CLXXXV. BACK TO NUMBER 12

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"What about all the people at the wedding?"

It was a small and shabby all-night cafe. A light layer of greaselay on all the Formica-topped tables, but it was at least empty.Mia slipped into a booth first and Ron sat next to him opposite Harry and Hermione, who had their back to the entrance and did not like it. They glanced over her shoulder so frequently they appeared to have atwitch. Mia did not like being stationary; walking had given theillusion that they had a goal.

"Do you think we should go back?" Mia asked. She had finally changed into a pair of light blue mom jeans with a white cropped top and a red zip up hoodie. She had a pair of black and white converse on with her ginger hair in a low ponytail. 

"They were after you," Ron said as Mia looked at him, "we'd put everyone in danger by going back."

"Ron's right<" Hermione said as Mia sighed. They relapsed into a prickly silence. The gum-chewing waitressshuffled over and Hermione ordered four cappuccinos.

"So now what?" Mia asked once the waitress had left, "where do we go?"

"Leaky Cauldron?" Ron suggested.

"It's too dangerous," Hermione said. "If Voldemort has taken over the Ministry, none of the old places are safe. Everyone from the wedding will have gone underground, into hiding."

A pair ofburly workmen entered the cafe and walked towards the counter. The larger of the two workmen, who was blondand quite huge, now that Mia came to look at him, waved heraway. She stared, affronted. 

The two workmen made identical movements, and Mia stared at theM, her eyes glowing red. Without a second thought, Mia threw her hand up and a red shield came over everyone as the Death Eaters threw a spell at them. 

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled as the red force came down.

The great blond Death Eater was hit in the face by a jet ofred light: He slumped sideways, unconscious. His companion, unable to see who had cast the spell, fired another at Ron: Shiningblack ropes flew from his wand-tip and bound Ron head to foot, the waitress screamed and ran for the door.

Mia threw a bright energy ball at him, but he ducked just in time. The energy missed, rebounded on the window, andhit the waitress, who collapsed in front of the door. 

"Expulso!" bellowed the Death Eater, and the table behindwhich Mia was standing blew up: The force of the explosionslammed her into the wall and she felt her nose bleed. 

"Petrificus Totalus!" screamed Hermione from out of sight, andthe Death Eater fell forward like a statue to land with a crunching thud on the mess of broken china, table, and coffee. 

Mia stood up, shook the glass out of her hair and flicked a small red energy ball at Ron, releasing him from the ropes.

Ron got to his feet, shaking hisarms to regain feeling in them. Harry picked up his wand andclimbed over all the debris to where the large blond Death Eaterwas sprawled across the bench and stood next to his sister.

"I should've recognized him, he was there the night Dumbledore died," he said. He turned over the darker Death Eater withhis foot; the man's eyes moved rapidly between Mia, Harry, Ron andHermione. 

"That's Dolohov," said Ron. "I recognize him from the oldwanted posters. I think the big one's Thorfinn Rowle." 

"Never mind what they're called!" said Hermione a little hysterically. "How did they find us? What are we going to do?" 

Somehow her panic seemed to clear Mia's head.

"Lock the door," she told her, "and Ron, turn out the lights." 

She looked down at the paralysed Dolohov, thinking fast as thelock clicked and Ron used the Deluminator to plunge the cafe intodarkness. 

"What are we going to do with them?" Ron whispered to Mia through the dark; then, even more quietly, "Kill them? They'd killus. They had a good go just now." 

Hermione shuddered and took a step backward. Mia shookhis head. 

"I'd love to," Mia said, "but we just need to wipe their memories. It's betterlike that, it'll throw them off the scent. If we killed them it'd beobvious we were here." 

"You're the boss," said Ron, sounding profoundly relieved."But I've never down a Memory Charm." 

"I have," Hermione said as Mia looked at her. She took a deep, calming breath, then pointed her wand atDolohov's forehead and said, "Obliviate." 

At once, Dolohov's eyes became unfocused and dreamy. 

"Brilliant!" said Mia, clapping her on the back. "Take careof the other one and the waitress while I clean up." 

"Clear up?" said Ron, looking around at the partly destroyedcafe. "Why?" 

"Don't you think they might wonder what's happened if theywake up and find themselves in a place that looks like it's just beenbombed?" Mia asked.

"Oh right, yeah. . . ."

Mia's eyes went red as two energy balls appeared at her hands and she looked around. Once the caf'e was restored to its previous condition, theyheaved the Death Eaters back into their booth and propped themup facing each other. 

"We need a safe place to hide," said Ron. "Give us time tothink things through." 

"Grimmauld Place," said Harry. The other two gaped as Mia looked at him. 

"Don't be silly, Harry, Snape can get in there!" 

"Ron's dad said they've put up jinxes against him, and evenif they haven't worked," Mia pressed on as Hermione began to argue, "so what? I swear, I'd like nothing better than to meet Snape!"

"But. . . ." 

"Hermione, where else is there?" Harry asked. "It's the best chance we've got.Snape's only one Death Eater. If I've still got the Trace on me and Mia,we'll have whole crowds of them on us wherever else we go." 

She could not argue, though she looked as if she would have likedto. While she unlocked the cafe door, Ron clicked the Deluminatorto release the cafe's light. Then, on Mia's count of three, theyreversed the spells upon their three victims, and before the waitressor either of the Death Eaters could do more than stir sleepily. 

Mia, Harry, Ron and Hermione had turned on the spot and vanishedinto the compressing darkness once more.Seconds later Harry's lungs expanded gratefully and he openedhis eyes: They were now standing in the middle of a familiar smalland shabby square. Tall, dilapidated houses looked down on themfrom every side. 

Number twelve was visible to them, for they hadbeen told of its existence by Dumbledore, its Secret-Keeper, andthey rushed toward it, checking every few yards that they were notbeing followed or observed. They raced up the stone steps, andMia tapped the front door once with her wand. They heard aseries of metallic clicks and the clatter of a chain, then the doorswung open with a creak and they hurried over the threshold.




Hi guys! 

First, just wanted to thank you all so much for over 100k reads on this story!! It means so much to me that so many of you are still enjoying this story! Just wanted to say, I'm going to skip most of the Deathly Hallows part 1 (sorry if it's your favourite film/books!) but as it's a Draco Malfoy fan fic, he's not in the DH1 as much, I wanted to make him and Mia interact more, especially in the last film. I hope you understand and it really means a lot to me!

Thank you all so much x

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