Disclaimer: Harry Potter, associated characters and setting belong to JK Rowling and whoever she chooses to share the rights with, which does not include me. This is for entertainment purposes only, with no copyright infringement intended, or profit made.
Chapter 2: Preparation
Before anything else, preparation is the key to success. - Alexander Graham Bell
The original planning session spawned a series of conversations, all based around any idea that could make their Hunters real. The teens kept having whispered conversations well out of the way of Molly's watchful eye.
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Fred leaned against the tree, checking on the alignment of broom while he whispered to Hermione. "Hermione, Athena of Wisdom, do we have a better plan then disillusionment for the Invisabuddies?"
Hermione was pretending to read while pretending to watch quidditch. "Invisabuddies? That's not too bad of a name, really... for you. I was thinking of charming cloaks, again. Just charming people would lead to visible ripples."
Fred nodded. "Especially moving fast, or if the caster was distracted. Charmed cloaks wouldn't be perfect, but at night, from a distance..." Fred carefully tweaked a twig.
Hermione looked up to see Harry fumbling an apple. "Do you think they could carry both shield and disillusionment charms?"
"George and I could test that. At worst, it'll explode. Might be good, in fact. If we get too quiet, Mum'll suspect something."
Hermione nodded and added that to her list.
"I'll report back our findings soon, Sarge." Fred bounded off towards the pitch, leaving Hermione behind to squeak at his latest nickname.
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That same night, Harry volunteered to dry while Hermione scrubbed dishes. They talked about Professor Slughorn, and Harry's impressions until the adult Weasleys went to join the others in the lounge. Once the noise had settled into a comfortable din, and the Wizarding Wireless had been turned on, they turned to each other and nodded.
Harry started. "How are we even going to know where they are?"
Hermione tilted her head. "We could lay traps, I guess, but Voldemort is really too insane to try to predict. And Bellatrix... well, I really don't want to try to 'know thy enemy' enough to guess how'd she'd react to leaked info."
"Right. And we don't have our own Snape, either."
"Professor Snape, Harry." She sighed. "I'm still worried about the team communicating among themselves. Voices will give people away."
"We can silence people, if they can cast silently," Harry thought out loud, "but that's dangerous, if things go bad."
Hermione nodded. " I wish phones and walkie-talkies were an option, but around magic, they're so unreliable."
"It's weird how some things, like phonographs, work, and others, like radio, have to be replaced with the wizarding equivalent-" She was interrupted by Celestina's backing banshees hitting a particularly high note, or at least trying. Both Harry and Hermione turned to look at the Wireless.
"Harry, I think you should go ask Mr. Weasley if you can take apart a muggle radio and a wizarding wireless together. We might learn something very useful."
Harry nodded, and turned off the wireless before getting a dry towel. "Just promise me any walkie-talkie- mobiles we make will have no banshees..."
Hermione laughed.
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Hermione was reviewing her copy of New Theory of Numerology when she was interrupted. "Shields and disillusion do not go well together. They steam, oh cap'tn mine, and turn translucent blue."
Hermione bit her lip as she crossed that off the list. "I wish we could test things here, but..."
"You're not of age, and really, 'tis a pity, you having to rely on us pranksters for your creative needs."
"Fred-" Hermione started.
"George" he stated firmly.
"But I gave that assignment to Fred."
"And I'm reporting back. Fred is off spiking Ron's juice to make his hair green."
Hermione looked like she wanted to ask, but caught herself, and carried on. "Right, whichever twin you are, your next assignment is to ask your father about what he used on that old car. It had an invisibility booster. How, why, and why did it fail, if you please."
"Yes, ma'am. How many inches of parchment?"
Hermione went back to her book and pointedly ignored both George and Ron's cries from the other room.
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Hermione found a Witch's Weekly on her pillow, set open to a fashion spread on three-quarter length cloaks. A torn corner of parchment was tucked into it, with "tripping hazard" written in Ginny's handwriting. Hermione sighed, and added it to the list.
The article did feature a red cloak. To Hermione, the red, short cloak looked like it had escaped from a muggle fairy tale involving a wolf and... a hunter.
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Mr. Weasley was delighted at the idea of Harry's comparative dissection project. He happily sacrificed the old WW he kept in the shed to listen to while twiddling. Harry asked the twins to find an old radio at the Sunday market in town, as close in size as they could.
Harry armed himself with a screwdriver, and asked Mr. Weasley "What's your weapon of choice for that? Do you hit it with an Alohomora, or a severing charm, or what?"
"I have no idea. I've only ever tried this on Muggle things, I never though to look at the innards of something I see every day." Mr. Weasley looked overjoyed, although Harry though the larger project might be the cause of that.
Mr. Weasley thought. "Let's start with a basic Finite and work our way up from there, eh? No need to be too keen."
It was only thirty minutes later when a loud boom and a pouf of smoke exited the shed, quickly followed by a gasping Harry and Mr. Weasley.
Molly Weasley, once assured of their health, simply smiled a small smirk and offered them a cuppa and a second lunch for Harry.
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Hermione wrote two letters the next day.
Professor Flitwick,
I know summer is your time away from students, and I was loath to interrupt your free, quiet, time, but I wanted to ask a question. Is the Enchanting of objects covered in Charms at the NEWT level? If so, (or even if not) is it possible for you to recommend some reading on the subject?
I'm asking on behalf of myself and also Harry. You see, Harry recently started wondering about the difference between Wizarding and Muggle wireless, since technology is said to not work around magic. He, with the assistance of a competent adult Wizard, attempted to take apart a WW to see how it worked, as one would with a muggle device. This met not only with little success, but the de-enchanting of the set, sadly, so we can study it no further. We suspect the manufacturers wish to keep their trade secrets, however curious students may be.
I've recently realized how much of the wizarding world is the result of charms enchanted into objects. I'm hoping you can recommend some supplemental reading, to satisfy both Harry's and my curiosity.
With Thanks, Your Student,
Hermione Granger
P. S. The owl is only going on to Professor McGonagall next, so don't let her convince you to spoil him.
Hermione had Harry and Ginny read her letter over, to make sure it sounded like typical Hermione, rather than Hermione who had watch too much James Bone recently.
Hermione also wrote Professor McGonagall, asking for book recommendations for extra reading on human transfiguration. She wrote that she's been excited about it since seeing Victor Krum's shark head during the Triwizard Tournament. Hermione only had Ginny read over that letter, before she quickly attached them both to Hedwig.
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Ron joined Hermione while she watched the others play quidditch, tapping his broom. "Transport. We want to be able to get in and out, if we're thinking of using ambush tactics. They're in and out, too, so we need to be faster."
"What do they use?"
Ron tilted his head and thought. "They set up both apparition and portkey wards, and lurk at the edge, usually, from what I've heard." He shrugged. "If they vary that pattern at all, no one's mentioned it to me. Why would they tell us kids." He shrugged.
Hermione nodded. "If they lurk at the edge, we can come up behind them. It will take them time to get up a second set of wards, right?"
Ron nodded. "Those aren't easy. I've seen Bill do one, when the twin were studying for their licenses and popping about the house." He paused. "Also, we need to make sure that none of the manky Death Eaters fling a portkey at us, and kidnap our Hunter, like during the third task."
"Too bad you can't ward a person. Areas, yes... People, no." Hermione bit her lip.
Ron looked at her, confused. "Hermione, didn't Dumbledore use a Jinx, a Anti-Disapparation Jinx at the ministry? He used it straight on the Death Eaters."
Hermione raised her eyebrow. "Go play Quidditch. Harry and Gin are being murdered out there. I need to go look a few things up." Hermione closed her copy of Spellman's Syllabary and took off towards the Burrow and the rest of her books.
AN Many thanks to (non-fanficer) Chasejyd who helped keep my dyslexia from taking over the story.
I apologize for the short chapters. They will likely get longer as I get used to updating. kawaiiitahina123 - I'm sorry, but as this is my first fic, I really have no idea how often I'll be able to manage updates.