Dark Pasts { A Harry Potter Story }

Chapter 92 - Grimmauld Place Uncovered

The next morning I Apparated in the square in front of Grimmauld Place and found a bunch of Death Eaters entering the house. I barely had enough time to Disapparate before one of them saw me. Panting and shaking, I ran back into the house, to the surprise of everyone who was still eating breakfast. My dad stood up so quickly when he saw me that he knocked over his chair.

"Elizabeth, dear, are you alright?"

I shook my head repeatedly. "They got there before me. Death Eaters."

Remus, Tonks and my dad exchanged nervous looks.

"You don't think  — ?"

"No, they must have fled before the Death Eaters got there," Remus said, though I could hear the worry in his voice.

"Here," Tonks said and handed me a warm cup. "Have some tea."

Only when I tried to take a sip did I realize my hands trembling so much that I almost spilled the contents of the cup.

"Tell us what you saw," my dad said.

"I  — I apparated in the square, you know, just in case, and  — and then I saw three or four Death Eaters on the front porch as they walked inside."

"How did they get past the Fidelius Charm?" Tonks said.

"Perhaps Snape was able to get past the protective enchantments," Remus said and we all exchanged worried looks.

"I'm sure they're alright," my dad said as he stroked my arm.

***

For the remainder of the day, I stared into nothingness in the sitting room. Outside, it was raining still, and the garden was now immersed in a thick fog. Inside, a fire was burning, but I felt colder still. In my shaking hands lay the Tales of Beedle The Bard, which had been opened on the same page for hours, and on the table in front of me sat a cold and untouched cup of tea. I felt numb, as though constant worriedness had rendered me unable to think. I could hear hushed voices in the adjacent room, but could not bring myself to make out the words.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two people come into the sitting room and seat themselves. One of them handed me a copy of today's Daily Prophet. I let out a small gasp as I stared at the front page on which Harry's picture had been printed beneath the title Undesirable Number One.

"He was sighted at the Ministry this morning," my dad said and I frowned, feeling my insides burn. "But he wasn't caught."

I let out a shaking, relieved breath as my fingers traced Harry's features on the picture.

"Do you know what might have brought him there?" Remus asked.

"Obviously I don't or else I wouldn't be here, would I?" I said.

The two of them stayed silent.

***

Weeks went by without any news of my friends, and I knew not whether to take that as a good sign or a bad one. I tried to make sense of why Dumbledore had left me the Tales of Beedle The Bard, but so far could see nothing but a plain children's book. I also tried to make sense of everything Elphias Doge and Muriel had talked about during the wedding. I had so many questions but feared that if I spoke them aloud, people would start to become suspicious and harass me to know more about what Harry was up to. 

I was reminded of this burning curiosity one morning, just after Christmas, when Remus and I were on our way to see Bill and Fleur. Remus had taken it upon himself to visit them once in a while to bring them news of their families and the Order. We apparated just outside the boundaries of the Fidelius Charm and quickly made our way toward a small cottage on a hill overlooking the sea. There was a soft breeze, bringing with it the smell and taste of the salty sea.

The door creaked open in front of us and out came Bill. He smiled at us and hugged us both.

"It's good to see you," he said as he lead us into a small living room with a view of the ocean.

I heard someone rush down the stairs and turned around to see Fleur walking toward us, looking as beautiful as ever.

"Elizabeth, eet eez good to zee you," she said. "You az well, Remus."

Remus then began to inform them about the Order and things that they could no longer learn from the Daily Prophet, which was now under the control of Death Eaters.

"And what about Vol  — " Bill began to say.

"NO!" Remus and I shouted, causing Bill and Fleur to stare at us with wide eyes.

"The name is taboo now," Remus explained.

"Taboo?"

"It's how they track people," I said.

"You mean, if you say You-Know-Who's name they find you?"

"Yes," I said. "It breaks all protective enchantments."

"Bloody hell," he said and we nodded.

"You have to admit, it's pretty smart of them," I said. "I mean, it's only people who were really serious about opposing him, like the Order, who used his name, and now he can find them in a heartbeat."

"They nearly got Kingsley," Remus said.

"You're kidding?" Bill said.

"No," Remus said. "A few Death Eaters cornered him, but he managed to escape. He's on the run now."

There was a short silence before Bill turned to me.

"Any news from Harry?" he asked.

I sighed and shook my head.

"If you could tell us what it is Dumbledore asked him to do," he began, "we could help you find him."

"You don't understand," I said as I stood up. "I can't tell you, I really can't."

"But, Elizabeth  — " Remus said.

"No!" I exclaimed. "The more people know, the more danger we're all in and the harder this whole thing gets, so just drop it, alright?"

None of them said anything.

"I need some air," I told them before heading outside and sitting on the front steps. The sky was a bright blue and there was not a cloud in sight, but inside me, darkness reigned. If only I could tell them . . . then I might be with Harry again . . . I could be with my friends. . . .

I shook my head and took a deep breath to stop myself from crying and focused my attention on the view in front of me, emptying my mind from all other thoughts, at least just for this moment. Suddenly I thought I began to see someone in the distance, but I could not be sure. In any case, if there actually was someone over there, they could not see me. But after a few minutes, the person was getting closer and I knew, for reasons unknown to me, that they were heading straight for the cottage, which they could undoubtedly see. Soon they were close enough for me to distinguish a few features. I slowly stood up and took a few steps forward, my mind racing as I recognized the red hair on the tall person in front of me.

"Ron?"

~~~

I'm so sorry for the long wait for this chapter! Don't worry, I promise you won't have to wait so long for the next ones!

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