Incendio

The Death Eaters never attempted to enter the Warehouse. The protection spells had worked. Lee, Fred and George prepared for any attack while Samantha sat awake in her room for twenty-eight painstaking hours. No one dared to leave, even when the Death Eaters were no longer in sight. Fred suspected they had been betrayed, but they couldn't communicate with the outside world until they knew for a fact they weren't being watched. The twins left to check on their family after four days.

By the end of the week, Samantha's face was beginning to become free of any scarring and bubbles. She felt better, at least physically. They decided to hold off on broadcasts until they had confirmation it wasn't how the Death Eaters had found them.

By the end of the month, they knew who had given the Death Eaters reason to suspect their location was in a small seaside town. Kingsley visited to confirm with them that he and Genevieve were alright and to deliver some news from the outside world.

"I come bearing some horrible news." He looked at Lee in particular as they both sat across from Kingsley at the kitchen table. "Electra has been found dead."

Lee's eyes instantly filled with tears. Samantha grabbed his hand as he silently continued crying. She'd never seen him breakdown in grief before.

"They've figured out Lee is the center of this operation. So they went after her because she was Lee's former superior." Kingsley admitted.

Samantha tried not to imagine the beautiful blue haired siren being stiff and cold.

"It was Jacob Avery and his father who were sent to dispatch her. Electra didn't know your location, but they were convinced she did." Kingsley tried looking Lee in the eyes but he refused to look back. "They tortured her to death."

"She never knew where we were, how did they know to come here?" Samantha asked.

"She had several papers in her home pertaining to a purchase of used radio equipment and that the equipment had been delivered to this town." Kingsley revealed looking at Lee, still pleading for him to look him in the eye.

"Are we safe to stay here?" Lee asked rubbing his face.

Kingsley asked, "Have either of you seen any Death Eaters in the last month?"

Samantha shook her head, "No, none."

"It may be wise to continue the Potterwatch silence for a while." Kingsley advised. "Maybe for another month, try your best to not be seen. Let the Death Eaters think they had a false lead. I do believe that you will be able to stay here and we will eventually continue if you do that."

"I'm sorry," Lee interrupted, "I need to go upstairs." He stood up almost falling out of his chair.

"Woah." Samantha said steadying him to his feet. "You should lay down. Will you be alright on your own?"

He nodded with his face in a downturned way. "I'll be upstairs."

Lee left and began climbing the stairs.

Samantha nodded, "I hate to ask this Kingsley, but do you think they know who everyone is on Potterwatch?"

Kingsley nodded, "We must assume that they do. They definitely know who you are after the attack at my London Flat."

Samantha's heart pounded out of her chest, she sat back down. They knew about her.

"Do you know where your parents are?" Kingsley asked.

Samantha shook her head. "No, for their safety."

"Is there anyone else you may have a connection with, that they could use against you?" Kingsley asked.

"They have access to my brother." Samantha worried. "He's with a Death Eater."

"You told me that they are keeping him to use for Quidditch correct?" Kingsley inquired softly.

"Yes."

"I doubt they would kill him for his connection with you." Kingsley surmised, "He may be too useful. Make me a list of anyone else you are particularly close with."

Samantha wrote out a list of her few friends.

Kingsley laughed upon seeing it. "You keep dangerous company."

"Thank you." Samantha laughed along. "I mean my best friend used to date Harry Potter and helped steal the sword of Gryffindor. Luna is in Askaban as a best case scenario. Hermione is suspected to be on the run with Harry Potter. Colin is a muggle-born troublemaker. Neville is currently leading an army at Hogwarts. Not to mention, I work for an illegal radio station with my only ex-boyfriend."

"Point taken." He put the paper in his pocket.

"How is Genevieve?" Samantha inquired, "I mean, with her condition?"

"She is fine." Kingsley smiled softly, "She's chosen to keep the child. We are currently looking for somewhere more stable for her to stay."

"I can check with Lee, but if she needed somewhere to stay after we know we aren't being watched, we have plenty of room. The twins could always share a room." Samantha suggested, "I would love another woman around and it's a stable place."

"I will suggest it to her." Kingsley nodded.

Lee secluded himself in grief for the next month after that. He rarely spoke and he was almost like a ghost. He would roam the warehouse, eyes glazed over before working on his equipment. He agreed that Genevieve could stay with them, but insisted he didn't remember her from school.

Samantha began counting the days until the month was over. She wanted desperately to get back to her work. At least Lee had his equipment to tend. To keep herself from insatiable boredom, she prepared Fred's old room and turned it into a room suitable for another woman. Samantha also began collecting her reports and organizing them into a book of sorts. She imagined that maybe she could turn it into a book after the war was over.

Samantha was at her peak restlessness when the month ended. She was relieved to realize it was time to get back to work.

"Are you sure you are ready for this Sam?" Lee insisted as she tried to leave that early March evening. He was sitting at the table with his dinner uneaten in front of him.

"I'm fine." Samantha threw her satchel over her shoulder. "It's been two months since I was hit. I don't even have boils anymore."

"Do you want me to go with you?" He asked.

Samantha rolled her eyes. "I can take care of myself."

He nodded, "I just don't want to lose you too. I should never have started this whole endeavor. I've put everyone I care about in danger."

Samantha shook her head before walking over to him, "That is all just grief talking."

He nodded. "You are probably right."

"Electra didn't die for you to regret your decisions." Samantha said before putting her hands on his shoulders. "I would rather honor her memory, wouldn't you?"

He took her hand in his'. "Yes, I would."

"How about we schedule our first show back for five days from now?" She asked. "Give them hell for taking her away from us."

He smiled a little and for a moment she recognized his old self.

"Sounds like a plan. We can also move Jennifer in." He laughed.

"Her name is Genevieve." Samantha rolled her eyes, "And trust me, you may not remember her, but I certainly do."

He let go of her hand before she went to leave.

"Just be safe beautiful." He called as she left.

Forty-eight hours into her investigating, Samantha Apparated into the Hogshead. She ordered a very stiff drink from Aberforth.

"Longbottom thought you died." Aberforth said as he poured her a glass. "He's been here every month, waiting for you."

"Oh." Samantha said looking at her drink. Every month on the date they were supposed to meet, Samantha would think about trying to find a way to let him know she wasn't dead.

"He's been through a lot these past few months, but he still comes back to wait for you." Aberforth continued.

"Have things been bad?"

"He can explain it to you himself." Aberforth said before placing the bottle on the bar, "Don't worry about leaving at a certain time tonight."

Samantha chuckled, "Really?"

"Don't make me regret that decision." Aberforth grumbled before leaving.

Neville looked worse. He had giant purple marks on his wrists and face. Samantha embraced Neville tighter than she ever had before. When they let go he handed her a little notebook. It was full of notes.

"It's everything that's been happening." He smiled proudly, "I wasn't sure if I'd see you again, so I thought I'd make it easy for you if I did."

Samantha felt tears well in her eyes, "I still remember when you could barely interview Professor Sprout, now here you are, a real journalist."

Blood reached his cheeks. "Oh no, I'll never be that." He took a deep breathe, "I'm just happy you are alive. Many of our friends have been taken out as punishment to their parents."

"Like Luna?" Samantha asked.

He nodded, "She's alive though. I know she's safe."

"How?" Samantha began smiling.

He pulled his old DA coin out of his pocket. He smirked a little. "The Carrows haven't figured these out yet."

Samantha admitted, "Oh I feel like a dud, I didn't even think about using those."

Neville laughed, "It's been bloody useful, keep them close just in case."

"Understood."

"Not that the DA is really strong at the moment." He said looking down, "Ginny didn't come back from Easter Holidays and I'm sort of in hiding."

"Why?" Samantha asked in shock.

"They went after Gran."

"Is she alright?"

"Oh Gran, she's fine. Bloody brilliant witch she is. Dawlish is still in St. Mungos." Neville shrugged but grabbed the bottle Aberforth had left. He didn't even pour a glass. "She's on the run now. She sent me a letter saying how proud she is. I've never had a letter like that from her before."

"Well, it's about bloody time she was proud. Why'd they go after her?" Samantha asked.

"They aren't stupid the Carrows, they wanted me to stop causing trouble." He shrugged, "I'm hiding in the Room of Requirement with a few others."

"I'm glad you and your Gran are both safe. They killed Electra because she and Lee were close." Samantha shook her head and took the bottle back from him.

"That's horrible." Neville observed putting his hand on her back as she gave him the bottle back. "She was a sweet person, well what I knew of her anyway."

"Yeah." Samantha put her face into her hands. "Lee knew her better than I did of course."

"They haven't gone after anyone important to you have they?" Neville asked.

Samantha shook her head. "Not that I know of. Kingsley had me make a list of people I'm close to, just in case."

"So where has the amazing Samantha Fyre been the last few days. I assume I'm not your first stop." He said taking the bottle and having a drink. "You've had a couple of months to catch up on."

"Honestly, I wish I had better adventures to tell you about. I've done nothing but find dead bodies for the last forty-eight hours."

"It's that bad out there?" He asked.

She explained how first she'd found more dead muggles, a family of five. It was unimaginable to see the small children laying in their beds, their teddy bears still clutched to their bodies.

She explained how she'd been tipped off to check out Godric's Hollow, where she found the very rotten corpse of the elderly author Bathilda Bagshot. The stench had been unbearable and maggots were climbing from her mouth.

Lastly, she revealed how she'd found three more bodies in the forest. She'd identified them as Ted Tonks, Dirk Cresswell and a Goblin named Gornuk. They were all splayed out around a bonfire that was still lit. She wondered if she had made it just a moment sooner, if she could have helped them.

"You didn't find Dean Thomas did you?" Neville asked. "Last I'd heard from him, he was traveling with Dirk Cresswell."

"No, I didn't see him." Samantha shook her head before finishing the bottle. "Thankfully."

"You've seen some horrible things." Neville admitted, looking grave.

"The scary thing is, I've seen so many dead bodies at this point they don't even look like people anymore." She stopped to breathe, she looked at her left hand, it was shaking furiously. She tried to calm it.

"Every night I go to sleep and I have nightmares that I find every person on that list I gave Kingsley, lying on the ground with ice cold skin and smelling of rot. I worry that one day I'll come across someone I know, someone I love, and I'll feel nothing. Because they're just a body at that point." Samantha's shaking continued and she felt hot tears leaving her eyes.

Neville pulled her into an embrace and just held her as she sobbed onto his shoulder. He ended up whispering, "It's not bad to cry. It makes a person stronger I think."

Samantha nodded and wiped away her tears. "I shouldn't have told you all that. You've got your own problems."

He denied any uncomfortableness, "Better out than in."

He held her in his arms for a few quiet hours by the fireplace, sharing another bottle of whatever Aberforth had. She felt him play with the bottom of her hair again and she enjoyed not feeling alone for a while. She left as the sun was beginning to come up.

A few hours later, Samantha sat cross legged beside Hagrid in his recent little cave dwelling. It smelled moldy and felt cold, even though Springtime was creeping in. Grawp, Hagrid's giant brother scared her slightly at first. Hagrid calmed her down, saying it was his brother. He kept insisting that she'd met Grawp at Dumbledore's funeral, but truth be told, she couldn't remember much from the funeral. She'd spent most of it trying to deal with the pain of fabric on her still open wounds.

"I assume Longbottom sent you." Hagrid asked flashing his gargantuas smile.

Samantha felt heat in her cheeks. "Yeah, Longbottom sent me. He said you'd been sacked for throwing a support Potter Party? I mean, no offense, but isn't a bit obvious you'd be in trouble for that one."

"Says the likes of you." Hagrid argued back.

"You got sacked though Hagrid, and now you are in danger." Samantha reminded.

Hagrid laughed, "Wouldn't be the first time now would it?"

"No." Samantha chuckled. Hagrid had been driven out of Hogwarts a few times during her years there.

"And I can still watch the school from here." He said smartly.

"What'd you serve at the party?" She asked with a chuckle getting out her notepad.

"My little rock cakes of course." Hagrid chuckled, "Harry's favorite, they are."

Samantha had eaten those rock cakes before, she assumed Harry was just being nice.

"Mine too." Samantha lied. They continued through their interview.

"It's a shame I won't hear your report Sammy." Hagrid admitted as they finished up, "This cave doesn't exactly have a radio."

Samantha laughed. "Sorry Hagrid. I know you've got Grawp, but before I leave would you like me to put up a few enchantments?" She knew he couldn't do magic, she'd heard rumors his umbrella had some magic, but she thought it was best to offer.

"If it's no trouble to you?" He nodded, "Not that anyone's getting passed Grawpy."

"It's no trouble." Samantha shrugged. She quickly began to setting a few spells around his area. She walked away into the forest a bit so she could Disapparate safely.

She heard a crack behind her. She took a deep breathe before swearing under her breathe.

There was a Snatcher walking in Hagrid's direction. It was only one, probably to check to see that Hagrid was still in the area. She nonverbally sent a body binding curse in his direction before Disapparating back to the Warehouse.

Lee was waiting for her when she returned. He was sitting in the big armchair, playing with Artie.

"I'm sorry I've been checked out this last month." He apologized, something Samantha couldn't remember him ever doing.

"I'll forgive you." She sat across from him on the sofa.

He nodded. "You look tired."

Samantha nodded leaning her neck on the back of the sofa, "I am tired."

"Kingsley, Remus and the twins are coming tonight for the broadcast." Lee revealed. "They are bringing Gwen tonight too, to move her in.

"Genevieve! Her name is Genevieve. I swear you know her." Samantha felt her shoulders descend.

"I was just trying to get on your nerves." He laughed.

She smirked, "It worked."

"Does Remus know about Tonk's dad?" Samantha asked changing subjects.

Lee shook his head, "Tonk's dad?"

Samantha handed Lee her notes.

"I don't think so." Lee said shaking his head. "I guess we should tell him."

After a quick bath, Samantha set to write out her reports, but awoke with her face smashed into her typewriter as Kingsley arrived with Genevieve.

She was looking pregnant now. A little bump could be seen. She looked fuller in the face than she had a couple of months back.

"Good to see you Samantha." Genevieve said as her very few items whizzed past them and settled in her new room.

"Good to see you as well." Samantha responded with a smile. She turned back to Lee and waved him over. He had a dumbfounded look on his face. "You remember Lee from school right?"

"How could I forget?" She laughed and slightly brightened up on seeing him.

"How are you Horner?" He asked shaking her hand and he had a big smile on his face.

"Just fine Jordan." She rolled her eyes. "I see you are using your trouble for good."

"I see you are, still you." He commented looking her over, "But prettier I think."

Samantha noticed the look they shared and recognized at least the look on Lee's face. He hadn't looked that happy in a long time. She was beyond grateful to see it.

They had their first broadcast in months and it was amazing just to be back to what they were supposed to be doing. After the broadcast, Samantha lay in her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She tried not to hear the twins in the room beside her arguing about who would be sleeping on the floor.

She reached into her bedside table and pulled out her DA coin. It had changed from showing a date and place to instead show the word: SAFE.

She smiled and put it back beside the table. Exhaustion made an ugly appearance and she gave into it.