𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 | 𝐡. 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝟏𝟒𝟐 - 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫

𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛'𝚜 𝙽𝚘𝚝𝚎 - 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝟾𝟻% 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍'𝚟𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢, 𝙸 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢.

𝙄𝙛 𝙆𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙖 𝙡𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙞, Harry was confident that the capture of Mundungus would take a few hours at most, and he prowled the house all morning in a state of high anticipation. However, Kreacher did not return that morning or even that afternoon. By nightfall, Harry felt discouraged and anxious, and a supper composed largely of mouldy bread, upon which Hermione had tried a variety of unsuccessful Transfigurations, did nothing to help.

Kreacher did not return the following day, nor the day after that. However, two cloaked men had appeared in the square outside number twelve, and they remained there into the night, gazing in the direction of the house that they could not see.

"Death Eaters, for sure," said Ron, as he, Ophelia Harry, and Hermione watched from the drawing room windows. "Reckon they know we're in here?"

"I don't think so," said Hermione, though she looked frightened, "or they'd have sent Snape in after us, wouldn't they?"

"D'you reckon he's been in here and had his tongue tied by Moody's curse?" asked Ron.

"Yes," said Hermione, "otherwise he'd have been able to tell that lot how to get in, wouldn't he? But they're probably watching to see whether we turn up. They know that Harry owns the house, after all."

"How do they — ?" began Harry.

"You're legally his son, whatever he owns you're entitled to use, at the very least." said Ophelia softly as she squeezed his arm, "Tell you what, if he picked them out himself I can tell you he was aiming for people who were a sight for sore eyes... I mean come on, they all look like they're each others brother's mothers cousins — I don't even want to know how that one eats his food with his jaw sticking out like a stuck drawer..."

"Reckon you'd be able to toss coins into that one's gap tooth." Said Ron, watching the man pick something out of them, "Right bunch of ugly muckers aren't they?"

"You're telling me." Said Ophelia grimacing as she pointed to one of them, "That one just picked his arse and smelt his fingers."

"Oh look, those two are playing Wizard's Chess!" Said Ron eagerly, as though this was the best thing to happen all day, he grabbed her and him a stool and a seat as they watched them make their moves, "Shouldn't have made that move, that leaves him open for — that! Well, I certainly wouldn't move that one, but of course he will because he's got cats in a bag for brains..."

"God forbid they start playing snap." Said Ophelia shaking her head.

The presence of the Death Eaters outside increased the ominous mood inside number twelve. Restless and irritable, Ron had developed an annoying habit of playing with the Deluminator in his pocket: This particularly infuriated Hermione, who was whiling away the wait for Kreacher by studying The Tales of Beedle the Bard and did not appreciate the way the lights kept flashing on and off.