Author's Notes: This chapter references events that take place in MandyinKC's story, Order of Mercy, and are used with her permission. The events on September 1 correspond with chapters 11-12, and the events on September 2 correspond with chapters 13-14. Special thanks to Mandy for allowing me to reference her story in mine, and tweak things slightly to fit my story (mainly, Adrian's involvement, which does not happen in her story.)
~EA
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September 1, 1997
Monday — September 1, 1997
6:30 am
For the third time since July the 1st, Angelina woke Adrian and Alicia by pounding on their bedroom door. When Adrian heard her voice and jolted from sleep, he wondered what fresh hell the Death Eaters had in store for them now.
"Pucey's gonna love this one," Johnson called angrily through the door, as Adrian threw on his jeans and t-shirt, and reversed the silencing charms.
"I don't like the sound of that," he said darkly, when she came into the room.
Her mouth was a thin line. "Yeah, it's pretty damn bad."
When she held out the Daily Prophet and he saw the headline, Adrian swore furiously. "You've got to be fucking kidding me!" he snarled, his lip curling.
Alicia had come around the side of the bed and leaned over his arm. When she read the headline, she sputtered and nearly shrieked with indignation, "Snape is headmaster, now?! What the actual hell?!"
"And attendance is compulsory, remember?" Angelina reminded them.
"Damn it…" Adrian thrust the paper back at her and began to pace, trying to think. It was like some sick, twisted reality they were suddenly living: The son of a bitch who had killed Professor Dumbledore was now in charge of Hogwarts, and students were required to attend. It would be ludicrous to think Snape and Voldemort wouldn't put other Death Eaters in key teaching positions at Hogwarts. They would make sure that students were surrounded by Voldemort's ideology, and that did not bode well at all. Adrian was damned grateful he had graduated, but he dreaded to think what the students were going to be dealing with now.
"Thank Godric my parents took my half-sister back to the islands," Angelina muttered, scanning the rest of the front page.
"Oliver's little brother is a fourth-year, though," Alicia reminded her.
Angelina closed her eyes. "Fuck. I'd forgotten about Alex. Damn it, Ollie won't like this at all."
Alicia added, "And Kenneth's brother is a fifth-year."
Adrian groaned. Towler was going to be livid. He was already in a touchy mood because he had to take his brother to the station this morning. He confided in Adrian just the previous week that he and his father had gotten into a huge argument about the war, as well as Kenneth's job and Karen. Kenneth had expected his parents to write him off, but then his father had suddenly been demoted from Lead Liaison Minister to a Junior Liaison, and Death Eater Heinrich Jugson had replaced Lionel Towler at the Ministry. Normally, parents took their children to the station, but Jugson was demanding the entire Department of International Magical Cooperation to attend an all-day meeting on policy change. Lionel had swallowed his pride, admitted his mistakes, and begged Kenneth to take his little brother to Platform 9¾'s in his place to make sure Luke stayed safe. Kenneth had agreed, because Kenneth was a responsible sort, no matter how angry he was at his parents.
"Don't forget about Ginny," Angelina said darkly, meeting Alicia's eyes.
Adrian arched an eyebrow. "Well, I'm pretty sure she'll be ready to start a revolution. Especially if she sneaks a bunch of her brothers' products in somehow."
"She might," Angelina agreed. "But if Snape is in charge and he puts Death Eaters in teaching positions, I doubt anyone is going to be able to get away with rebellion. You mark my words, the punishments will change drastically. It won't just be detention."
Alicia sank onto the bed. "Merlin. I don't even want to think about that," she whispered.
"I need to get to Holyhead." Angelina sighed. "Good luck at the Healer Institute today."
Adrian turned to Alicia when the door closed behind Angelina. "Come on, love," he said wearily. "You have classes and I need to check in with my parents. They already dislike Snape; my mother will be furious. And she's been bugging me to bring you around for dinner one night, too. It's been nearly two months since she met you and she's annoyed I haven't brought you by."
Alicia laughed weakly. "I suppose we should humor her."
"Tomorrow evening, then?"
She took a deep breath. "At least I have more of a warning this time, I suppose."
8:50 am
When Alicia arrived at the Healer Institute for her second fall term in the Healer program and found her seat in her first class, she was surprised to see that Chrysanthe wasn't already there, ready to take notes. The Hufflepuff was always on time, and though there were still ten minutes to go before class began, it was unusual that she hadn't already arrived.
Courtney Vanhausen came in a moment later and sat on Alicia's left side, though she looked pale, sullen, and tired. She didn't say anything at first; merely pulled out her parchment, quill, and ink to take notes — but then she glanced around and looked slightly startled. Narrowing her eyes at Alicia, she asked quietly, "Where's Hayden?"
"I don't know," Alicia admitted, looking around worriedly again.
Courtney looked slightly unnerved, but she didn't say anything else.
The minutes ticked by. It wasn't until the clock hit the hour and Ecclestone strode in and began class that Alicia felt a true spike of anxiety.
Something was wrong. Chrysanthe wouldn't have skipped class without telling her.
Alicia anxiously twisted her quill in her hands as she began to take notes. She couldn't focus for anything.
Where the hell was Chrysanthe?
10:30 am — 11:15 am
When Lionel Towler had been the Lead Liaison Minister for the Ministry, he had always had access to an official Ministry of Magic car and driver, and he always accompanied Kenneth — and, when Luke started at Hogwarts, both of his sons — to Victoria Station and Platform 9¾'s. But with Lionel's demotion, there was no Ministry car, and Kenneth decided that the best way to get his mother and brother where they needed to go was by side-along Apparition.
Lorraine Towler did not speak when she opened the front door at 10:30 that morning and found her oldest son waiting for her and Luke. She merely looked resigned as she levitated Luke's trunk onto the step, turned on its end, and then stepped aside and allowed Luke to exit first. By contrast, Luke looked sulky and disgruntled. He grasped his mother's arm and they Apparated together, while Kenneth Apparated with the trunk.
All three reappeared in an alley next to Victoria Station.
Kenneth and Luke carried the trunk in and found a trolley. From there, they made their way to the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10, and leaned on it unobtrusively before sliding through to Platform 9¾.
The second he was on the other side, Kenneth knew immediately that this year was different from anything he had ever known. Aurors were guarding every entrance, while a few unsavory, disgusting Snatchers waited eagerly on the sides, and a number of haughty, arrogant men — unmasked Death Eaters, Kenneth thought with a wave of sickening dread — were spaced along the platform. All of them were watching the students. It made the hair on the back of Kenneth's neck stand up and he gripped his wand more tightly as he kept his eyes moving to take in who all was there.
He immediately noticed Bill Weasley with his family nearby, because Bill was so tall, and Kenneth led the way over to them. The Wood family was with the Weasleys, including former Gryffindor Keeper Oliver, who had a hand on his younger brother Alex's shoulder. No one looked happy.
"Kenneth," Bill said somberly, shaking his hand. His own eyes were shifting about, keeping various people in his line of sight.
"Bill. Fleur." Kenneth jerked his head, and Fleur gave him a curt nod, too.
While the Woods and Weasleys conversed quietly, Kenneth continued to keep an eye on everything around them, because his mother certainly didn't seem to want to look anywhere except at Luke. It was in everyone's best interests to remain quiet and keep to mundane conversation; the Death Eaters were looking for any excuse to arrest anyone at this point.
A few minutes later, Kenneth watched in horror as Colin and Dennis Creevey walked onto the platform, but his worry turned out to be for naught; apparently, the boys had alleged legitimate papers proving they were half-bloods instead of the muggle-borns everyone had thought for the past few years. Colin claimed he had done quite a bit of genealogy over the summer in order to make sure he and his brother weren't arrested. Kenneth wondered if it was actually true or if Colin had forged the papers, but he didn't dare voice this opinion aloud.
Shortly after the Creevey brothers had presented their papers to the guard and were allowed to pass, Ernie MacMillan appeared to speak to Oliver's father. Since the Woods and MacMillans were related by marriage, Ernie agreed to take his younger cousin Alex onto the train and keep an eye on him. Kenneth barely listened as the group behind him suddenly laughed at some Quidditch joke and hugged their children goodbye. Alex, Ernie, and Ginny all turned to board the train, and a couple of Luke's Gryffindor friends came to greet him.
Luke allowed their mother to hug him and Kenneth to gently clapped his shoulder, before he and his friends gathered their trunks and moved towards the train. Lorraine remained silent, her eyes a bit glazed as she watched Luke fall in line behind the two remaining seventh-year Gryffindor boys, Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnigan.
And that was when a young man burst through the barrier arch, looking disheveled and desperate. He yelled for everyone to wait, that he was there to board the train, too.
Kenneth first registered that he was an older student wearing Hufflepuff robes, and it suddenly occurred to him just who the young man was when he heard a girl scream the boy's name: Justin.
Justin Finch-Fletchey.
Kenneth's eyes widened. He had so many personal friends in Hufflepuff, and he'd been Head Boy as well, so he still recognized a lot of the current seventh-year students, at least by face and some by name. He also knew that Justin was muggle-born.
That thought felt like a punch to his gut.
Godric's arse, Justin was muggle-born. And he didn't have a trunk.
Kenneth felt his chest tighten painfully.
Justin was going to martyr himself. And there was nothing anyone could do about it.
If Kenneth had ever thought he felt helpless under Umbridge's regime at Hogwarts, it was nothing to how he felt when Justin announced his blood status as muggle-born and the Death Eaters ordered his arrest.
By the time the train was underway and the Death Eaters had vanished with an unconscious Justin and the Auror who had initially refused to arrest him, Kenneth realized he'd been holding his breath for who knew how long. Under his arm, his mother was shaking. As soon as the train had disappeared around the bend, Kenneth immediately Disapparated back to Kensington with her and led her into the townhouse. She was clutching her chest, so he summoned a Calming Draught from her bedchambers upstairs as he guided her to an armchair in the main parlor. Kenneth made her drink it even though she feebly tried to protest that she didn't need it. Then he sat down on the footstool in front of her to wait for the potion to take effect.
After a few tense seconds, she relaxed and sagged in the chair. Her breathing became more even and she sighed heavily as she closed her eyes.
Kenneth didn't move. He watched her closely, waiting to make sure she was okay.
A couple of minutes later, she finally opened her eyes and met his gaze sadly.
"Thank you, dear."
"Do you feel better?"
She nodded slowly, then shrugged half-heartedly. "As well as can be, I suppose. I'm certainly not hungry, even though it's nearly lunchtime. That poor boy…" She pressed her hand over her mouth and looked away as tears filled her eyes.
Kenneth kept his voice even. "Dad won't be home until after five, and I'm afraid I can't stay long, either."
Lorraine pushed herself up into a more dignified position and nodded again. "I understand. You're an adult, and you have a job… I'm sure they'll wonder where you're at if you don't get back to work soon. I don't want you to get into trouble. Thank you for seeing Luke onto the train, Kenneth."
He didn't correct the assumption that she thought he had to return to the bank. Instead, he said, "If you need anything, send me an owl. Whatever you do, don't send one to Dad. Jugson would have his head."
5:00 pm
Alicia was almost too distracted to pay attention throughout her classes that day. She took notes, but she also kept glancing to her right every few seconds, worry continually gnawing inside her about Chrysanthe's absence. She and Courtney ate lunch together, but it felt very odd without Chrysanthe sitting with them, and their conversation was a little forced. The three of them had become closer during the spring and summer terms, but if anyone had ever told Alicia she would one day be having lunch with Courtney Vanhausen, and just Courtney Vanhausen, she would have laughed derisively and told said person they were out of their damn mind. Chrysanthe had kept Alicia's snarkiness towards Courtney in check, while also keeping Courtney's abrasiveness towards Alicia in check. Without the Hufflepuff, Alicia wondered how long it would be before she and Courtney lost their tempers with each other.
When she left the Healer Institute that afternoon and felt Adrian grip her arm, Alicia exhaled a shaky breath and closed her eyes as the sensation of Apparition followed his whispered password ("White"). As soon as they were inside Angelina's flat, she instantly dropped her satchel and threw her arms around him.
"What the…? What's wrong?" he asked, clearly startled and concerned. "Alicia, what happened?"
"Chrysanthe," she gasped, meeting his gaze. "She wasn't in class today! Adrian, I don't know where she is! I realized halfway through my first class that I haven't seen her in at least two weeks! Something's happened, I know it!"
"Okay, calm down," he said, rubbing his palms over her shaking shoulders. "Alicia. Breathe. We'll find her, okay?"
She nodded distractedly and added in a rush, "Courtney didn't know where she was, either. We talked over lunch, but she hasn't reached out to either of us! Chrysanthe's a pureblood, so she shouldn't be targeted… but Danny is a muggle-born, and —!"
"Pickford probably knows where she is," Adrian suggested, cutting her off. "We can Apparate to Towler's place and check with her."
Alicia nodded and tried to breathe. Karen was Chrysanthe's best friend, just like Angelina and Katie were Alicia's best friends. Surely Karen would know.
Without thinking, Alicia sent a Patronus to Karen to ask if they could come over, then paced the kitchen (despite Adrian's suggestion that she calm down) until Karen's egret appeared and told them to please come, and she also asked if Alicia hadn't heard what happened that morning.
Startled, Alicia and Adrian exchanged wary, confused glances. That morning? What could have happened that morning?
At the same time, their eyes widened and they both said, "Platform 9¾'s!"
They both moved together; Adrian wrenched the door open while Disillusioning himself. They stepped onto the landing and Alicia replaced the protective charms; then he grasped her arm and they Apparated to Kenneth's landing. Only once Kenneth had let them inside did Adrian remove the Disillusionment Charm on himself. Alicia, meanwhile, immediately noticed that Kenneth and Karen both looked pale and worried.
"What happened this morning?" Alicia blurted anxiously.
Karen sank onto the sofa and looked at Kenneth, who gestured to the armchairs. "You'd probably better sit down," he said tersely. "It's pretty bad."
Alicia sat tensely on the edge of the nearest armchair while Adrian sat on the arm of it, where he could keep an arm around her shoulders. Kenneth paced, as though he couldn't keep still.
"You know I accompanied my mother and brother to Platform 9¾'s," he explained, burying his hands in his jeans' pockets as he moved around. "It was crawling with Death Eaters and Snatchers, just like Bill and I expected it would be. Attendance at Hogwarts is compulsory, after all, and Snape is now Headmaster. Every child also had to go through a screening process this morning to ensure they were a pureblood or a half-blood."
Adrian's eyes narrowed and his lip curled. "That sounds like a load of shite."
"It was," Kenneth agreed disparagingly. "There is no way that I know of to screen for blood status, except for the Hogwarts' Quill and the Book of Acceptance."
Alicia pointed out, "But you and Luke are considered purebloods, anyways."
"Yes," Kenneth consented. "Everyone there supposedly met the requirements. Even the Creevey brothers."
Alicia gaped at him. "But they're muggle-born!"
"Colin claimed he did some genealogy over the summer and that he and Dennis were actually half-bloods. They allegedly found a squib in their line and were able to prove their blood status. I wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or if he was really good at lying, but regardless, his papers passed the test. They were both allowed to go back to Hogwarts."
Adrian's eyebrows were at his hairline. "Well, I'm impressed. If he told the truth, I'm impressed he found a squib in his line in only two months… And if he lied through his teeth and didn't get caught, I'm impressed at his bollocks."
"I was too," Kenneth agreed. "I was sure they were going to get arrested. I can't even tell you how relieved I was when they weren't. The whole thing was tense, but other than that, nothing happened. At least not until right before the train was about to pull out. Five fucking minutes 'til eleven."
Alicia felt suddenly cold and she gripped Adrian's hand tightly.
Kenneth looked at them grimly. "Justin Finch-Fletchey of Hufflepuff came bursting through the barrier. He would be a seventh-year now, and he's muggle-born. He martyred himself on purpose."
Adrian swore and Alicia leaned against him and closed her eyes tightly.
"I wouldn't be the first bit surprised if they killed him after what he did today," Kenneth finished hollowly, as he sank onto the sofa next to Karen.
Alicia felt tears in her eyes. "No…"
Adrian's grip tightened on her hand.
Kenneth met her eyes sadly. "They knocked him unconscious and stunned the female Auror who refused to arrest him, and hauled them both out. A fight nearly erupted at that point, actually — a few of us were ready for it, wands came out and everything — but Augusta Longbottom put a stop to the whole thing. Bloody well amazing, I don't know how the fuck she managed it. Thank Godric she did, though."
"No shite," Adrian said sharply. "The last thing we need is you getting in a fight with Death Eaters on Platform 9¾'s, Towler. Especially with all those kids around."
Kenneth ran a hand into his hair. "Don't I know it. The Death Eaters wouldn't have cared. But Mrs. Longbottom stepped forward and announced that she would bear witness to what happened. Everyone kind of froze when she spoke. The Death Eaters didn't do anything to her because she's a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight; they just sneered at her and left. After that, I got my mother home. She was really shaken. I had to give her a Calming Draught before I left. Then Karen and I spent the day in Bristol with her father, to see how he's holding up. We'd just got back here when Alicia's Patronus came through. Did you need us?"
Alicia took a deep breath. "I just wanted to ask — do you have any idea where Chrysanthe is?"
Kenneth froze, and Karen looked up at Alicia, confused.
"'Santhe?" she asked, clearly baffled.
"She wasn't in class today," Alicia said, her voice shaking slightly. "I haven't heard from her in two weeks. Courtney hasn't heard from her, either."
Karen's eyes lost focus for a moment, as though she was thinking, trying to remember when she'd last seen her best friend. Alicia's heart sank when Karen's eyes widened and she looked at Alicia in fear.
"I don't think I've heard from her in two weeks or so, either. I'm trying to think… Helga, when did I last talk to her?"
"The day your mother was arrested, I think," Kenneth muttered, rising off the sofa to pace again. "She hasn't been around since then, has she?"
"Oh God," Karen whispered. She stood up and started to pace, too. "Oh God, you're right! Where is she? She's my best friend! How could I not know where she is?!" She drew her wand and cast a Patronus, which vanished into thin air, and Karen resumed pacing again, pulling a long strand of her hair over her shoulder and tugging at it nervously.
"Chrysanthe is a pureblood," Kenneth reminded her. "She wouldn't have been arrested —"
Karen shook her head and ran her fingers across her scalp and down to her neck. "She's a pureblood, yes, but you know damned well Danny isn't, Kenneth! Oh, Helga's tits, she's… damn it, I know exactly what she's done!" She sounded livid and terrified all at once. "She's gone on the run with Danny! I know it —"
Kenneth interrupted. "She could be visiting her parents, or —"
But Karen shook her head fiercely. "She's my best friend," she said angrily. "I know her, I spent seven years in the same dorm with her! I know how she thinks, even if I haven't been in touch with her in two weeks, just like Alicia and Angelina know each other! 'Santhe won't send a Patronus back, I know it. She hasn't yet, has she? She's always answered me! But if she's protecting Danny…!"
Adrian interrupted. "If that's true," he said darkly, "she's putting herself in a hell of a lot of danger, Pickford."
"Bloody hell," Karen whispered, sinking back onto the sofa. "I can't believe she didn't tell me!"
"If you're right," Kenneth said slowly, "and she really did leave to protect Youngman, then she probably didn't tell you for a reason. She wouldn't have wanted a Death Eater to question you and get information…"
Karen buried her face in her hands and sobbed once. "You're right, you're exactly right. I sometimes forget you worked with her for a year as Head Boy. That's exactly what she would have thought."
"Listen," Alicia said quickly. "If she doesn't show up to class by Friday, I'll go to Hayden Park and check with her parents. Karen, you should come with me — her parents probably know you better than they know me, even though I stayed with them a week back in June. Maybe they've heard something."
Karen looked doubtful, but she agreed. "Alright. But I doubt she told them, either. She would want to protect them before anyone else, even me."
"We should get back," Adrian said, tugging at Alicia's hand. "Johnson doesn't know any of this yet."
Alicia winced. Angelina would be livid.
Tuesday — September 2, 1997
Unfortunately, the next day turned out to be just as upside-down as September 1st. Halfway through her morning classes, Fleur's little Order of Mercy notebook, which Alicia kept in her jeans' pocket, suddenly burned hot. Startled, she carefully snuck out of the lecture to the bathroom, where she locked herself in a stall and pulled the notebook from her pocket.
An urgent note from Percy said that a group of muggle-borns had somehow escaped the Muggle-Born Registration Commission and the Ministry of Magic, and a subsequent note from Fleur said the Order of Mercy needed to move fast before they were recaptured.
Alicia's breath caught. What the heck? The fact that this was happening right now, the day after Justin had martyred himself on Platform 9¾'s? That was just bizarre! But Fleur was right: they needed to move fast. She quickly wrote back to say she would try to get out of class as quickly as possible. Oliver and Angelina wrote back almost at the same time to say they could get out of practices at Holyhead and Puddlemere because half of their teams were out that day.
Alicia hurried back to the classroom, where she quietly packed up her stuff while Professor Yarmouth droned on about magical diseases. Courtney looked at her strangely, silently asking with those cutting green-blue eyes what the hell was going on. Alicia scribbled a note to tell her that she didn't feel well and needed to leave early. She didn't know if the former Slytherin prefect bought it or not, but Alicia couldn't worry about that. She would try to get the lecture notes from someone tomorrow and hope she didn't fall behind. But this was critically important. The Ministry would hone in on all of the muggle-borns who had escaped as quickly as they could, desperate to recapture them and send them to Azkaban.
Once she was alone in the corridor, she took a second to send a Patronus to Adrian. He would be furious with her if he found out she'd rushed into danger without notifying him.
When she Apparated back to the flat, Angelina and Oliver were waiting for her in the kitchen.
"Damn glad you could get out of class so fast," Oliver grunted, nodding in approval. "We were lucky to get away from practices."
"Not like we can practice very well with team members missing or too scared to leave their houses," Angelina muttered.
Alicia dropped her satchel by the door. "Here's hoping I can get someone to give me notes for the rest of the day. What the hell happened?"
Without preamble, Angelina said, "An entire group of muggle-borns just escaped the Ministry. Percy thinks Harry, Ron, and Hermione showed up, got them out, and escaped on top of it."
Alicia's mouth dropped. "What?!"
"I know," Angelina said grimly. "Only they would have those kinds of bollocks and be able to pull that kind of stunt off. It beats even what Percy is doing."
Oliver was tense. "We need to get to the muggle-borns, and fast. Snatchers will be after them before we know it. I'll take the first address on the list, Johnson will take the second, and Spinnet, you'll take the third. We'll just keep rotating like that unless one of us needs help. Audrey is setting up portkeys at a separate location; she put it down in the notebook for us. We'll take the refugees there and she'll get them to France. They won't have time to get much from their homes. We need to get them out now. That's our priority."
Alicia nodded. "Alright. I'll lock up behind us. You two go on."
Oliver and Angelina stepped onto the landing and Disapparated. Just a few seconds later, as Alicia was about to step out herself, Adrian's Patronus appeared in front of her.
Apparating now.
She opened the door just as she heard a soft pop; he was already Disillusioned. Merlin, that creeped her out.
"It's me," he said quietly. "Black."
Alicia stepped onto the landing, put the protective charms back in place, and felt Adrian grip her arm.
"I noticed you haven't bought me any that were green," she whispered back dryly, and before he could respond, she Disapparated to the third address in the notebook.
When they reappeared, they were on a pavement in front of a small house in Norwich, and she took a deep breath.
"Of course I haven't, that's not your color," he responded tartly.
She ignored him. Here went nothing.
It was late in the afternoon before they finished. Alicia was exhausted. Adrian had stunned at least two Snatchers (though he admitted he sort of wished he had killed them instead), and Alicia had had to cast at least two hexes on two others to stop them from honing in on Adrian. Then there were several refugees who had tried to hex her; she was grateful to Adrian for keeping a shield around her to prevent her from getting hexed. And never mind one woman who was hysterical because she had a half-blood son at Hogwarts and didn't want to leave the country without the boy. That was absolutely impossible, and the woman hadn't wanted to see reason, but there was no way they could get a boy out of Hogwarts. Alicia hoped to hell the child wouldn't be targeted because his mother had escaped.
Adrian, of course, had to stay silent through most of the discussions, so no one would realize he was even there. Alicia was sure he'd been about to go 'round the twist most of the day, and she couldn't blame him.
When they finally got her last set of refugees away, she held her hand out and sighed heavily. "Let's go home, love."
She felt his fingers twine with hers, and he said quietly, "I'll Apparate us this time."
She didn't argue. She was just too tired. When they reappeared however, they were standing in the dark before a set of tall, beautiful, wide wrought-iron gates.
"What's going on?" she asked blankly, as Adrian cast a Patronus and removed the Disillusionment Charm.
"Dinner, remember?"
For a second, Alicia tried to process that before she recalled that they were actually supposed to have dinner with his parents that night. Panicking, she stammered, "Adrian! I'm not fit to have dinner with your mother! I'm sweaty and dirty and —!"
"She won't care about that."
"I care about that!" Alicia nearly yelled in frustration. "Your mother was a bloody model, Adrian! And I look and smell like I've been playing a game of knock-about Quidditch at Red's Wood all day with a bunch of stubborn Scots!"
A moment later, the gates turned opaque, and he pulled her through them before she could protest further. They were suddenly standing on a neat, pea-gravel drive that led to a beautiful mansion. Alicia gaped for a second; the Palladian home was absolutely stunning, and huge. Alania Pucey was coming down the front steps, dressed in dark trousers and a long-sleeved, pale green, silk blouse with gold and burgundy stripes, and her hair twisted in a fashionable style.
When they got closer to her, she scolded pleasantly, "It's about time! I've told Adrian I wanted to have you for dinner for a while! He keeps putting me off, and that does greatly annoy me. How are you, dears?" She hugged Adrian first, and then Alicia, who stiffened beneath Alania's arms, very aware of how gritty she probably was.
"We're both exhausted, Mum," Adrian interrupted, before Alicia could answer. "We've been doing Order work all day, and we ran into Snatchers —"
"Did you kill them?"
"I wanted to, but no!" He glared at her. "I'm not going to stoop to their methods —!"
Alania looked grim. "You'd best reconsider that, mon fils. Well, that explains why you look petrified of me," she added, smiling at Alicia. "I don't care what you're dressed like, though. And I won't keep the two of you late tonight since you're tired, but I'm also sure you must be hungry. Come inside, and you can both relax a bit. You're safe here, after all."
As they stepped inside a grand marble entry hall, Alicia looked up at him in annoyance and hissed, "This is where you live?"
"It is," Alania answered pleasantly, smiling back at her. "It was my husband's family estate. Though my parents' chateau in France is just as beautiful, in a different way. You'll have to visit there one day too, ma chérie."
Alicia bit her tongue. She wanted to tell Adrian that her parents' little suburban house would probably fit inside his parents' entry hall! She'd known he was minted, but this? This was more than she had ever dreamed! And she was no more prepared to meet his mother this second time than she'd been the first time, at Bess's wedding in June! Alania was so perfectly put together, so coiffed and yet so relaxed! Alicia felt like she needed a good, hot shower and a change of clothes after the insane day she'd had, and Adrian probably felt the same. Yet here they were, inside a mansion he'd called home since his childhood, about to have dinner with his parents, after rescuing refugees all day!
Alania led them into a parlor instead of the dining room, where an intimate table had been set for four. Adrian's father had been talking to a house elf, who smiled at them and squeaked, "Cressy will let Cheffy know to send everything up now, Mistress!"
"Thank you, Cressy, dear," Alania replied, smiling.
The elf disappeared with a crack.
"She's such a steady girl," Alania said cheerfully. "Come, Alicia, sit down. So, were the two of you getting some of those poor muggle-borns out of the country today? Adrian said you were helping with the Order."
"What muggle-borns?" Adrian asked smoothly, putting on a perfect expression of polite confusion.
"Don't use Occlumency against me, mon fils," she said, pointing a finger first at him and then at the Evening Prophet, which was on the table.
Alexander Pucey glanced at his son as he held his wife's chair out, and then sat down himself. "The Ministry of Magic reported that a group of muggle-borns escaped the Commission and they've been vanishing before the Snatchers' eyes all day. Several Snatchers were stunned and the Ministry has advised that anyone caught aiding muggle-borns would be punished severely."
Alicia felt her cheeks burn as Adrian held her own chair out. Not because she had been helping escaped muggle-borns leave the country and could be sent to Azkaban if caught, she thought furiously, but because Adrian was holding her chair out. She'd never had a lad hold a chair out for her, damn it. That thought would never have crossed Lee's mind, she was sure! She hesitatingly sat down and let him slide her forward; then he sat caddy to her, across from his mother, as calm as anything.
"Really?" he asked father, keeping up the façade perfectly.
Alexander arched an eyebrow. "Really."
Food suddenly appeared on all of their plates, and Alicia was relieved to see it was a normal meal and not anything extravagant.
"We should have invited Kenneth tonight," Alania said suddenly, reaching for her fork. "I haven't seen him in a while. How is he doing, Adrian?"
Startled, Alicia said, "I didn't realize you'd met Kenneth."
Alania smiled. "Yes! Just this year, actually. He's such a nice young man, I'm so glad he and Adrian have been working together —"
"Mum!" Adrian glared.
"— I fully expect the two of them to be the best of mates before the war is over," she went on, as though Adrian hadn't interrupted.
Alicia couldn't help but giggle and she looked at him mischievously. "I think your mother might be right about that."
"Absolutely not," Adrian growled. "Don't get carried away. Towler and I are only working together for the war effort."
"I know I'm right," Alania said brightly. "How are your classes, Alicia, dear?"
"Hard, as always. I missed today; I only hope someone will be kind enough to give me the lecture notes."
"Hm, well, I think you should get some rest tonight when you get home, instead of studying."
Alicia felt she needed to continue the conversation somehow, so she asked, "How are things at St. Mungo's, Mrs. Pucey?"
"Alania," the woman responded genially. Then her smile faded. "About as I expected they would be, given that the Dark Lord now controls practically everything. Cecil Vanhausen is ruling the hospital as he sees fit, and the board is just a puppet administration. Straun MacMillan and I are still on it, thank heavens, but Cecil dislikes and distrusts both of us. At some point, I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to remove us. Which is the reason I really wanted to see you both tonight, so I must thank you for coming despite a very long and tiring day." She drew herself up and frowned. "Alicia, dear, please be careful at the Healer Institute. Cecil may show up there, and I wouldn't want you to be caught unawares. He's a tall, thin man with graying hair. The sort of person who will send a shiver up your spine when you see him," she added.
Alicia nodded; she knew exactly what Alania meant. "Is he a Death Eater?"
"I don't think so, but not for lack of wanting to be a Death Eater," Alania replied disparagingly. "I suspect that's why he's accepting their bribes. He hopes they'll grant him access to the Dark Lord eventually. He's too far down the social ladder for that, though."
Alicia tried not to think about how much further down the social ladder she was from Cecil Vanhausen, and said, "Kenneth and Adrian told me about that — that Death Eaters are donating large sums to St. Mungo's in hopes of ensuring their fighters would be treated in case of a battle. And that they're also trying to bribe Cecil Vanhausen."
Alania nodded. "Just be careful, dear."
Alicia swallowed. "Chrysanthe has disappeared, too. She wasn't in class yesterday or today."
At that, Alania looked alarmed. "What?"
"We think she left with her muggle-born boyfriend," Alicia said hollowly. "No one has seen either of them for at least two weeks."
"Salazar," Alania muttered, leaning back in her chair and gazing off across the room.
To Alicia's surprise, Alexander spoke up, though he looked concerned, too. "If she doesn't want to be found, I doubt you'll ferret her out, Alania."
"That's what Karen said," Alicia said softly. "Her best friend."
"Oh! Yes! Kenneth's girl." Alania looked thoughtful. "I haven't met her yet. What is she like?"
"She's very sweet. She was a Hufflepuff. They started dating at the beginning of seventh-year, and she brings out the best in him." Alicia laughed softly. "She tempers his bossiness and makes him more confident."
Adrian said, "Before Towler, Pickford dated around a lot. If I'm honest, no one really expected her to stay with him long. But she did. A lot of guys didn't know what she saw in him. They accused her of dating him because he was Head Boy, actually."
"Rubbish, that's what it was," Alicia said tartly. "Karen's perfect for Kenneth. Much better than the Ravenclaw chit he dated in sixth-year. Karen brings out his best qualities."
Alania smirked at her honest remark. "Ravenclaw chit? Oh, I do like you, Alicia."
"I didn't say I didn't like Pickford," Adrian pointed out, before Alicia could respond to his mother. "I was just saying what was going around at the time."
Alania said pleasantly, "Well, I can't wait to meet Karen, one day."
Adrian shrugged. "Kenneth and I told Alicia, Karen, and Angelina about our work for the Order, so you probably could invite them around the next time he and I have to go over accounts together."
Alania clapped her hands once. "What an excellent idea. See when he's free, will you, mon fils?"
"What does that mean anyways?" Alicia asked Adrian curiously. "Is it a nickname?"
It was Alexander who answered. "No, not exactly. It literally translates as my son. She calls both Adrian and Atticus mon fils; she picked it up from her father, who calls her ma fille."
"My father is French," Alania explained. "Though my parents moved to England shortly after their marriage. But, after I graduated from Hogwarts, my grandparents passed away and my father inherited their estate in southern France. I lived with my parents there for several years in my early twenties. Where do you parents live, dear?"
Alicia could feel herself blushing. "Outside of London in a little suburb."
"They should think about leaving the country," Alexander said softly. "One of them is muggle-born, I believe?"
She nodded. "My father. I've told them to leave, and so has my grandmother. My Mum's mother, Doreen. But they won't listen to us. I'm so worried. I know the Commission will call them up at some point, and they don't believe us when we tell them how dangerous it is. Dory and I alternate trying to tell them, but they're just… willfully ignoring us."
Alania and Alexander exchanged a look, and Alicia winced inwardly. She knew her family wasn't remotely on the same social level as Adrian's. She'd never been bothered by that before. Was it because Alania had made the comment about Cecil Vanhausen not being socially high enough to rub elbows with most of the Death Eaters? Alicia's family was definitely further down the ladder. Why did she even care, though?
Alexander changed the subject at that point, and asked Alicia how she enjoyed Potions, which at least lightened the conversation somewhat. By the end of dinner, he encouraged her to see his stillroom the next time she visited. And when they walked back to the front door, he summoned a satchel of potions to give to her, just in case she needed it.
"You never know," he said evasively, as he handed her a small leather bag with the bottles inside. "When one might run into Snatchers and get an unexpected cut from a curse that passes a fraction too close. There are several bottles of Wound-Cleaning, as well as a few others that might come in handy."
Alicia nodded and gently took the bag from him. "Thank you so much."
"Be careful, both of you," he murmured, glancing at Adrian.
"We will," Adrian promised.
With that, they headed back down the drive to Apparate past the gates.
It was only when they were back at Angelina's flat did Alicia realize: Alexander Pucey had not only given her Wound-Cleaning, but Antidote to Common Poisons, and two vials of Felix Felicis. She stared at the little bottles of golden liquid in awe. It was impossible to get at least two ingredients for that one!
Adrian, however, merely grinned sheepishly. "Dad and I brewed that one together this past winter. It only just finished stewing a couple of days ago."
"But… the Occamy eggshells!" Alicia stared at him.
He smiled. "Dad got them in Paris, back in January."
Alicia sucked in a quick breath. "I'll put them away safely. These two bottles alone are worth more than I am."
At that, her boyfriend's face fell. "That's definitely not true," he said curtly. "Don't ever say that."
She smiled and kissed him, even though his frown didn't disappear. "Still. I'll put them where they're safe. We may need them one day."