Chapter 18
Fleeing of the Mages
Normal POV
The Marauders were sitting at breakfast talking in hushed voices about the attack on the M.O.M. which had just occurred yesterday.
"It's going to be all over The Prophet" Hermione said with a slick smile while eating her eggs.
"Maybe the Order will now get more support from the ministry" Harry mused.
"I wish Audrey's owl would hurry up" Ron said.
Hedwig, Pig and Audrey's owl, Ico, took turns bringing the paper to the mages. Today was Ico's turn.
"Ico will be here in a minute" Audrey replied loafing through her scrambled potatoes.
"Sooner"Harry said lifting his head from the table where he had had the owl hatch pinned with his eyes the last half-hour "There she is"
The others looked and saw Audrey's white/black owl with amber eyes fly over to Audrey. Ico dropped The Prophet in Audrey's plate and landed on her shoulder as the other owls flew in as well.
"Thanks Ico" Audrey said and fed her some bacon.
Ico hooted happily. Hermione took the prophet and opened it. Audrey bent sideways to read along her side while Ico flew to the table and started to eat off of Audrey's breakfast. Suddenly they both paled. The two boys immediately sense that they're worried and turn to them.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked seeing them both swallow.
"Uhm...you guys better look at this" Audrey said and handed them the paper. Meanwhile a lot of heads start to turn towards them.
Harry and Ron looked.
The headline read;
'Four Hogwarts students have had a hand in the many deaths at the Ministry of Magic and more!!!
From reliable sources we have heard that Harry Potter, Audreana Black, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger caused many of the deaths.
Being as some of the bodies were found completely decapitated by joints and bone, as well as too much mixed up blood in one spot, there has been some trouble with identifying the bodies found both inside the Ministry and in our community. This ordeal looked remarkably more horror filled and gruesome than one of the most blood spilling Goblin Revolutions ever. That was a battle called Stand of Blooded Axe led by Bork Crackerpat (who got his name as he could crack a mans head with a pat of his axe) to look almost frightfully nice in comparison to the deed these four did to human beings... '
"Shit" Ron summed up.
"They used your real name Audrey" Harry pointed out not even trying to make is as a joke, thus the graveness of the situation.
"So much for that secret" Hermione agreed.
Meanwhile everyone, including the staff and fellow Gryffindors were looking at them with mixed fear, open hostility and sickness. Some students at their table that sat by them scrambled as far away as they could though somewhat not so discrete as one of their peers toppled of the bench at the far end to the floor.
They stood up with a wave of people being lunged away from them as if they'd shot them with electric sparks making them recoil backwards out from them like a drop of water falling down on a pond.
"Guys, I think it's a good idea if we were to blow this popsicle stand" Audrey muttered to the others.
"The what?" Ron asked.
"Forget it, disapparate, now!" Harry commanded. Though they didn't have a chance as they heard a shout behind them making him turn so fast the newspaper on the table flared up with tiny smoke tendrils, swishing softly towards the floor, making those before them shrink away a little, though that didn't include the one leading them in the front.
Millicent Bullstrode strode as her name suggested towards them like a bull trying to catch the red cape and intent on succeeding, and if bulls could smirk this one would.
"Awww what do we have here? The bloody pot calling the kettle black eh?" she smirked as Harry grabbed Audrey's arm as she took a small step forward. "Oh I'm so afraid. Four against eight ouuu I'm so scared!" she whimpered as the others laughed with her.
Harry disapparated with a still fuming Audrey on his arm. The others not far behind just as some students tried to hex them.
---
They apparated into their house and packed their stuff and then apparated to HQ. Where, to their surprise, they found a very POed Molly Weasley.
Ron gulped "Hi mom"
"I can't believe that moronic idiot did this!" Molly growled as she burst around with pots and pans ricocheting of the walls, being slammed down on their respective places immediately beginning to fry something as to accommodate Mrs. Weasleys very thoughts.
"Calm down Molly we knew Fudge would use the attack to his advantage" Audrey said as she dropped her things on the floor.
"Though we hadn't quite expected this" Harry admitted.
"Of course not! That idiotic little bastard, poor excuse of a wizard! Why I ought to..." Molly seethed as Ron gently steered her to a chair by the table.
"Calm down mom. Breathe in... breathe out" Ron said as he massaged her shoulders.
Molly calmed down a little as she got more relaxed by Ron's massage. Suddenly Dumbledore appeared with a POP! He had a very serious look on his face.
"This was unexpected" was the first thing he said.
"You can say that again." Hermione said grumpily with her hands plopped up on the table growling nasty obscenities under her breath.
Dumbledore gave her a peering look.
"Sorry sir" she said more for the action than the feeling for it.
"What are we going to do? We off course can't return to Hogwarts now" Harry said.
"Indeed you can't! Haven't you seen the rest of the article?" Dumbledore said.
They all went to Hermione who was holding the paper and read.
'...The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has declared all four students as outlaws of the Wizarding community. He is further on insisting that Albus Dumbledore bring them into Ministry custody...'
"Well that's good and dandy" Audrey said with a twist to her lips.
"You must remain here at all times until we sort this out" Dumbledore said.
"No way!" Harry exploded.
"With all due respect sir, we are not going to let that idiot of Fudge get us to lay low" Hermione said.
"We're not going to be like Sirius, I refuse to be locked-up in this godforsaken house" Audrey added.
The others nodded.
"I see." He peered at them over his half-moon glasses "Well, at least stay a 'bit' low. And no prowling around!" he hurriedly added.
The mages looked astonished at him; they hadn't expected it to be that easy.
"I made that mistake once with Sirius, I'm not going to make it again. But promise me that you'll be careful. The war is going to take a turn for the worst if anything were to happen to you" Dumbledore said.
"And you'd miss us!" Ron said sniffling.
Dumbledore smiled, "That too." He said and chuckled.
"Okay, we'll stay here and help around with the research, but we'll still go into battles" Harry said with a glint in his eyes.
"Good"
"You'd better return to Hogwarts sir and calm down the staff and student body" Audrey said.
Dumbledore nodded once and disapparated.
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That night the entire Order knew about the mages' escapades and Harry, Ron and Hermione were currently talking to each other.
"Well this is just diddly" Ron said.
"No shit?" Harry said rolling his eyes tiredly.
"Fudge is a real bastard to pull something like this" Ron added. Small rippling could be seen around the floor where he was sitting.
"I still find it strange that Fudge made such a big deal out of us" Hermione said.
The boys nodded.
"Well who knows what goes on in that twisted mind of his" Ron said growling.
At that moment Audrey came running into the living-room waving a paper around.
"Guys, this shit just got worse...Look at the Night Prophet" she said, showing the paper which was that Night's Prophet.
'Fleeing of the killers!
Harry Potter, Audreana Black, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger have fled Hogwarts. This reporter has found out that Albus Dumbledore has no comment on either the disappearance or the whereabouts of the four students. We heard from reliable sources that the four just disappeared in the middle of breakfast few moments after the owls came in. The Ministry has declared them outlawed in the whole Wizarding World, their sentence will be one of Azkaban. Furthermore the minister insists that anyone with information steps forward to capture these...'
"So we are now officially fugitives with a dead or alive sentence" Ron said.
Harry sighed. "Yeah" as Arthur came in looking grim as he saw the paper.
"So you know" he said silently.
"Yep"
Arthur sighed and sat on a chair. Meanwhile Molly entered and walked over to them.
"Guys did you read this part?" Hermione said and pointed at the paper.
'...Their sudden disappearance from the Hall has left many worried since it is supposed to be impossible to apparate or disapparate on Hogwarts grounds. This has led some to believe that the four teenagers might be in line with He-Who- Must-Not-Be-Named...'
"We? Siding with Voldewarts?" Harry said stunned.
"Well, daddy dearest is gonna laugh his head off at this one" Audrey said with a bitter twist to her lips.
"When you think you've seen the worst, it gets worse" Ron said staring at the paper.
They sighed and simultaneously sat on the couch and Harry made the paper go up in flames. As they sat there admiring the flicks and cracks of the smoldering paper in silence Hermione suddenly smiled.
Hey Prowl, weren't you always complaining about not being able to do something before one of your brothers did it?
Well...uhm...yes Ron replied still mesmerized by the flickering flames.
Congratulations Harry butted in.
What? Ron asked confused.
You're the first to be declared outlaw and I'm sure no one else has been accused of being one of Voldie's henchmen before either Audrey added.
Hey, you're right Ron said chuckling. Though it isn't exactly what I expected.
It isn't exactly what any of us had expected Hermione said solemnly.
They looked around the living room and saw worried faces.
Why does it seem that everyone seems more preoccupied with this than what we are? Ron asked.
We're too young and don't know the severity of this Harry said smartly nodding.
They looked incredulously at Harry.
What? Audrey asked with a raised eyebrow.
Those are not my words, it's the general trail of thoughts in this room, and Molly's worrying is giving me a headache Harry said.
You're reading my mom's thoughts? Ron asked glaring.
You know very well that I can't read minds, it's more like picking up thoughts that are being sent out Harry humpfed.
Yeah, sorry Ron said.
You know, I wish they would stop treating us so childishly Hermione said.
The others nodded.
Okay, so we do something about it Audrey said.
What do you suggest? Hermione asked.
That we leave HQ, find ourselves a hiding place and wait 'till everyone gets their heads out of their respective asses Audrey said.
They other agreed.
We do keep helping them off course Harry added.
Off course Audrey said. But if they continue to worry about us the way they are now, then they'll never get anything done. If they after all that we have done still don't trust us, then we've run out of options.
Sad, but true Ron said.
So when do we hightail outta here? Harry asked.
Tonight Hermione said.
At that moment their conversation was disturbed by Severus Snape who sat down across from them and looked at them.
"Come to gloat, Severus?" Audrey asked sweetly.
They had all been on first-name bases since, what was now referred to as, the Oxford incident.
"No merely to state that the Dark Lord is pleased with this turn of events" Severus said.
"Tell us something that we wouldn't have guessed, Severus" Harry said.
Severus leant forward and looked at them. Ahem glared at them. Though it didn't do much good.
"You are up to something" Severus said.
"Whatever makes you think that?" Ron asked.
"I've been teaching the four of you for almost six years. I can tell when you're up to something" Severus replied.
"Do you trust us?" Hermione asked.
"What do you mean?" Severus asked.
"In a fight would you trust us to watch your back, would you trust our research?" Hermione asked.
"Off course I would, you've proven yourselves over and over" Severus said.
"It is a pity that you're only one of the few that thinks that way" Harry said.
"I don't understand" Severus said.
"Even though they allow us to fight still a lot, hell most of members in the Order see us as meddling children" Audrey said.
"I see, well I can't say that you aren't meddling children, but you are of great help. I believe that the fact that you fight is the only reason why the casualties on our side are so few, though your methods are a matter of debate" Severus said.
"We aren't exactly subtle with the DE's, but in a case of us or them, I prefer it to be them" Ron said.
Severus looked at the four of them again.
"You're leaving" it wasn't a question, it was a statement.
The mages looked at him.
"What if we are?" Hermione asked.
Severus sighed.
"I can't blame you, and it would be a good lesson for some here. They take you for granted, I do wonder what they would do with you gone" Severus said, smiling evilly at the end.
"They take you for granted as well Severus" Ron said.
"It's not like there's much more for me" he replied.
"So you won't tell anyone?" Harry asked.
"What is there to tell, I don't know where you'll be going, now will I" Severus replied casually.
The mages shook their heads.
"Well I leave you to your thoughts then" Severus said and got up stopped and waved at the four.
"Severus" Audrey said softly before he could take a step.
He turned around.
"Yes?" he asked.
"When they find out about our...disappearance, tell them that we'll be safe and that they'll need to think about what they think of us and how they see us, before we'll come back" Audrey said.
Severus nodded and left.
Talking about going, where exactly ARE we going? Ron asked.
Not too far, centre of London. I got an apartment there Audrey said.
How did you get that? Hermione asked.
You know that before Remmy took me in, I lived with the Rawlins? Audrey said.
Yeah the others chorused.
Well before they died, they gave me some money and that apartment as a gift Audrey said.
Money? But you're already loaded Ron said.
That money I can only reach when I'm eighteen years of age, but that's beside the point. The point is that Dumbledore doesn't know about the apartment Audrey said.
So we pack and leave for the apartment. Is it suitable for four people? Harry asked.
Easily, it's got four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a large living room and a fairly large library Audrey said.
That's settled then Hermione said.
Aren't we staying a bit close by? Ron wondered.
Ever heard of hiding in plain sight? Hermione replied smirking.
Ah, I like, I like it a lot Ron replied grinning.
Let's go pack, without anyone noticing Harry said.
The four got up and headed for their bedrooms. They packed everything away and then went down for dinner. Everyone was still looking at them worriedly and, according to Harry, they were still seeing them as poor little wee children who didn't know what they got themselves into.
After dinner they said goodnight and said that they were tired and would go to bed. They went up and made some last preparations. After a few hours everyone had gone either home or to bed. The four got out of bed, still fully dressed, grabbed their stuff which they shrank and put into their pockets and met down the hall.
Let's go Harry said.
They disapparated and then apparated in front of a large building. They entered the building and Audrey led them to the elevator. They went all the way up to the penthouse. When they reached it they got out and Audrey opened the large door that gave access to the apartment.
"This is big" Ron said.
"And clean" Hermione said.
"Yeah, it's got self cleaning spells on it. Come on I'll show you the bedrooms. You can choose which one you want and settle in" Audrey said.
And so the hide and seek began.
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Well this took me ages, actually I was too lazy to upload.
well bye bye
next chap chapter 19 – Lessons to Learn
yawn me sa sleepy.
Nova