Chapter 24- A Visit to Knockturn Alley
A/N: Hello! Sorry for the relatively long update. Thanks to all the reviewers for the last few chapters! And to my sister for editing this long one.
I hope you guys like the change of setting in this chapter.
"Wotcher, Natalie. Name's Tonks," said a familiar pink haired woman pleasantly, holding out her hand to Natalie.
Natalie smiled warmly at her, shaking her hand. She recognized her to be one of the Aurors who was frequently on patrol at Hogwarts, but more notably in Natalie's mind, the woman who accompanied her away from Bellatrix and who Snape saved at Christmas. "Pleasure to meet you as well- at least we can introduce ourselves. Last time, we barely had the chance to say one word to another."
Tonks chuckled. "Not having Death Eaters running up our arses is quite a nice change."
Stretching and looking about the blanket of grey that had enveloped the sky over Hogsmeade, Natalie could not help but frown. "Hope London's weather is not as bad as this."
"At least we're going out. It will be nice to get away from the castle," said Hermione excitedly.
Natalie nodded. She thanked Dumbledore immensely for deciding she, Hermione, Harry, Ron and Ginny needed a break from the castle during the Easter holidays, especially seeing as almost all of the school's population had uncharacteristically gone home for the week. A trip to Diagon Alley would be a refreshing reprieve from the constant studying and unsuccessful searches for the smallest fragment of information about Horcruxes.
"Oh, I wouldn't hope for anything better. Been raining there for the past week and a half," said Tonks absently, gazing gloomily at the sky.
Taking another glance at Tonks, Natalie noticed with a slight startle that her mood seemed to match the weather perfectly. Her hair, though an unusual pink, seemed to be almost receding into a dreary grey, her eyes were shrouded in even darker shadows and her face appeared locked in an strained, apprehensive grimace.
Natalie looked quizzically at Hermione, flicking her eyes over to Tonks. Hermione merely gave a small shrug of the shoulders.
"Shall we go now?" asked Hermione to Tonks.
"Best to wait for a few minutes. Make sure nothing's gone wrong," replied Tonks in the same hollow, emotionless manner.
Dumbledore had decided that they travel to Diagon Alley in small groups to avoid suspicion. She, Hermione and Tonks had walked to a quieter area of Hogsmeade where they would apparate to a spot just outside of the Leaky Cauldron while Ron, Harry and Ginny traveled along the Floo Network with Ron's father and Remus Lupin.
"They should have gone now," continued Hermione, looking slightly anxious. "I saw Professor Lupin walking up to Professor McGonagall'so office about five minutes ago."
"Professor?" asked Natalie in puzzlement.
"Used to teach at the school. Old habit to call him Professor," replied Hermione.
Tonks' head had perked up however. "Remus is coming on this trip?"
"Yes," answered Hermione, her eyebrows raised at the sudden widening of Tonks' eyes. "Why?"
Tonks shook her head. "I was under the impression that he was on assignment." She pronounced 'assignment' as if it was something she profoundly detested and loathed.
Natalie and Hermione exchanged curious glances. "With the werewolves, right?" inquired Hermione tentatively.
Tonks' grimace became even more strained but she gave no acknowledgement of hearing Hermione's question. "You sure you saw him, Hermione?"
"Yes," said Hermione, still studying Tonks.
"Best we apparate. The two of you, hold onto my shoulders." Natalie and Hermione stacked themselves on either side of the miserable looking woman. Tonks spun on the spot and Natalie experienced the uncomfortable, but familiar feeling of being pushed through an extremely cramped space before they landed with an awkward stumble in an alley outside of the Leaky Cauldron.
Following Tonks who glanced around the alley warily, they quickly walked around the corner and entered the Leaky Cauldron. A hunched man, Natalie presumed to be the barkeeper, nodded at them as they quietly strode to the back of the pub and the wall that apparently led to Diagon Alley.
A tingle of excitement ran through Natalie's stomach. She had never been to the world famous Wizarding street, but had heard raving anecdotes from Kalissa, Minerva, Dumbledore, Ron, Harry and Hermione about its vibrant and dynamic atmosphere.
Tonks tapped the stones indifferently in a strange, random pattern that caused the wall to unravel itself and show the street ahead.
Natalie gaped at the sight ahead of her. A mass of excitedly wizards and witches seemed to almost stream and flow across an endlessly winding and twisting street, lined with an assortment of eccentric, disjointed shops, pubs and restaurants. Natalie almost perceived that a portion of Hogwarts' refreshing and vibrant magic had been bottled, taken to this street and unfolded itself in novel patterns and textures. An endless buzz of gleeful chatter, roaring laughter and impatient but delightful footsteps seemed to permeate the entire area. Everyone was either conversing excitedly, rushing to news shops, gazing and crowding windows. Natalie found herself admiring and appreciating the situation, not yet to ready to become part of this rich, exotic mosaic.
"First time to Diagon Alley?" asked Tonks with a hint of a smile.
"Yes. It's absolutely brilliant," breathed Natalie.
Hermione nodded happily. "It's much livelier than it was during the summer – looked more like a funeral back then. There's far more people. Wonder why though?"
"We've had some successful Auror raids recently and there have been no major Death Eater attacks for a while," said Tonks. "I guess that's enough for people to decide to enjoy themselves."
"Oh, there's Remus. I can see the others," pointed Hermione to a familiar brown haired and tired looking man. He waved cheerfully at them.
Tonks' face darkened. "Best meet them," said Tonks grimly.
"What's up with her?" whispered Natalie in Hermione's ea as they made their way to the rest of the group.
"Don't know, but I'm guessing it has something to do with Remus," muttered Hermione.
"Excellent conclusion, Sherlock Holmes," said Natalie sarcastically. "A troll could have told me that."
Once they reached Remus, Bill, Mr. Weasley, Harry, Ron and Ginny, Bill gestured to a very colorful shop near the end of the street. "Mum's waiting for us at the joke shop. We can branch out from there." Tonks nodded, glancing suspiciously around. She, Mr. Weasley and Bill walked ahead, leading everyone to the joke shop. Natalie saw Remus frown at Tonks in disappointment; she had completely ignored his presence.
"So how do you like Diagon Alley?" asked Harry, letting his hand brush Natalie's fingers.
Natalie's insides squirmed in excitement. "It's wonderful. Shame Kal – my mother never took me here. Hell of a lot better than anything at Durmstrang."
Harry chuckled at Natalie's near mistake of pronouncing Kalissa's name. "I remember the first time I came here with Hagrid. Best thing that happened to me," said Harry wistfully.
Natalie turned to Ron who had been walking along with them. "So I guess that joke shop is the world famous 'Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes'," said Natalie playfully.
Ron grinned at her. "Have you met Fred and George yet?"
"When you were poisoned, they came. Funny, but can be real gits, if you ask me."
"Finally, someone agrees," said Ron, his smile widening.
"Where do you two want to go?" asked Hermione who had been chatting with Ginny in front of them.
Ron shrugged his shoulders. "I'd like to see the new version of the Firebolt, but Flourish and Blotts isn't that bad either," he said the last few words, gazing hopefully at Hermione for a positive reaction.
Hermione smiled in amusement. "Ron, I'm pretty certain that you'd much rather be looking at the Firebolt. Natalie and I want to buy some new Arithmancy and Ancient Runes books from Flourish and Blotts. Ginny wants to see the Firebolt too and I'm guessing Harry isn't too keen on getting any books either."
Ron raised his hands in disbelief. "Bloody Arithmancy! I still do not understand what's so absolutely wonderful about that subject."
"Do you we have to explain to you again about the subtle and beautiful intricacies of such subject?" asked Natalie airily.
Ron shook his head violently. "Bloody hell no, not again."
"I rather liked the subject when I was at school," remarked Remus, walking alongside them. Upon seeing the warm twinkle in his eyes and smile and remembering her pleasant encounter with him in Snape's dungeon, Natalie could not help but wonder as to why Tonks seemed so disgruntled with the man.
Natalie returned Remus' warm smile. "Well there's a huge variety of things you can do with the subject. Basically anything at Gringotts, curse breaker, teacher at Hogwarts –"
" I know – my brother's a curse breaker," said Ron in annoyance.
"Don't interrupt her," chided Harry.
Ron raised his eyebrows at Harry. "I know you're just as irritated with this waffle as I am."
Harry shrugged his shoulders, causing Natalie to playfully shove him. "Being my boyfriend, he should take an interest in what I like."
Remus chuckled. "Natalie, you should know quite a lot about the subject – Kalissa Malkae is one of the world's greatest experts. She actually taught Lily and myself."
"There are a few books in the library written by her," added Hermione in admiration.
"Your mother used to be a professor at Hogwarts?" asked Ron in surprise.
Natalie nodded. "She and McGonagall started teaching at the same time, but, er, my mother left after the end of the first war. She remembers Harry's parents, Sirius and Remus pretty well."
"Not too many fond memories of James and Sirius, I imagine she has," said Remus with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Why? What happened?" asked Natalie, curious about what the famed Marauders had done to irk Kalissa.
Remus smiled. "When we were in sixth year, they hid a boggart in a cupboard in your mother's classroom. When it was time for the third years' class, they used James' invisibility cloak to sneak into the classroom and let out the boggart. As you imagine, since most third years do not know how to handle the creature, it gave them quite a fright."
Ron and Ginny burst out in laughter while Harry gave a slight smile. "That's horrible," breathed Hermione in shock. Natalie had to admit that the prank was rather condescending and highly immature for sixteen year olds.
Remus laughed with the same wistful smile and faraway look that she sometimes saw in Harry when he reminisced about either Sirius or his parents to her. "That was James and Sirius for you. As long as they didn't kill anyone, they didn't give a damn about what they did."
"I don't imagine you were entirely innocent either," said Ginny, turning her head to smirk at him.
Remus shook his head. "Well they needed somebody to distract Kalissa from the class so that in, er, Sirius' words, there was enough time the 'little midgets could wet their pants'."
Harry, Ron and Ginny roared in laughter while Hermione frowned and Natalie merely rolled her eyes.
"So what did my mother do to them?"
Remus' eyes sparkled. "Oh, she was absolutely livid. When she caught them, I thought for a moment that she might just use some horrible severe curse on them – your mother, when she's angry –"
"She's a force to be reckoned with," finished Natalie, remembering all too well the few instances in which she had managed to ignite Kalissa's temper.
Remus nodded. "It was the only time at Hogwarts that I saw Sirius actually scared."
"So what punishment did they receive?" asked Hermione.
"For two weeks, they had to sleep in a small room outside her office – no beds, just sleeping bags and were not allowed to enter Gryffindor tower at all. For those two weeks, I still don't know what Kalissa did, but she somehow set a spell on them so that outside of classes, they could not perform magic. Each day of the two weeks, she had them clean a teacher's office and classroom. Without any magic, all the cleaning had to be performed the Muggle way."
Natalie raised her eyebrows. "That is brutal. Even at Durmstrang, she didn't perform that spell."
Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron were staring at Natalie in astonishment. "You can do that – take somebody's magic away like that?" asked Hermione with a slightly apprehensive look.
"You know how it works?" asked Ron eagerly. "Not that I would ever think of using it on anybody," he quickly added after seeing the stern look of disapproval that appeared on Hermione's face. However, Natalie could almost see Malfoy's face flash in his mind.
"I could never figure out how Kalissa did that," said Remus pensively.
Natalie nodded. "The spell can only be performed on underage wizards. I do not know the full theory behind the spell, but it essentially manipulates and controls the magic detectors within Hogwarts that keep track of underage wizards to set, er, certain conditions like those imposed upon Harry's father and Sirius."
"There are magic detectors within Hogwarts?" asked Ginny, looking at Natalie. Natalie could not help but experience a twinge of relief at seeing that Ginny's cold disdain for her had slowly dissipated ever since Ron's poisoning. She supposed the near death had brought about a fresh change of perspective for the girl.
Hermione sighed. "Of course there are magic detectors at Hogwarts. It's described thoroughly in –"
"Hogwarts a History," said Ron, perfectly mimicking Hermione's voice causing the others to laugh.
Hermione shot him a venomous glare. "Continuing, the detectors are designed by the current Headmaster. They alert the Headmaster if any Dark magic, like the Unforgivable curses, have been used." Hermione cast an admiring glance in Natalie's direction. "Since those magic detectors were set by Albus Dumbledore, it would take extraordinary magical talent and power to control them."
"But I don't imagine Dumbledore was too pleased with her," said Natalie, chuckling at Kalissa's rebellious nature.
"Oddly, all of the teachers found it quite funny. It's the only time that I've seen all the teachers happy about the same thing. Shows you just how much of a nuisance James and Sirius were," said Remus, shaking his head in disbelief.
Harry scratched his head thoughtfully. "That makes a lot of sense actually."
Natalie rolled her eyes at him. "You know Harry, I think Dumbledore's having too much of an influence on you. You're starting to talk in riddles like him"
Remus looked inquisitively at Harry. "What makes sense?" The others were glancing at Harry curiously.
Harry glanced around them before saying a hushed voice, "Well, the magic detectors only detect underage magic right. That's why Voldemort never tried anything before he turned seventeen in his sixth year at Hogwarts – he probably read Hogwarts a History and was already pretty wary of Dumbledore."
Ron shook his head at Harry in exaggerated annoyance. "I tell you Harry, you're thinking way too much about him."
Remus looked at Harry worriedly. "You weren't thinking about him all this time, were you Harry?"
"Of course not," replied Harry irritably. "It just came to my mind when Natalie said the detectors work on underage magic."
"Here we are," said Hermione pointing to the highly eccentric, disjointed and colorful building labelled Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes in front of them. Along with the stream of excited voices and footsteps within the store, Natalie could hear an assortment of unusual cracks, sharp noises, abrupt bangs and annoying buzzes. Smoke in various colors also billowed out of one of the upper windows, giving the impression that they were entering a rather exotic area.
"Your brothers do like to stand out, Ron," said Natalie, noting that the shop far exceeded the abnormal, comical aura associated with a typical joke shop.
"Stand out's a rather mild understatement," said Bill laughing.
As they walked in, a mass of people seemed to envelop them; Natalie felt herself physically separated from Harry and Hermione.
"The place is far too busy for my liking," whispered Tonks worriedly behind them.
Natalie had to agree. She could not stretch her arms without touching another person; people constantly moved and shuttled against one another as they looked and pointed to the store's immense collection. Fortunately, almost no one had noticed the entrance of Harry; Natalie suspected that if the store had been slightly less busy, Harry's presence could not have been so subtle.
The group navigated their way through the expanding mass of people to the back of the store where a very anxious and tense Mrs. Weasley awaited.
"Hello," said Mrs. Weasley brightly to all of them. "Nothing went wrong I hope," she said, her eyes momentarily flickering over Harry. Natalie felt her gaze also linger rather uncomfortably on her. She remembered too vividly Mrs. Weasley's cool, appraising stare after Ron's poisoning.
"No, Molly. Everything went rather well. I don't think anyone actually noticed us. My, my, the place is doing quite well," said Remus cheerfully.
A small smile played itself onto Mrs. Weasley's futures. "I never thought much of Fred and George's hooligan experiments, but I have to admit they have really outdone themselves." Detecting the strong undercurrent of protective and affectionate pride in her voice, Natalie could not help but feel sadly reminded of Kalissa.
"Speaking of those two, where are they?" asked Ron, looking around.
"Little brother, were you missing us?" cooed one of the twins, suddenly appearing behind Ron, slapping him on the back. "
"Bugger off!" muttered Ron, shoving him away, earning a vicious glare from Mrs. Weasley.
Natalie glanced around to find the other twin before feeling an arm wrap itself around her and Harry.
"Oh my dear Fred! Looks like the famous Harry Potter has decided to grace our store with none other than his girlfriend," squealed the other twin, who Natalie presumed to be George, in a mockingly high tone.
Both Natalie and Harry struggled to pull themselves out of George's rather strong grasp while Remus, Bill and Mr. Weasley laughed. Tonks and Hermione shook their heads in bewilderment. Natalie saw Ginny, out of the corner of her eye, stiffen. Mrs. Weasley turned a bright shade of red, her eyes narrowing slightly at Natalie causing her to inwardly cringe in apprehension.
"Fred! George! Stop that this instance. You two are adults now for heaven's sake," exclaimed Mrs. Weasley irately.
"Yes, dearest mother," replied the twins in unison. Natalie sensed that this was likely not the wisest response. If possible, Mrs. Weasley's face had become even redder.
Before Mrs. Weasley could admonish the twins any further, Mr. Weasley said, "Okay, I think, splitting in groups will be the best way for us to get around." He looked at Harry, Ron and Hermione. "Remember that all of you kids need either Molly, myself, Remus, Tonks or Bill to come with you wherever you go." Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Natalie gave non-committal nods.
"Let's look around this store before we branch out," suggested Bill, gazing around fondly.
The others nodded in agreement but before they could explore the shop, Mrs. Weasley stopped them with a stern expression on her face. "Stay within the store and if you decide to go around Diagon Alley, tell one of us," said Mrs. Weasley, also looking directly at Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Natalie walked alongside with Hermione through the crowded isles and around the many shelves that seemed to collect masses of people. As she gaped at the huge assortment of pranking devices and instruments, Natalie marveled at the twins' ingenuity.
"Love potions, Hermione? You do realize that Ron already fancies you," asked Natalie slyly, noticing Hermione staring at the shop's collection of love potions.
Hermione shook her head, a pink blush suddenly filling her face. "These love potions almost got their brother killed. You think they would at least learn from that," said Hermione, her voice rising in anger.
"They're obviously selling well," countered Natalie, gesturing to the empty shelves in the section labeled 'Love potions.'
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "And you know the reason why, with people like Romilda Vane in Hogwarts."
Natalie gritted her teeth at the thought that girl had been trying most of the year to plaster her face onto Harry. "I'm not saying I agree with selling love potions. Not to offend the twins, but selling love potions to underage witches and wizards is completely inappropriate and wrong – there are so many things that could happen and of course, if Romilda Vane had not been able to buy that love potion, then Ron likely would not have been lying unconscious in the hospital wing."
Hermione nodded in agreement. "Exactly my point – they should realize when they've crossed the line."
Natalie considered Hermione's statement. "It would be hard for them to see that line though, wouldn't it? I mean designing all of these ways to prank people seems to be like second nature for them."
Hermione frowned. "I suppose you're right. I'm not saying that I don't like the joke shop because some of these devices are really quite fascinating in terms of the level of magic used to build them. I mean most adult witches and wizards couldn't do half the magic required to make some of these things."
Natalie shook her head in astonishment. "Not only the magic. I wouldn't be able to think of all the uses for these things."
Hermione laughed. "As a prefect, I feel obliged to say that there should be no uses for such objects."
"Oh look, here comes the reason for these empty shelves," remarked Natalie darkly, pointing to a group of squelish teenage girls, Natalie estimated to be in their second or third year.
Hermione scowled. "I feel like vanishing these love potions."
Natalie pretended to console Hermione. "It's not like any of those girls will want to woo our dear Ron."
"But definitely Harry," stated Hermione.
Natalie suddenly gripped her wand, wondering whether she could scare off the girls. It was now Hermione's turn to placate Natalie. "I think Harry's protected enough, Natalie."
"Let's go," said Hermione, pulling Natalie who had began glaring at the approaching group of girls.
As they reached the next isle, they found an irritated Tonks talking to a concerned Mrs. Weasley.
"Molly, I'm fine. I've just been needing some time," said Tonks in exasperation, trying to wave off .
Mrs. Weasley's disapproved expression did not waver. "You look much thinner than the last time I saw you and I can't see any reason that you look better."
Before Tonks could mutter another tired response, Natalie felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked behind to see Remus, gazing at Tonks with an amused twinkle in his eyes. "Molly, sorry to interrupt your conversation. But Tonks, I was thinking about taking Natalie and Hermione to Flourish and Blotts. I remember, you saying you needed a book as well. Mind coming?"
Natalie almost laughed at the completely baffled look on Tonks' face; she had never remembered Remus and Tonks talking on their way to the shop.
Mrs. Weasley seemed slightly flustered upon realizing three people had been listening to their conversation. "Oh, hello Remus." She then gave a bright smile. "Why, of course, Tonks can go with you."
An indignant expression crossed Tonks' face. Natalie supposed she did not enjoy Mrs. Weasley treating her like a child that needed to be told where to go.
Mrs. Weasley's eyes then focused upon Natalie. "Oh, hello Natalie. I suppose you are going with them too?" Her voice was devoid of any of the tense, fussy concern that she had displayed for Tonks but instead, contained an unnervingly hollow, forced cordiality.
Natalie shifted nervously under Mrs. Weasley's frosty glare. The woman emanated a demanding, expectant aura that softly, but nevertheless tightly, wound itself around Natalie, spontaneously producing a pulsating surge of fear and anxiety that Natalie never knew resided within her. Both Remus and Hermione gazed at Mrs. Weasley in slightly appalled silence.
Tonks frowned at Natalie. "I think I will go with them, Molly," stated Tonks firmly. Natalie could tell that she was quite surprised with Mrs. Weasley's coldness.
Mrs. Weasley turned her head from Natalie, taking in the determined Tonks. "Very well, then. I'll go find Arthur and the boys. I do want to talk to you, Nymphadora," said Mrs. Weasley, the concerned expression returning to her face.
"Let's go," announced Tonks to Remus, not bothering to see his answer.
He nodded, not before receiving a significant look from Mrs. Weasley and followed Tonks out of the store. Hermione nudged Natalie gently, awakening Natalie from her frozen position under Mrs. Weasley's gaze. As she left with Hermione, Natalie shook her head in fury. She had done nothing to irk Mrs. Weasley, but yet she could not stop the guilt and worry from rising within her.
Once they exited the store, Tonks, who had been waiting for them, smiled grimly at Natalie. "I guess Molly hasn't taken to you yet."
Natalie nodded somberly. "She was like that in the hospital wing when I first met her. I don't think she has a very positive image of me after my duel with Ginny in the common room at the beginning of the year."
They begun walking further along the street to Flourish and Blotts. Tonks chuckled. "I heard about that duel – from what Minerva said, you weren't the one to blame, but I have to applaud you. Ginny has one hell of a Bat Bogey Hex and to beat her in a duel is pretty impressive."
Hermione scowled. "It still wasn't an appropriate thing to do."
Natalie jokingly placed a reassuring hand on Hermione's shoulder. "I know Prefect Granger."
Remus laughed. "Hermione reminds me of a younger version of myself." He then added more seriously, "It's not like Molly to bear grudges though."
Hermione frowned. "And Mrs. Weasley should know that what happened to Ginny was mostly Ginny's fault. She started the whole thing."
Tonks shook her head. "You don't know Molly like I do. She never forgets when you hurt one of her children. After I broke up with Charlie, she used that same suspicious, cold tone she used with you, Natalie. Only warmed up to me again after I joined the Order."
"How long was that?" asked Natalie, not wanting the answer.
"About four and a half years," stated Tonks.
"Oh." Natalie wondered whether she would be able to bear any of those cool, uninviting glares from Mrs. Weasley for that long.
Hermione suddenly held Natalie's arm. Remus looked around. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," said Hermione innocently. "Natalie and myself just want to enjoy the atmosphere – everybody's always not this ebullient. We'll follow you two."
Remus shot the two of them a funny glance before continuing with Tonks. Natalie saw him say something to Tonks who appeared not to hear him.
Natalie raised her eyebrows at Hermione who merely shrugged her shoulders. "There's obvious something going on between them. We could give them some space to talk."
Natalie smirked. "Didn't know you'd become a matchmaker, Hermione."
"I'm not saying they're, er, romantically inclined. Maybe it's just a problem with their friendship," protested Hermione.
"Like the problems you and Ron had," quipped Natalie.
"Whatever. You know what I mean," said Hermione, rolling her eyes.
The sun suddenly pushed its way through the grey blanket of clouds, infusing the street with a bright, refreshing glow. Natalie let out a delighted breath, tilting her head to sky to let the sunlight wash over her hair.
Hermione smiled. "Finally, some sun! The English winters do get depressing at times."
Natalie nodded, noting that the biting, stinging cold of winter had become replaced by a light, carefree wind that hovered over the street, rustling impatiently through all the people like an overexcited child. Still as Natalie glanced around, the optimistic transition to the warm, refreshing nourishment of spring did not entirely match the mood of the wizards and witches in Diagon Alley. Underlying the persistently excited chatter and gesturing, a subtle yet definite sense of unease lingered, creeping into the wary glances of men at the Aurors, the tight way in which mothers clung to their children and the fearful, almost panicked looks cast at the posters of "Wanted Death Eaters." Natalie realized, however, that everybody was attempting to resist the unease, preventing it from morphing into frightening agitation and fear; no one rushed from shop to shop, conversations did not quickly end and laughter had not faded at all. With an uplifting wave of determination, Natalie recognized that the Wizarding world would not unravel easily under Lord Voldemort's ruthless gaze.
"Dreaming?" asked a smirking Hermione, seeing how contemplative Natalie had become.
Natalie blinked to awaken herself from her momentarily absorption into the scene around her. "Yes, but not about Harry. People really are fighting, aren't they Hermione? I mean with Voldemort's rise, you'd think the street shouldn't be so loud and vibrant."
Hermione smiled in understanding. "I'm so glad for the change in atmosphere. We need to show him that not everybody will fall to his feet."
"Here we are," said Natalie, gesturing to the door of Flourish and Blotts in front of them.
Remus and Tonks stood to the side of the busy entrance to store, waiting for them. Looking at the cool, emotionless expression on Tonks' face and Remus' slight grimace, Natalie gathered that the conversation between the two had not improved.
"You two wanted to get Arithmany and Ancient Runes books?" asked Remus, looking at Natalie and Hermione.
"Yes," said Hermione. "That second floor where that section is looks to be relatively empty. You two can still check upon us from below."
Remus nodded. "Yeah, we'll just look around. There's bound to be a book that catches my interest."
Natalie chuckled. She and Hermione navigated their way through the crowd of people at the entrance and climbed up the stairs.
"They don't look to have become friendlier," muttered Natalie to Tonks.
Hermione frowned. "Tonks is never this –"
"Angry," completed Natalie, but she stopped frozen in her tracks at the sight before her. One of the shelves in front of them had a "WANTED" Death Eater poster of Bellatrix Lestrange. Natalie took a sharp intake of breath. The familiar penetrating, corrosive dread attacked her stomach. She waited for the inevitable cloud of despair and hopelessness to surround and entrench her, but surprisingly, the suffocating and strangling doom never came. Instead, even though her heart had begun slamming violently against her chest, she still experienced an underlying but distinctly new hollow, calm feeling as if a small gap now existed between her mother's image and her mind.
Hermione had now caught sight of the poster. She gasped. "Oh. I'm sorry Natalie."
Natalie smiled in relief. "Surprisingly, the poster does not bother me as much."
Hermione wrapped her hands around Natalie's shoulders. "That's a good change, I suppose?"
Natalie was trying to explain why she had suddenly become impervious to the sight of her mother's leering face. Then, as the image of two deep, powerful green eyes filled her mind, Natalie remembered her conversation with Harry the last weekend. He had somehow, in his own clumsy, shy but undeniably adorable way, provided her with a clear sense of control. With a sensation of overwhelmingly joy, Natalie realized that the control had managed to prevent the disgustable picture of her mother from invading her mind.
Natalie grinned. "Wow! Harry is amazing!"
"I'm not sure how that has to do with Bellatrix," said Hermione with a perplexed expression on her face.
Natalie smiled at Hermione. "Being with Harry has just helped me – you know, improved my outlook on life."
Hermione stared at her in a combination of amusement and bewilderment. "You know, you really are a lovesick puppy."
"Oh, go to hell," said Natalie annoyingly. "Let's just go get those books."
"Alright, but I am happy for you Natalie. It must be extremely gratifying to finally not have her bother you as much," said Hermione thoughtfully.
Natalie nodded. "Like a great burden is coming off my shoulders, but I still know it's there."
As they searched for their books, Hermione turned to Natalie with a curious expression on her face. "You do know who Tonks'mother is, Natalie?"
Natalie looked at her in confusion. "No. Why should I know?"
Hermione sighed, smiling slightly at Natalie. "Harry never told you? Tonks' mother, Andromeda Black, is Bellatrix's sister."
Natalie, in her shock, dropped the book she was carrying. She gaped at Hermione. "Serious?"
"Why would I joke?"
Natalie let out a breath she did not know she was holding. "That's well amazing. So we're –"
"Cousins," finished Hermione, her grin now spread across her face from ear to ear..
A wave of euphoria coursed through Natalie. The thought of directly related family who were not utter lunatics or pureblood lovers was extremely comforting. "That's not bad."
Hermione nodded. "Pretty nice to know that she's your cousin, but of course, you know, who else is your cousin?"
Natalie nodded. "Harry told me before. Bellatrix's other sister is Narcissa Malfoy. I honestly felt bile rising up my throat when I realized that Malfoy and I are related."
"Trust me, you're definitely not like him, though you and Tonks do seem to have that famous 'Black' temper. Sirius had it too."
Natalie laughed. "I think it's more notorious than famous. But don't mess with us Blacks – we don't tolerate any nonsense."
Hermione smirked. "Mind you, Harry's temper is something to behold as well."
Natalie grinned. "I know. Maybe that's why we get along so well."
Natalie and Hermione did not take long to retrieve the Arithmancy and Ancient Runes book they had wanted. They walked main level and perused through all the people, looking for Remus and Tonks. They came to an empty isle near the back of the store where Natalie heard Remus' angry voice.
"What do you want me to do, Nymphadora? I was on Dumbledore's orders."
"Bloody hell, Remus. How many times do I have to tell you to not say my name?" exclaimed Tonks furiously. Natalie and Hermione exchanged a worried glance. Fortunately, neither Tonks nor Remus could see them behind the bookshelf. "I'm not thick, Remus. I know you were on Dumbledore's orders, but I'm pretty certain that he didn't tell you to sever all contact with me."
"I'm sorry, Nym – Tonks," said Remus in a much softer tone. "I didn't want to place you in any danger from the rest of the wolves in the pack."
"What if I had been killed by a Death Eater?"
Remus gave a great shudder. "I'm sorry, Tonks. I was being an idiot, but every night with the pack, I thought about you."
"You have a funny way of being worried, Lupin," spat Tonks venomously.
"From what I remember of our last conversation, you weren't too concerned about me spending four months with werewolves either," said Remus icily.
"How dare you say that!" shrieked Tonks. "Every single bloody day, I wondered whether Greyback had finally found out who you were. Do you know how many times I asked Dumbledore for even the smallest sign that you were alive?"
There was a slight pause before Remus spoke, his voice laced with warmth and compassion. "Tonks, I was extremely stupid. You must not think that I did not value our relationship – I truly cared for you. I wanted to protect you by keeping you away as possible from my life as a werewolf."
"It's going to take a hell of a lot to keep me away, Remus," snarled Tonks.
Natalie could hear Remus sigh. "I know you're not going away and I'm not lying when I say I'm relieved, but Tonks, even though I'm not with the pack anymore, I'm a werewolf. You know how everybody –"
"I don't care! How many times do I have to tell you that? I want you Remus."
Natalie, deciding that she and Hermione had intruded for far too long, silently pulled Hermione away from the bickering couple.
"I don't think we should have been eavesdropped like that," said Natalie quietly once they had moved a few isles away from Remus and Tonks.
A guilty expression formed on Hermione's face. "Yes. What's between them is none of our business, but I suppose you were right about them, Natalie."
Natalie nodded. "They make a strange match, I say."
Hermione shook her head in bewilderment. "I would have, er, never though of them in that sense. He's just so much older but I guess –"
"Any two people can fall in love," stated Natalie firmly.
Hermione nodded sadly. "I just hope Remus has not alienated her to the point where they cannot recover."
"It must be difficult for him, being a werewolf and well an outcast. She clearly doesn't give a damn though, so hopefully he can realize that sooner rather than later," said Natalie pensively.
"I hope so. Can lyncathropy be, er, sexually transmitted?" asked Hermione awkwardly.
"No. Kalissa, er, used to have a werewolf as a boyfriend and well I'm pretty sure, you know, they spent their nights together. And I'm pretty sure she's not a werewolf," said Natalie, becoming increasingly red in the face.
"Oh," said Hermione, rather shocked.
Natalie grinned. "Sorry I had to bring up that rather disgusting piece of information."
Hermione chuckled. "And I'm pretty certain that lyncathropy cannot be passed onto, er, children."
"It's not a genetic trait. You get it from a bite, not from inheritance," said Natalie, remembering her brief interest, a few years ago, in wizard genetics.
Hermione nodded in relief. "That's what I thought so the only thing holding Remus back–"
"Is his own self deprecation. A familiar problem," noted Natalie somberly.
A brief silence stretched between the two of them as they both contemplated the romantic turmoil they had witnessed. Natalie was unpleasantly reminded of her rather vicious fights with Harry and she had no doubt that Hermione's mind had leapt to Ron.
"Shall we pay for our books and, er, wait for them by the entrance?" posed Hermione, looking warily at the isle that Remus and Tonks had occupied.
"That seems like a good idea. Give them some space. Do you think we should cast a silencing charm or even something like Muffliato so that we're their only eavesdroppers?"
Hermione scowled at the mention of one of the Half Blood Prince's spells. "I don't like using that spell, but I suppose they deserve at least some privacy," said Hermione reluctantly.
Natalie nodded. She quietly walked to the bookshelf adjacent to Tonks and Remus and silently cast the 'Muffliato' spell.
After they had purchased their books, Natalie and Hermione waited another five minutes at the entrance to Flourish and Blotts before Remus emerged, a frustrated expression on his face.
"Where's Tonks?" asked Hermione hesitantly.
"One of the Aurors in the store wanted to talk to her," muttered Remus, clenching his fists.
"Shall I wait?" posed Natalie.
Remus sighed. "No, she said she'd meet us at the twins' store." He then managed to muster a very forced smile. "So I suppose you two enjoyed Flourish and Blotts' extensive Arithmancy section."
Natalie could not find any humour in the comment. "They have more books than Hogwarts," said Natalie, smiling weakly.
Remus' eyes suddenly widened at a grey haired man behind Hermione. "Williams! What are you doing here?" exclaimed Remus.
The grey haired man turned to look at Remus curiously. "I'm on patrol today, Remus."
Remus shook his head frantically. "Where's Tonks?"
Natalie and Hermione shared a panicked glance. Something was definitely very wrong.
A puzzled expression flickered over Williams' face. "She's off duty today, I think. Why, Remus?"
"Let me know if you see her," said Remus before quickly walking further down the street.
Williams gave a slow, confused nod as he continued to walk in the opposite direction.
Natalie and Hermione immediately followed Remus. After finally catching up to him, Hermione grabbed his shoulder, saying breathlessly, "What's wrong Remus? Where are you going?"
Remus pulled away hastily from Hermione. "Listen you two, go back to the twins' store and I'll meet you there in a few minutes."
"If something's wrong with Tonks, we want to help," said Natalie, a resolved gaze on her face.
An exasperated sigh spread itself across Remus' face. He closed his eyes, breathing heavily. "Okay, follow me at a distance and if anything happens, I want you to two to run as fast as you can and alert the nearest Auror. If I'm right, we don't have much time."
He then abruptly turned on his heel, walking at a furious pace in the direction of a back alley at the corner of Diagon Alley.
As they walked quickly behind him, Hermione's eyes widened. "He's going into Knockturn Alley."
"What's that?" asked Natalie, her senses suddenly extremely alert.
"Central place for Death Eaters," whispered Hermione tensely.
"You don't think they would have taken her away already?" muttered Natalie.
"I just hope that she wasn't taken at all," said Hermione unconvincingly, quickening her pace to a half jog. The crowd thinned as they approached Knockturn Alley.
Once they entered Knockturn Alley, the slight sense of unease Natalie detected within Diagon Alley amplified tenfold. She could almost feel the Dark Magic saturating the air around her. Few people walked along the streets, all with hooded cloaks and none looking like the relaxed, happy shoppers she had seen on the adjacent street. With a sinking feeling of realization, Natalie realized that they had just left behind the insulated, closed feeling of safety within Hogwarts and Diagon Alley
They saw Remus turn a corner and enter a shaded, dark shop labeled "Kockey's Unwanted and Misfit Magical Artifacts". Before the door could close, Natalie quickly slid her finger between the door and the adjacent wall, holding it open. She and Hermione slipped into the shop, immediately crouching behind a shelf of rather foul smelling dead reptiles. Thankfully, the detection charms on the door did not distinguish between them and Remus. Both of them gaped at what they saw between the spaces within the shelves.
Remus had his wand pointed at a haggard, bearded man who had an arm curled tightly around Tonks' throat. His other wand lay pointed at Remus. Beside the bearded man lay an unconscious body, a pool of blood surrounding the head. Natalie closed her eyes, not wanting to believe the possibility of murder. Besides her, Hermione's body remained rigid in shock, staring at the blood.
"Let her go, Rabastan. The Aurors will be coming soon," demanded Remus. "They're bound to know what you've done to Kingston."
Hermione let out a small gasp. Natalie knew exactly who this man was; her mother's brother in law.
Rabastan's face twisted into a malevolent sneer. "And not let me have my fun with my brother's niece. Not that you haven't been having much fun with her, Lupin."
"Just kill him, Remus," croaked Tonks. Rabastan shoved her violently against the table, causing her to grimace in pain.
"Let her go and you can walk away – no arrest, nothing," said Remus, his voice quivering on the last word as he watched Tonks manhandled.
Two other men entered from a backdoor, their wands pointing directly at Remus.
"Looks like today is a lucky day for us, fellows. The werewolf and his slag have come to join the party," snarled one of the other men in a raspy voice.
The other two laughed cruelly. "Put the wand down Lupin and I promise I won't make her death too torturous for you," hissed Rabastan.
"You sick son of bitches!" cried Tonks. Rabastan elbowed Tonks in the face, cracking her nose.
"Rabastan, I promise you – I'll make sure the Aurors don't get you and your friends. Just let her go," pleaded Remus, his back shaking.
Rabastan fingered Tonks' face suggestively. "You do look like Alice Longbottom, my dear Nymphadora," said Rabastan delightedly. "I have to admit I can't resist the temptation."
Natalie clenched her fists. They truly were absolutely deplorable individuals. Looking at Hermione, who had an equally furious expression on her face, Natalie gestured to the left hand man. Hermione nodded at the right hand man. Natalie just hoped that Remus and Tonks reacted quicker than Rabastan.
Natalie crept to the side of the shelf they were hiding behind. Her stomach had twisted itself into severe knots of anxiety and her knees could not stop from trembling. Natalie took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and focus on the hex she wanted to cast. She waved her wand in a careful figure eight motion at the man to the left of Tonks and Rabastan, placing all of her concentration on Aeronaugio and visualizing a jet of air launched at the man.
To Natalie's satisfaction, a mass of air streamed out her wand, cutting its away silently across the narrow opening between the isles, accelerating rapidly. The shot of air struck the left hand man squarely in the chest. He let out a surprised groan as he was thrown across the room, slamming into the back wall with a resounding thud. Simultaneously, a jet of red light shot from Hermione's wand. However, the man to the right of Rabastan, seeing the oncoming flash of red, managed to barely dodge the spell.
As the left hand man crashed into the wall, Natalie saw Rabastan's grip on Tonks loosen. He screamed furiously, "Avery! What the –"
Tonks took advantage of the brief second distraction, driving her knee into Rabastan's groin area.
"You bloody whore! Duckwood, get her!" howled Rabastan in pain as he slid backwards from her.
Remus immediately raised his wand at Rabastan and the man flew into the table behind him, breaking it into pieces.
Duckwood, who had barely leapt out of the way of Hermione's spell, sent a jet of blue light rocketing towards Tonks.
Remus dove with surprising agility, sending him and Tonks both toppling into a nearby shelf. The blue light barely missed the top of Remus' head, incinerating the cashier's counter.
Hermione pointed her wand at Duckwood. "Impedimenta!"
He easily deflected the curse, sneering at her. "Granger, isn't it? I thought Dolohov taught you not to play with us, you filthy Mudblood!" Natalie's stomach gave a sickening lurch as a stream of green light came hurtling towards Hermione. Hermione ducked behind another shelf as the green light soared over head, destroying the portraits behind her.
To Natalie's dismay, Rabastan had lifted himself from behind the broken table. Before he could aim a spell at Tonks and Remus, Natalie emerged from her hiding place, firing a stunning spell at him.
Rabastan neatly sidestepped the jet of red light. He sneered at her. "Oh, hello, little Malkae. Long time, no see." A whizzing flash of yellow light throttled towards Natalie, who quickly leapt out of the way, sending another Aeronaugio that just missed the leering Death Eater.
From the corner of her eyes, Natalie could see Hermione and Duckwood exchanging hexes, none hitting their targets but destroying the entire store.
Suddenly Remus stood up. Natalie saw that he had managed to hide Tonks behind a box next to one of the shelves they had crashed. He pointed his wand at Rabastan, shouting, "Avada Kedavra!"
The resulting jet of green light missed the surprised Rabastan by inches. Rabastan's lips curled into a malicious smile. "Oh, I see, want to play dirty, Lupin? Crucio!"
Remus hissed, "Protego!" He and Rabastan began firing Unforgivable curses and hexes at lighting speed towards one another.
Seeing the two Death Eaters holding their ground quite firmly, Natalie remembered one of Kalissa's first and most important lessons about dueling, "the most dangerous spell is a distraction."
Summoning confidence from her memories of the Death Eaters' Christmas attack, she waved her wand in a long, complicated sweeping motion, vividly imagining a wave of water thundering through the store. Feeling the magic rise pulse through her body and into her wand, Natalie saw with a surge of relief as a huge wave of water rolled tumultuously through the store, completely shocking both Death Eaters as well as Remus and Hermione.
"What the bloody hell was that?" shrieked an utterly wet Duckwood, looking frantically at Rabastan.
Natalie used the brief moment of surprise to fire a stunning spell that struck Duckwood squarely in the chest, throwing him into a large shelf toward the side of the store.
As Rabastan turned his wand upon Natalie, Hermione, who had also realized the plan, banished one of the shelves from behind Rabastan directly into him, throwing him across the floor and knocking his wand out of his hand.
He screamed in pain, a huge cut spread across his head. "Why! You bloody Mudblood!" Jets of red light from all three of them engulfed Rabastan. After the enveloping stream of red light partially dissipated, Natalie's shoulders sagged in relief at seeing the man lying unconscious within a gaping hole in the wall.
Remus swept his wand over the three Death Eaters. Ropes appeared out of thin air, binding the three. He then cast drying spells on all of them and the store. Natalie and Hermione helped to vanish the water.
Remus shook his head at them. "I thought I told you two to stay back."
"What did you expect us to do? Leave you to deal with three Death Eaters," replied Natalie fiercely.
Remus smiled grimly, holding his hands defensively. "I have to admit you two did very well. I don't know what I'm going to tell Molly though." He walked quickly to the box he had hid Tonks behind, lifting her.
With a pang of surprise, Natalie saw that Tonks, though visibly shaken, was still conscious. Blood poured from her nose. Her face had become extremely pale as she clung to Remus' side.
"You two were great. Would make any Auror proud," croaked Tonks, trying to smile at the two of them.
Remus, with a wave of his wand, cleared the blood from Tonks' face and repairing her nose. He held her firmly to his side, brushing his lips across her forehead. "Don't you ever do that to me again, Nymphadora, do you understand?" said Remus. To Natalie's amusement, the underlying pure, full bodied loving caress in his voice betrayed the demanding manner of the statement.
He turned to look at the two of them. "How are you two? They didn't hit you with any spells, did they?" asked Remus worriedly.
Natalie shook her head. "No, we were pretty well protected." She gestured to the large shelf at the front of the store.
Now that the adrenaline and danger had passed, Natalie became overcome with the familiar, but distinctly terrifying feeling of naked vulnerability. Both she and Hermione, only a few minutes, ago had been walking happily through Diagon Alley. Now as she stared around, she realized that they had both become involved in a duel with three sadistic men fully bent on burying a grave for all four of them.
"Hermione? How about you?" asked Remus, glancing anxiously at the bushy-haired girl.
"I'm fine, just a bit unnerved," answered Hermione weakly. Looking at Hermione, Natalie recognized the same blank, surreal expression she had bore after the Christmas attack. Witnessing, first, hand the disgusting cruelty of Voldemort and his Death Eaters truly did ignite a brand new perspective.
"Shouldn't the Aurors be coming?" posed Natalie to Remus, presuming that at least someone must have noticed the destruction of the store.
"I used my wand, just now, to contact Williams and some of the other Aurors. I told them to bring some mediwitches well for, Kingston," said Tonks softly, her head buried in her chest. She glanced sadly at Kingston's body. "Hermione, can you –"
"Yes," whispered Hermione, slowly stepping towards the body. A strong urge filled Natalie to look away and ignore what only must have been inevitable. She watched Hermione's trembling fingers press themselves against the man's throat. Natalie closed her eyes.
A gasp escaped Hermione's mouth. A lump formed in Natalie's throat.
"He's alive," said Hermione.
Natalie opened her eyes, slightly stunned. "What?" she croaked to Hermione.
Hermione smiled in relief. "He's pretty damaged, but well alive."
Remus and Tonks exchanged a smile with another, their chests deflating. Natalie felt like enveloping Hermione in a bone crushing hug. No death this time, at the least.
Suddenly, the door of the shop burst open. A group of wizards in the typical navy blue robes of Aurors entered, their wands pointed directly at Remus, Tonks, Natalie and Hermione. Both Natalie and Hermione, still quite edgy, had immediately raised their wands at the intruding group.
Remus waved his hands defensively at the Aurors. "Williams, tell your men to put their wands down. Everything's okay. The Death Eaters are all out."
The man in front, who Natalie recognized to Williams, said evenly, "Lupin, when did you first start going out with Tonks?"
Remus looked momentarily baffled with the random question, but then smiled at Williams. "Oct 21st two years ago."
Williams grinned, lowering his wand. "Didn't know you remembered the date that well." With a casual dismissal of his hand, the other men and women dropped their wands. "What in the bloody hell happened here?"
"Death Eaters got hold of Kingston. They used the Imperius on him to trap me," stated Tonks, a firm tone returning to her voice. She glanced at Remus, Natalie and Hermione. "These three saved both Kingston and I. And we got some Death Eaters in the process."
"Is Kingston alright?" asked a younger, brown haired woman beside Williams, a frightened expression on her face.
"He's alive, but pretty badly injured. He should go with the mediwitches to St. Mungo's as does Tonks I think," said Remus. Tonks looked like she might object but upon seeing the resolved look on Remus' face, her protest quickly faded.
Williams nodded. "Very well then. We only have one mediwitch with us. She'll take Kingston with her. Remus, can you apparate with Tonks to St. Mungo's?"
Remus nodded. "Natalie and Hermione will have to be accompanied to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes."
William raised his eyebrows at Natalie and Hermione. "You two, Hogwarts students?"
Natalie and Hermione nodded, each holding his firm gaze.
A blonde haired man whistled. "That won't sit too well with the Death Eaters – being thrashed by two underage witches."
Natalie bristled. "Excuse me, sir, but Hermione's not underage – she's seventeen. And it's not like we are completely useless at defending ourselves."
A few chuckles spread through the group of Aurors.
Williams grinned at her. "We didn't say you two were incapable, did we?"
Remus smirked at Williams. "Will you take them to the Weasleys' shop while I apparate Tonks to St. Mungo's?"
Williams nodded. "Yes." He turned to the other Aurors. "The rest of you, clean up this mess, take the three Death Eaters back to the Ministry, and begin writing your reports. I'll join you shortly. We should have them wallowing in Azkaban by tonight."
Remus lifted Tonks slightly who had began to slouch onto him. He gave Natalie and Hermione his biggest smile. "I am truly in debt to the two of you. Tonks and I would likely be dead if you hadn't disobeyed my orders."
Natalie could not help, but feel a wave of pride at the man's sincere gratitude. "Don't want to be setting a precedent for breaking rules do we Remus?" asked Natalie cheekily.
Remus laughed before turning on the spot with Tonks and disappearing with a crack.
Williams turned to Natalie and Hermione with a curious expression on his face. "Well, shall we go, ladies? I don't particularly like spending any time in Knockturn Alley."
The two girls nodded. While they exited the shop and quickly walked towards Diagon Alley, Natalie noticed that the battle within the shop had not attracted much attention from the rest of Knockturn Alley's occupants. Even with the shop looking completely destroyed. "They don't look too bothered, do they?" muttered Natalie, gazing at the dark, hooded figures who seemed to glide across the street.
"No, they don't. Well, seeing as most of them are so evil and twisted, I don't think any type of destruction will have a chance of arousing sympathy," answered Hermione, barely containing the disgust in her voice.
"Why does the Ministry allow for this place to exist then? It seems like such an easy place for Death Eaters to hide," asked Natalie, still overwhelmed at the glaring contrast between Diagon and Knockturn Alley.
"The Ministry has considered that," said Williams from behind, startling the two girls.
"But if we close Knockturn Alley, all of these shop owners will just find another place to set up that will be even harder for the Ministry to detect. And we won't be able to keep at least a small check on what happens here."
"So it's better to let the Death Eaters gather, but know where they are rather than not know where they are and still let them gather," stated Natalie, shaking her head at the bizarre logic behind William's explanation.
Williams gave a dark chuckle. "Welcome to magical politics, my dear. You see, unlike the Muggles, enforcing magical laws is nearly impossible. I don't like Knockturn Alley either, but allowing it to exist just outside of Diagon Alley is pretty effective damage control."
Hermione smiled weakly. "It's a good compromise."
Williams nodded. "Here we are, Diagon Alley."
Natalie's chest expanded in relief. Their fight with the Death Eaters and the dreary, sinister atmosphere of Knockturn Alley had tightened her chest, straining her nerves considerably. She could not be happier to be serenaded in the dazzling energy of Diagon Alley.
"Nice to be back," said Natalie, looking sideways at Hermione. But, Hermione's expression did not brighten at the sight of the exuberant street. An unnerving hollowness still encased Hermione's face.
Natalie decided she and Hermione needed to talk quickly. She did not want Hermione to experience the same devouring and throttling fear she had experienced for days after the Christmas attack.
"Er, Williams, Hermione and I are feeling a bit hungry. Do you mind if we go to that ice cream place and get a couple cones? The queue does not seem to be that long."
Hermione shot Natalie a puzzled look. Williams glanced at his watch. "Well, I suppose we have some time to spare. Do you mind getting me a sundae as well?"
Natalie almost laughed. It seemed that he was actually hungry. "Of course. Come on Hermione."
They walked towards the ice cream parlour, stepping into the queue. Williams paced along the street, making sure the two did not disappear from his sight.
"What was that for? I don't know about you, but I'm not in the greatest mood for a chocolate sundae," mumbled Hermione.
Natalie cast the Muffliato spell around them. "Do you honestly think I'm that hungry as well?" asked Natalie, causing Hermione to frown in confusion. "What happened in that store is obviously bothering you. I think it's better if we get it out of your system."
"I'm fine, Natalie. There's no need to worry," replied Hermione meekly.
Natalie rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you were more convincing after you saw Ron kissing Lavender."
"Why aren't you so bothered? We just faced three Death Eaters. That's not such an everyday event," said Hermione defensively.
Natalie held Hermione's glare. "Don't you think that I was not terrified during that duel? You saw me when you were checking if that Kingston fellow was alive."
"You don't seem to be completely shocked though," retorted Hermione.
Natalie sighed, letting her gaze fall from Hermione's face. She knew the grim reason for her relatively unbothered action to the fight. "After the Christmas attack, I've sort of accepted that with Voldemort and his Death Eaters, these battles do happen."
Hermione shuddered. "I forgot about what happened to you over the holidays."
Natalie placed her hand around Hermione's shoulders. "I don't think about it much. And anyway, no major damage occurred. And neither did anything too bad happen today. On the positive side, we caught three Death Eaters."
Hermione frowned. "I've been trying to tell myself that. But I don't know, the battle really bothers me. I mean, it seems so cruel."
Natalie sighed. "I know, Hermione. Anything easily could have happened, but honestly, we can't expect the Death Eaters not to use Unforgivable Curses. We just have to outsmart them and it helps that they aren't the most intelligent bunch of people."
Hermione shook her head. "Seriously Natalie, the Death Eaters and their curses do not bother me. There's nothing much worse than the curse Dolohov used on me last year at the Ministry. If I can handle that curse, then I'm pretty much prepared."
Natalie raised her eyebrows. She recognized that Hermione was not trying to appease her, but genuinely remained unbothered by the Death Eaters' Unforgivable Curses. "What is troubling you then?"
"Did you see what Remus did?" asked Hermione, her eyes glazing over.
"He was bloody brilliant!" exclaimed Natalie. "A Chaser would have been proud of the way he pushed Tonks out of the way of Rabastan's Curse."
Hermione shook her head. "No, Natalie. Did you see the curse he used?"
Sudden realization dawned upon Natalie. "Oh, he tried to use the Killing Curse."
"Yes and do you know the punishment for that curse?"
Before Natalie could answer, she realized that they had reached the counter of the ice cream parlour. She wondered how long they had been at the counter, noticing the impatient customers behind them. "Er, Hermione. I think we should order," said Natalie nervously as she inconspicuously removed the Muffliato curse.
Hermione temporarily awoke from her slightly panicked state. "Oh, of course. Three chocolate fudge sundaes please."
Hermione and Natalie paid for the sundaes. Natalie led Hermione to the back of the store. "Let's just finish our little chat before we get to Williams. I believe performing an Unforgivable means a term in Azkhaban."
"Exactly," enunciated Hermione, her eyes widening.
"But the Aurors know that he was just defending himself. Nothing's going to happen to him," countered Natalie.
"But he's still trying to kill a person. I know he likes Tonks, but murder isn't going to solve anything." Hermione's tone rose dramatically, becoming quite frantic and desperate.
Natalie sighed. Surprisingly, the Killing Curse used by Lupin did not unnerve her in the same way. On a deeper level, she knew that they inevitably would have to use such magic to beat the Death Eaters. "Listen Hermione, I see where you're coming from. Killing a person is never right, but the people we're facing are not using simple Disarming and Stunning spells against us."
"But still, how are we any better than them if we resort to such tactics?" exclaimed Hermione.
"We are still better because we're not doing it for pleasure. We're using those spells to survive. Kalissa once told me that to beat evil, a part of you has to be slightly evil. Kalissa's killed Death Eaters and so has Dumbledore. I'm guessing this is not the first time Lupin has used the Killing Curse and that most of the other Order Members have used Unforgivables as well."
Hermione looked completely shocked. "But I can't bring myself to use that spell," stuttered Hermione.
Hermione's comment took Natalie slightly by surprise. She had never considered actually using an Unforgivable. "I can't either. But I think what Kalissa was saying is that we have to realize that we have to use some Dark Magic to beat the Death Eaters. I mean we would be pretty outmatched if we didn't."
Hermione nodded shakily. "I suppose. It just seems like such a mess."
Natalie could not agree more. "I guess that's war."
"What have we got ourselves into?" muttered Hermione, still looking slightly dazed
Natalie looked at the clock on the parlour's wall. "I think we should be getting back to Williams. His ice cream will be melting. What is this place anyway?"
Hermione laughed for the first time since the attack. "This is Florean Fortescue's Parlour. It's magical ice cream. It doesn't melt. Honestly Natalie, even though I'm a Muggle, I think I know more about the Magical World."
Natalie shrugged her shoulders. "Going to Durmstrang isn't exactly the most cultural experience."
Hermione laughed as they exited the parlour, heading towards an anxiously pacing Williams. "I gathered that from Viktor."
"So you alright, Hermione?" asked Natalie, managing a side glance at her friend.
"Better. I see what you're saying. I think I was showing my Gryffindor qualities there. But I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me."
Natalie nodded. "You just have to let these things sink in over time. Just remember if we let all of this destruction and Dark Magic bother us, we're only playing into Voldemort's hands."
Hermione smiled. "The Gryffindor in me won't let that happen."
Natalie grinned. "I expect not."
A/N: How did you like this chapter?