Time went back.
When Hermione pulled Harry and the rest to use Phantom Transfiguration, Yaxley caught her. Jon, who followed closely behind, was still one step too late and could not catch up with them.
But this situation was also within Jon's calculations. Because he was not particularly familiar with the situation in the Ministry of Magic, it was very likely that some problems would arise when searching for people. So he had given Hermione a heads-up in advance. If they were caught, they would immediately find an opportunity to hide there and go to a place where no one knew.
And Hermione did exactly that.
When she appeared in Grimmauld Square, she keenly discovered that someone was following her. So she took advantage of Yaxley's relaxed state to take him to another place with Phantom Transfiguration.
And the opportunity was naturally created for her by Jon who came later.
Chown used mental magic to disturb Yaxley's thoughts a little, and then controlled the latter in his own hands.
Otherwise, the location of Grimmauld Square would really be exposed.
Even if Hermione became the person who leaked the secret, she could still guarantee that the location of the square was not known by too many people. Being seen by Yaxley and being seen by Yaxley and the Death Eaters waiting outside at the same time were two different concepts.
Stephen appeared in front of Jon in an instant. The moment he appeared, he saw Jon standing on the stone steps of Grimmauld Square, carrying Yaxley's body in his hand as if he was carrying a chicken.
Of course he knew this place. After all, Jon was also one of the people who kept the secret. Snape did not tell the location of this place to others, but Jon did.
Moreover, under the interference of the Magic Net, the secret effect of the Loyal Spell was as bright as a torch burning in the darkness.
"Bring this person back and let Professor Lohat deal with his memory. Don't edit too much. Don't leave out anything that happened today. But at the same time, don't let him remember too much about the location of Grimmauld Square."
Jon's request was very strange to Stephen.
"You yourself are a very skilled memory magic master. Why don't you do it yourself?
I'll bring him back and let Professor Lohat do it, then send him back. Isn't that very troublesome? "
"The real reason for Professor Lohat to do this is that you can check this person's memory.
Although his position among the Death Eaters isn't very high, he should know some things that we don't.
It's impossible for Snape to know everything. On the contrary, a small fry like him might know more. How to squeeze him dry of his value is the problem you all have to face. Now, I'm going to see Hermione and the rest. "
"Alright, alright. You're like a nanny now, and I'm even worse. I'm going to be the nanny of a nanny."
Jon didn't stay to listen to Stephen's complaints. He had already broken the space and left.
The location of Hermione and the others had not been communicated with Jon beforehand, but the notebook he had left on Hermione could help him find these people.
So in the next moment, he disappeared from Grimmore Square and arrived at a forest.
"Where is this?"
Looking at Hermione, who was sobbing on the ground, and Harry and Ron, who were paralyzed on the ground, Jon frowned.
He had no impression of this place in his mind. He had probably never been here before, so it was a little strange for Hermione and the rest to appear here.
"Teacher." Hermione took a deep breath to make her voice sound less obvious. "This is the forest where the last Quidditch World Cup was held … Teacher, you don't know."
"Obviously, I don't like this sport, and I wasn't there when you held the Quidditch World Cup. At that time, I was busy overseas."
Naturally, he couldn't tell Hermione about these things, because he didn't have the time. He couldn't explain these things clearly in a short time.
"But you did panic a little."
Jon waved his hand, and a piece of green leaf fell from his hand onto Weasley's head to prevent the little guy from dying from excessive blood loss.
"Fortunately, it's just a split body, and the injury isn't particularly serious. Remember to use the white essence later. In the future, Phantom Transference should also be added to the transportation system. When you have time, you should study this aspect. It will be very helpful for your job in the Ministry of Magic."
"Teacher, now, is it still possible for us to go to the Ministry of Magic?"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of the Ministry of Magic. Now, this … won't exist for too long. We'll take care of these things. Now, you just need to take care of the two of them, mainly Harry.
As for the little guy from the Weasley family, if anything happens to him, don't worry about him. Let him calm down. Don't worry, I'll arrange for someone to protect him. Nothing will happen. "
Jon spoke very quickly, not giving Hermione a chance to speak at all. Rather than giving advice, it was more like an order.
"Alright, I'll come find you in two days. You can move freely for the next few days. Don't lose the notebook I gave you. It's best if you keep it in your bag and don't take it out."
Jon glanced at Harry, who seemed to be waking up soon.
"Don't let them suspect anything. It shouldn't be a problem for you."
Jon's voice paused, because he seemed to have recalled a memory in his mind.
But Hermione didn't know that the girl only saw the scene of Jon disappearing after saying that sentence.
Then Harry woke up next to her, and she instantly started sobbing.
Harry opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a dazzling gold and green.
He didn't know what had happened, only that he seemed to be lying between branches and thin branches.
He breathed in with difficulty, and his lungs felt like they were being crushed.
He blinked and realized that the dazzling colors were sunlight shining through the high canopy of trees.
Something twitched next to his face, and he knelt up on his hands, expecting to see some fierce little animal, but it was Ron's foot.
Harry looked around and saw that they and Hermione were lying on the ground in the forest, as if there was no one else.
Harry's first thought was the Forbidden Forest. For a moment, although he knew how stupid and dangerous it was for the three of them to appear in the Hogwarts, his heart still pounded with excitement at the thought of sneaking into Hagrid's cabin through the trees.
Then Ron groaned softly, and Harry crawled towards him, quickly discovering that this was not the Forbidden Forest: the trees looked younger, the space between them was wider, and the ground was more open.
He met Hermione beside Ron's head, and she was crawling too.
Harry forgot everything at the sight of Ron, for the left side of Ron's body was soaked in blood, and his face, pillowed on the dirt and fallen leaves, was ashen white.
The medicinal properties of the compound soup were disappearing, and Ron's appearance was between Catmull and himself. As the little bit of blood on his face faded, his hair became redder and redder.
"What's the matter with him?"
"He's separated," said Hermione.
Hermione said, her hand already busy touching Ron's sleeve, where the blood was the wettest and darkest.
Harry watched in horror as she tore Ron's shirt open, and his insides stirred uncomfortably. Hermione exposed Ron's upper arm, where a chunk of flesh was missing, as if it had been cut away with a knife …
"Harry, quick, in my bag, there's a little bottle with the label White Fresh Essence on it —"
"In the bag — OK —"
Harry rushed to where Hermione had landed, grabbed the beaded bag, and stuck his hand inside.
At once his hands touched one thing after another: the leather-bound spine of a book, the sleeves of a cardigan, the heels of a shoe.
"Quick!"
He grabbed his wand from the ground and pointed inside the magic bag.
"White Fresh Fly!"
A small brown bottle jumped out of the bag. He grabbed it and hurried back to Hermione and Ron.
Ron's eyes were half closed, and only a little white was visible on his upper and lower eyelids.
"He's fainted."
Hermione was also pale. She no longer looked like Mafalda, although her hair was still grey in places. "Open it for me, Harry. My hands are shaking."
Harry pulled the stopper off the bottle, and Hermione took the bottle and poured three drops of liquid on the bleeding wound.
Green smoke billowed up, and when it dispersed, Harry saw that the bleeding had stopped. The wound looked as if it had been healing for a few days, and the exposed flesh was covered with a new layer of skin.
"That's all I dared to do," Hermione said, trembling. "Some spells could make him fully recover, but I didn't dare to use them. I was afraid that if I did something wrong, it would cause more damage … He's lost so much blood …"
"How could he be hurt? I mean … "
Harry shook his head, trying to clear his mind and make sense of what had happened. "Why are we here? Aren't we going back to Grimmauld Square? "
Hermione took a deep breath and looked like she was about to cry.
"Harry, I don't think we can go back."
"What —"
"When we were Apparating, Yaxley grabbed me. I couldn't shake him off. He was too strong.
He held on till we got to Grimmauld Place, and then--I think he must have seen the door, and guessed we were going to stop there, so he loosened his grip a little, and I shook him off, and brought you hither! "
"But where is he? Wait a minute … You don't mean they're in Grimmauld Square, do you? He can't get in, can he? "
Hermione's eyes glistened with tears and she shook her head.
"Harry, I think he can. I — I used a Pull Spell to force him to let go, but I've already brought him into the protection of a Loyal Charm.
After Dumbledore died, we're the ones keeping secrets, so I let the cat out of the bag, didn't I? "
Unable to hide it, Harry knew she was telling the truth. It was a heavy blow.
If Yaxley had been able to get into the house, they really couldn't go back.
Now, Yaxley might be using Apparition to bring the other Death Eaters there.
The house, though dark and depressing, had been their only safe haven. Now that Kreacher was so much happier and friendlier, it even felt like home.
Harry felt a pang of sadness at the thought of the house-elf making the steak and kidney pie that Harry, Ron, and Hermione would never eat again, but not for the food.
"Harry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"Don't be silly, it's not your fault! If anyone is to blame, it's me … "
Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the Madman's Magic Eye. Hermione backed away in horror.
"Umbridge put it on her office door to keep an eye on people.
I couldn't leave it there … but that's how they found out someone got in. "
Before Hermione could answer, Ron groaned and opened his eyes. His face was still grey and sweaty.
"How do you feel?"
"Awful," Ron croaked.
Ron said hoarsely, touching his injured arm and wincing in pain.
"Where are we?"
"The forest where the Quidditch World Cup is being held," Hermione said. "I was looking for an isolated, hidden place. This is —"
"— the first place you thought of."
Harry finished for him. Looking at the seemingly empty glade, he couldn't help but remember the last time they Apparated to the first place Hermione thought of, the Death Eaters had found them in a matter of minutes.
Was it the Mind Retrieval?
Did Voldemort or his henchmen already know where Hermione had taken them?
"Do you think we should move?"
Ron asked, and Harry could see from Ron's expression that he was thinking the same thing.
"I don't know."
Ron was still pale. He didn't try to sit up, as if he didn't have the strength to do so.
It would be too difficult to move him.
"Stay here for the time being."
Hermione felt relieved and jumped up.
"Where are you going?"
"If we're going to stay here, we'll have to put up some protective spells around us."
She raised her wand and began to walk in a large circle around Harry and Ron, muttering to herself.
Harry saw a slight tremor in the air around them, as if Hermione had conjured a gust of hot air above the glade.
"Safe Guard … All Wards … Muggle Shield … Earplugs … You can take out the tent, Harry …"
"Tent?"
"In the bag!"
"Yes … of course."
This time he didn't bother to feel for it, but cast another Flying Charm.
A pile of canvas, rope, and poles flew out. Harry recognized it as the tent they had slept in on the night of the Quidditch World Cup, probably because of the cat smell.
"Isn't this old Perkins's from the Ministry of Magic?"
He asked, as he began to unfasten the tacks.
"He obviously didn't want it back. His backache was so bad."
Hermione said, as she drew a complicated figure-eight pattern with her wand. "Ron's father said he could lend it to me. Erect it! "
She said, pointing to the tangled canvas.
The pile immediately rose into the air and fell on the ground in front of Harry. The last nail flew from the surprised Harry's hand and slammed into the end of the shroud.
"A trap to defeat the enemy," Hermione finally waved her wand in the air. "That's all I can do. At least, if they come, we should be able to detect it.
But I can't promise that this will stop the ambush — "
"Don't say the name!"
Harry and Hermione looked at each other.
"Sorry," Ron propped himself up and looked at them, moaning softly. "It makes me feel like a — a curse or something.
Please, can't we call him the mysterious man? "
"Dumbledore said that the fear of a name —"
"Just a reminder, man, calling Mystery Man by his name didn't end well for him."
Ron interrupted, "Just — just show some respect to Mystery Man, okay?"
"Respect?"
Harry repeated. Hermione glanced at Harry warningly. Obviously, it was not wise to argue with Ron in such a weak state.
Harry and Hermione dragged Ron into the tent.
It was as Harry remembered: a small suite, with a bathroom and a small kitchen.
He pushed back an old armchair and carefully put Ron on the lower bunk of a bunk bed.
The short journey had made Ron paler, and as soon as he was put on the mattress, he closed his eyes again and did not speak for a long time.
"I'll make some tea."
Hermione panted, took a kettle and a cup out of her little bag, and went into the kitchen.
Harry felt that the hot tea was as timely as the flame whiskey on the night of Madman's sacrifice, and seemed to burn away a little of the fear that had throbbed in his heart.
After a minute or two, Ron broke the silence.
"What do you think of the Cattermors?"
"If they're lucky, they've already escaped."
Hermione said, holding the hot cup tightly for comfort. "As long as Mr. Cattermor is sober, he'll take his wife away with him in the form of an attendant.
They're probably running away with the child now. Harry told her to. "
"My God, I hope they've escaped," Ron said, leaning back on the pillow.
Ron leaned back on the pillow and said. The hot tea seemed to have made him feel better and restored a bit of color.
"But I don't think Reggie Cattermor's brain works that well. Everyone spoke to me like that when I was pretending to be him.
God, I hope they've escaped … If both of them end up in Azkaban because of us … "
Harry looked at Hermione and swallowed the question on the tip of his tongue — whether Mrs. Cattermor's lack of a wand would prevent her from manifesting with her husband.
Hermione was not worried about that. At least, she had great confidence in Jon. Her teacher should be able to handle this. Since they had been brought out, it meant that the Phoenix Society had enough power and manpower to protect those who had escaped from the Ministry of Magic.
Her guess wasn't wrong. Although Cattermole's work was terrible and he wasn't good at socializing in the Ministry of Magic, he still had some friends to be able to work until today. That was why he was chosen by Stephen and the others — definitely not because he was chosen by Harry and the others.
Even if today's incident had not happened, Stephen and the others would have saved the Wizard from Muggle in the hands of the Ministry of Magic.
The new world was coming, and a large number of people were needed to spread the new world theory. There was no better person than the Wizard from Muggle.
But then again, at this moment, Hermione looked at Ron and was worried about the fate of the Cattermors. Her expression was so gentle that it was unbearable.
Especially in Harry's eyes, he felt as if he was looking at her kissing Ron.
"Hey, did you get it?"
Harry asked her, partly to remind her of his presence.
"Got — got what?"
"What did we take such a big risk for?
The locket!
Where's the locket? "
"You've got it?"
Ron shouted, raising his body a little from the pillow. "No one told me!
Oh my god, you should have mentioned it! "
"Well, aren't we going to escape from the Death Eaters' nest?"
Hermione said, "It's here. I've been keeping it in my pocket. It's well preserved. Don't worry."
She took the locket out of the pocket of her robe and handed it to Ron.
The locket was as big as an egg. It was an ornate S, inlaid with many small emeralds, and shone dimly in the dim light coming in from the canvas tent roof.
"Could it be that someone destroyed it after Kriche?"
Ron asked, hoping for a fluke. "I mean, can you be sure it's still a soul vessel?"
"I think so," Hermione said, holding it in her hand and examining it carefully. "If it was damaged by magic, there will be traces on it."
She handed it to Harry, who turned it over in his hand to examine it. It looked intact.
He thought of the incomplete diary, and the cracks in the gemstones when Dumbledore had destroyed the soul vessel ring.
"I think Kreacher was right," Harry said. "We have to find a way to open this thing before we can destroy it."
As he spoke, Harry suddenly realized what he was holding, and what lay behind the two little golden doors.
Although it took him a lot of effort to find it, he had a strong urge to throw the locket away immediately.
He restrained himself and tried to pry the locket open with his hands, then tried the spell Hermione had used to open Regulus' bedroom door, but it didn't work.
He handed the locket to Ron and Hermione, who tried as hard as he could, but to no avail.
"But do you feel it?"
Ron asked in a whisper, clutching it tightly in his hand.
"What is it?"
Ron handed the soul vessel to Harry.
After a moment, Harry understood what Ron meant.
Did he feel his own pulse, or was there something beating inside the locket, like a small metal heart?
"What are we going to do with it?"
This was indeed a problem, for Jon had left in such a hurry that he hadn't told her how to destroy the soul vessel.
"Keep it safe until we can figure out how to destroy it."
Harry answered.
Though he didn't want to, he put the chain around his neck and let the locket fall under his robe, next to the bag Hagrid had given him.
"I think we should take turns keeping watch outside the tent," he went on to Hermione, standing up and stretching. "And we need to think about food — you stay here."
He added firmly, for Ron's face was green as he struggled to sit up.
The speculum that Hermione had given to Harry on his birthday was carefully placed on the table in the tent, and Harry and Hermione took turns keeping watch throughout the day.
But the speculum remained silent all day. Whether it was because of Hermione's protective spells and Muggle's shielding spell, or because people rarely came here, their part of the woods remained quiet and deserted, except for the occasional bird or squirrel. There was no change at night.
At ten o 'clock, Harry lit his wand and changed shifts with Hermione, watching the silence and watching the bats circling high over the little patch of starry sky above the camp.
He was hungry now, and a little dizzy.
Hermione hadn't put any food in her magic pouch, because she thought they were going back to Grimmauld Place for the evening.
They had nothing to eat, except some wild mushrooms that Hermione had picked from the nearby trees and cooked in a tin pot.
After a couple of bites, Ron pushed away his share and looked a little queasy.
Harry only managed to eat so as not to hurt Hermione's feelings.
The silence was broken by strange rustling and twig-like noises that Harry thought were caused by animals rather than people, but he kept his wand on the alert.
His stomach was already upset from the rubbery mushrooms he had eaten, and now it was burning with nervousness.
He had thought he would rejoice at the return of the Soul Vessel, but somehow he didn't feel that way.
Sitting there and looking at the vast darkness that was only illuminated by his wand, he only felt worried about the future. It was as if he had been sprinting towards this goal for weeks, months, or even years. But now, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, and there was no way to go.
There were other Soul Vessels still to be found, and he didn't know where they might be hidden, or even what they were.
And he didn't know how to destroy the one and only one he had found, the one that now clung to his chest.
Strangely, it didn't absorb his body heat, but clung to his skin as coldly as if it had just been fished out of ice water.
Sometimes Harry thought — or imagined — that he could feel a small heart beating irregularly next to his own.
Sitting in the dark, a thousand forebodings crept into his mind.
He tried to fend them off, to drive them away, but they came relentlessly.
They couldn't both live.
Ron and Hermione spoke softly in the tent behind him. They could leave at any time if they wanted to, but he couldn't.
As he sat there trying to overcome his fear and fatigue, Harry felt the Soul Vessel on his chest ticking down the time he had left … Stupid idea, he said, don't think like that …
The scar stung again.
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