Discovery

89.

I dodged the flashes of light as best I could. Mum and I sailed through the sky, but our brooms weren't fast enough. The Death Eaters stayed on our tails, sending more curses in our direction than we could count.

"Stupefy!" I shouted, aiming my wand behind me. The spell hit a Death Eater head on, and I watched as he plummeted to the ground.

"It's not him!" someone shouted.

And then they were gone.

It was oddly quiet now, and it didn't take me long to realize that I was completely alone. I brushed my hair out of my face, searching for  my mother.

My hair...

I hadn't maintained my appearance. I was so distracted fighting the Death Eaters, I let fear take over. I sold us out...

"Mum!" I yelled, but there was no sign of her.

I decided to continue to the Safe House, just in case the Death Eaters returned. Surely my mother would be there already...

But she wasn't there when I arrived, and I had no choice but to take the Portkey alone.

***

I hit the ground hard, feeling quite disoriented. I looked up to see Mrs. Weasley hurrying inside, Harry right behind her.

I closed the door behind me, and my chest got tighter as I saw a horrifying sight: George was lying unconscious on the sofa, his face covered in blood.

Suddenly, Lupin grabbed me by the back of my jacket and dragged me into the kitchen, holding Harry in his other arm.

"What creature sat in the corner the first time that Harry Potter visited my office at Hogwarts?" he said to Harry. "Answer me!"

"A—a grindylow in a tank, wasn't it?"

Lupin released Harry and turned to me.

"What did I say to you when you failed to get rid of a boggart on the first day of class?" he asked.

My brain went blank.

"Um...'sometimes we don't realize our true fears'?" I said hesitantly, trying to recall that day back in third year.

Lupin released me.

"I'm sorry, but I had to check" said Lupin tersely. "We've been betrayed. Voldemort knew that you were being moved tonight and the only people who could have told him were directly involved in the plan. You might have been an impostor."

""None of the Order would have told Voldemort we were moving tonight," said Harry. "Voldemort only caught up with me toward the end."

"Voldemort caught up with you?" said Lupin sharply. "What happened? How did you escape?"

Harry explained briefly how the Death Eaters pursuing them had seemed to recognize him as the true Harry.

"Honestly, Harry," I sighed, "You've got to stop using Expelliarmus for everything! It's like your signature move by now."

"I won't blast people out of my way just because they're there." he said. "That's Voldemort's job."

Lupin sighed. After a moment of silence; he turned to look at me.

"Where's your mother?"

My heart skipped a beat. In all the chaos, I hadn't remembered to look for her. But I knew that she wasn't here.

"I don't know..." I said quietly, looking at the floor to avoid Lupin's gaze. "We got seperated when the Death Eaters showed up."

We all stood in silence again until we heard a scuffling from outside. Lupin dived for the back door; Harry and I followed as he sprinted into the yard.