Don't Say the Name

As usual, it was Hermione's offhanded comment that sent Harry into a brainstorm.

They were on the run from Voldemort's forces, staying in a hidden tent by the seashore; Ron had disappeared again. They were discussing the Taboo on Voldemort's name that, if carelessly pronounced, might bring teams of Snatchers swooping in to arrest and imprison them. The worst of thugs and low-level Death Eaters had been relegated to Snatching.

"It's a pity," Hermione mused, "that we can't turn Snatching and the Taboo against them."

Harry looked off into space for a moment, and his visage cleared and brightened. "Who says we can't?"

The duo had found a derelict and abandoned boat on the shoreline below. They used patching charms on the hull, fixed the rudder with Reparo charms, and climbed aboard and got the little vessel afloat. They used the same sailing propulsion charms that ran the little boats that took the First Years across the Hogwarts Lake, to quickly move the boat out of the bay and out to sea. (Harry had never been so glad that Hermione was addicted to reading anything and everything, and learning every spell imaginable.)

Once they were out near the reef, they pointed their wands into the water and called out, "Accio fish!" After a short while, hundreds of little fish came pouring out of the sea and landed in piles on their deck. They used stunning charms on the fish, and then slicing charms to cut them into chum. Then they used banishing charms to send all the fish pieces back into the sea, and scourgify charms to clean off the deck. Soon, swarms of sharks had gathered to take advantage of the free fish feast.

The next part required careful timing. Harry and Hermione amplified their voices with the Sonorus charm, and shouted, "VOLDEMORT!" Then they swiftly aimed their wands out the stern, and propelled the boat 200 yards away toward the shore, where they applied the Quietus and Notice-Me-Not charms.

About 90 seconds later, two teams of six Snatchers each, their wands held at the ready and their faces tense with sneers and evil grins, apparated into the space where the boat had previously been – and dropped right into the sea, with much flailing and yelling! Only a few of the men could swim; and even they had attracted the attention of the hungry sharks. Soon all the screams had died out. A few little sticks and clothing shreds floated to the surface.

Harry held Hermione as she shuddered. "Regrets?" he asked her.

"Only for today," she answered. "Tomorrow I'll remember that they were out to imprison, torture and kill us, and consider it just deserts. And maybe – we'll come back out, and look for a school of barracuda!"