We appeared in the middle of a bustling street, Hermione pulling us out of the way before a bus blew us to smithereens.
"Wh . . . where are we?" I managed to sputter as I recollected my thoughts from the huge jump.
"Tottenham road," Hermione breathed as she bent to catch her breath. Hair a fluttering mess and her dress ruffling in the wind, she grabbed onto Ron and Harry, pulling them into an alleyway. I followed close behind. The streets were dimmed; I could only make out the outlines or their faces.
"What do we do now?" Ron asked. "You zapped us here, but we've come empty-handed-"
"Who do you think I am to bring you all here without preparing?"
We stared at her quizzically as she reached down towards her tiny beaded bag, popping it open.
"Hermione, are you mad-"
Suddenly there was a loud crash, the sound of heavy objects toppling over. Hermione groaned.
"That must be the books."
I stared at the girl in awe. She really was the brightest witch of her age. We peered into the small purse as she stuck her arm in all the way to her shoulder, fishing around. A few moments later, she pulled out three pairs of jeans and a few shirts to change into. =
"Undetectable extension charm," she said. She glanced at me, sheepishly. "I didn't think you'd end up coming with us. You can borrow some of my stuff for now. Sorry."
I nodded, understanding. Yeah. I understood.
"You're amazing, you are," Ron said, wide-eyed.
"Always the tone of surprise," Hermione said with a small smirk.
We quickly changed into casual outfits, when suddenly Hermione looked up, her eyes wide.
"Oh, no," she groaned.
"What?" the three of us asked in unison. I yanked out my wand, scanning our surroundings.
"Your birthday, Harry. I forgot your cake."
"Blimey, Hermione. We're being chased by Death Eaters and all you can think about is my cake?" Harry asked, eyebrows raised. He tucked his wand back, shaking his head.
"But it's your birthday . . ."
"Honestly, we have worse things to worry about."
"He's right," Ron nodded.
Hermione sighed as she grabbed her tiny, weightless purse off the ground. "We've got to go right now. Spending too much time in one location is dangerous."
We set off through busy streets, keeping a low profile and our eyes wide for any signs of distress. We stopped at a small cafe, breathless and wary. I slid in beside Harry, Ron and Hermione taking the seats in front of us.
"How may I help you?" a waitress asked as she approached us.
"I'll have a cappuccino please," Hermione said.
"Me too," I quickly jumped in.
"What she said," Ron eyed Hermione and Harry, who seemed to be grinning slyly.
"Same for me," he said with a small shake of his head.
She left us, and Harry leaned in over the table, dropping his voice to a low whisper. "Voldemort's taken over the Ministry. We have nowhere to go."
"We'll think of something, Harry," Hermione said, her lips pursed in concentration as she thought.
"What about the wedding? Do you think we should go back?"
"They're after you, mate. I'm sure everyone's fine and moved the wedding underground. You can't go back, or you'll be putting everyone in more danger."
"So then where do we go from here?" I asked. "The Leaky Cauldron?"
"It's too dangerous," Hermione shook her head. My eyes dropped to the cappuccinos the waitress appeared with, setting them down in front of us. Hermione reached out, warming her hands on the steaming cup. I did the same.
"Oh, no," Harry hung his head.
"What is it?" I asked.
"My rucksack with all my things. I've left it at the Burrow."
Hermione pursed her lips, shaking her head softly as the the door swung open, bell tinkling. Two men walked in, walking straight towards the register.. "Um. . ." she pulled her small purse towards her.
Harry's eyes widened again, staring at the purse. "No way. You're joking."
"I've been planning this for weeks, just in case. I come well prepared."
"I can tell," I nodded in agreement, in awe.
My left arm started to throb.
I swallowed, and suddenly the cafe began to grow hotter. A bead of sweat trickled down my temple.
"Elvira, you alright?" Hermione asked, narrowing her eyes. I was glad to see they weren't suspecting; guarded. They were genuinely worried this time.
"I don't . . . I don't feel too well." I reached down to sip my coffee, which Ron nearly gagged over. It was bitter, but sweet. Tingly. Unlike butterbeer, which tasted like ambrosia compared to this.
"How do muggles drink this stuff?" he said in disgust, pushing it away. My heart nearly beat out of my chest.
I looked over Ron's shoulder. One of the men's hand slid to his pocket. "Guys, I think those men are-"
"Get down!" Harry grabbed my shoulder, pushing me under the table. The two men whipped out their wands, pointing them at our table. Everything exploded around us. Harry pointed his wand from under the table, shouting, "Expelliarmus!"
They jumped behind the counter. The shelves crashed to the ground, glass shattering. They were fighting silently, now, without moving their lips. A red stream of light exploded near my head, nearly ripping off my ear. I jumped up from behind the chair.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
A jar slammed against one of their heads, knocking him to the ground. I rolled out from behind the chair as Ron and Hermione jumped up, shooting jets of red and blue light.
I recognized one of them. Dolohov. The tattoo on my arm seared as I pointed my wand again. "Confringo!" Glass exploded, cutting through their skin. I shielded my eyes as stray bits flew towards us, coughing on the debris and dust floating in the air.
Silence.
I lay on my stomach, turning my head to see Ron who inched up, peering to check if the coast was clear.
A green jet of light burst towards him.
"Protego!" Hermione shielded him, and in turn, shot a spell that bound the remaining Death Eater's arms and legs together. Swallowing, I got to my feet, brushing strands of loose hair behind my ears.
Slowly, the four of us made our way behind the counter. Suddenly the Employee's Only door swung open. The waitress froze, staring at us, horrified.
"Go," I said harshly. "Get out of here. Now."
She didn't need to be told twice. She spun around, running for her life. Ron lifted the deluminator, shutting off all the lights. Hermione brought down the blinds.
I walked over to the petrified Death Eater's.
Standing above them, I gulped. I recognized both of them from the Malfoy Manor, and I was sure they recognized me fighting them.
"This one's Rowle," Harry said from behind me, causing chills to run up my spine. Everything set me on edge. I gritted my teeth, trying to keep the coffee down. "I recognize him from the Astronomy Tower the night Dumbledore died."
I felt him staring at me.
"This is Dolohov," Ron said, his face contorted into a look of disgust. "I recognize him from the Wanted posters. Let me get rid of him."
"You can't. We're better than them."
"Can't we? How would you feel if I told you he was the one who killed Moody?"
"Erase their memory," I blurted. Erase it so they don't recognize me. So they don't think I'm with them. So Voldemort won't come looking for me and kill all of us.
"Which one of us is gonna do it?" Ron asked, his eyes fixed on me.
"I'll mess it up."
"You're a smart witch. You were right behind Hermione."
"It doesn't matter. I . . . I can't." The image of my parents popped into my mind and I felt sick.
"It's alright, Ron. I'll do it."
Hermione took a deep breath, pulling out her wand. She pointed it at Dolohov, whose froze eyes stared up at the ceiling blankly.
"Obliviate," she whispered.
We were safe. for now.
⚡ ⚡ ⚡
Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, home of the Black Family. Well, previously.
As the entire building moved, shifting and groaning to show the hidden home, I saw a shadow move out of the corner of my eye. The hair stood up on the back of my neck, chills causing goosebumps to form on my arms. I shivered as I glanced over my shoulder-it felt as if someone were watching us.
The windows sank inward, stretching. An iron fence protruded from the ground, as if it had never not-existed.
"The place is probably heavily guarded. This is where the Order met," Harry said as we entered through the door. Harry held out an arm, stopping us from entering any further.
"Looks like someone's been in here."
I looked past him to see a knocked-over umbrella stand and a few paintings hanging crookedly.
"Aparecium," I said softly, raising my wand. Silence. "Looks like the place is empty now," I noted. "Whoever came in here must be long gone. There's dust everywh-"
Suddenly, I felt my tongue roll inward. Harry, Ron, and Hermione's hands shot up to their mouths as well, frowning as they tried to speak, only making unintelligible sounds.
Moments later, my tongue returned to normal.
"What was that?" I asked, surprised.
"A tongue-tying curse . . . it keeps us from revealing the house's secrets. Mad-Eye hexed and jinxed this entire place. We have to be careful."
We searched the entire place top to bottom, finding the house to be swiped empty-a mess in its place.
"I'll be in the bathroom if anyone needs me," Harry said, visibly distressed. Ron and Hermione exchanged glances, and I knew this was cue for me to leave.
"I need some fresh air," I said, excusing myself. I tied my hair up high, and left the house, feeling the wind on my neck.
I sat on the steps, shutting the door behind me.
I had gotten myself into something terrible. I rested my head in my hands, my eyes burning. Suddenly, I saw the shadow again, out of the corner of my eye. I leapt to my feet, whipping out my wand.
"Expulso-"
"Epelliarmus!" My wand jerked out of my hand, landing many feet behind me. My chest rose and fell heavily as I spun around, bracing myself from what was next.
"Well, well, Steele. You've led me right to their hiding spot, haven't you?"
My arms fell to my sides.
"Draco? How did you find me?"
The pale boy stepped out from the shadow, an eerie look on his face. "Steele, as long as you have that mark on your arm, any of us can find you any time. Now. Let's find out what you're going to tell the Dark Lord, shall we?"
"Draco, get out of here," I ordered, pointing at him.
"It's rude to point. I'm not going anywhere."
"Why are you always following me?"
"Because you're always following Potter."
"Ah, this is about your obsession with him, isn't it?"
"Shut up, Steele," he said, giving me a tight-lipped smile. Only then did I realize how close he was standing. I held my breath. "The Mark is hurting, I know it."
"It's not."
He grabbed me arm. "Show me."
I knew, I knew, when my end came one day, it would be because of him.
I pulled up my sleeve.