xXMizz Alec VolturiXx- I will go on!
The Mysterious E- I always liked the books more than the movies anyway. But I like the movies too, I just have to not copy everything, and change some things and blah, blah, blah. I was rambling :)
Nizuna Fujieda- thank you! I work super hard. But I still make grammar mistakes. . . :(
wisegirl2772- Thanks, I try to keep the story as close to the original as possible. Sometimes, it's really hard.
indigofrisbee- AWESOME! I'm glad you liked the chapter title, even if I misspelled it! (I realised this an hour after I posted it, FAIL).
Read and Enjoy!
CHAPTER SIX: Old Dusty
Harry watched as Dolohov's face cleared, becoming blank. He smiled at Hermione, and looked over at Ron.
"Lets clear this place up and go," he said.
"Clear up?" asked Ron, looking at the mess they created. "Why?" Harry looked at Hermione, and Evangeline.
"Don't you think that it might be suspicious if they wake up and find themselves in a cafe that's looks like a bomb went off?"
Ron glanced around, "Oh, right. . ." He began to pull his wand from his pocket, cursing when it didn't come out right away and snapping at Hermione. Hermione cast him a glare, muttering about where Ron could stick his wand as she set to work repairing the tiles. Evangeline tried to hide a smirk, but failed miserably. She turned away quickly and began repairing the smashed tables.
Once the cafe was restored to its previous condition, Harry, with the help or Ron heaved the passed out Death Eaters back into their booth, while the girls watched. Harry straightened the blond ones shirt nervously before turning to them. It was Hermione who asked the question that was on all their minds.
"How did they find us?" she asked, looking at them all, and then at the inert Death Eaters. "How did they know we were here?" Hermione looked expectantly at him.
"You - don't think you've still got a trace on you, do you, Harry?" asked Evangeline nervously.
"He can't have," Ron told her. "The Trace breaks at seventeen, that's Wizarding Law, you can't put one on an adult." Evangeline shot him a dirty look; looking as if she wanted to say something not-so-polite in response.
"As far as we know," said Hermione. "What if the Death Eaters found a way to do it?"
"But how?" asked Evangeline. "Harry's been no where near a Death Eater, last I checked."
Hermione did not reply. Harry felt mildly uncomfortable under their gazes.
"If I can't use magic, and you can't use magic near me, without us giving away our positions. . ." he began.
"We're not splitting up!" Hermione snapped firmly.
"We need a safe place to hide. Give us time to think things through," said Ron. The thought came to Harry instantly, and he wasn't sure were it had come from.
"Grimmauld Place," he told them.
Hermione and Ron gaped while Evangeline gave him a clueless look.
"What's Grimmauld Place?" she asked, just as Ron opened his mouth.
"Don't be silly, Harry, Snape can get in there!"
"Ron's dad said they've put up jinxes against him - and even if they haven't worked," Harry continued on, as Hermione began to argue. Evangeline looked annoyed that her question was left unanswered, "so what? I swear, I'd like nothing more than meeting Snape!"
"But -"
"Shut up!" snapped Evangeline, frustrated. Hermione shut her mouth, and Ron shot her a glare. "What is, 'Grimmauld Place'?"
"My godfathers house," Harry told her, not meeting her eye. Evangeline nodded, she'd been told about Sirius last year.
"And Headquarters, before," added Hermione. "I still don't think-"
"Hermione, where else is there? It's the best chance we have, and Snape's only one Death Eater. Plus, if I still have a Trace, they'll be onto us if we go anywhere else."
Hermione did not argue, though she looked like she wanted to. She stomped off to unlock the door, while Ron clicked the Deluminator to release the cafe's light. Then, Harry, reversed the spells on the two Death Eater's, and before they could stir sleepily, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Evangeline turned on the spot and vanished with a POP!
Seconds later, Harry's lungs expanded as he opened his eyes: Now standing in the middle of a familiar small and shabby square. The tall dilapidated houses looked down on every side. Evangeline looked around with interest, before Hermione shoved a piece of paper in her face. Her blue eyes read the words and turned to Hermione with questioning. But before she could speak she froze staring at the houses.
Now seeing Number Twelve visible to her very eyes. She stared shocked, mouth hanging agape, as Hermione dragged her towards it. Harry checking every few yards that they were not being followed or watched. They raced up the stone steps, and Harry took out his wand and tapped the door once. He heard a series of metallic clicks and a clatter of a chain, then the door swung open with a creak and they hurried over the threshold.
"Whoa," breathed Evangeline, her eyes still wide.
Harry closed the door, and old fashioned gas lamps sprang into life, casting shadows down the hallway. It looked like he remembered it: eerie, cobwebbed, the outlines of house-elf heads on the wall throwing odd shadows up the staircase. Long curtains concealed the portrait of Sirius's mother. The only thing out of place was the troll's leg umbrella stand, which was lying on its side as if Tonks had just knocked it over again,
"That's sick," Evangeline said looking at the house-elf heads. Ron nodded mutely.
"I think somebody's been in here," Hermione whispered, pointing towards the troll leg.
"That could've happened as the Order left," Ron murmured back.
"So where are these jinxes they put up against Snape?" Harry asked.
They remained up against the door, too scared to move further into the house . . . except for Evangeline. She took a step forward, peering up the stairs with interest, only to freeze as a voice filled the air.
"Severus Snape?"
They all started as Mad-Eye Moody's voice whispered out of the darkness. Evangeline shrank back, casting the darkness scared looks.
"We're not Snape!" croaked Harry, just before something whooshed over them like cold air and his tongue curled backward on itself, making it impossible to speak. Then his tongue unraveled again.
The others seemed to have experienced the same feeling. Ron was making retching noises; Hermione stammered, "That m-must have b-been the T-Tongue-Tying Curse Mad-Eye set up for Snape!"
Evangeline gasped, bending over her hands on her knees. Hermione patted her back as Harry took another step forward, as something shifted in the shadows at the end of the hall. A figure rose up out of the carpet, tall, dust-colored, and terrible: Hermione screamed and so did Mrs. Black, her curtains flying open; the gray figure was gliding towards them, faster and faster, its waist length hair and beard streaming behind it, its face sunken, fleshless, with empty eye sockets: Horribly familiar, dreadfully altered, it raised its arm and pointed at him.
"No!" he shouted raising his wand, but not casting a spell, "no! It wasn't us! We didn't kill you -"
On the word kill the figure exploded in a great cloud of dust. Harry coughed, his eyes watering as he glanced over his shoulder to see Hermione on the floor with her arms over her head, and Ron, shaking head to foot while patting her shoulder clumsily saying," It's all r-right. . . It's g-gone. . ."
Evangeline was backed up against the door, pale, and unmoving. Her blue eyes filled with tears threatening to spill out onto her cheeks. She wasn't breathing. Dust swirled around him as he went to her grabbing her shoulders, as the blue gaslight made her look sickly. Mrs. Black continued to scream.
"Mudbloods, filth, stains of dishonor, taint of shame on the house of my fathers-"
"SHUT UP!" he bellowed turning his head and pointing his wand at the portrait. With a bang and a burst of red sparks, the curtains swung shut again, silencing her. Harry turned his attention back to Evangeline.
"Ev? Ev? Can you hear me?" he asked softly. Her blue eyes darted to his face, some small past glinting with recognition. She nodded slowly, inhaling a deep breath, only to have a coughing fit again. She gripped Harry's arms as Ron helped Hermione to her feet.
"That. . . was. . ." Hermione whimpered.
"Yeah," Harry said, looking away from Evangeline, "but it wasn't really him, was it? Just something to scare Snape." He then led them up the hallway, keeping a watchful eye, in case anything else decided to surprise them. Hermione stopped suddenly.
"We better check before we go any further," she said and raised her wand. "Homenum revelio."
Nothing happened.
"Well, you've had a big shock," Ron said kindly. Evangeline rolled her eyes from behind him. "What was that supposed to do?"
"It did what I meant it to do!" Hermione snapped crossly. "It was a spell to reveal human presence, and there's nobody except us!"
"And old Dusty," Ron replied glancing at the carpet.
"Let's go up," Hermione said frightened, leading the way up the creaking stairs to the drawing room on the first floor. She waved her wand igniting the gas lamps, then shivering slightly in the drafty room, perched on the sofa, her arms wrapped tightly around her. Evangeline sank gratefully into the sofa next to her, shutting her eyes and resting her head on the back of it.
Ron crossed the room and moved the heavy velvet curtain aside to look out.
"Can't see anyone out there," he reported. "You'd think they'd have followed us here with Harry's Trace. I know they can't get in the house but- what's up, Harry?"
Harry gave a cry of pain: His scar burned and an image flashed in his mind. He saw a shadow and felt fury that was not his own pound through his body, violent and brief.
"No, I felt anger- he's really angry -"
"That could be at the Burrow," Ron said loudly, his body taut and alert. "Did you see-"
"No, just anger - I couldn't really tell."
Harry felt confused, and annoyed, and Hermione did not help as she said in a frightened voice, "Your scar, again? But what's going on? I thought that connection had closed!"
"It did for awhile," he muttered; his scar still painful. "I - I think it's started opening again whenever he loses control, that's how it used to-"
"He's in your mind?" asked the soft voice of Evangeline. Harry gave her a nod, her face lit up. "Can you like, read his thoughts?" she asked excitedly.
"No."
"Well, that's stupid," she said leaning back into the couch. Shutting her eyes again. Harry chose to ignore her. Hermione went on though. Telling him to shut his connection and use Occlumency. Harry gritted his teeth together and turned away.
He already felt guilty for Sirius's death, allowing Voldemort to use their connection to lure him to the Ministry. Harry felt sick as he remembered the events of his fifth year. He turned his back to them, pretending to study the Black family tree, as the pain built up in his scar.
Hermione shrieked: causing Harry to draw his wand and spin around to see what had happened. A silver patronus soared through the wall and landed upon the floor in front of them, where it solidified into a weasel that spoke with the voice of Ron's father.
"Family safe, do not reply, we are being watched."
It then dissolved and Ron let out a noise between a whimper and a groan and dropped onto the sofa next to Evangeline who shut her eyes yet again. She looked exhausted. Harry felt tired too. Hermione gripped his arm and joined him.
"They're alright! They're alright!" she whispered, and Ron half laughed, and half hugged her. Hermione blushed bright pink.
"Harry," he said over her shoulder. "I-"
"It's not a problem," Harry told him, starting to really feel ill by the pain in his head. "It's your family, 'course you're worried. I'd feel the same way." He thought of Ginny. "I do feel the same way." His scar was reaching a peak as the burning increased. Faintly he heard Hermione say, "I don't want to be on my own. Could we use the sleeping bags I've brought and camp in here tonight?"
He heard Ron agree. He couldn't fight the pain much longer.
"Bathroom," he muttered, and left as fast as he could, barely making it as he slammed the door shut and falling to the floor. An explosion of agony, and he felt rage that did not belong to him possess his soul. He saw a long room lit only by firelight, and the great blond Death Eater from the cafe on the floor, screaming.
A figure stood over him, wand outstretched, while Harry spoke in a high, cold, merciless voice.
"More, Rowle, or shall we end it and feed you to Nagini? Lord Voldemort is not sure that he will forgive this time. . . You called me back for thissss, to tell me that Harry Potter escaped again? Along with a dark haired girl? You let them both essscape? Draco, show Rowle another taste of our displeasure. . . .Do it, or feel my wrath yourself!"
A log in the fire: the light darting across a terrified, pointed white face, Draco - suddenly Harry was back. Lying on his back on the cold marble floor, his nose inches from one of the silver serpent tails that supported the tub. He sat up, Malfoy's gaunt, petrified face branded on the inside of his eyes. He felt sickened by what he had seen, by the use to which Draco was now being put by Voldemort.
And then, Evangeline. He was searching for Evangeline. . . why?
A sharp rap on the door drew his attention and Harry jumped as Hermione's voice rang out.
"Harry, do you want your toothbrush? I've got it here."
"Yeah, great, thanks," he said, fighting to keep his voice normal as he stood up to let her in. She handed him his toothbrush.
"Ev's out cold, Ron had to move her. She's so tired," she said. Harry nodded.
"I think we all are," he said. Hermione patted his arm and left. Harry turned to look at himself in the mirror.
This just got a whole lot more complicated. . .
This was exciting to write! I tried.
My mom has started reading this, the first part anyway, and she has gotten into discussing the plot with me. It is really awesome, because I thought she would think I'm crazy . . . . . well, I actually am. But it was really awesome!
Thank you to all the reviewers! You are always great at responding! And thanks to the favoriter's, followers and alerters.
~CHAO