Who let this Dementor into Hogwarts!

Chapter 609 Escape Under the Cover of Night

Harry and his friends' escape plan unfolded extremely quickly, and Hermione seemed to have been prepared all along, only taking a small beaded bag with her.

“Our luggage is all here.” Hermione took a deep breath. “I was prepared. I knew we would eventually have to go out and face Void—I never thought this spell would be so complicated. It’s unbelievable that Cohen solved it in his first year…”

“He said Dumbledore helped him,” Ron said.

“But he made this bag himself.” Harry picked up Cohen’s horned camel skin bag, which Sophia was already inside, and decided to put his own backpack in as well.

A flurry of running sounds came from downstairs, as if someone was rushing back.

“It’s Kingsley, I can hear his voice—” Ron said in a low voice.

“They don’t know we’re leaving yet,” Hermione whispered. “We can listen to what’s happening outside…”

“Okay, but… as soon as possible…” Harry was now rapidly thinking about his next steps.

He had to search for information, find Voldemort's location, and then sneak up to him using the Invisibility Cloak to ambush him—this was the safest method Harry thought was if Voldemort couldn't see through the Invisibility Cloak…

Where should he first look for clues?
Mr. Norton had been hunting Voldemort, but now that he's dead—perhaps Mrs. Norton knows something?
The only people in the Ministry of Magic that Harry can trust now are the Norton family—at least Mr. and Mrs. Norton have never done anything to betray him.

But with her husband just gone and her son still on the run, Mrs. Norton must have been in immense pain, and now she's asking about these things...

At this moment, Hermione had already cautiously opened the door, peeked around to make sure no one was there, and then took out a pair of retractable ears invented by Fred and George, waved to Ron and Harry, signaling them to follow.

They arrived at the stairwell, where the person speaking was in the living room, and it was difficult to hear what they were saying from there.

Hermione held one end of the retractable ear and slowly lowered the other end like casting out a fishing line.

“There’s a sound…” Hermione whispered.

The three of them put their ears close to the fleshy ear in Hermione's hand.

"...The Death Eaters raided the place. Because of the news of Edward's death, the Aurors were all in chaos. Stogee and Tonks went to the Nortons' house because we suspected the Death Eaters might retaliate against Rose again. Moody stayed with Arthur; they're at the Ministry of Magic..."

“Oh my God…” Mrs. Weasley’s horrified voice rang out.

“Tell Harry not to wander off. The Death Eaters’ next move will definitely be looking for him…” Kingsley said, and there was a thud below. He must have left again.

Then came the sound of Mrs. Weasley anxiously opening the door, and Hermione quickly retracted her extendable ears.

"Quick!" Ron grabbed them and whispered, "We have to hurry, or we won't be able to get anywhere—"

“Wait—” Hermione hurriedly reached into her beaded purse and pulled out a letter, placing it on the stair railing.

Then, with a soft snap, they disappeared from the spot.
-
Hermione led them to a wide street full of people.

"Where is this?" Ron looked around in confusion.

“Tottenham Palace Road.” Hermione looked around nervously. “We need to find a safe place. And Harry, what are your plans next?”

“I think we need to go to Privet Drive…” Harry said, “to find Mrs. Norton—she might know something about Voldemort’s hideout—and what did you write in that letter you left in Grimmauld Place?”

“I wrote in the letter that we need to do what Dumbledore assigned us,” Hermione said quickly. “Quick, let’s go somewhere less crowded first…”

They were hardly hidden on this crowded street, so Hermione led them into a narrow alley.

“If we go to Privet Drive, we’ll have to wear the Invisibility Cloak,” Hermione said. “You heard Kingsley say the Death Eaters might come after Mrs. Norton, and we can’t let them see Harry.”

“Here it is—” Harry opened his pocket, asking Sophia to help him find the Invisibility Cloak—so they wouldn’t have to empty everything out and search for it. They were much taller now, and the Invisibility Cloak couldn’t cover their entire bodies; their ankles were exposed.

Hermione reacted quickly, tapping each of them with her wand.

"What--"

“Disillusion Charm,” Hermione said. “I didn’t cast it very well—but it’s better than having three pairs of feet walking on the ground…”

After a short rest, they Apparated again to a place familiar to Harry.

Privet Road.

The Dursleys have moved away. This was something the Order of the Phoenix did right after Harry and his friends left the school. Since Harry wasn't there, the Dursleys, now without protection, were likely to be targeted by Death Eaters, so the Order of the Phoenix moved them to another location for protection.

And next door...

Under the invisibility cloak, they saw the lights on at No. 5 Privet Road, and from the living room window, they could see a number of people gathered inside.

At that moment, the door opened, and Stöger Bodmor came out, seemingly intending to cast a protective spell on the house.

"Quick!" Hermione tugged at Harry and Ron.

They rushed to the open door and slipped inside before Stogi's spell took effect.

Then they saw the group of people in the living room.

Tonks and Lupin sat around the sofa, where Rose sat, along with Herbert comforting Rose, and the Dementor wearing a scarf floated quietly in the corner of the living room.

“Give me back my wand,” Rose said in an unnaturally calm voice.

“I’m afraid that won’t work, Rose. We won’t let you go there to your death,” Lupin said. “The situation is dangerous; those Death Eaters are looking for you—”

“I would be in even more danger without my wand,” Rose said.

“Then you have to promise me that you won’t impulsively fight those Death Eaters,” Herbert said seriously. His hair was mostly white, making him look like Rose’s father.

"..."

“Rose,” Herbert repeated.

“I promise,” Rose said, looking into Herbert’s eyes.

Lupin handed Rose's wand back.

Just then, Mick, the Dementor in the corner, seemed to have spotted Harry and his friends, tilting his head to look at their location.

Hermione tugged at Ron and Harry in alarm, pointing them out from under her Invisibility Cloak.

Because Mick seemed to be moving closer to them—Dementors can't be fooled by the Invisibility Cloak.

Harry was familiar with the place because he had lived there for a while before, so he immediately recognized it and led them upstairs.

After going upstairs, the first place Harry led them to, which he felt was the best place to hide, was Cohen's bedroom.

Harry thought the bedroom would be empty, but they were wrong—there was already someone there.

(End of this chapter)