We had apparated so fast that I fell over when we came out of that tight pipe-like feeling. Astoria helped me up right away. I looked around to see that we were on a path that look familiar. It was the path to Diagon Alley, which would make sense that Fred would take us there because of the joke shop. It would be a safe place. My heart then skipped a beat as I looked down at my hands, suddenly remembering that I had the time turner in my hands before Fred grabbed ahold of me. I grabbed for my bag that Astoria had been holding and didn't find it.
"What are you looking for?" Kam asked, looking a tad bit worried.
I sighed. "The time turner. I must've dropped it right before we apparated."
"Well, that's lovely, but we should probably get in before nightfall," Fred said as if he was annoyed.
I ran over to him and hit him on the shoulder. "That time turner is very important to this mission. It has everything that I need to complete this mission, and it's all your fault that I lost it."
He looked down at me oddly. "What do you mean it's my fault?"
"Because you grabbed me like you were kidnapping me, which made me drop it," I stopped walking in time with him. "We have to go back."
"Are you mad?" It was Astoria this time. "It's too dangerous to head back now. We just ran from Death Eaters that could be ransacking the place as we speak. We are not going back until at least tomorrow night."
"Which means," Fred turned to me and grabbed my arm, "that we are going to the shop, where we'll be safe until tomorrow. I sure hope George hasn't been too hassled with it getting cold and the students lining up in the streets."
Kam laughed from behind us. "You still think that the schools are going to be open after everything that has happened?"
"Oh, I know it's happening. I read in the Daily Prophet in that seer's house that none other than greasy, slimy Severus Snape is now headmaster, which only can mean one thing," Fred smirked down at me.
"That You-Know-Who has taken over the Ministry," Astoria said in defeat. "I knew it was only a matter of time, but I didn't think it would be this soon."
"Last time I checked, He wasn't the minister," Kam said, confused.
Astoria shook her head. "He wouldn't list himself as the head of the Ministry. He's using a head figure."
"I also read that there's a taboo on You-Know-Who's name," Fred informed us. "Apparently, if you say his name then Death Eaters show up to take you away."
"Holy shit," exclaimed Kam.
We could all second her notion as we looked down at Diagon Alley. It was horrible. It looked as if someone just set fire to anything and everything. The sight was almost enough to make me cry. Fred took off, leaving us in his dust.
I then looked down at the paper on the street in Diagon Alley. It looked just as horrible as the rest of the Alley did. The Death Eaters had gotten to the Alley just like I knew they would. Astoria and Kam appeared at my sides and followed my eyes down to the paper. Kam slowly reached down and picked it up. It was part of the Daily Prophet. We couldn’t tell what the date was, but we could make out the faded picture somewhat. The woman in the picture was wearing a prisoner suit like the ones at Azkaban. She had long, brown hair and bright blue eyes. She didn’t look like she would be a criminal, but the description under the picture told us otherwise.
"Jade Smith,” Kam shook her head. “She doesn’t sound familiar.”
Astoria shook her head. “She wouldn’t sound familiar because she doesn’t go by that name. In the Death Eating world, she’s known as Helena Burke, a Death Eater who is so loyal. The Smiths are not on,” she paused, “You-Know-Who’s side.”
“Was this Helena a double agent? Did she try to play our side?” I asked Astoria, thankful that we had someone who had a clue about the Death Eaters. I mean, she’s the only one out of the four of us that had been in that world.
She shrugged. “I have no idea. I’ve never even met her a day in my life, but,” she paused again with a sigh, “You-Know-Who thought pretty highly of her.”
“Well, I know that if we ever run into her, I’m going to question the hell out of her. What if she’s on our side, playing Voldemort?” Kam said and automatically covered her mouth because she knew what had come out of her mouth as soon as she said it. “I’m sorry,” she apologized right away before we heard the pops.
“Run!” Astoria whisper yelled at us and led the way down the Alley.
Up ahead, we saw Weasley’s Wizard Weezes. Well, the ruins of it. A thought then clicked in my mind. Our fourth party was inside that building. He had to be. I mean, where else would an owner go? To check on his shop of course.
“Fred!” I yelled, taking the chance with the seekers seeing us.
Astoria and Kam stopped running, but I kept running. I went right in between them and right up to the door, which opened up right before I got there. I collided with the person who opened the door, and we both toppled to the floor, rolling on one another. Before I knew what was going on, the person was on top of me with a wand to my throat.
“You’re that Flint girl,” said the person on top of me. “The Dark Lord has been searching high and low for you. Not only can you be used as a bargaining tool, but it can be stopped.”
“Courtney!” Kam yelled as she stomped into the shop with Astoria on her heels. “Holy shit! That’s her, isn’t it?”
I opened my eyes, which had been pinched closed because I was too afraid to look at my attacker. The girl on top of me looked exactly like the picture that we had seen in the ruined article just moments ago. From her long, brown hair to her bright blue eyes, she was definitely that woman. She was Jade Smith or Helena Burke as Astoria pointed out.
“You’re Jade Smith,” I gasped out loud as the wand was pushed more into my throat.
“The name is Helena Burke,” she shook her head. “No one knows who I really am, which is Helena Burke. I am a Death Eater, not a Smith.”
“Are you on our side?” Kam asked, not putting her wand down.
Jade/Helena laughed. “Why would I be on your side when I am a Death Eater, you stupid girl.”
“But in the Prophet it said that you were really-“
“Jade Smith,” she interrupted Kam rudely. “I know. Everyone seems to think that I’m this Smith girl and that I’m working on the good side, but they couldn’t be more wrong. I am Helena Burke. I think I know who I am.”
“Could you just let our friend go? We’ll leave you be,” Astoria said, “and we won’t have to use force.”
Jade/Helena laughed again. “Force? What force? I’m in control. You need this Flint girl. Well, I also need this girl. He’ll be very pleased that I can grant him such a gift. If he could only control that Malfoy boy and Beverly Flint more as well as put a stop to her plan as well, he would only think the highest of me.”
“What plan?” Kam asked, her eyes looking up before quickly darting down.
The Death Eater only laughed some more. “As if you don’t know. You’re here, helping her.”
“That doesn’t mean she hasn’t involved us in her plan,” Astoria pointed out.
“Then you are blindly following her. I could save you the burden if you let me take her right now,” Jade/Helens smirked. “You could be free and alive if you let me have her without a fight.”
Kam raised her wand and opened her mouth, but the pressure of the wand left my throat, and I saw a red light before heard something falling to the floor. I jerked my head in that direction to see that Kam was on the floor, unconscious. My head was then forced back to the position that it was before and the wand stabbed painfully back to my throat. My hand was clinched on my wand, which I didn’t get out of my pocket before going into the shop. My only thought was to get my wand hand free so I could hit her while Astoria distracted her.
“You bitch,” Astoria’s voice shook a bit; clearly she knew that this woman was way more experienced than any of us. “Okay, so we’re blindly following her. Tell us what you think her plan is.”
Jade/Helena looked up from me and onto her. “Alright, I’ll play along. She has to put a stop to a certain cycle. The truth is she was never meant to end it. Draco is meant to go into battle and perhaps not come out alive, just as always. She can’t save him. There is nothing to save him. The cycle is already in motion, and she can’t stop it now.”
Tears pricked my eyes, but I couldn’t believe what she had just said. I had to continue with what Dumbledore asked of me. I have to put a stop to the cycle. Dumbledore would’ve never have told me to if he didn’t believe I could do it. I had to do it. I had to save him, even if that isn’t part of the cycle. My hand was almost free as Astoria rambled on about not having a clue about what Jade/Helena was talking about. Just as I was about to jerk my hand free, a spell hit the woman on top of me. Before I knew what was happening, the woman fell off of me at the same time I was picked up and thrown over someone’s shoulder. The person carrying me dashed behind the counter, which was deeper into the store, and set me down. Kneeling before me, I couldn’t have been happier to see that Fred had been where I thought he was.
“Astoria, Kam,” I said, but as soon as the names were out of my mouth, Astoria stumbled into us with Kam wincing in reply.
“Shh,” Fred hushed all of us with a finger to his lips.
We listened as the seekers dashed into the store. I was waiting for them to say something about Jade/Helena on the floor, but the voices declared that there was no one there. So, after a few minutes the seekers left the shop, saying that they wouldn’t leave the outside of the shop until morning.
“We have to apparate out of here right now,” Astoria whispered. “Give me your hands,” she reached out and caught Kam’s and Fred’s but I pushed his hand away before standing and making my way back around the counter.
The seekers had been right. Jade/Helena was nowhere to be seen. I shook my head as I let my wand down to my side. She wasn’t even in the aisles or anything. She must’ve quickly apparated or the seekers pretended not to see her, and she was sitting outside with them. She was even more of a mystery before we had met her, and I was sure that I didn’t want to run into her ever again.
"Courtney," Kam called out my name.
I sighed. "Alright, let's get out of here."
We apparated back to the Burrow, where we knew we were safe. The members of the Phenoix would make sure that it was safe. It felt good to be back but that didn't mean that I got to relax. Astoria and Kam brought me to Ron's old room and locked the door behind them.
"So, what was Helena going on about?" Astoria questioned right away.
I sighed. "I was going to tell you guys."
"So, tell us," Kam snapped just as someone knocked on the door.
Whew! Long chapter and a new character! Helena plays a big part on the Death Eating side. (You'll see!) And if you read one of my one shots, Not a Wright Meets That Flint Girl, you would've recognized most of this chapter! Well, I hope the wait was worth it. Please comment and vote!