No still not the great JK Rowling... if I was do you think I'd be posting here when I could publish and make billions? LOL!

Ok my lovely readers you know when you get on a roller coaster and there is a nice slow rise to the top? Well we have just about reached the top of one of the hills... so that means that you are in for an incrediable fast paced, action paced next number of chapters(not going to say how many :) you will just know when we reach the bottom!) So sit down. Keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times and for goodness sake HOLD ON! ;-)

MWWHAHAhaha!

Chapter Thirty-eight

A Safe Place

The following morning at breakfast, Harry explained to the others the rough plan that they had come up with. First they would need to scout out a place that they could watch the diner from, to determine when or if Umbridge went there. Then they would need to work out what sort of diversion and how big. If possible they would draw very little attention to themselves.

Hermione was quick to point out that they only had 9 days left until they were due back at Hogwarts, so after a lot of discussion it was decided that Taylor and Harry would apparate to Sofia's Diner today and start scouting. They would go disguised as a couple so that there wouldn't be any need to try to hide under the invisibility cloak and possibly splinch themselves when they apparated there.

They moved their camp, immediately after they finished planning, to a remote wooded area high on a hill. By noon Taylor and Harry were disguised and in transfigured clothes to match their new look. Taylor was a blond again but this time her features were such that she would easily be forgotten, as was Harry's brown hair and full beard that was sprinkled with gray.

"Hermione, don't you think you over did it a bit with all this gray?" Harry asked as he glanced at his new reflection in the mirror.

"No, the older you look the better. You will be less noticeable." Hermione replied briskly as she put the finishing touches on Taylor's blond hair.

An hour later Harry and Taylor sat at a table in the large restaurant. They hadn't had any trouble so far and were able to pick out several good places from which they would be able to watch for Umbridge. A waitress had just brought them their order when they heard a voice that both shocked and thrilled them.

"Why I was just telling Robert last night that the Minister will not stand for those animals being granted any more rights." The simpering voice said from behind a short wall.

"Yes but surely the Minister will at least hear the poor man's plight. Werewolf attacks are happening at a suddenly alarming rate…"

Harry and Taylor listened closely as the conversation continued, almost forgetting to eat. They couldn't believe their good luck, finding Umbridge this quickly, but they weren't ready to implement the rest of their plan today. The parting words of Umbridge made the two siblings eyes widen.

"…as I said yesterday. I have a dinner appointment here tomorrow night at six with the Head of the Department of Mysteries and one of his juniors, also the Minister's Under Secretary, to go over a few things before I head off to Spain for a couple of weeks for some important meetings there with their Minister."

Forty-five minutes later Harry and Taylor sat in their little tent as the wind whipped through the trees and shook the canvas, threatening to blow it away.

"Well, we caught a break there!" Ron said after he had heard what Umbridge had said. "If we had waited another day and gone we would have probably missed the old toad because we wouldn't have had a plan to take the horcrux. This way we have a day to work out the details to get the necklace and still have a week before we go back to school."

"Yes but it doesn't leave us much time to plan." Hermione said anxiously. Then she launched into questioning Taylor and Harry on everything that they had seen in the Diner.

"Taylor! Stop fidgeting," Hermione whispered as the two of them stood outside of Sofia's Diner. They had just apparated and were waiting in the short line up to enter the busy restaurant.

"Well this contraption you call a dress is riding up in all the wrong places!" Taylor growled into Hermione's new red hair. The two of them were in disguise again. Ron and Harry had come a few minutes before to pick out the best table that they could, as close to Umbridge's as possible. They had decided that the four of them arriving together might draw too much attention.

They only had to wait for a few minutes before a waiter showed them to the table where Ron and Harry were, only one table away from Umbridge's.

Taylor almost had a heart attack when she saw who was sitting at the table with Umbridge, and only because Hermione was behind her pushing her along did she make it to their table without stopping and staring.

"What…" Harry started to ask before Taylor leaned in close to her brother and whispered.

"Mr. Hunter, Greg's father is sitting with Umbridge!"

Harry's jaw tightened, this wasn't in the plans. "Do you think we should just go?"

Taylor took a deep breath and looked over towards the table where Mr. Hunter was sitting. No one from the table seemed to be at all interested in what was happening at this one. "No, this is our only chance. Besides I got all dressed up just to come here this evening." Taylor said as she leaned back and winked at her brother a smirk on her face, fully recovered from the shock of seeing Greg's father sitting at the table where they planned to steal the necklace from the toad.

To keep up appearances they ordered something off the menu, even though they didn't plan on eating any of it. They tried to act as normally as possible, keeping up their cover of two couples out on a date.

When their food arrived, as planned Harry excused himself from the table to head for the washroom. He placed the Instant Darkness Powder, that Fred and George had imported from Peru, near Umbridge's table and the hallway into the washrooms and the nearest exit.

When he came back he nodded that he was ready. Hermione and Taylor looked at one another. Their timing had to be perfect.

"Now!"

Harry activated the powder and the room plunged into total darkness as Ron and Harry set off a whole series of Wildfire Whiz-bangs. Amongst the screams and confusion, Taylor and Hermione went to work.

"Accio Horcrux!" Taylor called, as her pendant burnt and a horribly familiar feeling drained her magic.

Hermione had been waiting for Taylor to cast her spell as she sent the replica Slytherin necklace through the air, working from memory in the pitch dark, and settled it on a screaming Umbridge.

Harry deftly caught the real necklace as it sailed towards their table and Ron cast the spell to blow open the exit door, effectively covering their tracks by misdirection.

The whole thing took less then twenty seconds.

In less then thirty seconds the darkness began to lift and restaurant security, and the pure number of qualified witches and wizards in the place, had put many of the fireworks out.

"Harry!" Taylor groaned as she fought the blackness that wanted to consume her. She couldn't afford to lose consciousness here. She now knew that it was summoning a horcrux that drained her magic. A realization that had come too late.

"Taylor?" Harry said as he looked to where his sister had been sitting in the dim light that was chasing away the blackness. He could see her lying on the floor. He quickly bent down and picked her up.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked quietly as things started to return to normal, and Ministry officials, as well as security, gained control of the panicked people in the restaurant.

"I don't know but we need to get out of here!" Harry muttered urgently. They had used simple spells, that if they could keep from being noticed, wouldn't give them away if their wands were checked. With something wrong with Taylor, it would surely draw more attention and…

A huge explosion blew out the far side of the restaurant sending debris flying and throwing the place into total chaos again.

Dropping into a crouch, Harry felt Ron beside him, the sight of several dark figures coming in through the gaping hole in the wall of the restaurant sent a cold chill down Harry's back. Death Eaters.

Holding his sister tightly, he said urgently "We need to go! Now!"

"Come on," Ron hissed as he started to move, pulling Hermione with him, towards the exit near the washrooms, away from the Death Eaters, the same one that he had blew open only a few moments ago.

Spells, jinxes and shield charms were being cast everywhere as some people tried to fight with the Death Eaters, while others just wanted to protect themselves, while others still had only escaping in mind.

It was like trying to move through a minefield, as errant spells flew past, smashing into the floor or furniture, causing it to explode. Also there was a constant crush of bodies as people tried to get out of the way.

They were almost to the open door when Harry was hit with a jelly-legs jinx and dropped Taylor as his legs flew out of control.

Taylor hit the floor hard, the jolt clearing her head from the blackness and she could see Harry above her as his legs jerked and spasmed out of control.

"Harry!" Ron yelled reaching for his friend. "'Mione get Taylor out of here. I'll get Harry! GO!"

Hermione reached down and struggled to help Taylor up off the floor. Taylor helped as best she could but weak as she felt, she could do little more than cling to her friend. Awkwardly the two finally made it outside, the mayhem in the restaurant driving them forward, as Hermione was nearly carrying the younger witch. What they saw there nearly caused them to go crashing to the ground.

A Death Eater suddenly appeared in the tiny alleyway to cut off the escape of anyone using the emergency exit. A new wave of panic swept through the alley as a witch screamed and a brave wizard leapt forward to duel with the Death Eater.

Ron and Harry were suddenly beside Hermione and Taylor. ""Mione we gotta go now!" Ron yelled as he fought to keep his hold on Harry and his spasming legs.

Taylor looked up and saw the fear on Hermione's face, as adrenaline pounded thru her. "Go!" Taylor yelled, in the background she could see the wizard was about to fall before the Death Eaters assault. Gathering every once of strength she had Taylor pulled a frightened Hermione into her apparation spin as Ron did the same with Harry.

A few seconds later the two witches crashed to the frozen snow-covered ground, unconscious.

Slowly Taylor became aware of the coldness, as the snow she was laying in melted, soaking through her dress. A feeling that something wasn't right assailed her groggy mind. With an effort she opened her eyes and instead of the thick woods where their tent was, she looked up into the clear night sky.

As if it were wading through thick mud, a thought slowly formed in her mind. "'Arry." Taylor groaned, the word nearly unintelligible.

Then she could hear it, the sound of voices. They seemed to be coming from far away. The nagging feeling that they weren't quite right persisted as the voices became clearer.

"Oh my god! Taylor!"

"Wait! It could be a trick!"

"It's no trick"

"How can you be sure? What if…"

"Taylor, can you hear me? What happened?"

A face swam into Taylor's line of sight. A feeling of being safe warmed her body and her eyes slid closed, too tired to keep them open any longer.

"Taylor!" The voices seemed surreal. "Look if you aren't going to help me, then go Bruce! Otherwise get Hermione. I'm taking Taylor into the house! What's it going to be?"

"Your father is going to have your ass, you know that right? What if… Alright, I'll bring the other chit in."

Gentle arms picked Taylor up off the cold ground and a warm chest was beneath her head. All too soon a new voice started asking questions.

"Oh dear Merlin! What's happened? Bring them right in here."

Taylor could feel herself being lowered onto something soft as the warm arms and chest moved away. She whimpered at the sudden loss.

"Taylor can you hear me? Please open your eyes. I need to know what happened to you and Hermione. Were you attacked?" The deep voice was gentle but insistent.

"Maybe you should try to revive her."

"No, I don't think she's been hit with a spell."

"What do you think is wrong?"

"Taylor come on, you need to talk to me." The deep voice insisted a little more urgently. "I need to know if you were attacked and if you might have been followed."

Taylor's mind slowly processed what was being said, as memory of what happened came back to her in pieces. Her voice was weak and thready as she tried to explain. "We were at the… it was attacked, Death Eaters. I was so weak. 'Mione was helping me. People were screaming. Harry dropped me. He was hit with a jelly-legs… Ron went to help him. Another Death Eater was outside…" The nagging feeling of something not being right came back.

Taylor's eyes few open. "Harry! Where's Hermione? Where am I?"

Gentle hands held her down as the face that belonged to them came into focus. "Greg…" Taylor breathed the name.

"Yeah, relax. You're at my house. You're safe. Hermione is lying on the other sofa. You're saying there were Death Eaters? Where?"

Taylor tried to force her sluggish mind into gear. She was at Greg's? But how? She remembered Hermione froze, and knowing that they needed to get away from the restaurant… Then she remembered reaching for someplace to go and thinking it needed to be safe… She must have reached for Hunter's Place and the feeling of safety that she'd felt there.

"Harry. Harry will be worried. I need to get him a message before he goes back to look for us!" Taylor cried as she weakly struggled to sit up. "Hermione…"

"Taylor, it's okay. I'll send my Patronus and tell Harry you two are safe. Hermione is still unconscious." Greg said firmly as he stood and drew his wand.

Taylor watched as the massive silvery white dog burst out of Greg's wand and he gave it the message before sending it away. He'd told Harry that they were safe and that he would contact him again when it was safe to do so.

A soft moan from the other sofa made everyone turn, Hermione was coming to.

"Ron? Where am I? What happened?"

"It's alright Hermione. You're safe. Just try to relax." Greg said as he moved over to the other witch.

"Greg Hunter? But how…" Hermione asked as her voice started to rise.

"It's okay Hermione. I brought us here." Taylor said to calm her friend.

"Taylor? What happened?' Hermione asked, as she found her friend lying on the other sofa. "Are you okay? Why did you bring us here? Ron and Harry are going to be desperately worried."

"Just relax. I don't know what you two have been hit with, so just lie still for a bit until we figure it out. I sent my Patronus to Potter and Weasley to let them know you are safe." Greg spoke in a calm voice, and he saw Hermione relax back onto the sofa cushions.

"Greg, I'll go get your father's healer bag. Bruce, why don't you conjure up a couple of blankets for these two girls? I'll fix some hot chocolate when I return and then they can tell us exactly what happened." Mrs. Hunter ordered in a gentle voice.

Taylor watched the older woman leave the room. A second later a warm fuzzy blanket covered her and warmth suffused her as Greg cast a warming charm, making her realize that she was shaking with cold, and probably shock too.

Mrs. Hunter had just returned with steaming cups of hot chocolate when they heard a noise from the entry way and a deep worried voice called, "Veronica? Greg? Why was the front door unsealed?" It was Mr. Hunter.

"We are in here Dan!" Mrs. Hunter called to her husband, and a second later he appeared in the doorway, his clothes covered in dirt and a couple of scorch marks.

Mrs. Hunter gasped at the sight of her husband having so clearly been in some sort of skirmish. "What happened? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine dear." Mr. Hunter said gently as he gave his wife a hug, but his eyes were taking in the scene in the living room where two witches lay on the sofas clearly injured. "What happened here?" He demanded.

"There was an attack by Death Eaters. Taylor and her friend apparated here only ten minutes ago." Mrs. Hunter answered her husband.

Mr. Hunter sent a sharp look at his wife, then pinned his son and nephew with a hard look, before turning that look to the two witches that were in his living room.

"Taylor, and you are?" Mr. Hunter asked as he looked at Hermione.

"Hermione Granger, sir."

"Well Miss Granger, Taylor, I believe you have a little explaining to do. I just came from the restaurant where the Death Eaters attacked and I don't recall seeing either of you there."

Taylor looked over at Hermione and saw the fear that crossed her face, her real face. The disguise that they had used at the restaurant was gone, likely dissolved when they lost consciousness. How were they going to explain their way out of this fix?

Exhaustion pressed down on Taylor. She still felt incredibly weak. She didn't think she could perform the simplest spell right then. Summoning the horcrux and then apparating them here had left her completely spent. She was amazed that she hadn't splinched the two of them, considering how drained her magic had been when she apparated.

Greg was talking to his father. "Dad, cut them a little slack. They were both unconscious when they got here and just woke up. I don't know what spells were used on them."

Mr. Hunter's lips thinned, but his voice softened slightly. "All right. I'll see what's wrong, then I want some answers. I'll probably need my bag."

"I already brought it down, dear." Mrs. Hunter said as she passed a bag to her husband.

Mr. Hunter removed his dirty scorched cloak and after a quick scourgifying charm he moved over to Hermione, he passed his wand over her slowly as he muttered under his breath. After a few minutes he smiled at her as he said. "I think you will be alright Miss Granger, I have a potion that should help you feel better. Also a cup of hot chocolate I see my wife has already made." He smiled at her as he handed her the potion that he'd taken from his bag.

"Thank you Mr. Hunter." Hermione said as steam drifted out of her ears, but she sounded better and her face regained most of its natural color.

Greg watched his father as he looked at Hermione. He wanted to sit and pull Taylor into his arms and hold her. However he resisted the urge, afraid that the whiteness of her face and weakness in her voice and movements was an indication that there was something seriously wrong. He'd also wanted to demand that his father look at Taylor first, but long ago he'd learned that his father rarely did things randomly.

Taylor watched too as Mr. Hunter finished with Hermione, and was pleased to see that her friend looked much better now. When he came over to her he began the same slow wand movements that he'd used on Hermione, though they seemed to take far longer. It was when Mr. Hunter's eyebrows drew together that she knew he had found something different. After a few more moments he said worriedly "I've never seen anything like this before. It's as if you've somehow had your magic drained. I'm afraid this is way beyond my training."

Taylor felt her heart start to pound, knowing what he was about to say.

"I think you should go to St. Mungo's. They will be able to figure out what has happened."

Taylor heard the other's gasp, as she shook her head. "I can't go there. I'm sorry. I'll be fine in a little while, as long as I rest for a while."

"Taylor, something like this can only come from some sort of dark spell. It's not something that you should fool around with. There's no telling what sort of side-effects there might be." Mr. Hunter said concerned.

"I'll be fine. It's not a dark spell. I had it happen once before at school. Greg you remember? I was fine after I had a chance to rest and eat something." Taylor said as she looked up into the Head Boy's concerned face.

Greg's eyes widened as he remembered indeed finding Taylor weak and being supported between Potter and Weasley. At the time he remembered thinking that her magic had somehow been drained. Now his father had just confirmed that was the case this time. He also remembered that she said it had been caused by a wonky spell. What had happened this time? Was it a 'wonky spell' this time again? Or something else?

"Yeah I remember." Greg answered and his father glanced up at him sharply.

"I remember too." Hermione exclaimed as she looked at the younger witch with concern. "Taylor, are you sure it was like that other time? The wonky spell?"

"Yeah. I'm not trying that spell again!" Taylor said in an effort to lighten the mood but didn't quite carry it off, as her voice still sounded so weak.

"What kind of spell did you attempt? I've never heard of a spell causing a witch to lose their magic, even one that went 'wonky'" Mr. Hunter asked in a deadly serious tone.

Taylor sighed and closed her eyes. She couldn't tell Greg's father any more than she could tell Greg. She didn't manage to open her eyes until after she had started to speak again. "I can't tell you… I'm sorry, but you are just going to have to trust me that it was a spell that didn't go quite the way I planned... All I can tell you is that it was very important for what Harry is doing."

"I see. So I am to just trust you, is that it? When you have admitted to being at a Death Eater attack, even though I didn't see you there. And then coming to my home weak from some wonky spell?" Mr. Hunter asked in a tight voice.

"Dad!" Greg cried, suddenly wondering if his father was going to make Taylor and Hermione go away.

"Mr. Hunter," Hermione put in as she sat up on the sofa. "The reason you didn't notice us at the restaurant was because we were in disguise. We were sitting only a few tables away from you when the attack began."

"What were you doing at the restaurant and why were you in disguise?" Mr. Hunter demanded as he straightened up from Taylor and pinned Hermione with a penetrating look.

"Well Harry can't very well go out in public without a disguise, can he? You-Know-Who is looking for him!" Hermione said in her best matter-of-fact voice.

"What were you doing at the restaurant in the first place?" Mr. Hunter demanded.

Taylor wished she were feeling stronger, as a snippy reply came to her, but instead she said tiredly, "Mr. Hunter, we can't tell you that. All we can say, is that we thought what we were doing was so important, that we were willing to be discovered by Voldemort to complete it."

There were the usual gasps and exclamations at the mention of Voldemort's name.

"That is no sort of answer young lady!" Mr. Hunter said in a clipped tone.

"Dan, dear. If the girls can't tell us, then they can't." Mrs. Hunter said gently as she went to stand beside her husband.

"I have a good notion to take the two of you to the Ministry and let the aurors there see if they can't get some answers."

Hermione let out a frightened squeak, as Taylor's heart slammed against her chest, fear giving her the strength to sit up on the sofa. She was in no shape to fight her way out of here if Greg's father followed through on his threat. However, allowing herself and Hermione to be taken to the Ministry would be suicide. They'd be in Voldemort's hands before midnight.

Using that fear she pushed herself up off the sofa, only Hermione's and Greg's quick action kept her from hitting the floor, but she managed to say, "I'm sorry you feel that way Sir. We will leave."

"Taylor you can't go anywhere, you can barely stand! Dad, you can't be serious!" Greg exclaimed as he held Taylor up and glared at his father.

"Dan! Surely you can't mean to put these two girls out? Can't you see that you've gone and frightened them into thinking that they have to leave?" Mrs. Hunter admonished her husband.

Mr. Hunter sighed. "I'm sorry Taylor. Son, sit her down before she falls down. I do not like the fact that you won't answer my questions, but I suppose I can see why you might not be able to tell me. The constant threat from You-Know-Who makes me a lot more suspicious then I used to be I'm afraid."

Taylor was never so thankful to sit down, and she even leaned heavily against Greg as he sat down beside her.

"We're sorry too Mr. Hunter. You have every right to be suspicious of us. These are dangerous times, and it is only by mistake that we are here." Hermione said a little nervously as she sat beside Taylor on the sofa.

A/N Ohhhhh a cliff hanger... well sort of anyway! LOL! So what did you think? Any questions? Thoughts? Ideas about what is happening? As I said at the first of this chapter we are starting into a sequence of events that will be rather... eventfull :-) Unfortunitly that means there will be a number of cliff hangers but I hope to be able to post a chapter every couple of days until there is a little breathing room in the story again! Or until we hit the bottom of this very twisted fast roller coaster hill we are on! Then we will just have to start up another slope! LOL

Thank you to those who Alerted and Favorited this story! It means alot to me to know you enjoy this story enough to do that! Plus I need to say thank you to barbc who without her quick bataing these next chapters would take a lot longer to post!

Well until next time, cytpotter.