The Sinner and the Traitor

Ron was fiddling with the radio, which was whistling eerily, as he attempted to find a signal. It was honestly annoying me to no end. I started messing with the necklace Dumbledore had handed down to me. After that initial glowing feeling that made me feel better it hasn’t done anything. Was I supposed to take it off and then put it back on? Leave it on? Or was I only supposed to put it on when I really need it? I sighed in annoyance taking it off. I felt nothing as it left my skin. I had put it in my bag only for my hand to brush against something round. I pulled out the glass orb and laughed. It was Neville’s remembrall that had given me last year. He never used it but rather gave it to me because I felt like I was forgetting everything in my life. Hermione looked at me with a smile.

“Oh Neville. I miss him.”

“Yeah, I do too. Wonder what he’s up to these days?” I looked at her with a sad smile. Neville had been a good friend ever since our first encounter outside the Great Hall. He was a good guy that was for sure.

“Probably dreaming about you.” Hermione said with a laugh and I blushed. He had also developed a bit of a crush on me.

“Too bad she only dates blonde haired gits who try to kill us and the headmaster.” Ron said to himself and I flinched. Hermione sucked in her breath.

“Ronald!” She hissed at him and I could only smile sadly.

“It’s okay Hermione. I deserve that one. It’s true.” I looked at my hands with a sad smirk. “I guess when you’re with someone for so long you start to develop feelings for them, no matter who they are. Besides, Draco wasn’t so bad. It was his bloody father who made him that way. Who knows? Maybe if my parents had been alive it would have been me coming after you guys. We will never know.”

“It still doesn’t excuse-.” Hermione started but I merely held up a hand to silence her.

“Hermione we are all scared and we are all tired. That mixed together will do something to a person. Besides it was Draco who told me to flee. If it wasn’t for him, I probably would already be dead.” That caught everyone’s attention. “I never told you did I?” They all shook their heads.

“A few days before the Great Harry Escape there was a meeting at my house between the Death Eaters. Draco slipped me a note in my pocket telling me to run because Vold- sorry- He Who Must Not Be Named was coming after me. He had overheard him I guess and decided to warn me. Needless to say I had packed within half an hour of receiving the note and fled. He’s not all that bad. Just sadly misguided.” I drifted off into a whisper wiping away a stray tear. Hermione grabbed my hand gently and gave it a reassuring squeeze. No one spoke and I was beginning to get uncomfortable. Harry was lying on his side, studying the Snitch in his palm, its wings flapping slowly. I decided to change the subject.

“They have flesh memories.” Harry turned, seeing that I was eyeing the Snitch. “Snitches. They’re never touched by bare skin until the Seeker captures it. Even the wizard who fabricates it wears gloves. That way, if there’s a dispute, the Snitch can identify who first touched it.”

“You mean... it remembers me?” Harry asked with his eyebrows raised like he couldn’t quite believe me.

I nodded. “When Scrimgeour first gave it to you, I thought it might open at your touch -- that Dumbledore had hidden something in it.” Harry pondered this, eyeing the wings flapping slowly. We were3 all just getting back to sitting quietly when there was a loud crack and we all jumped to our feet gripping our wands.

Harry and Hermione race into the kitchen as crazy shadows spill from a far door and pots crash. Suddenly, a tiny figure wet and ragged tumbles into view, banging into the wall opposite, and scrambling up. As he starts back for the kitchen, he stops seeing Harry before smiling.

Dobby.

“Harry Potter! So long it’s been --.”

Just then, a hand -Kreacher’s- reached out and grabs Dobby by the neck and pulls him away. Kreacher, Dobby and Mundungus Fletcher tumble from one side of the kitchen to the other. As they fly apart, Mundungus rolls to his feet, dripping wet, wand flashing.

“Expelliarmus!” I yelled out, disarming him. Mundungus’ wand soars into the air into Hermione’s outstretched hand.

“As requested, Kreacher has returned with the thief Mundungus Fletcher!”

“Dobby has also returned with the thief Mundungus Fletcher!” I smiled at Dobby who gave me a cheeky grin.

“What are you playing at -- setting a pair of bleedin’ ‘ouse-elves on me!” the idiot yelled out at us like he had any nerve. Like he had the right.

“Dobby was only trying to help! Dobby saw Kreacher in Diagon Alley, which Dobby thought was curious. And then Dobby heard Kreacher mention Harry Potter’s name, which Dobby thought was very curious. And then Dobby saw that Kreacher was talking to the thief Mundungus Fletcher, which Dobby thought was very, very-.”

“I’m no thief, you foul little git. I’m a purveyor of rare and wondrous objects-.”

“So you’re a thief, Dung. Everyone knows it.” We all turn to see Ron standing in the doorway. Dobby smiled.

“Master Weasley! So good to see you again!” Ron nods, eyeing the bright red shoes on Dobby’s feet.

“Wicked trainers.”

“Listen, I panicked that night, all right? I never volunteered to die for you, mate. Can I help it if Mad-Eye fell off his broom-.”

Hermione rounded on him in a rage. “Stop lying!”

Hermione began to move toward Mundungus. Ron reached out, taking her by the shoulders while still eyeing Mundungus warningly. “Piece of advice. Let’s not rehash old times. Got it... mate?”

“When you turned this place over -- don’t deny it! -- you found a locket, am I right?” Harry asked folding his arms defensively.

“Why? Was it valuable?” His eyes went wide like he was learning the wonders of the world.

“You’ve still got it.” Hermione exclaimed hopefully.

“Not a chance. He’s worried he should have got more money for it.” I said glaring at the sniveling man before me.

“Wouldn’t be difficult, would it? Bleedin’ gave it away, din’ I? There I was, pitching me wares in Diagon Alley when some ministry hag comes up and asks to see my license. Says she’s of a mind to lock me up and would’ve, too, she hadn’ taken a fancy to that locket.”

I had half a brain to think he was lying to us but something told me this was the truth. “Who was she? This witch?”

He went to go open his mouth to say he didn’t know when something caught his attention. He sucked in his breath and nodded his head to the right of me at a pile of yellowing old Daily Prophet’s. The picture was of a squat woman with the face of a toad as it blinked out towards us from the front pages.

Dolores Umbridge.

“Well, she’s right there, in’t she? Bleedin’ bow an’ all.”

I growled out in frustration. “Bloody hell mate you can’t be serious? Umbridge has it?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and knew a headache was coming on. What were we supposed to do now? It wasn’t like we could go home exactly and go back to having normal lives. I looked up to see my friends faces crumble in defeat. We were going to have to give up already and be on the run for the rest of our lonely lives. I actually wished I was at school right now. It would have been our final year. I would be getting ready to become an Auror, much to my brothers’ disgust and dismay, and I would have been making a difference in the world. In a good way at least. I would have been acing Potions once more, mixing up THE most perfect healing potions. Snape may have hated me for being in Gryffindor but even he couldn’t deny my talent at potions, even the dark arts section of the book. Just in our second year I made the Polyjuice potion…

Oh my God that was it.

I whipped around to face my friends with a beaming smile. “Guys, I have an idea. Dobby I need to ask you a favor.”

“Anything for young Miss Beyer. Anything.” Dobby said hopping forward with a happy gleam in his eyes.”

My grin grew. “That’s what I like to hear.”

So as the days went to weeks, and the weeks into a month we sat down every night and planned everything according to detail. I had Dobby break into Hogwarts and steal all the potion supplies I needed as well as my own home and steal a few of Silas’s hair from his brush and a set of robes. They all protested saying it was too risky for me to go as my own brother but honestly Silas and I were so alike that pretending to be him wouldn’t be too hard. I knew exactly what he did at the Ministry, how he walked, talked, dressed, and acted. Who better to impersonate him than his own sister?

“But what if he shows up and you get caught? What then?” Hermione shot yet another scenario at me which I could only laugh off.

“Hermione, my brother is currently working for the Dark Lord doing God knows what. You really think he has time to go to work and prosecute some poor witch or wizard at the moment?” Yes my brother was a Prosecutor, but instead of fighting for the innocence of a magical being, he was sending them to Azkaban like it was going outta style.

“How does he make money to afford anything then if he’s never in work?” She asked raising her eyebrow in a retort that she thought would win her argument.

“The ministry is overrun with Death Eaters and other followers. You really think they care if he shows up or not? He gets paid regardless.”

She made a ‘humph’ at me which caused me to giggle. I also inherited my ability to fight my own case. Maybe I should go to magical law school if everything turned out right. Bloody hell I would put my brother to shame.

So when it came time to the morning of no one had any other arguments to make. Around an empty street corner we waited for our chance to catch an unexpecting witch or wizard. Then movement caught my eye as Ron peered round a building to whistle softly to us. A few yards off, a witch who I recognized as Mafalda Hopkirk, was approaching at a brisk pace. I gave a single nod and Ron began to walk, preceding her down the street. Just as planned he then kneels down to fiddle with his shoelace.

Zap!

The witch stiffens and falls into the awaiting arms of Harry. Ron hurries back, looking around, before taking her feet and helping Harry hustle her out of view. They propped her up between two wizards, one tall and one short, but both thankfully unconscious. I stepped in after them closing the door and turning to Hermione as she started pouring Polyjuice Potion into four cups.

“Right. So let’s do it. Who gets who?” Ron asked clapping his hands together.

“Well, unless one of you fancies wearing a skirt.” Hermione trailed off as she leans down, plucking a hair from Mafalda.

Ron frowned as he surveyed the two remaining wizards. I looked at the directly into their eyes to get my point across. “Remember what we said. Keep your eyes down. Don’t speak to anyone unless absolutely necessary. Act as normal as possible. Just do what you see everyone else doing. We do that and with a bit of luck we get ourselves inside. And then it gets really tricky.” I looked at them grimly. If all went well then we could leave in one piece but if it went south, well then I didn’t want to think about it.

Harry and Hermione look once more at the stunned trio before them. “This is completely mental. Vanessa, how did you talk us into this again?”

“With my good looks, stunning smile, witty comments, and beautiful brains.” I said winking at him. He only shook his head and groaned.

“Completely, utterly, without question.” Hermione said sarcastically rolling her eyes at me causing me to giggle.

“The world’s mental. Come on, drink up. We’ve got a Horcrux to find.” Ron said lifting up his cup. I dropped Silas’s hair into the potion and it turned a dark blue, almost black but it was like a midnight blue.

“Well drink up, mates. This should be an eventful day.” I said looking at my cup in disgust before just chugging it down.

I felt my form start to change almost instantly. I felt my legs begin to stretch, my hair get shorter, and my shoulders get wider. Within a few minutes I knew I looked like my older brother and it was beyond weird. I blinked at my friends before me, or well were they used to be before me. Now stood 3 strangers.

“Vanessa I do have to admit your brother is kind of attractive.” Hermione, er, Mafalda, said. I scrunched up my nose.

“Lets not talk about my brother like that while I look like him, or rather at all. I am proud to say the one thing we inherited from the old bastards of parents was our good looks.”

As we walked out of the empty building Ron takes out an ID Card, reading the name out loud. Reg Cattermole. He then turned to me waiting for me to saying something about him but I merely shrugged. I didn’t know everyone at the Ministry.

“It says I’m Magical Maintenance Department.” He said looking back the ID Card. Poor guy was a janitor.

“Mafalda Hopkirk, assistant in the Improper Use of Magic Office.” Hermione said looking at her card.

“She’s the lady who sends out the owls for warnings and all that every time an underage witch or wizard uses magic.” I commented.

Harry was patting all his pockets in a panic. “I’m nobody.”

They looked at me and I grew annoyed. “I don’t know everyone here! It wasn’t like we had muggle holidays were you brought your child to work day. If they were Death Eaters I could easily name them off to you more than half the time. Even I don’t know everything.”

Hermione turned back to Harry. “You’re somebody. Be careful.”

Just then a skinny wizard strode by. “Morning, Reg! Good luck today.”

He caught sight of me and nearly peed himself. He quickly hurried away and I frowned. Was my brother really that scary? He was never evil towards me so when someone told me stories of what he did I could only ever laugh and say they were lying. I knew he was a Death Eater but I just couldn’t picture him actually hurting anyone.

“Oh... yeah. Thanks.” Ron glanced to Harry and Hermione jerking his head toward the skinny wizard and we followed after him.

“Okay guys, let’s hurry this up please. I have to use the bathroom and I really really really don’t wish to see my own brother’s wanker.” I said with a grimace.

I was getting a really bad feeling about this plan.