The Potions Master's Daughter (Book Six)

Chapter 17

I came back in to the other room where Harry was pleading his case to ROn and Hermione, "What happened?" Hermione asked when I came in.

"I spoke to him and convinced him harry was correct. He's going to go back, don't worry about it. That kid is going to be super loved."

Harry looked extremely relieved, and I knew he didn't hold anything against Remus specifically, just as Lupin didn't to Harry. Both were just trying to do what they believed was correct.

"Let's all just got have a cup of tea, and calm down a bit?" Hermione suggested cautiously, testing how Harry was feeling still obviously.

As we were sitting and sipping on our mugs of tea Kreacher appeared in front of us with a man," Kreacher has brought back the thief Mundungus Fletcher."

We took his wand from him quickly then Harry pointed his own wand straight at the man in front of him and said, "We've got some questions for you."

"Listen I never did want to go along and help you lot. Moody made me do it. Any sane man would have gotten out of there as quick as a rabbit like I did."

"We don't care about you ditching Moody right now. We knew you were an unreliable piece of scum and now Moody's paid the price for your utter incompetence. When you came and took all the stuff from this house when Sirius wasn't here and you knew he would be too busy to notice you, there was a locket in a cupboard in the kitchen. Did you take that?"

"Why?" Fletcher questioned staring wearily at Kreacher, "Was it valuable?"

"I suppose you want to know if you could've gotten more for it," I said in a huff, "Do you remember who you sold it to at least?"

"Sold it?" Mundungus spat bitterly, "i had to give that thing away. Some Ministry lady came up to me while I was out peedling my goods and asked if I had a license. I told her I didn't and she said she'd keep quiet if I gave her that locket."

"What did she look like?" Ron asked of him.

"I dunno exactly. She was short, she had a bow in her hair. She kind of looked like a toad."

My heart fell. We all knew this woman very well. She was certainly someone I hoped I would never have to put back into my life, but if she had the locket we needed, we'd have to go see her.

"You can bring him back to where you found him Kreacher, he doesn't have what we need," I said sadly.

The days continued to pass with no meaning. We are holed up in Grimmauld Place passing time, and trying to formulate a real plan on what to do with ourselves and our hunt for Horcruxes. We had each gone out a few times, making sure to apparate back onto the front step in case Severus ever leaked the location of the house, but I knew he never would.

Sometime in August Kreacher had become the ideal House Elf. He proudly wore his Master Regulus locket around his neck at all times, and he clothed himself in fluffy blankets instead of real clothing which we couldn't give him. He had taken a liking to all of us since our last few encounters, though he was still very hesitant about Hermione, which seemed to upset her a great deal.

Harry had gone out to keep an eye at the Ministry for Umbridge, disguised as a Muggle of course. He came through the front door and into the kitchen where Kreacher asked him to remove his shoes before coming into the kitchen .Pots and pans lined every open counter space in the kitchen as Kreacher had been cleaning everything to make the house look better.

"I've got some news you aren't going to like," Harry announced looking particularly at me.

"What?" I asked feeling a bit apprehensive as every bad scenario ran through my mind.

I was not prepared for him to set down a copy of the Daily Prophet in front of me. My father's familiar face was on the front of the newspaper under the headline 'Severus Snape has been appointed new Headmaster of Hogwarts'

"No!" exclaimed Hermione, "That simply can't be. Let me see that," as she scanned it over she read, "Following the resignation of the former Muggle Studies teacher Alecto Carrow will take that post while her brother Amycus fills the position of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. This is a load of rubbish!"

"The other teachers won't stand for this. Can you imagine McGonagall or even Flitwick standing for something like this?" Ron asked, "Who are these Carrow characters anyways?"

I spoke up finally, "They're Death Eaters also. I met them once at a party," that was a lie of course, I knew the pair very well.

"Jessica how do you feel about this?" Harry asked.

I shrugged, "I can't imagine how much of a hellhole Hogwarts is going to be now. It's really falling deep into Voldemort's clutches. My father is one of his top people, so for him to be stationed at Hogwarts means that Voldemort recognizes it's an important place."

"So Harry how did the rest of the day go?" Hermione asked.

"I didn't see her the whole time," Harry said sounding defeated, "I saw your Dad again though Ron and he stilled seemed well."

"I mean we've learned a lot so far," Hermione stated, "We know she probably comes in through the Floo Network. That's why we've never seen her."

"I think we need to go in tomorrow," I stated.

"Tomorrow?" echoed Hermione, "Don't you think that's awfully soon, we don't know enough information yet?"

Harry answered for me, "I don't know how much more we will find out and we've been at this for a while. We know how to get in, and we roughly know where her office is. If we wait much longer she might completely get rid of the locket, I mean it's broken."

"Okay," Ron said hesitantly, "Let's do it tomorrow. I still think just me and Harry should go."

"Don't' start this up again," Hermione huffed, "We are coming."

"But you're on the list of Muggle-Borns that didn't show up to interrogation, and Jessica your father put out another call for your capture. You two would' be safe there."

"If anyone wouldn't be safe there it's Harry," Hermione retorted, "He's got a 10,000 gallon bounty on his head."

"I'm going," Harry said firmly.

"I am too," Hermione answered just as firmly.

I interjected, "Listen someone does need to stay out in case something happens and everyone needs to get bailed out of jail or out of the Death Eater's hands or something. I think I'm the best one to plan a rescue mission if something were to go wrong, so I can stay behind and if you guys need help just call me, or else if I heard you guys got captured I'll come and figure out a way to get you out so we all aren't just sitting ducks in a jail somewhere."

"That's smart," Hermione replied, "We will send you updates with what's happening throughout the day, but I think someone needs to stay behind and plan a backup plan just in case."

"Okay," harry said standing up and clapping his hands, "Let's get to work getting ready then."

The rest of the evening well into the night we planned everything that would happen and when they would check in with me or how they would let me know if they needed help.