Chapter Fourteen
Hermione watched through the darkness of the night and felt the fine mist of frosty dew gently fall in the early hours of the morning. Harry slept peacefully without waking. She didn't hear or see the elf again. The fire was out and the embers cold. She cast the spell over herself to keep warm. She was still thinking about the events that had taken place and concurrently also worried about what people back at Hogwarts would be doing. Ron would keep looking for Harry; and realizing she had disappeared again, they would also look for her. Snape would be doing the same.
Hermione thought of Nadya as well. Five months pregnant and her husband missing, maybe dead. Hermione shook her head and studied the ground. She wondered if they had caught the imposter or if he had escaped. It was unnerving to think someone transformed to look like Lupin could be roaming Hogwarts. So many people liked him and trusted him.
Harry moaned fitfully in his sleep and she hurried to his side, crawling on all fours the last few feet.
"Harry? Harry?" she whispered. "Are you awake?" She touched him and realized he was dreaming, the eyes moving beneath his lids. "It's alright Harry, I'm here, you're safe." She gathered him up and held his head, rocking him gently as she might a baby of her own.
Hermione continued to think of Nadya. She remembered promising, along with Fred and George and Ron, in the bedroom at Grimmauld Place, that she would protect the girl Harry loved so much. Snape had come to her and suggested she be Nadya's secret keeper. Hermione agreed without thinking and knew because Harry trusted her that no matter what happened she would protect her, even if it meant her own life.
Hermione found her in Godric's Hollow. She knew the girl and her mother had wandered there without ever knowing the true significance of their actions. Harry was supposed to have died there and in reality had faked his death to return to Hogwarts in disguise. Nadya was not aware this was the very same village.
Hermione apparated to Godric's Hollow and kept to the shadows of the streets, waiting. She had two goals; one was to find the girl and move her to a safer location and the other was to send a message to Harry to let him know they were both safe. Hermione thought the safest place for both of them was at Hogwarts, but it was difficult finding a way to get there without giving themselves away.
The little village was ancient, it's cobbled streets worn with the wheels of wagons and carriages no longer in use. The miniature shops with their brick and stone and glass store fronts bore the names of familiar and even famous names, along with their dates of establishment gilded in gold on the lintels. Some read 1352, 1489, 1678. Yet, the village itself rested on the ruins of older homes and shops long since crumbled into dust.
The cottage where Nadya stayed was hidden by a copse of trees and an embankment at the low end of a plateau. Directly above the little house was a castle standing on the bald top of the forest- covered mountain. It was an ancient castle, said to be the home of Godric Gryffindor, one of the famous founder's of Hogwarts.
Hermione paid little attention to the shops, their dates or the castle with its' single tower that stood like a single finger, pointed to the sky. Glancing at it once, she had a fleeting thought that perhaps the castle had long since been abandoned, crumbling and dissolute.
She intended on going to the house where she knew Nadya was living and yet she couldn't go there directly. She had to make sure if she went there no one would know.
Hermione shook her head in frustration at her own lack of insight as she stared down at her Hogwart's uniform, waved her wand and changed to older, lackluster clothing. She pulled her hood over her head to conceal her face and began a circuitous route through the village. She wandered the streets, casually appearing to shop, glancing in windows and fingering merchandise displayed on the streets.
It took some time but she finally made her way up the foot-worn snow-covered path to the cottage. In the shadow of the mountain, snow was not melting but had piled on the roof in heaps, like meringue. Smoke curled from the chimney and she could smell fresh baked bread. It was a peaceful, serene setting even under the shadow of the grander castle that hung over its' head.
The door was answered immediately by Nadya dressed in a skirt touching the floor, with a flour-dusted apron covering a rounded protruding tummy which showed her pregnancy. Her black hair was tied up in a scarf and her face was flushed with the heat of the room. She immediately pulled Hermione in by her arm and looked quickly up the path.
"I knew you come to me," she said quickly. "Harry safe?"
"Va (yes)," Hermione answered. She hadn't understood everything Nadya had said but knew the essence of it. As she stared into the dark worried eyes Hermione was thankful she had taken the time to find a dictionary and begin to learn the language. She knew Nadya knew very little English and so they would have to try and communicate as best they could.
"Harry safe," she said. She laid a hand on her heart as she had done the day in the courtyard.
Nadya nodded vigorously and pulled her into the room which served as a setting room, dining area and kitchen. Katlana was at the open fireplace and she smiled as Hermione said hello. Nadya had apparently been busy baking. The rough-hewn table was covered with dishes and flour. Baked loaves of bread cooled on a side table.
Hermione pulled her cloak off and it was taken immediately and hung to dry. "Nadya," she began. "You are not safe. The red head man came to you. You told him you were pregnant. He told Harry's aunt…." Hermione was acting out her words, using Romani words she knew. "Phral (brother) to Ron," she touched her head and then pointed to a red colored cloth. "Percy."
"Yes, Percy," Nadya said nodding eagerly and began chattering in her own language. "I told him to tell the man in black, the Old Crow. Snape."
"Snape, va!" Hermione nodded and then shook her head and spliced together words, "Percy, Chivaldo (crazy)! Percy together with Kalo Beng (Black Devil)."
This Nadya understood and she grew pale. "Percy is with the Black Devil?" she asked.
"Va, yekisti (together)." Hermione nodded, holding up two fingers and crossing them to show togetherness. "Kalo Beng knows about kuzuy (baby)." She knew the word because Nadya had told her she was pregnant and used the word. She emphasized what she was saying by leaning over to touch the girl's protruding belly.
Nadya spoke hurriedly to Katlana and then turned back to Hermione. She pointed at the ceiling, and said quietly, "Kalo Beng!"
"What?" Hermione looked at the ceiling frowning and confused. "No, no…he's not up there."
Nadya yanked her from her seat and pulled her to the door. She opened it and was dragging Hermione out into the snow. They were out in the front yard and Nadya pointed to the castle on the hill whispering frantically. "Kalo Beng!"
"Bloody hell!" Hermione said staring at the castle. There was a tiny curl of smoke drifting away from one of the towers. "Voldemort's sitting right over your head." She said it and then gazed at Nadya who returned the look and nodded. "That's why you sent the message. You were trying to tell Snape where Voldemort was and Percy was the trusted messenger." She said it with sarcasm in her voice. Trusted messenger, she thought in disgust. Hardly!
...
Hermione felt her legs grow numb with the heaviness of Harry's head resting in her lap. She remained still and studied the darkness of the forest around her. Harry lay sleeping peacefully and she tried to breath shallow so she could listen for people approaching. She thought about Percy's betrayal of Nadya. It must have been because he was tortured, she thought. Even Percy could not be so cruel or horrible. Standing knee deep in the snow in front of that cottage and looking up, Hermione remembered how she had almost bent over and thrown up her breakfast. Voldemort was so close!
Sitting in the coldness of the approaching dawn, Hermione rocked Harry gently and murmured, "Well he's dead now, Harry. Percy's dead and I don't know what else he's done but he's gone." She thought about all of the times they had been around Percy, around the Weasley family and the final estrangement when Percy had left home and joined Fudge at the Ministry. She felt heartsick for Ron and all of the Weasleys, but particularly for Ron.
Then her thoughts drifted back to the cottage and the pregnant girl. She remembered wondering how she was going to get Nadya away from Godric's Hollow. The entire village would have eyes. Voldemort's Death Eaters and servants would be like an umbrella covering and watching everything for miles around.
Oh gosh, I wonder if anyone saw me? she thought, as they reentered the house. I was being careful...still..."Nadya, we have to leave," Hermione said and pantomimed leaving. "Go to Hogwarts."
Nadya understood and shook her head. "Na (no)"
Hermione allowed Nadya to pour her some tea. They both sat at the table looking at one another over the flour and the dishes and the bread dough. What am I going to do? she thought.
Nadya turned to Katlana and spoke to her. The older woman stood, draped herself in a long shawl pulled over her head and left the house. Nadya held up her hand as if to say wait, then she began to knead the bread, separate it into loaves and put it in pans. She did so with gusto as if the news had angered her rather then frightened her and she was working off her feeling by kneading the dough. She stirred a pot behind her and cut a slice from a fresh loaf to give to Hermione.
Twenty minutes later, Katlana returned and was followed by a boy of about twelve. He came in and was offered bread and jam with a large cup of hot tea. Nadya spoke to him and he turned to Hermione.
"Nadya says I should tell you her words as she speaks." He was eating and talking at the same time.
Hermione sighed deeply, and said, "Thank goodness. What is your name?"
"I am Ramon," he said through a mouthful of bread.
"Ramon. Tell Nadya we must leave here."
He translated, "She says everyone is watched that comes and goes. It is lucky you came when you did, the signs told her it would be safe for you to come."
"Signs?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, Nadya is a dukkerer (fortuneteller). She reads the future, the cards and the round glass. She sees you are to come here."
Hermione studied the girl as she moved about the kitchen and spoke. "Can we send a message?"
Ramon asked her question and Nadya stopped and spoke at some length.
"She says a message has been sent," Ramon said.
"That can't be all that she said Ramon. She was talking for ten minutes. I'm not talking about the message sent through Percy. I mean a second message needs to be sent to SNAPE," she emphasized the name to get Nadya's attention.
Nadya answered immediately and Ramon stopped chewing to listen, "Nadya says she thought her message had been received when you came. She didn't know the man called Percy would deceive her. He is the brother to Ron, the one who is to be your husband."
"What?!" Hermione looked at Nadya and then shook her head. "Never mind, go on."
"Now both of you are caught in the spider's web. If you leave you will be caught and she will not let anyone harm the baby." Ramon finished by speaking a few words to Nadya in Romani.
"We have to send another message to Snape. The first one didn't get to him," Hermione said again and Ramon translated. The three Romani stopped and stared at her. "What? What did I say?"
Ramon answered, "There is no way to send a message without the Dark One…" he shuddered, and stared down at the new slice of bread Nadya had buttered for him, "knowing. He is like an insect who crawls into the dead corpse and eats away from the inside. He knows everything that happens in this village; the walls have eyes and ears." The boy laid his bread aside, suddenly not hungry. "Who can we trust to take a message?"
Hermione sat thinking about it and knew they were right. They were prisoners without walls or dungeon chains and she had just joined them.
...
It seemed to Hermione's eyes that the sun was rising very quickly. Minute by minute the slope on the side of the mountain warmed up and she felt the heat penetrate her damp clothes. She laid Harry's sleeping body down and uncurled herself, stretching out her legs and stood. The area they were in was small and well hidden from the valley below them. However, the climb, either up or down, was treacherous. She could make it herself but not moving Harry along with her.
Hogwarts. Sanctuary, she thought. If you only knew how hard I had to work to get back to you. And then I was only there for less than an hour and now I'm out here again with another fugitive. Well maybe we're all fugitives, she thought woefully.
Hermione glanced at Harry and made a circle around the small camp. What if no one comes? How will the elf get help? An elf. Harry you have some very strange companions, she mused. While she circled his sleeping body endlessly, the sky grew lighter and she heard the plaintive cry from the hawk once again circling above their heads.
Hermione then heard a crunching in the forest and immediately drew her wand and knelt over Harry. She covered him with the cloak and hurriedly gathered up brush and twigs to camouflage his body. ACCIO BRANCH, ACCIO LEAVES.
Scurrying under a bough of a large pine she waited, holding her breath. The position felt very familiar. Little trips away from Nadya's cottage had been taken with the utmost caution and care. She walked with Ramon to the village to purchase supplies, always acting like the older sister, and always well disguised. Hermione remembered how charming the boy was and how he taught her to speak their language, adding to her growing vocabulary day-by-day. He also told her that he had presented a gift of a raven to Harry; it was Dante. She almost laughed, but managed to keep a straight face. The bird had been impossible and yet he had found some pleasure in it. She made sure Ramon knew how much the gift had meant to Harry.
Ramon had even tried to protect her when two men stepped from the pub and followed her. Her training in the D.A. and then at the Ministry of Magic fighting the Death Eaters prepared her for the pair. In return, as they lay twitching on the ground, she had taken her time to search them and had found the book, Hogwarts; A History and the map.
"What are you doing with this?" she asked the man with rotten teeth.
"Won't say," he answered.
"You'll say," Hermione pointed her wand at his face, "if you want to keep your tongue in your head." She waved the wand over his face. "Otherwise I'll remove it and feed it to the rats."
"The Dark Lord isn't gonna like a witch threatening one of his own," the man said.
"And how will he know if you're both dead," Hermione said and smiled wickedly. "I know a really good freezing charm and the two of you would make excellent icicles."
"We don't know why 'e needs it," the fat one said.
"Oh, I think you do," Hermione answered and waved her wand again. This time she was trying to make it painful and succeeded.
And that was how she heard about Voldemort's plan to send a double into Hogwarts to assassinate Neville. She also learned someone was after Harry and looking for Nadya.
Hermione knelt in the shadow of the big tree and remembered how very good Ramon was at concealing them from prying eyes, tricking overly nosey shopkeepers or bringing back information to her. Hermione remembered the day in the shop when she overheard the woman from Puddlemere United. Sending Ramon out to the front of the shop, she stepped back to the little café and ordered a cup of tea. When she heard the word Hogwarts, she almost dropped the china cup.
The perfect opportunity, she thought. Sitting down between the two ladies, she introduced herself and proceeded to beg the stocky, older woman to go to Hogwarts to watch Harry play Quidditch. With something resembling hope Hermione then gave her the treasure; the book, Hogwarts: A History with the map enclosed. She knew Harry would know it came from her. With the added insurance of a message inside the book, she handed it over.
Please, oh please, don't let this end up in the wrong hands, she pleaded wordlessly.
Hermione continued to find herself with the dilemma of not being able to send a true message. She knew she had done all she could to warn Harry about the infiltrator and to let him know she was alive. It still did not make it safe for her or Nadya. Hermione knew she needed to leave the village.
She was on the street, her second week in Godric's Hollow when she saw him; Lucius Malfoy. No one could mistake the almost white hair. Hermione held her breath and pulled the shawl she had borrowed from Nadya up over her head. She watched him as he walked unsteadily down the street towards her and was appalled at the sight of him. The once handsome man wore a patch over one eye and the scars that covered his face could be seen from a distance. He still wore expensive clothes but was bent and walked with a cane. Hermione thought he looked older than Dumbledore.
She was leaning over a basket of dried fennel, chamomile and germander when a hand grasped her shoulder. "Come with me," the gruff voice said.
Shaking free she tried to run and was frozen in place by a jerky wave of his wand.
"What do you want?" she cried in Romani, hoping he did not recognize her.
"Miss Granger," She could feel the heat from his breath on her cheek as he leaned in over her, "It would be wise for you to keep your voice down and follow me. I will not hurt you." His hand guided her into an alley.
"How did you find me?" she gasped, looking into his face. It looked even worse up close.
"There are no witches in this village with the magical expertise you showed in wiping the memories of those two imbeciles. You disappeared from the train to London and show up here. We know she is here, Potter's wife; that's why we have come here." He raised his eyebrows and smiled ruefully, saying, "It is but a matter of time before He finds her. You are here because you know where she is. You are the secret-keeper, I take it. The Fidelius charm was used."
Hermione couldn't break the grip, and grumbled at him, "What are you going to do?" She refused to admit to anything, knowing from this point on she would have to will herself to keep silent no matter what.
He stared at her and looked around before speaking. "I will turn you lose and help you get Potter's wife out of here if you do something for me?"
Hermione couldn't believe her ears. "Why would you do that?" she asked in shock surprise.
He glared at her as if she didn't have any brains. "Because," he emphasized, "I want you to do something for me."
Hermione nodded slowly. He could turn her over to Voldemort and he would torture her until she revealed Nadya's hideout or kill her. She hoped she could hold out long enough to die before she would give in. "I will consider it if you tell me what it is you want of me first?"
He talked quietly and then pulled a bag from his cape. She opened it, pulled out the invisibility cloak. "How...how did you get this," she gasped. Malfoy shook his head and rolled his eyes. "My son goes to Hogwarts Miss Granger. Now I think it wise you put it on and go find Mrs. Potter." Before covering her head, she looked up at him again.
"He will know that you did this," she said.
"Eventually, Miss Granger," he replied, his voice still mildly haughty. "I have sent a message to Severus Snape to come and fetch you. Let us hope Snape will be quick. I can defend myself against Legilimency for a time. After that, He..." he stopped and turned his one good eye towards the castle," he will kill me."
She stared at him for a moment and then he disappeared down the street.
...
Hermione saw them breaking through the boughs tinted pink with the early morning light. It was a wagon and at the head of the horses was a man, a Roma. Others followed, people from the families Hermione met at Harry's wedding.
Jolie stopped and pushed back his hat, smiled, and declared, "We are here!" The voice was soft but clear.
Hermione stepped out into his path. They looked at one another and Jolie nodded sagely. "Where is he?"
She pulled back the cloak revealing Harry's sleeping form. Jolie looked at what she had done and nodded again. He waited until she stepped aside and then four men solemnly reached down and picked Harry up, carrying him to the back of the wagon. Jolie took his hat off and allowed Hermione to step up into the warmth and closed the door behind her. Harry lay on the bed. Hermione covered him and slipped in beside him shielding him with her body, her wand pointed towards the door.
I wonder how they got this wagon up here on the side of a mountain, she thought before falling deeply asleep.
10