Chapter Seventy: Death Eaters Rising
Harry Potter – Present Day
April 9, 2001
"I don't know how many more crackers I can eat," Harry said grumpily, as he shoved another plain cracker into his mouth.
"There'll be food at the Burrow tomorrow," Hermione responded. "We will be sure to stock up on some before we head out again."
"And for sure we need to be there?"
"Oh, yes, I'm quite sure of it. Molly specifically relayed that message to you, Harry; she needs you to be there tomorrow."
"Or she just wanted me to know that Ron was only under the Abracadabra curse."
"That is a possibility, but then why would they advise of the date if that wasn't meant for us to be there?"
"I don't know," Harry answered truthfully.
"What was that?" Hermione asked suddenly, referring to the noise that they both just heard.
Harry peered through the bushes that he was sitting in and looked around. "Just a muggle walking his dog," he supplied.
Hermione sighed. "Well, I suppose we should leave soon and get ready for tomorrow. We have been in this bush for the last two days and Crabbe never came out of his house."
Harry wanted to agree with her. The last two days of sitting in a bush had been brutal, but it was their only way to spy on Crabbe. He was starting to realize however that Crabbe probably never left on foot to avoid exactly what Harry and Hermione were attempting to do. "Let's give it a couple of more hours," he said to her.
"Fine, but I'll need to get some hairs soon, otherwise we won't be prepared for tomorrow."
"I thought you were out of polyjuice potion?" he asked, remembering that they had depleted their supply.
"Oh, didn't I tell you?" she responded. "When I snuck into that wizard's house last night to use the bathroom, I found a jar in his medicine cabinet!"
"And you're sure it's polyjuice?"
"Positive," she said smiling.
"Alright, well, I'm thirsty and we are out of water. I'll head across the street there and see if there's anything in the fridge," he said, nodding towards the house across from them. "That family just left recently so they likely won't be back soon."
Harry made to get up, but Hermione stopped him. "Wait, look!" she said, pointing towards Crabbe's house. They watched as someone emerged from the front door and headed down the street.
"Do we follow him, or do we search the house?" Harry whispered, once they confirmed that it was indeed Crabbe.
"Why not both?" Hermione whispered back.
"What? How?"
Hermione pulled out a device from her beaded bag. "Let's put this GPS tracker on him."
"Where did you get that?" Harry wondered.
"At that muggle's house from yesterday."
"Blimey Hermione, how many things did you take?"
"A lot," she admitted, blushing.
"Well, how are we going to get it on him?"
"I don't know," she frowned, as she watched him walking away.
"I do," Harry said, an idea springing to mind. He grabbed the tracker out of Hermione's hand and headed towards Crabbe. He heard Hermione call out for him to stop, but he knew what he needed to do. "Crabbe," he called out, when he was within earshot.
"Potter!" Crabbe said, turning around and pointing his wand at Harry.
"Easy," Harry responded, his own wand pointed at him. "If I wanted to hurt you, I already would have. I'm here with a proposition for you."
Crabbe laughed. "I don't want anything from you, other than your death."
"You want the Hallows," Harry responded, testing a theory. He knew instantly that he was right by the look on Crabbe's face.
"I don't need your help; we've already got your cloak."
"Yeah, Malfoy stole it and gave it to you, I know."
"How do you know?" Crabbe asked, bewildered.
"You just confirmed it," Harry shrugged. "Anyway," he continued before Crabbe could say anything, "here, take this." He threw the GPS tracker at Crabbe, who caught it.
"What is this rubbish?"
"Something that'll help."
"I'm not stupid enough to fall for that, Potter."
"Then don't take it," was all Harry said. Then, unexpectedly, Harry disapparated before Crabbe could try and do anything. He found himself in an empty field where he impatiently waited. He realized his error in not telling Hermione, and he was terrified that she would leave before he could get back to her. Finally, after what felt like hours, Harry apparated back to the spot, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Hermione running towards him.
"Harry freaking Potter!" she yelled, when she was within ear shot. "How dare you!"
"Quiet," he shushed her, looking around. "Is he gone?"
"Yes, he is, and what was the point of that?"
"He has the tracker."
"yes, but he knows about it so that defeats the purpose!"
"Does it?" Harry questioned. "He has no idea what it is and he's going to be curious. He will probably take it to whoever he trusts and at that point, we'll have an address, so who cares if they destroy it after."
Hermione was mad Harry knew, but could tell that she agreed with his plan. "It just came to me which is why I didn't tell you. Sorry," he added.
"Yes, well, alright. Let us search his house before he gets back then."
The pair walked towards Crabbe's house but despite their efforts, they could not get in.
"What are we missing?" Hermione asked out loud. "It isn't cloaked or under the Fidelius Charm, or we wouldn't be able to see it."
Harry examined the door handle and noticed that something was missing. "There's no lock," he said to her.
She examined the door too. "So, it requires some type of magic to get in."
"Maybe it needs blood, just like the cave did where Voldemort kept the locket."
Hermione shook her head. "Crabbe wouldn't drain himself of blood every time he arrived at home. No, this must be something else. What is something that only Crabbe and his allies would have?"
Harry frowned. "This doorknob is quite low," he said, as he went to grab for it. He placed his hand around it and found he had to straighten his arm completely to properly open it at his height.
"Hold on," said Hermione, as she examined the position that he was in. "Harry, look," she said, pointing to his arm. "Your forearm is basically flat with the door."
"The Dark Mark!" Harry said suddenly. "That's how you gain entry!"
"But the Dobwig Association had everyone remove it," Hermione said frowning.
"Not Crabbe; he's been overlooked, remember?"
"Yes, but his mother hasn't, and she never had one to begin with."
"She must have it hidden; nothing else makes sense!"
Before Hermione could argue, they heard a beeping sound coming out of her bag. Hermione reached in and pulled out a tiny screen. "It's the GPS; it has a location."
"Let's go!"
The pair of them apparated to the destination as stated on the GPS, moments before it disappeared.
"They must have realized what it was and destroyed it," Hermione whispered.
"Doesn't matter," said Harry, looking around. "We are here; this has to be where he meets whoever is protecting him."
The pair found themselves in a park full of walking paths, trees, and benches. It was not a secluded area and most definitely not a place for a hideout.
"We should go, Harry," Hermione said, concerned. "We are too exposed here. There's no way this is where he meets with his allies."
"You can't know that for sure. Let's look around for a bit," he said desperately. He was tired of not having answers and so he held on to the little hope he had of finding a lead for once. As he looked around, he saw Hermione just standing there with a crease across her forehead. "Come on, Hermione, we can't give up!"
"I'm not," she told him as she remained deep in thought. "Something is off about this place."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, look around," she told him.
Harry did as she asked. He saw the walking paths that were spotless, with not even a branch lying in its way, the perfectly cut grass neatly around the benches, and the super smooth ponds with not a single ripple. It was a picture-perfect scene, except for the overflowing garbage can that was off to the right.
"The garbage doesn't smell," he realized suddenly.
Hermione walked over to the garbage can and examined it. After a moment, she placed her hand in her pocket, pulled out a small packet of crackers, and attempted to place it in the trash. Instead of staying inside the can however, it bounced back out and landed at her feet. Smiling, Hermione reached in and attempted to pull out some of the trash, but all of it was stuck in place.
"Decoy," she stated.
"So how do we activate it?"
"I don't know," she answered him. The pair of them looked all around the trash can but were unable to find the entryway to Crabbe's hideout.
"Since we know where it is, I guess we can always come back and watch until someone shows themselves," Harry stated, defeated for now.
"We could," she responded, lost in thought. Harry watched Hermione examine the can further. She walked a few paces beyond the can and after a short minute, turned around and grinned at Harry. "Found it!" she exclaimed.
"Found what?" he walked towards her and as if walking under an invisible barrier, a cave appeared in front of him. "It's cloaked!" he realized.
"Come on," she said, as she snuck her way quietly towards the entrance. She crouched down beside it and motioned for Harry to do the same. "Shh, listen, I think I hear someone."
Vincent Crabbe – Present Day
April 9, 2001
"I still think it could have been something useful," said Vincent, looking at the broken device in front of him.
"It came from Potter; you can guarantee that he would not have given you anything useful," Theo responded.
"Speaking of Potter, what's the plan for him anyway?" asked Pansy, as she snuggled into Blaise.
Theo shrugged. "Why does there need to be a plan? Potter means nothing to us, why does everyone obsess over him?"
"He's the key to the Hallows," said Pius. "And we need the Hallows to release the remaining Death Eaters."
"So, we grab Potter and force him to tell us where they are and be done with this charade," stated Greg.
"Potter would never talk," answered Walden Macnair.
"Pius, doesn't Grindelwald have a man inside the Order?" asked Theo.
Pius nodded. "But I don't know who it is."
"But he's working on getting the Stone you said?"
Again, Pius nodded. "That's one less for us to worry about."
"No, you idiot! If his inside man finds it, then Grindelwald isn't going to give us what we want," said Blaise.
"We need that inside man," stated Theo. "We need to convince him to help us so that we can be the ones to give the Stone to Grindelwald."
"I can see what I can do," said Pius. "But Grindelwald likes to keep his secrets."
"And the Wand?" asked Greg. "What is the plan for that?"
"That's easy," came the voice of Draco Malfoy.
"How did you get in here without a Dark Mark?" questioned Greyback.
"I had a Dark Mark, remember?"
"I thought the barrier only allowed in those who currently have one?" asked Pansy.
"Clearly not," responded Draco.
"What are you doing here anyway?" asked Vincent.
"You probably told him about it, Vince," said Blaise.
"Did not!"
"Relax," said Draco. "I have my resources. Now, you need the Wand, right?"
"You know where it is?" asked Theo, skeptically looking at Draco.
"Not exactly, but I have a hunch."
"And you're going to help us, just like that?" questioned Walden.
"You helped free my father; I have not forgotten."
"Have you woken him up yet?" asked Pansy.
"No."
"Then how did you do your Ritual Knot?" Blaise wondered.
"I honestly don't know," Draco answered truthfully.
"Finding that Wand is key," said Theo. "Without it, none of us will be able to wake our fathers, or free any others for that matter."
"What's your hunch, Draco? I want my father back too," said Greg.
"Dumbledore."
"Dumbledore?" questioned Theo.
Draco nodded. "He was the last wizard to have it, I guarantee you it's still at Hogwarts."
"I think Draco's right," said Theo. "Hogwarts is our key."
"Fen, can you get into the Forbidden Forest when you transform?" asked Macnair.
"Probably, but I have no control over what I am doing when I'm in wolf form."
"We break in then," said Greg.
"That's impossible!" Pansy shrieked.
"Actually, it isn't," said Vincent. All eyes turned to him. "I know of a way, but I can't exactly tell you."
"You're so full of it!" Blaise spat.
"Am not!"
"Enough!" Theo rolled his eyes. "We cannot argue amongst ourselves if we want to succeed. Vince, if you've got a way in, then use it. Any suggestions on where we search?" he asked, turning to Draco.
"Not yet."
"Speak to your mudblood," Macnair suggested.
"I would if I could," he answered truthfully.
"So, you came here to basically be useless, then?" Blaise laughed.
"Draco gave us some information, Blaise," Theo reminded him. "I think there is plenty of work to be done right now," he said to the group. "Pius, your job is to find out who the inside man is and get us that information before the Stone ends up in Grindelwald's hands. Vince, find your way into Hogwarts and start searching wherever you can. Macnair, think you can find Potter?"
"Potter won't give us any information," he repeated.
"No, but tracking him might. He wants to know what we are up to which tells me he knows something."
"I'll see what I can do," nodded Macnair.
"Draco, if you're in, and I mean really in, we need answers from Granger."
"Don't worry, I'll get you some."
"As for the rest of us, I think we need to start reeking some havoc. If we are inconspicuous enough, the Ministry will think it's Grindelwald."
"I'm in!" said Fenrir hungrily.
"It's about time that the Death Eaters ran this show again," agreed Blaise.
Hermione Granger – Present Day
April 10, 2001
Hermione had just finished pouring the polyjuice potion into two separate flasks and added a strand of hair to each. She couldn't get the conversation that she had overheard yesterday out of her mind, and her heart kept breaking as she remembered Draco's words. Had he really gone back to the Death Eaters?
"Ready?" Harry asked her.
Hermione nodded. "My flask has the red hair, so I'll be the cousin," she told him. "You can be my husband."
"Got it."
Hermione handed him the flask. "Bottom's up," she said meekly. The pair drank their potions in unison, and within seconds, had transformed into two muggles that they had come across in a little town North of England. Silently, the two changed into appropriate clothing and began apparating to the Burrow. Once nearby, they commenced the short walk from the final apparating point to the Burrow.
"Err, Hermione," Harry started.
"Hm?"
"Did you want to talk about Draco?"
"Not really."
"Okay, I just, uh, want you to know something."
"What's that?"
"I don't believe it."
Hermione stopped walking. "You think it's a ploy?"
Harry nodded. "Draco is a lot of things, but his love for you is real."
Hermione smiled. "He wouldn't use me I don't think, but I wouldn't put it past him to do what it takes to help his father. If he really were on our side he wouldn't have mentioned Dumbledore and the Wand."
Harry thought for a moment. "I think Draco knows that Dumbledore isn't the owner of the Wand."
"How so?"
"Because he knows that he's the one who disarmed Dumbledore on the tower and that I disarmed him, Draco, there after."
"But you told me that Ollivander told you that the allegiance of the Elder Wand doesn't change just by a disarming spell."
"Yes but I don't think Draco knows that."
Hermione was quiet while she thought about it. So if Draco thinks Harry is the rightful owner of the Elder Wand, then was he actually protecting Harry by placing all eyes on Dumbledore?
"I think it's simply a coincidence that the Wand is with Dumbledore; there is no way that Draco knows that," Harry told her.
"Even still, what do we do now? The Wand is with Dumbledore. If Crabbe actually can get onto Hogwarts grounds..."
"You think he would dig up his grave?"
"Who knows," Hermione replied.
"Maybe I should move it," Harry sighed.
"Maybe, but that's a thought for tomorrow, we're here." The pair arrived at the Burrow's door and knocked, hoping that their disguises would be enough to protect them.
Remus Lupin – The Past
April 6, 1985
"Uncle Ray!" cried the happy little voice that Remus adored so much.
"Hello Daisy," he responded happily, picking the little girl up and swinging her around. "Where is Daddy?"
"Here," came the disgruntled voice of the man that Remus came to loathe.
"John," Remus nodded. "Can we speak?"
"Daisy, go on and play," he told his daughter, as he beckoned Remus to another room.
"She's getting big," Remus said, once they were alone.
John nodded. "What do you want?"
Remus sighed. "John, you know what I want."
"The answer is no. Look, you know I appreciate what you did for me, Ray, truly, but I cannot under any circumstances let her find out about magic or who her parents are."
"Don't you think she will figure it out eventually, once she learns that your name surname is – "
"I've had it changed to Potter."
"I see. And what about Olivia?"
"What about her? She didn't survive."
"And so Daisy will never know about her," Remus stated, catching on.
"I don't think you should come around anymore," John said.
"I am her Godfather."
"Not by my choice."
"You know that isn't true."
The men stared at each other for a while. Finally, John spoke.
"I think it's too much of a risk."
"Living in the Riddle Estate is too much of a risk!"
"We are safe here."
"Because of me!"
"You need to leave Ray, I'm sorry but that's my final decision."
"Very well, but I am going to tell Cecilia."
"Why? She did everything in her power to escape all of this, why bother her with it now?"
"John, she deserves to know."
"That's my decision to make, not yours."
Remus frowned. "I do wish to know one thing though, and then I'll go, I promise," he added, seeing the look on John's face.
"Your wife's parents, what do they know exactly?"
"The truth – that Olivia died during childbirth."
"And the other Olivia?"
"Along with her mother."
Remus frowned. "So Daisy is...?"
"Unbeknownst to them."
Remus frowned. "Very well, I will take my leave, but I would still like to see her."
John sighed. "I regret accepting your help."
"No you don't," he smiled in response. "Have a good night, John."
Author's Notes: Thank you thank you thank you for your overwhelming support for my return. I cannot begin to tell you all what it means to me, especially after everything that has been happening to me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. With respect to a posting schedule, I cannot give you one right now but I promise I am working on one.
Story notes - we have a few angles happening here, with the Death Eaters and Grindelwald and the Hallows, plenty happening at the same time. The next chapter will focus on Ron and his condition at the Burrow, and the whole reason why Grindelwald captured him and put him under the spell to begin with.
See you at the next chapter; take care!