Complete and Utter Poppycock

Chapter 22: Gringotts

Chapter 22: Gringotts

Our plan was made to set out to Gringotts. Hermione plucked a strand of hair from my sweater that belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange that she had put in a glass vial.

She was going to play as Bellatrix as well as using her wand.

"I hate this thing," she said in a low voice. "I really hate it. It feels all wrong, it doesn't work properly for me. It's like a bit of her."

"It'll probably help you get in character, though," said Ron. "Think what that wand's done!"

"But that's my point!" said Hermione. "This is the wand that tortured Neville's mum and dad, and who knows how many other people? This is the wand that killed Sirius and Aquila's mother!"

I hadn't even thought of that. I hated that horrible woman. She killed my family. She deserved death. No, worse than death. Worse than Azkaban. . .

"I miss my wand," said Hermione miserably. "I wish Mr. Ollivander could have made me another one too."

He had made Luna and me one since I didn't have anything to defend myself except for my powers. They're great and all, but I still need something more reliable. I missed my old wand. We had such a bond. And now I had this crummy thing. I'm glad Mr. Ollivander did this for me, but I wasn't glad to know I'd never get my old wand back.

The bedroom door opened and Griphook entered the room.

"We've just been checking the last-minute stuff, Griphook. We've told Bill and Fleur we're leaving tomorrow, and we've told them not to get up to see us off."

Hermione was supposed to turn into Bellatrix before we left. As the morning rose, we got dressed in the semidarkness and Hermione drank the potion, turning into Bellatrix. I shuddered from looking at her, I had to turn away. She killed half my family, she tortured me. . .

I then changed into my disguise. She was a fellow criminal as well by the name of Alessandra Dena. It was a tall woman of tanned skin and dark hair with a nice build for combat. She worked for the Ministry. It was one of the hairs we had that had fallen into my boot somehow. I just didn't have her wand.

Ron changed into his fake identity. We glanced back at Shell Cottage, then turned and walked toward the point, just beyond the boundary wall where we could Disapparate.

The goblin climbed up Harry and got on his shoulders. Hermione took the Cloak out of her beaded bag and threw it over them, hiding them perfectly.

We went on our way, which were heading into the Leaky Cauldron to enter Diagon Alley. The bar was nearly deserted. The bartender spoke to Hermione and she acted polite which surprised the man.

We passed the man and went to the wall where Hermione tapped her wand on it, where a gaping hole began to form and Diagon Alley was shown on the other side. It was quiet as it was early. Hardly anyone was around. More shops than ever were boarded up. More Dark Art shops were opened.

A man with a bloody bandage over his eye staggered over toward Hermione.

"My children!" he bellowed, pointing at her. "Where are my children? What has he done with them? You know, you know!"

The man lunged at her, reaching for her throat. Then, with a bang and a beam of red light he was thrown backward onto the ground, unconscious. Ron had gotten him.

"Why, Madam Legrange!" I spun around to see a man who looked familiar. I believed his name was Travers.

"And what do you want?" Hermione said as convincingly as possible.