Grindelwald's Burden (Books 1-7)

124. A Place To Hide

Everything seemed fuzzy, slow. Harry, Y/n and Hermione jumped to their feet and drew their wands. Many people were only just realizing that something strange had happened, heads were still turning toward the silver cat as it vanished. Silence spread outward in cold ripples from the place where the Patronus had landed. Then somebody screamed.

Harry, Y/n and Hermione threw themselves into the panicking crowd. Guests were sprinting in all directions, many were Disapparating, the protective enchantments around the Burrow had broken.

"Ron!" Harry shouted out. "Ron, where are you?"

As they pushed their way across the dance floor, Y/n saw cloaked and masked figures appearing in the crowd, then he saw Lupin and Tonks, their wands raised, and heard both of them shout "Protego!", a cry that was echoed on all sides.

"Ron! Ron!" Hermione called, as she, Y/n and Harry were buffeted by terrified guests. Y/n placed his wand his his mouth now and seized Hermione's hand in one and Harry's wrist with the other to make sure they weren't separated as a streak of light whizzed over their heads, whether a protective charm or something more sinister he did not know...He would wait only five more seconds...

But then Ron was there. He caught hold of Harry's free arm, and Y/n felt Hermione turn on the spot, sight and sound were extinguished as darkness pressed in upon him, all he could feel was Hermione's hand as he was squeezed through space and time, away from the Burrow, away from the descending Death Eaters, away, perhaps, from Voldemort himself...

"Where are we?" said Ron's voice.

Y/n looked around and he thought they had not left the wedding after all. They still seemed to be surrounded by people.

"Tottenham Court Road." panted Hermione. "Walk, just walk, we need to find somewhere for you all to change."

Y/n did as she asked. Keeping hold of her hand they half walked, half ran up the wide dark street thronged with late-night revelers and lined with closed shops, stars twinkling above them. A double-decker bus rumbled by and a group of merry pub-goers ogled them as they passed, Y/n and Hermione fared better than Harry and Ron who were still wearing dress robes.

"Hermione, we haven't got anything to change into." Ron told her, as a young woman burst into raucous giggles at the sight of him.

"Why didn't I make sure I had the Invisibility Cloak with me?" said Harry, inwardly cursing his own stupidity. "All last year I kept it on me and..."

"It's okay, I've got the Cloak, I've got clothes for the three of you." said Hermione. "Just try and act naturally until...this will do."

She led them down a side street, then into the shelter of a shadowy alleyway.

"When you say you've got the Cloak, and clothes..." said Harry, frowning at Hermione, who was carrying nothing except her small beaded handbag, in which she was now rummaging.

"Yes, they're here." said Hermione, and to Harry and Ron's utter astonishment, she pulled out a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, some maroon socks, and finally the silvery Invisibility Cloak.

"How the ruddy hell..."

"She used an Undetectable Extension Charm." said Y/n folding his arms and keeping a lookout.

Hermione nodded her head ."Tricky, but I think I've done it okay, anyway, I managed to fit everything we need in here." She gave the fragile-looking bag a little shake and it echoed like a cargo hold as a number of heavy objects rolled around inside it. "Oh, that'll be the books." she said, peering into it. "And I had them all stacked by subject...Oh well...Harry, you'd better take the Invisibility Cloak. Ron, hurry up and change..."