Chapter Nine
Jonas stood on the road outside the gates of Hogwarts pointing to the rocks. Harry was standing beside him. It was time for the sun to set but a thick fog had rolled into the valley and it was almost as dark as night and so damp Harry could feel his cloak grow heavy with moisture. His breath steamed out in front of him and even his mittened hands were cold.
"Do you know what you see?" Jonas asked in Romani.
Harry knew. He had been taught to read the Romani signs by Jolie and Viktor and Gregor; the other members of his Kumpania. "Va, Jonas," he answered, "It says a Roma woman and a Gadje were seen and are traveling this way. They are dressed as men, in disguise." Harry's heart skipped a beat; this was confirmation that Hermione and Nadya were headed towards Hogwarts.
"I will go and find them," Jonas said, kicking the stones aside.
"No!" Harry said it much too quickly and Jonas slowly raised his head and looked at him. "They won't know you. Hermione won't trust you. She'll stay hidden. I need to go."
Jonas put two fingers to his lips and slowly turned, speaking very softly, "Perhaps, you should."
Harry was surprised how easily Jonas agreed. He watched the man wander back towards Hagrid's hut through a dense fog. It was cold and humid and Harry drew his cloak around him. He heard the hoof beat of the horses and the wheels of the carriage before it pulled up in front of him. It was pulled by two gray matched horses and a cloaked driver sat in front.
Without conscious thought Harry stepped back, withdrew his wand and peered through the dense fog into the darkened interior.
A voice spoke. It was familiar to him. "Get in."
It was his aunt. He stepped back unconsciously pointing his wand in the direction of her voice. "You're not taking me back. I wouldn't get in if my life depended on it," he said, spitting the words out.
"Shh!" she said in whispers. "I have something for you." A hand appeared from the dark and handed him a rolled parchment.
Keeping his wand up and pointed at the carriage, he unrolled it and read:
Potter,
I don't have time to go into detail. I am with the Nadya and Granger and also with Lupin. I intercepted your aunt who told me the entire story. It was as we suspected. There is an assassin at Hogwarts. Granger told me about the map she sent. Don't let anyone have it! I am on my way, behind your aunt, and will reach you shortly. DON'T DO ANYTHING. Protect the Guardian! I know you will spend time verifying this- but do hurry Potter- this is urgent!
Uncle Bulbie
Harry read it again and stepped closer to the carriage and asked, "How do I know this isn't a trick?"
His aunt's face appeared in the dim light. She was dressed in witches clothing and hooded. She glanced nervously around and then opened the door. "Get in."
Harry glanced through the fog and listened. His ears picked up the dampened noise of the horses blowing and huffing and the water lapping at the edge of the lake. He couldn't hear anything else. "No, I won't. Tell me what you know."
She stepped from the carriage. "Then we must get away from the driver so we can't be overheard." She moved into the mist and he followed.
She finally stopped and turned to address him. "I will tell you there has been a plot developing for over a year. It was to get you out of Hogwarts. The incident at the Ministry was staged to make it look like Dumbledore was guilty of murder. They tried to capture him and failed, so they had to do something else. As soon as Dumbledore was called to the Ministry to account for those events, the plan was to go into play." Her voice was husky with fear as she glanced around and continued, "I wasn't a part of that. Percy told me…"
Harry interrupted, "How did Percy know you?"
"He worked for Fudge. There are files full of reports on you and every aspect of your life. He worked for your Ministry under Fudge. Those reports revealed that a long time ago I was mixed up in…in…"
"Spying?" Harry said a little loudly. "Spying on my parents!"
"You have to keep quiet," she said sternly and then stepped back as he raised his wand and pointed it in her face. "Please let me finish."
"Go ahead, tell me the rest," Harry said, punctuating his words with the jab of his wand. "Tell me how Nadya and Hermione are involved.
"We did it for the money. Percy planned it," she said and even in the mist Harry could see her blush with shame. " He had been caught and tortured. I didn't know about that. He...the Dark Lord..."
"Voldemort," Harry said dryly, finishing her sentence for her. She cringed and he went on, "Get used to hearing it."
She looked terrified but continued to speak, "I didn't know this dark wizard was making him do all of this. I found out their real purpose behind sending me to Hogwarts was to get you to leave. I never knew why."
"Did it occur to you he wanted to kill me?" Harry asked.
She shivered in the damp air and Harry had to lean in to hear her. "I tell you I didn't know what was happening," she mumbled.
"But you weren't so stupid as to not understand I was in danger. The Dementors attacked me and Dudley. You were well aware the Dark Lord wanted me so don't act like you didn't. What about Hermione?" Harry asked. "Percy got her off the train, didn't he?"
"He thought he could get you out of Hogwarts. But you tricked him. It was Percy's idea to kidnap her so you and your friend - the other Weasley boy- would go looking for her. Percy was killed because...I think because it was poorly planned and he failed. He was doing every thing he could to make you leave. The dark wizard or one of his..."
"Death Eaters," Harry said, again finishing her sentence.
His aunt's lips were blue with cold and fear and she nodded. "They were making him do it. This girl, Hermione, got away from him and went to your wife."
"He didn't want to kill me?" he asked in surprise.
"No. The assassin wasn't for you," she said. "He wanted you and anyone who could help you away from Hogwarts so they could plant this person inside Hogwarts although I think Percy wanted to protect his brother and this girl, Hermione. Once you were away from Hogwarts the Dark Lord thought he could easily kill you."
She looked at him with sorrowful eyes and it made him nauseous. "Where's Nadya?" Harry gasped.
"Percy was jealous of you and wanted you to suffer, so he followed her after your wedding. He went to her to win her trust hoping she would contact you. Instead, she told him she was pregnant and that he should tell Hermione or Snape to warn you, you were in danger. Instead, he came to me and we used the information." She was trembling but continued her voice coming out in almost a whine, " I don't know what he was going to do with her. I know when Percy was tortured he told them about her and about the pregnancy." She stopped for a second and then when he looked at her with murderous eyes she drew back.
"What did you think they were going to do to her, Aunt Petunia?" he asked venomously."You've been in touch with this world. You knew about Voldemort. You knew he killed mother and my father and that I was called The-Boy-Who-Lived. Of course, he wanted her so he could get to me! It doesn't even bother you that he wanted me dead." He held his wand at her and desperately wanted to curse her. "Where is Nadya?!"
His aunt was visibly shaking now. "I don't know! Hermione Granger sent me a message today and I turned it over to your Professor. He's found them and he's bringing them now. You've got to believe me I didn't know about any of this. Percy just came to me and told me you had inherited millions."
The whole plan was just like Snape and Lupin had envisioned, he thought, as he listened to her. But why would Hermione trust his Aunt? he wondered. "Who is the spy who infiltrated the school?" Harry asked coldly.
"I don't know," she said. She stood nervously pulling at the hood.
"He was supposed to get into Hogwarts but not to kill me. Then Who? Who was he supposed to kill?" he asked.
"The other boy."
Harry didn't have to ask; he knew it was Neville.
"How do you know all of this? Why are you helping now?" Harry asked, badgering her and also knowing time was getting by him and he needed to act. He also wanted to hear it all.
She looked at him for a long time. "Percy told me before he was killed. He was afraid and he came and told me. Harry, I….overheard the prophecy but I didn't know it was about… my sister…and you," she stuttered. "I'm sor….
"Don't say it!" Harry said grabbing her wrist and twisted it. He wanted her to hurt. "Don't you even speak her name- you worthless, cold, unfeeling…" He turned lose in disgust and backed away. "You killed my mother and father just as much as if you'd been there yourself! You weren't sorry then and you aren't sorry now. Confessing all of this isn't going to clear your conscience. You just want someone to protect you from Voldemort. " he was hoarse from shouting in a whisper. "Isn't that right? He knows you now and you will never be safe from him. Go away from me and never come back. Never speak to me again."
She cowered and started to whimper, stuttering as she spoke, "You have to understand, I didn't know what was going to happen…"
"You lie!" he whispered drew closer, towering over her and she bent away. "I could kill you where you stand," he hissed, his wand pointed at her.
She began to sob and drew back. "I'll go away, I won't come again." She waited for a moment and then went on, " I have a message to give to you. Snape told me, to tell you, to not trust the Senseve. He said you would believe my story if I said that."
Harry slowly lowered his wand, "How did you find him?"
"He found me," she answered.
"Why would you come to me, why be involved at all? You got your money."
She began to back up the way she had come and then turned and ran towards the dark hulk of the carriage.
He walked towards it slowly his hand with the wand pointed to the ground. He didn't know if he intended to use it or not. His blood was boiling. He wanted to kill her and yet, Lupin's words kept ringing in his ears. Don't kill if you can help it Harry. It'll draw you to the dark side. She was already climbing in and turned to look at him.
"I don't have to kill you," Harry said coldly, and without apparent anger. "You've killed yourself. Snape or Dumbledore might have told you they'd protect you but they can't. Voldemort will find you." She blanched white and at that moment the unseen driver snapped his whip, the carriage lurched forward and down the road to Hogsmeade.
Harry listened until he couldn't hear the carriage any longer and then turned and ran towards the castle.