Disclaimer: Among the things I don't own: Harry Potter, cell phones, Jasper
Fforde, and foreshadowing
Chapter Two - All the King's Owls and All the King's Phones
Hermione slept less than ever after she arrived at Grimmauld Place. Moody's explanation of the situation had, if anything, only heightened her anxiety. She was getting six hours of sleep, tops. She took to sitting in the stairwell by the entrance and reading by moonlight. She had already reread Ender's Shadow twice, and she had gone through half the books her parents had sent. She was on the new Jasper Fforde book, Lost in a Good Book. It was oddly appropriate, she mused, given her behavior of late.
The front door opened suddenly. Hermione quickly ducked behind a banister. The odds were against the shadowy figure in the doorway being a Death Eater, but it wouldn't hurt to be careful. Worse, it might be Mrs. Weasley. Hermione understood Ron's fear of his mother after being treated to one of her lectures. A bit hypocritical of Mrs. Weasley to speak about the importance of sleep, when her screaming at Hermione woke the entire house. Professor Snape, who'd been staying the night, was particularly irritated. She had no desire to repeat the experience, especially as Snape was staying again.
The figure stepped into the hall and Hermione saw to her horror Kingsley Shacklebolt was standing holding Emmeline Vance's body. Lupin emerged from his room at the noise and stood openmouthed in horror. "Is she.?"
"Yes. It was an ambush. We sent you an owl once we realized, but the reinforcements must not have arrived in time."
"Kingsley, we never got an owl. It must have been intercepted somehow. I'm so sorry. What happened?"
"We came to a Death Eater meeting, that's what we thought anyway," Kingsley began bitterly. "It was a trap, Remus. There were dozens waiting. They must have had Death Eaters in the sky, waiting to shoot Greta down. This is terrible. This is the second owl we've lost in a month. Dumbledore must have a better way to communicate!"
"He's trying. The Death Eaters are working from the same data we are. We need something new. We need something that they can't trace. We need."
"Cell phones," Hermione cut in. The two men turned, wands out. Hermione moved out of the shadows with her hands up. "What you need are cell phones. They won't work at Hogwarts, but the Death Eaters won't catch on. I doubt Lord Voldemort's followers are computer hackers."
"Granger, you don't know what's going on. You ought to be in bed. Dumbledore will sort something out. Now run along and." Lupin held up his hand to cut Kingsley off. "What are you suggesting, Hermione. What are these 'cell phones'?"
"Right, I've explained phones already, Professor. A cell phone is a miniature, portable telephone. If all the Order members had them, you could call the others fast. The Death Eaters couldn't stop the signal. They're hardly perfect, so you would still send owls." She looked at Kingsley's confused face and Lupin's look of admiration?
"What's going on out there?" Molly Weasley had awoken.
"Right," Hermione said quickly. "I was on my way to bed." She hurried quietly along the corridor.
Lupin turned back to Kingsley. "Tell Tonks to ask her father to see about finding some of those phones."
Chapter Two - All the King's Owls and All the King's Phones
Hermione slept less than ever after she arrived at Grimmauld Place. Moody's explanation of the situation had, if anything, only heightened her anxiety. She was getting six hours of sleep, tops. She took to sitting in the stairwell by the entrance and reading by moonlight. She had already reread Ender's Shadow twice, and she had gone through half the books her parents had sent. She was on the new Jasper Fforde book, Lost in a Good Book. It was oddly appropriate, she mused, given her behavior of late.
The front door opened suddenly. Hermione quickly ducked behind a banister. The odds were against the shadowy figure in the doorway being a Death Eater, but it wouldn't hurt to be careful. Worse, it might be Mrs. Weasley. Hermione understood Ron's fear of his mother after being treated to one of her lectures. A bit hypocritical of Mrs. Weasley to speak about the importance of sleep, when her screaming at Hermione woke the entire house. Professor Snape, who'd been staying the night, was particularly irritated. She had no desire to repeat the experience, especially as Snape was staying again.
The figure stepped into the hall and Hermione saw to her horror Kingsley Shacklebolt was standing holding Emmeline Vance's body. Lupin emerged from his room at the noise and stood openmouthed in horror. "Is she.?"
"Yes. It was an ambush. We sent you an owl once we realized, but the reinforcements must not have arrived in time."
"Kingsley, we never got an owl. It must have been intercepted somehow. I'm so sorry. What happened?"
"We came to a Death Eater meeting, that's what we thought anyway," Kingsley began bitterly. "It was a trap, Remus. There were dozens waiting. They must have had Death Eaters in the sky, waiting to shoot Greta down. This is terrible. This is the second owl we've lost in a month. Dumbledore must have a better way to communicate!"
"He's trying. The Death Eaters are working from the same data we are. We need something new. We need something that they can't trace. We need."
"Cell phones," Hermione cut in. The two men turned, wands out. Hermione moved out of the shadows with her hands up. "What you need are cell phones. They won't work at Hogwarts, but the Death Eaters won't catch on. I doubt Lord Voldemort's followers are computer hackers."
"Granger, you don't know what's going on. You ought to be in bed. Dumbledore will sort something out. Now run along and." Lupin held up his hand to cut Kingsley off. "What are you suggesting, Hermione. What are these 'cell phones'?"
"Right, I've explained phones already, Professor. A cell phone is a miniature, portable telephone. If all the Order members had them, you could call the others fast. The Death Eaters couldn't stop the signal. They're hardly perfect, so you would still send owls." She looked at Kingsley's confused face and Lupin's look of admiration?
"What's going on out there?" Molly Weasley had awoken.
"Right," Hermione said quickly. "I was on my way to bed." She hurried quietly along the corridor.
Lupin turned back to Kingsley. "Tell Tonks to ask her father to see about finding some of those phones."