Chapter 3: The Secret Smith
Ron was sitting at the desk. "Harry?" He turned away, and grabbed a tissue. He'd been crying.
"Ron, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Harry grumbled.
"No, It's fine." He looked over, a bit red in the eye area.
"I'm sorry, I'll just, go to sleep." He mumbled.
"No, It's fine," He said again. "What did McGonnagal want?"
"You know that picture…The one with the Jordan's in it." He asked.
"Yeah, Why?" Ron looked curious.
"She had one like it. But it wasn't the same." Harry said.'
"What?"
"She had another Polaroid picture, like the one we found, a muggle picture." Harry said.
"What was it?" Ron asked.
"It was us." Harry said. "Macnair took a picture of us."
"My God. Where?" Ron looked back at the box of tissues.
"Morgan Havalard's house. It was the four of us, looking at the body."
"That means…" Ron began.
"That he was there." Harry Finished. "That he was watching us doing our detective work….We're not tailing him." Harry picked up a pair of old socks and threw them hard at the wall. "He's tailing us."
"He's leading us somewhere." Ron said.
"It's a trap." Harry said. And now it's time to walk into it. He thought to himself. Ron turned off the light, and they both drifted off to sleep.
"Harry! HARRY! Wake up!"
"What, MacNair!" Harry sat up and clamored for his glasses.
"No, silly it's just me," Hermione was sitting at the end of his bed.
"Hermione!" He pulled the covers up over his bare chest.
"Ron told us what happened last night." She said.
"What time is it?"
"Nearly three o'clock. You've been sleeping for more then twelve hours. We thought we should wake you up." Hermione said. Ron was sitting on his bed.
"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked.
"In our room, she's packing." Hermione Answered.
"Packing?" Harry asked.
"We need to go. We think we know where MacNair is going." Hermione said.
"Where?" Harry asked. "Turn around, will you?" She did, as he quickly pulled on some pants and a shirt.
"You remember you told us about Hebzibah Smith?"
"The lady with Hufflepuff's Goblet?" Harry clarified.
"Yeah. She lived near hear. Only a few miles North." She said.
"I'm done, You think he's going there?" Harry said. Putting on the locket that he'd been carrying around.
"Why else would MacNair be here?" Ron said.
"Good point." Harry said.
"Alright, we go then." Harry said. "All got your brooms?" They nodded. They brought their stuff outside with their brooms and each disillusioned each other. Harry Quickly went and paid for the rooms and then rushed back out.
"Let's go then," They took off soaring through the air. He was home. He loved flying. He would miss Quiddich. Flying made him truly happy. The air rushed through his hair, his T-shirt flapping and his shoe laces flinging about, this was the life. This almost made him forget. Forget his mask. The mask he had to put on every day. The brave Harry, the one who wasn't afraid to face Voldemort…
Only about ten minutes later Ginny told them all to descend and they followed her outline down through a cloud which got them completely soaked, but it was pleasant on such a hot summers day. She landed, and they all followed suit. They found a small ally where they un-disillusioned themselves, and cast a muggle-repelling charm on their stuff.
"Which one is it?" Ron asked. But as they got onto the main street, the question answered itself. There was a pink house with Yellow siding. Two Badger statues guarded the front walk with garden gnomes dotting the gardens. The Mailbox was labeled smith.
"Her relatives must still live here." Ginny said. "I didn't expect that."
"Bloody…."
"What is it Hermione." She was point at the garden.
"Do you see who that is?" She pointed to the side garden where three boys were playing with a soccer ball.
"No," Ron Squinted.
"That's ZACARIUS SMITH!" Ginny shouted!
"Quiet, he'll hear you!" Hermione covered Ginny's mouth.
"We must have the wrong Smith, it's not exactly an uncommon name," Harry nodded.
"Oh, shit." Ginny swore. "I'm sorry, I though…I just assumed…"
"It's fine." Harry said. He paused. "Hermione?"
"Hmm?"
"Is there a such thing as a locating spell?"
"You're just thinking of this now?" Ron said, sitting on a park bench next to Hermione. The four of them had gathered at a table in the park with a map on it, which Ginny had gone and bought at a gas station.
"It's powerful magic, Ronald." Hermione said.
"And even if we did think of it, we couldn't do it until now." Ginny said. "And, you know, it might not even work now."
"Well," Hermione pointed he wand at the picture of MacNair and the dead Jordans. "We're about to find out." She closed her eyes. "Hallero!" Her wand tip glowed, and as she pulled it away, a golden thread seemed to appear from the photo.
"Nice," Ron said.
"Hang on," Hermione said. She dropped the thread onto the map. It twitched for a moment.
"Damn." She said. "Something's gone wrong…Sorry Harry. The Photo must not be a powerful enough object."
"Bloody Hell!" They all jumped back from the table as the map burst into flames. The edges curled up and the gold thread wrapped itself around the flaming map until it became round. It rose up in the air, and then sped off.
"Oh, F-" Ginny started, but they were off. They each grabbed their packs and tore off after it.
"Terrorists!" One muggle screamed as they all ran, trying to keep up with the ball. Hermione leaned down, her hands on her knees.
"You keep going!" Ron shouted to Ginny and Harry. "We'll catch up!"
They began to run out of breath too as the ball whizzed passed shops, through muggle areas, and finally back into residential areas.
"How far can this thing last?" Ginny shouted.
"No Idea!" Harry responded, truthfully.
"Hang on!" Ginny Shouted. The ball had stopped, it was shimmying around in circles back in front of the Pink Smith house.
"You don't think…" Ginny said.
"He can't have come here, can he?" Harry said, unsure.
The ball's flames got larger and then engulfed the whole map and it disintegrated before their eyes.
"Oi!" the Front door of the Ugly Pink and yellow Badger-house flew open and out came Zacarius smith. "What are you two doing here! Get…Get off my property!"
"Uh…" They both stammered.
"What was that…that flaming ball thing?" He walked down the steps.
"Locator spell," Ginny answered.
"Who were you…You weren't locating me were you?" Smith said.
"Listen, I think you're in danger. We've been…" Harry looked at Ginny.
"We've been following a Death Eater." Ginny finished.
"A Death Eater?" Smith said. "No, That can't be. You're tricking me."
"No, we…We think he's got the wrong house, he's looking for a different Smith, we fell for it too. But, I think you may be in danger!" Harry said.
"No, You idiot, we can't talk about this here!" Smith Gestured for them to come inside.
"What's this about a death eater?" Smith said.
"Are your parents home?" Harry asked.
"No, they're out." Smith said. "Why? There's never been any Death Eater activity here, not even…you know 16 years ago."
"Well, there is now." Ginny said, rolling her eyes.
"There was a murder, about 10 miles south of here." Harry said.
"A Murder?…And you're sure it was a Death Eater?" Smith said, astonished. They all sat down in his living room, which was also pink with yellow furniture.
"Yes, We've been following him." Harry said.
"Why?" Smith said. "Why not report him to the ministry."
"Because he wants us to follow him, and if we report him, we'll lose him." Harry said, without thinking.
"What?" Smith said. "What, do you make it a practice to track Death Eaters? I've heard a lot of rumors about you, but…"
"Please," Ginny said. "Do you know of any other smiths in the area?"
"No," he answered.
"What's with all the badgers?" Harry inquired.
"Badgers?" Smith looked around. There were several Badger statues and figurines all around the room.
"Oh, well, My whole family's been in Hufflepuff, and well, They were my Great Aunt Hepzibah's…"
"Hepzibah?" Harry said. Both he and Ginny stood up. "Hepzibah Smith?"
"Damn," Ginny said. "It all fits, doesn't it."
"That means…" Harry began.
"Neither of us has the wrong house!" Ginny finished.
"Okay, Smith. I know this sounds crazy, but you're in danger." Harry said.
"What do you mean?" He looked more disgusted then shocked.
"I mean, You've got a death eater looking for you!" Harry yelled.
"Harry!" He heard Hermione's voice outside. He walked over to the door and opened it.
"Hermione!" he yelled out the door. She and Ron came toward the house.
"What's going on?" Ron said.
"Is this Hepzibah's house after-all?" Hermione asked.
"How do you know about my Aunt too?" Smith asked.
"His aunt?" Ron looked bewildered.
"His Great Aunt was Hepzibah Smith. Hence the Badgers." Ginny filled them in.
"Okay," Harry Spun around and grabbed the shoulders of Zacarius Smith. "I know we don't particularly like each other."
"That's and understatement," Both Ron and Smith said at once.
"…But that's irrelevant now." Harry continued, ignoring them. "Just trust me when I say you're in danger!"
"Holy God!" Hermione jumped behind Ron as a huge red ball blasted through the living room window. Knocking over the badgers and ripping up the furnature.
"No need to tell me twice!" Smith made for the door.'
"No!" Harry said. "Upstairs!"
They ran upstairs as
another red blast cam through the kitchen window. The five of them
all ran up the stairs and through the yellow hallway into the
lavatory at the end.
"Can you two apparate?" Hermione asked quietly as another blast came through the windows downstairs.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ginny said.
"What's going on? What's he doing to my house!" Smith shouted.
"Smith! You git! Can you apparate!" Ron said punching the boy on his shoulder.
"Yes, I'm fine! Where!" He shouted over a loud crash downstairs.
"The Park!" Harry screamed and with a loud CRACK they all vanished.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" They all appeared suddenly around the same table they'd been at before.
"That was a Death Eater, named MacNair," Hermione Explained.
"Death Eaters? Here?" Smith sat down, looking dumbfounded.
The sun shown down through the trees and a light breeze was blowing the tops about. The warm weather seemed to mock them in the desperate time. In fact, Harry looked up at the sky, and realized that it was the first time in more then a year he'd seen the sun.
"Well, What do they want?" Smith asked.
"Your great Aunt was distantly descended from Helga Hufflepuff did you know that?" Hermione inquired.
"Yes, of Course, why did you think she collected the Badgers?" He said.
"At one time in her life, she possessed two very powerful magical objects." Harry said.
"Two very old objects." Hermione continued for him.
"A Goblet and a Locket." Harry said.
"Hufflepuff's Goblet, and Slytherin's Locket." Hermione said.
"Yes, I know," He said still looked bewildered. "What does that have to do with…"
"But they were stolen weren't they?" Harry asked. "Right after her death."
"Yes, But…" Smith started.
"We think Voldemort Wanted them," Ron said.
"Don't say his name here!" Smith stood up. "For What? What did he want them for?"
"We don't know," Ginny said, unflinchingly. Harry and Hermione looked at each other.
"Clearly we were right though," Ron said.
"He did want them," Hermione finished.
"Well…Well…What now?" Smith stammered.
"Go find your parents," Harry said. "It would be a good idea for you to get away from here."
"Right," Smith breathed. "I'll go do that." And with a soft POP, he vanished.
"What about us, Harry?" Ron asked.
"What?" He said, turning to look at Ron. "Oh…I think we should get out of here too."
"We'll lose our tail on MacNair," Ginny said calmly.
"I know." Harry said. "This isn't getting us anywhere."
"I just wish Dumbledore could have left a hint of…" Hermione stopped. "Oh…I'm so sorry."
"Listen," Harry interrupted. "Let's just get back to your parents house Ron."
"Okay," Ginny and Ron said.
"What will we do there?" Hermione asked. "Bill and Fleur are in France again, Mr. And Mrs. Weasley have been working for the order around the clock, Fred and George are in Diagon Ally, and Charlie's in America doing who knows what!"
"Charlie's in America?" Harry said. "When did this happen?"
"Oh, Sorry, Last night when you were at Hogwarts. We got an Owl, There's a dragon loose on Chicago and they've been having trouble tracking it, so they brought in Charlie and some of his crew." Hermione told him.
"Listen," Harry said. "Lets just go." He Disapparated.
"I hate it when he does that." Hermione grabbed Ron's arm and they Disapparated together, Ginny followed.
Chapter 4- Tortured Eyes
