Chapter 5
Ron was frozen stiff. This was probably the worst way to go. The cold had been slowly taking him since they apparated into forest yesterday and he could feel death was close behind. Sleep was a nice escape but it was merely a temporary remedy. Even though his mind didn't register the below-freezing temperatures of the forest as he slept, it didn't mean he wouldn't feel it in the morning. The Auror was having a nice dream too. Ron was in Egypt, or Australia, or somewhere warm, very warm, it didn't matter. There was definitely a beach too, the ocean breeze was cooling but not freezing and the waves looked magnificent as they crashed into the soft sand. And a beautiful woman, in a bikini, of course, was there as well. But it was all lie when he woke up. The warm sun, the beach, the beautiful woman in a bikini, all of it was a lie. The snow was his reality and the cold was his companion.
They moved silently through the forest as the sky reached twilight. To their right, the sun was starting to rise and the sky was burning red and orange. To their left, the sky was still black as midnight as night gave way to day. It was almost December and the days were getting shorter and shorter, beginning with a delayed sunrise followed by an early sunset. At least the new snow was already melting as the sun slowly rose. Ron had to find the bright side of the current situation, which wasn't very bright at all.
He had long stopped complaining about the lack of breakfast, but that didn't prevent his stomach from grumbling every few minutes. Hermione would shoot him angry glances every time his stomach made a noise, but even she gave up on him after the first hour. It looked like she was developing a cold herself. Hermione's nose was red and rubbed raw while mucus wouldn't stop running from her inflamed nostrils. Logan appeared to be enjoying himself on the other hand. He would hum an obscure song from time to time and often turned his head to check up on them as they weaved around the trees.
The masked wizard stopped instantly in his tracks and raised his hand into the air to signal them. Ron saw Hermione roll her eyes and he shared her frustration. This was the fifth time he'd stopped them. Every moment they halted their progression, it gave the cold a chance to build up and he feared it to a point of ridiculousness. He was being a coward, but he didn't care, it was bloody freezing.
Then his frozen ears twitched when he heard something beyond the trees. He could hear voices approaching them, but he couldn't tell from which direction. It was nerve racking and he was cursing himself for being craven. He was an Auror and he was behaving like a small child afraid of a pixie in his closet. Then again, when he was a child, there really was a pixie hiding in his closet thanks to Fred and George.
"Get behind a tree," Logan hissed. Before Hermione could react, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pinned her against the nearest tree trunk. The masked wizard was standing only inches from her face and she couldn't help but blush due to the proximity of their faces. Ron didn't exactly follow his example unfortunately. Instead, he decided to dive for a fallen tree next to him. Snow flew up around him and the trunk shook when his body made contact with it.
He groaned in pain. Small twigs and branches made small cuts and scratches on his face. The snow beneath him almost made him numb instantaneously. And he feared the parts of his arms and legs that collided with the tree would develop bruises. The Auror carefully pulled out his wand from his overcoat and tried to control his breathing. Ron lied there, motionless, and waited for the faceless voices to come.
"What's going on?" he heard Hermione whisper as the voices approached them.
"It might be the Vanguard." Logan muttered.
"What?" Ron chimed in. "Why would they be out here? Are they looking for the village too?"
Logan slightly shrugged. "I might have forgotten to mention that."
"But why are we hiding?" Hermione questioned. "I'm sure we can take them. There's three of us and it sounds like there's only two of them."
"The problem is… I kind of lost my wand. And I can't risk blowing my cover, not yet." Logan explained.
"Are you serious?" Instead of answering her, he placed his left hand over her mouth, silencing her. She looked at him, perplexed, but he refused to give her notice. Ron followed suit and kept quiet. The Auror could hear the footsteps getting closer and closer to them. Somehow the faceless voices knew exactly where they were. His heart started to race and it felt like his chest was going to explode from anticipation. After a few minutes of waiting, two masked wizards walked between them.
"I hate this," the one closest to Ron said angrily. Ron was thankful they didn't notice him in the snow or see Hermione and Logan standing against the tree beside them. If he could see the two wizards, they'd certainly see them if they decided to turn around. The one that was complaining was short in stature, but round and full. His body was tightly wrapped in several layers of robes, which gave off the impression that he was waddling instead walking. His mask was barely visible under the hood of his cloak, but Ron could see that it was white like Logan's and had a faint grey "V" painted across it. "C'mon, Thomas, we should just leave. It's too cold."
"Stop, Jacob," Thomas spat. He wore a similar mask, but he was much taller and slender than his counterpart. The wizard was wearing only a few layers in comparison to Jacob and appeared to be more comfortable with the current weather conditions due to the black wool that grasped his body. Ron envied him, but only for that moment. "I'm tired of your complaining."
Ron then noticed Logan's right arm moving against Hermione's side. His hand grazed against her hip and appeared to be looking for something. What was he doing? Hermione almost squeaked but she held in her shock and discomfort. That was it; they were going to die. But then Logan quickly spun around with Hermione's wand in his hand. In the name of Merlin, that would have been awkward, but then again, what was he doing?
"Hey," Logan shouted with Hermione's wand at hand, so much for not engaging the Vanguard. As the wizards turned around to face him, light burst from the tip of the wand. A string of lightning jetted through the air and made contact with Jacob. The spell hit him in the shoulder and sent him into Thomas. Their bodies flew through the chilly air and collided into a nearby tree.
"What are you doing?" Hermione demanded. Logan didn't answer her. He silently shoved the wand into her hands and walked over to the incapacitated wizards. The masked wizard knelt beside them to check on their condition. Satisfied with the results, Logan searched for their wands.
"What did you do to them?" Ron asked as he brushed the snow out of his hair and off his robes. He'd never seen a spell like that before. There appeared to be no physical damage done to Jacob besides the bruising and bleeding from hitting Thomas and the tree. There wasn't even a mark from where the spell made contact with his shoulder.
"Don't worry. They'll only be out for a while," Logan responded. He picked up their wands and broke them in half against his knee. "This will stall them."
"Wait," Hermione shouted.
"What?" Logan turned to face her. "This is the best way to ensure our safety. Do you want them wandering around? Armed? They'll have to leave the forest now."
"You could have used one of their wands," she snapped.
"Ah," Logan looked down at the broken wands in his hand, dumbfounded. He shrugged his shoulders in the typical manner and threw the shattered wands into the forest. "We have to move fast. There might be others." Logan walked away from the fallen wizards and moved past Ron and Hermione. The Auror exchanged looks with Hermione and they quickly chased after him before he was lost to the forest.
"How did you lose your wand?" Ron questioned when they caught up with him. He and Hermione were a few steps behind him like usual.
Logan didn't respond at first. "That's a little hard to explain."
"How?" Hermione joined in.
"Well, I lost it in a battle," Logan seemed to be embarrassed. Ron didn't like it. Even though Logan was an informant, he wasn't sure if he could be trusted after all. It would be stupid to question his honesty now; Ron and Hermione had traveled all this way from London. And he wouldn't hear the end of it from Hermione. She often understood, when she wasn't angry, his methodology and quirks, but that didn't stop her from remembering the dumb things he had done in the past. This would be one to remember, another thing to add to her list of things she'd never forget to mention at dinners, at parties, and at other random events.
"Did you break it or did you physically lose it?" Ron asked. Hermione gave him the "dumb look." He recognized that expression all too well; he last saw it on the train to Province.
"A little of both," Logan sighed. He was being very evasive when it came to revealing the truth behind his wand's demise. Ron felt for him, but the Auror hid his silent empathy. He had been forced to use a broken wand during his second year at Hogwarts. Then again, it did save him as many times as it hurt him. He kept count, most of the time.
Hermione decided to move on from the subject. "Did you know those two wizards?"
"Whom?"
"Those two wizards. Uh… Thomas… and Jacob… I believe were their names."
"Oh. A little. They were there when I first put on this bloody mask, but I never formally met them."
"How high were they up the food chain? Their masks were painted differently than yours," inquired Ron.
"Oh, not very high at all," Logan chuckled. "Or else, they wouldn't be wandering the forest looking for Winter's Crest." What he said held water, or frozen water. Ice cubes? It didn't matter. Ron pushed the analogy out of his mind and focused on the snow that had somehow made its way into his robes. He was definitely regretting his choice of hiding places a few moments ago.
"What's wrong with you?" Hermione noticed his discomfort. Ron was trying to adjust his robes and jeans to loosen the snow that wrapped around him.
"I've got snow in my pants," Ron spoke without thinking. Hermione and Logan stopped for an instant and they both gave him the "dumb look," again. Hermione did for certain. He wasn't positive about Logan, but he could tell he was giving off the same vibe. "So, what was Harry looking for at Winter's Crest?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Logan pushed on. "But whatever it was, the Vanguard is obviously looking for it too."
"Does this have to do with the whole origin of magic thing?" Ron asked. Hermione looked at him with a shocked expression on her face. The wizard merely smiled at her in response. He was happy that he could still surprise her.
"So you weren't sleeping after all," Logan asked slyly.
Ron shrugged. "I might have been awake." He would have liked to attribute it to his Auror training, but he had learned how to sleep and listen at the same time a long time ago at Hogwarts. Divination class, during his third year, was the best place to train this strange ability of his. He and Harry would often use this trick all the time when Professor Trelawney aimlessly spouted about omens and prophecies to the class.
"I'm still new to the Vanguard," Logan responded. "However, I'd bet on the Caerphilly Catapults that it has something to do with it… That's if I was a betting man." He laughed to himself; Ron and Hermione didn't find the joke amusing. Then he stopped. "We're here."
"Here?" Hermione asked. She didn't try to hide her annoyance.
"Winter's Crest."
"Where?" Ron wondered.
"Don't you remember? It's invisible. Some bloke put a charm on it."
"But how do you know we're here?"
Logan pointed at a fallen tree branch. It appeared to be like every other branch that lay on the snowy ground. Then he realized what Logan was really pointing at. Part of the branch was missing. It was obvious when you looked for it. The end of the branch just disappeared, like it was hiding behind the Cloak of Invisibility. Before Ron could say anything Logan was gone when he turned his head back to him.
"Where'd he go?" Ron asked Hermione, but she disappeared too. Duh. The Auror took a deep breath and stepped forward as he held it, his eyes were closed when he crossed. Then he slowly opened them. Ron stood there in horrific awe along with Hermione when he saw the village.
Most of Winter's Crest was burned down and destroyed. Someone had recently razed the village to the ground and didn't take it easy on the small town. Majority of the buildings had collapsed roofs and charred walls. A few structures remained standing, but all of the windows were blown and most of the infrastructure had decayed. Shards of frozen glass, wooden splinters, and stone dust littered the area. And snow covered the ruined city, like everywhere else.
"Welcome," Logan said wryly, "to Winter's Crest."
"Bullocks," Ron muttered.
"Harry can't be here," Hermione fell to her knees, shaking and trembling as she started to cry. Ron didn't go to her, he couldn't move his legs, or body for that matter. A cold, dark terror crept from his stomach and wrecked through him without mercy. He wanted to vomit at the inclination that Harry was buried someplace underneath the rubble and ash. He wanted Winter's Crest to be somewhere else and not this place. The young Auror wished with all his might, but he knew they were where they were supposed to be. The next best thing was to imagine Harry was no longer in the village. Ron hoped his best friend had escaped this place before it was laid to ruin. But if Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, wasn't here, then where was he?
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