Blaise was dead.
She really tried not to let it get to her, but it did. She'd been friends with Blaise... Pretty good friends, anyway. The fact that he was gone was hard to imagine. The boy had a problem with his temper, but he was unique. He wasn't just someone she imagined ever dying.
Daphne was still rather numb, though, and so she hadn't cried. Of course she would when it all caught up to her, but Michael seemed to have the right idea... Push it aside and save it for later. As they stood outside the town they'd seen from atop the mountain, they regrouped, waiting for the stragglers to catch up before they approached. There were, after all, things to consider.
No one knew what sort lived in this place. It didn't seem to be Muggle, though there were Muggles that didn't use electricity or things that others of their kind considered useful. Daphne guessed that it was probably populated by both wizards and Muggles. The fact that it was so close to Hogwarts suggested that there would at least be some sort of magical presense there.
She had in her mind the vaguest idea about why Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy had been taken, but she couldn't say for absolute certain. It seemed to her like they were weeding people out. Attracting the best... For some reason, she couldn't help believing that Snape himself had cast the Imperius Curse on Finnigan as a clue about what was being planned. There was always the possibility that she was wrong, of course, but she had the awful feeling that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was luring students into his lair to... Well. Use them. It was a strategic move on His part that he take both Ron and Draco, because it drew sympathy from all the Houses instead of just one or two. The question was, what was this group of survivors going to do about it?
As they stood outside the town, Daphne approached Hermione. She hadn't liked the girl at school, but she had to admit, the Gryffindor was resourceful. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" Daphne asked.
Hermione turned around. "What's wrong?"
"The one who stunned us was Professor Snape." She waited for Hermione to look surprised, but she didn't. She nodded, as though something had clicked into place for her. It irked Daphne that the Gryffindor girl was so apparently on top of things.
"Makes sense," Hermione murmured. "I should have thought of that... Actually," she narrowed her eyes, trailing off, but then shook her head. "It's not important."
Obviously Granger knew something about Snape that Daphne didn't, but it looked like she wasn't telling, so Daphne decided to press a little harder. "I believe he put Finnigan under the Imperius Curse." She couldn't help but feel betrayed. After all, Snape was her Head of House. Even if he was vicious to most of the students near constantly, he was a teacher. He was supposed to care a little. He wasn't supposed to be involved in a raid that killed over half the school.
Hermione narrowed her eyes. "What did Seamus tell you?"
"Um," Daphne wracked her brains for what the Irish boy had mentioned, but nothing very telling came to mind. "He just said Death Eaters had come through and killed a lot of people. I sort of knocked him out after that."
The Gryffindor girl sighed in exasperation, but didn't chide Daphne. "It may have been a message after all," she replied, though she was looking off to the right as she caught wind of Michael and Seamus bickering rather loudly. Seamus and Terry's group, the final group, had arrived.
"What do you know about Snape?" Daphne demanded.
Hermione turned back to her, scrutinising her for a long moment. "I really can't tell you. All I'll say is that Dumbledore was never wrong about him."
"Granger." Daphne paused. "Hermione. I'm trying to help you here. I can't, if I don't have all the information. Is there something I should know?"
She shook her head. "I'll tell you if it's important. I don't want to jump to false conclusions, and I don't want anyone else to do so, either. I'm sure you understand." She started to turn away, but stopped, looking back over her shoulder. "I know it's not what you want to hear, but I'd ask that you just trust me."
"I can't," Daphne replied, looking rather put-out that her news was coming as no surprise. "if you don't give me a reason to." If she hoped that would draw a sympathetic response from the Gryffindor, she was wrong, as Hermione seemed to take this as a dismissal and returned to her group. It was annoying, but perhaps she'd at least helped a little. Daphne wasn't stupid; she knew Harry Potter had dealings with You-Know-Who in the past, and she knew Hermione was a good friend of his...
It just felt horrible to be out of the so-called loop. Curling up her nose at the Gryffindor, Daphne turned back around, only to find Michael already standing there. This drew a quick moment of panic, as it wasn't exactly wise nowadays to just appear behind someone. Calming herself, though, she asked, "What were you arguing about with Finnigan?"
"What don't we argue about?" Michael asked, looking back over at Seamus. "Honestly, he debates every point anyone brings up. He's not just content with the truth."
Daphne rolled her eyes. He was definitely skirting the issue, which meant that they probably hadn't exactly been arguing over anything important. "So what was it then?" ...Michael definitely looked a bit sheepish before he answered.
"The Falcons beat the Kestrals last week," he said, averting his eyes to look at some point over her head, which wasn't too hard, since he was substantially taller. For a moment she thought he was just trying to get out of admitting that he'd been bickering over something utterly stupid, but then she realised he was gazing at that point beyond her with his eyes narrowed, and his hand was on his wand.
She could see around his shoulder that Hermione, too, was starting over to them hurriedly. So she turned to see what everyone else was staring at.
There were three of them in a sort of triangular formation, though it was rather loose. The two in back were a younger man and woman, and the woman was pointing a wand at them. The man in front was also pointing something at them, but to Daphne, it looked harmless. Michael and Hermione, however, seemed rather on edge about this device, and so Daphne figured she would be, too. Her hand trailed toward her pocket, where her wand was.
The unarmed man in back of the formation was the first to speak. "We didn't tell anyone where you were. There's no reason to come after us."
Daphne offered a confused glance to Michael, and he returned it, but this lasted only a moment. Both of them drew their wands, and Daphne noticed that several of the other students had done the same. It seemed like no one knew how to respond. Finally, Hermione asked, "What are you talking about?"
The unarmed man spoke again. "You heard me. We've never hurt you, we've never come after you. Hell, we've never even left the town, most of us." He shifted his position, re-adjusting a shirt that seemed to be far too large for him. In fact, all three of them were dressed... Well, they weren't dressed badly, but it looked as if whatever tailor they'd paid to make their clothing wasn't exactly the best. "We'd appreciate if you'd turn around and go back to your castle."
That got them. Most people didn't know where Hogwarts was. The man must have noticed the confusion, because he added, "You haven't come to relocate us again?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, just take a look. We're injured. We need help."
The witch in the back of the formation looked to the unarmed man, who put a hand on the shoulder of the man in front. He lowered the strange device, and for some reason, Daphne felt more at ease.
"We'll help you, if we can," the witch said. "But you can't stay long."
Daphne took a couple steps forward, muttering to Hermione, "I have a bit of a bad feeling, don't you?"
"Yes," the Gryffindor said. "I feel just about the same way."
The three turned, the witch gesturing to follow. Hermione frowned, falling deep into thought as she walked close to Daphne. "Hogwarts is unplottable," she muttered, and even though Daphne was sure she was talking to herself, she still nodded. "Why do they know…?" The frizzy haired girl trailed off and said nothing more.
Michael and Seamus had gone to the fore. Daphne had noticed that the Irish boy had also been eyeing that black thing in the other man's hand with as much anxiety as Michael had—more anxiety, in fact, than either had shown for the wands—which meant that whatever it was, it was definitely dangerous. Now it seemed that the two had struck up a momentary truce in order to stand between the others and that thing. Daphne was torn between amusement at this show of chivalry and uncertainty about what that thing was that it caused such a reaction in the two Half-Blood boys.
The trio led the students into a large building in the center of the town, the two men parting ways with them at the door. Their footsteps sounded hollow on the wooden floors, echoing in the near silence, and Daphne had the uncomfortable feeling that their steps were overly loud and the building terribly old. There were a few small wooden desks around, but they really didn't fill up the room at all. At the back of this area was a set of doors and a stairwell leading up to a balcony that Daphne couldn't see past the railing of to make out what was beyond.
"This is our judicial center," the witch explained rather abruptly. She'd put her wand away, but there was still a stilted wariness as she turned to the refugees. "It's the only place large enough to fit all of you. You can transfigure the desks into cots for the worst of you," the woman's eyes fell on a first year in particularly bad shape—Terry was carrying him, in fact—and softened momentarily. "We'll bring you food and water. You can stay for a night, but after that, it would be best if you did not linger. We will also bring you medical supplies. You three," she said, gesturing at Seamus, Hermione, and Daphne, "can come with me and help carry."
"How the feck are we supposed to get out of here with ones as young as that? They can't Apparate so!" Seamus replied, and Daphne twitched. Leave it to Finnigan to be rude to people who were only begrudgingly offering them aid. Still, she, too, wanted to know the answer.
"I'll explain as we walk. Come," the witch said and started back towards the entrance.
Daphne shrugged to Seamus and Hermione and started to follow, giving Michael—who had gone over to Terry to try and make some of the smaller students comfortable by transfiguring desks—a brief wave. He didn't seem to notice. They followed the woman out into the evening air, walking silently for a few minutes before Hermione spoke up.
"How do you know where Hogwarts was?"
"Was?" the woman asked with some incredulity. She looked over her shoulder at Hermione, and the young witch nodded.
"Was. It was attacked a couple nights ago." The woman didn't say anything more about this, and Daphne got the distinct feeling that she didn't care that Hogwarts was gone. Finally, Hermione prompted, "You know where Hogwarts was. How?"
"Whatever attacked you knew where it was, too, didn't they?" the woman answered. Hermione looked at the ground, and again, their guide appeared a bit less standoffish. "I'm sorry that you lost the castle. There are ways to find it, especially since the wards on the castle are designed to deter a certain type."
"And what type is that?" Seamus demanded. Daphne couldn't help but elbow him - hard - in the ribs. However, the woman laughed.
"Think about it for a moment, won't you? The barriers around the castle. They're designed specifically to keep Muggles and wizards that don't know it's there from chancing upon it." She stopped, turning around to face them. Daphne eyed Hermione, who seemed to be putting the equation together to get an answer.
Finally, she said, "You're not human."
She'd gotten it. The witch smiled. Daphne figured it out a moment later when she realized why the town wanted them gone by the next night. Her eyes widened. Seamus looked bewildered.
"We're rather happy here, actually," the witch went on. "No one's ever hurt because we're all the same. I suppose it was one of the Ministry's better ideas, even though they've grouped us with a few unfortunate Muggles." She started walking again, and the three of them followed, Daphne a bit more reluctantly. She did note, however, that Hermione didn't seem to mind so much.
"I'd sure like t'know what you're all on about," Seamus grumbled.
Daphne rolled her eyes, leaning in to whisper, "They're all werewolves."
Before Seamus could reply, as though on cue, Hermione quietly added, "It's not anywhere near a full moon right now, so it's fine." Seamus said nothing, but it was obvious that his level of discomfort had substantially increased, and Daphne couldn't blame him. They were surrounded by a village of people that became ravenous monsters once a month. It was a bit disconcerting to say the least, but beggars cannot be choosers, and so it seemed that they would have to just accept what they'd been given for the time being. It wasn't like they were going to stay long anyways.
"I'd never heard of anything like this," Hermione said in a louder voice, addressing their guide once again. "You asked us if we were relocating you... Does that mean you were forced to be here?"
The woman seemed to nearly stumble, but it was such a slight jolt in her step that it was hard to be sure. "The Ministry has granted us a single portkey that goes directly to St. Mungo's in case of emergency. We will allow you to use it to transport your group there tomorrow. You must leave it here, which means that most likely two of you ought to oversee each trip--two of you who can Apparate."
They were nearing a cottage that appeared to be made of birch. The outside had splotches of white bark on it that seemed to be peeling away. The woman tapped the door with her wand and walked inside. "You," she said, pointing to Seamus. "In the back room there are medical supplies. It's the third door on your right. Bring them all. You two," she said, looking from Hermione to Daphne, "can help me arrange a meal. How many of you are there?"
"Seventeen," Daphne replied, watching Seamus as he sauntered off, looking behind him now and then. Their guide led them to a different room - the kitchen - and began taking things out of cupboards and a small icebox. It looked like a normal house. Nothing was in ruins as she expected the house of a werewolf would be. In fact, she was quite curious about this town now, despite the fact that she was also slightly afraid.
"It'll be a bit of a task, but I'm sure we can get something together," the woman continued. After a pause, she went on. "I'm Emma, by the way. We don't go by any formalities here, so that's all you need to know."
"I'm Hermione. This is Daphne." Hermione indicated each of them in turn. "The other one is Seamus. He's a bit... Temperamental at times," she added as they heard a loud thud and an expletive from the back room.
Daphne chuckled dryly. "He's actually rather tame at the moment."
Emma hesitated, as if wondering what she had that might feed seventeen people. She took a few boxes out of a cupboard. They seemed to come from a Muggle store... But then again, she'd already said that there were Muggles living among them. Perhaps the Ministry had to provide for them? Is this what they sent? Boxed food? "Well, most that end up here aren't exactly in the highest spirits," the woman said. She tapped the boxes. "Pasta. I have plenty, and it should feed your lot. We'll mix it with a bit of meat sauce."
Seamus returned then, carrying one box and nudging another along with his foot. They were both packed rather poorly, though he set them down next to each other just outside the kitchen. Noting his return, Emma went about filling a couple large pots with water. "You got everything?" she asked.
Seamus nodded. "You don't think that--"
"Who're these people, mum?"
The three of them turned around and saw a very small boy clutching a teddy bear standing behind Seamus.
Just when Daphne was thinking it might not be so bad... There were children in this village filled with werewolves? She couldn't seem to keep the shock off her face, though when she glanced at Hermione, the Gryffindor seemed unperturbed, instead bustling around the kitchen as though there was nothing wrong with the fact a small child was in a village of rabid monsters. Seamus seemed to be of the same opinion, though, by the looks of it. He couldn't even manage an expletive of surprise.
"They're no one," Emma replied, also steadfastly working at getting the food prepared. She glanced coolly at Seamus and Daphne before putting the pan she had dug out of the cabinet aside and walking over to crouch before the child. "Go back to your room, Matthew, all right? Daddy's going to come home and read to you in a little while."
Hermione looked through the cabinets, though Daphne later realised it was just an excuse to move next to Daphne and elbow her. Daphne blinked and turned, scowling at the Gryffindor, and then realised she was being a little rude, so instead of focusing on the little family, she, too, began to start putting things together. Only, she realised she didn't know the first thing about cooking.
Seamus was still standing near the child, staring down and mouthing, 'Daddy?'
"Daddy's been gone a long time," the child said with a quiver of his lip. "I want a story now."
Emma looked at the boy for a long time, and Daphne noticed the torn expression on her face. She could either tell her son a story or send him to bed without one. None of the Hogwarts students seemed to want to look right at them, as they'd all come to about the same conclusion. The note in the child's voice suggested that daddy wasn't ever coming home.
Then Seamus surprised everyone by saying, "I'll tell him a story."
The look of gratitude on Emma's face would have lit up the room if such things were possible. "Matthew," she said. "This is Seamus. If he tells you a story, will you go to sleep?"
"I want daddy..." The boy answered, though his desire for a story was already overruling who had to tell it to him. After a moment of looking up at the Gryffindor, the boy held out his hand. "I got some books in my room."
Seamus allowed himself to be led off by the boy while Emma stood up and quietly returned to her work. Neither Daphne nor Hermione spoke, though for Daphne, it wasn't for lack of wanting to. She was more curious than ever now. After a while, it was Emma that broke the silence. "He's not even mine. Poor boy. He and his father went on a camping trip... Muggles, both of them. They just picked the wrong place." She paused, setting the pots to boil with a wave of her wand before she dumped a fair amount of pasta into each. "At least I was a bit older. I had time to enjoy myself a little before I was sent here."
Again, neither of the other two girls said anything. Perhaps if Emma was going to talk, they should just let her speak.
"We were forced to be here," Emma continued, moving over to Hermione's station and put another pot on the stove, which she soon began to fill with sauce. "You," she said, gesturing at Hermione, "Please chop up some bell peppers, and you," she said to Daphne, "can cut up some sausage." The two girls nodded. Though Daphne didn't know a thing about cooking, she could cut things up easily enough.
As the two set to task, the warm sweet smell of tomato sauce paired with the saltier smells of meat and spice starting to fill the small space, Emma continued. "This place... It's not so bad. We're all very close, and we find ways to occupy ourselves, but we can't really leave, either. It's sad for small ones like that, because this place is all they will ever have the chance to know."
"How can they force you to stay here?" Hermione asked, indignation colouring her cheeks. She had paused in her chopping duties.
"It's a complicated matter, but while it's not directly said, it's silently known. I've been here ten years now..." She drifted off for a moment. "Matthew and his father arrived two years ago. His father..." She trailed off, slowly stirring the sauce.
After a moment of Emma's silence, Hermione went on. "It's just that... Werewolves are decent people."
The woman laughed again, though there was no happiness in the sound. "Tell that to the hunters, would you? Tell that to me before I was attacked. Tell that to your friend there." Daphne pretended to have not heard Emma, and continued pretending like she knew what she was doing. It didn't much matter, though, because the other witch was continuing anyway. "You're about the only person that thinks so. Well, I'm not denying we can be a right dangerous lot, but even under the full moon, there's not many that leave the town." She turned around, pausing in her stirring to smile. "That's why we're all here. We protect each other, and we can't hurt other people."
Hermione went back to chopping the peppers. "I don't really see how it's fair."
"It's not. It's not. Everyone tries to make it on their own out of the town once. Matthew will, too, one day. Some are successful. They make lives for themselves. They figure out a way to live without having... accidents, I'll say. Especially now that there's ways to fight the symptoms." She sighed, stirring the sauce again and smiling a bit. "Matthew's father... Was a very kind man. I took them both in when they got here, and they ended up staying. But he had to try... He didn't watch the calendar closely enough. He... Well, he hasn't come back."
Daphne felt as if she should say something comforting, but she was rather bad at that. Both she and Hermione knew of a werewolf... A certain professor at Hogwarts. However, Daphne was rather glad he left after the revelation of his 'condition.' Who really wanted a werewolf as a teacher, anyway? Still, she couldn't help feeling bad, at least for this family. It was Emma that eventually broke the silence.
"The sauce is ready. Can you girls drain the pasta and put it in one pot? We'll need to get out some plates, too. You can probably transfigure them into more. I don't honestly have that many. I don't have guests often," Emma said, smiling a little sardonically. Hermione took a pair of oven mitts and set about carefully draining the excess water into the sink. For her own part, Daphne started getting the few plates that Emma possessed from the cabinets.
At about that point, Seamus quietly returned to the kitchen. "He's asleep," he said softly to the three women, as though it wasn't obvious that he wouldn't be back here if Matthew was still awake.
"Can you two take the medical supplies over?" Emma asked Seamus and Daphne.
"Sure an' I can do it by..."
"That's fine," Daphne said, placing the plates down beside Hermione and going over to lift the second box of supplies. It wasn't very heavy, but Daphne was still glad they weren't going to have to go far.
"We'll be over shortly with the food and utensils," Emma replied as the two walked out the door.