One night in late February I had my day off while Gideon had to work at the Ministry due to an emergency. We always arranged our shifts so that he could accompany me to work. It was extremely important to him not to leave me alone. For this reason, Fabian was in the house, who voluntarily contributed to my safety. We talked a lot about Regulus. Fabian racked his brains about what he might have meant before disappearing. A secret that would change everything. Something that would bring Voldemort down. We had no idea where to start our search. And so, I did what I always do in such cases: I pored over books.

At first, I read books about protective spells, but nothing seemed appropriate for Lord Voldemort. He would not settle for simple oaths of protection. So, I read books about more complex ancient wards and came across the Fidelius Charm. With the old and very complex Fidelius Charm the knowledge about places to be kept secret or buildings can be hidden in a person's memory. From now on, only the Secret Keeper knows where this place is and only this person can make this place discoverable and accessible for others. If you don't have the Secret Keeper's information, you can stand right in front of the building or even press your nose against the windowpane and still not find what you're looking for. As the name Fidelius (lat. fidelis = safe, loyal, reliable) indicates, the secret keeper has an absolute position of trust. I reported my discovery to Fabian.
"But who would qualify in Lord Voldemort's ranks?" I asked aloud. and slowly tapped my lips with one finger, my gaze wandering thoughtfully through the living room.

"Isn't the question whether Voldemort needs such a spell at all? I doubt he fears the Order that much." Fabian stated after a moment's thought.
"Mh, and I suppose if he had cast a Fidelius Charm Regulus couldn't have told or known where Voldemort was."
"Yes. Or do you think he couldn't use it to protect himself, but a powerful weapon?" Fabian asked, thoughtfully running his hands over the tabletop.
"A weapon? It might be. But what could it be?" I looked at Fabian with wide eyes. He was visibly upset by the death of his friend. His face was sunken, he had lost a lot of weight. His eyes were red and swollen. I often heard him cry in the dark nights as I pressed against Gideon. I tried to be there for my friend, to give him comfort. But what can one say when the love of life is lost forever?

We sat together on the large grey fabric couch. Our books were stacked on a large wooden table in front of us. We took them from the large shelf across from the fireplace. The bookshelf was almost empty. There was a picture in it. It showed Gideon and Fabian as boys with their sister. It must have been the day Gideon came to Hogwarts. He proudly held out a new wand while his amber eyes gleamed with delight. Fabian looked up at his big brother happily and proudly. Molly waved happily and placed her hand protectively on Gideon's shoulder. She must be about her third or fourth year. I inevitably had to smile at the sight.
Suddenly we heard murmurs coming from the front door, Fabian jumped up and twitched his wand. Gideon entered, looking exhausted. His face was grey from the long working hours, because before that he had carried out a surveillance assignment for the order.

"A pleasant day today, isn't it?" Fabian quickly asked the necessary security question, pointing his wand at his brother. He took seriously the task Gideon had given him in his absence: my safety. Fabian wanted with all his might to prevent his older brother from suffering the same fate as himself.

"The sun is blinding me," Gideon replied wearily, sinking onto the couch next to me.
"What are you doing here with all these books? Did Catherine ask you to teach her something again?" He looked at me laughing, but I saw in his eyes that he was working on serious thoughts.
"No, we're just doing some research on what Regulus might have found out before he died," I said.
"Mh, maybe I could distract you a bit? Unfortunately, I missed our time together today." He ran his warm hand lovingly over my cheek before kissing me.
"Oh, please. Not here!" said Fabian, played annoyed. "Better tell us what the emergency was at the Auror's office today!"
"Moody has received information that two employees may be affected by the Imperius Curse. We had to keep trying to figure out who it could be. Without being too obvious." Gideon ran a hand casually through his hair. I loved it when he did that.
"Yet again! It's been increasing lately, hasn't it?" Fabian asked, frowning.
"Yes. They are becoming more and more aggressive. Who does not play voluntarily will be forced. They even threaten people now that Fenrir Greyback will bite their children." Gideon sighed.
"What?!" I exclaimed. I knew it was the one that bit Remus. Voluntary-just for fun to create more.
"Yes, they have some werewolves on their side now. This matches the information provided by Remus Lupin. Many werewolves cannot live normally because of all the regulations from the ministry and the unequal treatment. They think that Voldemort will change their whole way of life." Gideon explained, looking at our frozen faces.
"But Voldemort only looks out for purebloods. How can the werewolves think they are anything more than means for the purpose?" I asked in horror. Why don't they see the true motives of this monster? He would never equate werewolves with purebloods. They could only serve as slaves. Just like in this war.
"Pure despair. Just think how your friend Remus Lupin must live. I can even almost understand them." explained Gideon. He always had so much understanding of other people's situations and was someone who was protective of them or suggested changes. But as an Auror in the Ministry in the Warrior- he didn't stand much of a chance.

"Have you been successful with the people on the Imperius?" Fabian asked.
"One was the personal assistant to our dear Minister of Magic Millicent Bagnold herself."
"What? You don't mean Barry Walsh?" asked Fabian with wide eyes.
"The exact same." Gideon gave a short nod.
"And the other?" I asked, shuddering. They had already gone far in taking over the ministry. It was only a matter of time before it was fully under Voldemort's control.
"We can only guess. My colleague Rufus Scrimgeour suspected Amos Diggory of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. However, Frank Longbottom and I have focused our investigation on the Goblin Connection department. I suspect that after the werewolves, Voldemort might be able to get the goblins on his side as well. What could be more natural than to sabotage our relationship with them. I've been thinking about paying the Head of Department, Knutbert Mockridge, a little visit tonight to see what's going on at his house." gushed out of Gideon. I knew he had great responsibilities that often weighed on him.
"But I bet the head of magical law enforcement didn't think that was a good idea?" Fabian prodded.
"Bartemius Crouch doesn't think it's appropriate to bother a colleague late, yes," Gideon said with a smirk. "But it didn't stop him from working overtime in his own department."
"Then it's about time for a covert operation?" Fabian asked with a mischievous grin. Gideon took one look at me before shaking his head.
"No, it's too dangerous." he determined.
"Oh, now that you're in safe hands, are you playing the henpecked man?" asked Fabian. He slapped his brother on the back.
"No, now that I have such a wonderful woman in my life, I just don't want to risk anything. We are no longer solely responsible for ourselves, Fabian."
I saw the disappointment in Fabian's eyes, he sighed in resignation. I figured I didn't want either of them in danger, but I knew that life as an Order member carried some risk. And Fabian would do well with a little distraction. Recognizing an Imperius curse was also part of my job at the hospital.
"How about all three of us stopping by Mister Mockridge's tonight. As friends, only to speak." I suggested and Fabian's eyes widened with joy.
"Exactly. A visit from our family so to speak.", Fabian stated. Gideon looked at him doubtfully, one eyebrow raised.
"What? Catherine is one of us now. And if we're both for it, you're outvoted." I was very happy about Fabian's words, that I belonged to this family. Gideon saw my happy look because he knew what family means to me. I do everything to make sure that he and Fabian are doing well. That also included Fabian's grief management. And if that included a trip to Mockridge, I was ready.
"I don't think it's a good idea to involve you two in this," Gideon said, nervously running a hand through his hair again.
"What? We're already on their kill list anyway. We can still take a few of them with us, right? Besides, harming Voldemort would give me satisfaction. Regulus would have liked it." Fabian stated in a bitter voice.

After we worked on Gideon a little bit later, we stood in front of Knutbert Mockridge's house with raised wands. Gideon had previously told Moody about our plan, who thought it was an excellent idea. It was quite a stately home, which is why we immediately noticed that the fence door was open. We knocked on the big white door.
"Knut, please open the door! It's me- Gideon. I am accompanied by my girlfriend and my brother. Can we speak to you for a moment, please?" asked Gideon loudly.
But nobody opened the door for us, even though there was a light in the living room.
"You're welcome to stick your Probity Probe in my ear if you prefer, Knut." Gideon cried again. But nobody moved.
"Does he live there alone?" I asked quietly.
"Yes, his wife and children moved out a few weeks ago. They must have had issues with each other for a while. For that reason, I suspect an Imperius Curse could be behind it." Gideon explained softly. He looked around again and gave us a nod towards the door to let us go inside. He opened the door lock with his wand. He must have done something like this before, because he was trying out a few opening charms before he succeeded. He gestured for us to stay behind him as an alarm went off, but with a wave of the wand from Gideon, the hangover spell was silenced. Inside we saw a sight of horror. The chair was turned upside down in front of the fireplace, the bookshelf blocking access to the closet in the hall. Everything was a mess and a lot was damaged, glass smashed.
"Go, both! Now!" Gideon barely whispered to us. Gideon's eyes widened, he stretched out his arm in front of us to stop us walking, but we shook our heads vigorously and raised our wands higher. He sighed in resignation. So, we walked slowly through the large living room, which was completely devastated. We took a quick look around before stepping into the darkened hallway. The lights from our wands lit our way to the kitchen. The fruit in the bowl was moldy and looked as if no one had been in the kitchen for weeks to take care of them.
Suddenly, we heard a noise. It came from the basement. We slowly looked around and opened the small wooden door that led into the darkness with a spiral staircase. But again, we heard that noise, only louder. It sounded like scraping on the wooden floor.
Gideon led the way, I in the middle while Fabian guarded the entrance.
Then we found him. Knutbert Mockridge was tied to a chair. Bald patches stood out in his mop of ash-blonde hair. The mouth closed with bands of thick fabric. With a swipe of my wand, I untied the poor man, who fell to the ground, dirty and whimpering. He was trembling all over.
"Before... watch out, they... they're coming," he called out in a shaky voice, pointing behind us with a scrawny finger. Suddenly four figures in dark long cloaks formed up in front of us. They all wore masks so we couldn't see our opponents face to face.
Already the first curses shot from the wands of our attackers.
"So, you don't even have the decency to show your faces anymore? But I recognize you, Dolohov, when you stand in front of me." Gideon shouted, sending Stunning Spells at his attacker.
"Prewett, my old friend. Glad, I can finally finish this!" One of the cloaked figures exclaimed curse after curse slammed into Gideon. But he was great at fending them off. I had never seen such a powerful shield spell.
I was hiding behind an old dresser and aimed my spells at the various longcoats. Gideon had Freezed one of them so that he fell over and remained motionless on the ground.
"Well, sweetie, you're not in the right place here, are you?" A dark man's voice suddenly sounded from my side.
"This is a Muggle-born. She deserved death." Another voice suddenly called. It sounded familiar, though it came out muffled from under the mask. Was that Mucliber? I pulled out my wand and my paralyzing charm took hold of him instantly.
"What's going on here? A party without me?" Suddenly a voice called at the basement entrance. A familiar face with a crooked mouth and many scars joined us in the basement. Alastor Moody sent a curse right away against Dolohov, who was engaged in his fight with Gideon.
And then-

Fabian was on the ground.
"Crucio," one of the figures shouted, and Fabian's mouth let out terrible screams. I hurled several curses at Fabian's attackers. One caught him and in pain he ripped off his mask, he grabbed his bleeding face. His platinum blonde hair fell over his forehead into his cold grey eyes.
"You weaklings! You have nothing to gain here." Dolohov shouted. "Come on, let's go!" He grabbed Mulicber, who lying on the ground and Disapperted. The frozen Death Eater moved instantly, grabbed the bleeding death eater, and vanished as well.
It all happened so fast that we didn't get a chance to confront them again.
"Are you all right, Catherine and Fabian?" Gideon asked, wiping his own blood from his face. He had a deep gash under his right eye. I nodded an Fabian rolled on the floor, but his muscle cramps visibly subsided. I helped him get up.

"Everything ok," Fabian gasped and slowly got up. Gideon nodded, but he was clearly appalled to see his younger brother in such an awkward position.

"That was probably close." Alastor stated, forming a smile with his crooked mouth.
"Yes. And he's eluded me again. But all good things come in threes, right Alastor? How come you came here?" Gideon covered his wound with a cloth.
"I figured you could use some help. I didn't want to miss out all the fun." Alastor's eyes fell on me and I saw a look of surprise cross his face before he nodded at me. He hadn't expected me here. In active battle against Death Eaters. But even though it could have ended badly, I felt a strange satisfaction inside. I had slashed the face of this Death Eater when he actually wanted to torment Fabian. I shuddered. Was that really just my thought? I genuinely took pleasure in hurting someone. Even if it was the enemy. It was wrong. And yet it felt good.
Suddenly Knutbert Mockridge's whimpering pulled us out of our conversation. He was huddled in a corner.
"So, Knutbert. Now tell us what happened to you." asked Alastor, lifting him to his unsteady legs by the collar.

"Im...Imperius. When I started to resist it… after my wife moved out, one of them used Polyjuice Potion and took my position at the Ministry. They kept me alive down here...needed hair from me," the man said, whimpering. He scratched a bald spot on his head. His blue eyes watered and I asked myself, why doesn't a wife realize that her husband and ministry employee is suddenly out of character?
"Terrible. I hope nothing like that ever happens to me.", Alastor said in a bitter voice and shook his head in disgust. "Then off to St. Mungo's with you!" Alastor grabbed the Death Eater's victim to leave with him immediately.
"That was an adventure." said Fabian and his eyes glittered with satisfaction.
"Glad that you enjoyed it. But it was your last. I can't risk you getting hurt. Having the two of you around weakened my martial arts. I've been checking all the time to see if you're in danger. Dolohov almost got me for it," Gideon said, still pressing against his wound.
"Because of what?" Fabian asked in surprise.
"My love for you, you idiot!", Gideon said annoyed. Suddenly his eyes widened and he quickly looked around."And now let's go. We should get out of here quickly before any of them come by again."

Once inside the Prewett house, I devoted myself to the wounds of the two brothers. Gideon had insisted that I heal Fabian first in the kitchen. He had some wounds and even a rib slightly cracked. But it wasn't anything I couldn't heal through my work as a healer.

When I had finished,I gently dabbed diptam on Gideon's cheek when he suddenly grabbed my arms on the couch in the living room where he tried to think straight and brooded.

.
"Catherine, please never put yourself in danger again. It was so stupid of me to take you with me. I should have known something could happen." his voice sounded serious and yet there was a slight shake in it. He blamed himself for it. It was probably his way of wanting to protect everyone around him. At least that's what he had in common with his older sister Molly. I wondered how her parents had been to have such brave and caring children.
"Oh Gideon, Fabian and I wanted it that way. We are not little children for you to protect." I explained in a soft voice. I loved him for his protective side, but I was now willing to give more to the fight against Voldemort.

"But isn't that why you're here? So, the Death Eaters don't catch you?" he asked quietly and his amber eyes literally pierced me. It warmed my heart in an unimaginable way.
"In the beginning maybe. But now I´m here for a different reason." I said and kissed him lovingly. He returned my tenderness and pulled me towards him powerfully.

"Guys, please. Go upstairs!", called Fabian from the open kitchen door. Gideon rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"I think we're both starting to need more privacy than is possible in this house, aren't we?", he asked and took my hand to walk with me upstairs.