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Post by beth on Mar 1, 2011 11:33:33 GMT -5
Before he could get a response from Hermione, a flash of light interrupted the wedding party, and they were told that the Ministry had fallen, the Minister was dead, and Death Eaters were coming. It only took a few seconds for everyone to react to the message, and pandemonium followed. People were disapparating left and right, and somehow, he lost track of Hermione. His eyes quickly searched the room, and he started walking forward, hoping to spot either her or Harry. They had to get out of here before the Death Eaters arrived. A momentary thought of his mother, father, and other siblings flashed through his mind, but he didn't have time to think much before he felt someone grab his arm and then the unpleasant feeling of apparating hit him.
Before he could figure out what was happening, he reappeared in London. He could see the street marker come into focus, and he noticed that it read Tottenham Court Road. "Bloody hell," he grumbled. He looked and noticed Harry and Hermione standing beside him and a sigh of relief escaped his lips. At least they had somehow managed to leave the wedding safely. Hopefully everyone else had made it out too. |
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Post by Harry Potter on Mar 1, 2011 11:43:16 GMT -5
Harry had hated leaving everyone behind and had even tried to help fight off some of the death eaters that were heading for Ginny but Lupin had interrupted and quite roughly, though with good intentions, shoved him in the opposite direction. Harry's wand-free hand had been caught by Hermione's and in the confusion they had apparated far away from there, landing on some dingy road that Harry had a vague memory of his Uncle mentioning. And if his uncle had been the one mentioning it, then they must be in the muggle world. However, he didn't have much time to dwell on this as other thoughts were invading his brain, taking precidence.
"We have to go back" was the first thing he was cognisant of saying, though it made no logical sense for them to return. "Everyone at the wedding is in danger, we have to help them." His thoughts went to Ginny immediately and fear began to overwhelm him as he paced in the alley that they were standing in. "Besides, I don't even have my rucksack or the invisibility cloak or anything...we need to go back."
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Post by Hermione Granger on Mar 1, 2011 11:56:01 GMT -5
Hermione's first thought after grabbing the boys's arms was Tottenham Court Road and that was exactly were she apparated them to. Her family was safe in Australia, but her friends - no their friends - were all at the Burrow. She felt guilty for not staying behind and help fight off the Death Eaters. On the other hand she knew that Harry would have been immediately taken to Lord Voldemort and they could not even risk the possibility.
Harry's first words brought her back to reality. She shook her head sadly and said, "There is no turning back. We cannot think about them now. It's you the Death Eaters are after." She paused and glanced around them before saying, "Walk. Just walk. We need to find somewhere to change." Ignoring the look on their faces, Hermione started hurrying forwards while rummaging through her beaded bag.
She pulled out the invisibility cloak and handed it to Harry. "I have everything we need. Now walk... please." As they rounded inside an empty alley, Hermione handed Ron muggle clothes. They were in the muggle world now and Ron's clothing was already attracting too much attention.She eyed his dress robes and nodded to herself while saying, "Yes. You'd better change." |
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Post by Harry Potter on Mar 1, 2011 12:15:49 GMT -5
Harry couldn't argue with her. Mostly because she was right about the death eaters being after him and he knew that his presence would probably just put everyone else in even more danger but also because she had begun to walk. Very quickly. And while she was walking, she was pulling something out of her very tiny beaded bag and tossing it at him. He stumbled a little bit as the silky cloth landed on his head but he quickly regained his footing and caught up with her as she ducked down a side alley, talking to Ron about changing.
He ran the water-like material of his father's old cloak through his fingers in awe. "When you say you've got everything..." He looked at her, confused. The only thing she seemed to be carrying and the only thing their clothes had come out of so far was her small beaded bag.
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Post by beth on Mar 1, 2011 12:22:13 GMT -5
Ron numbly walked forward and tried to get his mind back to reality. He hated apparating, and he always had. The claustrophobic feeling one gets, and then the dizziness afterward was just not a fun thing. When they found an alley that momentarily hid them from curious eyes, Ron watched as Hermione dug through her beaded bag. "What is that?" he asked as she handed him his clothes. "You packed for me...?" The last thought was a little embarrassing, and his face turned red as he imagined Hermione digging through his dresser drawers. How had she known to come prepared to the wedding? "Change? Where? Not in front of you...." he sputtered out. Obviously Ron was still shocked from the apparition and everything else had happened.
However, he knew that they needed to find some place to hide and quick. So he turned his back and proceeded to change into the clothing Hermione had given to him. Ah, the relief he felt after getting out of the robes. He hated dress robes. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at the other two, knowing Harry was around somewhere beside Hermione even though the cloak was around him. "Now what...? And how is it you came prepared for all of this, Hermione?" he asked curiously. |
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Post by Hermione Granger on Mar 1, 2011 14:55:15 GMT -5
"Oh for goodness sake Ronald. It is not like I have never seen your boxers before," she exclaimed before giving him her back for more privacy. Hermione looked over at Harry and said with a shrug, "Everything that we will need." She gave her beaded bag a small shake and winced when she heard heavy objects rolling inside it. "Damn, that would be the books. I had them sorted by subject." Hermione gave a small shrug and replied, "I have had this prepared for a while. I used an Undetectable Extension Charm. This morning I had a strange feeling, like I knew something would happen. So, Harry, after you changed I popped inside your rucksack." Hermione peered out of the alley and commented, "We should keep on walking." |
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Post by Harry Potter on Mar 2, 2011 6:26:18 GMT -5
Harry listened from under the cloak in awe. "That was brilliant" he finally said, knowing it must have been weird for them to hear his voice without seeing his body but they should be used to it by now. His own gaze followed Hermione's into the nearly deserted street. Walking seemed like a good plan. If they stood still it was easy for Harry's mind to flood with possibilities of what was happening at the burrow right now but if they were walking, even without an idea of a destination, at least it would feel like they had a solid plan. "Let's go" he agreed.
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Post by beth on Mar 2, 2011 8:27:30 GMT -5
Ron had finished changing and he nodded in agreement when Harry and Hermione both said it was time to start walking again. "Where are we going?" he asked curiously. They needed some place to stay for now, but he couldn't think of anywhere except Hogwarts that they would be safe - and he didn't know necessarily that they would be safe there. Surely You-Know-Who would have known to send Death Eaters to the castle in case they showed up there. No...they needed a good hiding place.
Ron turned and started to walk towards the street, and once he stepped out into the daylight, he turned and looked for Harry and Hermione, making sure that they were following him. At least one of them had been prepared and they weren't wandering about London with nothing but the clothes on their backs and wands in their pockets. He wondered exactly what Hermione had packed in that beaded bag of hers. She had mentioned books - of course Hermione would bring books, but what else? It was hard to believe all of what they needed would fit into a small beaded bag, even if he was a wizard. |
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Post by Hermione Granger on Mar 2, 2011 13:56:20 GMT -5
Hermione turned in the direction of Harry's voice and grinned. "Thanks," she replied. Ron was soon stepping past her and into the open street. She nodded absentmindedly at Harry's last words and followed closely behind Ron. Hermione looked thoughtful and then said with a hint of annoyance in her voice, "It would be stupid to go to the Leaky Cauldron."
She cringed as the men on the other side of the road start whistling and calling out to her. Hermione inhaled deeply and added, "Grimmauld Place is out of question since Snape can get in there... I suppose we could go to my parents' house, though I think there is a chance the Death Eaters would check there." Her forehead creased and said exasperatedly, "Oh. I wish they would shut up."
The most drunken of the lot, started trugding in their direction. Hermione glanced around her and sad hastily, "Let us just sit down somewhere." Her eyes sought a small shabby all-night cafe. "This will do," she finally said while grabbing Ron's hand and pulling him towards the cafe, which to her delight was empty. Hermione sat down across from Ron and Harry. She had her back to the door and that made her feel edgy.
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Post by Harry Potter on Mar 3, 2011 6:23:47 GMT -5
Harry agreed with the Leaky Cauldron bit whole-heartedly but almost decided to argue about the Grimmauld Place part. It was, technically, his house now and one of the only real connections he had left to his dead godfather. But he supposed that Death Eaters would have read wills and found out that Harry owned the house a long time ago so therefore would probably be staking it out. And there was the whole Snape thing to deal with so she was probably right about not going there. Besides, his attention was diverted by the drunk pigs across the street.
Soon after this they were being herded inside of a small, empty cafe by Hermione and Harry took a seat across from her, next to Ron, still under his cloak. The waitress shuffled over with a bored expression, snapping her gum, to take their orders...or at least Ron and Hermione's orders at any rate. Harry couldn't order anything, being that he was invisible and all. 
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Post by beth on Mar 3, 2011 8:45:06 GMT -5
Ron let Hermione grab his hand, and as she led him into the restaurant he tried not to think about how warm and comforting that hand felt. For a moment, he thought he would have had to go shut the people across the street up. No one whistled at Hermione like that if he could help it. But as soon as they were in the quiet cafe, he sat down across from her and made sure there was room for Harry, who was still under the invisibility cloak.
Any normal person in these circumstances would not think about food, but as soon as the waitress came along, popping her gum, Ronald immediately wondered what was good to eat in this little muggle cafe. If his dad had been with him, he too, would have been curious, but only because of the muggle side of it, and not necessarily because he was hungry. Ron, however, suddenly felt as if he was starved. Mind you, it was probably the adrenaline rush he was still suffering from, or maybe it was because it had been since early that morning that he had eaten anything but wedding cake.
He looked at the waitress and cleared his throat and then glanced at Hermione. "We'll take one of everything..." he said. "And a few butterbeers..." he caught himself at the last part and quickly corrected it. "I mean er....sodas?"
Just as he was about to mention dessert, Ron noticed that the waitress was eying him suspiciously. Of course, he must sound like a lunatic, ordering all of that food, and she probably wasn't aware of what Butterbeer was. He cleared his throat again and sighed, "Just...bring us the soda..." he said. "Forget everything else..." He hated awkward moments, and when the waitress nodded and walked off to do whatever in the back of the cafe kitchens, Ron sighed with relief.
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Post by Hermione Granger on Mar 4, 2011 3:22:08 GMT -5
Hermione had not noticed the waitress approach them until Ron started rambling. She looked and raised an eye brow. Hermione shook her head and gave him a look which clearly said you-better-keep-your-mouth-shut. Ron seemed to realise his mistake and asked for sodas. The waitress disappeared in the back of the shop and Hermione sighed, "We still need a place to stay." She had an idea of where they could go, but wanted to see if Harry and Ron had some place in mind. She leaned forwards and looked at them expectantly. Although knowing that it was weird given that look in Harry's direction, she had grown accustomed to talking to 'thin-air'. |
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Post by Harry Potter on Mar 4, 2011 4:12:34 GMT -5
Harry had to supress a laugh when Ron started asking for one of everything and a butterbeer to top it off and the look Hermione gave him was so familiar that they might have just been sitting in the gryffindor common room and Ron had asked to copy some of her homework again instead of struggling to think of a place to stay that would keep them safe.
"Well Voldemort's taken over the whole world...there's no place that's going to be completely safe so I still say we should go to Grimmauld Place." He was stubborn on this front and even though his two friends couldn't see him they should know from his tone that he wasn't very likely to back down on this unless they had very compelling reasons to stay away from the place.
It was at this moment that two burly workmen entered the cafe and took a seat at a table a few behind them so that he and Ron could see them but Hermione, unless she turned around in her seat, could not. Harry watched them with an uneasy feeling.
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Post by beth on Mar 4, 2011 14:00:36 GMT -5
Ron noticed the two men enter the little cafe and sit a few tables behind theirs. He swallowed and glanced at Hermione. He didn't like the look of those men, and something inside of him was telling him to flee. But if they got up and left in a rush, and those two men were there for them, then it wouldn't be very pretty. He could feel the center of his palms sweating, and the hairs on his arms were standing up. Yep, it was definitely time to get a move on. "Uh...Hermione...I think it's time we find that place we were talking about....." he whispered quietly. Ron could feel the wand in he had in the back of his pocket, and he itched to reach for it, but refrained. They were in the middle of a muggle cafe, reaching for his wand would draw too much attention. Sighing, he clamped his mouth shut and looked at Hermione to see how she would react. |
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Post by Hermione Granger on Mar 5, 2011 8:52:42 GMT -5
Hermione fell silent for several minutes. Having heard the door open and noticing Ron peering behind her she said in a hushed voice, "I say we find a quiet spot to disapparate. We should send a message to the Order once we're some place safe." Hermione gave a small nod and said, "Just let me find the money to pay for the sodas." She reached for her beaded bag and started digging through it. Hermione huffed in annoyance and said through gritted teeth, "I bet they are right at the bottom."
The two workmen exchanged a look. The larger of the tea gave his companion a nod and the two of them simultaneously drew out their wands. |
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