Chapter 23

Shoes. They'd seen their shoes.

Hermione resisted the urge to cover her face in embarrassment. "Look, whoever you are—"

"Hermione, Kanda Yu, Kanda, Hermione Granger," Allen piped in. "I'd just call him Kanda, by the way," he added to Hermione. Then his glare slid to Kanda and he added snarkily, "Though 'idiot' works too."

"I'm not the one who can't even manage a real disguise," Kanda snapped.

Hermione cut into what was clearly going to be a long back-and-forth, if Kanda's expression was anything to go off of. "Who are you, and why are you chasing Allen?"

Kanda looked at her, and then at Allen, a question on his face for a moment. "How long have you been with him?"

"Technically?" Hermione replied. "Nearly two months."

"Since yesterday morning, if you want the truth of it," Allen said dismissively. "Look, Kanda, I'm glad you're alive. I really am. But what the hell are you doing here?"

Hermione didn't have time to process "alive" before Kanda's sharp reply. "Looking for you, obviously."

"What about Alma?" Allen countered. "You were free! You got away! Why—?"

Kanda's expression became, if possible, more guarded and fierce. "My being here is proof enough I'm free. As for Alma, that's my business."

Allen's face was hard to read. Kanda's jaw worked for a moment, and then he snapped, "I have one question before anything else right now. Did you kill that CROW? Link?"

Allen's face went white.

"What?" he gasped softly, stepping back as if he'd been hit. "Link's dead?" Kanda stared at Allen critically, trying to find—something, Hermione couldn't begin to figure out what.

Another moment passed and Kanda decided. "No, I guess not."

"What happened to him?" Allen asked fiercely. "Tell me everything."

"Gill can, when he wakes up," Kanda replied shortly. "I wasn't there."

Allen turned toward Hermione then, and then stepped past her, bending to check on Johnny. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine," she replied, "just Stunned. He'll come around in a bit."

Allen nodded. He straightened up and said, "We can't stay here." He glanced at Kanda. "If you found us, the Order might not be far behind." Kanda's snort told them what he thought of that, but Allen wasn't taking chances.

"Where should we go?" Hermione asked. "Into the Ark?"

Allen looked back at Kanda, who was staring at the pair of them, his expression typically hard to read. "Where else?" he said. "Help me with him."

Together, Hermione taking his legs and Allen hooking his arms under Johnny's shoulder, they hefted him and his ridiculous back pack off the ground. Johnny's head rolled scarily to the side, and after a moment Allen grunted, "Kanda, get his bags."

Huffing with annoyance, Kanda did so anyway. He chanced another critical look at Hermione, who raised her eyebrow in defiance. Kanda looked away with another huff and grunted in surprise as he pulled the pack off Johnny. "What the hell's he carrying in this thing?"

Allen ignored this; he hummed the melody of the Fourteenth and the crack in the Gate opened wider. With some messy coordination he and Hermione dumped Johnny inside, and then climbed in after. Kanda threw the back pack inside before he climbed up himself, and Allen shut the door behind them all.

The bright blue sky and whitewashed walls were disorienting after the cold and wet of Hogsmeade. Hermione moved Johnny so he leaned against a wall, and then murmured a spell. In a moment he was awake, blinkingly groggily and pulling his mouth apart thirstily. Hermione conjured a cup and filled it with water, which Johnny took gratefully, coming around more consciously now. Kanda stared at the cup and the water inside, blank face hiding his surprise well.

Johnny pushed his glasses up his face and blinked at Hermione, then looked around—and saw Allen.

"Allen!" he cried, and dropped the cup, leaping toward Allen. Hermione got out of the way just in time and Allen was bulldozed, falling hard as Johnny gripped him in a viselike hug, sobbing with relief. "You're here, you're alright, we found you, we found you!"

"Oh good, he's back to normal," Kanda remarked dryly. Hermione glanced up at him questioningly.

"What do you mean?"

"He's—" but Kanda was drowned out by the sheer volume of Johnny's joy and Allen was trying to pry him off. An annoyed tick jumped in Kanda's brow.

"Johnny, Johnny!" Allen cried out, pushing harder. "I'm glad to see you too! Get off!"

Johnny did, taking off his glasses and wiping his eyes and nose, grinning and shaking. "I'm so glad you're alright!" he said again. Allen smiled with a mixture of pleasure and exasperation, and sat up so his arms hung over his legs casually.

"Johnny," Allen asked, and despite his smile and the casual pose, his tone was commanding. "What are you and Kanda doing here?"

Johnny seemed to have collected himself at last, so despite the last of his tears and shaking in his limbs he fixed his glasses on his face and replied, quite seriously, "We came looking for you. I'm here to help you, Allen. Kanda's here to help me."

Allen's lips parted and eyebrows rose; his surprise was almost comical. "No you're not," he replied, almost stupidly, but Johnny was shaking his head, and began what was clearly a well-rehearsed speech, in spite of his wet voice and sniffling.

"Yes, we are," he began passionately. "The Order may not be willing to do this, but I quit, Allen, I walked away with the intent to find you and, when I did, to help you with the Fourteenth. You can't do this alone. I'm not letting you. You're the best chance we've ever had to defeat the Earl and end this once and for all, but more importantly, I want to help you because you're my friend. I don't want to see you Fall. I don't know if I can be of any help, if my being with you will do you any good at all—but I'm going to help you, Allen. Please let me do that."

Allen blinked, more stunned. After a moment of staring at Johnny, his eyes shifted to Kanda, and he seemed to find his composure again. "And what about you, Kanda?" he asked. "What are you doing here?" Allen's eyes found the Rose cross embroidered on Kanda's breast.

"Why did you go back?" he asked more softly.

Kanda sighed, but Allen continued waiting. "I came to get Mugen," Kanda said at last, gripping his hand on the hilt of his sword tightly. "I ran into Gill in the train station and got him out of trouble. That's all."

Allen obviously didn't believe him, but instead of pursuing it he said to Johnny, "I was wondering how you got away. I didn't think they'd let you just leave."

Johnny smiled. "Well, of course not, but luckily Kanda was there, so it's okay."

Allen sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "How'd you find this place?" he asked.

"Cross's receipts!" Johnny said, and got to his feet. He walked over to where Kanda had dropped his pack, and fished out a thick stack of papers.

"Here," he said, holding them out to Allen, who shook his head hurriedly. Johnny shrugged. "We picked the nearest village to the Order and started from there, showing folks your picture and Cross's picture and seeing if they'd seen either of you. I don't think I've ever spent so much time in bars and nightclubs. I think Kanda got hit on more times than—"

"I'm never going into a bar again," Kanda practically hissed. "If one more drunk man tells me I'm pretty and tries to feel me up—"

"Yes, yes, we know, you'll kill him," Johnny said cheerfully. He turned to Allen, still grinning. "He had his first hangover this morning, can you believe it?"

"And you woke up drunk," Kanda spat. "I've been dragging his ass around all morning, complaining about dentists and doctors and who knows what other appointments he forgot—"

Hermione gasped, "Oh!" and snapped her fingers, having just figured something out. The three men turned and looked at her, clearly having forgotten she was even there.

Her smile faded and she quickly said, "I know why he was like that. The anti-Muggle wards were affecting him."

"Muggle?" Kanda and Johnny said together.

"Non-magical people," Hermione clarified.

"Right," Kanda said, looking unconvinced.

"But then neither of you should have been able to come into Hogsmeade," she continued thoughtfully. "You shouldn't have been able to find it."

"We got lost," Kanda said, shrugging. He nodded toward Johnny. "He's stubborn as hell, too."

"That's coming from you?" Allen muttered darkly.

But Johnny seemed to have at last sobered up because he was looking at Hermione thoughtfully. "You did something to me, right? That's why I woke up here instead of outside."

"I Stunned you," she said, and showed Johnny her wand. "I'm a witch."

"You're a witch?" Johnny repeated, but he didn't sound disbelieving or dismissive—he was honestly curious. "Really? How did you and Allen meet then?"

Hermione glanced at Allen, and Kanda and Johnny looked at him as well. Allen sighed. "It's a long story and it's not important right now," he said, coming to his feet and stretching. "I'm dropping you two off someplace else and we're going our separate ways."

"Allen, no—" Johnny began, but Allen interrupted him smoothly.

"Johnny, thank you. I'm glad to see you, and I'm even glad to see Kanda. A little," he added snidely. Kanda made a face at him. Allen ignored it. "But I left for a reason, and I can't stand to put you in danger by having you with me."

"So what about her?" Kanda said, nodding toward Hermione. "You don't care what happens to her?"

"I didn't say that," Allen snapped. "But you both and Hermione need to understand this: I don't want you here. So that's it, okay? I'm taking you out of Hogsmeade, maybe it'll get the Order off your trail if they have it. And that's it, we're done."

Johnny and Hermione broke out arguing, talking over each other to try and make Allen listen to reason. Kanda simply stared at him, brow furrowed, arms crossed. But Allen ignored them all, drowning out their voices. He turned on his heel and started walking, and said to Timcanpy, "London door."

The golem flew ahead and Allen stalked off, the others following him, Hermione and Johnny having decided to go one at a time, while Kanda took up the rear, stoic as always.

Allen reached the London door, which still had a sign hanging up on it, and had finally had enough.

"ALRIGHT!" he shouted, turning to face the pair. Johnny and Hermione stopped talking, stunned into silence. "Are you finished? Cause I am!" he cried out. "I am DONE with people forcing their help on me! I am DONE with what I want being ignored! I want you two to leave—" he pointed angrily at Johnny and Kanda, "and I want you to stop!" he added, turning darkly to Hermione. "Enough. Just—enough."

He opened the door outside and stepped through without another word, and the others, having no other choice, followed.

They landed in a deserted, shadowed alleyway, Allen already several feet away, searching the ground for something. He found it, stooping to pick up another newspaper. He nodded once and dropped it. "1896. Same year. You two are good to go. It's been nice to seeing you both, I hope you have good lives. Goodbye."

"Allen."

Allen turned and was met by Johnny's palm smacking his cheek.

The slap rebounded off the stone around them, Allen's stunned face red.

Johnny said hotly, "You think what you want's been ignored?" Johnny lowered his hand. "You left us behind, Allen. I know you didn't have a choice, but how can you say that you don't want us here? How can you look me in the eye and say that? I didn't leave the Order for you to tell me no. I didn't almost get mind-wiped and sent who knows where for that. I didn't spend months of searching and spending every last penny I've saved for you to tell me no."

Hermione and Kanda watched Johnny warily. He took a deep breath, more quietly but still insistent. "You need help. You need information. You need allies. I know you think you can do this alone, but you can't—no one can, and I'm not alone in wanting to help you. Lenalee wants to help you."

Allen flinched.

"Krory wants to help you." Johnny was merciless. "Miranda. Noise. Jerry. Komui. Chief Reever. If Lavi was home, he'd want to help you."

"Lavi's still—?" Allen began but Johnny cut him off.

"Yeah, him and Bookman are still missing. The Noah still have him God knows where and you're going on about ignored wishes. Since getting away, have you been able to do anything about that Noah? Have you found a solution alone?"

Allen's silence spoke for itself.

Johnny took another breath and lost some of his intensity. "Look," he implored, "you might want to do this alone now, but I can guarantee that later, you'll appreciate the help. You're my friend. I care about you. I want what's best for you. Kanda does too, even if he won't say it."

Allen said nothing for a while. Hermione hung back, watching the drama, feeling for the first time truly outside of this.

Johnny came because he cared. She didn't know if Kanda cared, but he was here, and that had to mean something. What was her motivation like, in light of that devotion? A sliver of guilt formed in her chest, and she didn't like it. A greater sense of ignorance crept into her heart and mind, and it made her feel small.

At last, his voice subdued, Allen asked, "What happened to Link?"

Johhny sighed. "I knew it," he said proudly. "I knew it wasn't you."

xox

"So what exactly are you doing?"

"Getting money."

"But these clothes?"

"Hey, don't knock street performers. I've very good, you know. Turn around please, I'm changing."

Kanda and Johnny had revealed that they were down to their last pence and neither Allen nor Hermione had Muggle money. Allen asked if Hermione could transform some of their clothes, which she did as best she could, though the results were less than stellar. She also borrowed knick-knacks Johnny was carrying and transformed those: spinning pins, juggling balls, and a large balancing ball for Allen to stand on.

Make-up Allen had to steal; this wasn't so hard for him, it turned out, and Kanda took care of the unfortunate who went after them. Hermione now stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Kanda and Johnny, watching passerby while Allen set up.

"He was really a clown?" she asked Johnny, who'd calmed down from earlier, having plead and won his case with Allen.

"Oh yes," Johnny said. "I tried to learn how to juggle from him once, but it didn't work out. I haven't got the eye for it." It didn't seem to bother him. "Plus, Allen's a terrible chess player, so we're even."

Hermione still felt this was a terrible waste of time. But she said nothing, because she was still trying to get a sense of these newcomers, and they were still stuck in the past. They could only solve one problem at a time, after all.

Allen tapped Hermione on the shoulder and she turned around, staring.

"Oh," she said at last. "You're completely…"

"Unrecognizable?"

She nodded. A moment later she added thoughtfully, "We should have tried that earlier."

Allen shrugged. His face was so caked in white and red paint that subtle expressions were impossible to read. Picking up his equipment he said, "Alright, there should be a good spot just a street away, so follow me."

They made an odd group: painted clown, burdened shorty, graceful swordsman, awkward teenager. They drew more than a few glances from passerby but Allen charged on, indifferent. A small square, stuffed with foot traffic, opened up before them and Allen stopped them against a wall.

"Alright, you all can watch from here, keep an eye on the crowd. I'm going to start in a minute, and if no one comes over soon, Johnny, I want you to plant yourself and start selling the act. Can you do that?"

Johnny nodded. "Sure."

"Great. Kanda, Hermione, make sure no one tries to steal our stuff or my money."

"Got it," Hermione said. Kanda turned his head, looking out on the crowd, which she guessed meant he agreed too. Maybe he thought saying it aloud was redundant.

Allen managed to create a circle around him, and tossed a few balls in the air to test them. A child stopped to look, but was pulled onward by a nanny or maybe a mother. Allen waved at the kid, offering up a huge smile. He dropped it when the child was gone, shook his arms out a moment, and then it was show time.

The smile locked on his face looked genuine, even under the paint, and he began to juggle.

Allen didn't cry out for the crowd; he said nothing at all, which surprised Hermione. She'd seen street performers—they had to work twice as hard to get people's attention, harder to keep it. But Allen just juggled—at first.

A few people passed by and as they did dropped coins in a hat Allen had set out in front of him. He tossed the balls higher, got a few more coins. He started tossing faster, moving his arms in a complex whirl, over, under, over, under, and Hermione didn't know how but he was juggling twice as many balls as when he'd started and she hadn't seen him add the balls.

A man in a scruffy suit and matching hat stopped to watch, and Allen turned toward him. "Good sir, I'm going to take your hat from you."

"No ya ent," the man replied. This drew a few people to stop and watch.

"Of course I am," Allen replied brightly. "And I won't drop a single ball."

"Alrigh'," said the man. "Go fer it, then."

Allen started walking toward the man—an even, regular pace—and the rhythm of his juggling didn't change. The man took a step back, watching Allen and the balls carefully, despite the easy grin on his face. Allen seemed to make a move toward the man, and he stepped back. The crowd chuckled.

"Very good, sir," Allen said, still bright. "But I bet you can't dodge me again."

"Aye, I bet I ken."

Allen's smile broadened. He made another sweep; again the man moved away. The crowd laughed again, and more people drew close to watch.

"Clever, sir, you're very clever. You're right. I'll never get your hat like that." The man smirked.

Allen threw all of his balls high, jumped off the ground, and spun over the man, flicking his hat off his head and onto Allen's own. The balls landed in his palms, pattern going strong, and Allen was walking around the man again, smile still broad, the man's mismatched hat planted firmly on his head.

The crowd broke into enthusiastic applause. Allen stopped tossing and took a bow, sweeping the hat off and across himself dramatically. He gave the man his hat back and the man fished a coin from his pocket, dropping it in the hat on the ground and going on his way.

The show continued in that manner; Allen threw in more acrobatics as the minutes ticked on, pulling in the spinning pins, balancing on one leg, and then balancing on the big ball. A healthy gathering of coins and notes had collected in the hat. Hermione became absorbed in the act.

It happened without warning.

A dark light—how could a light be dark, she would wonder later—suddenly appeared beneath Allen's feet and a hideous voice echoed in the square, "I feel a Noah…I feel the Fourteenth…"

The stones beneath their feet exploded, light and smoke scattering them. Hermione was blown back by the force of it, landing hard several feet away, other people falling around her. Stumbling to her feet, ears ringing, she stopped in her tracks at the horror that was rising out of the ground—three heads, with huge distorted faces, no body, small hands, eyes rolling in their sockets—and the bottom half of Allen's body hanging out of one of the mouths. "Allen!"

She looked around for Kanda and Johnny, and saw Kanda charging forward, sword in hand, shoving his way through the screaming crowd. She raised her wand at the thing that had Allen and began to scream a hex—no, Kanda was there, but just as he got his blade free the monster exploded.

A cry broke from Hermione's throat, Allen's name lost in the chaos around her.

As the smoke cleared, a mask on a white cloak floated out of the smoke, and then there was Allen, covering his mouth to stop from inhaling the smoke, but otherwise fine.

"Everyone okay?" he shouted, looking toward Kanda, searching for Johnny and Hermione. Johnny was pushing his way forward, but the square was clear. Smoke drifted in the air. The silence was oppressive.

"We're here!" Johnny said, tripping over a broken stone. "We're okay!" he said from the ground.

Allen reached down, pulling the man to his feet, looking around the group again. "Good," he said, and Hermione was shocked at how calm he sounded. She was shaking, barely still on her feet, and her ears had finally begun to stop ringing.

"What the hell was that?" she managed, her voice coming out high and panicky. Allen, Kanda and Johnny looked over at her. Allen stepped toward her.

"Hermione, we should get out of here—"

"Answer me!" Hermione cried. She was shaking but gripped her wand tighter. "Now someone better explain to me what that monster was, and how you survived that blast."

Kanda glared at her before barking at Allen, "She's with you and she doesn't know what that was?"

"It's her first time seeing one, Kanda," Allen snapped. "Give her a minute."

"What was that?" she repeated, trying to stop her voice from trembling.

"That was an Akuma," Allen replied, his voice still amazingly calm. "Like I told you before."

"That…?" Hermione couldn't manage more. Allen simply nodded. Kanda frowned at them—no, at her. Johnny stood beside him, glancing nervously between the three.

"We should go," Johnny said. "Where there's one—"

"It called you the Fourteenth," Hermione said, bringing the men's attention back to her. "Why was it asking about him? Allen, what's going on?"

Johnny's voice cut through. "We need to get out of here," he said, more forcefully. "People will come running any moment now."

Allen watched Hermione, noticed her shaking limbs.

"He's right," he said, turning toward the direction of the Gate, a street away. Allen put a hand on Hermione's arm, guiding her toward the Gate. She brushed him off.

"I'm fine," she said stiffly. Allen wanted to argue, but she met his gaze, a mix of determination and forced calm in her eyes. She was scared, but she was trying. He shut his mouth, looking around. The smoke had cleared; blackened rubble was all that was left of the Akuma. Without another word the group moved, rushing toward the alley where the Gate waited.

The explosions had pushed people away from the square for a good distance, so the group had little company as they ran, Allen leading, Kanda taking up the rear, all alert for trouble. They entered a narrow alley, the last before they reached the Gate. Allen glanced back, making sure the others had kept up.

There was a twinge of pain in his eye.

Black holes sprouted in the ground and again those horrible voices sounded, "I feel…the Fourteenth…I feel…"

Hermione screamed, her forced calm broken, and retreated back with Kanda and Johnny as the monsters appeared again. Allen was stuck between narrow stone walls and jaws clamped over him, his torso and legs disappearing in the creature's mouth.

"Allen!" Johnny cried out, and launched toward him, but Kanda grabbed him and threw him back, stepping between Johnny and the Akuma in the same motion.

"He'll be fine, with just something like that," he said gruffly, raising the naked sword toward the other Akuma emerging from the ground.

Hermione's eyes widened as a flash of white light blossomed before her eyes before the creature exploded, and Allen sprung from it, that white cloak surrounding his shoulders and a massive sword in his right hand. "Get Hermione out of here!" he ordered, turning toward the other Akuma.

"Hermione, with me!" Johnny cried out, pulling her out of the alley as Kanda launched forward, striking down one of the monsters as it charged toward the group.

"What the hell is going on?" she cried out, throwing up a shield instinctually, the jolting from the explosion shaking her back to her senses. She blinked furiously, trying to clear the spots, trying to focus on what was happening instead of succumbing to her urge to run.

"They're Exorcists," Johnny explained, pulling her away from the fight, a note of pride in his voice despite the destruction around them. "This is what they do."

Kanda and Allen stood back to back, the smoke around them clearing, the monsters momentarily defeated.

"I feel…I feel…" a horrid voice called out, and black circles widened around the feet of the Exorcists.

Allen turned and twisted, but there was no room in the alley to move. Looking up, the edges of his cloak grew and launched up, pulling him onto the roof.

"Allen!" Johnny cried out, and Kanda below shouted. Allen glanced back at the ground once before running off. Hermione caught a glimpse of his golden golem Timcanpy flying after him, soaring high into the air.

"Shit," Kanda spat, before finding Johnny and yelling, "I'm going after him!" and then he was gone, sprinting away.

"Wait up!" Johnny yelled, but to no effect. He looked at Hermione, clearly itching to run. "We can get back to the Ark. Gate's open, it might let us inside."

Hermione shook her head, and slapped her cheek. The pain was slight but it was enough.

"Come on, we have to catch him!" she said, and so they were off, trailing after Kanda. It wasn't long before Hermione was panting, wishing she were more in shape. A strange clarity of mind had come over her, driven by fear but also by necessity. She needed to keep her head, at least until the crisis was over.

"Who are you?" Johnny panted beside her, still ahead but also not as fit as the Exorcists.

"Hermione Granger," she said blandly through heavy breaths, barely getting out of the way of colliding with some passersby. "We met this morning."

"Yes, but if you're with Allen, how is this your first time seeing Akuma?" Johnny said, looking up at the sky and shouting directions to Kanda, who changed his path accordingly.

"Is now really the time?" she panted, then caught a flash of white and shouted, "He's headed that way!"

"Kanda!" Johnny called.

"On it!" the swordsman shouted from ahead.

"Yeah, you're right," Johnny replied. "Later."

Hermione swallowed down a breath and they pounded on, shoving away from the crowd of people who were flooding the scene, trying to see what had happened now.

They lost Allen in the zigzag of alleys and Johnny and Hermione caught up with Kanda, who had stopped suddenly and looked up at the roofs, his frown deepening in concentration. Whatever it was he was staring at, though, Johnny took the opportunity to dig around in his pockets, fishing something black out with a cry of triumph and thrusting it into the air.

"On!" he shouted, activating the winged thing. "Find him!"

They watched the thing fly off, before Kanda suddenly turned on Johnny and snapped, "Isn't that a wireless golem? The Order's going to find us!"

"Don't worry," Johnny said reassuringly, still catching his breath. "It's something I made myself. The Order won't be able to communicate with it."

Hermione stared up at the sky, holding her burning sides. "I thought only Allen had a golem."

"No, every field agent at the Order does," Johnny explained. "We use them to communicate with Exorcists and Finders on missions, from headquarters to wherever they are in the world."

"The lesson can wait," Kanda growled, looking around the streets. Then he glanced at Johnny and said, "Wait a second, what are you using to track him?"

Johnny smiled, staring up at the sky. "Oh, you know…when I was hugging him earlier, I attached it."

"Attached what?" Kanda and Hermione asked together.

"A tracking device."

Kanda stared disbelievingly at Johnny's frank reply, and then shook his head. "Come on, let's go," he ordered gruffly.

Hermione glanced at Kanda, who glared back, eyes narrowed, before the Exorcist ran off. Johnny and Hermione followed.

They found Allen in a park, slumped against a tree, smoking ruins of Akuma around him, face ashen and shiny with sweat. He was staring blankly in the distance, and Hermione felt her stomach rocket up her throat as mutated arms reached up out of the ground to encompass him—only Kanda was immediately there, driving his sword home into the monster's body, destroying it. Snow had begun to fall around them, and a cold breeze swept the smoke away. The park was quiet; Hermione could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she and Johnny caught up with Kanda.

"C'mon now, what're you doing, spacing out like…" Kanda murmured, but as he looked up at Allen he stopped, staring at the boy's ashen face, coming out of its daze.

Hermione stepped closer and realized that it wasn't a trick of the light or the shadow of branches on the boy's skin; his complexion was literally gray. The tree he was slumped against held him up on his feet. Hermione and Johnny stood back, waiting, watching to see what would happen next.

Kanda reached for him, but Allen slapped his hand back and snarled, "Don't touch me!"

Kanda's expression grew darker.

Hermione glanced back behind her shoulder before stepping up. "Those monsters could come back at any moment," she said. Kanda and Allen both snapped their heads to glare at her but she stood firm. "We have to go."

"And where are we going to go?" Kanda snapped; the full force of his glare fixed on her. "You know someplace safe?" He sounded like he doubted it.

Hermione nodded, an idea forming in her head. She looked past Kanda, stared at Allen. "Open a Gate here. Just open it. I'll get us inside. Please, Allen."

But Allen's eyes had fluttered shut, and his head lolled forward, his body slumping. He had fainted. Kanda caught him before his head could smack against the stone. Kanda glared out, looking extremely put-upon. "Now what?" he said to Hermione.

She bit her lip. "Let's find the Gate," she said. "Maybe it'll still let us in."

Kanda hefted Allen over his shoulder like a bag of flour, and stared pointedly. "Lead the way," he said simply.

It took some time, but at last they found the Gate, the door still cracked open, but nothing Hermione did could convince it to open wide enough to let them in. Magic bounced off ineffectively, and Kanda tried to wake Allen, but the boy didn't stir.

They would have to take the long way, if she could find it. "Did either of you get the money from this afternoon?" Johnny nodded, and Hermione bit back a sigh of relief. That was some luck, at least. "How much do we have?"

"Twenty pounds, give or take."

Hermione just nodded. "We'll figure it out. I know a place, but not exactly where it is."

"Then how will we find it?"

"Give me a minute," Hermione said. "Let me figure out where we are now."

She stopped several passerby, who gave her directions toward where she wanted, and they set off quickly as they could. Kanda got more and more irritated as the afternoon wore on, and the snow was getting heavier. At last, they turned down a street and Hermione saw the familiar sign.

She would figure out converting pounds to Galleons later, and hoped this time's innkeeper was as accommodating as Tom from hers. Setting off, she led the motley crew across the street and opened the door, herding Kanda and Johnny inside while looking around. She was glad to see the Leaky Cauldron, and gladder still when the innkeeper asked no questions as she requested a room.