THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH | RON WEASLEY [BOOK FIVE]

18. BLACK AND POTTER

Deep down, Hermione must have known Gene was right, because she quickly rushed towards them as they all were pressed tightly together, doing their best to stay hidden under the Cloak as they Disapparated.

It proved to be much harder than it had been for the last seven years, with each of them realising that they seemed to have grown up more than they first thought.

They landed in a thick layer of snow, immediately met with the sound of what must have been an alarm; one they had accidentally set off by Disapparating into Hogsmeade, shrouded by a low fog and a darkness in the air.

A shrill, cold scream suddenly overwhelmed her senses, causing Gene to wince in pain as the door to the Three Broomsticks burst open, a dozen Death Eaters rushing outside with their wands raised. The Cloak had slipped: instantly giving them away.

They ran for Honeyduke's ducking and dodging each blast and jet of light that was sprung upon them, running wickedly fast as they dashed through the twisting streets and hidden alleys. Gene lead them through an alcove, slipping carefully inside one after the other as they listened to the Death Eaters track past them.

"They were ready for us." Harry panted in realisation.

"We know you two're here. There's no getting away." one man jeered, his voice seemingly close. "Perhaps you need some convincing." he added wickedly.

Harry had the shard of mirror out, the same one he'd been using all year though she still couldn't understand it, nor did Harry ever explain it. Gene could no longer focus on her burning lungs as all of a sudden, a very familiar and very biting chill overcame them, swallowing the street whole.

Just above the rooftops, barely discernible from the night sky, the Dementors drifted overhead, tracing the night like smoke. Both Gene and Harry drew their wands, ready to fend them off until Hermione's worried gaze stopped them. The night grew darker, the streetlights dimming themselves.

Their breath drifted visibly in the gathering chill, as the Dementors began to descend on them. A sense of dread began to overwhelm Gene as she raised her wand anyways, grimacing as she was filled with worry and bleak thoughts.

"Expecto Patronum!" Gene and Harry cried at once.

A large snake, Gene's black mamba, burst from her wandtip, glowing as it slithered against the snow, growing larger and larger the further it tracked the Dementors, while a silver stag charged down the street.

But Gene caught a glimpse of something smaller, barrelling down the street all the same, only it wasn't either of their Patronuses. It looked like a goat. It wasn't her biggest concern, as the Dementors had soon scattered and completely vanished before their eyes.

"They're over here! Look– down there!"

Footsteps began to clatter against cobblestones, growing dangerously near and they were beginning to think they were truly stuck when suddenly, the sound of bolts grinding obnoxiously, hinges of an old wooden door squall, and a door opened behind them.

A cat slithered out past the opening, its eyes glimmering ever so familiarly to Gene and she cried out, falling to her knees as she picked her up, gathering her close to her chest. Gene felt a few tears slip as Stella purred against her neck, nuzzling herself closer.

"Black, Potter– in here!"

A man suddenly barked at them, his eyes just as familiar, striking her very soul, as Gene swore she was looking at the very figure of Dumbledore himself. But it couldn't be... there was no way.

Gene didn't have time to wonder any longer, as Harry grabbed her arm and dragged her through the passageway without questioning it, as much as she ached to ask why he had called her by her father's surname instead.