Dawn Rivera

A Place to Hide

Everything seems fuzzy, slow. Harry, Danny, Hermione and I jump to our feet and draw our wands. Many people are only just realising that something strange has happened; heads are still turning towards the silver cat as it vanishes. Silence spreads outwards in cold ripples from the place where the Patronus landed. Then somebody screams.

Harry, Danny, Hermione and I throw ourselves into the panicking crowd. Guests are sprinting in all directions; many are Disapparating; the protective enchantments around The Burrow have broken.

"Ron!" I cry. "Ron, where are you?"

As we push our way across the dance floor, I see cloaked and masked figures appearing in the crowd; then I see Lupin and Tonks, their wands raised, and hear both of them shout "Protego!", a cry that is echoed on all sides -

"Ron! Ron!" Hermione screams, half sobbing as she, Harry, Danny and I are buffeted by terrified guests: Harry and Danny seize our hands to make sure we aren't separated as a streak of light whizzes over our heads, whether a protective charm or something more sinister I do not know -

And then Ron is there. He catches hold of Hermione and I's free arms and we turn on the spot; sight and sound are extinguished as darkness presses in upon me; all I can feel is Harry's hand in mine and Ron's grip on my arm as we are squeezed through space and time, away from The Burrow, away from descending Death Eaters, away, perhaps, from Voldemort himself...

"Where are we?" says Ron's voice.

I open my eyes. For a moment I think we have not left the wedding after all: we still seem to be surrounded by people.

"Tottenham Court Road," I pant. "Walk, just walk, we need to find somewhere for you to change."

Harry and Danny do as we ask. We half walk, half run up the wide, dark street thronged with late-night travellers and lined with closed shops, stars twinkling above them. A double-decker bus rumbles by and a group of merry pub-goers ogle them as they pass; Harry, Danny and Ron are still wearing dress robes.

"Hermione, Dawn, we haven't got anything to change into," Ron tells us, as a young woman bursts into raucous giggles at the sight of him.

"Why didn't I make sure I had the Invisibility Cloak with me?" says Harry. "All last year I kept it on me and - "

"It's OK, we've got the Cloak, we've got clothes for both of you," says Hermione. "Just try and act naturally until - this will do."

We lead them down a side street, then into the shelter of a shadowy alleyway.

"When you say you've got the Cloak, and clothes..." says Danny, frowning at Hermione and I, who are carrying nothing except our small beaded bags, in which we are now rummaging.

"Yes, they're here," I say, and to Harry, Danny and Ron's utter amazement, I pull out a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, some maroon socks and, finally, the silvery Invisibility Cloak.

"How the ruddy hell - ?"

"Undetectable Extension Charms," says Hermione. "Tricky, but I think we've done them OK; anyway, we managed to fit everything we need in these." She gives her fragile-looking bag a little shake and it echoes like a cargo holder as a number of heavy objects roll around inside it. "Oh, damn, that'll be the books," she says, peering into it, "and I had them all stacked by subject...oh well...Harry, Danny, you'd better take the Invisibility Cloak. Ron, hurry up and change..."

"When did you do all this?" Harry asks, as Ron strips off his robes.

"We told you at The Burrow, we've had the essentials packed for days, in case we needed to make a quick getaway," I say. "We packed your rucksacks this morning, Harry and Danny, after you changed, sad put them in here...I just had a feeling..."