Author's Note: Hello all! Firstly, I would like to apologize for being so terrible and not updating it over a month. Things have been extremely hectic lately on my end and I hope that you lovely readers (who I hope are still out there) will forgive me and continue to be patient as always...especially since you all can look forward to a double update this week! Yay! Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter and don't forger to review =)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Harry Potter universe, just the sequel/OC I came up with.

Chapter 4

The words clicked in my head and I didn't have the time to be shocked. The ministry had fallen, and the death eaters were coming. Fred and George immediately stood beside me, flanking at my sides as the Death Eaters began to appear, wisping into the marquee and beginning to attack people immediately.

I began lifting unoccupied tables and chairs then shot them at the approaching Deatheaters. Fred and George shot me a quick glance, surprised that it was me but went back to firing.

"Go! Find Ginny! She needs you more than I do!" I yelled. They nodded and sent me one last look before disappearing into the crowd. I let a tear fall for them, fearing that I wouldn't see them again. No. Not the time. Got to find Harry.

I ran through the crowd, pushing and shoving the whole way. I stopped to defend a few guests that were either too shocked or too weak to fight back. I finally spotted Ron and Hermione, clinging to each other towards the back by the dinner table. Hermione hugged me quickly, fear in eyes and cheeks wet.

"Where's Harry?" I asked first.

"Right here!" A voice said behind me and I gasped happily. His disguise was gone and he was Harry again. I temporarily forgot our prior argument and hugged him close. I was still holding onto to Hermione's hand and she was still hugging onto Ron, I felt the familiar tug behind my navel as we apparated out of the marquee and into the center of a busy street.

The next thing I saw was bright lights before I felt myself being pulled out of the street into Harry's chest. While trying to get the black spots from my vision, we immediately took off down the crowded sidewalk. Ron took the lead with Hermione while I stayed in the middle between her and Harry as we weaved in and out of the body traffic.

"Where in the blood hell are we Hermione?" Ron asked sourly.

"Shaftesbury Avenue," Hermione replied. "I used to attend the theater here with Mum and Dad. I don't know why I thought of it. It just popped into my head." She said with a small voice.

"Good cover," Harry commented as he lightly pushed me ahead.

"This way," Hermione called back to them as she ducked down a street and into a deserted alleyway. "We need to change." She then grabbed her purse, shoving it into Ron's hand before forcing her arm down it, the opening coming all the way up to her shoulder before she started pulling out clothes.

"How the ruddy-?" Ron began eyes wide.

"Undetectable Extension Charm," I said with a smile. "I've been helping her work on it at night since she's been at the Burrow." I said, lightly bumping her side. Even in the dim lighting, I could see the faintest of blushing on her cheeks.

"You're amazing, you are," Ron smiled at Hermione as she handed him a bundle of his clothes.

"Always the tone of surprise," Hermione smiled before a crashing sound issued from her bag. "Ah. That'll be the books." She mumbled.

"I'm sure they are fine," I giggled, taking the bag for a moment and digging the clothes out that she packed for me, just in case. I tugged on the black skinny jeans under my dress skirt and threw a baggy graphic tee over the top then pulled the dress off.

Once the others were finished changing, Hermione lead us back down the alleyway and toward a twenty-four hour café next door to a laundry mat. The room smelled like lemon polish and each of the bright orange chairs were bare. The only person visible was a woman, early 40's maybe as she sprayed at a few tables.

She looked up at the sound of the 'ding', pausing at one table. She looked at a nearby wall clock that read '12:11 am' and sighed, not happy at our presence. I ignored her and walked ahead of Hermione to the nearest table. I sat facing away from the door with Harry on my left and she sat directly across from me with Ron on her right.

"I wonder how everybody made it out," Harry asked softly. "Should we have stayed?"

"They were after you, mate," Ron said immediately then looked at me. "Both of you actually, it would have been worse if we stayed."

"Dangerous, disastrous; we did better by leaving." Hermione added. I nodded in agreement as I laced my hand with Harry's under the table. He looked at me surprised but that faded quickly.

"Ahem?" We snapped our heads up at the sound. The waitress who was cleaning had decided to grace us with presence; I guess she was finished with that one table she had been cleaning. "What can I get you four?"

"A cappuccino, please," Hermione said immediately.

"You?" the waitress asked, gesturing with her chin toward Ron.

"What she said," Ron said after a slight hesitation. She looked at me then with her pen hovering over her notepad.

"Hot cocoa with whipped cream please," I said politely and then she faced Harry lastly.

"And what for you?" she asked.

"Pump-er, I'll have tea! Yes, tea please," Harry said nervously. She shrugged and shuffled away to the kitchen. Once she was out of earshot, we started talking again in hushed tones.

"So where do we go from here? The Leaky Cauldron?" Ron asked.

"No, that's too dangerous," Hermione said shaking her head.

"If Voldemort has taken over the Ministry, none of the old places are safe. Everyone from the wedding will have gone underground or to a safe house. Everybody will be in hiding," I stated sadly.

"Shit! I just remembered that my rucksack with all my things was left at the Burrow!" Harry suddenly exclaimed, looking slightly distressed. I rolled my eyes, unfazed by the outburst.

"Harry, Hermione took your stuff this morning," I huffed.

"You're joking," Harry said in disbelief, looking between me and Hermione. I was annoyed while Hermione looked a bit uncomfortable.

"I've been packing all the essentials and getting ready for a few days now, just in case," Hermione said with a small grin. She didn't meet my eyes since I could only glare at the moment. Harry smiled too then looked at me again and I could see the cogs turning. His smile fell in a moment.

"So you knew this whole time?" He asked suddenly.

"Oh puh-lease! I've known since you tried to leave us last night!" I snapped. I was getting angry again, you could feel it. Hermione and Ron looked uncomfortable but that went away as soon as we heard the 'ding' of the front door opening and closing. The same feeling I felt at the wedding earlier came back.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed two men enter the coffee house, two very familiar people…

"Get down!" I shouted, pulling Harry to the ground as Dolohov spun and shot a spell in our direction. I deflected it into the table next to us causing it to explode into a bunch of tiny splinters.

Hermione jumped up quickly, arm pointed and wand aimed then yelled, "BOMBARDA!"

Dolohov deflected the spell which ended up taking out the right wall of the café. I ducked under our table and quickly conjured up a shield. Nodding to the others, we jumped up again and they shouted different spells.

"Stupify!"

"Expellimarmus!"

"Expulso!"

"Bombarda!" they yelled in union.

"Petrificus Totalus," Harry said last.

There was a loud thud as a body hit the floor. Looking closely through all of the dust and debris, I saw that both Deatheaters were knocked out on the ground. At that moment, the waitress appeared from the kitchen. She had ear buds in and was looking down at her tray, then glanced up. She gasped and dropped the tray instantly.

"Go!" Hermione barked at the woman. "Leave this place if you value your life!" The woman did as she was told and ran back to the kitchen. I heard another slam, assuming that the woman went out the back door.

"Lock that door Hermione. Ron, can you kill the lights?" Harry ordered calmly.

Ron pulled out his Deluminator, effectively knocking out the lights while I shut the blinds and Hermione locked the door, turning the sign to 'closed'.

"This one's names Rowle," Harry informed us, looking down at the thick blonde man. "He was on the Astronomy Tower the night Snape killed Dumbledore." He said sadly and I winced.

"This is Dolohov," I said gesturing to the pale burly man with dark brown hair. "He went after Moody and I before Voldemort appeared." I stated with distaste.

"So, what are we going to do with them?" Ron growled, coming to stand next to me and glaring down at the pair. "You lot would kill us if it was turned round, eh?"

"If we kill them, they'll know we were here." Harry stated, moving to stand behind me.

"Ron," Hermione said, looking a little horror struck. Ron lifted his head to look at her and his face softened at her pleading expression.

"It would be better if we wipe their memories," Harry said obviously. Despite wanting them dead so they can't take any other lives, she knew deep down that they wouldn't be same if they took someone's life…even if they were evil.

"Alright, you're the boss," Ron nodded before he took a few steps towards Hermione. He licked his thumb and brought it to Hermione's cheek to wipe some dirt away; she didn't pull away.

"Hermione, you're the best with spells," Ron said as a matter of fact. Hermione looked up at him, a bit in surprised before she nodded and stepped away from us and headed to the pair. She trained her wand at the two before muttering loudly, "Obliviate."

Just like the waitress before, we went out the back door. Saying a quick spell to lock that door as well, we turned then proceeded to exit the alleyway behind the café.

Once we were back onto the main street, we headed north while trying not to look conspicuous. My pace quickened and the others had to jog to keep up. I was a bit paranoid over the attack and wondered if that waitress called the authorities over what had transpired.

"How was it that they knew we were there?" Harry hissed, looking over at Hermione for an answer.

"Maybe you still have the Trace on you?" Hermione asked unsure.

"Can't be; the Trace breaks at seventeen. Its wizard law," Ron said immediately, shooting down the idea.

"Maybe it was the Taboo curse?" I asked suddenly. I looked behind me at Hermione, but she had stopped walking. "What is it Hermione?"

"We didn't celebrate your birthday, Harry," Hermione said as she started walking again. "Ginny, Emma, and I even prepared a cake. We were going to bring it out at the end of the wedding once everybody else cleared out," Hermione informed him.

"Hermione, honestly, I appreciate the thought, but given the fact that we were almost killed by a couple of Death Eaters a few minutes ago…" Harry let his sentence hang in the air for a moment.

"Right," Hermione nodded, getting a serious look on her face. "Perspective,"

"We need to get off the streets, get somewhere safe," Ron said seriously.

"Yes. That waitress may have called the muggle police by now." I agreed.

"Let's go to Grimmauld Place." Harry said all of a sudden. We all paused to stare at him.

"Harry, do you really think that's a good idea?" Hermione asked.

"It's one of the established safe houses…the only one close to us at the moment." Harry stated. "It's our only option." He looked defeated again.

I've never been to Grimmauld Place yet but I've heard enough and I knew that it killed him to have to go back there. He held his hands out to us, waiting. I took his right hand and Hermione took his left. Ron sighed and held onto Hermione's free hand. Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath before apparating us away.

We landed on a dimly lit quiet suburban street that still seemed to be located in London. Brownstone town homes lined the street in front and behind us but upon closer inspection, I noticed that '12' wasn't present. Harry moved forward then and said a few words. In an instant, another house arose from the ground, pushing numbers '11' and '13' away to make room. He moved ahead and entered the house with us following in tow.

Once the door was closed and locked securely, I faced a long dark hallway that was lit at the end by a giant chandelier. At the end of the hallway was a giant staircase leading upstairs while two other entryways flanked the right and left sides. Walking inward a few steps, I noticed a large curtain closed above an odd looking inn table.

Curiosity won me over and I began to reach for it but not before Hermione slapped my hand away. I looked at her and she quickly shook my head then pushed me along gently. We weren't even halfway through the hall when an eerie voice pierced the silence.

"Severus Snape?" My blood went cold; that was Moody's voice. I grabbed hold of Harry's hand just as the dust on the floor began to swirl up in the center of the hallway. The dust took on the shape of Albus, a ghost of him with a fleshless, sunken face and empty eyes. My jaw dropped and I felt my heart hit my stomach. No, this wasn't my beloved Godfather. I wasn't hearing Moody's voice. My God, have I gone mad?!

"We did not kill you, Professor Dumbledore," Harry told the ghost. It then burst in front of us, dust falling to the floor, as if it was there all along. Harry glanced at me then hugged me close to his body. My body rocked against his as I erupted into a fit of tears.

"What was that all about?" Ron demanded. Hermione elbowed him then and I heard her hiss 'not now!'

"It's a protection spell for the house," I said, already aware. I was just in shock was all. Both Moody's and Albus' deaths were too fresh in my mind that I didn't see it immediately. I'm so stupid; I really need to get an angle on my emotions or else I will crumble.

Clattering made all of us pause and I temporarily stop sobbing. We each snapped our heads to the direction of a kitchen. Should we be expecting other stragglers? Or perhaps fellow members of the Order? Nervousness was still present in my stomach, but I quickly shrugged it off and wiped my face.

"Kreacher?! Is that you?!" Harry yelled. Nothing, even the clattering stopped.

"Homenum Revelio!" Hermione yelled loudly. Again, there was nothing.

"We're alone," Harry announced beside me as he wrapped his arms around my middle. "For now at least,"

"I really didn't like the way you said that." I said leaning into Harry.

"Ditto," Ron and Hermione said together making me snort. Hermione shot me a glare and I returned it with an innocent smile.

"Do you reckon the showers work? I could really use one." Ron asked.

"Well, I wasn't gonna say anything…" I began but Harry shook me lightly as if to silence me.

"They should. And I think there's still fresh food in the fridge," Harry replied.

"Maybe we should just regroup here in an hour? Have a camp out or something," Hermione suggested and we all nodded. A hot shower sounded real good right about now actually, but I don't think I'm ready to eat just yet; my stomach was still in knots after everything. Oh God, I hope everybody was ok…especially the Weasleys and Remus and Tonks…oh man, so many lives.

I was getting lost again and I hadn't even noticed that Harry had directed me upstairs and sat me down. He shut the door then kneeled down in front of me. Cupping my face in his hands, he leaned in to kiss me but I turned away causing him to get my cheek instead. He sighed but still held my cheeks.

"Still mad?" He asked.

"Still a stubborn git?" I asked in the same tone making him smile.

"Yes. Yes I am. The love of my life is a helpful reminder in that," he chuckled and I rolled my eyes.

"No, you being a git is done all on your own," I huffed.

"Emma, look at me please," Harry pleaded. Since he had hold on my face, I had to look away to avoid staring at him. "Damn it Emma! And you say I'm the stubborn one?"

"Well you are!" I said, bringing my eyes to meet his. They were a smoldering Emerald green and I couldn't look away. I was mad at myself for caving and I was paying for it now.

"You want to know the real reason for not taking you?" He asked suddenly.

"Is it a load of bullshit?" I asked. He glared for a moment and ignored my question.

"You are the only person strong enough to protect Hogwarts. Deatheaters are going to take over the school next under Severus' reign which would plunge the school into darkness and chaos; I need you to be the light in that darkness. There are still going to be parents foolish enough to believe that Hogwarts is the safest place for their children and I know you are the only one to make it so.

If I were to take you with me to hunt for the Horcruxes, that would be extremely selfish of me. I want nothing more than to have you by my side, but I know that Hogwarts will need you more. You are a very powerful asset that needs to stay behind to defend the school and keep it as safe as can be. I'll fight my hardest to destroy the Horcruxes and come back to you…to come back and fight the good fight like I promised, like we both promised."

I smiled at his words, crying again in the process. I hated myself for crying so much after keeping it in for so long, but his words made my heart swell. I knew he was being honest and sincere. He had a valid point and I kicked myself for it; he was making more sense of things more than I was lately. When did that happen? I hung my head, feeling disgusted by my behavior.

"Love, please don't hide," Harry said, bringing one hand to cup my chin, raising it gently.

"You're right Harry…I think I'm a bigger git than you are," I sniffled. Harry laughed then, such a precious sound; I'm going to miss that too.

"Its ok love, we can be the biggest most stubborn gits ever!"

"As long as we are together," I stated. He smiled and leaned in to kiss my lips softly.

"Yes, together." He repeated as he kissed me harder.