A Beautiful and Terrible Truth

Chapter 26

We had apparated so fast that I fell over when we came out of that tight pipe-like feeling. Astoria helped me up right away. I looked around to see that we were on a path that look familiar. It was the path to Diagon Alley, which would make sense that Fred would take us there because of the joke shop. It would be a safe place. My heart then skipped a beat as I looked down at my hands, suddenly remembering that I had the time turner in my hands before Fred grabbed ahold of me. I grabbed for my bag that Astoria had been holding and didn't find it.

"What are you looking for?" Kam asked, looking a tad bit worried.

I sighed. "The time turner. I must've dropped it right before we apparated."

"Well, that's lovely, but we should probably get in before nightfall," Fred said as if he was annoyed.

I ran over to him and hit him on the shoulder. "That time turner is very important to this mission. It has everything that I need to complete this mission, and it's all your fault that I lost it."

He looked down at me oddly. "What do you mean it's my fault?"

"Because you grabbed me like you were kidnapping me, which made me drop it," I stopped walking in time with him. "We have to go back."

"Are you mad?" It was Astoria this time. "It's too dangerous to head back now. We just ran from Death Eaters that could be ransacking the place as we speak. We are not going back until at least tomorrow night."

"Which means," Fred turned to me and grabbed my arm, "that we are going to the shop, where we'll be safe until tomorrow. I sure hope George hasn't been too hassled with it getting cold and the students lining up in the streets."

Kam laughed from behind us. "You still think that the schools are going to be open after everything that has happened?"

"Oh, I know it's happening. I read in the Daily Prophet in that seer's house that none other than greasy, slimy Severus Snape is now headmaster, which only can mean one thing," Fred smirked down at me.

"That You-Know-Who has taken over the Ministry," Astoria said in defeat. "I knew it was only a matter of time, but I didn't think it would be this soon."

"Last time I checked, He wasn't the minister," Kam said, confused.

Astoria shook her head. "He wouldn't list himself as the head of the Ministry. He's using a head figure."

"I also read that there's a taboo on You-Know-Who's name," Fred informed us. "Apparently, if you say his name then Death Eaters show up to take you away."

"Holy shit," exclaimed Kam.

We could all second her notion as we looked down at Diagon Alley. It was horrible. It looked as if someone just set fire to anything and everything. The sight was almost enough to make me cry. Fred took off, leaving us in his dust.

I then looked down at the paper on the street in Diagon Alley.  It looked just as horrible as the rest of the Alley did. The Death Eaters had gotten to the Alley just like I knew they would. Astoria and Kam appeared at my sides and followed my eyes down to the paper. Kam slowly reached down and picked it up. It was part of the Daily Prophet. We couldn’t tell what the date was, but we could make out the faded picture somewhat. The woman in the picture was wearing a prisoner suit like the ones at Azkaban. She had long, brown hair and bright blue eyes. She didn’t look like she would be a criminal, but the description under the picture told us otherwise.

"Jade Smith,” Kam shook her head. “She doesn’t sound familiar.”

Astoria shook her head. “She wouldn’t sound familiar because she doesn’t go by that name. In the Death Eating world, she’s known as Helena Burke, a Death Eater who is so loyal. The Smiths are not on,” she paused, “You-Know-Who’s side.”