Danger Comes On Little Cat Feet

After dinner she walked back around to the lake. She was in search of Jason Sellick, a fifteen-year-old student and good friend of hers. She worked with his mother, who was often away, and they were good friends, but she had now been gone in the south of Europe for over a year. Hermione had taken to Jason when he was not even a year old, and she was the sort of aunt figure in his life. She looked in on him whenever she was at Hogwarts, which was quite often, and she was now in search of him near his favorite spot: an overhanging above the lake. He often snuck out of the castle, despite the teachers' warning not too. As she approached the overhanging, she saw a small candle flickering in the light, a signal that Jason was there. She climbed up next to him.

"Hey," she greeted him. "How are you?"

He shrugged. "Alright, I guess."

She saw right passed this. "What's wrong, Jason?" she asked gently but firmly. He didn't answer.

"Come on, you can tell me, whatever it is," she persisted.

He sighed a bit. "There was an attack in Paris. I'm sure you know, but Derek was there - he and his brother. They're gone." He looked out across the placid lake. Derek had been his best friend. Hermione hugged him comfortingly. She momentarily forgot that she was the most infamous Auror of the LAD next to Moody himself and that she was the target of at least seventy percent of the Death Eaters. Then she comforted the teenage boy.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, love. I did hear about that. Oh, I don't I know what to tell you." She rubbed his shoulder sympathetically. She had lost so many friends in this war, but he and Derek were so young...

"You don't have to tell me anything," Jason said. "I don't need words. I've had enough of those. Everybody looking at me funny and saying how sorry they are. I'm sick of it. I'd rather not have you feel sorry for me, Mione."

"Alright then, I won't feel sorry for you. We're in the middle of an awful war, and things will happen. I've lost so many family members and friends in this that I know exactly how you feel - sick of the sympathy. So I'll tell you only this: just remember that Derek died because when the Death Eaters took him captive, he wouldn't tell them what they wanted to know, even though he knew. He stood up for his country. You should be proud of him. He died for a purpose. None of us planned this, and none of us wanted to see it happen, but it did. Just remember him, okay? Just remember that he died because he was innocent, like Cedric Diggory."

"I am proud of him," Jason said. "And I don't think it would be possible for me to forget him. But sometimes I just wonder, why am I still here? I mean, my mother is somewhere fighting the Death Eaters, the Death Eaters killed Derek, my sister, my uncle, Voldemort captured my father, and both of my grandparents are dead. I'm practically an orphan."

"Well, if that's how you feel, you should talk to Harry," Hermione said.

"Harry's been great," Jason gave a small smile. "You two are pretty much all I've got left."

"Nonsense," Hermione said, though she knew it was more or less true. "What about your cousin in Norway? And your aunt?"

"They couldn't care less about me," he replied. "My aunt is too wrapped up in herself, hiding out in Brazil. She ships me out here for school, and barely notices me in the summer when I go back. But Harry and Dumbledore said that this summer I could stay here with Harry and the kids. I could watch them while he's working and live on the Auror floor."

"That's great, Jas! It really is. I know you don't like it over in Brazil, but don't judge your aunt too harshly." Hermione looked concernedly at him. "Are you going to be okay?" He nodded.

"Well," Hermione said. "I think I'm going to go in. You should too. It's getting late."

They walked back to the castle. On the way, Jason asked, "So why are you here?"

"Oh, I'm leaving on assignment in a few days, but I'll still check up on you. Don't worry, I won't desert you." She smiled comfortingly.

"Where are you going?"

"The States - to Minnesota. But hopefully I won't be gone for too long. I'll be back, and then we'll take a vacation or something." They had been talking about taking a vacation cruise of some sort for almost five years now, saying that when the war was over, Hermione, Ron, Jason, his mother, Harry, and the kids would all go on a Caribbean cruise. So far, their wish had not come true.

"How long will you be gone?"

Hermione sighed. "I don't know Jas. I'm sure you know why I'm going."

"Ron?" he guessed. She nodded.

"We've got to get him back."

The next three days went quickly. Hermione spent most of her time with Harry and the kids, Jason, and in the library. M. was always there. On the day before they were scheduled to leave, M. beckoned the four deportees into her office.

"Right," she said. "I've got stuff for you four. You're going with basic equipment: laptops, mobiles, cameras, recorders, phone taps, sound magnifiers, PDAs, guns, trench coats and cars."

"Ah, the LAD Jaguars," Seamus said eagerly. M. smirked.

"What else? So," she brought four black leather cases containing laptop computers from an adjoining room, "Here's these. You know how to work them, but there's been one upgrade. We now have a program that when you enter a name and address, it can tell you whether or not it's fake, without fail. Most of the time it can give you the real name and address, too. Harry and I've just invented it, so there will be no other competition of the same sort."

"You truly are amazing, M.," Luke said, shaking his head.

"Thank you. Now, the program will teach you how to do it itself. It will instate directions as soon as it's turned on. Anyway, onto guns. You are going to be using cougar magnums, 3-K sniper rifles, and a series of silent air guns. Your job is to be neither seen nor heard. You're invisible. I don't think we'll need any long-range artillery, but if so, we've got plenty. Everything dangerous and unlikely to go through customs will be delivered to your apartments this afternoon. The apartments are fully furnished with everything you'll need, including toaster oven."

"Alright! Toaster oven!" Luke said, punching the air.

"You are such a dork," said Jaimey, rolling her eyes.

"Anyway, so you'll leave tomorrow with all of you're stuff and everything in the laptop case. All the usual stuff will already be at your apartments. Now, there are a few unusual things that you're going to need, for example, hydrochloric acid. You will be given a range of acids, but this one is particularly useful for dissolving metals. Another is an automatic dragon stunner. We've only used them twice, but they've proved quite efficient. Yes, you may be encountering dragons, and in fact, it's almost positive. You may also be doing a bit of swimming, so you will be provided with gillyweed and regulation scuba diving equipment."

"Where are we going to swim?" Seamus asked almost doubtfully.

"The Mississippi of course. And I believe a few other locations, but never mind. Sirius will tell you all about that. Invisibility charms are permitted when necessary. You'll be doing a lot of the same stuff as you did in New York, clubs, and abandoned buildings. That sort. But we've also got a few leads about some sort of thing underground, but that's all I'm supposed to tell you for now."

She continued to brief them on their large range of equipment for about an hour. When they were released, Hermione went for a chat with Lupin. She poked her head in the open door and knocked on the wall.

"Spare a cup?" she asked.

"Anytime, Hermione, anytime. Have a seat." Lupin smiled wearily. "So how's the project coming?"

Hermione sighed. "Alright, I suppose. We leave tomorrow you know, and Sirius is giving us day-by-day assignments so we have no idea what to expect. It all just seems a little hopeless to me."

"Sirius wouldn't continue with this unless he thought there was the slightest chance of getting Ron back," Lupin said. "He's strong willed, but he knows when to give up. And if it weren't for, ah, certain factors, he would have given up a long time ago. It just seems strange that they would take Ron."

"No it doesn't," Hermione scowled. "They took him to get our attention. They know that without him we can be torn apart from the inside. Malfoy engineered this and Zambini carried it out. He knows things about Ron that only a few other people know. Sirius, Harry and I, for example. Ron has put together every attack on the Death Eaters for the last six years, ever since we regained Rome. That was his idea. The plan that we're carrying out tomorrow was his idea. He engineered it for an Auror who was captured. We've used variations of it for years."

"Hermione, you know why they took Ron, and it wasn't just because he's brilliant. You know their goal is you. If they get you out of commission then they've got much more of a chance. If they get Ron, they get you. If they get you, they get Harry. If they get Harry, we're done for." Lupin looked her in the eye. "We cannot afford to lose you for several reasons. Don't get caught Hermione. Even if it means risking Ron's life, you hear? If something happens, get yourself out. And listen to Jaimey's advice."

"What's this about Jaimey? Ron warned about that too," Hermione said. This was starting to get weird, even for her. "You know something, Remus. I know you do."

He swiveled back and forth in his chair, apparently choosing what to tell her. "Let's just say that Sirius has a source through Jaimey. That's how he knows a lot of things that everybody else doesn't, about M., for example. But you didn't hear that from me." He gave a small smile.

"M. knows something too," said Hermione. "She's been on about the LAD trying something new."

"She knows a lot more than you think," Lupin said. "She's been with the LAD some twenty years, and she's done and been more than just a technology specialist."

"What do you mean, she can't be even thirty!" Hermione said.

"She's forty-three and she was four years below me at Hogwarts. Ever since she was eleven she's been fascinated by undercover work. Sirius took a liking to her, and when they both went into the LAD Academy, they graduated top of their class with full honors. They were partners briefly in the LAD before Sirius was sent to Azkaban. She was the best of the best. Locked away more Death Eaters than Moody himself."

"But, why hasn't anyone ever heard of her then? How come she quit?" Hermione was confused.

"That is something that only she has the right to explain," Lupin said. "But she was never well known because she chose not to be. She didn't want fame and glory; she wanted to do her job. Why she chose this, I don't know. It was her decision."

This didn't make much sense to Hermione, but as she walked down the hall back to her room, she wondered what might drive the most successful Auror in history to being a technology specialist. After dinner she began to pack up her things. She knew she'd have to leave early the next morning, and she didn't want to get up any earlier than necessary.

She was walking down the hall as she usually did, on her way to lunch, but as she passed the "In Memory Of..." plaques, one of them called out to her, that of Emilia Malfoy. "Don't get caught," it told her. That was all it said. While she was walking down the street, everything suddenly seemed to blur and swirl around her. Her whole world seemed to be caving into one spot right in front of her, leaving her in pure white. The spot seemed to move away from her, and it began to take form. A woman dressed all in black, with a black veil across her face walked silently passed her. Somehow she knew that it was Emilia Malfoy. Emilia turned to look at her, and pointed at a small table, upon which rested seven black picture frames containing seven pictures - one of Harry and the kids, one of Ron, one of Jason, one of Jason's mother, one of Seamus, one of Jaimey, and one of Luke. Emilia walked toward it, and knocked over the picture of Jason's mother, so it lay face down on the white table.

Hermione woke from her dream with a start, and soon became aware of a hard pounding on her door. When she opened it, Jason stood in his pajamas, his face white and gaunt, and his eyes slightly sunken and gray. He held a letter in his hand. Hermione stared at him.

"Jas, what's wrong? You look terrible." She gazed curiously at the boy. He didn't answer. "Jason, are you alright? What's wrong?"

"She's dead," he said. "My mother's dead." He held out the letter.

"What?" Hermione rushed out to him, took the letter anxiously, and read it. "Oh my lord..."

She looked up at him, a worried expression on her face. His breathing was heavy, and he seemed to be in a state of shock. He staggered slightly. She took hold of him and steered him inside to a chair, while she sat opposite him.

"Jas, tell me what happened," she said calmly.

He swallowed. "Fifteen minutes ago a Ministry Rep. came and told me that there had been a raid on a Death Eater base in Russia and that the Death Eaters had dragons stationed there. My mother and six others were killed trying to hold back the dragons."

He looked away and Hermione could see a single tear run down his pale cheek. She hugged him.

"Oh, Jas, I'm so sorry." They sat, for at least ten minutes, both of them crying and Jason allowing himself to be hugged. Hermione sat up and wiped her eyes.

"Want some cocoa?" she asked.

Jason nodded. "Sure."

She busied herself in the small kitchenette, and thought about Jason's situation. He was an orphan now. Except for his aunt and cousin, he had no other living family. He could stay at Hogwarts this summer for sure, but after that, where would he go? It all depended on the war status. If the war ended soon, Hermione would take Jason in to live with her. He only had two years left at Hogwarts, and after that, he would be on his own. She brought two cups of cocoa out to the couch. They drank in silence. They seemed to have reached an understanding that neither of them knew what to say or felt like talking. Eventually Jason fell into a sort of sleep, and Hermione put him in her bed, while she slept on the couch.

When she awoke the next morning and looked at the clock on the wall. It read 8:13 A.M. She groaned. She hadn't overslept very much, but as the night's events came flooding back to her, she felt less and less like getting up. She decided that she would just leave Jason. She didn't think he was going to feel like facing class today. She dressed in the bathroom and headed down to the Great Hall. She went up to the staff table and explained the night's events to Dumbledore in a hushed voice so as not to draw attention. He nodded solemnly.

"We'd be wise just to let him think it out for himself for a bit. But don't worry. We'll check on him. I'll have Harry go and see him occasionally, because if anyone understands this, it's him." Dumbledore paused and looked her in the eye. "Don't worry about him, Hermione. He's in good hands. He'll be well looked after. Don't feel guilty leaving him."

"But I kind of do," she admitted. "The other day he said that Harry and I were all he really had left. Now we sort of are. I just feel-,"

"Don't worry, Hermione; he'll be fine. We've already arranged for him to stay here this summer. You can check on him every once in a while, too. He will be exempt from classes, and his aunt and cousin will be notified."

She left feeling not much better. She went in search of Harry. She found him, playing chess with Alex while Nick watched. He looked up at the look on her face and knew something was wrong.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Mary Sellick died," she said. "A raid."

Harry stood up. "When?"

"Last night. Jason came to me half-conscious. He's still asleep."

"Oh my gosh," Harry muttered, running his fingers through his hair. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know. He was really bad last night. He couldn't believe it, I guess. Poor kid," she added shaking her head.

"What's wrong, Daddy?" Alex asked, sensing trouble.

"I have to talk to Mione for a while, okay? Why don't you guys go and find Little Bo, okay?" The two kids scurried off in search of the kitten.

"So, does he go back to his aunt?" Harry asked.

"Well, apparently he's staying here this summer," Hermione began.

"Yeah, he's staying with me and the kids," Harry confirmed.

"Right, well, when I get back he can stay with me if he likes. He only has two years left, and he really doesn't want to go back to Brazil. I can't make him go back. I'll just let him stay with me." Hermione shrugged sadly.

"You know, you were more of an aunt to him that Sarah ever was," Harry said. "I mean she was his father's sister and you and Mary have been mates since seventh year. I'll look after him till you get back, don't worry."

She hugged him. "Thank you so much, Harry. I'll bring Ron back. I promise."

"I know you will," he said, giving her a small smile. "You'd better, because I promised I'd beat him in chess before we die."

She smiled. "I'll write you guys, alright?"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"I found her, Daddy!" Nick said proudly, as he and Alex came back into the room. He clutched the tiny cat in his arms.

"Bye guys, I'll see in a little while, okay," Hermione said, kneeling down and petting Bo.

"Where are you going?" Alex asked.

"Out on assignment for work," Hermione said, knowing the eight-year-old would understand this. Alex gave her a hug. "I'll send you a postcard, okay?"

"Okay," she said, a little sadly.

"See you, Nicky my man," Hermione said, scooping up the little boy. He giggled.

"Bye." He made Bo's paw wave up and down.

She stood up and Harry hugged her. "Bring him back, okay? And bring yourself back too."

"I will. I promise."