the hallows - f. weasley

- c h a p t e r - f i v e -

 She left far too early in the morning–but Kreacher had arrived even earlier.

So when she knew her family was asleep, Gemma snuck back through the mansion and into the cellar.

Propping the door open slightly, she shifted into her Animagus form and ran. She ran for hours–her paws aching and her lungs heaving as she carried her satchel that Shacklebolt had managed to sneak in hours earlier in her teeth.

She had no idea how she was going to get from London back to the Tonks residence before everyone was going to be awake, but she would figure it out later.

Right now–she just needed to get to London.

Kreacher had reported that her brother and best friends had made the flat their homebase, so she knew exactly where to go.

Somehow, she had managed to sneak onto a couple trolleys and trains when she reached the city, and soon she was running in and out of alleys heading to Grimmauld Place–watching for Death Eaters or Ministry workers who might have been in the area. The closer she got–the more she saw, so she kept in the shadows of the streets, trying to keep out of the public eye as best she could.

Finally, she made it to the flat's back door, scratching her paw against the door.

It was about ten minutes before a familiar bushy-haired girl opened the door slightly, looking for the source. When Gemma gave a yap, Hermione opened the door and slammed it shut behind her, "Thank Merlin!"

Gemma collapsed to the ground–getting off her paws with a huff as Hermione rushed to the cupboards across the room and filled up a tin cup with water.

She stood in front of Gemma–probably waiting for her to shift, but when the Lupin girl didn't, Hermione knelt down and offered the cup to her.

Even though she felt incredibly awkward and weird doing it, Gemma lapped up the water from the cup before nodding at Hermione gratefully.

Hermione opened her arms and Gemma hurried to her–letting her best friend/sister hold her and find comfort in the only version of a hug she could give her, "Harry was furious. He almost came back for you..."

Gemma wished she could speak or do something in reply, but instead, she just settled her head further against Hermione's shoulder.

"Is this how they can't track you?" Hermione asked quietly. "Because you're an Animagus?"

Gemma nodded her angular head.

"But how?"

Gemma shuffled out of Hermione's embrace and dug her nose through her satchel until she found the bundle of letters from Silvia–nudging them toward her best friend.

She waited quietly as Hermione went through them–her brows furrowing and curious hums falling from her pinched lips.

It was a few moments before she muttered, "How did she even figure this out? I mean–how did she find that loophole in the Ministry's tracking?"

Gemma just twitched–though it was supposed to be a shrug.

Silvia had somehow found out that when an underaged wizard was in Animagus form–the Trace was almost nulled by the transformation, almost as if by shifting to an animal, the witch or wizard didn't exist.

Thus why Gemma could be at Grimmauld Place and would be safe.

At least–she hoped so. If not, she was going to throw hands with a granny.

Hermione was bundling the letters back up and picking up Gemma's satchel for her–her brown eyes worried as she asked, "Can we tell the boys?"

Gemma nodded and then turned her eyes to the stairs leading upstairs as if to say, Lead on.