Chapter 18
Hermione returned from school at the usual time. She had stayed at Hogwarts to complete some research. When Hermione got back, she told us that Dumbledore gave Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and her an important job to complete. Unfortunately, she was unable to provide us with the details.
Carlos and I trusted Hermione. She had turned seventeen in March and was considered an adult in the magic community. We raised her to use her brain and follow her instincts. I practiced more spells with her to make sure she could alter people's appearance. It's a skill that may come in handy.
We practised many skills to teach her to replicate food if the supply was minimal. Carlos taught her how to forage for food, to recognize edible mushrooms, berries and fruit. He patiently described the differences between the poisonous mushroom and the safe one. The difference is some regions were subtle.
"Mom, Dad. It's time for me to leave," Hermione said a few weeks before Harry Potter's seventeenth birthday.
"Do you have everything you need?" I asked. Hermione nodded, patting the bag on her shoulder. "You got it to work?"
"I think I performed a strong enough charm to make it last. Um. I visited Julie and her family. She had photos of us around their house," Hermione said, twisting the strap on her purse.
"Herm, did you erase memories of us from their minds?" Carlos asked.
"Yes," she whispered. "I removed our images from the photographs too." Carlos was not happy.
Mason added, "Dad, Hermione had to protect them. There's a small probability that someone would use them to find our family. I told Hermione it was necessary."
"Mase, we'll need to hide you," Hermione said.
"Abuela Maria," I said, reading Mason's mind. "We'll add extra protection to the house. Mason, you'll need to stay inside the house."
"I know, mama. You and papa have a job to do," Mason said. He hugged Hermione and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Mio. Stay safe and protect Harry. He needs your help."
"I love you too, Mase," Hermione whispered.
"Stand by him even when Ron leaves," Mason whispered. Hermione nodded then kissed his cheek.
She promised to stay safe. Carlos and I escorted her to the roof. We hugged her and watched as she apparated to the burrow. Several hours later, we received an owl from Hermione that she was safe at the Weasley's home.
Carlos wrapped his arm around my waist as he guided me back to our apartment. We had to get Mason to the Manoso home to protect him. Our mission was to continue the work Dumbledore started. Along with the other members of the Order of the Phoenix, we had to rally the wizards and witches to protect Harry Potter when the time arrived. Nobody knew when it would happen, other than we'd hear when it was time. Dumbledore had said Voldemort himself would announce the time.
With a heavy heart, we left our son with his grandparents. We prayed he would be safe in the states, but there was no guarantee. Many strange events occurred around the world, sitings of Voldemort in Albania, Germany, Australia, Colombia and Iceland got circulated among the various ministries of magic.
I wanted to be closer to my European family. We left our Rangeman family behind to protect the nomags in the states. They'd need all the help they could get if the dementors got released from ministry control. Only wizards, witches and squibs could see the creatures, but the non-magical world would only feel the sense of dread and unhappiness.
Carlos and I never travelled anywhere without each other. I felt we needed to stay together. We worked a few shifts patrolling Harry Potter's home at 4 Privet Drive. During our assigned shifts, we protected or patrolled the Weasley home. The house was outside of Ottery St Catchpole in Devon, England.
Since Dumbledore was dead, Harry's home at number 12 Grimmauld Place was no longer safe for the Order of the Phoenix to meet. We had only visited the home twice. Neither time was when Hermione lived in the house.
The most excitement we experienced was when Harry Potter moved from his Uncle's house to the burrow. Mad Eye Moody lost his life that day. Harry's owl, Hedwig, got hit by a curse too. Snape accidentally severed George Weasley's ear. We later learned that the ministry got infiltrated by death eaters. Until the day that Voldemort got a trustworthy death eater in the minister's job, we were fairly safe.
Cornelius Fudge got forced to resign from his position and immediately replaced by Rufus Scrimgeour. He looked like a lion. I wouldn't be surprised if that were his Corporeal Patronus. We got ordered to maintain our distance from the ministry. Carlos and I abided by our order, but we made sure to know our enemies.
"I never realized that many death eaters worked in the Ministry of Magic. I'm glad we left those jobs before they became more corrupt," I whispered as we cuddled in bed.
"Babe, we left when it no longer felt safe. We're lucky to have had another source of income. Not many witches and wizards have the choice," Carlos reminded me.
"What will happen to Hogwarts and the other magical schools?" I asked.
"The other magical schools would operate as usual. I'm afraid it's Hogwarts that would get infiltrated by the ministry to find Harry," Carlos replied.
I thought about his words before I asked, "Do you think they're hoping for Harry to return? To capture him?"
"Voldemort was unsuccessful in Little Hangleton and inside the Ministry of Magic. If he wishes to rule the world, he'd need Harry Potter to die. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a plan in place," Carlos replied.
"Like his plan to kill Harry during his trip to the burrow?" I asked.
"Exactly. The Order of the Phoenix has a plan, but only those involved know the details," Carlos replied. "Let me take your mind off everything." Carlos used magic to remove our clothes.
He kissed my entire body, setting my skin on fire from every touch. Every nerve ending felt the electrical charge as he kissed, licked and nibbled my skin. I screamed his name before he plunged into me. Like the first time we had made love, I felt our souls solidify the bond, making us feel as one. We should have been sleeping, but the need to connect intimately overrode all other desires.
A shiver ripped through my body as I cuddled with Carlos. I jumped from bed to quickly shower. Carlos followed my lead. We used the spell to dry our hair and bodies as we pulled our clothes and robes from the closet. "Something's wrong at the Weasley's home," I said while pulling my hair into a ponytail.
Carlos grabbed my hand and twisted us on the spot. We landed on the other side of the property line. I stunned a death eater as he fired a curse towards Hermione. She managed to deflect the spell, making me relax slightly. Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him out of the way, in the direction I had spotted Ron. The second Hermione reached Ron, she grabbed his hand and twisted. I could only pray that the trio was safe.
We continued fighting the death eaters when two suddenly disappeared. Thorfinn Rowle and Antonin Dolohov had exchanged grins before leaving. I had a feeling they knew where the trio had gone. The other death eaters disapparated within a few minutes.
Many of the order members left to protect muggle families in the region. Carlos and I stayed at the burrow to help Molly clean up the mess. She appreciated the help we offered. It took us several hours to clear the yard of debris.
I hugged Molly and promised to send word if I received correspondence from Hermione. It would be safer for the trio to refrain from sending updates. I'm sure that we'd hear if any of them had died. "Babe, Hermione is a clever witch. I know she'd work hard to keep Harry safe from Voldemort," Carlos said seconds before a couple of death eaters arrived. We had narrowly escaped the attack.
"Something tells me they tabooed his name. I hate calling him he-who-shall-not-be-named, but I fear we have no choice," I replied. "Oh, no. You don't think the kids used his name, do you?"
"Babe, Hermione would figure it out," Carlos replied. He's right that Hermione would figure out that the name would only bring trouble.
As it neared September 1st, we patrolled common areas where Harry could possibly hide. We got assigned to watch Grimmauld place. A few times, I thought I had seen someone's shoe on the step before it quickly disappeared. I saw a few death eaters show up a few weeks before. More got added to the patrol as the beginning of the school year approached.
It would be stupid if the trio returned to Hogwarts. "Severus Snape got promoted to Headmaster," I informed Carlos as I read the Daily Prophet. "The Carrow siblings got teaching positions. Alecto teaches Muggle Studies, and Amycus teaches Dark Arts."
He raised an eyebrow before replying, "Dark Arts? Did they rename the course?"
"In the article, it sounded like he'd be teaching the students dark magic," I replied.
"Severus will keep the students safe."
"I'd hate to learn that they're training the students to become death eaters. None of them should get forced to walk on the dark side," I added. My blood ran cold when I read the newest decree issued by Dolores Umbridge.
Seeing my face pale, Carlos took the paper from my shaky hands. "Witch and Wizard registration. All witches and wizards must register or face punishment. You must prove that you are a legitimate witch or wizard. An investigation into your lineage is required to keep your wand. We must remove the usurpers who stole the wand from pure-blood families," Carlos read.
"It's disgusting."
"I couldn't agree with you more. According to the article, All witches and wizards that stole magic will get incarcerated immediately," Carlos stated.
"Muggle and nomag born wizards like you would get stripped of your wand then thrown in Azkaban? But the wand selected you. It wasn't some scheme you conducted to steal magic away from the pure-bloods."
Carlos pointed to another section in the Daily Prophet. "Remus and Tonks have a boy," he said.
"I wonder if he'd take after Tonks or Remus," I thought out loud. We found out a few days later when Molly showed us a picture of Edward Remus Lupin, aka Teddy. Like Mason, Teddy showed metamorphmagus abilities. I was relieved that Mason wasn't the only wizard gifted with the ability to change his appearance.
We often watched the Muggle news to see which areas in Europe required wizard protection. So many got killed by giants and death eaters. It made me wonder if we'd make it through to the other side of the disasters.
I was frightened a few weeks later when the Daily Prophet announced that Harry Potter was in the Ministry of Magic. They couldn't determine why he was at the ministry, but Mad-Eye Moody's eye was missing from its place in Dolores Umbridge's office door.
The Minister of Magic, Pius Thicknesse, said that Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley got suspected of assisting Harry Potter. Ministry officials from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had entered 12 Grimmauld Place, hoping to find the trio within the walls. Fortunately, they weren't hiding in the home. A reward got issued for their arrest. I nearly laughed when they labelled Harry as Undesirable Number One. "Harry did not kill Dumbledore," I snarled after reading the list of charges against Harry.
"We both know that Snape killed Dumbledore even though he was already dying. The children smart, Babe," Carlos said. "Hermione would apparate Ron and Harry around the world to keep them safe."
"Oh, she's likely taking them to various campsites we visited. I'm relieved that Hermione and the boys are still alive," I admitted. "I miss Mason."
"Babe," he growled, resting his forehead against mine. "I miss our son too. We can't risk leading the death eaters to him." I knew he was right. My emotions were all over the place, but Carlos kept me grounded.
Trying to uncover Voldemort's plan was frustrating. He was a secretive man, much like Dumbledore, and his closest death eaters refused to betray him. I doubted even his inner circle was aware of his actions. Exactly how far does their loyalty go? Why don't the death eaters, besides Lucius Malfoy, have children? Would the Malfoy loyalty end if Draco got threatened? I had too many questions and no answers.
Between the US Thanksgiving and Christmas, we had found and banished dementors from many small towns and hamlets. The muggles tried to ignore what they interpreted as natural disasters to get into the Christmas spirit. Dementors thrived off the excitement and feasted off the muggles. Carlos and I barely slept at night, using the cover of darkness to rid the towns of dementors.
"I thought I saw our daughter," Carlos whispered. "We should leave before she spots us." Instead of apparating, we transformed into our animagus to leave the area. Neither of us wanted to spook Hermione from the popping noise associated with apparition.
I knew Carlos had really meant that we should leave before the death eaters discover where the trio is hidden. We learned during the Christmas holidays that Ron left Harry and Hermione. He hid away with Bill and Fleur Weasley. Bill was the secret keeper for their cottage, so nobody could find them unless he told them. I wondered why Ron suddenly left his friends. "Why would Ron leave?" I asked Carlos.
"He had lived in Harry's shadow since they met. Ron likely got frustrated from lack of progress or lack of food. If Hermione's dragging them around the countryside, she'd be foraging for food. Ron got used to eating regular meals. Harry got used to practically starving, and we always had to remind Hermione to eat. Of the three, Ron's less likely able to tolerate starvation," Carlos replied.
It didn't matter what Ron thought. He promised to stay with Harry and Hermione but left when things got tough. I begged God and Merlin that his stupidity had not brought harm to my daughter and the boy she loved. We continued on our mission to protect the muggles while listening for news on Harry and Hermione. They say that no news is good news. But I wanted my daughter to remain safe.
Many witches, wizards and muggles died between Christmas and the new year. It broke my heart when muggle friends had perished at the hands of Voldemort. The Daily Prophet only published the stories to warn the magic community of what they'd face if they didn't follow Voldemort's lead.
I panicked when I discovered Harry, Hermione and Ron got captured. The intel said they got taken to the Malfoy manor instead of the Ministry of Magic. There was a large reward for capturing Harry Potter. Finding Hermione and Ron was the icing on the cake. Ron returned to help his friends. I was still angry that he left but happy he continued to help his friends.
"Babe?" Carlos asked, lifting my chin. He wiped the tears off my face. I increased the volume on the radio where the station, called Potterwatch, got tuned.
"We are proud to announce that our primo dark wizard has once again failed to kill the chosen one. I want to tell their families that the chosen one and his friends are alive and well," the boy announced. He speculated on the trio's next move.
A few days later, we had learned that Harry, Ron and Hermione broke into the Lestrange family vault. They had nearly escaped capture. It got announced later that the cup had belonged to Helga Hufflepuff. I couldn't understand why they would steal the object. Apparently, the goblet had meant something to Voldemort. He had killed nearly everyone in the dining room of Malfoy manor. Unfortunately, Bellatrix, Draco, Lucius and Narcissa had escaped.
The towns surrounding Hogwarts castle got patrolled by witches and wizards on Voldemort's side. A man called Fenrir Greyback had threatened local wizardry families to support Voldemort, or he'd ravage their children. I wasn't surprised when most agreed to his terms. Unfortunately for the families remaining loyal to Voldemort, their young children died at Fenrir's hands.
Carlos and I received a message from Molly Weasley. We got instructed to apparate directly into the Hog's Head bar, owned by Aberforth Dumbledore, Albus' younger brother. Aberforth would send us through the secret passageway leading into the room of requirement inside Hogwarts.
We crammed into the room to listen to Harry's plan. He was looking for something that belonged to one of the houses, specifically Ravenclaw. A girl from that house spoke up, "Her lost diadem. It's like a tiara."
"You're not going to find it in Hogwarts because it's lost," another boy shouted. Hermione screamed for everyone to listen to Harry. The first girl offered to take Harry to Ravenclaw tower to show him the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw.
Hermione and Ron whispered as Harry got led from the room via a narrow staircase. I caught Hermione's eyes and mouthed, "I love you." She nodded before dragging Ron from the room, despite Harry's order to remain with the group.
A shrill voice pierced throughout the castle. Even inside the room of requirement, we could hear the chilling sound. "You have one hour to bring Harry Potter to me," the voice stated.
Without getting told, I knew it was Voldemort speaking. His voice sent a cold shiver through my body. I thought my blood would turn to ice. We filed out of the room, a small group at a time. "Where are we going?" I asked.
"To the Great Hall," Remus said from behind us. "Minerva and the other professors should be there with her house."