A Coded Parchment

Chapter 7: Decoding and Jailbreaks

Azkaban fortress was a lot more different from what it had used to be like. Sure it was still cold, dark, dreary, and miserable but there were no more dementors: they had been kicked out for their allegiance to Voldemort during the reign of the Dark Lord. That fact alone made the prison seem like a heaven compared to the hell it had used to be.

Hermione felt nothing but sheer boredom while in her cell. She hadn't been fully convicted so she received better treatment then most inmates. She was also extremely thankful that the dementors were gone. Hermione had absolute confidence in her innocence and she fully trusted Harry to clear her name. Therefore, she spent the hours of her imprisonment wondering who would want to frame her for murder.

'Could it be Malfoy,' she thought. 'I'm sure that he's the type to hold grudges, and if this were Hogwarts it would be in full character for him to frame me for some crime I didn't commit. Of course, we're grown ups now and this is a lot more serious...' Her train of thought was disrupted when a letter was thrown through the bars of her window onto her lap. Hermione looked up in time to see a silhouette of an owl fly away. Hermione read the note.

Hermione

Something has come up. I'll be coming to see you at midnight tonight. See you then.
Harry

Hermione's heart fluttered a little when she read the note. 'Harry will be here at 12.' She started counting down the hours till midnight.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, in London, Harry and Ron were stooped over the coded parchment that had started the whole affair. "Well here goes nothing," said Harry as he ran the decoder crystal over the parchment. Within, seconds the runes had transformed into words:

This plan is to be left behind as a legacy to the Dark Lord should he fail in his quest for power. Before Lord Voldemort's defeat by Harry Potter, he had developed a plot for a conspiracy that could place the Dark Lord's followers into power through more subtle methods. The plan is that we must get some one we can fully control, in our present case Draco Malfoy, into the office of Minister of Magic. If Percy Weasley were to be chosen, the consequences would be disastrous.

The time to act must be during the Candidate Talks held on September 24th. The security will be topmost at the talks so the plan must be foolproof. In the meantime we will continue using the muggle warehouse outside of southern London as a meeting place.

It must also be noted that the traitor, Severus Snape, also knows this plan. Therefore, Snape must be disposed of before the Candidate Talks. If all goes well, Draco Malfoy will be the next Minister of Magic, the perfect puppet.

Ron looked up, alarmed. "Harry! Tomorrow is the 24th!"

Harry nodded. "The Candidate Talks. They're going to do something during the Candidate Talks."

"We've got to warn Percy!"

"We can't. The Candidate Talks are the most secretive meetings of the wizarding world. Not even I know where they take place. And we can't owl them: the owls would be repelled."

"Oh, so we're just going to sit here on our arses while former Death Eaters plan the demise of my brother!"

Harry remained silent for a few minutes before he said "Snape."

"What?"

"The Dark Wizards will try to kill Snape sometime within the next 24 hours. If we can catch that dark wizard...well...he or she might know where the talks take place!"

"That's bloody brilliant!" yelled Ron. "Of course, can't we just let this guy kill Snape before we catch him?"

Harry just rolled his eyes.

* * * * *

Hermione couldn't remember a time when midnight had taken so long to roll by. She had been waiting for long in front of her cell door, hoping to catch a sight of his green eyes as they walked in to see her. She glanced up at the clock.

'Two more minutes to go,' she thought. 'These must be the longest two minutes I've ever had.'

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice call out "Reducto!" Hermione whipped around just in time to see the outer wall of her cell be blasted away! She could do nothing but gape before she caught sight of Harry Potter hovering just outside on a broomstick.

"Harry!" she hissed. "What are you doing?!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Breaking you out, of course." He said that as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Hermione just stood there aghast.

"What?! You can't just break me out! I'll get in even more trouble than I already am!"

"I'll explain later," said Harry. He yanked Hermione onto the broom. Not entirely sure of what was going on, Hermione simply wrapped her arms around Harry's waist as he flew off over the North Sea.

* * * * *

Ron was reading a book while listening to Celestina Warbeck sing on the Wizarding Wireless Network when the program stopped.

"We interrupt this program to bring a news report. There has been a jailbreak at Azkaban fortress just fifteen minutes ago. This has been the first escape from Azkaban since the famous Sirius Black 8 years ago. The inmate who has escaped is the renowned journalist, Hermione Granger who was being held on charges of murder. There have also been unconfirmed reports that the wizard who broke Miss Granger out is none other than her long time friend, the famous Harry Potter, the defeater of You-Know-Who..."

Ron was absolutely stunned by this news. He called out "Harry!"

"What?!" Harry Potter stepped out of the bathroom.

"You didn't just break Hermione out of Azkaban did you?"

"Of course not, I've been here with you all this time. Why do you a..." Harry suddenly realized what Ron had implied. Both men started pale, their eyes widening in shock. Without a word, both Harry and Ron grabbed their broomsticks and took off into the night. They needed to find Hermione before it was too late.