Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. Just borrowing them for a story and my own imagination.

Chapter 5

Although the main part of the plan was to take place on the 26th, it was necessary to head to the Dursley household the day before to begin executing the crucial elements of the plan. Hermione arrived at Number Four Privet Drive accompanied by Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones, both of whom she had only seen briefly at previous meetings of the Order.

They were a charming pair, and Dedalus was especially delighted to meet a member of the Golden Trio as the three friends had been affectionately nicknamed by those close to them. He had kept up a constant stream of chatter as they approached the Muggle neighbourhood, with occasional inputs from Hestia, who seemed more sombre and focused on her task. Hermione was happy for the noise, as it kept her mind from wandering to all the things that could go wrong with the plan.

Sirius had used the two-way mirror to explain the whole plan to Harry, instead of using the post for fear of interception, so the risk of anyone knowing about the plan was low. Even so, Hermione couldn't help looking over her shoulder to look for potentially hidden voyeurs just waiting for a chance. Her nerves only calmed down a little after Harry had let them into the house and she came face to face with the infamous Dursleys who were all lined up in their living room.

Mr. Dursley looked very angry, whether it was at the presence of the wizards in his house or because of the circumstances surrounding the event, it was unclear, and Mrs. Dursley had a more neutral expression on her face that carefully hid whatever she was feeling at that moment. Their son, on the other hand, seemed almost fascinated by the people he saw. Even as they explained what was to happen to the Dursleys and his father continued to rage at the wizards, Dudley was focused on Harry.

"Mr. Dursley, we understand that this situation is not ideal, but we have to move the three of you without much more delay. It is a matter of your safety. I promise that once things are safe again for you, you can return to this house. But as of right now, we must go!"

"What about Harry?"

Dudley's voice was surprisingly quiet for his large figure, but it almost echoed in the silence that followed. Harry looked taken aback, his mouth falling slightly open. Hermione grimaced internally, she had heard from Harry himself about the abuse he had suffered at the hands of the Dursleys, and she too was surprised by the question posed by Harry's former bully.

"What about the boy? Of course, he won't be coming with us. That freak is the source of everything! If it weren't for him –"

"That's not fair, Dad. Harry didn't do anything to us, even though he could have. He could have just left here now, but he didn't. He's trying to help us. Stop blaming him for everything."

Mr. Dursley was quiet after that, seemingly struck dumb by his son's words. He remained quiet as they finished loading up the trunk of his car, and got into the front seat without any fuss when prompted by Dedalus. There was barely a goodbye between the family, clearly no love lost between them, but Dudley held out his hand to Harry for a firm shake before he too entered the car.

Petunia Dursley was the last to go, after Hestia. She waited beside the open back door, opening her mouth as if to say something but the words were not coming out. Harry, in a rare moment of clarity, just nodded at her, as if to say, it's okay. She nodded back, satisfied, before closing the door behind her, and then, there were two.

The duo headed back inside the house, and Hermione thought that it might be best to give her friend some space. Even if they hadn't gotten along, the Dursleys had been Harry's only family for most of his life. Their departure would leave some complicated feelings behind, regardless of their rocky relationship. So, she headed back to the living room and pulled out a well-worn copy of "Hogwarts: A History" from the beaded bag around her neck and settled into the sofa for the evening. She kept an ear out for any concerning sounds from Harry, but other than that, she just left him to his own devices.

Harry came down a couple of hours later with his trunk packed and ready. Hermione shrunk it down for him, since Harry wasn't seventeen yet and the Trace was still active until his birthday. They left the shrunken luggage near the front door before they headed into the kitchen for their supper. Harry pulled out leftovers from the fridge, the last things left in there, and Hermione heated them up with her wand. They ate in silence, and while it wasn't necessarily awkward, so to speak, they were both struggling to find something to talk about.

Harry had been ignoring all her letters since they left Hogwarts. Two weeks in, he had finally sent her a reply saying that he was okay, but he wasn't ready to talk yet. Hermione had respected that, understanding Harry's need to mourn the loss of his mentor. While she had not been all that close to Dumbledore, Harry had been affectionate towards the old wizard, seeing him almost like his eccentric grandfather. The Boy-Who-Lived was still human, despite what the world thought of him, and he too needed time to process what had happened. So, she let him be until he was ready to talk. Hermione knew that it would happen soon enough.

They both went to sleep early enough that they could be ready for the morning. Hermione took Dudley's old room, which had been left completely bare in the absence of its previous occupant. She bade Harry goodnight then made sure to put up her silencing charms this time. It took her some time to fall asleep, and when she finally did, her dreams were filled with fire and smoke once more.

The next morning, Harry and Hermione woke up early to get ready for the day. Hermione cooked up some bacon and eggs that she had brought with her while she waited for Harry to double-check he had grabbed everything. Just as he finally came down the stairs, the doorbell rang.

Hermione opened the door, her wand discreetly in hand, to greet Arabella Figg, Harry's Squib neighbour, holding a tabby cat in her arms. Hermione smiled at the old lady and asked,

"Good morning, Mrs. Figg! What can I do for you today? and that is an absolutely gorgeous kitty you have there!"

"Good morning, child! I was wondering if I could borrow some sugar from you. I have just run out and I'm hoping to put off my shopping until tomorrow at least. and thank you, her name is Minnie."

Hermione invited the old lady in, trying to hide her smile and failing. Harry was standing at the foot of the stairs and staring confused at Mrs. Figg, wondering why she was there, and why she seemed so friendly with Hermione, when, as far as he knew, they had never met. His confusion faded though, when 'Minnie' jumped out of Mrs. Figg's arms and transformed into the familiar figure of their Transfiguration professor and Head of Gryffindor House.

Professor Minerva McGonagall looked over at 'Arabella' with a death glare.

"How many times have I told you boys that my name is not Minnie? Do I need to put you in detention again, Mr. Lupin?"

Remus, whose transformation into Harry's old babysitter was dissipated with a simple wave of his wand, laughed in response, before reaching over to pull the young man into a loving hug. Harry was tense at first, trying to fight whatever emotions were rising up in him, before melting into the hug in what seemed like relief. When the pair finally pulled away from each other, Harry looked visibly more calm than he had since Hermione first arrived here the day before.

Hermione also felt a great sense of relief. Despite all the secrecy surrounding their plan, she had been paranoid about a potential attack. While her spellwork was near flawless on the worst of days, Hermione wasn't exactly prepared for a potential battle against an unknown number of Death Eaters with just Harry and herself. Having the older Order members with them put her mind at ease.

Now, with all their preparations completed, it was time to execute the final stage of their plan. Professor McGonagall handed the three measured doses of Polyjuice to Hermione, who dropped in the hairs she had discretely collected from the Dursleys while the portly patriarch had been raving about the unfairness of it all, and passed them to Remus and Harry. The Professor transfigured their current clothes into something more appropriate for their post-transformation selves, and together, all three downed their potions in one fluid motion.

The change was instant, Hermione's body stretching in and up, shrinking whatever curves she normally possessed until she took on the pencil-thin form of Petunia Dursley. Her transfigured clothes fit considerably better now, finally easing up on the tight pressure compressing her from all angles. Hermione reached up to touch Petunia's short and carefully coiffed hair, wondering exactly how much time and product the older lady used to get her hair to sit so perfectly. She briefly remembered her own experimentation for the Yule Ball in fourth year, and sighed wistfully.

Beside her, Remus and Harry were exploring their own new figures as Vernon and Dudley respectively. Suddenly, Remus reached over to pinch Harry's now ample cheeks and said,

"Oh, look at my sweet baby boy! Aren't you just precious!"

Hermione couldn't help the laugh that escaped her at the absolute ridiculousness of hearing such words come from the deep, nasally tone of Vernon's voice, but it was cut short by her horror at the sound of Petunia's high-pitched titter. This set off the other two and eventually, she joined back in at the absurdity of it all, while Professor McGonagall looked on with an exasperated look on her face.

It felt good to laugh, to let go of some of the tension that had been building in her for so long. Hermione knew it was good for Harry too. She was glad he got this moment of peace, knowing how precious few more they would have in the upcoming months. With Dumbledore's final task looming over their heads, Hermione knew they didn't have much time left for joy. So, they will take this moment, and they will take strength from it, for as long as they possibly can.

Author's note: Hello everyone! It has been a while. Please don't kill me. I promise I hadn't forgotten about this story (I totally had, but let's pretend I didn't). I would like to make some valid excuse, but I don't really have one, so instead, I promise to make the next chapter before Christmas as a combination of an apology and a gift for you all. Thank you for all my lovely reviewers, especially decadenceofmysoul who has been reviewing every single chapter. Truly appreciate all of you and hope to get into a more consistent posting schedule. See you all very soon.