Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Eight Hermione's Bad Cooking and Moody Mrs. Malfoy
The next morning at Fred and George's, a gloomy,
cloudy sun spilled weakly through the windows.
Harry and Ron were sharing the fold out bed, sleeping as far away from each other as possible. Hermione was sleeping above them on the couch.
The three friends had stayed up until the early
morning hours. It seemed like it had been months since
all three of them had had the chance to really just
talk. Harry had even touched on the subject of Sirius'
death, which Ron and Hermione couldn't remember him
EVER talking about. It was nice...it was as if the
trio was reunited as a team before they went on a
journey like the one they were about to attempt.
Hermione woke up late the next morning. She had that
odd half-moment of recollection where you wake up
somewhere unfamiliar and forget where you are.
Stretching and blinking in the weak light, she kicked
off her blanket.
"The potion!" She muttered under her breath, carefully stepping over a still-sleeping Ron.
Harry, Fred, and George were eating breakfast in the kitchen. They looked up as she entered.
"Nice hair." Fred laughed.
She smoothed her rather frightening sleep-mussed curls, blushing slightly.
"It's all right, Hermione. That's how mine always looks." Harry shrugged.
"How's the potion?" She said, walking over to the stove.
"Bubbling away. That ruddy stuff smells." George cast it a disgusted look.
"Good. Then it's done." She said, happily pouring three glasses from the cauldron.
"Why is everything you make us absolutely disgusting"
Harry sighed.
"Pity her husband." Fred grinned.
Ron stumbled into the kitchen then, bleary-eyed.
"Morning all. What smells?" Ron collapsed in the chair next to Harry.
"Here, Ron, get some pumpkin juice ready. We're going to have to drink that stuff." Harry slid him a glass.
Hermione shot them a look, handing them both glasses of her tracking concoction.
"Bottoms up, boys." She smiled, downing hers and trying to force her face into a smile.
Harry and Ron weren't buying it. They looked at each other dubiously.
"Cheers, Harry." Ron clinked his glass with Harry's,
drinking it as fast as he possibly could.
It tasted weird and slippery, like sucking down a worm. It had a disgusting aftertaste, that was half-spicy, half-coppery.
"I'm gonna puke." Ron said after a huge swallow.
"Don't! I'll have to make more!" Hermione held him down.
"Pass the bacon, please." Harry choked out.
Hermione sat down next to Ron.
"So what are we going to do to get there? I'm willing to bet they have anti-apparition spells everywhere around that place."
"Well, it can't be too hard to find. It's probably repulsively big." Harry said.
"Wait, wait--you're looking for Ye Olde House of Malfoy?" Fred said through a mouthful of eggs.
"Yeah. What, do you summer there or something?" Ron raised an eyebrow.
"No, no...Dad mentioned where it was. Remember last year when he checked it out for Dark Arts?"
"Of course."
"He mentioned something about having to make the trip to Darkmoor."
"Apparating would be difficult even to the town,
especially for people who have just started doing it.
None of us have ever even been there, or have any idea
what it looks like." Hermione sighed.
"We'll take the train. The regular old train. I mean,
it'll be long, but-" Harry shrugged.
"I guess. I should have brought Mad Libs." Hermione smiled.
"What?" Ron looked at her.
"Never mind. Muggle thing. I'm going to go shower, if that's all right?" She looked at Fred and George.
"No singing." Harry and Ron said at the same time.
"Oh, shut up." She glared, taking one last bite of egg and leaving.
--
Draco came into the room with another armful of books.
"Damn it!" Snape said, closing yet another book from his library.
"W-What's wrong, sir?" Draco looked at him, unsure whether to sit down or not.
"I'm having difficulty locating something. Obviously"
Snape put his fingers to his temples, his eyes closed.
He was apparently deep in thought, and Draco knew better than to interrupt him.
"We need to go to the Malfoy Manor." Snape finally said.
"What? My house? Why?"
"I have to ask your mother something. And we have to locate the first Horcrux, before anyone else tries to use it to find the others."
"The first Horcrux? What are you talking about?"
"That diary. Tom Riddle's. Your father kept it in his posession, I'm hoping?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Good. We leave tonight."
--
Tonks crouched down in front of Narcissa.
"Hello again, Mrs. Malfoy."
Narcissa glared. If looks could kill, Tonks thought with a slight smile.
"I'm about to perform the Cognitive Spell on you.
Again."
Narcissa told Tonks to do something very rude.
"Well then, Miss Manners, let's get started." Tonks lifted up her hands, placing them on either side of Narcissa's temples.
"You know the drill by now. Tell me where Severus Snape is and what you know about Regulus Black, and none of this will be necessary." Tonks said.
Narcissa said nothing.
"Tell me." Tonks said, holding on to her face, forcing her to make eye contact.
Still, she said nothing.
"Then I don't have a choice." Tonks shrugged, closing her eyes.
"Cognito." Tonks whispered, holding on to Narcissa's temples as tightly as she could.
In the few other times Tonks had performed this spell,
a sensation like a cool breeze passed over her, and
then memories from the suspect began to fly in front
of her eyes like images in a flip book. And everytime
she had performed it on Narcissa, the pages went by
too fast to mentally catch one of them for
examination. But no cool breeze. Nothing.
She pushed her fingers harder into Narcissa's skin.
"COGNITO!" Tonks practically shouted.
Suddenly, Narcissa's skin began to burn with a hot,
pulsing sensation. So hot it nearly burned Tonks'
fingers. She jumped back, frightened. This was
unprecedented.
"What are you doing?" Tonks demanded, massaging her slightly blistered fingers.
Narcissa's face curved up in a smile.
"There's no countercurse to this spell." Tonks said,
stunned.
Narcissa looked incredibly pleased with herself.
"What are you doing?" Tonks asked again.
"Protecting what's mine." Narcissa hissed.
The two women glared at each other for a long, quiet moment.
"And don't even think of Veritaserum. I've thought of
that as well. Severus discovered a counterpotion to
that some time ago, and I take it every month"
Narcissa smiled proudly.
"Cognito wouldn't be put off by something like that"
Tonks said, thinking out loud.
"No, I'm just more powerful than you. Ministry
Auror...you really are a shabby bunch. I better you
think pretty highly of yourself. Cute, really. What
are you--nineteen?" Narcissa spoke in silky,
patronizing tones.
"Twenty-three. And I don't see what you have to be so high and mighty about. You'll get tired. Everyone gets tired. Whatever secret you're protecting...we're going to find out what it is. If you want to do it the hard way, then fine by me." Tonks turned around, exiting the holding cell.
Demetrius looked at her curiously.
"Still no luck?" He said, looking through the window.
"I couldn't get in. She's protecting something.
Something big. And I'm willing to wager it's about
Snape or Regulus."
"So what do you propose we do? Veritaserum?"
"No...she mentioned that she's already taken a counterpotion to that."
"Damn." Demetrius put his hands in his pockets.
Tonks put her hands over her eyes, thinking for a moment.
"Sir, I need permission."
"To do what?"
"I need to request leave. Just for a few days."
"What for, my dear?"
"I know someone who could help us."
"And who might that be?"
"Remus Lupin."
Demetrius' brow furrowed.
"That werewolf teacher who was fired from Hogwarts?
Whatever use could he be?"
"Sir, it's nowhere near the full moon. The fact that he's a werewolf doesn't matter. He went to school with Severus. He might've known her as well. And he's very talented at Occlumency. Cognito's just a branch off of that...he's had more experience than I have. I think...I know he could do it. I've worked with him before."
"We have many highly trained Aurors proficient in the art of Occlumency, Nymphadora."
"Sir...I think he could do it. I really do. And I always-"
"Trust your hunches. Right. How could I have forgotten? Very well, Nymphadora. Stop by my office this afternoon, and I'll have a Request Form for leave of absence. I could probably only let you off for three days at the most."
"That's fine."
"You know of his location, I'm assuming?"
"I can set up a meet with him."
"You can't send any incriminating mail, Nymphadora."
"No, I know that. We...we became...friends over the last few years. We set up a way to meet each other if we ever needed to exchange information."
"All right. Well...as I said, drop by later and I'll have that form for you."
"Thank you so much. You won't be sorry. He'll get us the information."
"I do hope he's worth all this trouble, my dear"
Demetrius looked at her strangely for a moment, and
then walked away.
"So do I." Tonks said under her breath.
--
A/N- Well, I was going to let us into Narcissa's mind,
but she was being stubborn. Don't worry- good old
Lupin is a reliable guy. Next chapter- awkward run-ins
at the Manor, and Lupin returns. Please leave me a
review!