The trip back to London the next day was uneventful. Professor Snape had sent a note to Dawn before she left, giving her a long list of reading assignments and essays that he expected her to have done before she returned to school in a week's time, so she had spent most of the train ride with her nose in a Potions book borrowed from the school library.
They arrived on platform nine and three quarters in the late afternoon, and went to the baggage car to collect their luggage. Dawn only had one suitcase this time, she had left a lot of her stuff back at the school.
Dawn noticed a very odd couple of people coming toward them. She immediately recognised one of them from the way he was limping. His long cloak swayed aside a bit and she saw that he had a wooden leg. It took her a moment longer to identify the other one. "Ah, the limping man and the green haired lady." The lady's hair was bright red now.
The red haired woman looked at the limping man. "I told you she spotted us." She waved at Harry. "Wotcher Harry!"
"Yeah," said Dawn. "He followed us from the hotel, and you watched us in the park the day we didn't go to the movies. What's up?"
"I'd like to introduce you to Mad-Eye Moody, and Nymphadora Tonks," said Harry.
The woman with the red hair smiled and held out her hand. "Just call me Tonks."
Dawn shook her hand. "Hi, I'm Dawn, and this is my sister Buffy, and Mr. Giles."
"Pleased to meetcha!" said Tonks.
"Bouncing ferret Moody?" asked Buffy.
"No, that was the fake Mad-Eye Moody," said Harry. "This is the real one."
"Are you sure?" growled Moody. He pushed back his cap, and Dawn saw both his eyes for the first time. One was small, dark and beady, but the other was large, round and electric blue. His face looked like something had taken a bite out of it at some time. Maybe more than one time. The blue eye kept moving, left, right, up and down. It settled on Buffy's Scythe case for a moment, and Dawn was sure he could see what was in it. Sometimes it rotated all the way around, and Dawn had the distinct impression he could see out the back of his head. "I could be another Death Eater using Polyjuice Potion."
Dawn drew her wand and pointed it at Moody. "Metamorphosis deleo!" Nothing happened. "Not Polyjuice." She looked at Buffy. "Snape had me do an essay on Polyjuice, that should have cancelled the effects of it."
"Smart girl," said Moody.
"So why were you following us around?" asked Dawn.
"I'm not allowed to wander around London on my own," said Harry. "Moody is paranoid, won't let me go anywhere without an escort. He's afraid Moldywart is going to try and kill me again."
"Hey, just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you," said Buffy.
Both of Moody's eyes settled on Buffy for a moment. "I could grow to like you."
They all started toward the iron archway that led out of platform nine and three quarters. The ticket inspector by the exit indicated they should wait for a moment. "So Harry, you haven't told me," said Dawn. "Where are you staying while we're in London?"
Harry looked embarrassed. "Well, er, I can't really tell you."
Dawn tried to hide her disappointment. "Well, I guess that's okay."
"It isn't that he doesn't want to tell you," said Hermione quickly. "It's just that we…can't."
"No, that's fine," said Dawn.
"I mean 'can't' can't," said Hermione. "It's protected by a Fidelius Charm. There's only one person who can tell you where we're going."
"Oh," said Dawn. "Fidelius…that's the one with the Secret Keeper, right?"
"Yeah," said Harry. "Only the Secret Keeper can tell you…and we can't say who the Secret Keeper is either. Next time I see them though, I'll ask them to include you, since I own the place now."
"What?" asked Hermione.
"Didn't I tell you?" asked Harry. "I now own it. Lock, stock and Kreacher."
"Creature?" asked Buffy.
"Kreacher?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah, Kreacher," said Harry. "Still trying to figure out what to do with him."
"You have to set him free!" said Hermione.
"Yeah, but what happens to him then?" asked Harry. "No one would hire him. I thought maybe I might send him to the Dursleys—he could stay in the cupboard under the stairs—but I decided that was too cruel…to them, and to him."
"Um, who's Kreacher?" asked Dawn.
"A House Elf," said Harry, "and one of the most vile creatures it has ever been my misfortune to meet…and I now own him, and I feel sorry for him."
"Oh," said Dawn. "A Gollum."
"A what?" asked most of the wizards. Hermione seemed to be the only one to recognise the reference.
"Gollum, in Lord of the Rings," said Dawn. Everyone still looked blank. "It's a Muggle book. Gollum is this vile creature that the hero took pity on and spared, when he had lots of reasons to kill him, and in the end, Gollum helped save the world, in spite of himself."
"So, you're saying that Kreacher might save us?" asked Harry.
"Or he could try to feed you to a giant spider," said Dawn. "It could go either way. It's only a book. I'm just saying you feel about Kreacher the way Frodo felt about Gollum. Whether or not it'll work out as well for you is anyone's guess."
"Already done the giant spider thing," said Harry. "Don't want to repeat it. So, are you guys staying at the Cauldron?"
"I suggested that we stay there, but I was overruled," said Giles. "We're going back to Twiddlings Hotel."
"Why?"
"I want to stay someplace with a TV," said Dawn. "It may be months before I get another chance."
The ticket inspector started waving them through the arch, in groups of two and three. Moody and Tonks went first, no doubt to make sure there was no one waiting on the far side to kill Harry. Harry and Hermione followed them, and Buffy, Dawn and Giles brought up the rear.
They all chatted as they moved toward the exit. Dawn told Harry and Hermione that she'd be going to Diagon Alley with Buffy on Wednesday morning, to meet with Ginny and do her own shopping for school supplies. They made a date to all meet there.
Buffy never knew what tipped her off, but she caught a flash of motion in the corner of her eye. "DOWN!"
Dawn and Giles dropped to the floor instantly. Moody and Tonks had their wands out, and spun, looking for the threat. Harry and Hermione just looked startled, so Buffy used a leg sweep to knock their feet out from underneath them, just before a bolt of green fire slashed through the air where Harry's head had been. Moody and Tonks both sent red blasts back in the direction that the green one had come from.
Buffy was back on her feet with the Scythe in her hand, her eyes sweeping the startled crowd, looking for the source of the attack. She didn't see anything but surprised looking commuters, all looking around, trying to figure out what had just happened. She turned, sweeping her eyes all around the station, in case there might be another attacker waiting in reserve, to make his move from the opposite direction if the first attack had failed.
Tonks was moved with surprising speed, running through the crowd toward the source of the first shot, while Moody stayed behind with the others. His eyes were sweeping in all directions too, looking for more threats. His blue eye was spinning around in its socket. Harry and Hermione were now up on their knees, with their wands out and held ready, as was Dawn. Giles was on his feet too. He, Buffy and Moody forming a triangle around the younger three, keeping watch in all directions.
Buffy saw Tonks stop and bend over what looked like a businessman lying on the station floor. She pointed toward him with her wand. Buffy didn't hear what she said, but the man suddenly sat up, and shook his head. Tonks helped him get back to his feet. She raised her wand over her head. "Obliviate!" There was a flash of light.
The commuters who had been staring at them, and the others who had been looking around, wondering what was happening, all blinked, and then they all started moving away, going back to their evening routine as if nothing had happened.
"Cool!" said Dawn. "It's like a neuralizer!"
Tonks hurried back toward the group. "Whoever it was disapparated right after taking their shot. We stunned the Muggle who was standing behind him." Her eyes were sweeping the station too. "Let's get out of here, before someone else shows up."
They gathered up their dropped luggage. Hedwig and Crookshanks were both quite upset with the way they were being handled. Buffy had Dawn take her suitcase, and handed the Scythe's case to Hermione. She wanted to have her hands free, and at the moment she didn't care how much attention the Scythe drew from bystanders. They started to move in a tight group toward the exit, keeping the kids in the center.
Buffy stiffened when she saw several more people coming toward them, but she relaxed a bit when she recognised one of them as Mr. Weasley. Tonks and Moody both seemed to recognise the others too. Buffy decided that these guys must be the cavalry, arriving a little late.
The new arrivals didn't waste time asking any questions. They formed a second cordon around the group, and Mr. Weasley led them all out of the station, toward a car that was parked in a No Parking zone. A cop nearby seemed to be completely ignoring it.
Mr. Weasley opened the back door and starting waving people into the car. Harry got pushed in first, followed by Hermione and Dawn. Giles, Moody and Tonks followed. Buffy was thinking that it must be getting awfully crowded inside, but Mr. Weasley waved for her to enter it too. She followed the others.
There was still lots of room inside the car. Mr. Weasley followed Buffy, and they both took seats as the car pulled away from the curb.
"Neat, huh?" Dawn asked Buffy. "It's like the TARDIS… And I have got to spend less time with Andrew."
"What happened?" asked Mr. Weasley. "Anyone hurt?"
Harry rubbed the back of his head, and winced. "A bit of a bump, I think, but I'm fine."
"Sorry about that," said Buffy.
"Hey, considering what would have happened to my head if you hadn't kicked my feet out from under me… If you ever feel the need to do it again, go ahead."
"What happened?" asked Mr. Weasley again.
"Death Eater took a pot shot at Harry," said Moody. "Would have got him too, if not for Miss Summers here."
"Who was it?"
"Didn't get a good look at him," said Moody.
He looked at Tonks and she shook her head. "I didn't really see him either." She looked at Buffy. "What did he look like?"
"I have no idea," said Buffy. "I caught a flash of movement in the corner of my eye, and all of my alarms went off. Never really saw anything." She looked at the passing buildings. "Where are we going?"
"Someplace safe," said Mr. Weasley.
"Let me guess: you can't say, because of that Secret Keeper thing."
"Correct, Miss Summers," said Mr. Weasley, "but there should be someone waiting for us who can correct that."
"Call me Buffy. There are too many Miss Summerses in the car."
