It's not long before things go downhill much faster than any of us expected. The Death Eaters, emboldened and inspired by Lucius' presence, are extra vigilant about their patrols and extra harsh on anyone unfortunate enough to get in their way. Lavender stumbles in the door one evening covered in bruises from a Death Eater who thought it'd be fun to play rough. It's two full days before anyone lets her leave base again, and it's only because Lavender rather viciously reminds us all of her increased senses and strength – she spares none of the gory details as she writes down exactly what she did to that particular Death Eater. Suffice it to say that he's going to need a lot longer than two days to recover. Dean and Flitwick are nearly caught on a supply run, only just managing to get away, and we duplicate all of our food even though the duplicates never taste quite as good, anticipating that it too will be much harder to come by.
It's while out on my own supply run with Ginny a few days later that we discover something even worse. I'm about to cross the road when she throws out a hand to stop me.
"Someone's there," she whispers, nodding to a shadowy corner across the way. I can just make out the forms of two people standing there.
"Thanks," I whisper back. "Who is it?" She shrugs.
"Dunno." But then one of the figures speaks, and to our horror, it's someone we both know extremely well.
"When can I see you again?" It's Ron.
"When would you like to see me again?" The girl's reply is charming, flirtatious even.
"All the time," Ron declares, so oblivious to his surroundings that he doesn't realize how far his voice carries. The girl laughs, the sound light and airy in the evening air.
"You fancy yourself quite the charmer, don't you?" she asks.
"I mean it!" Ron says. He steps closer, no mistaking his identity now that they're under a streetlamp. "I'd be with you always if you'd let me. Say yes, Colette! Come with me!"
"Come with me?" I mouth to Ginny, our eyes wide. Is Ron seriously bailing on us entirely?
"Are you proposing we leave London?" The girl – Colette, Ron said her name was – asks. I don't recognize the name, but her voice sounds strangely familiar, though I can't imagine why. I certainly don't know anyone named Colette – unless her name isn't actually Colette, which could be a serious problem.
"To hell with London!" Ron declares. "We'll start fresh, just us two, somewhere in the country – Devon, maybe. But I'm not picky, s'long as I'm with you."
"Billy, you're sweet," the girl sighs. I want to smack my hand to my forehead, and I hear Ginny swear under her breath. Devon…Billy…could Ron be any more obvious?
"I can't, though," the girl continues. "My father would never allow it."
"Please, Colette," Ron pleads. "I've never felt this way about a girl before. I don't want to lose you."
"I don't want to lose you either," Colette says, "but I don't see how we can make this work." She tiptoes and presses her lips to Ron's cheek. "I can't leave London."
"Then we'll stay here," Ron says. "I just want us to be together." Colette sighs again.
"If only," she whispers. She sighs a third time and steps back, out of Ron's reach.
"At least tell me where to find you!" Ron implores. "Tell me where you live so I can call on you?"
"You know I can't do that either," she says, shaking her head.
"Why not?" Ron demands, but Colette just shakes her head again, turns on the spot, and is gone.
Shit, shit, shit. Not only is Colette a witch, but she just Apparated in Death-Eater-controlled London without a second thought. That cannot be good.
"We need to stage an intervention," Ginny says. "This has gone way too far already." I quickly agree, and we hurry back to base, not bothering to alert Ron to our presence – he's not nearly as stealthy as we are, and we're carrying important supplies; having him travel with us will just increase our chances of getting caught. Besides, it's not him we need to talk to.
By the time Ron returns home, the rest of the London GHRS crew is seated around the kitchen table waiting for him, and since Ginny and I have filled everyone in on what happened tonight, no one looks happy to see him.
"How could you be so utterly foolish, Mr. Weasley?" McGonagall asks. Ron looks confused.
"What?"
"We saw you," Ginny says curtly. "Having your little tête-à-tête with darling Colette."
"But…how…" Ron splutters.
"You weren't exactly discreet, Ronald," Ginny continues. "Cavorting in the streets for all to see – Hermione and I were clear across the road and could hear every word!"
"And what damning words they were," Bill adds. He looks furious with his younger brother. "Did you even stop to think what would happen if a Death Eater overheard you talking about leaving London? Or the fact that you all but handed this girl your identity on a silver platter?"
"No I didn't-"
"Yes, you did. Devon? Billy? Come on, Ron, we're not stupid. Our family home's in Devon, and your middle name is Bilius. Even if someone didn't know that last bit, they might still know that the Weasleys have a son called Bill. We're not stupid, and plenty of people on the other side aren't, either. You might as well have turned yourself over right then."
"She's not on their side!" Ron insists.
"You don't know that!" Bill counters. "You gave her a fake name – who's to say she didn't do the same? Can you really be sure that 'Colette' is who she says she is?"
"Yes," Ron says stubbornly. "I know her – she's not one of them." Bloody hell, he really doesn't get it, does he?
"Your actions tonight cannot go overlooked, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall says sternly. Her 'professor' voice is so dominant right now, I half expect her to dock points from Gryffindor. "I'm afraid we have no other choice – you will not be permitted to leave the house unless absolutely necessary."
"What?" Ron shouts. "You can't do that!"
"We can, and we will," McGonagall says with a tone of finality. "You've jeopardized the lives of every person in this room with your foolishness, and we will ensure that it doesn't happen again."
McGonagall is true to her word. Within the hour, she and Flitwick have installed wards on the house that make it impossible for Ron to leave. We rework the schedule to account for one less person, and though Ron rages at everyone for the better part of three days, no one listens. We're all beyond furious with the youngest Weasley son.
Roughly a week after Ron's punishment begins, I come to an inevitable conclusion and call a house meeting.
"Ron was a complete idiot last week," I begin, "but he got one thing right – we need to find out where Colette lives."
Ron's ridiculously hopeful "Really?" is drowned out by everyone else's reactions:
"What the hell?"
"Hermione, you can't be serious!"
"Absolutely not!"
"You're joking, right?"
I hold up a hand for silence.
"I'm not joking in the slightest," I explain. "We know next to nothing about this girl – the conversation Ginny and I overheard shows that she's reluctant to share personal information for some reason, and since this clearly wasn't the first time they'd met, I think we can safely assume she hasn't told Ron anything we don't already know. Am I right?" I ask, addressing Ron directly. He nods.
"She's not much for sharing," he agrees. "'Mione, thank you, you have no idea-"
"Shut it," I snap. "I'm certainly not doing this for you. And stop calling me that stupid nickname, you know I hate it." I turn back to the group at large. "We know next to nothing about her – what happens if she's actually a Death Eater sympathizer, or a daughter or niece? We've determined that anyone with half a brain can figure out who 'Billy' really is based on the information Ron gave this girl. We need to get back on even ground. We need to know for sure."
"You make a valid argument, Miss Granger," Flitwick squeaks. "It would do us well to confirm the girl's identity, or at least clear up the matter of where she lives. She wouldn't be so secretive about it for no reason, so we need to find out what that reason is."
"Precisely," I say. "I'm volunteering to take this on – I'm not on the schedule this week for any outings, and I've proven myself in the stealth department. I know most of London extremely well by now, I can trace Apparition and Apparate near-silently myself, and I know what Colette looks like."
"Another valid argument," Bill says. "You, Ginny, and Ron are the only ones who do, and we don't exactly have a Pensieve to show anyone else a memory of her. You're sure you're up for this, Hermione?"
"I'm sure," I reply firmly.
"That's it, then. All in favor of Hermione pursuing this mission?" The vote is unanimous, and just like that, Operation Find Colette is a go.
I start my work the next morning. First, I interview Ron, asking for places Colette frequents.
"Just the facts, Ronald," I snap when he starts to wax poetic about Colette or attempt to thank me again. I'm having none of that. Armed with the short list he provides, I plan my route and begin my hunt.
It's three days before I even see Colette at all, and she's in the midst of a crowd, so by the time I reach her, she's gone. Two days after that, I have only slightly better luck – I manage to tail her to Saville Row before she disappears once more. (Honestly, did she have to be filthy rich? I had no choice but to hide once we'd got to Saville Row; my clothes alone made me stick out like a sore thumb.)
Finally, nearly a week later, I manage it. I follow Colette to Hyde Park and hear her Apparate from behind a tree. Wasting no time, I track the Apparition, surprised when I end up just a few blocks away. Why had Colette felt the need to Apparate practically right next door? I'm not surprised in the slightest that she lives in Kensington – after all, if she can afford to shop at Saville Row boutiques and wear the fine clothing I've seen her in whilst tracking her, she can afford the exclusive address – but I don't understand the odd Apparition. Clearly, I'm missing something.
The hunt turns into a stakeout as I repeatedly return to her Apparition destination. I quickly find the perfect hiding place in a beautiful old tree in someone's yard and just as quickly tire of it when nothing happens for two full days. I find myself cursing Ron under my breath as I try to bring some feeling back into my numb backside, and then chuckle darkly to myself.
"He's lucky he isn't here," I mutter. "Otherwise, I'd have cursed him for real and he'd look more like a blob on legs than a person." Thoroughly annoyed, I adjust my position once more and settle in to wait.
Just before twilight fades to evening, Colette returns, a slight 'pop' signaling her appearance. I watch as she crosses the road, checks around her, and waves her wand before vanishing once more. I wait several minutes just to be sure, but she doesn't reappear. Careful to keep myself hidden in case anyone is looking out their front windows, I creep across the road and test the spot where Colette vanished. Nothing. It hasn't been long enough for Apparition traces to disappear completely, and so I perform the spell again, a sneaking suspicion rising within me. When my spell turns up negative once more, I know for sure.
Colette didn't Apparate again – she's still here, and her house is under the Fidelius charm.
