A/N ~ Hey everyone ! Finally satisfied with how this chapter turned out. I'm truly excited for the chapters to come.

Sit back and enjoy :)

∞ ϟ 9¾ ♔ ⚯͛ △r⃒⃘ ➵ ♆

Silence spread outward in cold ripples from the place where the Patronus had landed.

Then somebody screamed.

Harry and Y/N threw themselves into the panicking crowd, holding onto each other.

Guests were sprinting in all directions, many grabbing their loved ones and Disapparating.

The protective enchantments around the Burrow had broken.

Y/N searched the crowd for Hermione and Ron, dragging Harry with her, and somehow managed to seize Hermione's hand.

As they pushed their way across the dance floor, cloaked and masked figures were appearing in the crowd.

Remus and Tonks had their wands raised, and Y/N heard both of them shout protection charms everywhere.

"Remus! Tonks!"

"Y/N, GET OUT OF HERE," Remus roared, "GET YOUR FRIENDS AND GO-"

"Y/N, hold onto my arm!" Hermione exclaimed. Y/N did so, and felt Hermione turn on her spot.

The sight and sound all around them were extinguished and darkness pressed in upon her.

All Y/N could feel was Hermione's arm and Harry's hand as she was squeezed through space and time, away from the Burrow, away from the Death Eaters...

"Where are we?" said Ron's voice.

Y/N gasped for fresh air and steadied herself, letting go of both Harry and Hermione.

They weren't at the wedding anymore, but they still seemed to be surrounded by people.

"Tottenham Court Road," panted Hermione. "And Y/N, don't take out your wand, you can't risk doing magic."

"I forgot you're still underaged!" said Harry. "This isn't safe for you, at all. God, you should've stayed at The Burrow-"

"And very possibly get kidnapped? Sounds fun," Y/N said sharply.

"It's alright, you'll be alright," said Hermione, though her voice shook. "Walk, just walk, we need to find somewhere for you to change."

Y/N, Harry, and Ron swapped confused glances.

They half walked, half ran up the wide dark street lined with closed shops, stars twinkling above them.

Hermione led them down a side street, then into the shelter of an empty shadowy alleyway.

She was now rummaging her handbag, reaching her whole arm into it. Y/N raised her eyebrows.

She pulled out three pairs of jeans and three sweatshirts.

"How the bloody hell-?"

"Undetectable Extension Charm," said Hermione. "Tricky, but I think I've done it okay. I managed to fit everything we need in here."

She gave the bag a little shake and it echoed as a number of heavy objects rolled around inside it.

"Oh, damn, that'll be the books," Hermione said, peering into it, "and I had them all stacked by subject..."

Y/N quickly pulled on her jeans, pulled off her dress, and threw her old itchy sweatshirt on.

"Ron, hurry up." Hermione fussed.

"When did you pack all this?" Y/N asked, as Ron stripped off his robes in difficulty.

"This morning," said Hermione, "All of your packed bags are in there, I put them in after you changed. I just had a feeling..."

"You're amazing, you are," said Ron, handing her his bundled-up robes.

"Thank you," said Hermione, pushing the robes into the bag. "Now, come on,"

They hastily walked down the street, Hermione leading of them, and finally entering a quiet shabby-looking all-night café.

Harry slipped into a booth first, then Y/N sat beside him, opposite Ron and Hermione.

They tried to act as calm as possible, though Y/N knew the other three were just as confused and panicked as she was.

"You know," said Ron, "we're not far from the Leaky Cauldron here, it's only in Charing Cross-"

"Ron, we can't!" said Hermione at once.

"We need to find out what's going on!" Ron protested.

"We know what's going on! Voldemort's taken over the Ministry, what else do we need to know?"

"Okay, okay, it was just an idea!"

They relapsed into a prickly silence. No sound occurred apart from the noisy coffee makers.

"What about the people at the wedding?" Y/N spoke up.

"They'll be fine," Hermione said swiftly.

"Should we go back?" Y/N said anxiously, thinking of Remus, Tonks, Rolf, Sirius, and everyone else. "They could be in danger-"

"The Death Eaters are after you, Y/N," Hermione said primly. "and Harry. You'll put everyone in danger, going back."

The gum-chewing waitress shuffled over and Hermione ordered four cappuccinos.

Once the waitress left to take orders from a pair of burly workmen who'd just entered the café, the four huddled closer.

"Where do we go from here?" Ron asked in a hushed voice.

"I say we head for the countryside." said Hermione, "Once we're there, we could send a message to the Order."

"Can you do that talking Patronus thing, then?" asked Ron.

"I've been practicing and I think so," said Hermione.

"We have to go as soon as possible," said Harry, "Y/N can't do magic. We can't risk having her in danger without being able to defend herself."

"I don't-"

Harry put a hand on her thigh under the table to silence her.

"Well, as long as we stay out of trouble, she won't have to," said Ron.

Harry wasn't listening anymore. He was gazing over Ron's shoulder, staring at the two workmen by the counter.

One of them, large and blonde, was reaching into his pocket. He slowly and steadily pulled out a wand... a wand.

"DOWN!" Harry bellowed, dropping on all fours and pulling Y/N down with him.

Y/N felt her eyes water as her knees crashed against the floor painfully.

They ducked away just in time as two curses collided with the wall behind them.

Y/N reached for her wand, but both Harry and Hermione screamed, 'NO!'

"Stupefy!" Harry bellowed.

The great blond Death Eater was hit in the face by a jet of red light. He slumped sideways, unconscious.

His companion fired another curse at Ron, who swiftly blocked it with a Protection Charm.

Harry sent another Stunning Spell at the Death Eater but the spell missed, rebounded on the window, and hit the waitress, who collapsed in front of the door.

Spells shot across the room, hitting tables and chairs, shattering glass.

Y/N, who was still sprawled on the floor, slowly looked up from under the table.

The Death Eater couldn't see her, but she could see him clearly. She didn't need a wand to fight.

Y/N concentrated, hard, on the table in front of the Death Eater, and felt her powers slowly travel through her veins, to her eyes...

The table exploded, bursting into sawdust, and the Death Eater staggered back, startled.

As he looked around in confusion, Hermione took the chance and pointed her wand at him.

"Petrificus Totalus!" she screamed, and the Death Eater fell forward like a statue to land with a crunching thud on the dusty floor.

Y/N scrambled from under the table and to her feet, trembling all over.

"You did that, didn't you?" said Ron, looking at her impressively. Y/N nodded, her heart still hammering rapidly.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked in concern. He knew well by now that her powers can sometimes weaken her. But Y/N felt quite whole.

"I'm fine," she replied, "just... what the fuck."

"You don't say," Ron huffed.

"How did they find us? What are we going to do?"

Panic grew in Y/N's chest. She was the only underaged person in the room, the only traceable person.

Harry gave her a pat on the shoulder and climbed over all the broken chairs and tables to where the large blond Death Eater was laying.

"I should've recognized him, he was there the night Dumbledore died," he said.

Y/N followed him and turned over the darker Death Eater with her foot.

"That's Dolohov," she said, recognizing him immediately.

"I think the big one's Thorfinn Rowle," said Ron.

"Never mind what they're called!" said Hermione a little hysterically. "We have to clear up and get out of here!"

Ron used the Deluminator to plunge the café into darkness.

"What are we going to do with them?" Ron whispered through the dark. "Kill them? They'd kill us."

Hermione shuddered and took a step backward.

"We just need to wipe their memories," said Harry. "It's better like that. If we killed them it'd be obvious we were here."

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

"I- I have," said Hermione, "I'll do it."

She took a deep, calming breath, then pointed her wand at Dolohov's forehead.

"Obliviate."

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

"Brilliant!" said Harry, as she turned her wand to Rowle and repeated the spell.

"We should leave," Y/N said firmly, once Hermione had finished erasing the waitress' memory.

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

"Grimmauld Place," said Harry. The other three gaped.

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

"So what? I swear, I'd like nothing better than to meet Snape!" Harry said heatedly.

"But-"

"Hermione, where else is there? It's the best chance we've got."

"Harry's right, Snape's only one Death Eater," said Y/N, thinking logically. "Better than a whole crowd of them."

Hermione could not argue, though she looked as if she would have liked to.

"Alright," she said, finally, "Grimmauld Place it is."

∞ ϟ 9¾ ♔ ⚯͛ △r⃒⃘ ➵ ♆

As Y/N closed the door of number twelve Grimmauld Place behind them, the old-fashioned gas lamps sprang into life.

It looked just as she remembered it- eerie and cobwebbed.

Long dark curtains concealed the portrait of Sirius's mother.

"So where are these jinxes they put up against Snape?" Harry asked, rather disappointed.

"Maybe they're only activated if he shows up?" suggested Ron.

Something shifted at the end of the hall, and before any of them could say another word, a figure rose up out of the carpet.

Tall, dust-colored, and terrible, the figure of Albus Dumbledore glided toward them, his hand stretched out.

Hermione screamed and so did the portrait of Mrs Black.

"No!" Harry shouted at the figure, "No! It wasn't us! We didn't kill you-"

On the word 'kill', the figure vanished in a great cloud of dust.

Harry looked around. Y/N had backed against the wall, her eyes wide, Hermione crouched on the floor with her arms over her head, and Ron shaking from head to foot.

"What was that all about?" He breathed.

"MUDBLOODS, FILTH, STAINS OF DISHONOR-"

"SHUT UP!" Harry bellowed, directing his wand at Mrs Black, and the curtains swung shut again.

"That... that was..." Hermione whimpered, as Ron helped her to her feet.

"Yeah," said Harry, "Just something to scare Snape."

"Before we go any farther, I think we'd better check," whispered Hermione, and she raised her wand and said, "Homenum revelio."

Nothing happened.

"Well, you've just had a big shock," said Ron kindly.

"It did what I meant it to do!" said Hermione rather crossly. "That was a spell to reveal human presence, and there's nobody here except us."

"And old Dusty," huffed Y/N, glance at where Dumbledore's figure had disappeared. "I don't know about Snape, but that scared the shit out of me- Harry, what's wrong?"

Harry had given a cry of pain and his hand leapt to his scar.

"What did you see?" Ron asked, after a few seconds. "Did you see him at my place?"

"No, I just felt anger- he's really angry-"

"But that could be at the Burrow," said Ron, paling. "What else? Was he cursing someone?"

"No, I just felt anger," said Harry.

"Your scar, again?" Hermione said in a frightened voice. "But I thought that connection had closed!"

"It did, for a while," muttered Harry. "I- I think it opens whenever he loses control-"

"But then you've got to close your mind!" said Hermione shrilly.

"Hermione," Y/N said in a low voice, "give it a rest-"

"No, Y/N, Voldemort can plant false images into his mind!" Hermione continued, "Don't you remember-"

"Yeah, I do remember, thanks," said Harry through gritted teeth.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak again, but Ron grabbed her hand, stopping her.

The four walked through the dust-collected hallway and into the living room, where they all slumped down on the sofas in exhaustion.

Then, Hermione shrieked.

Harry and Ron stood up in alarm.

Y/N drew her wand and spun around to see a silver weasel Patronus soar through the window and land upon the floor in front of them.

"Family safe," it said in Mr Weasley's voice. "do not reply, we are being watched."

The Patronus dissolved into nothingness.

Ron let out a noise between a whimper and a groan and dropped onto the sofa again.

Y/N sighed loudly and buried her face into her palms.

"They're all right, they're all right!" Hermione whispered, and Ron half laughed and hugged her.

Y/N turned to Harry, beaming with relief, but he still looked grim and was clenching his jaw.

"It still hurts, doesn't it," she whispered, as Ron and Hermione celebrated. "You should go wash up. I'm here if you need me."

Harry locked eyes with her, baffled by how well she could read his expression.

He nodded and stood up, not able to stand the pain on his forehead any longer.

"Harry, you OK?" Hermione asked, her smile dropping.

"Bathroom," Harry muttered, and dashed out of the room as fast as he could without running.

Ron and Hermione stared at Y/N questioningly.

"Maybe he wants a shower," Y/N said swiftly, clearing her throat. Hermione and Ron did not look convinced.

∞ ϟ 9¾ ♔ ⚯͛ △r⃒⃘ ➵ ♆

Harry woke early the next morning on the sofa bed, Y/N sleeping soundly in his arms.

Hermione had insisted they all slept in the living room for the time being.

It was safer, she'd said. Especially for Y/N. That was enough to convince Harry.

The sky outside was clear blue of watered ink, somewhere between night and dawn.

Everything was quiet except for Y/N, Ron, and Hermione's slow, deep breathing.

Ron had given up the last available sofa to Hermione, so he was the only one sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor.

Hermione's arm curved to the floor, her fingers inches from his.

Harry wondered whether they had fallen asleep holding hands.

He turned to Y/N and smiled at her peaceful face. She stirred slightly as he drew his arms from her and slowly got up...

Almost an hour later, Y/N was woken up by Hermione, shaking her shoulders.

"Y/N, wake up! Y/N- where's Harry?" the girl asked, worry sprawled over her face. Ron stood behind her, looking concerned as well.

"What do you mean? He's-" Y/N realized she was alone on the sofa. She bolted right up, throwing her blanket off of herself. "Where the hell is he?"

"He didn't tell you where he went?" Ron said anxiously.

"If he'd told me, I would've gone with him!" said Y/N.

"OK, let's just look around!" said Hermione, putting up her hands.

The three set off out of the living room, separating into different rooms.

Y/N rushed upstairs, peering into every room she passed. All of the rooms looked like they'd been disturbed.

The wardrobe doors stood open and the bedclothes had been ripped back.

"Harry?" she continued to call his name. "Harry? Harry!"

"I'm here!" Harry's muffled voice called back, from the room down the hall.

Y/N swore and stormed her way to his voice and burst through the door.

Sure enough, Harry stood behind it. He stared blankly at her as she entered.

"Are you mental?" she said furiously. "We woke up and didn't know where you were!" then turned and shouted over her shoulder, "Ron! Hermione! I've found him!"

"Good! Tell him from me he's a git!" Ron's annoyed voice echoed.

"Harry, don't just disappear, please," Y/N sighed, lowering her voice. "What have you been doing?"

"Just looking around. Didn't find anything- much..." He held out a moving photograph.

Y/N looked hesitantly at him and took it.

A raven-haired baby was zooming in and out of the picture on a tiny broom, roaring with laughter, and a pair of legs was chasing after him.

Y/N couldn't help but smile as she watched James Potter chase baby Harry in and out of the frame.

She could tell that the picture was torn into two and the other half was missing.

"Harry..."

"I've been looking for the other half," Harry said, "but it's not here."

"Did you make all this mess?" Y/N asked, returning the photograph to him.

"Someone had searched before me," said Harry.

"I thought so," Y/N nodded, "Shall we go down to the kitchen? Find something for breakfast?"

Harry agreed and followed her down the stairs, past the second door down the hallway.

On the door was a small sign he didn't see earlier. It was barely visible in the dim light.

Do Not Enter
Without the Express Permission of
Regulus Arcturus Black

"Y/N," he said, and he was surprised that his voice was so calm, "Y/N, come back up here."

"What's the matter?"

"R.A.B., I think I've found him."

There was a gasp, and then Y/N ran back up the stairs.

"But where-?"

Harry was pointing at the door to one of the rooms Y/N had walked past.

She read the sign on it, then clutched Harry's arm so tightly that he winced.

"Sirius's brother?" she whispered.

"He was a Death Eater," said Harry. "Sirius told me- he joined them when he was really young and tried to leave- so they killed him."

"That fits!" Y/N exclaimed. "If he became disenchanted, then he would have wanted to bring Voldemort down! Ron! Hermione! Get up here, quick!"

Ron and Hermione appeared, panting, a minute later.

"What's up?" said Ron, "If it's massive spiders again I want breakfast before I-"

Hermione stepped forward and frowned at the sign on the door, where Y/N was pointing at.

"What?" Ron narrowed his eyes, reading the sign. "That was Sirius's brother, wasn't it? Regulus Arcturus... Regulus... R.A.B.!"

"R.A.B. was Sirius' brother!" Hermione gasped.

Harry told them what Sirius had told him about Regulus and Hermione was practically jumping in her spot when he finished.

"This all makes sense!" She exclaimed. "But then- has he destroyed the real Horcrux?"

They all stood there, thinking in silence.

Then, after a long pause, Ron's eyes grew wide. Everyone stared at him.

"...at the time," he started in a whisper. "There was a locket."

"What?" said Harry and Y/N together.

"In the cabinet in the drawing room. Nobody could open it..." Ron looked at Hermione. "You were there!"

"Oh my god!" Hermione's hands clasped her mouth.

"Context, please," said Y/N.

"We were cleaning up the house," Hermione recalled. "Sirius found the locket- we passed it around trying to pry it open! But it didn't budge, so he- he-"

"What?" Harry said irritably.

"He threw it away," Hermione said with a groan.

"Kreacher nicked loads of things from the trash," said Harry, with hope, "He must've kept it in his cupboard. C'mon."

They all rushed downstairs, into the kitchen, and Harry reached out and yanked the cupboard under the sink open.

There was nothing but blankets in there.

Harry shook all the blankets desperately.

Ron groaned, giving up, and fell back onto the kitchen chair hopelessly.

"It's not over yet," Harry said, finally drawing back from the cupboard, "Kreacher!"

There was a loud crack and the house-elf appeared in front of the cold and empty fireplace.

Kreacher was old, had bat-like ears and eyes as big as tennis balls, and was still wearing the filthy rag in which they had first met him.

"Master," croaked Kreacher, bowing grudgingly. Y/N had a feeling Sirius had made him call Harry 'Master' as well.

"I've got a question for you," said Harry, looking down at the elf, "and I order you to answer it truthfully. Understand?"

"Yes, Master," said Kreacher, bowing low again.

"Two years ago," said Harry, "there was a big gold locket in the drawing room upstairs. Sirius threw it out. Did you steal it back?"

There was a moment's silence.

"Yes." Kreacher replied.

"Where is it now?" asked Harry jubilantly, as Y/N, Ron, and Hermione looked gleeful.

Kreacher closed his eyes as though he could not bear to see their reactions to his next word.

"Gone."

"Gone?" echoed Harry, "What do you mean, it's gone? Gone where?"

The elf shivered.

"Mundungus Fletcher," he croaked, his eyes still tight shut. "Mundungus Fletcher stole it all; Mistress's gloves, the Order of Merlin, the goblets, and- and-"

The creature's chest grew and shrank rapidly, then he uttered a horrible scream.

"-and the locket! Master Regulus's locket! Kreacher did wrong, Kreacher failed in his orders!"

As Kreacher lunged for the wall, Harry launched himself upon the elf instinctively, flattening him on the floor. Hermione shrieked.

"Kreacher, I order you to stay still!" Harry bellowed.

The elf froze and he released him. Kreacher lay flat on the cold stone floor, tears gushing from his sagging eyes.

"Kreacher, sit up and tell me everything you know about that locket," Harry ordered. "and everything Regulus had to do with it!"

The elf sat up, placed his wet face between his knees, and began to rock backward and forward.

"Kreacher..." said Harry, in a dangerously low voice.

"Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord when he was sixteen years old," Kreacher started, slowly, creepily, "So proud, so happy to serve..."

Y/N and Harry glanced at each other.

"And one day, a year after he joined, Master Regulus came down to ask Kreacher for a favor... he said that the Dark Lord required an elf."

"Voldemort needed an elf?" Harry frowned.

"Oh yes," cried Kreacher. "It was an honor, said Master Regulus... so Kreacher went to the Dark Lord... He took Kreacher with him to a cave beside the sea."

Harry knew immediately which place he was talking about. He'd been there, two months ago.

"There was a great black lake in the cavern, and... there was a b-basin full of potion on the island. The D-Dark Lord made Kreacher drink it..."

The elf quaked from head to foot.

"Kreacher drank, and he saw terrible things... Kreacher's insides burned... Kreacher cried for Master Regulus, but the Dark Lord only laughed..."

Hermione winced and Y/N looked disturbed.

"The Dark Lord made Kreacher drink all of it and dropped a locket into the empty basin... He filled it with more potion and sailed away, leaving Kreacher on the island..."

Here, Harry's imagination could go no further, for he could not see how Kreacher had escaped.

"Kreacher needed water, so he drank from the black lake... and dead hands came out of the water, and- and dragged Kreacher under the surface..."

"How did you get away?" Harry asked, and he was not surprised to hear himself whispering.

"Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back," said Kreacher, looking at Harry with his bloodshot eyes.

"I know- but how did you escape the Inferi?"

"Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back," Kreacher repeated.

"I know, but-"

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it, Harry?" said Ron. "He Disapparated!"

"But you couldn't Apparate in and out of that cave," said Harry, "otherwise Dumbledore-"

"Elf magic isn't like wizard's magic, is it?" said Y/N, "I mean, they can Apparate and Disapparate in and out of Hogwarts when we can't."

"The house-elf's highest law is his Master's bidding," intoned Kreacher. "Kreacher was told to come home, so Kreacher came home. "

"So what happened when you got back?" Harry asked. "What did Regulus say when you told him what happened?"

"Master Regulus was very worried," croaked Kreacher. "Master Regulus came to find Kreacher in his cupboard one night, and he asked Kreacher to take him to the cave..."

"And he made you drink the poison?" said Harry, disgusted.

No. Y/N knew where this was going. She knew, at last, it wasn't Voldemort or any other Death Eater that killed Regulus Black.

Kreacher shook his head.

"M-Master Regulus magicked a locket like the one the Dark Lord had," he said, hysterically, "He told Kreacher to switch the lockets when the basin was empty..."

Kreacher's sobs came in great rasps now.

"And he order- Kreacher to leave- without him- and never to tell my Mistress- what he had done- but to destroy the Dark Lord's locket."

It was starting to become hard to understand the elf now, as his sobs took over him.

"-Master drank- all the potion- Kreacher swapped the lockets- and watched- as Master Regulus- was dragged beneath the water- and-"

"Oh, Kreacher!" wailed Hermione, who was crying. She dropped to her knees beside the elf and tried to hug him.

At once, Kreacher was on his feet, cringing away from her, quite obviously repulsed.

"The Mudblood touched Kreacher, he will not allow it!" the elf cried.

"Don't call her 'Mudblood'!" snarled Harry, "I forbid you to use the word!"

Kreacher banged his head on the ground, punishing himself.

"Stop! Stop!" Hermione cried.

"Tell him to stop!" said Y/N, looking between Harry and the elf, terrified.

"Kreacher- stop, stop!" shouted Harry.

The elf lay on the floor, panting and shivering, his eyes swimming in tears.

"Did you try to destroy the locket?" Harry asked him relentlessly.

"Nothing Kreacher did made any mark upon it," sobbed the elf. "Kreacher tried everything he knew, but nothing would work..."

Harry watched as Kreacher sobbed on the floor.

Y/N stood still in her spot, unable to process everything she'd heard.

"Kreacher," Harry said, after a while, "when you feel up to it... please sit up."

It was several minutes before Kreacher hiccupped himself into silence and pushed himself into a sitting position like a small child.

"Kreacher, I am going to ask you to do something," said Harry. His voice was gentle, careful. "I want you, please, to go and find Mundungus Fletcher."

Kreacher looked at him questioningly.

"We want to finish the work Master Regulus started," Harry continued. "we want to- er- ensure that he didn't die in vain."

"Find Mundungus Fletcher?" Kreacher croaked.

"And bring him here," nodded Harry. "Do you think you could do that for us?"

As Kreacher nodded and got to his feet, and Harry had a sudden inspiration.

He pulled out his leather pouch and took out the fake Horcrux, in which Regulus had placed the note to Voldemort.

"Kreacher, I'd, er, like you to have this," he said, pressing the locket into the elf's hand. "This belonged to Regulus and I'm sure he'd want you to have it."

The elf took one look at the locket, let out a howl of shock and misery, and threw himself back onto the ground.

It took them nearly half an hour to calm down Kreacher this time.

He was so overcome to be presented with a Black family heirloom for his very own.

When finally he was able to get up, they all accompanied him back to his cupboard and watched him tuck the locket under one of his blankets.

He made low bows to every one of them before Disapparating with a loud crack.

∞ ϟ 9¾ ♔ ⚯͛ △r⃒⃘ ➵ ♆

The presence of the Death Eaters outside the house increased the ominous mood inside number twelve.

Ron had developed an annoying habit of playing with the Deluminator, which particularly infuriated Hermione.

She'd been studying The Tales of Beedle the Bard and didn't appreciate the way the lights kept flashing on and off.

"Will you stop it!" she cried.

"Sorry, sorry!" said Ron, clicking the Deluminator and restoring the lights. "I don't know I'm doing it!"

"Well, can't you find something useful to occupy yourself?"

"What, like reading kids' stories?"

"Dumbledore left me this book, Ron-"

"And he left me the Deluminator, maybe I'm supposed to use it!"

"I don't see Y/N fidgeting around with her compass!"

Their endless quarreling did not help Harry's impatience or Y/N's immense worry for her family.

Harry's scar continued to hurt. If he wasn't dashing into the bathroom to try to hide his pain, he'd let Y/N take his hand in hers and they'd hold onto each other until the pain stopped.

Harry really trusted Ron and Hermione, he really did. But they didn't understand him completely. Not the way Y/N did.

Obviously she didn't have to deal with a voodoo scar like he did, but at least she knew the guilt and fear of being targeted by the most dangerous wizard in the world.

And they both continued to wonder why Dumbledore had left them such unimportant objects as an old snitch and an old compass.

"I dunno what use this does," grumbled Harry, as he stared at the Snitch in his hand.

"Dumbledore again," Y/N sighed, "Him and his deep hidden messages."

On the morning of the fourth day after Kreacher's depart, Hermione had somehow gotten hold of the latest Daily Prophet paper.

"The Death Eaters took over the Daily Prophet, too!" she said, slamming the paper onto the dining table.

"Nothing good at all?" asked Harry.

"Muggle-born Register!" she read aloud the heading on the first page.

Y/N looked over her shoulder and read through the article.

'... Recent research reveals that magic can only be passed from person to person when Wizards reproduce. Therefore, so-called Muggle-borns are likely to have obtained magical power by theft or force...'

"So they're forcing Muggle-borns to present themselves?" Y/N said furiously.

"People won't let this happen!" said Ron.

"Oh, it's happening," Hermione said, shaking her head. "I bet they're already starting to round up Muggle-borns."

Y/N was in the process of throwing the paper into the fireplace when a deafening crack echoed around the kitchen.

The Quartet hurried to their feet as Kreacher disentangled himself.

"Kreacher has returned with the thief Mundungus Fletcher, Master!" The elf announced proudly.

Wide-eyed, the wandless Mundungus dived for the stairs, but Ron tackled him down and they hit the stone floor with a muffled crunch.

"What?" Mundungus bellowed, writhing beneath Ron's grip. "What've I done? Setting a bloody house-elf on me! Lemme go, lemme go-"

"You're not in much of a position to make threats," snarled Harry.

He crossed the kitchen in a few strides and dropped to his knees beside Mundungus, who stopped struggling and looked terrified.

Even Y/N, who was watching from afar, felt threatened by the look on Harry's face.

Ron got up, panting, and watched as Harry pointed his wand at Mundungus's nose intimidatingly.

"Kreacher apologizes for the delay in bringing the thief, Master," croaked Kreacher. "Fletcher knows how to avoid capture."

"You've done really well, Kreacher," said Harry, and the elf bowed low.

"What d'you want from me?" Mundugus whimpered.

"We've got a few questions for you," said Harry,

"I panicked, okay?" Mundugus cried, peeking up at him. "No offense, but I never volunteered to die for you, mate. I panicked and- and-"

"We're not interested in your damn excuses," said Harry. "We already knew you were an unreliable bit of scum."

"Is this about them goblets again? I ain't got none of 'em left, or you could-"

"Shut up and listen." Y/N snapped.

Mundungus fell silent immediately.

"When you cleaned out this house of anything valuable," Harry began, but Mundungus interrupted him again.

"Sirius never cared about any of the junk-"

An echoing clang echoed the kitchen, as well as a shriek of agony.

Kreacher had taken a run at Mundungus and hit him over the head with a saucepan.

"Do not interrupt when Master Harry is speaking!" the elf yelled.

"Kreacher, no!" shouted Harry, for Kreacher had raised the saucepan again.

"Perhaps just one more, Master Harry, for luck?" Kreacher pledged. Ron laughed.

"We need him conscious, Kreacher," said Harry, "but if he needs persuading, you can do the honors,"

"Thank you very much, Master," said Kreacher with a bow, and he retreated a short distance. Mundugus scowled at the elf.

"You took a bunch of stuff from this house," began Harry, "There was a locket. Kreacher says you took it. What did you do with it?"

"Why?" asked Mundungus. "Is it valuable?"

"You've still got it!" cried Hermione.

"No, he hasn't," said Ron shrewdly. "He's wondering whether he should have asked more money for it."

"More?" said Mundungus. "That wouldn't have been effing difficult. Had to give it away, didn' I? No choice."

"What do you mean?"

"I was selling in Diagon Alley and she'd come up to me. She was gonna fine me, but she took a fancy to the locket an' told me she'd take it and let me off."

"Who was this woman?" asked Harry.

"I dunno, some Ministry hag." Mundungus considered for a moment, brow wrinkled. "Little woman. Bow on top of 'er head." He frowned and then added, "Looked like a toad."

Harry looked up and saw his own shock reflected in Y/N's face.

∞ ϟ 9¾ ♔ ⚯͛ △r⃒⃘ ➵ ♆

As August went on, more and more lurkers would appear outside number twelve, doing nothing but stare between house number eleven and thirteen.

Occasionally one of them would step forward excitedly, as if they had seen something interesting at last, only to fall back looking disappointed.

"Do you think they know we're here?" Y/N had asked.

"It's impossible," Hermione shook her head.

"Like how it was impossible for two Death Eaters to find us in a random muggle café?" Y/N said weakly.

Y/N had grown slightly moody and impatient being the only one who can't travel in and out of the place.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry would Apparate out of the house, daily, to collect information on the Ministry.

They'd spy at the workers, entrances, and steal newspapers and timetables, using the Invisibility Cloak.

Y/N couldn't do much help, but because both her biological mother and her godparents worked at the Ministry, she had filled them with some information.

Truth was, Y/N had done pretty much everything and anything within her two weeks in Grimmauld Place, which she spent alone half of the time.

Besides fretting and napping, she would mess around with the piano, practice exploding random objects with her powers, and help Kreacher around the house.

The elf's gratefulness had shown drastically ever since Harry gifted him Regulus' locket.

Every surface of the house was shone, every cupboard dusted, and his food had improved immaculately in taste and quality.

It was fair to say Y/N wasn't bored, with all these hobbies, but nothing was better than spending time with her friends.

She smiled every time she heard a crack from the front door and interrogated her friends with questions the moment they entered. And Harry. She loved talking to Harry.

With her body wrapped in Harry's arms, they'd talk and laugh and hum low tunes until they both dozed off on the sofa after a long day.

"Don't you ever get bored?" Harry asked, one day, climbing onto the sofa, lying down, and resting his head on her lap.

"I am bored," Y/N replied bitterly. "I just want to be more useful."

"You've done a lot of help already, Y/N," said Harry, genuinely.

"Have I?" Y/N scoffed. "I left everyone at that wedding because I wanted to save myself. We're all stuck here because I can't do any magic. So no. I haven't done nearly enough help."

There was a short pause of silence.

"You've got no other choice," Harry said quietly. "And half of our knowledge of the Ministry was from you. So yes. You've helped us a lot."

"Well, it's driving me mad that I can't do more," said Y/N. She let out a long breath and grimaced. "I'm being a git again."

"Not much more than usual," Harry grinned.

"I could stand up and you'd roll right off this sofa, Harry Potter."

"And I'd say thank you,"

"What's your point?"

"I'm trying to cheer you up."

"How very tactical."

"See, you're smiling now," Harry grinned up at her, prodding her cheek with his finger.

Y/N rolled her eyes and ruffled his hair but didn't bother to hide her smile.

Harry slowly sat up and turned to her. Y/N almost laughed at how messy she'd made his hair look.

There's that smile, Harry thought. It never failed to make him at least a little more grateful for the world.

"You're staring," said Y/N, grinning.

"I'm aware."

"Any reason?"

"No reason... just really want to kiss you."

"So what're you going to about it?" Y/N smirked.

"Nothing," said Harry, smiling softly, "not unless you let me."

Y/N smiled and gave him a small approving nod.

The corner of Harry's lips quirked up and he seized her around the waist. Y/N accidentally slipped out a laugh as he pulled her onto his lap.

She gave him a shake of the head before wrapping her arms around his neck and crashing her lips onto his, sending a blissful electric feeling through Harry's mind and body.

He could swear he was melting, as she kissed him slowly, passionately, as if she was trying to capture every detail of him, her body pressed against his.

And he kissed her back, with one hand caressing her back and the other in her hair.

That was one good thing about the house, at least. Grimmauld Place had a lot more privacy than The Burrow.

∞ ϟ 9¾ ♔ ⚯͛ △r⃒⃘ ➵ ♆

One evening, mid-August, Harry came back from his shift with the news that Snape had become the headmaster of Hogwarts.

"No!" said Y/N and Hermione.

"Is it a surprise, really?" Ron said through gritted teeth, glaring at the man on the Daily Prophet's front page. "They'd already taken over the Ministry and the papers."

Kreacher came bustling to the table with four bowls of soup on a tray. He set each bowl in front of each of them.

"Thanks, Kreacher," said Y/N.

As she spooned the soup into her mouth, she wondered how Ginny, Pansy, Luna, and Neville would react to the news, since they're going back to Hogwarts.

"What else happened today?" Hermione asked Harry.

"Nothing," said Harry. "Watched the Ministry entrance for seven hours. No sign of her."

"Well, most Ministry people use the Floo Network to get to work," Ron said. "That's probably why we haven't seen Umbridge."

"And you haven't told me this, why?" Hermione shot.

"I didn't think it mattered-"

"It all matters, Ron! We're breaking into the most dangerous place for Harry and Y/N to be at right now! Every detail m-"

"I think we should do it tomorrow," said Y/N.

Hermione stopped dead, her jaw hanging. Ron choked a little over his soup.

"Tomorrow?" repeated Harry. "But your birthday's tomorrow."

"That's exactly why," said Y/N. "The longer we put it off, the farther away that locket could be."

"Y/N, we've only been planning for a few weeks!" said Hermione.

"We know everything important," Y/N went on, "We know all about their schedule, we know where Umbridge's office is, and we know you get in using those funny coins."

"We haven't even got any!"

"If the plan works, we will," Harry said.

"You're agreeing to this?" Ron asked him.

"There's no point in waiting," Harry shrugged.

"I don't know, I don't know," Hermione grimaced. "There are an awful lot of things that could go wrong..."

"That'll be true even if we spend another three months preparing," said Y/N. "It's time to act."

She could tell from Ron's and Hermione's faces that they were scared, though Harry was studying her face thoughtfully.

"What?" Y/N raised her eyebrows.

"Nothing," Harry said swiftly, looking away.

"Alright," said Ron, clearing his throat loudly, "say we go for it tomorrow... I think it should just be me and Harry."

"Do you want to get hexed?"

"Oh, don't start that again!"

Y/N and Hermione said at the same time, looking disbelieved.

"This is different!" Ron defended. "Hermione, you're on the list of Muggle-borns who didn't present themselves for interrogation!"

"And you're supposed to be dying of spattergroit at The Burrow!" said Hermione.

"Y/N, they'll capture you the first chance they get-"

"And they'll just let you and Harry strut around?" Y/N shot.

"No, but it'd be easier-"

"Because we're girls?" Hermione said hotly.

"No! That's not my point-"

"We all have the same chance of getting caught!"

"Alright! Fine!" Ron raised his hands in surrender. "but if all four of us go we'll have to Disapparate separately!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"F-"

"Shut up!"

∞ ϟ 9¾ ♔ ⚯͛ △r⃒⃘ ➵ ♆

A/N ~ I'm excited to write this year fr. I hope the beginning isn't too slow.

Also, for the non-book readers, Kreacher's story was part of the DH book. I've always liked that scene so I made sure to leave the whole thing in.

See u all next week :)

-ScribblingmfQuills