Hey Freddie

The Calm Before The Storm

The Death Eaters and I burst out of the Three Broomsticks as we felt someone outside using a jinx I was forced to put over Hogsmeade, to catch Harry Potter.

There were about a dozen of us, and we were all cloaked.

"Accio Cloak!" One of the other Death Eaters roared.

The summoning charm didn't bring anything.

"Not under your wrapper, then, Potter?" yelled the Death Eater who had tried the charm, and then to his fellows, "Spread out. He's here."

I thought I saw a sliver of someone's foot in the distance, but made no motion of noticing him.

"What about dementors?" called another Death Eater. "Let 'em have free rein, they'd find him quick enough!"

"The Dark Lord wants Potter dead by no hand but his -"

"- an' dementors won't kill him! The Dark Lord wants Potter's life, not his soul. He'll be easier to kill if he's been Kissed first!"

There were noises of agreement. Dread filled my very innermost being: To repel dementors Harry would have to produce a Patronus, which would give him away immediately.

I saw the stag patronus in a small alley way next to the Hog's Head. I quickly made my way over there, seeing as multiple other Death Eaters noticed him.

"So what?" The barman was bellowing into one of the hooded faces. "So what? You send dementors down my street, I'll send a Patronus back at 'em! I'm not having 'em near me, I've told you that, I'm not having it!"

"That wasn't your Patronus!" said a Death Eater. "That was a stag, it was Potter's!"

"Stag!" roared the barman, and he pulled out a wand. "Stag! You idiot - Expecto Patronum!"

Something huge and horned erupted from the wand: Head down, it charged toward the High Street and out of sight. A goat.

"That's not what I saw -" said the Death Eater, though with less certainty.

"Curfew's been broken, you heard the noise," one of his companions told the barman. "Someone was out in the street against regulations -"

"If I want to put my cat out, I will, and be damned to your curfew!"

"You set off the Caterwauling Charm?"

"What if I did? Going to cart me off to Azkaban? Kill me for sticking my nose out my own front door? Do it, then, if you want to! But I hope for your sakes you haven't pressed your little Dark Marks and summoned him. He's not going to like being called here for me and my old cat, is he, now?"

"Don't you worry about us," said one of the Death Eaters, "worry about yourself, breaking curfew!"

"And where will you lot traffick potions and poisons when my pub's closed down? What'll happen to your little sidelines then?"

"Are you threatening - ?"

"I keep my mouth shut, it's why you come here, isn't it?"

"I still say I saw a stag Patronus!" shouted the first Death Eater.

"Stag?" roared the barman. "It's a goat, idiot!"

"All right, we made a mistake," said the second Death Eater. "Break curfew again and we won't be so lenient, Cheshire, stay with this old fool to make sure he's not up to anything funny."

I quickly went into the bar, before the old Barman could protest.

The Death Eaters strode back toward the High Street.