"Have you gone completely insane?!?!" shrieked Fred.
Hermione clapped a hand over his mouth and hissed at him. "Quiet, you idiot! Now listen closely. Harry installed one of those Eyes of Sauron in Malfoy's cell at Azkaban early in the spring before the final war. He thought there might be an attempt at a prison break or something. If anyone besides Malfoy entered the cell, it would have set off an alarm for him at Hogwarts. Well, needless to say, since the end of the war, he hasn't been monitoring it at all. But if we're lucky, maybe we can discover the real murderer by reviewing the images. If it was still working and if it survived the attack. But we have to go there and retrieve it ourselves."
"OK, OK. But we don't even know how to get there, or how to break in once we get there…"
"You're a Weasley twin aren't you? You've been preparing your entire life for this, haven't you?" Seeing him smile mischievously she continued. "Look. I know how to get there. And I know the basic layout of the prison and the island. Harry showed me. What I need you to do is take my bag and get a few items from your shop, anything you think may help us get in and get out undetected."
"Right, I can do that," Fred's eyes seemed to begin glowing with excitement. "Uh, Hermione? How are we going to get there? I'm sure it's too far too fly and I'm pretty sure it's not hooked up to the Floo Network."
Smiling smugly, Hermione said, "We'll just Apparate there."
"But, but you haven't passed the tests. And you have been on vacation all summer-you don't know how to Apparate do you?"
Rolling her eyes, Hermione replied, "Harry and I have been able to Apparate since just after Christmas. Even Ron can Apparate. We thought it might come in handy in a pinch. And don't even presume to lecture me on proper licensing, or have you registered your second Animagus form yet?"
Fred grinned and began chuckling. "Not exactly behavior one would expect from a prefect, Hermione." He thought for a minute and then asked. "So I guess we'll transform into birds to actually fly to the island from the shore? I doubt we can actually Apparate there, can we?"
"No, we can't. We'll use Harry's Firebolt."
"Why?"
"Just in case we do run into trouble, I'd like to be able to use my wand."
"Good point, Hermione."
"I assume you can handle a broom as fast as a Firebolt?" she teased.
"Of course. But what about you?"
"I will be riding behind you. And don't get any funny ideas-because I will hex you right off of it if I hear one joke."
Fred looked at her very seriously. "I wouldn't dream of it Hermione. Not a peep."
"Good. Now here is what I was thinking. I think we'll have the best luck if we go tonight after sunset. You head to your shop at Hogsmeade and get whatever you think might be useful tonight. Here's my bag-it's already got Harry's cloak and the Firebolt inside. I need to talk to Ginny for a bit first. I'll meet you at your shop in two hours. I'll just tell everyone I'm heading to the library at Hogwarts-nobody will miss me for hours. We can spend the rest of the afternoon until dusk working out the details and then we'll just Apparate from there to the shore near Azkaban. Any questions? Good, I'll see you later then."
With a pop, Fred disappeared. Hermione walked back to the kitchen where Molly and Ginny were waiting.
"Where did Fred go?" asked Molly.
"Oh, uhh, he's off to Diagon Alley to see if anyone knows about this witness of Fudge's. He's trying to dig up some useful information for the trial."
"Oh, well I suppose that is a good idea," sighed Molly. Ginny however looked at Hermione with a thoughtful look.
"Gin, if you have a few minutes, I'd like to talk to you." Ginny nodded and followed Hermione up to the room they normally shared.
As they climbed the stairs, Ginny whispered, "Nice cover story for Fred. What are you guys really up to?"
"Why, Gin, we're not up to anything," smirked Hermione. "And if we were, you know I couldn't tell you. By the way, how did you know?"
"The stuttering hesitation at the beginning. Normally my mom would have picked up on it-especially after raising the twins-but she's pretty stressed right now. Besides, it was pretty convincing."
"Well, coming from a Weasley, I'll take that as a compliment." By then, they had reached Ginny's room. Closing the door, Hermione locked it and then cast an Impermeable charm to prevent anyone from accidentally overhearing them.
"Ginny, remember that day after the DA meeting when we were talking about future career plans?"
"Well, yes, but I don't see what that has to do with…"
"Are you still serious about doing what you told me?"
"Yes, but…"
"Then I have an early Christmas present for you, Gin." Hermione reached for her wand and walked across to Ginny's desk while Ginny looked on in confusion.
Nearly two hours later, Hermione finished talking and looked at Ginny. "I've got to get to the library now and do some research, can you handle the rest of this?"
Ginny nodded excitedly. "Do you really think this will help Harry?"
"I do. It certainly can't make things any worse, but it should definitely make things much more difficult for the Ministry. Are you going to have time to finish it by yourself?"
"Don't worry Hermione. I can do it. I know a few people who might be interested…"
"Good. I've got to go then. Good luck, Gin."
"Thanks, Hermione. And thanks for giving me a chance to help. It means a lot."
Hermione smiled and then left. Gin sat at her desk and watched her go, then she began tapping a quill against her cheek, deep in thought.
Returning downstairs, Hermione passed Molly on the stairs.
"How are you doing, dear?" she asked.
"I'm fine, Molly. Really. Thanks for asking. I was just headed to Hogwarts to look up a few things at the library. May I use your fireplace?"
"Are you sure? It's getting rather late in the afternoon…"
"I won't be there all night. I promise. And I'll grab something to eat with Dobby if I get hungry. Don't worry-I'll be fine."
"Very well, take care then. I'll see you later tonight then."
"Right. Thanks Molly."
Hermione went to the fireplace, grabbed a pinch of dust, threw it in the fire, and spoke very clearly but very softly, "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Hogsmeade."
When the room stopped spinning, Hermione looked up to see Fred muttering to himself as he examined a number of items laid out on a long table. She moved over quickly and together they began talking quietly, with Fred occasionally pointing out an item on the table. They only stopped once, at Fred's insistence, and that was only for five minutes while he ran down the street to grab them something to eat. About an hour after sunset, Hermione decided it was dark enough to head to Azkaban.
She put her hands on the sides of Fred's head, and showed him the images of Azkaban that Harry had shown her, so that he could Apparate there with her. They gathered their bags and disappeared a moment later.
They reappeared behind a large, solid tree and peered cautiously around the trunk.
"I don't see anything," whispered Fred. "Are you sure this is the right place?"
Hermione nodded and pointed to a tall, dark shadow that could barely be seen against the stars over the ocean. "I think that's Lindisfarne Castle. Azkaban should be on an island behind it."
"I can't see it."
"Nobody can. The entire island is unplottable, like Grimmauld Place."
"How did Harry find it then?"
"I'll show you in a minute." She bent down to her backpack and pulled out a small stick with twigs on it.
"What is that?! Is that Harry's Firebolt?! How could you do that to a Quidditch broom, Hermione?!"
"Would you shut up already? How did you think I fit his broomstick in my backpack? Besides, Harry's not going to care if I shrunk his Firebolt as long at it helps him beat a lifetime sentence to Azkaban," she muttered irritably as she waved her wand over the miniature broomstick and restored it to its proper size. "Honestly! Idiotic men and their stupid brooms!" She then began waving the wand again over the entire length of the broomstick and it slowly changed colour to a deep ebony. "It's dark enough that I think we can get away with colouring the broomstick black instead of making it invisible. We'll use the Disillusionment charm on ourselves, and we'll fly low and circle around to the other side of the island and make our approach from the ocean." Fred nodded his head.
Hermione then attached a wristwatch to the broomstick. Making sure that it wouldn't slip off, she looked at Fred. "Good. Now do you have any questions?"
Fred spun his head around, his eyes wide. "Did you…did you just…"
"Yes. And thank goodness I didn't do that when we were on Azkaban. Don't worry, I don't want to know any of your dark little secrets. But you don't have to talk out loud while we're on the island, just concentrate on a thought and I'll be able to read it. And I can talk to you if I need to. OK?"
"OK."
"From here on out, think it. Don't say it."
"Right."
"Let's go then."
Hermione watched as Fred cast a Disillusionment charm on himself and disappeared from her sight. She then cast the charm on herself, feeling her back tingle as the spell manifested itself.
Fred reached for the dark Firebolt and held it steady as Hermione climbed on behind him. They rose slowly, just a few feet off the ground and followed the ridge several hundred feet down to the beach where the waves were falling on the shore. Keeping the shadowy castle off to their left, they headed out to sea in a large arc. After five minutes, they were about a half mile off the coast, with the island now directly between them and the shore. Fred turned and headed straight back towards it, barely keeping the broom above the rolling waves. Their legs were wet from the breaking of the waves, but the night was warm so they didn't feel too cold.
"What are we looking for?"
"Keep your eyes on the Muggle watch. As soon as we pass over part of Azkaban island, it will stop working."
"But even if we know exactly where it is, we still won't be able to see it, will we?"
"Not unless you know the password. Sirius told Harry the password and the general location of Azkaban when they were both at Grimmauld Place for Christmas. Apparently the guards weren't too careful in keeping the prisoners from learning the password. After all, nobody had ever escaped before. Just let me know when the watch stops working."
Hermione kept her eyes focused on the island she could see, alert to any sign of movement. Fred flew slowly, keeping a close eye on the watch. Finally, he stopped.
"Uhh, your watch hands just started spinning circles but now they've completely stopped. I think we're there."
Hermione whispered quietly, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter in."
"What?"
"That's the Ministry's twisted idea of a funny password. It's from a Muggle poet named Dante. It was the greeting inscribed on the gates of the underworld in one of his poems. You need to say it out loud, but do it quietly."
Fred repeated the phrase and then gasped as he saw the island appear before his eyes. Hermione and Fred then spent a few minutes looking closely at the rising ridges around them to see if she could see any warm bodies that might be those of waiting guards. They finally glided over a pebbly beach that faced the open sea. Fred touched down gently and they both dismounted.
"Did you see anything, Fred?"
"Not a soul. They've got to have guards around here somewhere, though."
"They're probably just closer to the prison. Come on."
"Wait. Let's put on the Sneaking Sneakers first. It will be a lot easier to be quiet in those."
Each pulled out a pair of dark, moccasin-like shoes that were very light and comfortable and put them on, putting their regular shoes back in their packs. Without a sound, they walked quickly across the beach and began climbing a small rise. On the top of the rise, they dropped to their stomachs and looked around. There was a large, square edifice that seemed to be built almost on top of a solid rock bluff that faced the coast of England. From the angle they had, they couldn't see any guards at all.
"They're probably in front."
They walked towards the base of the bluff and looked at the steep wall of rock that towered in front of them nearly fifty feet. Fred held out the Firebolt again, and they both climbed on. They hovered for a moment just below the edge of the cliff while they peered over it to make sure the coast was clear. They then eased over the edge and made their way to the back of the stone wall. Hermione took the broom and hid it behind a short bush growing along the side of one of the walls.
"What is this place? This doesn't look like a prison." commented Fred.
"It's probably an abandoned monastery. It's sort of a cross between a church and a boarding school. Monks, very religious men, would dedicate their lives to study and prayer and live here. There's lots of them across England and on different islands just off the shore."
"Well, how long would they live here-I mean, it looks pretty dull around here."
"They would live here their entire lives."
"Really? What did their girlfriends think? I can't see them liking this place much."
"Monks never married. Convents were the places where nuns, or religious women, would live. They took vows of chastity as well and never married."
Fred stopped to try and look at Hermione, but she could hear the disbelief evident in his voice. "How in Merlin's name do the Muggles even survive, let alone ever get born? How can it be that there are more Muggles than wizards?"
Hermione smiled. "Well, only a few people become monks or nuns. The first island we passed, the one with Lindisfarne castle, is known as Holy Island. Its two monasteries produced two of the most important monks in English history-Aiden and St. Cuthbert. Muggles still visit the castle and the ruins of the monasteries on that island. I reckon these are the ruins of a third monastery that has been long forgotten and claimed by the wizarding world to serve as the prison of Azkaban. Careful now Fred, we're almost to the front."
They peered around the corner towards the front of the building and saw nothing. There had been a huge gate hanging at the front, but now there were nothing but splinters laying around it. Part of the stone wall had been knocked down as well.
"That must have been from the attack. I wonder why they haven't repaired it yet. And why aren't there any guards here? Let's go."
"Wait a minute, Hermione. Let me have a look at the gate first. Stay right here." Fred moved forward soundlessly and returned five minutes later to the spot where he had left Hermione. "Even with the gate destroyed, there are still a bunch of magical wards guarding the entrance. If I had two hours, I doubt I could get rid of all of them. The walls aren't too high, but there are wards on them as well. If we touch them, we'll set off some sort of alarm-I'm pretty sure. We better go back and get the Firebolt."
"No, we can't risk being seen. A broom flying itself would definitely raise some suspicions. We'll have to fly over the wall in our Animagus forms and hope the Disillusionment charm keeps working."
"It may not keep working if we transform?"
"I don't know for sure. Theoretically, I think it should, but…"
"Can you see me?" asked Fred.
"Of course not, now let me think…"
"Well, if you can't see me, then I guess the charm is still working."
Hermione sighed in exasperation and transformed into an owl. "Let's go then, but transform back as soon as you land on the other side of the wall."
A moment later they landed softly in the large courtyard. Off to one side, they could see a long, one story building that appeared to be the housing for the wizard guards. Dominating the center of the courtyard was a two story building, a small church with a short bell tower. Hermione and Fred quickly spotted two wizards sitting easily in front of the large double doors.
"I can't believe they really did that. I thought maybe Harry was mistaken."
"What?"
"They've desecrated that church. They've put the filthy prison of Azkaban beneath holy ground! Inside that church, in the center of the chapel will be a door that descends into a series of tunnels carved out of this stone bluff. Along those tunnels are the cells of Azkaban." Hermione fought to control her outrage.
Fred suggested a plan. "Let's fly to the top of the bell tower and then work our way down. That looks like the easiest way past those guards."
"Do you think they might have magical wards on the church?"
"I'll check real quick." Several minutes later, he replied. "No, I can't find any. I'll meet you up there." Fred transformed into his hawk form and flew to the top where he only had to wait for a moment for Hermione to join him. They transformed back and Fred slowly opened the trapdoor after checking it for magical protections. Luckily, the door made no noise as it swung open, revealing a ladder descending into the dim interior. Hermione led the way down, followed by Fred. Despite the dim light, both youths could see fairly well and realized there were no guards inside the church walls. There were however, a great many scorch marks on the walls, indicating a particularly violent magical battle had taken place here. They moved quickly towards the center of the room and stopped, staring at the large trapdoor in front of them. Fred glanced at it quickly and began swearing very colourfully.
"Stop. Stop! That's more than enough images Fred! What's the matter-more magical wards?"
"Yeah. Strong ones. We don't have anything from our shop strong enough to break these. We'd need to use a wand. But I'm sure they have spell detecting devices set up all around here."
"Yeah, with the Dementors gone they probably beefed up their other defenses. And now that Harry is here, I'm sure the Ministry has gone all out with defensive wards and glyphs." Hermione added a few more colourful words that nearly made Fred blush.
"So how did Harry get in?"
"It's pretty difficult to block his teleporting ability. It can be done, but the counterspell is rarely if ever used. It's probably in place now, but I doubt it was before. There would have been no need a couple of months ago."
"So how are we going to get in?"
"I don't know. I'm working on it."
A squeak from the far corner caused both of them to jump.
"I hate rats!" thought Hermione, thinking of Wormtail.
"I'll be right back." A moment later she heard a small thud. "OK, here's the plan Hermione. There's a pair of gloves inside of your bag. On the back of one of the gloves will be a small pouch with a pill in it. They're part of our Wallcrawling Gear. You need to swallow the pill first-it reduces your weight by ninety percent and keeps you from getting headaches or nauseous for one hour."
"What?"
"Just listen. Once you take the pill, then put on the gloves. Clap them together softly twice and then rub the palms together. Then rub the soles of your shoes. The soles of your feet and your palms will then stick to any surface-so don't touch anything but a solid wall, otherwise you won't be able to let go. You won't weigh enough to break the grip and your reduced weight will not make you tired when you climb. But with your muscle strength, you will be able to break the magical hold long enough to move your hands and feet."
"But why would I get a headache or sick to my stomach?"
"Have you ever walked upside down on a ceiling before? Believe me, two minutes after the blood rush to your head, you'll be getting a thumping good migraine."
"OK, fine. How is this going to help us get past the trap door?"
"Trust me. When I drop our new little friend Scabbers Jr. here on top of the trap door and set off all their magical alarms, there will be guards coming from inside and outside the prison to check. Especially if they think it might be some sort of jailbreak for Harry. Now that's a pretty big door-it had to be to let in someone the size of Hagrid. They'll be using the ladders. We will be crawling by them on the walls."
"Brilliant Fred. I knew there was a reason I invited you."
"Yes, well, you did mention that I had been preparing for this moment for years."
"And how are we going to get back out?"
"Hmm. Well, I suppose we could always wait until they change guards for the new shift."
"If this works out Fred, I swear I won't confiscate any prohibited items from your shop that I happen to find at Hogwarts for an entire month."
"Four weeks, eh? That's it?"
"Come on. Let's get going." Hermione tied back her hair into a tight ponytail, pulled out the gloves, swallowed the pill, and then followed Fred's instructions with the gloves and shoes. Fred swallowed the pill, put on the gloves, picked up the rat, tossed it into the middle of the trapdoor and then they both waited for all hell to break loose. Which it promptly did. Lights flashed and whistles screamed as a dozen guards ran into the chapel. They both stepped back, so that none of the guards would bump into them and Fred quickly rubbed his gloves and shoes to activate their magic. The guards stood in a large circle around the trapdoor, facing outward, looking for what had triggered the alarm. One finally walked over to the trapdoor and saw the stunned rat laying on top. He rapped his knuckles in an odd pattern and the trapdoor swung open.
"Now!" hissed Fred and they both moved quickly to slide past the guards and down the tunnel. As they crawled swiftly but silently past the two guards conversing, they could hear the explanation being given.
"False alarm. Just a stupid rat walking across the top, setting off the alarms."
"Well, get rid of the bloody thing. And stay sharp. I'm sure there are a lot of Potter sympathizers that just hate the idea of him being locked up in Azkaban. And you know what'll happen to us if he somehow escapes."
"Come on Hermione, hexing him is not going to help Harry. Let's go get the proof we need to set him free."
Angrily, Hermione followed. When they reached the bottom, they were surprised and happy at the size of the tunnels. It would be fairly easy for them to stay out of the way of any patrols that might happen by. They easily walked past another half dozen guards in the hallway who were looking up anxiously at the trapdoor by crawling sideways on the wall. Once past them, Fred seemed perfectly happy to walk upside down on the ceiling, but Hermione insisted on walking on the floor like a normal human being. She tried to explain why to Fred. "Harry showed me how to get to Malfoy's cell, but I have to see the tunnels right side up, like he did. It's too confusing any other way."
Four levels down and thirty minutes later, Hermione knew she had found the right cell though it didn't match exactly with the memory Harry had shared with her. The hallway outside the cell now boasted numerous chips and craters from what appeared to have been another massive battle. "This is it. Do you have something to open the door?"
In response, Fred grabbed one of the iron bars with his hand, then slipped his hand from the glove. Hermione was surprised when the glove holding onto the metal bar of the door suddenly appeared out of thin air. Meanwhile, Fred was rummaging in his pack for a knife. With a click the blade opened and he slid it into the lock and then twisted. There was another click and then he pushed the door open. He then put his hand back in the glove and it disappeared. He stepped into the room, followed by Hermione.
The only piece of furniture, a bed with two thin blankets was tossed against one wall, broken in several pieces with the bedding in shreds. There were several scorch marks on the wall as well, but not as many as outside. Hermione immediately looked up into the corner and saw nothing.
"It should be up in that corner, Fred. Be careful." Fred climbed the wall up to the corner and whispered, "Mischief managed." A small box with a round globe attached to the front appeared in the corner. He placed a glove on the wall, removed his hand, and gingerly reached over and detached the box from the wall and placed it very carefully in his pack. He then heard voices and footsteps from down the hall and thought desperately to Hermione, "Quick! Close the door and climb up one of the walls. NOW!"
She did as she was told while he put his hand back in his glove and climbed to the ceiling. There was a light click as the door shut and locked and then Hermione climbed the wall.
The footsteps gained speed as the voices increased in volume.
"I'm telling you, I heard something," insisted one voice.
"Fine, we'll go look, but we must insist on being taken to Harry immediately. We are supposed to relieve my father and Professor Snape on guard."
"Yes, yes, we know. Dumbledore's precious Order of the Phoenix. I don't see why you need to be here as well. We can handle the situation after all. We are Aurors from the Ministry."
"Of course. But it never hurts to be too careful,"
"Fine, then. But I'm telling you I heard a noise. And…this was Lucious Malfoy's cell! I thought I heard someone closing the door! Someone is trying to…"
"Calm down. If there was somebody, they are either still in the room, in which case they have locked themselves back in. And without a spell, which would trigger the alarms, they're not getting back out. If they are not in the room, they could have either gone away from us or come towards us. Since nobody came towards us, they must have gone away. Where does this tunnel lead? Is there another exit?"
"This tunnel only goes deeper into the dungeon. There is no other exit except through the trapdoor. But maybe they're invisible or hiding in the room. We need to check it." He then unlocked the door and jumped wildly into the room, pointing his wand around violently. Hermione bit her lip as she saw another guard follow him in, and then Remus Lupin and Bill Weasley enter the room.
"Accio Invisibility Cloak!" Hermione was silently grateful that she had not brought Harry's cloak with her. The other guard shouted "Revelo!" several times pointing at various areas of the room.
When one of the spells ricocheted and nearly hit Lupin, he snarled, "Enough! Obviously, there is nobody in here or you would have found them by now. Besides, if there were anyone here, I would have sensed it. I am a werewolf, you know." He smiled thinly as the faces of the two guards whitened considerably. "Now why don't you take us to where Harry is being held?"
The four then left the room and closed the door behind them. Fred and Hermione waited for several minutes and then climbed back down to the floor.
"Whew! That was close."
"Tell me about it. Did you get the Eye of Sauron? Is it okay?"
"It looks fine. But we won't really know until we get it back home for sure. Let's go."
As Hermione opened the door, she saw a wand pointing right at her. She stepped backward immediately as the wizard advanced angrily into the room.
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