The Battle Standard
by Jardyn39
Chapter 14 - The Village
Early on Sunday morning, Harry and Hermione bid their goodbyes to the others and walked along the gravel road towards the boundary gates that lead to Hogsmeade. The gates were locked, but Harry touched the adjacent stone wall with his wand and made an opening for them both to pass through carrying their brooms.
Hermione had borrowed Ron's broom, having promised faithfully she would look after it.
They had decided to fly from Hogwarts as it was far closer from there than London. In addition, by leaving early in the dawn's half-light, they wouldn't need to wear their invisibility cloaks for much of the journey.
There was still a risk that they might be seen, but any sightings would be put down to tricks of the light that early.
Unfortunately what promised to be a warm and sunny day up in Scotland soon turned into a cold rainy day in the North of England.
Although they could fly longer in the poor visibility, it wasn't a pleasant flight until they were almost at their destination when the clouds parted and warm sunlight shone down on them.
"Hermione?" shouted Harry. "See that water tower? Let's land there and rest up for a bit."
Hermione nodded and they flew over to the high isolated feature. Fortunately the flat concrete top made an ideal landing platform.
"This is handy," observed Harry. "It's getting lighter now, so we should probably go the rest of the way under our cloaks."
Hermione nodded, looking out towards the horizon in the direction of the Village. She then flicked her wand and dried her clothes with her warm air charm.
"You hungry?" asked Harry. "Dobby gave me a couple of apples to bring along. Actually, he tried to get me to bring a hamper, but I didn't think we could carry it!"
Hermione shook her head and Harry began to feel uncomfortable.
"Hermione," he said gently, coming over to her side. "Is anything wrong? You've hardly said two words to me this morning."
Hermione turned to look at him and Harry automatically held out his arms to her. Hermione, though, turned away.
"What is it?" he asked gently.
"I don't know, Harry. I was going to ask you that."
"How do you mean?"
"Let's just go to the village, shall we?"
Harry looked on feeling completely perplexed as Hermione picked up Ron's broom, mounted and flew off without another word. He hurried to follow at once.
*
The journey that followed was one of the worst Harry had known. Normally, flying brought nothing but a feeling of elation.
Harry flew a few feet behind Hermione, watching her closely as if he might see a sign that would give him some clue as to what was wrong.
He knew he'd spent too much time at Moody's house. He also now regretted passing messages to her through Kreacher. Yes, he should have made sure he spoke to her in person.
Then Harry's thoughts returned to Kreacher. He had never enquired what it was that he wanted to tell Hermione. Could Kreacher have said something to upset her? No, Hermione knew Kreacher well enough not to be troubled by anything like that.
He struggled to think back for any sign that Hermione had been upset with him.
She'd seemed fine on Saturday, although he hadn't spent that much time with her alone.
He reminded himself that Hermione had kissed him that morning, or had that just been to get him out of bed?
Hermione slowed quickly and prepared to descend and Harry, still deep in his troubled thoughts, almost flew right into her. He awkwardly adjusted his course and almost fell off his broom the moment his feet touched the ground.
It took a moment for him to steady himself and remember what he'd decided to say to her the moment they landed.
However, by the time he looked up, Hermione had put on her invisibility cloak.
"Hermione?"
"Over here," she replied from some feet away.
Harry struggled to put on his own cloak which had to conceal his Firebolt too. He walked over to where he thought she was.
"Harry, are you on your broom?"
"No. Look, Hermione," he began.
"Get on. I need to confound you for this to work. Tell me when you are on."
Harry mounted his broom and said, "I'm on. Now how about we talk before we try this?"
He felt Hermione grasp the handle of his Firebolt from the front and pull him forwards. He then felt her confundus charm hit him.
*
"Harry?"
"What?"
"Oh, at last! I thought you'd never recover your senses. I was afraid I'd used too strong a charm on you."
"Where are we?"
"Just outside the Village, of course," Hermione whispered back. "I think this is a barn of some kind. The main street is on the other side."
"So we got through, then?"
"Obviously," she replied with some annoyance.
"How did we get through?"
"I confounded you so the confusion wards had nothing to do. I also linked our brooms and got them to fly in a pre-determined course. I just then sat back and enjoyed the ride."
"Why didn't you need to be confounded as well?"
"Well, I was just determined enough not to be bothered where we ended up. You, on the other hand, would have wanted to fly towards the village. That's how they work obviously. They can be beaten by simple mental discipline."
"I could have used mental discipline too," he replied a little indignantly.
"Sure, Harry. Sure."
Harry felt an immediate pang at these words.
"Hermione," he began, trying not to sound too hurt.
"What do we do now?" she asked, cutting across him.
Harry sighed inwardly and accepted that whatever the problem was, he wasn't going to learn it now.
"I want to see if this really is Torvais. I also want to find out who these people are staying here. I expected this place to be a vacant Muggle village."
"There aren't too many people around. We should be okay under our cloaks."
"I think we shouldn't wear our cloaks, Hermione. If we do and they detect us they'll think we are an enemy."
Hermione was silent for a moment as she considered this.
Then she pulled off her cloak and brushed her hair back as Harry pulled off his.
They then walked around the barn and down the slight incline of the main street that lead down towards the waterway.
*
"I really can't believe it," said Harry. "This really is the same place I saw!"
"Is it exactly the same?" asked Hermione.
"Well, almost. There were banners outside each house, but the terracing is exactly the same."
Two small children wearing wizarding clothes ran past, laughing as they rushed towards one of the narrow shop windows. They stood on tip-toe, straining to see over the window sill as their grandmother caught up with them.
"There seem to be only children and older people around," observed Harry.
"Yes, I was just thinking that," agreed Hermione.
The same two children brushed between them as they hurried towards the next shop window that held some interest.
"Oh, slow down will you?" complained the elderly witch as Harry and Hermione shared smiles, making Harry's heart leap.
"Hermione?"
To Harry's utter astonishment, Mrs Granger ran outside from the open shop door and hugged Hermione.
"Mum? Whatever are you doing here? Where's Dad?"
"Right behind you!"
Hermione loosened her grip on her mother and looked around. Mr Granger laughed as Hermione launched herself at him.
"Oh, Dad!"
Harry smiled seeing them embrace but almost at once began to feel a little awkward. It seemed like he was intruding a little and took a step back until he saw Mrs Granger eyeing him.
"Hello, Mrs Granger. How long have you been staying here?"
"Oh, a while now," she said. "Tell me, were you invited here?"
"Um, no," Harry admitted.
"Then let's get inside," she suggested, taking hold of Harry's arm and pulling him towards the doorway that lead into the Baker's shop. Harry winced at once at the pain from his burn.
The shop was very small inside, having only a short serving counter. There were a few loaves and iced cakes on display in the window but most of the bread for sale was stacked on shelves behind the counter.
"Fortunately there are plenty of strangers passing through the village at the moment," said Mrs Granger. "Hopefully the security detail won't be alerted just yet."
Hermione and her father followed them into the shop, still arm-in-arm.
"Come and see where we bake the bread," he suggested, leading Hermione out into the back room.
"You bake?" asked Harry.
"Well, there isn't much demand for dentistry around here, to be honest," said Mrs Granger, closing the door and turning the sign over to read "Closed."
The two children outside moaned with disappointment, prompting Mrs Granger to open the door once again and hold out a basket that contained three large Belgium buns.
"We had to find something that didn't require magic. To be honest, quite a few of our neighbours didn't think it was even possible to make edible bread without magic!"
Harry smiled and nodded as she put the empty basket away.
"Now, show me that arm, Harry."
"What? Oh, it's nothing."
"Roll up your sleeve, Harry," she ordered. Harry did so and revealed a forearm that was very red but otherwise looked normal.
*
They quizzed Mr and Mrs Granger about the village for some time.
"Well, the village is really just the one street. Most families are camped out in tents just along the riverbank. Security around here is pretty lax, actually. They concentrate security more up the road."
"What's there?" asked Harry with interest.
"We've no idea. The area is completely off limits to everyone. Most people believe it is a military camp and every now and then we hear bangs and shouting in the distance. We assume they are training."
"Where exactly is this training camp?"
"We don't really know. The road leads off towards the other side of the bigger hill, but both the road and the hill are guarded."
"Have you ever seen anyone you know or recognise around here?"
"No, not that we recall. We appear to be the only non-magical residents, though."
Mrs Granger got up and opened their small pantry.
"I'm going to have to go shopping if we're to have enough for a meal tonight," she observed.
"I'll come too," said Mr Granger. "I need to get some more flour from the stores ready for tomorrow."
"We'll come too," said Harry.
"Actually," said Mrs Granger. "That might not be such a good idea, Harry. You are bound to be recognised and there are more people about now coming back from the training camp."
"I'll come though," said Hermione.
Harry nodded and eventually bid them goodbye as the three of them ventured outside. He watched their progress for a long as he could from the front window, and then looked out up towards the waterway in the opposite direction.
He was about to go and make himself a cup of tea, when he spotted a first floor bay window that projected out over the street below. He remembered his ghostly self telling him about the office his Hermione used to work in.
Curious, Harry put on his cloak and made his way up the street.
*
Harry found himself looking up at the large white painted window that had three sides from which the original shipyard owner, Torvais, had watched over his workforce. It looked like he had an excellent view of not only the village street but also most of the river.
The door below was open and he could hear no sign of activity inside.
He cautiously entered and climbed the steep rickety staircase up to the next level.
The house appeared to be unoccupied, perhaps being unsuitable for living accommodation.
Harry pushed the first door open and found the room with the bay window within. The room was completely empty other than an old desk and stool but would have been ideal as an office.
He walked over to the window and sat on the seat, pulling his cloak off at the same time.
The river was wider than he'd realised. There were only a few boats, but he could see the remnants of the original slipways from which the boats were launched.
A group of swans were swimming majestically over on the other side while closer to the bank several large ducks were chasing lumps of stale bread being thrown into the water by some children.
Down the street, lanterns were beginning to be lit as people returned home for the evening.
He started as a lantern was lit within the room he was in. Harry jumped up and turned to face a smiling figure.
"I wondered when you'd turn up here."
"Hello, Pansy. What are you doing here?"
Pansy shrugged and came over to the window close to Harry, pausing to place her lantern on the table. He attempted to move but found himself sitting down again instead of moving away.
She immediately sat next to him, rather closer than he felt entirely comfortable with.
"You shouldn't be here," he said at last.
"Well, I tend to agree. I had little choice, though. I suspect they thought it would be easier if they could keep a close eye on me."
He turned as Pansy leaned in towards him, a smile playing on her face.
Harry told himself that he would be wiser to stand and just walk out of there.
His legs, though, seemed to refuse to move themselves.
Pansy picked an imaginary piece of fluff from his shoulder but then brushed her fingers across the side of his neck.
Harry staggered to his feet and threw on his invisibility cloak before stomping to the door. Before descending the stairs, he looked back into the room.
Pansy was kneeling on the seat now with her back to him, looking at her reflection in the glass and playing with her hair. He imagined she wore a rather satisfied smile.
The moment he realised she knew he was still standing there watching her, he turned and left quickly.
*
Harry arrived back before the Grangers and they stayed up late that night after enjoying a light meal together. As Harry looked on he realised that Hermione had missed her parents more than she'd allowed him to know.
Although Hermione was still wearing the smile she'd had on for most of the afternoon, it was more the way she stayed so close to either her mother or father that told Harry.
Much later, after Hermione's parents had gone up to bed and while they were doing the last of the washing up, Harry suggested, "Why don't you stay here for a while, Hermione?"
"I'd like to," she admitted.
"Okay, but I promised to go back to Moody's place tomorrow. I shouldn't have a problem leaving here quietly," said Harry. "I may have a problem getting back here, though."
"Yes."
"How about you agree to come away no later than next Sunday? Unless, you'd like to stay longer?" he added quickly.
"No," she replied with a sad smile. "I won't need more than a week."
"If you discover a Floo connection, you'll call me?"
"Yes, but I doubt if there is one here. What time will you go?"
"Well, now would be best, really. It's quiet and they won't be expecting anyone to be leaving."
Hermione nodded.
"You'll be careful?" said Harry. "I saw Pansy Parkinson here this afternoon."
"Really? I expect we should expect to see more and more outcasts around here."
Harry gathered up his things and said as he was about to open the door, "When you get back, we should talk, Hermione."
"We will, Harry," she promised.
The wards designed to repel uninvited visitors served to guide Harry safely away from the village.
Once clear, he took off on his Firebolt into the cold night air.