The Unorthodox Auror and the Untarnished Truth
Theo leapt to his feet in panic at the CRASH, but Andromeda didn’t look worried. She simply sighed and faced the kitchen door as though awaiting something inevitable.
“Sorry!” a voice squealed in response to the noise.
The short witch that Theo recognised from the family photo – whose hair was now bright pink with silver streaks – stumbled through the kitchen door. Her father followed; his wand was directed back into the kitchen, a Reparo on his breath.
“Sorry, Mum, it was the biscuit jar again–”
“I should’ve put it back in the cupboard,” Andromeda murmured to her husband, who grinned. She extended a hand to squeeze her daughter’s shoulder.
“Oh, hi! I’m Tonks. Don’t call me Nymphadora,” the pink-haired Auror said cheerfully. She extended her hand to Theo, who was obliged to shake it instead of bending to kiss it as he’d been trained.
“Er– Theo Nott. Don’t call me Theodore.”
“Oh, one of the Slytherin runaways? Great! One more for our side!”
Andromeda’s daughter – Tonks, apparently – plunked herself in the seat next to Theo’s and reached for a handful of biscuits.
“You’re not also related to us, are you?” she asked Theo through a mouthful of crumbs. “I’m absolute pants at keeping track of how all the pure-blood families are related, it’s just mad …”
Theo returned to his seat. He decided quickly that he wanted to befriend this unorthodox witch.
“No, I don’t think so,” he answered. “But I’d very much like your help finding … my friend. Hermione Granger.” He didn’t feel like explaining the whole situation again when time was of the essence.
Tonks snorted in amusement. “’Course, if anyone would make friends with a Slytherin, it’d be her. She’s probably the most liberal-minded witch I’ve ever met, next to me.” She stopped talking long enough to take the napkin from her mildly irritated mother and wipe the crumbs from her lower lip. “She’s actually gonna be living at Headquarters after today, I remember Sirius saying.”
Sirius BLACK? Theo wondered. He could be the cousin Andromeda was going to contact … But wasn’t Black a Death Eater?
Or perhaps that was a mistake. He’d never heard Black’s name among his father’s associations, and Theo hardly expected any Death Eater would willingly chat with this colourful, clumsy half-blood.
“Can you wait ‘til later, or d’you need to find her sooner?” Tonks asked Theo.
“I’m worried someone may go after her. She’s … well, she’s Muggle-born–”
“True,” Tonks said thoughtfully. “And she’s always right on Harry’s flank, so she’d be a higher target than most – Moody’s pretty glad we’re getting her into Headquarters where she can at least defend herself outside school. But I s’pose we can send her an owl, or someone could get her to come earlier … I can’t go get her myself, though. If I used Ministry resources to find her home address, then every other Auror would know I’m interested in her and wanna know why.”
Theo bit his lip. He didn’t know if his father’s elusive contacts would include someone at the Ministry who could locate an underage witch. Aside, he didn’t want to wait for an owl to find her; it might not be fast enough. Thoros was known for getting what he wanted quickly.
“Perhaps Potter knows where she lives?” he ventured.
Tonks finished her last biscuit and licked her fingers clean, ignoring her mother’s disapproving sound.
“Good idea; I reckon he might. Plus, I’ve been dying for an excuse to get him away from those Muggles, so we could definitely go pick him up. Normally I’d ask Dumbledore first but he’s outta the country … I’ll go bug Sirius. If he says yes – and I’m sure he will – I’ll Apparate over to get Harry.”
“May I accompany you?” Theo asked quickly. If he needed to tell anyone else about Hermione it should be Potter, one of the only people he was certain to trust with her safety.
“OK with you, Mum?”
Andromeda tilted her head at Theo. “I can’t give you another Portkey. If you and Dora get separated, you might end up on your own once again.”
As much as he disliked his own family today, Theo had to admit the Nott name came with some undeniable benefits, including unlimited access to his own Gringotts trust account. He couldn’t legally leave the country without Thoros’ permission, but the right money into the right hands would afford him a stowaway’s journey across the Channel.
“I’ll risk it,” Theo decided. “I’ve a friend in Italy who’ll take me in if it comes to it.”
Andromeda nodded. “If all goes well, Dora can bring you back here soon, so you can say goodbye to your friend,” she nodded at the covered body on the sofa.
“Yes … thank you,” Theo said quietly. He wasn’t accustomed to being treated with such kindness from untraditional people. “And thank you for …”
“It’s no trouble,” answered Andromeda. “Now, you better go. Dora, you have the emergency note?”
“Right here,” Tonks pulled a piece of parchment from a small pocket hidden inside her Auror robe, tapped it with her wand, and thrust it at Theo. “Memorise this, and we’ll Floo there. I’m SO glad we got an inside source to set up the connection, it was such a pain Apparating onto the bloody doorstep …”
Theo glanced down at the slanted handwriting.
The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.
xxxxxxxxx
Hermione landed on the kitchen floor covered in soot. She scrambled out of the way as Remus slid out of the fireplace right behind her.
“Good Godric,” Remus gasped as he managed to get to his feet. “I can’t believe–”
The kitchen door swung open, cutting him off. Mrs. Weasley came rushing in.
“Oh, Hermione, thank Merlin. Did everything go alright, dear?”
Hermione stood still and allowed Molly to brush the soot from her clothes.
“It … they–”
Without another word, the Weasley matriarch pulled Hermione into a tight hug.
“It’s alright,” she murmured. “You’ve always got a family here, dear. And once things are settled, we’ll help you bring them back.”
Hermione nodded and brushed the tears from her eyes.
Molly’s sharp eyes caught an obvious burn mark on Remus’ robe from a stray curse. “You two weren’t attacked?”
“Who was attacked?” Sirius pushed through the kitchen door and his face split into a grin at the sight of Hermione. “Hey, glad you made it, kiddo. Remus? What happened?”
Mrs. Weasley finished cleaning up Remus’ robes and expertly mending the burn mark, so it was barely noticeable. The exhausted wizard slid into a chair at the long table.
“An Auror showed up … not one I recognised. He wanted to arrest Hermione.”
“What?!”
The exclamation didn’t only come from Molly and Sirius but also from Ron, who’d run to the kitchen after Crookshanks, who’d run after Sirius.
Hermione was afraid to look at Ron and burst into tears again, so she bent and scooped up her cat. He purred against her chest. She buried her face in his soft fur and tried to hold herself together.
“Did she perform magic?”
“Not when I was there–”
“Hermione?” Mrs. Weasley looked over in question. Hermione shook her head.
“I hadn’t cast a spell since the Hogwarts Express. Not ‘til the Auror showed up, anyway.” Her shaking voice was slightly muffled by Crookshanks’ thick coat.
Ron slid into the empty seat next to her in concern. He’d known Remus was picking her up today but didn’t know anything about her parents. Hermione had asked Remus – and Molly, who had been her initial message-carrier to Remus – to keep it to themselves and Sirius for now. Though she’d been supremely guilty about asking Remus for a favour after he’d been injured in the Battle of the Ministry, her former professor refused to deny her request.
“Then why?” Sirius paced the kitchen, frowning. “Why Hermione? Was it a ploy? What if that bloke wasn’t an Auror at all–?”
“I don’t think he was an impersonator; he followed Auror protocol,” Remus answered. “He only cast Disarming and Freezing Spells to subdue us, nothing dangerous, then halted his attack when I indicated surrender.”
Sirius looked at his best friend with amusement.
“You indicated surrender, eh? And then you pulled a cute little stunt to hex him while his guard was down, right?”
Remus sighed. “You know I don’t normally condone that sort of thing–”
“But we’re grateful you did,” Molly assured him. “I don’t believe for a minute they wanted Hermione for any legitimate reason. That they were trying to arrest an underage witch at ALL–!”
“He said something about wanting her for questioning,” Remus said, rubbing his eyes. “I can’t help but worry … what if they meant to get Harry’s location out of her?”
Sirius frowned. “The Ministry has access to all wizarding addresses–”
“But the Auror office doesn’t,” Remus contradicted. “When Tonks came with us last year to get Harry, she told me it’s illegal to look up the address of an underage wizard unless they’ve committed a crime, like casting magic in front of Muggles. And even then, it’s the Improper Use of Magic Office that looks up the address to give to the Aurors.”
Hermione sat up straight and exchanged a worried look with Ron.
“But if the Aurors meant to use me to find him … it’s not legitimate– they could have someone on the inside, looking for Harry–!”
“Mum, we gotta–!”
“Sirius?” Molly appealed to the concerned godfather as her realisation caught up with the others. “Can we go get him?”
With Dumbledore out of the country, Sirius was the unofficial head of the Order. There had been a time when Molly didn’t trust the reckless former Marauder, but Sirius’ careful actions and decisions both at the Battle of the Ministry and in the subsequent weeks had proven him to be more responsible than she once believed.
After nearly leaving Harry without him – and after having two or three not-unfriendly exchanges with Snape – it was clear that Sirius had matured quite a bit. He didn’t even complain anymore about being stuck in the house, though it helped that he was much busier.
“Of course, we can go get him,” Sirius said firmly. “But I don’t want Hermione, Remus, or even Ron leaving this house, just in case the arrest order was for him, too. I could call Kingsley–”
Remus shook his head. “He’s just been put on long-term assignment, guarding the Muggle Prime Minister.”
Sirius frowned. “Maybe Tonks, then–”
Molly and Hermione jumped as the Floo roared to life, spitting out one figure after another.
“Well, speak of the devil,” Sirius murmured.
“Wotcher, you lot, I’ve gotta– Oh! Hermione!”
Tonks didn’t bother standing still long enough to let Molly charm the soot from her robes; she practically flew across the kitchen to the younger witch.
“You’re here already! That was like the shortest rescue mission ever–”
“Rescue mission?” Ron asked blankly.
“Yeah, my new mate here was worried about her–”
Theo stood in front of the fireplace, ignoring his ashy sleeves. He didn’t take notice of anyone else in the room; his gaze landed on Hermione and froze.
She was here.
He hadn’t expected to find her so fast; he was taken aback and relieved and anxious all at once.
His eyes found her false brown ones and his heart lurched.
Now that he found her, he’d have to tell her …
“Nott?” Ron asked, surprised. “How come–?”
“His Portkey brought him to my parents’,” Tonks explained to address the baffled looks on Ron’s and Sirius’ faces. “He said he was concerned for his friend; we were gonna go get Harry and see if he knew where to find her, but I guess we don’t have to!”
“His friend?” Ron muttered under his breath to Hermione. “That might be a bit of a stretch.”
“Actually, Tonks, we were just saying we should go get Harry anyway …” Sirius started to explain.
Hermione tuned him out. She didn’t understand why Nott was focused on her, and she was reminded of the last time he confronted her alone. She felt her cheeks turn pink as she tightened her grip on Crookshanks.
Theo finally managed to tear his gaze away and face Mrs. Weasley, the nearest adult in the room.
“I apologise for entering unannounced and uninvited,” he began. “I meant to … I should’ve– I mean to say, my father was–”
“Say no more,” Molly ordered as she quickly cleaned his clothes with a fast charm. “We issued those Portkeys for a reason. Unless you start mindlessly attacking us, we don’t need to ask any questions. Now take a seat, young man. I’m Molly Weasley; I think you already know my youngest son, Ron?”
Theo heard the Weasleys were untraditional, despite being one of the oldest pure-blood families. Considering his own dismissal of the important pure-blood values, he thought they might be easy to get along with.
Regardless, his etiquette training demanded certain behaviours even if Andromeda and the Weasleys seemed less concerned about such things. He bowed his head respectfully before taking the proffered seat at the long table.
“I’m Theodore Nott. Your gracious welcome is appreciated, Madam Weasley.”
“Not at all,” she floated a steaming cup of tea in front of him and promptly slid another in Hermione’s direction before she bustled out, presumably to arrange more bedrooms.
“–but you shouldn’t go alone–” Sirius was trying to convince Tonks.
“But if you don’t want any of this lot to leave Headquarters, then–”
“I’ll go with her,” Remus said determinedly. “I doubt that Auror I saw recognised me, so they probably won’t be looking for me. Diggle’s on guard duty; we’ll contact him as soon as we get there.”
“Plus, the Ministry won’t notice us Apparating since we’ve been doing it regularly anyway,” Tonks added. “So, we don’t need to wait for a Portkey or anything; we can go fast.”
Sirius frowned a moment, undecided, but finally relented and glanced down at his pocket watch.
“Send a Patronus if something goes wrong. I’m calling Moody to go after you if you’re not back in an hour.”
Remus and Tonks slipped out the door. Ron looked thrilled at the prospect of Harry joining them a week early, but Hermione was torn. She knew Harry hated his relatives, but the protections around his house were important, and Dumbledore had instructed Harry should remain there until his birthday.
She kept her thoughts to herself, not wanting to discuss such things with Nott in the same room.
Theo sat quietly with his tea for several minutes before sitting up straight, as though he just remembered something.
“Oh, I … I beg your pardon, Mr. Black–”
Sirius guffawed. “Sirius, please. Don’t worry about the pure-blood etiquette; we’re less formal ‘round here.”
Theo nodded. “Sirius, I became briefly acquainted with Andromeda Tonks this morning. She suggested you might help me get a message to Narcissa Malfoy? Her son – Draco – he needs to use his Portkey as soon as possible. There’s a chance my father will try and question him about Her– my whereabouts.”
Sirius didn’t seem to notice his slip of the tongue, but he did frown at the mention of Thoros.
“He’s out? Dammit … Kreacher!”
Crack.
The badly-dressed elf appeared. Hermione hated the sight; she felt awful for the elf but knew he’d deliberately lied to Harry to try and lure him to the Ministry. She wished there was a way to safely free him so he and Sirius weren’t stuck with each other.
“Master called?” Kreacher grunted with a jerk of the head that was probably supposed to resemble a bow. The elf had been firmly instructed by Dumbledore – a far more threatening wizard than Sirius – to obey his master regardless of how much he disliked him. Sirius was subsequently cautioned to treat Kreacher a bit more gently to discourage him from attempting betrayal again.
“Kreacher, don’t get too excited now, but I need you to go to Malfoy Manor and give a message to Draco Malfoy.” Sirius said firmly. “You are to say: Don’t forget the Sickle you owe. Then you come back. That’s it. You’re not to be seen by another wizard in that house, you’re not to say another word, and you’re not to linger. Understood?”
Kreacher’s ancient face went from excited to baffled and back to its usual melancholy.
“Of course, Master.” He grumbled. The elf probably hoped to be sent to the Malfoys permanently, Hermione thought, but Sirius covered all the loopholes.
Theo breathed a massive sigh of relief as Kreacher disappeared.
Ron looked at him curiously. “You and Malfoy are friends? But you’re … not a slimy git.”
Theo’s shoulders shook in silent laughter.
“He’s not my best mate, but we’ve known each other since about the time we could walk, so he’s my friend, yeah. I know he can be a little … high maintenance.”
Ron snorted. “That’s one way to put it.”
“Harry told me a bit about Malfoy, but not you,” Sirius regarded Theo carefully. “I know Molly was too polite to ask, but your father’s Thoros Nott? And … he’s out of Azkaban?”
“Unfortunately, yes. There was a breakout this morning. Father’s … well. Loose.”
Sirius studied Theo’s scowl and lent him a crooked smile.
“I know all about being born into the wrong family. This place was my parents’, and the only useful thing it does is keep the rest of us safe since it’s one of the hardest buildings to break into. ‘Cept Hogwarts, maybe.”
“A Fidelius Charm?” Theo guessed. “Miss Nym– er, Tonks showed me a message with the address.”
Sirius nodded. “Dumbledore’s the Secret Keeper. Tonks must like you if she let you in so fast.”
“She’s quite interesting,” was all Theo felt he could say politely. Ron chuckled.
“Wait ‘til she starts doing weird faces.”
Theo wanted to ask, but he was distracted by the silent witch across the table who’d fixed him with a suspicious stare as she cuddled her cat.
“You’re … you’re not going to be leaving the safehouse, right?” Theo asked Hermione carefully.
Her eyes narrowed by a fraction.
“Why?”
“Just … making sure. Since some of the Death Eaters got out today …”
Ron cut in, “Are YOU staying here?”
“I certainly don’t have to–”
“If you were sent to Andromeda, Dumbledore probably meant for you to come here,” Sirius said plainly. “She doesn’t have a lot of extra space; a lot of our safehouses don’t. They’re mostly used like train stations so people can cover their tracks. This is the biggest place; I’ve got plenty of rooms upstairs.”
“I see,” Theo murmured. “It’s quite alright, now that I know she’s … now that I know there’s no danger, I can go–”
“No,” Hermione said quietly, but firmly. “You’re not going anywhere until you explain why you were looking for me.”
Theo took a long breath.
“It’s … I was a little concerned about your safety, is all. Being Muggle-born, that is. You’re likely to be a more specific target–”
“No,” Hermione said again. “We talked about this weeks ago; Bletchley was certain the Slytherins would be targeted for recruitment before Voldemort tried to come after people like me. So why are you really here?”
There was a pronounced pause.
Theo bravely asked, “Is it alright if I speak with you alone for a few minutes?”
xxxxxxxxx
Hermione led Nott into the empty drawing room and watched him pace for a few agonising moments before he finally pulled out his wand with a sigh.
“Do you have a mirror?”
Hermione raised an eyebrow. “Is this the same trick you played on my eyes last year?”
“Yes,” Theo murmured. “But this time I won’t put the charm back.”
Hermione sighed. She’d researched obsessively to find the obscure charm. It was meant to reveal something that had been hidden in one’s eyes, an incredibly secret place that nobody would think to look for information.
Hermione had scoffed aloud; there was no hidden rune or treasure map concealed in her iris like some child’s fairy tale. Clearly, Nott must’ve been seeing things.
“Fine,” she huffed. “Cast your pointless little spell and then you’re GOING to tell me the truth.”
“Very well.”
Hermione Summoned her pocket mirror out of the satchel and faced Theo, waiting.
Theo took one final breath and waved his wand.
“Irides Revelio.”
Hermione felt tingling around her eyes and blinked frantically, not wanting to give them a chance to start watering.
Theo stood very still as Hermione looked down into her mirror.
She nearly dropped it.