"Harry!" She screamed, as she knelt at his side and pulled his head to her lap. She remembered his dreams and she remembered how real they were. This was the second time this month he'd had a vision, and for that matter, the second in the past ten years.
"Hermione? What's wrong? Is he ok?" Eileen asked sharply as they both stayed at his side.
She ignored Eileen's inquiries and pulled his face to hers to look deep into his eyes, hoping this was not the beginning of another of his visions of death. "Harry! Wake up, it's me…" she screamed at him.
His eyes opened and locked onto hers, but they were cold and full of the same fear he had abandoned in his childhood. His mouth moved to speak, but nothing passed his lips. He slumped into her arms and she slipped to the floor, supporting his larger frame as best she could. Instinctively he held onto her the way a drowning man would hold a life belt thrown to him in the dark.
The crash and screaming woke Sirius from his television-induced trance and also brought Remus from his room, still holding his book from the wizards' library. She held him, his head in her lap, his arms wrapped around her arm. His eyes began moving rapidly under their lids and she felt his body tense. Before she could react, he pushed himself up, rolled off and began to retch. Instinctively she stayed with him until his nausea passed and he rolled over to rest on his back.
"Mione?" he mumbled, his eyes shut stiff.
"I'm right here." She reassured him. She passed a hand over the bile that began to soak into the rug and ran down his neck, cleansing him and the area. She scooted closer so she could let him rest his head in her lap as she began to stroke his sweat-matted hair. "It's ok, love, let it go."
His eyes snapped open, but his head remained in her lap.
"I saw him, Voldemort. He knows we're here. He knows about Chrissy and Steve. They're in danger. It's our fault."
"Shhhh… we'll get to the bottom of this in a moment. Just give yourself some time." she cooed, trying to soothe him.
"I had… a vision," he mumbled, "like before."
"Hermione, let's get him on the sofa." Remus said, as he reached down to grab an arm. She nodded and rose to her knees, picking him up by his other arm while Sirius grabbed him by the feet to help carry him to the sofa. She resumed her spot at his side, refusing to let his hand go.
Eileen returned with a small vial of green fluid. "Here, this will help calm him."
Hermione sniffed at it and inhaled the minty fragrance. She put it to his lips and let him drink it. "What is it?" she asked as he started to cough and gag.
"Mint Liquor, it helps calm my nerves and stomach when I feel ill."
She gave Eileen an annoyed look, and returned her attention to her husband. "Harry, you're fine, it was another dream. Just don't think about it. It's over." She tried to calm him and soothe his mind, she remembered how the visions in his past nearly fractured his mind, and sent him to the brink of suicide.
"NO! Let him remember!" Remus interrupted, "If he's a true seer, then he can help. Did he say anything?"
"Leave us alone, Lupin!" Hermione snapped, "They'll kill him."
"Not if we help him understand. We need to know what he saw."
She lifted her arm instinctively and stretched her fingers in his direction; crackles of red bolts began to snap from her fingertips. "He's MY husband." She hissed.
Harry began to stir on the sofa, her other hand still lay tensely in his; he reached his free hand up to her outstretched arm and held it, breaking her concentration. "No. I'm alright," he said, as he started to sit up. "I'm a big boy now."
"What did you mean 'They'll kill him'? Who's going to…"
"That was a long time ago," he began, giving Hermione a knowing look. She glared back, not giving her approval, but still supporting him. "I started having visions in my fifth year; Voldemort was trying to get into my head. Dumbledore and Snape taught me how to block them, but they worsened in the following summer."
"He pushed us all away and the visions nearly led him to kill himself." She added.
"They went away when she and I were together, as if she shields my mind from them. I've only had them if I'm alone while I sleep."
"Do you remember the ones you just had? Can you describe them?" Remus asked, he produced a quill and parchment and started to jot down notes.
"Yes, but they almost always came true. I had…" he paused to think of those memories, and she sighed and nodded. "I saw Hermione die, and everything happened just as I saw it."
"He started to document them before he…" She remembered every detail; the one time he said the one thing that nearly broke her heart, even before she would give it to him.
"Just before I had an argument with a friend. It was only a few weeks after I lost one of the most important people that came into my life. I had recurring dreams of the day of the battle with Voldemort, and they all involved Hermione. Some actually went from disturbing to calming; I had these visions of a man I'd never seen."
Shock and surprise hit him, and he suddenly lurched from the sofa where he sat and ran into their bedroom. In a moment, he returned carrying an old worn tunic. "This tunic, that man in my dream always wore it or one like it anyway. Hermione, do you think that was Sir James? Do you think he was trying to reach across the centuries?"
"You always described him as an older man, with a short-cropped beard. It might be." She replied. This exchange startled the others; they were concerned when he seemed to connect the tunic to his visions.
"This dream, Harry, describe it." Moony insisted.
"It was as if I were watching from a distance. I could see Hermione huddled in a dark chamber; there was a slit of a window in the walls. I saw a dark, hooded figure and an armoured soldier talking. The soldier had dark armour and a helmet hid his face, but I could tell he was deeply scared."
"He had a slash from his forehead to his chin, through his left eye…" Hermione added, with a tremble in her voice.
"Yes, but how?"
"He said he found a brother and sister that had been recruiting others. Harry, I had that same dream a long time ago, on the night before we were married. But there was another part, a meeting, I think."
"I only saw the two you mentioned, talking about a brother and sister. It had to be about Chrissy and Steve. He knows, and I put them in danger."
"Harry, you didn't do a thing, they were already involved long before we got here. But if he knows, then we have to act quickly." Eileen jumped in. "We need to at least warn them."
The hour was past midnight , late, but not unreasonable. Eileen left the group and returned with a cloak and her wand. They were, after all, part of her cell, so it was her responsibility to try and warn them.
"Wait, you can't go out there, alone." Harry tried to stop her, but she frowned and walked toward the door. With a grabbing motion, he held her arm to stop her, and at that moment a familiar cloak floated into the hallway in front of her. "Take this, you may need it."
"What?"
"My invisibility cloak, it might help, but I do expect it back." He said with a slight grin as he let her leave.
Eileen stopped at a restaurant a block away from the apartment building, and sat at one of the tables. Within moments a tall, dark, cloaked man sat at the table opposite her. His features were concealed from view; all she could see was his long, crooked nose and the dark, slicked hair around his collar. The rest of his features were obscured behind the shadows. He spoke in a slow monotonous tone, choosing each word carefully.
"The master is aware of your activities; do you have anything else to report?"
"They know every detail, as if they have been inside. The man in question seems to have a mental connection with 'him' and sees events in the future."
"Go on."
"I, I shouldn't be telling you this, they trust me." She mumbled into her folded hands.
"Need I remind you of your sworn duties? And need I remind you what will happen should you fail?"
"No." She said softly and sighed.
"Then finish your report." He demanded.
"They are still tracking the Dark Lord's movements and are planning a strike; they have also tracked Lord Malfoy and have expressed an interest in the Dark Lord's consort. He has tried to teach his powers to the others, but so far he is alone in that skill. They have sent me to contact the others in my group, to warn them that the Dark Lord knows of them."
"Good. This is as expected. Now go and warn the Linters, or they might suspect." He stood and swept past her, she could sense the foreboding in him as he left.
She knew she had no other options but tell him what she knew, truthfully, as if he could read her mind. The internal conflicts of betrayal twisted her mind as the knot in her stomach grew and twisted. Being a spy was one matter, but being forced to be a spy was another. This was more then her conscience could bear. Once outside, she rounded the corner into an alley, the stress was taking its toll. She doubled over a dustbin and vomited what little she had in her stomach. No doubt others had seen this meeting. She knew if she were discovered she would die.
She picked herself up, and stole to the private owlery that held the only means to contact the Linters. She handed the sole owl a note and without having to explain further, the bird took flight.
The next meeting with the Linters had been arranged for later that week, but last night's developments prompted them to make contact the next day. Against Harry's insistence, another clandestine meeting was made. Steve insisted on continuing meeting this way, if they wanted to continue using their resources. Eileen led Harry and Hermione into the meeting at a location prearranged by Eileen. A basement room at the end of a dead end alley had been selected; the room had only one exit and only one window. Inside they found a simple wooden table with six chairs near a makeshift worktop with a single burner hotplate, a desk against the far wall next to a single bed, and an old chair next to a side table with a lamp. This was obviously someone's apartment, someone willing to allow this kind of meeting in spite of the obvious dangers. The room was nearly void of life, only an unseen rodent waited.
The three were the first to arrive; Eileen entered the room first while Harry and Hermione waited at the door. She crossed the room to check if it was secure, and stopped at a small table against the wall and silently tipped a picture over. She motioned for the others to come in and they sat at the table, facing the door. Harry and Hermione sat next to each other while Eileen sat to the side. She was feeling more nervous then usual with the events of last night still fresh in her mind. Harry's revelation of Voldemort mentioning a 'brother and sister recruiting others' and that this information was delivered through a spy kept playing in her head. She knew this was a safe place, unknown to all, except a very few people.
Hermione spoke softly to Harry, "Be alert, I don't like this one bit. There's only one door and this is too isolated."
"I think its safe, Eileen arranged it. You do trust her, don't you?" he whispered back, being careful so only she could hear him.
"I guess, I mean she's the same as back home, but…" she snapped her head sharply as a single rat scurried across the room.
Before she could register the noise, the door opened and a man and a woman arrived and silently sat opposite the others. The man pulled a large envelope from a pocket and placed it on the table. He placed his hands on top as if to maintain control of the meeting.
"Are you both ok?" Harry asked, breaking the tension.
"Yes, we got your warning, but we're not concerned, they've been after us for years. Eileen's been there since we started and she's safe."
"But you've lost others, haven't you?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, and Eileen's the only one we deal with on a consistent basis. The others are there if we need them, but we really haven't worked with them long enough to know them. Here's the information on the individuals you need. There's an event coming up where the Heads will be at the ministry in the next week. I think that would be an ideal time, if you're planning what I expect you are planning."
"Thanks Steve. We will look this over and let you know if there's anything else we need." They all stood to leave, and Eileen was the first to the door. Harry noticed her back was soaked through with sweat from the few minutes in the small apartment.
Hermione remained behind with Harry, as Chrissy and Steve began to follow Eileen to the door, but Chrissy turned and looked over her shoulder. Harry only noticed her eyes widen, and instinctively, snapped his fingers, sealing the door before anyone could leave or enter, and spun around to see what had startled her.
"Watch them, something's wrong." He snapped to Hermione, as she already had her wand pointed at the three near the door. "WORMTAIL!" he shouted, and crackles of energy flew from his fingers, striking the rat. In a single fluid motion, he snared the rodent before it hit the ground.
"So, you're the spy," he said with his back to them. Eileen's shoulders slumped as she bit her lower lip.
"Is it him? I thought I heard a rat in here." Hermione said over her shoulder.
"What's the meaning of this?" Steve demanded, as he stared down Hermione's wand.
"A spy, I would expect a trap is waiting outside. Chrissy looked like she expected it." Harry stated as he drew the rat to his hand. He began to squeeze the animal, not showing mercy. He tossed the animal onto the table and cast a shield charm around it to prevent it from leaving.
"You think it's him? Harry it looks different, it has all its toes." Hermione commented as she glanced at the table.
"Kill the nasty beast." Chrissy blurted as she shuddered. "I hate the filthy little things."
"She's been afraid of rats ever since she was a kid; she was locked in a dark room full of them by one of that bastard's friends." Steve added; the venom in his voice when he mentioned the Dark Lord was unmistakable.
Harry looked up and then back at the rat. "It's not him, Mione. It's just a rat."
Hermione lowered her wand and the tension level in the room dropped as well. "This seems like a perfect place for a trap. We can't be too careful." She said, still keeping her wand in her hand.
Harry motioned to the door and it creaked open, "I'll look over this and we'll call you…"
"Forget it, we'll call you. Stay away from us," Steve snapped, as he and Chrissy turned and left the room. They vanished the moment they cleared the top of the steps.
"Hermione, this is an old friend's apartment, he's been away for his work. I have a key and come here often when I need to be alone." Eileen admitted. "This is as safe a place to hide or meet as you can get."
"Who lives here?" Harry demanded.
"An old friend, I doubt you know him."
"I wish it were Jake," he muttered.
A slight, but sharp intake of air was the only recognition she gave, but was enough for Hermione to notice. She stepped next to Harry and put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look at her facial gestures. He nodded and let it go.
Hermione still had her wand in her hand and as they left the cramped apartment, flicked it at the rat, breaking the charm. They left and sealed the door, leaving the rat on the table, forgotten. An unnoticed grin emerged on a rodent's face deep in the shadows.
When they returned home from the meeting, the apartment was empty. Remus and Sirius had plans to examine a new fishing spot, James and Alycia were also out, but they didn't have any firm plans. They walked through the front door; Eileen entered first and deposited her keys on the small table near the entrance. The daily mail sat in a neat stack, obviously the others left after the mail arrived, around 10:30 . It was close to noon , Eileen walked directly into the kitchen for lunch; she had skipped breakfast earlier because she'd still been queasy after last night's meeting. Harry and Hermione turned into the lounge. She went to their room to retrieve the diary and assorted notes they had compiled; while he sat on the sofa to examine the parcel of timetables they were given. Harry was the first to notice as he sat, the cushions on the sofa were different, fluffier as if they had the stuffing removed and replaced.
She returned a moment later carrying a bundle of notes, and deposited them on the coffee table. "Darling, did you move my book?" she asked, noticing the bookmark from a novel she was reading was missing.
"No, I haven't touched it." He replied, as he placed his parcel on the table next to her papers. They both looked at the piles as if it were a puzzle that held the answer to their problems.
"Harry, the parcel, go on and open it," she insisted, eager to find the solution as well.
A large number of sheets fell from the envelope; each had a name at the top and a daily time schedule. Together they started to examine each sheet, attempting to deduce a pattern and predict future activities.
"They've been watching Voldemort for a while; his daily and weekly activities are listed in quite detail." Hermione commented first.
"Yes, but it also looks like they didn't care about the others. The have no idea how dangerous they all are." They continued to read each sheet, jotting notes looking for the patterns; both realised this may take some time.
She blew out through her teeth, and began an analysis of the notes. "Something here doesn't make sense, if he's been in power all this time, then he's getting on in years. And why hasn't he been seen out in the open?"
"Assassins, most likely; you remember how paranoid he was in our world. He kept himself surrounded with those he could sacrifice without thinking twice."
"Mmmm, maybe, but according to this he rarely stays in one spot more then a couple days, although he has left a pattern."
She laid out several sheets on the table and began pointing out the consistent patterns. "Here, and here, it seems he always spends a few days at these spots in this order, but he does vary the time."
"So all we'll have to do is wait until he returns to," he moved a couple sheets around, "here, and then he'll return to Malfoy Manor, then he'll go to Little Hangleton, that's only thirty-five miles and then the Ministry."
"Yes, although he has been seen in Leeds occasionally, between the time he leaves Sussex and arrives in London ."
Eileen sat at the table in the kitchen while Harry and Hermione worked on the documents, the pangs of hunger gnawed at her stomach, but all she could manage to keep down was a diet soft drink and a small slab of cheese. She pushed the table back to its correct spot; it was off by a few inches and quietly ate her small meal, while she contemplated her predicament. Should she tell them or keep it a secret. After all the contact never explicitly told her to keep it a secret, but her reason for the actions was clear and critical. She decided to let it sit; 'after all,' she reasoned 'no one's going to be hurt.' She thought to herself. She reached into her pocket and drew out a picture, stared at it for several minutes and replaced it back in her pocket.
'No, there's too much to lose.' She decided. She stood to join the others just as Harry stood and walked into the kitchen. They also felt the need for a bite of lunch.
She reached over to drop the empty can in the rubbish bin, and it clanked on the floor, missing by inches.
"Who moved the bin in here?" she asked to no one in particular while she bent over to pick the can off the floor.
He opened the refrigerator and removed a package of sliced meats and some cheese. He also removed a couple of drinks and turned to carry the supplies into the front room, where he had left Hermione. As soon as he passed Eileen, who had repositioned the bin, he froze in his tracks.
"Hermione, come here, look at this." He called. She placed the stack of papers on the coffee table in front of the sofa, and noticed an object glimmering on the floor.
"Harry? Here's mother's bracelet, the one Granny left her." She picked up the bracelet and carried it into the kitchen.
"Look out there, into the other rooms, and tell me what you see." He instructed when she entered the kitchen. She turned and looked through the doorway, and dropped the bracelet.
"Someone's been in here. There, and over there too, everything's off centre."
Quickly Eileen stood next to them and looked through the same opening; she had arranged the furniture to be as symmetrical as possible, to give the room a balanced look.
"What happened?" she asked. "Who moved everything?"
"I'd like to know why everything was moved," Harry added. He then looked at the floor, picked up the bracelet, and examined it.
"She didn't drop this; it was pulled off her wrist. The catch is broken," he said after turning it over in his fingers.
From that vantage point, the evidence was clear.
"There was some kind of struggle here, look, the furniture is rearranged." She deduced.
"In here too," Eileen added, "The table and rubbish bin were moved." Frantically, Hermione ran into the other bedroom while Harry searched the main room for other clues.
"Mione, there's nothing else here. No trace of the guys. I doubt they'd leave without her." He walked into the smaller bedroom to finish his conversation; and there, lying unconscious, tied and gagged on the bed, was James Potter. Blood had pooled from a gash in his head onto the bed and caked in his hair.
"FATHER!" Harry screamed.