A/N) I'm still writing! Oh yes! Writing chapter 74 as I type! And things are heating up! Hopefully will be writing chapter 76 by the time I post the next one. I am really excited about finishing this story. This chapter is more about setting up the last act, putting things into place that need to be there for later on.
Enjoy!
Chapter Seventy-One: A Safe Haven
Within a week Voldemort's control of the Wizarding World was obsolete. The Ministry had been rebuilt with the majority of Voldemort's Death Eaters in positions of power, however a few Order members had managed to retain their jobs – Arthur Weasley for one, though his job had significantly changed. He hated it because he was now ordered to inform his superior whenever he was going on a house call to a Muggle neighbourhood where he would sort out the disturbance, only for then for Death Eaters to turn up and proceed to torture the Muggle before finally wiping their memories of the incidents. Sick and twisted the practice was but since the shattered Order of the Phoenix needed as many spies within the Ministry, Arthur put up with it, hoping against hope that the new practice wouldn't become customary for years.
Since the destruction of the Burrow at Christmas, Dumbledore had advised the Weasley's not to rebuild and they had lived out of Grimmauld Place, however with its security compromised – and being the only one who knew the ward keys – Sirius had succeeded in convincing his cousin Andromeda Tonks to take in the Weasley family. Sirius and Arthur remained the only two wizards in the household to know the ward key, everyone else were not entitled to it and were kept inside for their safety.
It was here that Harry, Sirius and Hermione had come for the summer holidays, though at some point, Harry and Sirius were planning on leaving to carry on with their search for the Horcruxes. Harry was well aware that Ron and Hermione were making plans to accompany him. He didn't like that one bit; he hated the thought that he was putting his friends in danger, and he found himself beginning to wonder how he could convince his two best friends to stay behind.
It became apparent, a week after Dumbledore's funeral, that all the Muggle-borns in the Wizarding world were no longer safe. A nation-wide call was put out for them, requiring them to present themselves to the Ministry of Magic: the aim was to discriminate against them and have them imprisoned in Azkaban for the crime of stealing another person's magic. It was all rubbish of course, but that didn't stop Voldemort's Ministers from implanting the policy.
Sirius remained the most wanted wizard by the Ministry while Kingsley kept them informed that if Harry did not return to Hogwarts, he would become hunted, for now, they were leaving him alone, perhaps to allow him to get complacent.
Voldemort was still hoping that Sirius would fall into a trap, but he kept to the house as much as possible, not matter how much he hated it. When they eventually went properly on the run, Sirius would be the only one able to do magic, as any underage magic performed by either Harry, Ron or Hermione would be traceable by the Ministry. Hermione would be seventeen in September – meaning that once she turned that age, she too, would be able to perform magic outside of school. Sirius had already explained this to Harry and Ron but had given his permission to use magic if they absolutely had to, and that only applied when they were attacked. They all hoped that they could avoid this as much as possible.
As promised by the Ministry all students that had been unable to take their OWL exams due to the schools early closure were required to attend the Ministry of Magic to take them. Ron was the only one of the trio who could go – Sirius would not risk Harry's safety by letting him step inside it. Fred and George, on the insistence of their mother, ordered them to take their NEWTs, so in the middle of June, the three Weasley boys spent a lot of time studying and going to the Ministry with Mr Weasley to escort them.
Ron didn't see the point considering he wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts, but since his mother was not to know that, he had to. She knew enough to guess that Harry would not be returning or Hermione due to her being a Muggle-born and since she hadn't presented herself to be questioned by the Ministry she too was now sought by the Ministry.
It was too dangerous for Hermione to go and she itched to take the exams. Kingsley, who was still in risky contact with Sirius, promised Hermione that she would be able to take her exams when this was all over.
As predicted, all Death Eaters imprisoned within Azkaban were freed, fully-pardoned from their crimes. This now meant that Lucius Malfoy, Fenrir Greyback, Barty Crouch Junior and Avril Leverg were all able to return to Voldemort's side.
The Wizarding World was slowly falling into a darkened abyss, the light fighting desperately to keep it afloat.
Monday 30th June 1996
He had been putting this off for weeks and on the advice of Arthur, but Sirius felt that he could not keep it from Molly any longer. Arthur already understood that his youngest son would be accompanying Sirius and Harry on whatever they needed to, and he had made it plain he didn't like it, but he also knew that whatever it was, Dumbledore had wanted Hermione and Ron involved. He was far more reasonable then this wife which was why he kept it secret from Molly, but the days were ticking downwards to the time when they would soon have to depart from the save haven that Andromeda Black had so graciously allowed them to share.
She had to know that Ron was not intending on going back to school. Sirius made sure that Harry and the others were safe upstairs and had used a charm to stop any sound from leaking up to them; he was certain Molly would let rip at him once he told her.
Taking a deep breath, Sirius stepped into the living room where Andromeda, her husband Ted and Molly were sitting. "'Dromeda, I need a word with Molly, would you mind?"
Andromeda gave him a small smile. "What are you up to, Sirius?"
"Nothing," he replied innocently.
"I know that look, you're up to something," she insisted, grasping him by the shoulders. "I presume that what you need to say, Molly won't be pleased?" she whispered this in his ear.
A guilty look fleetingly spread across his face. "Unfortunately."
Andromeda gently chuckled. "I'll get the ear-muffs ready," she winked.
He waited till he was sure that his cousin and her husband were safely in the kitchen, raised his wand and cast a silencing charm against the door, hoping that Molly's yells would be rebuffed by the strength of the charm he had placed.
Molly was looking at him wearily, putting down the knitting she had been doing, on her lap. "What is it?"
"You may have noticed that Harry and I – and to an extent Ron and Hermione – are up to something. It's hard not to notice that we are being very secretive." They had been planning their next step, trying to figure out where the Hufflepuff Cup could possibly be, and working out the best place to Apparate too when they eventually left. Sirius had spent time performing reconnaissance at the places they had selected to travel to in the wild, just to make sure they remained barren and isolated.
"I had noticed," Molly's voice hardened instantly. She knew where this was going judging by the tone in her voice. "I absolutely forbid it. Ron is not going with you. He will return to Hogwarts. If we could pass Hermione off as a half-blood she would be as well. Harry is your responsibility but you do not have the moral right to pull my child out of school. Ron is not even of age!"
"It is not my choice, Molly. If I could I would send Harry far away from here, but he is too important to our world to do that. Voldemort is moving; you know as well as I do of what role Harry has to play. Dumbledore told us things that would help us, and Harry shared it with your son and Hermione." He kept his voice level, trying not to let the brick wall that Molly had instantly put up, put him off. Ron would follow Harry whether his mother liked it or not; she would just make it very difficult for him to pull it off. "Dumbledore asked me to train Harry, Ron and Hermione. For nearly a year I have been training them to fight, they are all adequately prepared to stand their own. They may not be of age but they all know what they are getting themselves into and have displayed sufficient skill that proves that they can survive out there. I know you want your family to be safe, especially after what happened to Percy at the Ministry, but Harry needs Ron and Hermione, and the Wizarding World needs Harry."
Molly pursed her lips together into a thin line, her eyebrows falling into a menacing glare that she shot towards Sirius, making him feel like that she was physically stabbing him with a knife. "I said no. Harry, I have no responsibility over, but Ron is my son. I will not allow him to become a pawn in this game of whatever you are playing. Hermione is as well. I will protect them both. I will not stop you from taking Harry, but I'm telling you now, Sirius, that I will not let you take my son or Hermione on some foolhardy quest!"
Sirius bowed his head, keeping his temper in check. "It is not a foolhardy quest." He ran his hands through his long, dark hair that he had allowed to grow just past his shoulders, - it needs to be cut soon – and leant forward, elbows on his knees and stared beseechingly at Mrs Weasley. "We are nearly there in this quest. Dumbledore was helping us. It is just the matter of finding something and then we'll be back."
Strictly that was a lie because Sirius had no idea what he was planning on doing after they had located and destroyed the cup. They would still have the snake to get to but the only way they'd be able to do that was to get to Voldemort. Molly didn't need to know that though. He could at least attempt to waylay her fears.
Her lips were continuing to thin. Molly was just like him: stubborn. Neither of them would budge. He didn't like the idea of Harry going on this quest either and he disliked it even more that Ron and Hermione were involved but they required all the help they could. He could recognise that he had lost the battle for now.
"When do you plan to leave?" asked Molly, her voice lighter but no less friendly.
Sirius frowned. "It could be a spur of the moment thing. I like to believe that we would be here until August, but from what Arthur has informed us the Ministry is stepping up its search for me and they will soon come to the conclusion that you know me well: their attention could still turn towards you. I will not endanger your family even more by protecting Harry and me; if Arthur brings word that they suspect him of harbouring me then Harry and I will leave."
Molly stood from her chair, staring down at Sirius. "Then I'll just have to make sure that you are adequately fed until that day, won't I?"
Sirius didn't bother to argue. No matter what happened, Ron and Hermione would leave with them; he just had to figure out how he could slip them out under Molly's nose.
Arthur understands. For the elder Weasley did. He had told him that he knew that they had something important to do and that his son was involved. He had already given his permission, yet that was something Molly Weasley would never find out. He watched as Molly left the front room and Sirius sat back, resting his head back against the chair.
What am I going to do? She'll be watching for me now. He had to have a plan, and if there was one thing that Sirius Black was good at, was creating dastardly plans that fooled anyone. It seemed that his days as a prankster could still come in useful.
"Well, that went well," said Sirius as he walked into the bedroom that Harry was sharing with Ron and Hermione. He caught Ron's eye. "I intimated to your mother that you and Hermione would be leaving with Harry and I – she didn't take it well. I know she'll keen an eye on me, so we need a plan –"
"Or," Harry interrupted, "they stay here and it is just Sirius and I that goes out and finds the cup."
Hermione shook her immediately. "No, that is not an option, Harry. We are coming with you whether you like it or not. We may be underage but I can't go back to Hogwarts because of my blood, I may as well do something useful. Both Ron and I have been trained for this, without us, you could fail, especially if something happens to Sirius."
Harry's green eyes swung towards Sirius. "You better not let anything happen to you."
Sirius grinned merrily. "I will try to survive, Harry, but we are all in danger. I'm the closest thing you have, that makes me a big target in Voldemort's eyes." His eyes widened. "Why didn't I think of that with Molly?"
"Wha –?"
"Of course!" Sirius slapped himself on the head. "That is one very good reason right there why Ron can't go back to Hogwarts! The same reason can apply to Ginny as well, though it is possible she may be in less danger then Ron because Voldemort might not know of the closeness between you two."
"Voldemort will target the people close to me, just to get me to come running?" asked Harry, sure that was the answer. Ron fit that category, as did Sirius, Hermione, Ginny and by extension, Remus Lupin. "Sirius? What about the Dursleys?"
"What about them?" Sirius was obviously confused. Harry hadn't seen them since the summer of 1993, just after he had blown up his Aunt Marge. Harry had never returned to the house to collect the meagre possessions that he had been allowed to own; Sirius and Remus had gone to collect them for him and inform them that Harry would no longer be living with them.
"Well," began Harry slowly, "they're blood relatives of mine, through my mother, right? What if Voldemort knows this or realises it? What if he decides to attack them to get to me? I know they didn't treat me that well, but they gave me a home when they could have put me in an orphanage." He could hardly believe was about to say this. "I don't want anything happening to them."
Sirius allowed a small smile to tug at his lips. "I'd already thought of that a while ago. Dumbledore went to see them after the Burrow was attacked and moved them to a safe house. It took some persuasion, I was told, but they agreed to move. As far as I am aware they have been hidden for the last six months. Only I remain who knows where they are. Dumbledore did to but he told me so that when this is over they can return to a normal life. I plan to tell Remus their location just in case something happens to me, otherwise your Aunt, Uncle and cousin will not be able to come out of hiding ever."
Hermione frowned. "So if no one is told where they are and the Secret Keeper dies then no one will ever be able to find the Dursleys?"
Sirius nodded. "That about sums it up. Dumbledore placed them under the protection of the Fidelius Charm. He informed me of their location so that when he died I've automatically become their Secret Keeper, much like I am here though this is a slightly different spell keeping this house hidden from the wrong people. You're less secure here though as having ward keys is not the same as being placed under a protective charm. If the Death Eaters find this place all they need to do is work out the correct ward key and then they can enter the house – they don't necessarily need Arthur or I to find out what it is."
"So, why didn't my parents have a ward key as well as the Fidelius?"
"Because Harry, it wouldn't have made any difference. Voldemort would have still found your family easily. He wouldn't have needed to dismantle the wards if he knew where you were hidden. The two spells can counteract one another," explained Sirius.
"Oh."
Sirius patted Harry on the shoulder. "I still regret it, you know? Not being your parents Secret Keeper. Voldemort would have caught up with me eventually, but I would never have broken and told him your location. If I hadn't been so stupid and thought I could trust Peter, I would have been your Keeper and James and Lily would still be alive." He sighed heavily. "I will always have that on my conscience. I hope by protecting you that I can make up for that disastrous mistake I made all those years ago."
Harry looked at his godfather, seeing the pain in Sirius' eyes. "I hope you know that I don't blame you for that. Wormtail was your friend, you had no reason to suspect him of being a Death Eater and you were close, just like friends are meant to be, and trusted one another to put your life in his hands. I can't blame you for what happened to my mum and dad. I never will so you should stop blaming yourself."
Hermione took up the tirade. "If you want someone to blame, blame Voldemort, because if he hadn't heard the Prophecy, would he have tried to kill James, Lily and Harry?"
"No," replied Sirius quietly, bowing his head. "I don't think he would have done. It was just an excuse he used to target them properly. Sure, James and Lily defied him, so did I, but the Prophecy was the ultimate thing that spurred him into action to really go after them. Without it, they might have survived longer."
"Just don't blame yourself," said Harry adamantly. "It's not your fault. Hermione is right. It's Voldemort."
Sirius' lips twitched upwards slightly. "If you say so."
Ron cleared his throat. "Back to the original discussion, we'll have to plan how Hermione and I can slip out right under mum's nose. Be on the guard for her asking for our wands and locking our doors at night."
"She'd really do that, even to me when I'm not her daughter?" said Hermione, shocked.
Ron nodded. "She would."
"Don't worry," said Sirius, "I've got a plan worked out." He grinned mischievously. "I think it is time for Padfoot to form an alliance with the Weasley twins, don't you?"
Sunday 6th July 1996
A few days later Sirius took a risky journey. He felt that when Ginny returned to Hogwarts for the new term (undoubtedly, Molly would ensure her daughter continued with her education), that they needed a spy within their midst at the school, however, due to Ginny's closeness to Harry, Sirius figured that she would be too obvious a candidate, so he had decided to go to the ancestral home of the Longbottom family.
His decision to trust Neville felt like the right one, but Harry had always spoken highly of him, despite the faults the boy had inherited from his mother, Alice. They needed someone to willingly be in easy contact at Hogwarts, someone who was not directly connected to Harry. When he had asked about the other boys in Harry's year, he had learnt that Dean Thomas was a Muggle-born and that Seamus Finnigan was a half-blood.
Unfortunately they needed someone of purer blood who would be able to remain at Hogwarts. Sirius was certain that things were going to change at Hogwarts the following year and they needed someone who would not be hurt as much as other students would be. Neville was pure enough that they might just spare him from any unjust punishments that might be dealt out to rule-breakers.
Apparating to the outskirts of Mould-on-the-Wold, Sirius donned Harry's Invisibility Cloak and began to trudge up the main street of the small Wizarding community. He walked for a few minutes, eventually stopping outside a three-storey house that was decorated with various flowers hanging from each window. The garden was tidy and clean and the path shone in the moonlight.
He unclipped the front gate and walked up the path. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure that no one was watching, he threw the cloak off, bundling it into his robes before raising his fist and rapping on the front door. He grew worried as it seemed to take forever for someone to answer and he clutched his hand in his pocket, kept tightly around his wand, ready to pull out at a moment's notice.
He breathed a sigh of relief when the door opened and Augusta Longbottom stood there, grumbling with a lantern in hand and her wand in the other.
"Oh, it's you," she said, recognising Sirius, glancing up and down the street before moving aside to allow him to enter the hallway. "I'm glad you notified me in advance you were coming, otherwise I'd have opened the door with curses blazing!"
"I thought considering you have been a target of Death Eaters before that it would be prudent to not turn up uninvited," answered Sirius. "I can't be here long, the only reason I am is because I need to talk to Neville. I need to ask a favour of him, and I know it is uncalled of for me to do that, but I think he is the only one I can trust with this."
Augusta narrowed her eyes at him. "What about Harry Potter, surely he would be the one you would trust?"
"Naturally, however Harry is not in the position to help me, whereas Neville will be," he replied truthfully. There was no point in lying. "Harry won't be returning to Hogwarts. It's too dangerous for him. I hope that Neville will be, even though things might get worse for those who resist against Voldemort."
"My grandson has already discussed this with me. He wishes to return, but I understand that there will be new legislation being put forward that all young witches and wizards are to attend Hogwarts – they no longer have a choice. Neville will return and I'm sure," she sniffed haughtily, "live up to the family name. He is already talking of rebelling against the new system without even knowing what it entails; it is something that I am proud of. A true Longbottom and Gryffindor!"
Augusta led the way up the staircase, holding onto the banister for support. She stopped on the second floor and pointed down the hallway to a door on the far left. "Neville's room is there. He should still be awake."
"Thank you," nodded Sirius, putting forth his hand to shake hers. "I will leave as soon as I'm done here."
Augusta gave him a cod nod and started up to the third floor leaving Sirius alone to stand on the plush, red carpet that lined the hallway. Slowly, he began to walk towards the bedroom of Neville Longbottom.
The last thing Neville had expected was Sirius Black to walk into his room. At first he had thought the man had been a Death Eater and had drawn forth his wand before his brain caught up with his eyes. Sirius was holding up his hands to signal that he was unarmed.
"I just need a word," was what he said. "Your grandmother let me in, I'm not sure if she told you I was coming?"
The question seemed to hang in the air and Neville decided to answer it. "She didn't..." He was confused as to why the former Azkaban escapee was standing in his bedroom.
"I thought as much," shrugged Sirius. "Neville, I need to ask a favour of you, but it will be dangerous, and it is something that Harry can't do," he added before the young Gryffindor could suggest that.
What could I do to help him? I'm not very good at magic... Neville seemed to stumble in his reply. "I don't know how ... I could help?"
Sirius reached into his pocket and draw-forth a mirror. "You can help me a lot if you agree to be our spy in Hogwarts."
Neville was stunned. He wants me to be what? "Your ... what?"
Sirius smiled at the young boy. "Hogwarts is changing, I'm sure you've heard the rumours. Next year Death Eaters are likely to be common place around the school, but we need someone willing to defy them to keep in touch with us to keep up up-to-date. The reason I'm asking is that you are the only other person who I would trust with this, other than Harry, and my godson is not returning to Hogwarts next year. It is imperative that we have a spy there, preferably a student, and one who is not obvious. Ginny is out of the question – she is too close to Harry and is a suspect already. You, on the other-hand, a pure-blood wizard, an acquaintance of Harry Potter, but not considered close to him, is perfect for this."
"Why do you need a spy? Can't any of the Professors do it?"
Sirius shook his head. "No, they can't. It's too dangerous and they are already at risk of being replaced. The reason we need a spy is that at some point we are going to have to come back to Hogwarts and we may need to plan it in advance. Having someone inside the castle will help us a lot."
"And I'm insignificant enough to Harry that they wouldn't suspect me?" Oddly enough, Neville did not feel insulted by that. He knew that Harry's real friends were Ron and Hermione; he was just a bumbling student who just happened to share a dormitory with him. But was he brave enough to do what Sirius Black asked? Could he do it and hold his nerve? I think I can.
"How would I keep in contact with you?" he questioned.
Sirius held up the mirror he had pulled from his pocket. "This is a two-way mirror. It has a twin which is currently in Harry's possession. This mirror is my own; Harry's originally belonged to his father. All you have to do is say 'James Potter' into the mirror and then Harry or I will answer if we are able to."
Neville's eyebrows crinkled upwards. "Why 'James Potter'?"
"It's keyed to Harry's father. Only he would have been able to change the settings that would allow the mirror to answer to a variety of names. Unfortunately, James died before he could do that, so you have to say his name to reach the other mirror. It's a safety measure that James and I decided upon when we created them," explained the Auror.
Neville took the mirror from Sirius and gently inspected it, running his fingers over the mirror and cocking his head to the side as his eyes took in its detail. Glancing up, he placed the mirror in his lap and looked Sirius full in the eye, fully aware that one of his old Professors wanted his aid. He had already made up his mind; after all, hadn't he already been thinking about rebelling when he had first heard of the muted changes that were to be implemented at Hogwarts?
"I'll do it!" he vowed.
"Thank you, Neville," said Sirius. He held out his hand and the young wizard shook it, sealing the deal. "And you'll keep us up-to-date on any new developments? Keep it with you at all times, we cannot have it being discovered by the wrong people. Oh, and I've already programmed the mirror so that if we need to talk to you, we can call it by your name and not mine."
Neville nodded enthusiastically. "I'll be careful. I promise." He watched, in the dimming light of his room, as Sirius Black left.
Moments later he heard the front door open and close. Scrambling towards his window, Neville pulled the curtains open and peered out into the night. He could just see a figure walking down his garden path and then, as if he hadn't been there, Sirius Black disappeared into the night, leaving the young Longbottom to contemplate the task that he had been set.
To be continued...
Please let me know what you think!
Coming next: Revelations - in which Arthur brings bad news, Harry and Ginny have a heart to heart, and the search for the Cup begins... To be posted on Thursday.
Until next time,
the-writer1988