Hermione awoke, her entire body throbbing with agony, and her eyes immediately fixated on Eleanor, sprawled unconscious. Panic gripped her as she scanned the dimly lit room, praying to find no lurking figures. Each shadowy corner was scrutinized meticulously, ensuring she was truly alone. Slowly, she began to slink toward Eleanor, her hands trembling as blood from her injuries marred the floor with sinister stains.
Time seemed to stretch into an endless nightmare as Hermione inched forward, dreading even the faintest noise that might shatter her fragile hope. This was her only opportunity to rescue her niece, and she had to be vigilant.
Finally, at the far end of the room where Nora lay, Hermione cautiously roused her, causing Nora to whimper in dread.
"It's me, darling, Auntie Minnie," Hermione whispered urgently, her voice tinged with fear and determination. "Don't worry, Auntie Minnie's here to rescue you, just like she promised."
"Auntie Minnie, I'm so scared," Nora whispered back, her voice trembling.
"Don't be afraid, sweetheart, everything will be alright, okay?"
Nora nodded, and with excruciating effort, Hermione reached for the concealed pocket where her wand lay, ignoring the searing, raw pain coursing through her body every time she moved.
As she reached for her wand, she saw Nora's face contorted with fear, causing her to flinch.
"Don't worry, Auntie Minnie would never harm you, dear," she whispered while embracing her trembling niece, her hand stained with her blood. In the background, the murmur of hushed voices outside the door grew louder, intensifying Nora's fear.
With time running out, Hermione focused on healing Nora's wounds, despite the excruciating pain coursing through her own body. Silent tears streamed down Nora's face as she watched her aunt, whose entire body was drenched in blood, working to mend her injuries.
Gently wiping away Nora's tears, Hermione offered a reassuring smile, inadvertently smearing more blood onto Nora's face. She extended her wand to cleanse the blood from Nora's face and pajamas. However, as the voices outside the door grew nearer, Hermione realized they were running out of time. Without delay, she tore a piece of her own dress, transforming it into a comforting teddy bear, which she handed to Nora.
"Listen closely, sweetheart. You must hold onto this teddy bear for me, okay? Don't let it go, no matter what happens," Hermione urged, her voice trembling with urgency. "When it starts to spin, it'll take you somewhere safe, alright? There'll be a red-haired auntie waiting for you. Tell her clearly that Auntie Hermione sent you, not Auntie Minnie, say Hermione, okay?" Her eyes bore into Nora's, conveying the gravity of the situation.
Nora nodded, her heart pounding. She clutched the teddy bear tightly, her small fingers trembling as Hermione continued to speak. "But what about you? I won't go without you!" Nora protested, her eyes filling with tears.
Hermione sighed, her eyes darting to the door. "I will come, but not with you. Both of us can't hold onto a teddy bear, right?" Her gaze returned to Nora's, filled with determination. "I'll join you later, okay?" She knew she couldn't apparate or use a portkey in her current state. She needed to heal herself first, and that would take time. Time they didn't have. The voices outside the door were growing louder, and the urgency of their situation hung heavy in the air.
"But-" Nora began to argue, her voice trembling, but before she could finish her sentence, the door to the room burst open with a deafening crash. Hermione's heart raced, and she knew they were out of time. She hastily muttered the spell, her wand pointed at the bear Nora clutched, transforming it into a portkey. Beck, catching on to the situation, yelled "Expelliarmus!" as he hurled the spell toward Hermione's wand.
Nora screamed in terror, but then she disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Hermione alone in the room. She gasped, her breath shaky, as the door burst open, revealing the approaching figures. The tension in the room grew unbearable as Hermione prepared herself for whatever would come next.
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"Great, great, great, great grandmother, seriously, Ronald?" Percy's irritation was evident as he spoke.
Ronald stammered, "What? I... I didn't know what to say!"
George interjected softly, "Okay, okay, Percy, Ron, enough. Ginny, what were you saying?"
Ginny hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath, "I was saying that since we don't have a lead, maybe we could ask an Auror about the last sighting of a Death Eater, the latest one-"
George's voice quivered as he voiced his concerns, "Ginny, I don't think they'd actually share it with us, though. There's still no word about a breakout. What makes you think-"
But George's words were abruptly silenced by Ginny's determination, "Does anyone know how to brew a Veritaserum? Percy, don't they teach it in seventh year?"
Percy nodded solemnly, "They teach how to brew an antidote for Veritaserum, but not Veritaserum itself."
Ron suggested, his tone heavy with desperation, "What if we... steal it?"
Harry questioned, "And give it to who?"
Ron replied with a glimmer of hope, "I think I have a person in mind for that, George. You know Roger?"
George furrowed his brow in thought, "The guy whose elder brother is an Auror?"
Ron affirmed, "Yup, that's the guy. We don't have to slip it into his brother, who's the Auror, but Roger used to tell me that if any case bothered his elder brother John, he'd share it with Roger. So, I could invite him over?"
Ginny chimed in, "So we go under Harry's invisibility cloak and get the potion first?"
George started to protest, "Ginny, guys, I don't think-"
A sudden, loud crack echoed in the middle of the room, causing everyone to jump. In an instant, wands were drawn and pointed in the direction of the disturbance.
"Merlin's Goose! What the..." Ron's voice trailed off, his eyes wide with alarm, as the gravity of their situation sank in, his wide eyes fixated on the little girl before him, clad in polka-dotted pajamas. Her innocent face and clothes were smeared with a grim, chilling layer of blood as she clutched a Teddy bear tightly in her trembling hand. She quickly covered her eyes, collapsing to the floor in uncontrollable sobs, her tiny voice chanting the words "Auntie Minnie" repeatedly, each utterance laden with pain.
Harry's eyes darted towards the door, grateful for Ginny's idea to cast a Muffliato spell on it. Ginny believed that her mother would not hesitate to eavesdrop to uncover the painful truth. Harry rose from his seat, compelled to approach the distraught child.
Ginny's eyes widened in shock, her hand instinctively covering her mouth. George's mouth hung open, aghast, and Percy remained rooted to the ground, unable to move, his eyes wide with disbelief.
As Harry stood before the little girl, a torrent of emotions swirled within him. Should he proceed? Should he offer comfort? He knelt down slowly, his voice trembling with uncertainty, "Hey?" But the girl continued to hide her eyes, her chants and sobs subdued.
"Look at me, we won't hurt you," Harry reassured her. Reluctantly, the girl peeked at him through the gaps between her fingers. Suddenly, with lightning speed, she leaped up and began hitting and punching Harry with her tiny fists, catching everyone off guard.
"Why - Why did you come first and then leave Auntie Minnie with the bad guys!" The little girl screamed in anguish, her voice cracking.
Harry stood there, bewildered, unprepared for the sudden outburst of anger from the child.
"Hey, hey, what's your name?" Ginny approached cautiously, signaling Harry to step back since it was evident that the girl was uncomfortable around him.
The girl stared at Ginny for a prolonged moment, her young mind seemingly processing the question. Finally, she blurted out, "Red Auntie, you're Red Auntie!" She raced toward Ginny, who instinctively took a step back, fearing another onslaught. To her profound surprise, the little girl instead wrapped her arms around Ginny's leg, sobbing uncontrollably, repeatedly muttering, "They're hurting Auntie Minnie."
Ginny bent down gently, scooping up the child into her arms. As she looked around the room, the expressions on everyone's faces conveyed a shared set of questions:
1. Who is this mysterious girl?
2. Why is she here?
3. What horrific events led to her being covered in blood?
4. Who is the Auntie Minnie she keeps mentioning?
5. Why did she single out Harry with accusations?
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