The Portkey Escape and the Phoenix Safehouse
Thoros didn’t look up from the newspaper cutting even as his son fell breathlessly over the threshold into his bedroom.
When he finally spoke, he used a dangerously quiet voice.
“This witch … Granger. I’ve heard of her.”
Theo swallowed.
“Malfoy spoke of her, personally. One of Potter’s best friends, no?”
“Father–”
“And a Mudblood to boot.” Thoros hadn’t taken his eyes off the photo. “I’m hardly surprised that Potter would associate with such scum, but you, Theodore …”
“She’s not my friend–”
“No, of course not.”
Thoros’ voice was beginning to rise to a level Theo had almost never heard.
“Of course, my son – my impeccably-trained son – would never have reason to befriend a filthy Mudblood.”
There were a few agonising seconds of silence.
“Yet … she is not Mudblood at all, is she?”
Theo’s blood ran cold.
“That hair … the nose … a spitting image. I see why you took notice. ELF!”
The last word was yelled so loudly that Theo leapt backward.
One CRACK later, Pippy appeared in a low bow.
“No,” Thoros growled, crumpling the clipping in a tight fist. “Where is the other elf?”
“Sir …?”
“The elf that delivered my children!”
Theo felt his knees buckle.
“Master …” Pippy’s voice was tiny. “Minky is very old, sh– she cannot leave the kitchen … she has not enough power to serve Master–”
“Bring – her – HERE.”
Pippy disappeared in a split second.
“It’s– it’s true …” Theo whispered. “I wasn’t the only child–”
Thoros’ fiery eyes turned on his heir.
“You did not think to INFORM me of your suspicion?” he hissed. “That I was forced to doubt your loyalty due to your absence and dig through this filth for clues to your whereabouts … does the import of family values mean NOTHING to you!?”
“I …”
But Thoros didn’t let him finish. “HOW is it that you discovered this witch? HOW!?”
His voice was louder than Theo had ever heard it. The young wizard felt beads of sweat drip from his hairline.
“At the Yule Ball … she wore her hair up like Mother’s, in the portrait … she– she looked just like her–”
“And I thought no good could come of you gawking at that thing all the time,” Thoros spat. “I suppose it has done something useful. Now I have time to rectify this … I will not allow your foolish mistake to endanger us.”
His voice lowered and his gaze narrowed. “The girl is a friend of Potter’s yet … perhaps a trap can be set for both …”
Theo’s eyes shot open wide, and he dove for his pocket. He didn’t think or care about the consequences of challenging Thoros, but he hadn’t even drawn his wand before another CRACK brought two house-elves into the room.
“Minky, sir,” Pippy said in a terrified voice.
She was supporting a wizened, ancient house-elf dressed in a faded frock made out of what might’ve originally been a dust ruffle. Theo blinked at her in surprise; he didn’t even know two elves resided in the Manor since his father always called Pippy.
Thoros took one large, intimidating step closer to the pair of elves.
“What did you tell me the night my wife gave birth?” he thundered.
Unlike Pippy, Minky seemed utterly unafraid. She struggled to hold herself up but gave a small nod to the other elf. Pippy seemed to understand; she left the room with a final crack.
“Minky told Master the truth,” the elf said firmly. Her bold gaze turned from Thoros and landed on Theo, who couldn’t help but gawk at her.
This elf was there when he was born? She must’ve known his mother, and she’d been HERE the whole time … Theo could’ve talked to her, asked her about Isabelle–
Minky’s eyes remained fixed on Theo, completely ignoring the murderous look Thoros penetrated her with.
“Minky said, ‘Mistress Isabelle first gave birth to baby girl, but baby girl was too small. Very weak. Then Mistress Isabelle gave birth to baby boy. Baby boy is stronger. Baby boy will live.’”
Small and weak … but Minky DIDN’T say she’d died.
“She escaped?” Theo whispered hopefully, unsure if he actually made a sound. Minky understood anyway; she nodded with a soft smile at the young wizard.
Then she was blasted into the far wall by a jolt of angry, scarlet magic.
“Father, NO!”
“Crucio!”
The screams of the small, fragile creature filled Theo’s ears.
“STOP!”
In his shocked state, Theo seemed to forget all the protective spells he knew; he simply threw himself onto his father’s arm, cutting off the Torture Curse.
“How DARE YOU!?” Thoros thundered. He tossed his slender son to the side like a wilted leek. For the first time in his life, Theo saw some strands fall free from his father’s tight grey ponytail as his face turned red.
“Is it not enough that you HID that witch from me, that you even SUSPECTED such a horrid truth – now you stand against me for an ELF?What is WRONG with you!?”
Theo scrambled to his feet and gripped his wand.
“You taught me to think for myself, Father,” Theo said in a surprisingly calm voice. “And I’ve made my decision. I don’t care what the traditions say, and I don’t CARE about our bloodline. All I know is that you will NEVER hurt my sister.”
Thoros Nott stood utterly still.
He’d experienced despair and horror in Azkaban, but this … the sight of his own blood, facing him down over a castoff witch and a house-elf …
“How could you?” he quietly implored his son. “Theodore … I gave you everything; I raised you perfectly–”
“Nothing is perfect, Father,” Theo answered shortly. “Especially not you.”
The elf that had been silently crawling to his side seized his hand, and Thoros barely had a chance to raise his wand before his heir vanished from sight.
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Theo stumbled and felt the elf’s tiny hand slip from his own.
He found himself in an unfamiliar dark room – he immediately raised his wand and cast a Lumos. There were bare walls and covered windows … the place gave the air of being long-abandoned.
“Master … Theodore …”
He spun on the spot and fell to his knees beside Minky, his mother’s elf. Her wrinkled skin had turned grey … her eyes were losing their light.
“Wait, no … you have to tell me–!”
“Brought baby girl here,” Minky whispered. “Missus Isabelle … she– she loved you … loved you both–”
“No, please …!”
It was too late. The elf had sacrificed the last of her magic to bring him here, and now she was gone.
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Hermione let Remus guide her around Diagon with his gentle but firm grip after she could be sure her parents had left.
Remus assured her they would remember how to exit the Alley before that tidbit about the magical world would slip away from them too. When they returned to a house free of memories of any daughter they might’ve had, the Grangers would pack up and leave for an extended vacation in Australia, a luxury they’d been denying themselves for over a decade.
Hermione visited Gringotts to take a bagful of coins from her trust account – which her parents had kindly converted to wizarding funds when she’d turned fifteen – and she stopped in the Magical Menagerie for supplies for Crookshanks. The half-Kneazle had taken to Grimmauld Place and had a good relationship with Sirius. At the end of the year Hermione had sent the cat along with the Weasleys. One less thing to wipe from her parents’ memory, she supposed.
The tears threatened to return, but she firmly pressed down her feelings with the reminder that they’re safe.
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Theo knew he had to hurry. The Ministry probably detected the underage magic he’d cast. He didn’t know exactly where he was, but he needed to learn what he could.
At some point, someone had lived here. Someone Isabelle trusted to save her illegal baby girl.
Theo took a moment to tenderly wrap the body of the elf in his robe. He lifted her gently, fighting back tears of anguish, sorrow, and panic.
He looked carefully around the room, but it was nondescript. Thick drapes blocked all light, so Theo kept his wand lit. This had probably once been a bedroom; he found an attached toilet and dents on the faded carpet suggesting a large bed and wardrobe.
He took a careful look out one of the dingy windows and saw strange, tall buildings suggesting he was in a big city. Maybe London? He didn’t know it well enough.
He quickly exited the bedroom and located a staircase, then a … kitchen? It was full of shelves and working spaces like a kitchen might have, but there were strange, empty spaces between cabinets where box-shaped objects might stand. There were also odd collections of holes in the walls that he’d never seen the likes of before.
If he wasn’t sure before, the sight of a kitchen in such a faded state proved that the house had been abandoned for a long time. Theo dared to cast another quick spell to get through the squeaky kitchen door and into a large garden overgrown with weeds. He ducked around the corner of the white-grey building and over a short, rickety fence where he could quickly glance at the front of the house.
The large front door was painted green. A tarnished, brass twenty-seven was posted beside the door. In his peripheral view, he noted the house resembled the ones on either side of it, though they were painted different colours–
The sudden POPs of Apparation filled the street, and Theo raced back over the fence and into the garden, grateful for the extra few seconds he could steal under the cover of the overgrown plants.
He could hear muffled voices yelling as he was pursued, but he didn’t stop. He shifted the weight of the elf’s body in his arms and reached into his pocket for a silver coin, which he pressed against the pad of his thumb.
He held perfectly still for three seconds.
“Over here, there’s someone–!”
Theo heard nothing else as the Portkey jerked him away.
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Hermione was additionally grateful to Remus for loving books almost as much as she did. He didn’t rush her as she perused the shelves of Flourish and Blotts, nor question her need to purchase far more books than necessary for sixth year.
The expandable bag was useful for a multitude of reasons.
They stopped briefly to look at Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes. Hermione almost managed to smile at the most cheerful building she’d ever seen, but she decided to come back later with Harry and Ron for her first proper visit. Besides, she wasn’t in the mood to talk to any friends right now. Remus was a comfortable companion, only speaking when needed and not requiring more than one-word responses on her part.
He finally led her towards the Leaky Cauldron in anticipation of Flooing to Grimmauld – Sirius had been pleased as a Puffskein that she wanted to live there for the remainder of the summer – but a sudden blast of magic stopped the pair in their tracks.
“Protego!”
The spell was past Remus’ lips before Hermione even registered danger. She had her wand in her hand quickly as the offensive spell bounced off the Shield Charm.
Hermione located the direction of the spell and raised her wand, but Remus pushed her behind him.
“Stupefy!” Remus shouted.
He missed. Their attacker had moved quickly – Hermione could only make out that it was a tall figure in long robes.
Shoppers raced frantically out of the line of fire. Remus squinted, trying to find the wizard in the chaos while holding Hermione firmly behind him with one arm.
“There!” Hermione cried.
The tall wizard had ducked around the throng of people and emerged in front of the boarded-up Fortescue’s. He shot a Disarming Spell at them, which Hermione managed to block just in time.
“Step away from the witch!” the tall wizard called in an unfamiliar voice as he sent another spell which the pair dodged.
Hermione blinked in surprise. Someone was after her? She’d assumed it was a Death Eater targeting Order members, who recognised Remus.
Remus didn’t falter. He faced the attacker, while slowly using his other hand to pointedly nudge Hermione in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron.
“No,” she whispered. “I’m not going to leave you–”
“If you continue to deny her arrest, you will be considered an accessory!” the wizard yelled at Remus in between more spells and shields cast in both directions.
Arrest?
Hermione peered around Remus’ arm carefully and caught sight of a shiny badge on the chest of the other wizard.
He was an Auror. They were fighting an Auror.
Remus slowly stopped the onslaught of spells and raised his left hand in the air, to indicate his co-operation. The Auror recognised the gesture and kept his wand aimed but stopped firing.
“Why do you intend to arrest this witch?” Remus called.
The Alley had almost emptied due to the brawl, only two or three tentative heads poked around corners and many shops had suddenly erected their Closed signs. Hermione thought she could hear her heartbeat echoing off the stone walls around them.
“She’s wanted for questioning,” the Auror announced. “That’s all I can say.”
“Alright,” called Remus. He slowly shifted his stance and lowered his wand; the Auror began to relax his duelling stance as well.
The feint worked. The Auror’s guard was dropped long enough for Remus to nonverbally Stun him.
“Run,” he whispered hurriedly at Hermione. She clutched her satchel and raced for the Leaky Cauldron Floo with Remus on her heels.
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The Portkey landed Theo in a cosy, furnished sitting room, which he immediately liked even though it was much smaller than his own home. It was full of colours and furniture that had clearly been lived on.
Unfortunately, the few seconds of comfort disappeared quickly as the homeowner entered the room, wand-first.
Theo nearly dropped Minky’s body in his hurry to release the Portkey and retrieve his wand, but the witch confronting him was quick. Theo’s wand sailed between his fingers and landed in her grip.
“State your name,” she said firmly.
Theo blinked in horror. She was … she couldn’t possibly be from the Order– had he been tricked?
“I … but– but you’re …”
The witch’s brow furrowed slightly. Then she closed her eyes and sighed.
“You believe me to be Bellatrix Lestrange.”
“You’re not?” Theo asked disbelievingly. He’d seen the photo countless times – it had been circulated through the Prophet since she and her husband escaped Azkaban months ago, and this woman was a dead ringer …
“No,” the witch assured him. “Now, if you were given a Portkey, you should know the protocol.”
Theo took a long breath. If there was a chance this woman was lying … but of course, she should know the protocol, too.
“Theodore Nott,” he said clearly. “Professor Dumbledore gave me the Portkey. He particularly enjoys a Muggle sweet called sherbet lemons.”
Not-Bellatrix lowered her wand.
“Professor Dumbledore is a wise man, except for his unhealthy aversion to green vegetables,” she said softly. “I’m Andromeda Tonks, formerly Andromeda Black.”
Theo remained tense, even though she’d known the passphrase.
“How come I’ve never heard of you?”
“Because I was blown off the family tree for marrying a Muggle-born,” she responded dryly. “It would’ve been before your time. You likely know the names of my sisters, Bellatrix and Narcissa.”
Narcissa. Draco’s mother.
Theo finally relaxed. He nodded his head in acceptance and knew he should bow formally to appease his etiquette training – she was a member of a prominent wizarding family despite being disowned – but his arms shook with the bundle he still held tightly, and he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t drop it if he tried to bend.
Andromeda didn’t seem bothered. She set Theo’s wand on the tea table and stowed her own. She gently moved the robe covering the elf’s face and then replaced it.
“What happened?” she asked softly.
“She … she got me out–”
With ease that surprised the young wizard, his host took the body from his arms and laid it tenderly on one of the sofas.
“I can provide a comfortable resting place,” she reassured Theo. “Was she your family’s elf?”
“My mother’s–” Theo didn’t realise how much he was shaking. Perhaps the full reality of the situation finally made itself known. “She … my sister–”
Andromeda frowned. “Five Slytherins were given a Portkey here, but none of the others have the name Nott. You have a sister?”
Theo’s mind spun. Thoros knew … if he found her before Theo did–!
His knees shook violently, and he gripped the edge of a bookcase as he almost fell over.
“Alright, time to sit down,” Andromeda firmly took Theo by the shoulders and backed him into a comfortable chair. A few flicks of her wand later, a tea tray was zooming in from the kitchen. “You’re paler than the Bloody Baron. When’s the last time you ate something?”
“Dromeda?”
A tall wizard entered the room and his eyes immediately jumped to Theo.
“Oh. One of the runaways, I s’pose?” the wizard’s lips cracked into a small smile. “Ted Tonks, Dromeda’s husband.”
“Theo Nott,” he managed to choke through his panic attack.
Andromeda shoved a cup of tea into his hands, seemingly uninterested in his lack of manners.
“Drink, then talk,” she ordered. “Ted, we better get a message to Dora; it seems Theo here has a missing sister–”
“No,” Theo gasped. “Don’t tell anyone–!”
Ted looked back and forth between his wife and their visitor and settled for perching on the edge of the chair next to Theo’s, awaiting an explanation.
“Is she in danger?” Andromeda ventured.
“Yes, she’s … nobody’s s’posed to know, but– but my father–”
Andromeda’s eyes narrowed.
“Thoros, I expect? He’s a right piece of work. Isn’t he locked up, though?”
“He’s … no, he was broken out– if he finds her …”
Theo was afraid of revealing too much and his emotional state was affecting his thought process.
“She’s … he can’t find her –! She– she might be with Potter, but I dunno for sure–”
Ted jumped to his feet. “I’ll Floo Headquarters and see if they know. What’s her name, then?”
Theo swallowed. Logic suggested he could trust these people since Dumbledore’s Portkey brought him here, but he was terrified to say her name aloud. For all his careful planning, he didn’t expect to be in this situation. Once again, he cursed his stupidity for bringing home that photo. Slytherin cunning, indeed … Blaise would probably kick him for his lunacy when he found out.
Andromeda looked at him carefully.
“I was a Slytherin too,” she informed him. “I know the risk that comes with revealing one’s identity. Just answer me this: does your sister have any idea she’s in danger, beyond any expected risk from associating with Harry Potter?”
Theo slowly shook his head.
Andromeda flicked her wand and retrieved a framed photo from across the sitting room. The photo showed a short, attractive witch with vivid violet hair standing between her parents with a shiny Auror’s badge in her hand, flashing it proudly at the camera.
“This is our daughter, Nymphadora,” she held the photo out to Theo. “She’s an Auror, trained under Mad-Eye Moody personally, and utterly loyal to Dumbledore. If you let us, we’ll get her here and she’ll help you find and protect your sister.”
The evidence spoke for itself. Theo could be certain that Andromeda wasn’t lying about her daughter – they had precisely the same nose – and there was no way she could’ve conjured this photo having had no idea ten minutes ago that Theo was on his way.
He took a long breath.
“My sister … she– she doesn’t know who she is. She’s Potter’s best friend. Hermione Granger.”
Andromeda nodded but didn’t seem overly fazed by Theo’s revelation. Maybe she hadn’t met Hermione before.
Ted departed the room as soon as Theo uttered the name, presumably to call their daughter. The Auror.
Theo had a horrible realisation.
“Wait!” he called. He leapt to his feet, nearly upsetting the tea tray.
Thankfully, Ted returned to the door quickly. Andromeda looked baffled.
“Did you change your mind about trusting us already?”
“No,” Theo said urgently. “But please don’t tell the Aurors! If they find out where she is, her location might get back to my father, he’s got connections–”
Andromeda nudged him back into the chair gently but firmly.
“I think we need to hear a little more. She’s your sister, but she isn’t a Nott. She’s been kept secret … and your father wants to harm her? Did your mother have another wizard on the side, then?”
If he hadn’t already known Andromeda was disowned from the Blacks, Theo would be shocked by the bluntness of the question.
He shook his head. “I’ve only just found out for sure – Father knew she was born but thought she’d died. Then Minky–” his eyes jumped to the bundle on the sofa “–she was loyal to my mother. She hid Hermione, so Father didn’t know she’d lived.”
“She’s older than you,” Andromeda deduced. “And Thoros is … well. I think they call it traditional.”
Theo was relieved he didn’t have to go into detail.
“And she doesn’t know who she is?”
Theo slowly shook his head. “I suspected for about a year, but I didn’t want her in danger … now I– I don’t think I have a choice.”
Andromeda paused, then implored her husband, “Floo the Auror office; ask them to tell Dora we need her for an urgent family matter.”
Ted disappeared through the door into what Theo presumed was the kitchen. The sitting room fire was much too small to accommodate a Floo.
Andromeda didn’t push for more information but encouraged Theo to eat the biscuits she’d brought and to drink plenty of tea. He started to feel his shaking limbs relax slightly. He’d only eaten a few bites of breakfast at the Malfoy’s before the news came.
His eyes shot open wide again. Draco …
“You … you said Narcissa’s your sister? Can you get a message to her?”
For the first time, Andromeda looked uncomfortable.
“I haven’t spoken with her in years …”
“I apologise for the rude assumption,” Theo murmured respectively, but a few seconds later his panic returned, and he burst, “But her son Draco’s one of my best friends and Father trusts their family so he might go there looking for me – Draco’s got a coin too; he’s gotta get out of there NOW or my father – both our fathers! – could press him for information and if they find the Portkey–!”
“Are you sure they would?” Andromeda interrupted. “If Draco doesn’t know where to find you, wouldn’t Thoros simply look elsewhere?”
Theo shook his head. Thoros wasn’t one to give up easily. Draco wouldn’t be able to hide the fact that Theo had been acting strangely lately nor that he’d been at Malfoy Manor, as a collection of Theo’s possessions could be found in the guest room beside Draco’s.
Thoros would tear the place apart to find him, and it wouldn’t be long before he found Draco’s Portkey – or worse, he and Lucius might deduce the Grey Slytherin conspiracy. Such a revelation was precisely what the Death Eaters needed. Thoros and Lucius owed the Dark Lord a favour for springing them, and they could use Draco to get information …
“We’ll contact my cousin when Ted gets back,” Andromeda decided. “Sirius has an elf that’ll know Narcissa; he should get a message to her faster than an owl.”
“Thank you,” Theo murmured in relief.
He’d just calmed himself enough to reach for another biscuit when a CRASH sounded from the kitchen.