2. Hit Wizards
Harriet's screams pierced the small house and Remy walked back and forth across the kitchen, murmuring nonsense to her in between focusing her attention on Siria.
"We need to go to the Order."
Remy tossed Harriet gently into the air but she just screamed louder. Early morning sunlight shone through the window and Siria could feel the shadows under her own eyes. Her body demanded sleep, but her mind fled from the idea. As long as she was awake, she could keep refocusing her thoughts.
"Dumbledore didn't know Petra was the secret keeper. She thought it was me - that was the plan."
"Even more reason to go to them and make sure they know the truth. What else - hey, hey, shh cutie, please - what else did you think was going to happen? Hide out in my house until - what?"
"Until the neighbours come banging on the door asking when you had a baby at this rate," Siria muttered.
Remy pushed Harriet out at Siria.
"Wha-"
"You're her godmother. You're the one who brought her here. I need to think."
Grudgingly, Siria received Harriet back and jiggled the child in her arms. How could babies cry for so long? She wasn't even a baby anymore really, she was one. One year olds shouldn't cry this much. They should be more mature. Harriet gave a particularly intense scream that rang in Siria's ears.
"So we need to get to the Order, who probably think you're a traitor at the moment, and explain it all to them."
"Then hope they believe me. And stop Dumbledore sending Harriet to those idiot muggles. What was she thinking?"
"Probably thinking that you were the traitor?"
Harriet grabbed a handful of Siria's hair and yanked hard. Siria yelped. Harriet, tears still shining on her face, giggled.
Knocking echoed through the house.
"By the order of the Minister of Magic, you are to open this door now!"
"Shit." Remy reached out to cover Harriet's ears and glared at Siria. "Sorry, sorry! But we need to go. Now."
"Where's your bike?"
Siria winced as she realised her stupidity. She had been so intent on getting to a safe place for Harriet last night that she had left her bike...
"On the road outside."
"Oh for Merlin's sake!"
The knocking came again. "You have thirty seconds!"
"They'll be watching the floo network," Remy said, turning in a circle as if she might find inspiration for their escape in her kitchen. "They've probably set charms to stop apparition. They'll see brooms in the sky."
"Alright, how about we stop listing everything we can't do?"
"Out the back."
"Seriously?"
"They'll be expecting magic, not sneaking out like muggles. You know what the Ministry is like."
Harriet whimpered and Siria thrust her hair into the toddler's hands, wincing as she began to pull it again.
"This way. Keep her quiet!"
Siria followed Remy out of the kitchen and down the hallway back to the front room. They passed the back door and Siria frowned at Remy, questioning, but Remy motioned at her to be quiet and keep following. She crouched next to a window and unlatched it, pulling it open.
"Don't use your wand," Remy whispered. "We'll go straight to Diagon Alley, lose them there - it'll be heaving on a Saturday morning."
Siria tucked Harriet back inside her jacket. She frowned at the sight of something on her forehead and brushed her curls away. In the rush she had not noticed before - a lightning bolt scar was engraved on Harriet's forehead. Something powerful had hit the toddler, but she had survived anyway.
There was no time to think on it now. The front door blasted open and Siria slipped out after Remy into the back alley. Remy reached for Siria's hand and it sent a tingle up her arm of memories that seemed ancient now. They ran, crouched over to stay out of sight of the windows. A cat pulled its head out of a bin and stared. Remy led the way into a second back alley and straightened.
"Are you okay? Both of you?"
"Yep."
A bang sounded from where they had just ran from. The pair of them broke into a run again. Harriet began to cry and Siria held her close. They stumbled out into the street of the Leaky Cauldron and Siria pulled up her hood as they approached the pub at a quickmarch.
"What's going on?" Remy whispered to Siria.
Outside the Leaky Cauldron, wizards and witches gathered openly. They gabbled and cheered and cried, reached out to shake unsuspecting muggles' hands. Colourful sparks danced through the sky. A few muggles had stopped to watch, apparently assuming that this was some form of busking.
"I don't know. Let's just get past."
The closer they got, the odder it seemed. They even had wands out. One child flew around in circles on a toy broomstick, prompting excited applause from the gathered muggles. Some wizards at the back of the crowd began singing the Wizards' Anthem, sounding more patriotic than anyone had for a long time in this war, and the rest joined in for a rousing chorus.
When the moon is high
and the owls fly by
the wizarding folk will rise!
Bless our wands Merlin
while we all shall sing
no stakes shall tear us down!
"And no Voldie either!" someone shouted.
Others nearby hushed them, furtive glances around and the clenching of wands telling of fear that had not quite evaporated. Siria and Remy began to wind around the back of the group.
"Hey!"
Siria froze but Remy's hand pressed against the small of her back, urging her on. The voice piped up again, this time accompanied by a cheerful face and a jug of butterbeer thrust forward.
"A drink? A song?"
"Sorry, we're in a hurry."
"A hurry? Why you in a hurry? The Dark Lady is dead! No need to hurry for anythin' today!"
Goosebumps rose on Siria's arms. She looked back to see Remy's reaction but instead caught sight of several hit wizards and an auror running towards them. She pushed past the cheerful man, through the doors and into the Leaky Cauldron.
Inside, fireworks whizzed and banged among the rafters while Tam the landlady directed the chaos standing on the bar. Her cheeks were bright red and she swayed from side to side, hiccoughing between shouted instructions for more firewhiskey, on the house. All Siria wanted to do was stop and demand to know what had happened. Was You-Know-Who really dead? Was that how Harriet had survived? Had someone arrived at the Potters' house just in time to lure the Dark Lady away? Instinct pushed her on, around the edges of the room. The floor was sticky with spilt beer and Remy grabbed her hand again to stop them being separated.
Just as they reached the back of the room, the front doors were flung open again and a magically amplified voice echoed over the singing and shouts.
"Ministry officials! Make way for Ministry officials, hunting a dangerous Death Eater!"
The crowd parted like a knife had carved straight through it, worried whispers replacing their prior excitement. Remy yanked Siria through the back door and tapped her wand against the brick wall. The entrance to Diagon Alley opened up, revealing a party like none Siria had ever seen before.
The crowd welcomed them with open arms, pushing drinks at them and shouting greetings. They huddled together, squeezing through gaps. The amplified voice sounded again, but out here it was half drowned out by the sheer volume of people.
"This area is under lockdown!"
The crowd pushed and pulled, one side to the other as they tried to make way for the Ministry officials.
"We need to hide," Remy said in her ear.
Siria turned, wiggling through a space to push through the door of an apothecary. They slipped inside. The shop was empty - even the shopkeeper had vanished, probably out with the rest of the crowd. Siria led the way through to the back of the room to a flight of steps she remembered well - just before third year, she and Jane had been banned from this shop for a dungbomb incident. When she glanced back out of the windows she could see the crowd being forced into more orderly lines.
"As a security measure, apparition in this area has been temporarily disabled. If you wish to leave, please queue at one of the designated exit points. We appreciate your cooperation."
Siria swore, this time remembering to cover Harriet's ears, and hurried into the cellar.
Thank you for reading!