up!"
"I didn't mean to," said Harry quickly, trailing over to Hedwig and Pigwideon, who were fighting over last nights remaining owl treat, "I just opened the window to get some air."
"Yeah," Ron yawned again, but now seemed fully awake, "Hey, d'you want to sneak into Fred and Georges room and nick some joke stuff?"
Harry nodded enthusiastically, opening his trunk, "Hold on, I'll get the invisibility cloak ..." He trailed off, and ripping the bedsheets off his camp-bed.
"What?" said Ron, "Where is it?"
"Thats just it," said Harry, "I can't find it ..."
