Change the Future

DH 7

Harry caught hold of Hermione’s free
arm, and Harry felt her turn on the spot; sight and sound were extinguished as darkness pressed in upon him; all he could feel was Hermione’s hand as he was squeezed through space and time, away
from the Burrow, away from the descending Death Eaters.

“Where are we?” Ron’s voice said. Harry opened his eyes. For a moment he thought they had not left the wedding after all: They still seemed to be surrounded by people.

“Tottenham Court Road,” panted Hermione. “Walk, just walk, we need to find somewhere for you to change.” Harry did as she asked. They half walked, half ran up the wide dark street thronged with late-night revelers and lined with closed shops, stars twinkling above them. A double-decker bus rumbled by and a group of merry pub-goers ogled them as they passed; Harry and Ron were still wearing dress robes.

“Hermione, we haven’t got anything to change into,” Ron told her, as a young woman burst into raucous giggles at the sight of him.

“Why didn’t I make sure I had the Invisibility Cloak with me?” Harry said, inwardly cursing his own stupidity. “All last year I kept it on me and"

“It’s okay, I’ve got the Cloak, I’ve got clothes for both of you,” Hermione said, “Just try and act naturally until this will do.” She led them down a side street, then into the shelter of a shadowy alleyway.

“When you say you’ve got the Cloak, and clothes” Harry said, frowning at Hermione, who was carrying nothing except her small beaded handbag, in which she was now rummaging.

“Yes, they’re here,” Hermione said, and to Harry and Ron’s utter astonishment, she pulled out a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt,
some maroon socks, and finally the silvery Invisibility Cloak.

“How the ruddy hell?”

“Undetectable Extension Charm,” Hermione. “Tricky, but Rory did it for me, I managed to fit everything we need in here.” She gave the fragile-looking bag a little shake and it echoed like a cargo hold as a number of heavy objects rolled around inside it. “Oh, damn, that’ll be the books,” she said, peering into it, “and I had them all stacked by subject. Oh well Harry, you’d better take the Invisibility Cloak. Ron, hurry up and change”

"Why did you need books" Barty Crouch Jr asks looking at Hermione who just shrugged.

“When did you do all this?” Harry asked as Ron stripped off his robes.

“I told you at the Burrow, I’ve had the essentials packed for days, you know, in case we needed to make a quick getaway. I
packed your rucksack this morning, Harry, after you changed, and put it in here. I just had a feeling”

“You’re amazing, you are,” Ron said, handing her his bundled up robes.

“Thank you,” Hermione said, managing a small smile as she pushed the robes into the bag. “Please, Harry, get that Cloak on!”
Harry threw his Invisibility Cloak around his shoulders and pulled it up over his head, vanishing from sight. He was only just beginning to appreciate what had happened.

“The others everybody at the wedding, Rory"

“We can’t worry about that now,” whispered Hermione. “It’s you they’re after, Harry, and we’ll just put everyone in even more danger by going back.”

“She’s right,” Ron said, who seemed to know that Harry was about to argue, even if he could not see his face. “Most of the Order was there, they’ll look after everyone.” Harry nodded, then remembered that they could not see him, and said, “Yeah.”