Kapitel 34: Telling the family
Harry and Hermione were back at the Ministry. They looked at the device that showed the Trackers. The dots that showed Rose and the Death Eaters hadn't moved.
"Could it be out of range?" Harry asked.
"No. It is not completely still. It moves like a boat that is not anchored, but not sailing either."
"And you're sure that the range is all the way to Norway?"
"Yes. Or at least the southern parts of it. Molly said the range covered at least half of Europe. So, unless they suddenly set sail for America, we can follow them. I just hope they don't delay too long. I don't even want to think about what they may be doing to her on that boat."
Harry didn't want to think about that either. "You know what we must do now?" he said instead.
"Yes. We need to get to Norway."
"No. I need to get to Norway. You need to stay here."
"Don't be ridiculous. I am coming with you. It is my daughter."
"No, you can't. It is not our jurisdiction. I go there to assist, as we agreed to, but you don't have a function there. You know the rules just as much as I do. You helped make some of them, if I recall. And the fact that your daughter is involved makes it even more important that you don't go there."
Hermione glared at him. He simply looked at her and her glare eventually softened. She knew he was right.
"But even before that, we need to inform the family. Especially Ron. We should probably just tell them all at once. Unless you want to break it to Ron first?"
Hermione didn't really want to inform her family about any of this. She wasn't used to being in the wrong but now it had happened twice in a year. She wanted to wait until the situation was resolved, but she knew they couldn't do that.
"They'll hate me. With good reason."
Harry didn't say anything. Hermione simply sat there for a few moments longer. Then she steeled herself and got to her feet.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Harry asked.
"No. No, you are right. You need to be in Norway to brief and prepare them for whatever may happen when they get ashore. Just be sure to let them know who Rose is, and that she may or may not be in disguise."
"Of course. Don't worry. We will get her back." Harry gave Hermione a hug, something he rarely did, even when they were alone. She returned it gratefully. He was still upset at her, but he knew that she didn't need his disapproval right now. She had enough hate for herself. Harry then ran out the door. He had one of the devices that showed where the Trackers were. Hermione had another; George or Molly still had the original. Hermione hoped that neither of them had looked at it recently.
***
Hermione walked up to the house with some trepidation. The lights were on and there were sounds from several people inside. Who was visiting? She had hoped to talk to Ron alone first, but maybe she wouldn't get that chance.
When she opened the door, the first person she saw was Ginny. Her accusing stare told her that she knew what had happened. How had she found out? She went into the living room. Ron, Molly, Arthur, and Albus were there. Molly held the device that showed the Tracker locations. They all looked up at her. She couldn't find her voice.
"Rose is the purple dot, isn't she? That is her favourite colour." Molly asked. "And the Death Eaters are variations of red?"
Hermione nodded. She couldn't even look at all of them. She addressed the floor in front of them.
"Harry and I have already been to Azkaban. It seems the man in charge there has placed all the other guards under the Imperius Curse. That is how he has managed to get them out the other times. We have captured him now. And Harry is on his way to Norway to apprehend the Death Eaters the moment they hit land."
"You should never have let her go there." Ron's voice seemed to be at least one pitch higher than usual. Hermione shook her head. "She has no experience with this sort of thing, and she is emotionally involved. Why did you let her go? And more importantly, WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME." That last part he shouted. Hermione took another step back. Ron never shouted.
"I suspected she would find a way to get there regardless of what any of us said, and I thought it better if it happened in a way I could control. From what we learned when we got there, she was not kidnapped because of who she is. Barnsby didn't say anything to indicate he knew, in fact, it seemed she was taken in order to have another scapegoat. So, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Possibly she saw something she shouldn't. We don't know if the Death Eaters know who she is now, but it is likely they have found out." The words poured out. She tried to look up at them when she said that last part, but she still couldn't meet their eyes. No one said anything for several minutes.
"You have been unable to say no to her ever since what happened last year" Ginny said. "She wanted to go. You didn't order her to go, but you also didn't stop her. But didn't you at least teach her how to avoid getting into this precise situation?"
"I did. She had several ways of getting away. But we don't know if Rose is also under the Imperius Curse. She can't have been under it for long, since she sent a letter to warn me about it, but it is a chance she was forced to help their escape. And in the murder of the guard."
"Murder?" Arthur asked. "Someone was murdered?"
"Yes. One of the other new recruits, a guard named Thomas. He shared a room with Rose. Barnsby claims Rose killed him. I doubt it, but there is no way to prove otherwise."
"Prove otherwise? You actually believe that Rose, even under the Imperius Curse, would actually be able to kill someone?" Ron said. He sounded even more angry now.
"No. Not like that anyway. She also didn't have the authorisation to open the cell doors. That is what made us able to crack down on Barnsby's story. A few of the other guards have also come out of their altered state, but it seems no one else was there when it happened."
Hermione couldn't face all the accusing stares anymore. She turned around and went to her home office. It was a room that was meant to make her feel calm and in control. She felt neither at the moment. She did not sit down at her desk, she sat on the floor behind it. She didn't stop the tears from flowing.
It took over 10 minutes for Ron to come in after her. Two more minutes before he sat down and looked at her.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" Hermione asked him after another two minutes of silence.
"I am fairly certain that you have already told yourself all that needs saying. But the thing that makes me the angriest is the fact that you didn't tell me."
"I knew what you would say"
"Yes, which means you also knew that it was a bad idea. Merlin's pants Hermione, you used to be the smart and cautious one in this family. When did that stop?"
"When my daughter lay crying on the floor shouting that she hated me." Hermione said. Ron looked confused. "When I was arresting Scorpius. Ginny is right, ever since that happened, I have been unable to say no to anything Rose wants from me. Even when it is an obviously bad idea, like this. But she actually did a good job. Barnsby, the man that was actually behind this, doesn't seem to suspect who she is at all."
"Barnsby. Wasn't he the one you promoted to replace Perrot?"
"Yes."
"So, you fired the wrong guy?"
"Not necessarily. But I promoted the wrong guy. Rose was suspicious of him from the moment she heard of him. She saw that he had let Perrot get the top job so that he wouldn't be implicated when the Death Eaters escaped."
"And yet, you promoted him."
"Yes."
"So, you let our daughter place herself in a highly dangerous situation to find information, and then, when she finds something suspicious, you ignore it?"
"Yes"
"I don't understand you sometimes, Hermione." Ron rose to get out of the room again.
"What do you want me to say?" Hermione asked, crying. "That I'm sorry? That I wish I could take it back? That I would do anything in the world to trade places with her?"
"No. I wouldn't expect you to say that. You clearly did what you thought best. You always do. You're a lot more like Harry than you want to admit sometimes, Hermione. But your plans usually have more planning involved." And with that, Ron was out the door. She just stayed on the floor. Ron was right. She had already told herself all that needed saying. And she did it again and again.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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