𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐒 | HPau

─ ⁰⁴. DON'T FREAK OUT

"Hey, Moony," Hermione greeted seating down, and smiling at Kreacher when he placed a plate of breakfast in front of her, "Thanks, Kreacher."

The house elf bowed his head.

"What's going on? Is everyone okay?" Harry hurriedly asked, sitting down on the table, Ron following after him.

"Yes," said Lupin, "but we're all being watched. There are a couple of Death Eaters in the square outside. I had to Apparate very precisely to the top step outside the front door to be sure that they would not see me—"

"—Hermione apparated into the kitchen," Ron pointed out.

"That's because she's a Black," Sirius explained, "if you're part of the family by blood, you can Apparate in and out of the house. Unless you're out of the secret. Which every other Black is."

The three nodded.

"Anyway," Remus continued, "They can't know you're in here or I'm sure they'd have more people out there; they're staking out everywhere that's got any connection with you, Harry."

"Where even were you?" Sirius questioned with a frown.

"My flat in Scotland," Hermione shrugged and Sirius gaped.

"With what money did you buy that flat?" he asked baffled.

"Mum's," Hermione shrugged, smiling up at her mother who was standing behind Sirius and causing the latter to turn around and gape at the woman.

"It was Reggie's idea," Annora said defensively, laughing as Regulus, who was behind Hermione, gasped in mock offense.

"Er, what are you looking at Sirius?" Harry asked, sharing a confused look with Remus and Ron.

"At the wall," Sirius said immediately as Annora and Regulus vanished. "Remus got here a few hours before you," he said, abruptly changing the subject.

"I had to shake off some Death Eaters following me," the werewolf nodded.

"Tell us what happened after we left, we haven't heard a thing since Ron's dad told us the family was safe," Harry said, referring to the Patronus Arthur Weasley had sent them a day or two prior.

"Well, Kingsley saved us," said Remus and Sirius nodded. "Thanks to his warning most of the wedding guests were able to Disapparate before they arrived."

"They were about a dozen," said Sirius, "but they didn't even know Harry was there."

"Arthur heard a rumor that they tried to torture your whereabouts out of Scrimgeour before they killed him; if it's true, he didn't give you away," Remus finished.

"The Death Eaters searched The Burrow from top to bottom," Lupin went on. "They found the ghoul, but didn't want to get too close—and then they interrogated those of us who remained for hours. They were trying to get information on you, Harry, but, of course, nobody apart from the Order knew that you had been there. They also... They wanted to take you, Mia."

Hermione's head snapped to Remus and then to her father. Sirius' hand clenched around his firewhiskey glass and he nodded his jaw set. "They're looking for you. Voldemort knows you're back and that means—"

"He wants my knowledge," Hermione concluded with a grimace and smiled slightly as her dad slid over his glass to her with what was left of the drink. Hermione downed it in one gulp.

"At the same time that they were smashing up the wedding, more Death Eaters were forcing their way into every Order-connected house in the country. No deaths," he added quickly before they could even ask the question, "but they were rough. They burned down Dedalus Diggle's house, but as you know he wasn't there, and they used the Cruciatus Curse on Tonks's family. Again, trying to find out where you went after you visited them. They're all right—shaken, obviously, but otherwise okay."