The Other Side: A Harry Potter FanFiction

Chapter VII

"Chandler, you're being ridiculous," Lana could hear Resa say. She sat alone in the living room, staring at the blank wall ahead of her.

            Resa had taken her husband into the kitchen after his last statement. Even though their conversation was meant to be private, every word they said could be heard clearly through the wall.

            "I want to live," Chandler said, "My entire life I've been terrified of death. I don't want to die at the hands of the Dark Lord just because some girl has caught your attention. You don't need to help every defenseless muggle you find on the streets."

            "That's what you say," Resa said, "You didn't see her, running from the officer. You didn't see how terrified she looked. You weren't there, Chandler!"

            "Even if I had been there I still wouldn't make a deal of it. How many people would you say were in that entire Atrium?"

            "Hundreds. Maybe thousands!"

            "And you were the only one who offered any sort of aid?"

            Resa was silent.

            "Exactly," Chandler said, "No one else will help them, so why should we? The others are smart enough to know that helping an unregistered muggle is certain death. Why can't you realize that?"

            "I can't watch someone as scared as Lana be pulled away by an officer. I can't sit around and do nothing while she is sent to the Death Eaters to be tortured, and then to the Dark Lord to be killed!"

            "And I can't sit around and watch you get the both of us fed to Nagini," Chandler said, "She can't stay here. Send her away."

            "I send her away and she goes right into the Dark Lord's arms."

            "What do we care?"

            "I care very much!"

            Lana, her head in her hands, fought back the tears that were threatening to shed. She would not cry. She would not cry.

            "I can't imagine why," Chandler grumbled, "She's just another muggle."

            "You're just another muggle. If you were in her position, would you want to be sent away?"

            "Of course not!"

            "Then why must we?"

            "Because I said so!"

            Lana tried to keep herself from smiling. If she had a dime for every time her parents had said that to her, she'd be the richest teenager in the world.

            "Where will she go? I won't let her die. If she does it's on your hands. No, it's on our hands, and I don't want to be the person responsible for another young girl's death."

            "Why not send her to the Refuge?"

            Resa was silent again.

            Lana's ear perked. The Refuge? What's the Refuge? she wondered, and was about to ask out loud when Resa responded, "That's actually not a bad idea..."

            "You see? We can send her away without killing her."

            Suddenly they appeared in the doorway and Lana stood up, staring at them. "What's the Refuge?" she asked.

            Resa responded, "It's a place where muggle's, muggle-born wizards, and half-blood wizards go to escape the wrath of the Dark Lord. It's actually not that far from here."

            "Why aren't you two staying there?" Lana asked.

            "Because we have a nice home and a life," Chandler responded gruffly, "We don't need to hide away."

            "Where is it? I'll go as soon as possible."

            "It's best to go at night," Resa said, "That way the Death Eaters have less a chance of spotting you. Really, it's only a few blocks away. You could make it in five minutes, ten minutes at the most.

            "I'll write down the address for you," she said and took a notepad off the counter in the kitchen and a pen off the coffee table. Quickly, she scribbled onto the yellow lined paper and then tore it from the pad, handing it to Lana.

            "'Number 12, Grimmauld Place'," Lana read silently, "This is the address of the Refuge?"

            "Yes," Resa replied, "You should leave after supper tonight. Can you cook, Eliana?"

            "Um... not very well."

            "Well, you will after tonight," Resa said with a smile.

            "You don't have to waste any food on me-"

            "Nonsense!" Resa said, and she glared at her husband as he drew a breath to argue. "It isn't a waste if you eat it. I hope you like Italian."