Hermione landed with a thud somewhere unfamiliar. For a moment, she'd forgotten that they'd just escaped from Azkaban, but when she opened her eyes, it all became real to her.
She was standing in a very beaten-up looking land. A very burned looking building stood in front of them, in ruins. Hermione cleared her throat. Had Luna brought them here by mistake?
"Where are we?" came Ron's voice from a place not to far.
"My house, of course." Luna stated matter-of-factly. "Well… it was my house."
"Was?" Fred responded.
"Yes, was. My mother and father and I lived here very happily until I was about nine. Then one day, one of my mother's spells went wrong. The whole house caught fire. My mother didn't make it."
She said all of this in a dreamy voice.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Luna…"
"Yes… Well, it is at least safe from death eaters. I don't think they know I ever lived here. We'll be safe here."
"But Luna…" Hermione begged, "It's… ruined. We can't stay here."
"Of course we can! Follow me inside~"
Hermione and the others exchanged nervous glances, but followed after Luna in the end. They had to climb in through a small hole(The door had been destroyed by magic so it was impossible to enter it) and Ron had some issues with it. Once inside, Hermione was surprised to find that the house was actually quite nice. It didn't look ruined at all. It was rather plain. The walls were all bare, and the flooring, simply hardwood.
There was a small, simple peach-colored sofa sitting in the small living room. The kitchen they were standing in was also quite cramped. There were three stools sitting at a rather dusty bar, and a small stove across from a tiny sink.
"There's two bedrooms. One for girls and one for boys, I think."
Hermione nodded, but she couldn't help but notice that Ron was looking a little disappointed. She giggled at this.
They stayed in the little house for a couple of days. Hermione and Luna bunked together inside of a small, cramped room with bunk beds. Luna always rose early to prepare breakfast for the lot. Hermione was quite surprised to find that Luna was a pretty decent cook.
Neither of the Weasley's did much talking within their time of staying there. She couldn't blame them. They'd lost a brother. Hermione knew Ron must be crushed, and she couldn't even imagine how Fred must have been feeling. They were twins, their souls practically one.
Luna had suggested building a memorial for him in the backyard. It all happened one quiet cold evening after 4 days of having escaped from Azkaban.
"I feel sad about George. He was quite funny…"
"Please, Luna…" Hermione whispered. It was to soon to start talking about George.
"I think we ought to build him a memorial." Luna nodded simply.
Hermione blinked. How did Luna come up with these ideas of hers? "What?"
"Yes. He was a great man, after all. He deserves one. I really think we should, since he couldn't have a proper funeral."
"Luna… That's brilliant."
Hermione hadn't heard Fred talk in days, and his voice was brittle, but she smiled at the fact he wanted to do this for his brother.
"We can do it right now, if that's okay." Luna sang softly.
The three others nodded slowly.
Out back, the group had gathered around a small green patch amongst spacious brown. Hermione had conjured it up with the stolen wand, and flowers were now blooming prettily.
Fred pointed the wand at a smooth stone and levitated it to the flowery spot. He flicked it again, and words began to appear on the stone.
George Weasley
Loving Brother
Loyal Friend
True Valiant
Hermione nodded her head and Fred handed it to her. Hermione muttered a few spells so that the memorial would remain forever unscathed.
"George, I'm really going to miss you…" Hermione wiped a tear from her eye. His death was suddenly becoming much more real to her.
"Good bye, George…" was all Ron said.
Fred bit his lip, and Hermione thought she could see tears, "Bye." Hermione sighed. How could Fred only want to say one word?
"Good-bye, George. You'll be missed. You were always so nice to me. And you were always true to the D.A. You were really fun in Azkaban, George. Even when I started to feel sad, you could cheer me up. You were a true Gryffindor." Luna summed. She stepped back after, and everybody around bowed their heads.
Hermione cried hard in her room that night, and rose late in the night, (Or really, early in the morning). She left the safety of her bunk and escaped the bedroom, heading for the kitchen. Maybe a glass of water would soothe her. Who was she kidding…
Hermione had just poured herself a glass, and was about to put it to her lips, when she shook violently. Fresh tears fell from her eyes and she dropped the glass. She sobbed into her hands, and didn't even hear the glass shatter on the cold floor.
She shook violently, hardly able to control her crying. She didn't jump back in surprise at the warm arms that surrounded her, but merely leaned against the chest of her savior, crying and listening to the sound of their heart beat.
"Shh…" came a voice. She felt fingers stroke her hair, and a free hand squeeze her middle tightly. After several hours, or maybe just many long minutes, Hermione opened her eyes and looked up to see Ron looking down sadly at her. His eyes were also stained.
"I'm so sorry… about George, Ron…" she sniffed, trying to stop her now softer crying. "I never thought… he was so brave."
"I know Hermione. But the important thing is that we're okay. Things could have been different. You could be dead… I don't know what I would have done if you'd gone to.."
Hermione wiped a tear that had fallen from Ron's eyes, "I'm here for you… I'm not leaving."
"We can fix it, Ron. With the potion. I don't know how we're going to do it anymore, but we can still make it work… We're out of prison now." Hermione breathed, stroking Ron's hair.
Ron didn't respond for several long seconds, "How? We're safe here."
Hermione sighed, "We can go back… We can try and finish the potion."
Ron looked back at her, and Hermione continued speaking, "We can't tell the others though. They're safe here. We can't put them in more danger."
Ron agreed, "Alright… But we should probably come back. I mean, if they want to help, they can."
Hermione shook her head, "I don't know, Ron."
"It'll be better to have extra help!" Ron raised his voice slightly.
"Ron. Quiet down. You're going to wake Luna and Fred--"
"What are you two up to?" came a dreamy voice.
Hermione glared at Ron, "Well done, Mr. Weasley."
Ron was about to give her a smart-retort, when Luna stepped in the room.
"Are you fighting? Now… lovers mustn't fight, you know."
Hermione flushed, "We're not…"
Luna giggled, "Then why are you holding each other so tight?"
Hermione looked back at Ron, and the two of them flushed an even deeper shade of pink when they realized they were still holding each other. They let go at once.
Luna spoke in a dreamy voice, "You two are always like that… I think you should show your love proudly! Not like when we were at Hogwarts."
Hermione and Ron both groaned, when Luna asked them what they wanted extra help with.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked. Had she heard?
"I was with Fred. He was very sad, and I think he needed some cheering up, when we heard you two arguing. So I decided to check on you two."
Hermione sighed, 'We were just… talking about…. Help with dinner. That's all."
Ron looked at Hermione dumbly, "You may as well tell them, Hermione. They could help us."
"Fine." Hermione agreed, 'Well, you know that I was brought to this time by a potion, and as you know, Ron and I were working on a potion to get me back. We wanted to get back and continue work on the potion."
Luna grinned, "Well, I'd love to help! All of us getting together! It'll be like a D.A meeting!"
"This is more dangerous, Luna. Although it could fix everything, it could also land us back in Azkaban, or immediate death to." Hermione explained.
"Oh, I don't mind! I'd love to help." she ran back down stairs, "Fred~! We're going on a mission! To save the wizarding world!" She came back upstairs with a very groggy looking Fred on her arm.
"Whazzit…" Fred rubbed his eyes, "I had just gotten to sleep…"
"No time to sleep, Fred. We're going to make a potion!" Luna said cheerily, "So, where is this place?"
Hermione groaned, "Back at Ron's. we'll have to be very careful, and we can't stay there. The death eaters already know we might go there. I'm not even sure where the potion is! For all we know, the death eaters took it."
"It's worth a shot, though." Ron responded, "It's worth a shot knowing we can fix things, rather than just sit around and wait to die."
"Ron's right, Hermione." Fred yawned, "I mean, isn't it better knowing we tried? We might even get everything back to normal."
"…Okay…" Hermione agreed, "I suppose we'd better do it now. What's the point in waiting."
"Let's go then. Fred, you know where it is, right?" Ron glanced at his brother.
"Yea. Pretty sure I do." Fred answered.
"We'll travel in pairs. That way, if one pair gets into trouble, the other can save them, alright?" Hermione suggested.
"Sounds like a plan." Luna hummed. Fred gripped Luna's hand, and Ron took gentle hold of Hermione's. There were two loud cracks and the four diapparated,
They arrived on the green Hermione knew to hold Ron's home. Fred and Luna arrived just seconds after Ron and Hermione. Ron made the strange movement with his wand, and before she knew it, Hermione and the other 3 were on their way downstairs.
The door had been blown to pieces, but this didn't surprise either Hermione or Ron. None of them really spoke, but they did search the turned-over house for hours looking for the cauldron. Hermione stretched,
"It's gone. " she moaned, disappointed, "I can't believe it…"
"Well… I guess we should have expected it…" Ron shrugged, "What with all the death eaters…"
"There's something under the bed!" Luna shouted from Hermione bedroom.
Hermione and Ron gave each other hopeful glances before rushing into the room. Luna was holding a small cauldron in her hand, "It looks frozen…" she observed.
Hermione felt tears in her eyes, "You found it, Luna! You always come through… You're so… amazing!" Hermione cheered.
Ron and Fred nodded in agreement, "Isn't she?" Fred admired, wrapping Luna in a tight embrace.
Hermione raised an eyebrow at this. "Um… yeah…" she shook her head, "We should get back to your place. We've got to defrost the potion, then look in the book for the next part."
Hermione searched for the book, finding it under the bedside table. She flipped through 'Most Potent Potions' stopping on "The Sands of Time'
"We have to defrost it, and stir it counterclockwise for 3 weeks straight without stopping." Her eyes popped at that statement. "We then have to add crushed petals from the Venomous Tentacula. Then you're supposed to boil the potion for another week. Then… it's done. You can add the time turner sand whenever you want." Hermione smiled lightly, "We're almost done." she explained.
"Great. Can we talk about this back at Luna's?" Ron asked. He looked anxious to get out of there.
Hermione nodded, "Yea sure." The party disapparated, holding the cauldron and the book, appearing again right near the Lovegood's old house.
They entered the house, and Hermione use the stolen wand to set up the cauldron like it had been set up a month before. She then performed the anti-freezing charm and the liquid melted, revealing a quiet shade of purple. The book said that was right, and it had to be stirred constantly for three weeks counterclockwise. At the end of those three weeks, it was to turn lime green. It would turn grey after adding the petals, and finally bright pink when you added the time-turner sand.
The four took turns stirring the potion. Hermione really did not feel comfortable performing the spell with so many stirs for so long. The shifts lasted 3 hours each, and each one had two shifts a day.
The group had been discussing where to find a Venomous Tentacula
"I think Hogwarts might be a good place to look." Hermione explained, "In the Greenhouses."
Luna shook her head, "No. Hogwarts was destroyed, remember?"
Fred had his arm around Luna. Strangely, the two had been acting much more friendly toward one another since escaping Azkaban. It was quite a surprise to both Hermione and Ron.
"Oh, right." Hermione sighed. She still thought Hogwarts would be a great place to look. Part of her also wanted to see the old school again.
"There's always the Forbidden Forest. Who's going to stop us from going in there now?" Ron suggested.
Hermione nodded, "That would be good… except. I don't know Ron. Isn't it dangerous? I mean, there will be a full moon, and everything!"
"Luna's a werewolf. She can protect us." Fred yawned.
"And what happened last time we tried to get Luna to cooperate last time she was a werewolf?" Hermione reasoned.
"Oh yeah…" Fred groaned.
"Isn't there a potion you can take that will make a werewolf calm? Didn't Lupin take it? Wolf-something."
Hermione's eyes brightened, "Wolfsbane potion, you mean? Brilliant, Ron! I don't know why I didn't think of it!"
Ron flushed slightly, and he grinned, "I have my moments."
Hermione sighed again, "We can't just brew it. I did a report on it years ago. It takes a month and a half to brew, and by then… it's to late."
"I thought you all said something about stealing from a death eater store?" Fred piped.
"Well… yes…" Hermione nodded.
"Why not head on over to an Apothecary?" Fred shrugged.
"Well… that would work. Except for the fact that almost all stores are shut down." Hermione frowned.
Fred grinned and he waggled a finger at Hermione, "Tut tut. Not all of them. There was a hidden place not far from where George and I were hiding that sold stolen goods to members of the Order, and non-death eaters." he paused, "Not sure if it's still there, but it's worth a shot, right?"
"I suppose…" Hermione reluctantly agreed. Within days, the foursome had decided to test Fred's theory and go searching for the hidden shop. They left after midnight one stormy night about a week later. (Luna stayed home to stir the potion)
They had apparated to a small cove where the twins had been staying. Fred refused to look at it, and led them down a beaten path, that seemed to be leading nowhere. After two hours on the muddy trail, Ron complained.
"How much longer, Fred?"
"Relax, bro. Not far. I just need to remember where it is exactly." Fred responded.
"WHAT?! You don't even know where you're going?!" Ron gaped.
"Ron, shush! I'm sure it's fine, okay?" Hermione put a finger to her lips to silence him.
After a little longer, Fred grinned, "Told you I'd find it." He pounded an a strange tree in a code-like fashion, and a red button appeared. Fred pushed it, and began to speak in a very hushed voice. Hermione could only guess this was a password of some sort. Fred then took his finger off the button and the tree began to open from the roots, revealing a dark hole entering the ground.
Fred stepped aside, "Ladies first." he gestured to Hermione and Ron. Ron glared at him and Hermione rolled her eyes and slipped down the hole, screaming all the way down. She landed with a thud in a small, dusty looking room. It looked like somebody had actually carved it in the ground, because Hermione could see the dirt ceiling, and roots poking out everywhere.
She stood up, seeing a man behind a desk staring back at her. He didn't smile, in fact he pulled his wand out, "Death eater! Finally found my little establishment? Well, I regret nothing!"
"What? N-no! You don't under--"
"Understand this!" he shouted. A blue spell shot at Hermione, and she was lifted in the air, and tied in blue rope all around her body. She was hung upside-down, and her mouth was glued shut.
Fred and Ron both made their appearances shortly.
"Hey Da--" Fred searches the store, "Huh."
The shopkeeper growled at them, "Make it fast, Fred. I've just tied up a scum death eater, and I intend to make sure they know not to attack me!"
Fred looked up to see a helpless Hermione staring down at them.
Ron's eyes widened, "Hermione? I'll get you down!"
"You do, and you'll be next!" the shopkeeper shouted. Ron's ears went red and he quieted.
Fred sighed, "She's not a death eater. She's on our side now."
"How can you know?!" the store owner shouted.
"Trust me, Dave. Haven't I gotten you out of trouble before? Just trust me. Would I lie to ya?"
Dave narrowed his eyes, "Alright. I'm not sure I trust her but…" he performed the counter curse and the ropes suspending Hermione vanished. She let out a scream and fell toward the ground. When she didn't feel the impact, she opened her eyes to see that Ron had caught her, and was now grinning down at her, holding her bridal-style. Hermione flushed deeply, and jumped from his arms.
"Whaddya need, Freddy?" Dave asked.
"Wolfsbane potion." Fred answered.
Dave frowned, 'I might have some left…" he disappeared behind his desk and dug through a few drawers. He returned about fifteen minutes later. "You got lucky. This is my last one, you know." He put the potion bottle filled with the smoky liquid on the counter.
"How much do I owe you?" Fred asked.
"Let's see… Since it was my last one, but because it's you… I think I'll charge 6 sickles."
Fred dug through his pockets, "Er… I only have five." he said, embarrassed.
The shopkeeper rolled his eyes, but took the money. Fred grinned and took the potion, "Thanks a million, Dave!" The three were about to leave the underground cave, when a rumbling sound came from above them.
"What was that?" Hermione panicked.
"It's the storm." Dave explained. "Normally when this happens, the store suffers some damage. Not to bad, though. But we haven't had a storm like this in decades… I don't know what will--"
There was a crash, and the hole they had come in collapsed.
Hermione screamed, "The store is caving in!" she panicked. They were going to die here! She never thought this would be how it all ended…
Okay, I haven't updated this story in a month. I saw that, and I was like: Crap, better update. But I never did. Sorry about that. :( I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. And I hope I don't get lazy! I will try and update as soon as I can. Promise.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
