Capítulo 5: Chapter 5: Hybrids
Remaining within the wooden dwelling until the afternoon, Lily retrieved a pocket watch from her robe's pocket. After consulting its time, she rose to her feet and guided Jon out of the sanctuary.
Beyond the threshold lay a dense forest, signaling their remote location nestled within an impregnable mountain range.
"Are we now bound for Hogwarts?"
Despite Lily's deliberate efforts to slow her pace, Jon, still in the throes of rapid development, had to quicken his stride to keep up with her.
"Yes."
"Then why don't you employ the very magic that whisked me away to affect our escape?"
"The Ministry of Magic possesses the ability to trace the apparition's point of departure and deduce its destination. This safe house affords us temporary respite from their prying eyes, but we cannot utilize such magic when journeying to Hogwarts."
Jon raised a skeptical gaze and posed a further inquiry.
"Are we to make our way to Hogwarts in this manner? Or have you made provisions for alternate means of transportation?"
Lily responded with a calm demeanor.
"We need only traverse a short distance, and Hogwarts shall unveil itself before us."
A mere half hour after their departure, Barty Crouch Jr. arrived at the secluded woodland safe house, accompanied by a contingent of Aurors.
As he surveyed the extinguished hearth and the remnants of a chocolate-laden teacup, the professor of charms at Hogwarts contorted his visage with anger.
"Ah, yet again, as if it were an annual tradition. That woman slipped away right from under our noses, taking the Mudblood with her."
The Aurors bowed their heads submissively, avoiding any direct gaze with the young man who was held in high regard by their superior.
Little Barty's eyes turned icy, a stark contrast to his previous gentle demeanor in Jon's presence.
"I wonder, after all this time, why the Auror Office has failed to devise a strategy to dismantle these concealed magical safe houses!"
Among the Aurors, a young wizard swallowed hard, explaining.
... Little Barty's voice resonated with a steely edge as he clenched his teeth.
"Professor Crouch, a considerable portion of our headquarters' personnel has been dedicated to unraveling this very magic. Had it been the same enchantment employed by these fugitives a year ago, we would have deciphered it. However, the concealment magic cast upon this residence has undergone many alterations, and a new incantation was introduced this year, rendering our previous research futile."
Little Barty fixed his gaze upon the speaking wizard, the frostiness on his countenance dissipating, replaced by an upturned smile.
"May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"
The young wizard sensed an amicable warmth emanating from the smile, oblivious to the sympathetic glances exchanged among the elder Aurors in his midst.
With a smile adorning his face, he stammered, "I-I am Andrew Williams, Professor. I also attended your Charms class during my final two years at Hogwarts."
Little Barty delicately twirled his wand between three fingers, his voice assuming a remarkably gentle tone.
"I recall that the surname Williams does not appear among pure-blood families, and the Ministry of Magic does not employ individuals of impure blood status. So, I gather you are a half-blood?"
"Yes, yes, Professor."
"Cruciatus!"
The once gentle expression swiftly contorted into a visage of unparalleled ferocity and terror.
Beneath the tip of Little Barty's wand, the young wizard curled up, resembling a boiled shrimp, writhing in agonizing torment upon the ground. The anguish that emanated from the depths of his soul merged with the mournful cries that escaped his lips, startling a nearby flock of birds in the forest.
"Ah!"
"A wretch with tainted and impure blood coursing through his veins! What are you!"
He relentlessly stomped his leather boots upon the young Auror, as if venting his pent-up rage on this day.
"The only person within the entire Auror Command qualified to elucidate these matters to me is your director, Lucius Malfoy. Do you understand? You bastard!"
Half of the sun had dipped below the horizon, while the sunset's afterglow draped the surrounding homes in an ethereal, orange-hued veil.
After leading Jon out of the woods, Lily soon arrived at a nearby Muggle town.
Emerging from the woods, she shed the gray robe she had been wearing, revealing a plain blouse and jeans beneath. She had transfigured her dark red hair into a deep brown shade through her incantation.
The two strolled together along the town's streets, akin to a mother and son enjoying a leisurely walk, inconspicuous in their presence.
Jon has been walking incessantly for two or three hours since he followed Lily out of the safe house.
Fitted with his childish body, the prolonged walk has left him thoroughly fatigued.
Fortunately, upon their arrival in this small town, Lily displayed no inclination to continue their journey on foot. Instead, she led Jon to a secluded road where they found a bench to rest upon.
Jon remained inconclusive about the obscure statement, "Hogwarts will come to us."
Voldemort has usurped the castle constructed by the four founders.
Under such circumstances, where will Dumbledore's Hogwarts, constantly pursued by danger, conduct its teachings?
Yet, Jon did not hasten to query Lily. He knew that in due time, he would discover the answer for himself. Instead, he posed a different question, harboring his doubts.
"Professor Potter, am I the sole individual arriving at Hogwarts today?"
Lily habitually inserted her right hand into her jeans pocket, concealing her magic wand while ensuring swift access in the event of an unforeseen incident.
"I am not the sole professor departing from the school to guide Muggle students. And you are not the solitary student for whom I am responsible for escorting today."
As she spoke, a tinge of grayness manifested upon her countenance.
"Before reaching you, I visited the residence of another girl named Hermione Granger. When I arrived, the girl's parents exhibited no recollection of having a daughter."
Jon stood frozen in place.
Hermione Granger—a name familiar to him through the pages of the original book!
This marked the first mention he had heard of any member within the protagonist's group, shedding light on Lily's words.
Jon drew in a deep breath and regarded the witch beside him with a mingling of complex emotions.
"You mentioned that if the true Hogwarts took a student like myself, those individuals would erase the memories of everyone who knew me. This girl named Hermione Granger..."
Lily's voice retained an air of calmness, yet the anger, self-reproach, and helplessness beneath the composed facade remained unmistakable.
"Yes, indeed. She accepted the admission letter, and was taken away by another Hogwarts professor, much like Barty Crouch Jr."
(end of this chapter)
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